Just in time for a spate of summer weddings, OPI has unveiled its newest bridal collection, a six-piece lineup of colors inspired by the New York City Ballet. The line includes (from left to right): My Pointe Exactly, a soft gray hue; Care to Dance?, a pastel purple hue; You Callin’ Me A Lyre?, a pinkish-orange hue; Bare My Soul, a pink-grey hue; Don’t Touch My Tute!, an off-white hue; and Pirouette My Whistle, a glittery silver hue. According to Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s artistic director, the colors are inspired by classic ballet slippers, tutus, and leotards. The NYC Ballet collection will be available at select salons, as well as Sephora stores, in March.
Just in time for a last-minute Valentine’s Day haul, Chanel has launched Roses Ultimes de Chanel, a bright and brand new makeup collection. The line features six new Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer shades, ranging in color from Surprise, a shimmering almost-translucent hue, through to Jalousie, a deep cherry red hue. The line also includes four new Le Vernis nail color hues, which we are just crazy about: Attraction, a pearly white hue; Frisson, a pale pink hue; Distraction, a bright orange hue; and Temptation, a rosy fuchsia hue. All of these products are limited edition, so you have just enough time to snap up a set for yourself before they are gone again. Head to Chanel.com to purchase; prices start at $26.
If you are still looking for a Valentine’s Day gift—for you, your bestie, or a significant other—make sure you check out the new collection of charm pencils by Dolce & Gabbana. The collection features four eye crayon pencils—one in Stromboli, one in Coffee, one in Black, and one in Platinum. You will also find four charm-adorned lip liner pencils—one in Nude, one in Dahlia, one in Fire, and one in Soft. As for the charms, they have been carefully selected by the Dolce & Gabbana team, with each charm representing something special. For instance, for the fashion lover, there is a pair of tiny platform heels, while for the romantic, there is a miniature heart charm. The full charm pencil collection is available now exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue stores, as well as online at SaksFifthAvenue.com. Each pencil retails for $33.
Given that we all have different needs when it comes to beauty, samples are often the way forward when you are looking for a new beauty product. On that note, we were pretty thrilled to discover that beauty retailer Beauty Bar has teamed up with Allure magazine on a beauty sampling concept called Sample Society. Sample Society is a members-only subscription service through which you will receive exclusive samples of hair care, makeup, skin care, and fragrance products each month. Each sample is large enough to be used multiple times, which means you can give it a true test before deciding if it is right for you. Membership is $15 a month, but each box of samples comes with a $15 discount code that you can use towards a full-size product, so the box essentially pays for itself. Intrigued? Check it out at BeautyBar.com.
If you want to create a downtown-cool look in an instant, look no further than the new limited edition 413 BLKR collection by NARS Cosmetics. The collection features three essential products: a highly pigment violet-gray eyeshadow, a matte lipstick in warm rose-brown, and a high-impact lip gloss in ruby red. Each piece in this mini-collection is inspired by and named after the NARS Cosmetics flagship boutique on Bleecker Street in Manhattan, and you can bet that with a location like that, the NARS Cosmetics team had plenty of eye-candy to work with when coming up with these products. The collection is available exclusively at the Bleecker Street boutique and NARSCosmetics.com. Prices start at $24.
A glossy lip is one of those beauty looks that is oh-so attractive, but also hard to attain. Thankfully, Yves Saint Laurent has a plan to change this with its new Vernis à Lèvres liquid lipstick collection. The collection features a product that is a hybrid of lipgloss, lipstain, and lipstick. Thanks to this new formula, you can get the intense color of a lipstick, with the luster of a lipgloss and the long-lasting benefits of a lipstain. And as if this isn’t enticing enough, we were thrilled to discover that the Vernis à Lèvres collection features 20 different shades—ranging from Rose Pastelle, a pale pink, through to Violet Edition, a deep plum purple. The Vernis à Lèvres is currently available at Sephora.com, but a national rollout is expected in April. Each color retails for $32.
Although part of the MAC Cosmetics philosophy is to pump out must-try new products, a key part of the philosophy is to tweak and enhance its current lineup, which is why the new Perfectly Finished spring 2012 collection has us so excited. This time around, the popular MAC Mineralize Foundation / Loose collection has been repackaged, and with its new look comes a new 188 duo fibre brush that will help you create that perfect “healthy glow.” The color palette runs the gamut from light to dark, so there is certain to be something for everyone, plus if you have a blemish, there is a new series of Mineralize Concealer products to help. The full Perfectly Finished collection will arrive in MAC stores, as well as online at MACCosmetics.com, on February 16. Prices start at $19.
When it comes to nail polish, if Chanel says “Jump,” we say, “How high?” Thus, we were instantly smitten when we received this preview image of the nail polish that debuted at the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2012 show last week in Paris. Appropriately titled Sky Line, the pretty sky blue nail polish has a gentle shimmer that will fit in perfectly with a summer wardrobe. Even better, the polish is part of an entire collection, titled Bleu Illusion, which will include navy blue eye liner, a rosy pink powder blush, eyeshadow in different blue hues, a creamy lip color, and more. What can we say? Bring on summer! The Bleu Illusion is set to arrive at Chanel counters, as well as online at Chanel.com, in July.
If you are carefully plotting out your Valentine’s Day ensemble, make sure you take note: Laura Mercier is launching its first nail polish collection in years, and conveniently, it will arrive just in time for Valentine’s Day. The collection features five colors—named Cabana, Flamingo, Ooh La La, Luscious, and Sizzle—and each color is a different shade of pink. So, if you like a classic look, you can opt for the baby pink hue Ooh La La, while if you like something a little bolder, you can opt for the hot pink hue, Flamingo. And if you really like to experiment, you can mix and match these shades to create a half-moon manicure. On that note, the line will be available in early February at LauraMercier.com. Each color will retail for $18.
Cat lovers, rejoice! French cosmetics label Paul & Joe Beauté has launched a cat-inspired makeup collection for spring 2012 that will surely speak to your heart. There are kitty-shaped lipstick tubes in pretty shades of pink, coral, and nude. There are eyeshadow trios pressed into the portrait of a cat. There are cat-printed compacts. And just in case the theme somehow went amiss, each product has been named accordingly. For instance, one Blusher Stick comes in Glamour Puss, a pearly beige, while another comes in Catfight, a bright coral. Excited yet? The Paul & Joe Beauté spring 2012 collection will be available in February at stores like B-Glowing.
