Lancome - Pink Irreverence

Ummm, my wallet was not prepared for this collection from Lancome. After MAC BBR I had blown my makeup allowance pretty thoroughly and this collection just came out of nowhere!

I admit that I don't pay a great deal of attention to Lancome since Gucci Westman departed but apparently I need to start paying better attention.

Aaron de Mey is Lancome's creative director and boy oh boy he has a serious fan in this makeup junkie! This New Zealand born makeup genius is on fire with this huge collection, Pink Irreverence.

There are 2 eye palettes including the pink beauty pictured. There are new liners in both pencil and the felt tip variety, nail polishes, lipsticks, and glosses. Forget Me Not lipstick is a favorite and the new gloss formula is amazing!

Le Laque Fever is a full color gloss with shine and pigmentation to make any gloss girl happy but boy does the color last. Electric Pink is indeed neon pink with sparkle and depth that keep it modern and beautiful without looking like an 80's mall singer. I am not sure how I will pull off this ultra hot pink shade but dang it I will give it a go!

MAC - Brunette Blonde Redhead

This MAC collection is a must see and keep your wallet handy and your budget in mind. It is easy to get swept away and buy every last new color in sight if you aren't careful! Brunette Blonde Redhead is almost all new color and MAC has hit it out of the park with nearly all of the offerings.




The Mineralize degrade powders are finely milled and provide highlighting and color that is ultra-blendable. There isn't a bad one in the bunch although I passed on the Brunette MSF as it is very warm for my skin tone.

My favorite Lipglass is Strawberry Blonde and holy cow it is multiple worthy. SB is a deep pink red that is lovely and would look good on anyone blonde or not.





Henna and Flip eyeshadows are two gold based shades that MAC has before now been missing and Pincurl is a grey with iridescence that may not seem impressive in the pan but is magic on the eye. Pincurl is duplicate worthy as well.

I encourage you to go see this collection and please check out the limited edition brushes quickly. The 3 brushes should be permanent but if they aren't you will kick yourself hard for not getting them.

The 226 is a baby 224 and is a perfect crease and blender combined. This is a brush that MAC has been missing for a while and I praise them for providing it.

The 214 is a smudge shader that is unique in that it comes to a chisel edge that allows you to smudge liner along the lash line like no other.

The 165 is a tapered cheek highlight brush and is made for exactly that purpose. It hugs the top of the cheek bone and makes highlighting a breeze.

Happy shopping!

YSL Bow Collection

Here is one of my most recent purchases, YSL's Bow Collection eye quad.

I deliberated a long time on this one but finally caved when I also found the #16 Golden Gloss in stock at my local Bloomingdales from the same collection.

This palette is all about creating a smokey eye without grey or black and instead using purples, rosy grey tones. In a word, lovely!

This is not a new collection but if the latest looks hitting the spring runway say anything it is that a smokey eye done in alternate shades is here to stay.

This quad is $60 and is worth a look for the pigment and silky texture that is the hallmark of YSL shadow.

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.

2009 Here we come!

So 2009 has snuck up on me....ambushed me really! I was in my local Starbucks today and was wished a Happy New Year, only to realize that today is actually the eve of said year! Good grief, the time seems like it is on fast forward these days.

The holidays should have been ample warning but for some reason 2008 has been a bit of a blur to me.

I rarely make New Years resolutions as doing so only seems like an invitation to the fates to conspire against you. I don't mean that in a negative way but let's just say I have met with limited success when it comes to resolutions. I think we all know where I am coming from on this one and I offer the first few weeks of the new year in my gym as proof. January is a mad house with the cardio equipment being fought over by reluctant gym goers donning sweat pants dug out of the bottom drawer.

By mid-February I can exercise in peace again as most of those resolutions to go to the gym more regularly have fallen by the wayside. I too fall off the wagon at various times of the year so I don't want anyone thinking I am self righteous on this point. I HATE exercising but regard it as a necessary evil.

So I say to hell with resolution making and instead I hope and wish for 2009 that whatever will bring you happiness and contentment will come your way.

Bobbi Brown - Bright Eyes Palette

Oh good lord in heaven I thank you for Bobbi Brown and her makeup creations. I mean this dear blog reader and I hope you are with me on this one. BB rarely disappoints with her makeup offerings and lately she has just kept on getting better and more adventurous which is right up my alley.

Behold the new Bright Eyes palette which features 35 shades of bright soft matte shades of eyeshadow for $70. I found this at Neiman Marcus and had a little mini makeup happy attack when I spotted it. The palette was inspired by BB at fashion week and while the color is bright it is still very wearable which is mainly due to the lack of shimmer.

This would make a great gift for any makeup junkie you have on your list or a seriously fabulous stocking stuffer!

Lipstick Queen - Liner

As I have previously written, I heart Lipstick Queen and while I can not find fault with the line I have hoped and prayed that one day lip liners would be added that match the lipsticks. I worried that the day would never come because Poppy King seems to be a lipstick purest. I have no problem with that but some of her lipsticks are so perfect that finding equal perfection in liner form has been a challenge.

Well thank the good lord above because Poppy has heard my prayers and answered them with liners that are creamy, keep lipstick in place, and are indeed a perfect match for her lipsticks.

My favorite shade is Rose Saint and Sinner. Rose is pink without being Barbie or bubble gum. It is an adult pink that is bright but deep and perfect! Rose lip liner is equally perfect and I bought 3. One for my purse, one for my bathroom and a backup!

Lipstick Queen is available at Barneys and the liners are $18.

Chanel - Russian Nights

Chanel's new Russian Collection for nails is beyond fabulous. All the polishes are a black base with micro-glitter and retail for a cool 30 big ones.

I saw these on All Lacquered Up, one of my favorite blogs out there, and practically drooled on my keyboard. I admit to being enamored of the black or nearly black nail trend but haven't been willing to give it a go myself. Up until spotting this collection it has seemed like the realm of the young and trendy, which I am not.

My interest in clothes and trends outside of makeup is nearly nonexistent and my twenties have come and gone. But as I said this collection caught my fancy and had me jumping in the car to head for San Francisco and my local Chanel boutique.

Right away I spotted the little display of polishes and my intent was to pick one possibly two of the shades. No dice...I was drawn in by the loveliness of these and couldn't help myself. The micro-glitter is a fine shimmer that keeps the polishes from looking too black but the drama is all there.

Nuit de Russie (pictured) is a deep sapphire jewel and does not look like it belongs on the hands of a teenager. It has class and sophistication and would not suffer chips gladly. Feu de Russie is red with black and goes more burgundy when applied but is stunning none the less. Or de Russie has gobs of gold shimmer and is the least black of the 3.

I agree with All Lacquered Up when she writes about having a crush on Peter Phillips, Chanel's new global creative director. I mean how could you not after he gives us polish like this.

If you have ever thought about giving dark nails a whirl I highly recommend giving these a look. You can find them at Chanel.com or Chanel boutiques.

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.

Lipstick Queen - Medieval

Lipstick Queen is a line of lip products that I love. For those that read this blog you will know of my great love of these flawless lipsticks. Poppy King the creator of Lipstick Queen has been adding to the lineup lately and Medieval is one of my favorite additions.

Medieval is a treatment and sheer blood red lip color in one. The idea behind the color is taken from medieval times when according to Poppy it was a sin for women to wear full color lipstick. Instead women would stain their lips with berries for color and that idea is the inspiration for Medieval.

Red lips are one of the hottest trends for fall but not everyone feels confident about wearing an opaque red lipstick. Medieval makes it easy to wiggle your toes in the pool without jumping in the deep end of this trend.

Medieval can be found at Barneys for $18.