Clarisonic Mia, Now At A Better Price

After getting an email from Sephora stating that I was now a V.I.B. (very important beauty insider, which means I have spent way too much money there), I started perusing their site.  I noticed that the Clarisonic Mia was now $30 less than its original price.  Down from $149, the Clarisonic Mia is now $119!  And they have all these great colors now.  I've already written a rave review about it here.  If you can afford it, get it!  But if Sephora has their annual Friends & Family sale next month, you can get it for 20% off which makes it under $100!  A steal in my opinion.  You can also catch it on QVC which sometimes runs specials on it.  Meanwhile, I'll still be having my love affair with mine.

Manicure Mondays-Chanel Quartz

Released as part of their Fall 2011 collection, Chanel Quartz is a silvery taupe color that I really like.    I wish I could capture the fine pink and blue shimmer particles running throughout this polish.  It's so lovely.  This color joined Chanel's permanent line of polishes.  This needed only 2 coats to achieve full opacity.  It lasted 5 days without chipping with my CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  I think this color would really flatter a bevy of skin tones.  It is one of my pricier polishes, costing $25, but I felt it was unique enough to splurge on it.

Sleek Makeup Blush In Sahara

Some months back, I did a swap with one of my favorite UK beauty gurus on YouTube, Jennie of BeautybyJJ.  As part of the swap, Jennie sent me this blush from Sleek Makeup in Sahara.  Sleek Makeup is a drugstore brand in the UK.  It produces high quality products.  Sahara is a beautiful burnt orange.   It is similar to NARS Taj Mahal but lacks the beautiful gold pearl that makes Taj Mahal so special.  The pigmentation is nice, though it is not crazy pigmented.  You can really build up the color depending on how deep you want to wear it.  This was one of two blushes that I took on the cruise and it looks phenomenal on tan skin.

The best part of this blush is that it is only $6.50 for 8 grams of product!  Us Americans can purchase products from Sleek from their website www.sleekmakeup.com but be prepared to pay at least $10+ in shipping costs.  Jennie and I have another swap planned soon, so I will definitely be asking for more Sleek products.

Wet N Wild-Walking On Eggshells Eyeshadow Trio

I have another product from Wet N Wild to rave about.  I've actually had this trio for a while now and I completely forgot about until recently.  The trio consists of a champagne shade, a bronzy brown shade, and a cream shade.  All are frost finishes.  As an added bonus, they even label the shades to show you where you should apply them.  However, you can place them wherever you want.  I personally like the "crease" shade as an all over eyelid shade as well.

 

Eyelid, Crease, Browbone

They apply so smoothly and last all day, however, I always use a base under my shadows.  I cannot comment on how they wear without a base.   These shades are very pigmented!  They blend very nicely as well and I did not experience any fall out.  Overall all, if you are looking for a nice neutral trio, look no further.  For $2.99, it's definitely worth picking up!

Manicure Mondays-OPI Brand New Skates

OPI's Brand New Skates is a gunmetal grey with multi-colored shimmer.  The formula was superb, but a little on the sheer side.  It needed 3 coats for opacity.  What impressed me the most was that it lasted for 7 full days!  As usual, I used CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  I used to think OPI was overrated but I've totally been converted.  P.S. this photo was taken on day 6, no chips in sight!!

My Makeup Brush Collection Overview

Another requested video from a friend.  This is for you R.B.  Hope this helps!

MAC Up The Amp Vs. Revlon Berry Haute

I've read that MAC's Up The Amp and Revlon's Berry Haute are dupes.  I have both, so I decided to do a comparison.  Both are very similar in texture and pigmentation.  They both are cream finishes with Up The Amp being an amplified cream finish.  They both feel very moisturizing on the lips and only require one pass on the lips to get a good color payoff.

MAC Up The Amp (top), Revlon Berry Haute (bottom)

Now onto the the color comparison.  Berry Haute has a touch more pink in it than Up The Amp, which has more purple in it than pink.  Up The Amp is also a hair darker than Berry Haute.  Bottom line is that they're are not exact dupes but they are pretty darn close.  Close enough so that you don't need to own both, especially since Revlon only costs $6 compared to MAC costing $14.50.

Missoni For Target Haul

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard that Target stores did a collaboration with the Italian designer Missoni.  I love the distinct print of Missoni, however, it is not very budget friendly with dresses priced at $1,250!  I have been looking forward to this collab for months, so when it released, I was there bright and early.  Here is a video of what I purchased along with my experience with the eBay scalpers.

Were you able to get anything from the collection?

I'm Obsessed With Dior Addict Lipstick In #811 Smoky

#811 Smoky

I purchased this Dior Addict lipstick back in July and have just gotten around to wearing it as it is a Fall color.  I am so glad I bought this color, I'm now obsessed with it!  It is a gorgeous shade of brown tinged burgundy.  It is not nearly as dark as the tube would suggest.  This is my first go around with Dior lipsticks and I honestly don't know what took me so long.  This lipstick is so moisturizing and feels so good on the lips.  And I adore the packaging, c'est tres chic.  It lasted all day, just needing a tiny touch up after lunch.  And for $28, it better have performed well!  There are 54 shades in total that is offered in the Dior Addict lipstick line.  I plan on purchasing a few more shades when Sephora has its annual Family and Friends' sale next month.

Still on my lips at the end of the day

Smokey Eye Tutorial-Featuring NARS Cosmetics

I had a request from a personal friend of mine who also reads this blog to do a smokey eye tutorial.  So this one's for you M.G. :-)

Products Used:

Eyes:
NARS Ashes to Ashes
NARS Pandora
NARS Abyssinia
NARS Alhambra
Covergirl Volume Exact mascara
MAC Zoomlash mascara
Clinique Bottom Lash mascara

Face:
NARS Casino bronzer
NARS Sin blush

Lips:
NYX Mahogany lip pencil
MAC Viva Glam II lipstick
MAC Spree lipglass

Manicure Mondays-Love & Beauty Taupe

While waiting to check out at Forever 21, I noticed their massive offering of nail polish.  This color, aptly named Taupe, caught my eye.  Love & Beauty's Taupe is a purple leaning taupe with very slight shimmer that gives the polish some nice dimension.  The formula was surprisingly good, needing only 2 coats for full opacity.  This polish lasted 5 days before it chipped.  I used CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  The best part of this polish is that it is only $2.80!  I picked up a few more that I can't wait to wear, especially if they all have this awesome formula.

Five Fall Essentials

I would consider these five things my Fall essentials:

A colorful trench coat MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kors coat, $200
A pair of tall boots  Knee high heel boots, $398
An oversized bag  H M leather handbag, £30
A lightweight scarf  Jersey scarf, $32
Taupe eyeshadow  Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow (Refill) Topaz (G) One Size, $16

It's no secret Fall is my favorite fashion season.  What I like most about Fall is the ability to layer clothing.  Summer is all about the less clothing the better, Fall is more about layering pieces.  I also love the color palette of Fall with the muted colors and the jewel tones.  What would you consider your five Fall essentials?

Zara Now Has US Online Shopping!

Zara, a personal favorite of mine, has now opened their online shopping to the US!  I am over the moon about this!  The Zara in Houston is only in one location that is not the closest to me.  It's not far, however, it is not convenient either.   Between studying for the CPA exam and work, I just haven't had the time to get over there.  Now I can shop at the convenience of my laptop (much to my husbands chagrin)!

Wet N Wild Vanity Palette-Drugstore Gem

I'm sure by now, all of you have heard the buzz surrounding the Wet N Wild Color Icon palettes.  Well here is my two cents about it.  It is a great drugstore find!  This little baby set me back a mere $3.99 as I had a coupon for $1 off Wet N Wild products.

It is a great neutral palette chocked full of wearable colors.  The colors are very pigmented, soft,and blend beautifully.  Of the 6 colors included, 3 are matte and 3 are frost finishes.  I've heard that there are some MAC dupes in this palette.  The matte dark brown is supposed to be a dupe for Embark and the matte cream shade a dupe for Brule.  I don't own those shades to compare, so I will just have to take the blogosphere's word for it.

Left side colors

Right side colors

As far as their staying power, they did not fade at all during the day, but please note that I prime my lids with every eyeshadow that I use, regardless of the brand.  Overall this is a great buy that will only set you back a few bucks! 

Manicure Mondays-Sally Hansen Wet Cement

I am just returning from a short vacation, so I apologize for this post being late.  This week I have for you Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Wet Cement.  I really liked the color and the formula wasn't half bad.  I only needed 2 coats for opacity.  I used CND Stickey Base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  Unfortunately, this did not have extreme wear for me, lasting only 3 days before chipping.  But is was on $1.99 at the drugstore, so I am not really that upset.