Lancome L'Absolu Rouge Soiree Holiday Collection
November 24, 2009 If you need a few pieces for your holiday makeup arsenal, Lancome's collection, L’Absolu Rouge Soirée, has a few gems that will sparkle up your look. The great thing is, many of these items last for 8-16 hours.
The Sparkling Cherub Sheer Warming Illuminating Powder is a two-tone highlighting powder with shimmering accents for the entire face and decollete. It's not too shimmery, so you don't have to worry about adding too much glitter to your face.
I do like the long-lasting La Laque Fever Lipshine in Untamed Plum. It smells like fruity candy, and the fun grape shade is slightly sheer but has enough color to get flirty.
For the eyes, the versatile Color Design Cream Eye Shadow blends easily for a creaseless powder finish. There are three shades in the collection: Haute Smoke (smoky taupe), Pink Lace (pink champagne) and Garter Belt (dark wine). It dries really quickly and it won't budge for hours and hours. I also liked the Ink Artliner in Plum Tease; the pretty plum hue makes a festive cat eye. Compared to other brands that seem to dry out quickly, this gel liner is very easy to work with.
They also launched the new Oscillation Powerfoundation, their latest vibrating makeup product. I don't usually like mineral powder foundation since many brands are quite messy. If you've never tried mineral makeup this one might be a good starter. It has SPF 21, lasts up to 14 hours, and has a super natural finish that looks just like your skin. And it's not messy at all.
Delivering 7,000 micro-oscillations per minute, the applicator's subtle action gives an even spread of powder across your face. The Beige 10 shade really matches my skin tone. I've never had such a natural finish on my skin before. It's even great for sensitive skin.
Lancome is also offering a special Friends & Family online deal starting today through November 30. Get 20% off on all purchases plus free shipping! Enter the promo code HOLIDAYJOY2 at checkout (Not valid on eGift Certificates, beauty boxes and gift sets).
www.lancome-usa.com
Too lazy to make it yourself? Definitely try the Purist sampler box. Delicious flavors include Fleur de Sel Caramel, the delicate Vietnamese Cinnamon Sugar, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, and Pimentón de La Vera. The pimenton has a lovely kick, which I really relished...and the fleur the sel has the perfect salty-sweet balance, with a hint of coconut. Love love love.
The first chapter starts off with easy coffee cake recipes and eventually moves on to the fancier layer cakes. If you work through the entire book you'll soon learn to make Lady and Lord Baltimore Cakes, Martha Washington's Great Cake, and Alma's Italian Cream Cake.
Still undecided? For a sneak peek, try the Honey Buttercream and Apricot Jame Cake recipe below. It's the perfect cake for entertaining friends at tea time.
Honey Buttercream and Apricot Jam Cake
You’ll need:
Two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans
A whisk attachment and extra bowl for mixer
A double boiler, real or improvised
A hand-held mixer
Double recipe Whipped Cream Cake (recipe follows) without frosting
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into pats, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2/3 cup good-quality apricot jam, slightly warmed or stirred until spreadable
To Make the Cake and Frosting:
1. Make the cake layers, following the instructions for the Whipped Cream Cake.
2. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, whisk together the sugar and egg whites for 3 minutes. The mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove from the heat.
3. Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat until the meringue has cooled, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the butter pats, a third at a time, beating until smooth.
5. Beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for 6 to 10 minutes, until it is thick and very smooth. If the buttercream curdles or separates, just keep beating. It will come together.
6. Lower the speed to medium, and gradually beat in the lemon juice, then the vanilla extract and honey. You should have a smooth buttercream. Cover tightly with plastic and set aside.
To Construct the Cake:
7. Divide each cooled layer in half, and separate the halves so that you have 4 layers.
8. Place the bottom layer on the cake plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top, spreading it out from the center. Next spread a thin layer of apricot jam on top of the frosting. Add the next cake layer and repeat until you reach the crown.
9. Frost the top of the crown with buttercream. Scrape away any excess jam from the side and then frost the sides of the cake.
Whipped Cream Cake
You’ll need: Two 8-inch round cake pans
1 cup whipping cream
2 eggs, beaten until thick and lemon colored
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Whip cream until it holds its shape. Add eggs and whip until light as foam. Add sugar and beat again. Add vanilla. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together 3 times and add to egg mixture. Bake in greased layer cake pans in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) 25 to 30 minutes. Makes two 8 inch layers.
Recipes re-printed with permission from All Cakes Considered, by Melissa Gray, Chronicle Books 2009.
Photo credit: Annabelle Breakey & Stephen Voss
The Ombre Eclat 4 Shades Eye Shadow quad (in Bal de Minuit) is one of my favorites for this season. It's a pretty subdued color palette, but when you put it on, it's just gorgeous. The pearlescent texture in the two taupe shades will create a dreamy and soft smoky lid, while the lingerie pink and gold-white tones bring out the eyes' natural radiance. It's an elegant and sophisticated look without going over the top.
This collection also features two shades of the Rouge G 
To complete the opulent look, use the Meteorites Perles Imperiales for a glowing finish. These multiple-effect pearls are re-formulated in new shades (mauve, pink, and gold) to create that fresh and illuminating complexion that we all crave. For a really fancy accessory, they also offer these pearls in a special Meteorites Voyage Imperial pressed powder compact that's decorated with Swarovski crystals. So lovely!
Available in 14 universally-flattering shades, my personal favorites were RD165 (red), RD185 (berry), and WN298 (dark wine). The feel is weightless and moisturizing, yet it has such a strong color. There's no need to slap it on - you can dab it lightly and still have lots of pigment on your lips. And, their new sleek cases look so ultra chic!
Two lipsticks are also introduced within this collection. Embellished with crystals, the Crystal ArmaniSilk lipsticks come in a bright and rich ruby red and a shimmery bronze for a less intense lip.
If you need more lip colors, the new Rouge d'Armani lipsticks are another great collection to try. These long-wearing shades are supposed to last up to 8 hours and won't feather. These are highly pigmented and feel super light, as if you're not wearing any lipstick. I really liked Pink 505, a dark berry shade that should look great on almost everyone. The magnetic closure is also an ingenious touch.
All the colors are extremely wearable - there's nothing too bright or dark. As far as holiday colors go, it's almost a 'neutral' kind of palette. The great thing is, you can easily use it for muted and elegant day-to-night looks. One of my favorite looks was to use the Thunder Metallic (dark silver), Chrome (silver) and Charcoal Haze (gray black) eye shadows for a beautifully soft yet smoky lid. Another favorite is to pair the Moonlight Sparkle (sparkly cool purple) with Storm Cloud Sparkle (gray silver sparkle). The effect is sexy and polished. Gotta love that.
As for the lips, I do like the Winter Bronze Glitter lip gloss (deep bronze shimmer). It's the darkest of the four shades, whereas the others are a bit too light (still very pretty though) for my natural lip color.
