February 2010

Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

February 21, 2010

MAC Metal Rock Mineralized Skinfinish (From 2005 Gold Play Collection) – One of the prettiest complex coppery-deep bronzey colors. I like to use this for eyeshadow rather than on the face. For my skin it’s too dark to use on the cheeks. The closest I’ve found to this is NARS Fez.
Bobbi Brown Penny Metallic Eyeshadow (From 2008 Bronzed Pink Collection) – Also limited edition. Gorgeous warm sandy copper shimmer. Highly pigmented. Blends like magic. Try Bobbi Brown Burnt Sugar as an alternative.
Chantecaille Cheer Blush – Soft light peachy pink glow.
Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
Chanel Seashell Glossimer – The perfect sheer glowy pink. It’s better than topping lipsticks with clear gloss because it just makes everything look better with a subtle shimmery glow.
March Issue of Lucky Magazine – This was a surprise for me, normally I don’t really find many things in this magazine that appeal to me, but in this issue there are so many cute outfit and shoe ideas in this issue. Definitely a good read!
Pottery Barn Vintage Milk Bottles – Couldn’t find the individual ones online, but they have them instore. So cute to store pencils or small flowers. Online they have a set of 6 with the labels on the sides.

These are the ones from Pottery Barn Online:
Michael Bublé – I love his music. He has such a great voice. His songs Some Kind of Wonderful and Just Haven’t Met You Yet make my heart skip a beat.

Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek Powder

February 18, 2010

Paul & Joe has expanded their blush line with a new product called Creamy Cheek Color. There are currently 5 shades: 01 Marionette, 02 Kitten, 03 Peaches, 04 Butterfly, 05 Dusk. Each come in a mirrored compact the same size as the Face Color Blushes. The shades are all beautiful and have a subtle shimmer infused for a pretty glow. These retail for $24 each USD.

Swatches on bare skin:

Comparisons to other brands/similar colors:

Initial thoughts: I haven’t worn any of these for a full day yet, but I did test out 01 Marionette on my face as soon as I got it. It has an easily blendable texture and slightly powdery finish. The pigment is medium-sheer which is about the same as NARS Multiples, just less shimmery and less dewey looking on the skin.

Being the P&J fan that I am, I love these. I think everyone can find at least 1 flattering color. I know a few of my tan olive-toned friends love 05 🙂

For those who are wondering about the finish – the shimmer is very subtle. Not overly frosty like NARS Multiples or even MAC Blushcremes Sweet William/Blossoming. They give a pretty natural glow and the shimmer makes it so it doesn’t look too heavy or flat on the skin.

These were purchased from Bergdorf Goodman and should also be available soon at other Paul & Joe retailers.

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Tarte Discoveries: Cheek Tint & Cheek Stains

February 15, 2010

I found some beauty buzz online about a new Flower Child palette and went to the Tarte website to investigate. I didn’t end up getting the palette, but a few other things caught my eye so I took advantage of the recent 40% code and got:

The Perfect Pink Cheek Tint – sheer baby pink cream
Dollface Cheek Stain – sheer cool baby pink shimmer
Flower Child Cheek Stain – rosy reddish brown shimmer

The Cheek Tint comes in one shade called “The Perfect Pink” and retails for $30. It comes in a mirrored compact and is supposed to contain a wrinkle-reverse technology. Even though I don’t have wrinkles or fine lines on my cheeks, the color looked pretty online so I decided to give it a try.

The texture is very creamy and easily blendable and non-sticky. The finish is a sheer natural pink which is great for a no-blush but natural pink look on the cheeks. If you’re looking for a lot of pigment – then this probably isn’t the blush for you. I wouldn’t recommend this for oily skin since this is more on the moist side. I have normal skin and I can definitely feel it on the face after it’s applied.

For the Cheek Stains, both are easily blendable and have a sweet scent. Both are on the moist side, but not too sticky. It does feel moist and slightly dewy on the face. I’ve been wearing one on each side of my face all day alone, over powder/foundation and I didn’t get oily or greasy – but today’s activity level was on the low side so I’ll have to play around with these more to see how long they last etc. Like the Cheek Tint, I can also feel this on the face after I apply/blend it.

Dollface is a pretty cool-toned light pink shimmer that gives a natural pink glow. It’s not too light for me right now and I think it will definitely be wearable in summer months for slightly tanned skin.

Flower Child is described as a “deep golden rose” – to me it’s a deeper rosey brownish shade. It’s different from what I normally pick, but it’s a pretty warm rosey color. When I swatched it I was worried it would be too warm, but on the cheeks, it gives a natural rosey flush.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day!

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Saks Pure Beauty Event Feb 25 – March 6

February 14, 2010

This is a scan from the latest Saks Catalog – you can see it online at Saks.com. The gift is a tote in brown, pink or yellow with 5 listed samples and coupons. I didn’t scan the picture of the totes, but if you click to Saks.com’s Beauty Catalog on Page 4-5, you can see what they look like and pics of the samples. The gifts and qualifiers for each individual line are listed below (click for larger viewing):

I already posted about this, but in case you missed it, exclusive to Saks is a Laura Mercier set with a Bold Berries Eyeshadow Quad, Mini Pink Rose Shimmer Block, Full Sized Babydoll lipgloss, mini mascara and face primer, and 2 mini brushes. I believe it retails for $65. Neimans and Nordstrom also have their own exclusive sets from Laura Mercier.

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Neiman Marcus Beauty Event GWP List Feb 25 – March 7

February 13, 2010

I stopped by Neimans yesterday to check out the Chantecaille Dauphins Palette & New Lip Chics. My SA gave me the gift list for the upcoming beauty events.

The details: Spend $100 and get a denim bag. It doesn’t say if there are any samples in the bag or not. There are gifts with each line individually below. Want to know my thoughts? Read at the end of the list down at the bottom.

The bag, as usual, is hideously ugly and in my opinion, a terrible incentive. If it weren’t for the individual line GWPs I wouldn’t purchase anything. The only 2 GWPs I find appealing are Chantecaille’s & Giorgio Armani’s.

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Paul & Joe Alice In Wonderland Fantasy & Daydream Sets

February 10, 2010

The Paul & Joe Alice in Wonderland Sets have arrived in-store! They won’t be available for sale online officially until the launch of the upcoming movie release, but you can call various boutiques to do a phone order or put yourself on the waitlist for a presale.

So far, I know Bergdorf Goodman & Beautyhabit both received the sets instore, but in very limited quantities. I know other boutiques will be getting these in as well, so check out the Paul & Joe website for store locations and info.

Each set retails for $48 and comes with a blotting paper compact, blotting paper refill, lip treatment stick and a cute tin. There are 2 versions:

* Fantasy (001) is the pink set with the White Rabbit & Cheshire Cat on the tin
* Daydream (002) is the blue set with a daydreaming Alice & teapot

Both tins opened:

Close up of 001 Fantasy tin with the box:

Close up of 002 Daydream tin with the box:

Close up of Lip Treatments, 001 & 002:

When I found out Paul & Joe would be doing an Alice theme, I didn’t think I would be all that excited. Alice in Wonderland is actually one of my least favorite classic Disney movies, mainly because I found it extremely frightening when I was little. But, after seeing the preview photos from my Paul & Joe resource and also on Rouge Deluxe (my ultimate source for Paul & Joe beauty news and coverage) I knew I had to have these. Of course my dear friend Josie and I have been enabling each other with nonstop chatter about these upcoming sets too. I am anxious to hear what she thinks of them when she picks hers up!

The Lip Treatments are tinted but it looks like they will be going on clear on the lips. No swatches since I ordered these from Beautyhabit so I could get these in time for a Valentine’s Day Gift for my sister (I hope she’s not reading this blog today). I am waiting for my own personal order from Bergdorf Goodman which probably won’t be here for another week which I am really excited about.

So are these sets really worth $48? While $48 may seem pricey for blotting paper and lip balm, I personally think these are well worth the price. Beauty Moogle Zone broke down the prices if you were to purchase some items individually. These are more of a novelty collectors item but I love them. Even though I’m not a huge Alice fan, I still think these are really cute. The packaging and layout and promotional photos are phenomenal! Great job Paul & Joe!!!

Want other resources or previews from other people? Check out the Paul & Joe Facebook Fan Page for the latest news, coverage and photos. My blog is actually featured on there several times!

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Rescue Beauty Lounge Killa Red

February 9, 2010

I believe every woman needs a good classic red nail polish in their stash. A good classic red is probably one of the favorite color families for toe-nail polish. I normally don’t wear reds on my fingers (more of a neutrals girl for manicures), but I thought today, why not try it on the hands.

Rescue Beauty Lounge’s Killa Red Nail Polish is definitely that perfect classic red shade – it’s not too bright and not too dark, just the right in-between shade for my liking.

The formula is excellent for this color. I’ve been testing out a few of my other RBL nail polishes one by one and I don’t love all of them – but this one is more along the lines of your typical high quality RBL nail polish. Smooth and rich in color.

Here it is swatched with 2 coats.

Swatched with different backgrounds:

Compared to a few other Rescue Beauty Lounge Reds, Killa Red is one of the more darker reds without venturing into the burgandy/wine category. Cherry Love is more blue-based and cooler toned, Glamourpuss is a brighter warmer more attention-grabbing red, Chinoise is an orangey-red color. I’ve used all the shades on my toes in the past and love them. I think RBL has a great selection of reds to choose from.