Lyn Lynch

Kissy fit

I am justifying my latest obsession with the reasoning that this lip color is not a gloss, so I am not technically feeding my lipgloss fixation. Instead, these lip stains from Laura Mercier are just about the best thing in my life right now. They're soft and creamy and last significantly longer than a gloss, plus the colors are just gorgeous. My lips are so chapped from the weather in NYC, these are a godsend. I've already treated myself to Mocha, a pretty, deep brown, and Sugar Violet, a slightly purply mauve. Next, I plan to get Mulberry, a perfect deep red, and Peach Glaze, which will be great with all the smokey eyes I've been wearing lately. Aw, now I have a new obsession. Damn.

File under "Completely Unnecessary"

I love this time of year, because all the holiday sets are starting to come into stores. Besides the usual bath/body stuff, you can usually find some pretty cool makeup palettes that aren't available at any other time. Witness the glory that is Tarte's We Wish You Wealth Palette, a motherlode of deliciousness that features no less than 16 eyeshadows, 16 lipglosses, 4 cheek stains, 4 gel eyeliners, 1 eyelid primer, 1 luminizer and 3 lipsticks in the cutest quilted purple case ever. It's like a Swiss Army Knife, but with makeup. You really have to see this thing in person - it is a wonder to behold. The eyeshadows are new colors and this is the first time Tarte has made its cheek stains into solid form. I needed this like I needed a hole in my head, but seriously. How could I resist?

As if I need another lip gloss...

...but I really am obsessed with Lancome's new Juicy Tubes collection, Juicy Tubes Tropiques. There are four yummy colors - and I've already bought two of them, Berry Luster (a perfect sheer pink that tastes like mixed berries) and Bronzed Mocha (a perfect sheer sparkle that tastes like caramel). These are really having me jump on the Juicy Tubes bandwagon - sure they're sticky and a little gloppy, but just try them. They have a lot more shimmer than some of the more plain 'Tubes and really make your lips look amazingly sparkly, whether you wear them alone or over another lip color or stain. Please, please, someone save me from my lip gloss problem.

Mmmm. Amethysts.

My obsessions rarely include fragrances - usually, I find most women's fragrances to be too flowery or powdery; when I smell them, they hit me right between the eyes and make me sneeze. When I do fall in love with one, it's usually a spicy oriental, a crisp citrusy scent or one that's a combo of the two families - Armani Code was my last fave. Which is what makes my latest obsession so strange - Bulgari Omnia Amethyste is a floral, in a rather complicated-looking bottle that belies most of my usual style (maybe the Italian in me is taking over). But oh, the smell. They say the fragrance is a blend of Green Sap, Pink Grapefruit, Iris Flower, Bulgarian Rosebud, Heliotrope and Solar Wood. I think the pink grapefruit keeps the scent from being too flowery for me - whatever the chemistry, it's divine. I can't stop spraying it at work. What's really great is right now you can only get it at Sephora - Bulgari isn't even listing it on their Web site yet.

I love a guy in eyeliner

I went to see Spider-Man 3 this weekend and loved it. I liked the first two installments, and this one was a pretty pleasant surprise in terms of the entertainment factor. Spider-Man has always been my favorite Marvel character anyway, because he was a reluctant hero who started all his adventures as an awkward teenager. Spidey 3 is also cool because we get to see his "dark side," which comes out when black goo from outer space invades his body and makes him don a black costume, become a ladies' man and oh yes, wear some seriously emo eyeliner. I giggled through most of the scenes where Peter Parker shows his alter-ego Spidey, but you've gotta love a goth Spider-Man. At least I do.

Could a bronzer make me homesick?

When the bronzer is called "SoCal Glow," the answer is most certainly yes. This month marks my third year in NYC, so I think I can call myself a New Yorker now. But I spent more than 20 years of my life growing up in Southern California - Orange County (yes, that OC) to be exact, so when I saw Hard Candy's latest confection I literally squealed with delight. Not only is it a great bronzer (beautiful, shimmery and not at all orange), the packaging is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen. It's a whole map of Southern California, from the Santa Monica Pier to the dinosaurs on the way to Palm Springs to a teeny tiny Cinderella's Castle at one of my fave places on the planet, Disneyland. When you open it up, there's a little homage to the 405 and 5 Freeways, two roads I traveled almost every day in my SoCal life. I intend to frame mine - it just makes me happy.

Strangely Beautiful

Oooooh. M.A.C.'s spring collection, "Strange Hybrid," is so gorgeous. You must check out Moonflower, a beautiful blue shadow, and Hothouse, a lovely raspberry Lip Glass. Mmmmwa.