MAC Nocturnals Collection

We have been looking at the MAC gift collections for the past few weeks and I hope that each of you reading this will have gotten some ideas of what they will be giving all of the most important ladies in their lives this holiday season.  I have already gotten a few good ideas for both some friends of mine and a few items that I now want to add to my beauty product collection this holiday season.  I still think that the Divine Night color collection is my favorite collection from MAC this season and I would be most likely to buy myself some new products and shades from this collection.  I am very excited for the holiday season now and I can't wait to see what the rest of the beauty industry comes out with!

The final gift part of collection is called Nocturnals and it will be my favorite part of the gift collection, I see some lip gloss sets in this collection and I know that I will want some for myself and I also can think of a few good friends of mine that would love these little gift sets too.  This collection might be the death of my wallet this holiday season!

From the Nordstrom website, "After-dark glamour comes in mini kits for those seeking nocturnal pleasures. Lip gloss sets evoke the essence of evenings out, Tastitints lip conditioner add whispers of polish and Pigments & Glitter give you smoky eyes in scintillating shade waves."  What is the Tastitints lip conditioner?  Have I missed a MAC product somehow or is this an exclusive to these holiday sets?  I will have to investigate a bit further and see what else I find.

The last part of the MAC gift collections!

Nocturnals Silver and Violet Pigment and Glitter Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. The pigment and glitter set features five stackable jars of pigment and glitter that give your face and body extra sparkle for a night on the town.
- Pigment in Kitschmas
- Pigment in Vanilla
- Pigment in Push the Edge
- Glitter in Pink
- Glitter in Grey

Nocturnals Black and Gold Pigment and Glitter Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. The pigment and glitter set features five stackable jars of pigment and glitter that give your face and body extra sparkle for a night on the town.
-  Pigment in Naked
- Pigment in Museum Bronze
- Pigment in Copper Sparkle
- Glitter in Black
- Glitter in Gold

Nocturnals Green and Teal Pigment and Glitter Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. The pigment and glitter set features five stackable jars of pigment and glitter that give your face and body extra sparkle for a night on the town.
- Pigment in Just Before Dawn
- Pigment in Deep Blue Green
- Pigment in Old Gold
- Glitter in 3D Gold
- Glitter in Reflects Gold

Nocturnals Pink Lip Gloss Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. A set of four lip glosses cover your pout in high-impact color and come packaged in a limited-edition glossy black box.
- Dazzleglass in Dressed to Dazzle - pink-tinted with silver sparkle
- Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop - clear pink
- Cremesheen Glass in Petite Indulgence - bright blue pink
- Cremesheen Glass in Color Saturation - dark cool wine cream

Nocturnals Coral Lip Gloss Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. A set of four lip glosses cover your pout in high-impact color and come packaged in a limited-edition glossy black box.
- Dazzleglass in Moth to Flame - sheer neutral beige with violet pearl
- Cremesheen Glass in On the Scene - pink with pink and white pearl
- Cremesheen Glass in Night is Young - bright red cream
- Cremesheen Glass in Star Quality - bright orange coral

Nocturnals Tastitints Lip Conditioner Set - The M·A·C Nocturnals collection features a lavish array of hues for your lips, face and eyes that leave you sizzling from dusk until dawn. Tastitints lip conditioner covers your pout in a delicious whisper of color while giving them the hydration they deserve.
-  Sugared Vanilla - creamy light soft beige
- Dash of Lavender - mauve
- Mintessence - milky white
- Taste of Paradise - poppy pink

These lip gloss sets look they would be right up my alley and I know that a bunch of my friends would love to open these up this holiday season!  My favorite set is the Pink Lip Gloss set, I love the Cremesheen Glass formula and I have been using these since the beginning of the summer.  I think these glosses are the formula that I go through the fastest in my collection, I was almost half done with one of them about a month after I bought it and I plan to keep adding these to my lip collection.  I want to give some of these sets to my friends since I know that some of them already love this formula too and I want the other ones to try it out because I know that they will love it just as much as I already do.

I would also like to try the Tastitints Lip Conditioners and I want this set really badly.  My lips get very chapped in the winter and this formula (though I know nothing about it) looks as though it would be a great choice from this company to use during the cold weather months.  I would be very interested to see how I could order more of these if I like the formula so I will look more into the website and then do some asking at my local MAC counter. 

In addition to wanting those two sets for myself, those are also the two that I know that my friends will like the most and these are the ones that I will be ordering.  The Coral set might work for some of my friends so I would consider ordering that one also.  I don't think that any of my friends would like the Pigment and Glitter sets so I will be skipping over them and focusing only on the Lip Gloss sets.

I have finished up looking at the MAC holiday collections and now I am very excited to both go shopping for myself and to start making my shopping list for all the ladies in my life!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Katy Perry's Bang Hairstyle

I got my bangs chopped about five weeks ago and now I am heading toward another hair appointment and I need to decide if I plan to keep them or if I want to let them grow out.  I think that I am planning to keep them shorter than I normally do but I feel like I need more ways to style them.  I have been using Katy Perry as one of my style icons all throughout the haircut process and I spent more time looking at pictures of her when trying to decide what I am doing with my hair next. 

I don't typically wear my hair curly but I am really liking the way her hair is styled in this picture.  I don't think that I would wear my hair curly like she does but I love the look of the hair scarf with the bangs.  I have a feeling that this is a wide headband and not an actual scarf so I will need to search some styles like this on Amazon and then make some decisions.

I believe that I will keep my bangs shorter for the time being and then try to style them around this type of hair accessory.  I will need to straighten my hair and then style my bangs before putting the hair accessory on and then touch up the whole look.  I love the 1920s flapper look of this picture and I want to try a simpler version of it.

photo courtesy of Google

Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Face Oil

I started collecting some new products from the Josie Maran line of face and color products with my last big Sephora trip and have already spent some time playing around with her unique blush formula.  I have started to use her skincare products over the past few days and am starting to understand and see the benefits of her unique argan oil formulations.  I purchased the face wash, face oil, and an argan oil foundation.  I haven't used the foundation yet and just started with the face oil but I have been using the face wash for the past few nights so I am going to start with that product for today.

I haven't used a cleansing oil for a quite a long time, there was a formula from Nude that I loved several winters ago and I wanted to try a face oil for the beginning of the cold weather months.  Most of last winter, I used a creamy formula from Clinique that I really enjoyed but I wanted to see if an oily formula would help my skin retain moisture better.  I liked the cream formula but I found that my face would still dry out rather quickly after getting out of the shower at night.  I wanted to see if this type of formula would reduce that effect on my skin as we head into the coldest months of the year.

The Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Face Oil is the only face wash that is offered in this line.  "A gentle, all-natural cleanser with nourishing argan oil to melt away makeup and deeply hydrate skin.  This effective, multitasking cleanser removes makeup and skin impurities while providing essential hydration. Sunflower, safflower, and grape seed oils cleanse the skin's surface and renew the complexion, leaving it healthy-looking and refreshed. Ideal for all skin types, the non-greasy texture leaves skin feeling moisturized—never tight or dry.", states the Sephora website.

Argan Oil is exclusive to the Josie Maran brand.  Sephora provides more details about this exclusive ingredient, "Argan oil restores the skin's natural moisture and pH balance. It is produced from the argan tree in the semideserts of Morocco. Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, this organically grown ingredient is known to prevent skin dehydration, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and excess production of sebum."

I started by using two pumps of this product to clean my entire face however quickly realized that one and a half pumps is the perfect amount for completely cleaning my whole face and neck without wasting excess product.  This cleansing oil doesn't foam up and it was hard for me to judge the best amount without applying it to my face.  Once I pump the product into my wet hands, I rub my hands together to turn the product into a milky liquid and then apply it to a wet face and work it into my skin.

This product rinses clean and doesn't leave any makeup residue on my face.  The biggest fear that many people have with oils is that they will not fully remove makeup and will leave an oily residue all over the skin.  This product does neither of those things yet doesn't strip my skin of moisture.  I only wash my face at night to get my makeup off before applying night cream.  I have no reason to wash my face again in the morning so I can't comment on using this product more than once a day.  It hasn't irritated my sensitive skin and helps my skin to retain moisture during the cleansing process.  I doubt that this product would work as well for anyone will normal to oily skin types but it is fabulous for dry skin in the winter months.

I want to get a few more days in using this wash and then following it up with the face oil before I comment on the effectiveness of the face oil and the use of argan oil as an ingredient.  I am very happy with this product so far and look forward to trying more skin products from this line.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bath and Body Works Forever Midnight

My major thoughts of the beginning of this month are surrounding all the work that I will have to do to get ready for the holidays.  I hate thinking about Christmas before I even have my Halloween costume picked out but now that holiday has come and gone last week and everything is beginning to get decorated for the holidays that are rapidly arriving.  It seems like every store in the mall is decked out and getting ready and Bath and Body Works is leading the pack with brand new holiday items.  Holiday was one of my favorite times of the year there and I have always had a soft spot for Vanilla Bean Noel and buy lots of holiday candles.  Last year, Bath and Body Works broke from its trend of cozy holiday scents (Vanilla Bean Noel, Winter Candy Apple) and introduced a beautiful fragrance named Forever Red that I still consider one of my favorites in my collection.  Thanks to the tremendous success of that fragrance, Bath and Body Works has released another fragrance in the Forever line this holiday season, Forever Midnight. 

Forever Red had distinctive notes of Pomegranate, Osmanthus, and Vanilla Rum and wears differently on every lady that I have ever smelled it on.  This fragrance could be worn day and night and I have worn it from work to class to getting dressed up, this is one of the few fragrances that works in every scenario that I have ever worn it in.  Forever Midnight is a very different style of fragrance, this fragrance is more much about getting dressed up for dates and holiday parties, hence the name "Midnight", this is perfect time of the year to release a fragrance this like!

I love that the Forever fragrances are offered in an Eau de Parfum, I put the Forever Red EDP on in the morning and I can still smell it by the end of my night class.  I am hoping that I can use this fragrance when getting dressed up in the evening and then not need to touch it up at all.  "An irresistible blend of night-blooming vanilla orchid & luscious plum nectar warmed by rich caramel liqueur.", states the Bath and Body Works website. 

The top notes of Forever Midnight are: Plum Nectar, Apple Blossom, Caramelized Pear.  The heart notes are: Night Blooming Vanilla Orchid, Midnight Jasmine, Gardenia.  The base notes are: Caramel Liqueur, Whipped Meringue, Sandalwood.  I tried this fragrance earlier today in the store and decided that the perfume would be my first purchase from this new fragrance line.  The perfume smells very deep on my skin and the Vanilla Orchid and Jasmine come out the strongest on me and this is a very feminine floral fragrance for me.  I have already purchased the large bottle of the EDP and want to go back for more of the body products in the coming weeks.  This scent might be my new favorite for the holiday parties!

This fragrance comes out in many of the same forms as Forever Red: EDP, Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Triple Moisture Body Cream, Fine Fragrance Mist, and all forms of small products.  I wished that this fragrance came in the Rollerball form that I bought the Forever Red fragrance but since that product was discontinued, I wasn't surprised that Midnight wasn't released in it.  So far, I have bought the EDP, Shower Gel, Body Lotion, and Triple Moisture Body Cream.  The Triple Moisture Body Cream holds a special place in my heart because the package features the skyline of Park Avenue on front.  This makes me think of Sex and the City and the scene in Season Four where Samantha meets Richard on the rooftop pool in the middle of the night.  I might have bought the product for just the packaging but I am glad that I like the product inside the pretty package too!

This fragrance will be harder to wear than Forever Red, it is much stronger and more musky.  It will appeal to a special type of customer and at a special time.  I hesitate to call this a hit for this company, I cannot see how many of their holiday customers will try this fragrance out with their Holiday candles and hand soaps.  It will make a lovely gift and I can see it being giving to many women by the men in their lives.  This scent will appeal to their customers who prefer to buy fragrances from Macy*s and Sephora and tend to use Bath and Body Works for other types of items.   I fall into this category and know that I will wear this fragrance when getting dressed up for the holidays and then throughout the winter months.

Happy Holidays!

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2013 Color Collection - Old Hollywood

November is officially here so it is the start of the holiday season for me and I am starting this month off with a collection that I fell in love with as soon as I saw the promo picture for it.  Bobbi Brown always releases two collections for the holidays, one color collection and then a gift collection later on in the season.  Today we are starting with the color collection as I am more excited for this collection than the gifts.  Katie Holmes has been the face of this brand for quite a bit and my face and hair coloring is very similar to hers so I am often looking to this brand for new shades and products.

The Bobbi Brown holiday color collection is named Old Hollywood and it highlights defined cheekbones and deep red lips.  I am already looking forward to adding another red lipstick to my collection the next time that I head toward the Bobbi Brown counter.  I don't believe that I own any lipsticks from this company yet so I have another formula to try out.  Bobbi Brown started her company with a few lipstick shades and this product quickly became one of her trademarks so I am very excited to try some new formulas from her.

The Old Hollywood collection from Bobbi Brown!

Old Hollywood Eye Palette - The Old Hollywood eye palette features a mixture of cool and warm hues with both glitter and matte finishes so you can go demure or glamorous depending on your mood.  It contains nine neutral and glamourous hues to complement any occasion this holiday season.
- Ivory - matte ivory
- Golden Pink Metallic - metallic rose gold
- Gold Sparkle - medium gold shimmer
- Opal Sparkle - pale pink shimmer
- Fog - matte pale gray
- Beige - matte pale beige
- Chocolate Brown Sparkle - medium brown shimmer
- Candlelight Gold Metallic - pale gold shimmer
- Eclipse - matte charcoal

Ink Liner - A pen-style liquid liner that doesn't fade, flake or smudge.  Flexible felt-tip applicator delivers carbon black pigments with extreme precision. It glides on evenly without dragging or tugging on lids.
- Blackest Black - deep true black

Lip Gloss - This high-shine formula gives lips a sultry sheen for a fuller look.  Formulated with jojoba and avocado oils for immediate hydration, plus Vitamins C and E. Aloe extract soothes lips and helps keep them feeling comfortable.
- Siren Red - medium blue red

High Shimmer Lip Gloss - A high-shine gloss with a special mix of pearls in a clear base (for a super reflective effect).   This vitamin-enriched formula conditions lips while providing non-sticky, but long-lasting color.
- Candlelight - neutral with gold pearl
- Rose - medium rose pearl
- Pure Gold - medium nude with gold pearl

Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick -  long-lasting, do-it-all eye shadow that's a stroke of genius—just swipe and go. This budge-proof formula stays put for 8 hours.Glides on lids tug-free and can be used to shade, define, smoke up and highlight eyes. Comes in subtle to eye-popping shades that last for up to 8 hours without creasing, flaking or fading (and it's completely waterproof).
- Tuxedo Black - deep charcoal
- 24 Karat - medium gold
- Bronze - medium bronze

I am a bit disappointed that there is no red lipstick in this collection and that Katie Holmes is wearing a red lip gloss.  I have heard that the lip gloss formula from Bobbi Brown is very pigmented and opaque so I really thought it was an actual lipstick formula.  The Siren Red Lip Gloss is my top choice from this collection and I am very excited to pick it up for my gloss collection.  My second favorite product is the Old Hollywood Eye Palette, this contains some great neutrals that will work well this holiday season parties and for a professional look. 

I actually want this entire collection and cannot find a product that I dislike in it.  I would like all of the lip glosses and all of the eye makeup products shown here, I am especially fond of the Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks in gold and bronze. 

This collection from Bobbi Brown will be in my top favorites of the holiday season and has the potential to be my favorite collection of the whole season.  In the next few weeks, we will look at the gift collection from this company and see how many more products from Bobbi Brown I will be adding to my makeup collection.

photo courtesy of Bobbi Brown

Most Wanted November 2013

This month's Most Wanted list pretty much wrote itself, I have been loving many of the products that I have been seeing so far in the holiday makeup collections and this month's shopping list pretty much wrote itself.  MAC plays a huge role in my shopping list and I will be visiting the counter quite a few times this month, I am considering driving down to King of Prussia one day to visit the actual MAC store but I have a feeling that this will be a fool's errand during the holiday season.  I think that I will be skipping the store to visit the website and my local MAC counter.  One day I will see a MAC store in all of its holiday glory...

Here is the start of my holiday gift shopping for myself!

- Too Faced Joy To The Girls Eye Shadow Palette
- Urban Decay Vice 2 Eye Shadow Palette
- MAC Divine Night Mineralize Eye Shadow in Exquisite Ego
- MAC Divine Night Fluidline in Deliciously Rich
- MAC Divine Night Lipstick in Flair For Finery
- MAC Divine Night Nail Lacquer in Military
- Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Initiation
- Butter London Illusionist Nail Lacquer in Bramble
- MAC Stroke of Midnight Warm Eye Shadow Palette
- Bath and Body Works Forever Midnight EDP

Here's the start of my holiday shopping!

Fitness Friday - Child's Pose

Today is the official start of the holiday season for me, we have been looking at holiday collections for the past month but I just can't accept the holidays until Halloween is over.  Today starts both the holiday and finals stress and I will be turning to the gym and yoga as much as possible this holiday season.  I have six weeks until finals and eight weeks until the peak of the holiday season so I will be adding as many yoga sessions a week as possible.

Today I wanted to get back to the basics of yoga, we are looking at one of the most effective rest poses today and one that can be adapted to everyday life during stressful times.  Child's Pose is gone often during any yoga practice to bring the heart rate down after harder flows or working into peak positions.  I have also taken to holding this pose for a minute before going to bed to help relax and de-stress after my day.  Whether or not you practice or have any interest in a yoga practice, this pose with help you relax and de-stress as needed throughout the season.

Yoga Journal provides the details on how to maximize this pose...

- Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.
- Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.
- Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.
- Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balasana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.

The arm position is really up to you in this position.  During a yoga practice, I like to place my arms out in front of me with my palms touching the floor.  I will use this position to push myself back up for the next flow and use it as a quick rest.  When I am using this pose to relax at night, I will place my arms along side my body with my palms up.  This allow me to relax faster and stay in the position longer instead of using it as a quick resting position. 

Relaxing in this pose allows me to breath deeply and relax most of the muscles in my body.  I will continue to use this position each night to help get rid of the day's stresses...

photo courtesy of Yoga Journal