Some New Items at Sephora

Browsing the Sephora site for a new shampoo and conditioner (I'm open to recommendations for my straight, fine, dry hair) and "natural" mascara I discovered some new, intriguing items! What do you think? Are any of these going on your wishlist?

• Josie Maran Eye Love You Too Palette ($42)
• Josie Maran Fresh Faced and Romantic Beauty ($52)
• Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful Palette-Pretty ($60)
• Korres Natural Look Antioxidant Color Collection ($32.50)
• Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Bath and Body Collection ($40-$55)
• Shiseido Collector's Edition Makeup Palette ($50)
• Stila All Over Shimmer Duo ($22)
• Sephora Collection Perfecting Color Concealer ($16)
• Stila Coconut Crush Lip and Cheek Stain ($24)
• Tarte Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmer Powder ($30)
• Pacifica I Love Fragrance Five Solid Perfumes Set ($25)

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

I rarely if ever buy anything Stila (though it was the first high end brand that I collected extensively) but as I was wandering around Sephora on this hot, humid, icky sticky day, the word "waterproof" on the display caught my eye and drew me to this liner. I'm trying to put together a super-fast, super light, super long-lasting summer look and a vibrant indelible liner seems like just the ticket!

According to Sephora, "this highly pigmented, waterproof eye liner glides on to deliver intense, vibrant color with staying power. Soft, smooth, and easy on the eyes, Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner creates a high metallic, sultry, inky intensity that lasts."

These liners are $20 each and glide on effortlessly with both deep, rich color and noticeable shimmer, then set for the day. I had to use makeup remover to clean the swatches off of my hand. I picked up Purple Tang, a deep, dark purple that shimmers a metallic bright, blue-purple in one light, and a bold grape-plum in another. It's a very pretty, complex, unusual color that I hope will really bring out my green eyes. Because the base is black, I think that a very thin line of this would be appropriate even for daytime.

New Wishlist Item!

I am a huge sucker for cream blushes and even though I have one on order (the new Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint in Tenne) I'm already clamoring for another one! The new Stila One Step PrimeColor is paraben and fragrance free and sounds perfect for summer!

"This revolutionary new formula combines primer, eyeshadow, highlighter, lip color, cheek color, and bronzer with mineral pigments to deliver an innovative, high-definition, long-wearing, all-over color. One Step PrimeColor is formulated with Stila's Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex™, which reads and reacts to the skin zone-by-zone, visibly priming, balancing, correcting, and optimizing for a supremely flawless finish. The formula is hydrating and balancing and and reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Shades will include matte or shimmer finishes."

It's $22, comes in 6 shades (Capri Coral is calling me) and is available on Sephora.

Stila Twilight Shadow (or My Small Sephora Haul)

I really wanted the new Josie Maran sunscreen from Sephora but it's not yet stocked in any stores in the city. This meant that if I wanted to take advantage of the VIB 15% off, I'd have to place an online order and needed to spend an additional $18 to receive free shipping. Spend $18 to save $6. I know, it's perverse.

I've never worn a silver eye shadow in my life but all of a sudden I had a craving for one that I had to satisfy, kind of like when I pass Crumbs and I know that the last thing I need is a cupcake and yet I'm powerless to resist. After perusing Sephora for some time, I settled on Stila Twilight. [Just as an aside, when did Stila eye shadows become $18 for the pan with another $2 for the case? Back in my freshman year of college when my whole collection was Stila I think they were an extremely reasonable $14. I do not want to pay $20 for a shadow by a company that makes a talking lip palette, but maybe that's just my preference. The joke's on me though since I bought it anyway!]

This shadow has a really divine texture--smooth, creamy, and with enough pigment and shimmer to show up as silver and not grayish white, but not so much that my coworkers will think I've just come from a rave. (Do they have raves anymore? I have no idea. Man, I'm getting old). I did have some fading by the end of the day but I was using the primer that came in the Tarte 500 Point Perk Kit and not my usual lovely Laura Mercier Eye Basics so your mileage may vary. I wore it with a very, very thin line of black liner, black mascara, and soft peachy pink cheeks and lips (Paul and Joe 16 Face Color and 40 Lipstick) and it was a very nice look overall, and different for me.

I've only used it once so it's too early for a full review, but I really liked the Josie Maran sunscreen today. Look for a review in a week or so. I'm also kind of enamored of the Tarte 500 Point Perk Kit. If that's still available when you place your Sephora order, it's worth picking up.

Favorite Eye Shadow Brushes

I've been wanting to post about my favorite eye shadow brushes for quite a while, but I just cannot seem to take good pictures of them! Part of the problem is my hateful camera (though it's pretty much new so I'm unlikely to replace it any time soon) and the other part is that I don't find brush all that photogenic! :) Some of these brushes are relatively old but have stood the test of time very well thanks to good quality and regular washing, and others are somewhat new. Here is some information on my favorite face brushes as well. From left to right:

• MAC 213- perfect for laying color down on the lid or applying to the lid and sweeping up into the crease. It's a very soft, light to medium density brush.
• Rock & republic 202- unfortunately the barrel on this is so round that it absolutely will not lay flat for a photo! This tapers to a rounded point and is larger and much more dense than the MAC 213. I use it to apply lightly pigmented shadows or when I want a deep color payoff.
• Chanel 3- one of my all time favorites! It applies shadow to the outer corner with ease and the chiseled tip allows for precise placement. A true staple.
• Fresh 20 Eye Define- unfortunately this has been discontinued but it's the ultimate, perfect crease brush. It's the ideal shape for getting right into that space and is soft enough for blending colors out.
  
• Stila Brush 5- this was probably my first high end brush almost 10 years ago and I still use it nearly every day! It is the perfect size, shape and density for laying down base color. A staple I wouldn't want to be without.
• Chanel 12- I don't much about them but I really love the Chanel brushes I have, this one being no exception. It's very soft and fluffy and I use it to blend my shadow after application for a seamless look. the handle is nicely weighted and it feels and performs like a quality brush.

Out of the Archives

There's something great about checking out a blog and seeing a brand new, pristine product. A never-before-touched item takes a fabulous picture, and can definitely make someone want to run out and try it for themselves! However, as a true makeup junkie, I think that there's something equally if not more special about a well used, clearly loved item! It's nice to check out what people are actually using among their collection instead of merely documenting, and seeing some "more senior" items makes me nostalgic for the particular time in my life in which I procured them. The that end, in a fit of weeding through my makeup, I came upon some of my old, dear products and thought I'd share!

Stila Double Duty Peach Palette
This palette has to be 5 years old (and I half-heartedly apologize to all of the beauty magazine editors who exclaim that we should toss makeup items after a year or so) but is still one of the best, most versatile palettes ever made in my opinion. It contains shadows in Buff, Brick, Twig and Amber, and blushes in Persimmon and Tint. These are the older Stila single eye shadows that had an amazingly smooth, creamy texture and were uber-pigmented. Stila single blushes were THE blushes to have before NARS came about and every time I use these I remember why--they're subtle but gorgeously color the cheek and brighten the face. The palette features a huge mirror, perfect for travel to boot. After all of these years, the products haven't changed texture or given any indication that they've gone 'off' and so it will remain well-loved in my collection until it's used up!

Calvin Klein Cosmetics Eye Shadow Palette
While there have been three incarnations of Calvin Klein Cosmetics, all of which rode off into the makeup sunset, it is the second venture that I greatly loved and sorely miss. I believe that it was only at Nordstrom and Sephora, and featured a sophisticated neutral palette of products housed in chic lucite compacts. In addition to your traditional makeup items such as powder eye shadows and lipsticks, Calvin Klein has these unbelievable sheer washes of eye shadow, cream blush, sueded lip tints and mousse highlighters. Everything was wearable and flattering, and I cannot fathom why it was discontinued, and why it was relaunched several years down the line with a teenybopper flair. This eye shadow palette has served me well over the years, as has the high quality included brush, and contains colors I still haven't been able to exactly dupe (Aubergine, Granite, Almondine, Espresso and Khaki). Almondine is a flattering shimmery base, Espresso is the ideal bittersweet liner, and Khaki is super in the crease.
Chanel Glossimer Extreme in Emotion
I am completely embarrassed at how old this is, but I just cannot beat to get rid of it. I believe these debuted in 2004 or so but in my defense, the product doesn't seem to have gone bad at all. I honestly might even consider using it if it was bad, I love it so much (which is why it's still around--it's use gets rationed quite strictly and it only comes out on special occasions). The Glossimer Extremes debuted to a giant thud and bad reviews. In fact, I may be the only person who actually liked them! I think the problem was that people heard the name and expected a smooth, creamy gloss and these have no relation to their Glossimer cousins in anything but name and tube. The Extremes are dry-textured creams that apply with a doe-foot and remain soft on the lips but last forever. There really is no other product on the market like them and I find the way they feel totally addictive. They're weightless and saturated and not the kind of thing your hair will ever get stuck in. And the color. The color! Hands down the best peachy pink with holographic shimmer ever produced. From time to time I break Emotion out, head over to a beauty floor and seek a suitable alternative, but I've always left empty handed as nothing compares. I've thought about sending it to Three Custom Color Specialists for duplication but I know that there's no way they could replicate the texture and since they're my last hope for the color, if they couldn't get it quite right, I'd be despondent (okay not really, but I'd be super bummed). For now, I'll press my luck, continue to use it, and hope for the best. Chanel, bring these back!!!

So what's in your beauty archive? What favorites have you kept around for years and still enjoy? Do you like seeing old favorites on display, or do you prefer to see only pristine items?