NARS Spring 2010 Collection

The collection was inspired by Catherine Deneuve's role in Lucille in La Chamade:

Mr. Nars was going for shades that were as versatile as they were sexy, and Ms. Deneuve provided some beautiful inspiration.

And without further ado, here is the collection:

Duo Eyeshadow in Kuala Lumpar: gold-infused rose with boysenberry

Duo Cream Eyeshadow in Camargue: golden moss and sienna

Single Eyeshadow in D. Gorgeous: dusty lilac

Lipstick in Crusing: neutral pink

Nail Polish in Purple Rain: intensely gothic purple

Glitter Pencil in Bains Douches: sky blue infused with silver glitter

Lip Gloss in Ophelia: high shine strawberry

Lip Gloss in Easy Lover: springtime fuschia

So, anything that you're wanting to get your hands on? I want to try Easy Lover and definitely the Purple Rain nail polish. That just looks gorgeous.

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Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland Palette Acquisition

So, I'm pretty pleased with myself. I managed to talk a sales associate at Sephora into selling me a palette that wasn't technically for sale yet. Apparently the Alice palette isn't going on the shelves until next week, but I managed to score it, because that's how I roll.

Here are some photos:

The pop-up on the top of the palette.

Overall view of the palette - along with the shadows are two eyeliners in Flipside and Zero, as well as a travel size Primer Potion.

All of these shadows exist elsewhere in the Urban Decay arsenal. Here are the new names along with the regularly named shades:

• Underland = Flash (from the Show Pony Shadow Box)
• Alice = Painkiller (from the Show Pony Shadow Box)
• Oraculum = Baked
• Queen = Last Call
• Chessur = Chopper
• White Rabbit = Polyester Bride
• Wonderland = Maui Wowie
• Curiouser = Grifter
• Muchness = X
• Mushroom = Mushroom
• Midnight Tea Party = Midnight Cowboy Rides Again
• Vorpal = S&M
• Absolem = Homegrown
• Drink Me, Eat Me = Sin
• Mad Hatter = Twice Baked
• Jabberwocky = Oil Slick

I'll be posting some swatches and looks soon!

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Is There Such a Thing as Perfection?

Picture this, if you will: I am strolling through Neimans in Dallas, just all sorts of happy because I had discovered the Tom Ford counter and made a large purchase, when I am suddenly accosted by a man who swore he had, in his very possession, the "best concealer in the world."

Now, I've heard a lot of claims about a lot of makeup. So of course my reaction is one of laughter - really? Is it really, really the best concealer ever? Truly?

So I settled myself into his chair and proceeded to let him work his magic.

And beauties, it was MAGIC. The fine laugh lines under my eyes? Gone. Dark circles from too much rum and coke the night before? Gone. Puffy eyes from sleeping on unfamiliar hotel pillows that I'm allergic to? Gone.

My holy grail of concealers:

Behold: Cle De Peau Concealer. I don't know what else to say about this little tube of perfection, other than it is creamy yet light, goes on like a dream, and makes my face look fantastic.

I feel somewhat irresponsible for recommending a $78 concealer to anyone, however, if you are like me, and spend a lot of time and energy trying to fix your eye problems, then this concealer might just be for you. I was assured that it would last forever, so that made me feel a bit better.

Obviously, you should give this one a try before you plop down a fortune on it. If you have a Neiman Marcus or a Nordstrom near you, you can probably try it there. But do give it a chance - I'd love to hear what others say about it.

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YSL Releases their Fall Collection: Elegant, Mysterious, and Sensual

Those gray eyes are to die for, aren't they? And I am so glad to see that berry and wine hued cheeks and lips are on their way back. I've been bored with the lack of color this past season.

Let's start with the lips, because they really make this look pop. This is their Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Lipstick in Exquisite Plum. Rouge Volupte has been winning awards all over the place, including the 2009 CEW Insider's Choice Prestige Lip Beauty Award Winner, and the 2008 Allure Best of Beauty Editors’ Choice Award Winner, Best Bright Lipstick, Rouge Volupté Lipstick in Provocative Pink #10. They are releasing four new shades this season, but I am in love with the matte look of Exquisite Plum.

On the face is the Perfect Touch Radiant Brush Foundation as well as the ever-popular (and yet untried by me) Touche Éclat Radiant Touch. There are two limited edition products in this collection, Palette Y Collector Palette for the Complexion which is both a blush and a powder shaped in the iconic Y. It can be used as a highlighter by mixing both shades or just as a blush with only the darker shade used. On the cheeks is the Creme De Blush Cream Blush in Powdery Rose. This cream blush is light and instantly melts on the cheeks for a radiant, natural finish.

On to those eyes. The new YSL Ombres 5 Lumineres 5 Color Harmony for Eyes is just to die for. In the two new releases, the eyeliner color is in the stripe down the middle, and the four satin and matte finish colors are all color coordinated for subtle tone on tone looks. The palette used in this collection is #8 Midnight, shown to the left. Finishing off the look is the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in..wait for it...Sublime Grey. Yes, a gray mascara. I know. I'm dying over it too.

Finish up the entire look with La Laque Long Lasting Nail Lacquer in #39 Stormy Grey. True fall perfection.

Check out the entire look and all the products at YSL Make Up Lookbook online.

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Don’t Even Bat an Eye: The lashes that almost, but didn’t, give me a wink.

My girls and I are always looking for ways to look fabulous. We want ways to accentuate the attributes we love and hide the ones we don't. That being said, I had a wedding to go to a few weeks ago and decided to embark on the journey into the world of Revlon Fantasy Lengths Self Adhesive Eyelashes. I chose the length named "Intensifying", thinking this would be perfect for a semi-formal evening wedding. I am immediately confused by the plastic eyelash applicator. Now, I am not well-versed in the ways of eyelash enhancement, so I opened up my directions and got myself ready. Directions: check. Weird plastic device that claims to be "an applicator": check. Lash Stand with lashes in place: check. You might be wondering where the glue is? Ah ha! No glue needed, which was my initial attraction to these lashes in particular. Seriously, ladies, we all know how complicated things can get with lash glue. You normally need someone else helping and the situation almost always ends with someone throwing their arms in the air, screaming, "I'm DONE." So you can imagine my sheer excitement with these "self-adhesive" beauties sitting on my countertop, just waiting for me to "simply place them on my lash line." The first thing I notice is the silky feel of the lashes. It’s hard to find lashes that feel natural and soft as opposed to thick and manufactured. I measure them against my own lashes and they seem to be a good length, too. I'm fine up until the part where I cannot get the lashes off of my fingertips. They are adhering faster and faster! All the while, I'm trying to "wiggle and press the lashes into the base of my natural lash line".

When I do finally get the lashes to stay in place, I can only manage to get the center to stick. The ends are no longer adhesive due to my earlier battle with fingers. Fabulous. I try with all of my might to re-adhere them but it's a no-go. The lashes will stick no more. They soundly get dumped in the trash, along with their stupid plastic applicator. Now, it does come with an extra adhesive strip that you press onto the lashes for multiple wearings, but truly, that's only if the lashes survive the first wear. Point of the story is this, ladies: Although some products might promise to be "all-in-one", a product that will cut out all of those "useless" steps for you while making you look better than the red carpet, they might be lying. Yeah, I said it. They might just be trying to sell you something. Go figure. They retail anywhere from $5.99-$8.99, which is comprable to the lashes that come with their own bottle of glue. It basically comes down to personal preference. For me, I don't mind the extra steps, as long as I know they work. And provide a fabulous wink for my night out.

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L'Oreal HiP Kohl Eyeliner: Maybe Not for Novices

The first time I used this product, I had a problem with it. I didn't apply it very well, and some product ended up in under my contact and irritated my eye pretty badly.

However, practice makes perfect with this applicator, and the more comfortable I got with it, the more I liked it. I've always liked a stiff brush for my liquid eyeliner, and many of the same benefits apply for a powder liner. If you apply the hard applicator at an angle and drag it along the eye, you will get a beautiful, traditional kohl line that can be built on for more depth. The pigments are nice and dark, just the way I like them, and even on the lighter colors like gold, they don't get lost on the eye.

To reduce fallout, which is a problem with any powder liner, in my experience, make sure to tap the applicator wand well against the bottle before pulling it completely out.

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Product Review: 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper

I'm all about a volumizing mascara. I have my favorites, but I'm always willing to try a new one just to see if it gives me the thickness that I'm looking for. I just don't get excited about lengthening formulas, but start talking about volume and you have my complete attention.

I had the opportunity to try the 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper, and I liked it. The brush is a plastic one that helps build volume, and the black formula is nice and thick without too much clumping.

I could keep talking about it, but I figured that it would be helpful to show some pictures. Here is my lashes in their natural, boring state (and not often seen in public, thankyouverymuch).


Now here they are with three coats of the 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper:


And here my eyes are open:

I liked the results. I thought it delivered excellent volume, and it was easy to remove with basic non-waterproof eye makeup remover. I would probably pick it up in the waterproof version, because when I'm dealing with allergies, my mascara has a tendency to get messy.

2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper is available at CVS and Ulta, I'm told. It retails for about $9.99.

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Estee Lauder Introduces Long Wearing Eye Collection

Have trouble keeping your eyeshadow in place? Primers not working well for you? You might want to check out Estee Lauder's new eye collection: Double Wear Stay-In-Place Shadow Creme and Eye Pencil.

The eyeshadows are ultra creamy and deliver stay-true color, and promise not to budge throughout your day. The Eye Pencils glide on smoothly and also have long-wearing properties.

I have a soft spot in my heart for long-wearing makeup, so I'll be playing with this on my next trip to the makeup counter.

Grab them at EsteeLauder.com or your local counter. The shadow retails at $17.50 and the pencils retail for $19.00

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Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can: 1959 #1 Ponytail Doll

First of all, I need a haircut. Just so we can get that out of the way.

Out of all the Barbie Loves Stila cans, you know I chose the ultra-vintage 1959 doll. Included was a palette with a peachy cheek color, matte black eye shadow, and a medium blue eyeshadow with just a touch of glitter. Also, a gorgeous red lipstick and a black liquid eyeliner.

The great thing about this collection is that you can really vamp it up or tone it down. This is a more toned down look, as I was on my way to work, and one really can't go all out at 9 AM. It's just too much.

What I like to do is use a primer on my eyelids (Primer Potion in this example), then I used Milk pigment from MAC's Hello Kitty collection all over my eyelids. Then I used the blue over the lid and into the crease. I lined the upper lash line with the black using a stiff smudge brush. Blend that well, though, because you don't want an obvious line - unless you do, in which case carry on. However, I blended well, added a bit more, and blended again. Then I used the black liner to line only the upper lash line, and added about a million coats of Diorshow to my lashes. Just kidding. It was probably only 4, which is my normal amount.

Finish up with the lipstick, and you're done. Super easy and a pulled together glam look.

As I mentioned, you can take it into the evening with just a few adjustments - you could use the black to smoke out the eye and then use a pencil to line the lower waterline of the eye to really darken it up. False lashes would also look great with this collection, although I haven't tried it yet.

I bought this just for the cute factor, so imagine my surprise when I found it was actually quite useable! Highly recommended.

Stila Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can - 1959 #1 Ponytail Doll, $40.

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Beauty Bytes: Recreate Amy Winehouse's Signature Makeup

TotalBeauty.com content:

Recreate Amy Winehouse's Signature Makeup

Her over-the-top look is guaranteed to be a hit at every Halloween party

In the mood to channel this infamous, disturbed rock star this Halloween? Then follow these step-by-step instructions courtesy of Gregory Arlt, director of makeup artistry for MAC Cosmetics. Complete the look with a ratty, black bouffant wig (an Elvira wig at any costume shop will work perfectly) and you're good to go. See Amy

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Total Beauty Beauty Byte: Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Guest review by TotalBeauty.com editor Kristen Oldham-Giordani

This little pot o' liner is awesome. It goes on easier than a traditional liquid liner -- especially if you use a quality fine-tip brush -- and actually lasts. See review

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