Lancôme Pop Petrol Swatches, Review & GIVEAWAY

Fanatics, take a second and glare at the bottle of green Lancôme gorgeousness on the left.  That’s right, I said glare! Why?  Because for some inexplicable reason Lancôme has decided to NOT release Pop Petrol from the Spring Ô My Rose collection in the US. You see, I got all sorts of giddy when I saw promo pics of this collection popping up on beauty blogs left and right.  I raced to get more details from the reps at Lancôme only to find out that Pop Petrol would not grace us with its presence.  Oh the humanity!  So, you lucky, lucky European Fanatics, this time you win! However, thanks to my friends at Lancôme I not only have the chance to tease share this baby’s beauty with you, I am able to send a bottle of Pop Petrol to live with one lucky Fanatic.  Find out more after the jump!

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Lancome La Collection Lollipop – Beauty for a Cause

Lancôme’s La Collection Lollipop was previewed at the Chris Benz presentation during NYFW in September. I got my first glimpse of this charity inspired collection when two of the polishes graced the models’ fingers and toes at the show. Created to benefit the Lollipop Theater Network, the collection consists of three sets of Color Fever Gloss and Le Vernis in matching shades. Learn more about the Lollipop Theater Network and check out these adorable gloss & polish sets after the jump!

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Chris Benz Backstage Access with Lancome and Redken

Known for his love of color, Chris Benz’s Spring 2010 show did not disappoint. His collection included bright pops of yellow, pink, purple and blue in shapes both feminine and strong. To compliment the clothes the teams from Lancome and Redken were on hand to create the makeup, hair and nail looks. Find out how it all came together and get a real life look at the next Lancome Pout-A-Porter lipstick after the jump!

Lancome Makeup Artist Daniel Martin created the doll-like face on the models. He likened it to Raggedy Ann minus the flaming red hair. He wanted to create a neutral palette to balance against Chris’s colorful collection. Pale, hydrated skin paired with pumped up lashes and a single pop of color on the lips are the essentials to this doll-face. The key products to creating the look are Shu Uemura Nobara Foundation, Lancome Ageless Minerale Translucent Powder, Lancome Pop ‘N Cheeks in Coral Flirt (launching Spring 2010), Lancome Hypnose Mascara and Lancome L’Absolu Rouge lipstick in Chris & Tell.

John Ruidant for Redken is a man that knows how to wield a curling iron and as a curl challenged girl, I LOVE that about him. John said that because Chris’s collection has a lot of texture and color, he played off that idea creating a very textured hairstyle. He began by spraying Fabricate 03 and power drying it into the hair. After creating a side part he curled the entire head with a 1 1/4 inch iron, spraying each section with Hot Sets 22 and slightly backcombing the piece to set in some roughness. John said it wasn’t about creating a perfect, smooth curl. That he wanted disheveled, haphazard sporadic waves with no brushes or combs involved. Finally, he mixed Outshine 01 & Glass 01 together and ran his fingers through the hair. On the girls wearing low-cut tops he added a side twist to show off the shape of the clothes. He noted that it’s a very user friendly style that we can all replicate at home.

On the nail front, Editorial Manicurist Sheril Bailey tended to the models tips and toes. She created a flattering round nail shape which follows the theory from her book, The Sheril Bailey Complete Manicuring and Nail Care Handbook, of mimicking the cuticle line. She feels that a rounded nail is more feminine than a flat square.

In terms of polish, instead of a matchy-matchy look, which I rarely do, she opted for a coordinated color combo with a lighter bright hue on the hands and a deeper, bold shade on the feet. The lacquers, launching this November, are called Bon Bon Strawberry (fingers) and Mademoiselle Grape (toes). They are part of a very special Lancome project that I can’t wait to tell you about.

The biggest beauty news of the day was the unveiling of Chris & Tell, the 5th lipstick in Lancome’s Pout-A-Porter series. Chris & Tell is a collaboration between Chris and Daniel that came about after many hours of brainstorming in Chris’s studio. Daniel told me, “we initially wanted to do something that was beige but being that we are both from Seattle, we wanted color. We were drawn to this orange, this coral and it just manifested itself.”

The year before, Chris designed Elettra Rossellini-Wiedemann’s dress for The Met’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” gala and Daniel custom mixed a lipstick for her that ended up becoming the springboard for Chris & Tell.

According to Daniel, even though the shade is bold, it has a pink undertone that makes it very wearable. And the L’Absolu Rouge formula allows you to wear it as a stain or a full color lipstick. I put my sample of Chris & Tell to the test the very next day and received many compliments. Here are my swatches of the shade.

FYI, the waiting list for Chris & Tell is now open so if you want a tube of this limited edition lipstick when it launches next Spring, I suggest you call the Lancome Boutique at (212) 362-4858.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the lipstick and the overall look. I’m definitely going to try to replicate the hair. I’m obsessed with how beautifully messy it is. What about you?

Lancome & Chris Benz Unveil Their Pout-A-Porter Lipstick

The biggest news on the lipstick front is the collaboration between Lancome and designer Chris Benz. It’s the fifth installment of the Pout-A-Porter series and I’ve got the scoop. Following in the footsteps of innovative designers like Thakoon, Peter Som, Benhaz Sarafpour and Proenza Schouler, Chris worked with makeup artist Daniel Martin to create a gorgeous shade that does total justice to the P-A-P series.

In a true stroke of genius, Lancome and Chris Benz involved their fans in the launch with a Facebook contest on Chris’s fan page to name the shade. The winner receives five of the lipsticks and a $500 Lancome gift card!

You may remember that I broke the news of this collaboration in my review of Declaring Indigo. Now, thanks to my friends at Lancome, I have the privilege of sharing the name and first look of this amazing lippie with all of you before its debut at New York Fashion Week.

Chris & Tell is the name Chris chose for the opaque peach color. Isn’t that adorable? Such a fun play on words. They used the color for the first time last week during the hair and makeup test as shown on model Elettra wearing one of Chris’s Spring 2010 dresses.
If you want your own tube of Lancome Chris & Tell, and why wouldn’t you, you better hop to it. The waiting list opened last Thursday during Fashion’s Night Out. Call the Lancome Boutique at 212-362-4858 to make sure you don’t miss out!

Lancome Declaring Indigo – Indigo Paris Le Vernis

Lancôme’s fall collection, Declaring Indigo, includes three shades of their Le Vernis nail polish including a bold, electric blue. I got my first peek at the new colors backstage at the Chris Benz F/W 09 show during New York Fashion Week. Deborah Lippmann was working “undercover” tending to the models’ nails alongside Lancôme makeup artist Daniel Martin and Redken lead stylist John Ruidant. Get your first look at Indigo Paris and some insider scoop on Lancôme’s Pout-à-Porter lipstick series after the jump!

The look at the show was that of a late 70s/early 80s uptown girl heading downtown to the clubs. The gorgeous hair creation is the brainchild of John Ruidant who is not only a genius but very 90s-Seattle-coffee-house chill every time I see him. Madness ensues all around and he’s just working the hair, doing his thing all the while intricately describing his masterpiece. I can’t even begin to go into what it took to create this style but it involved a 1 inch curling iron, Redken Fabricate and a whole mess of backcombing and pins. Definitely a do not try this at home type situation. Daniel Martin referenced Danceteria circa 1982 in describing the makeup. The models’ skin was given a blown out, overexposed matte finish using a foundation two shades lighter than their skintone. The lip was a flat beige giving the perfect set-up for a dramatic eye. Three colors, a cream eyeliner and black eyeshadow (both from Declaring Indigo) and Piha Black lipgloss went into creating the look. Daniel used his fingers to apply the gloss on the lid to give texture. Because the hair was so intricate, Chris wanted the makeup to be like fingerpaints, very DIY.

While talking to Daniel, he revealed for the first time (yay scoop!) that he is working with Chris to create the next shade in Lancôme’s Pout-à-Porter series. Daniel and Chris were introduced through a mutual friend from their hometown of Seattle and formed a fast friendship and working relationship over the past four years that will now spawn a lipstick.

The expected launch is Spring 2010 so look for this new shade to pop up on the Spring runways come September. In asking for deets on the color Daniel stated, “[Chris's] whole theory is color and saturation so it will be a nice, fun lipstick.” Based on his use of primary colors I’m expecting something bold.

Of course the ultimate treat of the day was when Lancôme VP of PR Kerry Diamond pulled me aside to introduce me to the one and only Deborah Lippmann! Talk about an unexpected thrill.

Deb said this was Chris’s first time making a nail statement. That it was about finishing the look with the nails and she was so excited to see designers shying away from sheer pink and embracing color. She applied the three shades from the Declaring Indigo collection, a bright electric blue shimmer, a classic red creme and a metallic gold using her Ridge Filler base coat and Addicted To Speed top coat.

She also mentioned nail shapes getting a little longer for Fall. That they’re Mad Men influenced, a little more almond shaped. That we no longer need to be strong women with a squared off nail, we need to be more feminine with a slight almond shape. A shape that elongates and flatters the hands.

So let’s talk about this electric blue, shall we? Indigo Paris is a richly pigmented, shimmering jewel. The polish just flows on the nail and becomes perfectly opaque in two coats. The tonal shimmer gives it depth and brilliance like it’s lit from within.
The color really comes alive in the sun, even more so in person.
Declaring Indigo launches in August and the Le Vernis lacquers retail for $18. You can buy them online at Lancome-USA.com or at Lancôme counters nationwide.

product image credit:British Beauty Blogger