ProductWhores

Euristocrats 2

The top shades of the continent... Lipsticks custom-tuned to fit the style moods of our European hot spots, plus six hot new Dazzleglass shades to add the sheen, the sparkle, and the ooh-la-la that never fails to entertain.  They're the "something extra" we've added to the collection Euristocrats can't get enough of. More, more, more!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MAC's Dazzleglasses.  Love!  I have a weird sickness every time they release more of them that won't let me rest until I own every single last new shade.  And then I get them home and as much as I love them, I almost don't want to use them because I don't want to run out.  (Even my sister, who comes over periodically to raid my makeup stash, knows not to even ask about taking one of the Dazzleglasses.  They're mine!)  And now there are even more shades to love, thanks to the Euristocats 2 collection.  Here's the full details of what you'll find on counters now.

Lipstick ($14):

• Patisserie - Sheer creamy neutral pink
• Costa Chic - Frosty light coral
• Saint Germain - Clean pastel pink
• Milan Mode - Sheer deep pink with multidimensional pearl
• Naked Paris - Sheer pink brown with multidimensional pearl
• London Life - Sheer deep berry with multidimensional pearl (my fave!)
• Cockney - Sheer yellow red with multidimensional pearl

Lip Pencil ($13):

• Subculture - Underground pink
• Whirl - Dirty rose
• Cherry - Vivid bright bluish-red
• Magenta - Vivid pinkish-purple

And last, but definitely not least...

Dazzleglass ($18):

• Rue D'Rouge - Light red with pink pearl (my fave of the new shades!)
• Via Veneto - Light violet with blue pearl
• Local Colour - Neutral yellow pink with gold pearl
• Euro Beat - Peach coral with gold pearl
• Internationalist - Yellow pink with blue pearl
• Roman Holiday - Medium brown coral with pink pearl
• Date Night - Soft blue purple with pearl

Summer Glosses

Now that we're in the middle of summer, I find myself wearing a lot of glosses instead of lipsticks.  They're just quicker and easier and for some reason, just shout "warm weather" to me.  The two that I've been reaching for the most are L'Oreal's Infallible Never Fail Plumping Lipgloss and Smashbox's  Limitless Long Wearing Lip Gloss.  There are a lot of similarities between the two formulas - they both promise wear of up to six hours - they seem to last a little less on me, somewhere between four and five for each, but I'm still happy with that - it doesn't mean much reapplication during the day and for a gloss, that's a long time.  They both have doe foot applicators, which is my preferred way of putting on gloss, so that gets a big thumbs up.  They do differ on a few major things though - the Smashbox glosses come with an SPF 15, which is great for the summer, but the L'Oreal glosses come complete with plumping action.  It isn't a huge amount of plumping - the sting is nothing like the one you'll get when you apply Duwop's Lip Venom and my lips didn't look noticeably bigger - but it does result in a pleasant tingle for awhile and they did look a bit fuller (always a plus!)  I found that the Smashbox glosses were a little sheerer than the L'Oreal ones, but I thought that all the shades of both that I tried gave enough color to make me happy.  (Is there anything worse than spending $20 on a gloss and then finding out that it makes your lips look... exactly the same?  No, no there is not).  The Smashbox glosses come in six shades (my favorite was Boundless, which they describe as "juicy melon") while the L'Oreal glosses are available in eight (I really liked Plumped Brown, a light neutral brown that looks good with a darker, smoky eye).  One other major difference - the Smashbox glosses are $21, while the L'Oreal ones are available for around $11 or so (depending on the store - and if you can find them on sale or with a promotion, you'll save even more).  You really can't go wrong with either of them though - they're great color choices for the summer and since they're longer lasting than most glosses, you'll be using them for months before you run out.  I really sort of want all fourteen shades.  So if the Gloss Fairy is listening...  

Fight Cellulite

I have yet to try Tarte's new celluFIGHT, but it's on my list of products that I need to buy because if it works, it would be worthy of Holy Grail product status.  And I love self-tanner, so I'm always looking for a new good one that's going to make my pasty white self look bronzer.  It's $40 though, which is kind of pricey, but for the month of July, you can use the above coupon code CELL709 to save 20% on it at Tarte's website.  ($32 just sounds so much better than $40, doesn't it?)  Let me know what you think if you buy it and I'll report back when I actually get my hands on it.  If the reviews on Sephora.com are any indication, I think I'm going to like it...

True Shimmer

I have always considered myself a Blistex girl.  I mean, I feel like you either buy Blistex or you buy ChapStick and you just stick with it for whatever reason (I guess why mess with something that isn't broken).  I remember the last time I used ChapStick (I'm thinking it was the early 90's because I vaguely remember that pop song "No More Lies" was on the radio.  You know, the one with the girl who had a sickeningly high-pitched voice when she spoke, but for some reason her singing voice was "normal").  Well, when I last tried ChapStick I didn't like it at all because I found it waxy and it had a weird scent to it (it was the old-school ChapStick in the black-labeled tube) so I decided to check out the new ChapStick line True Shimmer to see if this Blistex girl could convert.  I am happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  The True Shimmer line promises moisturized lips with a subtle shimmer and it does deliver.  The formula is not waxy at all (like I remember from the 90's) and my lips are incredibly soft and not sticky.  The shimmer is extremely subtle, so if you're expecting a glossy look, this isn't for you.  However, if you want a slight "glittery" sheen, then check out this line.  I love the tropical (yummy coconut and pineapple) and adore the Peppermint Rush (minty, tingly goodness) which hits shelves in August.  The Botanical Berry is just okay (it smells like the old Kissing Cooler by Maybelline in Strawberry), and the Blended Fruit Sherbet (debuts in August) is downright nasty (scent reminds me of an extremely cheap little girl's lipgloss mixed with medicine).  These sticks are only $2.79 so you can afford to check out all the flavors (no major economic commitment if you hate one).  Oh, and I just Googled - the song I was talking about was by Michel'le.  Wow, I had no clue she had a kid with Dr. Dre and with Suge Knight!  No wonder she had an album...

Prep Your Pucker

It's been awhile since I brought a product home, tested it, and liked it so much that I wanted to write about it right away.  (Mostly because I'm lazy, not because I don't like a lot of them).  But I just tried Laura Gellar's Lip Strip for the first time and it is so my new favorite product.  Lip Strip is a cooling sugar scrub that you use to get dry or chapped lips back into shape, but even if your lips are doing fine, it's a great way to keep them hydrated and in kissable condition.  The formula contains Brazilian sugar (yum!) and cooling peppermint (I LOVE minty lip products) and is a non-abrasive exfoliator.  You just dab a little on your lips and rub it gently with your fingertips for about a minute or so.  It tastes ridiculously good and you can definitely feel the peppermint because it makes your lips tingle.  Then you rinse it off and voila!  Smoother, softer (and most importantly) well-moisturized lips.  I used it over an hour ago and my lips still feel like I just put on ChapStick.  This is going to be one of those products that I keep in the cabinet in my bathroom, which I like to think of as a big honor because only my best and most well-loved products make it in there for easy, frequent access.  (I like to think of it as making the Makeup Olympics - it's what all the rest of the products in my hall closet should be striving for). 

You can get a Lip Strip of your very own at Sephora for only $16 - less than the price of most lipsticks these days.  Totally worth it!

Pout-à-Porter Returns

This is exciting news.  Lancôme is bringing back the Pout-à-Porter Lipstick series!  The last four lipsticks that they released in that collection were gorgeous (they included collaborations with uber-designers Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Peter Som and Thakoon). All four of the shades sold out (one Proenza Pink lipstick even sold for $122.50 on eBay!) 
 
For Spring 2010, Lancôme is collaborating with up and coming designer Chris Benz and in honor of that, they're doing a lipstick naming contest that was announced on Chris Benz’s Facebook fan page today.  The new shade will be inspired by Chris’ Spring 2010 collection and will be worn by the models at his show in September. The contest winner gets a fantastic five tubes of the lipsticks PLUS a $500 Lancôme gift certificate.  All you have to do is post your shade name suggestion on Chris’ Facebook fan page based on what you know about Chris and his fashion personality.   (You can find his page here).  The deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 12th, at 5 p.m. EST, so put your thinking caps on!  (I just went to the page myself and someone suggested calling it "Boobular."  Heeeee!)

Made To Order

I was just browsing Sephora.com today (as I'm likely to do when I'm trying to waste time) and I discovered Stila's Made in Your Shade Foundation Wardrobe kit.  For only $18, you get a bevy (I've always wanted to use the word bevy in a post and finally, the day has come!) of products to give you the appearance of perfect skin.  The kit comes in three different shades - Light, Medium and Warm - and lets you try out all of Stila's best-selling complexion products to find out which ones work best for you without laying out some major cash.  The Medium Kit (my color choice) comes with:

• 0.07 oz Convertible Color in Peony 
• 0.17 oz Natural Finish Oil-Free Makeup in Shade D
• 0.24 oz Hydrating Primer SPF 15
• 0.24 oz Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer in Shade 01
• 0.27 oz Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Medium
• 0.17 oz Illuminating Liquid Foundation in 50 Watts

Even though I've used a lot of these products, there's still a few that I've been wanting to try, so this might have to come home with me this weekend.  Plus, I love that the products are the perfect travel-size.  If I like any of the ones I don't already have enough to buy the full-sized version, I can keep the small one for weekend getaways.  Now that's good shopping!

All Skins Mineral Makeup

You know how you just go through phases where you're all about certain products or brands?  Well I'm feeling that way about Prescriptives at the moment.  I've tried a bunch of things from them lately that  work really well for me, so I was very excited to hear about their new All Skins Mineral Makeup 16 Hour Wear/SPF 10.  It's a long-wearing liquid mineral makeup infused with vitamins, minerals and Prescriptives' exclusive R.E.C. (Radiance Emitting Crystals – a combination of Amethyst, Rose Quartz and Calcite) that gives skin extra luminosity.  Here's a list of all the great things about it:

• All day wear (Up to 16 hours)
• Transfer-resistant
• Humidity and sweat-resistant
• Reduces the look of lines and wrinkles
• Suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin
• Weightless
• UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum SPF 10 protection
• Oil free
•  Fragrance free
• Non-acnegenic
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Dermatologist tested   

Best of all, it's available in a whopping 18 different shades, so you're definitely going to be able to find the perfect match for your skin.  Considering that that's normally one of the hardest parts about choosing a foundation, that makes me very happy.

All Skins Mineral Makeup is available now at your nearest Prescriptives counter for $32.50.     

Minty Hair

I love minty products.  Love, love, love.  I'm one of those people who hates getting out of bed, no matter what time I wake up.  I could set my alarm for noon and I'll still want to throw it across the room when it goes off.  So it really helps when the products I use in my morning shower wake me up instead of putting me back to sleep.  (In other words, no lavender!)  Usually the mint comes in my shower gel, but lately, it's thanks to C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Hair Mint-Infused Invigorating Shampoo and Conditioner.  I'm all about this duo lately.  They smell amazing - so pepperminty that it shocks my system into getting ready to face the day - and they leave my hair shiny and soft and without any tangles.  They'e also safe to use on colored hair, which is always a plus considering how much a trip to the salon costs these days.  ("These days" is totally something my mother would say, by the way.  What am I, fifty?)  Best of all, your hair will smell like peppermint all day, especially nice in the hot and sticky summer.  The shampoo and conditioner each retail for $12, but Bath and Body Works is always having sales or special offers, so if you shop well, you can probably cut the price for yourself and stock up at the same time.  Win win!     

Nudes Collection

"Nude makeup never goes out of style - it's polished, sophisticated, and always looks modern."

So says Bobbi Brown.  And I couldn't agree more.  Although I love color, there's something about a face wearing nude colors that's so simple and classic.  You just can't go wrong with it.  Bobbi's new Nudes Collection for Fall 2009 is perfect for those days you want to look like you, only better.  (I know that line is from somewhere and it's driving me crazy that I can't remember where!  A hair commercial?  A skin care product?  Where is that stuck in my brain from?)

Here's what you'll find in the collection:

Nude Eye Palette ($60):
A Bobbi must-have eye palette takes you effortlessly from day to night. In three different textures: soft matte, lightly pearlized, and metallic high-shimmer, three eye shadow duos come in our customizable 3 Pan Palette.

Included Exclusive Shades: Navajo Eye Shadow, Pebble Metallic Eye Shadow, Chino Eye Shadow, Beige Linen Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow, Maple Sugar Metallic Eye Shadow, Caviar Eye Shadow.

If I had to pick one item from the collection to buy, it would be this.  The colors are gorgeous and you'd be able to use it all year round.  Definitely a winner!

Nude Shimmer Brick ($38):
Our iconic Shimmer Brick is now available in the perfect, everyday shade: Nude. This handmade brick features five pure pearl pigments-pink, gold, bronze, beige, and caramel-designed to be blended together to give all skin tones a soft nude, lit from within glow. Layer over Blush as highlighter or use individual shades on lids for a sheer, pearlized look.

I'm slightly obsessed with Bobbi's Shimmer Bricks.  I own pretty much all of them, so it's pretty much a given that as soon as I can, I'll be heading over to the counter to snatch this one up. 

Creamy Lip Color ($22):
Bobbi is adding four must-have new shades to her popular Creamy Lip Color collection . Each of these shades creates a naturally classic look that works beautifully with the Nude Eye Palette and Nude Shimmer Brick.

This innovative lipstick combines rich color, comfortable wear, and a soft, creamy shine. Formulated with emollient Shea Butter and skin conditioners, it glides on smooth and leaves lips soft and moisturized.

The four new shades are Soft Blush, Rose Bud, Rose Garden and Twilight.  Gorge!

Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($21):
Our best selling Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner is now available in what is sure to be the season’s most coveted shade - Caviar Ink. The richest, deepest brown, Caviar is the perfect complement to the Nude Eye Palette. This award-winning liner offers the precision of a liquid liner and the ease of a gel-based formula.

The Nudes Collection will be on counters and at BobbiBrown.com starting in July.