smashbox

The BB cream craze has recently migrated from Asia to the Americas with big-time brands getting in on the action. Unfortunately, many of these lines cater mostly to fair to medium skin tones, but finally there is an option for darker-skinned women: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream ($39), which comes in five different shades. Used alone, this lightweight cream acts like a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone and add protection from UVA and UVB rays with SPF 35. And if the darkest formula is still too light for your complexion, you can use it under your foundation as a primer and oil suppressant. The finish is matte, but you get a dewy glow that signifies healthy skin. And as an added bonus, this product contains peptides with antiaging properties. A few weeks of this, and you'll be prepared for your close-up — more like Instagram than paparazzi, that is.

The set includes six shades that range from light peach (Bliss) to a subtle shimmery, deep charcoal (Blacktop). Peel the label on the back side to uncover two looks (soft smoke and smoldering cat-eye), along with step-by-step tutorials on how to get them. You can even use a QR reader app on your phone to see a video of the brand's pro lead artist, Lori Taylor, demonstrating the looks. Holy smokes, indeed.

In the business world, mergers and acquisitions are the norm, and this year, some pretty big beauty deals took place. Perhaps the biggest shopping spree, however, was done by none other than Coty, who acquired big-time brands like OPI and Philosophy, along with lesser-known brands Dr. Scheller Cosmetics and TJoy. And while Coty already holds the Calvin Klein fragrance license, the company recently acquired a Calvin Klein color cosmetics license, too.

Other major deals included Estée Lauder's purchase of Smashbox, Shiseido's acquisition of Bare Escentuals, and Unilever's acquirement of Alberto-Culver, the makers of brands such as Nexxus, Tresemmé, VO5, and St. Ives. L'Oréal purchased Essie, and there was even some talk of the beauty juggernaut purchasing Avon. Speaking Avon, they acquired British skincare company Liz Earle earlier this year. With Coty's growth exploding at the seams, it will be interesting to see what they, along with the other big beauty players, have planned for 2011.

"What I am noticing for Fall is a major cat eye with the heavy eye shadow," says Hollywood makeup artist Debbie Zoller (who has worked with stars like Patricia Arquette on Little Nicky and Christina Hendricks on Mad Men). "Last season for Fall it was more about the Mad Men look with the heavy eyeliner, but not really the eye shadow. What I am finding now, is that it's more of the heavy eye shadow that’s coming back," she adds. To find out Debbie's tips for getting the sultry, wearable look, just keep reading.

Here's an excerpt of a post by OnSugar blog cee me on getting a runway-inspired white eyeliner look:

I'm not wearing any other makeup on my face, so all the focus should go to the eyes. I started with a white eyeliner (by Bourjois) and set that with a white eye shadow (from the Eye Shadow Duo Twilight by Smashbox), and then used a cream black eyeliner (by Clinique) with a very, very thin brush (by Sephora) to line really only the base of the lashes. I then used a black waterproof eyeliner (by Urban Decay) on my top waterline (try not to blink until it's dry), and then I used a black mascara (by YSL) on my top lashes only.

Want to see more? Be sure to read the rest of cee me's post here. And when you're through, why not start an OnSugar blog of your own? You could be featured here on Bella.