Urban Decay Sin Primer Potion

Here is Urban Decay's new addition to eye priming fun! Meet Sin Primer Potion for $17 currently available at Sephora.

Sin is a champagne toned primer that shares the same texture as UDPP but with a bit of color and pearl. If you own or have seen MAC's Bare Study Paint Pot then you are on the right track for comparison.

I am of two minds when it comes to this new primer. First I love UDPP for its anti-crease and fade properties as well as its oil controlling abilities. Eyeshadow pays off better and lasts longer with UDPP and the added color is nice.

On the other hand I detest the bottle for this product which by now is a well known product trapper and I would hope that Urban Decay would have addressed this issue when bringing a new primer to market. The curves on this bottle may be cute but they hide a lot product and while you can cut it open and store the rest in a jar I just think that is lame.

Put this otherwise fab primer in a better package already!

Korres - Vanilla Plum Set

The Vanilla Plum set is a screamin' deal at $19.50 and it smells yummy! Korres is by far one of my favorite lotion, body butter, shower gel type stuff company and I spent a small fortune at their Soho boutique in February.

The lotions and butters are moisturizing without being greasy and most of the scents are divine. (quince is the noted exception for me)

The Vanilla Plum bag is a perfect stocking stuffer and I think my husband might even like this one. He too is a Korres fan. This and many other holiday sets from Korres can be found at Sephora.

Stila - Gift of Glaze Set

I love Stila's Lip Glaze in general and a set of them in particular. This is definitely one of those one for me, one for my pal, gift ideas.

This six pack for $28 includes:

Vanilla - pearly nude
Brown Sugar - shimmering golden nude
Raisin - golden plum
Grapefruit - frosted pink
Apricot - melon nectarine
Gumdrop - vibrant pink

Raisin and Gumdrop are new shades and I am praying that Raisin joins the permanent line. I love the delivery of these click pens as well since its like having a lip brush with you at all times.

These sets are available at Sephora.

Make up For ever - Limited Palette

I love Sephora in the spingtime
I love Sephora in the fall
I love Sephora in the winter when it drizzles
I love Sephora in the summer when it sizzles
Why, oh why, do I love Sephora
Because my love is there!

My makeup love I mean....

Okay so I am sorry for that little moment I just had but really that song just begs to be sung for my love affair with Sephora. Seriously, I heart Sephora big time and wish I could camp there for a weekend and just play and shop to my hearts content.

This palette by MUFE is one reason that Sephora rocks my makeup world. This palette is very limited (100 of them to be precise) and is $390 and can only be had at, you guessed it, SEPHORA.com! It is filled with 30 shadows and blushes and is signed by Danny Sanz the creator of MUFE.

I would love to own this one but the price is a bit prohibitive for my MAC depleted makeup budget so if any of you get one please share all the details!

Tarte - The Vanity Limited Edition Palette

Oh my lord in heaven just look at this treasure trove of goodies ! I swear I nearly died when I spotted this one in Sephora on my lunch break.

I happen to love Tarte cosmetics but this set of palettes for $52 is a must have in my book. If I received this as a gift my heart would swell with happiness for the giver of such a gift is saying I LOVE YOU!

Here's what is in this gem:

16 full size eyeshadows
16 lipgloss pans
large luminizer and large bronzer
4 blushes
mascara
2 brushes

Wow, that is a whole lot of lovin' for $52. Check this one out at Sephora.

Stila - Step Out and Shine

This lovely Stila set can be had for $50 and with the exception of the mascara is worth every penny. I have tried the Multi-Effect mascara before and it didn't float my boat.

However the other products in this sassy little silver clutch are worth the 50 bucks alone. First the eye quad in shades of purple and the Convertible Color in Orchid are super yummy. Also the All Over Shimmer Luminizer is a favorite of mine. The real fun comes in with the Pomegranate Crush Lip and Cheek Stain. It is a little sneak peek on the next version of the very popular Cherry Stain.

My understanding is that Pomegranate will come out in full size next year but until then you can get your paws on this mini version now.

Vincent Longo - Flower Set

I stumbled across this Vincent Longo eyeshadow set the other day and fell in love instantly! Seriously just look at those cute little flower shadows and all those colors.

The set of four is $38 and was inspired by Mediterranean wildflowers. This is a great gift or 4 excellent stocking stuffers!

Smashbox Beauty Blockbuster

Blockbuster is right and at $105 you better believe this black bag is sporting a lot of stuff! Here are the goods:

Lip Service Lip Palette
Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
Mini Soft Lights in Highlight
Photo Finish Primer
Mini Lip Gloss in Desire and Beauty
Sheer Lip Pencil in Miami Beach
Bionic Mascara in Black
Eyelights Palettes in Strobe and Beam (3 pan palette)

In other words this is a whole lot of stuff! The lip palette is a must have and the Eyelights palettes are wonderfully creamy shadows that make blending easy.

Smashbox has put together a serious set of goodies and you can find it at Sephora, of course!

Bare Escentuals - Extreme Glimmer Set

BE is making it hard to not just shop for myself these days and I have vowed to get my holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving. This is an ambitious goal for me as I am a chronic last minute shopper sifting through the picked over piles on Christmas Eve.

I wanted to love BE's Extreme Glimmers set for $32. I love BE shadows and like to use them wet and dry for versatile eye looks. Using any of their shadows wet will give you a foiled look and the nice thing is it won't ruin your shadow the way some pressed shadows suffer from wetting.

The shades included are a silver, plum and bronze shadow along with a wet/dry brush and eye primer.

However the texture of these shadows is chunky! The box says they are creamy and that just isn't so. The brush and primer are just dandy but the 3 shadows remind me of a glitter shadow with little color payoff and lots of glitter fallout that won't stick. As I said this kit would have been right up my alley if not for the texture.

If you would like to check this set out it can be found at Sephora exclusively.

Nars Super Orgasm

As if the name weren't reason enough! Nars has found a way to add on to the ever expanding lineup of Orgasm products. I have been a long time fan of the blush but the gloss and nail polish, etc have just never excited me.

That was until I got my paws on this new and improved blush! It is the same classic pink-peach shade but with more gold shimmer and you know I love me some shimmer.

While it doesn't replace the original Orgasm blush it is a fun addition to have and for $25 will make a great stocking stuffer for my Orgasm blush loving pals.

This blush is part of the new winter collection coming from Nars. Between this and the eyeshadow duo and singles it is a collection to check out!

Bare Escentuals - Ruby Collection

Ohhhh, pretty. It was just that kind of juvenile I want, I want thought process that went through my head when I spotted BE's new Ruby Collection.

I love patent red bags and a croc print only ups my love it factor. Plus with all these set exclusive BE products this was an immediate purchase for me.

The Ruby Collection is $54 and includes the ruby clutch, Ruby Radiance, 3 eyecolors, a double-ended mascara with black and ruby, Ruby Buxom lipgloss, and 2 brushes with ruby handles!

I just can't get enough of the ruby red stuff that hits during the holidays and this set is no exception.

Nars Sephora Flame Lipstick

As I have mentioned Sephora is celebrating their 10th anniversary and many of the brands they carry are doing special sets or products in their honor.

There are more than a few that have caught my eye and the Nars Sephora Flame lipstick is no exception. Sephora Flame is a rich semi-matte deep brown red and is perfect for fall. This reminds me of the early days of Sephora when the SA's were required to wear red lipstick of one kind or another.

If you have ever hunted for a true brick red this is one worth considering. It is deep and dusky brown red and the formula will help it wear for hours.

Sephora Flame is $24 and can be found at Sephora soon or online now.

Stila Loves Sephora Can

Stila's offering to celebrate Sephora's 10th anniversary is the pictured "can" filled with goodies for $40. I personally love combos from cosmetics companies because it gives you a chance to try some of their best selling products at a great price.

Stila has included Kajal eyeliner in Onyx, Lip Glaze in Brown Sugar, Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, Convertible Color in Peony and Mulit-Effect Mascara.

I can tell you from experience that Brown Sugar Lip Glaze is a great color that is not exactly brown but borders on a raisin and is very flattering. Plus I love the delivery on the click pen with brush applicator. Kajal eyeliner is very creamy and the black of Onyx is just as deep as you would hope.

Convertible Color is great for lips and cheeks and Peony is a lovely shade of raspberry pink. All in all this is a great buy or perhaps another gift idea!

Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil Brush

Bare Escentuals is doing this exclusive brush for Sephora's 10th Anniversary for $28 and I don't imagine these will last long.

The brush is filled with Mineral Veil for on the go touch-ups and while not technically refillable it can be easily done as the bottom comes off. The actual brush also retracts which is a nice feature.

The real benefit is the portability of Mineral Veil because up until now the options have been limited and less than satisfactory. BE's compacts are bulky and often spill in your purse leaving a fine layer of Mineral Veil all over.

All the fellow beauty junkies I know plan on purchasing a few and are contemplating trying their favorite mineral foundation in it. I don't know how well this will work but I will keep you posted as to their MacGyver-makeup results.

Update: The bottom of this brush comes off easily but I think is best filled with Mineral Veil. BE foundation just doesn't apply lightly with this brush but if you like fuller coverage then you can give it a whirl.

Too Faced Quickies

Here is Too Faced The Quickie Chronicles Mini Collection for $60 and may just be one of the best sets produced for the 10th anniversary. It is an unbelievable deal with 8 mini palettes that have products for eyes lips and cheeks.

Each palette has a Hollywood pinup girl on the cover and I think this is a great one to give as a extra special gift or to breakup and give as small gifts or stocking stuffers. The eight palettes included are:

The Temptress, The Plaything of Passion, The Cupcake, The Starlette, 10 Year Anniversay, The Sure Thing, The Beach Bunny and The Summer Lover.

The Cupcake is a pink treasure and The Temptress is all about plums. 10Year Anniversary is my favorite but really I love them all! It is very hard to give any of the them away.

Sephora Red Lipstick

This week I will be featuring 5 new and limited products that were created to celebrate Sephora's 10th anniversary going on in the month of October. I think it is fitting to start off with Sephora's special lipstick that is a real beauty.

Sephora Red is a beautiful berry red that is encased in a black tube adorned with over 100 crystal rhinestones. This is a real showpiece and is definitely worthy of being pulled out at a restaurant table for a quick lipstick freshen up.

Sephora is one of my absolute favorite makeup shopping destinations and I love nothing more than fun limited products where brands pull out all the stops. I think that Sephora's 10th anniversary will have one or ten things that you will not want to pass up.

Bare Escentuals - New GSK

In Bare Escentuals speak, GSK is the Get Started Kit and they have reworked this kit recently. In my opinion these changes are very good and well thought out especially when it comes to foundation shades. For those new to BE there are always 2 shades of foundation in each GSK and the combos for the new kit make sense.

Also the Full Flawless brush has replaced the Kabuki in the kits and that is a godsend. The Full Flawless is a fabulous brush for mineral foundation application and gives you coverage flexibility that was tough with the Kabuki. The Kabuki just tended towards full coverage and I didn't like all the buffing/blending you had to do plus the BE Kabuki just isn't that soft and often felt like the rough side of the sponge to me.

Some other great changes are regular Mineral Veil for the lighter kits and Tinted Mineral Veil for the deeper shades. Plus the Lightstroke brush is included for deeper shades which BE recommends for concealing on darker skin tones.

All in all these are smart changes and the $60 price is a great value. BE is also including a gift with the purchase of the new GSK. At Sephora that gift will be a sample of the Prime Time face primer and at BE boutiques you will receive a full size Bread Pudding lipstick.

The Balm Shady Lady Palette

Hello Shady Lady! I am in love with a shade from this palette and recommend that you stay far far away from it or else you are likely to get hooked yourself.

The shade is Jet Setting Jennifer (bottom left corner) and is described as a pale gold shimmer. This is mostly true but here's what they don't tell you. This gold is as far as my hunting has shown, unique. It is pale but doesn't veer into cream or white frosty territory. Instead it is a rich pale gold that looks gold and never yellow or white or cream.

I marched all over San Francisco with this color and went to every cosmetic counter and store I could including all of downtown Union Square and Union Street with the MAC Pro Store. I am here to tell you that I came close but there is not an exact dupe to be had. I am strongly considering sending this shade off to 3 Custom Color to see if they can duplicate it because it is a holy grail shade for me. I use it as a highlight and it blends just about any other shade out perfectly.

There are in fact 8 other colors in this palette but JSJ won my heart early and renders all the others nice but not JSJ! I know we all have certain shades that become obsessions and if they are discontinued you just want to cry your eyes out.

Well this palette is limited edition and $38 which is a great deal for 9 shadows that can be used wet or dry but its a bit much to keep buying for one color!

You can find my HG JSJ at Sephora but I warn you to proceed with caution.....that gold will get you, in a good way.

Urban Decay - Urban Essentials

Holy cow! Just look at the size of the UDPP! Ladies if you are a fan of the Primer Potion this is the kit for you.

This kit can be found at Sephora for $39 and includes the mondo UDPP as well as Midnight Cowboy and Goddess eyeshadow. Midnight Cowboy is the neutral champagne and I really like the shadow a lot and keep it in my collection.

I am already starting to think about gift buying with the holidays right around the corner and this would make a good one.

More Dolce Vita to love.....

Nars and the Dolce Vita color family has expanded to a few new products. For those who are not ardent fans of the Dolce Vita lipstick the blush might just be the exception.

For those who know nothing of the Dolce Vita craze let me explain. Dolce Vita started out as a sheer lipstick that is described as dusty rose but to my eye it is one of those great lipsticks that looks good on everyone and is just a shade better than your own lipcolor. It is on the sheer side and is a bit glossier than lipstick. My first encounter was reading an interview with Nicole Kidman and she talked about the shade changing her life....clearly her holy grail shade.

Well Nars is no dummy and recently came out with a gloss version which was a huge dissapointment to me. The color just wasn't the same and I do not enjoy Nars lipgloss. It is like flypaper for hair and it has an odd plasticy no smell, smell.

Anyway the latest products to join the ranks are a blush and Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. Finally some products that live up to the Dolce Vita rep!

The blush color is superb! No joke....it is a gorgeous dusty peach rose that is on the warmer side and is matte without being chalky in the slightest. The blush is the perfect compliment to fall's smokier eyes done in grey or brown.

Don't even get me started on the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. I will say that it really delivers on Dolce Vita's promise where the lipgloss fell on it's face!

Blush is $25 and the Lip Pencil is $24 and both can be found at Sephora.