Color Me Mine

As a little girl, I absolutely loved crayons and coloring. (As a matter of fact, I still do.) I loved finding new colors in my little yellow Crayola carton and going to town on whatever unsuspecting coloring book I had in front of me. Well, I have to tell you - times have not really changed much. The only difference now is that Crayola carton is the MAC make-up counter and instead of a poor unsuspecting coloring book, I now color my face.

Well I am here to tell you that bold, bright color - one of THE TRENDS right now- is something that you can rock too.

I have a few recommendations so even if you are not completely adventurous when it comes to your make-up hues, you can still have fun with color this fall.

Trend #1: Brightly colored nail polish

Nowadays there is no excuse to not try something daring on your hands or feet. If you are a shy gal or just jumping into colored nail polish waters (you always do the same sheer shade of pink, or are a clear girl at heart) there are a number of shades to try that will be more daring than what you are used to but won't cause your conservative nail polish heart to stop. You don't have to be super bright like Rihanna, but you can still join this trend easily without doing the bright yellow polish.

Best budget colors for nails: Revlon Nail Enamel - $4.99 (Drugstores nationwide and online at drugstore.com)

Best mid-range colors for nails: OPI India Collection and Mod About Brights Collection- $5.95-$9.95 (visit http://www.opi.com/ for locations to purchase)

Best splurge colors for nails: Chanel Robertson Exclusive Line- $25 (Department Stores nationwide and online at http://www.chanel.com/)

Trend #2: Bright lips

Beware. This trend can go very wrong. Try colors on, make sure you like them and please, let the rest of your make-up take a back seat to your fabulous lips. Too much of a good thing in colored make-up can make you look like an Andy Warhol painting. But get this trend right and you will look fabulous. See my favorite Gilmore Girl above, Alexis Bledel.

Best budget for lips: Wet n' Wild Megacolors Lipstick - $1.99 (Drugstores nationwide and online for retail informtion at http://www.wnwbeauty.com/)

Best splurge for lips: MAC lipstick - $14 (MAC stores and department stores nationwide, online at http://www.maccosmetics.com/)

Trend #3: Bright eyes

I LOVE bright colored eyeshadow. It is everyone's friend. You can just have a touch of sheer color to highlight your eyes in a way you never thought possible or you can go for the full on blast of neon that will set you apart from the make-up faint of heart. As with the lipstick I recommend trying some colors before you dive in, but be not afraid. Once you become comfortable with bright colorful eyeshadow, your shimmery browns will seem SO boring.

Best budget buys for eyes:

- Wet n' Wild MegaEyes Shadow Pot - $1.99 (Drugstores nationwide and online at ww.wnwbeauty.com for retailer information)

- L'Oreal HIP Bright Duos - $7.00 (Drugstores nationwide and online at Drugstore.com)

Best splurges for eyes:

- Too Faced Shadow Duos - $17 (Sephora nationwide and online at http://www.toofaced.com/)

- Urban Decay Eyeshadow - $16 (Sephora nationwide and online at http://www.urbandecay.com/)

- Mac Eyeshadow - $14.50 (Mac Stores and department stores nationwide, online at http://www.maccosmetics.com/)

So there you are BGND readers - a bright colorful guide to the trend you should be working right now. A quick note, there is a reason that I mention Wet n' Wild a few times in today's post. They are PERFECT for someone who just wants to dabble in trendy make-up. Their products are very affordable, easy to find and if you find out that a certain color or any bright color for that matter is not for you - you are simply out $2. But if you find a color you love, you cannot beat any make-up for $2.

Keep looking fabulous ala Rainbow Brite!

BNGD