FALL LIPS AND NAILS

Do you hear that sound? It's fall, knocking at your door. 

It's hard to believe that you'll finally have to pick up your fall jackets from the dry cleaners, and start wearing socks again. Crisp, chilly air is right around the corner, but instead of focusing on the negative, we're looking forward to our favorite season for fashion! 

Trade in your bright pops of color and get into the fall spirit with some makeup to match the upcoming season.

Top to bottom, left to right: 1. Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Impressive ($20.00) - MAC, 2. Le Vernis Nail Color in Vert Obscur ($27.00) - Chanel, 3. Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Satin Kiss Lipstick in Praline ($25.00) - Sephora, 4. Frock 'N Roll ($8.50) - Essie, 5. Creamy Matte Lip Color in Soft Nude ($27.00) - Bobbi Brown, 6. She Wolf ($18.00) - Deborah Lippmann, 7. Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned ($26.00) - Nars, 8. Vamp ($16.00) - LVX, 9. Urban Decay 'Matte Revolution' Lipstick in Bad Blood ($22.00) - Nordstrom.

What are your favorite shades for this upcoming fall?

Jess & Jill

BLOOMINGDALE'S RENOVATION TOUR #HAVEYOUHEARD

Last week, I joined nine other bloggers to tour the newly renovated Bloomingdale's at the 900 North Michigan Shops last week. We checked out everything from cosmetics to accessories, shoes to apparel, and let's just call it love at first sight.

The makeup department is beyond phenomenal! You can't resist anything shiny and new, but Bloomingdale's has the brands to back it up. You can find the makeup classics here - Chanel, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Benefit, and more - but you can introduce yourselves to some awesome brands that I saw the first time and can't wait to visit again, like Illamasqua! Bloomingdale's is also home to the only Space.NK.apothecary in the Midwest, where they feature over 40 luxurious brands. And they have private spa rooms, of course.

Only Space.NK.apothecary in the Midwest!

Some of my favorite products from Benefit.

Illamasqua has every color foundation possible!

No fear of colors here!

A blogger always has a camera and and iPhone in hand.

Lip colors at Illamasqua.

It's like candy at MAC!

You can find any and every accessory you may need here! Bloomingdale's continues to offer many brands of fine jewelry, including Ippolita and David Yurman. And one of my favorite sections, sunnies! 

How adorable are these Kate Spade sunnies?

Speaking of accessories, can we talk about this stunning shoe department? Boots, loafers, and wedges, oh my!

Time to check out their apparel! We headed up to see the homes of Kate Spade, DKNY, Ted Baker, Theory, and more, including an introduction to Hoss Intropia.

Hello, Cara.

Love the visual details throughout the store!

One of my favorite stops was the Hoss Intropia shop. This Spanish brand has such beautiful and feminine designs with intricate details. I absolutely love the color story of the current collection (coming from a girl who almost exclusively wears black) and the accessories are drool-worthy. Bloomingdale's is home to the only Hoss Intropia in the Midwest!

For Bloomingdale's "We Love the UK", they're featuring over 40 British brands, 14 pop-up shops, over 250 exclusive creations, and so much more. It can't be a British invansion without the Beatles, so it's total Beatlemania with brands from Ted Baker, Ben Sherman, Paul Smith, London Undercover, and more.

Only a few Bloomingdale's has this Beatle pop-up shop!

Beatlemania!

What would a blogger tour be without bloggers? Thanks to Chicago Blogger Network for hooking us up!

Darlene of Glitterary, Janet of Fashion-a-Holic, Lauren of Lake Shore Lady, Sara of Project Soiree, Laurie of 312 Beauty, Amber of Style Plus Curves, myself, C.J. of Toe That Line, Kait of Hunter Style, and Nikia of Chitown Fashionista!

Have you been to the renovated Bloomingdale's?

Jess

BE BOLD!

My go-to makeup look is fresh skin and a bold lip. Not only does it balance out my hereditary dark circles (thanks, genetics!) but can easily work from day to night. Bold lips can also make any hectic morning look a little more put together, and since I'm constantly running late, I've become somewhat of a lipstick hoarder! Here are some of my favorite lipsticks I've tried, at all different price points, that make a colorful statement. 

1. Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Stella ($4.00) - NYX Cosmetics, 2. Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N45 Red ($20.00) - Sephora, 3. Sephora Collection Color Lip Last in 15 Coral Calling ($12.00) - Sephora, 4. Estee Lauder Sheer Rush Lipshine in X-Pose Rose ($26.00) - Bloomingdale's, 5. Creamy Matte Lip Color in Jenna ($24.00) - Bobbi Brown, 6. Lipstick in Fuchsia Fever ($8.00) - Ulta, 7. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipcolor in Fire Red ($7.49) - Ulta, 8. Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color in Violet Fatale ($48.00) - Neiman Marcus

What's your favorite lip color?

x Jill

JESS'S BEAUTY BAG

I'm at work almost every day at six in the morning (early, I know) so my regimen needs to be done in 15 minutes or less. Since it doesn't leave me much time to get creative, I stick with the essentials. Now I'm no beauty guru, so bear with me... Maybe you can teach me a thing or two. I wear the same thing almost every day, give or take some liner (I spruce my beauty regime with nail polish), but I'm loyal to my usual products. For me, I can head over to The Shops at North Bridge (520 N. Michigan Ave.) and get all my goodies in three spots - Kiehl's, Nordstrom, and Sephora.

1. Benefit Brow Zings ($30.00) - Sephora, 2. Benefit Boi-ing ($20.00) - Sephora, 3. Creme d'Elegance Repairateur ($29.00 - $50.00) - Kiehl's, 4. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette ($27.00) - Sephora, 5. Chanel Perfection Lumière Fluid Makeup ($55.00) - Nordstrom, 6. MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense ($19.00) - Sephora, 7. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($23.00) - Nordstrom, 8. Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer ($38.00) - Nordstrom, 9. Dior Diorshow Mascara ($25.00) - Sephora, 10. Acai Damage-Correcting Moisturizer ($45.00) - Kiehl's, 11. Sephora Collection Colorful Blush ($14.00) - Sephora

My skin in this rough Chicago winter can get crazy, so I use two different moisturizers depending on how it's feeling. Normally, I use Kiehl's Acai Damage-Correcting Moisturizer (it's organic!), and on very dry days I use Kiehl's Creme d'Elegance Repairateur, a rich cream that will leave no dry skin behind! My motto is 'when in doubt, use Kiehl's'. ;]

I also have some skin redness and to nip that in the bud I use Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer. If that's not enough, I use Benefit Boi-ing Concealer. When they say it's industrial-strength, they're not lying, it can cover almost anything. And if you're looking for full-coverage when it comes to foundation, I swear by Chanel Perfection Lumière Fluid Makeup. It's extremely long-lasting and it comes with a must-have SPF. I was always wary of liquid foundation as I'm not very savvy in the makeup department, but with the right brush, blending is a breeze.

I'm not blessed with brows like Jill, so I fake it 'til I make it with Benefit Brown Zings, a kit that has it all. Now it's time to add color - on a budget. I love the choices of Sephora Collection Colorful Blush. The shades are great and will last you through the day (or night) and at 14 bucks a pop, you can't beat that.

As an eyeglass wearer, I tend to go easy on the eyes - I love my thick frames and I don't want to go overboard, so I stick to neutrals. For eyeshadow, I love one of Urban Decay's newest products, their Naked Basics Palette. Six completely matte colors work well together or alone and and it's a palette any pro or first-time user can master. If I'm getting fancy, I'll add some liner. Jill, myself and some other lovely bloggers went to a Pretty Powerful event and I was wooed by Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. For the not-so-savvy, this liner is easy to apply and make it your own! Lipstick is probably my least-used item in my makeup bag. I have this irrational fear that it's going to get everywhere, but I will bust it for those events and date nights. My top choice? MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense, specifically the Moulin Rouge, a perfect vibrant red. And now my absolute favorite... The cult classic, Dior Diorshow Mascara. It's dark, thickening, and doesn't flake. Win, win, win!

What's your favorite beauty product?

XO Jess

BOBBI BROWN AT NORDSTROM

Makeup artist and best-selling author Bobbi Brown will be at Nordstrom (55 E. Grand Ave.) tomorrow, October 2nd from 12 to 2 PM to celebrate the launch of her new book Pretty Powerful: Beauty Stories to Inspire Confidence. Those stories include interviews with real women, celebrities, and athletes, about what beauty means to them. With makeup tricks and tips and stories to inspire confidence, this is a perfect book for every woman. Bobbi Brown will also be giving us a taste of those tricks and tips and signing copies of her new book!

Do you have a beauty story?

XO Jess & Jill

PRETTY POWERFUL

Saturday afternoon we attended the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful event held at Bloomingdale's at the 900 Shops! Joined by Lisa of Stilettos and Diaper Bags, Kaitlyn of Sisters Marie, Laurie of Product Girl, and Mary of Sportsanista, we had our makeup done while learning about some of the products from the professionals. Jill attended a Bobbi Brown event earlier in the month and our blog was invited back, along with four girls of our choice to take part of this fun girls day! The best part was we got to bring some of our favorite blogger ladies with us!

Jess's favorite product of the day was the Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso Ink. This award-winning liner gives you the look of liquid liner, but so much easier to apply. Jill's favorite was the Highlighter Pen in Rose. Having dry skin, blush doesn't have much long-wear power, but the highlighter pen is cool on the skin and creates a long-lasting glow.

The set-up.

Lisa and Kaitlyn

 

Laurie and Mary

Jess's how to!

 

Of course we thought of the same exact photo without knowing it until we looked at the photos afterward.

Some of the girls! Thanks to Lisa for the photo!

Jess is wearing a dress from Forever 21, Alex & Ani bracelets, GUESS watch, and DV by Dolce Vita wedges. Jill is wearing a vintage Prada top, H&M shorts, and Boutique 9 shoes. 

Detail of Jill's Prada blouse.

Do you use Bobbi Brown cosmetics? What are some of your favorite products?

Check out Lisa's, Kaitlyn's and Mary's recap! And a very special thanks to Becca who invited us to this event! 

XO Jess & Jill