December 18, 2006
SM Memo: Nars "Hindu" is Very BrownBeauty
The mission came my way via Abhi over a month ago, a reader had contacted our comment line with the following:
The high-end cosmetics company NARS has a new lipstick shade called Hindu…I wonder how a shade called Jew or Protestant would fare in the public eye? Is the idea that all Hindus have temptingly red lips? To be fair, there are also shades called Afghan Red and Gipsy. What do you think?
Said Abhi, “This one is ALL you.” Said me, “HELL YES!” I love Nars. If I’m not wearing Chanel makeup, I’m glowing because of the most notoriously named blush of all time. One problem— “Hindu” proved more elusive than I imagined. It was sold-out all over town. The intrigue grew; if it was so desired, I had to keep it under surveillance for the sake of the Mutiny. I finally located a tester of it at Blue Mercury Apothecary (apothecary!) and made my way to my prey.
Part of Nars’ Holiday ‘06 collection, “Hindu” had sold so well, it would take a month for me to procure one for the Mutiny. “Nars just didn’t make enough,” my source said, as they prepared the tester for germ-phobic me. I loathe such situations, because I prefer to examine communal cosmetics on the back of my hand. The allegedly-disinfected lipstick was headed right for me. I started to panic, but then I remembered that every Mutiny requires pain and sacrifice.
When she was done with me, I was wearing a very brown lipstick with excellent texture, which reminded of a sheer version of Chanel’s “Very Vamp”. I expected redder tones, not the muted brown which I was studying. I also thought there would be more glitter, since it’s very visible in the tube. The staff praised the end result; I was less convinced by the “Hindu” effect. Maybe for the office, but it was too dull for my scenery-chewing tastes. I was thrilled that it looked so good on South Asian skin, though.
“Would you like to be put on the waiting list?”
I hesitated; normally I would have politely declined, but Abhi had tasked me with more than just scouting “Hindu” out:
My biggest question is can a nice Christian girl such as yourself be labeled a “heathen” if they apply this? If you kiss a nice Mallu boy with “Hindu” lipstick on, what would happen!
In the name of the Mutiny, I gladly put myself on the line to complete this mission; alas, I did not find a suitable partner for such a life-or-death covert operation. Abhi, forgive me.
anna on December 18, 2006 10:43 AM in Beauty, Humor, Photos · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
NARS lipsticks and blushes are da bomb, but they really do come up with the strangest "exotic" names. There's a Calcutta and Bengal lip pencil and lipgloss respectively (I think in that order) that are a pretty deep brown too.
That "Hindu" lipstick looks more reddish and I like the sparkles. But it looks pretty similar to another one that I can't for the life of me remember the name of right now.
A decent replacement for MAC's discontinued "Terra"?
MAC lipsticks leave my lips a dessicated wasteland. *shudder*
Agree with Anna on MAC lipsticks. Though their Lustres are not as bad (Polished Up is pretty, especially).
Desi womyn need to move away from brown lipstick though, big time. And Aishwarya needs to get over her visible brown lipliner fetish, eww.
once again, it's the E-word at play : exotic. Jew or Protestant-- not exotic. Hindu, well... i'm sure in the mind of the "public" it conjures up images of Bollywood, bathing in the Ganges river, and eating all sorts of curry. therefore, a lipstick color named accordingly will sell, as NARS has found out.
honestly, i feel caught between feeling happy that us South Asians are finally being acknowledged as a "people" and being annoyed that acknowledged seems to mean "co-opting aspects of the culture that look fun and amusing."
catch-22, i think. can't gain public acceptance without the "oooh, lookit!" phase. i don't think. but it's irritating as hell to be in that phase.
(FYI, for those of you looking for a lovely shade of sheer red lipstick, VIVA GLAM VI is awesome!)
A N N A -- I take it then that your research did not answer the question of whether Nars "Hindu" leaves a mark on a guy's cheek (or lips)? Some of us are curious about these things.
what, no pictures of your research mission, ANNA? ;)
A N N A K K A:
I've boycotted Mac in favor of Sephora since our well-spent Saturday afternoon in Georgetown.
Excited to head up to Blue Mercury and spread the color of my faith all over my lips in even, disinfected swipes.
From the Max Factor (not to be confused with Max Mueller) guide to the Upanishads "After opening that very end of the tube, by that way she applied the color. This is the cosmetc known as lipstick. This is pleasing. For that, there are three accoutrements; three kinds of dreams as: this is the lipliner; this is the lip gloss; this is the anti-feather emollient lip salve."
Hindoo lipstick...t'was only a matter of time, lipstick being the cosmetic avatar of the lingam and all.
I bought it about a month back and it's sitting eating dust. I did not like it. It's too matte for my taste and matte is out. It's great for the pasty face look with nothing but dark lips but on a brown woman it might seem to be a bit too overwhelmingly dark with our blue undertones.
It's not brown, it's burgundy. I keep promising Desi Dancer and a million other people that I'd do a whole cosmetics post with what to buy where and in what shades but I've been swamped. I swear I need to do this. And Pooja no this doesn't replace Terra because it's way way too dark for you. I know you won't wear it :-)
BTW Nars is one of the few cosmetic companies that names personalities for their colors rather than names of colors. They have Russian Doll, Shanghai Express as well as Catfight, Fire Down Below & Damage hehehe.
For some reason, this is reminding me of Revlon's "Toast of New York", that ALL the brown girls in my high school wore. I remember it was matte and more brownish/red of a tone than i should have been wearing, thus making me look jaundice in complexion. But alas, doesn't matter now since i've entered the land of pink lip gloss and haven't looked back since!
oh i discovered this last night in a sephora! what coincidental timing!
upon my discovery, i was a little taken aback, but i smudged it on the back of my hand, and well, the color doesn't excite me. didn't blend in well with my shade of brown. the name, yes, that excites me, sends me on a royal anti-orientalist fit, but i wouldn't wear this color.
What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet - Juliet
If it a good or bad lipstick does that make it any less or more offensive?
I'm looking forward to the "Muslim" shade. I hope that's slated for the near future.
i was totally not happy when i saw this lipstick at sephora-- i didn't see one lying around called 'baptist'...nars has some good shades but the marketing team needs to think of other names.
on another note-- a totally great lipstick at sephora is called "Rouge Hyperfix" by Bourjois Paris. it does not come off! ever! "prune intemporelle" is a good tone if you have darker skin like me.
brown is beautiful.
I TOTALLY wore that lipstick. haha! flashback!
someone had the temerity to tell me i was "as beautiful as a china doll" once at a wedding and thought they were complimenting me. Duh. i mean, first of all, i'm korean-american, not chinese. i'm so over this exoticism nonsense!
For what it's worth, sohwhat, I would never compare you to a china doll ;)
Please I had some moron at work tell me I looked "very Indian" that day. Pass the weed man. People say stupid shit. I save my ire for the seriously ignorant and blatantly racist and ignore the seriously stupid to address!
Show of hands, guys, how many of you had ever heard of "Nars" before this post?
Well I've heard of NASA. And I've heard of SARS. How am I doing so far?
china doll is not the same as chinese doll and i am sure the compliment referenced your most excellent fleshtone and it sure is better than being called ugly, notwithstanding the fact that you are no doubt of excellent demeanor and countenance thusly leading to random interface on your lookliness and i concur with you that the thread is all nonsense which is why you should consider donating to the llamas of hyderabad for they are a strange breed of ruminants.
vere's the pickle?
I too, am disappointed we couldn't see pics of your research. I'd love to see a profile.
The visible lipliner thing on Ash is very 'chola'. Someone should tell her that, that look is what gangstas' latina girlfriends wear. Along with vertical bangs. ;)
someone actually came up to one of my co-workers about a month ago and told her "indian girls were really 'in' " -- like she was some kind of fashion accessory or something!! some guys have terrible pickup lines, but that ranks among the dumbest i've heard. we spent the whole rest of the night snickering.
Was it the sari you wore to work that day? Otherwise, I have no idea what that means. I mean, I imagine some of us may look "very Indian" all the time (I don't, FWIW) by virtue of the fact that, well, we're Indian (a.k.a. south asian). But I have no idea what it would even mean to say that someone looked "very Indian" on a given day. Or why someone would be possessed to say that.
I thought there was some sort of method to the pick-up line/compliment/ underhanded insult.
You mean, it's just stupidity? I thought it was from some new dating method. If it's just stupidity I guess I'll have to back off on doling out the nerve damage.
Anna, you must have stocked up on JAIPUR glossimer? Tres chic on your skin-sessence.
No it was the person feeling stupid that day! Seriously I look like every average Indian, dark skin dark eyes dark hair and I look like that everyday. WTF.
At the holiday party (regardless of people being drunk) two people I KNOW thought I was SOMEONE ELSE...another Indian person. If you saw the two of us standing next to eachother we are so completely different you'd want to smack the person who would make that mistake.
I had it when the second person did it and let her have it. I couldn't deal with that level of ignorance and worse not really giving a shit to make a note that we are two different people not one. I can't begin to tell you how pissed off I was. The first person who thought I was someone else was comparing me to a woman who is nearly 6 feet tall. I'm 5'2.
I hate stupid people. Though I know far too many people that say inappropriate things and seriously believe they are being cool and complimenting you.
I just looked at the slideshow of this weekends meet-up. Everyone looks mucho fiiine! Que guapo, guys!
Again, guys - have any of you gotten that kind of a line? I rarely get blatantly exoticized, and it would be easy enough to do. The closest thing that happens is the way that men and women between 50 and 80 years old like to complement me on my turban colors, but these are pleasant complements, and never skeezy.
I'm missing out here. Somebody, please, tell me I'm looking really SouthAsian today.
I've heard the words Nars, Sephora, and MAC before, but this I never knew they were makeup stores until now.
Indian American but definitely not South Asian. Actually before I met you Ennis and saw you walking across the park I commented on your shirt and turban and something along the lines of "Check out that crazy Sardarji" ;-)
OK, help me understand this (forgive me if I asked before): are you from Iraq, or are you from Iran? I can never tell the difference. Isn't it all about the direction you wind your turban?
(Happy?)
FWIW, brown/burgundy lipstick is not all that great a color on lips. Please take it with a grain of salt given that I am not a fan of makeup but purport to be aesthetically interested in beauty. Very light pink on women of chocolate to brown, while apple red on white/fair is great. I detest violet/purple.
We hindoos all look same anyway, so don't worry about it. But the turban thing is easy to remember - you wind it one way in the northern hemisphere, and another way in the southern. It's all about the Coriolis effect.
Rightie tightie, leftie loosie.
See, and there I was thinking it was "Hindis." Learn something new everyday, I guess.
(Please don't be offended if I ask again next week...)
I must confess a faux pas I made. I'd spent the week studying and attemtping to imitate antique Indian miniature paintings. Then I went to a recording session with a desi actress and a desi musician. And damn, to my weary painting-addled eyes, their faces really did look like something straight out of my art books. Their profiles, their eyes and eylids, the hollows under their eyebrows, all visually "explained" the peculiar stylization in many 18-century Rajasthani paintings, for example. So I said, "you look exactly like these Indian miniature paintings I've been trying to copy" or something like that. After which I considered this may have been a very stupid thing to say. But then I didn't know how to ask if I'd offended - at that point I didn't want to make it worse, and we had work to do. I did do the "how would I feel if someone said 'you look just like this picture of a Jew/Russian/European I saw'?" test, and I wouldn't have minded, but then I'm not regularly "exotified" so the context is different.
when were indian gals ever OUT?
Happened to me at my last job - someone kept confusing me with another desi woman who worked in a different department. After the squillionth apology for being called by someone else's name, I told the guy, "That's OK, you people all look alike to us too."
I love me a Hin-doo.
My turnip friend I have newz for youz. Very light pink does not show on brown women. Why bother wearing any?
My favorite phrase from the Kaavya period : "voguish ethnicity".
I'm not offended, only amused. I have a high tolerance for exotification --- I think we all do it to varying degrees.
Does this count only for guys? I am a girl and I've never heard of Nars. [I haven't changed the brand of my make up over the past 8 years.]
um, i second that, Janeofalltrades. pink looks terrible on a dark chocolate brown girl like me!!
it's fun to wear the bright shades of red and purple if you have chocolate skin-- why not show off some color and highlight our tone??
brown is beautiful.
This is nothing new. We've all seen or heard about our deities ending up on toilet seat, flip flops, bikinis, etc. But, I for one have had enough. For once we need to create same uproar that Muslims around the world created when a Dutch newspaper published cartoons of Mohammad. It is time we let everyone know there are certain boundaries you must not cross. I did my part by e-mailing the NARS's customer service. Is it going to make a difference? Probably not, if I am the only one, but if everyone got involved and not blow if off as just another sales gimmick, NARS would be forced to change the name of the lipstick and realize that we a force to be reckoned with. Send your comments to: customerservice@narscosmetics.com
Men are from NARS, women are from venis.
now really!!!! does anyone really care where the image is or how it is used? is that how insecure a Hindu or a Muslim is? OK, I give up. I will NOT email nars. And I will NOT forward this to ten other outraged Hindus. And no, it didnt make me feel any better to vent.
saab-- thank you! i wrote a letter as well.
The Turnip--
I don't believe writing a letter to the company reflects any sort of insecurity on the part of those people who find a lipstick named after the follower of a religion offensive. I am angered at the company for their usage of ethnic and religious references as a marketing scheme.
All religions and peaceful followers of those religions deserve to be treated with respect. My culture, religion, and ethnic identity are not a commodity. I don't believe they should be treated as such and I don't think that makes me insecure.
Oh my god, I know! It was like brown-on-brown violence, it was so bad. I myself like a little shimmery light pink lipstick. I know it can be dangerous, but as long as you're not wearing blue eyeshadow it's great, and unexpected. I always found brown lipstick too frumpy...
"For some reason, this is reminding me of Revlon's "Toast of New York", that ALL the brown girls in my high school wore. I remember it was matte and more brownish/red of a tone than i should have been wearing, thus making me look jaundice in complexion. But alas, doesn't matter now since i've entered the land of pink lip gloss and haven't looked back since!"
How could I forget "Toast of New York"? Every brown girl I knew wore that shade? I remember running into the local CVS and hoping they stocked that color. Speaking of pink lip gloss, have you notice that a lot of the free lip samples (mostly Lancome/Clinique) are those very pinky lip glosses?
"My culture, religion, and ethnic identity are not a commodity. I don't believe they should be treated as such and I don't think that makes me insecure."
ylrsings-
I could not have articulated it any better.
JOAT - just so you know it works the other way around. I have gotten confused on multiple occasions by the Indian nurses at the VA hospital and Parkland (County Hospital) for various non-descript white dudes, two of which looked nothing like me (i.e. they had hair or glasses).
I find these incidents quite amusing and respond with something, "You know, not all us white guys look alike." To which there is usually some good natured and sheepish laughter.
Check out last weeks episode of "The Office" A Benihana Christmas. Michael Scott cannot tell two of the waitress apart. "Uh I'm drunk, they're both wearing the same uniform. And you know all waitresses look alike."
Sorry not buying that. Not from two people who know me and the other person when we aren't physically the same height or body. Grrrr
Re the pink lipstick: Most dark skinned women don't have lips light enough to pull off light pink lipstick. And not wearing pink lipstick does not mean wear dark lipstick. :-) there are tons of neutral shiny shimmery shades in between that are much better for brown chikas.
JOAT - If you wanted to this could be a moniker for Janest Of All Time a la Muhammed Ali (aka GOAT - greatest of all time). You put the rrrrrl in Girrrrrrl. Fight the Power! (clenched fist raised high)
Coach and DD, ask and ye shall receive, my pretties. See? It's way subtle. Not unpleasant, but not something I'd wear. It's too quiet. ;)
I thought undertones were yellow or pink? Mine are definitely yellow, people tell me that at makeup counters all the time.
Sorry for breaking the suspense, but that lipstick looks like any ordinary lipstick but the moment you apply it to your lips, it blows your noggin off into a billion bits. Ok, sorry for the off-color joke!
But seriously, why is everyone so concerned about the name of the product? Heck, when Walmart sells shoes called "Brahma", why can't the lipstick be called "Hindu"? My only beef (bad word in this context!) is with their using it for a brown colored lipstick. Are they trying to say all Hindus are brown? That may be true but it's very racist. How about a lip stick called "Rap Artist" that is jet black? The next day they'd get their ass sued by NAACP (and Eminem maybe :-P).
I wish I had some. One of my New Year's resolutions is to wear red lipstick sometimes so I hope someone has some good suggestions. (Clearly I have been putting a lot of thought into spiritual and moral improvement in 2007).
Is it really red? The website says it is terractoa-plum.
Uh oh...where's Jai-saab to kindly remind us what the "above average" Indians look like?
Jaipur glossimer was way too bright and light for my colouring. MAC's Viva Glam V gloss is a pretty good neutral browned-down pink shimmer on me. Then there are a few bronzey-pink shimmers in the Maybelline Shine Delice line that work for desis.
Nice red lipstick - Club Monaco Femme is great for us, just enough brown that it doesn't look hooker-ish, but still a nice deep glam decidedly red red. Not sure if it's made in the US any more. Nars has a few good ones too, Tanganyka is not bad. For a slightly more burgundy deep red, I LOVE Vincent Longo's Belle Etoile.
I believe the idea is that neither of these things should happen :)
I am picturing a line of scents called "White Privilege"...
That line is already out, I just picked up a bottle at Nordstroms last week. (It makes you smell like bourbon and Vicodin.) I always dab a few drops on my wrists before I go out to the
klan rallyGOP luncheon.DJ Drrrty Poonjabi,
I think that the implication within your statement is a heinous perpetuation of ongoing South Asian cultural prejudices regarding the actual-or-perceived superior attractiveness of melanin-deficient individuals vis-a-vis melanin-excessive individuals, both of which are highly-subjective concepts independent of psychologically-reinforced intracultural stereotypes, thereby reinforcing macro-societal behavioural traits oppressing the chromatically-challenged's status in relation to White Privilege within the 300+ million population of the United States and the 1 billion+ total population of the Western hemisphere as a whole.
And that is why this thread should now have
gratuitousenlightening links to lots of lovely pillow-lipped ladies displaying various shades of the aforementioned deep red lipsticks.Before I read this comment thread I thought I was brown. Apparently I'm brown with blue, yellow, and pink undertones. Who knew?
I'm working on it. Give me a day I have about 10 recommendations for ze ladies with pictures and all. :-)
I bet DJ Privileged Whitey would play a lot of Spoon.
How'd you know?? Oh wait, I think I remember you from the last Bush Twins' party. Were you the Yale rower with the purple velour ascot and an unquenchable thirst for apple martinis and loose Asian women? If so, you owe me a drink and $5000 for bailing you out that night. Whadditellya, "I thought she was 18" never flies with the feds.
*shudder* this thread has unearthed years of suppressed memories involving brown revlon lipstick. UGH!
here was the NARS company response to my letter:
Hello,
We acknowledge receipt of your email concerning the NARS lipstick named "Hindu". Please be assured that in no way is the use of the name intended to offend the Hindu religion, culture or people of India. We appreciate that you have shared your viewpoint with us and for taking the time to contact NARS.
Sincerely,
Customer Service
NARS Cosmetics, Inc.
hmm--- i'm guessing they won't pull the lipstick name?!??
and i'm brown with totally red undertones with a sister who has yellow undertones. oh how the sari and make-up choices differ!!!!!!
Most probably not because they've already gone thru legal and other patent issues that they will not revisit. It's tacky but there simply won't be enough noise to make it go away.
Having been a MUA (make up artist) for Chanel for 3 years, I can say Indian gal pals have red, yellow, and peach undertones. I even made a gorgeous;y fair pakistani girl, who had blue undertones cos' she was so fair! Please do go by the gal behind the counters, who throw out such terms to make their commissions for the day. YES, you'll likely have yellow or red undertones, but choosing a red liptick is not about the undertone as it's more about the texture and shade that complements your sexy smiles or sparkling eyes. As Anna mentioned, Mac lipticks can dry up your lips (as their matte versions are intended to do so), but a matte finish looks striking on sharp features, not on the glowy skin Anna perfects. Jaipur is a pinky glossimer created for yellow undertoned women, because it will make your teeth look whiter, which is a challenge for darker skinned women. The end result: choose shades to complement your skin tone, with a finish to accentuate your entire look. And, for heaven's sake -- stay away from the horrid Toast of New York!
Saira,
I really loved the tone of "russian red" from MAC, but it did dry my lips out so badly that they hurt and I couldn't really apply any other lipstick for quite a while. Do you have a recommendation for a shade that is the same as russian red but more emolliant? Thanks!
Amen to that. I didn't want to ride on the happy memories so many had about Toast but it had a hint of cinnamon in it that yellowed teeth. Shiny brownish tones always make teeth look whiter while deeper pink based bronzy shades make teeth look yellow.
I'm a huge fan of gloss. I always think a dabble of gloss can never go wrong for anyone. Oh and not gloss alone, at least not for me because my lips don't have a definite line between skin and lip I need a lipstick base to bring out the lips then gloss on top.
If you must try Nars (which I'm not a huge fan of because too many of their lipstics are Matte) try:
Sheer Reds - Flaming Dust, Flair & Kiss & Zanibar are great sheer reds for brown skin
Darker for the evening I prefer Tamango, Nouba & Spanish Red
Forgot to mention:
SEPIA CHIC for the Sepia Chicks :-)
SemiDesiMasala: Do try Laura Mercier, Chanel, and Smashbox for brighter, ruby red lips. LM has great reds for all skin tones, which are long-lasting on shoots but not drying. Chanel will be most emollient, but tends to discontinue shades faster than lip glosses that fade. They had a great Russian Red replacement, but may have disc. it.
Janeofalltrades: Try using a nude lip liner to fill in the entire lips before using a gloss. It keeps the look sheer and glossy without fading too quickly. Bases don't do much for glosses, but liners help prevent the feathering and bleeding. A mattifer also helps keeps the glosses from fading. We use them under intensive heats found in studios.
After seeing pics from the meetup all i have to say is
Hi a n n a ;)
So so sorry for the multiple posts but I keep remembering something else I didn't share before. Forgive me ANNA.
Cranberry by Laura Mercier is a limited edition lipstick gloss that is the perfect red for brown chicks out right now during the holiday season. Go check it out, try on the lipstick and walk out in the daylight and see what it looks like (before you buy of course) I didn't link to it because their website has a mistake on this shade (wrong color with the shade name) and yes I've already emailed them to let them know. Can't mess with a girl and her lipsticks.
Great tip just not a liner girl and I apply more lipcolor than I drink water during the day (to give you perspective) so to keep it all together and reapply lipliner doesn't always work. By base I simply meant a neutral shade under like Le Rouge Absolu's Walnut Mink a godsend for my skin, it keeps the gloss on longer like you said. I'm addicted to Lancome Juicy Tubes & Maybelline Shinylicious and use them liberally and highly recommend them.
JoaT: Glosses vary in pigment as well. Juicy Tubes and Bobbi Brown as great glosses but have little pigment. Smashbox, Chanel, and Mac glosses are higher in pigment, so they may also last longer. Finally, try Clinique's Long Quickliners, as they last through drinking water. Silicon based liners such as these are water (and spit) resistant. Sorry for the boys, but know that these are tricks we use to help us look sexy after a serious lip-lock session.
Many buy their salvation; now they can do it via NARS.
Thanx for the great tips Saira :-) I use Smashbox primer and shadows but haven't really bought any other makeup. I'm a huge fan of Vincent Longo & Bare Escentuals for face. Most of MAC rips my lips and dries my skin so I tend to stay away unless it's the Viva Glam new news but will try the gloss for sure.
Let me ask you this since you are the guru. I tend to find myself drawn to pretty much the same shade or range of shades in lipsticks. I have about 40 lipsticks and I swear there are probably 5 different shades in there. I'll buy everything from Guerlain to Stila to Lorac to Covergirl but I keep venturing into the same palate.
Any tips for the brown girl other than the bronzy/mauvy browns and what's the best way to buy lipstick because obviously trying something on the back of my hand is not the same as actually putting it on my lips???
Apologies from this end, too, for the multiple replies.
My favorite red is the matte NARS Shanghai Express. A less-expensive option is L'Oreal's Crimson Joy. Every once in a while, when the dark-fuchsia mood strikes, Lancome's Rouge Sensation in Cherries Jubilee is a sure bet, too.
Once I get a sizzling macro lens for my nouveau digital SLR, it's all yours, baby.
JoaT: Not a guru! Just experienced. We are migrate to similar palettes because we are comfortable with what we like. Most Indian girls think they can't wear navy blue eye shadows, but they can depending on the shade and style worn. I would suggest looking through magazines to see a look you'd like to try, and ask a MUA to replicate on you. We then get the sense of what you like and modify it for your personal style and expression. Brown girls look great in ANY colour, but it's the intensity of which to wear such shades as fuschia and peach. Smoky eyes look great on darker skinned sexys, but with grays and browns, not harsh black. Pinks are a must have in any make-up wardrobe, but not shimmery pinks (which is what women think of first when suggesting pink). I always ask my clients to pick a colour they've never worn, and show them how to wear it with their current colours.
www.makeup411.com has great looks that we get requests from. Perfect for allowing you to choose your look, style, colours, and face from. We get a lot of desi divas bringing in Halle Berry looks and half-breeds like myself bringing in J. Lopez looks (I got that bronzy not so fair not so dark skin).
Thanx Saira. That def helps. I know tons of ladies here are really appreciative of this info. Not shy of experimenting with shadows :-) I just want to venture more outside the standard lipcolors.
JoaT: THAT was the perfect sahde of blue on you!
i feel as if i've tried every high, mid, and low end cosmetics line to find proper foundation and lipstick colors, but two brands i've had the most luck with (because the products work especially well with yellow/brown tones) are:
Vasanti (www.vasanticosmetics.com)
and
Zhen (www.zheninc.com)
I am a big fan of Clinique for foundation and powder because they have a whole range of browns, not just one or two variations on the same theme.
On the subject of Clinique, they recently discontinued most of their Almost Lipstick line which was awesome because I basically used it as chapstick. Anyone have any suggestions for substitutes? I really liked Almost Cocoa because it basically matched my lip color so I looked like I had natural, but enhanced lips...now I'm sad because I have to find a substitute...help!
Ooooh, Almost in Black Honey. Perfection. :)
I've actually been using the Bare Minerals powder foundations from Bare Escentuals for a couple of years. They're very sheer but they cover imperfections and they have a golden undertone in a wide range of colors. They have colors for me when I am tan and when I am not. Plus, they are gentle so my skin doesn't freak out. I tried for years to find makeup that makes me look nice and polished and I found too many with pink undertones that were not flattering.
I also loved those almost lipsticks from Clinique!! :)
...not one that matched my face. :( I loved the idea of such pure makeup, too.
Yeah, Bare Escentuals did NOT work for me either. I was sorely disappointed:( I use this Paula Dorf concealer, called Magic Stick in #4. It looks like a tube of lipstick and it totally works on my yellow/orange undertoned skin. But again, I think makeup totally depends not only on undertones, but also on what skin type you are, (oily, combo, dry). I have extremely dry skin and even a normal application of powder looks really matte on me most of the time.
Clinique's Black Honey is awesome. I remember few years ago, they would give it away in their gift bags and I was so thrilled to be getting a lipstick color I could actually use from a freebie bonus bag!
And speaking of Toast of New York, I just revisited some memories about lipstick discrimination I held in my early high school years. Toast of New York = cool, Coffee bean= Ghetto, Blackberry= Fair enough to get away with this color, Nude=what the white girls wore and the Indian girls could never pull off. The politics of lipstick!
Hey...some of us are still there!
I just wish brown people would give up on the pastels. NO. Just say NO...they are so tack.
What about Estee Lauder's lipsticks? They do some great deep red shades. It seems to be all about Clinique and Nars...
Another deep red that works for our skintones is the dark maroony red in the L'Oreal HIP line of lipsticks (can't remember the name, sorry). L'Oreal's True Match foundation also has decent shades for us (W6 and W7 especially), otherwise it's Prescriptives or Laura Mercier's Silk Creme or some Lorac shades (Lorac Cover Up in C5 is my staple). MAC has good shades for us too but their foundations always break me out, damn them.
Speaking of popular shades that everyone loves but don't work for you - Nars Orgasm show up on anyone here? Not me, boohoo.
Too right! Though, Coffee Bean was only ghetto if you really laid it on thick. I could only wear Blackberry on a night out as I would get in trouble for wearing it to school. My high school lip wear of choice? Ultra-repressed Christian. (The Body Shop 'Born Lippy' gloss in any delectable flavor).
I confess to buying a shade of O.P.I. nail polish just because it was called "Jewel of India".
Bobby Brown does it for me every time. The lipstick colors are awesome.
Does anyone remember Revelon's 'Iced Mocha?' Talk about washed out.
I do wear lots of MAC (have never had a parched-lips problem from their cosmetics), so the deep red I recommend is 'Desire.' Other everyday shades that work for me are Stila's 'Sunday Bazaar,' and Paula Dorf's Lipsicle in 'Dali.'
Thanks for the pics Anna. You spoil us so.
What's that no pics in the store rule about? Trade secrets or something?
On another note:
I agree with you, that color is way subtle for you. It's very office-y or mommyish and movie star make-up matches your personality more. (Yes, it does come through the computer :) The eyes you were working for last weekends meet-up were wonderful.
I love make-up, (when I have a chance to wear it) but since I get sweaty so often working out all day, it's pointless. I wish you lived closer so you could help me with my make-up.
DJ, I like having you around because I never have to finish any of my own jokes :)
Oops. That's Bobbi Brown. Thought it didn't look right...
Lo siento, the perfect match is really crucial though. :-(
Pics of Anna swathed regally in acres of blue silk aside, where are the other photos of luscious, full-lipped beauties in various shades of vampy red lipstick, people ? Goddammit, there should be pouty, glisteningly kissable mouths bursting out of the screen at this point !
Please stop teasing us by linking to pics of lipsticks at Revlon etc. Yeah, us guys know the phallic symbolism, but let's see that stuff on the ladies. What's the point of having a thread about lipstick if there are no lips being shown ? Show us the money !
Too much tantalizing going on here, I tell ya.....All talk and no action.....
As if bechara Mr Whitney Houston didn't already have enough crap to deal with in his life.....Taking stage makeup a little too far, I think.....
But I still protest the idea of "our" skin tones. What does that mean? We don't all have the same skin tones! My mother is much fairer than I am with pink undertones (I have yellow or green or something, but not pink), and I have family members who are darker than I am.
Besides me, you mean? :) From the post above:
what about an indian girl whose lips are differnt colors? my top lip is brown, [naturally] and my bottom is more pinkish,but brown on the outer side. i kind of have bigger lips than normal desi girls do. i'm on the search for the perfect lipstick, and i just use gloss when going out.
SemiDesiMasala: i too (fondly) remember the *toast,* and its promise of 'rich, smooth color, soft-shine and irresistible lips.'
(ehh, 3 out of 4 ain't bad).
OK ladies as promised some recommendations are up. Hopefully they help.
This is me too! I find that lighter shimmery colors work better, at least with the mismatched lips combined with my skin tone.
I needed lip balm, but I reached for my Black Honey instead. I thought of all of you as I applied it to my mismatched (plum and pink) lips. :)
With all this talk of gloss, I have mustered up the gumption to recommend one. I really like this lustreglass from MAC called "palatial." It looks PINK in the tube but it goes on as a wonderfully shimmery peachy pink and it's sheer. :)
love the pic joat ... but i have to say, you (& anna) have eyelids that are meant for eyeshadow ...
i don't know how to explain it... hmmm.. your lower lid "folds into itself" when you open your eyes ... and the lower lid is distinct from the upper but both upper and lower are visible when you close them ...
does anyone know what i'm talking about ??? ... my upper lid "folds over my lower lid" ... causing a hot mess at the creases ...
any suggestions or am i just speaking swahili here ?
Do you mean that when your eyes are open, the part of your eyelid near your upper eyelashes recedes in to the crease so that the shadow
a) isn't visible
b) smudges where it shouldn't?
YES! YES ! YES ! (why do i feel like meg ryan in 'When H met S')
Rani eye shadow isn't for just the big lidded women it's for everyone. Look at Asian eyes for example, they have very little lid space to work with but with there are tricks and ways of applying makeup for them as well. I have a huge crease on my lid, the key is to go slightly past the crease into the top of the lid, this way your crease doesn't create a mess. The key is to use a good shadow that doesn't budge and stays put so that the crease won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Once you draw attention to your upper lid the lower lid won't really matter as much. I assure you that you aren't the only one with different eyes, everyone has different eyes but everyone can wear eye makeup.
This is beginning to confuse me as much as my vascular surgery guides. Much respect :)
tamasha, light colors are fine for light skin, but im a southie with medium/dark brownish skin. light colors wouldnt look good on me. im just looking for a color that would suit my face and lips.
*kerplunk*
That was the sound of my Revlon Iced Mocha hitting the bottom of my trash can. Thanks P (#104).
"Ooooh, Almost in Black Honey. Perfection."
OK. I braved the Xmas crowds and got me a stick. It better be good!
I always have problems with makeup artists who try to sell me colors meant for pink undertoned women. I used to use Prescriptives but it's always dependent on the makeup artist blending the powder.
The one line that has a lot of lipstick, eyeshadow and foundation/powder I like is Laura Mercier. I tried to like MAC Studio Fix, but it makes my skin blotchy.
For blush, Nars Orgasm doesn't work for me, but Laura Mercier Blushing Apple does as well as Benefit Dallas
I'm also med to dark skin with dark lips and these are some lip colors that I use and love:
Lipsticks-
Benefit-Aint Misbehaving (neutral) and Mug Shot (Reddish).
NYC 320B Mahogany
Laura Mercier- Merlot (deep wine) and Sherry (berry-brown)
Revlon- 746 Pure Burgundy (it's not really burgundy- but a nice rosy color)
Glosses: Maybelline Shiny-licious-Chocolate Cherry
Revlon Coffee Gleam
Maybelline Lavender Lights
Laura Mercier- Raspberry Glace
MAC Pop Mode
Lipliners:
Benefit- Gypsy
Laura Mercier- Red Chocolate, Neutral Brown, Very Cherry
MAC- Whirl
I think we're overlooking a couple of the mos important issues here. Does this company test its ingredients on animals (or use suppliers who do), and does this lipstick contain any animal ingredients? (Many lipsticks contain ingredients derived from cows, pigs, or other animals.)
For all of those deb