6 Best New Nude Lipsticks

From matte and glossy to barely there, a nude lip is one of the prettiest and most eye-catching looks of the moment. Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the this trend, brands are coming out with new formulations and colors that are better than ever: more hydrating, longer wear and better color payoff. Below, a selection of our favorite newest nudes to wear now.

NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment

This product is so light and smooth that you can barely feel it on, even when applying, but it gives a gorgeous, long-lasting, full-pigment finish that doesn't budge or transfer. "Get it On" is a beige-tan that's perfect for those who want that classic nude lip and "American Woman" is a rosier option that looks looks amazing on olive-toned skin or those wanting a bit more pink in their nude.

PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance

The long-awaited Sephora launch of Pat McGrath's latest product is here and it does not disappoint. Housed in a luxuriously weighty case (and wrapped in Pat's signature glitter pouch), this lipstick feels special even before the first swipe. Of course, the application also doesn't disappoint. It's a soft, matte—almost powdery—texture and feels extremely lightweight while giving a bold color payoff. A full day wear test proved the formula to be hydrating and doesn't budge until I start eating the greasiest of foods. For those looking for a true nude, "1995" is nicely pigmented without any pink.

Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick

One of the best drugstore liquid launches of the year, Maybelline's SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick does exactly what the name says. It features long-lasting pigment that doesn't move and gives a beautiful matte finish. The super precise applicator makes filling—and enhancing—your lip shape a breeze. No liner required!

Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick

This lipstick, encased in gold, is so chic that it makes me want to carry one at all times, just so I can show it off every time I reapply. But it turns out, the lipstick is also so long-lasting that reapplications are rarely needed. That doesn't stop me from sharing how much I love the product with others—thanks to the elegant and slender shape of the bullet, it's super easy to get a precise shape, and the creamy formula feels and looks great on the lips. There are a variety of nude options, but "I've Never" and "I'll Never Stop" are my two favorites.

Lipstick Queen Nothing But The Nudes Lipstick

Poppy King is known for creating lipsticks so moisturizing that it feels like you're applying a balm. She brings her conditioning formulation infused with vitamin E and hydrating natural oils to her "Nothing but the Nudes" collection, a trio of flattering nudes that delivers beautiful pigment for a range of skin colors. "The Whole Truth" is the perfect blend of peach, pink and brown for a nude that looks like your lips but better.

Too Faced Melted Latex

For those looking for a super pigmented, high-shine finish, Too Faced Melted Latex delivers a slick, honey-like texture that creates a head-turning look. It's formulated with an exclusive technology that keeps the look shiny all day without sliding around or bleeding. There are nude options for a variety of skin tones, with "Strangelove" being a particularly beautiful option for those with darker skin.

Woman Experiences Horrifying Infection From Eyebrow Feathering Treatment Gone Wrong

Eyebrow treatments are all the rage—microblading has basically become a staple in many salons and spas—and women are always on the lookout for ways to perfect the thickness, shape and definition of their brows, which some experts have said are the most important facial feature. However, as in the case of this Australian woman, Amanda Coats, her eyebrow feathering appointment (pretty much the same thing as microblading, but with slightly more of a "feathered" look to make the brows look naturally thicker) went terribly wrong.

In a recent Facebook post after her visit to a skin care clinic in Point Cook, Australia, Coats reveals graphic images (see them here, here and here) and claims she contracted an infection as a result of the treatment, which caused her eyebrows and the skin surrounding them to fall off. Here's what she had to say:

"I went to get my eyebrows feather tattooed to enhance them. I ended up with a severe infection from the clinic and the skin was just falling away and my eyes blew up. The lady who did it, Ulzii Cleveland, was very rushed, going in and out of the room attending to other clients during my procedure and also doing another eyebrow tattoo at the same time—she did not put new gloves on each time which does not keep things sterile.

I messaged and called Ulzii Cleveland to tell her straight away something was wrong only to be ignored. I told her patches of skin had come away along with the color that I had puss and my eyes are weeping. I went to the doctors and have had to go to the doctors nearly every second day. I'm on antibiotics and steroids for swelling. I've also had to use antibiotic ointment. I have to constantly dress the wounds. The cost of all this is now greater then what I paid for the procedure."

And it doesn't stop there. Coats says she's been in constant, terrible pain, with numbness and severe migraines as well. "I am the single mum of three kids, and at times have not even been able to drive due to my eyes."

She says her main reason for posting about her experience on social media is to warn people about "Ulzii Cleveland and The Skin Care Laser Clinic in Point Cook. I do not want this to happen to anyone else."

According to DailyMail Australia, which reached out to the clinic for comment, the owner of the clinic denied Coats' version of the events, saying she was "delighted" after her treatment. He claimed Coats called the clinic once afterward to express concern about the color of her eyebrows fading, which he told her was "quite normal."

He also said he wasn't contacted by Coats again until more than two weeks after her appointment, which is when she sent him a photo of her infection. "There's no way we could be possibly responsible for the infection at that stage, two and a half weeks after the procedure," he told DailyMail. "My wife has done over 2,000 of these procedures, and we've never had any issues of infection. We've been unable to defend ourselves and we are taking action against Amanda for defamation, and that's in the process of being issued."

It's been reported that Coats has also gained legal representation. We've reached out to a dermatologist for insight as to why this infection could have happened and will update the post when we hear back.

Essie's Celebrity Manicurist Reveals the Most On-Trend Shade for Summer

The nail polish color you choose to wear says something about who you are or what mood you're in—a neutral beige and an electric pink speak very different languages, but both shades could be equally as trendy. To find out which looks are in for summer and what we can expect to see from the nail world in the coming months, we turned to essie celebrity manicurist Michelle Saunders. Here's the scoop.

Hue Hype
"For summer 2017, we are seeing a big comeback for metallics. Finally! Anything from silver to bronze (essie Penny Talk) looks really modern this season. Additionally, nudes that range in depth and tone are still prominent because nudes are universally flattering. I'm also seeing a major red nail trend about to emerge."

Summer Shade
Saunders says essie's most on-trend shade for summer is S'il Vous Play, a shimmering pink-lilac from the brand's summer 2017 collection. "I also can't get enough of essie's Wild Nudes collection right now," she adds.

Fashion-Forward
According to Saunders, as we move into fall we'll see a divide between classic nails (reds) and trendy colors (bright pastels like essie Play Date).

Nail Art
"Each season I think nail art will die down, and instead, I actually see nail art establishing its anchor in the nail world," says Saunders. "I think nail art staying around is a very acceptable and youthful way of keeping on trend because as long as you create art with current colors, it will stay fresh-looking."

Why Fashion Follows Economic Power

This is the summer of revising fashion trends, we are told. The laws of enforceable style are being revised. According to Vanessa Friedman of the Times, the ongoing dress code controversies are a proxy battles for the larger questions of our society, what she calls "the continuing opus of dress code in the late twenty-teens."

Fashion is a pure outline of culture: what's in, what's out, what's fashionable, what's unacceptable—it's an instructive way of discussing how culture works. And Friedman is part-right: a code governs our days, but it is not the laws of fashion that mogul over us. Since Peter the Great ordered his nobles to cut their beards (to appear more Western) the influential have sworn that culture is the great orderer of human life. Change the culture—change fashion—and you change everything. That's the theory. But the dress code is a representation of power, not the cause. The people who speak of fashion as an arbiter of influence miss the point. They believe symbolic performance is power. It is not. Economics is.

THE CODE ABIDES

Friedman goes on to dissect the hypocrisy and inanity of the arbitrary nature of dress codes, "How can the sergeant-at-arms, the chief law enforcement and protocol officer of the House, deem such garments inappropriate" when the First Lady and the President's daughter wear them? Friedman describes "a dress code revolt" which has been erupting over the "last several years." Friedman specifically cites the ban on airplane employee leggings, the "male skirt rebellion," and several other incidents: the case of the woman whose flat shoes at work led to a Parliamentary committee, and the curious case of Kansas State Senator Holmes who denounced women who wore low-cut necklines and miniskirts.

The obsession with culture as central to power is a fixation shared by centrists and conservatives alike. Every time a centrist brings up Fearless Girl as a performative talisman, they are invoking the mystical agency that cultural symbols are supposed to have. Alt-right Twitter is filled with clotted-together man-shapes made of resentment and pale yeast. They seem to spend most of their energy engaging in liberal-triggering acts: dunking themselves in tubs of blood or drinking milk on camera, or God knows what else. These displays effect the world as much as the cast of Frasier currently controls the black market: not at all.

THE STATUTE OF DAVID

Nobody is more enthralled with the idea of culture-as-power than conservative word-sayer David Brooks. As the podcast Chapo Trap House has pointed out, Brooks has a singular obsession: the glory of upper-middle-class values—and, more importantly, how he can use these bougie signifiers to hammer them poors. It's the first thing he thinks about when he rises from his Egyptian-cotton bed to when he falls asleep dreaming of St. Barts. He wrote a whole book about it, Bobos in Paradise.

SAY YES TO THE DRESS

Might they feel anxious, or have "different jobs" because there are no factories, fewer good jobs, and grinding student debt? Imagine there's a Martian who can only see soccer balls but not the human beings kicking then. Then ask him to describe a soccer match. That's how Brooks writes.

Brooks and his crowd believe culture decides economics. It makes sense that modern conservatism follows this doctrine. It allows them to engage in their two favorite practices: shaming the weak, and not challenging capital. If culture is the governor of social life—if being rich and successful was just a matter of aping your betters and wearing the right clothes—that would show that economic injustice was a pipe dream.

In the real world, economics largely dictates culture, not the other way around. Always has, always will. Economics is scarcity which is control which is power. Power flows from the control of resources. Conservatives are agents of the status quo, and so the machine of power is largely invisible to them, just as oppression is not their direct concern.

THE TIES THAT BIND

Friedman's feature is concerned, mildly, with the questions of what a dress code is, and who demands it. But this confuses the understanding of how dress codes work, and how culture works in relation to power. In Friedman's story, it's instructive that the instigators of change are two elite women: Ivanka and Melania.

That is how it works. Dress codes exist because institutions have concentrated might. This influence shoots out, issues its edicts, extends outwards, like a bridge from mainland to island. These establishments order how the rest of the world chooses to dress. Dress for success? Please. Success dictates dress. "Don't you know about the new fashion honey?" Billy Joel once asked us, "All you need are looks and a whole lotta money." The philosopher was too pessimistic: looks are not really required.

Why does the dress code of the people's house matter? Why should any Speaker of the House have a single solitary say in how women dress? Why, because Congress puts a wall between itself and the citizens. It is the standard of lobbyists and attorneys who dictate the dress code, not ordinary people.

Much ado about pink nail polish

Pink hues from powdery pastels to bold fuchsias dominate my nail polish drawer.

Oh, sure, a few red and orange shades, along with several bottles of metallic gold from last year's infatuation are in the mix,  but mostly it's a wash of pink.

First reason for so much pink: It doesn't show the wear and tear as much as a darker shade. Chipped polish is a serious pet peeve. First sign of a noticeable chip and I reach for nail polish remover. Even longer-wearing gel manicures, which I favor for vacations and those times when I know my nails will get a workout, can chip. They also show growth around the cuticles if you push your manicure appointment, but that's easier to deal with than a chip. At least for me.

Reason No. 2: Makeup artists agree that pink lipstick is luminescent and gives shine and lightness around the mouth. They say dark lipsticks can be aging and seep into fine lines around your lips. Of course, this pertains mostly to those of us of a certain age.

I figure if pink adds a youthful glow to your lips and face, maybe it has the same effect for nails and hands.

Anyway, blame all this chatter about nail polish on Essie and Sally Hansen. Essie recently picked Ballet Slippers, a classic pale pink hue that launched in 1982, as one of its top colors this year. By 2012, 40 bottles of Ballet Slippers were being sold in the U.S. every hour.

I was letting that soak in when I came across an InStyle tidbit about Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel in Terra-Coppa, a best-seller since its launch in 2014. Reportedly more than 32 million bottles have been sold of the bronze shimmer. One bottle is sold every two minutes in the United States and it is estimated some 10 percent of the U.S. population owns a bottle.

No surprise, it's missing from my nail polish drawer. But it might find a place there as an option for my toes. Anything goes on toes!

The 3 Biggest Beauty Breakthroughs by Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel had a singular vision of beauty. "If you're sad, if you are disappointed in love, put on your makeup, give yourself some beauty care, put on lipstick, and attack," she once offered. Thus, it's no fluke that many of the cosmetic offerings Chanel pioneered in the 1920s are as enduring as her iconic crisp tweeds and sumptuous quilted 2.55 bag. Here are three of her time-tested beauty innovations that helped shape the beauty industry as we know it today.

The Nonpareil Feminine Fragrance

"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future," said Chanel. To create her debut fragrance Chanel No.5 in 1921, she commissioned Ernest Beaux, a former parfumier to Russian aristocracy, to use new-wave synthetic ingredients rather than just floral essential oils. "I want a woman's perfume with a woman's scent," she told him. "I want a fragrance that is composed."

After 10 months, Beaux presented her with 10 different vials. She selected the fifth (allegedly because five was her lucky number)—and the rest, as they say, is history. By 1929, it was the best-selling perfume in the world, with droves of people lining up on the Rue Cambon to get their hands on the minimalist glass bottle, which has become a design history marvel itself.

The Perfect Everyday Lipstick

Dissatisfied with what was on the market, Chanel launched her first lip color collection in 1924. Unlike its mass counterparts, the creamy formula was ultra-pigmented, yet decidedly wearable. Mademoiselle, who was always keen on a classic crimson lip, even created her own bespoke shade. Adding to the luxury were the decadent ivory lipstick tubes, which featured a cutting-edge copper sliding mechanism. In 1954, the designer reimagined the original bullet into a rectangular tube as an ode to her No.5 bottle. The fashion house's modern formula, Rouge Allure Intense Long-Wear Lip Colour, continues to be widely popular due in no small part to deep blue-based red 99 Pirate, which is one of the best-selling red lipsticks of all time.

The Luxe Multitasking Oil

In 1927, Chanel introduced a variety of skin-care offerings, including toners, creams, lotions, and soaps, that were a celebration of simple beauty. One of the heroes of the range was a jasmine oil for the face and body. With its soothing and moisturizing ingredients, silky and light texture, and fresh floral scent—meant to evoke the fields of Grasse in France—the non-greasy elixir was groundbreaking when it was first introduced. Relaunched earlier this year, Huile de Jasmin is composed of mostly natural ingredients, including camellia, jojoba, and limnanthes alba oils, which smooth and nourish the complexion, and can be worn alone or mixed into skincare or foundation for added luminosity.

Need a new dress? The clock is ticking

I admire people who land a great outfit long before a special occasion arrives – including shoes and accessories. The funny thing is, I don't know too many of them.

Last-minute shoppers unite!

We eleventh-hour shoppers rip through the racks at 8:30 p.m. Friday looking for a dress to wear Saturday afternoon. Or, even worse, 10:01 a.m. Saturday after the doors open.

Spare us the lecture on having to settle on something. Or pay too much. Somehow, we manage to pull it off. Most of the time.

Years ago, my husband and I planned a birthday party at our home for his grandmother. The food was ordered. The flowers were blooming. The outdoor tables and chairs were wiped down.

Everything was set except one last detail: I had nothing to wear.

So, the day before 75 guests were to arrive, I went shopping. Not only did I find an outfit that suited the occasion, I loved it so much I wore it time and time again. I lucked out. Or was it there just waiting for me?

I'm far from alone. One friend tells me she once found the perfect long black gown at AMVETS to wear to a gala that evening. Another said she often finds herself at dressbarn near closing time.

We have an out-of-town relative who, whenever she visits for a family affair, needs to shop. And shop some more.

This is so well known among those she stays with that time is carved out to ensure she gets herself outfitted for the occasion.

Shopping has gotten easier, thanks to the internet – if you're willing to pay extra for fast delivery, if necessary, and are pretty confident the dress will fit.

Helpful, too, is the option of starting your search online on retail sites that let you know if a dress is available locally. Some will even reserve it for you.

What I have learned about last-minute shopping is that it's not always about procrastination. Sometimes it's knowing what you want and where you will likely find it – but finding the time to do it. When schedules are busy, shopping often falls to the bottom of the To Do list.

Having kids adds another chapter to this. Have you ever had to buy or borrow a white blouse the night before a school concert? Tear out to buy an inexpensive T-shirt for red-themed day at summer camp?

Back in those days, I also used to keep small scissors and Scotch tape in the glove compartment in case I needed to wrap a gift in a parking lot before dropping off our daughter at a birthday party.

Then they grow older – and the dances and proms begin. So does the dress shopping (and, as I have observed, the last-minute dress borrowing among friends).

Alterations, however, can add another wrinkle. Last year, our daughter found a prom dress with time to spare. It needed to be shortened, which I told her I would do.

When did I get around to hemming it?

Prom morning. Let's keep that to ourselves.