I am so excited about the new cosmetics collections at Target! While I was in there yesterday (and managed to get out of there spending less than $100 which is highly unusual) I managed to grab Pixi Eye Bright Makeup Kit. I've swatched it here so you can see what a nicely pigmented coverup kit it is.
I'm not giving it enough credit if I say it's just a cover up kit, though. There is a highlighter in here as well, and it's gorgeous. A perfect sheer neutral with just a hint of glimmer. There is a white cream that I wouldn't recommend to just anyone - make sure you know what you're doing with that as the results could be truly awful, and two basic fair shades for each season of use.
Handy!
Pixi Eye Bright Makeup Kit is only available at Target for $24.
It's Here: Pixi at Target
I Think My Eyes Must Be Deceiving Me: 75% off at Hard Candy?
I've been a fan of Hard Candy for a long time, so it was with complete shock that I found this on their website today! These are just amazing prices, and you are crazy if you don't take advantage of it! If you're new to Hard Candy, I'll give you a list of my favorites to get you started.
- Take Out Makeup Kit: This is great for travel. Mascara, six lip glosses, eight eye shadows, one black eye pencil, two shades of concealer, a bronzer and a blush. $6.95
- Eye Shadow Quartet: Has a base color, crease color, highlighter, and liner all in one kit with a sponge applicator and a little mini angle brush. I own this in Drama Queen, Suede, and Techno. $7
- Vintage Nail Polish: Cute, light, and shimmery. I have Frigid, Trailer Trash, and Jailbait. $1.75.
- Hard Candy Fragrance: Fragrance is one of those things that you either like or you don't. Notes are white tea, pink peppercorn, essence of rose, essence of jasmine, and caramel. $10.50
Green Company Profile: Josie Maran Cosmetics
No doubt you have seen some press for Josie Maran cosmetics. She has been featured in Allure, Domino, Elle, Shape, and Glamour, among others. A former model, Josie Maran decided to take her love of makeup to a more responsible level. From the website:
This isn't the first time that Josie Maran has been the face of a cosmetics company. Her lucrative contract as the international spokes-model for the wildly popular brand Maybelline lasted for an unprecedented ten years.What I like about the line is the impressive collection of eye shadows. Occasionally in a natural or mineral line of cosmetics, your choices for vibrant eye shades are somewhat limited. Not so in this case:As a top model, Josie learned about makeup from the best in the business. While world-famous makeup artists worked their magic on her, she paid attention. She learned about the transformative power of makeup, and how just a little can do a lot. She learned what works and what doesn't, which ingredients to seek out and which to avoid.
Over time, Josie noticed a hole in the market. It was hard to find products that matched her approach to life - products that are pure and gentle, that contain no toxins or ingredients that damage the planet. The few earth-friendly products she found were lacking the sophistication and the level of luxury she craved.
Josie knew that if she wanted products that met these high standards, other women would want them too. So in 2006 Josie set out to create her own makeup line.
Josie Maran Cosmetics is arriving at the perfect time. Today's woman is discriminating and asks a lot of the products she buys. She's unwilling to compromise style, beauty, quality or caring for the planet. Now she can have all of these things and have her makeup, too.
The philosophy of Josie Maran Cosmetics comes from Josie herself. It's a balance of her low maintenance, go-with-the-flow attitude and her refined, worldly taste. "I know exactly what I like. My tastes are very specific," Josie says. "I crave quality, whether it's the best fabric, the best food, or the best makeup. I try to surround myself with the best of everything." Josie's passion for everything she does is evident in the line. Every element, from the packaging to the makeup shades, is a reflection of her unique sensibility.
The Josie Maran Cosmetics look is healthy, natural and vibrant. It's about enhancing, not covering. It's about youthful, glowing skin. "What most women don't realize is that when models and actresses look fresh-faced and makeup-free, it's because they know how to apply their makeup to make it look that way," Josie explains. "I want to open the vault on all the tips and tricks I've learned in the makeup chair. I've seen how makeup can make a person feel great. I want to share that with women everywhere."
I could certainly use most, if not all of these shades. Especially Cappucino, Chianti, Pewter, and Smoke.On to the wishlist!
- My Favorite Powders Palette
- Finger Paints
- Wildflower Powder Palette: the 2008 spring collection
Going Green
In honor of Earth Day, Daily Dose of Coffee will be bringing you profiles of eco-conscious and natural cosmetics companies. Isn't it great to shop totally without guilt?
Very Exciting Contest from Total Beauty!
In celebration of Earth-Day on April 22nd, TotalBeauty.com, the first online beauty product library, is set to launch an eco-awareness campaign and their biggest sweepstakes to date, the “Totally Green Sweepstakes.” Starting April 17th through June 5th 2008, TotalBeauty.com will launch the eco-beauty feature and sweepstakes, benefiting HealthyChild.org, while educating women on making eco-conscious beauty choices. One lucky winner will be driving away with a new 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid car filled with a year’s supply of luxurious green and organic beauty products.
To enter, all Earth-Day supporters just go to TotalBeauty.com and search for their favorite (or not so favorite) beauty products, then write and submit a review. That’s it. From April 17th through June 5th, TotalBeauty.com will be giving away hundreds of Earth-Day inspired daily prizes, including conflict-free diamond from Brilliant Earth, eco-spa trips from Spas of America, and more. And, each time a review is written, TotalBeauty.com will automatically enter the reviewer in the Totally Green Sweepstakes that will give them the chance to win the ultimate prize of a 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid car filled with beauty products from Origins Organics, Sephora, Raw Natural Minerals, Suki Skincare, and Tela Beauty Organics. And, with every review written about a green product (these are tagged on the site), TotalBeauty.com will donate $1 for to HealthyChild.org, a worldwide charity dedicated to protecting the health and well being of children from harmful environmental exposures.
Atlanta: Pretty City Sample Sale
Out of everything I did in Atlanta, I'd have to say that I had the most fun at the Pretty City Beauty Sample Sale. Of course, everything else I did was mostly work related, so that is never as fun as my beauty stuff.
First of all, check out the cupcakes! Aren't they fun? This is the Georgian ballroom in the Biltmore in Midtown Atlanta. So beautiful.
And here is a close-up of the fab cupcakes - can you tell I adore cupcakes?
Here is a shot of the ballroom as you walked in.
Here is my friend Brandy enjoying the refreshments. Did I mention the free cosmos? Wow. They were terribly good. They were made with Zodiac potato vodka, and I'm not sure that I've ever tried potato vodka, but I'm a fan now.
First we hit the Clarisonic booth. I've been interested in this product ever since I first read about it. My skin care routine is based on good exfoliation, and I had heard nothing but good things about the Clarisonic brush. Why not? Sure, sign me up for one. I should be receiving it in February. And you know I'll post all about it. The highlights are the super soft brush, the fact that it is completely waterproof (you can use it in the shower!), the timer that tells you when to switch areas of the face (20 seconds for each major part of the face!), superior cleaning abilities, and much more. But I will write more about it later, after I've been using it for a bit.
Next, we stopped by the Honey Salon table, where I fell in love with several Zoya nail colors. I also grabbed a canister of their vanilla chai loose tea, which I have not yet tried, although I'm looking forward to it. I also grabbed the following Zoya colors:
Nephertiti: a deep, dark red.
Ki: a dark smoky-gray green that is gorgeous on - I'm wearing it now.
Pru: a shimmery deep grapey purple. Can't wait to try this one, it's next on the list.
After that, we stopped by the Tracy Ewell table to browse their fantastic cosmetic selection. Natalie grabbed Brandy and did a full application of makeup, and of course, she looked fantastic.
She is truly gifted. I hope anyone in Atlanta who needs a beauty consult will call Natalie - she is fabulous. And the makeup lines that they carried were some that I had never heard of before, but am glad I found! Like Face Stockholm, for example:
I didn't purchase the above green, but I did get Aubergine, which makes for a fabulous smokey eye. I also discovered Susan Posnick cosmetics, which has a fabulous eye define pencil combining a shadow and a liner in one.
I picked the amethyst/opal combination. It's not as dark and dramatic as I normally like, but I figure I can't always wear dark looks all the time, right?
Then, we stopped by the Lumene table. This is a drugstore line from Europe that shows some promise. I bought the Vitamin C+ Invigorating Eye Serum for reducing puffiness and dark circles.
We will see how that works out. But for a special price of $5, I couldn't really pass it up.
Overall, we had a great time. Terrific music, great drinks, fun cupcakes. We were VIP, so we got a fun goodie bag with a full sized sample of Jane Iredale bronzing powder, Aquafina moisturizer (yes, there is such a thing - more on that later), coupons, gift certificates to many of the vendors present, and other fun stuff. I had a ball and would certainly go again.
Review: That Gal by Benefit
Let me start by saying that I am a huge Benefit cosmetics fan. Even though some of their products are a bit gimmicky, I love them, and continue to buy them over and over. I've never gotten into the colors, but that's because I'm not much of a neutrals girl, and they obviously do neutrals super well. But I need color! Lots of color!
Anyway. That being said, I think I have finally found the one product by Benefit that I just plain don't like. I'm forever looking for a decent foundation primer, and as soon as I figured out that I needed one badly, I turned to Benefit first. I grabbed That Gal because 1) it was Benefit; 2) it has the cityscape of NYC on it, and we all know that I heart NYC and 3) it was supposed to "brighten" my face as well as prime it.
I really don't like the twist up style of the product. If you happen to lose the cap (and please don't - you'll forever regret it), the product will dry out and you will not be able to work the product up out of the packaging. Currently, after 2 months, I am able to get one string of primer out of the package. Bear in mind there are probably 50 holes in the thing. I'm guessing they are all clogged up. I'm not sure. I don't want to pull it open and investigate. But don't lose that cap. Seriously.
But more than that, it just didn't have the brightening effect that I was looking for. I didn't see much of a difference at all. Maybe my face doesn't need brightening, I don't know. But if it did, this wouldn't be the product I'd reach for. I didn't find that it helped extend the life of my foundation, nor did it help achieve that flawless finish that I'm used to.
For $27 an ounce, I need a bit more performance. But don't worry Benefit, I still love you. I love your Eye Bright, EyeCon, Ooh la la lift, and just about everything else that you've ever made.
Review: Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo: Totally Toasted
I bought this kind of on a whim, thinking that I needed some neutrals for fall. I had only tried the Lip Injection by Too Faced, never the other products, so I didn't have high expectations. So that means that I was very surprised at how smoothly it went on, and how long it lasted through the day. It was highly pigmented with just the right amount of shimmer. Not overly glittery (like some shadows that I won't mention), but shimmery enough to give some glam, if you need it. The colors worked perfectly together, with the darker color complimenting the tan on the crease. I liked the shadow so much that I went and purchased a single shadow and one more duo the following week. Give it a try - I'm beginning to think that this company is under-recognized in the beauty market.
The Russian Collection by OPI
When I first read about the Russian collection, I was intrigued. I'm fascinated by all things Russian, and I could only imagine the glamourousness of a nail polish collection. OPI did not disappoint me at all. All Laqured Up has some gorgeous pictures of the entire collection. Run right over there and check them out.
As for me, I'll be purchasing An Affair in Red Square (the absolute best name ever), Midnight in Moscow, and Russian Navy. I'm totally looking forward to fall here.
Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit
When I was at Sephora in DC with my girlfriends, both of them ended up buying this Get Started Kit from Bare Escentuals. The SA that worked on both of them did an amazing job of showing off how great the mineral foundation can be, and I am still amazed when I see them use it on a daily basis. One of my friends with a few skin issues even noticed a general clearing up. I have not used it myself, although I have tried one or two drugstore mineral makeup brands. I do want to give it a try, though. And it came to my attention that Sephora was doing a free shipping with the purchase of one of the kits. It's a great time to give it a try and see if the fuss is something that is worth it or not. I like the fact that there is an instructional DVD - in fact, I made my friends promise to let me borrow it, just in the name of research! Anyway, pop over to Sephora and see what all the hype is about.
Carmindy Recommends: Face Highlighters/Illumizers/Luminators
Reading Carmindy's Five Minute Face, I realize that I've never used highlighters. Time to start. She recommends using it on the upper cheekbones, below the eyebrows, and in the inside corners of your eyes.
See more of my Face Highlighters list at ThisNext.
e.l.f.
Seems like everyone is talking about the new e.l.f. line. I suppose it's not all that new. But I was browsing around their site tonight, and it does seem like they have some fun stuff. Especially these Hypershine Mini Cell Phone Lip Gloss Charms
. It's almost like a more modern Wet 'n Wild. And I'm not down on Wet 'n Wild, either - I'm currently sporting a bright fuschia nail polish that my daughter insisted on buying at the drugstore the other day.
Rimmel Underground Eyeful Eye Glistener
To make up for my lack of posting yesterday, I'm giving you one of my reviews that I've posted over on Chick Advisor.
Rimmel is trying to tell me that this is an eye shadow, but I know better. What it works great for is a thick, dramatic liner. I'm sure it's perfectly acceptable as a complete shadow, if you wanted to take the time to fill in your entire lid. But since the pigment is pretty deep, I opted to keep it a little lower key, and I really loved the results. It does have an almost-shiny look to it, very metallic, very opalescent. Lasted all day, and didn't smear around my eye at all - although I could attribute that to my amazing primer, but that's another review. Overall, it's a great pencil to have on hand, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it in other colors. This is a limited edition Underground product, so I don't know how long it will be around.
Revlon Limited Edition Just Bitten Lip Stain
Oh, Just Bitten, how much do I love you? More than my Urban Decay Lip Envy. More than my MAC lipstain. So that is a great deal, indeed. First, I am a lover of lipstains. I prefer to put a nice stain on my lips once or twice during the day, and just touch up my gloss. This is because I tend to forget that I'm even wearing a lip product that requires attention at all, and my lips will go bare if they aren't touched with stain. I love the Cherry color, because it does indeed look as if you've been eating a ripe, red, juicy cherry and just didn't care to wipe your lips off. Color is deep and true, and lasts almost 4 hours on me. Only drawback is that once it starts to fade, you must touch up or else you look as if you lined your lips and forgot to fill in with your lipstick. One of the best Revlon products that I've ever tried - I just hope this one will be around in some form in the future. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go stock up now.
Rimmel Stir It Up Cream Eyeshadow
Ulta.com tells us that Stir It Up Eyeshadow is a cream eyeshadow that is comprised of three colors that you "stir" up to make a deep-looking shade. Frankly, when I stirred it up, all I got was a big mess with some huge flecks of glitter. Like the glitter that my kids use at preschool. In pink. It's rather disappointing, really, because the three colors in the pan really look like something I would use. And since I bought something out of the Underground line, I was counting on a bit more glitz than I was used to. But not big huge flakes of glitter. That's just not the look I want during the day. Or ever, really. But the consistency was nice, and it did go on smoothly and evenly, and lasted all day. So perhaps I was overzealous with my stirring. Or I should have used a brush rather than my finger. I'm not ready to write this one off yet, since other Rimmel products I've tried I've been quite happy with. But I wouldn't go get another one of these hoping for a better result just yet.
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