Friday, December 14, 2007

Glitter without the Glitz

All year long I've ignored the lure of of glitter and shine that beckons from cosmetic counters. Not for me, I say. But come the holidays, what seemed garish just a few months ago now looks well, just festive. Still I don't want to over do or over spend since I've already spent a bundle on gifts. Lets face it the glitter I'm tempted indulge in now will probably not emerge from my makeup drawer any time after January 1st.
That being said, I'll ignore what ever sparkles from the Channel or Dior and head for less luxe pastures. I know with just a bit of forbearance I will find similar results in the mass market stores.
Silver shines just as much as gold but is more subtle. It is also kinder to most skin tones. At first I considered going all out with a sparkly eyeliner but then decided that it may be more suited to the stage and once again I was passed over for the part of the sugar plum fairy in this year's Nutcracker. I settled on a silver shadow, Oasis by Prestige, instead. The amount of sparkle it delivers varies from just a hint of festivity to all out shimmer depending on how you layer it. It can be used alone or over a color. Either way it imparts a perfect metallic sheen. Oasis is packaged in a festive looking disk and at my neighborhood Rite Aid was $4.
It took a bit longer to find something silvery and shimmery for my nails. Most silver shades were too heavy on the sparkle factor but OPI whose line I love mostly for their inventive names, has a great deep silver called Glimmer. it combines just the right amount of shine with a nice depth of color. $ 7.50 at a beauty supply store.
Cheers,
Barbara