Top 10 Things I Learned at Fashion Week, Part 2

3.) SLUTTY BLACK LINER IS STILL, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, THE BIG THING: Whether it was sooty, smoky, smudged or precisely lined, tons o' black eyeliner was probably Spring 2009's biggest beauty statement. At shows like Carolina Herrera, Rock & Republic (above), Narciso Rodriguez and Halston (yay for Halston, BTW...five black girls, one Asian and India's hottest new export, Lakshmi Menon, walked in the show), super-dark, mysterious eyes gave the ensembles a sizzling-hot, don't-mess-with-me vibe that I'm looking forward to rocking as a brand-new MILF later this winterl. Backstage chitchats with many a head makeup artist led me to the product that, more often than not, created this look: MAC Fluidliner Liner in BlackTrack ($15). And I totally get why! The Fluidliner is a gel formula that gives the precision of a liquid liner with the softer, more smudgeable finish of a pencil or black shadow. Basically, it's the best of all worlds. To use, just dip a tiny brush into the pot, trace a line along upper and lower lashlines, and then smudge with a Q-tip. Instant hotness. Oh, and in case you're wondering, this super-black eye was ALWAYS paired with a no-lip lip (anything more intense would look way too desperate-girl-at-the-club). In many cases, makeup artists only used Vaseline, or a chapstick-and-nude-liner combo. For those of you who can't bear to go lip-less (like moi), I'd suggest rocking a tinted lip balm like Bobbi Brown Tinted Lip Balm ($19) or C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Tinted Mentha Lip Balm ($7.99). These give you the sheerest, barest hint of color, while keeping lips moisturized and kissable.



4.) SPRING '09'S HOTTEST NAILCOLOR TOTALLY WORKS FOR FALL, TOO: Everywhere I turned, models were rocking the most festive, twinkly-gold nailpolish I'd ever seen! The trend was so major that at two shows, Herve Leger and Monique Lhullier, the same exact shade was used: Creative Nail Design's Champagne Kisses (since this exact shade isn't on shelves yet, I'd suggest trying Creative Nail Design Polish in Crowned). The great thing about gilded nails is that you really can wear them all year...in spring/summer, it fits with that whole sun-kissed, beach-goddess vibe, and during the fall and holiday season, it's totally festive and party-girl fun! Like McDonalds, I'm lovin' it. BTW, huge thanks to The Beauty of Life's Jamie Allison Sanders for the pic!