Butter London Holiday 2012 Collection

The Butter London fall polish collection was one of my favorites of the whole last season, I am still in love with many of the shades in it and it made my very excited for the holiday polish collection.  I am confident that this is not going to be a collection of only reds, silvers, and golds; I am really excited to see how Butter London treats the holidays!  I am excited for lots of shimmer and glitter and some interesting shades from this line...also I am very excited to see what names this company comes up with for the holiday shades.  Some of my favorite Christmas-themed books are the Agatha Raisin series from M.C. Beaton and I love the British traditions that are in place around the holidays so I am even more excited for this collection of shades from England!

This collection does not appear to be on the Butter London website so I have found the shades and the descriptions on the Nordstrom website.  I am surprised that I could not find them on the company's website but perhaps I was looking in the wrong place...not sure what is going on here.  Anyway, the Nordstrom website shows five new shades to dress up your nails this holiday season and I am hoping that I can find several new shades to add to my polish collection.

The Nordstrom website states the following as a description of the polish formula, "What is 3 Free? butter LONDON is a 3 Free company: no formaldehyde, no toluene, no DBP (dibutyl phthalate). This luxury nail lacquer is high-fashion, heavily pigmented and safe. butter LONDON believes in rock 'n' roll. Great Britain. And Fashion."  This company promotes their "3 Free" formula, this company does not include three of the worse chemicals in their formula.  Does this make the formula superior?  In theory, it should but I haven't seen a giant difference between this formula and many other companies.

Here are the shades in the holiday collection!

- Fairy Cake - a mixture of small silver shimmer and large holographic glitter
- Fiddlesticks - deep cool berry base with deep pink glitter
- Jack the Lad - deep forest green base with gold shimmer
- Scallywag - bright dense sky blue glitter
- Scuppered - metallic bronze with red and gold glitter

Fiddlesticks is the shade that I have pictured with this post, I love this deep magenta shade.  I will wear it on my nails throughout the fall and winter months but it will still work very well in the spring and summer months when used in pedicures.  This might be my favorite shade of the collection so far! 

I think that the only shade that I don't like in this collection is Scuppered, this bronze has a metallic finish already and the gold and red glitter just overpowers the base shade and makes the whole finish just look ugly.  I will be skipping over this shade without a question.  I still consider this collection to be top notch, liking four of the five shades is pretty good for any polish line.  Jack the Lad is my second favorite shade, I love this deep green and it will work well with both my holiday party outfits and all of my Eagles gear...a total keeper!  Scallywag and Fairy Cake are both nice shades but I don't really need them the way that I do the other two shades that I talked about in this collection.

This is the most unique holiday polish collection that I have looked at so far...it might be tied for my favorite with the Skyfall collection from OPI.  I will have to head to Ulta and see what is left yet from this collection!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Lady Gaga Fame

The first fragrance from Lady Gaga came out a bit over two months ago and I have tried it several times at the counters however I have been putting off buying it.  First of all, I have no room for any new fragrances and second of all, I haven't fallen in love with it the way that I was expecting to.  I do like this fragrance and it smells very nice on my skin but this just wasn't what I was expecting from the much-hyped first fragrance from Lady Gaga.  Two years ago, Lady Gaga was my absolute favorite artist and I would have her music on whenever I had the chance to listen to it.  I still like her a lot and enjoy her music but she isn't really my favorite anymore and I feel that overall much of the hype around her has faded over the past few months...

I was still excited to hear that she brought out a fragrance, even though I usually do not like celeb fragrances.  When I first heard that Lady Gaga was involved with the creation, I knew that this fragrance really had the potential to be different than the generic fruity-floral celeb fragrance, I still haven't gotten over the awful line of fragrances from Katy Perry and I was hoping that this one didn't go down the same route.  I was expecting this fragrance to be very floral and gourmand, Lady is not your run-of-the-mill celeb and I don't think that she would put her name on any fragrance that was.

When I talk about what I was expecting, please envision what the following fragrances smell like: Tom Ford Black Orchid or Thierry Mugler Angel.  Something complex and full-bodied with lots of fragrance to it.  This is not a fragrance that will be for the subtle lady or worn for casual weekends.  This was the picture that was in my head when I first reached for the perfume tester at Macy*s.  I have seen the fragrance at Macy*s and Sephora so far and I will pull all the information and the notes from the Sephora website. 

Some background to begin with.  "Two years of invasive experimentation in Paris laboratories have led to the launch of Lady Gaga Fame Eau de Parfum. The first-of-its-kind fragrance technology is an extract of Gaga’s bold and demanding sexiness. Darkness, light, and sensuality merge to reveal an opulent, addictive fragrance that’s black like the soul of fame, but invisible once airborne.  Embrace Lady Gaga Fame, the sultry, black eau de parfum. First of its kind in fluid technology, it is black like the soul of Fame but invisible once airborne. This black fluid exudes a lustful, floral, fruity essence for fabulous little monsters.  Enriched with tears of belladonna, a black veil of incense, and pulverized apricot, this fragrance may cause illicit fits of extravagance, unrivalled rushes of adoration, and prolonged moments of ecstasy and rapture." 

What two words are right next to each other?!?!?  Fruity and floral...this is exactly what I thought this fragrance would never be!  To be fair, these notes are still not the traditional notes that are contained in this style of fragrance.  Here are the notes that Lady Gaga has put into her first fragrance - Belladonna, Incense, Apricot, Honey Drops, Tiger Orchidea, Jasmin Sambac.

First of all, even though this fragrance was not quite what I expecting, I do really like it.  The first aspect of the fragrance that I noticed when I tried it is that the bottle itself is not black, it is clear.  The fragrance itself is black and sprays out black, but turns clear as soon as it hits the skin.  My first worry was that it wouldn't turn clear and create a mess on my skin (if you are a fan of spraying fragrance on your clothes, I would recommend finding out if it stays black on fabric before you try it!!).  Thankfully it turned clear and this aspect of the fragrance disappeared. 

The next aspect of the fragrance that I noticed was that it was sweeter than I was expecting, I was expecting a full assault of the Jasmine note and this wasn't the case.  The Apricot and Honey came out on my skin instantly and then the Belladonna and Jasmine came out.  This is  still a stronger fragrance but not as strong as I really thought that it would be.  This fragrance lasted all day on me and I could still smell it after getting a shower that night, styaing power is very impressive...

So why haven't I bought this yet?!  I have already stated that I have no room on my bureau and really shouldn't be buying any perfumes at all.  I have gone back to Macy*s several times now and keep trying the fragrance, each time that I do, I find that I like it more and more but I know that it must be a fall and winter fragrance for me so I would be best waiting for a bit and then buying it once I have more room.

Overall, one of the best celeb fragrances on the market, it actually smells like perfume and it is obvious that Gaga actually was involved in the creation of the fragrance instead of just slapping her name on the bottle.  This fragrance comes in several sizes of EDP and matching body products.  Now I do see a rollerball version on the Sephora website that I didn't see at Macy*s and we all know that I could fit a rollerball on my crowded dresser...

photo courtesty of Sephora

OPI Holiday 2012 Collection - Skyfall

I am so excited for the release of the newest James Bond movie, Skyfall.  I have always enjoyed James Bond movies and loved the style of Bond himself but ever since Daniel Craig has started playing the Bond character, I have been in love with the movies and I can't wait to see the newest version of the movies.  I hate seeing movies in the theater and I actually want to go out and see this film on the opening weekend...very few movies can get me to want to come out and deal with the rest of the population at the movies. 

I knew that many companies would try and do product tie-ins with the release of this movie and my favorite so far is the nail polish collection from OPI.  Skyfall is their holiday collection and the collection that celebrates the glamour and style of the ladies that are in the Bond movies.  A special manicure was created for this movie, one shade on the top of the nail and another shade on the bottom tip of the nail.  Adele has been spotted in a nail look that is very similar to this...she does the theme song for the movie so I bet she got a sneak peek and feel in love with the unique nail look.  My nails are too short to make the look really pop, so I will have to let my nails grow out a bit if I really want to go after this look.  I doubt that I will really go after though, by the time that I have grown my nails out to be long enough, I will be on to something else and done with the look...

I know that I want to buy polishes from this collection and I will be hitting up Ulta so very soon, I know that this collection will sell fast and I will have to move quickly to get exactly the shades that I must have.  Each of the shades in this collection is named after a specific Bond movie from history, my favorite movie was Casino Royale so I am hoping that I love that shade.

Here we go with the Skyfall collection!

This collection is divided into two categories: the Seductive Shades and the Dangerous Shades.  We are going to start with the seductive shades, I see lots of reds and many shades with glitter and shimmer finishes in this category.

- Goldeneye - very dense yellow gold glitter suspended in a clear base
- The Spy Who Loved Me - bright coral red with gold shimmer
- Die Another Day - orange red with subtle silver shimmer
- Casino Royale - deep berry plum cream
- You Only Live Twice - bright magenta with strong gold shimmer
- Skyfall - deep maroon cream

Onto the Dangerous Shades...

- Moonraker - silver with a frost finish
- Tommorrow Never Dies - deep periwinkle with silver shimmer
- The Living Daylights - clear base with teal, red, silver, and copper large glitter pieces
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service - smoky blue base with multi-hued shimmer
- Live and Let Die - deep black with a green cast and gold shimmer
- The World is Not Enough - silvery deep rose with rose shimmer

I see a bunch of shades that I want here.  I think the first shade that I must have is the Goldeneye shade, this is the perfect golden glitter hue and will fit right in with any holiday look that I can come up with.  Lately I have been buying a lot of red and black clothing and this gold polish will perfectly complement all the clothing that I have brought home.  This is also the shade that was used on the underside of the nail in the special look created for the movie, one of the deep red hues was used for the top of the nail.  Goldeneye will work well for me in an accent manicure, against all the shades of red polishes that I have bought in the past few weeks.

After I get Goldeneye, I still have a few other shades that I want to buy.  On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Tommorrow Never Dies are the two other hues that I want to add to my collection, I will wear these all winter and they will work very well with all the clothing that I have been buying lately.  Casino Royale is a bit of a disappointment, I was really hoping to love the shade but it isn't really doing anything for me.  I don't really love any of the reds either, they remind me very much of the reds in the China Glaze holiday collection and I wasn't interested in buying any of the those. 

I love some of these nail shades and now I am even more excited for when the movie opens!

photo courtesy of OPI

MAC Holiday Gift Collection - Glam It Up: Viva Glam Holiday Kit

We are now on the last part of the MAC holiday collection, a part that is near and dear to my heart and one that I have given many gifts from in years past.  I am talking about the Viva Glam gift sets, every cent of the proceeds from these sales go to benefit the MAC AIDS foundation so you can buy a great gift and help those in need all at the same time.  I do love that I can give to more than one person when purchasing from this part of the collection but I don't know that I will be buying any of the Viva Glam Nicki products since I don't think that any of my friends liked that shade.

Here is the description of the collection from MAC, "Holiday cheer meets holiday chic in the pitch perfect pairing of Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin for M•A•C VIVA GLAM. Every cent of the selling price goes towards helping women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS."  I wish that I had one or more people to give this giftset to since I love the Viva Glam line from this company.  Maybe next year...

Viva Glam It Up Bag - A clasp-top clutch of glossy black leopard print vinyl over red satin keepsakes two signature lip luxuries - Nicki Minaj's scene-stealing pink satin finish Lipstick and Ricky Martin's colourless Lip Conditioner. Limited edition.

This lipstick shade is a bright pink with a yellow undertone, the yellow undertone is what made this product totally unwearable for me and it is the reason that I didn't buy it when it first came onto the scene.  And you all know how much I wanted this lipstick for months...until I saw it in real life at the counter. 

With the fact that this lipstick was bearly unwearable for me, I doubt that I will be buying this set for any of my friends.  I feel like this group of holiday gift collections ended on a bit of a low note however it is only because I hate the Viva Glam Nicki shade...almost any shade from the previous year and this set would be on my shopping list!

I hope that you have accomplished two things while looking at the MAC holiday gift collections, first picking out a few gifts for the friends and family on your list and second, finding a few little gifts for yourself!  Happy gift shopping!

photo courtesy of MAC

MAC Holiday Gift Collection - Primped Out: Holiday Eye, Lip, and Brush Kits

Primped Out is the biggest part of the MAC gifting collection, it contains a large series of cosmetic bags that are filled with great MAC makeup!  A different version of this collection is available every single year from the MAC holiday collection and is always one of the first to sell out both online and at the counters.  I am the last person who needs more makeup bags, I have so many from Clinique gifts but I still really like this bags and know that I will buy at least one or more of these sets for myself (along with some for my friends)!  This collection contains all kinds of products available in animal print makeup bags, whatever your favorite type of MAC product is, there is a very good chance that you will find it in at least one of these sets.

"'Tis the season to be chic. Everywhere you turn there's fabulous colour, parties, people, gifts-and now there's a collection of style-packed, leopard-print M∙A∙C Holiday bags and kits to fill the season with glamour."  Personally, I find this to be the best MAC gift collection as there is so many choices and you will be able to find a gift for anyone on your list from this collection.  I will be buying a nuch of the sets from this collection.

Here we go!

Primped Out Eye Look Bag: Sensual Peach - Dramatize eyes with Eye Shadow X 2 in Dazzle Me and Mulch, Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown, Bad, Bad Black Opulash and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush in a style-packed, leopard print M∙A∙C Holiday bag.
- Eye Shadow x 2 in Dazzle Me and Mulch - light peach with gold pearl (Satin)/red brown with bronze pearl (Velvet)
- Mascara in Bad, Bad Black - deep black
- Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown - deep rich brown

Primped Out Eye Look Bag: Decadently Pink - Dramatize eyes with Eye Shadow X 2 in Radical Pink and Shadowy Lady, Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Bordeaux, Bad, Bad Black Opulash and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush in a style-packed, leopard print M∙A∙C Holiday bag.
- Eye Shadow x 2 in Radical Pink and Shadowy Lady - powder pink with silver sheen pearl (Frost)/blackened plum (Matte)
- Mascara in Bad, Bad Black - deep black
- Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Bordeaux - soulful deep rich plum

Primped Out Eye Look Bag: Drama Taupe - Dramatize eyes with Eye Shadow X 2 in Filament and Black Tied, Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved, Bad, Bad Black Opulash and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush in a style-packed, leopard print M∙A∙C Holiday bag.
- Eye Shadow x 2 in Filament and Black Tied - platinum silver (Lustre)/black with silver sparkle (Velvet)
- Mascara in Bad, Bad Black - deep black
- Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved - rich black

Primped Out Lip Look Bag: Lavish Coral - A style-packed, leopard print M∙A∙C Holiday bag with Lipstick in Shy Girl, Cremesheen Glass in Kiss Me Softly and Lip Pencil in Boldy Bare.
- Lipstick in Shy Girl - creamy neutral coral beige (Cremesheen)
- Cremesheen Glass in Kiss Me Softly - soft peach with gold pearl
- Lip Pencil in Boldy Bare - dirty red brown

Primped Out Lip Look Bag: Luxurious Pink - A style-packed, leopard print M∙A∙C Holiday bag with Lipstick in Lickable, Cremesheen Glass in Call Me Gorgeous and Lip Pencil in Great Catch.
- Lipstick in Lickable - bright clean blue pink (Cremesheen)
- Cremesheen Glass in Call Me Gorgeous - bright fuchsia with gold pearl
- Lip Pencil in Great Catch - bright cream fuchsia

Perfectly Plush Brush Kit: Mineralize - Deliver professional results with 187 Duo Fibre Brush, 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush, 286 Duo Fibre Tapered Brush and 282 Duo Fibre Shader Brush. All you need to perfect your holiday look.

Perfectly Plush Brush Kit: Advanced - Deliver professional results with 167 Bronzer Brush, 168 Large Angled Contour Brush, 239 Eye Shader Brush, 217 Blending Brush and 212 Flat Definer Brush. All you need to perfect your holiday look.

Perfectly Plush Brush Kit: Essential - Deliver professional results with 190 Foundation Brush, 129 Powder/Blush Brush, 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush, 266 Small Angle Brush and 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush. All you need to perfect your holiday look.

Soooo...this wasn't quite the amazing collection that I had imagined it to be.  The sets are nice but there isn't really any that jump right out to me as the perfect gift for someone on my list.  The only item that I must have for myself is the Lip Look Bag in Luxurious Pink, this will be on my shopping list for the next time that I go to the MAC counter and I love both the shades in it and the bag itself.  This is one the only item that I must have and therefore I guess that I will be spending more on gifts from this collection than on myself. 

The eye shadow kits are very nice and I think that they will make the best gifts for the people on my list.  I have a few friends that would also like the pink lip bag but I don't think that any of my friends would like the coral lip set.  The brush sets are another area that I don't really think that I would give many out as gifts, I could see some of my friends liking them but I know that they would prefer the color sets.

This is nice gift collection but it isn't the stunner that it has been in previous years.  you will find some good gift selections here but I didn't find anything that rocked my world.

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

MAC Holiday Gifts Collection - All For Glamour

Now we are on the third part of the MAC holiday gifting collection and I hope that you all have found at least one or more new sets that you will be adding to your Christmas.  If you haven't yet, then I am sure that you will find several choices very soon.  I am already starting to amass a decent sized list of items that I want for myself but I haven't yet started to work on my gift lists for others.  I know that a bunch of these sets from MAC will be given to some of my closest friends and I know that I will have to go to the counter very soon.

Now we are onto the third of the gifting collections, All for Glamour.  This collection contains a series of palettes with shades for the lips and face.  This collection should be available at all the counters so these are alternatives to the MAC store/online only collection that we just looked at.  If you can't order the sets in that collection and then don't have time to get to a store (the closest one to me in over an hour away and I don't do any excess mall visits during the holiday season - such an online shopper!) then this gift collection will be much easier for you to find!

"Too pretty not to show off. These chic, satin-tufted compacts with a demure black patent bow and interior mirror have that modern, high-luxe look. The colour ways of All For Glamour Touch Up Kits in three palettes and All For Glamour Face Kit/Gorgeous Bronze."  I would love to see another palette of pink shades however this is pink is pretty much the only shade that I am looking for in a face and lip product palette.

Here is the All For Glamour collection!

All For Glamour Face Kit: Gorgeous Bronze - Modern, high-luxe compact too pretty not to show off, includes Bronzing Powder in Golden, Eye Shadows in Hearts-a-Flutter, Romance Me and Darkly Handsome and Lipsticks in Headturner and Barely Lit.
- Bronzing Powder in Golden - medium bronze
- Lipstick in Barely Lit - medium neutral pink
- Lipstick in Headturner - medium cool berry
- Hearts-a-Flutter Eye Shadow - pale cool pink
- Romance Me Eye Shadow - medium cool charcoal
- Shadowy Lady Eye Shadow - medium cool plum

All For Glamour Touch Up Kit: Medium - Modern, high-luxe compact for lips and face in Medium shaded palette. Includes Blot Powder Pressed to reduce shine and Sheen Supreme Lipstick, which delivers intense colour with the gleam of a Lipglass.
- Medium Pressed Blot Powder - translucent
- Supreme Sheen Lipstick in Fashion City - neutral coral with pink

All For Glamour Touch Up Kit: Medium Dark - Modern, high-luxe compact for lips and face in Medium Dark shaded palette. Includes Blot Powder Pressed to reduce shine and Sheen Supreme Lipstick, which delivers intense colour with the gleam of a Lipglass.
- Medium Dark Blot Powder - medium tan
- Supreme Sheen Lipstick in Bare Again - pinky neutral beige

All For Glamour Touch Up Kit: Dark - Modern, high-luxe compact for lips and face in Dark shaded palette. Includes Blot Powder Pressed to reduce shine and Sheen Supreme Lipstick, which delivers intense colour with the gleam of a Lipglass.
- Dark Blot Powder - deep tan
- Supreme Sheen Lipstick in Can't Resist - golden purplish red

I only like one of these palettes, the first set is the only one that contains shades that appeal to me.  I am a bit let down by this part of the gift collection.  The first palette is also the only one that I would give as a gift, I don't really think any of my friends would really want to receive a Blot Powder and mini Lipstick in a Christmas gift, they would much rather receive all kinds of fun products and hues that they wouldn't normally purchase for themselves.  I will be skipping over this whole part of the MAC gift collection...

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

MAC Holiday Gifts Collection - Divine Desire: Exclusive Face Kits

Divine Desire is the second of the MAC holiday gift collections, first we looked at the eye makeup palettes and now we are looking at the face palettes.  This collection contains two limited edition face palettes and will only be available on the MAC website and then in the MAC free-standing stores.  This collection will not hitting the counters so I recommend just ordering these palettes off the website if you must have them.  These palette contains products and shades for every facial feature and will help to create a whole makeup look when used, one contains several shades of pinks and the other contains several shades of corals.  I know that the coral palette will not work for me but the pink palette offers lots of possibilities for me.  I love pink hues and I would wear them all throughout the year but especially in the upcoming spring months!

Here is the collection description from the MAC website, "Four of our finest products, in two, softly sensuous colour palettes. Includes Powder Blush, Cremesheen Lipstick, Lipglass, Technakohl Liner and 129SE Powder/Blush Brush. M∙A∙C Store Exclusive."

Here are the exclusive face palettes from MAC...

Divine Desire: Paramour Pink - Includes Powder Blush in Divine Desire, Cremesheen Lipstick in Heart to Heart, Lipglass in Warm Embrace, Technakohl Liner in Purple Dash and 129SE Powder/Blush Brush. M∙A∙C Store Exclusive.
- Warm Embrace Lipglass - cool rosy pink with pearlized pigments (Frost)
- Heart to Heart Cremesheen Lipstick - mid-tone yellow pink (Cremesheen)
- Divine Desire Powder Blush - bright pink
- Purple Dash Technakohl Liner - intense aubergine

Divine Desire: Quite Coral - Includes Powder Blush in Born to Love, Cremesheen Lipstick in In a Heartbeat, Lipglass in Pure Flattery, Technakohl Liner in Photogravure and 129SE Powder/Blush Brush. M∙A∙C Store Exclusive.
- Pure Flattery Lipglass - peachy pink with pearlized pigments (Frost)
- In a Heartbeat Cremesheen Lipstick - pale coral (Cremesheen)
- Born to Love Powder Blush - coral
- Photogravure Technakohl Liner - deep chocolate brown

This only set that I would buy here is the Paramour Pink, I love pink shades and would wear this one in the spring and summer months.  These palettes would be great gifts for my closest friends that love both MAC and makeup, I will have to look at adding one or two of these to my shopping cart on the website.  These are so cute and I love the packaging on them, I think that these are the biggest and most complete palettes that MAC will be offering this season and is the pinnacle of their gift collection!

photo courtesy of MAC

MAC Holiday Gift Collections - Fabulousness: Holiday Eye Kits

Yesterday we looked at the MAC holiday colour collection and I fell in love almost instantly, I can't wait to go to the counters this week when the products come out.  Today we are going to start with the gift collections that this company has released this year.  There are a bunch of gift collections and therefore we are going to just dive right in and start wading through all the new gifts that are coming out.  Almost every single year, I give multiple MAC gift sets (all from this collections) and I have seen so many excited friends after they have opened them up.  I just simply can't wait to buy some more gifts this year and we all know that I will find a few items that I will be hoping to unwrap on Christmas morning...

They gift collections are divided up by eyes, lips, brush, etc.  Today we are starting with the Fabulousness collection, this is the collection that contains all the eye makeup palettes.  I am most excited for this collection and the lip product collection (of course) and I will be adding at leawt one of these palettes to my traincase!

"Haute class, stylish inside and out. Elegant Eye Shadow compacts reveal a palette of five perfectly coordinated colours. The satin-tufted compact is a touch of modern romance with its demure black patent bow accent. Includes interior mirror."  I just love the packaging on these palettes and I am so excited that MAC has done some great packaging on the sets (as they didn't do any special packaging for the Glamour Daze collection - I was thinking about that later on last night) and these will make great gifts for all the ladies on your list!

Here are the Fabulousness Holiday Eye Kits!

Fabulousness: 5 Warm Eyes - A palette of five perfectly coordinated warm Eye Shadows that blend for glamorous holiday looks. Highly pigmented M∙A∙C formulas highlight and contour with buildable colour intensity. Satin-tufted compact with demure black patent bow accent.
- Retrospeck - bleached blonde (Lustre)
- Glamourous Light - pale eggshell with pink pearlized pigments (Satin)
- Honesty - pewtered bronze (Lustre)
- Cognac - frosty golden bronze (Frost)
- Sketch - burgundy with red shimmer (Velvet)

Fabulousness: 5 Neutral Eyes - A palette of five perfectly coordinated neutral Eye Shadows that blend for softly chic holiday looks. Highly pigmented M∙A∙C formulas highlight and contour with buildable colour intensity. Satin-tufted compact with demure black patent bow accent.
- Magical Mist - metallic taupe (Lustre)
- Blonde Mink - mid-tone gray with silver pearlized pigments (Lustre)
- Brun - matte blackish brown (Satin)
- Enviable - cool mint green with pearl (Veluxe Pearl)
- Smut - muted black with red shimmer (Velvet)

Fabulousness: 5 Smoky Eyes - A palette of five perfectly coordinated smoky Eye Shadows that blend for deeply dramatic holiday looks. Highly pigmented M∙A∙C formulas highlight and contour with buildable colour intensity. Satin-tufted compact with demure black patent bow accent.
- Taupeless - lavender pink (Lustre)
- Satin Taupe - taupe with silver shimmer (Frost)
- Love Spice - midtonal rosy pink with pearl (Frost)
- Vintage Allure - matte aubergine (Matte)
- Black Slip - rich blackened plum with pearl (Veluxe Pearl)

I love all three of these palettes and I would buy all of them and use them for myself.  If I have to pick a favorite, the 5 Warm Eyes will work the best with the eye makeup shades that I already own and tend to wear the most.  That palette with really help to make a bronze smoky eye look for night or a bit more of a professional look for the office.  I will be the most likely to buy this one for myself however I think that most of my friends would prefer the 5 Smoky Eyes as a gift, these aren't the shades of eye makeup that you would always buy for yourself (unless you have a beauty blog and more makeup than you can store) and therefore this would be a great gift item to help them get dressed up for all the holiday parties that are coming up!

So far, we are off to a great start and now we are heading onto the Divine Desire Face Kits!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

MAC Holiday Colour Collection - Glamour Daze

The MAC Holiday collections have officially hit the company's website and will be coming into the stores within the next week and I am so excited!  The initial holiday collections from MAC are always among the best of the best every single year and I am confident that this year will be no different.  First we will start with the part of the collections that I am the most excited for, I can't wait for the colour part of the collection as I have been complaining about how most companies only put gift-based holiday collections out and we see very few single product collections.  This is the time of the year that I am most likely to pick up a very special product or two to wear holiday parties and gatherings and I look more toward individual products and shades when I am going to make my purchases.  Looks like I will be looking very closely at this collection and then calling up the counter to see what I can pre-order!

The MAC holiday Colour collection is named Glamour Daze, a great name single we all seem to get dressed up and go out more during the holiday season.  The holidays aren't my favorite time of the year however I do enjoy attending one or two parties this season and I will want to look special for each gathering.  Glamour Daze contains all kinds of makeup products; from special Lipglasses to the limited edition In Extra Dimension formula cream eye shadows.  This collection contains almost all shimmery products so you will need to love this type of textured products for this collection to work well for you.  If you don't do a lot of shimmer during the rest of the year, this is the perfect time to try out a shimmering eye or lip look and see how much you can change your look with just changing a few products!

Here is the collection description from the MAC website, "The glamour of getting ready to step out for the holidays. Sweet to sexy, lips to nails. Every angle, every detail obsessed over. An unforgettable look emerges in a cool cloud of pale pink edged with smoky grey - the shimmer of a festive finishing touch. One last glance and you're out the door. Limited edition."  I am so envisioning a shimmering gray and silver smoky eye with a cool pink lip...it's time to shop!

Here is Glamour Daze!

Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Eye Shadow - A liquid-powder Eye Shadow with prismatic reflections in eight shimmering tints. Impact ranges from sheer crystallized light to a highly polished metallic effect. Lasts up to 6 hours. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Ready to Party - pale lilac
- A Natural Flirt - soft peachy nude
- Evening Gray - steel silver
- Divine Blue - midtone aqua
- Stylishly Merry - midtone dusty violet
- Stolen Moment - dark taupe
- Round Midnight - dark burgundy
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome - black with pearl

Glamour Daze Fluidline - Ultra-smooth, Fluidline's gel formula provides the precision of a liquid liner with a silkier, softer finish. Goes on foolproof with a brush in an easy dip-and-stroke action. Long-wearing. Smudge-proof. Lines up in a rich array of colours and finishes. Brush sold separately. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Feminine Edge - pink mauve with dazzle pearl
- Catch My Eye - cool taupe gray with dazzle pearl
- Little Black Bow - charcoal with dazzle pearl

Glamour Daze Kohl Power Eye Pencil - A kohl pencil that has all the intensity and colour power of ultra-soft carbon. Specially formulated to provide deep, fully opaque coverage, provides an intense, smoked finish with duo-chrome pearl. Versatile in application: blend or smudge. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Feline - intense black with black pearl
- Raven - intense black with red pearl
- Orpheus - intense black with gold pearl
- Mystery - intense black with green pearl

Glamour Daze False Lashes Mascara - Fashionably false in look, but honestly real, this mascara's key benefits of volume and curl are matched by a dramatic end look. The unique edge: the ultra-thickening formula in combo with the plush-'em-up action of its unique double-lush brush. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Black - black

Glamour Daze Lipstick - Colour plus texture for the lips. Stands out on the runway. Simmers on the street. What made M•A•C famous. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Beauty - pale cool pink
- Innocence - soft coral
- Outrageously Fun - midtone magenta violet
- Glamourdaze - midtone creamy plum
- Dramatic Encounter - deep purple

Glamour Daze Lipglass - Lip colour with large particle pearls reflect and refract light to mimic the brilliance of quartz and opal crystal. Wear alone, or layer over Lipstick for dramatic effect. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Impossibly Sweet - sheer soft pink with multidimensional pearl
- Pink Fade - light creamy pink
- Talk Softly to Me - light creamy coral pink
- Deliciously Demure - soft cool brown with pearl
- Flight of Fancy - rich purple

Glamour Daze Powder Blush - Colour for the cheeks and face. Various formulas. Different looks. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Easy Manner - light dirty peach
- I'm the One - midtone blue pink
- Small Vanity - dusty rose tan

Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Skinfinish - A liquid-powder highlighter with prismatic reflections that sculpts, highlights and models the face. The cool, creamy near-fluid formula creates a luminous, well-defined finish. Wears 10 hours. Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Whisper of Gilt - light soft white gold with shimmery sheen
- Superb - soft peachy nude with multidimensional shimmer

Glamour Daze Nail Lacquer - Revolutionary new-high gloss formula. Four Glamour Daze shades in two long-wearing finishes - Crème and Pearl. Visibly different for a festive finishing touch. Provides no-streak/no-chip finish. Contains conditioners and UV protection. Go hi-lacquer! Limited-edition Glamour Daze packaging.
- Endless Night - pale gray pink with iridescent pearl
- In the Limelight - mid-tone creamy mint
- Girl Trouble - super glitter pink
- Everything that Glitters - black with super multidimensional glitter

There is a lot going on with this collection so we are going to take a bit of extra time with it.  First of all, I love this collection and it is very unique compared to what I have been seeing so far this season.  I am very impressed with the lack of reds and golds since these two shades tend to make up at least half of the holiday collections and often times make the holiday collections all begin to blend together after the first few weeks of releases.  I am already thinking of creating a look for myself that reminds me much of the 1960s and London, I almost feel like I should be pairing my holiday makeup look from this collection with a Bardot-style bouffant hairstyle!  Very much like the model for this collection...

I am going to be first looking for shades to help me create this look that I have been raving about.  We are starting with the eye makeup products in this collection since they are the cornerstone of my vision.  From the Extra Dimension Eye Shadow, I want Ready to Party and Evening Gray.  I am seeing using these shades as highlighters to start the smoky look.  Next, we need to move onto the eyeliners in this collection, the Fluidline in Little Black Bow will be the next step in creating this look and will be coming home with me when I visit the counter.  I like the Kohl Power in Feline however this shade comes out in so many limited edition collections and I know that I will be able to get it much easier than the limited edition Fluidline shades so I will skip over it unless Little Black Bow is totally sold out with no hope of obtaining it easily.  I want to try this mascara formula however it is part of permanent collection so I can buy this at any time and I already have a good supply of mascara in my traincase...

I can easily skip over the face and cheek products in this collection, nothing really jumps out at me or is so unique that I can't find a very similar shade with another brand.  The next aspect of this collection that I want to shop is the lip products.  I see some items that I want from both the Lipstick and the Lipglass products.  From both of the products, I am looking at the pale pink hues, however I will be taking my tube of Viva Glam Gaga (the original) to the counter so I can see if there is any dupe potential here...I love this shade!  Lipstick-wise, I must buy the Beauty shade to pair with the deep eyes.  Adding on here, I want the Lipglass in Pink Fade and Impossibly Sweet (two more light pink hues), I will use these shades all the time against strong eye makeup and I must own them all.  After I buy these three shades, I am done with lip products.  I don't really love any of the other shades in this collection.

The last piece from this collection that I am considering are the new shades of Nail Lacquer...I love the look that the model is wearing and I am considering taking this picture to my stylist to see how hard this look would be to create on my own.  That being said, there is nothing super special about any of these polish shades and I would be able to create this look with all kinds of shades.  I wouldn't mind buying Endless Night and Girl Trouble but they aren't products that I will be pre-ordering at the moment...but once I see them my thoughts might change.

I love this part of the MAC holiday collections and I am now so excited for tomorrow when we begin looking at the gifting parts of the collections!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Bath and Body Works Golden Sugar Scrub

I have been adding a bunch of Bath and Body works holiday items to my piles of body and home fragrance products, I just simply can't resist when the holidays first come around and I always have to buy more Vanilla Bean Noel.  Then when I purchase more Vanilla Bean Noel and Pink Sugar Plum, I always look at everything else and then add even more new products to my collection.  I am still waiting for the full collection of Forever Red products to come out, I will have a huge list of items that I want from this fragrance, only adding more products to my already huge collection.  While I am waiting for this fragrance, I picked up a new scrub formula that is featured in the Signature Collection.  Over the years, I have seen several different versions of scrubs in this collection but it seems like this company can never find one winning formula and then keep it in their collection.  I have all kinds of scrubs from this company and they are all so different, I still think that the Creamy Scrubs that were introduced in early 2011 were the best scrubs that this company had but I guess the majority of their shoppers didn't agree with me...

The Golden Sugar Scrub is the newest version of this product that has been added to the Signature Collection.  I love the Aromatherapy Sugar Scrubs so I was pretty excited when I saw this product for the first time and I hoped that it was similar in formula.  I bought this scrub in the ever-popular Japanese Cherry Blossom already and so that is the product description that I will use from the Bath and Body Works website.  "The softest way to smooth skin comes in our easy-to-use, no-mess squeezable tube! Our luxurious formula naturally exfoliates with sugar crystals and softens with apricot and sweet almond oils, leaving skin delicately scented with a seductive and mysterious floral blend inspired by the exotic gardens of Japan. Skin will look and feel irresistibly smooth after just one use! Massage onto skin, rinse and enjoy smooth skin and unforgettable fragrance.  Now available in convenient, no-mess squeezable tube!"

I normally prefer scrubs that come housed in tubs, I am not a fan of the formulas that are contained in tubes unless they foam up and I would use them instead of a body wash.  I wish that this formula was housed more like that in Aromatherapy, I have found that it is easier to control portions when I scoop product out of the tub and that that same amount of product will last much longer than the same amount housed in a tub.  Oh well, I can dream...

I used this scrub twice so far and it is a nice formula however I don't think that this is the answer to the scrub question that continues to haunt the Signature Collection.  This formula is a very abrasive sugar-based scrub with a good amount of oil in it.  It has less oil in than many other formulas, I can imagine many people preferring this type of texture however I tend to graivate toward sugar scrubs with lots of oil in them or formulas that are lighter than this one.  My skin is very dry and sensitive, esepcially going into the winter months, therefore this scrub is a bit too much for my skin and leaves it feeling a bit dry when I get out of the shower, something that never happens when I use the Aromatherary Sugar Scrubs.  If this product was a bit less abrasive then I really think that I would love it but my skin can't handle the slightly drier, abrasive texture of the product.

I saw this scrub available in quite a few fragrances.  Japanese Cherry Blossom, Moonlight Path, Cashmere Glow, Paris Amour, and Twilight Woods are all the fragrances that I believe that it currently comes in.  I doubt thaty I will buy any of the other fragrances in this formula, this is just not the type of scrub that is going to work well for me this winter.  I am in hopes that the Creamy Scrub comes out again this spring and I know that I will stock up on it as this one is turning out to the be the best formula for my skin.

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

China Glaze Holiday 2012 Polish Collection - Holiday Joy

One of my favorite brands has just released their seasonal collection and I could not be more excited.  The other day, I had a good sized haul of polishes from this collection at Sally, I picked up some of the best rated shades from the Makeup Alley Nail Board (WOW, Dorothy Who? is amazing!) and then I found that their fall collection shades were all on the Sale table and I picked up a bottle of Adventure-redy that I have fallen in love with overnight.  I see that they must have been making room for the new holiday collection since I now see that the China Glaze holiday-inspired polishes are now up on the China Glaze website. 

Subtle is not the word for this collection, I see tons of reds and almost everything has a shimmer or glitter finish.  the only creams are dramatic red hues, all of which look exactly like other reds that I already own from either China Glaze or Deborah Lippmann.  These shades will bring attention to your nails this holiday season and there is a shade for every single party that you will attend over the next two months.  Professional, these are not but they are so much fun and I will be wearing them anytime that I am not in professional attire.  Maybe one of the reds could be worn at a company Christmas party but that is about it...

The Ulta website contains the best description of the top rated China Glaze formula.  "China Glaze is a professional-level nail enamel made with a special balance of polymers and resins that combine to create a nail lacquer that is long lasting, chip-resistant and resistant to color and shine fading. Will not thicken in the bottle, no thinners necessary. "  China Glaze has been one of my favorite nail polish formulas and shade ranges ever since I got really into nail polishes about 18 months ago and I have been collecting shades like crazy every single season from this brand.

Here are the new shades from China Glaze holiday!

- Merry Berry - deep berry cream
- Cranberry Splash - bright red with red glitter
- Red Satin - medium blue red cream
- With Love - bright blue red cream
- Pure Joy - red and gold glitter suspended in a clear base
- Champagne Kisses - rose gold glitter suspended in a clear base with subtle holographic glitter bits
- Winter Holly - forest green and subtle gold glitter suspended in a clear base
- Glitter All The Way - mixture of red, purple, green, and gold glitter chunks in a clear base
- Angel Wings - gold glitter suspended in a clear base
- Glistening Snow - silver glitter suspended in a clear base
- Blue Bells Ring - medium ice blue with a metallic foil finish
- Pizzazz - multicolored glitter suspended in a clear base

I just bought a bunch of reds on my last visit to Sallys so I don't know that I really need any of these shades even though I really like them.  Cranberry Splash looks so similar to Ruby Pumps that I know that I can skip over it very easily, Red Satin looks very close to Adventure-redy, and With Love looks exactly like Hey Sailor, shades that are all in my collection already.  I can safely ignore the reds in this collection even though they are very attractive.

Champagne Kisses and Glistening Snow are my favorites in this collection, I love glitter metallics around the holidays and in the winter and these are two great choices.  I have been in love with the rose gold shade ever since it became so popular last spring and I have been using it in all, types of looks for the past few months.  I am more than happy to add Champagne Kisses to my collection and I know that I will wear it all year long.  Glistening Snow will work well for the holidays too and then again for the rest of the year, I love silver hues too and this one must be added to my collection. 

All of the multicolored glitters will be skipped over, these are hues that I would wear very rarely.  I already own Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday and that is the only shade that I wear when I feel the desire to rock a nail look like this.  I don't even wear that shade very much so the last thing that I need to add more shades like this to my collection that is already getting way too big. 

So I only really need two shades from this collection and the rest I will be ok skipping over, this isn't that great of a China Glaze collection for me, normally I want at least four or five shades from every collection and will then end up finding more that I want every time that I go to Sallys or Ulta.  The holiday collection from this collection isn't very unique, it is very similar to the holiday collections from the past two years and none of the shades really change my life.  I am now much more excited for the Skyfall collection from OPI...

photo courtesy of China Glaze's Facebook page

Tarte EmphasEYES Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner

I have been talking on here about buying more eye makeup and less lip gloss for the past few months, so far it has been going decently well.  I have definitely been buying more eye makeup but also I am buying just as much lip gloss as before...maybe slightly less but not that much.  However the last time that I went into Sephora, I managed to walk out with face wash (why I went in in the first place), nail polish, blush, and two eyeliners.  I actually managed to walk by the NARS counter without buying anymore lip products even though the Larger Than Life lip gloss set from the Andy Warhol collection was calling my name...I was a lady on a mission!

I decided that I needed a new eyeliner more than I needed a new eye shadow palette this time around, I was checking out many of the eye shadow palettes that had just been released for the holidays and was very tempted by a new one from Too Faced but I was trying to be somewhat practical this time around.  I also wanted to buy liners in shades other than just black as I am accumulating quite a collection of black eyeliners, considering that I mostly wear brown and neutral eye makeup, having all those black liners is not exactly what I currently need.  I was considering one of the new eyeliner sets from Urban Decay but I also wanted to try something that I have never tried out before.  Decisions, decisions...I must have looked a bit odd wondering around Sephora and pondering all these things at once.

After I decided what type of liner that I wanted, I then decided that I wanted to try something different from either Tarte or Stila.  Since I was closer to the Tarte counter, I just decided to start there and I quickly found what I wanted and picked out the two shades that I wanted to buy.  Needless to say, I went to the register a very happy girl.  So what did I finally pick out after the whole decision making process?  I ended up buying two shades of the EmphasEYES Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner, a cream eyeliner that is housed in a pot.  I really like all of the Amazonian Clay products that I have used so far from this company so I was more than happy to try yet another one!

From the Sephora website, "A collection of plush eyeliners and a double-ended eyeliner brush, to create intense and long-lasting high definition eyes.  These liners provide skinvigorating™ benefits and an intense yet smooth-cream texture, perfect for creating a precise, high definition line or a smoky, sultry shadow base. High-performance natural™ Amazonian clay deepens the intensity of pure color pigments while nourishing skin for a truer, bolder color that lasts. The botanical waterproofing agent in these liners is earth engineered from a blend of natural plant waxes to form an impermeable layer that protects against rain, sweat, tears, and creasing for longer wear.  Nature's most perfect ingredient, Amazonian clay, balances and neutralizes skin's surface. Whether oily or dry, it reduces surface oil and improves the overall texture of the skin, for smoother application and better wear. The black and brown shades are matte; the bronze, plum, indigo, and green shades are metallic."

This eyeliner formula really does last all day, I even rubbed my eyes by accident yesterday afternoon and the formula barely budged.  I have been using the larger side of the eye brush to create a thicker smudged line, paired with several shades of eye shadow.  This liner was very easy to apply with the brush that the company included (I love that a correct brush was included with the product and I don't have to guess what brush to use it with!), the last time that I bought a cream liner at Sephora, the sales associates had to guess what would work the best with it.  Using the thinner side of the brush gives me a look closer to that of a liquid liner, I prefer to use this type of formula for a thicker line and I would be more likely to use a liquid liner pen to create the more precise, thin line.  I haven't really used the formula as an eye shadow, I would use a cream eye shadow formula as this liner is a bit too hard to use well as a cream shadow.  This product is best used an eye liner only.

This product currently is available in five shades...

- Black - matte black
- Bronze - deep brown sheen
- Brown - matte chocolate brown
- Indigo - deep royal blue sheen
- Plum - eggplant purple sheen

I bought the Bronze and Brown shades from this product, the Brown shade is very pigmented and best for a more conservative and professional look.  The Bronze shade is a bit more casual and has a bit of shimmer in it, I would use this more on the weekends or to create a bronze smoky eye look at night.  Of the two shades, I found that the Brown is more pigmented and actually lasted longer than the Bronze shade.  The Brown shade was also harder to remove and needed an extra swipe of eye makeup remover at night, both shades need eye makeup remover to get off but the Brown needed a bit extra.  When I first bought the product, I thought that the Bronze would be my favorite hue since it has shimmer in it but the Brown is my favorite since it is more pigmented and longer lasting. 

I would buy this product in the Black and Plum hues, I really like this formula and wouldn't hesistate to recommend it or buy more shades from it.  I would love if Tarte comes out with more in this formula as it is one of the best cream eye liner formulas that I have ever tried, both in pigmentation and lasting power.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Clinique Different Lipstick

I have been sorting through my massive makeup collection for the past few weeks and have been trying to decide what I plan to keep and use for the next few months and what I don't see myself using very much.  I have received so many Clinique gifts during their events and I still have a decent collection of products from these sets that I still have not yet finished up.  I have pretty much used up all the skincare and the mascaras so I have a bunch of lipsticks and eye shadow left over.  I have worn and reviewed many of their eye shadows before and I like the formula (even though it's not my favorite) but I much prefer Clinique's lip product formulas.  I have used many lipsticks and glosses from this company and have always liked the results.

Today we are going to look at a lipstick formula that I have never talked about before and really wouldn't have looked at had I not gotten two of the lipsticks for free over the past few months.  Different Lipstick is a formula that Clinique has had in their collection forever but I rarely see new shades from or see it featured in collections.  I feel like Different Lisptick has been in this company's line up since I first started using the products in high school.  This lipstick formula may not be one of the top sellers for this company however it has a good range of shades that will work for all kinds of ladies and I bet that is why it has remained in the line up for so long.

"Different because of its smooth, comfortable feel. Moderate coverage in a remarkable range of shades, from cream to pearl. Every one packed with rich emollients.", states the Clinique website when describing this lipstick formula.  This formula provides sheer coverage and moderate pigmentation, these shades are very easy for anyone to pull off.  This formula is very appropriate for the work environment or for a casual look on the weekends, anyone can find several shades of this product that will work for them.

Here are the available shades in this lipstick formula...

- Tenderheart - midtone blushing nude brown
- Raspberry Glace - midtone blue pink with soft shimmer
- A Different Grape - pinkish grape
- Think Bronze - soft golden pink/beige with gold pearl
- Guava Stain - midtone warm rusted rose
- Sweet Honey - classic rose
- Plum Brandy - creamy warm red/violet
- Surprise - pearlized golden brown with surprise hint of purple on skin
- Shy - midtone violet
- Angel Red - sheer blackened red
- Sugared Grapefruit - luminescent pink orange
- Double Fudge - dark chocolate
- Ripe Raisin - luminescent burnt orange
- Spiced Apple - warm cinnamon red
- Glazed Berry - punchy pink with soft luminescence
- Heartfelt - violety pink red with gold undertone
- Rose Aglow - creamy bluish plum
- Ice Bloom - pearlized velvety rose
- Rose Taffy - luminescent reddish pink
- Bronze Leaf - frosted brownish copper

I own the first two listed shades, Tenderheart and Raspberry Glace.  Tenderheart I actually remember seeing at the counters years ago and therefore I have to assume that it is one of the most popular shades in this formula.  Tenderheart is a very sheer nude pink brown, I can wear it with any type of makeup look or for any professional or casual event.  This is a great shade to wear when I just want a very little bit of polished color but don't want to wear much color on my lips.  Raspberry Glace is a sheer pink berry tint with a bit of shimmer, this one is bit too much pigment for casual wear but it is a great professional hue, this one is my favorite of the two.

This formula is very creamy and hydrating however lasts only a short time on my lips, this is the type of formula that feels great on the lips and is never drying however it comes off as soon as I eat or drink anything.  This is not an advanced formula and I do wish that it would be updated a bit since the wear is among one of the worst that I have tried.  I know that this type of lipstick cannot be expected to have the same wear as a matte lipstick but it still could say on longer and wear better with normal eating and drinking activities.  I am not asking Clinique for a super longwearing lipstick just enough wear that I don't have to reapply right after drinking a cup of coffee.

I like some of the shades from this formula but there isn't any ones that jump out at me as being must haves.  I would like to own Glazed Berry for the spring and summer, this sheer bright pink will look great against a tan.  Angel Red is a great sheer red that I will wear all the time this time of the year, I have really been into wearing sheer red lips to work and I wouldn't mind owning another shade to help create this look.  Lastly, I want the Guava Stain lipstick, this is another great pink neutral and another shade that I can wear all the time.

This is another good lip formula for Clinique however it still isn't one of my favorites.  I like the shades but I would love if this formula just lasted a bit longer with normal wear.

photo courtesy of Clinique

Chanel Holiday 2012 Collection - Eclats du Soir de Chanel

We have been looking at mostly gift collections so far for the holidays and I am ready for some single product collections, I want to do some shopping for myself that doesn't involve a set or palette.  I was very excited to see that the Chanel holiday collection is now up on their website, this brand has often been a favorite of mine however I just finished a wonderful biography about Coco Chanel and now I am more in love with the brand than ever and I have a feeling that I will be spending more money than ever at their counter in Macy*s over the next few months...

Eclats du Soir de Chanel is a collection of metallics and jewel tones that will all work perfectly at all the holiday parties that are coming up over the next two months and then will still be perfect throughout all winter.  This collection has a variety of deep lip hues and golds for the eyes and all of these products will help create one of my favorite looks for the fall and holidays, I love the look of gold eyes and red lips and try to collect as many of these shades as I possibly can.  Knowing that these products are from Chanel, I know that I will get quality products with optimal pigmentation.

I must say that I don't even know what product that I am most excited for from this collection.  I see a deep metallic red nail polish, a deep berry cream lipstick, and an Illusion d'Ombre shadow in a perfect metallic gold.  This collection is going to be a huge part of my next Most Wanted list...

Here is Eclats du Soir de Chanel!

Regard Signe de Chanel - This limited-edition, holiday-inspired quartet offers endless looks of festive glamour. Deep, dense bronze-gold with a radiant sheen complements colours from violet-plum red to smoky taupe to pink. Embossed with a quilted effect and the CC monogram, each powder eyeshadow is reminiscent of the classic Chanel jacket button. Part of the ÉCLATS DU SOIR DE CHANEL Collection.
- Harmonie du Soir - deep bronze-gold/plum red/smoky taupe/light pink

Ombres Contraste Duo - This foolproof pairing of complementary shades — in two unique textures — is housed in one convenient compact. The softly shimmering light shade is a creamy powder, which can be worn alone for a luminous effect, or as a base to extend the wear of the accompanying deep-toned shadow. The dark shade has intense micronized pigments for true colour application, and a matte finish to create depth and contour. Two applicators are included: a foam-tip to apply the shadows and a brush to blend. Available in six essential shade harmonies designed to take the guesswork out of harmonizing and applying eyeshadow.
- 47 Nuit Claire - deep black/champagne gold

Illusion d'Ombre - This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner. Includes a specially designed shadow/liner brush, developed specifically for this unique formula.
- 817 Apparence - metallic pure gold
- 86 Ebloui - deep metallic red plum

Stylo Yeux Waterproof - Waterproof, smudge-proof eyeliner delivers long-lasting definition with a twist of the wrist: Colour winds up when you need it, winds down when you don't. Gentle, soft, silicone-enriched formula delivers smooth, even lining. A built-in sharpener at the opposite end detaches for quick refreshes.
- 85 Grenat - medium brown with a hint of red

Inimitable Intense - This technologically advanced formula builds on the success of the original mascara, delivering dramatic effects with a unique brush. The result is a more intense lash look, with the same easy application. Lashes appear longer, thicker and more curled, yet each lash, even the finest, is still precisely separated – without clumping, spiking or flaking.
- 10 Noir - deep rich black

Joues Contraste - Unique powder blusher offers buildable coverage, from natural to dramatic, and imparts a flattering radiance to cheeks. Remarkably silky texture ensures easy application of seamless colour. Applied high on the cheekbone, or near the eyes, it instantly 'lifts' and softens the face for a more youthful look.
- 73 Star Dust - neutral medium pink

Rouge Allure Velvet - Elevating matte to a new elegance, this next-generation, non-drying matte lipstick glides on lips with intensely rich colour and a sumptuously soft, velvet matte finish.
- 307 L'Impatience - deep berry matte
- 36 La Caline - medium cool blue pink matte

Le Vernis - Classic and trend-defining shades from the runways of Paris. State-of-the-art formula strengthens and moisturizes nails as it delivers long-wearing, high-shine, chip-resistant colour. Applies evenly without streaking.
- 637 Malice - deep metallic red
- 521 Rose Cache - pale pink with a metallic finish

I have several favorite products from this collection, the Illusion d'Ombre eye shadow in the gold hue and Le Vernis in the deep red are at the top of my shopping list.  I have been hoping that Chanel would release a gold shade in that formula ever since I tried and fell in love with that product last summer and now my dreams have finally come true.  I really hope that this shade will be become permanent as these shadows sell out very quickly and take a few months to get back into regular stock at the counters.  These shadows produce a lovely shimmer finish and are the most unique product that I currently own and I always search the newest Chanel collections in the hopes that more shades have been released in this formula.  This is the perfect eye shadow to sparkle at night and the formula lasts all day and then into the night.  I just can't think of a more perfect eye shadow formula than this one!

The next product that I am dying for is Le Vernis in 637 Malice, this deep metallic red will be perfect for the fall and holidays.  It is not that most unique shade that I have ever seen (Illamasqua Scarab is very similar) and therefore I really want to own it but I won't die without it since I could easily get that Illamasqua hue at Sephora.

The other two products that I would really like to own is the deep berry lipstick hue and the eye shadow quartet that is offered with this collection.  This lipstick formula is pretty new for Chanel and I believe that this is the first limited edition collection that it has been brought out with, I think that I got an invitation to an event for this lipstick at my local counter.  I will have to see if I can attend it and try the formula out.  I will finish out my shopping list for this collection with the eye shadow quad as I will get lots of use from these shades and I just love Chanel eye makeup overall.

This is the first single product collection that I have looked at and this one really sets the bar for the rest of the companies, I know that this collection will be one of my favorites for the holidays!

photo courtesy of Chanel

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cream Blush and Pressed Sparklicity Duo

I jumped on the Tarina Tarantino bandwagon slightly too late, I have been admiring many of these products for several months and have recently just started shopping this brand however Sephora just announced that they would no longer be carrying this brand in their stores or their websites.  The makeup line will still be available on the Tarina Tarantino website however I don't know of any other websites or stores that ever carried this line (other than Sephora) so now this brand will go the way of Vincent Longo and B. Kamins.  After Sephora stopped carrying these brands, they got much harder to find and most likely lost market share since now the products need to be hunted down instead of being able to play with them in the stores...  Which is really sad because the one product that I have bought and tried from this brand is great and now I just want to order more...

I have always drooled over the blushes from this company at the store, however I always just kept ordering Illamasqua blushes from the website since I was so in love with that formula.  I still love that formula but I am trying to branch out a bit and try some other brands.  Of course I would find a formula that I love right as the brand is being pulled from its biggest retailer, I will still try and find this brand online but it is just so much easier to find the products when browsing the store.  I bought and tried one of the products that was introduced for the spring season and I wanted this product as soon as I read about it.

The Dollskin Cream Blush and Pressed Sparklicity Duo is a combination of a cream blush shade and the best selling Sparklicity product (a product that is unique to this brand).  "A collection of blush duos with exquisite powder formulas that glisten.  Get a gorgeous, radiant look with these rich, velvety-soft blush combinations. The unique formulas blend effortlessly on cheeks and kiss skin with the subtle shimmer of micro-crystalline Sparklicity. The intense pigments are long-lasting, leaving skin beautifully moisturized and glowing all day." 

There are two shades available in this product:

- Mr. Pink - bright azalea pink/shimmering soft pink
- Coral Cameo - warm sunset/shimmering gold tan

I own Mr. Pink, I love the bright pink cream blush hue, worn alone or with a bit of the Sparklicity on top.  The smallest appliation of the blush turns my cheeks bright pink and makes me look like I just came in from the cold.  This formula is very pigmented and still very easy to use, it must be applied in moderation (otherwise it will be too bright) but the effect is lovely.  The blush by itself is best for the daytime, I would only add the shimmer for getting dressed up at night. 

I am so sad that I just discovered and bought this formula, I love this product and now want to try the powder version of this blush and see how it compares to the Illamasqua formulas that I love.  I hope that the discontinuing of this brand from Sephora does not spell the end of the brand itself, I will be very unhappy if I cannot order these products at all...

photo courtesy of Sephora

Stila Holiday 2012 Collection - Light Up the Night

Urban Decay was the first company to release their holiday collection and therefore that is where I decided to start my holiday collection coverage.  Right after Urban Decay, Stila's holiday collection hit the Sephora website and exploded unto the scene.  As I have stated before, I run very hot and cold with Stila products, I have always liked everything that I have bought from them however they are not a brand that I turn to very often or own many types of products from.  I have found that one of the best ways to try more products from this brand is to take advantage of some of the lovely sets that are found in their holiday collection.  Stila is a brand that tends to be known more for their palettes and sets than their individual products and I know more people that will buy their sets and then fall in love with certain products and only then will rebuy the individual products themselves.  I am on the other side of this trend, I have bought a few of the individual products but actually have never bought any of the sets that this company offers.

Perhaps the holiday 2012 collection will change that!  This collection consists only of giftsets and palettes and there is not a single product in sight.  I already see several several sizes of palettes and products for every single facial feature.  I am very excited that every single facial feature gets some type of set or palette, I really dislike when I see collections that are based only toward one or two facial features and then nothing else.  This new collection is called Light Up the Night and the concept is that these sets and palettes will create a look that will "light up" your look for all the wonderful holiday parties that occur this time of the year.

Here is the Stila holiday gift collection!

All is Bright Holiday Lip Glaze Set - baby, it's cold outside! warm and brighten up your holiday lips with stila’s best-selling lip glaze set in 8 stunning, glossy shades with delicious flavors and scents:
Black Cherry/Sugar Plum/Jolly/Jingle/Holly/Splendor/Joy/Jack Frost.  a $110 value for only $25! with just a few clicks of the pen, your lips will go from demure to dazzling with stila’s iconic, high shine gloss.

Snow Angel Color Palette - Create as many holiday looks as there are snowflakes in the sky with stila’s festive limited-edition holiday color palette.  this pretty snowflake shaped palette contains 12 gorgeous cheek colors and 18 versatile eye shadow shades that can be worn both wet and dry.  It also includes a deluxe size stay all day™ waterproof volumizing mascara and an easy to follow step-by-step artistry look book for even more beauty possibilities.  this set is only $39, so make sure to add this to the top of your holiday list.   18 Eye Shadows: Peace/Love/Gold/Sleigh/Cookie/
Dashing/Eggnog/Icicle/Dance/Merry/Kitten/Jingle/Gingerbread/Truffle/Chestnut/Cool/Clove/Fairy.
12 Cheek Colors: Shimmery Snow Angel/Shimmery Coral/Shimmery Apricot/Shimmery Peach/Shimmery Pink/Shimmery Plum/Matte Pink/Matte Plum/Matte Berry/Matte Melon/Matte Clay/Matte Bronze.

Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Set - set your holiday eyes all aglow with this set of stila’s best-selling smudge stick waterproof eye liners in five shimmery metallic shades:

stargazer (golden olive shimmer)

angelfish (black with gold and silver pearl)

tetra (deep shimmery purple)

moray (golden olive shimmer)

oscar fish (warm brown with gold pearl)

Perfect for any day or evening holiday look, these waterproof and long-wearing shades in a propel pencil won’t smudge, budge or fade through holiday cheer or seasonal weather.  a great way to accentuate any holiday look or all year round, this set of 5 full size eye liners is a $100 value for only $32!

Luxe Eye Shadow Palette - A high-tech eye shadow palette featuring a mix of 6 cream-to-powder eye shadows and 3 inventive micro-matte shades (listed below).  The cream-to-powder eye shadows glide on with a mousse-like feel and transform into a soft, velvety powder on the lids. special pearls add brilliant sparkle and illumination to your eyes, while providing supreme comfort and extraordinary payoff.  The micro-matte eye shadow formula is buildable and has a soft and silky texture, delivering excellent payoff, while the presence of light and emollients ensure long-lasting color that stays true over time.  the palette also includes a smudge stick waterproof eye liner in ladyfish (golden pewter shimmer) and a mirror and look book with various looks and pro artist tips and tricks to complete your look.  Eye Shadow Shades: Bubble Bath/Pink Diamond/Cashmere/Silk/Marilyn/Crush Velvet/Bon Bon/Bordeaux/Love the Ocean.

Longwear Liquid Lip Set - A collection of four pigment-rich, creamy-matte, liquid lip colors that deliver intense moisture with bold, long-lasting color and stay in place for up to 6 hours of continuous wear.  The texture is weightless on lips and delivers superb comfort and its color-rich formula will not bleed or transfer. enriched with vitamin E and avocado oil, stay all day™ liquid lipstick hydrates and softens the lips so they look and feel beautiful!  Shades: Caprice (hot pink), Petal (pale pink), Coral (peach pink), Muse (natural mauve).

Written in the Stars Eye Shadow Palette - Your eyes will twinkle and shine with stila’s dreamy, limited-edition eye shadow palette in a whimsical star shaped pattern.  It contains 12 gorgeous, neutral eye shadow shades that can be mixed and matched for countless looks and can be worn both wet and dry.  This set is only $20, making it the perfect gift for everyone on your list (including one for yourself) this holiday season.

Holiday 2012 Brush Set - Create an infinite amount of holiday looks with stila’s limited-edition brush set, featuring five essential best-selling brushes that deliver perfect makeup
application for complexion and eyes.  This set is just $28, a flawless addition to any holiday list. 
Brushes include: #24 powder brush/#5 eye shadow brush/#33b domed concealer brush/#33a foundation brush/#4 smudger/liner brush.

Wish Upon a Star Holiday Travel Palette - Introducing an exclusive palette sure to add a touch of illumination and sparkle this holiday season. The palette contains six beautiful eye shadows that can be worn wet or dry, plus a convertible color for lips and cheeks.  The palette features a unique cut-out design on the cover to view the shades inside. Also included is a face chart on the back to help you create a radiant look in only minutes. The palette is the perfect size to tuck into a pocket or place in your purse for a complete look, any time, any place.  The Wish Upon a Star palette also makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer!  A $65 value for just $16!  Eye Shadow Shades: Cosmic/Shooting Star/Wish/Dreamer/Starbright/Comet.  Packaging: Paper-wrapped compact with a face chart on the back.

Shine So Bright Holiday Travel Palette - An exclusive makeup palette that includes six gorgeous eye shadows that can be worn wet or dry, plus a convertible color for lips and cheeks to complete your look. The palette cover features a unique design with cut-outs to view the shades inside. Also included on the back of the palette is a face chart to help you create a radiant look in only minutes.  The Shine So Bright palette is the perfect size to tuck into a pocket or place in your purse for a complete look, any time, any place. The palette also makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer.  A $65 value for just $16!  Eye Shadow Shades: Tinsel/Pantina/Miracle/Candlelight/Ornament/Rudolph.  Packaging: Paper-wrapped compact with a face on the back.

Under the Mistletoe Holiday Travel Palette - Introducing an exclusive makeup palette created exclusively for stilacosmetics.com that is sure to add a touch of illumination and cheer this holiday season.  The palette includes 6 gorgeous eye shadows that can be applied wet or dry, plus a versatile convertible color for lips and cheeks to complete your look.  The palette cover features a unique design with cut-outs to view the shades within. the under the mistletoe palette is the perfect size to tuck into a pocket or place in your purse for a complete look, any time, any place.  A $65 value for just $16!  The palette also makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer!

Jingle All the Way Holiday Travel Palette - Introducing a festive, limited-edition, collectible makeup palette to help you create holiday looks for both day and night. The palette contains six stunning eye shadows that can be applied wet or dry. Create natural, wintery looks or a bold smoky eye in a matter of minutes. Or mix and match shades to create custom colors for a variety of eye catching looks… the possibilities are endless. A convertible color in a complimentary rosy pink shade completes your look. Simply tap onto lips and cheeks for a flushed glow.  A $65 value for just $16!  Eye Shadow Shades: Bell/Snowed In/Wonderland/Prancer/Giddy Up/Prime.  Palette Features: The cover features a unique design with whimsical cut-outs in a snowflake design to view the shades inside. The palette is the perfect size to tuck into a pocket or place in your handbag for a complete look, any time, any place. The palette also makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

My favorite palette is the one that I have pictured here,  the Snow Angel Color Palette is the biggest and most complete palette in this collection.  I believe that some version of this set comes out every single year and continues to be a top seller.  If I could only buy one item from this collection then this would be the one that I would buy.  I also realy love both of the lip gloss sets, I want both of them as they are both different formulas of lip products.  Stila lip products are top rated but this is an area that I haven't explored with this brand.

I find the small palettes to mkae great little gifts for friends and co workers and I will be stopping off at Sephora to pick a bunch of them up to give out throughout the month of December!

photo courtesy of Stila

Deborah Lippmann True Blood - Bad Things Mini Nail Lacquer Set

Earlier we looked at the first of the Deborah Lippmann True Blood nail sets, the duo that was designed for Sookie Stackhouse and contained a great neutral hue and a pretty shimmer top coat.  The second of the polish sets is much more dramatic and is more inspired by the vampires in the TV and book series and therefore contains the shades that would be worn at Fangtasia (the vampire bar in the series).  I love both of the sets and I already know that I now want to order both of them!

I still have only found these sets on the Nordstrom website so all of my information on the set and the color descriptions are from this website.  The Bad Things set contains three smaller-sized polishes,  a fact that makes me really excited.  Deborah Lippmann completely got it right here; the larger sized nail polishes are the more neutral hues that I would use all the time and the small sizes are the shades that I would only use a few times during the season.  I always go through my pale and neutral polishes very quickly and am always replacing these bottles, I just love how Deborah did the sizing of the shades as they are pretty much perfect for me!  I really want both of these sets now since I know that I will get tons of use from both of them all year long.

An overall product description, "HBO® and Deborah Lippmann introduce Bad Things, a trio of mini nail lacquers inspired by the award-winning series, True Blood®."  This nail polish set contains the following three shades...

- Bad Blood: a sheer black cherry, inspired by the ever-so-sultry Pam
- Strange Love: a vampy magenta, capturing the character of red-headed Jessica
- New Flesh: a Sookie-inspired, clean nude

Bad Blood is the shade that I am most excited about and not just because Pam is my favorite character in both the books and the TV series.  I love Lippmann's Just Walk Away Renee and this shade looks a sheer version of that super-pigmented red hue.  This is one of my favorite manicure and pedicure shades in the fall and winter and I would love to add another hue like this to my collection.  I actually wish that this shade would be available in the full size as I bet that I will really use it over the next few months!  Strange Love is a nice shade but I don't know how much use I will get from it, good thing that this is small size.  I know that I will New Flesh like crazy since I love Lippmann nude hues and this one looks like another great selection from this company.

I love both of the True Blood nail polish sets, everyone knows how much I love True Blood and will buy almost anything True Blood related.  It also helps when the True Blood products happen to be from one of my favorite companies and are products that I would buy anyway!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom