LUSH Halloween 2012 Bath and Body Products

I have finished up with all of my fall makeup collections however I am dragging my heels on starting holiday collections.  I am just not ready to deal with holiday products yet, however I feel that I might in the minority on this.  Last week, Wal-Mart already had Christmas carols going in one of their sections in the store and all the makeup companies are starting to release their holiday color and gift collections.  Personally I would just like to celebrate Halloween a bit longer before I begin my holiday shopping and I am still trying to enjoy the first few crisp days of fall.  Thank you LUSH for just releasing a few Halloween products!

Some of the LUSH products for the Halloween season are only available on the website however I cannot tell which are simply by looking at the products.  I have seen some of these products over the past few Halloweens and while I have not ordered them, I just enjoy looking at some products that are perfect for the fall and I can use right now. I see some soaps and bath products in here and I also believe that I see the famed Twilight Bath Bomb has now been turned into a series of body products.  I am all about shopping for fun holiday-themed products as much as I can so I want to see what I can find from these limited edition products!

Here is the Halloween line from LUSH!

Jacko - Ghoulish fizzer for warming soaks.  This fall, carve out some time in your busy schedule for a spicy soak with this spooky fizzer.  Our great pumpkin will chase away your chills with a spicy, warming blend of clove bud and cardamom oils.  And for a shocking surprise, we add spearmint oil to our latern for a refreshing twist on traditional fall spices.  This one's worth waiting up all night in the pumpkin patch for.

Pumpkin - The leaves are changing color, the air is becoming crisper...and it can only mean one thing: Pumpkin soap is back!  There's nothing quite like washing with its creamy, spicy suds, filled with warming cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and a touch of spearmint.  It smells so much like pumpkin pie that we can't keep it outside the bathroom for fear of taking a nibble.  Lather up with Pumpkin on chilly fall days too.

Witches' Ball - Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.  When the weather gets darker, it can be tough to keep your spirits up.  We've created a spell of herbal bubbles to help you feel like yourself again, full of reviving peppermint, rosemary, and sage oils.  Sage is often used by pagan practitiioners to cleanse and renew energy.  We suggest making a wish on your star before before crumbling this magical bar under running water for huge frothy, warming bubbles.  You never know what might come true...

Ghost - He's back from the dead and ready to put quite a scare in your morning routine.  This year our favorite Ghost returns, but don't be afraid, he's actually more floral than he is frightful.  We added orchid infusion, jasmine absolute, and ylang ylang oil to give this shower jelly the haunting scent of lilies.  When you're feeling dead in the morning, get in the shower with this uplifting ethereal spirit, if you dare.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - When the doorbell stops ringing and the candy bowl is empty, it's time to indulge in this sensual soak.  We suspect you'll get up to some wicked fun after this bath melt leaves your skin silky smooth with the seductive scent of jasmine.  Turn out the lights, lock the front door and get ready to share this gorgeous fragrance in (and out) of the bathtub.

Calacas - Spooky, fruity wobbler.  Sugar skulls are an iconic image used in the Day of the Dead celebrations.  You can see them everywhere in Mexico in November; all painted, flowery, and truly beautiful.  We've created our own little wiggly skulls of seaweed and aloe vera gel to leave you soft and gorgeous, and filled them with neroli and lime oils to put you in the mood to celebrate.  Felicidades!

Twilight - Lavender lathers.  To our Twilight Bath Bomb fans, we heard your requests.  Here it is, a Twilight shower gel, so you can lather up in iridescent purple lavender and tonka bubbles.  If you haven't smelled this fragrance before, you're in for a treat!  It's slightly sweet with the perfect herbal balance.  Wonderful to use in the evening before bed, especially on cold, winter nights.  Dreams do come true!

I really want the Twilight shower gel, I love the scent of lavender and I have such a hard time finding good blends of it.  Many lavender blends are very heavy on whatever the herb is mixed with and much of herb itself is no longer able to smelled in the blend.  I hope this one is really good and the lavender is really prominent.  This is my top choice from the Halloween products.  I also love the sound of the Something Wicked This Way Comes bath melt, I love the scent of jasmine and I want to try this version of the scent.  The last piece that I would like from this collection is Calacas, neroli and line sounds like a great mix.  I will skip out on all the other products, spicy scents make me sick sometimes and I bet that they would irriate my skin too.  I don't really want to find out the hard way so I will skip over them this time around.

I see a tab for Christmas stuff on the Lush website, I don't think I can put holiday off much longer...

photo courtesy of LUSH

MAC MAC and Marilyn Monroe

Earlier this week, the much-anticipated MAC and Marilyn Monroe collection was released onto their website and will hopefully be in the stores October 4th.   I see that MAC is continuing with the trend of doing collaborations and now I really see no end in sight for the collaborations.  Overall, I like the collaborations but I am getting sick of seeing at least two new ones a season for the past year.  So far, the collaboration that I was most excited about was that of the MAC and Carine Roitfeld and I must say that this collection is the only other one that got me as excited as that one.  I have been seeing pictures of this collection for the past few weeks and I excited for so many of the limited edition color products found in this collection!

So far the collection is only available on the MAC website so that is where I will be pulling all of my information from.  I am anticipating that I will have to pre-order any item that I really want from this collection as this seems to be the last big fall collection from MAC and I know that so many people are obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and will buy almost any type of item that she is pictured on.  I know that I will be adding items to next month's Most Wanted list while I am looking at this collection today. 

The overall collection description.  "Pure platinum Hollywood glamour.  Channel the legend's luster and sex appeal in a colour collection distinctively Marilyn.  It's everything you need to capture the MM look.  Specially designed packaging features imagery from The Black Sitting.  Limited edition."  The Black Sitting took place in 1956 and is one of the most famous (if not the most famous) photo sessions that occured between Monroe and photographer Milton Greene.  I know that everyone will recognize some of the photos from this sitting as soon they look at the packaging for the products in this collection.

This collection contains products and shades for every single facial feature and a series of new nail polish shades.  Of course, I am most excited for the lipstick shades, I believe that I already see a red shade and we all know how much I love MAC red lipsticks and especially those MAC lipsticks that come in special edition packaging!

Here is the MAC and Marilyn Monroe collection!

Marilyn Monroe Large Eye Shadow - Highly pigmented powder in a special compact featuring a black and white photograph of Marilyn.  Shades in shimmering metallics and diamond tones for silver screen allure.  Applies evenly, blends well.  Limited edition.
- How to Marry - soft white
- Preferred Blonde - pale champagne beige
- Silver Screen - true silver
- Showgirl - dark blue gray

35 Lash - Slightly more dramatic length.  Provides eye-opening fullness toward the centre of the eye.  If properly cared for, lashes can be reshaped or adorned if desired.

Marilyn Monroe False Lashes Extreme Black - 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.
- Extreme Black - deep dark black

Marilyn Monroe Penultimate Eye Liner - A liquid pen-style liner that provides the ultimate, precise, bold line in a rich, deep carbon black shade.  Goes on fluidly, in one stroke, to achieve any style of of eye line.

Marilyn Monroe Penultimate Brow - A liquid pen-style marker for colouring and styling the brows to a well-defined, natural look.  Easy to control.  Tapered tip provides precision and helps to fill in and perfect the brows.  Flow-through, quick-drying formula means no smudges.  Longwearing.

Marilyn Monroe Brow Finisher - A slim-line, wax-style grooming tool specially formulated to shape and hold the brows, providing them with a sheer, slick, polished, and conditioned-looking finish.  Smooth, non-sticky, easy to use.

Marilyn Monroe Eye Kohl - Two soft-on pencil liners that line, define, and shade eyes with rich colour - in the intense black of Smolder and the pure white matte of Fascinating.  Ophthamologist tested.
- Smolder - intense black
- Fascinating - intense matte white

Marilyn Monroe Lipstick - The world, and your lips, can never get enough of Marilyn.  Colour plus texture with shades in rapturous reds and a sensual warm nude.  Special packaging features a black and white photogrpah of the legend.  Limited edition.
- Pure Zen - frosted warm nude
- Scarlet Ibis - bright orange red
- Love Goddess - midtone pink red
- Charmed I'm Sure - dark true red
- Deeply Adorned - deep scarlet

Marilyn Monroe Dazzleglass - 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 or Lipglass for dramatic effect.  Vial features a photograph of Marilyn.  Limited edition.
- Little Rock - soft sheer white with pearl
- Phiff! - sheer yellow peach

Marilyn Monroe Lip Pencil - Designed for shaping with a smooth, creamy texture perfect for lining or filling in the lip.  Long-lasting and available in a selection of reds that evoke Marilyn Monroe at her iconic best.
- Redd - clearly red
- Cherry - vivid bright bluish-red
- Beet - vivid reddish-pink

Marilyn Monroe Powder Blush - Channel Marilyn Monroe's luster and sex appeal in colour for cheeks and face.  Satin or matte finishes - in a special compact featuring a black and white photogrpah of Marilyn.  Limited edition.
- Legendary - pale soft coral
- The Perfect Cheek - neutral pink beige

Marilyn Monroe Beauty Powder - It's everything you need for flawless MM skin in a special compact featuring a photograph of Marilyn.  Delicately tinted in a sheer pearl peach.  Apply as a highlight, soft blush, or overall finish.  Limited edition.
- Forever Marilyn - sheer pale peach highlighter

Marilyn Monroe Nail Lacquer - Nothing says Hollywood glamour like gorgeous, high gloss colour inspired by the woman who defined 20th century beauty.  Special packaging features a photograph of Marilyn.  Limited edition.
- Rich, Rich, Rich - glittery gold
- Kid Orange - coral
- Flaming Rose - true red
- Stage Red - dark berry red
- Vintage Vamp - rich deep retro wine

Ok so there is a lot going on in this collection!  First a few overall thoughts.  My inital reaction when checking out these products was that this collection is going to sell out instantly.  Between all of the people who love Marilyn Monroe to all of the people who love MAC to all of the people who just love makeup, the shades and products featured here are going to appeal to so many that this collection will be gone within days of hitting the counters.  Not only is this one of my favorite MAC collections of this whole year, the shades are right on trend and all of them are completely wearable.  This is one of of the strongest collections from MAC all year.

The products and shades in this collection will mostly be used to create a red lip look with a shimmery eye, whether neutral or silver.  If the red lip look is not your style, then I can confidently state that you will still leave the counter with some lip products, as there is a great nude lipstick shade offered and two very pretty Dazzleglasses.  To start with, I will be looking at the Lipsticks.  My top choice (as you all knew that it would be) is Charmed I'm sure, I love this bright red and will wear it all the time.  The nude hue is too wamr for me and therefore I will skipping over that shade and looking for the more dramatic hues from this collection.  In addition to Charmed I'm Sure, I will also want to pick up the following reds: Scarlet Ibis and Deeply Adored.  Scarlet Ibis is more on the coral side than any red that I own but I still like it and hope that it will work for me, Deeply Adored is a great deep red to round out my lipstick picks.  I can live without the Dazzleglasses and I don't used Lip Pencil so I will be chasing down the Lipsticks mostly.

Onto eyes and face.  The eye shadows are pretty but nothing amazing or unique.  I am sure that all of these shades have a duplicate in the MAC permanent range and they are not worth a big fuss for me to try and get.  That being said, if they are at the counter, I would purchase Silver Screen and Showgirl to use as highlighters.  Both of the Kohls are part of the permanent collection and I already own Smolder (though I do recommend it highly and encourage all of you to buy it!), as is Penultimate.  The mascara is part of the regular line as are the false eye lashes.  The eye makeup doesn't grab as much as the lipstick shades.  Neither of the blushes nor the Beauty Powder are of any interest to me either and I will be skipping over all of them.

The last part of the collection are the Nail Lacquers, a rather dicey formula.  MAC released a permanent line up of lacquers late in the summer and I have been told that the quality issues are much reduced as of the introduction of that line.  I still have not taken my chances yet on this formula however I love the bottles so much for this line that I think that I will be trying them soon.  Flaming Rose, Stage Red, and Vintage Vamp are great reds and I own few cream red nail polishes and need to add at least one or two to my collection!

I love this collection and all the reds in it and if you are like me then get your pre-order in because these shade will fly off the counters!

photo courtesy of MAC

Giorgio Armani Fall 2012 Collection - Easy Chic

The last fall collection that we are going to look at this year is the Easy Chic collection from Giorgio Armani.  Just like Trish McEvoy and many of the new products from Guerlain, I have to travel a decent amount just to try these products at a coutner and therefore I can't count this brand among one of my favorites.  I have heard so many great reviews of the Armani Beauty products, especially the foundations, and I want to start using more from this brand however I still don't really like ordering foundations from brands that I haven't been able to try the shades out in real life.  Hence my issue with this brand, I am trying to come up with some things to do in New York City so that I can combine shopping and museums...

Easy Chic contains three new products, one palette and the rest single products.  I found a description of this collection on the Nordstrom website however all of the product descriptions are from the Armanio website.  The overall description of the Easy Chic collection is as follows, "This fall, Giorgio Armani reinvents texture.  His unique version of color and shapes play a masculine aesthetic against elegant feminity.  Perfectly harmonized shades are revisted in a neoclassic way to add a sultry decadence to eyes."  The model for this collection has a dramatic smoky eye with minimal cheeks and lips and will work perfectly with many of the trends that we have been seeing all throughout the fall season.

Here is the Easy Chic collection from Armani!

Easy Chic Face and Eye Palette - Giorgio Armani premiers a satin shadow that delivers long-lasting fine color film for a comfortable, no-smudge effect.  Two-in-one palettes.  On the first tier -  A feather-light face powder with micronized particles of Micro-Fil technology illuminates the skin with the signature "Armani Glow".  On the second tier - Two matte eye shadows in intense hues and a "satinized" illuminator formulated with the new Color-Fil technology.  Neo classic harmonies.  The Neo-Black palette features an ultra-fine transparent face powder in Sheer Beige teamed with Soft Beige, Taupe, and Jet Black Eye Shadows.  The Neo-Brown palette features a Sheer Rose blush partnered with Greige, Brown, and Earth Brown.
- Neo Black 1 - Sheer Beige Face Powder/Beige, Taupe, Jet Black Eye Shadows
- Neo Brown 2 - Sheer Rose Blush/Greige/Brown/Earth Brown Eye Shadows

Easy Chic Eyes to Kill Waterproof Eye Pencil - Eyers are defined in Granite Black or Earthen Brown shades with a wax-based, glide-on technology.  Two dual performance eye definers combine the precise application of a pencil with the skin comfort and sixteen-hour long-wearing capabilities of a liquid liner for color that remains comfortably  soft all day.
- Granite Black - deep charcoal black
- Earthen Brown - deep brown

Easy Chic Rouge d'Armani - Three new luxurious Armani shades in Beige 111, Rouge 408, and Plum 526 from Rouge d'Armani complete the color contrast.  Exceptional long-wear formula results in up to 8 hours of intense color.  Experience comfort and shine, without color fading and feathering.  Soft texture leaves lips feeling continously hydrated.  A lipstick packaged in an elegant black lacquered case with an exclusive magnetic closure.  Sealed with a click. 
- Beige 111 - soft rose nude cream
- Rouge 408 - medium cool rose cream
- Plum 526 - deep cool red plum

This collection allows me to finish the fall collections on a high note!  I was so unhappy with the Trish McEvoy fall collection and I didn't want to finish up the fall collections being disappointed.  I love both of the eye palettes and I know that Iw ould get lots of use form either shade, Neo Black 1 is what I believe that model for the collection is wearing, along with the Grantie Black in the eye pencil, and the Beige 111 Rouge d'Armani.  I want to buy all of those products in order to help create this look.  A trip to New York will be in my future oh so soon!

Well the fall collections have come to an end and now we are beginning to look forward to the wonderful products and giftsets that will be releasing for the holidays.  I am already getting emails from Sephora about sneak-peeks of their holiday products and I am already getting a bit excited for some of the Tarte and Stila sets!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Trish McEvoy Fall 2012 Collection - Watercolors Collection

Currently, I have two fall collections left on my list that I have not yet looked at.  Today we will look at the Trish McEvoy collection, Watercolors.  It is getting harder and harder for me to find counters for this company, I can only find one down in King of Prussia or up in New York City.  Therefore, as much as I like many of the products from this company, I can't get super excited to try them out as I will not get to the counters very often.  Once I can finally get to the counter, my main goal will be to try some of the fragrances out and see if I have found any new fragrances to take home with me.  I will be playing with some of the color products too, but they are not my top priority right now.

Watercolor is the new collection for the fall months and it is one of the smallest ones that I have seen in the past few months.  In fact, this collection consists of three (and only three) new palettes.  These are not large palettes or do they contain products for all facial features.  I don't quite see the point of releasing a collection this small and then focusing a whole season around three products but I guess quality is better than quantity...

I found this collection on the Nordstrom website and that is where I am pulling all of my information from since this would be the store that I would be the most likely to order from or visit the store.  I am already plotting a Nordstrom order in early October so if any of these palettes look very promising, I will take a chance and add one to my shopping cart.  On first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything unique or amazing about these shades but more information might come to light as we look at each product by itself....

From the Nordstrom website, "Inspired by the incandescence of watercolor paintings, Trish developed a collection of textures that makes you look lit from within."  We have two eye shadow palettes and one face palettes, I do not see anything for lips (very disappointing from my point of view).

Here are the new palettes from Trish McEvoy...

Effortless Eyes Wet and Dry Eye Shadow Trio - Handmade in Italy, Trish's extruded formula enhances eyes with high-definition color from soft to rich to dazzling.
- Lilac - white/pale lavender/black
- Nude - champage/medium nude/deep chocolate brown

Golden Face Color Trio - A customizable face color trio marries Bronzers Golden and Golden Tan with Blush Natural for a perfectly brightened complexion and a lit-from-within look.  Two shades of bronzers and a medium warm pink cheek color.

Well nothing has changed my life so far...  Both of the eye shadow palettes are nice.  And that's it...nice.  Nothing amazing and really nothing even that unique as I bet that I own each of these shades already or I could find them in any permanent eye shadow line up.  Perhaps if I loved the Trish McEvoy line and only used products from her, I would be very excited for these palettes but anyone who has more than 10 eye shadows in her collection will own pretty much all of the selections in the palettes.

The face palette does nothing for me either, I know that this company is big on using bronzer all year round and therefore puts it in all of their collections and palettes but I am not and so there is no way that I would purchase this palette for fall.  If I were to even entertain buying it, I would save it for next summer whne I would use the multiple shades of bronzers.

I think my fall collection coverage is ending on a lower note, hopefully Giorgio Armani produces a stunning collection or I will leave fall totally bummed...

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Philosophy Fall 2012 Body Products

The weather has cooled down and now I can officially use all of my fall perfumes and body products, I love returning to old favorites and discovering new scents this time of the year and it is one of my favorite aspects of early fall.  I already looked at the Fall Traditions body products from Bath and Body Works, I actually went back to the store a few weeks after writing this post and tried the Brown Sugar and Fig fragrance again.  I hated this on my body when it first came out but it smelled less intense this time and smelled more subtly musky than full on fig on my skin.  I was so excited that I picked up the shower gel and matching lotion to use this fall.  So I already bought a few new products for the fall but I still am interested in picking up some other products from Philosophy...

It seems that every single year, two of the best-selling Philosophy fall scents come out.  The Caramel Apple and I Love Candy Corn are staples for this brand and are the backbone of the fall products.  This year is no exception and both of those scents are back along with a brand new one.  The Caramel Apple has always been my favorite every single year (these are my favorite fall treats) and I am willing to bet that this year will be exactly the same!

We will start out with the single 3-in-1s, as these are among Philosophy's most popular products.  In Love Candy Corn is the star of the fall products for this company.  "An oh-so-sweet caramel candy corn shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath.  Back with a caramel twist, this oh-so-sweet caramel candy corn shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath is everything you love about candy corn with a rich, creamy layer of caramel.  It's moisturizing formula provides a rich, foaming lather to gently cleanse and condition, leaving skin and hair feeling soft."  I never bothered to smell this when I last saw it at Sephora as I thought that it was the same scent as every other year but I will have to smell it again now that caramel notes have been added.  The original scent was so sweet that I couldn't use it very much and I would never use up a 16 oz bottle of it, let's see if that is still true with the caramel scent addition.  The Caramel Apple is always my favorite.  "A delectable caramel apple shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath that cleanses and conditions skin and hair.  You won't be able to resist bathtime when you dip into the delectable scent of caramel-coated apples.  Its moisturizing formula provides a rich, fomaing lather to gently cleanse and condition, leaving skin and hair feeling soft.  The delicious blend of red delicious apple and creamy caramel scents makes this shower gel the perfect bath treat on a crisp fall day."

The newest scent in the 3-in-1 is Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa, the drink that was made popular by Starbucks several years ago.  "A three-in-one cleanser for hair and body with the delicious scents of melted caramel and chocolate.  Cover yourself head to toe in the sweet scent of delicious caramel with this luxurious cleanser.  The multitasking formula provides a rich, foaming lather to gently clean and condition, leaving skin and hair soft and healthy.  The perfect bath and shower treat, this oh-so-sweet concoction is gentle enough for everyday indulgence."  This one sounds wonderful...Rolos are a favorite candy of mine and I am willing to bet that I would love this product and I must smell it the next time that I go to Sephora!

Sephora all makes lip glosses to match the candy corn and hot cocoa scents!  I have never really used Philosophy Lip Shines before, they are mostly clear with a slight shimmer and are mostly for the flavor.  First the I Love Candy Corn gloss.  "A high-gloss, high-flavor lip shine.  It's everything you love about candy corn, combined with Philosophy's lip-loving gloss formula, for deliciously soft lips.  This product's naturally emollient ingredients and Vitamin E help hydrate, soothe, and soften lips.  It leaves a sheer, lustrous finish and sweet candy corn flavor that stays delicious on lips.  It's the perfect lip treat for fall."  The I Love Candy Corn shade is clear with a hint of shimmer, this is only worth buying if you love candy corn.  The Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa has a bit more tint to it.  "An emollient-rich gloss that coats lips with the sweet flavor of cocoa and caramel.  Soften, hydrate, and smooth with this sheer gloss that guarentees a sugary pout.  The perfect treat to moisture and beautify, this oh-so-sweet formula is gentle enough for all-day indulgence."  I like both of these shades but I don't love either of them.

There is also a lip gloss set that I see on the Sephora website, it contains two different shades of lip shines that are not seen separately anywhere else on this website.  The Trick or Treat Lip Shine Duo is my favorite of the lip gloss products.  "A set of two high-gloss, high-flavor lip shines.  There's nothing spooky about these delicious lip treats.  Philosophy's trick or treat calls to mind the scent of crispy marshmellow bars and the delectable scent of caramel-coated apples.  Both are made with emollient formulas that hydrate, soothe, and soften lips to leave a sheer, beautiful shine."  Marshmellow Bars is a clear gloss with gold shimmer and the Caramel Apple gloss has a sheer deep red tint, Caramel Apple is my favorite of all the Lip Shines. 

On the Philosophy website, there is an additional giftset available that I didn't see on the Sephora website.  And it has the Caramel Apple scent in it!  "No tricks, just treats.  Trick or Treat features Sweet Cinnamon Icing and Caramel Apple Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath.  Leave skin and hair feeling soft."  This Trick or Treat set is awesome looking and I will be looking to use it from the company's website.  I have never smelled Sweet Cinnamon Icing but it sounds like a scent that I would fall in love with.  Years ago, Bath and Body Works had a scent called Cinnamon Frosting in their original Tutti Dolci line and this was one of my favorite scents and I have never smelled anything like it since.  If this scent matched it, then I would be in heaven!!!

I am so excited for more fall products, I am beginning to think that I could use these products all the way through the winter.  I love the Caramel Apple scent and I want to collect it in as many forms as possible!

photo courtesy of Sephora

China Glaze Halloween 2012 Nail Polish Collection

It seems that the fall collections are coming to a close and I am so excited to see a few Halloween collections before the holiday collections start releasing at the beginning of October.  Halloween is a holiday that I really enjoy, even though I don't always get dressed up, I still start buying Trick or Treat candy as soon as it hits the supermarket shelves.  For me, the true arrival of fall occurs when I see the seasonal aisle in the supermarkets change the picnic items to all kinds of Halloween candy and treats.  I have been picking up candy nearly every single time that I have bought groceries the past three weeks and crave candy all the time now.  It's that special time of the year!

I am so excited to see that China Glaze has released a series of new polish shades for Halloween, six brand new hues that are perfect for those who love this holiday.  And for those who just want to keep adding more nail polishes to their already large collections!  All of these shades are bold and great for someone who wants to get noticed!  I wouldn't recommend wearing any of these in a professional environment, they are strictly for fun...nothing wrong with that at Halloween!

Here is the Wicked collection from China Glaze!

Nail Lacquer - China Glaze is a professional quality nail enamel that is resistant to chipping and color fading.  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.

The new Halloween shades...

- Roguish Red - warm red cream
- Glitter Goblin - clear base with large pieces of orange and silver glitter
- Make a Spectacle - clear blase with small silver shimmer and large pieces of holographic glitter
- Cast a Spell - black cream with green and gold shimmer
- Bizarre Blurple - blue purple base with blue shimmer
- Immortal - light gray cream with blue shimmer

The glitters are my favorite shades in this collection, the creams are nice but they aren't anything special and I could find them in many different permanent polish collections.  Make a Spectacle is my favorite shades, this one can be worn on its own or as a top coat over all shades of polish.  I would wear it this time of the year over jewel tones or black and gray hues and then next spring, I will wear it over pastels.  I hope China Glaze made enough bottles of these shades to keep up with the demand because I must own this color!

Immortal is my second choice, I love grays and silvers in the fall and winter and this one is very unique.  Glitter Goblin is very festive but I am on the fence on it, its nice but I feel like I would only wear it once or twice a year and I would be more likely to buy it if I could get it in a small size in a set.

Hopefully we see some more Halloween collections soon!

photo courtesy of bebeautiful.com

Dior Fall 2012 Collection - Golden Jungle

We have a few fall collections left and therefore we are going to end on a very high note for this season!  I am already seeing holiday stuff, both in the beauty world and nearly every single time that I go shopping.  I am very excited about all the Halloween candy and decorations that I am seeing but I am dreading the holidays that seem to be coming earlier and earlier every single year.  I have to head to Wal-Mart tommorrow morning for some grocery shopping and I can only imagine what I find there, a mixture of Halloween costumes and Christmas trees!

Golden Jungle is the fall collection from Dior, I saw hints of this collection all summer and then products from it were all over the fall fashion magazines.  I thought that I did this collection earlier in the summer but when I read over my list of companies that I had left to look at and this one wasn't crossed off so I decided to visit the Dior website right away and check out this collection.  I remember stalking the Dior website at the very beginning of my fall collection coverage and it wasn't up for the longest time so I may have put it on the back burner and then somehow forgot about it.  But now it is time to look at this collection and then decide what I need to pick up from it to round out my fall shopping.  Considering that I will start picking up some early favorites from the holiday collections by the middle of next month, I need to up with fall and then start getting my Sephora shopping list updated for the next group of seasonal collections!

The Golden Jungle eye shadow palette from this collection was in almost every single fall fashion magazine that I can remember and therefore that is wear I will be starting with this collection.  The Golden Jungle collection is all shades of neutrals and golds, shades that I love to wear on my eyes but I don't always like on my face or lips.  So I can envision picking up some eye makeup shades from this collection however I doubt that the lip shades will be anything for me bring home...

Here is the Golden Jungle collection from Dior!

Golden Jungle Palette - Essentials for radiant eyes and lips - Panther eye shadows and lip gloss.  In its precious case, the Golden Jungle palette captures the essence of the modern jungle: 3 assorted matte, pearly, iridescent pressed eye shadows in a panther motif to sculpt the eyes, and one gloss to enhance the radiance of the lips. 
- Golden Browns 002 - pale champagne/medium bronze/deep brown eye shadows and a medium nude lip gloss

Dior Vernis - Haute couleur,high lasting.  Never before has the colour of the new Dior Vernis displayed such lacquered and vibrant shine!  A cocktail of Shine and Sparkle Amplifying ingredients directs pigments and pearly particles to enhance light reflection tenfold.  Application is even easier with the new brush.  Dior Vernis also features a new chip-resistant formula that protects and embellishes the nails, day after day.
- Amazonia - dirty olive green khaki
- Bengale - deep rosy bronze

5 Couleurs Designer - All-in-one artistry palette.  Dior has created 5 Couleurs Designer,  an ultra-professional and totally new version of the mythic 5 Couleurs Palette.  Five different textures have been brought together in a single case to create eye shadow styles through layering.  1 Base - light, 2 Color - iridescent, 3 Shade - satinity, 4 Shine - pearlescent, 5 Liner - mat; represent the essential steps used by professional makeup artists to draw attention to the eyes and create ultra-graphic eye makeup looks.
- Khaki Design 308 - deep olive green/medium champagne/deep black/pale gold/medium cool bronze

Diorblush - Glowing color powder blush.  Dress your cheeks in color and light!  Dior presents the first blush that plays in color intensity and a variety of finishes to create a natural, healthy glow with a subtle sparkle.  A matte finish enhances the natural skin tone, while a pearly finish highlights the planes of the face.  Silky and lightly scented, this Couture blush comes in a wide range of colours to suit all skintones.
- Sugar and Spice 849 - matte medium bronze/shimmer medium bronze
- Sunkissed Cinnamon 639 - matte light bronze/shimmer light bronze

Dior Addict - Vibrant color, spectacular shine.  Lipstick, the ultimate fashion accessory. The new Dior Addict Lipstick is a declaration of love between beauty and style, between colour and couture, between Dior and its addicts.  44 shades for a catwalk effect.  Easy to wear yet impulsive, the essential Rouge Addict shades play on the excitement and fashion desires of the moment.  This completely new, high-shine sensorial formula is totally is totally addictive.  With 25% less wax than a classic lipstick, it contains instead an extraordinary reflecting gel.  The result is modern transparency, intense plumping effect, and a magnifying glass effect to intensify shine, plump the lips, and above all, enhance colour.
- Wild 646 - medium rosy nude
- Daring 952 - deep berry brown

The palette with the three eye shadows and one lip gloss in is one of my favorite pieces of the whole season, this palett eis still in stock on the Dior website so I hope that I can get my hands on it without any issues.  I will wear the shades in this palette all fall and then all year round since they are just perfect for my blue eyes and will work very well with many of the eye shadows that I already own.  I also would like to buy the 5 Couleurs Designer for the exact same reason, when Dior has a hit on their hands, I will want everything in the collection!  My only concern is that quality of the eye shadow palettes has been all over the place in the past and I don't want to be disappointed again, my policy with Dior products to fully research and play with them before I decide to buy them or not.  I will have to visit the counter and hope that I can leave with a bag full of fun products.

The rest of the collection is a total miss for...exactly as I knew it would be.  None of these browns will flatter my skintone but would be showstopping on someone with a warmer skintone than mine.  I will be skipping over these shades however I want to try the Diorblush formula in a different series of shades.

I can't believe it but I must accept reality...fall is ending and I am almost done with the fall collections and my thinking is shifting towards the holidays already!

photo courtesy of Dior

Guerlain Fall 2012 Collection

We are now heading toward the very end of the fall collections and I am going through my list and seeing what lines I haven't looked at yet.  One of the collections that I haven't viewed is the newest from Guerlain, I have a mixed outlook on this line of products.  Everything that I see from this line I tend to fall in love with but I can only get my hands on a few of the products at my nearest Sephora store.  I am impressed that Sephora has added more products from this brand to their counter however I still wish that I could have the same selection that is found at the counter at Saks or Bergdorf Goodman.  One day when I move into the city...

The Guerlain fall collection only consists of two new products (at least from what I can find) and they are featured on the company's website.  I doubt that I will be able to find either of these products at my Sephora counter for at a few seasons so I can't work up a ton of excitement for this collection.  The Guerlain website didn't give a name to this fall collection so I don't know what trend it is focused on or what themes ties these products together.  I get as bit disappointed when I don't see a theme for a collection because I find it harder to use some of the products and shades together to create a "look" for the season...

This collection contains the much hyped Blush Duo, a product that has appeared in almost every single beauty magazine this fall and is the one product that I am really excited from this collection.  I am hoping that this product is worth me ordering it from the Saks website and that it will not disappoint me.  I have never heard a bad review of a Guerlain cheek product and therefore I am want to do some shopping from this line of products!

Here are the two new products that Guerlain brought out for the fall season!

Rouge G L'Extrait - This exceptional liquid, creamy, consistent, ultra-pigmented, and velvety lip color delivers an incredibly sophisticated makeup result.  Wear it not to tease but to awaken desire!  The colour becomes matt in a moment and reveals its superb qualities.  Non-sticky, non-drying, non-feathering, this luxurious texture is a waking dream that lasts for hours for all women who love colour.  A formula with rejuvenating and smoothing benefits that are tangible on application and over time, day after day.  The Rouge G case has been interpretated in a sleeker version to hold this liqud texture.  Pull and click...and watch the familiar double mirror gracefully open.  Then, simply turn the cap to take up the colour and apply it elegantly and easily with its flocked tip.
- Avarice M06 - medium nude matte
- Colere M25 - bright blue red matte
- Luxure M27 - deep brick red matte
- Envie M11 - medium warm coral matte
- Paresse M65 - medium dusty cool rose matte
- Gourmandise M71 - bright cool berry matte
- Orgueil M69 - deep cool plum matte

Rose aux Joues - A luxurious case in the House style.  A colour duo with a main shade to make cheekbones blush.  And its smaller conterpart for a savvy mix or a striking juxtaposition.  The dense, tapered brush glides easily and precisely over the skin on application.
- Peach Boy 1 - medium coral/pale peach
- Red Hot 6 - deep rose/medium rose
- Golden High 5 - medium bronze/pale bronze
- Chic Pink 2 - medium pink/pale pink
- Over Rose 3 - medium rose/medium pink
- Pink Punk 4 - medium rose/medium plum

This collection may be very small but contains some fantastic products, I want several shades from both of these products.  I am seeing a huge trend with several lines releasing liquid lipsticks for the fall season, I hope that these formulas can create the high pigmented, long-wearing look that a traditional matte lipstick can provide.  The Colere M25 shade is my favorites, this bright blue red is right up my alley and looks to be the shade that the model of the collection is wearing.  This would be my first choice from the lipstick formula.  If I love this formula, then I will continue to collect more shades.  My next purchase would be the Luxure M27, the deep brick red, the Paresse M65, a lovely rose, and the Gourmandise M71, the bright berry.  I am in the market for a very dark berry shade but I don't believe that I will find it in this formula.

The new blush formula is also of interest to me, I always want new blushes and this formula looks lovely.  I haven't bought a new blush in the past few weeks so I can indulge in these.  My first choice is Over Rose 3 and I also like Red Hot 6, these are both great choices for rose shades and both of them will complement my pale, cool skin.  I can't wait to head up to the city and check out this formula, hopefully my vacation day snexgt month will allow for some great shopping!

photo courtesy of Guerlain

Aveda Fall 2012 Collection - Passion Flower

 

This is the first season that I am looking at the color collection from Aveda, now that I have found an Aveda concept salon to visit, I am much more excited about this brand and all the different products that they carry.  So far, I have had the shampoo and conditioner used on me at the salon however I haven't bought anything yet and I have decided to begin to slowly pick up a few items each time that I visit the salon.  My salon carries the skincare, haircare, and has several makeup tables so I have tons of products to chose from and try out.  I am excited  to try all of the products from this brand but I must say that I am the most excited for the makeup line and the upcoming fall collection that was just released.

The new fall collection is named Passion Flower, it only contains four new products and therefore is one of the smaller collections that has been released this season.  Aveda makeup products are more natural and contain many natural ingredients and pigments.  I am more interested in skin and hair care products that are natural and organic as makeup will sit on my skin and not be absorbed the way the products in the other two categories can be.  My stance on natural makeup is that it's a nice to have but not a "need" to have.  Lip products are the one item that I would be most likely to purchase more natural or organic line of products as this product is easiest to accidently ingest.  How many of use have gotten lipstick or gloss in our mouths and didn't realize it right away?

The collection description is as follows, "Luxurious petal tones grounded by sophisticated neutrals."  The collection offers petal tones in several lip products and one eye shadow shade.  The last group of fashion magazines that I read are all over the deep berry lip tone and I am now checking out some lipsticks in this hue to wear the rest of this season.  I will have to look for these exact shades the next time that I go to salon!

Here is the Passion Flower collection!

Nourish-mint Soothing Lip Color - Plumps, smoothes, and moisturizes.
- 907 Wild Fuchsia - bright fuchsia pink
- 908 Snap Dragon - warm saturated red
- 909 Rare Orchid - cool red violet

Nourish-mint Lip Liner - Reduces feathering of lip color.
- 380 Foxglove - matte nude pink
- 480 Tarragona - matte warm berry

Petal Essence Single Eye Color - Soft to the touch eye shadow.
- 926 Night Iris - satiny plum berry

Nourish-mint Hydrating Lip Glaze - Lip gloss infused with plant emollients.
- 910 Star Dahlia - red berry with shimmer
- 911 Gilded Lotus - shimmery camel neutral
- 912 Pearl Rose - soft rose with shimmer

I usually start with buying lip colors when I try out a new color product line so I will follow that same trend with Aveda.  My favorite pieces of this collection are the lipstick and the lip gloss, I love that both of these formulas contain spearmint oil (mint is a favorite ingredient of mine for lip products!) and that means that I know that I will love these formulas.  From the lipstick shade range, I want the 907 Wild Fuchsia shade (the one that I have pictured here) and I might try the 909 Rare Orchid shade to fulfill my need for a deep burgundy shade of lipstick.  For the lip glosses, I am going to start with a more natural shade so I will buy the  912 Pearl Rose.  I can wear this light rose against strong eye makeup or really with any look that I can dream up.  I also could wear that lip gloss hue all year round and I can see myself loving this shade (if I love the formula enough) and I bet that I will be buying a few more shades of this product.

I am so excited for my next salon visit so I can play around with the Aveda makeup tables!

photo courtesy of Aveda

MAC Face and Body

MAC had a bunch of huge collection releases over the past two weeks and this collection is one of the group.  Face and Body is all about base colors for the face and also for use on the body.  Originally I had no interest in this collection and still have next to interest in it, I don't have any reason to use most of the major products in this collection.  I don't have any major tattos or imperfections on my body that I would need to cover up so I have no need to purchase a whole separate foundation and cover up for my body.  I have enough with all the products that I use on my face...

So why am I even looking at this collection?  I became interested in it when I read reviews of one of the new products contained in it, I have already read that the many of the products released in their Office Hours collection were awful and now I have read that these are even worse.  What is going on with MAC's quality lately...I have commented before that their permanent products are a higher quality than their limited edition products but their products have been been awful before.  I am very surprised that two collections in a row have gotten awful results from the beauty industry...

"For natural looking dimension, a colour-coordinated trio of modern formulas for face and body.  Add highlights and create contours with neutral/skin-tone shades of Pro Sculpting Cream, Pressed Pigments, and Face and Body Foundation."  I don't know how much sculpting I will be doing of my face and body areas but I guess that it can't hurt to look and see what these products are about.  I will be very disappointed in MAC if their seasonal collections continue to have quality issues, especially if the issues carry over into the MAC and Marylin Monroe collection that is coming out at the beginning of October.

Here is the Face and Body Collection!

Pressed Pigment - An intensely creamy highlighter offering extreme pearlescence and versatility of finish.  Apply dry for high shine, or on damp skin for a dramatic wet look.  Provides eye-catching sheer-to-moderate buildable coverage and natural dimension finish.  Pressed Pigment is delicate.  Please handle with care.
- Light Touch - high pearl powder in W10 shade
- Warming Heart - high pearl powder in NW20 shade
- Spot Lit - high pearl powder in NW35 shade
- Day Gleam - high pearl powder in NC30 shade
- Beaming - high pearl powder in NC50 shade
- Deeply Dashing - high pearl powder in NW55 shade

Pro Sculpting Cream - A cream-to-powder formula for sculpting and shaping key features.  Silky-smooth, easy-to-blend and neutrally-shaded.  Apply where extra dimension is needed, eyelids included.  Provides moist, skin-soothing, natural-looking, sheer-to-medium buildable coverage.
- Accentuate - peachy beige
- Naturally Defined - warm beige
- Pure Sculpture - neutral pink beige
- Coffee Walnut - deep dirty, cool brown
- Copper Beach - warm golden brown
- Richly Honed - warm deep brown

Face and Body Foundation 50 mL - A fluid foundation that provides low-to-medium buildable coverage and a flawless natural satin-shine finish.  Skin conditioning, water-resistant and long-wearing.  Now available in two sizes, including the new 50 ml.  Available in a range of shades to suit every skintone.

215 Medium Shader Brush - A paddle-shaped brush with short, extremely dense, natural bristles.  Pro-preferred for smoothly shaping/defining the eye with colour.  Flawlessly applies both powder and cream eye shadows.

163 Flat Contour Brush - An ultra-smooth brush with short, luxuriously silky, synthetic bristles and a flat wide top.  Multi-purpose, multi-medium, but specifically designed to help create sharp contours with shaping/sculpting products such as Pro Sculpting Cream.

The products in this collection are pretty unique but still nothing that I would ever really use.  I don't need a face and body formula foundation, I only use foundation on my face and currently don't have any reason to use it on any areas of my body (prehaps this may change after I decide what I will be doing with getting tattoos), maybe I will revisit the product later on in life.  This foundation formula is the first product in this collection that I ruled out and then I just continued ruling products out with every review of this collection that I read...

The Pro Sculpting Cream is a highlighting product that I am very on the fence about.  I don't know how much I would use this type of product and I would need an explanation of how to use it from my favorite MAC counter.  I am only considering using some of the paler shades to accentuate my cheekbones when I decide not to use blush.  The product that I would most excited about initially was the Pressed Pigment, I was envisioning a great highlighting shade for my eye area.  However I read on the Temptalia blog that this product performed really badly when she was testing the shades out.  Based on her review, I know that I would be ok skipping over this product and I know that I could find some great highlighting eye shadow shades in the MAC Eye Shadow range.

I hope that this is the last MAC collection of the year that I am very disappointed by, I have bought less MAC products this year than the past few and this is disappointing to me.  I am so excited to see the holiday collections that will be coming soon and I hope that I have a few pieces that I fall in love with from the line up.  I hope that MAC is just going through a few issues with formulation, I still love everything that I bought from Hey, Sailor! and I have been working all the lip and eye products into my fall makeup look.

photo courtesy of MAC

Lancome Fall 2012 Collection - Midnight Roses

Midnight Roses is the newest fall collection from Lancome and I must say that I am betting that this will be one of my favorites.  I love roses and Lancome has produced some great collections inspired by roses in the past few years and I am hopeful that this one is as wonderful as the previous.  The previous rose-inspired collections have been spring or summer collections and this one is very different, the hues are deeper and much more dramatic.  This collection consists of color products for all facial features and one of newest fragrances from the company.  I am already beginning to plot out my shopping list for this collection, I love so many of the shades and I must own the perfume that is grouped with these products!

The Nordstrom website provides a full description of the collection and the Lancome website provides more details about the products themselves.  "Lancome is excited to present Midnight Roses, our Fall 2012 Color Collection.  Inspired by Tresor Midnight Rose and the majestic hue of purple, the makeup evokes mischievious feminity and glamour.", states the Nordstrom website to describe the collection.  I love all the deep berry shades for the lips and all the lovely purples for the eyes, this is a great collection!

Here is the Midnight Roses collection from Lancome!

L'Absolu Nu - For fall, L'Absolu Nu undresses your lips in three new sheer shades, 3393 Parme Fianelle, 3397 Prune Mantille, and 3389 Rouge Resille.  Still using the same ultra caring lipstick with Pro Xylane, L'Absolu Nu enhances your natural lip tone and replenishes lips.  From mauve to raspberry and plum, these limited edition colors are the perfect transition to the Fall while keeping lips moisturized with a delicate veil of color.
- 3389 Rouge Resille - deep rose berry
- 3393 Parme Fianelle - sheer berry
- 3397 Prune Mantille - light plum

L'Absolu Creme de Mat - A liquid rouge with a matte finish.  L'Absolu Creme de Mat combines the gentleness of a gloss and the coverage of a lipstick with a deep velvety finish on the lips.  Three limited edition shades, ranging from bright red to profound burgundy, will cover every look from day to night.  The precise-angled, tapered tip applicator ensures an even and contoured application. 
- 300 Magic Pourpre - matte bright berry
- 301 Prune Elixir - matte plum
- 100 Potion d'Amour - matte deep berry red

Color Design Eye Palette - Infinitely luminous.  Sensationally smooth.  All-in-one 5 shadow palette to brighten eyes.  Build with absolute precision and apply the shades in 5 simple steps (all over, lid, crease, highlighter, and liner) to design your customized eye look.  Contour, sculpt, and lift in soft day colors or intensify with dramatic evening hues for smoldering smoky effects. 
- Violet Magnetique - matte pink (all-over base), shimmer taupe plum (lid), shimmer periwinkle (crease), metallic silver (highlighter), deep shimmery plum (liner)
- Mauve Cherie - shimmer soft yellow (all-over base), shimmer plum (lid), matte taupe plum (crease), shimmer silver taupe (highlighter), shimmer black (liner)

Le Crayon Kohl - Create a sensual, intense eye look with ease.  This smudgy, creamy-smooth eye pencil delivers a dose of decadent color that glides on effortlessly and blends beautifully.  In an instant, eyes are perfectly lined, defined, and contoured for a smoldering effect that's absolutely irresistible.
- 300 Purple Dusk - deep purple

Vernis in Love - Vernis in Love is a high potency nail lacquer perfectly themed to compliment every woman's mood and style.  With ultimate brilliance, intense color, and a mistake-proof application, your nails will love the lasting shine and pop of color that stays put for days.  Limited edition shade 453 Infusion de Prune and top coat 030 Givre Magique are the perfect finish for any of the Midnight Roses-inspired looks.
- 453 Infusion de Prune - deep berry
- 030 Givre Magique - clear matte top coat

Blush Subtil Palette - Sensationally smooth.  All-in-one blush palette to sculpt and enhance your best features.  Artistry is made easy with three simple steps to contour, blush, and highlight your complexion.  For any skin tone, any face shape - your complexion is naturally enhanced.  Define your face, enhance or diminish any features for a complexion that is illuminated, brightened, and lifted.
- 323 Rose Flush - matte tan/shimmery rose pink/iridescent pale pink
- 359 Framboise Flirt - matte tan/radiant bright pink/iridescent pale pink
- 385 Plum Elegance - matte cocoa brown/shimmery plum rose/shimmery copper steel
- 126 Nectar Lace - matte tan/shimmery pinky coral/pale gold shimmer
- 158 Peche Savvy - matte tan/shimmery bright coral/iridescent beige
- 192 Rouge Allure - matte chocolate brown/radiant burgundy red/shimmery copper

Tresor Midnight Rose - Charming.  Mischievous.  Desirable.  A sexy-sweet blend of raspberry, rose, vanilla, and sensual musk for mischievous feminity.  Catch my heart if you can!  Top notes: Raspberry, Black Currant Bud Absolute.  Middle Notes: Rose Absolute, Jasmine.  Base Notes: Vanilla, Musk.

I love these lipstick and lip gloss shades, I know that I have been trying to buy less lip products this season but so many great shades have come out so far this season and I continue to find more and more shades that I want to buy.  My favorite shades are from the new lipstick shades, Rouge Resille and Parme Finalle are both lovely and will be very flattering on my pale skin.  I must go to the counter for both of these shades as soon as I can.  I like the lip gloss but I want to see how pigmented they are before I decide what I want to order, they look as though they will be more like liquid lipsticks than just lip gloss.  Assuming that it is a liquid lipstick, I want to buy another berry hue from this formula (Magic Pourpre is my choice!).  I know that I should not be buying any more lip products but these are just such great choices for me!

I want both of the eye shadow palettes, I have been trying to buy more shadow and blush shades this season and so far have picked up a few great shades.  My favorite of the eye shadow palettes is Violet Magnetique, I have been all over purple eye shadows this fall and this is another great choice and therefore I can't wait to see this palette at the counter.  I am very interested in the new blush palette that has been brought out with this collection however I want to make sure that this will be a product that I can easily use in the correct fashion.  Rose Flush is the shade that I would start out with and I will want to play with this at counter when I go!

Midnight Roses is one of my favorite collections of this season so far and I don't think that I will be adding many more to that list at this time in the season.  I can't quite state if it is my absolute favorite yet but it is a contender for this title!

photo courtesy of Lancome

Clarins Fall 2012 Collection - Ombre Minerale

Clarins skincare is among a favorite of my serums and primers however I haven't tried as much of the makeup as I would like to.  I rarely visit my local counter at Macy*s since the counter is rather small and focuses more on the skincare and tanners than any of the color products.  They also tend not to always have the latest releases and carry only some of the core products, I wish that I had a bigger counter so that I had more exposure to this brand since every self-tanner or skincare product that I have used was fantastic and I have loved the results that I have gotten from it.

With the facts as stated, I doubt that I will be seeing a huge display of the products at my counter and I may have to order some of these products from the Clarins website.  I should be able to get some of the basics at the counter, I should be able to find the mascara and the eye liner but I may not be able to find the limited edition eye and face products.  I always need more mascara so being able to easily obtain the Instant Definition Mascara should still make me happy...

I found this entire collection on the Nordstrom website as well as the Clarins' website.  In addition the product descriptions and photos, the Nordstrom website has a full description of the collection that ties all the new products and shades together.  From the Nordstrom website, "Clarins is dedicating this season's makeup collection to naturally chic, intensely enhanced beautiful, feminine eyes.  Sparkling results with just a hint of mischief, lots of tenderness or a bit of fun.  You decide on the you wish to achieve!"  This collection consists of six new color products, including some great eye kohls and liner formulas that I really think that I will want to order from Nordstrom!

The Clarins website itself provides full details on all the products and shades so we look at everything in detail and then I can begin getting my shopping list together. 

Here is the Ombre Minerale Collection!

Instant Definition Mascara - A dual-purpose, ultra-volume, intense colour mascara with a rich formula that enhances the beauty of all types of lashes.
- 04 Intense Plum - deep rich plum

Rouge Prodige True Color and Shine Lipstick - An unrivalled formula that delivers long-lasting lip colour, shine, and hold that lasts for hours.  High Fidelity Pearl Technology ensures that colour and shine stay true for hours with this rich, creamy texture provides nourishing skin care benefits to lips.  A wide range of colours to choose from to create your own glamourous look.
- 134 Orchid Pink - deep berry pink cream
- 135 Dark Cherry - deep red cherry cream
- 132 Spiced Orange - medium warm orange cream
- 133 Fig - medium neutral cream

3-Dot Liner - Clarins' revolutionary "trident" tip eyeliner pen gives you precision control for a flaw-free effect.  Three prong applicator fills in the spaces between each lash, dot-by-dot, to accentuate eyes and add volume to lashes.  Rich, deep pigments deliver intense color results and lasting wear.
- Black - black

Colour Accents Powder and Blush - Four harmonious shades in one chic compact bring instant illumination to every skin tone and complexion.  Translucent powder blends easily to smooth skin and even-out imperfections.
- three shades of light bronze and a light pink shade

Kohl Eye Pencil - Discover a velvety-soft pencil with a creative edge.  You control the line - from precisely defined to smoky and smudgy.  New artistic license - that's the point of it all!
- Black - black

Ombre Minerale Mono Eye Shadow - Pure, lasting eye shadows shade, define, highlight, and line in fall's most fashionable colours.  Glide on wet for high-intensity colour; dry for subtle look.  Ultra-soft mineral formula blends easily.  Won't crease, fade, or settle into fine lines.  Available in matte, satin, and pearlized finishes.
- 01 Sparkle White - cool white shimmer
- 02 Nude - pale champagne shimmer
- 03 Petal - medium pink
- 04 Golden Rose - medium gold pink
- 05 Lingerie - medium beige
- 06 Tea Rose - deep warm rose
- 07 Auburn - medium brown
- 08 Taupe - medium gray taupe
- 09 Lavender Tea - medium cool lavender
- 10 Slate Blue - medium blue gray
- 11 Silver Green - medium olive green
- 12 Aubergine - medium red plum
- 13 Dark Chocolate - deep warm brown
- 14 Platinum - deep silver gray
- 15 Sparkle Black - deep black shimmer
- 16 Vibrant Violet - bright purple

I must say that I am most excited about the new eye shadow formula that is offered with this collection, I thought that I would be most into the eye liners but I am really excited about some of the eye shadow shades in this formula.  None of the shades are very unique but I still love so many of them.  I have to say that my favorite is the Vibrant Violet shade, this bright purple will look great with all the purple eye looks that I have been craving for this fall season.  My second favorite shade is the Golden Rose, I am still creating the rose gold eye looks this fall (just slightly heavier on the gold and gold eye liner this time around) and I would love to add this shade to my collection also.  Thos two are my most loved shades and the ones that I must buy.  After I pick up these two shades, I would like to also buy the following: Tea Rose, Lavender Tea, Silver Green, and Platinum.  I am so excited to play around with this formula and I hope that they will appear at my counter in Macy*s.

I am also excited for both of thew eyeliner formulas that are offered with this collection.  The 3 Dot tool looks exactly like what was just offered by Too Faced and is always sold out at my favorite Sephora store.  I might buy this one instead, depending on the availability of the product.  I don't see much of a difference between them, if anyone reading this has used both of them please let me know if I am missing something here.  To finish up thoughts on the eye makeup part of this collection, I want the mascara formula but in the traditional black shade, I wouldn't ever use the plum hue. 

The face powder is take-it-or-leave-it for me, if it looked amazing at the counter, then I would consider buying it but as of right now, I don't need this product.  The last item that I want to check out is the new shades in this lipstick formula, I love the first shade that came up with the product, the deep berry pink shade (Orchid Pink), this shade will look great on me all fall and winter.

This is one of the most wearable fall collections that we have seen so far this season, these products and shades will work in many different scenerios and I can see these products selling out very quickly.  This isn't the most unique or original collection but I still love it all the same.  I can't wait to get a few of these eye shadows and I will report back on them after I get to play around with the shades.

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

MAC Office Hours

Today we are looking at that last big fall collection from MAC (at least I believe that it is as we are running out of time for fall collection releases) so I expect that I will pick up a few pieces from this collection and then wait until they have their first big holiday collection release in the early weeks of October.  Some companies are already beginning to release pictures of their holiday collections but I want to live with my fall makeup and products for at a few weeks before I begin thinking about the holidays, one of my least favorite times of the years.  I hope that I still have some time to enjoy my fall items and pick up a few more fall items in the next few weeks...

Office Hours is the newest fall colour collection from MAC, it contains only Pro products and formula however I have read in multiple beauty blogs that it is one of the best looking but worst performing collections that has been released in the past few months.  I will have to come up with my shopping list and then go to counter to play with every product on its own, this will not be a collection that I will pre-order or order the items from the website.  I hate when MAC has great looking collections and then many of the products apply or wear horribly, it is such a let down!

"She's a glamourous go-getter with temp about her!  Full-time, overtime - her makeup, like her day, goes on and on.  What she loves: the no-fade staying power of these MAC Pro Longwear - including new MAC Pro Longwear Blush."  I haven't heard anything stellar about this blush formula and therefore this will be the product that I really need to test out at the counter, I am shopping for a new blush since I haven't bought one for several weeks and I will be very disappointed if these are really as bad as what I am reading about...

Here is the MAC Office Hours collection...

Pro Longwear Eye Shadow - A unique longwearing Eye Shadow with a silky, creamy texture formulated for maximum color impact.  Easily blendable and buildable; lids are visibly smooth, no matter how intense the application.  Lasts 8 hours.
- Ever Ivory - pale ivory
- Bloom On - light burnt rose
- Always Sunny - light yellow brown
- Uninterrupted - dark camel
- Endless Passion - midtone rose
- More Amour - midtone red
- Mauveless - dark dirty mauve
- Fashion Fix - deep taupe
- Linger Softly - light frosted gray blue

Pro Longwear Lipglass - A longwearing Lipglass that goes on smooth and lasts for up to 6 hours!  Envelops lips with shine and colour and pro-longs the hours between application.
- Boundless Beige - light warm beige with pearl
- Patience, Please - light pink-blue
- Love Love Love - light cool pink
- Next Fad - midtone cool pink
- Peristant Peach - light warm peach
- Everlasting Nude - midtone warm nude
- Forever Rose - midtone neutral rose
- Driven By Love - red-blue with light pearl

Pro Longwear Blush - A lightweight blush with extreme colour perfection and non-fading, eight hour wear.  Ultra fine, silky powder glides on and blends easily to provide a moist, flawless, natural finish or with layering, a brighter, more dramatic look.
- Rosy Outlook - light yellow pink
- Baby Don't Go - light cool beige
- Stay By Me - light peach coral
- Stay Pretty - light bright blue pink
- Blush All Day - light dirty rose beige
- Whole Lotta Love - light blue pink
- Eternal Sunshine - warm brown
- Subborn - midtone rose plum

Basically, I haven't read anything good on the products in this collection.  The Lipglass formula performs fair but the rest of the products have been deemed as failures due to both pigment and wear issues.  Which is very sad since I already seen some colors that I would like to own...

I will start with the Lipglass shades that I want since these seem to be the only ones that might work out for me.  I love the pinks in this collection, Love Love Love and Next Fad are great pinks and i would wear them against strong eye makeup in the fall and winter and they will still be perfect next spring and summer.  I actually think that this might be have been better as a spring collection since so many of these shades are better for the spring trends.

From the failure products...  I will try to give both the Eye Shadow and Blush formulas a chance at the counter.  Hopefully there were just some batch issues with this product and some of the items will perform as intended.  From the Eye Shadows, I like the Bloom On and Endless Passion shades, I love these pink and rose hues and I plan to use them with gold and bronze hues.  I have created some great mixtures of roses, golds, and bronzes over the past few weeks and I want these pinks to work out so that I can add them to my collection.  From the new blush formula, Stay Pretty is a great bright pink and I would love for this product to work better than the reviews that I have read about it...

I love so many of these shades and I hope that all the issues that I have read about are just batching issues and that when I play with the products at the counter, they will work out better for me.

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

OPI for Sephora Fall 2012 Collection - Spice Market

The Nail Bar at Sephora is my go to place at this point, I run over to it as soon as I go into the store and look at all the new products.  Then I take the time to walk around the store and pick out the products that I am buying and then I revisit the Nail Bar because it is nearly impossible for me to leave the store without buying at least one or two more polishes to add to my collection.  The largest part of the bar is the OPI for Sephora collection, my least favorite of the nail polish lines that Sephora carries.  I don't dislike the brand however I prefer to run to the Nails Inc and Illamasqua side.  I do have to remind myself that I have gotten some great polishes from the Sephora house line in the past and I will check out the fall collection, Spice Market.  This collection sounds as though it will contain a bunch of neutral and brown hues, not my favorite type of shades but I am still excited for new nail polishes...

My nail polish collection has now outgrown its home in my bedroom and I am in the process of attempting to find a new home for it.  If anyone has good suggestions, I would love to hear them because I have too much at the moment and I only want more every single time that I go to Sephora or Ulta...

Nail Colour - Fashion-forward, wearable nail colours for the modern woman who is looking for an effective, safe, environmentally conscious brand. Sephora by OPI Nail Colour, a line of 54+ trend-setting shades, puts the final touch on fingertips and toes with a top-quality formula you have come to expect from OPI.  The long-lasting, chip-resistant polish ensures flawless results with each application, and its green ingredient list excludes DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.  Sephora by OPI combines the quality and color expertise of OPI, the world leader in professional nail color, with Sephora's reputation for the latest in beauty and sophistication.
- Justa' Pinch of Glitter - opaque charcoal fine glitter with chunky silver glitter
- I Think I Cayenne - opaque metallic red-orange
- S-Age is Just a Number - opaque chrome gold with two tone effect
- Living in Cin-Namon - opaque metallic dark red-brown
- Have You Met Rose-Mary? - opaque deep rose-red shimmer
- You're A Nut, Meg - opaque metallic spicy terracotta-cinnamon
- Chamomile-lon To One - sheer pink beige with fine gold glitter
- Thyme For a Mani - opaque light khaki

Spice Market Mini 4-Piece - A four-piece set of petite nail colors in a variety of spicy, fall shades.  Featuring a sun-lit spectrum of reds, golds, and a sparkle-packed silver gliter, Sephora by OPI's Spice Market translates the season's most talked-about trends into must-have nail lacquers for the fall and beyond.  The long-wearing, chip-resistant formulas are free of DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.
- I Think I Cayenne - opaque metallic red-orange
- Have you Met Rose-Mary? - opaque deep rose-red shimmer
- Justa' Pinch of Glitter - opaque charcaol fine glitter with chunky silver glitter
- S-Age is Just a Number - opaque chrome gold with two tone effect

I see some polish shades in this collection that will bring me back to the front of the Nail Bar, instead of running right to the other lines, I might actually stop at the OPI line of polishes and pick out some new shades.  The best shade in this collection is the charcoal silver shade, Justa' Pinch of Glitter.  I love charcoal shades in the fall and winter and this will be a great addition to my nail polish wardrobe, charcoals are neutrals for me in cold weather.  Chamomile-lon To One is the only other shades that I really want from this collection, this will be another good neutral for me.  I had been wearing pale pinks with shimmer or glitter topcoats all spring and summer and this shade is a way for me to update this look into the fall months.

Most of these shades are too warm for my skintone, I would find them very attractive on other people but not me.  Living in Cin-Namon is my favorite of the shades that are warm-toned, this is very pretty warm red with a shimmer finish, I just wish that this polish was a bit better for my skintone.  S-Age is Just a Number also falls into this category, I will have to see how warm the gold hue really is since cool-toned golds have been coming out recently and this one might fall more into that category, I certainly hope that it does since it will come home with me if it is flattering.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Clinique Fall 2012 Collection - Colour Me Dramatic

Earlier today, we looked at the first of the two newest collections from Clinique, Colour Me Sheer.  I was very happy with the products and shades that were featured with that collection and I am looking forward to looking at the second of the collections right now.  Last year, Clinique had a very strong fall collection, with the release of a line of products all with the unique and best-selling Black Honey hue.  Black Honey Almost Lipstick is a favorite product of mine every single fall and winter and I was all about this collection.  I think that the people who loved this collection from last year will love Colour Me Dramatic and I am all about this part of the collection!

Colour Me Dramatic is all about purple hues and lots of eye makeup, I am seeing a deep purple eyeliner shade that I am very excited for.  I only own a bright violet eyeliner shade from Urban Decay and I need a slightly less bold hue to use with other plum eye makeup shades.  The bright hue that I already own will work best with more neutral and gray shades for a dramatic look but will not blend well with most colored eye shadow shades.  "Well-blended layers of colour intensify your features in a bold statement."  I love this!

Here is the second of the fall looks!

Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour - Creamy, crease-resistant eye colour wears for 8 hours.  Instantly cools thanks to a unique applicator.  Nourishing ingredients coax fine lid lines into a blanket of smoothness.  Anti-oxidants protect eye-area skin.
- Born Freesia - silver with a purple cast

Colour Surge Eye Duo - Perfect pairings of in-demand shades with more of the most-used highlight shade.  Deliver creamy, intense colour in one stroke.  Comfortably lightweight, long-wearing.  Layerable, blendable.  Ophthamologist tested.
- Blackberry Frost - silvery grayed lilac partnered with violety charcoal

Quickliner for Eyes Intense- No need to be sutble when now it's so easy to move into the deepest, most dramatic range.  Find all the intensity of a liquid liner with one simple stroke.  Silky formula glides on.  Stays on all day.  Never needs sharpening.  "Smoke" with the smudge tip on the opposite end.  Ophthamologist tested.
- Intense Plum - bright deep purple

High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara - With every stroke, the over-the-top brush wraps lashes in instant, jaw-dropping drama.  This larger-than-life formula is also safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.  Ophthamologist tested, too.
- Extreme Black - deep black
- Black - black

Instant Lift for Brows - Two-in-one automatic brow pencil and pearlized highlighter duo creates a contrast and definition that gives eyes a virtual lift.  First, fill in and shape brows with long-wearing natural-looking pencil.  Then optically "boost" brow arches with universal highlighter shade just below brow hairs.
- Soft Blonde - ash blonde shaper/universal shaper
- Deep Brown - deep brown shaper/universal shaper
- Soft Brown - light brown shaper//universal shaper

Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm - Super-nourishing lip balm with mango and shea butters.  Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth.  Sixteen natural-looking lip tints in all, each with a subtle sheen.
- Voluptuous Violet - deep plum

This is my favorite of the two looks, I love the plum eye makeup shades.  My favorite pieces are the eye shadow duo and the plum eyeliner.  Both of these products are not quite what I would wear during the day but will look fantastic when going out at night, I have been all over the plum smoky eye look for fall and these are two of the best choices that I have seen so far this whole season.  i am a bit concerned with the level of pigmentation on the eye shadows as Clinique is not know for having super pigmented shadows but I will try it at the counter and see what my conclusion is. 

I like the hue of the Chubby Stick much more than I did for the other collection, this purple hue will look much better with my pale skin.  I may not wear it with the eye makeup that is in this look, depending on how pigmented it is.  Finally, I MUST own the mascara that is out with this collection, I will need a new tube soon so I am considering both versions of the High Impact Mascara.

I am love the two collections from Clinique, the dramatic look might be in my top five for the fall season!

photo courtesy of Clinique

Clinique Fall 2012 Collection - Colour Me Sheer

I am currently very happy with my newest product from the Clinique skincare product line so I decided that I wanted to check out more from this company, my local Macy*s hasn't done a Gift with Purchase for several months and I want to be ready as soon as I see the signs for it.  I might want to get more skincare but I do want to see if I need any new makeup before I just begin making a shopping list full of skincare products.  I am very excited to see that the fall collections from Clinqiue are finally up on their website and this year they have departed from tradition and have introduced two new collections instead of only one.  One collection is designed for a more natural fall color look and the other one is designed for a more dramatic fall colour look.

Today we are going to look at the first of the two color collections, Colour Me Sheer.  Colour Me Sheer is the more natural of the two collections and is best suited for a professional day look or on the weekends.  Most of the eye makeup shades that I have bought so far for this season have been on the more dramatic side and I am very interested in seeing what shades will work for a more natural look, also I am going to be rocking a dramatic lip look for most of the season and I could use a few new natural eye makeup products and shades.  I need to round out my eye makeup collection and find some more shades that more natural and refined than all the fun shades that I added to my collection with my purchase of the Too Faced Return of Sexy Eye Palette...

"See-through shades and an easy touch bring out your naturally pretty glow."  This is a great look for a casual weekend or a more conservative work atmosphere and I need some new shades to create looks like this. 

Here is the first part of the Fall Colour collection!

Lid Smoothie Anti-Oxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour - Creamy, crease-resistant eye colour wears for 8 hours.  Instantly cools thanks to a unique applicator.  Nourishing ingredients coax fine lid lines into a blanket of smoothness.  Anti-oxidants help protect eye-area skin.
- Gingerly - creamy pale bronze shimmer

Quickliner for Eyes - Automatic eyeliner pencil twists up.  Glides on.  Smudges to a smooth blur of colour with the convenient smudge tool on the opposite end.  Needs no sharpening - silky formula is always ready to line and define with ease.  Stays on all day.  Ophthamologist tested.
- Dark Chocolate - deep dark chocolate brown

High Impact Mascara - Kicks up the volume and length of each and every lashfor a look that's lusher, plusher, bolder.  Pure deep colour only adds to the impact.  Wear it once and you'll feel naked without it.  Ophthamologist tested.
- Black - deep pure black
- Black/Brown - very deep brown

Instant Lift for Brows - Two-in-one automatic brow pencil and pearlized highlighter duo creates a contrast and definition that gives eyes a virtual lift.  First, fill in and shape brows with long-wearing natural-looking pencil.  Then optically "boost" brow arches with universal highlighter shade just below brow hairs.
- Soft Blonde - ash blonde shaper/universal highlighter
- Deep Brown - dark brown shaper/universal highlighter
- Soft Brown - light brown shaper/universal highlighter

Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm - Super-nourishing balm is loaded with mango and shea butters.  Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth.  Sixteen natural-looking lip tints in all, each with subtle sheen.
- Mega Melon - sheer peachy pink

I love this look and I can't wait to add a few of these products to my makeup collection.  My favorite pieces are the cream eye shadow shade and the deep brown eyeliner, I love both of these products and I can use them with so many products and shades that I already own.  I am interested in the Instant Lift for Brows, though I would need to visit a counter and have someone work with me to make sure that I am using it right and that I will see a difference with this product.  I have never really used many products on my brows, I get them professionally waxed every few weeks and then only use a clear gel on them when needed.  I don't know that I really need another product for my brows as I keep them in fantastic shape already.  I will have to talk to the sales associate at the counter and decide if I do need to add this product to my daily look.

Lastly, I have been interested in the Chubby Sticks since they released.  I haven't tried any of them yet, they are always on my list of items to buy however that list is so long already that I haven't gotten to buying any of the shades yet.  I don't know that I will be buying this exact shade (it is a bit too warm for me) but I will be looking for some shades that pinks, berries, and maybe a sheer red too.  Perhaps I will move these up on my shopping list soon...

Now onto the second fall makeup collection from this company...Colour Me Dramatic!

photo courtesy of Clinique