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.

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.

A Brief Interlude In The Prolonged Dry Spell

Well the makeup drought seems to be ongoing. I went to NJ today for the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and didn't even peek into Sephora or Neimans, and I only quickly scanned the Beauty Exclusives. I did pick up a Chanel Paradoxal and a replacement Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby, which really has turned out to be my Holy Grail. I've used up but a few lip products in my life and this is one of them. I'll post more on Paradoxal later this week, but so far it's not rocking my world. It's much more gray and flat that one would think from the bottle.

My Laura Mercier Gilt order arrived on Friday! Included was a Satinee Creme Shadow in Ecru Silk and a gift set containing this palette along with three mini glosses and a brush:
The shades are: Vanilla Nuts/Coffee Ground, Gold Dust/Sherazade and Primrose/Kir Royale.

The palette is the newer refillable version so I can swap shades in and out for travel and when I get bored! I'm not a huge pink/purple person so I just may have to head to a counter soon to find a suitable alternative for the Primrose/Kir Royale spot.

I found the Ecru Silk Satinee Creme Shadow to be cakey and streaky, and effect I never experienced with Laura Mericer Metallic Creme Shadows. It promptly found a home with my mother.

The glosses are sheer but beautiful and deserve a post all their own.

A Quick Update On The Mixer

I previously reviewed The Mixer from Geri G Cosmetics, lamenting that the high quality product was overshadowed by the unnecessarily strong fragrance it contains. It's funny--though my initial reaction was lukewarm, I find myself wanting to purchase loose eye shadows so that I can use this more and more! It's sweltering here in the city and a pigment mixed with The Mixer and applied with a taklon brush takes all of 30 seconds to put on lasts all day on my eyes with no creasing and no maintenance. Alima Paris and The Mixer endured an 18 hour day that included 6 subway rides, a full workday and a Yankee game with nary a crease last week. Of course, I threw out all of my Bare Escentuals and other loose pigments during my last purge, and now it looks as through I'm going to end up reinvesting! MAC Naked is on my list and I'd love to hear your other favorite loose shadows!

Face of the Day!

I unearthed an old(er) MAC Quad today and wanted to use it!

Eyes:
MAC Blanc Type lash to brow (over Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen)
MAC Naked lunch in and above the crease
MAC Copperplate in the outer corner
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon
Korres Mascara
(The other MAC shadow in the Quad is Sensualize)

Cheeks:
Rock & Republic Rumor
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Maui
Julie Hewett Goldie Shimmy to highlight the tops of my cheekbones

Lips:
Laura Mercier Tiger Lily Stickgloss

The Mixer

I purchased The Mixer at The Makeup Show and it was one of the purchases that excited me that most. I wanted to give myself a good amount of time to play with it before reviewing, and I'm finally ready to weigh in!

The Mixer is from Geri G Cosmetics and is touted as a "revolutionary makeup enhancer."
The Mixer ($29) can be used as a primer, brow and lash enhancer, to extend the wear of products and my preferred use, turning loose and powder products into creams. I purchased The Mixer because I love cream blushes and shadows and it would enable me to turn my favorite powder shades into long-wearing, water-resistant creams. It is also paraben-free and contains aloe, vitamins, natural botanicals, titanium dioxide for some sun protection, Nanomarine-5 and is said to be irritation free.

The product dispenses from the pump is a white cream with a bit of a waxy feel.

I pump a bit out onto my hand, add a bit of powder, mix with my fingers and apply. The Mixer has a bit of mica in it for added luminosity. It takes super-metallic and shimmery mineral shadows, like Alima Paris (below) and gives them more of a velvety finish. I then just apply with my fingers or a brush and the color sets for all-day wear.

With Mixer on the left, swatched alone on the right:
In natural light, no flash:
I've also used The Mixer to turn powder blushes into creams. I use the same technique as above. If you have problems with your blush lasting, this will make a big improvement. The Mixer also intensifies the color quite a bit, solving the problem if you have blushes that do not show up or are just a few shades too light.

Here is Bare Escentuals Golden Gate blush, alone on the left and with The Mixer on the right. With flash:

And here in natural light without flash:

So the good: The Mixer definitely adds versatility to my makeup collection and I love the ease of turning loose shadows and blushes into creams for easy application and water-resistant, long-lasting makeup. There's no learning curve and it allows you to completely control the depth of color and pigment level you achieve. Change product finishes and textures with ease.

And the bad: I have two big issues with The Mixer. First, it's highly fragranced. I didn't realize this at the show and would not have purchased it if I had. It's what is keeping me from recommending the product wholeheartedly. Fragrance is the last ingredient but I find the scent to be very strong and it takes a long time to dissipate. I'm very reluctant to use The Mixer to create eyeliners (one possible use I was most looking forward to trying) because I do not want to risk irritation by getting something this perfumed into my eyes. I cannot see what the purpose of having any fragrance in a product like this is, let alone one this strong. Though the brand claims that The Mixer has been allergy tested, is MD and Plastic Surgeon endorsed and is irritation free, those sensitive to fragrance should steer clear.

I also have issues with The Mixer balling up if I try to blend too much. Once the product has set, it's set, and any further blending can cause it to ball up or flake off.

The Mixer is also available in a kit with the M Brush, a little mixing spatula and an instructional DVD for $39.

Vapour Beauty Mesmerize Eye Color in Flash

I'm slowly making my way through the Spirit Beauty Lounge samples I ordered, starting with Vapour Beauty Mesmerize Eye Color in Flash. I finally got contacts on Friday after 28 years of wearing glasses (yes, I am that old and yes, I plan to be 29 forever) and wanted to be sure I wouldn't risk any eye irritation with a powder shadow today.

Mesmerize Eye Color ($16) is a cream shadow in stick form that stays a bit dewy. There is no powder finish to these. I didn't experience any creasing issues, but I do not have problems with cream shadows creasing and wore this over my Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen. Flash is a brown with slight pink tones. I thought that it would make me look tired and ill when I first noticed the pinkiness but surprisingly, it glistened and appeared fresh!

The color range on these is limited--only five shades and two of those are pink and red--but the product made for a quick, simple eye with zero irritation.

My Spirit Beauty Lounge Order

I first learned about Spirit Beauty Lounge from some of the wonderful posters on Emakemeup's Grapevine. Spirit Beauty Lounge was offering 15% off over the Memorial Day Weekend and I took advantage and placed an order!

I love organic and natural beauty lines and am so excited to have found this amazing purveyor of chic, organic and natural products! The site carries a range of brands including Vapour Beauty, RMS Beauty, Alima, Intelligent Nutrients, Revolution Organics, Priti, Yarok and more. One of the coolest offerings is the ability to purchase samples of any 9 products, makeup included, for $15. Everything came beautifully wrapped, tied with pretty pink bows, and they included many extra free samples.
Free Samples:

The first item I ordered is Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Radiant Blush in Intrigue, a shimmery peachy pink blush stick shot through with gold shimmer. The ingredients are 70& organic, the other 30% being minerals, pigments, and vitamins not available as certified organic. This is a beautiful product that you can feel good about putting on your skin.

It may sound silly but even the box this comes in is lovely--right down to the hot pink lining. The tube is a shimmery blue plastic. The product itself has a very dewy texture and the blush is not heavily pigmented and blends well. All of the products have a light passion fruit scent but I don't find it overwhelming and it dissipated almost immediately once applied. These are $28 each. I really look forward to trying more from this line.
Here is Intrigue in the stick:
And swatched:
Next up is Priti Nail Polish in Firecandle. Priti polishes ($12.50) are non-toxic and free of toluene, formaldehyde and DPBs. Firecandle is a bright hot pink with shimmer, perfect for summer!
The color up close:
I also ordered a Sweet Beauty Lip Balm in Taste. These all natural skin and body products are infused with real fine chocolate and blended with superfoods and antioxidants. Taste ($5.50) is said to have a hint of color but goes on virtually clear. As you can see in the swatch, there is barely any pigment. It smells absolutely delicious and the good-for-you-ingredients mean you don't have to feel bad if you give in and lick some off of your lips!

Ingredients:
Beeswax, Babassu Seed Oil, Sweet Cherry Oil, Organic Fair Trade Certified Chocolate, Aloe Vera Oil, Avocado Oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Cranberry Seed Oil, Black and Red Raspberry Seed Oil, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Cocoa Absolute, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E T-50
Swatched:
Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer Eye Shadow in Paris ($9.00) is a super shimmery sandy golden taupe. I need another eye shadow like I need a hole in my head but this one really is beautiful and I think I'll get a lot of use out of it.

I was so excited to order my customized sample kit! Clockwise from top upper left I received:
Vapour Beauty Elixir Lip Gloss in Sultry (now totally on my wishlist. It's gorgeous), RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Promise, Vapour Beauty Mesmerize Eye Color in Flash, Organic Apoteke Detox Mask, Vapour Beauty Siren Lipstick in Hint, Vapour Beauty Stratus Instant Skin Perfector, RMS Beauty Living Luminizer and Vapour Beauty Solar Bronzer in Mirage. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you can get a better view of the colors.

Look how adorably they all came packaged:

The final item I ordered is the only one that disappointed. Aromatherapy Personals Anxiety Relief sounded fabulous--a nourishing elixir you roll on pulse points containing essential oils known to help reduce anxiety and promote inner calm, including lavender, chamomile, rosewood and sweet orange. I find that Origins Peace of Mind helps with my migraines and also with work-related stress, and this aromatherapeutic equivalent of Xanax seemed like just the thing to tuck into my purse for those moments when it seems like everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Here's the problem: for the whole aromatherapy thing to work, you have to be able to actually smell the product! This scent fades away almost immediately rendering it totally ineffective. At $17 I was expecting more and can't recommend this. I don't know if I received one from a bad batch or if all of the different blends have this issue. For now I guess I'll just open it up and try to smell it from the bottle in trying times!

Overall I'm super pleased with my Spirit Beauty Lounge experience and totally recommend them. My order was placed over a holiday weekend and shipped right out on Monday. The offer free shipping on orders over $100 and I received a coupon when I signed up to receive their emails.

Current Obessions

I go through phases when I can't get the idea of a articular brand or product out of head. Sometimes it's something that I already own and want to wear all of the time. In other instances it's something I can't wait to try.

Some of my latest obsessions include the following:

MAC Eye Shadow in Grain and Edward Bess Eye Shadow in Dusk- both always look great, no matter how tired I am or what other makeup I have on.
Crown Brush Pointed Crease Brush (C139) and Lancome Black Coffee Le Crayon Kohl Eye Liner- the brush is one of the best crease brushes I've used. The shape is perfect for both the socket and outer corner. The eye liner is a deep dark brown that makes the white of your eyes look brighter, and the formula is smooth and silky enough that you can get right up against the lash line with no tugging. It works on the inner rim as well.
Rock & Republic Imitate Mousse Blush in Rumor- this is my favorite blush out of all that I own. The texture is sublime and the shade is perfect. I'm so sad that the line is discontinued. Even though Rock & republic pops up from time to time on sample sale websites, none of them have had the mousse blushes. I'd definitely stock up if I found this one again!
Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint in Eco Pink- I love tinted balms in the summer and that fact that this one is natural and 95% organic is a huge benefit! Not only is the ginger scent uplifting, but the shade is a spot on--a sheer warm pink. Please excuse how jagged the tip looks; I almost destroyed it trying to take the picture!

Those are some products I already own that I'm loving, but my wishlist keeps growing! Right now I'm obsessing over Vapour Beauty, another organic line. The Aura Radiant Blush and Elixir Lip Gloss are calling my name! I wish I didn't have to order these sigh unseen but they are not available in brick and mortar stores as far as I know.

29 Cosmetics Highlighting Cream Blush is also at the top of the list. According to Neiman's it's a "real honest-to-goodness healthy glow packed with antioxidants that leave the skin naturally looking "blushed" not made up." This line is only carried in a few stores, none of which are on the east coast.

Finally, I'm also totally obsessed with Whole Foods 365 Caribbean Frozen Fruit Bars- strawberry, mango and coconut flavored deliciousness and only 110 calories per bar. It seriously tastes like vacation!

My Haul From The Makeup Show-L'Oreal Gift Bag

L'Oreal had a both at the Makeup Show allowing their HiP line of products to be played with, but had nothing for sale. Instead, attendees left with extremely generous gift bags of full size products.

Magic Perfecting Base is a thick, creamy, silicone-based primer designed to smooth lines and hide pores. It blends on easily (I tried it under my undereye concealer) and has that velvety feeling typical of silicone primers. It is fragrance and paraben-free.
I was admittedly shocked by the pigment levels in the HiP Metallic Shadow Duos in Platinum and Gilded. They are very pigmented, very metallic and very cool! I'd have to blend these down quite a bit to wear to the office but they would be very fun for a night out. The lighter shades create a foiled look without needing to be used wet and the darker shades would be nice as a liner. I rarely buy drugstore makeup and had never tried HiP before but these are definitely impressive. If they had duos in more natural/me shades I would pick one up, despite finding the packaging overly and unnecessarily bulky.
HiP Color Presso glosses in Spunky and Chic were also included. The packaging on these is a little odd and takes some getting used to, since the two shades are in 2 separate chambers. You can squeeze just one tube for that color individually, or press both to release both colors which can be mixed on your lips. Both Presso and Chic blend to sheerish berries--the first cooler and the second with some warmth. They have a sweet smell and aren't too sticky on the lips. I don't have many berry shades and Chic looked very nice on! The tubes are cool looking but large and a little awkward to store or fit into a makeup bag.

These was also a Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and the 24 Hour Lash Boosting Power System which contains a Double Extend Mascara and Lash Boosting Serum. I used Voluminous way back when and liked it but had never tried the Double Extend or the Serum.
I kind of just tossed these aside when I received them since I use only natural mascaras. With blond lashes I need to really work my mascara into the roots of my lashes and inevitably get mascara right on the underside of my lid. The idea of a multitude of chemicals being absorbed through a membrane line that really concerned me so I jumped on the "natural" mascara bandwagon early on, using Korres primarily but also Tarte. I had been happy with the look of both.
Last night I decided that it couldn't hurt just to try the Double Extend just once. I applied the white primer and then 2 coats of the mascara and had a total OMG moment. My lashes looked AMAZING. Unbelievably long and full, verging on fake, which is an amazing feat for my short, puny, blonde lashes. I've never been this impressed with a mascara. Now I'm torn--do I use the mascara chock full of parabens and other chemicals but makes my lashes unbelievable, or the less potentially harmful one that gives me merely nice ones? Hmmmm...

Here is the ingredient list for the set:

My Haul From The Makeup Show-Inglot

Inglot is a line that is new to me, but has been around for over 25 years. They have many boutiques around the globe, with a large number of them being is Australia and only one US outlet, located in Times Square. I was extremely excited when I learned that they would have a booth at the New York Makeup Show, as I've been interested in the line since I stumbled upon their website and, like many native NYCers, I avoid Times Square as much as humanly possible and a visit to the boutique could have been put off for months.

The line seems to be divided into two branches: the Freedom System and individual, a la carte products. The Freedom System allows users to put together their own palette with everything from eye shadows to lipstick. Palettes are magnetized and offer an almost infinite number of combinations. At the show, the wait to create a Freedom Palette was over an hour and so I concentrated on items more quickly and easily obtained!

Inglot's cream and liquid blushes drew my attention immediately. The creams are in small pots and come in 15 shades, all of which seem incredibly wearable. The texture stayed slightly dewy and blended effortlessly. The liquids have a thin, spreadable formula and appear much better on the skin than the Make Up For Ever's incarnation, which to my eye are too matte, dry and powdery. There are 8 liquid shades to choose from. Unfortunately, the area around the blushes was so crowded and cramped every time I went to play that I had a hard time trying everything and deciding what to buy. Many shades were missing from the display at any given time as other show-goers grabbed, dabbed and sampled them. When I do head to the Inglot store, the blushes will be at the top of my list of tings to try.

I did end up with an eye shadow and a lip gloss. The shadow, number 378, is from the matte range and is a deep, dark browned plum. I bought it to use as a cake eyeliner and it hasn't disappointed me. Mixed with a smidge of water it goes on dark and pigmented. The show price was $9.

The lip product is from the Sleeks CREAM Lip Paint line. Packaged like a lip gloss, the formula is very smooth with no stickiness at all. It applies like a liquid lipstick and leaves a nice stain behind. It is scented similarly to Hourglass glosses (think sweet cake batter) and has a doe foot applicator. The shade I purchased, 90, is perfect for summer. It's a vibrant corally rosy pink that I think would work on most skin tones. At $8 I consider i a great buy!

Shadow and Lip Paint:

Sleeks CREAM Lip Paint 90:

I look forward to trying more from Inglot, starting with the blushes. I appreciate that many items are paraben-free, reasonably priced and that the shade selection selection is vast. Their website lists store locations world wide.

Have you tried Inglot? What are your thoughts?

NARS Angelique Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment

Backed when I owned NARS Exhibit A blush, I always had the most difficult time coordinating a lip look with it. On my the blush had rosy, red, and peachy orange tones that harmonized well, but were difficult to replicate in a lipstick. For those that have and wear Exhibit A, NARS Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment in Angelique is the perfect counterpart.

The Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatments are slim, waxy tinted balms with SPF 15 and moisturizing mango butter. All of the shades (there are 6 total) are quite sheer, with Angelique having the most color. It's described as sheer strawberry and to me is a rosy red with just a hint of orangey coral. It's perfect for summer! The downside is that it is quite sheer and quite expensive for a tinted balm at $25. Sephora only seems to have 4 of the 6 shades, but Nordstrom and Blue Mercury have the full lot.
And just for fun, here is my eye look of the day:

• Becca Satin lash to crease
• Becca Tweed in the outer 3/4 of the crease
• Lancome Black Coffee to line close to the lash liner and on the waterline
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara