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Perfectly plummy, love

Anastasia Hendrix

Sunday, September 4, 2005

 San Francisco Gate

It's the peak of plum season, and things are looking especially plummy this fall, especially when it comes to makeup. It's regal, more flattering than you might think and a fun way to add a little drama to your look. Dark, smoldering eyes are back in a big way, as are juicy-looking lips and darker shades of polish on shorter nails. Here's some plum-perfect favorites ripe for the picking.

1 Clinique Sultry Plum mascara, $13.50, department stores. At least five major makeup lines have purple-hued mascaras in their collections, and this is one of the very best. Don't be thrown by the electric-looking color on the wand -- once applied it looks subtle, slightly brownish and much less harsh than wearing layers of black.

2 Yves Saint Laurent Jaipur compact, $50. Yves Saint Laurent, 166 Maiden Lane. The purple in the center of this limited-edition paisley-print pressed powder is surrounded by two shades of bronze to be used together or swept together over the entire face.

3 Stila Perfectly Plum eye and cheek palette, $30, Nordstrom. Three shades of eye shadow and lovely blush come lined up in this tweed compact, complete with mirror.

4 Kevyn Aucoin Basic Plum eyeliner, $22, Neiman Marcus. This creamy pencil comes with a blending applicator on the opposite side, which Aucoin makeup artist Nabiha Bukhari uses to blend in the color at the lash line for a seductive, smoky look. The pencil's deep plum tones are blended with a metallic brown that gives it a more universal appeal than some other, more purple-y liners.

5 LIP INK® Mini Kit in Plum, $33, www.lipink.com. This wax-free, semi- permanent lip color comes in 55 colors and contains natural pigments and 40 natural herbs and botanicals, including goldenseal, chamomile, rosemary extract, seaweed, calendula extract and beta carotene. I was skeptical when I first applied the liquid stain, but the color really did last all day and I only applied one layer. It can be applied in multiple layers for deeper color and isn't drying like many of the other long-lasting lip formulas can be.

6 Revlon Perfectly Polished Perfectly Plum lip gloss palette, $9.99, drugstores. Five shades, ranging from a pale purple frost to deep burgundy, handy for transitioning from a daytime office look to a vampier, sexier pout after hours. Works very well over the LIP INK® color mentioned above.

7 Plum Sapone per Cucina, $12, Scheuer Linen, 340 Sutter St. The artful packaging on this sweet-smelling soap makes it ideal for gift giving to your favorite hostess (or yourself).

8 Plum Plum Super Softening Body Oil, $34. Bliss Spa, wwwblissworld.com. As moisturizing as lotion, but dries in seconds and leaves you with that lovely just-stepped-out-of-the-shower sheen and a fresh, slightly fruity scent. For an added treat, head to the spa at the W Hotel on Third Street, where the treatment menu includes a $65 Plum Plum pedicure, in which your feet are "pruned and preened to perfection" with a plum-scented hot cream massage. If you go today, you'll also get free body oil and choice of Essie nail polish.

Perfectly plummy, love