Fifty-cent Head

The bright nails trend

It's Spring '08, and one of the brightest trends for the season is technicolor nails (see my current favorite trend whore, Rhianna, above). What do you think of this trend? Let us know in the comments!

Here are some great resources for getting drenched in this trend. Check it out:

Just above, we see the newest offering from Chanel. These colors are a tribute to the new Robertson Blvd store, opening this month, and they're only available at that store (or online in July) - so if you're intrigued, hustle over there! I'm loving the pop art inspired imagery and colors, but since I'm not 100% sold on the trend, I will probably not be dropping $25 USD for each bottle. (*gulp*)

MELROSE | A fun, hot pink destined to become spring’s must-have pedicure
RODEO DRIVE | A purple splash: girl power meets the power lunch
L.A. SUNRISE | A primary yellow as bright and cheerful as its name
L.A. SUNSET | A warm tangerine — just the thing for an afternoon shopping splurge

 

Here are the Summer collections from Zoya, a 3-free polish company: Gossip (on the left) and Chit Chat (on the right).  Gossip is a set of great creams (my favorite when bright colors are the topic). The shades are named after your favorite characters on The Hills (which I am so old I have never seen!): Audrina, Whitney, Lo, Elodie, Heidi and LC.  Chit Chat is actually a sweet collection of gold-based bright shades - and they are named for bloggers! Yes, that's right, the names are inspired by some beauty bloggers we know and love: Gaia, Erika, Becca, Lianne, Annie, and Elke.  I saw some swatches on of Chit Chat on All Lacquered Up (here) and Blogdorf Goodman (here), and from those it looks like I'll need to really check out Elke, Liane and Annie.

Mod About Brights is the new collection from OPI. There's a nice product shot on BellaSugar, here, which gives a bit more of an idea what the colors look like, I think. One of my new favorite blogs, The Polish Addict, shows some swatches here. I want to see these in person, particularly Mod-ern Girl and Dating a Royal.

The collection above, "The Summer Collection", from Essie, certainly loses in the "inspired collection name" category, but the polishes are cute (and have better names). These are brights for the quieter girls among us, or those in more conservative jobs. Check out swatches here at Makeup And Beauty Blog.

Purple Panic and Pink Voltage

Shocking Pink

Turned Up Turquoise and In the Lime Light

Orange Knockout

Blue Sparrow

Flying Dragon

Rose Among Thorns

Sacred Heart

Japanese Koi, Celtic Sun, and Ink

I love China Glaze - I just wish they had better blogger-outreach, 'cause I can't seem to get in touch with their PR folks for anything! At any rate, check out Ink, their summer collection, above. I may just need the turquoise and the green, and will have to see the purples in person - my favorite nail polish of all times is, after all, a China Glaze purple: Coconut Kiss!

Lippmann has released two shades for summer, Lady Marmalade and Shut Up and Drive. They both look nice, but I'm not really feeling the frosty look for these bright summer shades.

I found these great shades in Rescue Beauty Lounge's collection. I think I need to add Smitten to the list of colors I want to try from Ji Baek's products, which are gaining popularity at an amazing speed!

What do you think of the bright nails trend?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Our motto here at Fifty-Cent Head is "we search for beauty news so you don't have to" and whilst surfing yesterday I came across a wonderful treat for you. Ya ready!? I'm about to jingle your bells, ladies and gentlemen!

What's everyone's favorite thing about Thanksgiving, besides the pumpkin pie? Well, it's the Black Friday releases at MAC, isn't it???

 

Take a look at this bad boy- one of the bags from the 2008 MAC Holiday Collection. It's got square edges, and appears to be shiny... like pleather, maybe? And it's the amazing, dazzling, spectacularific shade of red...

Introducing:

RED SHE SAID














 

More after the jump!

Have I found my muse at MAC?

I have completely lost my muse recently... I have been distracted and tired and not at all inspired. I've been doing a lot of beauty reading - Google Reader is a ready enabler for a bad case of procrastination by way of Writer's Block- and there are so many great writers out there that it's easy to get derailed from one's own agenda and get lost in someone else's.

I've been waiting for my muse, and I'm not sure where she's been. I sniffed for her in my BPAL stash, and I thought she danced by, but she was too quick for me. (She's often found there, but she's being quite quite difficult recently) I momentarily thought she was going to be found in that new Clinique gloss I've been loving, but she wasn't - at least not for long. Flipping though the new Bliss catalog, sadly she was nowhere to be found. I haven't lowered myself to wandering the virtual-aisles of Sephora.com waiting for my muse to poke me, but I thought it was going to come to that.

Then, today, I stopped by the MAC counter, and it's possible I found her. Time will tell, of course, but I just had to come home and tell you about some great finds!

It's very sad, but I'm completely head-over-heels for Dazzleglass. This is the second time I've been at the counter with this collection, and let me tell you it's hard not to just yell "I'll take one of each! Wrap 'em up!!!"

I've been wrasslin' with my muse to come up with description of these, and I think the best I can do is remind you old folk of the Reeses commercial where two people bumped into one another and said "hey, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!" and "hey, you got peanut butter on my chocolate!" It's like that but different. Imagine if 3D Glass ran into Lacquer and then got hit with Lustreglass and a handful of Reflects Glitters. Voila: Dazzleglass!

(If you're new to MAC, that didn't help, did it? Let's just say this is a fairly thick but not sticky, soft-on-the-lips gloss with great multi-tonal reflective shimmer and leave it at that, ok?)

Dazzleglass best-of-the-best:

Above is  Pleasure Principal (Clear white violet, teal and white pearl) which is a must for any cool-toned chica (like moi). I think this is Lustrewhite's fashionable older sister: a clear gloss with shimmers, yes, but these shimmers are bright (but not over the top) and busily glinting away, reflecting amazing shades of purple and blue and green while somehow still not looking too trendy or immature. I consider this a must-try (and will probably need backups for my own stash!). Warm-toned gals, try Sugar Rimmed for a similar result (despite what the description says - "milky pale pink with red, teal and white pearl" - this is a warmer toned gloss).

Below, find Funtabulous (It's purple with violet pearl). It's spectacular. I can't stop swiping this stuff on! (and alas, one must, because it doesn't have tons and tons of staying power - it's good, but it's not "longwear" by any stretch of the imagination) This color just makes me smile. I put it on alone or over a pink, but maybe tomorrow I'm going to put it over one of my purple lipsticks (Full Blown?). That should make the spa ladies scared, no? ;) 

I was starting to feel my muse nearby, but wasn't 100% positive she was there - maybe because I already owned a few of these Dazzleglasses? Maybe because I have a few and have been using them all week? Regardless, at lease I was feeling encourage.

And then I saw Naughty Nauticals. Really a truly stellar collection, it blew me away! Well, please understand my stash is so ginormous that I don't need to add stuff unless it's really spectacularific (hullo, Dazzleglass! I mean, geez, there's a blue one for gosh sake!) so I didn't buy out the counter. But if you're still avidly collecting or especially if you're new to MAC, this collection is worth checking out!

Let me tell you about the standouts:

• Been with MAC for years? Maybe slightly jaded or just getting really picky? Check out:
  
  • Party Mate | MAC often bills lipsticks as "sheer midtone pink" and that's how they've labelled this one, but it's actually a fabulous rose. If you loved Longstem Rose Slimshine, you'll want to check this out. It would be a fabulous addition to the permanent collection which is sadly lacking in rose shades
  • Love Knot | When I saw it I figured, "
    Ah, there it is, the standard pale pink offering of the collection." I'm such a cynic. But as I dutifully swatched it, I realized there's nothing standard about this gloss! In case you weren't really paying attention, read the description again: "sheer pink with blue & white duochrome". SHUT UP! It's a pink lipglass with a blue and white duochrome, man! It's soooo pretty! LOVE.
• Got a decent collection, but still jonesin' for more? Check out:
  • Lark About | This pigment is described by MAC as "sheer frosty white blue" and I guess that's exactly what it is. If you don't have a tone of nearly-white pigments, this one is a great one. In fact, I almost took it to the register with me, but talked myself down because I already have 2 jazillion pigments I don't use now! If you love that oh-so-current frosty/white trend, pick this up. If you have Crystal Avalanche, you may not need this. Yes, Crystal Avalanche is a pressed shadow, but it's still a similar color! I used to work for MAC -don't question me! ;)
    
  • Illegal Cargo | This is a really nice shade of muted purple, described as "midtone frosty grey plum". I really liked it and had it out on the counter for consideration, but then looked over at Shale and realized they were fairly similar. I swatched, and indeed they are - Illegal Cargo is lighter by a hair, but they are of the same ilk. If you have Shale and don't use it much, you may want to pass, but if you're a purpleaholic or just want another dusky plum, rock on with the Illegal Cargo, girl!
  • Port Red | I liked this red, and if you haven't gotten a red lipstick yet, come out from under the rock and walk towards the light of the MAC counter - it's 2008! If you are sad you missed out on Queen's Sin, try this one on for size - it's not exactly the same shade, but it may satisfy that craving 'til they bring back Queen's Sin (they have to, right? It was an amazing color! And I'm still kicking myself that I didn't buy it, despite the fact that I rocked it at the counter several days during the collection!).
  • Mutiny | "Clean sky blue with gold pearl" is what they want us to believe. I'll buy that, I suppose, but only if the sky you're referring to is in a colorized black-and-white movie. It's a pretty intense, bright blue. If you can't get enough of Electric Eel and Clarity, check out Mutiny. It reminds me a bit of one of the pigments I already have - if I can beg a tiny tester of this, I'll do a swatch comparison for you. If you like to wear neutrals, this is probably not your cup of tea.
• If you're new to MAC or have a small stash you want to add to with wild abandon, consider: all of the above mentioned products, plus the following...
  • Ahoy There | This glaze (read: sheer and glossy) formula lipstick is "sheer light dirty pink with multidimensional pearl". A very pretty shade, and a great one to carry you through Spring and Summer. This is the kind of color I'm really drawn to, and it may find its way home with me, but I'm trying to be strong.
    
  • Shore Leave | I was confused - I thought this was Stila Kitten at first, then I realized it's actually Phloof!'s fraternal twin sister. "Pale frosty cream" in Veluxe Pearl formula (my favorite!) - lovely, but not unique if your collection fills the spare bedroom. (Who, me!?)
• Don't bother with (unless you have buckets of expendable income and/or just like to acquire makeup even if it's not truly unique):
  • Pandemonium | Girls, don't we have this in about 4 quads? If you don't, you will soon as MAC seems to release this shade or something damn close to it in every other collection. PASS...
  • Naughty Nautical | Memorial Day is just around the corner, and then after that comes the Fourth of July. There: two times this shade of nail polish will come in handy. Is it worth the $10-per-bottle-for-a-easily-chipped-polish? I say nay... if you must, stick with Shirelle, the other lacquer in the collection, which is also in the permanent collection but is a more wearable shade. (And this is coming from a woman with iridescent green toenails at this very moment!)

I'll try to swatch madly tomorrow, and actually take my camera with me (that was my downfall today I realized, after swatching up my right arm). I'll document it all, including my effort to get my fingers into that quad at Nordies. Meanwhile, keep a lookout for my muse - I think that's her trying on the blue Dazzleglass...

Disclaimer: I'm still blacklisted by MAC PR, so I don't have images - I borrowed the ones on the post from Specktra.net (thank you Specktra!). Go over there and check out the swatch fiesta and discussions about Naughty Nauticals (swatches/discussion) and Dazzleglass (swatches/discussion). Viva la Specktra!

Or maybe my muse is making her debut appearance in the top left of Fifty-Cent Head's pages.... What do you think about our new look!?

For you, Lilan: Fafi for MAC "Cult Fave" swatch comparisons

I dedicate this song to Lilan at The Daily Cookie. Not only is she my friend, but I suspect we're somehow twins, at least in the way we think about food and makeup. :) I recently posted images of Fafi for MAC's Cult Fave lipgloss, and suspected Lilan (and others) would want to see some comparison swatches - and here they are! But you have to keep reading after the jump.

Fafi Quad 1 look

This was: Armani Designer Shaping Foundation and Fashion Frenzy blush. Eyes were Fafi Eyes 1, and lips were High Top lipstick and Plum liner (all MAC unless otherwise noted).

These are my lips on MAC Fafi's Totally It!

I tried my best to get these pictures to really show you what irked me about this lipglass. I don't know if I was successful or not. Can you tell that the color has separated on my lips? It's like a sheer pink has taken over the lips and the pink frost has slid to the edges. It reminded me of some kind of Cool Aid residue - and that's not cute.

Now, in full disclosure, I had just tested La Mer's The Lip Balm so maybe that is responsible for this tragedy - I'll try again tomorrow and let you know. For now, this one gets a very disappointed thumbs down. :(

These are my lips on Fafi's Cult Fave!

I love this gloss. Is it special? Meaning: if you have a light pink, do you need this? I don't know, but I haven't been giving enough love to my soft pink glosses lately so I'm really feeling this one. (I am expecting a comment from Lilan asking for me to swatch this against my other soft pinks, like Dreamy, so I'll get right on that in the morning!)

Have you seen the new Shu???

So amazing, the new Shu! I love my Shu Uemura curler, and adding this new smaller version to the arsenal just seems sensible. Able to reach smaller lashes, including the stubborn tiny ones in the corner, this Shu is incredible!

Just like the larger version, the silicone pads will be gentle on the lashes. The handles are easy to use and there's no risk of tugging or ripping the lashes because the curler will never clutch or stick like some others do.

Check it out for only $17 at shuuemura.com.

Wanna look like this girl?! Bobbi Brown can show you how...

I wouldn't mind looking like her! She's amazing. And she's rocking that natural-nude-type makeup (or is she really just the most perfectly genetically-blessed person in the world?).

This Spring/Summer at Bobbi Brown is all about nude shades. And really, for the most part isn't that usually the case at Bobbi Brown!? At any rate, this collection is sexy, lovely rich nudes and they're perfect for that whole-face nude look or adapted to include a bright pop of color as we saw in many of the Spring/Summer fashion shows.

In the set you'll find a eye-lip palette and a collection of glitter glosses, too. Take a look! 

REVIEW: FACE atelier - eyeshadows

I recently had the opportunity to test some FACE atelier product, and boy did I have fun! I have posted the review of the Ultra Foundations, and now it's time for the eyeshadows. YAY! I love eyeshadows!

The sort of crazy eye look posted above was done with a great palette of FACE atelier shadows that was sent to me. I really loved testing them! Keep reading to find out more, and how they compare to MAC shadows...

Side-by-side swatches - MAC's VG VI LE lipglass vs. VG VI lipglass vs. Nico Now

For all of you who live in my area, I was the crazy lady in the grocery store parking lot taking pictures of her arm! It occurred to me on the way home to swatch the new Limited Edition Viva Glam VI lipglass against Nico Now and Viva Glam VI (the original) lipglass.  What a great idea, I thought, however the sun was going down and the lighting at home isn't great for swatching. So, since I had the shades in question in my over-stuffed cosmetics bag, I decided to swatch it where I was: the parking lot of the Food Lion. Odd, but effective! Anyway, the swatches are below.

You see that VG VI (the original) is more of a deep neutral pink with lots of visible but fine multicolor glitter-shimmer. VG VI LE is softer mauvey-pink, with a sheen rather than a glitter, and it's definitely a cool color. Nico Now is more pinky-mauve with a multi-color glitter-shimmer, and it's a cool color. I also swatched Luminary for no reason other than I mentioned the opalescence in it was similar to that of VG VI LE - though the colors are clearly not similar. 

Next up, Viva Glam VI LE on the lips:

vs. Nico Now on the lips:

Check out my lips dressed in Viva Glam VI Limited Edition!

PLEASE NOTE: This picture was just for this purpose: swatching. The application is not ideal, and I didn't use lipliner (if I had, I'd have chosen Buerre for those who are keeping track)!

This is the Limited Edition version of Viva Glam VI. Do I look like Fergie!? ;) Read on for more images and my review...

Fafi Swatches

OK, I've been posting about Fafi because I know everyone's so interested in it, but frankly I didn't know how this collection was going to work for my real life. I can't wear crazy colors to work (it's a conservative spa), and I certainly don't choose them for a wild and crazy day of taking my toddler to the library before heading to the grocery store. So, while I still appreciate off-the-wall colors and I LOVE Fafi herself, I was really certain I wasn't going to find a totally large haul at MAC come Valentine's Day.

WRONG.

I haven't purchased, yet, but did madly swatch...

To see more swatches and to learn what I simply must have from this collection, keep reading...

Wanna see MAC + Heatherette collection? Wanna buy it before anyone else?

Take a look at that, won't ya!? A rare glimpse of the elusive MAC + Heatherette collection... in the wild, it's natural habitat! Want to see more and/or learn how you can take it home with you ?  Keep reading!

DISCLAIMER: The images in this post came directly from ebay, and apparently the person who posted them got some/all of them from Specktra without attributing them, along with the product descriptions - I don't condone that behavior! So: thanks to Specktra.net for the images, and apologies for inadvertently posting them without the disclaimer for a few hours.

Also, Janice at Specktra posted on her blog that these items were given to the press at a press event - and the person who has posted them on ebay is making money on these things she received for free. NASTY behavior. Not nice at all. Please do NOT purchase this lot- but feel free to gawk at the images (thanks again Specktra for those that came from you).

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MAC Spring Looks

MAC has released their Spring/Summer '08 trends, available in the Picks section of the website. These are makeup combinations that are pivotal for this Spring and Summer. As we know, MAC sets the standard for makeup trends, so take a look at these and see what works for you (and what you see imitated by other companies!). All looks are available at the MAC website, as are detailed methods to reproduce them, by the way.


Lovin' that purple lip there, in Acrylic! I may have to try that one. I really like the use of color in this trend- I think it's fresh and sassy.

Make sure if you're doing a vibrant lip like this, that you keep the lines precise. If it's blurry or sloppy you risk looking like a crazy cat lady. Grab some of MAC's Cleansing Tips which contain an oil-based remover to help neatly clean up slip ups.

And don't pair the lips with a strong eye- these looks are meant to be used sparingly. Keep the rest of the face fairly neutral and soft!

In Alabaster, everything goes white!

I am not too sure how much I care for this look. I love the light eye, top left, and I'm definitely a fan of a bright shimmer in the inner corner of the eye (not like that in the bottom right!).

The milky look on the lips is nice, but not for everyone. If you can't wear a milky pink, try a warmer Lip Conditioner like Soothing Beige or Gentle Coral or try C-Thru liplass.

MAC has a few great products for highlighting the cheeks. The soft pink cheeks here can also be adapted for warmer complexions by trying shades like Tenderling or Peaches. In a pinch, try going through your eyeshadows to see if there's a shade that will work!

Slated is probably my favorite of these trends. It's dark, but not quite a smoky look. Never heavy, this use of greys and taupes seems light and fresh.

Love that eye, top right! In fact, all of these eye looks are amazing.

As shown, keep the rest of the skin soft and light so as not to appear weighed-down by the greys. That's pretty much the key to wearing this trend!