According to September's issue of Glamour, glimmery shadow takes a surprising twist for fall - "One of the prettiest eye looks from the fall shows: a wash of gold for day. No worries, you won't seem discotesque; the shades are sheer."
Photo: Mark Leibowitz

Melissa Says: I'm pretty used to using shadow with a touch of shimmer during the day, but usually it's a wash of highlight over jewel-toned shadows, and the effect is more from silver than gold. This, however, is a really wearable daytime look, if you keep it toned down with subtly-lined eyes and a touch of peach-hued blush. I just happened to have what turned out to be a perfect subtle gold to use from the set of M•A•C Paint Pots I recently reviewed, Rubenesque, which, when applied with my fingertip, gave just a touch of pretty gold sheen.

It was inevitable, right? After the great wave of black and ultra-dark polish that hit in the Fall, here comes WHITE polish poking its head around the corner in all of the magazines and in tiny bottles on makeup counters and in the drugstores. Of course, we here at DeLush had to ask: Is this something that we can pull off in everyday situations? Well, a few of us got a chance to test that question, and here's what we thought of the shades we chose.

(Alissa)
Polish Used: L'Oreal Jet Set Shine in Lightening

(Lisa)
Polish Used: Sally Hansen Salon Formula Nail Lacquer in Sweet Creams

(Toya)
Polish Used: OPI's Soft Shades Nail Lacquer in Bubble Bath

(Jen)
Polish Used: Nars Nail Polish in Edelweiss

(Melissa)
Polish Used: OPI Garden Party Nail Lacquer in Funny Bunny

Ultra-Dark Eyes

(Image credits l-r: Cannonieri & Fortis (Elle September 2006); Allure September 2006; David Slijper (Glamour September 2006).

Okay, it was inevitable that we had to cover this one. It's been all over the catwalks this season and featured in all of the magazines. Ultra-dark eyes - more specifically very bold and thicker than usual liner - is one of the most popular Fall trends in beauty this year. Melissa tried this look out in real life, to see if it was something she could actually wear and feel comfortable in.

"While this could potentially be too much for most of us in the daytime, it can be modified to be more subtle than what you'd wear for evening. I thought this was easy enough to pull off and still personalize to one's own tastes. Normally, I don't line the lower inner rims of my eyes, but for this I did. I also applied black liner below the lower lash line in the manner I normally would, and then retraced it to make it double the thickness than I applied before. On my lids, I decided to go with extra-dark shadow with some sheen on top for depth and a thinner line of eyeliner on the top lid."

What Melissa Used To Get This Look::

Bibo Shadow Box for Eyes from the Blackout Collection, the dark sparkle grey shade

THEN...
Revlon's Wet/Dry Shadow Quad in In the Garden, using the black shadow (no longer available in stores, sorry! but you can use another matte black shadow)

THEN...
Girlactik Beauty's Star Shadow in Satin (a favorite all-around shade to wear alone or to lay on top of color for a bit of sheen)

THEN...
Maybelline's Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx

AND FINALLY...
Top off with your favorite black mascara.

(Alissa)
Polish Used: Living Nightmare Black Nail Polish

(Jamie)
Polish Used: Cover Girl “Boundless Color” in Midnight Magic (#610)

(Toya)
Polish Used: Rimmel Lasting Finish Lycra Wear in Black Satin

(Jen)
Polish Used: CHANEL Black Satin (color available in department stores)

(Melissa)
Polish Used: Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in Black Out

When I was flipping through the latest issues of all the fashion magazines, I kept noticing the same thing all over the place -- an emphasis on color, and no color was more prevalent than lavender. I haven't been a big fan of the lighter purples in my clothing wardrobe, I confess, because they make my pale skin with light hair look positively pallid. But after seeing so much lavender makeup, especially with lighter skin tones, I had to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did!

One thing that is easy to find in drugstore cosmetic shopping is eyeshadow and eyeliner in just about every color of the rainbow. I looked through several brands, but decided on Rimmel's Eyeshadow Duo in Slow Motion (Walgreens, $3.99). I liked that it contained a lighter purple for the entire eye area and a darker one for the crease. While I was at the drugstore, I also bought a Prestige Eyeliner Kohn Pencil in Poly (Walgreens, $3.29) that coordinated with the Rimmel eyeshadow.

You might think that some bright colors like these might bring some stares out in public if they were ever to see the light of day. Well, I wore these products to work for an entire week at various intensities. In order to make the colors more intense, just keep on piling on the color. I never felt like "that girl" (you know...that girl...the one who always wears too much makeup). I wore it with pinks and blues and gray and black. It went with a lot of my wardrobe, and I didn't even have to put on anything purple! The colors worked well with my complexion, and did a lot to brighten the eye area.

Apply the lighter color of eyeshadow to the entire eye area, all the way up to the eyebrow. The light color will highlight the area under the brow and brighten your face. Then, follow with the darker color along the crease and then exand the coverage so that there's a wider band of color on the outside edge of the eye. The Rimmel eyeshadow comes with the cheapy little applicators. Sometimes those guys work, but for the Rimmel eyeshadow, throw them out the window. You will not get the preciseness you need with the applicator that comes with the set. Use an eyeshadow brush so that the darker color only goes where you want it to. If you are sloppy with the application, you will look like your eyes are swollen and bruised. Since the intensity increases as you layer it on, I recommend applying the darker color judiciously and taking a look frequently to make sure you haven't crossed the line. If it looks too dark, use a tissue to remove what you can on the top layer without smudging it too much.

Once the eyeshadow is in place, apply your coordinating eyeliner. The Prestige Kohl pencil I got is certainly the right color, but it's not nearly as good as their automatic eyeliner product. I wanted to try something new, but I was definitely wishing I had stuck with my old favorite. The kohl pencil drags on my eyelid, requires too much pressure for any real color application, and doesn't allow you to get close enough to the lash line for blending. After the eyecolor is complete, use a dark black mascara that will really make the lavender eyeshadow pop.

As great as the colors were from my drugstore purchases, I didn't find the eyeshadow or eyeliner to be longwearing. They were both fairly dry, so chances are I rubbed them away throughout the day. At any rate, a quick glance at the mirror before heading to an afternoon meeting showed that it had pretty much disappeared. What a shame.
With all the shortfalls of the drugstore products, I decided to try out a department store product, and since I've been dying to try out Clinique's Colour Surge Super Shimmer eyeshadows (Clinique, $13.50 each), I headed directly to their counter. I tried to choose very similar colors to the Rimmel shades and ended up with Crystal Berry and Purple Pixie along with their Quickliner in Grape (Clinique, $14.50). Clearly, this was a much more expensive venture than the drugstore purchase.

My first impression of the eyeshadow application was that I couldn't believe the nice creamy texture and how smoothly it applied. The color goes on more boldly even with a light hand. I guess that's what they call it colour surge. Plus, it actually lasts throughout the day. The Quickliner for Eyes, applied after the eyeshadow, is always a favorite of mine, and it does everything right -- the coverage is good, it blends in easily with my eyelashes, and it lashes hours longer than my inexpensive drugstore liner. However, my color choices were poor and the shimmer just made it all too much. This is not a color palette that I would wear to work on a regular basis. There's nothing subtle about it, even in the mellow lavender shades that I chose. I am saving the Clinique shades for a night on the town.

The picture at the top? Those are the Rimmel eyeshadows with the Prestige eyeliner pen. That's a look that I would wear to work on a regular basis, or even to the grocery store. If I vary the intensity, it's really a look that I could wear anywhere.

Can I wear this trend? Absolutely! Now what do you think? Is this a trend in your makeup toolkit or one that you would consider?

If you subscribe to a multitude of women's fashion magazines like I do, you've probably noticed an awful lot of the "tousled updo" showing up this month. InStyle shows you how to do updos, and Glamour made a mention. Well, it's a great polished look for a night on the town, and an easy look to achieve with the right products on hand and a few tricks up your sleeve!

Start off with slightly dirty hair, not freshly washed, but you don't want it greasy at all. I use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and I think that's a great way to get a head start on the body you need. You want the hair at the crown of your head to have volume, and if you have thinner hair, you'll need the extra body to make your hair look thicker in the updo.

After my shower, I skip any smoothing products and head directly for the mousse. Even when you're showing far in advance of your planned updo, the mousse will help you get the lift you need and that volume at the crown. The mousse that I chose when I was working on this story (no pictures yet, but they're coming!) was Umberto Giannini's Glamour Shimmer Mousse with gold highlights (Rite Aid Stores, $3.99). I had pretty much sworn off drugstore mousses because I found them too drying for my poor, color-treated hair. (I was lured in by the adorable pink can with retro styling.) This mousse has almost the opposite effect: less volume than I would like and a little too much moisturization for this application. I do like this mousse for my sleeker hairstyles, but I don't recommend it highly for this application. Make sure the mousse that you choose doesn't leave your hair feeling stiff at all; you need your hair to be flexible when you're styling.

After you've allowed your hair to get a little dirty, refresh your volume by rolling with large hot rollers or a medium to large curling iron. After you've curled your hair, separate the curls and make them lightly piecey with the use of a wax product. My choice is Matrix FlikTricks (salons, $17.99), which will let you style your hair but keep it touchable. The container recommends applying to the hair directly, but I like to apply it to the palms of my hands and work into the ends of my hair to build it up to the desired level of hold. (A side note: small amounts of FlikTrix will also help maintain your style even when you wear your hair down.)

Finally, we're ready for the updo part! If you've got bangs or shorter layers near your face, you can style them like normal or brush back into your hairline to blend in with the rest of your hair. For the tousled updo, shorter front layers are really ideal, and your style will look a little less coiffed than those with longer layers. If your front layers extend beyond the chin, you might want to pin them back in a small barrette. I tease my fine hair to give it a little bit of volume and then pin back far away from my face. You can leave a small piecey section or two hanging in the front to frame the face if you like.

How your proceed from here depends on the length of your hair. This month's Glamour outlines some excellent strategies for shorter hair (as illustrated by the lovely Scarlett Johanssen), but I can only relate my strategy for shoulder-length or longer hair.

There are two basic approaches to this look: the high ponytail or the french coif. The high ponytail is clearly the easier of the two and looks a little more casual and fun, while the french coif will give you a little more polished look.

After your hair is up, use a hot curling iron to calm any stray pieces of hair down and separate with more wax pomade. For this look, you want a few rough edges. It should look like you didn't try too hard to achieve the look (even though, clearly, this is a time consuming process). If your shorter layers are not following the program, you'll need to get out your box of bobbi pins or small barrettes. For a more formal look, hide your bobbi pins, but for a more fun look, use a variety of cute barrettes and pins and let them show!

With a little practice, this is a look that's easy to master and that you're sure to find useful in the upcoming holiday season!

Rating:

Umberto Giannini's Glamour Shimmer Mist

Matrix FlikTrix

You've seen it in every fashion magazine: models with dark, smoky eyes, defined and dramatic. I don't usually wear a lot of dark eye make-up. I've got pale, pale skin and blonde hair, so using so much black and gray on my eyes, I really thought I would look like a ghoul. But I found no shortage of photos in magazines where the subject was fair like I am, so I thought, hey, if they can do it, so can I.

I was getting ready for a concert. I had on a tiny little black top, skinny jeans and 4-inch heels, and thought, "this outfit was made for the smoky eye look." And I started experimenting.

(Tip #1: Don't experiment with this look when you actually are planning to be somewhere at a specific time. The third time you get out the eye makeup remover, panic will set in and your makeup application skills may suffer.)

Starting with a clean face, I applied moisturizer and eye cream and followed with concealer, foundation, and bronzer. InStyle magazine recommends starting with a base of moisturizer with some light powder pressed in as a base around the eyes to hold the eyeshadow in place. You're going to be wearing an awful lot of dark eyeshadow and you don't want it all over your face.

Next, I applied white eyeshadow (Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Pure Pearl) over my whole eyelid, all the away up to my eyebrows. This gives your eyebrows a lift and really brightens up the whole eye area.I followed with the lighter pink and plum shades from the Sterling Rose eyeshadow quad (pictured right), also Revlon ColorStay. This is all pretty normal for me; I wear this look to work all the time.

After the lighter shades were applied, I started applying some gray eyeshadow in about a 1/4-inch line above my top eyelash line. I blended it in more around the inner corners of my eyes, but left the line wider and darker at the outer corners of my eyes.

(Tip #2: No matter how dark and smoky the undereyes look in a photo, don't try to emulate it using shadow, especially if you are as pale as I am. You will look like a ghoul. Trust me.)

I then applied my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner all the way around my eyes from corner to corner. You want the line to be pretty thin and well-defined so that your eyes really pop. After the gel liner, I decided I wanted something even more Jet Black, so I applied a second outline with my Blinc Kiss Me Eyeliner.

(Tip #3: Patience is the key here. Your eyes are the focal point of your face tonight and it's easy to pick out mistakes if your line is smudgy or wobbly.)

The final step is mascara, and you need something ultra-dramatic. I used Urban Decay's Skyscraper mascara over top of the Maybelline XXL mascara's lash primer for extra volume. Curling your lashes is an absolute must.

(Tip #4: Apply your dramatic mascara to the top lashes only. On the bottom lashes, use a lash tint if your lashes are blond or leave the mascara off entirely. Mascara on both the top and bottom lashes when you're wearing that much other eye makeup will not make you look sexy and mysterious, but rather more like Tammy Faye Baker.)

All of the tips I've offered to you are the result of major tactical errors when I was trying out this look. I found it easy to be too heavy-handed, which lead to multiple uses of my eye make-up remover. And still, at the end, I thought I looked less like I belonged in a magazine and more like I belonged in Kiss Army. It seemed like a bit much at first, but it grew on me every time I looked in the mirror. Which was something like every 5 seconds.

When my friend came by to accompany me to the concert, my look was met with rave reviews, so I decided to give this trend a full field trial, first at an upscale martini bar, then at the late-night concert. The smoky eyes were at home in both places; even at the small bar where the concert was held I didn't feel out of place.

You want to know the best part about the whole thing? As my mascara went under my eyes a little and my eyeliner smudged, it didn't mess up the look at all, in fact it may have added to the smoky look as the night progressed. Thr picture on the right was taken near the end of the night, after I'd worn my make-up for nearly 8 hours!

I was doubtful, but I think this is a look that you can pull off even if you are as pale as I am. A little patience and a little experimentation, and this may be a trend you can pull out of your bag to accessorize all of your Saturday night outfits.

Revlon ColorStay Eyeshadow: