Back to Basics

Ms. New Beauty both loves and hates the arrival of new spring collections in early winter. Because she is a Northeastern girl, born and bred, it is always far too cold for her to truly partake in the lovely little dresses and pretty printed delicate fabrics that typically march down the runways in fall and hit the stores right around now. On the beauty front, MNB is always delighted by the return of petal pinks and cream corals that are often included in spring cosmetic collections. Fall and winter collections have been so loaded down with deep, dark hues that the release of spring looks is such a welcome change of pace by late January. But something just isn't right about looking like Miami when you live in a tundra-like town. To Ms. New Beauty, some of those bright colors are simply a tease to her, reminding her that they won't be fitting the temperature or mood of her environment for quite a few months. Rather than swear off spring's pretty palettes or be forced to stick with the dark and heavy makeup looks that she's so tired of by now, Ms. New Beauty has found the perfect compromise - nothing!

M.A.C. N Collection

N Collection is an idea so simple, it's genius! This is a collection of face, eye, lip and nail color designed to give you the perfect nude look. Now, we all know that you can always get the products you need for a nude face, lips or eyes. But instead of wandering all over the beauty department trying to find that lipstick that looks like you're not wearing lipstick from, say, 35 different cosmetic counters, M.A.C. has put them all here together at once. This collection is essentially the building block of any respectable train case or cosmetic pouch. These are the Little Black Dresses and White Button Down shirts of your cosmetic wardrobes - those basics that are so simple yet stunning and go with absolutely everything else that you own.

The N Color Collection features the lipsticks, glosses, nail polishes, eye shadows and lip liners that will perfectly complement any stronger cosmetic looks. Use the lip colors when you're doing a dark or heavy eye and switch out to the nude eyeshadows when you're sporting a bold lip. My favorite, favorite from this collection though are the polishes. The naturally rich is actually the perfect shade of brown to just blend in with my complexion and the Demi Blanc is the prettiest metallic oyster. It's light enough to be perfectly conservative but the metallic sheen gives it enough depth not to be boring.

The N Face Collection brings back those absolutely coveted Mineralize Skin Finish baked powder foundations and bronzers to make your skin look perfect yet completely natural and untouched.

N Collection is on counter now, but for a limited time so get it while the gettin is good.


Indulge in a new spring treat without looking out of place while it's still winter, but just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!


(Photo courtesy of Specktra)

Tis The Season

The holiday season is finally upon and Ms. New Beauty couldn't be happier! She's looking forward to the big family gatherings with so much food that she'll either have to wear pants with an elastic waistband or a long tunic to conceal her undone top button. She cannot wait to hit the stores and start shopping for perfect presents. And, her favorite part is heading out to pick out a Christmas tree and then coming home to decorate it. Now, she knows you're thinking - "MNB it was just Halloween, it really tisn't the season!" Well, for Ms. New Beauty, as soon as Macy's hangs up those red and gold garlands, the holiday season is here. And, MNB knows she's been a little MIA lately, so she definitely wants to start celebrating early by giving back and showering New Beauties with gifts. That's right, just like any other absentee relative, Ms. New Beauty is planning to make up for neglecting you and buy back your love with a big old gift!!!! MNB is packing her present box with all kinds of goodies from the M.A.C. Holiday Collections and she's giving them away! Read below to see just what you could get and what you have to do to win.

The M.A.C. Holiday Collections

Finery

These lipcolors are just so perfect for day and even better for night. It took a lot of real selflessness to part with them but I had to. My cup, and the lip color sections of my makeup case, runneth over. But you can enjoy these four petite purses each filled with three lipcolors in Plum, Coral, Tan or Pink color schemes.

$32 each

Curiositease

Curiositease is a collection of five unique canisters filled with your M.A.C. favorites - Lipglass, Lustreglass, Plushglass, Pigments and SoftSparkle Eye Pencils. These would make perfect gifts for any fab lady in your life because they come in the prettiest packaging and all of the colors are so flattering.


$29.50 each

Viva Glamourous

Viva Glamourous is the special holiday edition of M.A.C.'s best selling and charity giving lip color - Viva Glam. As part of the giveaway, you'll get three cool toned shades of M.A.C.'s signature Viva Glam lip colors in a beautiful burgundy compact that benefits that M.A.C. Aids Fund.

$22.50

Heirlooms

The tools of the trade can really make a difference between a sultry and sexy smokey eye and looking like you got your ass kicked for trying to hold onto your lunch money at the jungle gym. Heirloom will make sure the former is in your future with this metallic clutch purse filled with five basic beauty brush essentials.

$48

Royal Assets

Now, we all know how much a sucker I am for pretty packaging. These metal compacts look like something passed down to you by your dear great-great-Aunt Margaret (because aren't great aunts always named Margaret?). The giftbox will include three eye palettes featuring six shades each in Cool, Warm, and Smokey shades and three lip palettes featuring three shades each in Coral, Red, and Pink shades.

$36 each for the eye palettes and $22.50 each for the lip palettes

So far, that's a retail value of over $500! And, that's not counting some other M.A.C. goodies I'm including from the Antiquitease collection and a few from this season's Smoke Signals collection. These holiday collections are beautiful to look at, beautiful to wear, and make beautiful gifts. You'll definitely want to win this one.

The rules couldn't be simpler - just sign up for an email subscription on the sidebar to the right. That's all you have to do. And, if you're already a Ms. New Beauty subscriber, you'll be automatically entered to win. The only stipulation is that if you've won a previous Ms. New Beauty giveaway within the past 12 months, you won't be eligible for this one. Gotta give everyone a fair shot to win. I'll be announcing the winner on November 30 so you have between now and 11:59 pm on November 29 to enter to win.


Enter to win, and remember that you always get more by giving away, and never forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

Un-meltable

It's almost August and summer is certainly in full swing. Ms. New Beauty lives in the northeast where summers are characterized by upwards of 90% humidity and sweltering heat. There are days where MNB can actually see the moisture hanging in the air. These days often feature Ms. New Beauty timing her walk/run to and from the car to make sure that her hair doesn't swell up like feet in flip flops. In the midst of all of this, MNB has pared down her daily makeup routine to only the bare necessities - eyebrow pencil to perfect her arches, a swipe of mascara, and just a hint of color for her cheeks. But, some days the errant blemish pops up or her complexion is just a little mottled. MNB's skin is naturally oily (and gets even more so in the heat) so even a tinted moisturizer turns out to be too heavy. Ms. New Beauty would put it on at 9 and by 10:30 her forehead had turned into a oil slick that would put Exxon Valdez to shame. What is a New Beauty to do? It is far too hot and humid for a full face of makeup that will surely melt away within the hour but the pursuit of skin perfection mandates some solution. MNB knew there had to be some middle ground. Well, here it is.

M.A.C. Cosmetics Flashtronic Mineralize Skinfinish

For years, I bounced between wearing makeup or just going completely bare in summer. I figured out a little while ago that just a hint of bronzer does the trick for me. The hint of color darkens me up just enough to even things out and the shimmer draws the eye where I want it to go (i.e. away from any breakouts). The problem was that most powder bronzers were designed for fairer skin tones and ended up so light that they did nothing for my brown skin. And, the ones that did work were gels or creams that brought me right back to oil slick territory.

But this new powder highlighter from M.A.C. gives me just the perfect effect. While traditional makeup rules will have you put bronzer only on temples and cheekbones, this skin finish is versatile enough for full face usage. Just a light dusting with a very, very fluffy powder brush, and I'm glowing, evened out and not the slightest bit greasy. Global Glow is the perfect shade to use on my whole face while Gold Spill, a lighter champagne shade, works well for highlighting my bone structure. Northern Light is a pinkier/blush shade which was too light and ashy for me. It gave me horrid flashbacks of an ill-fated run in with Nars Orgasm.

And, my favorite part of this whole collection - you know I had to have a favorite part - is that the powders are all mixed up and baked in looking. They have the prettiest swirl effects running through them that make you almost scared to mess up the design with your brush.
The Flashtronic collection also has some great eyeshadows in pretty, swirled metallic shades. They can look a little disco a go-go but they go on very sheer and subtle. Tectonic looked like acid green in the compact but was a very shimmery, sublte gold on my eyes. Flashtronic is a limited edition collection in stores until September 27, so go get it now if you're interested.

$24.50, available at M.A.C. counters


Bronze it up instead of foundation, keep yourself comfortable and cool, but just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!


P.S. - M.A.C. has another limited edition collection in stores this summer too called Rushmetal. Stay tuned for a very special announcement on Ms. New Beauty about Rushmetal.

Shock To The System

Cardboard boxes. Ms. New Beauty has had her fill of them. In the past week or so, it seems like all she saw were cardboard boxes. MNB was moving of course and the brown cubes became a necessary part of that process. Yesterday, after a week of packing, lifting, and unpacking cardboard boxes, she thought she was finally done with them - at least for the time being. But lo and behold, as Ms. New Beauty approached her front door, there was another cardboard box waiting for her. Initially, she thought she was being tormented and followed by the evil container. She soon realized that this box, unlike all the others, was not demanding her to fill it up with styrofoam peanuts and keepsakes. This one held a special present just for her and brought nothing but delight to her life. This box held a new summer makeup collection full of eye popping eyeshadows and luscious lipsticks and it was all waiting patiently inside just for MNB.

M.A.C. C-Shock Collection

M.A.C. can do something a lot of other makeup brands can't. It can claim that it has a legion of faithful and adoring fans without stretching the truth one bit. I know women who have tried other brands and run straight to the M.A.C. counter after professing their sins and begging for forgiveness in the form of a new concealer. I used M.A.C. in high school but I am not such a die hard fan as others are. I'm greedy, and there are so many great brands out there that I could never commit to just one. I am not a Makeup Monogamist.

But I have always loved M.A.C. for their richly pigmented eye shadows and absolutely juicy lipglosses, so C-Shock is just the jolt my makeup case needed. When I first poured everything out onto my bed, I instantly put together my eye looks for summer. I am so not a fan of understated eyes for evening. When it's time for me and the girls to hit the clubs, lounges, and bars of the world, it must be with bright eyes. Brown eyeshadow is only for situations when I have to be daytime demure. So these colors are perfect for me. A veritable rainbow of punchy, vivid colors. The eyeshadows are bright and rich in pigment, but they go on quite smooth and sheer. You can build the intensity of them to make the look as daring or as subtle as you want.

Now, the lip colors are a kind of bright that's harder to work with. You can wear almost any color on your eyes, but the lips are a beast of a different breed entirely. I tried four of the lipsticks - a frosty pink (similar to Proenza Pink so you know that didn't work on me - Brown Girls of the World Beware!), a bright blue, a frosty coral, and a shimmery purple. Momma New Beauty helped me try them and we both agreed that the blue lipstick on brown skin gives a frostbite effect. The coral looked great but the jury was split on the shimmery purple. On Momma New Beauty, it was a sheer pinky wash of color that worked. On me, it looked like a holdover from a 1986 pre-Easter raid on the Fashion Fair counter. Interestingly enough, the lip gloss in a similar purple shade looked amazing on me. So I guess the formulation of the color does a lot to determine how it will work for you.

C-Shock is a limited edition collection and will only be available at M-A-C counters until mid-July, so if you like what you see hurry up and get it before it's gone.

Shock your system with a bit of brights and look perfectly punchy for summer, just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Ms. New Beauty is feeling oh so easy and breezy right now. She just turned in her papers after finishing up a seven hour final exam (yes you read it right, seven hours!). Now, she is all about decompressing and luxuriating. Well, at least for the next two hours until she hits up her yoga class and then packs her bags for her vacation next week to Dominican Republic. In the meantime, she's sharing some info for the rest of you ladies who are feeling equally easy and breezy.

Can you be fierce? Do you have intensity in your eyes? Have you watched far too many episodes of ANTM like me? If so, you should head down to the open casting call for the CoverGirl Queen Collection taking place next week. Queen Latifah is looking for women of color to find the new face of her collection with CoverGirl. The Queen Collection is one of the few, if not only, drug store collections to provide foundation for women of color in more than the three typical shades - light, dark, and in between. I don't use it myself, but I definitely believe in the message and applaud Latifah for having the foresight to see that this was a product desperately needed in the market.

Queen Latifah and CoverGirl are holding a casting call in NYC on 1/29 to find the next CoverGirl. Queen Latifah believes every woman is a "queen" and on Monday, January 29th, she is holding an open casting call in NYC to find a new face to appear in an ad for the CoverGirl Queen Collection.

All women of color -- from Latina to African American -- ages 18-48 are invited to strut their stuff in front of a panel of judges, including Queen Latifah herself. Contestants will be asked to share their story as to how they have achieved both inner and outer beauty - whether it was through a recent accomplishment, community service, overcoming an obstacle or standing up for something they were passionate about.


WHAT: Queen Latifah open-casting call to find a real woman to appear in the next CoverGirl Queen Collection advertisement

WHEN: January 29, 2007 from 11AM to 4PM (line forms at 10AM)

WHERE: BB King Blues Club & Grill -- 237 West 42nd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues)

If you live in, around, or near NYC, you should definitely get down there early on Monday and try for your spot in CoverGirl history. I would go myself, but I'll be leaving for my vacay, and with the way I'm feeling now, I soooo need some sun. But trust I'm sending my Partner In Crime in my place and she is going to rock it and end up in magazines all over the world! I just know it!

Strut your stuff ladies, and be a Queen, but don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

New Beautiful Women

Every now and again, Ms. New Beauty stumbles across likeminded women. Girls who appreciate a good pedicure, know the difference a great bronzer can make in their lives, and who understand that skipping a few meals can be a legitimate way to pay for a good bag or shoe that technically doesn't fit in the budget. Most of the time when I meet these women, I befriend them and add them to the Ms. New Beauty cypher. But, in some cases, that's difficult because the women turn out to be celebrities. So, MNB is adding a new feature to the blog, New Beautiful Women. Celebrity women who live up to the Ms. New Beauty standard - fun women who are equally at home in Barneys as they are in the boardroom.

This month, while reading Allure, I discovered a fabulous New Beautiful Woman - Raquel Welch. She has always been an icon of unabashed glamour and sexiness, but it was this quote that cemented her New Beautiful status for me.

"Part of the art of being a woman is to know makeup. I suppose it's a slightly politically incorrect concept. But . . . who wouldn't want to sharpen her skills at being a woman? To me, makeup is one of the basics. I don't see any shame in that."

Me neither, Raquel, me neither. I love smart beautiful women who aren't ashamed of being either. She's a Golden Globe Award-winning actress who redefined modern ideas of sexiness and went on to create and run her own successful business.

M.A.C. 2007 Beauty Icon Collection

Given her career credentials and just all around fabulous attitudes on life, it's only fitting that M.A.C. would partner with her to launch the new Beauty Icon Collection, which will debut in stores in February. The collection is a full line of lip colors, eyeshadows, powders, blushes, and brushes, all inspired by the glamour of Ms. Raquel. And, what icon collection would be complete without false eyelashes. The colors are truly fitting for those days when you just ooze sex appeal but can also be worked into the normal everyday rotation.

The best part of the collection, and you know I can't leave out the best part, is the packaging. Everything comes in tiger printed tubes and compacts. I love, love, love that. How sexy is it to reapply your lipgloss from a tiger printed tube?!? Even on occasions when you must be demure, like in the office or at luncheons, these cosmetics can be that little touch of sex appeal that only you know about. Just like wearing sexy lingerie under a conservative suit.

For a picture of the full collection, try here, and for a full list of the colors and products in the collection, visit Spektra. Thanks to Janice over at Spektra for all the photos used here.

Be New Beautiful, stay glamourous like Raquel, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!