Jane’s Addiction: A New Gold Standard

Wende Zomnir (right), the utterly fearless cofounder of the indie cosmetics company Urban Decay, is one of my beauty heroes. She surfs, heli-skis, and snowboards double black diamonds, but she also appreciates the value of a good eye shadow. Recently she reformulated and updated 68 of hers, to give them richer pigments and a velvety-smooth feel. My favorite is the steely Pistol (left), which almost makes me feel as kick-ass as she is. ($18 each, urbandecay.com)

I was blown away by the beauty at Chanel’s recent Métiers d’Art show (center), which had the theme “Paris-Bombay.” Hairstylist Sam McKnight placed pieces of jewelry in the hair of the models, and Peter Philips, Chanel’s creative director of makeup (above, far left), fashioned a heavily kohl-lined eye and a gold-dusted cheek. “I love colorful India,” he told me. “But the Chanel approach is very graphic and stylized—think Jane Birkin on the subcontinent.” Philips translated the look using two limited-edition products: the white-gold Diwali Nail Colour (far left, $30) and the lovely pale-gold Route des Indes de Chanel powder (left, $80). “The powder went on at the last second, to give the impression of an inner glow,” he said. It worked. (chanel.com)

Tanda’s Pearl at-home teeth-whitening system is both quick (five minutes, twice a day, for five days) and gentle enough for even the most sensitive gums. It’s activated by ions, not bright light, which means the hydrogen peroxide gel doesn’t need to be superstrong. Just stick it in your mouth and go about your business. I’ve even sneaked in a few rounds at the office—I’m wily that way. ($195, tanda.com)

When the makers of FitFlop, the thigh-firming exercise shoe, came out with gladiator sandals, I thought, Cute—still, there’s no way I’ll ever be wearing these. I was thrilled, though, to see this sneaker-style version, which is right up my alley. I can also picture my cooler guy friends sporting them. But let’s be frank: These babies are staying with me. ($135, fitflop.com)

That magic word—”beach”—is the inspiration for some divine offerings this summer. Dior Beauty has this retro-blue polish, Saint Tropez (left, top, $23, dior.com), for starters; there’s also a new fragrance oil, Warm, which combines bergamot, musk, and patchouli to make your skin smell like it does at the beach ($40, warmny.com). A great liquid soap from Nest Fragrances, called—surprise, surprise—Beach (left, middle), mixes coconut water, jasmine, and honeysuckle with a hint of citrus ($22, neimanmarcus.com), and Guerlain created two pouches using a vintage Pucci print as part of its Terra Azzurra collection; one (left) comes with a makeup brush ($38, neimanmarcus.com).