On Color- Part 1

My post on MAC's C-Shock collection has earned a bunch of comments and many more emails. Apparently, this love-child of Boy George and a parrot managed to seriously annoy people. Still, there are a few fans of these colors, and like Toya has mentioned in her comment, a woman who has dark enough skin can pull some of it off. I know what she means. I own several green and blue eye shadows and wear them often (separately, of course, and blended with neutrals so they only give a little pop of color). However, this collection is too much for me, so I leave it to those who know what they're doing with fuchsia. And to the teenagers who need something to play with while wearing 80s-inspired clothes and dream about being Lindsay Lohan. After all, like another commenter has said, they should be able to do that and learn the hard way. I agree. There's something wrong with a teen who only experiments with Bobbi Brown nudes.

Speaking of which, the complete opposite of the MAC collection is Bobbi Brown's Stonewashed Nudes for fall. The centerpiece of this look is the Stonewashed palette, which is expected to be the new sensation, like its predecessor, the Chocolate palette from last year that was sold out everywhere before July was over, has reappeared on eBay, bringing out insane bid wars and prices. The palette is another brilliant idea: A collection of wearable neutrals in stone, taupe and grey. These muted colors are flattering to almost everyone and create a sophisticated look. The undertones here are cool and instantly transform you away from the warm, bronzed summer hues into a crisp, fall look.

There's no doubt that both this palette and the entire collection are very pretty. The question is, should I (and you) hurry up and buy it before it's gone?
With the exception of the darkest shadow, Espresso (which is my favorite one here), all the other colors are only available as a limited edition in this palette. Out of these special six, the lightest one, Navajo, is too pale to even show up on my skin (just like last year's Bone). Bobbi's shadows are beautiful, but not very pigmented, which makes many of them useless for me. The one other shade in this collection that I would have bought as a single is Rock Shimmer. The other are nice, but I wondered: How exceptional are they?

Surprisingly enough, not all major brands have a selection of taupe and grey washes. There a few here and there, and you may own them. I'd suggest taking a look at your stash to see if you already have what it takes to create the look. If you don't, consider buying this palette. Taking into account that a single Bobbi Brown shadow is priced at $19, a 7-color collection for $50 is a good offer. I decided to only get the Espresso shadow, knowing from experience that this is the one I'll be reaching for the most. I already have a good cream liner that goes with it and several light colors for the lid, so I'm all set.

Coming Next: Lip Color. Glosses and lipsticks that go with the Stonewashed look and the best fall colors.