Buy any Revlon cosmetic item and get 50% off the second equal or lesser priced item!

This is what I’m getting:

Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup, Light-Medium $12.99

Covers imperfections and evens skin’s appearance. Patented ingredients made with innovative micro-color beads adjust to your exact skin tone upon application.

I love this stuff! I don’t need a heavy foundation and my skin is really dry and this is like wearing nothing at all!

Revlon Matte Lipstick, In the Red $8.00 $4.00

I haven’t tried this shade yet, but for 50% off I can experiment! I love a true red like this one!

If you’re not a Revlon girl, Drugstore.com has the same great deal on Cover Girl and Maybelline cosmetics too!

And the best part: If you spend $25 (and who wouldn’t?!) you get free shipping!

Find more Drugstore.com coupons at CouponMountain.com.

The holiday season is sneaking up on us and with it comes lots of parties and lots of reasons to look gorgeous! Check out the beautiful GloMinerals Holiday Glam Kit. It has it all!

gloMinerals introduces gloMinerals BEST multi-faceted collection ever. Express yourself with classic glo shades along with 3 new, distinctive eye shadow trios. This visual treasure has everything you need for exhilarating looks with high style.

gloInspiration holiday glam kit includes: (starting at the right and going in order from top to bottom)

• gloShimmer - brick gleam
• gloBronze - sunlight
• gloBlush - hibiscus, innocent, lilac silk
• gloConcealer - natural light, golden dark
• gloCream eye liner - espresso, eggplant
• gloGloss - coconut, nude, lilac luster, plum glaze

*New gloEye shadow trios mojave, sahara, amazon

All for only $70!

Find deals on makeup kits at Smarter.com.

Interestingly enough, I recently read that the Food and Drug Administration has come down hard on Allergan, the manufacturer of Latisse, for misleading consumers about the risks associated with the product.

The agency said the Latisse website either doesn’t mention potential side effects including bacterial eye infection, allergic reactions, excess hair growth outside the intended treatment area, and permanent changes in iris and eyelid pigmentation, or presents them in small text that is much less prominent than statements about the product’s effectiveness.

The drug is approved to make eyelashes thicker, fuller and darker. The FDA approved it for that use last December. Latisse, or bimatoprost, was already on the market as a treatment for glaucoma.

Hair growth outside of the treatment area?! GROSS! I’ll keep my wimpy eyelashes, thank you very much…

Need a good mascara for your poor un-medicated eyelashes? I have been using this one for years:

Paula Dorf in Chocolate: $20.00

It’s waterproof and it thickens. It comes in several colors, like chocolate, which is great for me. I’m a redhead so my eyelashes are lighter and look a little strange with black mascara.

Shop for affordable mascara at Smarter.com.

The one good thing is that it did wash off with soap and water–something that has seemed to be impossible lately. I picked up an inexpensive blush only to see that once on, the color was much too pale for my skin tone. So we took a trip to one of those nice MAC stores (on a side note: MAC is not my favorite brand, but I do love their lipstick. I just settled for a one stop shop this time, it was better than nothing.) I picked up a sheer peachy lipcolor, Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow, a black tube of ZoomLash, and a blush called Notable, a color that’s part of their current marketing project with painter Richard Phillips and other artists. What did I notice while browsing the new shades…deep plum lips are definitely in this fall. Darker lipstick has always followed seasonal trends. Once fall rolls around, the girls lips’ get a little darker, vampier.

I love it. Bordeaux lips are what the beauty editors are calling it. If you arrive at the beauty counter and can’t describe, just try to remember that last glass of red wine you had, and she’ll know just how to fix you up.

The look from the Rodarte runway show at this month’s NY Fashion Week.

There are tons of wine colored lipsticks to choose from, most of them going with the alias: Berry. Berry this, berry that. You’ll know it when you see it. My mom is really into the berries and plum shades, she picked up a tube of MAC’s London Life–a lovely semi-sheer wine color. If you decide to go bordeaux, stick with pale pink cheeks and a soft shimmery eyecolor so you don’t look overdone.

image source: Allure.com, glamour.com

Shop through a variety of lipstick at Smarter.com.

The best way to apply this eyeshadow is  to first apply the lighter shade to the corners of your eyes as well as the area right below your eyebrow. This will accentuate the darkness of the rest of your eyes and make them look bigger as well. Next, apply the darker shade in the creases of your eyelids, but make sure you blend the outer corners of your eyes so that there’s not dark brown line visible. This method will create a dramatic, smokey eye effect.

If this isn’t a color that you prefer–there’s also this eye shadow quad by PlantLove you can get that’s originally priced at $25, but is now on sale for only $5. You can choose from four fun colors, which are all a little earthy-toned so it won’t look to overdone. These colors won’t exactly work for smokey eyes, but you can sweep one of the four colors across your lids for extra shimmer to light up your eyes. These deals are great!

Image sources: sephora.com

If you want to make your eyelashes stronger, dab a small amount of Vaseline on your eyelashes now and then and you’ll definitely notice a difference.

It’s also advisable to avoid using eyelash curlers because they definitely pull out eyelashes each time you use it. But don’t worry, if you use the right mascara, your eyelashes will curl with the upward motion of your hand. I know that there are even heated curlers available on the market–but do you really want to be spending so much time and effort? Why use four average products when you can just use one excellent one and get the job done in less time and money?

Now, the hardest part: picking the right mascara. Aside from foundation, your mascara is the only other makeup product that you shouldn’t skimp out on. Your lashes speak volumes.

If you already have relatively long eyelashes, the best clump-free mascara that thickens and separates is the Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes Mascara.

It’s the newest revolution in mascara because of its sphere shape. It really grabs a hold of your roots and when you wiggle the wand around as you gently stroke your eyelashes in an upward motion, each lash is individually enhanced 360 degrees. This is definitely not for those of you with very short, thin eyelashes–using this would be really messy. The Givenchy costs around $23, but the price is totally worth it.

If you have thin, short eyelashes, you should go for the classic, surefire Fatale Mascara from Lancome. It’s got a gentle wand but the amazing formula completely transforms and lengthens your eyelashes like no other product out there. Professional makeup artists use the Fatale and say it’s the best product out there. Whats more, it’s really easy to apply.  Just one stroke will get the job done. Your eyelashes will be long and curled to perfection. It’s around $21 but it’s the perfect splurge for a birthday present.

For the most optimum eyelashes that you can physically create, use the lengthening Lancome mascara AND the Fatale Mascara. Since both products are high quality, there’s no risk of not looking classy. You’ll surely wow the crowd at your next party.

Image sources: Allwomentalk.com

Don’t worry though, I think I’ve finally found the perfect foundation. Bee Royal’s liquid powder mineral foundation is exceptional for a variety of different skin tones. The honey beige, fawn, and espresso work really well with dark shades of skin. They’ve taken all the benefits of mineral foundation and combined it with a liquid formula to create long-lasting results. Your face glows and it has SPF 15–an absolute necessity for ethnic skin. The minerals contain anti-oxidants so when you apply the makeup, you’re not only covering up imperfections but also healing them. It’s about $37 so it’s a little pricey–but you can’t put a price on the perfect foundation. It’s a foundation and powder fused into one, so you’re getting two benefits for the price of one. One really good thing I like about this product is that it dries really quickly so you won’t wipe your liquid foundation all over the place.

You can shop for your perfect foundation at www.beeroyalproducts.com

Image source: beeroyalproducts.com 

This does require a precision brush but you don’t have to buy MAC’s…any cheap liner brush will do. You simply dab the brush in this clay-like formula and sweep it across your eyelid. It  doesn’t smudge and it doesn’t wear off by the end of the day. What I like most about it is that it comes on really rich and dark–something that pencil can never do.

They have fun colors too like purple, blue and brown. It’s just incredible how long this will last you. Totally worth it.

 Image source: whimsicalwonderland.wordpress.com 

The forest green shades are earthy, and may be easier to wear than plain old black or dark brown.  OPI (of course) and Orly have issued their shades of dark green polish…but sadly, I couldn’t find the new shade, Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow, on the OPI website.  This shade is supposed to compliment darker skin.  Orly’s Enchanted Forest–a lighter forest green is set to release in a Fall 2009 collection which explains why I couldn’t find it online.  BUT I was able to locate a photo of the collection itself courtesy of a fellow blogger…

Enchanted Forest is the dark green right in the middle. Below is a small color swatch of it…

You can purchase Enchanted Forest on VictoriasNailSupply.com for $3.15!  Otherwise, as for now it will be pretty difficult to find.  Kim Kardashian is supposedly a big fan of the new dark green nail trend and wears Enchanted Forest herself.  I personally am going to hunt down the OPI shade Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow.  I like the whole idea of dark, dark green on my nails rather than a more emerald shade.  I’ll survey if this trend survived come this fall, stay tuned!

Image Source: bodyandsoul-mary.blogspot.com

Almay Liquid Eyeliner in Black: $6.30

This liner is fantastic!  I used it for several months and found that it goes on easy and washes off with soap and water…come on..who doesn’t love that factor?!  When applying, just pull the eyelid taut and with a steady hand, slide a thin line of the liquid across the base of your eyelid, closest to your lashes as possible.  Let dry for a sec and your done.  Mistakes will almost always be made so have a q-tip handy to clean up.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more affordable liquid eyeliner.