MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes

This is the first new collection of the year from MAC. This collection falls into Spring but I found that it is more on the season-less side since it focuses on natural beauty and has a wide range of products and shades that will flatter (as the title of the collection suggests) anyone that wishes to find products in this collection. The official write-up of the collection from the MAC website is right here, "Intent on a universal focus, a collection that extends our range with new shades to match every international skin tone. But that's not all. Because brows speak louder than words, two new products to help you express their style. In every language these are wow!"

Here is the collection...

Eye Shadow - Highly-pigmented powder. Applies evenly, blends well.

- Cross Cultural - dark dirty yellow brown (Matte)

- All Races - cool light mauve taupe (Matte)

- Banshee - dirty taupe with frost and sparkle diamond cluster (Lustre)

- Showstopper - deep blackened brown (Matte)

Pigment - Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect. Does not streak or cake. Easy to blend and long-lasting.

- Universal Mix - sparkly white gold (Frost)

- Rich Life - dark cool brown with silver (Frost)

Impeccable Brow Pencil - A classic, creamy long-wearing brow pencil, with an easy-to-sharpen point. Fills in, defines, and colours with precision. Provides a natural matte. Makes the brows look impeccable.

- Taupe - mid-tone dirty taupe

- Dirty Blonde - cool light brown

- Blonde - pale yellow brown

- Black - blackened dark neutral brown

Eye Brows - Self-propelling, self-sharpening, brow defining. Confidently adds what you need: shape, colour, density in one streamlined tool. Like a pen, creates its own just-right point. Provides definition, shape, deepens/fills in colour. Creates striking arches. Easy to tote around. No sharpener needed.

- Lingering - soft taupe brown

- Spiked - rich brunette

Penultimate Brow Maker - A liquid, pen-style marker for colouring and styling the brows to a well-defined, natural-looking finish. Easy to control. Tapered tip provides precision and helps create the feathery strokes needed to fill in and perfect the brows. Flow-through, quick-drying formula means no smudges. Long-wearing.

- Universal - universal

Brow Set - Slick! Strokes on. Adds shine, style, grooming, overall wow! to the brows. A brush-on gel that grooms and slicks brows into shape without flaking or stiffening the brows. Available in several tinted shades or clear, it can be used on its own, or for a nice natural look stroke over Eye Brows. May also be used on lashes, sideburns, and chops - any facial hair.

- Clear - colour-free

- Mink - dirty brown

Lipstick - Colour plus texture for the lips. Stands out on the runway. Simmers on the street! What made MAC famous.

- Equality - creamy pale yellow beige (Lustre)

- Myself - dirty light mauve with traveling pearl (Lustre)

- Empowered - creamy mid-tone neutral brown (Satin)

- 5N - plummy sheer brown (Lustre)

Tinted Lipglass - A unique lip gloss available in a wide variety of colours that can create a high gloss, glass-like finish or a subtle sheen. Designed to be worn on its own, over Lip Pencil, or Lipstick, Tinted Lipglass is the perfect product for creating shine that lasts. It's pigmented, very shiny and can impart subtle or dramatic colour. It contains Jojoba Oil to help soften and condition the lips. Tinted Lipglass is packaged in a convenient bottle with a sponge tip applicator that provides a quick, smooth, even application.

- Naked Frost - sheer taupe with silver pearl (Frost)

- Glamour For All - sheer pale baby pink with pearl (Frost)

- Liqueur - frosted mid-tone pink brown (Frost)

- Spirit & Soul - frosted dark cool brown (Frost)

Beauty Powder Blush - Silky-fine, shot with pearl, this blush inspires a subtle glow in tandem with a pure colour vibe. Ultra-smooth, delivers a light and alluring shimmer together with a sheer-colour payoff. Builds colour for ultimate effect. In every way luxurious. Limited Edition.

- Personal Style - light mauve taupe

- All's Good - cool deep rose

Blot Powder/Pressed - A unique pressed powder designed primarily to provide shine control without adding any noticeable colour or texture. Sets foundation, finishes faces. For use in professional situations and for frequent touch-ups. Blot Powder contains Mica and Silica to absorb excess oils and reduce shine on the skin's surface. Can be applied with the puff that comes in the compact or with a powder brush like #129 Powder/Blush Brush. Perfect for touching up Studio Fix Powder Foundation throughout the day. Available in four shades from Light to Deep Dark.

I can tell that a couple of the items in this collection could potentially hit a Holy Grail status for me. The first product that really caught my eye is the Lipstick in Equality, the swatch on the MAC site made it look very similar to Way To Love (however there is no pink in this shade for it may be too warm for my skin). I want the All Races and Banshee Eye Shadows and I also want to try the Universal Pigment. From all the eye brow products, I think that the best product for myself would be Eye Brows in Lingering. Lip product-wise, I also want the Lipstick in Myself and the Tinted Lipglass in both Glamour For All and Liqueur. To finish off the collection, I want the Beauty Powder Blush in All's Good and the Blot Powder in the palest shade. I have been into Beauty Powder Blushes ever since A Rose Romance and am jumping at the chance to buy another one.

photo courtesy of MAC

Prescriptives All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15

Well, it's January and therefore (unless Estee Lauder changes something), this will be my last Prescriptives post ever. Very sad... This last post will be another one about their foundations, one powder and one liquid. Both of these foundations are from the All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15 line and were ones that I had considered when I got my Colorprint done. I wasn't all that interested in the powder formula but I was very curious about the liquid formulation and wondered if I would like minerals in a liquid formula, since my major complaints with Bare Essentials was the powders. These products are bestsellers for Prescriptives so we will look at both of the formulas and you can determine which would be the best for your skin type.

Here is the description of the powder formulation that I got from the Prescriptives website, "Good for you. Good for your skin. What's in it for you? Vitamins, minerals, gems, sun protection...all helping make your skin look naturally radiant and unbelievably healthy. What's not in it for you? Oil, talc, fragrance, pore-clogging ingredients...all the things that may make you hesitate about wearing makeup. So, All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15 is all good --- and skin looks and feels naturally flawless, naturally better. Key benefits: pure, natural coverage; infused with vitamins, minerals, and gems; healthy, radiant finish; weightless, long-wear formula; and SPF 15 protection". The method of application for this product is the same as Bare Essentials (which I hate) so I don't think that this formula is what I am looking for in this line.

Now let's look at the liquid version from this line. The liquid version is billed by the company as being good for 16 hours of wear and is the long-wearing product in the mineral line. This is what the company website has to say about this product, "Introducing the long-wear makeup that's good for skin. All Skins Mineral Makeup 16-Hour Wear/SPF 10 is an all-day liquid mineral foundation that stays fresh and lasts up to 16 hours, while helping protect with non-chemical UVA/UVB sunscreen. Our exclusive R.E.C. complex (Radiance Emitting Crystals - a unique combination of Amethyst. Rose Quartz, and Calcite) gives skin extra luminosity, as if it were "glowing from within". Lightweight, buildable coverage lets skin breathe. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive. Long-wear. Water-resistant. Oil-free. Fragrance-free. Non-acnegenic".

When I tried this liquid foundation at the counter, I determined that it wasn't a heavy enough coverage for my skin. However, I loved the feeling of it and was intrigued by the R.E.C. complex. So in the end, I didn't end up purchasing this product though it was a second choice of mine.

I hope that Prescriptives is able to do something to keep all their items available on their website. I have found that every product that I have ever tried from this company, I have ended up loving. And I have never even tried any of their skincare or eye makeup yet. If I hear anything else about availability and this company, I will post it right when I find out.

photo courtesy of Prescriptives

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Products

Let me start this off to saying that strawberries are my favorite fruit known to man. I will pay large amounts to get then all during the year and usually end up having to throw way too many of them away because they had to trucked in from California or some other warm place. Then when the spring begins and strawberries are available in my local area and I finally get the long-awaited giant berries with no bruises. With strawberries as a favorite of mine, I have often looked for other items that have the same strawberry scent but always ended up finding products that smell like generic sweet candy and not the actual fruit.

During one of the Bath and Body Works Semi Annual Sales, I had the good fortune pick up some of the Me! Bath Shower Scrubs for 90%. Which seemed like a great deal at the time until I go home and went to use one and realized that I had nothing to match the Strawberry Kiwi scent. And I am particular about my body products, everything that I use at the same time must match or complement each other in some way. So I had to find something else to match these scrubs or I just threw my money away on products that wouldn't get used. I saw the Strawberry line next time that I walked by Body Shop and decided that I would give this line a try.

I already liked Body Shop's products so I figured that this line was the closest thing that I would find to a genuine strawberry fragrance. And I was having no luck at all trying to find a Strawberry Kiwi wash or cream so I decided that this line was about all that I was going to find. I bought the Body Wash and Shower Gel in this collection.

The benefits from the Strawberry Body Butter are more than I had originally expected from the product. The first one that is listed in the product description is that Strawberry seed oil provides omega-3 and omega-4 fatty acids to repair skin's natural moisture barrier, allowing it to remain smooth and supple well after the initial application. This body butter also contains Community Trade Shea Butter to moisturize, soften, and protect skin with high levels of anti-oxidant Vitamins A and E. This product also contains Community Trade Cocoa Butter that melts at skin temperature, leaving skin soft and smooth. I also bought this fragrance in the matching Shower Gel, which I had initially found to be runny but got used to texture relatively quickly. The Shower Gel contains Strawberry juice that it rich in Vitamin C to protect and nourish the skin. It also contains Community Trade soy oil that is rich in essential fatty acids to help repair skin's natural moisture barrier. This product is also available in a Body Polish, which I didn't purchase since I only really bought these products to match the scrubs from Me! Bath.

As I stated above, I initially thought the Shower Gel was too runny but I began to like it better after several uses. The Body Butter is very thick in the tub and a decent amount of effort needs to be applied to get it out for use. It works best if I rub it in my hands to warm it up then apply it to my body. It is a good product for hydration and is thick enough for use on dry winter skin but also isn't too heavy to use in the summertime. While I like this line of products, they still aren't my favorite from Body Shop and I would rather purchase the Coconut or Mango product lines.

photo courtesy of The Body Shop

Spring 2010 Preview

It might be snowy and cold outside right now but I am ready to start looking at the Spring collections and I am already looking forward to warmer weather and being able to spend more time outside. In the December issue of allure, they had an article from backstage at the Spring 2010 fashion shows and they gathered all the major trends of the upcoming season into one article. Using that article as a guide, here are the 10 major trends that we should be seeing this Spring.

#1 Colorful Shadow - The most vivid example of spring's happy mood: the candy-colored eye makeup. In heaviest rotation were shades of violet, turquoise, orange, and mint green, in a range from pastel to electric. But non were so intense that they appeared clownish. "We're applying these colors with a light hand so that nothing looks exaggerated," said Pat McGrath at Dior.

#2 Orange-Red Lips - This season's red lips contained a healthy dose of orange. Whether matte or shiny, the shade was usually paired with little more than mascara and a bit of foundation. In describing the women with lacquered poppy lips at Prada, McGrath said, "They are super-femmes fatales."

#3 Swirled Updos - The prettiest updos were also the least complicated: Stylists simply gathered the hair, wrapped it into a gentle twist or knot, and pinned it in just enough spots to set it. "It's meant to look like the bun is somewhat falling out," said Eugene Souleiman at Dolce & Gabbana. "That's what gives it a light feeling."

#4 Braids - Not since Cher in the '70s have thick braids looked so cool. At some shows, they were made from long extensions. At others, the look was sweeter, with the braid placed high on the head. Sam McKnight summed up DSquared's chunky braids as "youthful, casual, and just sexy enough."

#5 Intense Lashes - To exaggerate the lashes, many pros layered mascara on the top and bottom lids. Some even employed kooky tricks, such as stacking two strips of false lashes at Marc Jacobs or wedging fabric between the lashes at Louis Vuitton.

#6 Muted Shadow - "Dusty colors offer a more delicate way to do smoky eyes," said Peter Phillips at Fendi. The pros used soft shades of brown and gray - sometimes matte, sometimes with a touch of shimmer - then loaded on the mascara. These quieter colors look fantastic with big, spiky lashes," said Phillips

#7 Mauve Lips - Spring's pink lips were of the more grown-up variety. Shades of mauve looked sensual when paired with bedroom eyes or when the color had a superglossy finish, as at the Fendi show, where Phillips described the makeup as "a late-'70s girlish look."

#8 Head Dressers - At some shows, the accessories in the hair outnumbered those on the body. Combs, barrettes, and headbands were piled on - and all were striking. At Chanel, each model wore a different accessory which McKnight described as "sexy and coquettish."

#9 Rumpled Hair - "Hair this season is a little disheveled," said Guido at Versace. Two stylists separately referred to the trend as "glamorous grunge." To create this laid-back look, stylists simply blow-dried the hair while tousling it, then used a large curling iron to make relaxed waves.

#10 Shimmery Skin - The effervescent spirit of the season translated into skin that literally glowed. Some artists achieved this with beige or off-white shimmer blended on the cheekbones, the nose, and the bow of the mouth; others simply rubbed clear gloss or moisturizer on the skin to produce a natural-looking sheen.

Couple of thoughts...My hair is rumpled to being with so maybe this Spring I can make it's natural texture work for me. I loved the bright colored shadow trend, I already own a bunch of mint and lilac shadows so I have a head start on this trend. I already love intense lashes so I am all about that and also all about the muted shadow trend. This will be my kind of Spring...

photo courtesy of Versace and Allure

Kat Von D True Romance Eye Shadow Palette in Ludwig

"Le smoky eye vous donne un air mysterieux." Those are perhaps the best words that Kat Von D could ever write on the back of an eye shadow palette to instantly get my attention and get me to run into right up the register in Sephora. The palette that she has written this line about is the True Romance Eye Shadow Palette in Ludwig, one of the first products to be released from her collection at Sephora. Several times, I ended up only seeing the tester of this product and it took several months for me to actually find it in stock. However, after several uses of the shades in this product, I realized that it was well worth the wait that I had to endure.

To start with, when I bought this palette, I did have a fresh memory of how little I liked her lipstick shades and the overall quality of the product. Quite honestly, if the shades in this palette hadn't been so much to my liking, I would have passed it by all together. I wasn't sure what to expect with the first usage of this product, I was expecting a hard texture and little pigment payoff. But, to my great happiness, where Kat fails in lipstick, she more than makes up for it in eye makeup. The shadows are all soft and silky and very easy to apply. And the color payoff is more like MAC than Cover Girl.

So what are the shades that made me flip for this product? Here is the palette description from the Sephora website, "A palette of eight eye shadow colors from tattoo artist Kat Von D. A smoky eye adds an instant air of mystery - create your own with the True Romance Eye Shadow Palette. Designed by reality television star Kat Von D especially for Sephora, this artistic spectrum of shades brings an edgy-glam creativity to your makeup. This sleek black eye shadow palette is stenciled with silver roses and arrives packaged in a silk-screened black and silver box that is itself a work of art - and inspired by Kat's favorite tattoo."

Here are the shades in the box: Lucifer (matte charcoal black), Orbi (golden green shimmer), Dimebag (metallic lime green), Clay (beige with gold glitter), Tequila (metallic cornsilk shimmer), Downtown (metallic light copper shimmer), Baroque (golden bronze shimmer), Leather (deep chocolate brown sheen), and it also contains two double-ended applicator brushes (both of which are totally useless). My favorites from the palette are Tequila, Downtown, and Orbi. Clay is best used as a highlighter but the others can be used either in the crease on directly on the eye lid.

This is my first Kat Von D palette and while I would stay away from her lipstick shades, I am very happy that I bought this palette and would recommend it to anyone else looking for shades for smoky eyes or shades that are more on the neutral side.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara is the latest mascara that I have been testing out. So far, this one has been giving me very good results and I will be sorry when this tube runs out. This mascara is formulated to be both a thickening and a lengthening mascara and so far is performing on both accounts. Sephora considers mascara to be a "Super-volumizing and lengthening mascara". I don't know if I would give a "super" title but it works quite nicely. I bought this product at Sephora and have been using it for about two months now.

Here is the description of the mascara from Sephora, "This exclusive, 3D formula actually builds tubes around each lash. This "Lash Injection" has unique elastic polymers that curl, fatten, and stretch far beyond the natural lash. This adds extreme volume, curl, and length for that costly lash extension look without any of the hassle, pain, or commitment. You will no longer see clumps and lumps - but long, gorgeous, fluttering, new and improved eyelashes. With a flick of the specially-designed "GIANT" wand lashes will be injected with indelible, weather-proof color. Substantial percentages of jojoba and Vitamin E deeply condition lashes to prevent breakage and damage that can result in broken or sparse lashes. Easily removable with soap and warm water or eye-makeup remover, this amazing mascara doesn't dissolve and smudge like any ordinary mascara. Lash Injection comes out in tiny tubes, like little lash socks!"

I have this mascara in the Pitch Black shade, it is also available in a deep brown shade. I like a bunch of aspects of this mascara. It does make my lashes thicker and longer without clumping or smudging. It is not the most amazing mascara at volumizing (I still prefer Diorshow Iconic and BadGal Lash for this) but it holds it own against others on the market. However, this mascara is far and away the easiest that I have ever removed from my lashes. Normally, most mascaras smear all over the places, but this one comes off in flakes, leaving no trace under my eyes. Quickest and easiest removal of any mascara that I have ever tried. I have only tried to take this off with eye makeup remover and I do doubt the claim that soap and warm water could get it off fully. This mascara wand was also great with grabbing all of the little lashes that are at the ends of my eyes.

The major issue that I had with this product was the GIANT brush on this product. It took me about a week to make it work without smudging mascara on the top of my eyelid. The tube isn't very pretty but it is serviceable so I don't really mind it. My other major dislike of this product is that I have only been using it about two months and I feel like there is very little product coming out on the wand. So I am disappointed by how little product is actually in the tube itself.

Overall - I prefer Diorshow Iconic and BadGal Lash for volume but this product is very nice. This product is one that I would recommend to someone who craves more volume in their lashes but doesn't go for huge lash look that I am always chasing. Also, this mascara is tops for an easy removal and I would love it other companies would follow in their footsteps.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Most Wanted January 2010

First Most Wanted of the new decade...

- MAC Lipstick in Warm Me Up
- MAC Eye Shadow in Modelette
- Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo
- Bobbi Brown Beach Body Scrub
- Dr. Brandt Anti-Irritant Cleanser
- Peter Thomas Roth Max Moisture Cream SPF 30
- Dior Glowing Color Powder Blush in Rosebud
- YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Nude Beige
- Caudalie Premier Cru Serum
- Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream

My goal of the beginning of this year is to get my skin in shape before springtime...