Top 10 Matte Lip Products.

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I've slowly been embracing the matte lip trend this year; matte lippies have come a long way. Long gone are the drying, chalky-looking matte lip products. Today's matte lip products are more satin and creamy on the lips. A matte lip offers full color coverage and beautiful pigmentation. I say lip products because we are seeing matte lip products in everything from lipsticks and lipgloss to even pencils.

I've been trying a lot of matte lip products and have discovered some real nice ones. There have been some fails in there and I won't be talking about those. Unfortunately, some matte lip products are still drying. With so many creamy, hydrating options, there is no reason to settle for a drying product, now is there. Here are the 10 best matte lip products that I have discovered.

Top 10 Matte Lip Products - the best matte lipsticks, matte lip gloss and matte lip pencils

Top 10 Color Correcting Makeup Products.

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Everywhere I turn, I see a new color correcting makeup product pop up. Whether it's a new pitch, being sent to me or on the store shelf, it seems like it is the latest trend. This new trend is actually not so new. Color correcting is a longtime secret of makeup artists to color correct or balance uneven skin. It's really a smart thing to color correct your skin before putting on makeup so skin is flawless.

There are certain colors that you should use to color correct certain problems.

Yellow - Use yellow to correct dullness
Green - Use green to correct redness
Peach/Apricot - Use Peach/Apricot to correct dark circles and spots
Lavender/Blue - Use lavender/blue to correct sallow skin
Pink - Use pink to brighten dull skin

Top color-correcting makeup products to neutralize complexion concerns. If you need to hide dark circles, cancel out redness or warm up dullness in your skin, you need a color-corrector!

Here are the top 10 color correcting makeup products. With the right product and a little know-how, you will be on your way to neutralizing your complexion concerns: disguise dark circles, resolve redness and dismiss dullness.

1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correction Fluid - Correct imperfections and play up your best features with this innovative, lightweight formula that instantly color-corrects and blurs flaws. Available in five shades to color correct your issue. Buy it for $28 at Sephora or urbandecay.com.

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers – Perfect for color correcting, these lightweight primers leave your skin looking fresh for hours while they smooth the look of the skin prepping it for makeup. Available in six color correcting shades to target all of your concerns. Buy it for $37 at Sephora.

3. BECCA Backlight Targeted Colour Corrector - These highly pigmented colour correctors contain light reflecting pearls to blur away imperfections as they correct flaws. The formula adheres to the skin so well! It comes in four colours. Buy it for $30 at Sephora and beccacosmetics.com.

4. Smashbox Color Correcting Stick - This creamy stick evens out and transforms the complexion with precision. It is super easy to use. If you are hesitant to start using color-correcting products, this is the one to start with. It is available in four shades. Buy it at Sephora and smashbox.com.

5. SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE Correct + Conceal Palettes – These exclusive palettes feature a range of expertly-selected shades and full-coverage formulas that address common concerns. Choose from Light/Medium or Medium/Dark. Buy it for $49 exclusively at Sephora.

6. Givenchy Prisme Libre - This color-correcting loose powder takes four shades of color-correcting powders and marries them in one compact to offer skin radiance and luminosity in the perfect customized shade. It is extremely fine and mattifying. Choose from five colors. Buy it for $54 at Sephora, Neiman Marcus or Barney's New York.

7. Marc Jacobs Beauty Cover Stick Color Corrector – Marc’s ingenious portable, twist-up stick comes in three creamy, marbleized hues that can be used all over or to spot treat concerns. Buy it for $42 at Sephora.

8. Lancôme Miracle CC Cushion Color Correcting Primer - This is a unique color-correcting primer that provides buildable weightless coverage that feels like nothing on the skin. Use it all over on for spot corrections. Available in four color-correcting shades. Buy it for $39.50 exclusively at Sephora.

9. Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ÈCLAT Neutralizers – The award-winning complexion highlighter is now available as a must-have, color correcting highlighter to instantly cancel and neutralize color imperfections. The one-click brush allows you to the problem with ease! Buy it for $38 at Sephora.

10. STILA Correct & Perfect Palette - This palette is an all-one-palette because it features seven different color-correcting shades that will help to neutralize all skintone imperfections. They are creamy and buildable. Buy it for $45 at Sephora or stilacosmetics.com.

10 Ways to Brighten Skin for Spring.

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I'm so excited that we are finally in the month of March! That means that spring is right around the corner - just 20 days away! Is your skin ready for the new season? It's time to uncover your skin and get rid of some of those layers and reveal brighter skin. It's easy to do with the right products. Here are ten products to get your skin ready — and brighter, just in time for spring.

10 Ways to Brighten Skin for Spring

1.  Kate Somerville ExfoliKate® Cleanser & Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
I've been a big fan of ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment for many years to polish and exfoliate the skin. I use it regularly. Now Kate has added ExfoliKate Cleanser to her line up and it comes packed in the duo exclusively at Sephora. The cleanser is a gentle foaming cleanser to gently aid in daily exfoliating while cleansing the skin.
Buy it for $50 at Sephora.

2. Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate
This concentrate contains pure Vitamin C which is a skin brightener. When applied topically, the formula helps skin recover from some of the more visible signs of skin aging. Vitamin C works to improve skins radiance and there is an added bonus of diminishing the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Start using now for brighter skin by spring.
Buy it for $60 at Kiehls, Nordstrom or Bloomingdales

3. Exuviance Daily Antioxidant Peel CA10
This one-step, leave-on daily peel helps to dissolve dead skin cells and reveal brighter, smoother skin. The working ingredient is 10% citric acid. It's so easy to use! After one month of use, my skin was noticeably brighter.
Buy it for $65 at Dermstore or beauty.com

4. Shiseido White Lucent
If you are looking for a total overhaul of your skincare routine and brightening is on your list of things that need addressing, look at the Shiseido White Lucent line of products. Each product in the line works with the other and addresses uneven skin tone and texture and targets dark spots. I've been using the following to brighten my skin for spring. 

  • White Lucent Luminizing Infuser
  • White Lucent Luminizing Surge Emulsion
  • White Luminizing MicroTargeting Spot Corrector
  • White Lucent MultiBright Night Cream

My skin has become really radiant when using and the dark spot corrector is lightening spots all over my face.

Buy it from fine department stores like Barney's New York, Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Sephora.

5. pixi Skintreats Glow Mud Cleanser
How fun that pixi Beauty now has skin care products. My first try with their new skin treats is this cleanser and this deep pore cleansing mud did a terrific job at not only cleaning out pores, but it left my skin looking overall more tones and radiant.
Buy it for $18 at pixibeauty.com or Target.

6. IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cream
This brand new transforming moisturizing super cream not only immediately plumps and hydrates the skin, this cream makes skin instantly look radiant. I don't know what it is; pores are minimized as fine lines seem to plump up and fill in. This cream if formulated with a proprietary concentrate that adds the perfect balance of hyaluronic acid to plump up those lines while niacin and peptides brighten the skin.
Buy it for $48 at itcosmetics.com, QVC and Ulta.

7. Lancôme Absolue White Aura
This is the ultimate luxury cream for rejuvenating and brightening. Formulated with a combination of rare white rose extract and Pro-Xylane, this cream richly penetrates the skin and reveals a more luminous complexion. It feels so soft as it melts into the skin. It's a true treat.
Buy it for $250 at Lancome counters at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

8. Kiehl's Turmeric & Cranberry Energizing Radiance Masque
This 10 minute mask is like an instant facial that brightens the look of dull skin. By using this once a week, overall skin tone is greatly improved. It's super invigorating too! Instead of using this one at night, I love using this masque in the morning as a quick pick-me-up.
Buy it for $32 at Kiehl's, Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus.

9. Exuviance OptiLight Tone Corrector
If you have spots or need allover brightening, this tone corrector is for you. Multiple correctors in this patented formula work to even skins tone. NeoGlucosamine gently exfoliates the skin to break up pigment clusters, while Retinol and Vitamin C reduce the spots and even out tone. You can use the creamy formula all over wherever needed or simply spot treat.
Buy it for $52 at Dermstore or Ulta.

10. Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum
I love this serum that uses 2% Hydroquinone to help fade spots, freckles and overall brighten the tone of the skin. Used daily, at night, it rapidly does its job. I can attest at how fast and how well this serum works — probably better than any other age spot serum that I have used.
Buy it for $60 at Murad.com, Nordstrom or Sephora.