As you’ve probably noticed, crackle nail polish is everywhere this fall. It provides texture, peek-a-book color, and easy application. Plus you can mix and match color to your heart’s desire. The latest addition to my crackle “collection” is from Jessica Cosmetics… it’s their new Party Chic collection.

The Party Chic nail polish collection features five creamy, neon colors: On the Rocks (white), Pretty in Purple, Mint Mojito Green, Orange You Glad to See Me and Pass the Pink-tini. Wear them alone or apply a coat of the black crackle “Top It Off” top coat for a slightly punky, shattered look like in my swatches below.

I recommend applying a thick, clear top coat (such as Seche Vite) to seal things up and even out your crackle-finish. Or… since all the new crackle top coats dry to a matte finish, leave it as-is and enjoy the duality of gloss versus matte!

Want to know what’s even better?  This entire collection is absolutely perfect for Halloween!

I know, I know… zombies don’t get their nails done.  But if you are one of the many dressing as a zombie this Halloween, here’s a simple way to make your nails match your rotted makeup.

I started with one coat of Essie’s Merino Cool nail polish.  You could swap in any taupe, light mushroom, tan, light gray, or creamy skin-toned color (Sally Hansen’s Commander in Chic is another great polish for this manicure!).  I recommend only one coat so your color looks a bit uneven and streaky.

Next apply a coat of a gray “crackle-finish” polish, such as Cracked Concrete by China Glaze.  Sally Hansen also has a gray crackle top coat that you can find at most drugstores.

Once the crackle finish dries, use a deep red to apply bloody accents to your nails.  I chose Berry Hard by Essie.  Don’t be afraid to get a little messy.  After all, zombies aren’t running around with polish remover.

Happy Halloween!

This week’s Bionic Asks… Have you already started planning, or decided upon, your Halloween makeup?

Are you dressing up this year? I am!

Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I dress up regardless of lack of trick-or-treaters, parties to attend, or whatever. I always dress up on Halloween. Sometimes I spend it watching spooky movies and eating my favorite candies; other times I am with friends at a local haunted house. Wherever or whatever I am doing though, you can bet that I’ve planned my makeup look way in advance.

One of my Halloween makeup looks from 2009, as a Hogwarts school-age Tonks (from Harry Potter).

If you need inspiration on some easy-to-do Halloween makeup ideas, be sure to check out my entire Halloween series! The articles cover everything from nail polish, makeup videos, tutorials, and even special edition body care products!

Have a wonderfully spooky October!

This week’s Bionic Asks… Are you dressing up for Halloween? And if so, what’s your costume? Are you pairing it with a special makeup look? Going to a party or just handing out candy? And if you’re not dressing up this year, feel free to share your favorite costume from the past! You can even leave a link to a photo, if you’d like.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me discuss my costume plans way back in May. Yes, I start early. I’m dressing up as Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil video games (she was in the movie too, but I’m doing the game version because, well, she wears more clothing).

Bionic Beauty's Halloween costume

I’m sticking with very basic makeup since I’m portraying a military-style gal (light brown eye shadow, mascara, nude lipstick). I made a beret, painted patches for it and my shirt, used my granddad’s suspenders, cut up some fingerless gloves, and found some cheap (8 bucks!) blue cargo pants at Ross. I won’t be attending any parties, and may not even see any Trick-or-Treaters, but I certainly will be wearing my costume around the house!

What are your Halloween plans?

I love Halloween. For me there’s Halloween and 364 other days in the year. And when Halloween combines with cosmetics- it becomes pure enjoyment. Color Club’s new Master of Disguise nail polish collection takes the classic Halloween colors of white, purple, orange and black and adds a spin. The collection is 4 mini bottles that are perfect for mixing and matching nail looks all through October.

Color Club nail polish in Abracadabra

Abracadabra is my favorite of this collection. It’s an orange jelly with huge circles of orange glitter. I simply adore it! Even though the glitter is large, even without a top coat this polish is smooth. It applied quite nicely and dried super quickly.

Color Club nail polish in Ghost of a Chance

Ghost of a Chance is an opaque white creme with a hint of gray undertone. As with most white cremes, I had a bit of trouble getting the color consistent but it applied much better than most.

Color Club nail polish in Master of Disguise

An inky black, Master of Disguise is patent leather shiny. Perfect for Halloween or any other time you’re feeling the love for a dark polish.

Color Club nail polish in Taboo

Taboo is what some people call a Burple- a cross between a blue and a purple. This color looks magical! There are super tiny flecks of purple that cause an iridescent glow in bright light. I’ll definitely be wearing this color throughout the year.

The Master of Disguise minis are available at some spas and online at Victoria Nail Supply for $4.95 for the set.

Ok, so I confess, I’m one of those crazy Twilight fans. I adore the books, I’ve read them all several times, I’m anxiously awaiting the movie, and I even have a Team Edward t-shirt. Combine that with my love of Halloween and it’s a costume idea meant-to-be!

Alice Cullen outfit

I got myself all done up a day early to share my costume-look with my BB readers. It’s really very easy, and you probably have everything you need around your house already.

Some costume ideas and makeup tips…

• Coat your body with sparkly lotion or shimmery powder. I used Spell’s Body Gloss EVERYWHERE! Twilight vamps sparkle in the sun.
• Since I was going for an Alice Cullen-esque look, I flat-ironed my hair and flipped the ends out. I also added a strip of velvet ribbon for a choker (along with a spider brooch for spooky goodness).
• For Rosalie, curl your hair into loose waves.
• For Bella, you could add a faux leg cast and wear a prom dress.
• Twilight vamps are always well-dressed. You could take a que from me and sport a formal dress… this is my old prom dress and pretend you’re heading to the Forks High School prom. Or just some nice jeans and a pretty blouse. Don’t forget good shoes!
• Blood red nail polish on your fingers and toes! Alice Cullen loved this color. (I still have to do my manicure, that’s on this afternoons schedule.)
• Please remember…no fangs!


Bionic Beauty's Alice Cullen makeup

• For your face…

1. Start with super light foundation to make yourself pale.
2. Dust overtop with shimmery face powder. I used Ferro Cosmetics Rose Crystal Mineral Veil (a light pink powder with silver shimmer).
3. Put bronzer or cream blush underneath your cheekbones, in your cheek’s hollows to enhance them.
4. For my upper eyelids I did a normal makeup look with a brown eyeshadow. I used Milani’s Java Bean shadow across my entire lid and then lined my upper lid in the same color.
5. Underneath eyes, give yourself some “bruise-like” shadows by dusting lightly with a matte purple eyeshadow. It’s okay if it’s a bit uneven. You want to look a bit like a hungry vamp.
6. Line lower lash line with a sparkly purple eyeshadow and coat lashes with mascara.
7. Coat your lips with several applications of red lip stain (I suggest Sonia Kashuk’s or Revlon’s Just Bitten). Or use a red lip pencil and blend it in. You want to look “stained”, er, with blood; not like you’ve applied lipstick or lipgloss.

For more ideas for your Twilight costumes… or just some fun reading… visit the Twilight Vampire lens on Squidoo. Be sure you check out the polls on there, they crack me up!

Having fun!

And here’s me dancing to Monster Mash cause I’m just SO DARN HAPPY it’s Halloween! What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Share your costume in the comments below!!

Want some more last minute costume and makeup ideas? Check out Bionic Beauty’s series on Halloween!

Looking for some last minute Halloween makeup ideas? I posted these articles last year and they’re super easy to accomplish and can be made to work with SO many costumes and colors.

Make your face up like Wicked star Idina Menzel. What’s more Halloween than a green witch?

Fantasy, fairy eye look. This eye look could also work for a princess, Poison Ivy, mermaids, or even a female witch from Harry Potter’s universe.

Pull out your far-east inspired pajamas, and use this video as an inspiration for Geisha makeup. You’ll be unique, a standout, and comfortable!

What do you plan to be for Halloween? Got any fantabulous makeup tips to share?

philosophy is the king, queen (head person? whatever…) of releasing creative, cute and themed body and hair care packages. This Halloween they have all new products! Caramel Apple Shower (use it as shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath), Black Licorice Shower Gel, and Pumpkin Spice Muffin Shower Gel. Sounds delicious, right? You an get each bottle full sized for $16.00 each at or get them in 6 ounce sizes in the spooktacular Haunted House Trio ($30, shown above). Boo!

You can buy them all now at philosophy.com.

Inspired by my love of Old Hollywood, I decided to create a makeup look, suitable for everyday or Halloween, based on the lovely actress, Louise Brooks.

Read on for my version of the look, more photos, and a tutorial on the products…

For short haired gals, you can follow my lead and flat iron, pull, coerce your hair into a stick straight style. I used a smoothing serum (Alagio’s Silk Obsession) and then a flat iron. When you’re all super-straight, use your flat iron to twist the sections by your face to curve forward. Use a bit more smoothing serum or a dab of pomade to enhance the “points”. Finish with an all-over, generous spray of a shine spray (I used Biolage’s Color Care Shielding Shine Mist).

For longer haired gals, or curly-girls, play up the curls! We all know that curls and body were big in the roaring twenties and thirties. You could even rag-set your curls the night before and sleep on them. Again finish with a shine spray.

Makeup and Tools I used for this look:

1. Everyday Minerals makeup in Olive Fair
2. NARS lipstick in Tamango
3. Three Custom Color lip liner in Burgundy
4. Anastasia Brow Filler in Blonde/Brunette
5. Anastasia Eye Lights Matte pencil in Camille
6. Elke, The Model Brow brow tamer pomade
7. Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear mascara in Ultra Black
8. Clinique Stay Matte eyeshadow in French Vanilla
9. Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof eyeliner in Black
10. e.l.f. Cream Eyeshadow duo in Black Licorice
11. e.l.f. Concealer in Light

Start off with foundation across your entire face… your goal here is a flawless complexion and that one tone look that was so popular during the silent film era. I used mineral powder makeup (#1 above) in a few shades lighter than my skin tone. I always keep lighter foundations on hand just for looks like this. I wanted that super-pale look without throwing on white powder.

Next fully powder your face to get an even matte finish if you used a liquid foundation.

For Louise Brooks’ classic look, brush your brows as straight across as possible. Mine are highly arched, but I just did the best I could. Then fill your brows with a darker shade to really bring them out (product #4). (I probably should have gone with a slightly darker pencil on my brows to get a better result.)

Set your brows with an eyebrow pomade (product #6) or just use a few dabs of clear lip balm.

Moving on to the eyes, use a black or deep smokey gray matte eyeshadow (the darker color in elf’s duo, product #10). Start with placing most of the product by your lash line and slowly blending it up your eyelid until the end line disappears. Place a little extra along the lash line and outer corner for accent. Smudge more eyeshadow under your lower lash line.

Dust your entire eye lid and brow bone with a matte cream or white eyeshadow (product #8). This sets the darker color and helps it look “smooth” and classic.

Line your lower inner eyelid rim with a white, beige, creamy pink pencil (product #5). I chose the Anastasia matte liner because it’s so soft and the staying power is amazing. This line helps open your eye and gives you that wide-eyed starlet look.

Finish with 2 coats of a long-lasting, lengthening mascara (product #7). If your lashes are on the straight side, I suggest curling them for this look to further open the eye.

Louis Brooks lips are more narrow and more pouty than mine and have a bit more “peak” on the upper lip line. I studied her picture and then sketched a similar outline onto my lips with a dark matte lip liner (product #3). To narrow my lips, I filled in the edges of my lips with a cream concealer (product # 11) and then set it with powder. My outer lip corners virtually disappeared! (pretty cool, eh?)

Fill in the sketched outline with a deep, dark, semi-matte lipstick (I chose NARS’ Tamango a brown-based maroon, product #2).

Finally, just for fun, I added a beauty mark. Since I don’t actually have one, sometimes it’s fun to pretend. I used a waterproof eyeliner in black (product #9).

Ta-da! Just be sure to pout a lot, since it seems like no one smiled too much in those days.

For the costume, I’d suggest sticking with black, white and gray clothing. Keep yourself in that “Black and White” film star frame of mind. Black stockings, a pencil skirt, and a flowing blouse (silk, velvet or other texturally alive fabrics). Closed toe pumps and even a rounded bucket hat. Carry your essentials for the night in a beaded clutch. And don’t forget to bat those lashes!

Alternatives to this look and further inspirations- check out your favorite classic Hollywood film stars, or watch movies that have great looks. For instance, I love watching Titanic and both versions of King Kong for ideas.

Continuing my Halloween makeup series… I created this look on a whim. And that’s pretty much what it is… whimsical. Many years ago, I was Poison Ivy (from Batman) for Halloween and did a look similar to this. It’s adaptable for all sorts of costumes- fairies, princesses (use pinks and blues with no vines and more glitter!)- only limited by your imagination.
I just used colors I had on hand, so switch in whatever you have in your collection. The vines could be brown with orange, black, yellow and purple flowers for a “Autumn Princess”. You get the idea. Just do what you like.

Click the photographs to see a larger version (opens in a new tab/window).

For more photos and the full tutorial, makeup colors used, continue readin’…

The goal behind this look was a sort of “dirty” natural. Like an elf who had been playing in the forest all day. So I chose my makeup colors and application techniques to suit that. Don’t be too perfect with this look. It works out better if you are free and quick. Let the glitter fall where it may!

Here’s a list of the makeup I used. In the photo, I numbered some of eyeshadows so I can refer to them below during the tutorial.

Blush: Clinique’s Blushwear Cream Stick in 06 Very Blush. It’s a gorgeous matte color. Perfect for fall. The application is just amazing as well. Super blendable and highly pigmented, so this stick will last me a looooong time!

Lips: L’Oreal HIP’s lipstick in Gutsy (or your local drugstore). A brown with slight shimmer. Another great fall color.

Eyes and Face Art: Milani’s eyeliner in Antique Green, Nixie Professional eye shadows (but just use what ever colors you prefer, I just had these on hand and knew they were highly pigmented, so they’d show up well). Not pictured… (sorry ladies…) L’Oreal’s HIP eye shadow pigment in Tenancious. This color is an extremely glitter copper color. So pick any copper, bronze neutral type shade. Just pack on the glitter factor.

Brushes: Of course a brow brush to groom (mine is by Sonia Kashuk), a small smudge brush (tiny, tightly packed bristles) and a slightly larger (but still small) eye shadow brush). I think these are both by L’Oreal. Just any cheapy is fine for Halloween makeup.

First off, I applied the HIP shadow pigment in Tenancious with the small eyeshadow brush (again, any copper or bronze shade will work) across my entire lid, up to the eye brow, under the eye (don’t be too neat) and outward toward my temples.

Next I lined upper and lower lash line with the Antique Green liner.

Continue to use the green eye liner to draw vines and flower stems flowing out from your eye. Throw in some twists and branches. I also made a few leaves by drawing hearts close to the stems.
Keep going til your hearts content. Be sure to leave at least 3 stems “open ended”- this is where you’ll add your flowers in a bit.

Then I added 4 dots of eyeliner right by my outer eye corner. Two above and two below the vine/stem.

Finally it’s time to add the flowers…

Using the small smudge brush, load your brush up with the white color (color 2) and place white dots at the ends of each of your stems or any place you want a flower. Be sure to reload your brush with white after placing each dot. You want the white to really “pop”.

Using the small shadow brush, apply white shimmery eye shadow (number 2 in the photo) to the inner corners of eyes. Blend it out a bit.

Pick up the smudge brush again, and dab it into your first flower color. I’ll be using a deep matte purple (color 4 in photo above). Dab the brush around your white flower center, creating 5 petals. Reload your brush as needed and really press the color into your skin.

Wipe the color off the brush with a tissue and repeat with your remaining colors. I used a bright matte pink (color 3) and a fluorescent lime green (color 5).

For the final art step, fill in your “leaves” (the hearts you drew previously) with a deep green color (color 1).

Finish your face with a matte blush on cheeks (you can be a little heavy handed here, it IS Halloween after all). Add some blush to your chin and forehead as well. Remember, we are going for that “I frolicked in the forest all day” look. Lips get a coat of L’Oreal HIP lipstick in Gutsy (or similar deep brown lipstick).

What costumes could you use a similar look for? Have you ever created anything like this for Halloween?

Happy Hauntings!