After reading the article on Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare in the February issue of Vogue a few weeks ago, we immediately logged on to her website and ordered a variety of producs filled with unusually high concentrations of antioxidants and botanicals.

We were especially interested in Superbalm Concentrate (which our friend and fellow beauty blogger Blogdorf Goodman talks about here) because according to Liz Earle, after using this intense overnight nourisher “you wake up looking about twelve.”

Um. Pinky promise, Liz?

When we received our box from the UK last week we were so impressed with the careful wrapping of each individual item, the personalized letter from the customer care manager asking us to call her with any questions or feedback, and the packing slip signed by ‘Sue’ telling us that she carefully packed our items in biodegradable chips and she hopes they arrived safely and in perfect condition, that we seriously wanted to place another order immediately, before even trying any of the products.

Every company (beauty or otherwise) should look to Liz Earle and her team for their impeccable customer service standards.

After using Liz Earle products for the past week, we are surprised to find that it’s not the Superbalm Concentrate that makes us weak in the knees (not that Superbalm Concentrate isn’t incredibly fab because it totally is) but the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, a soothing, reviving, floral-scented tonic that instantly moisturizes with nourishing botanicals. Misted onto our skin after cleansing but before moisturizing gives us a fine layer of hydration that’s ’sealed in’ by moisturizer.

Instant Boost Skin Tonic is particularly beneficial to help calm sensitive skin with ingredients including organic aloe vera juice, anti-inflammatory calendula, calming cucumber extract, balancing geranium, uplifting rosewood essential oil and natural vitamin E.

We’ve also been using Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which is making our skin squeaky clean with the help of the super thin muslin cloths that exfoliate while washing away makeup and impurities.

We haven’t been consistent with the Superbalm Concentrate this past week because we’re loving the New Shiseido Skincare Night Moisture Recharge, but we’ll be back soon with a thorough review of the best-selling Liz Earle product.

One thing we are not guilty of is under-moisturizing our feet. We must have six different butters, creams and lotions specific to the needs of the feet in our nightstand and we use them all on a regular basis.

No amount of moisturizing, however, can make up for a good sloughing of the heels. We’ve been faithful to our Tweezerman Pedro Callus Stone which has kept our feet soft and smooth between pedicures since we discovered it five years ago, but when we saw this Artemis Woman Heel Smoother we couldn’t resist giving it a try.

This handy little device is waterproof, so you can use it in the shower, and comes with two attachments (one for heels and a smaller, pointy one for around the toes.)

While the battery-operated smoothing stone spins at two levels, we found the ‘High’ setting to be less powerful than we expected, even slowing to a near stop when pushed too hard against our skin.

Overall this seems to be a handy tool (it is the first product of its kind to be selected to wear the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance), we just wish the smoothing stone were larger so we could cover more area in less time.

Artemis Woman Heel Smoother at Target, $29.99

Thanks to Lancôme and photos from Style.com, here is a recap of beauty trends straight from Gucci Westman Neville backstage at Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Rag & Bone:

Backstage at Rag & Bone the look was “‘My Fair Lady’ meets street urchin with a little biker chic thrown in,” said Lancôme’s artistic director, Gucci Westman Neville. “I balanced a wet, almost greasy eye with a matte, fresh, angelic face and lip.”

For this look Gucci used Lancôme Color Design Lipstick in Enigma (new for Fall 2007), Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Softness, and Lancôme Color Design Eyeshadow in Backstage Pass and Pose.

Thakoon:

In keeping with Thakoon’s wishes for an eye with a feathery line and floaty feel, Gucci used pink and brown shades from Destiny Cube, a new shadow palette from her fall collection. In addition, she used Lancôme Color Design Artist Palette in Stylish Neutrals, and Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Parfait (a Makeup Bag favorite!)

Behnaz Sarafpour:

The focus was on the eyes at Behnaz Sarafpour Fall 2007 runway presentation. For eye drama that picked up the color of each model’s eyes and the textures of the collection, Gucci used Lancôme Color Design Eyeshadow in Ciel du Soir and Style Section. The rest of the face was simple with a beautiful complexion, healthy cheeks (again Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Parfait) and almost nude lips (Lancôme Color Design Lipstick in Pale Lip mixed with All Done Up).

Thanks to MAC Cosmetics and photos from Style.com, here is part two of beauty trends straight from Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Monique Lhuillier:

“Super, super blended and lots of beautifully layered textures… that’s how you get away with wearing a lot of makeup,” declared makeup artist Aaron De May at Monique Lhuillier, where “glamorous, expensive and utterly chic” was the woman he had in mind. Working up eyes in a classic smolder-y contoured shape before coating lids in MAC’s new Blackened Gold Reflex Glitter – “I’m obsessed with steel grays and anything that sparkles at the moment,” he raved. De May extended the feeling of shimmery intensity onto the lips by layering Copper and Rouge Reflex Glitters over matte burgundy Diva Lipstick. Decadent yet polished, “sure, Lhuillier is always sophisticated but I wanted her to feel really cool as well.”

Chaiken:

The rich aubergine lipstick worn at Chaiken was MAC Deep Purple, but the spirit of Tom Pecheux’s makeup was anything but Underground or Hard Rock; “they’re hip and chic young girls,” he said. To fit with the collection (”American sportswear infused with eclectic touches,” says Julie Chaiken) this strikingly pigmented mouth indeed gave a touch of eclecticism to the otherwise paired-back face (simply a dust of light taupe eye shadow and black lashes). While precise and matte, Pecheux stayed away from lip liner – “it would look too severe and hard” …and rather Hard Rock, one could imagine…

Temperley London:

‘Beauty in Exile’ was the title of Alice Temperley’s Fall collection, which set Charlotte Tilbury to thinking about “a woman’s journey, particularly that of those wonderfully pale 18th century Russians… I wanted makeup reminiscent of another era and quite Eastern European, but in a modern way,” she said. In keeping with the newly neutral shades of Temperley’s collection (less colorful and embellished than we’ve come to expect) the makeup was a quietly tonal and toned down affair which gave the girls a very monochromatic beauty that still nodded towards the bohemian (you can’t take the label out of West London…)

Rodarte:

The makeup at Rodarte was as enigmatic and artistically crafted as the portraiture of Titian and Velazquez that influenced the clothes. Sent the Seventies Czech film ‘Valerie and her Week of Wonders’ by the designers as a reference point (yes, there’s nothing no-brainer about Rodarte), Kaliardos set about creating “a sweet young virginal girl discovering her femininity,” with soft Smurf blue eyes (MAC Paint Stick in Clear Sky Blue), fine liquid liner, translucent skin and blanked out lips. Carefully keeping color away from the brows (”too ‘I Love Lucy,’” he warned), “keep something naive and real about it,” directed Kaliardos to his MAC team. “I don’t want it looking like an old Fifties Vogue cover.”

Narciso Rodriguez:

Narciso’s women always look impeccable and clean, but “this season he wanted to get away from being considered architectural and abstract,” said Dick Page. Breaking with the graphic makeup statements that he’s designed for the last few seasons, Page simply “looked at the real women who wear Narciso’s clothes: essentially well-groomed and casual. New York women out on the town these days aren’t getting gussied up like they’re at some red carpet event,” he said. So, along with loose hair (a first for the Narciso catwalk) came altogether simple, soft, taupey-gold lids, a little bronzer and sheer pink blush and a baby-mouth tinted lip balm. With clothes this downright divine, who needs try hard makeup?

See the looks from MAC Backstage Part I here.

Thanks to MAC Cosmetics and photos from Style.com, we got a recap of beauty trends straight from Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Yigal Azrouel:

“It’s the colors of nature when they corrode.” says key makeup artist Romy Soleimani at Yigal Azrouel, describing the softly-blended charcoal brown and olive eyes tha she finely lined with a greenish-black hue. “this collection is more industrial for him.” she said of the designer’s Malevich-inspired, deconstructed pieces in somber hues. “Yigal is into layers so I layered the eyes as well.” Soleimani kept the rest of a rather pale face relatively bare, lightly brushing MAC powder on cheeks to add contour and dabbing the mouth with Flesh Lip- a new, matte balm available in concealer-like tints. topped off with a messy low ponytail, this look conveyed the effortless cool of a New York girl…one who likes to stay up late.

Nicole Miller:

The nomadic woman has somehow wandered into the tents at Bryant Park. “She’s been hiking,” said MAC makeup artist Christian McCullouch, as he played with earthy tones of clay, taupe and teracotta on models in fish braids and ethnic prints. “Morocco, Peru, India. These are all influences.” he continued, stippling Ladyblush and Pleasureful Blushcremes on not only cheek apples, but across the nose bridge, too, for a burnished effect. Aside from swirling a glimmery brown (Root Cream Colour Base) on lids, he left the face matte, including the lips. There was no lining, no mascara, no nothing. Who’s got time when you’re busy globe-trotting?

Ruffian:

“What Nan Kempner might have worn if spending a bit of time with Bob Dylan in the West Village,” said Ruffian’s Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of their modern Beatnik feeling for Fall. Given that this translated as lean anatomy, rock n’ roll detailing and a sense of androgyny, Rie Omoto “didn’t want the makeup to make a statement or impact. I wanted subtle, believable,” she said. A sheer butter-gold on lids and milk chocolate in the crease of the eyes, set against black lashes, were the means to this delicate end, “just giving enough dimensionso they come alive,” while lips had the whisper of a wintry flush with a well-blotted trace of wine-y Dubonnet Lipstick…Ms.Kempner after a glass of red with Dylan, perhaps.

Threeasfour:

Threeasfour girls have their downtown DNA injected with elegance this Fall, with Gordon Espinet coming over more polished and precise than is usual for the label. Not that it’s gone totally Bergdorf’s: look closer and “there’s nothing too predictable about her,” says Espinet. True enough, he morphed black liner into an ebony’d teal or an inky burgundy, and applied it “upside down, so that the darkest part of the eye makeup is along the lower lash line rather than on the lid.” Bare lids also added an edge- “there’s something so sensual about a naked eyelid,” cooed Espinet- with liner encasing them at the inner and outer corners to bring in that superblended finish to the look. “Sure, she’s gone uptown, but she’s always got an element of cool to her look.”

Luella Bartley:

One thing you can rely on designer Luella Bartley for is putting a savvy, iconic spin on English style: artisto-meets-Marc Bolan is at the heart of the Luella-girl look. Sure enough, to counter the posh Tatler-worthy frocks she’s presented for Fall, makeup artist Diane Kendall went down the T Rex route with kohl rimmed eyes, fresh skin and fleshed out lips. “It’s not too precise, of course,” explained Kendall, sketching black kohl in a heavier line along the lower lashline than the top one, and smudging it out a bit with her finger “to make it feel more rock n’ roll.” Unsurprisingly, lashes were left bare as the skin – heaven forbid a glamorous feeling taint the street cred of Luella’s look…

Tuleh:

Tuleh designer Brian Bradley always just loves a good makeup look to compliment his frocks. “This season he asked for a deep eye and lip,” said makeup artist Polly Osmond… a tricky one not to end up on eighties Versace/Avedon campaign territory, one might think? Osmond cleverly avoided going hard glamazonian by blending shadowy chocolate eyes in a round, rather than winged, shape, and popped on a peachy blush “to get away from the idea of an eighties contoured cheek.” Rusty chocolate lips were every bit lady Godiva- delicious and diva-ishly intense.

Luca Luca:

Luca Luca women aren’t wash n’ go types. She wants a blow-dry and a full face of makeup before running out the door in her fur, thank you very much. So Tom Pecheux didn’t mess around with her makeup. Every bit as haute as her couture, he pumped up the polish with graphite cat eyes that were all about “power and strength… Luca is leaning towards a tougher look this season,” said Pecheux. As if the intense carbon-rimmed eyes weren’t impactful enough as they were, he glammed up the darkness with a layer of shimmery pewter pigment and refused any color on the lips and cheeks “just to keep it form looking pretty.” She’s rich and boy, does she mean business…

Adam + Eve:

Classic sportswear line Adam + Eve is feeling more dressed up this Fall. So while designer Adam Lippes always asks makeup artist Romy Soleimani for something on the healthy, natural side, this season she “added an extra definement to the eye… still young and fresh, but a little more intense.” she said, smudging slate eye liner around the eyes and a gentle taupe eyeshadow into the socket before giving lashes a little help with a coat of MAC X Mascara. With candied pink cheeks and a honey gleam on her lips finishing the look, this girl’s makeup is as effortlessly stylish as her clothes.