ProductWhores

Escentual Beauty

Can you believe that there are only three more shopping days until Christmas?  Considering that I still have to buy the majority of my gifts, that should send me into a little more of a panic, but for some reason it just doesn't.  (Probably because I last minute shop every year - it's kind of like my very own little holiday tradition.  It just doesn't feel like Christmas until they're shoving me out of the mall and locking the doors behind me!)  If you're looking for a few gift sets for the makeup lover in your life, Bare Escentuals has some great ones.  Here are two of my favorites:

Buxom Babes About Town is a collection that includes four Big & Healthy Lip Sticks and four Big & Healthy Lip Polishes.  I'm a huge fan of both of these products - they're moisturizing and available in a wide range of shades, plus the fact that they have a gentle lip plumper in them means that I'm almost always carrying one or two of them in my purse.  You can wear them alone, or layer a Lip Polish over a Lip Stick for even longer lasting color (each Lip Stick in this shade has a coordinating Lip Polish, so it's easy to pair them up).  It's a great value too - for only $39, you get a lot of product and sizes that are sleek enough to fit easily into a clutch.  Definitely worth wrapping up for a friend of yours (or yourself).

The Sweet Obsessions set won me over before I even opened it because the eye colors all have delicious sounding names, like Strawberry Mousse, Dark Chocolate, and Spiced Biscotti.  I'm such a sucker for makeup named after food.  I swear, it could smell gross, not work, and be totally over-priced and if they just named it after something I could buy at my local bakery, I would totally snatch it up without even a second thought.  (Especially when the packaging makes it actually look like candy, like this one).  Like the lip set, you get a wide variety of shades so you can create lots of different looks, and the shadows all have a little sparkle to them that makes them perfect for the holidays.  And unlike real chocolate, these shades will last a long time and not make your butt look any bigger in your favorite jeans.  Reason enough to buy it!     

Note: Samples of these products were sent to me by a PR representative working with Bare Escentuals.

Go For The Gold

I have green eyes, so one of my favorite ways to make them stand out is to use gold liners or shadows.  Especially shimmery ones.  It's really hard to find a good gold though - either they're too brassy or too yellow or just too... not gold enough.  (Yes, I'm picky.  Can you tell?)  But I'm totally loving Bobbi Brown's Goldstone Long-Wear Eye Palette.  It comes with two shades of Long-Wear Cream Shadow - Goldstone Metallic, a gold sparkle, and Mineral Dust, a deep warm silver with golden pearl - and Caviar Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, a deep black-brown.  Goldstone Metallic is my favorite of the two cream shadows - it layers fantastically well over the Caviar Ink Gel Eyeliner and it's shimmery and glittery.  Perfect for a night out!  The three products are long-lasting and wear well on my eyes - once they're on, they stay put until I take them off.  I also like that the palette size is so small - usually Bobbi's palettes tend to be on the bulky side, so the fact that I can tuck this one in my pocket and go makes me very happy.  (Although it opens from the side, which can be a little tricky.  I had a brief moment of wondering what on earth was wrong with me and why the hell couldn't I open the damn thing before I finally figured it out.  I guess that means I don't have to worry about being asked to join Mensa).  It's just a fun palette for creating sparkly eye looks - definitely worth treating yourself to after a hard day of shopping for everyone else's holiday gifts.  But it's a limited-edition, so act quickly before, much like Santa's reindeer, it disappears into the night. 

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bobbi Brown.

Baked Goodness

 

 

Laura Mercier is my go-to makeup line, and around the holidays I get especially excited because she always releases the cutest palettes!  Well this year, she has released the Baked Eye Colour Palette and I'm feeling just so-so about it.  The colors look gorgeous, but they go on uber-sheer so it's hard to get any color at all on the lids.  Even the silver doesn't sparkle like I wanted it to.  For the money, you're better off buying one of her Petite Palettes for $28.00 and her silver eyeshadow and you'll be much happier and will have saved a bit.  Even though this was a disappointing purchase, I'll still always go to her for my foundation and to see what else is new.  Who am I kidding - any excuse for a trip to Sephora, no matter how disappointing something was.

Twist And Go

So when I first heard about Smashbox's new Halo Hydrating Perfecting Shadow Duo I was all, This is the coolest thing ever!  I want them all.  Because I love Smashbox shadows and how great is the idea that you twist the compact to shave just enough of the two shades to make you happy?  So great.  I totally want to be the person who invented that.  But sadly, the execution leaves a little to be desired.  The shadows are great - the colors complement each other well and they go on smoothly with a good amount of pigment and last for hours.  The problem is the shaving mechanism.  Both shadows get shaved at the same time, which means that the outer ring of the lighter color has a ton more shadow to apply than the middle shade, which is more of a contour color.  If it was a small difference, that would be okay, but it's really not.  I end up wasting a ton of the lighter color and having to spill it out just to get enough of the darker color to use.  (And regardless of the fact that I have way, way, WAY too much makeup, I still don't want to purposefully have to waste any, you know?  That goes against like, the rules of Product Whoredom).  If I worked for Smashbox, I would redesign the compacts so that each color got shaved on its own.  That way you could decide exactly how much of each shade you wanted and there would be no waste.  (Especially because at $36, these definitely aren't the cheapest shadows you'll own).  I'll definitely keep using the ones that I own though because I really do like the shadows themselves.  (Especially the Pewter/Smoke and Petal/Plum combos.  So pretty!)  

You can test them out for yourself at Sephora.com or Smashbox.com.

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Smashbox.

Party 24/7

Their eyeliners may be my favorite product that Urban Decay makes, which is saying a lot because they have a ton of good products.  I raved about them so much that I even got my mom hooked, which is hilarious because when you think Urban Decay, you really, really don't picture a 60 year-old teacher, do you?  But the pencils are just the best - they're soft, easy to blend, come in a ton of gorgeous shades, and most importantly, once they're on, they don't run or smudge until you take them off at the end of the night.  Any time I need an eyeliner, I automatically reach for one of my Urban Decay shades.  (Which made packing for the trip I'm on right now kind of hilarious because I just kept adding shades to the pile.  Like, did I really need to bring a bunch of shades that are kind of similar when I'll probably only use one or two of them?  No, no I did not.  But did I bring them all?  Yes, yes I did).  If you're similarly hooked on UD's eyeliners, you're going to want to own all three of these sets. 

SuperSkin!

I've been slightly obsessed with Liz Earle's products since the first time I used them.  I've been using the Superskin Moisturizer for awhile now and I really like it, so when I heard that she was introducing three new products into the Superskin line, I had to get my hands on them.  The three products combine to cover pretty much every spot on your body with Superskin - there's a Superskin Body Cream, a Superskin Bust Treatment, and a Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment.  It's a tight race, but I think my favorite is the Body Cream.  My skin has been really dry lately, but I'm really bad about remembering to moisturize, so it usually takes a great product to get me into a regular groove and that's happened with this.  It's a thick, rich cream that's full of soothing natural ingredients.  It contains East African Shea Butter, organic rosehip oil, and cranberry seed oil that help prevent your skin from losing moisture and improves its elasticity to leave it smoother and softer.  The signature Liz Earle scent is present here too - it's a blend of neroli, lavender and chamomile pure essential oils that's just really soothing.  It totally chills me out, so I've been putting it on before I go to bed and letting it work its magic overnight.  (It's the lazy person's way to moisturize, which I appreciate).

The Superskin Bust Treatment is a light serum that's meant to be applied to your bust and decolletage (I love that word - it's such an exotic way to say, uhm, boobs).  It's an area that not a lot of people usually think about, but especially in L.A. where we spend most of the year in sleeveless tops, it's so important to take care of it.  The Bust Treatment is filled with omega 3, GLA and antioxidants, and it's meant to be used on skin that's lost elasticity, tone and firmness (from things like pregnancy, weight change, menopause, sun exposure or age).  I'm determined to make myself use this at least every few days so that I can help fight off saggy, senior citizen chest as long as possible.  (I'm picturing that old woman from "There's Something About Mary" as I type this and shuddering).

The final new product is the Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment.  I've been using it almost exclusively on my eyes because I feel like they could use more help than my lips.  It's a serum designed to plump and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.  I actually (knock on wood) don't really have any noticeable lines or wrinkles yet (thank God!) but I like knowing that I'm doing everything I can to prevent them from rearing their ugly little heads.  Like the other Superskin products, the cream is light and soothing and sinks into my skin easily.  Love it!

To read more about the Superskin line, visit lizearle.com.

Drugstore Deal

As much as I love expensive makeup, I also love nothing more than wandering the aisles of a drugstore and filling my basket with good deals.  This weekend, I discovered a buy one, get one half off sale on L'Oreal at my CVS, so I finally decided to buy something I've been wanting to try for awhile now - their HIP Color Rich Cream Eyeliner.  The shades come in a little container and sort of remind me of the Stila Smudge Pots (although I think the Smudge Pots are more gel based).  They're available in five colors - Black, Brown, Eggplant, Midnight Blue and Teal - and they go on smoothly and blend easily.  They do come with a brush, but it's not a great one, so you'll definitely want to use a better one to get the most out of the product.  I've been using it almost like a cream shadow on my lids too and I really like the way that looks.  It's pretty long lasting too - I've had it on the last three days and was pleasantly surprised by how little it wore away.  I bought the Eggplant and Brown shades (I was playing it safe) and now I kind of want to go back and get the funkier Teal as well.  Which really means that I'll get that and the Midnight Blue one too because of the sale.  (It would just be silly not to take advantage of that again, right?)  Best of all, they're only around $12 each, making them a budget alternative to more expensive brands.  Love the drugstore deals!  

Find Yourself Double Booked

Yay!  I love the time of year when all the holiday palettes start coming out.  They're usually my favorite makeup items all year and so far in 2009, I haven't been disappointed.  LORAC's new Double Booked Full Face Collection is a gorgeous mix of both warm and cool shades that you can mix and match for a look that will take you from work to a fabulous party after hours.  There are 16 different eye shadows, 2 blushes, 2 lip glosses, a bronzer, a highlighter, and a lip pencil.  What I love about LORAC's palettes are that there aren't any bad shades in the bunch.  You know how sometimes you buy a palette because you love three quarters of the shades, but then there are always a few that you can't imagine anyone would ever actually wear?  This palette has none of those "supermodel only" colors.  I especially love the three shades of grey and black on the first page of the book.  They range from a sparkly silvery to a shimmery dark grey and are perfect for creating a smoky eye for a night out.  The glosses are a subtle peach and almost metallic bronze, so they pair easily with the shadows (no crazy lip colors either!)  What I really love about the book though is the fact that it comes with not one, but two BIG mirrors.  There's nothing worse than trying to do your makeup on the go and just sort of crossing your fingers and praying that you don't have clown lips or crazy eyes and with this in your bag, you can cross that stress off your list.  It also comes packaged perfectly to give as a gift (you know, after you buy one for yourself!) in a platinum jewelry box with a cute little bow on it.  I'm totally buying one for my mom.  (That is, if she doesn't make off with mine first.  She's quick that way!)

The Double Booked Full Face Collection is available exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com for $55.  (And word has it that the next Sephora Friends & Family coupon is coming soon, to give you even more incentive to buy it.  Well, that and a dozen other things probably already on your list!) 

Gift Sets Galore

The best part about his time of year is all the gift sets coming out.  Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to be good and not buy the first ones that catch my eye, but every year that promise is immediately broken when I see them.  What can I say?  There's just something about a limited-edition product that brings out my inner shopaholic.  Stila's just released two new sets that are definitely going to be coming home with me as soon as possible.  The Lip Glaze Collection ($25) gives you 8 mini Lip Glaze shades in colors ranging from bright to subtle.  There are 4 of their bestsellers (including the uber popular Kitten) and 4 brand new shades (one of them is called Candy and I'm dying to get my hands on it).  This would make a great stocking stuffer (for your little sister, maybe?) but it's also a must own for any Lip Glaze fan.     

The Smudge Pot Collection ($32) is a great value - you get 4 of the mini Smudge Pots and a mini Smudge Pot brush for not much more than the price of one regular-sized Smudge Pot.  And the colors are great - Black Cat and Kitten are two of my favorites and Violet and Starry Night are new bright shades perfect for the holiday party season.  Plus, the great thing about the smaller sizes in both sets are that they're easier to travel with and the mini Lip Glazes tuck perfectly into a clutch.  

The collections are available at Sephora.com and Stilacosmetics.com.  And for this week only, if you enter the code FALLSHIPPING on Stila's website, you'll get free shipping with no minimum purchase.  Enjoy!         

Ink For Eyes

I've been obsessed with Urban Decay's Ink For Eyes for over a month now, but I kept forgetting to write about them.  The six different shades of cream eye liner are so, so fantastic.  I'm not that great at applying liner, but this product makes it a lot easier.  The colors come in a container that looks kind of like a little coffin (very goth!) and the liner is almost like a stripe down one side of it.  It also comes with a double-sided brush - one end is a liner brush and the other is a smudger.  Very versatile.  What I like about the formula is that it goes on super smoothly and it's easy to smudge for a smoky eye look, but once it's on, it stays put for hours.  I really can't pick a favorite shade - Zero is a classic black that everyone could use, but I also really like Empire, a deep purple, and Pyrotechnics is a fun white glitter that will really make your eyes sparkle and stand out.  Pick yours up now for $22 each at sephora.com or urbandecay.com.