Beauty Must-Haves: Tarte Cosmetics' New Summer 2010 Collection

 Summer is kind of a funny, double-edged sword when it comes to beauty: sun-kissed skin means you can back off the makeup a little bit, but heat and humidity means that whatever you're wearing has to withstand sweat, elements and hotter conditions. Luckily, one of my beauty go-to lines, tarte cosmetics, has created some fabulous products for the season that I thought you really needed to know about:

recreate ™ silicone-free primer with wrinkle rewind™ technology  ($32) - A fabulous primer to work underneath their already-fantastic natural anti-aging foundation foundation of the same name, it minimizes the appearance of your pores and is perfect for those with sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin. Oh, and did I mention that it's clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles? Studies show a 67% decrease in wrinkles, 47% increase in firmness, and  53% increase in skin's moisture content in just 15 minutes post-application. Yep, it's that good.

park ave princess matte waterproof bronzer ($29) - Another fabulous sister product of the label (this time to their best-selling mineral powder bronzer of the same name,) this matte version delivers the perfect amount of sun-kissed glow as well as doubling as an easy contouring powder. Infused with natural, skin-softening mineral pigments and nourishing ingredients like Vitamins A, C and E, this waterproof bronzer helps to improve your skin's texture and is also formulated for all-day wear.

emphasEYES™ waterproof clay shadow/liner pot ($22) - Infused with micronized Amazonian clay and a blend of plant waxes, these plush shadow/liners are fabulous for creating intense, long-lasting, high-definition eyes. The clay compound helps to create not only deeply-colored pigmentation but it reducess surface oil (which can cause products to slip) and improves the overall texture of the lined area. I love that it can be used with a liner brush for precise application or smudged across the lid with a finger for more of a rocker look. Bonus that it's waterproof. They're available in five shades: black, brown, bronze, plum, and indigo.

multiplEYE™ natural lash-enhancing waterproof mascara ($24) - As we all know, waterproof mascara is dearly important in summer months (raccoon eyes, anyone?) and Tarte has some of the best out there. They've created a waterproof, onyx-hued version of their beloved mascara that contains a soy-amino proprietary complex that helps stimulate lashes for a longer, thicker look.

lock and roll 12-hour eyeshadow ($17) - Per customer demand, the brand is relaunching their fabulous eyeshadows as a waterproof formula and with all new shades! Still with smudgeproof technology, you literally apply the cream shadow and then roll the loose mineral-based shadow over it for gorgeous eyes. Just in time for nights out with your summer fling! Check out the beautiful new shades of deep sapphire, burnt bronze, deep amethyst, moss and onyx.

rise and shine natural lip stain and lip-enhancing gloss ($21) - The perfect way to wake up your lips on a hot summer day, the stain imparts color while the lip-enhancing formula stimulates collagen and benzyl nicotinate, a natural ingredient, opens up capillaries for a plumping effect. The fruit complex invigorates and helps the natural moisture and health of your lips as well, so it's kind of an all-in-one lip treatment! They come in six gorgeous shades of  mauve, cherry, pink, nectar, nude and the juicy berrylicious.

What you have to love about tarte is what they leave out of their products to ensure the maximum health of their clients: products are free of chemicals and compounds such as parabens, pthalates, sodium laurel sulfate, synthetic dyes, and synthetic fragrances. For those who are so inclined, there's also a good selection of vegan-friendly products.


Check out tarte's summer 2010 collection now at Sephora, beauty.com, dermstore.com, Henri Bendel, select boutiques nationwide and, of course, their own website. After all, in order to look sweet this summer, you're going to have to get yourself a little tarte.

Beauty Obsession: My Brand New Summer Look, Courtesy of Lancome and Sandy Linter

A little while ago, I had the pleasure of attending a product demo at the Lancome store on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where I was treated to a first-hand experience with their new gorgeous summer products from the new Bronze Riviera collection. That would have been quite enough because my love of Lancome is lifelong (it's the first makeup line I ever purchased with my own money), but then I was treated to the ultimate surprise: legendary makeup artist Sandy Linter would be doing my makeup.

For those of you who don't know why this is such a big deal, Sandy Linter is a beauty industry icon. I've followed this tiny makeup powerhouse's work since I was a young girl and I can name almost every celebrity she's ever done: Elizabeth Hurley, Christie Brinkley, Sigourney Weaver, Patti Hansen, Jessica Lange, and Queen Noor of Jordan are just a few of the hundreds of women she's worked on over the years. She had her first Vogue cover in 1974, which led to many other covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and Glamour. She's now Lancome's Beauty At Any Age Expert and a total delight. I'm not kidding: it's one of the rare times in this industry I've been completely starstruck. It was truly an honor. She's a tiny little thing but she's hilarious and sweet and I've sworn my eternal gratitude.

I digress. Sandy went to work using Lancome's amazing new summer products on my face, which included the following (in no particular order):

Effacernes Medium Bisque ($28.50) - a gorgeous concealer that smooths undereye circles and skin, leaving behind a soft, matte complexion.

Maquicomplet in Correcteur ($28.50) - a great concealer that works on blemishes and other imperfections, it also contains antioxidants, a hydrating botanical complex and light-diverting agents.

Le Crayon Khol (summer) in Sultry in Sunset ($28) - a fabulous dual-ended waterproof eye pencil that has a sooty black on one end and a warm carmel brown on the other. Great for us brown-eyed girls.

Definicils ($24.50) - Gave me some of the longest, best-defined lashes I've ever had. I love this mascara. It's a Hall of Fame winner of most beauty awards for a reason.

Le Crayon Poudre Brow Pencil in Taupe ($24) - I am constantly forgetting to use brow pencil to define my brows but every time someone does it, it opens my eyes and instantly makes my entire face look better. Do this, ladies.

Tropiques Minerale Bamboo Bronzer ($45) - I admit to being new to the bronzer game, but now that I've experienced it, this product is sincerely my new best friend. The packaging is glamorous and the bronzer delivers instant sun-kissed skin and a healthy glow. I adore it so much I went out and bought one for my mom.

Ageless Minerale Blush in Brilliant Berry ($29.50) - I'm obsessed with this blush. It's finally the perfect tint that makes me look perfectly flushed without looking too made up. It's finally gotten me away from my beloved NARS Orgasm blush and that's really hard to do.

Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Palette in Haute Sunset ($42) - A gorgeous set of browns which are great for day and then layer them up for a smoky eye effect for evening. Brown-eyed girls, this is a must.

L'Absolu Rouge in Beige Chestnut ($29) - Obviously, the image is red but just trust me on this - it's a sexy brown nude that has enough pink in it to look like wet lips in the summer. I can't even get into it. I wear it EVERYWHERE now.

Lancome has so many amazing things happening for summer, including their newly-reformulated Flash Bronzer ($36), which is oil free and will give you a nice healthy glow in mere minutes with SPF 15 for daily commuting coverage.

This summer, it's all about Lancome and their spectacular makeup. If you need proof, check out my new Sandy Linter-created look: it's soft, it's alluring and it's all Lancome.

Reader Question: How To Get Rid of Dry, Chapped Lips

Reader Question: "Beauty Lip Question: I have constant dry, chapped lips that are always peeling. I have tried Vaseline at night, chapstick with sunscreen, burts bees without sunscreen. Help! I hate the gloopy feeling on my lips."

Answer: Oh wow, I have BEEN THERE! As a fellow former sufferer of dry lips, I understand the frustration of looking for the right lip product. Not only are dry lips painful (cracking can HURT) but they can mar any beauty look (peeling lips under lip products = completely unsexy look) and some of the products can be less than comfortable. Wax lips work on no one.

Although I've tried (and do actually use sometimes) every product you've mentioned in your question, if you're looking for immediate relief from cracked, painful lips, I might suggest the following process and two products that you simply have to try:

1) Go home tonight and head to the bathroom. Wet your lips and then take a wet washcloth and gently exfoliate your lips (very gently) for about ten seconds. No longer.
2) Mix one part olive oil to two parts kosher salt or brown sugar. Using a cotton swab, apply this to your lips (close your mouth) and exfoliate your lips. Leave it on for about a minute. Use your washcloth to wipe them dry. (As an added bonus, use it as a hand scrub, then wash your hands for gorgeously smooth hands.)

3) Get yourself some Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Lip Therapy ($7.99.) Apply this to your freshly-exfoliated lips and it will shield you from moisture loss while you sleep as well as reduce chapping and peeling without a thick, waxy texture. Over time, you'll see your lips will become more smooth and hydrated.

As I stated before, I use it all the time and then I carry Rosebud Salve ($6)  in my purse and apply it liberally throughout the day. Between these two products and the olive oil scrub, I haven't had a problem with dry lips since.


Other considerations for dry lips:
- Don't lick your lips or apply drying matte lipsticks if your lips are chapped or dry. Both of these actions suck moisture from an already parched area
- Too much sodium and alcohol in your diet doesn't help. Try cutting back a bit and you'll see an improvement in your overall appearance, not just your lips
- Drinking more water does help
- This might sound prissy but it's totally helped me: I swear drinking through a straw has helped the condition of my lips. Just don't pucker too much or you can risk getting lip lines.

Hope that helps! Any other questions? Send them on!

Beauty Maven Spotlight: An Interview with Karen Robinovitz of Purple Lab NYC

Many of you know that I'm obsessed with the beauty brand Purple Lab NYC. What many of you don't know is that the brains behind the operation, Creatrix Karen Robinovitz, is also a personal friend. Writer, fashionista, beauty maven, social media maverick, television personality: whatever you want to call her, anyone in her presence can feel her creative energy and powerhouse personality. I figured it was time for all of you to know a little bit more about the tiny creative power plant we all know and love, so when Karen agreed to let you in on the woman we all know and love, I jumped at the chance. Here is the fabulous, amazing braintrust behind the Next Big Thing In Beauty in all her glory:

FSB: So, we all know how Purple Lab was created but what were your inspirations for the new products? Do you actually have a mood board? If so, what's on it?
Karen Robinovitz: My mood board is full of chic, glamour and fun. A little Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Anselm Reyle, some Dita and Kate and Cowboy Kate; images that conjure style, succulence, deliciousness and fabulous which really represents the DNA of Purple Lab as a whole. I attached an image of it! 

FSB: Who is the Purple Lab customer?
Karen: Purple Lab has a psychographic, not a demographic. It's any woman who wants effective, science-forward products with a pop of cheeky fun and glam. There is no age - it can be a 14 year-old girl who responds to color and personality or a 65 year-old woman thinking of anti-aging makeup. The kind of girl who likes products that multitask to save time, energy, and money and wants to feel empowered, fun, and fierce.

FSB: You are a self-described fashionista and one of my own personal fashion inspirations. Describe a day in your life and how your cosmetics work with your busy schedule and fabulous wardrobe.
Karen: There is no one typical day because every day is different, as I'm "balancing" (in quotes because I have no real balance) Purple Lab with a day job as a social media consultant. Because I'm always running around, I love having products that are double duty beauty because I can get my skin care and my color at once.

I'm up by 7a.m. and probably online before I even use the loo.

My day typically starts at 8:30a.m. with a breakfast meeting at Pastis. I never leave home without Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip gloss in Worship Kate and Goji Berry Smoothie (a new shade, due end of April) and Luvah lip stain and gloss in Mama's Boy (the most perfect nude).

Horrible dark circles under my eyes are taken care of, thanks to Luxury Squared which has beta glucan, a good anti-inflammatory. It helps me look way more fresh than I feel!

I usually have about 3-5 back-to-back client meetings, peppered in with desk side meetings with magazine editors.

More often than not, I'll have a lunch meeting and if I'm lucky, it's at Fred's at Barneys, which is good because it's always nice to do a quick spin on the 4th floor shoe department. Too bad I have no product to help curb my sartorial cravings!

By the end of the day, I'm back in the home office to go over things on the Purple Lab front, look at new products and components, and blog.

6 or 7p.m., I'm likely off to an event that I'm planning for a client and if not, I'm working on newsletters for Purple Lab, brainstorming new products, or going over business budgets with Todd (my least favorite thing to do).

9p.m., Try to relax... while blogging!  And my makeup lasts all day! No smudging of mascara, thanks to tubing technology! Love that Lashionista Modelista, I have to say!


FSB: The line is now available on HSN. What's it like being on television? Spill!
Karen: It's amazing and scary at once. So much is going on and the pressure is out of control. While I'm doing my thing, I have to be aware of the flow of it all. There is a very short, designated amount of time per product. So I may have three minutes to get out ten minutes worth of information on one product! I have an earpiece in and the producer gives me cues - when to look at a certain camera, when to go to the before/after shots or an animation, when someone is calling in, etc. And there are three screens on view at all times - one shows what viewers see, another shows what's coming up and a third shows the sales. I try not to look at the sales - too scary and distracting. It's live so I cannot mess up. I have to be aware of the models, when I talk to them to show how products look on their skin and when not to do so. There is so much to think about! My heart is racing and I fear I am going to break out in hives every minute. It's a total rush, though. I love it!

FSB: What has been your greatest moment so far in your career? Describe your greatest accomplishment.
Karen: It is, without a doubt, creating Purple Lab and getting it off the ground in a down economy, when all odds were stacked up against me. I never put the dream aside, not when thirty-thousand components came damaged and I had to start over. Not when I was approaching personal bankruptcy. Not when I was trying to raise money after the stock market crash. Getting to HSN was the culmination of it all, everything I have always dreamed of doing and hoped for. To do it with my husband makes it even better.

FSB: What are five fun things that people don’t know about you?
Karen: I'm dying to have a home in the mountains with a teepee in the backyard and a massive tree house. Todd and I plan to name our future kids Rossi Wolf Jacob and Sivan Alaia. I love being in sweats more than anything else. Young, Fabulous & Broke Wide-Leg Zen pants are my favorite and I wear them every day. I have a weakness for Truffle Tremor cheese. OMG! Beyond. I have been known to bring it to the movies with spelt pretzels. Love a movie picnic. I'm an Aries with a Scorpio moon and an Aquarius rising. Makes total sense when you know me.


FSB: Actually, that explains a lot to me, believe it or not. ;) What’s the next move for the Purple Lab empire?
Karen: The focus is on new products and steadily growing the company. All of our energy is on HSN at the moment and we just want that to be the biggest success we can imagine. And I have a HUGE imagination so there are high standards to live up to.

Be on the look out for Pearlesque Show, a silicone-free primer with crushed pearls, honey, and kiwi at the end of the month along with a new shade of Lashionista Modelista called Modern Classic (navy) and four shades of Huge Lips Skinny Hips. I'm also working on two new eye products for July.

Look for Karen and Purple Lab to go back on HSN live next week on April 29th and 30th, where you can learn all about her and Purple Lab's fabulous products! Be there, people!

Obsession of the Day: Lipstick Queen Discovery Kit

When I was a little girl, I loved playing with my mother's lipstick. If I ever came home in a bad mood, my mother would hand me my own little tube of happiness and let me go to town. Well, it seems my favorite day brightener is making a comeback as THE lip product for spring and I'm all for it. Want to know what's making me all bright and cheery right now? The Lipstick Queen Discovery Kit ($48)

Creator Poppy King has selected three of her top-selling lipsticks and packaged them together in one little lipstick wardrobe so you can play around with colors depending on your mood. The kit contains Medieval (a sheer hint of red infused with Vitamin E to condition and soften), Saint Nude (one of Poppy's originals, a perfect retro nude infused with hydrating shea butter) and Butterfly Ball in Fly (sheer fuchsia with a touch of iridescence that has a bit of blue to make teeth look whiter).  Which one will you pick? Depends on your mood. With three lipsticks in the pack, you can change it up multiple times a day.

How can you be in a bad mood with three brand-new fun lipsticks? Please. Lacquer up that pucker and tell your bad day to kiss off.

Lipstick Queen Discover Kit ($48), available at Space NK, Barneys New York, Henri Bendel and online at www.lipstickqueen.com

Beauty How To: Get ScarJo's Perfect Red Lip with Dolce and Gabanna Makeup

It always seems that women are on the quest for something. We're always looking for the perfect something and the top three for most of us are the perfect jeans, the perfect bra and the perfect red lip. There's almost no such thing as a universally-flattering red lip because the nuances of skin color are just so hard to pin down. The red lipstick that looks so amazing on my friends is too orange for me and vibrant pinks can sometimes make me look like I just ran a marathon (I have pink undertones to my skin). However, if you're looking for a good cherry red lip with blue undertones (think Gwen Stefani's color) with a tad of shine, I have magic for you: Dolce and Gabanna Makeup.

People always ask me what products to beauty and fashion bloggers actually purchase and I'll admit that this makeup line is one that I actually sought out without being contacted and bought it with my own money. The colors are rich and the formulations are absolute perfection. The same care and concern they put into their gorgeous clothing is translated fabulously into their makeup line. I am a huge fan.

In order to create this dazzling cherry-bitten red lip, head to Saks Fifth Avenue and pick up three items from the line: The Lipliner in #3, The Lip Gloss in Ruby and The Lipstick in Devil. Exfoliate and moisturize your lips, then fill your entire lip in with the lip pencil. This creates a base and helps the color last longer (and appear more vibrant. Now, depending on your mood, you can use the Ruby gloss for a shiny wet red lip:

...or use the Devil lipstick for more of a classic screen siren lipstick look. Lipstick is HUGE for spring/summer so feel free to give your glosses a rest for a bit if you like.

Then step onto the scene with your hot red lip. Just watch getting it on a gentleman's collar. That is, unless you just can't help it. ;)

Beauty Must-Haves: Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball and Chinatown Lip Pencil

My adoration for Poppy King and her amazing Lipstick Queen line knows no bounds and I've got two new, fabulous products that you need to know about for your holiday beauty routine.

Butterfly Ball ($20) is one of my new favorite makeup obsessions. This gorgeous iridescent lipstick gives a lightweight "shimmer tint" that looks amazing alone or layered over other lip colors. It's inspired by the multi-faceted hues on a butterfly's wings as well as Mohammed Ali's famous quote that he could "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Each of the five hues contain Vitamins C, E, A and Aloe Vera to condition your lips so it feels amazing gliding onto your lips, plus the iridescent hue makes your teeth look brighter. This is a must-have for winter beauty and you need it now.

My other new favorite lip obsession from Poppy's addictive lip confections are the Chinatown Glossy Pencils ($20). Another super-moisturizing set of lip glosses that come in a solid pencil so you can "draw" them on, they make applying lip color a snap and feel amazing gliding onto your lips. I'm currently obsessed with my "Mystery" pencil, which is a sheer vibrant purple that's more rocker glam than goth. I give major attitude when wearing it just to give it justice.

Great for your makeup bag (or as a stocking stuffer for your favorite beauty addict), get thee to Lipstick Queen and do some shopping!

Beautiful Causes: Purple Lab NYC's Tea Party for Sealed With a Cure

Me with author Geralyn Lucas at The Norwood Club, NYC

Friday night, FSB was invited to attend a gathering of online media in support of Purple Lab NYC's fabulous lip gloss created for Breast Cancer Awareness, Sealed With a Cure (SWAC). The event was held at the swank private Norwood Club in the West Village. Once inside the gorgeous, exclusive venue, we were treated to a tea party and some socializing before a truly memorable experience: a reading from Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy by the author herself, Geralyn Lucas.


Author Geralyn Lucas speaking to the group.

I should tell you why this reading was so powerful. If you have some of this amazing gloss, you see the name "Nancy" at the bottom of the tube. This is because the gloss was named for the cause behind the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, a woman whose friends and family wanted to see her disease eradicated so much they started a foundation in her name. The event was held in her name and as we truly enjoyed the gloss named for this brave woman, the reading by the author was dedicated to the daughter and mother of Nancy, who were present for the event. It was truly an honor to meet everyone there and it bolstered my resolve to continue to get the word out there for this amazing cause. Not only is Purple Lab an intelligent beauty brand, it's one with heart.



I've already told you how much I love this lovely SWAC gloss so I'll take it one further and have you join the challenge given to all of us. You need to feel beautiful in all situations so when you purchase the gloss, wear it someplace unexpected, take a picture and send it to me to be featured on FSB. Because if Geralyn can wear lipstick to her mastectomy, we can all bring beauty to even the most unusual of situations.

Online Sale Alert: Too Faced Beauty Vintage Super Sale

Hey, beauty fans: genius makeup brand Too Faced Cosmetics just dropped me a line to let you know that they're having a fabulous sale from now through the 25th of October! They're opening the Vintage Vault and offering up to 75% OFF some of you time-tested favorites. I hopped over to the site to check it out and it looks amazing. I mean, let's get real: the glamorous Too Faced Loves Kipling Glamour Eyes collection is now $15, down from $67! Kitty Glitter Vintage is just $4, down from $12.50! At these prices, these items will be going, going, GONE so get cracking and head to the Too Faced website to get your shop on!

BCA Beauty: Tell Breast Cancer to Kiss Off With Purple Lab Sealed With A Cure Lip Gloss

Everyone knows how much I love my Purple Lab NYC cosmetics. Rarely am I seen without various forms of Huge Lips, Skinny Hips lip gloss. So when I saw their Breast Cancer Awareness product first-hand, I had to tell you about this gorgeous, universally-flattering lip gloss, all for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The BCA (Breast Cancer Awareness) offering from the double-duty beauty brand is called SWAC "SEALED WITH A CURE" ($18.50) and it's filled with amazing ingredients that will make you feel good buying it and even better wearing it. As part of their partnership with the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, the gloss boasts health and immune system enhancing ingredients like Mangosteens and Echinacea as well as anti-aging peptides. It's a paraben-free, ultra-moisturizing, non-sticky formula with real gold flecks and a gorgeous vanilla scent that's a real kiss inducer (trust me, I gave it a shot and it's kinda sassy, I must say.) A portion of what's bound to be your new makeup bag staple will go to fund research for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation.

We're not featuring a ton of BCA products on the site this year because I want every single product featured on FSB to be reputable, proven and good, solid performers. This lip gloss has made the cut. You know I love products that give you more than your money's worth and Purple Lab has certainly done that with this amazing lip gloss. The "double duty beauty" company has actually gone triple threat with this product: the gloss looks amazing on everyone, the health and anti-aging boosts are always a plus, and how can you resist a lip gloss that gives back to women's health issues? Get your own gloss and tell breast cancer to kiss off in real style.

The FSB Hot Style List: Fast Lips, Hot Fall Fashion Picks, Madonna's New CD and Hot Cocktails

I'm a firm believer that every woman should have a list of favorite things that helps her sip, shop and live in style. Funny thing is, since I work in fashion and beauty, this list changes on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis for me. I thought I'd start sharing what I'm digging on this week. What's on my mind this week as fall officially makes it arrival?



This Laura Mercier Lip Watercolours Palette ($48) has saved my life for almost two months now. Available for fair and medium complexions, these highly pigmented shades can be used one at a time or together for dazzling impact in a hurry. It's right for the season and a great value for the woman on the go.

As I'm surveying my fall wardrobe, I didn't realize that I don't have a good versatile short boot to just throw on and leave the house. These uber-hot Sam Edelman Lakota boots ($225) will be just the thing for fall.



I want a faux fur vest but I don't know if I want to invest a lot of money in the trend. Then again, I don't want to sacrifice quality and walk around in something that looks like it was made from Muppets. This Fred Flare Faux Fur Vest ($60) looks and feels amazing at a great try-the-trend price.



This weekend is all about nesting, since I'm unpacking after moving into my new apartment. While I unpack, I'll be dancing around to Madonna's new album, Celebration, a compilation of her greatest hits. If you care to get into the groove with me right this minute, here's an old and rare Madonna track, "Burning Up."



When the neighbors complain, I'll just offer them one of the hot cocktails I'll be cooking up this weekend. It's called a Galliano Toddy (I'm a fashion nut down to the names of my drinks and I am not ashamed of this fact, people). Here's the recipe if you feel like warming up your own humble abode this weekend:

Galliano Toddy
1 oz Scotch whiskey
3/4 oz Galliano® herbal liqueur
1/4 oz grenadine syrup
1 slice lemon
2 oz boiling water

Pour all ingredients into a hot cup, sprinkle with grated nutmeg, and serve.

Enjoy and look for more hot picks for next week as the weather cools down. So many awesome things coming on FSB!

60-Second Beauty Tip: How to Wear Sheer Black Lipstick

You're thinking to yourself, "She's finally gone off the deep end" but hear me out: this isn't the Goth black lipstick you used to buy at the mall as a teenager. Urban Decay has a fabulous new lipstick for Fall/Winter called Oil Slick ($22), which is described as a "glossy black with silver microsparkle."

By itself, it's an edgy sheer look that gives a bit of punk appeal but here's the trick: slick this on over any red, pink or purple lipstick (not gloss) and it instantly deepens the shade and adds a bit of nighttime glamour to any look! It might sound crazy but head to your local Sephora and try this on for size. I recommend pairing it with other super lip-conditioning Urban Decay lipsticks, like Jilted (a hot pink), Gash (a blood red) or Buzzkill (a deep rose). It's like purchasing a whole new wardrobe of lipsticks without having to spend all that money!

NYFW: The Fashion Week Beauty Palette

New York Fashion Week is upon us in 48 hours and counting, and that means everyone is slightly crazed coordinating every last detail so we can look our fashionable, fabulous best when we hit the tents. Right now shoes, handbags, dresses and accessories are coming in at 900 mph but my beauty look is completely set. Over the next week, I'll be doing a daily featured called "What I'm Wearing" that will tell you about my look for that day and how to get it/where to buy it (if available). Here is the makeup you'll be seeing:


For day, I'm doing a gently smoked eye with a dramatic red lip. The LORAC Red Carpet Reveal Collection is going to be my daytime staple at the tents this year. I am positively loving the Breakthrough Performance Lipstick SPF 15 in Leading Lady ($22), a moisturizing, stay-put and universal red, and I'm mad for the Red Carpet Reveal Eye & Cheek Palette ($35). Amazing formulations and so compact I can use them on moving transportation between events with no errors.

Running from the tents to after-parties will require me to amp up the glamour a bit. I'm working a very rocker-chic vibe this year, so I'm using my bad-girl makeup bag staple, Urban Decay. Their Ammo Plus Primer Set ($39) has gorgeous formula, dramatic pigment shadows coupled with their secret weapon Shadow Primer Potion to give it maximum staying power and smooth application that will make my eyes dramatic and gorgeous. Coupled with their 24/7 Super Stash ($39), a collection of nine of their stay-put-and-stunning eyeliners, my eyes will be center stage.

I have three other amazing staples that will accompany me to the tents from Smashbox, NARS and Kiehl's. For mascara, I need lengthening and curling to make my eyes pop, so I'm absolutely loving my Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara in Midnight Black ($19). I'll use my cheeks mainstay, the NARS Multiple in Orgasm ($37) and I'm rocking my new favorite scent weapon, Kiehl's Essential Oils with Roller Ball Applicator in Coriander 1946 . This essential oil comes in a fabulous purse-size and has an amazing, sexy fragrance that settles into skin easily without overpowering.

Just a little preview of the glam routine that will be keeping me sane and sexy during Fashion Week. Feel free to steal a few of these fast, fabulous beauty items for your own get-fabulous-fast routine!