Monday, October 31, 2011

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Candy Apple, Sweet Tart
It's been  a long time since a Revlon item caught my eye and I've picked a good one to re-acquaint myself. I am also an admitted tinted lip balm a-holic. Add full pigment and make them long lasting as Revlon has with their new Colorburst Lip Butters and I love them even more . I have 3 and really want more. I don't need more, but that has nothing to do with it.

These new butters pack almost full lipstick like pigment . They have nice shine , last long, and use Mango, Shea and Coconut Butter for major moisture. They feel very creamy on the lips and have a good consistency. Again lipstick like, not sheer or filmy. There is no scent/taste .  Basically you can do a full lip look but still get the moisture we all need in winter. 

Creme Brulee
 
Colors range from light nude to true red, with 20 shades in all.  The cap matches the shade, but for the best match look at the top of the cap. You can see thru to the bullet and the color you see will be almost exactly the color on your lips.


Although they technically are launching  late December and previewing mid November ,  they are on sale almost everywhere now, including my small town. Revlon said if you can't find them yet, hang in , as they will be near you soon.



 Full shade list:

•Berry Smoothie 050

•Brown Sugar 020

•Candy Apple 035

•Cherry Tart 070

•Cotton Candy 045

•Creamsicle 065

•Creme Brulee 095

•Cupcake 055

•Fig Jam 030

•Gumdrop 060

•Lollipop 075

•Peach Parfait 025

•Pink Truffle 001

•Raspberry Pie 010

•Red Velvet 040

•Strawberry Shortcake 080

•Sugar Frosting 005

•Sugar Plum 085

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Albertus Swanepoel for Target


Francoise

Halloween is tomorrow and Target has a real treat  for those of us  hat fans. Hatmaker extraordinaire Albertus Swanepoel's line  especially for Target hits stores then.

I think of Swanepoel as one of the triumvirate of amazing  couture milliners working right now, alongside Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. I dream of owning one of their creations and while most are beyond my budget, each hat in the Target line is priced at $ 19.99. I hope the quality lives up .


Ganache

There are 14 styles. Two of my favorites are Francoise and Ganache.  Either would make a lovely addition  to my collection of both new and vintage chapeaus.

What do you think ? Will be you hatting it up this fall ?

Edit : My Target finally got most of these. I haven't decided on a purchase yet as I love a couple but the quality as the commenters previously have mentioned is really good. The Francoise is especially nice ,  as is the more full brimmed styled one , Tabatha I believe.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

My 1st Betty Confidential Post

I have begun  contributing to Betty Confidential. I hope to cover a wide range of topics but first, naturally, was fragrance with my  Fall Fragrance Preview .  

Friday, October 28, 2011

MAC Glitter & Ice Mineralize Shadows in Shimmermint & Hold That Pose


Six  Mineralize eyeshadows  are part of the holiday Glitter and Ice line. I have 2 ( shown) in Shimmermint and Hold That Pose.

While not a big mauve shadow fan, Hold That Pose is pretty if  that is your  type of shade. The grey veining  dirties it up a bit, so it's less pink.

 Shimmermint on the other hand, I love. It's very vivid , more so than the picture suggests and highly metallic. It's  mint but a deeper mint, not  as pale as most mints are and while my images seem to show it as a blue green, it's defintely green on me.


Available now for $ 21.00

MAC Holiday 2011 Ice Parade Snowglobe Eye Palette in Warm


The Ice Parade  Snowglobe palettes are the stars of MAC Holiday this year in my opinion. Simply because the packaging is just so darn fun. I can't stop shaking mine and plan on keeping it on my desk for fun , well I'll use the shadows too, but then back to the desk it'll go.


The Snowglobe is a the real deal , loaded with silver glitter under the dome .


Inside you get 6 eyeshadows. I have the Warm set .

Shades are :

Buckwheat
Gaelic Gold
Patina
Magical Mist
Winterscape
Midnight Flurry

Available now for $ 38.00

Thursday, October 27, 2011

MAC Dazzlesphere Mini Nail Kit - Holiday 2011


Some of the MAC gift sets are in these futuristic clear spheres. They make a cute and unique, if hard to open, presentation.


Much Adored,Mistletoe,Dark Angel, Style Tip

The mini nail kit is always a good one . I still  have last year's in the plaid tin just as it came.  I am liking this years shade selection a lot, especially the gold Mistletoe. 

You get 4 mini nail lacquers in :

Dark Angel
Style Tip
Much Adored
Mistletoe

Dazzlesphere will be on sale beginning November 10th.

Petite Nail Lacquer Ornament is $ 25.00

NARS G-Spot Mulitple & Miss Liberty Blush - Holiday 2011


NARS holiday collection  is called Miss Liberty and features 2 new shades in  NARS products we all know and love- their blush and The Multiple. 

Everyone should have at least 1 Multiple in their makeup collection and  new G-Spot is a great fall to winter shade. NARS calls it gold infused rose, but on me, it's a bit more plummy rose with  little shimmer. It's quite pretty either way and a fast way to add some rosy color to winter pale cheeks but deep enough for darker skintones .



Miss Liberty Blush  is a highlighting blush in a  beautiful, shimmery light  nude/peach. It's very sheer but on  pale skins like myself I can use it alone for subtle color. Of course it goes great over a deeper shade as well , since as the name says, it's highlighting.

Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush $27
G-Spot Multiple $39
 

Available now at http://www.narscosmetics.com/ and   Sephora.com


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Little Book of Perfumes by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez


The  husband and wife duo behind Perfumes : The Guide  have a new , smaller release called The Little Book of Perfumes.

This new book takes a look at what the authors feel are are the best 96  perfumes .  It also includes a rare look at four scents no longer available  and now only at the Osmotheque  museum in Paris.


The book is a slim, narrow volume making it a fun gift idea for the perfume lover. It's not always easy to know what fragrance to buy someone, but a book on perfume? That's a great idea. If you really love perfume, you love to read about it. Seriously, I need a book club for perfume books.  Now that would be interesting.

 Scents are discussed by Turin and Sanchez in their original form and if they've been re-formulated  or updated then that information is included also.

Favorites of  mine  included - Fracas, Parfums MDCI Promesse de l'Aube and oldie but goodie Calyx.

The Little Book of Perfumes ( Viking , $ 18.00) will be on  sale beginning October 31st .

Phyto - Phytokératine for Weak and Damaged Hair

Do you have super damaged hair? Phyto comes to the rescue with their new Keratine line.

When the chance came to try this I was thrilled, not for me for The Mom. She has thin. fine, porous, damaged, double processed platinum blonde hair. She is ever on the search for products to make it thicker , not simply volumize and she has an arsenal she uses.  Despite  the damage etc, her hair always looks good becuase she takes a lot of time and a lot of products to whip it into shape( that's her hair with the InStyler in the picture from last year.) Many she tries work great , plenty fall ,ahem, flat.

Suffice it to say the new Phyto Keratine I think may have made her year. She's already a huge Phyto fan   especially  the Phyto Volume Mousse . The new Keratine line definitely helped thickify  and  reduce breakage which she has major issues with.   Hair was really full and soft but not limp. The shampoo is a thick formula which she always says is key to it really working well. No thin , runny ones have ever gotten the job done.

Ingredients  in the   Phytokeratine line include botanical keratin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and pomegranate extract .

Mom made use mainly of the shampoo and conditioner but there is also a repairing serum.

More info at http://www.phyto-usa.com/ . Buy at Sephora , Sephora.com
and Beauty.com

Phytokératine Shampoo $ 24.00
Phytokératine Conditioning Treatment $ 32.00

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Votre Vu SnapDragon Crème Pour Le Corps



Sometimes words cannot suffieciently describe how good something smells,  and I wish there were smell-a vison computer screens . Votre Vu's new Snapdragon Body Creme is one of those.


It's called a Citrus Drench and it is all citrus in a big way. If you love citrus and I really do, then you need to smell this. It's so good, with  a zesty blend of lemon, grapefruit and orange. No fake-ness here and  every so often I open the jar just to sniff it. It's totally aromatherapeutic.

Snapdragon Creme also happen to be super moisturizing using grape seed oil and aloe vera and is loaded with  antioxidants like green, white and red tea extracts as well as acai berry EHG, Vitamin E ,  and marine collagen.

$ 42.00 for 100 ml jar but a holiday set on sale from 11/1 thru 1/2/12 called  Snap Dew It! is $39.00 with  SnapDragon Beauty Beverage and SnapDragon Crème Pour Les Corps.


Monday, October 24, 2011

Burt's Bees Manicure Gift Set at Target

Exclusive to Target is this Burt's Bees manicure set.  It has everything a giftee would need to get their hands in top shape this winter including the fabulous Lemon Cuticle Balm.


$ 14.99

Sunday, October 23, 2011

NARS Holiday 2011 Bento Box & Kabuki Eye Palette

 Perusing the web  and stumbled upon the new Bento Box from NARS and a gorgeous new multi eye palette. Last year's box was extremely popular and sold fast and I think many were hoping a new would be coming. All are available now at Nordstrom.com

NARS 'Kudoki Kabuki' Lip Set includes Takebue, Ougi and Botan lip colors. $ 125.00
 
NARS 'Hanamichi Kabuki' Eyeshadow Palette $ 65.00

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Clarins Vital Light Serum

I loved the Vital Light line from Clarins last year which consisted of Day and Night Cream. While the Night Cream was more emollient than I needed , the Day Cream was perfect for me both day and night during the winter months.

However, I love serums even more than creams, so the new Vital Light Serum goes one better in my book.

Not only is this said to  help to brighten ( which it does) but it also feels very firming on the face as well. This is more moisturizing than most serums I've used . That makes it great for those who need more moisture.  The Mom has been using it as well and  it's working for her. She too, used Vital Light Day all winter  and was very sad to see the bottom of  the jar. 

Vital Light  Serum uses the active molecule hexylresorcinol to battle dark spots . It's less irritating than hydroquinone, but just as effective.( As for me, I felt no irritation at all, but my skin rarely  does, thankfully). Clarins patented plant extracts are in there as well . Perfect for by itself use for us oily skinned gals and  great under a day or night cream for everyone else.

$ 85.00 for 1 oz at http://www.clarins.com/

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder

  
I love powder, the more mattifying the better. For me it's a must and I collect these lip I do lip balms.  If you love it too, then the new Smashbox Photo Set is worth a look. 


Photo Set not only mattes but smoothes  and softens.  It feels very light on, barely there, but at the same time does a great job. Vitamins C &E are in there with micronized pigments. It's been my to go lately for touch ups.

The case is super thin , so it easily stows in any bag.  

There are 4 shades and shown is Fair, which is very light, almost lighter than I needed. I think I could go one shade up.

$ 29.00 at http://www.smashbox.com/   and   Sephora.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Body Shop Holiday 2011- Candied Ginger & Cranberry Joy


The Body Shop's Cranberry is probably my all time favorite bath gel ever. I've been using it since it came out which has been at least 10 years I think.  Every year I hope they bring it back and so far they have.

Called Cranberry Joy this season, it still smells amazing and is available in a wide product range as well as those fun gift sets, which I've given as gifts an equally long time , making my friends very happy.


New  this year is the Candied Ginger scent. Candied Ginger is zesty ,  a little fruity and a little spicy - not baked goods ginger like gingerbread.  It's  slightly sweet,  fizzy  and very delish.


Candied Ginger along with the 3rd holiday scent Spiced Vanilla , also comes in  all the great Body Shop products. I'm partial to the shower gels ( $ 8.00),  hand cream ( $ 4.00), lip balms ( $ 6.00 and sooo moisturizing on lips) and shimmer lotions ( $ 12.00), which have just a little shimmer , loads of scent and plenty of moisture. 
Candied Ginger Gift Set $ 45.00

All are made with Community Fair Trade program ingredients.

The Body Shop Holiday will  be in stores and online in November.

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/

China Glaze Holiday 2011- Let It Snow


China Glaze has a bundle of new polishes in the Let It Snow holiday collection. In addition to individual bottles, there are many cute sets  with a special gift added in,  making them ready to grab and gift to your favorite polish fanatic.  I'm showing some of the sets, there are several more.

Full shade list:

· Poinsettia – Ruby red crème inspired by the traditional holiday plant.

· Ring In The Red – No Holiday season would be exact without this glittering red polish for holiday gatherings.
· Winter Berry – Creamy, cranberry-red perfect for sipping hot cocoa by the fire.
· Velvet Bow – Rich red crème color inspired by your favorite red wine.
· Glittering Garland – A dazzling glittery green to match the holiday greens of pine trees, garland, and mistletoe.
· Holly-Day – Looking for a bold color without the glitz? Holly-Day is a rich hunter green without the sparkle.
· Champagne Bubbles – Sophisticated gold metallic with a golden shimmer.
· Twinkle Lights – A mix of glittery shades to emblemize twinkling tree lights.
· Snow Globe – Frosty white polish with flecks of snowy color.
· Icicle – Smooth silver shimmer with a hint of flash and ice.
· Tinsel Town – Bold silver, metallic glitter and the perfect match for sparkling night on the town.
· Blue Year’s Eve – Ring in the New Year with this lustrous, shimmering blue. 



Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips Holiday 2011


I spotted at Rite Aid today the holiday Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail color strips. They're very cute. The pictures are  from my phone and not great but you can get an idea. There's a candy cane stripe, a red plaid , a snowflake print  and more.

 Have you seen any at your local stores yet? I am addicted to these, I get over 2 weeks of wear from them and so many compliments. No maintenance and long wear has me sold along with the fun prints.

Update: Official images now here



Monday, October 17, 2011

MAC Viva Glam Teddy Bear Ornament- Holiday 2011

Do you not love how cute this is ? While all of the MAC Holiday line is really nice, this little jewel is the STAR I think. And while I know most of us will want one for ourselves, this Viva Glam ornament with a new shade of Viva Glam  will make a super , super gift. I have a feeling these might go fast , so grab them up  and get your shopping all wrapped up early.

And remember 100 % of the proceeds from all Viva Glam items ,including holiday, goes to the MAC Aids Fund.


 MAC Kids helping Kids Tree Teddy Holiday Ornament-
Silver Teddy Bear with Viva Glam 1 Special Edition Lipglass

On sale Octo0ber 27th for  $18.00

LUSH Celebrate Lip Balm

LUSH gets me good with their holiday lip balms. Last year it was the incrediby delish Maple Taffy. This year brings Celebrate, a pink tinted , champagne flavored balm.

The balm gets a dusting of gold leaf particles( you can use them or not) and definitely has a sweet champagne taste that's quite good. Almond oil makes it very moisturizing and cognac, lemon, and grapefruit oils make it taste  great.

The tint is a light , slightly opaque pink with  some shimmer.

$ 8.95 at http://www.lush.com/

Sunday, October 16, 2011

SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Challenge & New Products

SkinCeuticals has two fab new products just  out,  AOX+ Eye Gel and Phloretin CF Gel . Both are a new gel-serum formula that feels great on skin and is called" gel that delivers like a serum ". Both are loaded with  high concentrations of antioxidants and skin smoothing and brightening ingredients that work.


SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel -An antioxidant combination of 1% Phloretin, 5% L-Ascorbic Acid, 0.5% Ferulic Acid,


SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Gel -Formulated with an antioxidant trio of 2% phloretin, 10% vitamin C, 0.5% ferulic acid

Through the end of this month, they are running a Facebook contest where you can not only learn more but win a trip to NYC.
Here's  the details  :
To celebrate SkinCeuticals latest antioxidant breakthrough, the brand has launched the “Antioxidant Challenge” Facebook contest – an interactive platform  to learn more about the benefits of topical antioxidants.

From now until October 31st, anyone can “like” SkinCeuticals, take the Challenge - a quick, four-question quiz that tests your knowledge on antioxidants and learn what makes an antioxidant work.

After taking the quiz, you are automatically entered to win a trip for two to NYC for an exclusive consultation with a top NYC dermatologist. Additionally, ten fans per week will be entered to win the brand’s newest antioxidant product – Phloretin CF Gel.

http://apps.facebook.com/antioxidantchallenge/