Beauty

While we’ve been in denial about summer being over, it is. It really is. Now’s the time to get your skin ready for–big sigh–winter. While pros generally recommend that you tweak your skin care when the seasons change, a facial is also a great way to combat damage from summer and to prep for the upcoming onslaught of winter.

We asked Mathilde Thomas, the founder of one of our fave skin care lines and owner of the uber-luxurious Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at the Plaza here in New York City, to give us some DIY options for home. Because we can’t all run over to the Plaza for a fancy facial or body treatment, can we? So read on for two of Mathilde’s recipes–one to fix the mean things you did to your skin over the summer and one to moisturize your whole body once it gets drier and chillier out there:

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Being around Erica Domesek from PS I Made This is a heady experience. Even if you think you don’t have a creative bone in your body, after 10 minutes with her you’ll want to rip apart your house and start making things out of left-over takeout flatware. We’ve made everything from purses to fascinators with [...]

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The Tom Ford beauty collection launch is almost upon us. While we’ve been hearing that it will be available at the end of October (and we got to see a teaser peek at Fashion’s Night Out at the Tom Ford store), we just found out that the collection will launch at Bergdorf Goodman on November 1 (and you can pre-order now); it’s also available for pre-sale at Neiman Marcus. So you can drool over the whole glorious collection for the next few weeks.

There’s a skin care range, brushes, nail lacquer, eye shadow quads, Ford’s stunning lipsticks (whose success encouraged the launch of this full beauty range) and everything in between. If you were hoping for some really sexy color names, you might be a bit disappointed. The raciest it gets is “Love Bruise” and “Ravish.

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Limited edition makeup and beauty collections for the winter holidays have a long and hallowed tradition in the beauty industry. Who hasn’t picked up a red lipstick or sparkly nail polish for a New Year’s party? But Halloween collections? This is a relatively new–and if you ask us, sorta weird–thing. Not that we’re complaining. (We love Halloween and may or may not have dressed up as Lady Gaga last year.)

We’re not talking makeup for a costume here, though. We’re talking about bath products and makeup that all have a Halloween theme. And seriously…what is cuter than a li’l pumpkin on your vanity (or your nails)? From glow-in-the-dark makeup to spider webs for your nails, click through for some spooky beauty options.

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Lady Gaga has been the face of MAC‘s Viva Glam campaign for the past year–her lipstick is a pale nude color–and she’s been working on a fashion project with Nicola Formichetti for the cosmetics brand. Back in March, Gaga put out a call for fans to submit head shots of themselves which would be incorporated [...]

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While everyone’s still hyperventilating over the new Chanel spring 2012 nail colors, the nail polish industry does not rest. There are more new things out there to get excited about. Nail polish is getting more and more specialized, and we love it.

NFL-themed nail polish? OK! Plus Footloose has obviously been generating a lot of buzz lately–and so does pretty much every color that Deborah Lippmann creates–so a Footloose-themed collection makes a whole lot of sense. And nail polish that changes color in the sun? With glitter? Sign us up!

Click through to check out all three of these new nail polish collections.

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Yep, you now have to be 18 years old in the state of California to fake bake, Reuters reports. California’s previous law banned the use of tanning beds for teens under the age of 14, but it was OK for 15 to 17-year-olds with a parent’s permission. Other states have varying laws regarding underage tanning, but the highest age limit that’s ever been imposed has been 16.

The AP reports that Illinois, Rhode Island, New York, and Ohio have considered similar laws, so you can expect that other states will start following suit. There’s evidence that the UV exposure you get using tanning beds can lead to malanoma (and rates are increasing in young women), so presumably that was the driving force behind the legislation. After age 18, you’re legal and responsible for your own stupid decisions (I have the tattoos to prove this logic), including whether or not you want to look like an extra from the Jersey Shore.

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While we’ve been distracted by spring fashion all month, let’s not forget that in the real world, fall’s officially here. As you’re packing away sandals and sundresses, it’s time to go through your beauty supplies, too. Bye-bye coconut-smelling beachy hair spray. Hello, red lips!

There are tons of new products out there, many that we’re sure are destined to become classics. Burberry, Bobbi Brown, MakeUp ForEver, MAC, and Tom Ford all have new goodies for you to try out. Intrigued? Mad with curiosity? Click through to see all our fragrance, nail polish, and makeup picks for fall.

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Are you confused about all the recent hair straightening drama? Well, things aren’t really going to be crystal clear yet after this latest news. Another US federal agency just officially weighed in.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted air testing in salons that use the Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution and Brasil Cacau Cadiveu, and found “hazardous levels” of formaldehyde, according to WWD. This comes a month after the FDA wrote a threatening letter to the Brazilian Blowout company that if they don’t reduce the amount of formaldehyde in the products and label the packaging more clearly, that the product would be seized.

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What is so fantastic about Karl Lagerfeld is that he doesn’t hesitate to take on semi-silly projects (Diet Coke, pens) with the utmost seriousness of purpose. We first giggled back in August at the brilliant name of his new fragrance, Karleidoscope. Today WWD has more details about the fragrance, and we are completely intrigued.

There’s no denying that Lagerfeld is creative–he came up with the name, concept and advertising for Karleidoscope. He shot the ad–at left–with model Bianca Balti. And what it smells like?

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It’s hard to generalize about the beauty looks across the major fashion capitals, but we’re going to go ahead and do it anyway. New York is either easy-breezy or loud and brash. London makeup artists usually go crazy with their palettes, while Milan is generally sophisticated and strong. Paris, much like many of the runway collections, is pretty with a theatrical streak.

Check out our favorite looks (which, as usual, are the ones that are the most fun to look at.) Though this season we may have to try a few of these out in real life.

Photos: Imaxtree

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OK, so maybe we were a bit too enthusiastic in our last post about the Chanel polishes you’ll be wearing next spring. Turns out that the pearly white seen on many of the models might not even be produced, according to Beauty Counter Blog, who had the good fortune to be backstage at the Chanel [...]

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The Chanel spring 2012 show walked a few hours ago, and the theme was “under the sea.” No surprise then that pearls–already a classic Chanel motif–were featured prominently on the clothes and in the beauty looks. What we were most interested in (I mean, duh) was the nail polish. See above for the pearly white [...]

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Contact lens wearers beware: if the designers of Milan and Paris have anything to say about it, there’s the potential for a lot of junk to be falling into your eye this spring. From the gold leaf at Fendi to the taped-on “floating eyeliner” at Gareth Pugh, you’re going to need some protective eyewear. Don’t [...]

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I’ve been a nail freak since childhood, so the nail-polish-is-the-new-lipstick trend sits well with me. Unfortunately, I lack the funds to try out the cool new stuff available (Chanel Peridot, gel manicures). However, I’m a sucker for anything borderline ridiculous or cheap (or both), so when I saw a brightly colored sign advertising $10 nail art in my less-than-cool Bronx neighborhood, I was intrigued.

“$9.99 FULL NAIL MANICURE! FOUR COLOR DESIGN!” read the wooden stand, pointing up a narrow staircase to the second floor of a building housing a tattoo parlor and an electronics store. Never one to be afraid of a little sketchiness (I’d actually gotten my nose pierced at the aforementioned tattoo parlor as an idiotic, parent-free freshman during my 1st week of college), I commissioned my roommate as a wing woman and headed in.

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Ever thought to yourself, gee, I really wish I could find a self-tanner to give me that special Pauly D orange glow? Yeah, we didn’t think so.

But apparently, someone thinks there’s a demand for the Jersey Shore star’s signature burnt toast shade, and now Pauly D himself is planning on cashing in on it with a new line of tanning products.

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YouTube makeup tutorials (a genre popularized largely by Michelle Phan, aka Rice Bunny) are huge among the teenaged set, but these girls may just have to step aside. Meet five-year-old makeup maven, Madison, who is taking precocious to a whole new level with her YouTube makeup tutorials. Thankfully, it’s all done in a refreshingly unsexy [...]

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Lauren Conrad’s been blogging for Forbes.com (random, though maybe not so random, since she’s a mini mogul) and she dropped this little tidbit in her last column:

Right now, one of my main objectives is to expand TheBeautyDepartment.com into a product line. I am currently researching all of my options, but should begin the process of executing an actual line very soon—stay tuned.

This probably isn’t much a of a shocker for anyone who reads her blog, TheBeautyDepartment. Rumors were swirling even the week she launched that her ultimate goal was to get into the beauty game. And we suspect she’ll be really successful.

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It’s no secret that guys have been raiding our closets, from Kanye famously wearing Céline to boy models like Andrej Pejic sporting womenswear on top runways. Now they’re after our makeup, too.

Guyliner obviously has a long history among musicians and hipsters (and drag queens), but huge cosmetics brands are making it acceptable–or at least supporting the concept–that boys can sport a full face of makeup. And we don’t mean like Marilyn Manson–we mean like a smoky eye and orgasm cheeks.

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Yesterday, we dropped by Barneys New York for a bit of breakfast and a make-up/skincare primer (couldn’t help it) with in-house beauty guru Jason Ascher. This job isn’t just about giving beauty tips to his clients; the role encompasses responsibilities as a resident make-up artist, beauty/haircare/fragrance/skincare expert, and personal shopper (plus, he’s happy to upsell clients — literally — upstairs to the shoe department or the Lanvin boutique for ensembles to match their new glow). Oh and his services are free-of-charge, although we can’t be held responsible for any impulsive purchases made following a consultation.

Ascher was on hand to convince us to trade in nude lips for bold ones, remind us to, please, please clean our makeup brushes, and introduce some new exclusive beauty lines launching at Barneys, including: Arquiste Perfumeur (“not your grandmother’s Shalimar”), Kre-at Beauty False Eyelashes (complete with a handy applicator tool), Radical Skincare (moisturize your necks, ladies!), Serge Normant haircare, Rodin Olio Lusso skin products, Claudio Riaz brushes and makeup, Hourglass brushes and cosmetics, and Astier de Villotte fancy candles. Here’s what we learned:

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