Sorry for the Lack of Posting...

I just wanted to drop a line to apologize for the lack of posting lately.  School has really gotten the best of me this last month and I haven't had much time to devote to the blog.  I hope I will have time coming up but I will probably not resume regular posting until I graduate (!!) in December.  Do stick around because I have something to give away sometime soon, hopefully!


I leave you with pictures of Tim Gunn taken when he visited my mall.  It was pretty awesome.

In Honor of Sephora Friends and Family Sale...

In honor of the upcoming Sephora Friends and Family sale, which recent information suggests starts on October 20th, I decided to post picture of some items I swatched at Sephora. 

First up is Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Magic Cheek and Lip Balm

This is a balm that customizes its color to your skin, much like the Dior lip balm.  On my hand,  it turned a pretty bright pink.  I found this to be very balmy so I wouldn't personally use it on my cheeks.  However, it would be very nice for people with dry skin as it will give a nice glow as well.  I do think this would be nice on the lips though.  This retails for $30 and can be purchased here.

L-R: Tinted Brow gel blonde, caramel, brunette, espresso and granite, Highlighting duo Aspen and St. Tropez, and Cooling eye brightener

This arm shows several Anastasia products.  The tinted brow gels were nice and pigmented but were also shimmery.  I think it would be nice for ease of use but I am unsure how much the shimmer translates to the brow.  These retail for $21 and can be purchased here. 

The Highlighting Creme duos contain a cream blush and a gel texture highlighter.  I must admit, the cream blushes were not particularly pigmented but the formula was nice and smooth.  The highlighters on the other hand were very pigmented and a great cooling gel feel.  It has a spatula applicator.  These retail for $26 and can be purchased here. 

The last item is the Cooling Eye Brightener.  This is meant for the undereyes to brighten up any darkness, such as a product like Touche Eclat by YSL would do.  This comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator.  I honestly think this would only work for those with just the faintest darkness.  For the rest of us who appear more sleep deprived, additional concealer will probably be necessary.  This retails for $21 and can be purchased here. 

The last product for the day is Pacifica Coconut Pearls Luminizing Lip Quench.

This is essentially a coconut scented balm with a pearly finish (yes, I am aware that is not particularly suited for this season, I like to write my own rules).  I find it has a kind of pink pearly effect on my lips and it very nice and moisturizing.  The scent isn't too plasticy, just a nice coconut.  Pacifica now has some other colors that are worth checking out as well.  These retail for a very economical $9 and can be found here. 

There you have it, some ideas for the upcoming Sephora Friends and Family sale.  In previous years it has been a code for %20 off and I'm hoping for the same this year.  I like to pick up holiday sets and some of my staples during the sale, and already have my eye on some nice Tarte sets. 



Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Hot 523

Yes, I have finally indulged in a Rouge D'Armani lipstick.  523 is part of the limited edition Hot collection for Summer 2011 which can still be found at many Armani counters as well as online.  It featured various shades of pink from fuscia to orangey pink.  I picked the more muted (for this collection) 523 which happens to be almost a hot pink shade.  The lipsticks in this collection are a bit less pigmented and are more balmy in texture than the original Rouge d'Armani's, but don't worry, 523 and the others still pack quite a punch.

Left is one swipe of the lipstick and right is 3 swipes.  You can see how it can easily be built up.  This is definitely a cool toned shade so warm girls (and guys) beware.  I found wear time to be around 4 hours but a bit of a stain remains.  These are housed in the traditional sleek black packaging with the magnetic closure typical of the Rouge d'Armanis.

For those familiar with the tradition RDAs, which shade should I pick up next?

Also, as a reminder, be sure to follow via Google friend connect if you have not.  If I reach 100 followers before my birthday (October 24, thanks for asking!), I will host 2(!!) giveaways on my blog.  No spoilers on what those items will be (mostly because I haven't decided yet). 

FOTD with Le Metier de Beaute Gift with Purchase Palette Golden Sun

A few weeks ago I showed you my Le Metier de beaute GWP palette in Golden Sun and expressed how I found it gorgeous but hard to use.  Well, this inspired me to try and use it to do up my entire face.  Here is the result:

It wasn't so scary after all!  I only used the Magic Luster Cream for cheeks and lips here (note: the cheeks showed up much more pink in real life, sorry!).  I mixed it with the pink powder to get a pink cream.  I first dipped my brush in the Cream, then in a corner of the powder.  It was really easy!  For the lips, I used more powder in the ratio so the color came out more intense than the cheeks.

For the eyes, I used applied the golden shade to the mobile lid and blended the pink shade on top.  I used this same combination on the lower lashline.  I used the white highlighter under the brow bone and in the tear duct. I lined my top lashline with the chocolate brown shade (should have mixed with the magic luster cream to make more intense).  Also, sorry for the state of my brows in this picture.

I was quite happy with the result, it made my cheeks look dewey and my eyes pop.

Have you used Le Metier de Beaute's Magic Luster Cream successfully?  Please leave your experiences in the comments!

Giorgio Armani Gloss D'Armani 505

I know I swatched all of these before for you here.  However, I wasn't able to give you an opinion on wear, texture, etc.  Since I swatched them,  I have purchased 505, a bright pink with bluish shimmer.  It has become one of my favorite glosses.

The gloss is in a long, oval shaped tube.  The applicator is a longer doe foot.  It's not my favorite but not my least favorite either.  I prefer it to a brush applicator but I think the smaller doe foot is a bit easier to use.

The color is a darker magenta pink with blue shimmer.  It leaves a pink stain on the lips that lasts literally forever.  I think this might be what they were referring to in saying that this gloss is very long wearing.  The texture is like a medium thickness gel.  It's not necessarily thin but it certainly isn't as thick and sticky as a MAC lipglass.  I also wouldn't classify it as sticky, maybe a tad tacky.

Be sure to click on the pictures to see the color represented a bit better.  These retail for $28.  I would say that it is definitely worth picking up at least one color.  However, I have heard some conflicting opinions regarding these. 

Makeup Mavens

 

 

Lovesong For My Lipgloss shares with us one of the colours from the much-loved Eyes to Kill Shadow range by Giorgio Armani. Is it a must-have? Certainly!

Open the box of skincare goodies by Paula's Choice with Klara of  Mookie On The Bench. Could these products be the ones to help her with her skincare troubles?

Product Doctor tempts us with another Le Metier de Beaute True Color eye shadow called Chameleon which definitely lives up to its name.

Nat of Raspberry Rouge shares with us her September favorites - vampy nails, softly defined eyes and gorgeous red lips made it to her list.

Becca makeup range is well known for their multi-purpose products and Black Panties gives a thumbs up to their colourful and long-lasting Beach Tints.