8 Bargain Swaps for Luxury Beauty Products

TotalBeauty.com
8 Bargain Swaps for Luxury Beauty Products

You'll love these highly-rated, affordable alternatives for crazy-expensive products


8 Bargain Swaps for Luxury Beauty Products

This is a TotalBeauty.com beauty products article

Looking great doesn't have to cost a fortune -- but who's got the time to hunt for quality products that won't break the bank? We do! See the 8 beauty steals that give their luxury counterparts a run for their money.

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China Glaze Capitol Colours: The Hunger Games Collection Swatches Part 1

"What will you be wearing to the opening ceremonies?"

The release of the collection follows the debut of the China Glaze® Capitol Colours consumer and beauty trade advertising campaign featuring the story’s Effie Trinket, who is assigned by the Capitol to escort and prepare the Tributes from District 12 for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The ad features the above-quoted tagline, encouraging fans of The Hunger Games to support their favorite tribute and district by wearing a corresponding shade. Full-page ads will run in the March issues of teenVOGUE, People Style Watch and InStyle.

China Glaze's Capitol Colours is inspired by the most anticipated movie release of the year, The Hunger Games which opens March 23rd. I cannot wait for this movie! I am loving the book and I am bent on reading the entire trilogy. I've never been a Twilight fan so I know that I am not reading The Hunger Games just because of any hype; I really like these kinds of stories.

Anyhow, back to Capitol Colours. I think each one of the 12 shades represents the 12 districts of Panem, the imaginary country in the book that is supposed to be North America in the distant future. I will show the first six shades in this entry, then I will post the last six in a separate blog post.

Check out China Glaze Capitol Colours Swatches Part 2 here!


Hook and Line



Dr. Brandt Pore Thing™ T-Zone Pore Tightener Review







OPI Nail Polish at the Academy Awards



Last night, former wrestler and actress Stacy Keibler and The Muppets star Amy Adams both walked the 84th Annual Academy Awards red carpet wearing OPI nail lacquer in Samoan Sand on their hands. This nude hue, which complemented the ladies’ respective gold and silver dresses, is a favorite of celebrities and fashion designers alike.

Essie Nail Polish at the Academy Awards



Celebrity Manicurist Debbie Leavitt used essie’s Berry Hard ($8/www.essie.com) for Jessica’s manicure and pedicure. “I wanted to create a classic, timeless nail to complement Jessica’s yellow canary diamond ring and beautiful fair skin,” stated Leavitt.







Celebrity Manicurist Nettie Davis used a mix of essie’s Ballet Slippers ($8/www.essie.com) and Au Natural ($8/www.essie.com) to create Shailene’s light, neutral manicure. “I wanted to create a simple nail to complement Shailene’s mod 70s style dress. I created a neutral beige mixing Ballet Slippers and Au Natural," stated Davis.

Nail Stamp Haul: Sally Hansen Chrome Nail Makeup and Red Angel Plates




tarte Cosmetics at the Academy Awards



Get the Look: Oscar nominee and presenter Kristen Wiig
Event: The Oscars
Makeup Artist: celebrity makeup artist Heba Thorisdottir for tarte
Date: 2/26/12

Overall Inspiration: "Kristen wore a gorgeous princess dress, but it still had a bit of an edge to it, so I wanted to keep her look strong but still soft and pretty." -celebrity makeup artist Heba Thorisdottir

Makeup-complexion
* To begin Heba used tarte's Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation with Broad Spectrum SPF 15, with tarte's new airbrush finish bamboo foundation brush.

Makeup-cheeks
For dewy, sun-kissed cheeks, she applied tarte's maracuja blush & glow brightening luminizer and cheek tint in sunlight along the apples of her cheeks, followed by a light dusting of tarte's Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in buff. The combination gave Kristen's skin the perfect luminous finish.

Makeup-eyes
* Heba wanted to play up Kristen's blue eyes with a mixture of bronze and gold shadows. She started by covering her lids with a soft wash of shimmering golden peach from tarte's neutralEYES eye shadow palette volume II.
*To add further definition, she applied tarte's Amazonian clay waterproof cream eyeshadow in shimmering bronze along her lashlines and into her creases. Then she layered tarte's Amazonian clay waterproof cream eyeshadow in slate in the center of her lids to reflect light.
*Then she lined her eyes with multiplEYE™ clinically-proven lash enhancing liquid liner, drawing outward for a mini cat-eye.
* She finished with two coats of tarte's gifted Amazonian clay smart mascara.

Makeup-lips
* To keep her look soft, Heba filled in her lips with tarte's LipSurgence™ matte lip tint in exposed, then dabbed tarte's maracuja divine shine lip gloss in glisten in the center of her lips for a touch of shine.

Body
*To create a soft glow, Heba dusted tarte's new Amazon bronze body bronzer along her décolletage, shoulders and down her arms. (Note*out in April!)

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Oscars 2012 Beauty Report: Michelle Williams Blonde Pixie by Couture Colour



WHO | Michelle Williams

HAIR BY | Chris McMillan for Couture Colour Pequi Oil

LOOK | Fashionably Glamorous – The Blonde Pixy

INSPIRATION | “Ladies in Hollywood are either fashionable or glamorous. Michelle is fashionably glamorous.” Chris McMillan, Celebrity hairstylist for Couture Colour

KEY TIP/TECHNIQUE | The secret to any short hairstyle is a great cut. Additional to that, hair needs to look healthy. For the Academy Awards, Chris first applied a dime size of the Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment to wet hair. This product is perfect for Michelle’s short hair because it instantly absorbs, leaving her blonde hair fresh and vibrant without weighing it down. “I am often afraid of oils on blondes but the Pequi Oil Treamtent keeps her blonde vibrant without changing the color.” Says McMillan He let her hair dry naturally while she was getting her makeup done, then added a bit of a Volumizing Mousse and then dried her hair with a 1 ½ inch round brush with soft bristles because I believe hair is delicate.

PRODUCTS | Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment $32.00

DRESS | Louis Vuitton

AVAILABILITY | Couture Colour products are available at www.pequioil.com and www.couturecolour.com

Fekkai Hairstyles For Gwyneth Paltrow and Natalie Portman at the Academy Awards

This year for the 84th Annual Academy Awards, two of the most sought after hairstyles seen on the red carpet were created exclusively by Fekkai stylists using Fekkai products.




Frederic Fekkai’s Adir Abergel tended to the tresses of Presenter, Gwenyth Paltrow.

INSPIRATION: A sleek and modern interpretation of a low-nape ponytail

HOW TO:
Begin by applying by applying Fekkai Coiff Ironless Straightening Balm from the roots to ends of damp hair.
Create a strong side part using a comb.
Blow-dry the hair without a brush, making sure to keep the part and desired shape of the hair.
Flat iron the hair until it is completely smooth.
Apply Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Cream from the roots to the ends to give the hair shine and a mirror finish.
Pull the hair back as though you were tying a low pony-tail at the nape of the neck.
Tie the hair with two elastic bands below the nape of the neck. Allow the elastics to show and giving the hair a raw edge.
To secure any fly aways, lightly spray Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray.

PRODUCTS ALL BY FEKKAI: Fekkai Coiff Ironless Straightening Balm($25), Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Cream ($25) and Fekkai Coiff™ Sheer Hold Hairspray ($25). All products available at Fekkai.com, ULTA.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.



Frederic Fekkai's Didier Malige styled Presenter, Natalie Portman

INSPIRATION: A modern take on a glamorous, beautiful and classic 1950’s movie star look

HOW TO:
Apply Fekkai Coiff Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray from the roots to the ends of wet hair.
Blow-dry the hair completely using the Fekkai Large Round Brush.
Once the hair is dry, use a 1” curling iron to create soft and feminine waves throughout the hair.
Sweep the hair to the left side of her face.
Add shine and lasting hold to the look with Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream.

PRODUCTS ALL BY FEKKAI: Fekkai Coiff Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray ($25), Fekkai Large Round Brush ($65), Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream ($25). All products available at Fekkai.com, ULTA.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Photo Credit: Wireimage

St. Tropez Oscars 2012 Report: Penelope Ann Miller

Gwyneth Paltrow Wears NARS at the Academy Awards




GWYNETH PALTROW WEARS NARS PURE RADIANT TINTED MOISTURIZER AT THE 84TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

NARS worked with celebrity makeup artist Leslie Lopez to create presenter Gwyneth Paltrow’s red carpet look at the 84th annual Academy Awards!

"It’s elegantly bronzed,” said celebrity makeup artist Leslie Lopez for NARS Cosmetics about the red carpet look she created for Gwyneth Paltrow. “The dress makes such a statement, but it also has no color, so we needed to create a makeup look that complemented the dress and was still sophisticated enough for the red carpet. I really loved the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer because it gives a sun-kissed look to her skin, and perfect against a white dress!”


FACE
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 PA +++, with Super Orgasm Illuminator patted onto the apples of the cheeks.

EYES
The champagne side of NARS Alhambra Duo Eyeshadow applied on the eyelid for a pop of gold, followed by a Maybelline brown liquid eyeliner along the lashline. The look was finished with NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara.

LIPS
NARS Odalisque Larger Than Life Lip Gloss


** NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 PA +++ was also applied to her neck, décolletage, and shoulders!

Photo Credit: Photos provided by NARS Cosmetics

OPI Holland Swatches Part 2



Here's OPI Holland swatches part 2. If you missed my OPI Holland Swatches Part 1, check out the foregoing link! Here are the rest of the OPI Holland:


Wooden Shoe Like to Know?



Wooden Shoe Like to Know? (outrageous name!) is a milk chocolate brown shade with hidden (very subtle) golden shimmer. Pretty straight up but the shimmer is a welcome surprise. Wearable and can be an office neutral.


Dutch 'ya Just Love OPI?



Dutch 'ya Just Love OPI? is a very pretty purple cream with also a hidden shimmer. It has subtle gold micro-flecks that look best under direct sunlight. This is one of my top favorites from this collection. So pretty.


Kiss Me on My Two Lips



Kiss Me on My Two Lips is a nice carnation pink, very bright I must say. Perfect for spring and summer, and this would make a great pedi color.


A Roll in the Hague



A Roll in the Hague is a fiery orange cream. Can look amazing on the right skintone. Not my favorite as many orange shades look dirty on my skintone, although this one is pretty bright so it contrasts nicely on my skin.


Reds Lights Ahead...Where?



Reds Lights Ahead...Where? looks like a watermelon pink with red tones to me. It's quite bright and the perfect shade to welcome spring. Another nice pedi color.


Vampsterdam



I am not a huge fan of this shade as it is very streaky and leaves brushstrokes, mostly due to its frost finish. Looks like a raisin frost to my eyes. I'm not feeling it.

All in all, I like the formula of this collection with the exception of Vampsterdam's. It's very easy to apply, opaque in 1 or 2 coats, and evens out nicely. My definite favorites are the two blues (I Have A Herring Problem and I Don't Give a Rotterdam which were swatched in Part 1), Thanks a Windmillion, Dutch 'ya Just Love OPI?, Kiss Me On the Two Lips. Runners up are Gouda Gouda Two Shoes and Wooden Shoe Like to Know. I like the color selection, although I feel that I've seen these shades before. For those who don't have these shades yet, this is a solid collection and you will be able to find at least one that will pique your interest.

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.25 out of 5

A-England The Legends Nail Varnish: Princess Sabra, Dragon and Saint George Swatches and Review

I was able to get my hands on some A-england nail varnishes from The Legends collection. This is a new nail polish company from the UK that is slowly becoming a household name in the nail community. It has a wide array of shades to choose from, and the newest collection, The Legends, has some really gorgeous holo shades. I got three from this collection and here are my thoughts and swatches.


Princess Sabra





Princess Sabra is a golden olive bronze holo. It is a scattered holo as opposed to being a linear one (holo particles are scattered whereas linear holos form a rainbow line vertically). It is beautiful under direct sunlight though, but even indoors, you can see how beautiful the nuances are.


Dragon




Dragon is one of my absolute favorites from my collection. It is a beautiful moss green holo with a myriad of nuances that changes as light shifts. It has a lot of golden tones to it, which I love because I love gold-toned greens. Green is my favorite color, so this one is right up my alley.


Saint George



Saint George is a gorgeous deep teal holo. This looks phenomenal under sunlight, but it is disappointing indoors as it just looks like a dark shiny polish with none of the holo-y goodness outdoors. Princess Sabra and Dragon look more holo indoors than Saint George. Nonetheless, this is a breathtaking shade and I will be enjoying this shade all through the season.

I am loving the formula of these varnishes. They are literally opaque in one coat, and even though the consistency is a bit thicker than most polishes, I did not have a hard time applying these. They applied easily and pretty much evened themselves out on the nailbed without much help.  If you know about the Legend of Saint George, you would know that all the shades and names of the polishes from this collection were well thought of and lovingly created by the owner, Adina.

I love start-up nail polish companies and I will be supporting A-england, knowing now how great concept is (paying homage to England and the legends and folklore that nourish and make up its culture), how wonderful the shades are and how rich and opaque the formula is. Check them out at a-england.co.uk (free worldwide shipping).

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Introducing Estee Lauder Mad Men® Collection





Shake. Stir. Seduce.

A Limited Edition Makeup Collection Inspired by the Award Winning AMC Drama Mad Men®
The NEW collection features two classic makeup items inspired by the look of the women featured in Mad Men’s® 1960’s New York City setting. Bold, red lips and creamy, rouged cheeks define this iconic moment in time:

− Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Lipstick in Cherry features a cream satin finish and continual moisture delivered to lips for smooth, rich color.

− Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Creme Rouge in Evening Rose is an easily blendable and buildable formula that highlights cheeks with a dewy, smooth and natural finish.

Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Lipstick and Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Creme Rouge are packaged in a fluted golden case placed in a leather-like gold pouch, and the outer cartons are a custom design inspired by the Estée Lauder packaging from the 1960’s.

Available for a limited time beginning March 2012 exclusively at Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide, www.bloomingdales.com and www.esteelauder.com.

Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Lipstick in Cherry $25.00
Estée Lauder Mad Men® Collection Creme Rouge in Evening Rose $40.00
Prices are suggested retail.

Mad Men® is a registered trademark of Lions Gate Television, Inc.

MAC Too Supreme Sheen Supreme Lipglass and Sheen Supreme Lipstick







We celebrate East Asia chic: with fresh shades of Sheen Supreme Lipsticks along with the introduction of NEW LIMITED LIFE Sheen Supreme Lipglass. Delivered in a clickable pen-style applicator with a super-soft cover-your-lips-in-a-stroke brush. Soft, succulent shades with the lightness of a butterfly – and all the superb sheen no other lip colour can match. Our lips? East or West – they can’t get enough. Kamsa habnida, Asia.

Available March 1, 2012 through April 5, 2012.



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

SHEEN SUPREME LIPGLASS
Honey
Light cream beige (frost)
Fuji Pink Pale peach with low level pearl (frost)
Moon Beach Warm light beige with pearl (frost)
Cherry Fest Rose with high level pearl (frost)
Sweet Bean Cool beige with pearl (frost)
Almond Blossom Pale pink with high level pearl (frost)
Mango Sheen Bright coral with pearl (frost)
Asian Butterfly Lilac with pearl (frost)
Imperial Red Bright rose with pearl (frost)
Dress Kimono Mid-tone frosted plum (frost)
Black Tea Deep brown with pearl (frost)
Suggested Retail Price
$19.00 U.S./$22.50 CDN

SHEEN SUPREME LIPSTICK
Supremely Confident
Pale nude (creme)
Happy Hibiscus Creamy white-pink (frost)
Fashion City Neutral coral pink (creme)
Bare Again Pinky neutral beige (creme)
Tea Ceremony Neutral beige pink (creme)
Sheer Mandarin Mid-tone yellow orange (creme)
Korean Candy Bright orange-red (creme)
Supreme Style Light coral pink with pearl (frost)
Royal Azalea Bright mid-tone pink (creme)
Blossom Culture Soft pink with pearl (frost)
Zen Rose Bright mid-tone fuchsia (creme)
Insanely It Watermelon pink (creme)
Asian Flower Creamy lavender (creme)
Suggested Retail Price
$14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN

Available North America March 1, 2012, International Ex Asia March 2012, International Asia April 2012 at all M·A·C locations, 1.800.588.0070 and www.maccosmetics.com

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Beauty, makeup and nail polish enthusiast, and a lover of the written word. Comments, requests, product reviews? E-mail me at shadesofublogspot (at) yahoo (dot) com
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