China Glaze Spring 2011

China Glaze Spring line is called Anchors Away and features 12 new Glitters and Cremes.   Knotty and the green creme Starboard  are  some of the ones I want to check out. How about you ?

For store info  see http://www.chinaglaze.com/  or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze   

Shade list:

· Life Preserver: Highly pigmented and luxurious poppy crème.

· Hey Sailor: Vibrant crème red.

· Ahoy!: Delightfully intense pink that flashes with reflective glass speck.

· First Mate: Sophisticated and rich navy crème.

· Starboard: Hip and playful green crème.

· Lighthouse: Multi-dimensional, bright yellow glass speck.

· White Cap: Whimsical and sparkling multi-dimensional white.

· Pelican Gray: High shine, cool toned grey crème.

· Sea Spray: Calming pale blue crème.

· Below Deck: A flirty mix of taupe and violet.

· Sunset Sail: Delightful peachy pink high shine crème.

· Knotty: Micro-particle beige shimmer.

Maybelline One by One Volum'Express

Maybelline's newest mascara One by One by Volum'Express came out just this month. I haven't always had luck with Maybelline mascaras, but this has been a different story. I love it.

It's not too wet a formula, which is the first plus. Not dry but just right.  I get super length and definition and no clumps using this. No flaking  for the most part ( I had a little at the end of the day) and it lasts really long, even on me.  With 2 coats  my lashes look long and really good. I don't recall ever using Volum'Express in any of the other formulas so can't compare them.  But it's much better definition than Define a Lash, which worked pretty well for me overall,  but not nearly as well as this . One by One is  big length with medium volume, but the long, defined look is exactly what I like.

The wand is football shaped  , big but not huge and easy to use. Maybelline calls it an "exclusive ergonomical elastomer brush- The Lash Catcher " , which has been in development for 4 years. They say you get 3 bristles per lash with this brush and it is patent pending.


Available now at all mass market outlets .

MAC Ivy & Siahi Fluidlines from Mickey Contractor

MAC is hitting it hard with new collections right after holidays and for the New Year. It seems though that there are always stand outs  within each collection. With Mickey Contractor, I think it's the Fluidlines. The rest  of the line is nice but nothing too out of the ordinary. The Fluidlines on the other hand, rock.( Although the new shadows are pretty nice here as well. )  I am a huge Fluidline fan and we haven't seen as many new ones for some time except the very pretty Dark Diversion from Stylishly Yours.

These new Fluidlines are the emerald green Ivy and the medium blue  Siahi. MAC calls Siahi deep turquoise blue. I think it's very much a medium sapphire/deep teal   .  I love the greens so Ivy has me in it's thrall. It's super emerald and kind of 80s  . It looks great on. If you like blues then you'll love Siahi. Both are very wearable I think,  if you love color.

The Mickey Contractor collection , inspired by Bollywood makeup artist pioneer and   MAC's Director of Artistry for India is on counter January 6 in US, January International.   Both Fluidline shades are LE.

Best of Beauty 2010

It's time for the best of the year , a look back at my top favorites. It's not always easy to slim the list down as I like so many products. But these that follow were the tops, or at least the ones that came immediately to mind. Most were reviewed here before so a link is there if you wish to read the original post. Please share your "best of" for the year in the comments. I'd love to know what's on everyones list.

Dior J'Adore L'Or- Full review coming soon on this as I only tried it at Christmastime.  An updating of the original J'Adore with a focus on purer , high grade essences and rose absolute and jasmine from Dior's own fields, this powerhouse white floral is beyond beautiful. So well done, and a bit more of an oil than as it's an essence of perfume rather than a  straight EDP.

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio- Another hit from the great house. Love at first sniff and few others came close to it all year. It's not like anything else out there and for Spring and Summer weather,  so beautiful, fresh and  green.

Clinique Acne Solutions  Liquid Makeup - Kept my skin in check all summer, the hottest on record here. Not as matte as I usually use but it worked so well at keeping acne  down and helped oilies as well, while also providing great coverage and good looking skin.

Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage- A genius idea. Cools, soothes , brightens and de-puffs all at once. Not it is not quite a miracle worker, you don't suddenly lose all puffiness etc.,  but it does make a difference and feels so good on. Anytime your eyes are tired or irritated , reach for this.

Dior Rouge Dior Haute Couleur Lipsticks- There were a lot of fabulous new lipsticks this fall, one from most major brands. I liked or loved  most , but the best to me was the new Dior. It feels like air on your lips but packs pigment and moisture and simply looks like lipstick should. 

Ellis Faas Makeup - Everything in this new  this year line but especially the Eye Lights metallic eye shadows.  With innovative colorways and packaging,  this became a huge favorite.

Origins Zero Oil Cleanser- Most amazing oily skin cleanser ever. Yes ,really. Did wonders for my skin in the super hot summer heat. Kept using all fall and into winter  even. Not harsh but cleanses well and helps bat down that pesky over oiliness. Zero Oil indeed. Maybe not all of it, but enough.

Chanel Les Khakis nail polish- The polish everyone at Fashion Week in Sept. 2010 was either talking about, wanting or wearing. I got more compliments on my Khaki Vert toes than I ever expected. I also didn't expect the  polish to look so good, but somehow it was perfect. The two other shades didn't move me as much but I still like them.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger - This new line  grabbed a lot of reader attention and deservedly so . Deeply repairing for damaged and very dry hair, it's that good. 

MAC Venomous Villains- One of the most hotly anticipated collections of the year . This was simply fun but also had some great colors. I know people who wanted it simply because it was Disney, but most of us I think wanted it because it was Disney and MAC.  The decals/logos were well done and I love having at least one lippie sitting out where I can see it.

Honorable mentions go to :

 1. Clarins Extra Firming Foundation-  they do know foundation as well as skincare there .  Super coverage, firming, radiance. Hits all the marks.

2. Atelier Perfumes- a new, niche line  of old  style cologne  scents modernized and better.  

3. Maybelline Age Rewind The Eraser Foundation - A drugstore foundation that truly competes with the high end lines.