Most Wanted July 2010

It's hot, it's humid the past few days. It is better today but that won't last for long. The best place to spend my free time is in an air conditioned mall. This is the list of what I want the most this month (and will be on the watch for while I am spending my days in the super air conditioned Sephora).


- Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb La Vie En Rose
- MAC In the Groove Mineralize Eye Shadow in Togetherness
- Philosophy Lemon Salt Water Taffy 3-in-1
- Shu Uemura Gem Glam Pressed Eye Shadow in G gold
- Chanel Fluid Iridescent Eye Shadow in Delta
- Dolce & Gabbana The Lip Gloss in Innocence
- YSL Fard Lumiere Aquaresistant Water Resistant Cream Eye Shadow in #5 Golden Sands
- Burberry Lip Cover in Tea Rose
- Korres Wild Rose Brightening Serum
- LUSH Absolute Delight Bath Bomb

Next month... I begin my fall shopping...

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil

Everytime that I write about Urban Decay collections, I always wax poetic about the 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils. However, it took me until I was writing about their new summer collection for me to realize that I have never written about them and about all the shades that they are available in. So it is time that they get their own write up. It is rare that I use the same eye makeup product more than one a week so when I use these two or three days in a row, I know that I have found a hit product.

The Urban Decay website states the following about the product itself. "The best Eye Pencil ever, ever, ever! Never before has a pencil this creamy and brillant been waterproof, too. Velvety soft, this never-before-seen formula stays soft and creamy for blending (about 30 seconds), then dries down to a long-lasting finish that WILL NOT budge. Line eyes with a hint of color or go for the full artistic, multi-hued effect with the wide selection of lush, tropical hues, deep metallics, and unusually vibrant neutrals. Incredible with Urban Decay Eye Shadows! Created with 50% moisturizing ingredients suspended in a sophisticated waterproof formula, 24/7 Eye Pencils offer long-lasting color and a dreamy, creamy feel when applied. With Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E, and Cottonseed Oil".

This liner is available in a wide range of shades, with the best-selling and award-winning black shade, Zero. I have currently have three of their shades in my collection; Baked, Dime, and Honey. Honey is my favorite which is why I am so unhappy that it is no longer available. This was the perfect gold for me but i see that with the summer collection, a new gold shade was introduced and I will be buying it when I run through my current pencil of Honey.

Let's see our shade choices...

- 1999 - plum with teeny gold glitter

- Baked - bold bronze

- Binge - navy blue

- Bourbon - brown with teeny gold glitter

- Covet - peacock green

- Crash - deep purple with teeny silver glitter

- Deviant - bold blue

- Dime - very metallic silver

- Eldorado - gold

- Electric - bright aquamarine

- Flipside - bright teal

- Graffiti - bright medium green with silver sparkle

- Gunmetal - gunmetal with teeny silver glitter

- Lucky - brilliant deep copper

- Lust - deep purple with subtle silver sparkle

- Mildew - deep green

- Oil Slick - black with teeny silver glitter

- Ransom - bright iridescent purple

- Rockstar - darkest eggplant

- Stash - dark green/gold

- Underground - metallic taupe

- Yeyo - metallic white

- Zero - zealous black

This eye liner is everything that the description states. It never budges after the 30 seconds (I have found that it sets in closer to 20 so you do need to learn to who quick) and lasts all day long. It comes off easily with eye makeup remover and has never irritated my eyes or contacts. The formula is very easy to work with and is super soft on my skin.

Even though I already own three shades of this liner, there are still many more that I want to buy. I want Oil Slick and Zero the most. I also would like to buy Bourbon, Graffiti, Gunmetal, Lucky, Mildew, Rockstar, Stash, and Underground. I guess you can never have too many of a great product. I am hoping that Eldorado is everything that Honey was or else I will very disappointed though...

photo courtesy of Urban Decay

NARS Best of Lips Palette

The other night I somehow pulled off a great first date look...on the of the muggiest days of the year so far. To top it all off, this look took me about ten minutes and came out better than some of the days that I have spent more than twice that amount of time on my look. And my look didn't even come out half as good. One major item that was part of this look was a NARS Lip Gloss. So looking back on it, I want to look at more lip products from NARS so I can pull most easy looks off this summer.

I am starting my search with the NARS palette called Best of Lips. This palette contains their best-selling and highest rated lip products. So I now have six of their top sellers to try out and work with. NARS Lipsticks, Lacquers, and Glosses are top quality so I can't go wrong with any product from this new palette.

Lipstick - A wide range of captivating shades designed to provide the look and style the color dictates . NARS Lipstick is available in three formulas. The Satin finish is a longwearing lipstick with micro-bubbles spheres to continually release lip conditioners which yield creamy, silky color that wears for hours. The Semi-Matte finish is a highly pigmented matte, non drying formula that provides a longwearing, full-bodied, velvety finish. The Sheer finish contains long lasting color pigments that have been suspended in this translucent formula to provide a sheer, natural tint.

Lip Gloss - Serious shine and sexy color in sheer, creamy, and semi-sheer formulas. Extremely wearable and versatile shades, lip gloss may be worn alone or over other lip products for heightened drama. Ultra-shiny and highly pigmented. Convenient wand application. Iconic shades. Ideal alone or over other lip color.

Lip Lacquer - High shine formula with sheer pigments of color for luscious lips day or night. This super-shiny formula can be worn alone or over other lip products. Unique texture prevents color from bleeding. Transparent pigments with sexy shine. Use alone or over other lip color.

The Multiple - The original multi-purpose sticks for eyes, cheeks, lips, and body. Its unique, creamy formula blends effortlessly to provide sheer color for creating shimmering accents, contours, or dynamic highlights. Creates perfect, glowing complexions and is conveniently designed for failproof application.

Here are the shades...

- Copacabana - glistening pearl (The Multiple)

- Chelsea Girls - innocent nude beige with creme finish (Lip Lacquer)

- Dolce Vita - sheer dusty rose (Lip Gloss)

- Orgasm - sheer warm pink with golden shimmer (Lip Gloss)

- Eros - raspberry rose with shimmer (Lip Lacquer)

- Red Lizard - full powered red (Lipstick - Semi-matte)

I can't wait to order this palette from the NARS website! I am already plotting out my beauty options for the next few seasons worth of makeup looks.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo

Since I love Phytocitrus, I decided that I might like their other shampoos just as much. Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo is one of their most famous products so I decided to try and start with this one. This is a favorite of Jean Godfrey June and she has written about this product multiple times in Lucky. So I must admit that she did help to push me to try this shampoo out before some of the other ones from this line.

This shampoo is based toward dry and moderately damaged hair. Sephora places that product in the following category - "A gentle, moisturizing cleanser for dry, medium-to-coarse hair". The Sephora website gives the following details about the product. "Nuture and soften distressed locks with this aromatic, coconut-based shampoo, formulated to cleanse while instantly rehydrating hair with jojoba oil, and a unique concentration of cornflower and mallow extracts (40%)".

This shampoo has four major active ingredients. Jojoba Oil moisturizes and restores the hydrolipidic film of the hair. Wood cellulose helps to retain moisture and detangle the hair. Both cornflower and mallow extracts help to soften the hair and rebuild elasticity. The coconut in the shampoo helps to cleanse the hair without having to use strong detergents to clean the hair. This shampoo has a very thick texture and produces very little foam. This shampoo has a similar texture to the other Phyto shampoos that I have tried so far.

I bought this product at Sephora and when I was there, I expressed the concern that this product has nothing about color treated hair in the description. The sales associate assured me that with the lack of detergents, the product would be color safe. She then proceeded to tell me that when using this product on color treated hair, best results would be obtained by alternating it with the Phytocitrus Shampoo. I want to try this combination out but I have to hit them up again and buy more Phytocitrus Shampoo to try this and see how they work together.

I already own all the matching conditioners to this product and will finish trying them out very soon. I think that I prefer the Phytocitrus since I always color treat my hair but I am willing to try the combination of the two shampoos to preserve my color. This product is a fantastic hydrator and is recommended for those with dry and coarse hair.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Caudalie Instant Foaming Face Cleanser

It's hot, it's humid, and it's going to be even worse tommorrow and over the next few days. Thoughts of creamy skincare products make me want to gag right now since nothing is absorbing fully into my skin. All I want to use is light-as-air products and sunblock. I even have no love for the feeling of my serums on my face. And I love my serums and have to use them to survive. However, I can easily adapt my face cleanser to this weather. Luckily, I have a favorite warm weather face wash from Caudalie that I started using several years ago.

I first received this as a sample from the Caudalie rep but have been purchasing it at Sephora ever since. Sephora defines this product as, "A soap-free liquid cleanser that transforms into an airy foam for a pleasurable, gentle cleansing experience". This description contains two of my favorite words right now: airy and foam.

Sephora goes on with a more detailed description of this product. "A naturally effective blend of grape extracts, sage, and chamomile provide vitamins, purifying benefits, and soothing extracts, removing makeup and impurities while improving overall complexion wellbeing. From the first use, the complexion is immaculate, toned, and radiant. This delightful wash works for all skin types, and is especially tuned to the needs of combination and sensitive skin".

I love this wash, this is one of my favorite Caudalie products of all time. It doesn't irritate or overdry my skin (though I wouldn't really recommend it for drier skin types). It smells faintly floral and the foam is light and fluffy and very easy to fully rinse off. I have found that it gets all of my face makeup off but I don't use it to get my eye makeup off. This product contains the signature Caudalie blend of anti-oxidant ingredients and is very healthy for your skin. This is a great recommendation for a light summer product if you have normal, combination, or oily skin.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Tanda Skincare System

Ok ladies the clock is ticking to win a Tanda skincare system! The total value of this prize is over $300 and since it has items that treat both acne and aging, this is product that anyone will get lots of use out of. You have until the end of the day on Sunday to get to the Tanda website (http://www.tandaskincare.com/) to enter and win the "Find the Tanda" contest. This product was very recently featured on the Betty White show "Hot In Cleveland". And since Betty White is the latest craze at this moment, I can bet that this will be a hot seller.

But first, what is the Tanda and why would you want to win it? I some research on the background of the company and that is where we will begin right now. The following is the introduction to the brand from the Sephora website. "Experience a revolution in skincare. Whether you're looking to say buh-bye to fine lines and wrinkles or to banish blemishes, Tanda's dermatologist-recommended, scientifically proven, hand-held system delivers gentle but effective light therapy treatments all in the comfort of your own bathroom - no spa appointment required! Tanda's complete system includes botanically based, light-optimized topicals, which are specially designed to be free of light-reflecting properties that can interfere with the Tanda light therapy treatments. Go on! See your complexion come to light! The look of healthier, more youthful skin is now in the palm of your hand!"

I need to know more about the science behind this product and I want to share it with you all so that you can get the gist of why this is such a great invention. This company works the concept of phototherapy into their line of treatments. Basically, scientific research has proven that different wavelengths of light can help healing effects on a range of skincare issues. In this case, Tanda uses Red LED Light in their anti-aging tools to rejuvenate the skin and soften the appearence of fine lines and wrinkles. The anti-acne device uses the Blue LED Light to kill acne-causing P bacteria. Now I want to look at each product individually... The two starter kits that I have found are the closest in value to the prize so we will look at each of them.

The Regenerate Anti-Aging Starter Kit contains the full device and the products needed to support its use. The Sephora website states that, "The Tanda Regenerate Anti-Aging Starter Kit brings you Tanda Regenerate, a light therapy device combing proven light therapy and botancially-based, light-optimized to provide natural, non-invasive, scientifically proven solutions for common unwanted skin conditions. A 660 nm red light LED treatment helps to repair skin texture, color, and tone while diminishing the appearence of fine lines and wrinkles. Also provided is the Anti-Aging Serum, index matched so it is free of light-reflecting properties that could interfere with the Tanda Skincare System light therapy treatments. It's formulated to help repair skin texture, color, and tone".

The Clear Acne Light Therapy also contains the full device, a cleanser, and a treatment product. Sephora states that, "The Tanda Clear Acne Light Therapy Treatment brings you a dermatologist-recommended, scientifically proven, hand-held device that delivers powerful light therapy treatments - in the comfort of your own home. The device's Blue LED Light produces a targeted 414 nm beam that kills acne-causing P. acnes bacteria, helping to eliminate current imperfections, keep future breakouts at bay, and improve skin texture, color, and tone. Use in conjunction with the Tanda Light-Optimized Cleanser and Anti-Blemish Gel, designed to be free of light-reflecting properties that could interfere with the Tanda Skincare System light therapy treatments. They are tailored to remove makeup and impurities from the skin without overdrying, and to protect and rejuvenate the skin, creating a healthy appearence".

Ladies, I don't know about you but I am currently rushing over the Tanda Skincare website to try and win the Acne kit. I recommend you all do the same.

photo courtesy of Sephora

YSL Summer 2010 Collection

This is my last summer collection of the year. I have been seeing bits and pieces of this collection throughout the season in magazines and it has been featured pretty prominently in Allure. The latest from YSL is a collection of bronzers and bright shades for lips and nails. Neither of these are among my favorite of products so I don't see this collection working out well for me but if you have a warmer skin tone, I could see if being a fantastic collection for you.

YSL describes the collection as "Free and passionate, the Yves Saint Laurent woman plunges into a new adventure of sun, sensual, and exotic. She opens her safari jacket over her tanned skin like an invitation to travel. Born of the elements, her essential and solar beauty is a force of nature".

Let's finish off the summer collections now...

Terre Saharienne Bronzing Powder - This bronzing powder provides an instant healthy glow thanks to the incorporation of the new "Sun Radiance" pigments. These special effect pigments capture the light and diffuse a golden reflection in all directions. The complexion is smooth, leaving skin looking refreshed and rested.

- #1 Sand - for pale complexions

- #2 Copper Sand - for medium complexions

- #3 Golden Sand - for deeper complexions

Touche Eclat Radiant Touch - Light, luminosity, radiance. The award winning, must-have, take anywhere instant highlighter that banishes shadows, erases signs of fatigue and leaves your skin looking radiant. Touche Eclat is eight hours of sleep in a pen - the one item no woman can be without. Touche Eclat is ideal at any time of the day over bare skin, under or over foundation, creme, or powder. Use this best-selling pen-brush around the eye area, the hollow of the chin, the contour of the lips, and the sides of the nose. Just slip it in your bag to ensure a brillant glow, anytime, anywhere. Suitable for all skin types.

- 1 Luminous Radiance - for pale skin

- 2 Luminous Ivory - for light skin

- 3 Light Peach - for medium skin

- 4 Luminous Toffee - for deep skin

Fard Lumiere Aquaresistant Water Resistant Cream Eye Shadow - New Fard Lumiere Aquaresistant Water Resistant Cream Eye Shadow is a cream eye shadow in an infinitely lightweight texture, providing a deligthful feeling of freshness when applied. The eyelids are dressed with a long-lasting, luminous, and waterproof veil of color.

- #5 Golden Sands - pale gold

- #19 Riviera Blue - ocean blue

Mascara Aquaresistant Waterproof Mascara - Essential for the summer, this waterproof mascara coats, lengthens, and thickens the lashes while protecting them from the drying effects of salt, chlorine, and sun.

- #7 Blue Lagoon - bright blue

Gloss Pur Pure Lip Gloss - Pure colour and high shine. YSL's newest lip gloss is everything you need to achieve an ultra-sophisticated every-day look. Based on YSL's top selling lip gloss, Golden Gloss, Gloss Pur delivers a sparkle-free beautiful and glossy sheen to the lips. With a fresh mango scent and six must-have shades, you'll want them all.

- #7 Pure Sorbet - pale pink

- #8 Pure Watermelon - bright coral

- #9 Pure Hibiscus - bright fushcia

- #10 Pure Redcurrant - sheer red

La Laque Nail Lacquer - A nail lacquer that is both elegant and practical in its elongated glass bottle. Available in an incredible palette of shades, from the most natural to the brightest, it guarentees reinforced hold, wonderful shine, fast-drying, and protected nails.

- #42 Ultra Violet - bright purple

- # #142 Ultra Orange - bright orange

Mehhh... Not my favotie collection of the season. As I thought earlier, this is not a collection for me even though I like many of the shades on someone else. For myself, I only want four items. The item that I want the most is the Golden Sands shade of the eye shadow. I also really like the Ultra Violet nail polish and the lip glosses in both the Pure Sorbet and Pure Redcurrant shades.

Time to begin looking forward to fall...

photo courtesy of YSL