Winter Sparkle Evening and Everyday Makeup Trends for the New Year

Shimmer and sparkle are ON for evening. Neutral naked palettes for daytime.

Whether you are planning on ringing in the New Year with a bit of glitz or are looking for a neutral, almost naked eye palette for everyday, here's what's trending for 2015. Bold, rich colors for lips and eyes in neutral tones of beige, brown and pink. Most professional makeup artists start with the eyes so let's talk about what's hot right now.

Eyes: Going Naked? No, Try Lorac's Unzipped
I had a chance to see Urban Decay's new Naked3 Pallet this past fall. I saw it at Ulta and the sales woman kept going on about it. Really, it didn't look THAT much different from the first two releases, although the Naked3 had more of a pink, flesh tone to them. 

I looked up a dupe for their palette and Lorac's Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette came up. Lorac is makeup artist quality pigment and often seen on the runway and red carpet. Like the Urban Decay set, the Lorac Unzipped comes with an eyelid primer and has 10 ultra-rich shimmering and matte shadows. The mirrored case has a magnetic closure and this nude eye shadow palette is one you will reach for day after day. By LoracCosmetics.com

Pacifica Natural Minerals Stellar Eye Trio and Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette

Pacifica Natural Minerals Stellar Eye Trio
Going natural is on trend for 2015 and so this Stellar Eye Trio is 100% Vegan and made from natural minerals. I especially like the Natural Color Eye Pencil which goes on very smoothly in a rich matte black. Likewise the little Natural Eye Shadow Duo is ready to travel with two colors: Unicorn and Moonbeam. Has an almost creamy feel and goes on with a lit from within glow without too much shimmer. By PacificaBeauty.com and available at Whole Foods Markets nationwide.

Another favorite of mine is ELF's Black Shimmer Eye Pencil which comes with its own sharpener. Rather than flat black pencil line, the ELF Eye Pencil looks almost moist on due to the shimmer. You also might want to try Esum Brushes, namely their G27 Brush. So soft, they are amazing for blending pigments. See them at MuseBeauty.Pro

Sparkle and Shimmer for Lips and Nails

Lip Service
Just for evening, a neutral or even smokey eye gives you license to add a bit of glitter to your mouth and nails. I just wouldn't do both in shimmer as it may be too much. 
Glitz Fix by Ciate - London
This is really theatrical but the two part kit consists of primer and top glitter. Comes with a mini fan brush for blending the glitter out from the center of your lips for an ombre look. Definitely rock this look for New Year's Eve! See it at CiateLondon.com

The glitz and glitter squad.

Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tints
Rich in natural oils and botanicals like jojoba and aloe, these lips tints are VERY comfortable to wear and look amazing on. 100% vegetarian, paraben free and artificial color free. Made in the USA. Visit them online at MineralFusion.com

Mineral Fusion Mini Nail Polish Kit
This 100% Vegan Chip Resistant Formula is formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dbp free. The smaller sized pots travel well. They go on very smoothly and dry quickly. This kit consists of:

Galaxy (dark blue glitter)
Royal Rubble (dark purple glitter)
Berried Gem (cranberry glitter)

Another new favorite of mine is from PINK (Victoria's Secret). Nail Paint. Shown here below in sparkly gold, I got it along with the PINK Nation Racer Back Bra that was in this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The PINK Nail Paints are VERY luxe and have a long lasting high wattage glitter. Use them to accent a manicure as they cover extremely well.

PINK Nail Paint in Gold

Victoria's Secret PINK Accessories, Mine
Cosmetics c/o the companies so listed herewith

Top New Ultralight Makeup Foundations: Yves St. Laurent Fusion Ink & Laura Mercier Smooth Finish

Wearing YSL Fusion Ink in BD50 Warm Honey

If you caught any of the runway shows from Fashion Week, you'll notice that the look for SS2015 is one of fresh color and a earthy palette of neutrals. You'll see this everywhere from eye shadow to foundation. Less is more and the nearly nude face with matte lips is trending now.

So one of the best ways to try this new look out for yourself is to stop in at Sephora or a department store counter to get a complimentary color match of these NEW ultralight foundations. These new foundations are so light and fluid that it feels like you are wearing NOTHING at all. Here are the two favorites I just purchased.

Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation (Le Teint Encre De Peau)
I first saw this foundation at Sephora earlier in September along with YSL's Touche Eclat Foundation. I ended up purchasing the latter which may be good for a cold, dry winter but WAY too oily for the fall. So I went back and purchased the Fusion Ink Foundation everyone has been raving about. Well for one thing, it slips on like nothing and is very similar in texture to Dr. Perricone's No Foundation, Foundation. The big difference is that the Fusion Ink is much more pigmented and covers better. It also will hold up for nearly 24 hours as I found out by falling asleep in it after my bodacious birthday party!

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation has a weird stick applicator so it's best to apply to the back of your hand first and apply with a Beauty Blender Sponge or a fine goat hair brush like the Esum G47. Coverage is buildable but the look you'll want is "barely there". The result is a healthy, natural look that just makes people think you have amazing skin. So now that your summer tan is fading, go and get matched up by one of the pros. This foundation is just shy of 1 oz (0.84 fl oz) and retails for about $60 plus tax but will last as a little goes a long way. My shade? BD50 Warm Honey but I may need to go lighter as my tan fades. This shade isn't as "warm" (read "yellow") as most foundations in this category which I actually like. The finish is semi-matte and looks incredible with a bit of NARS Orgasm Illuminator popped on top of the cheekbones. No setting powder is needed and this foundation did not require blotting or touch-ups.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation
I visited Lord & Taylor to be color matched for this. I have used LM primers and tinted moisturizer before and like the product line. So I was really curious to try her new take on the ultra-light, long wearing foundation trend. Once again, this is a very light, almost watery foundation. Very similar to Dr. Perricone's No Foundation, Foundation which I really like and wear most everyday even if I'm not in full makeup. This new LM foundation however melts into your skin and leaves a lit from within glow. You can not see or even feel it on your face and it doesn't settle into fine lines or pores. Pretty amazing! This foundation comes in 24 shades and mine is Macadamia which is Light with Warm Undertones.

The best way to choose a foundation is to have it color matched to your neck in the store. Then go out and wear it in different lighting conditions: at home, dinner, outdoors, etc.
Right now Laura Mercier will do a color match in this foundation and send you home with a FREE 5 day supply. Sephora will do the same with any of their foundations and products as well. They are the only ones who sell YSL cosmetics so I often shop there.

Both of these foundations are long wearing and incredibly enough, can not be seen on the skin which is what you want for the new, "barely there" trend. This look says "See my healthy skin, not the piles of makeup I've globbed on top." So get with the program and lighten up! What's next? How about a dupe for Urban Decay's NEW Naked 3 Palette? Stay tuned!

Makeup: YSL Fusion Ink Foundation, NARS Orgasm Illuminator & Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss in Nectar. Mary Kay Mascara, Eye Shadow - Lancome

NEW Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation & Powder

Revlon Trio: Nearly Naked 180 Medium Beige Foundation, Photoready Color Corrector Primer and Nearly Naked 030 Medium Powder

I'm not a serious fan of drugstore foundations but had the chance to purchase and try Revlon's NEW Nearly Naked Foundation and Pressed Powder. I usually like and wear Lancome's Tient Miracle (with pump applicator) as far as liquid foundations go. As for photoshoots I use Kett's Airbrush Foundations. However, I was looking for something ultra light, relatively waterproof, with a decent SPF for summer. I already have the Revlon ColorStay Whipped foundation which has amazing holding power. All the same that foundation is a bit heavy.

The Revlon Nearly Nakeds are said by some to be a dupe for the pricier Urban Decay foundation.  I don't know if that is the case but I think it has more in common with its ColorStay Liquid Foundation cousin. Like ColorStay, there is no pump dispenser so you have to pour a bit out on your hand to start applying with a brush or sponge, (I like the Beauty Blender). You can easily pour too much and make a mess but the formula is not overly runny. I used Bobbi Brown's Makeup Base + Sunblock (SPF 50) and a bit of L'Oreal's Miracle Blur but not a lot else. I quickly applied the NN foundation with a large stippling brush and worked it in over my Kat Von D (Sephora) Lock-It Concealer and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I added a little extra Hard Candy Glamoflage to my chin area and finished it off with a light dusting of the Nearly Naked 030 Medium Powder. Then just a few strokes of Brass Plum Bronzer for a beachy glow that that was it.

The Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation has a SPF 20. Here are the results below shot in full sun on a nearly cloudless day while out riding on my bicycle:

Revlon's NN liquid & powder with Bobbi Brown Base

I would say that the coverage is about medium as I did not build or layer it. I don't have too many freckles or blemishes but it easily covered what I do have. When I blotted it after taking a bicycle ride in 66 degree weather today, there was NO makeup transfer which once again reminds me of it's kissing cousin, ColorStay. I did not wear too much moisturizer as it was warmer than usual and I wanted the lightest application possible. So I'm used to a little more of a dewy finish but this was not dry or cakey by any means. It also did not darken and oxidize. Stayed pretty much the same as when I applied it.  Here is another picture only this time I used their Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer underneath:

I think the Color Corrector gave my skin more of a lift but this picture was also taken as the sun was going down.  Still you get the idea. The fact that the Nearly Naked Foundation doesn't have a pump is not a deal breaker for me. The surprise is how luxe and finely made the matching Nearly Naked Pressed Powder is!  It's like silk and VERY translucent. So it is not as if you are adding more pigmentation to your skin, hiding it underneath opaque layers.  Just the opposite. You can see my skin through the make up which matches my coloring and undertones very well.
If you want to try a refreshing drugstore foundation this summer, check out the Revlon Color Wheel Mirror to pick your best color match in the Nearly Nakeds.