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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Finish Your Flawless Look for Valentine’s Day with emerginC

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So you have the darling (or daring!) dress, the haute heels and the necessary accessories to perfect your look for that special someone on Valentine’s Day – but what about your skin? The foundation of a flawless face starts with your skincare regime. emerginC can remarkably improve skin with its effective, result-oriented product line containing a wide variety of pure, potent botanicals and fruit acids, as well as cutting edge cosmeceutical-grade ingredients from around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Valentine’s Day Prep Skin for a Flawless Finish:

Buy 1 hydra-repair and get 1 red carpet primer free

$90 ($134 value) / Offer valid February 1st to Valentine’s Day

www.emerginc.com

 

Review: Urban Decay’s Glinda and Theodora Palettes from Disney’s “OZ The Great and Powerful”

When I saw that Urban Decay had another tie-in with Disney for their upcoming release of “Oz The Great and Powerful”, I almost keeled over. The Alice in Wonderland palette is one of my all time favorites! Yes, they took existing eye shadows and gave them new names, but still it was adorable and all of the eye shadows went together beautifully.

This time there are two palettes, the Glinda and the Theodora. Guess what? The palettes now have exclusive, never seen before eye shadows! Each palette has 8 eye shadows (one is a split eye shadow), a smaller size of the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil and a full size of the Super Saturated Lip Color. Each palette is $49.00 and currently they are only available on www.urbandecay.com and www.sephora.com but will be available in stores as of February 1, 2013.

The Glinda palette consists of 8 eyeshadows: Tornado (shimmery bright deep purple), Aura (split iridescent blue white and iridescent pink red), Magic (light shimmery lilac with gold), Illusion (satin peach), Oz, (split shimmery gold with glitter and shimmery silver with glitter) and South (shimmery mushroom taupe). There is a travel size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Rockstar (deep purple shimmer). For lips they have included a Super Saturated Lip Color in Glinda (nude pink). Also included is a look card.

 

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As you can see from the swatches, all of the eye shadows have pretty good pigmentation, even the lighter ones. There was not any fallout and the wear is great, as usual with the Urban Decay primer potion. I decided to do a look with these and I adore the colors, I think they chose very well this time when they picked colors to go together.

My look is: South in the crease, then Tornado on the outer edge of the lid and under the eye. I used Magic on the lid (gorgeous color, BTW!). Under the brow was Illusion mixed with Aura for some nice shimmer. I used Retrograde 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner (shimmery iridescent purple) on the top lid. I love the Glinda SSLC, beautiful color. It makes a perfect nude lip.

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The Theodora palette also contains 8 eye shadows: Broken (satin cream), Beware (matte warm  clay brown), Bewitch (satin dark taupe), West (shimmery dark chocolate brown), Spell (glittery black with green and gold shimmer and gold metallic with glitter) and Jealous (split shimmery ivy green and light shimmery pale leaf green). Also included is a 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Perversion (black) and Super Saturated Lip Color in Theodora (light red) and a look card.

As with the Glinda palette, the eye shadows in the Theodora palette are pigmented. My main gripe is that they put 3 browns in one palette of this size. I think it is a little excessive. Another gripe is that the shadows in this palette have some fallout. I am not as happy with this palette as I am with the Glinda one. It is likely just personal preference though. I did two looks trying to get one that looked good with my eyes. I was pleasantly surprised by the Theodora Super Saturated Lip Color more than anything. It looks great on me! I thought it would look awful and it makes my lips look huge. The Theodora palette is a good palette in general, the only bad thing is a little fallout.

I used Bewitch in the crease. West in the outer edge of the lid, then under the eye. I put the darker shimmery Emerald green shade of Jealous on the lid up into the crease. I used Broken under the brow. Then on the bottom lid and top lid I lined with the black glittery part of spell. I used L’Oreal’s Voluminous 24 hr. Black Smoke mascara in black on my lashes. On my cheeks I used the new Fine One One (love, will do in a separate blogpost) and on my lips I used the Theodora SSLC. Very happy with my lips today. My eyes? Meh.

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I am glad that I bought both of the palettes. The Theodora palette will have good use, because I will mix shades with the other UD eye shadows. But I am going to say for this review that the Glinda palette is my winner. Likely because of my coloring. If your coloring is different, say you have black hair and dark eyes like the model they use on the box, it will likely work for you. I am going to try the Theodora again and see if I can get a different look to work. I didn’t try Beware yet. I am always happy with Urban Decay products they have built their name on their eye shadows and their palettes are exemplary. I would love to hear from those have tried these palettes!

 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Review: Vault lip gloss

 

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Do you want a cute new lip gloss for Valentine’s Day? I’ve got one for you!

A few weeks ago I did a review for a lip balm by this new company, Vault. Their motto is “One Touch Lip Care For Active Lifestyles”. Essentially all of their products only need one hand to uncap, apply and recap. The individuals behind the line, Julia and Craig Carroll, were inspired to create these products when they saw that there were challenges to applying lip products while being active or playing sports. The packaging is patent pending and is being touted as revolutionary by the beauty industry.

I tried the lip balm and liked it, so I was more than excited to be able to try the lip gloss. It has what is being described as a kind of “bond girl like applicator”! All of the ingredients are found only on the Pacific Coast. The lip gloss is formulated with jojoba oil, Vitamin E and it hydrates and enriches lips. There are 16 shades available in the lip gloss.

 

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I have trouble with my right hand but I was still able to open it fairly easy. The color I tried, triple espresso, looks more like a copper color than coffee. The lip gloss is not too sticky, which is great. It wears very well too. I have been wearing it for a few hours now and it stayed on nicely. For me it’s not a matter of convenience, but more a matter of how much I like the gloss. I find it to be a nice gloss. What really sold it to me was the brush. It is thin and allows me to line my lips with the gloss. I have never seen a gloss with a brush like this. I really wish that more companies would have brushes like this with their glosses! This is something that will definitely make you look sexy in seconds!DSC01093

Vault lip gloss is $16.00. Vault products are available online at www.vaulticon.com.

 

(This product was sent for consideration)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Disney's Oz The Great and Powerful and Urban Decay

 

Which Witch are YOU?

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Introducing, the Glinda and Theodora Palettes from Urban Decay inspired by Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful!! The first time we partnered with Disney, the Alice in Wonderland Palettes sold out within days and some people didn’t even use them so as to preserve their precious packaging.

64280_ozpalette_theodoraSo THIS TIME, we thought it would be genius to feature them inside a Build Your Own Palette! That way, you can keep reusing the package forever by adding and removing whatever shades you want!! Each palette features 8 exclusive eyeshadows, a “get the look” card featuring a look from her character, a travel-size 24/7 Eye Pencil and a full-size Super Saturated Lip Color. A screaming deal for just $49 (a SSLC is $19 at retail, so you’re getting all those shadows for just $30!), get them while you can before they’re sold out! Available now on urbandecay.com  in stores 2/1.

 

(The above is a press release)

M·A·C Launches Flagship on the Champs-Élysées






LONDON, January 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The Champs-Élysées in Paris is one of the most famous streets in the world and the most valuable retail artery in Europe. Come February 2013, M·A·C Cosmetics joins the legion of luxury retail and fashion names lining this exclusive strip with the opening of the brand's third global flagship location following the success of Times Square and Fifth Avenue, New York.

"As a trendsetting brand, we have been waiting for just the right opportunities to present themselves in these fashion capitals," says Karen Buglisi, Global Brand President, M·A·C Cosmetics. "We anticipate these to be high volume doors for the brand, due to the large number of visitors they attract from around the world. Each year, approximately 167 million people travel to the Champs-Élysées." Business expansion model aside (the fact that the 128 stores housed on the Champs-Élysées generate a sales turnover of 1 billion euro per year is hard to contest), as a branding strategy, M·A·C's decision to invest in the Champs-Élysées is specific: in a move far ahead of the creative and commercial curve of its competitors, the Champs-Élysées flagship demonstrates M·A·C's ability to react and respond to trends in consumerism in a manner unrivalled by any other cosmetics brand.

Firstly, Paris is internationally synonymous with style and creativity, drawing a multicultural audience impressionable to the city's fashion capital heritage. Every season, between the fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan and Paris, M·A·C supports over 200 shows, from emerging to established designers. Living and breathing fashion and trend is an inherent part of M·A·C's DNA. Opening a distinctive, prominent and impressive flagship store in the fashion capital of the world only strengthens the brand's fashion message and trend authority. Indeed, "our global flagship strategy supports the idea that M·A·C behaves more like a luxury fashion brand, but captures a much larger audience as a result of our commitment to creating products that appeal to All Ages, All Races and All Sexes," explains Buglisi.

Secondly, the Champs-Élysées, particularly for the French, represents the quintessential celebration location and global focus for the city. No other locale in Paris can match the visibility, traffic and prestige of an address on the Champs-Élysées. "No makeup brand is more global and more equipped to cater to such a diverse and important audience than M·A·C," adds Buglisi. "This new flagship store will make an incredibly strong, very exciting brand statement." Hence the 362m2 (total space) store, which M·A·C has developed over two floors at 78 Champs-Élysées.

In respect of design, the Champs-Élysées flagship is unique. "There's a look and feel to 
M·A·C's design aesthetics but the cultural and spatial context of every M·A·C store is always thought about sensitively. We don't ever want to be 'cookie cutter'," explains James Gager, Senior Vice President, M·A·C Cosmetics. "Despite being in Paris, we did not want to evoke anything particularly cultural with the store design. The focus was on giving the structure a sense of magnificence, working with the fact that architecture in Paris is innovative and risk taking," he explains. "Which is why we decided to make this amazing shell within the store," explains Gager of 'the dome' - a cascade of black mirrors which plays with the grandeur of the double-height space. The dome "reflects and refracts the graphic and colour-saturated LED animations projected in the store, fragmenting their shades and shape. The idea is that they generate a visual interest at street level which captures the imagination and draws people inside," he explains. "The rest of the store design is very simple, but with the dome we wanted to gain attention in an appropriate way, to create real 'wow' factor. M·A·C is a very theatrical brand and we wanted to reflect that."

"Consumers in such high traffic destinations as the Champs-Élysées demand spectacle and a level of elevated aesthetics. We therefore strive to create unique spaces that individually feel important, inspirational and striking," continues Gager. "It's about creating a memorable architectural experience as much as a memorable M·A·C experience."
Always mindful of the brand's founding principal - All Ages, All Races, All Sexes - over 30 makeup Artists will be working at the Champs-Élysées with an international profile, relevant to a mix of consumers via language, experience and background. The presence of so many Artists is demonstrative of the fact that M·A·C is, first and foremost, an artistry-led brand.

"We don't have 'beauty consultants'...we have Makeup Artists," confirms Gordon Espinet, Senior Vice President, Artist Training and Development, M·A·C Cosmetics. "What makes the M·A·C experience so unique is that we have extreme diversity in the people who work with us. However, irrespective of age, language, culture, background or ethnicity, they are all genuinely passionate and talented makeup artists who have an innate desire and ability to positively connect with consumers and constantly rethink the potentials of makeup."

Vital to this point is M·A·C's ethos of internally promoting and retraining its Artists, which equates to an extremely low turnover rate. "We educate our Artists and certify them," explains Buglisi. "The Artist behind the counter is our first customer: if you can convince them and inspire them, they will share that with customers. Hence, what we can offer to the consumer feels different from what the consumer gets from another brand that has a higher rate of turnover."

Speaking to the fact that the Champs-Élysées recruits consumers from all over the world, the product offering at the flagship has an equally multicultural relevancy. In addition to the full M·A·C range (over 1200 SKUs including new colour collections and M·A·C store-only exclusive collections), additional product collections with a global appeal, previously only available to specific M·A·C markets, are also a compelling offering.

With 360-degree consumer engagement via the ultimate in high-touch and high-tech retailing in mind, the M·A·C Champs-Élysées flagship features innovative retail experiences such as the first Lash Bar in France (the full selection of lashes are displayed and back-lit on a vertical surface at worktop height, enticing customers to play with their picks of lash looks) where all lash-essential accessories and products are readily to hand.

The 12 makeup stations (eight in a central hub on the ground floor, two more in the VIP area and in the private makeup area) have a bespoke feel with professional lighting and fully adjustable seating, while the continual animation around collections makes for an immediate and tangible way to step in and experience the brand. The focus is clearly on attracting customers in and inviting them to stay. "We are trying to be more cognizant of the customer who wants to play for a while," says Gager.

The Champs-Élysées flagship will also serve as an industry event space. Key functions include the flagship forming an 'industry hub' for editorial broadcasting activity, filming and VIP appointments, hosting PR events for bloggers and makeup applications for local and global media during Paris Fashion Week, in addition to serving as a venue for Masterclasses and M·A·C's seasonal Trend Presentations.

In keeping with the brand's strong alignment, and support of, the industry as a whole, the store will tune in to M·A·C's strong relationships and involvement with French cinema and film festivals by participating in related events on the Champs-Élysées via in-store animation, premiere parties and makeup appointments. With many of Paris's famous nightclubs nearby, local French socialites will also be invited in for pre-party makeup applications, complete with an in-store DJ on occasion.

"What we have created with the Champs-Élysées's store - as with our other flagships - is a unique and special retail experience," concludes Gager. "Addressing the shopper is the best way for the brand to evolve. As our flagships demonstrate, as our customers evolve, so will we. We are a brand that always likes to keep moving."

M·A·C champs-Élysées at a glance

LOCATION

78 Champs-Élysées, Paris, France

HOURS

Open 10am - 10pm weekdays; 10am - 12am weekends,
360 days per year.


STAFF

34 Artists with an international profile

SPACE

362 sqm

ABOUT M·A·C COSMETICS
M·A·C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), a leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 and is part of The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. The company's popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in 79 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M·A·C on Twitter @MACcosmetics (twitter.com/maccosmetics), become a M·A·C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/maccosmetics), watch M·A·C videos on YouTube and find our M·A·C Senior Artists at macartiststweets.com

(the above is a press release)

Review: LORAC Mint Edition Palette

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I saw this on the SEPHORA website and immediately had to have it. I adore LORAC eye shadows. They are creamy and have great pigmentation. What I liked about this is that it is all retro, reminding us of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Plus, the mint eye shadow was calling to me, mint green and my red hair look great together (complementary colors on the color wheel). This palette has 8 eye shadows, a blush, highlighter and a lip gloss.

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DSC00950There are 4 matte shades and 4 shimmer shades. The 4 mattes are: cream, taupe, mint and black. The 4 shimmers are: creamy white, mushroom, deep clay and bronze. The blush is a bright coral shade and the highlighter is a light champagne color. The lip gloss is called Retro and is a nice nude pink shade. As you can see from the swatches, even the lightest shades swatched well.

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Above are some looks that are on the back of the box. My look is a little different, because I know what looks good with my eye shape. I took the mushroom shimmer color and used it in the crease, then took the deep clay color and blended it below that to make the crease look deeper. The bronze shimmer color was used in the outer edge of the eye and below the eye. I used mint on the lid (I adore this matte!!!) and then used the shimmery creamy white shade just under the brow. To line the upper lid I used MAC’s Superslick Liquid Liner in Defiantly Feline. I used MAC’s Extreme Dimension Lash in Black. On my cheeks I used the beautiful coral blush that was included in the palette. And above my cheeks I placed the highlighter there, just grazing the cheekbone. The Retro lip gloss, a creamy nude pink, is a perfect complement to this palette.

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I’m not going to lie. I LOVE this palette. It has to be one of my favorites. Why? The shadows are of a very high quality: great pigmentation, soft, creamy, etc. There is some fallout and when the brush hits the shadow there is a lot of powder fallout but these are great LORAC eye shadows. The blush and highlighter are very nice. The lip gloss is nice. Plus I like the color combinations. It will be great for travel too. I think it is a great palette for the money. Ah! How much is it? Well, it is a little more than the usual cost of most of these palettes, $42.00, but for me I don’t mind. The palette is available only online at SEPHORA and Ulta. It might be on the LORAC Cosmetics site later on. Let me know what you think of this palette if you have it!

 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Review: Thymes Frasier Fir Bar Soap

 

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Because I have a compromised immune system, I wash my hands constantly. I use liquid soaps, bar soaps, and hand sanitizers. My hands end up very dry as a result of this. I want soap that doesn’t dry out my hands so much. I also want fragrances that are pleasing to me and my husband and kids, who have to use the soaps too.

I was excited to receive the Thymes Frasier Fir Bar Soap. Most would think that this would be limited to just the holidays, but it’s not. This soap is a good addition to the home for the entire winter season. The soap itself is 5.5 oz. ($10.00) and its fragrance comes from Siberian Fir needles, Cedarwood, Sandalwood and Musk. All of this together makes the Frasier Fir a strong yet not displeasing scent. The soap itself is an all vegetable soap combining glycerin and crushed apricot kernels to exfoliate and gently cleanse.

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Unwrap the soap and find an adorable tree on the large square bar soap. Wash with it and the later is very creamy. After rinsing it leaves hands soft and lightly scented with the Frasier Fir scent. I like it because my hands don’t feel dry. This is the type of item that is great to keep around during the winter, Thymes is promoting their Frasier fir collection right now: http://www.thymes.com/Fragrances/Frasier-Fir/, they have a cleaner, various candles, dishwashing liquid, hand lotion and home fragrance. For me having these scents around after the holidays can keep the memories alive just a little bit longer…

 

(This product was sent for consideration, the opinions expressed here are mine alone)

 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Review: pur minerals Limited Edition Collection Inspired by the Film Beautiful Creatures

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I must admit that this is actually a makeup line I have not tried before. However, my first impression of pur minerals is a great one. Pur minerals is a line of color cosmetics and skin care treatments designed for optimal skin fitness. The line has been around since 2002. They design their products so that the ingredients are great for the skin, offer exceptional coverage, and multitask to eliminate the need for complicated regimens.

The movie Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural, romantic film based on the young adult novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The main character struggles to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. One secret could change everything. Stars include: Emmy Rossum, Emma Thompson, Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, and Alden Ehrenreich. The film hits theaters on February 14, 2013.

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The eye shadows are (left to right) are: Supernatural (nude shimmer), Siren (moss shimmer), Spellbound (neutral matte), Fate (mushroom shimmer), Fantasy (violet shimmer), Secret (pink matte), Forbidden (taupe shimmer) and Cursed (plum shimmer). There is a nice brush included with the palette. The set includes Black Magic (black) eyeliner and Lust (clear light pink) lip gloss.

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As you can see from the swatches, all of the eye shadows have great pigment. In fact, this is first time I have never had any problems swatching eye shadows before. All of them are very pigmented, even the light ones. tones though, no bright ones. These are shadows that would create nice smoky eye looks. The eye shadows are also extremely soft and buttery. Another great thing is that there was no fallout when I applied the eye shadows. A plus! I am very happy with these, which is a good thing considering this is the first time I have tried this line. The black eyeliner tugged when it went on, it was not as smooth as I expected it to be. I was a little disappointed in it. The pink lip gloss is nice, a clear pink without way too much pigment but a color I can keep in my purse and use. The lip gloss isn’t too sticky and will wear okay, not way too long though.

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For my look, I used the following eye shadows from the palette: Fate in the crease, then Fantasy below Fate to create a deeper look in the crease. Then I took Cursed and used it in the outer corner of the eye with Fate. I used Fate and Cursed under the eye. I used Secret under the brow and on the lid. I took Black Magic eye liner and used it under the eye very lightly to line and also on the upper lid very lightly. For mascara I used L’Oreal’s Voluminous Power Volume 24 HR in Black Smoke to really give some good, smoky lashes. I wanted the eye to be kind of soft and smoky. On my cheeks I used Nars Gaiety, my new favorite blush. On my lips I used the Lust lip gloss over Cover Girl’s Sublime lip liner mixed with e.l.f.’s Lip Definer & Shaper (I use this on my lips all the time now under all lip items).

Verdict: I LOVE this palette. The shadows are phenomenal. So soft, buttery and pigmented. No, they aren’t bright but they are perfect for smoky eye looks. I need to look at what else pur minerals offers. This is a nice tie in to the movie. This set is available at www.purminerals.com for $39.00.

(This set was sent for consideration. My opinions are all my own.)

 

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Review: SEPHORA PRO Palette in Warm #SEPHORA #PROPaletteinWarm

(product photo courtesy of www.sephora,com )  SEPHORA PRO Palette in Warm $68.00 This deluxe eyeshadow palette with 38 warm color...

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