Armani Lip Wax

Armani describes Lip Wax as lipstick without excess. I describe Lip Wax as a ultra light chapstick with great color.

What I mean is that Lip Wax does have a slightly lip balm waxy feel but it is refined to the point of being weightless. Lip Wax also has great color payoff that almost acts like a stain and really stays put.

Lip Wax is my preferred product when I want a bit of color on my lips but do not want to fuss with gloss, liner, or worry about touching up a lipstick. Lip Wax has never bled on my lips and the color will wipe off but not easily.

There are 7 shades to chose from with #7 being the newest addition and part of the Pink Light collection for spring. #7 is a pink raspberry shade that is a great balance of brightness without looking neon.

Lip Wax is $26 and can be found at Neiman's and some Nordstrom stores.

Karl Lagerfeld Kapsules

These 3 fragrances are Karl Lagerfeld's interpretation of the 3 major fragrance families. Each Kapsule is $110 or you can get a set of 3 smaller bottles for $150 at Neiman Marcus.

I received a sample pack of all 3 to try and it took me a while to actually break these open. However I am a new fan of Floriental which features black tea, violet, and ivy leaves. It is the right blend of sweetness and warmth and is a real winner in my book.

Woody is cedarwood, plum and moss. I am normally a real woody fan and while I like this fragrance I would not buy it. The cedar gives a nice opening and that slightly pencil shaving scent with plum swirling around nicely. Moss is there but in the background. Woody is nice but just doesn't have the ompf of the woody fragrances I really love....think Bois de Paradis.

Light is a blend of bitter orange, jasmine and musk. The bitter orange is front and center at first with the jasmine and musk showing up later. For some reason it is the most masculine smelling of the 3 to me.

Floriential is far and away my pick and will be a future purchase for sure!

Rock & Republic

Rock & Republic has introduced a relatively new line of cosmetics that I found at Neiman Marcus. I was a bit skeptical about what sort of makeup a company that is best known for denim would produce. My skepticism was unfounded after playing with the line today. Excuse the corniness coming your way....the line rocks!

Seriously the shadows are highly pigmented and the colors range from neutrals done perfectly to edgy color that rivals MAC and MUFE. It is a medium sized selection of eyeshadows now but the SA said they would grow and the initial color offering is fantastic.

The blushes are beautiful and I wanted every last one. I loved the glow in a lot of the shades but at $40 each I had to get selective.

The compacts are amazing and should all be refillable because they are just too nice to ever throw away. My first purchases were 2 of the lip glosses in Sexy Beast and Mistress. The gloss is not sticky at all and rather than getting its shine from the actual gloss (think MAC Lipglass) but instead the shine comes from the pigment in the gloss. The texture is actually pretty thin and can be built up for full color or quickly swiped for a sheer wash of color.

I highly recommend checking out this line for some great colors and super luxe packaging.