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What's in Store

What's Your Side?: Prescriptives launched two looks for fall '98 with the Divine collection--a.k.a. the Celestial Side and Voodoo, the Dark Side--which represent the metaphorical struggle between light and dark. Deciphering fall beauty trends In contrast to a spring dominated by a pink palette, replete with blushing cheeks, berry stains and pretty all-over shimmer, fall's grab bag of makeup defies a single definition. Besides the standard autumn shift to smoky eyes and dark lips, a tour of department-store cosmetics counters uncovered an unusually wide range of looks. Here's a rundown of the latest trends: Natural Neutrals MAC's Earth Goddess collection of bold neutrals finds its inspiration in nature and "the spirit" (Madonna?). Accordingly, the face is described as "powerful" and "natural" with a warm-toned blush, and either a strong eye and soft mouth, or a soft eye and strong mouth. Infinitely wearable, the line includes shadows with a hint of shine in Grain (sand), Patina (caramel) and Venus (silver) and sheer frost "glaze" and satin lipsticks in Gleam (nude) and Terra (earth) ($14). Nail polishes come in an array of beautiful colors from Goddess (merlot) to Aura (mocha) to Vista (abalone) ($8). Red Ahead At the opposite end of the spectrum is Lancôme's Rouge. The concept behind this line is simple and wildly extravagant at the same time: one color family (namely red) on the entire face in matte and/or gloss, finished with a yellow-gold powder and silver glitter. In a word, Wow. Perhaps the most adventurous product is a red liquid eyeliner ($15). Another standout is a blush duo in either red or orange-red, which can be used on eyes and cheeks and comes in a nifty stacked compact ($25). Either/Or Yes, you can have it both ways. Prescriptives launched two looks for fall '98 with the Divine collection--a.k.a. the Celestial Side and Voodoo, the Dark Side. Predictably, the products represent the metaphorical struggle between light and dark. Celestial is ethereal and glowing, with subdued, "undrawn" eyes, transparent lip gloss and Mystick all-over color in Trance (yellow-gold), Euphoria (bronze), Seance (rose) and Nirvana (lilac) ($15). Conversely, the Dark Side has deep lacquers for cheeks, lips and lashes and Sacred shadow (pure white) for eyes ($15-$23). Rounding out the line are four Duality eye shadows (each one contains midtone variations of the same shade, $20) and a handy Yin-Yang Bi-Color eye pencil ($16). [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]