Skincare Ingredients Theme Week Introduction

Throughout the entire time that I have been writing this blog, I have focused on skincare products and all the ingredients that I can find to try out.  My skin is dry and very sensitive and I have suffered from issues of redness in my nose and cheeks for years.  I am always looking for new products that will hydrate and brighten without irritating my skin.  My skincare regime is pretty structured; I have to cleanse once a day while moisturizing and using some type of treatment serum in both the morning and the night.  Along with an eye cream that reduces puffiness for the morning and then another one that brightens in the evening.  I am currently in the habit of exfoliating once a week with a mild scrub but am currently considering ordering a Clarisonic Aria once my tax return comes in.

With my neverending obsession with my skincare, I decided that I would devote an entire week to looking just at specific skincare products and the active ingredients that are contained in them.  I have had worked out my Sephora Beauty Insider balance during all the shopping that I did for this theme week.  I tried to keep my skincare product shopping to brands and products that are pretty easy to find, especially for all of you who have access to a Sephora nearby.  A range of products were chosen, from hydrators to serums to primers so I can illustrate how great ingredients are found in all kinds of products.

Here's a great week of skincare!

Essie Spring 2013 Collection - Madison Ave-Hue

We are on a roll with the spring collections and today we are going to check yet another one out.  Today we are going to look at a nail polish spring collection instead of a full color collection, I have been loving almost every single nail polish hue that I have seen this spring and I am so excited to check out the latest collection from Essie.  I am still stuck on both the new collection from Butter London and the new polishes from the Illamasqua spring collection, I cannot wait to order one of the speckled polishes and see how it looks when applied to the nail.  The Essie polish collection looks like is going to be a more traditional type of spring collection than either of those, this is certainly not a bad thing.  I am always looking for some new pinks and pretty pastels every single spring season and this collection has the promise to provide some great choices!

This collection from Essie consists of six new polish shades, all of which will be perfect for the upcoming warm weather.  The collection is named Madison Ave-Hue and all of the polishes are named after famous city streets throughout the world.  "Nothing inspires like Madison Ave-Hue.", is the collection description from Essie (the founder of the company).  Madison Avenue is one of my favorite streets in New York City and I wanted this polish from the minute that I saw the name on this polish.  It certainly helps that it is bright pink shade that I really love.  I have a feeling that I will be bringing some new polishes home with me the next time that I visit Ulta...

The first shade in this collection is the shade that inspired the whole name of the collection, Madison Ave-Hue.  This shade is a "Chic upper east side pink steps out in style, turning any ensemble into a million dollar baby.  Cha-ching."  This shade is the shade that is pictured, it is cool medium pink and it appears to have a hint of shimmer in it, I really want to buy this shade and I know that I will wear it all spring and summer.  Hip-anema is the only other bright shade in this collection, most of them are pastels and only two are brights.  This shade is a "Sashay down a sandy runway in poppy-bright red orange and show 'em who's bossa.  Work that beach.".  This bright orange red is not the shade for me.  The website makes it appear more orange than a true red and I know this shade would be too warm for me to pull off.  I will be skipping over the red from this collection but that pink hue has my name all over it!

Now we are going to go onto the area of the collection with the more traditional pastels for spring.  There are four hues in this part of the collection, the blue shade is slightly brighter but not bright enough for me to put it in the other part of this collection.  I can envision myself getting a good amount of use from all of these shades, I tend to wear pales most of the spring and am always looking for new shades.  Bond With Whomever is the first of the shades.  "London's calling.  Pick it up in the posh lilac and click with the cultured clique - here, there, and everywhere."  I have been all over pale lilac shades this season and I would like to add this one to my collection.  Last year, I bought a pale lilac shimmer polish from this company so I do want to see this shade in real life before I purchase it, in case it is almost the exact same shade.  The second of the paler shades is the semi-bright blue.  Avenue Maintain is described as "Fashionably adroit, lovely Parisian blue channels the Je ne said quoi allure of the captial of chic.", this blue is more of a sky blue and it reminds me of a slightly more blue version of For Audrey.  I really like this shade also, this is a great spring blue for me to break away from the navy shades for the season.  I think that I will need to add that shade to my collection.  the next pale shade is Maximillian Strasse-her, "Bavarian style savvy rules this regal boulevard.  In cool gray green, you're promenade queen, no tiara required.".  This pale greenish gray is interesting but I am not totally sure that I love it.  This is another that I want to see in real life, this has the potenital to be really pretty but also has the potential to be very unflattering on my hands.  Pale greens can go either way on my skin so I will decide on this one once I can hold the bottle up to my hand.  The last of the of shades in this collection is Go Ginza, a soft petal pink hue.  "Soft cherry blossom pink invites you into a floating world of quiet luxury and exquisite beauty.  Doma arigato."  This shade would be a staple of my nail polish line up, I go through shades like this shade like crazy all throughout the year. 

The shades that I want the most from this collection are Madison Ave-hue and Go Ginza, I love these pinks and I will wear both of them all the time throughout the spring.  I can't wait to add more pinks to my collection and rock them all spring.  The other shade that I really love from the collection is Avenue Maintain, the bright blue.  This shade will be super fun for pedicures and manicures all spring and then well into summer. 

I love these shades of polishes and I cannot wait to head over to Ulta!

photo courtesy of Essie

Dior Spring 2013 Collection - Cherie Bow

Today we looking at the one of the collections that I have been the most excited about for this spring season, Dior always creates a great spring collection but the photos that I have seen from the collection for this spring look ever better than ever.  Spring collections are always the best from Dior and this is the time of the year that I normally purchase items from this line, I haven't been purchasing much from Dior lately but you never know what will change after looking at this collection.  Cherie Bow is one of the first spring collection photos that I saw before the holidays and this is one the collection that I got super excited for from the first photo that I saw.  The Cherie Bow Palette in this collection is one of those iconic products that I will crave for the packaging but I hope that the product inside is just as wonderful as the outside. 

Cherie Bow is an iconic collection from Dior, this collection contains all the pink shades that will be beautiful this spring season and the Cherie Bow palette will be a love of mine.  I am turning again to the Nordstrom website for the details of this collection and I am wondering how many times a day that I now visit this website and I have loaded the IPhone app to my phone so I can look at all the beauty products from wherever I am. 

"Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this year's spring look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist."  This company has had bows on many of its accessories and clothing for this season, especially some of the beautiful dresses that went down the runway at Spring Fashion Week.  Bows are not the way that I accessorize my hair but I would like to try a piece or two of jewelry with a bow on it, or perhaps a bag or shoe that it decorated with a flirty bow...

Here is the Cherie Bow collection!

Cherie Bow Palette - Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this season's look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist.  Enclosed in the soft, pink-and-white enamel compact are a trio of pink and grey eye shadows, a black liner, nude shimmering gloss and two applicators.

Cherie Bow 5 Couleurs Eye Palette - Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this season's look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist.  Dior's best-selling eye palette offers endless possibilities in a seductive range of rich, versatile colors designed for easy application and long wear.  Beauty tip: Use the oval wand to apply the lightest shade to the upper part of the inner eyelid, then blend the darkest shade along the lash line. Shade the outer brow with one of the remaining colors. For more intensity, use a fourth color under the lashes.
- Ballerine 724 - medium rose/pale pink/deep warm charcoal/medium bronze/snow white
- Charmeuse 854 - pale pink/medium pink/deep rose/deep black/medium warm pink

Cherie Bow Nail Lacquer - Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this year's spring look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist with Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in a rosy pink and soft dove grey to finish the look.
- Gris Trianon 306 - medium dove gray cream
- Rosy Bow 355 - medium rose pink cream

Cherie Bow Dior Twin Set Eye Shadow - Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this season's look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist.  The duo eyeshadow pens create the perfect flirty eye. On one end a creamy pencil that can be used as a shadow or liner and on the other a blending tip to apply the shimmering eyeshadow housed inside the cap.
- Ballerina Pink 840 - medium cool rose
- Grey Sigh 060 - deep charcoal gray

Cherie Bow Addict Lipstick - Inspired by The House of Dior's iconic symbol, the bow, this year's spring look exudes femininity, sophistication and sensuality with a playful twist.  A collection of new shades compliment the look from soft coral to a punchy pink.
- Candide 457 - soft pink coral cream
- Charmante 437 - bright pink coral cream

I love all the pinks in this collection and this is one of my favorites of this season!  I love that Cherie Bow Palette and I hope that I can still find this product at either Sephora or at one of the counters.  If it comes down to it, I will order it from Dior but I was hoping that I would be able to see and play with the tester before I purchase it.  I will have to see where I can find this product because this is the one product that I really, really want this season. 

After I hunt down the Cherie Bow Palette then I want to begin picking up a few other items from this collection.  I am seeing myself doing several different pink and rose eye looks that I will want to create this spring and then I will be topping them off with silver and charcoal eye liner hues.  I would like to try both of the 5 Couleurs Eye Shadow Palettes at the counters and then decide which compact has the best texture and wear.  These palettes have been all over the place with quality over the past few years so I will decide which one will be the best for me after I try them both out.  Next up on the eye makeup list is the new Twin Set Eye Shadow in the pink shade, this is a very unique product and I can't wait to see how pigmented of a eye makeup look it provides.

To finish off this collection, I want both of the nail polish shades.  I can't even begin to imagine how large my nail polish collection is going to become this spring season.  I can skip over both the Addict Lipstick shades, the coral will not be very flattering to my skin tone and I would be better off going after a cool blue pink shade from this lipstick line.

This collection does not disappoint and this is one of my favorites from this season, I cannot wait for the Cherie Bow Palette!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Bobbi Brown Spring 2013 Collection - Brighten, Sparkle, and Glow

Earlier this week, we looked at the first of the Bobbi Brown spring collections, one that was Valentine's Day-themed however will still contain some great shades for the spring season.  I love the reds and pinks that were in that collection and if that is only the first of some great products for the spring then I think that Bobbi Brown will become one of my favorite lines for this spring.  I can't wait to see what Brown decided to release in the Brighten, Sparkle, and Glow collection but I am now thinking about eye and face makeup since none of these products were present in the previous collection.  I have been looking through several of the March issues of the top selling beauty and fashion magazines over the past few days and I am actually beginning to crave some pastel and bright eye shadows shades instead of the traditional bronzes and golds that I tend to wear all throughout the year.  This will be a fabulous spring and I can't wait until the weather begins to catch up to my shopping!

Brighten, Sparkle, and Glow is more about a polished natural look and would be perfect for a professional environment or a casual lunch on the weekend.  This collection contains products for every single facial feature and is much more of a balanced collection than the previous lip and nail product collection.  I am already starting to make a list of items that I must try the next time that I visit the counter!

I found this collection on the Nordstrom website so I will provide all of their collection and product descriptions.  "Need a Lift? Brighten, Sparkle & Glow features skin illuminators, eye brighteners and light-reflecting colors, making it easy to refresh your look in 2013. Here's to pretty, new beginnings."  The star product of this collection is the Brightening Finishing Powder, I do not know if this product is new or I just have never seen it before but either way, this product is very interesting looking and I will be trying it at the counter.  I hope this counter is ready for me!

Here is Brighten, Sparkle, and Glow!

Sparkle Eye Shadow - Bobbi's fresh take on glitter lights up eyes with a combination of shimmering pearls and fine glitter. Perfect for both day and night.
- Gold Star - warm golden sparkle

Tinted Eye Brightener - The same brightening lightweight concealer now in new shades and a clear tube so you know just how much is left before you run out. Features a doe-foot applicator for more precise application and controlled delivery under the eye. Instantly brightens shadows so you look refreshed and revived - perfect for touch-ups, too.  This product is available in ten shades to suit all skin tones.

Brow Pencil - Instantly give your eyes a lift with defined eyebrows. These creamy, blendable pencils give you the natural look of eyebrow powder with the precision of a pencil and come with their own sharpener.  This product is available in four shades to suit all brow hair colors.

Brightening Finishing Powder - This allover powder instantly illuminates and gives skin a healthy-looking glow. It's infused with a skin-brightening blend of mulberry, grape and scutellaria extracts, as well as sodium hyaluronate to help keep skin fresh and smooth looking.
- Porcelain Pearl - range of pastels hues to brighten any skin tone

High Shimmer Lip Gloss - Bobbi's new lip gloss combines gorgeous, light-catching shimmer with lasting, non-sticky shine. Made with fine pearls and clear pigments, High Shimmer Lip Gloss stays color-true and gives lips beautiful, brilliant dimension. Plus it's enriched with emollients and vitamins C and E to moisturize, condition and protect lips, so they feel as good as they look. Whether you wear it on its own or on top of your favorite lip color, the new tapered applicator lets you apply it like a pro.
- Bare Sparkle - champagne with pearl

This collection may be small but these products all have lots of potential and I can see many ways that I could make them work with my current makeup products.  Gold Star will be a fantastic product for me this spring and then I can see myself using it throughout the summer and then into the fall and winter.  I do want to add this to my collection even though I have never tried the Sparkle Eye Shadow formula from Bobbi Brown, I would love to find another eye shadow formula that works very well for me.

The Brightening Finishing Powder will need to be tried at the counter before I purchase it, this combination of shades has the potential to be life-changing for my skin tone but I want to see exactly how it works and how to use it before I purchase it.  I know very little about this product so I want to know if it is an all-over powder or just made to be used on specific areas of the face.  I will report more if I like this product and then decide to purchase it.

The last two products that I am interested in purchasing are the new shade of the High Shimmer Lip Gloss and the Tinted Eye Brightener.  This lip gloss shade will work with any eye makeup look that I create (including the pastels and brights that I am craving) or will work equally well for a more casual weekend look.  The Tinted Eye Brightener is another product in this collection that holds tons of promise, I have awful under eye circles and if this concealer truly brightens this area then I will never want to be without it.  I cannot wait to visit the counter again!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

NARS And God Created The Woman Set

Today we are going to take a bit of a break from the spring collections and look at an eye palette that I have had my eye on for the past week or two.  NARS has come out with the new palette in question and this is one of the first eye shadow palette from them that I have been on the fence about, I am usually all over a new NARS palette.  There is nothing wrong with the palette, the first time that I saw I actually really liked it and was considering ordering it right away.  Well why didn't I?  I already own about half of the products in this palette and am really trying to decide if I would use these products enough to warrant owning more than one of these shades.  To top it off...I already own the brush that is part of this palette and I don't know how different the smaller-sized version of it is.  On first glance...I shouldn't need this palette and I should just skip over it.  But I really love the shades and the brush too!

What palette am I referring to?  I am looking at the newest palette from NARS, And God Created The Woman.  This is an eye shadow palette that contains a series of neutral shades that can create a neutral or dramatic smoky eye look.  And no one does eye makeup better than NARS.

As of right now, this palette is available only at Sephora and I will provide all the details that are found on their website.  "An eye shadow kit with six sultry shades, a travel-size Eye Shader Brush, and a medium Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base.  Captivating and compelling, this palette of six shimmering shadows shows off your sultry side. Created exclusively for Sephora, this sleek, travel-ready set also includes a mini Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and Eye Shader Brush."

Here is what is contained in this palette!

Eye Shadow - Single-color eye shadows in an array of colors and textures.  Mix and match NARS Single Eyeshadows to create great-looking personal combinations for the eyes. Textures range from translucent highlights and subtle mattes to shimmering glitters.
- Alhambra - shimmering champagne
- Bellisima - matte taupe
- Kalahari - medium bronze
- Galapagos - rich brown with gold flecks
- Coconut Grove - matte deep taupe brown
- Night Clubbing - black with gold pearl

Pro-Prime Smudge-Proof Eye Shadow Base - A lightweight primer that creates a seamless canvas that keeps cream and powder eye color looking brilliant, fresh, and just-applied all day.  This smudge-proof eye shadow base uses a unique polymer and mineral powder blend to get a firm grip on color for long-lasting, gorgeous wear. Fortified with a special deep-sea extract and an antioxidant rice extract, it dries on contact and keeps the delicate eye lid smooth and ready for eye shadow application.  This fragrance-free product is ophthalmologist and dermatologist tested.
Eye Shader Brush - Sable hair brush domed for smooth application to wide areas, the crease of the eye, and the perfect blending tool for seamless color.

I can't deny that I would use every single one of these eye shadow shades and I would use them a lot throughout the year.  I already own Galapagos and Night Clubbing, deep shades that I don't use on a regular basis.  I mostly use these shades to create a dramatic eye look or as a liner in a more professional environment so these are not shades that I use every day.  If the shades that I owned from this palette where the highlighting shades, then I would be purchase this in a heartbeat as I use them like crazy and go through these faster than other shades.  On the other side of the debate...I love these shades and I can think of so many eye makeup looks that I would create with them.  Nothing in that palette would ever go to waste.

But do I really need that second Eye Shader Brush?  I will make my final decision after I see it in the stores and if it the same size or slightly smaller than the traditional version.  I use this brush almost every single day to apply highlighting shades and then to blend eye makeup.  I love this brush but that really doesn't mean that I need a second brush that is exactly the same. 

One of the pieces that pushes in the direction to order it is the Eye Primer, I love this formula and it is one of the few that I think really keeps any eye shadow in place.  This is one of the only products that can keep Urban Decay's Midnight Cowboy Eye Shadow from falling all over my face.  I wouldn't mind having another tube of this and I know that I would use it.

I will have to make my final decision after I see the brush in the stores.  Thoughts either way anyone?

photo courtesy of Sephora

Tarte Spring 2013 Collection

I have been raving about Tarte products for the past two years and I keep raving even more with every single new product that I try from this line.  My current Tarte obsession is the Pure Maracuja Oil that I have been using as a night moisturizer for the past few weeks.  I know that I will be ordering another bottle of this product as soon as my current bottle starts getting low and therefore I want to look at all the new products from Tarte well before I need to order and I can start plotting all the new stuff that I am going to want from this company for the spring season.  I still use my Tarte and True Eye Palette at least once a week and I wish that this company sold more single products, I am running low on a couple of the eye shadow shades that I really love in that palette and want to replace them but with the current product assortment, I cannot do this...

This collection is pretty huge and it contains a series of new color products and some new skincare items.  The first piece that pops out at me is the Pure Maracuja Oil in a rollerball form, I woner if this is an easier mode of application and it caught my eye since I just read an article in the March issue of Cosmopolitan (I think...or In Style.  I have been reading fashion magazines like crazy this month since the March issues are all huge!) and the rollerball style would provide the massaging benefit while applying my new favorite night moisturizer.  The second item that catches my eye in an eye cream with the Maracuja Oil in it...this might be my new favorite ingredient for skincare!

I wonder how many of the new items in the collection contain Maracuja Oil as this seems to be the new "hot" ingredient and Tarte is the only company that is using it.  Tarte has also jumped on the BB Cream bandwagon and is now introducing one into their line-up this spring.  I am thinking that this might be more of a face and skincare collection for me this spring.

Here is the newest from Tarte!

Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment - Refresh, renew and recharge tired eyes with our eye treatment enriched with C-brighter™ technology. By harnessing the power of maracuja fruit, vitamin C and advanced botanicals, this skintuitive™ eye treatment visibly hydrates, firms and brightens the delicate eye area. Product Performance: This intense, multi-tasking eye treatment contains rice bran, mango and coconut naturally-rich in antioxidants to fight signs of aging and free radical damage. Oat sugars instantly smooth and visibly tighten skin. The nutrient-rich formula also delivers the ultimate in hydration for smooth, youthful-looking eyes. Ophthalmologist tested.  Powered By: maracuja oil: rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) known to replenish, rebuild, and brighten skin.  Vitamin C gives the appearance of brighter skin; powerful anti-aging elixir promotes active skin recovery and rejuvenation; maximum hydration quenches dry skin.

BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen - Indulge your skin with tarte's innovative BB tinted treatment primer, a powerful multi-tasker that works as a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, anti-aging treatment and sunscreen to give you a youthful-looking glow.  Product Performance: Indulge and nourish your skin with tarte’s innovative BB tinted treatment which offers multiple skincare and makeup benefits in one eco-chic tube. This powerfully pure formula not only works as a skin-soothing treatment, but as a moisturizer, sunscreen, primer and foundation that visibly improves skin’s overall appearance for a youthful-looking glow. This 12-hour longwear, anti-aging, oil-free tinted treatment primer offers light-to-medium buildable coverage that helps even skin tone and conceals discoloration, acne and other skin imperfections. The creamy, silky formula goes on smooth, hydrates skin and blends easily leaving you with a natural, flawless finish while the broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 30 offers ideal protection from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays.  Powered By: tripleB complex: a proprietary blend of natural diamond powder, plants and lipoamino acids that diffuses light and minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pores while improving the appearance of skin luminosity.  Broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 30 offers ideal protection from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays.  Available in a range of shades to suit all skintones.

Pure Maracuja Oil Rollerball - This earth-prescribed, powerful treatment oil targets individual skin concerns while deeply moisturizing and nourishing skin. Pure, undiluted & cold pressed, it restores skin balance to aid in skin recovery and rejuvenation. Rich in Vitamin C and nutritious essential fatty acids, this precious harvest from the Amazon awakens skin for a healthy, radiant complexion. This anti-aging elixir provides instant hydration—quenching dry skin with no greasy or filmy feel. Discover firmer, brighter, smoother looking skin with tarte.  Powered By: Maracuja oil: pure maracuja oil has been known to replenish, rebuild and brighten skin. The nutrient-rich essential fatty acids repair & rejuvenate skin for a firmer complexion. The moisture-rich formula replenishes & hydrates skin.  Known as “puro milagro” or “the pure miracle”, only one crop of this rare Amazonian fruit is harvested each year by Amazonian women affiliated with tarte’s cooperative in the Amazon. Piece by piece, they sustainably pick and extract this nutrient-rich seeded pulp from each individual maracuja fruit by hand. This naturally harvested treasure, referred to as the “alma” or “soul” of the maracuja fruit is then hand pressed without the use of heat to guarantee the maximum amount of nutritious essential fatty acids and vitamins.

Awaken Your Complexion - 4-Piece Customizable Complexion Kit - A limited-edition, customizable complexion kit that marries makeup and skincare for your most flawless complexion ever.  Set includes: full size Maracuja Creaseless Concealer; full size Bamboo Concealer Brush; deluxe size Pure Maracuja Oil; deluxe size Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder.  Product Performance: Invigorate your complexion with this limited-edition, customizable complexion kit that marries makeup and skincare. A flawless face has never been easier - just add your perfect shade match of maracuja creaseless concealer to this set of hand-picked complexion perfectors and go! Experience the refreshing results that Amazonian clay and maracuja oil deliver to your skin both before and after make-up application with deluxe sizes of tarte’s skin-friendly game-changers: pure maracuja oil to perfect and prep skin.  Powered By: maracuja oil: rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) known to replenish, rebuild, and brighten skin; high dose of pure Vitamin C gives the appearance of brighter skin; powerful anti-aging elixir promotes active skin recovery and rejuvenation; maximum hydration quenches dry skin.  Amazonian clay: nature’s most perfect ingredient providing total skin balance for better wear.  Vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free radical damage.  Mineral pigments: colors derived from natural minerals have been known to soothe and soften skin.

Maracuja Creaseless Concealer - A full coverage, waterproof concealer that won’t crease, flake, or leave you needing more.  Product Performance: Maracuja creaseless concealer offers long-lasting, full coverage in a rich, creamy texture with pure, skin-soothing, and anti-aging ingredients. This velvety concealer is also ideal for masking discoloration and imperfections such as acne/blemishes, redness, scars, hyperpigmentation, and dark circles. This nutrient-rich, blendable, liquid concealer brightens and restores skin’s natural luster, leaving you with a flawless complexion.  Powered By: Maracuja: helps to improve skin’s texture, tone and moisture content while imparting a brightening dewy, luminous finish. In addition to promoting healthy skin.  Available in eight shades to suit a variety on skintones.

Prime, Shine, and Define Tarte-to-Go Kit - This 3-piece deluxe size essentials kit is just what you need for getting flawless on the fly. Perfect and brighten your complexion and dramatize your eyes with clean slate™ poreless 12-hour perfecting primer primer, Amazonian clay BB illuminating moisturizer and gifted™ Amazonian clay smart mascara. This convenient, travel-friendly kit covers all of your beauty basics as you prime, shine and define yourself.  Product Performance: The lightweight clean slate™ poreless 12-hour perfecting primer smooths skin and keeps makeup in place for up to 12 hours of perfect wear time, while diminishing the appearance of pores, fine lines and imperfections. Then, the skin-brightening Amazonian clay BB illuminating moisturizer boosts skin with an all-over luminizing effect for a radiant complexion. For the ultimate finishing touch, gifted™ mascara delivers an instant increase in the appearance of lash volume and instuitively hydrates, replenishes and strengthens lashes with each swipe. This convenient kit covers all of your beauty basics as you prime, shine and define yourself.  Powered By: Amazonian clay: nourishes & balances skin & lashes for better, longer wear and truer color payoff.  Vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free radical damage.  Mineral pigments: colors and dyes derived from natural minerals have been known to soothe and soften.

Cheek Stain - The stain that started it all. Tarte’s award-winning and best-selling cheek stain gives you a gorgeous, natural flush in a gel or cream consistency. Rounded top cheek stains are gel based stains, while flat top cheek stains are the cream based version.  Product Performance: This lightweight glow-getter imparts a natural flush – like someone just pinched your cheeks! Get the look of love and an instant pop of soft & dreamy color by applying this to the apples of your cheeks. Unlike traditional stains that are hard to apply, this goof-proof tint melts into skin easily and gives you 20 seconds of blending time before it sets in place for all day wear.  Powered By: t5 super fruit complex™: a proprietary blend of the five most active antioxidant-rich superfruits (maracuja, goji, açaí, acerola, and pomegranate), this complex delivers anti-aging and skin-restorative benefits to skin with each application.  Maracuja: rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) known to replenish, rebuild, and brighten skin; high dose of pure Vitamin C gives the appearance of brighter skin; powerful anti-aging elixir promotes active skin recovery and rejuvenation; maximum hydration quenches dry skin.
- Awakening - medium cool berry

LipSurgence Skintuitive Lip Tint - Introducing Energy—the newest shade addition to the award-winning and best-selling franchise of LipSurgence™ lip tints. This skintuitive™ formula responds to your skin’s natural pH and energy, giving you a personalized tint that is truly your own younique shade of pink.  Product Performance: The ethereal pink hue complements every skin tone to deliver a natural looking glow and brighter complexion – perfectly customized just for you! Bonus: you can bump up the intensity of the color with an extra swipe. Like all LipSurgence™ lip tints, it combines pure color with natural moisturizers and glides on smooth for a sheer finish.  Powered by a proprietary blend of plant bio-nutrients, vitamins, and essential oils rich in emollients, it quickly absorbs into lips delivering a surge of moisture on a cellular level, while boosting peptides to stimulate skin’s own regenerative system and assists in the formation of collagen. This proprietary blend effectively increases skin’s water content for a ‘plumped up’ appearance with a natural hint of energy-reflecting tint and taste of mint. The result is naturally fuller, healthier lips without any irritation or stinging.  Powered By: A proprietary blend of plant bio-nutrients, vitamins, and essential oils rich in emollients, it quickly absorbs into lips delivering a surge of moisture on a cellular level, while boosting peptides to stimulate skin’s own regenerative system and assist in the formation of collagen. This proprietary blend effectively increases skin’s water content for a ‘plumped up’ appearance with a natural hint of energy-reflecting tint and taste of mint. The result is naturally fuller, healthier lips without any irritation or stinging.
- Energy - light neutral pink

LipSurgence Lip Luster - As a follow up to tarte's best-selling LipSurgence™ lip tints, these shimmering lip lusters give lips a high dose of color and shine in an easy twist-up stick.  Product Performance: LipSurgence™ lip lusters combine sheer iridescent pure color with natural moisturizers that glides on smooth and soften lips. This proprietary formula effectively increases skin’s water content for a ‘plumped up’ appearance with a natural hint of shimmering tint and taste of mint. The result is naturally fuller, healthier lips without any irritation or stinging. The easy-to-use twist-up container eliminates the need for sharpeners.  Powered By: A proprietary blend of plant bio-nutrients, vitamins, and essential oils rich in emollients: these antioxidant free radical fighters (vitamin C & E, pepperming & jojoba oil) prevent premature signs of aging, while softening lips.
- Achiote - shimmering medium reddish coral

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush - A long-wearing, supremely soft blush infused with Amazonian clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun.  Product Performance: This 12-hour blush universally benefits all skin types for a fade-free, flawless finish in shades ranging from soft to vivid and matte to shimmer to suit a wide variety of skin tones.
Powered By: Amazonian clay minimizes oil in and around pores to balance skin and keep product in place while also hydrating the skin naturally to restore moisture, reducing the appearance of dry, flaky skin.
- Charisma - warm medium pink with a touch of shimmer

Beauty and the Box - Amazonian Clay Eye Shadow Quad -  A perfectly portable shadow box with four gorgeous Amazonian clay eye shadow shades inside.  Product Performance: These small but mighty palettes are your one-stop destination for out-of-this-world blendable color and an endless variety of naturally gorgeous looks. The highly pigmented colors are easy to blend and nourish lids as they deliver the perfect amount of creamy matte perfection or subtle shimmer.  Powered By: Amazonian clay: nature’s most perfect ingredient works to nourish lids, reduce surface oil and improve overall texture for easy application and better wear.
- Secret Garden - medium champagne/medium tan bronze/deep olive/deep warm charcoal

I am checking out the skincare items more than the color items at the moment.  The first piece that is going right onto my shopping list is the eye cream with the Maracuja Oil on it, I don't even need a new eye cream right now but I am going to pick this one up and then as soon as one of my current products runs out then I will pull it right out and start playing around with it.  I have high hopes for this eye cream, the Pure Maracuja Oil has improved my overall complexion and I have high hopes that this eye cream will have the effect on my undereye area.  It goes without saying that I will be picking up the rollerball form of the Pure Maracuja Oil, I will switch this form of it on and off with the regular once or twice a week to give myself a bit of a needed facial. 

 

I will begin with the skincare from this collection but then I will be heading right over to the face products from it.  I want this formula of BB Cream, I am quickly going from having no BB Creams to having a little collection of them and I can't wait to compare them to some of my favorite tinted moisturizers.  I will also be looking very closely at the concealer from this collection, if I found a product that both concealed and helped to improve my dark undereye circles, then I would be a believer for life in this company. 

 

My last picks are from the color part of the collection.  I don't really love any of the new cheek or lip shades in this collection, I find the color of the new stain pretty and I love the packaging but this isn't enough for me to purchase it without trying it on.  The lip gloss shades are ok but again I am not in love with them and since there are so many others that I have been lusting for this spring, there is no point in me purchasing any of these.  The only color piece that I am quite interested in is the Eye Shadow Qud, these neutrals will work very well for me throughout the whole year.

 

This spring collection is a bit different for me than any other one, all I want in skincare and face products!

 

photo courtesy of Tarte

Bobbi Brown Spring 2013 Collection - Pink and Red Collection

This is the first of the Bobbi Brown spring collections, Pink and Red is the first collection that came out and I now see another collection right next to it on the Nordstrom website.  This company has a tradition of releasing multiple limited edition collections every single season, often with one or two stellar products that go on to become permanent pieces of their line.  I haven't had as much experience with this line as I would like to have had, I have tried a few pieces from Brown but it isn't yet a line that I purchase from regularly.  I have never found anyone at my local Sephora that can really help me with this collection and the counter in Macy*s almost never has anyone to help me at it.  I guess that I might just pick out a few products that I really want to try and then buy them the next time that I am at Sephora.  I find the lip glosses and lipsticks to be the most promising looking pieces of this line and I know that Bobbi Brown started out by making a small line of lipsticks and that her lip products are among the best in the industry.

The Pink and Red collection is the first spring collection that I have seen from Bobbi Brown and we are going to start spring coverage of her collections with it.  Looking at this collection in detail shows me that it actually is more of a Valentine's Day collection but the holiday hasn't been past that long and these shades are still wearable for the rest of the spring.  It looks like more and more beauty companies are seeing the value of creating a special collection for Valentine's Day.  It's good business to me; if you are single then you are more likely to treat yourself with a little beauty gift to stay happy on this day or if you are in a relationship than you are usually getting dressed up to go out that night and are treating yourself to an a new outfit and all the assorted trappings.

This collection is on the Nordstrom website and I will pull all of my information from there.  "The Pink & Red Collection isn't about matching lips, cheeks and nails. It's about deliberately mismatching. Color blocking and unexpected combinations - a very modern mix."  Pink and red lip shades are my two favorite shades for both lipstick and lip gloss so this will be a very promising collection for me!

Here is the Pink and Red collection!

Pink and Red Creamy Matte Lip Color - Bobbi's revolutionary Creamy Matte Lip Color combines the look of a classic matte lip with incredible wearability. Creamy and moisturizing, it glides on comfortably and feels light as air. Not to mention its staying power won't budge for eight hours.
How to use: Swipe directly onto the lips from the tube or use a lip brush for a more precise application. Bobbi's favorite method: Apply a generous amount of lipstick on the bottom lip and then smack the lips together.
- Heart - deep blue red with a matte finish
- Hot - deep cool pink with a matte finish

Pink and Red Collection Lip Gloss - Bobbi has sized up all of her glosses to give you an extra dose of shine and a hint of vanilla scent. Bobbi's lip gloss is formulated with softening botanical extracts, including oils of avocado, jojoba and chamomile, with soothing aloe to keep lips soft and supple. The tapered applicator lets you apply it like a pro.
- Cherry - deep cool cherry red cream
- Pretty in Pink - medium cool blue pink cream

Pink and Red Collection Sheer Color Cheek Tint - Bobbi's new Sheer Color Cheek Tint gives cheeks natural-looking color. The translucent, lightweight formula glides on and blends evenly into skin. Packaged in a travel-sized swivel-up stick for convenient and easy application.
- Sheer Cherry - sheer cool red
- Sheer Pink - sheer medium cool blue pink

Pink and Red Collection Nail Polish - Long-lasting polish delivers notice-me color in fuchsia pink and bright cherry red. Perfectly pretty alone or paired together for a modern, colorblocked mix.
- Pink Valentine - medium cool magenta pink cream
- Valentine Red - deep cool blue red cream

This will be a very dangerous collection for me, none of the shades are very unique and I think that own all of the lip and nail polish shades already but I still want to see if they are still in stock at the counter (only several pieces are still available on the Nordstrom website).  I want the two lipstick shades the most and I would wear both of these shades in the spring and then again next fall and winter, if I love the formula, these could truly become new staples of my collection.  The same logic applies to the lip glosses, I think that I prefer the pink shade over the red but I would like to purchase both of them.  All of the same comments apply to the nail polishes in this collection, I don't need them but I certainly want them.  I am not going to comment on the Cheek Stains in this collection since they are already sold out on the Nordstrom website and since it is after Valentine's Day, I doubt that these products will come back in stock again.  If they do, then I would be tempted by the pink shade but not the red. 

Time to start building up the Bobbi Brown products in my traincase...

photo courtesy of Nordstrom