CYO Cosmetics

CYO is a new brand just landed at Walgreens.

The line is 160 product strong and it's got all that's hot right now in beauty- metallic, contouring, highlighting as well as  foundation, bronzing oil, a  great eyeliner and more.

I've got a handful of the line here to test and so far I'm impressed . Oh and did I mention everything is $8 or less ?  Plus the packaging often recalls higher end brands.

Kohl Gel Eyeliner is deeply pigmented and glides on easily. All things we want in a liner, right ? The shade here -Highflier is a rich teal that brightens eyes and lest you think this brand is just for the youngsters ( who are the inspiration behind it), The Mom grabbed this up. ( $3.50)

Ombre Lipstick  is a two toned square bullet that gives just a slight ombre look. The formula is well pigmented and creamy .  Shown in Liquid Lunch. ( $ 5.50)

Metallic Eye Stick is a brightening, shimmering eye crayon to use  inner corners, brows or all over. It's easy to apply, creamy and wears well. Shown in Clowning Around. ($5)

Metallic Liquid Lipstick packs a lot of pigment  and is on trend as it gets right now. It feels good on lips , and just beams color.   This is one I will be grabbing more colors in. Shown in Misconduct. ( $6)

Also shown in the pics are Contour Stick, Bronzing Shimmer Oil ( in a glass bottle and only $7 ) , and Illuminating Mixing Cream.

CYO is a Boots brand ( Boots Walgreens Alliance now) and they know their way around beauty.

All CYO is available at Walgreens in store and online.

Q Tips Beauty Rounds

Let's do an ode to one of those little things, a basic that's so much more.

At the risk of lowering my beauty blogger creds , it hasn't been until recently that I've used these beauty rounds for makeup removal and more( aside from grabbing one at Sephora after testing).  Where have I been? Cotton balls are a staple of course, but these are so much better . All that space , excellent absorb-ability. It's all there and then some.

So here's to the little things and discovering them better late than never.

Anna Kendrick Beauty Routine NY Times Interview

Anna Kendrick is very much an It Girl right now  and in this interview with the NY Times she's shows she's got some serious beauty chops too, namedropping Hourglass and Koh Gen Do.

I especially love how she buys a new fragrance for each movie .

You can hit up the article here -nyti.ms/1DyllmH 


Photo: Emily Berl for The New York Times

Luvocracy

Have you heard of Luvocracy ? It's new  resource  for people and bloggers, like me,  to pick some of their favorite products and put them into a shoppable collection.  You can browse , search and buy throughout everyone's picks.

I just finished my first collection-Summer Beauty Musts  and you can see it here 

By the way, I am not making money from this right now. There is the potential to  earn a commission on sales but it's early days for that. At this point it's just a fun way to  make my own catalog  of items  if you will.

Let me know what you think, and I will be adding more collections in the next couple weeks . Things like pet products, Summer shoes and more.

The Clinique Forecast App

New mobile apps pop up all the time. More fun is when they are makeup oriented ones.

Clinique's new mobile app is quite cool as it not only advises you on product, but tells you the weather, the UV index, how humid it is and more. It can tell you nearest store locations and give you skin tips related to your current weather conditions.

Currently it's iPhone & iPad  but thankfully an Android version is coming soon.

The Clinique Forecast app  is available for download on iTunes. To view the app, just visit www.clinique.com/mobileapp

Lancome Visonnaire- Coming Soon

Come this fall Lancome has a new skin product out that looks to be the Swiss Army Knife of skincare .

Called Visionnaire  and an all in one serum,  it's said to work on wrinkles , pores and evening skin tone. It can be used day or night, in the sun , around eyes, by all ethnicties and sensitive skin .  Swiss Army Knife, right ?

According to the announcement in WWD, the  key ingredient is LR 2412 , a molecule discovered 12 years ago by L'Oreal researchers.  They say this molecule "has an affinity with water and oil at the same time and allows it to go in all compartments of the skin and be totally bio available".  LR 2412  has 17 patents and is at 4 percent concentration in the formula.


Approximate US retail will be $ 84.00.

So tell me, does this interest you ? Lancome has always made great skincare, the latest being the wonderful Genifique .  I am sure we will hear a lot more closer to the release date and I will post more info when I get it.

All info and images: WWD

Diane Von Furstenberg's New Perfume- Diane

One upon a time almost everyone or their mother had a Diane Von Furstenberg  perfume on the vanity- Tatiana . Named for her daughter it was a  big, beautiful floral. I am quite sure  The Mom still has a bottle somewhere.

DVF was huge then and her perfume even bigger. There was also a killer makeup line and more fragrances. Then the luster faded some, the perfume was around but not as big a deal and we didn't hear as much about Diane. 10 years ago or so her star rose high again, deservedly so. She's a force in the fashion world not just for herself but others.  And now we have a new fragrance from her - Diane.

A few details emerged this week via WWD on the scent which will not launch until October. What I've read gives me great hope. First off it's created by Aurelien Guichard,  well loved among the perfume fan base and the mastermind behind such greats as Bond No 9 Chinatown and Robert Piguet's revamped Visa and new Futur and Calypso fragrances.  Also the two notes ,or elements as she calls them , that Diane stressed the scent have are frangipani and violet. Since I love those two  notes very much, this is sounding good.

DVF says she wants a fragrance that is " powerful and seductive, without being aggressive"  and to be able to put " the power of wome in a bottle" . The scent is considered a woody floral.

In the US look for it at Bloomies, Sephora and Nordstrom exclusively this fall.



All info and top image:WWD
Tatiana image: Fragrantica.com

CEW Award Winners 2011

The prestigious CEW awards were handed put yesterday. I have to say many of the picks were not the ones I would have chosen among the nominees, but that's why there are loads of products . Something for everyone and  the winners are great products just not all my favs. (All links next are to my earlier reviews).

For my money no lipstick was better last year than the new version of Dior Rouge Dior . It didn't even make the finals  nor did Clarin's Rouge Prodige .   It's hard to imagine Fresh Sugar Plum Balm beat Chanel Rouge Coco and Tom Ford lipsticks in the finals but Chanel did win last year .  Or that Fresh Brown Sugar Hand Cream  beat  Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter. That stuff is amazing.

 I can highly recommend the Clinique Even Better , Shiseido Sunscreen ( and this category was packed with all winners , every item was awesome) and Cover Girl Liquiline Blast. And I like men's fragrance winner Chanel Bleu de Chanel. 

You can view the winning products on QVC  July 13, 2011

Here's a list of  the winners ,  congratulations to them all. Any favorites of yours here or what would your choices be ?

BATH AND BODY:
Bath & Body Mass-
*Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Advanced Anti-Aging Body Wash Deep Penetrating Moisture

Bath & Body Prestige -
*Fresh Brown Sugar Hand Cream

FACIAL SKINCARE:

Acne Treatment -
*Zeno Corporation Heat Treat Blemish Prevention Treatment
Anti-Aging Mass:
*AVEENO® Ageless Vitality™ Elasticity Recharging System–Day SPF 30

Anti-Aging Prestige -
*Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

Cleaner & Scrub-
*Shiseido Cosmetics America White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

Eye Treatment Mass -
*RoC® Brilliance™ Eye Beautifier

Eye Treatment Prestige-
*Shiseido Cosmetics America Future Solution LX Eye and Lip Contour Regenerating Cream

Moisturizer Mass-
*Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir
Moisturizer Prestige -
*Lancôme Génifique Repair Youth Activating Night Cream

HAIR:
Hair Care Product-
*Bumble and bumble Mending Masque

Hair Coloring Product-
*Samy Fat Foam Hair Color

Hair Styling Product-
*Ojon Volumizing Brush-On Mousse

MAKEUP:
Eye Product Mass -
*COVERGIRL Liquilineblast Eye Liner

Eye Product Prestige -
*Dior Beauty Diorshow Maximizer
Face Product Mass -
*mark Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes All Over Face Palette

Face Product Prestige -
*Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15 with Probiotic Technology

Lip Product Mass -
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Le Rouge

Lip Product Prestige -
*Fresh Sugar Plum Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

MEN'S GROOMING:
*Gillette Fusion ProSeries Thermal Scrub

SCENT:
Men's Scent -
*Chanel USA Bleu de Chanel
Women's Scent Mass -
*Coty Beauty Beyoncé Heat

Women's Scent Prestige -
*Gucci Fragrances Guilty

SUN:
*Shiseido Cosmetics America Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60

INDIE BEAUTY AWARD:
*blow, the new york blow dry bar

ECO BEAUTY AWARD:
*Yves Rocher North America Inc Culture Bio

FIRST ANNUAL BEST SELLER AWARD:
Mass Product -
*Maybelline Falsies by Volum’Express
Prestige Product -
*Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

http://www.cew.org/

About.com Readers Choice Awards

About.com is hosting their first ever  readers choice awards. This is across many categories, but hey we're all about the  beauty ( I mean , me)   here. You can head over to the skincare section run by Jen Adkins and vote in her categories which include Best Beauty Blog. If you are so inclined, please  nominate me. Nomination run thru Feb. 4th. Then voting begins for finalists   Feb. 11 through March 8.

You can visit the skincare channel here :
http://skincare.about.com/od/skin101/l/blreaderschoicebudgetskincare.html

To learn more about the overall awards program and other style and beauty categories visit http://awards.about.com/

Beauty 360.com Sun & Skincare Discount

Beauty 360 is discounting all Suncare and Skincare by 20% thru July 25th. Some good picks are Mario Badescu and Ahava. Lines you rarely see on " sale ".

Enter coupon code GLOW at checkout, you can use this link to directly go to the promo page http://tinyurl.com/337cyau

Free shipping comes with a purchase of $ 49.00 or more

Beauty News

A few tidbits that you might find interesting:

- Shiseido is buying Bare Escentuals for 1.7 billion ( yes, billion). Leslie Blodgett will remain with the same executives now managing the company.

- Halle Berry will launch a flanker to her scent of last March called Pure Orchid in February.

-If you are in Europe, look for more freestanding MAC stores to be opening soon.

- CVS prestige branch Beauty 360 now has e-commerce at http://www.beauty360.com/ .

Extra Care points accrue from these purchases just like all others at CVS and carts are shared between both sites. Brands include Vincent Longo , Borba , Laura Geller, Cargo.