Cate's Top 10 (2011)

It's that time of year when every magazine and website publishes some kind of top 10 list--top 10 books, top 10 movies, top 10 I'm-Stephen-King-and-I-Do-What-I-Want. Since I am woefully behind on the pop culture front (I blame grad school) and don't really believe that it's possible to write a definitive top 10 list--everything is subjective, my friends--my top 10 list for the past year is maybe less current, probably less entertaining, and filled with more personal moments than the average Top 10. Still, I hope you'll bear with me as I take a look back at the year that was.

10) Starting the What We Covet tumblr!

9) Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night." The video may be a little bit insane-o, but hey--that's what we've come to expect from Gaga, yeah? Besides, this song (and in fact all of Born This Way) was the soundtrack to my summer.

8) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I try not to think of it as the end of an era. Rather, I like to look at it as a step in a journey that I'm happy to take over and over.

7) "This is the Motor City. And this is what we do."

6) Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I think I learned more about writing from this 2007 novel than all the books I read in my first two semesters of grad school combined. Plus, it's freaking hilarious.

5) Le Métier de Beauté's Precision Liquid Eyeliner. It has changed my cosmetics life forever.

4) The theyskens' theory wedge that almost made me cry, it's so beautiful.

3) My first trip across the ocean and the time I spent in the Netherlands and Belgium.

2) Late nights with friends (rather than homework).

1) I have a lovely new niece, who is the best thing to enter my life in many moons. Her hair sticks straight up, and she is all the more fabulous for that.

What We Covet will return after the holidays on Monday, January 16th with new posts. In the meantime, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season! And should you feel compelled to share your personal top 10 in the comments, we'd love to read about it!

-Cate-

Cate's Fantasy Christmas Wishlist 2011

You know, after all the excitement of assembling our Holiday Gift Guide, I couldn't resist compiling a wishlist for myself. This year, my most outrageous choices include a Dodge Charger, a pair of Alexander McQueen heels, Frank Gehry Orchid earrings from Tiffany, and a sun-kissed David Hockney painting. Other, more down-to-earth choices include a black and silver Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C., Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb fragrance, cute mini nail polishes from Le Métier de Beauté, and the Tom Ford coffee table book. The pink Christmas tree is optional! 

All images via Polyvore.

-Cate-

My Le Métier de Beauté Adventure, Part 2: Eyes

On Monday, I told you about my experience with some lip color from Le Métier de Beauté. Today I'm  going to focus on two of their eye products.

***

When I went to see Kim, she asked me what I needed the most, and I decided that it was a good everyday look for my eyes--something I could wear to work and didn't take eighteen years to apply. She hopped right to it and pulled out three eye shadows in the neutral range and one that had more color to it. The line is called True Colour Eye Shadow, and while you can buy the shadows individually, Kim put them into a kit called a Kaleidoscope for me. At its heart, a Kaleidoscope kit is just an eyeshadow quad, but it's really so much better than your average quad: not only are the shadows full-sized and replaceable if you run out of one color, but you can customize them for yourself. This is what mine looks like:

Colors, from top to bottom: Rose Champagne, Milan, Tuscan Sunset, and Canvas.

There is also a mirror in the top of this compact so you can touch up your eyes while you're out and about.

Sure, you're thinking, that's all fine and well, but how does the color hold up? Answer: it holds up very well, indeed. In addition to being so featherweight that you can't feel it on your lids, this shadow is very rich, so it doesn't take much product to get an intense look, and it's also long-wearing, even in the heat. And because it's super-conducive to layering, you can combine the colors any way you want. What could be better than that?

Even as much as the shadows impressed me, there was something else that I fell for in the most hardcore of ways: the Precision Liquid Eyeliner. Let it be known that liquid eyeliner generally scares the hell out of me, both because I don't have a very steady hand and because I find most such products to be very wet and messy. But weep no more, my ladies; this is a liquid eyeliner that is so user-friendly even I don't have problems with it. Here's a picture (next to a highlighter for size reference):

I have literally never loved another eyeliner as much as I love this one. The tip is tapered, so you can either use it on its side to make a thick line or use the end to make a thin line. I've been using the Noir, which is a thick, true color; it's also available in Bleu and Aqua (teal green). Bonus? In addition to wearing well (it's water-resistant!), it comes off so easily that I almost jumped for joy.

All told, my Le Métier de Beauté experience was a fabulous one. Kim explained each product and shared tips for using them, and if you live in the area, you should definitely go visit her at the Neiman Marcus at the Somerset Collection in Troy, Michigan. You won't regret it!

True Color Eye Shadow retails for $30.00 per 0.13-ounce pan; personalized Kaleidoscopes are $120.00 each and pre-packaged eye Kaleidoscopes are $95.00. Precision Liquid Eyeliner retails for $42.00 per 0.02-ounce tube. You can visit the Le Métier de Beauté website here for more information.

-Cate-

My Le Métier de Beauté Adventure, Part 1: Lips

Recently, I had an opportunity to meet with Kim McFadden, a makeup artist for the cosmetics brand Le Métier de Beauté. In this two-part post, I'm going to share with you some of the products she showed me, starting with two lip colors. On Wednesday, I will write about eye color.

***

Back in the day--also known as my sophomore year of college--I was a lip gloss junkie. I had a little Caboodle full of tubes ranging from reasonably-priced drug store brands to impulsively purchased designer tubes. I tended toward nudes and light pinks. I thought the spell would never break. But then something changed: I became (gulp) an adult.

My life being what it is now, my attachment to high-maintenance cosmetics has fallen by the wayside. I swear by eye color more now, partly because I have to line my eyes or they disappear and partly because eye color doesn't require repeated applications throughout the day. However, I have met two lip colors to lure me back to my old ways.

First, there's the aptly-named Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss. This line boasts eleven colors; Kim used Uma Paro for me. On first sight, it looks to be a burgundy purple, but, as Kim said when she first showed me the tube, "Don't panic." Because when you put it on, it turns into a lovely berry shade that works even with my pale skin (I almost always have to get the lightest, or next-to-lightest shade of foundation). Since it has a sparkle to it, this gloss makes your lips shine more than an ordinary gloss.

Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss is formulated with Vitamin E--like several other Le Métier products--so your lips will not dry out quickly. The down side is that, for me, it didn't wear as long as I would have liked, but on the other hand, it is non-sticky and comfortable to wear, so reapplication is a cinch.

Kim also used, on my cheeks, the Creme Fresh Tint in Poppy. Strictly speaking, this is a creme blush; however, the label also indicates that it can be used for lips. Since my skin is so sensitive, I shy away from blushes and bronzers, no matter how good they look, but I knew I had to give Poppy a go on my lips.

Turns out that this is the pink lip I've been looking for all my (cosmetics) life: like Malibu Barbie had a kid with Madonna circa "Material Girl." Yet it's not an overbearing color--rather, the coverage is the perfect balance between a lipstick and a lip gloss. However, I do recommend putting a clear gloss over the Creme Fresh, as the texture is a bit dry when you wear it alone. The Creme Fresh Tint comes in four other colors, each one suited to a different skin tone.

Here are swatches, with Uma Paro on the left, Poppy on the right:

Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss retails for $32.00 per 0.22-ounce tube; Creme Fresh Tint retails for $28.00 per 0.17-ounce pot. You can visit the Le Métier de Beauté website here for more information.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday for Part 2: Eyes!

-Cate-