Small Blog Sale!

I have a ton of lovely extras and goodies to toss in! I'd like to sell the whole lot at once for $60 (which includes shipping) or best offer, but first come first served. The Chanel concealer alone was $40, and the Becca Beach Tint $25. Everything is in great condition and just needs a loving home. :) Please email newyorkcitypretty at gmail dot com if interested or if you hve questions.

• Becca Beach Tint in Grapefruit, used twice
• Bobbi Brown Lip Shine in Blush (used twice), Lip Shimmer in Berry Shimmer (more of a peachy beigey neutral; used twice), Bare Escentuals Blush in Golden Gate (peachy glowy rose; used about 6 times)
• Redpoint Optic Effects Pencil (used 3 times), Chanel Lip Liner in Natural (used twice), MAC Cremestick Pearl Lip Liner in Gingeroot (used 3 times), Laura Mercier Eye Shadow Duo in Gold Dust/Sheherazade (pan form, tested once), Tarte Eye Shadow in The Real McCoy (dip in upper corner but remainder of shadow is untouched)
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• Chanel Correction Perfection Concealer in 10 (used twice), Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 3 (used 3 times), Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Protective Lip Balm (used twice), Tarte Mini Natural Cheek Stain in Glisten (limited edition, used once)
• Senna Secret Set Mineral Mix Setting Powder (used 3 times, no dips)
• Orly Nail Lacquer in Space Cadet (one manicure), Sephora by OPI Nail Colors in Iris I was Thinner (one manicure) and Read My Palm (one manicure and one pedicure), Midnight Mambo (one manicure and one pedicure), Paul & Joe Nail Enamel in 04 (one manicure)

Taupe Craze!

I had vowed no more eye shadows, but I stopped into the Lancome boutique today and stumbled upon the new Color Design Eye Brightening All In One 5 Shadow Palette and Liner Palettes ($48). Taupe Craze was just too pretty to leave without! These shadows are unbelievably smooth and pigmented and extremely high quality. Lancome doesn't get nearly enough love, and these will make a convert out of the skeptical. I purchased Brush 8 ($26.50) to use with it. Technically a concealer brush, this tapered taklon number is what the makeup artist recommended to use. It deposits pigment well and has a sharp enough edge to use as a liner brush as well.

Go. Buy. This. Polish.

Here is my manicure of the week. This nail polish was under $3 I believe at Duane Reade and is beyond stunning. It's a pale lilac with holographic microshimmer that I cannot stop staring at. And this is taken with a flash--you should see it in the sunlight! Prevail Nail Lacquer in Concrete Jungle--prettiest polish ever. Click on the image to enlarge and see some of the detail.

Staple Eye of the Day

I dusted off some old favorites for today's look: Rock & Republic shadows in Veil, Affair and Diffusion, Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee and Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. This picture was taken after about 10 hours of wear. My mascara has wilted a bit but the shadows and liner are still going strong. I wish Rock & Republic had stuck around--I would have loved to see new shades and products from the line given how high quality I found nearly every product I tried from them.

Quelle Horreur!

Horror of horrors, I arrived at work yesterday and promptly realized that:
A. I had become a human popsicle, and
B. I left my lipstick at home and somehow had no other lipstick or gloss in my purse

While the former probably won't change until the weather warms up in March, across the street from my office is a Company Store, one of the 'By Invitation Only' Cosmetic Company Outlets. I picked up a Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Blush Rose, a soft warm pink. While I generally dislike lip products in pots, this was the best color choice available.

My very favorite lipstick is Bobbi's Creamy Lip Color in Baby, and this is a few shades brighter and pinker. It applies sheerly, as you can see in the swatch. I'm not terribly fond of this formulation in pan form--the product is just too soft. I only applied it twice and you can see the dent that it has made already--pan is visible! If you're the type that can never finish a lipstick and want to experience that satisfaction, I highly endorse the Creamy Lip Color. I go through tubes of it extremely quickly.
Blush Rose is no longer available on the Bobbi Brown site, but check your local CCOs. Here it is compared to Bobbi Brown Baby and Gilded Pink (yes, the majority of my lipsticks look similar to one another).
Baby, Blush Rose, Gilded Pink:

Chanel Glossimer in Meteore

I had a couple of minutes to kill right by Bloomingdales the other day and all of a sudden found myself at the Chanel counter swatching Glossimers. I'm not a gloss person and have never been interested in the Glossimers before, but the gorgeousness of Meteore won me over and it came home with me!

Meteore is a deep sheer pink with the most beautiful holographic iridescent shimmer. It can feel a little gritty and the color is much more subtle on the lips than in the tube. No scent or taste and not too sticky, I'm a fan of the formula, certainly more so than the price (which I believe was around $32 with tax).

Origins Brighter By Nature™ SPF 30 Skin Tone Correcting Makeup

I've always loved Origins Silk Screen Refining Powder Makeup. I had considered it a holy grail but switched to Bare Escentuals Matte a few months ago, mainly out of a combination of boredom and curiosity. I find myself shiny by mid-day with the BE and when I saw that Origins had a new powder foundation with SPF 30, I jumped.

This oil and talc-free powder is designed to absorb shine and gently illuminate with a small amount of mica. I only use powder on my t-zone to mattify and even out the skin a bit so I cannot attest to how it fares over cheeks, but so far I really like it. The included sponge provides medium to full coverage and the product doesn't look too chalky on the skin the way some powder foundations can. The shade selection is pretty good (though I wish there were neutral shades and not just cool and warm) and the price is right at $27.50.