Whether you have to pack light for a trip, or you're looking for an easy, flattering makeup palette that will take you from day to night, monochromatic is the way to go. And, of course, the big benefit of wearing a one-dominant-color look is that you don't need a lot of products to make it work. To see how to do it, just keep reading.
Bare Escentuals Blindly Casts Its Fall Campaign

"We wanted to pick women based on what they stood for," Blodgett explained. "We thought, 'Are they people we want to spend time with? Do they have a voice, and do they have something to say?'" It all started with 271 women — a pool of models and actresses, (so how bad could the results really be?) — and an online questionnaire. To see more about how it all went down, just keep reading.
It's a Sunshine Day: 5 Sunny Essentials to Kick Off Your Summer
It's the first day of Summer, and can't you dig the sunshine? In the immortal words of the Bradys, love and sun are the same, after all. In spirit of the warmer weather ahead, I've put together a few products that will make the season so bright you'll have to wear shades. Enough of the silly, let's get to it. Here are five fun ways you can enjoy the sun without the burn.
- Tasha "Beaded Daisy" Headband ($32) — A festively fun and yellow hair accessory. Need I say more?
- Avon Sunset Glow ($7) — There's something so cool and retro about the design of this multitoned bronzer. Just sweep anywhere the sun would hit to get a naturally sun-kissed look. (Also available in Sunset Bronze.) If one shade's all you want, try the similarly sunny Maybelline ExpertWear Singles Bronzers ($4.50), available in three shades, Sun Light, Forever Warm, and Salsa Sun.
- Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil ($26) — A lightweight hair mist that works to condition and provide SPF for your hair. So long, faded color and frazzled strands.
- Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries Golden Light Eau de Parfum Spray ($55) — If you could bottle up sunshine into a perfume, wouldn't you? That's exactly what Bare Escentuals' Leslie Blodgett did with her new scent, which contains notes like bergamot, honeysuckle, and orris.
- Paul & Joe Nail Enamel in Soleil ($14) — A frosty tangerine hue. It doesn't get any more summery than this.
Bella Interview: Leslie Blodgett, Part Two

In Part One of my interview with Leslie Blodgett, the founder of Bare Escentuals, we talked about her clients, but in this part, I wanted to know what are her current loves. Read on for her desert island products and to hear about the forthcoming Bare Escentuals skincare products. (This is the first time she's mentioned that an eye cream is on the way. Scoop!).
What are your skin and hair care product staples?
Leslie Blodgett: I started using Pureology on my hair, for color treated hair. We're launching more skincare products, so I'm using an eye cream that's coming out next Fall, and the moisturizer is launching in January. We have a mist coming out next month, it has the Resurrection Plant from South Africa in it, which comes back to life when it's dead. It can reactivate makeup, hydrate you, refresh your makeup. Also you can spray it onto your face when you're cleansing.
To read more of the interview, read more
Bella Interview: Leslie Blodgett, Part One

As promised last week, here's more of my interview with Leslie Blodgett, the founder of Bare Escentuals. In this installment, she imparts her wisdom about what she sees way too much of, how to update your makeup for Fall, and shares her best beauty advice.
What do people ask the most about on your tours?
Leslie Blodgett: The master class is mostly about eye looks. The smokey eye is the number one thing people are so intimidated by, how to make it smoke out without looking like too much. We just launched The Rocker Eye, it's a fun look, too. Even for day, you can do a soft-rock look. Go over the whole lid with a very dark shade. We like a little metallic in there. Then take the pointy part of the brush and go under the eye, as close to the lash line as possible. You could also do the light shade and the contour, but it's easier to just do the lid and blend it out under the eye.
What's the best beauty advice you've ever heard or given?
To see her response, read more
In NYC? Meet Leslie Blodgett, Founder of Bare Escentuals

Tour buses aren't just for rock royalty: Bare Escentuals is running one of their own right now. I caught up with founder Leslie Blodgett recently, who told me she loves meeting with fans of the brand. "I use it for my market research," later adding that she polled a room full of Bare Escentuals enthusiasts about the packaging of the brand's forthcoming moisturizer (they wanted a pump, not a tube). Stay tuned next week for more of my interview with her, including her desert island beauty products, and her new favorite fragrance.
If you're in the New York area, today's appearance will be at the Times Square Sephora from 2-4 p.m.!