Estee Lauder just released a gorgeous fall collection with a two different color themes: Rose Gold and Rose Amethyst. I’m normally not an Estee Lauder fan, but the new Rose Amethyst Eyeshadow quad was absolutely gorgeous! The look featured on the model was breathtaking, but I cannot find a picture online as of yet. These items were purchased at Saks, but it appears they are available for sale online at nordstrom.com!
Pictured below includes: * Rose Amethyst Eyeshadow Quad $35 – has a slight overspray, but you can see the true color through the patterned gold veins * Rose Gold Pure Color Multi Gloss $18 * Bronze Double Wear Eye Pencil $19 (this really does stay in place!) * Gilded Rose Shimmer Powder $36
Close up of the Bronze Eye Liner and Rose Gold Gloss:
Also in the collection:
* Black Plum Double Wear Eyeliner (shimmering violet plum) * Rose Gold Signature Eyeshadow Quad (warmer and more rosy than the Amethyst) * Pure Color Gloss in Amethyst (similar to the rosey one I got, just with purples) * 4 Signature Lipsticks in Cinnamon, Rose Amethyst, Plum Amethyst, Terracotta * 2 Pure Color Nail Lacquers in Black Amethyst (gorgeous vibrant plum) and Rose Gold (warm rosey gold, think Bobbi Brown’s Rose Gold Shimmerwash Eyeshadow – just happened to be a tad too warm for me)
For my storage options, I opted for the Ikea Alex Unit with 9 Drawers. The nice thing about the Alex Unit is that it has 2 different heights for drawers, smaller ones at the top, and taller ones at the bottom. This makes it so you can store other non-makeup items such as laundry accessories, small towels, small papers or cards etc.
Close up of a few drawers (the shorter ones):
Stila Cans to store long brushes & Hello Kitty Brush Cup:
Crate & Barrel Storage Containers to store the shorter items (but works for long pencils too):
MUJI Acrylic Round Pots without lids to store long pencils and other brushes:
Coming next – more storage options from girls in the beauty industry!
One downside to accumulating and collecting makeup is the challenge of finding ways to store your products, trying to squeeze in all your blushes, eyeshadows, lipsticks and brushes keeping them organized in a way that that allows you to access your items easily.
There are number of beautiful different vanities and drawer options available, but when it comes to storing makeup, the options don’t always fit what I’m looking for. The ideal storage unit for me is something with lots of drawers that aren’t too tall, deep or wide and compact enough to put in a corner of a room or store somewhere discrete. And of course – not too expensive!
I find that Pottery Barn and Ikea are great for their room ideas online. For those who don’t have a large built-in vanity or bathroom counter to store things, here are some nice storage options for small spaces:
1. Pottery Barn Bathroom Bureau $599 – a classic looking hardwood framed unit with moisture-resistant finish, also includes their Smart Technology strip for a plug in point for hair irons or curlers, and an adjustable mirror. It has a beautiful finish and look!
2. Ikea Alex Unit with 9 Drawers $119 – a cheaper alternative to the Pottery Barn Bureau, slightly smaller and narrower in dimension, made of particle board instead of hardwood, but with more drawers. Ikea has four different units in the Alex series, giving you options for different widths and heights.
3. Ikea Helmer Drawer Unit on Casters $39.99 – a cute steel 6 drawer unit on wheels that comes in three different colors, red, silver and white. Small enough to slide under your desk. Check out the Ikea Workspace Rooms for ideas!
Also check out Ikea Bathrooms for other storage options.
To store longer items such as brushes, mascara tubes, eye liner and lipliner pencils, I’ve found that Stila Paint Cans work extremely well. The downside is that most are not for sale and I’ve been lucky enough to get some through friends. Some alternative storage units I’ve found include:
4. MUJI Acrylic Round Pen Pot – I originally found these in London when I went several years ago. They have an entire Acrylic Storage series with some great storage options. I love these for their high quality and sturdiness. Unfortunately, they are based in the UK with locations around the world outside of the US. At this time, it appears they are available in the US only in New York. Click here for locations. I do believe some of their sites ship to the US. I’ve been lucky enough to get these through friends who travel overseas and also through a few custom purchases!
5. MUJI Acrylic Case with 5 Rows $23.95 – MUJI does have a US online store, but the selection is limited and doesn’t have all the same products as what they do have overseas. This is a cute 5-drawer acrylic storage unit – there are more variations and options with 2-drawers, small, large, and a unit with a flip-top lid as well. However most of the other options are on the UK website.
5. Crate & Barrel Storage Containers with Lids $4.95 and $5.95 – These are the closest items I could find in the US to those Muji Acrylic Pots. I found these are great for shorter brushes and pencils. The smaller ones are 3.5″ in diameter by 3.75″ high, while the larger ones run 4″ in diameter by 5″ high. Just remove the lids and they turn into the perfect storage container for your shorter items!
In addition to nudes, I’m also obsessed with shimmery brown and bronzey liners. Here’s a series of shimmery brown eyeliners – yes, I know a lot of them look exactly the same . . . but what can I say, I get sucked in with every new bronzey color that comes out!
The products – pencils and gel liners:
Swatches on Laura Mercier Bamboo Beige Silk Creme Foundation to prime:
1. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Brown Sugar 2. Stila Kajal Eye Liner – Bronze 3. MAC Eye Kohl – Powersurge 4. MAC Splashproof PowerPoint Eye Pencil – Bountiful Brown 5. MAC Pearlglide Eye Liner – Spare Change 6. MAC Technakohl – Plank 7. MAC Eye Kohl – Teddy 8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil – Underground 9. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil – Bourbon 10. Trish McEvoy Eye Definer – Sparkling Bronze 11. Chanel Precision Eye Definer- Brun Cuivre 12. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Brown Copper 13. Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil – 02 ME Brown 14. Le Metier de Beaute – Tamarack 15. Becca Line + Illuminate Pencil – Mustique 16. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eye Liner – Bronze Shimmer 17. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eye Liner – Chocolate Shimmer Ink 18. Stila Smudgepot – Bronze 19. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner – Bronze
Bobbi Brown’s newest collection is another series of nudes. The new Nude Collection for 2009, consists of a new shimmer brick, eye palette, gel liner and four creamy lip colors. I’m a huge fan of nude colors, and this collection is absolutely lovely in my opinion!!! Here are the items with a couple promo pics:
I have fallen in love with a new luxury cosmetics line called Le Metier de Beaute. Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog kindly featured me as a guest blogger in May with a review and introduction on the line. You can find the pictures and review here to find out more about their Galatea Eye Kit, Persephone Eye Kit, Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses, Lip Cremes, and Lipsticks.
For a mini intro, the line launched exclusively at Bergdorfs and select Neiman Marcus locations last October 2008 and most of the products are available for purchase online at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. The line may be available at few boutique salons and recently launched in the UK at Libertys. Be prepared to see price points similar to that of Dolce & Gabbana (see previous D&G feature here) and Giorgio Armani products.
Since last month’s feature at Makeup and Beauty Blog, I have added a few more glosses and lipsticks to my collection, visited the Neiman Marcus Le Metier counter at the Beverly Hills location and joined the Le Metier de Beaute fan club on Facebook. I have ordered items from the Neimans at King of Prussia (Product Specialist is Ellen) and Beverly Hills (Product Specialist is Scott) locations and both of them are extremely helpful, patient and great at describing colors and making recommendations over the phone.
For my updated collection, I’ve separated the items into two different groups Lilac/Pinks/Reds and Beiges/Peaches/Nudes. There are 2 different formulas, Sheer Brilliance Glosses and Lip Cremes and they are both are mixed in each group. Please refer to Makeup and Beauty Blog for a description on each formula.
Group 1: Lilac/Pinks/Reds, left to right Cap D’Antibes, Marsala, Sweet Creme*, Vanilla Rose*, Cannes, Dubai, Ibiza, Siena, Fraise Creme*
Group 2: Beiges/Peaches/Nudes, left to right Sunset Boulevard*, Zanzibar, Apricot Creme*, Peche Creme*, Creme Caramel*, Captiva, Cafe Creme*, Bondi Beach, Papaye Creme*
(Please note, a * indicates the creme formula. Also note, that Sunset Boulevard, Zanzibar, Marsala and Siena were gifts with purchases and as far as I know, are not available for purchase in the regular line.)
Some of the glosses also come in a lipstick form, here are four of the lipsticks compared with the gloss versions.
Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick & Sheer Brilliance Gloss, left to right San Tropez, Cannes/Cannes, Ibiza/Ibiza, Marrakech
Have you heard about or tried this line? Thoughts? I have seen it featured in a few places and hope they will start advertising more as well as expand their distribution to more retail locations. Le Metier de Beaute was featured in Neiman Marcus’ May 2009 issue of THE BOOK as well as Bergdorf’s Spring Beauty Book section. There is also a picture of their new nail polishes in this month’s Instyle – looks pretty but very tiny!
Kalidescope Kits featured in THE BOOK:
The bottom eye kit is called Persephone, more close ups/info at makeup and beauty blog! I have nothing but raves about the quality of this line. However, I’m not sure the high price tag will attract enough customers, and on each occasion I have placed orders, the counters have been out of stock on at least 2-3 items. However I have received great customer service from the Product Specialists and each time they always offer to locate it at another location and have it shipped directly to me. Also, not all stores received the same items (such as the spring lip kits or eye kits or nail polishes) as what is online. At this time I am not sure if their store distribution is delayed or if the buyers at Neimans simply chooses different products for each location.
If you’ve seen features on this anywhere, please share! I’d love to see more pics or hear about more reviews on the line since it appears that the line selection is not the same everywhere based on the buyers decisions. More to follow on other items soon!
