Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Milly Pink

 For Spring 2011 Clinique collaborated with Milly NYC designer Michelle Smith to create a limited edition collection called "Pretty in Prints" that includes an eyes/cheeks palette and a glosswear. Since I love the Milly clothing line, I was super excited to see and try out the collection.  I picked up both the Pretty in Prints palette and the Long Last Glosswear in Milly Pink.  (I will be reviewing the palette in another post.)  I already own a few of Clinique’s glosswears and really enjoy the colors and the formula, so Milly Pink is a great addition to my collection.

Clinique describes their glosswear as “Lip gloss juiced up with eight hours of lasting shine. Spends every minute comforting lips. In glistening shades from sheer to full intensity. Moisture makes each one even more mouthwatering. Protects lips, too.” I do have to say that glosswears do have a decent lasting power but definitely doesn’t last for 8 hours. As far as the color, in the tube Milly Pink looks like a bright coral pink with gold shimmer, but on the lips it is much sheerer. It gives my already pigmented lips a beautiful shimmery glaze of pink. This is a great color for spring and goes beautifully with the Pretty in Prints palette.

Drugstore Deals: Maybelline Great Lash BIG Mascara

 I decided that this year I am going to feature drugstore beauty products on my blog as well as designer beauty brands. I love going to Ulta because they feature both sides of the beauty spectrum and sometimes I find that drugstore products can be as good as or better than designer brands. One of the things I religiously buy from the drugstore is mascara. Mascara is a product that is quite disposable since it only has a shelf life of a few months once it has been first used. Why pay a lot of money for a product that you will just pitch in a few short weeks. Every once and a while I will splurge and try the new “it” mascara from a designer brand but that is very seldom. So after strolling around Ulta the other day I decided to pick up a new mascara to try. I decided on Maybelline’s Great Lash BIG mascara in Very Black ($3.99).

This mascara called to me because of its larger fluffy brush. As I have said in my other mascara posts, that is my number favorite trait in a good mascara. The larger, fuller brush promises volume with each coat with no clumping or globs. I am guessing that the formula is the original Great Lash formula and the brush is the only difference. I have tried the original Great lash but wasn’t impressed by the brush. After trying BIG mascara I am super pumped about the results. My lashes have never looks longer and more voluminous. Some people think a larger brush is harder to apply with but I had no problem at all. No clumps, no globs in sight! At $3.99 a pop, this mascara has become a new favorite! Go check it out at your local grocery store, drugstore or Ulta.

Bobbi Brown Pretty Face Palette Spring 2011

For Spring 2011, Bobbi Brown introduced two new palettes with the theme of her Pretty Powerful campaign. One palette offers colors catered toward lighter skin tones and the other for deeper skin tones. I picked up the lighter skin tone version. Bobbi Brown Pretty Face Palette ($60) is a face color palette with four eyeshadows, one blush, two lipglosses, and one lipstick. It includes: Ivory eyeshadow, Pink Flannel eyeshadow, Pink Chiffon Shimmerwash eyeshadow, Chocolate Caviar eyeshadow, Pretty Pink Blush, Sandwash Pink Lip Color, Bubble Bath Lip Gloss, and Soiree Pink Glitter Lip Gloss. Here is a more in depth look at the colors in the palette…..

• Ivory is a pale creamy white with a matte finish and is a permanent color. It is nicely pigmented and is meant to be used as an all over base eyeshadow.
• Pink Flannel is a nude pink with a matte finish and is limited edition. Also nicely pigmented.
• Pink Chiffon is a bright pink with shimmerwash finish and is limited edition. This shadow is very soft and buttery like most shimmerwash shadows by Bobbi.
• Chocolate Caviar is a deep chocolate brown with a matte finish and is limited edition. This color is meant to be uses as a liner and can be used wet or dry.

Clockwise from top left: Ivory, Pink Flannel, Pink Chiffon, Chocolate Caviar

• Pretty Pink is a warn baby pink blush with a matte finish. Beautifully pigmented, love this shade!

• Sandwash Pink is a Beige, medium pink with no shimmer and is a permanent color. Highly pigmented and long lasting, works great with the two glosses in the palette.
• Bubble Bath is a sheer bright neutral pink with no shimmer and is limited edition. Very pretty color and enhances my natural lip color.
• Soiree Pink is a very sheer baby pink with silver flecks and is limited edition.

Top to Bottom: Soiree Pink, Bubble Bath, Sandwash Pink

Overall, this is great palette for spring and is very easy to use. The only thing that really bothers me about Bobbi’s eyeshadows is the staying power. I find that they don’t last through out the day as much as other brands do. I have to use some sort of base when using her shadows to have them last. If you are looking for an easy simple look for spring, this palette is definitely worth checking out.

COMING SOON....MAC Wonder Woman Collection

Set to Launch February 10th at MAC Counters!

MAC Style Sessions: Style It Up

A few months ago I attended one of MAC Cosmetics Style Sessions. This is my fourth class that I have taken at my local MAC counter and every time I end up learning so many new tips and tricks. Previously these sessions were called Studio Chat but the have changed it up with a new name. Reservations are taken for each class and there is a $50 fee that is redeemable in product after the class.

 The Style Sessions are made up of three different topics: Spot on Trend, Style it Up and Street to Runway. The class I attended was Style It Up which was about classically gorgeous looks with a current twist to them. Three stations were set up with different looks, The Ingénue, Suburban Urban and The Rebel. There were about 25 people in the class, so we broke up into three groups and went to each station for about 20 minutes each. The MA’s used class members to demonstrate each look. I was lucky enough to get chosen to model one of the looks: The Ingénue. MAC Pro Artist John (can’t remember his last name) from Chicago was the guest artist for this class. He does the majority of the training classes for all the MAC artists in the Mid West. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take photos of the looks but here's a breakdown on some of the products they used....

The Ingénue

This look was all about looking warm, peachy and fresh – youthful and glowing skin capturing innocence and timelessness. John threw out some celebrity examples like Kiera Knightly and Kate Bosworth.

Here is what he used:

Skin:
Fix +
Pro Longwear Foundation and concealer
Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (color that matched my skin tone and a darker shade to contour)
Cheeks: (focused high on cheekbones around your temples)
A Tartan Tale eyeshadows in A Wish Come True & Follow Your Fantasy (used as blush)
Eyes:
A Tartan Tale eyeshadows in A Wish Come True (all over lid) & Follow Your Fantasy (outer half of lid)
Soft Brown eyeshadow in the crease to define
Stubborn Brown eyeliner on top and bottom lash line
Haute & Naughty mascara
Lips:
Stone Lip pencil
Cherish Lipstick
Goldensoft Lip Gelee


Suburban Urban
This look is for the modern woman, who even in a suburb has an urban edge. The focus on this look was liner and lashes and had a very “Mad Men” feel to it.
Here are the products used:
Skin:
Pro Longwear Foundation and concealer
Mineralized Skinfinish Natural
Cheeks:
Golden Bronzer

Eyes:
Dashing Lassies Eye Palette (A Tartan Tale)
Penultimate Eye Liner
Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara
Lashes applied (can’t remember the exact number – I want to say 34)
Black Line eyeliner (lower lash line)
Lips:
A Fabulous Fantasy Lip Kit (all colors mixed together)

The Rebel

This is makeup with drama and for people who are not afraid of depth & color. Rhianna was the example the MA used. The focus was both a strong eye and bright lip. Here is what she used:
Face:
Pro Longwear Foundation and concealer
Mineralized Skinfinish Natural
Cheeks:
Gleeful Mineralized Blush
Eyes:
Blacktrack Fluidline (used as eyeshadow base) applied with 242 brush and blended out with 224.
Blue Brown pigment
Naked pigment
Smolder eye liner
Haute & Naughty Lash mascara
Lips:
Magenta lip pencil
Extra Amps Dazzleglass


Overall, I really enjoyed the Style It Up session. It was more interactive and fun then any other MAC classes that I have attended. I would love to go to more classes with this format. Definitely sign up if you have a chance to attend one of these classes at your local counter, super fun good time!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Eyeshadow Palette in Wild Violet

Wild Violet is the Five Color eyeshadow palette ($42) that was recently release for Spring 2011 from Estee Lauder. It is a beautiful neutral palette of shadows with a pop of color in the center.  This is the other product that I picked up from this collection and it is really beautiful.  The shades are extremely wearable/practical and easy to use.  They are creamy and all are very well pigmented with the exception of the lightest shade.

The palette contain five beautiful shades, a shimmery ivory, a medium brown shimmer, bright copper shimmer, mink brown shimmer and a pop of deep purple in the middle. All the colors work together perfectly or on there own and many different looks (day/night) can be achieved with this one palette. This is a definite must have for the spring!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Wild Blossom

I think spring and summer makeup collections are by far my favorite of the year. The colors are more vivid and wearable to me, so I always seem to purchase more from those collections. Wild Violet is the Spring 2011 Collection recently released by Estee Lauder. After seeing the promo pictures for this collection, I knew exactly what products I wanted to get my hands on.

 The first item that I picked up with Wild Blossom Pure Color Long lasting Lipstick which is a pastel peachy pink color with a touch of shimmer. This is my first Long Lasting Lipstick from Estee Lauder and I like the formula but not as much as I love their Crystal Lipstick formula. The long lasting is super creamy & pigmented but not over drying at all, like some other long lasting lipstick formulas can be. This is a great color for the spring season and I already want the spring weather to find its way here!

MAC Calm Mode Tinted Lip Conditioner

I wasn’t super impressed with most of the products in MAC’s recently released Cham-Pale collection. I own 3 of the 4 shadows in the quad and the lipsticks, lipgelees and paint pots were all a bit too shimmery and sparkley for my taste. I did end up buying a few products, one being the Tinted Lip Conditioner in Calm Mode.

 I love MAC tinted lip conditioners! I have quite a few limited edition shades that I love and use all the time. My lips feel super soft when I use this product and the colors are never too harsh or overly pigmented. The lip conditioners come with a SPF of 15 and a soft vanilla scent. Calm Mode also contains lavender to give a soothing aroma. I don’t think that I can really detect the lavender too much but there is a hint of a minty scent and taste which I really like.  Also, I do find the balm soothing and calming overall. The color of this balm is a soft pinky beige that suits my natural lip color to a tee. Overall I am glad to add this tinted lip conditioner shade to my collection and have already been using it a ton!

Favorites: December 2010

Happy New Year! I'm back!  It’s 2011 and I am ready to start the New Year out with a bang. My goal with my blog is to really showcase my favorite products from new cosmetic collections and feature my oldies but goodies products. As with every New Year comes a new year’s resolution. I have a few resolutions this year: Eat healthier, get a solid workout routine down and try not to spend too much money on my makeup addiction…..well see if that one actually sticks. Anyways….here is what I have been loving in the past month….

 Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara – I love the brush, formula and packaging, overall great mascara.

MAC Ladyblush – this creamy, super pigmented blush gives a nice fresh pink flush, applies lovely with a MAC 109 brush on the apple of my cheeks.

MAC Cherish lipstick – great deep peachy nude lip color and looks amazing paired with my next favorite product…

MAC Goldensoft Lip Gelee – I have never tried out the MAC lip Gelee formula and I really like it. It looks super shimmery and sparkly in the tube but looks soft when applied. Love it!

MAC Subculture Lip Pencil – Great go to neutral lip liner, I have been using it every single day recently.

Sleek Storm i-Divine Palette - I learned of Sleek makeup through various British beauty bloggers and I love how amazing their i-divine palettes are. The colors in this palette are awesome and super wearable and have been using it quite often the last few weeks.

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer – really enjoying the coverage and long lastingness of this product. I have been using NC 20 to cover imperfections and NW 20 to cover under eye circles.

Spring Collections I am looking forward to:

Estee Lauder Wild Violet
Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful palettes
Clinique Milly Collection
MAC Peacocky
Chanel Les Perles de Chanel

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT NEW YEARS~ HERE'S TO 2011 BEING AWESOME!

NEW POSTS TO COME SOON....