Toasting the New Year and its 15th anniversary, NARS is celebrating with red-hot holiday-packaged gifts this season. Here are a few highlights:

NARS introduces two 15th Anniversary Palettes ($75 each) to celebrate 15 years of color innovation.
First up is Everlasting Love contains intense eye hues to create the perfect smoky eye while Wild at Heart featuring bold lip shades for a deeply pigmented pout.
The Plein ete Mini Multiple Set ($45) is n exclusive set of mini Multiples boasting three best-selling shades.
The Drop Dead Gorgeous Mini Nail Kit ($30) is a dreamy stocking stuffer; the mini collection includes four festive shades: Arabesque, Chinatown, …read more

In celebration of NARS 15th anniversary, founder François Nars will be making a special personal appearance at Saks Fifth Avenue next week – signing copies of his books X-Ray and Makeup Your Mind as well as the NEW limited-edition NARS Loves New York Set.

The set includes an assortment of four classic products resurrected from the archives by François Nars specifically for the women of New York and re-named after iconic names in the city. It will be available for sale at the NARS counter during the PA (that’s personal appearance!)
A team of NARS makeup artists will also be offering customers in-store …read more

Marchesa’s show always boasts GORGEOUS hair and makeup – in fact, last season’s look (created by Stila and John Frieda) was among my very favorites of the Fall 2009 season.  This season – Spring 2010 – was no exception, but this time around, lead artist Talia Shobrook for NARS Cosmetics created the face, which focused on soft, almost diffused skin and long, feathered lashes.
The inspiration behind the collection came from Madame Butterfly. “I wanted to capture the real look of Japan, create layers and bits of origami,” said Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman. The whimsical creations based in sculpted layers balanced …read more

We take a break from this regularly scheduled New York Fashion Week coverage for an equally as important post!
Celebrity makeup artist Jake Bailey did Katy Perry’s makeup last night at the VMAs and her dress – an outrageous metal spiked mesh mini by The Blonds – was the inspiration.
Of it, Jake said, “The dress reminded me of a Gianni Versace book I have called “Rock and Royalty” and the powerful iconic images in it. I wanted the eyes to evoke that type of decadent glamour and of course complement the sparkle of the dress with a little sparkle on the eyes.”

To …read more

The lovely Amy Adams attended the premiere of her new flick, Julie & Julia, last night and Cover Girl makeup artist Molly Stern created her red carpet look. She says:
“It always seems that inspiration ends up coming from the dress. Last night Amy wore a gorgeous full length Carolina Herrera gown with a charcoal and white pattern speckled with gold beading. So I borrowed from that exquisite color palette. We went for a steel and copper smoky lid, gorgeous full lashes, a peachy cheek and a golden amber lip.”
Face
I first started by prepping her skin with a refreshing spray of …read more

Fall’s runways were dominated by two words: bold and feminine. Strong shouldered and form-hugging silhouettes, extreme heels and provocative thigh-high boots, and a color palette of classic hues turned up a notch to Technicolor volumes. These trends also illustrate the NARS Fall collection.
“For this collection, I wanted to create something fragile and strong, and seductive but not aggressive,” said François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics. The combination of strength and refinement has become a hallmark of the brand, and is particularly fitting this season as the brand celebrates its 15th anniversary.
Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

NARS Fast …read more

Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui is one of the main reasons that I love HBO’s Entourage (along with my beloved Rex Lee, better known as Ari’s assistant, Lloyd.) I think she’s simply beautiful so I was excited to see a great feature on her in the July/August issue of Women’s Health Magazine.  In it, Emmanuelle spills a few of her beauty and confidence secrets, including:

“For the record: I wear makeup. All. The. Time. But I do it in a way that looks natural. My skin is blotchy, and I’m Mediterranean-I’ve got dark circles. So I need foundation and concealer. One thing I …read more

 
Next up in our series of Makeup Minute How To’s are tips on making foundation last.  Foundation is an essential for women who want coverage but getting your makeup to last the duration of the day can be a challenge.
Celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman (who keeps stars like Reba McIntyre and Jenna Fischer looking gorgeous) gave us his top three tips for foundation with staying power:
1. My first trick to getting a foundation that holds up is to find a long wear formulation. I LOVE Revlon’s ColorStay Active Light Foundation. It’s super sheer, comes in an amazing color range and has SPF 25. …read more

Some days feel shorter than 24 hours, n’est ce pas?  If you’re feeling short on sleep and long on dark circles (as am I), meet your new BFF: Tricia Sawyer Eye Slept.
This creamy brightener can be worn on it’s own for dark circles that fall on the lighter side or as a boost to your everyday concealer for extra coverage. Simply dab on lightly with your pinky finger or a concealer brush (NARS makes a phenomenal one!) and this baby stays put. I like to layer it under my Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Maximum Coverage for days when I’m feeling …read more

Guest Post By Kori Ellis
Shannon did great things with Makeup Minute over the past few years and I know all her readers will miss her. And I’m also sure Liberty Kontranowski, the new blogger, realizes that she has big shoes to fill and is up to the challenge. Liberty isn’t a stranger to the b5media Beauty & Style Channel, she has blogged at Teen Style Lounge and Snarkstress.
Liberty will be starting a Makeup Minute within a week or so. In the mean time, I’m going to fill in for the next few days until she gets started. I’m Kori Ellis, …read more