By Celeste Hoang
Like most women when it comes to makeup, I’ve been taught to pinpoint all the neutral colors out there and to blend, blend, blend. The goal has always been to achieve the most natural finish for the best everyday look, and the rule has always been to save bold colors and statement-making makeup for those rare, special occasions only.
Now, L’Oreal Paris is breaking away from the status quo and paving the way for women to embrace color confidence. The brand’s latest spring collection, HIP””High Intensity Pigments””features a wide selection of lipsticks, eye shadows, glosses, foundations and bronzers in dramatic but incredibly wearable shades. The secret? L’Oreal has upped its quantity of color pigment across all product lines in each category, and white perles have been replaced by warmer gold and bronze perles to draw out the color. The company has also developed Color-Dispersion Technology, which allows pigments to spread evenly across the face, eyes and lips. The result is a collection that is luxuriously modern and sophisticated, while still remaining smart and convenient: all of the blushes have little mirrors at the bottom and the eye shadows and bronzers also come with mini applicator brushes.
If I could guess which one item would be a runaway hit, it would be the Blendable Blushing Crème, $10. Available in four shades (Elated, Tickled, Blushing and Thrilled), the incredibly smooth crème feels like pressed powder and glides on whisper-light. When I first sampled Thrilled, which looks like a deep mahogany, I thought, “This is going to be way too dark.” But to my surprise, the color just melted into my skin and the result was a warm, just-came-from-outside flush. Stick to one full fingertip of color per cheek for a daytime look, and opt for two to three fingertips per cheek at night for a deeper, rosier glow. It’s the perfect happy-medium product: not sticky or oily like other crème blushes and won’t cake or fade like regular powders.
Also sure to be a hit are the new Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor, $10, and Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss, $9, options. Both are infused with Jojoba Oil to moisturize and condition, and the lip glosses each have a shot of vanilla fragrance to make them even more enticing. The palette is rich in reds, purples and browns to satisfy a range of skin tones, and I especially loved the light-reflecting sparkles in each.
HIP’s Concentrated Shadow Duos, $7, are made of a micropulverized formula so the shadow glides on evenly and beautifully, and the colors can be worn separately or blended for a more dramatic effect. My pick: Lively, a combination of flirty mauve and playful, sparkly forest green that works with every eye color. Wear the mauve alone in the daytime and then layer on the green at night for a festive, party look (the genius casing includes a mirror and applicator, perfect for tossing in your clutch for touch-ups).
Equally winning, the line’s foundations, bronzers and highlighter are ideal for creating gorgeous, glowing skin to complement all the rich colors. Flawless Liquid Makeup, $13, caters to women with darker skin, but the 16-shade line can work with just about any tone (and undertone), from fair Nude to deep Mahogany. Turn up the glow a notch with the Illuminating Highlighter, $10, a blendable illuminator for face and body that comes in one universal shade. The Vibrant Shimmer Bronzing Powder, $13, completes the look with a sun-kissed glow that provides just the right amount of golden shimmer and color.
The collection’s products range from $7-$13, but the chance for women to finally experiment with color, play up skin tone and make an everyday statement with makeup is more than worth it.
WHERE TO BUY:
HIP, High Intensity Pigments are available in chain drug, food and mass market retailers
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