ADVICE SISTERS 2002 FALL BEAUTY REVIEW

FACE STOCKHOLM outdid themselves in the glamour category this season. We practically fought over who would try their Loose Powder in Gold Shine or Silver Shine. It's gilittery, but just a touch on cheeks made us glow. Used with a more heavy hand on face and body, you're a shining star on the party scene!

Bobbi Brown's "ShimmerBrick Compact" 35.00 for eyes and face was such a hit last holiday season that they're bringing it back this year. It's a chic, easy way to add instant glamour to day or evening makeup. Choose any one of five gorgeous, super-pearly earth-tone powders or sweep your brush across all five and add a dusting of soft shimmer to compliment your complexion!

Madina Milano is quickly becoming one of our new faves for makeup that's out-and-out gorgeous and sophisticated. Their Fairy Tale Holiday Collection (shown) is just spectacular, with the powder presented with the latest technology - metallic overlay designs sprayed on top of the products - even the lipsticks have glittery embellishments! The Fairy Powder $25.00 has a beautiful, intricate design of a beautiful fairy inside, and is as pretty outside, with a subtly embossed lalique-like cover, and a creamy, medium beige long-lasting powder foundation that suits most. Madina Milano's Fairy Blush $18.00 has a medium pink overlay design on a stunning, dark pink blush that would flatter darker complexions and perk sallow cheeks. Our reviewers liked the way it smoothed on and lasted through a night of dancing.

There are plenty of shimmer powders to choose from this season. They're hip and fun and popular, but if all you crave a bit of glamour -- just a bit of beautiful shimmer without producing a big glitter effect, you'll love Calvin Klein's lovely, new limited edition, Sheer Shimmer Powder $20.00. The packaging is classy (silver top with barely perceptible CK logo) and inside you get a superior loose powder with a unique blend of colored pearls to give your face face and body a slightly sparkling look. It's just beautiful!

There's almost nothing we like better than a multi-purpose product that works well. Stila Convertible Color$28.00 comes in a cute compact and is a lipstick and blush-in-one. We're not sure how they do it, but when used as a lip gloss the color is smooth and glossy, when used as a blush, it blends almost imperceptibly into cheeks with a glow-y not greasy feel. We tried "petunia" which is a natural, pretty pink which will flatter most.

At under $4.00, Maybelline Powder Blush from the New Gloss City Collection is subtly shimmery for holiday glamour and a bargain, too! We loved the light pink "Pink Bubbly" and the slightly plummier "midnight Mauve". Both are sheer and universally flattering.

If you want a eye-catching evening look but don't care for metallics or glitter, try a Double-Up Eye Shadow and Liner Duo $12.00 from BeComing. "Classique" gives you a startlingly white matte shadow, with a dark-as-a-lump-of-goal liner. The look is simply and definitely, dramatic.

We admit it, most of us need practice when it comes to applying liquid eye liner, but NARS Liquid Liner $27.00 it it's chic squared bottle and enclosed mini-liner brush made us want to try harder. There are lots of sophisticated jewel-toned colors to choose from, but two subtly metallic holiday colors we think will enhance eyes and get you noticed are deep teal "Sri Lanka" and dark charcoal "Equus." If you're just not steady enough to line top lids, use the great little liner brush to darker lower lashes - this color will stay put! For those who prefer a pencil (easier to tote) Nars Eyeliner Pencil $16.00 in "Kyoto" gives you a slightly shimmery, pewter line that equally stunning - just right for festive eyes.

There's nothing like getting ready fast, and a Delux Cream Powder Eyeshadow $18.00 in a sheer-to-layer shade like "Sheer Ice," a pearly, champagne beige, fixes festive eyes, fast. Reviewers really liked the option of wearing a sheer wash of color, or layering for serious color satuation - you get a lot of looks from one little square compact!

Prestige Eye Shadow Singles approx $3.69 come in dozens of beautiful colors with generously-sized compacts. For the holidays try silver-with-silver glitter "Oasis," on lids. Line with midnight blue with multi-glitter shadow in "Ink" or with a midnight blue eye liner pencil in "Rhapsody."

The Calvin Klein Eye Kit $23.00 caught our eye not only because it's in a great looking clear lucite cube that doubles as "modern art" but because inside the clear lid we can see four fabulous,subtle and universally flattering eye colors in warm ivory, pinkish beige, rich brown, and deep aubergine. The colors can be used wet or dry and can double as an eyeliner. We liked the silky way they slid on, and then stayed put through dancing and...!

Maybelline Expert Eyes shadow duo $3.49 in "City Lights" features a soft brown shadow, and a shimmering silver one. We tried a light dusting of the silver over the brown as well as for a highlighter, but both look equally nice alone.

We really liked Gustavo's Holiday Eye Shadow Palette ) $25.50 - a special, limited edition compact for the holidays that comes in a slim, chic, matte silver case with dual ended brush and nice big mirror inside. You'll get five really pretty, neutral wet-to-dry shadows all shimmery shades ranging from ivory to medium to dark browns and beiges. They are pretty! You can apply them dry (or wet for more luster). This is one great gift for yourself, for a fashionable friend, or perhaps for someone getting interested in makeup who would really appreciate pretty, wearable, mistake-proof colors. What's more, "members" shopping online get a 10% discount and free shipping.

Mascara frames the eye and puts all those shimmery, glittery eye shadows in balance so you have a polished look. One to treat yourself with is Vincent Longo Mascara $15.00 in basic black. The slim, shiny black case is squared at the edges and inside you'll find a curved brush that delivers just the right amount of mascara to define, lengthen and fortify lashes. Those with sensitive eyes will appreciate the fact that it's also hypoallergenic.

Another high-end mascara we really like is Helena Rubinstein Extravagant Mascara $22.00 because it creates lush but natural lashes and doesn't flake or clump. "Hi Mystery" is a greyed plum that defines and enhances lashes with a chic new color.

FLIRTY, FABULOUS LIPS!

FACE Stockholm's Glas $16.00 are super-shiny clear glosses that (we swear) have a mouth-watering but subtle butterscotch scent. Choose a tube of "Frostat" with bits of multi-glitter to cheer up your lips on even the gloomiest of days, or Glam "Fargat" with gold flecks which look super over darker lipsticks, simmering over red!

Gustavo Holiday Lip Palette $25.50 is limited to 2002 holiday season, A quintet of light-to dark, shimmery plums housed in a long and lean, matte silver case with a mirrored lid and a really nice-dual ended lipbrush. The colors are wearable and universally flattering, and this would make an elegant gift for anyone who appreciates fashion, or likes a lot of lip looks in a portable compact.

Madina Milano's Fairy Collection's Fairy Pearly Lipstick $18.00 has a silvery message printed right on it that tells you right away that the lipstick really is magical. It slides on like luxurious silk. That's impressive enough, but the color we tried had a light pink shimmer that looked different on everyone, but still flattered.

A really good lips stain looks good even in the tube...looks even better on your lips. To make the grade it has to be moisturizing, and not gravitate down to your chin (or upwards towards your nose) in a matter of minutes NARS Lip Stain Gloss $20.00 gets an "A" as a great, glossy lip stain. It slides on smoothly, has great color and shine, feels great on lips, and stays put. Four new colors include a rich cranberry red "Daredevil;" Deep plum "Victoire" purply "Chandemagor;" and a flatters-most medium rose "Sayonara."

Ruby red lips say instant holiday, instant glamour, without uttering a word. One of the best for this season is Delux Beauty Lipstick $18.00 "Vinnie." This isn't a sheer stain or a shy gloss, it's a silky, rich, moist lipstick (with uv protection )that gives any lips a long-lasting vibrant red. Best of all, it was flattering to just about everyone.

More ravishing reds are available from Helena Rubinstein, a name synonymous with glamour and fashion. Velvet Pulse Lipstick $21.50 is everything a high-end lipstick should be - inside the beautiful, case-as art is a lipstick that feels really soft on the lips. It marries a sophisticated, matte finish with light-catching pigments and other ingredients to create a lipstick with beautiful color, coverage, and great lasting power. Three holiday reds from this collection include: #138 "Velvet Cashmere" (rich true red); #140 Velvet Fur " (maroon-ish red), #141 and "Velvet Satin" (pink red). One additional festive red from Helena Rubinstein is a long-wearing formula called Ritual Color. #130 "Red Dragoon," a vibrant raspberry red, would look especially stunning on deeper complexions.

Stila Lip Glaze $24.00 is a luxe click-it pen that makes getting shiny, beautiful lips a snap. We love click-wands because they have a lip brush and they're so portable! The click it is available in ten shades, but we liked "peach" to warm up a winter-weary (or shopping-weary) face.

Calvin Klein Shimmer Lip Color Glaze $16.00 comes in four shimmering, limited edition shades. What a deluxe stocking stuffer these would be in their chic, shiny metallic silvery cases! Inside the lipcolors moisturize and give your lips a soft shimmer. We liked soft "Winter Rose" best for light to medium complexions, but you'll have a hard time choosing from the other three "Glazed" (light beige), "Burnished" (soft brown) and "Bronze."

You wouldn't be the first one to wonder which beautiful color from Bobbi Brown's Tube Tints $20.00 you wanted to try first. A quartet of mini squeeze tub lip glosses add color and shine, and (we think) a hint of mint to perk up. Reviewers loved the mini size so you can tote two, or pop one in an evening bag or in a pocket. The set includes: Crystal Lip Gloss, Tea Lip Tint, Blossom Lip Tint and Cherry Lip Tint Limited-edition...so hurry!

A sparkling lip look and a great stocking stuffer for the budget-minded has just got to be the three new colors of Maybelline Lip Polish $5.86 from their "New Gloss City" color collection. Three stylish colors offer you lots of options to wear alone or layer over other colors. Our favorite is "Guest List Gold" for it's shimmery, warm beige color, and flexibility for wearing alone or layering over other colors. "RSVP Red" is a bright cherry" that will add a touch of glamour, especially to darker complexions.

We love long lasting lipstick, and Cover Girl Outlast All_Day Lipcolor $9.50 really does look great and last. Their Shimmer Duos have glittered topcoats that moisturize and add shine without ruining the staying power of the lipstick. It's just a great product. There are dozens of shades, but a standout is a universally flattering red called "frosted apple" which will dress up any outfit, and lift your spirits! If you want lots of shine without the color, try Cover Girl Liquid LipSlicks $4.50 wands of ultra-shiny wet, wet, wet looking shine with a yummy vanilla scent. We loved the brush-ended wand instead of the usual sponge. Try Violetta for a slight violet that enhances your natural lips, or the more traditional clear shine "melted snow."

Prestige offers an affordable change of pace from holiday reds and plums with two feminine lipsticks $3.99. "Paranoid" is the lightest, pearly pink. "Cyber" looks pink but really offers the matte version." Add multi-colored gloss with Jet Stream$4.99, a "click-it" type lip gloss with high shine and multi-glitter that looks like a celebration on your lips!! It's just perfect for a new years' eve party!

LIPSTICK & GLOSS SETS:

Tell everyone that you are "Sexy" (or tell someone else how you really feel about them) without saying a word. Get a quartet of lip glosses that literally spells it out for you. Too Faced "Sexy" Lip Gloss Calling Card $23.00 is hard to resist! A slim, clear compact contains four neutral shimmery and matte shades, cleverly spells out one letter of "Sexy." With a nice dual lip brush and clever packaging like this, you'll want to give in a buy several. Once you try the glosses you'll realize they're seriously flattering...and you'll feel...well...sexy!

Last year we reviewed the Bobbi Brown Deep Lip Palette $35.00 and we loved it so much that we're pleased to be able to suggest yet another wonderful collection of five lipsticks - the Bobbi Brown Neutral Lip Palette $35.00. The Neutral Palette has five earth toned lipsticks and a clever lip liner in "cocoa" with a great lip brush on the other side. The lipsticks are moisturizing and luxe, and easy to layer for more looks. Add a hint of sparkly gloss and you've changed to an evening look in an instant!

M.A.C. Cosmetics has a great lip kit to get excited about. Get one for yourself and one for your lipstick-loving friend or one who really doesn't have a clue how to choose great makeup herself. M.A.C. LIPS X11 $30.00 featuries sleek, pure white, metal compact with classy M.A.C. logo. Inside you get 2 shimmery lip glosses, and eight full pans of lipstick colors with every color you will want (purple and plum, pinks, beiges, and even a holiday red). Best of all, these colors layer exceptionally well so you get even more great looks from this clever compat. You also get a great lip pencil in spice which goes with just about everything, and a great, full sized lip brush.

Laura Mercier Lip and Eye Paints $50.00 are kits everyone wants. Lip Paints #3 (sheer) suits everyone with natural, sheer colors that flatter everyone and can be layered for more effect. Not just for the holiday season, their slim, chic, matte silver cases and glamorous pots of color will take you (or a lucky recipient of your fantastic gift) from holiday to holiday, all year. The full-sized mirror and great lip brush is the icing on the cake!

Vincent Longo Sheer Lip Palette $38.00 is one of those sets you'll hope someone buys for you, and if they don't you'll end up buying it for yourself. Five big pots of sheer, glossy color glamorize lips in outstanding, natural shades that have two pearls (frosty white and nude) and three glossy mattes (a relief from all the shimmer) in medium beige, soft red, and brownish-maroon. The lip colors can be layered for different effects, smooth on like silk, and make lips feel soft and sexy.

Lip gloss lovers rejoice! Clinique has Holiday Kisses $20.00 for you to use all winter long, or give to someone special. You get color plus shimmery shine in five mini-sized sheer shimmers lip glosses. The colors are just right to add a bit of color and sparkle to lips now through the Spring. Clear plus colors in copper, plum, beige and pink flatter everyone, and look great layered with other colors too. The silvery-framed clear carrying case is cute, too. We suggest carrying one gloss at a time, and ticking keys and credit card in for a neat way to keep evening bags organized. Give the minis, and get your favorites in the full sized Sheer Shimmers $12.50 for yourself!

We have reviewed different versions of Trish McEvoy's Maxed Out Lip and Gloss (see our archives) and have raved about each slim compact just the size of a credit card, filled with great lip looks. For the holidays there's a new version called "Celebrate" featuring ten terrific shades of lip color and gloss in pinks, berries and reds. Three words of advice? Get yours fast!

CLEVER, QUICK FIXES:

Give your dry, over-stressed skin an instant boost after showering with a spritz of Lierac Spray Eclat Corps with Green Tea (available during the holidays as part of a set with Hydro Tonic Shower Gel) $66.00. Your skin will instantly feel smoother and scented with a light , pleasing green tea fragrance that he can use, too.

Bad day at the office? Exhausted from holiday shopping? A touch of Zum Rub Moisturizer $9.00 from Indigo Wild's Frankincense & Myrrh Line perked us up and made our "crawly" skin less lizard-like, while leaving a the spicy, musky, sexy (but not too heavy) sent behind. Good for men and women, and inexpensive enough to gift everyone (including yourself) with the 2.5 oz tin.

Know someone who is always applying lotion? A luxury gift to give to get a huge smile is the Z. Bigatti Re-Storation Tapestries $175.00 - a duo of hydrating, exfoliating, rejuvenating body treatments, new for the holidays. A shiny black box with gold seal holds Re-Storation Cashmere Intensive Body Treatment to soothe, polish, even out and hydrate skin. The lotion is silky and non-greasy and gets to work fast! The Re-Storation Satin Elbow, Knee & Heel Treatment quickly and specifically targets rough, cracked skin on those hard-to-fix elbows, knees and heels.

You're not going to look your best if your hair is a mess! Garnier's newly-arrived-from-Europe Fructis shampoo $3.99 and conditioner $3.99. First thing you'll notice are the bright green bottles, and when you flip the lid your nose will be treated to a yummy fruit scent (not sweet, just fresh). An active fruit concentrate helps nourish, smooth and shine hair, also helping to make it up to five times stronger. Your hair will look great for not a lot of cash!

LIGHT-UP-THE-NIGHT GLAMOUR:

Sprinkle a bit of BeComing Shimmer Color $6.50 in "Starlight" (silver shimmer) or "Zen" (soft copper sparkle) and you'll instantly make a daytime look into a glamorous evening one. Reviewers really liked the compact sized shaker - makes it easy to apply and to tote for more shimmer as needed!

Clarins introduces gorgeous, sparkly, holographic compacts with jewel-like embossed powders inside that definitely will perk up your holiday makeup routine. Just perfect for holiday glamour (or gift giving) is Precious Jewels Face Powder $35.00 #01 "Light Amber" a sheer powder (with tiny gold sparkle on the top of the powder), that sets makeup or looks great alone on any part of your body! Precious Jewels Eye Color $28.00 can be used wet or dry for a sheer, or intense effect. Daytime try #02 "Rose Quartz" for a natural look. Eye-catching #01 "Amethyst" produces a medium-purple shimmer (think a special lid color for a winter wedding) that compliments winter's velvets and heavier fabrics.

FACE Stockholm has a Glitter Stick $24 in "Sensation" that definitely will make your face and body glow with subtle but definitely shimmery sparkle, but the packaging is a sleek, silvery tube that's glam in it's own right. This is not only a great product-in-a-stick that you can tote around with you for touch-ups, but we think it would be a great gift for your (I have everything) fashionista friend, too.

Black Radiance has more than a gaggle of gorgeous makeup items in pure, shimmery GOLD to help you light up your holidays (or someone else's). Affordable and fun, these products are universally flattering no matter what type of complexion you have. At press time we didn't have prices for all these items, but they are all just a few dollars. Buy them all, put them in a cute makeup bag, and gift someone with a clever, glamorous and economical gift! Our choices are: Black Radiance Glitter Dust in "18K" comes with it's own puff to sparkle, skin, face, hair. Black Radiance Nail Polish $1.99 in #4040B is a seirously metallic gold, but not glittery so you can wear it daytime, too. Black Radiance Lipstick #5006A matches the nail polish and #5020is a shimmery copper. As long as you're filling up your basket in the makeup aisle, take a look at Wet & Wild's gold and glitter products. They have tons of fun colors and ways to "shine" but standouts include: a seriously gold (not glittery) loose Shimmery Eye Dust 9000-163, softly shimmery gold Body Puddin (gel), a seriously high-wattage clear Lip Gloss with silver glitter, a round pot of softly shimmery Glassy Gloss in almost gold, a fun clear with multi-glitter Nail Polish #477A and a chunky Body Crayon with which to write on yourself (or someone else) and leave a trail of multi-colored glitter! Fun!!!!

NIFTY HOLIDAY NAILS:

We went bonkers for FACE Stockholm's trio of glittering nail polishes $12.00 each for the holidays.Suspended in clear polish choose from #49 multi-glitter, #50 gold giltter, or #51 silver glitter to wear on bare nails or over your favorite color for instant festivity! These look great and last a long time. Hooray for FACE!

Even if you can't afford classy jewels, you can sport classy holiday hands with nails lacquered in luxe polish. Helena Rubinstein's Ritual Color Nail Polish $16.00 gives fingers and toes gorgeous color with a quick-drying, high shine. Two to try from "The Muse" collection are the vibrant and festive raspberry-red "Red Dragoon" which matches the lipstick we are reviewing, and "Aspiration" which is a clear topcoat just loaded with light-reflecting, multi glitter. We tried it over a pearl beige with gorgeous results!

L'Oreal Jet Set Nail Enamel $1.99 comes in many pretty colors, but this holiday try #330 "Jet Lag" (shimmery gold) or #155 "soar" a soft, shimmery silver. These are festive colors, but they're shimmery, not glittery, so you don't have to hide your hands when you walk into the office apres party!

BeComing's new holiday collection includes nifty and glamorous Nail Polish $7.00 in "Cyber" a genuinely pretty, shimmery, holographic copper, and "Festive" a rich cranberry flecked with subtle bits of gold that would glam up any outfit and defintitely lives up to it's name.

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