Facing Our New Normal With A More Positive Outlook

This is not the usual B.I.O.A. article as I am not the usual Nicole nor is this the usual NYC that I have lived in for over twenty two years.

So, my new story begins. March 12th was the last time I attended an event and I thought twice about going yet it was an immersive event featuring a favorite artist of mine, Alexa Meade. The event, Immersed In Wonderland, was just magical and for an hour I felt as if I could simply live in the moment and enjoy the event. I had called press ahead of time to make sure there weren't hundreds of people attending as at the time, news was first getting out that we were to be cautious in large crowds. It was fantastic, I got dressed up, went into ever incredibly magical room, had time with Alexa and when I came home I realized that would be the last time I would be in close quarters with anyone except my immediate family for weeks. Possibly months.

Artist Alexa Meade and myself at Immersed In Wonderland on March 12, 2020.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Palomaa.

As the days moved on, more and more news came out that there were no longer to be large events, non-essential businesses were to close and COVID-19 would soon take over the world as we knew it. I do not need to tell you the heart ache, the heart break and all other emotions I never even knew I had have been rearing their ugly heads ever since.

I barely go out and if I do, I wear my N95 mask thanks to a loved one. I am constantly washing my hands and am quick to shower within minutes of returning home. Beauty for me has always been an addiction, something to play with, put on to become another part of myself. If you, like me feel the same- then go ahead and use beauty in whatever shape or form it comes to you as an outlet to the madness. Look at your face as a beautiful canvas on which to explore.

My dear friend and founder of K3 MEDIA COLLECTIVE Lauren sent me this wonderful care package and I decided to play again like I had before. My first job out of college was working in the production area at CNP for Mademoiselle, Allure and AD. I remember looking at the cosmetic ads and being excited to come home with the hopes of replicating some of the looks I had earlier admired. Kevyn Aucoin was my favorite MUA (and still is) and I remember even before this I had books by Way Bandy! I have always been a beauty addict is what I am trying to convey.

NOTHING can replace what is going on outside, the fear, the loss, the sickness. What we can do is try and make the INSIDE as positive a place as possible. So, go ahead and play. Inside. 

God Bless You All. Nicole

 

   

These are some of the wonderful brands whom sent items to my home and I am forever grateful for their generosity. Each and every brand can be bought online and most are offering special discounts for their products.

nügg Beauty

nügg’s commitment is to their consumers during this time. nügg products can be found at grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Target, Meijer, and Giant Eagle – making it very convenient when you are picking up food for the week. If you’re sticking to online shopping only, you can find their products on Amazon and nuggbeauty.com. The brand is offering 20% off their entire site and also including a free Deep Clean Face Mask with all purchases.

Saint & Sinners

A brand who’s devoted to keeping hair care products clean of all harsh ingredients, Saints & Sinners is doing what they can to help during this difficult time. The brand will begin a series of cocktails and conversations on Monday, March 30, 2020 to connect with their clients and offer some friendship. Saints & Sinners is also donating cases of shampoo and conditioner to people on the front lines. They – of all people – deserve a little luxury during these trying times. For their consumers, the brand will include samples with all online orders and waive shipping fees.

Merle Norman Cosmetics

A brand which was started during the Great Depression, Merle Norman Cosmetics has been at the forefront to help Americans during difficult times. During World War II, the brand was a supplier of camouflage sticks and lubricating oil. Today the brand is producing World Health Organization approved Hand Sanitizer. Merle Norman Cosmetics is offering free shipping on all orders of $50 or more. (I am wearing their new Spring Lip Duet in Sweat Pea along with my favorite cheek crayon in Pink Lotus).

Valentine’s Day Love from Merle Norman Cosmetics

Merle Norman understands that Valentine's Day is about kisses, hugs, and happiness. So we are all celebrating this special upcoming Valentine's Day with some wonderful products and hope you feel the love radiating from your computer, phone and/or tablet! 

I certainly fell for the three products I sampled and have been wearing them daily ever since receiving them. The PLUSH LIPSTICK ($25) I have been wearing in POWER PLAY has a satin matte finish with great staying power, the CHEEK CRAYON ($28.50) in PINK LOTUS is a creamy crayon that blends easily and is also buildable and THE KISS & HUG LIPGLOSS ($22) in MULBERRY is a lightweight formula that delivers rich, opaque color in a single swipe! 

There are many more color options for all three product categories- so please visit their site to find the right color(s) to suit your Valentine's Day and/or every day's needs!

Products are available HERE and at Merle Norman Cosmetics Studios nationwide.

Launching Soon from Smashbox Cosmetics: Always On Liquid Lipstick

I admit, it does not often happen when a beauty brand I love, a Makeup Artist I love AND a gallery I love combine forces. Such was the case when the deliciously delightful Vlada Haggerty came to town to debut her art collection at AFA Gallery alongside fellow artists Colin Christian and Sas Christian. Vlada is the Lip Editor in Chief for Smashbox Cosmetics and it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with her and learn more about her artistry.

A lot of new products were showcased at the event, with a December 15th release date, and I was able to swatch and fall for many of the products on display. I especially liked a new Metallic Matte called XO, Vlada which is a Rose Gold with Gold Pearl color I wouldn't normally have tried before. I put it on my Instastory as I really loved the metallic color. I nearly always wear red. Vlada responded right away and agreed it looked great! She knows I love my red lippy's, so this was truly a different look for me! 

After meeting Vlada and the Smashbox team, I swatched the Mattes I received and added four Metallic Mattes on top. 

Mattes swatched from bottom up: Gotta Light, Stay Neutral, Purple Taffy, Spoiler Alert, Teal With It, Ultra-Violet and Fair Game.

Metallic Mattes swatched from bottom up: So Jelly, Vino Noir, Punked Rock and XO, Vlada.

I can attest that they stay on for hours on end without any build up, flaking nor smudging. Absolutely incredible formula. 

Each are $24 and you will be able to find many more colors available on December 15th, 2017 at Sephora, Ulta, Macy's Impulse and Smashbox.com.

Below are pictures from the event and a great time was had by all!

 

 

National Lipstick Day: Sassy Lips

On National Lipstick Day this Saturday the 29th, why don’t you add some flowers to your pout with Sassy Lips?! These are 6 handcrafted translucent, limited edition lipsticks infused with gold flakes and a real flower.

Encapsulated within every lipstick in this collection are gold flecks and a single wild chrysanthemum flower.

While only a quarter of the blossoms—which are handpicked and trimmed—are the right size and color for the lipsticks.

That’s not all: The lipsticks turn to different shades of glossy pink and fuchsia and vary according to your body temperature.

The Make the Moment collection feels like a balm and lasts like a stain!

Jelly-like texture feels soothing and hydrating, it offers the high shine of a gloss with the comfort of a lipstick.

Gold flakes inside impart a subtle shimmer to your lips.

Shades: When The Party Gets Going (pale yellow), When Your Crush Walks In (light red), When You're Playing Hard To Get (pale blue), When Bae Looks Your Way (fuchsia), When Your Song Comes On (orange) and When The Night Is Young (violet).

Available at www.sassylips.us

Price $25.00

Spring 2017: Pastels Are In!

Spring is here, yet on some days in NYC, you could hardly believe it to be true! I have rounded up some beauties from both Rimmel London and Sally Hansen to at least make you feel warm and pretty in pastels. Rimmel London: From the Kate Moss Nude’s Collection, these beautiful neutral pastels will add just the right amount of spring to your lips! Shown in shades 40 and 41 Price: $5.79 From the new Oh My Gloss Oil Tint Collection, this baby pink gloss will get your lips Easter Ready in no time! Price: $5.99 Sally Hansen: Nail it! for Easter and Springtime with these beautiful shades from Sally Hansen’s innovative Nail Color Collections! Color Therapy ($8.99): Shown in Rosy Quartz and Shea Dream Miracle Gel ($9.99): Shown in Little peony, b-girl, Crème De la Crème and Sweet Tea Insta-Dri ($4.96): Shown in Pink blink and Leaping Lilac Complete Salon Manicure ($7.99): Shown in What in carnation, Jaded and Pardon My Garden

Spring Is In The Air: Mally Beauty and Soap & Paper Factory

Create your gorgois spring look with Mally Beauty while keeping fresh with Soap & Paper Factory products.

Mally Beauty H3 Concealer ($29) Wake up tired skin with Mally Beauty’s H3 Concealer. Made with special pigments designed to neutralize discoloration, this concealer flawlessly covers up dark circles with its creamy, buildable formula. Not only does this product conceal, it also helps to protect the under eye area from aging. It leaves you renewed and refreshed.

Available in Fair, Light (shown), Medium, Tan and Rich
Where to Buy: www.QVC.com

Mally Beauty H3 Lipstick ($21)Wear a pop of color with Mally Beauty’s H3 Lipstick. This product provides triple hydration with just the right amount of coverage. The formula is gel based rather than wax, so it leaves lips nourished and rich in pigment all day long.

Available in shades: Grapevine, Rosy, Poppie, Nudish, Buff, Coraline, Angelic, Sheerly (shown), Crush, Hibiscus, Flame and Flush
Where to Buy: www.QVC.com

Soap & Paper Factory Mini Rollerball Perfumes ($16) Freshen your beauty routine with Soap & Paper Mini Rollerball Perfumes. Made with the finest ingredients, these products hydrate skin while leaving it lightly fragranced. Roll the scents onto your pressure points for a light touch fragrance that will last all day.

Available in Verbena, Green Tea, Jasmine, Gardenia and Lavender
Where to Buy: www.soapandpaperfactory.com

Soap & Paper Factory Petite Hand Creams ($9) Beautifully packaged and perfumed, Soap & Paper Factory Petite Hand Creams are the perfect product to have on the go. Not only do they deliver aromatic scents, these hand creams nourish, soothe and protect skin. Each hand cream is made with finest oils available in nature and free from parabens.

Where to Buy: www.soapandpaperfactory.com

New from Flirt Cosmetics: ChicSticks Lip Duo Kit

FLiRT Cosmetics newest launch drops today and you won’t want to miss it. Introducing the ChickSticks Lip Duo Kit – two lip shades that are vibrant and bold as Flirt Cosmetic’s Guest Flirt, Amber Rose herself.

The colors, named after Amber’s pugs, Paulyis (the show shopping, wearable hot-pink shade) and Franky (the velvety deep plum lippie), are the perfect pair to keep in your pocket for whatever mood you’re in, or whatever look you’re looking to rock. Even better, they have a smooth application and a velvety finish for flirty, kissable lips.

Available for $32.00 at FlirtCosmetics.com today!

Love the packaging, too! 

Donald Robertson, you did an amazing job!

New: Ulta Beauty Brilliantly Beautiful Color Essentials Collection

Yes, it IS that time of year again B.I.O.A. beauties!!! If holiday gift shopping has you stumped, let Ulta Beauty come to your rescue! The Ulta Beauty Brilliantly Beautiful Color Essentials Collection is the perfect gift for any beauty lover. 

Filled with the beauty essentials to keep any look fabulous and fresh, this blockbuster is your gifting answer this holiday season!

Available: $24.99, www.ulta.com

The Brilliantly Beautiful Color Essentials Collection is an Ulta Beauty Collection Exclusive! This bronze kit offers all takeaway items with limited edition eyeshadow and cheek palettes. The cute case is perfect for storing makeup or jewelry. Included in the case is a link to Ulta beauty tutorials and a coupon for $5 off a future Ulta Beauty Collection purchase.

Collection includes:

· Limited Edition 10 Shade Eyeshadow Palette (0.282 oz)
· Limited Edition 3 Shade Cheek Palette (0.307 oz)
· Matte Lipstick in Mulberry (0.098 oz)
· Butter Balm Lip Gloss in Belle (0.098 oz)
· Matte Lip Crayon in Engagement (0.077 oz)
· Dual Ended Eyeliner in Blackout and Mink (0.042 oz)
· Dual Ended Lip Liner in Bittersweet and Berry (0.042 oz)
· Makeup Setting Spray (1.0 oz)
· Brow Tint in Medium (0.098 oz)
· Matte Nude Eyeshadow Primer (0.338 oz)
· Dual Ended Eyeshadow and Crease Brush
· Blush Brush
· Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener

Pür Minerals: New Lipsticks and Lip Glosses created with Resveratrol

Lip plumping lip glosses and anti-aging lipsticks! Chateau Kisses Plumping Lip Gloss ($ 18) and Chateau de Vine Mineral Lipstick ($ 18) were created to perfect your pout with richly pigmented color and the rarest, vine fresh Resveratrol. Harvested from Bordeaux's renowned wine chateaux is now being brought straight to your lips! Cheers!

Chateau Kisses Plumping Lip Gloss are available in 8 colors and Lovestruck and Glitzy were sampled.

These one-of-a-kind glosses feature Pür's beloved lip-plumping lip-plumping lip gloss, now with age-defying Resveratrox®, freshly harvested from Bordeaux's finest wine-producing grapes! This exclusive Farm to Jar™ ingredient hydrates dry lips and helps reverse visible signs of early aging, including lip lines and wrinkles. Never sticky or tacky, this luscious formula provides hours of dewy colour along with visibly softer, smoother lips—even after the gloss comes off! Paraben-free. Gluten-free Net Wt: .11oz/3g

Features & Benefits:

• Protects, nourishes and intensely hydrates lips
• Increases renewal for a smoother, younger-looking pout
• Features Volulip for visibly plumper lips
• Targets signs of free radical damage with powerful antioxidants

Chateau de Vine Mineral Lipstick's are available in 10 different colors and Starlet and Show Off are pictured below.

Perfect your pout with gorgeous, anti-aging lipstick colour in a delicious array of intoxicating mineral shades! Pür's Château de Vine lipsticks glide on effortlessly for a full range of flawless looks—from bold, full lips to a barely there stain. Using exclusive Farm to Jar™ ingredients- including age defying Resveratrox® and Vitisin, freshly harvested from Bordeaux's finest wine-producing grapes—this one-of-a-kind formula reverses visible signs of early aging, like lip lines and wrinkles, so you can toast to younger-looking lips with every kiss. Paraben-free. Gluten-free.Net Wt: .14oz/4g

Features & Benefits:

• Increases renewal for a smoother, younger-looking pout
• Targets signs of free radical damage with powerful antioxidants
• Conditions the skin for dewy, kissably soft lips

Pür Minerals does NOT test its products on animals. Available at ULTA stores and Pur Minerals.

NARS: Celebrates 20 Years of Audacious Beauty

Attention all fellow NARSissists! Celebrating 20 Years of Audacious Beauty NARS Founder and Creative Director François Nars launched his namesake brand with a collection of 12 unforgettable lipsticks. Now, in celebration of its 20th Anniversary, NARS pays tribute to its beginnings with the launch of The Audacious Lipstick Collection: lipsticks so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture, the sensation is absolutely audacious.

The innovative, pigment-rich formula delivers an intense, full-coverage finish in a single stroke, while nutrient rich ingredients are known to smooth, moisturize and volumize. The 40-shade collection features a full range of provocative hues from neutral nudes to striking reds and bold pinks.

Housed in a modern, matte-black metallic case with a magnetic closure, the specially designed sculpted bullet is embossed with the NARS logo.

Thirty shades in this collection launch on August 15 th at NARS boutiques and www.narscosmetics.com. The additional ten retailer-exclusive shades will become available at Barneys New York beginning September 1.

Founder and Creative Director François Nars chose renowned actress Charlotte Rampling as the face of the Audacious Lipstick Collection. Celebrated for her work in films like “Farewell, My Lovely,” “Angel Heart,” “Stardust Memories,” and “The Verdict,” Charlotte’s bold choices and independent spirit have produced fascinating characters with indelible impact. For François, Charlotte’s individuality, daring style and natural elegance—on and off camera—captured the very essence of the Audacious Lipstick Collection.

SHADES INCLUDE:

CLAUDIA (Cool pink), CATHERINE (Sunny guava), MICHIYO (Shocking pink), JULIETTE (Pink coral), GRETA (Wild  azalea), NATALIE (Flamingo), ANGELA (Pink orchid), GRACE (Bright pink coral), JANET (Deep magenta), GERALDINE (Tangerine), FANNY (Rich berry), LANA (Vivid orange red), VERA (Bright raspberry), ANNABELLA (Poppy red), CHARLOTTE (Oxblood burgundy), RITA (Scarlet), AUDREY (Red currant), MARLENE (Red brick), ANNA (Smokey rose), OLIVIA (Garnet), ANITA (Antique rose), LESLIE (Cherrywood), JANE (Terracota rose), JEANNE (Cherry red), BRIGITTE (Nude rose), DEBORAH (Chestnut), BARBARA (Tan rose), BETTE (Bordeaux), RAQUEL (Pink beige) and LIV (Deep aubergine).

RETAILER EXCLUSIVE SHADES:

VANESSA (Mauve nude), DOMINIQUE (Pink lilac), JULIE (Nude pink), SILVIA (Radiant orchid), MARISA (Warm pink),
VIVIEN (Red plum), KELLY (Coral hibiscus), SANDRA (Rosewood), CARMEN (Geranium) and INGRID (Merlot).

PRICE: $32 each

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 AT NARS BOUTIQUES AND NARSCOSMETICS.COM.

RETAILER EXCLUSIVE SHADES AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 AT BARNEYS NEW YORK.