Zoya Winter 2011: Feel Collection Swatches and Review


Zoya FEEL collection


Kendal, Kennedy, Avery


Megan, Kristen, Carey

When Zoya had photos released of this new winter collection called Feel, I got very excited about this collection.  Let's just say it was the first winter collection that I didn't see shades of holiday colors.  I didn't see  noisy, festive colors, but just quiet, winter cool shades that made me think of stillness and pristine snow. The fact that these are cremes and not blingy or shimmery gives a certain subdued and tranquil characteristic to these polishes.  This collection makes me conjure images of immaculately manicured hands wearing one of these shades, holding a steaming mug of hot cocoa.  Silly, I know, but I think the fact that these are cool neutrals, with a grey or blue base instead of your usual spring colors makes them look really wintry and perfect for this season.

The FEEL collection has six wintry cool neutrals that are actually not that different from each other. They have subtle differences but they still belong to the same color family.

Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit Swatches and Review





It was my first time to try a Pixi Cosmetics product.  It is a brand that I always see at Target, and I've been curious about it because I like the very green (literally and figuratively) packaging.  It's definitely eco-friendly in the green cardboard containers.  I was quite excited to try out Pixi's huge palette called The Ultimate Beauty Kit.  It is a square palette with two wings that fold neatly into the center which is great for travel.  Each wing carries a 16-eyeshadow-palette.  The right wing holds 16 full-size cool-toned shadows, while the left wing houses 16 warm-toned shadows.  The center holds 16 shades of lip glosses and 8 different shades of cheek products that can act as blush, highlighter, or bronzer.  These all retail for $39.99 which is such a steal.

Illamasqua Beguile Pure Pigment Review and Swatches









Stila Cyber Monday Warehouse Sale 2011


ALL SALES FINAL.
PRO ARTIST DISCOUNTS AND PROMOTIONAL CODES CANNOT BE APPLIED TO WAREHOUSE SALE ITEMS.
STILA BUCKS CANNOT BE USED ON WAREHOUSE SALE ITEMS.

Benefit Cosmetics Cyber Monday 2011 Sale

button

Buy more, get more FREE mini deluxes!

Spend $30, get a FREE mini mister.
Spend $60, get a FREE mini mister and mini posietint.
Spend $90, get a FREE mini mister, mini posietint and mini it's potent.
Enter FORELVES at checkout. Offer valid now through 12/4/11 at 11:59p PST. Valid with standard shipping offers.

Spend $30 and get a FREE mini mister at BenefitCosmetics.com. Enter FORELVES at checkout. Offer valid from 11/28 through 12/4 11:59p EST.

Spend $60 and get a FREE mini mister and mini posietint at BenefitCosmetics.com. Enter FORELVES at checkout. Offer valid from 11/28 through 12/4 11:59p EST.

Spend $90 and get a FREE mini mister, mini posietint and mini it's potent at BenefitCosmetics.com. Enter FORELVES at checkout. Offer valid from 11/28 through 12/4 11:59p EST.

Get FREE US standard shipping with any purchase of $50 or more. Enter promo code PRETTY50 at checkout.

Get FREE international standard shipping with any purchase of $115 or more. Enter promo code WORLD115 at checkout. Excludes order shipping to China.

Follow Benefit Cosmetics on twitter: www.twitter.com/BenefitBeauty

Note: This post contains affiliate links. To know more about affiliate links, please check out the Disclosures Page.

tarte Cosmetics Cyber Monday Sale 2011


Announcing the tarte cosmetics Cyber Monday promotion. For one day only: Save up to $30 OFF, plus receive a FREE gift with code CYBER at checkout.

Details below:
- $10 OFF purchases of $50 & up
- $20 OFF purchases of $75 & up
- $30 OFF purchases of $100 & up
Plus, with every order, receive a gift from your choice of 5 full-sized products.

Note: This post contains an affiliate link. To know more about affiliate links, please click the Disclosure tab below the header.

Nail Look: Essie Luxeffects in Shine of the Times Swatch













Flakie top coats are probably one of the most mesmerizing polishes ever. They give this depth and dimension to the polish underneath that makes it look like there are glowing embers in the polish, especially if the base is dark. Essie Luxeffects in Shine of the Times is a beautiful flakie polish that reflects orange, teal, gold and green on the nail, and the changing shades are beautiful, just like falling leaves, and thus perfect for fall. This polish is of course very similar to the now discontinued and hard to find Sally Hansen in Hidden Treasure.

I got Shine of the Times from Walgreens along with other beautiful glitter and flakie top coats from the Essie Luxeffects collection. Take a peek in your neighborhood Walgreens because these are flying off the shelves.

PCA Skin Protecting Hydrator SPF 30 Review







Hi everyone, hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I had a little hiatus from blogging to celebrate the holiday with family. I'm back with one of those products that I can say is regimen-changing, if not life changing. I am talking about the PCA Skin Protecting Hydrator SPF 30. It is a non-oily moisturizer for oily and normal skin from PCA Skin. It is a very respected, highly rated skincare company from Arizona. PCA actually stands for Physician's Choice of Arizona. It was founded in 1990, when Aesthetician Margaret Ancira partnered with renowned physicians and scientists to create innovative skin care. These products are now used to treat or control rosacea and acne, and they also feature anti-aging products in their line.

Thin, Crisp, Precise: Hourglass Script Precision Liquid Liner Review





Daphne Guinness for MAC







MAC Black Knight Lipstick Returns on Black Friday (One Day Only!)




On Friday, November 25th M·A·C is bringing back the cult classic Black Knight Lipstick for one day only, exclusively online. Starting today follow M·A·C Senior Artists Keri Blair (@MAC_Keri_B) and Romero Jennings (@MAC_Romero_J) on Twitter for tips on how to rock this elegantly ebony Black Knight shade.

Recent Collective Nail Polish Haul

Here are some nail polishes I got lately. Most of them were purchased by me, some of them were sent as press samples. I will be swatching and reviewing them in future posts (so do stay tuned!), but here are some of my exciting acquisitions of late:


My Ross haul: Sally Hansen Prisms, Color Club Back to Boho collection (Sets A and B), Color Club Foiled (Molten Metals), L.A. Colors Color Craze (limited edition metallics)

Chantecaille Black Friday Offering


Starting Black Friday and until Cyber Monday with every $150 purchase on chantecaille.com, enter SHOPCHIC at checkout to get Les Macarons Palette and complimentary shipping.  Get it on!

Pink and Purple Eye Tutorial Using MAC Snowglobe Cool Eyeshadow x6 Palette and Miss Piggy Pink






Snowball, Illegal Cargo
Idol Eyes, Warm & Smoky
Howzat, Set to Dance

Here is a pink and purple look using some of the shades from the MAC Holiday 2011 Ice Parade Snowglobe Cool Eye Shadow x6 palette (Whew! What a mouthful!). I like pinks so this eye shadow made me think of nice pinks and purples for fall and winter.



I also used the products from the Miss Piggy for MAC collection. I used Miss Piggy Pink eyeshadow, Penultimate liner in Rapidblack and Lash 36s for this look.

Here's a step-by-step. All products MAC unless otherwise stated.

Winners of the D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig® LX and Volume Lash Mascara Sweepstakes


Fiberwig LX


Fiberwig LX


Volume Lash


Volume Lash

Thank you to everyone who joined the D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig® LX and Volume Lash Mascara Sweepstakes for Followers. Finally, we have FIVE winners! All entries are in, and 5 lucky winners were randomly chosen via Contest Machine to win one D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig® LX Mascara and one Volume Lash Mascara each .


(*Drumroll*)

(Winners announced below the cut)

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Upper Lip & Perioral Anti-Aging Treatment Review







NARS Modern Kabuki Holiday 2011 Gift Sets

MODERN KABUKI HOLIDAY 2011 GIFTING

For Holiday 2011, NARS introduces Modern Kabuki, a collection of specially designed gifts for the ardent makeup aficionado, inspired by François Nars’ travels throughout Japan, his deep interest in Japanese culture, and his fascination with Kabuki makeup. The collection captures the exquisite artistry of Japan's Kabuki theater. Every detail is a vibrant, modern, iconic interpretation of the centuries-old dramatic form.




HANAMICHI KABUKI-INSPIRED EYESHADOW PALETTE
Japanese for “flower path,” this Kabuki theater walkway that extends into the audience was the inspiration for this eyeshadow palette, featuring a Kabuki-themed design and accompanied by a mini Kabuki Eye Brush. The colors are evocative of shades found in Kabuki theater- an icy white with flowers in rich shimmering deep rose and gold and matte black.
Price: $65



KUDOKI KABUKI MINI LIP COFFRET
Named for an element of Kabuki dance, this year’s take on the Bento Box set features three new vibrant, super-saturated, limited edition shades poured into custom ceramic cups. Included is its own Kabuki Lip Brush and sleek keepsake wooden box.
Shades include:
„ Ougi ‟ deep red
„ Takebue ‟ neutral
„ Botan ‟ deep pink
Price: $125




MIE KABUKI MINI SOFT TOUCH SHADOW PENCIL COFFRET
A collection of six mini, top-selling and limited edition Soft Touch Shadow Pencils. Just like their namesake Mie Kabuki† which references a moment of high emotion culminating in an extremely dramatic pose†these creamy, blendable, long-wearing crayons create bold, dramatic looks with just a few strokes.
Shades include:
„ NEW Tall Tale ‟ deep metallic purple
„ NEW Magic Moon ‟ deep metallic navy blue
„ NEW Ballets Russes ‟ silver
„ Aigle Noir ‟ black infused with gold shimmer
„ Palladium ‟ turquoise with silver glitter
„ Skorpios ‟ copper
Price: $55




KUROKO KABUKI MINI NAIL POLISH COFFRET
The set includes four mini-sized, bold and vivid nail polish colors based on shades traditionally used in Kabuki theatre.
Shades include:
„ Yoshiwara ‟ red
„ Shiro-Nuri ‟ white
„ Kata ‟ black
„ Senryou ‟ gold
Price: $35




NAGAUTA KABUKI BRUSH SET
Encased in an ultra-luxurious keepsake wooden bento box with red lacquer interior, this exquisite five-piece brush set is named for the principal musical forms in Kabuki theater and includes two new brushes exclusive to the set.
Products include:
 NEW Kabuki Eye Brush (exclusive to the set)
 Botan Brush
 Ita Brush
 Yachiyo Brush
 Kabuki Lip (exclusive to the set)
Price: $225