Posts Tagged ‘collection’
You know what I realized earlier this week? I don’t care for summer but I adore summer collections. While I like the temperature hovering gently at 75, I like my makeup hot, hot, hot.
I must not be alone (at least in the hot makeup department) because today, MAC released the Temperature Rising collection and it’s a scorcher!
MAC summer collections have yet to disappoint me and Temperature Rising is no exception. Of the over 15 piece collection, the eyeshadow quads and blushes are my top picks.
Today, I wanted to show you the blushes. They’re outstandingly pigmented so prepare to bring out your fan or stippling brushes.
Hot Nights – a satin finish. The name really does say it all..
Ripe for Love – a satin finish. If you like peaches, give this one a try but expect a souped up peach versus a girl-next door pinch. 
L-R: Ripe for Love, Hot Nights. Look at that satiny sheen! There are no glitter bits on either blush. Both apply smoothly and do require a light hand.
Available: MAC stores, counters and online (limited edition)
Price: $23/each
Until next time…
❤Liz
©MyBeautyBlackBook.com All rights reserved. Your support of my Beauty Black Book is always appreciated so please do feel free to share a link back to this post. However, no part of this post (including any photos I’ve taken – which I obsess over in a most ridiculous way) may be reproduced, tweeted or posted without my okay…okay?
By the time I was ten years old, I lived in seven different places. Yeah, we moved around a lot. And at that young tender age, I didn’t understand why no one invited me to birthday parties, sleepovers or trips to McDonalds for after dinner ice cream.
It’s obvious to me now…I wasn’t around long enough for the postage stamp on my invite to dry! I took it far too personally then and although it’s not entirely the same thing, I do scratch my head from time to time wondering why my local drugstore rarely carries limited edition collections from Wet n Wild? I haven’t moved in nine years so that surely isn’t the cause.
What led me down this drugstore diary entry is my recent search for the Wet n Wild Coloricon Beach Bomb Shell collection of bronzers. I’ve only peeked photographs and have been on a desperate search for the collection since May. To date, I’ve come up empty handed. Today, I asked hubby (who is miles away from home) if he would look at all the usual haunts. He too came up empty.
One of my favorite 8-pan Wet n Wild eyeshadow palettes – Comfort Zone #738. Note: This is not an accurate color representation of the palette as I played with the lighting for this shot.
The Wet n Wild 3-pan palettes are also a favorite – the pigmentation on their shadows is out of this world good!
So I asked myself…what gives?!
I knew that if there was a Wet n Wild lowdown I could count on Nouveau Cheap for the 411. Sure enough, she wrote a post addressing this issue specifically. And because I like to share what’s in my beauty black book with you, I wanted to point you to her post on the matter.
Nouveau Cheap is a fantastic website if you enjoy shopping for drugstore beauty because she offers weekly sale listings, reviews and limited edition sightings maps – talk about a great resource! It’s a rare day that I pop into a drugstore (any drugstore) without first going to her website.
Although it doesn’t make me feel better about the situation, at least I now understand why these Wet n Wild limited edition collections are so difficult for me (and possibly you) to find. C’est la vie…
How’s your Monday? I’m hoping your week is off to a good start.
❤Liz
P.S. The hunt continues!!
©MyBeautyBlackBook.com All rights reserved. Your support of my Beauty Black Book is always appreciated so please do feel free to share a link back to this post. However, no part of this post (including any photos which I obsess over in a most ridiculous way) may be reproduced, tweeted or posted without my okay…okay?
MAC has released yet another collection and this one is a winner in my book!
If you’ve read my previous posts you know that I’m a sucker for special packaging and embossed products (like the heart center of the mineralize blush in the Quite Cute collection and the woven texture in the Dior powder from Electric Tropics) and the embossed daisy in MAC’s latest collection had my heart racing.
This is truly pretty. I only wish they matched the imprint within the pans with flower power on the outside packaging. C’est la vie.
There’s lots to cover in this collection so let me get right to it…
MAC Fashion Flower includes two Beauty Powders. As Beauty Powders go, they are very sheer (although Alpha Girl has slightly more pigment than Light Sunshine) and can therefore be used all over the face for a sheer wash of color, as highlighters (on cheeks or brow bone) or as a sheer blush.
TIP: To make Alpha Girl really bloom layer it over a peach/pink cream blush.
Of the six eyeshadows in this collection my beauty black book pick is hands down Lucky Green. This is part of MAC’s permanent line but if you want to pick it up in the embossed packaging you should – it doesn’t cost you any more to do so.
Lucky Green is a veluxe pearl formulation and is a frosted mid-tone lime. If you don’t already have this one in your collection grab it because for the summer it’s a must wear!
Groundcover, Bows & Curtseys and Fresh Daisy are all limited edition shadows and while I like all of them they are dupable, IMO.
For the Fashion Flower collection Mac brought back the Lip Gelee’s. Hooray! I love me some sparkle ;-D
The color pay off is insignificant but Budding Beauty (a soft melon with pink shimmer) stands out among the trio. If you’ve never worn a Lip Gelee expect a texture that is thicker than lipstick or a lipgloss – it’s essentially a lip gel. They are not sticky despite their thickness, are sheer in color, surprisingly moisturizing on my lips, last about 3 hours and carry MAC’s signature vanilla scent.
If you don’t like shimmer or glitter you’ll want to pass on these because they are packed with pizzaz!
Of the three lipsticks in the Fashion Flower collection my beauty black book pick has to be Ever Hip (not shown in this post). This is a re-promote from the 2010 Liberty of London collection. It’s a warm peach tone that you simply must try.
Second runner up is Summer Shower. I chose this as my #2 lip must have if you like to experiment with lipsticks and enjoy layering. On it’s own this color doesn’t do much on lips – sadly, the shimmery Aqua doesn’t show up on the lips as well as it does when swatched on the hand.
But, layered over a nude, light pink or light coral lip pencil (versus a creamy lipstick for example) this color amazes. Give it a try.
I’m still playing with different looks and variations using this collection and promise to report back with a few eye and lip how-to’s.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear what some of your favorite combos are using this collection.
♡Liz
All items available now (while supplies last) at maccosmetics.com, MAC stores and MAC counters.
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I’ve had a long standing love affair with Dior since the 80’s. I realize I’ve just shown my age but hey, 47 is treating me pretty well ☺
Maybe it’s the beautiful blue and now silver compacts that tantalize me. Or maybe it’s the velvet pouches they come in that have me swooning. Yes, Dior packaging is luxurious, sensual and even the strongest gal can’t resist its charm.
All of that aside, what first sold me on Dior was this magnificent rose facial exfoliator that is sadly, discontinued. I’m a sucker for a subtle rose aroma.
Later, I explored their shadows (the only ones I would buy until recently) and was in awe at the silky, lush textures and easy blendability. You can see why Dior had me at hello.
And this summer Dior tempted me (and you?) again with their Electric Tropics collection.
To be entirely candid, there’s really nothing “electric” about the collection save for the polishes but a little marketing mishap didn’t stop me from being completely and utterly electrified (yeah, I’m being cheesy today) by the collection.
I rarely pass up the chance to pick up a Dior quint and in this collection I chose Rosy Tan. For a summer palette it’s not especially bright. In fact, it’s a nice neutral shimmery collection of shades that blend like nobody’s business – for real – and while most lines release colorful palettes for summer I’m okay with Dior taking us in a different direction (it’s true love for me after all).
My Dior counter manager, Eric, convinced me I needed both of their Diorskin Nude Healthy Glow powders. These powders are Amaazing (with a capital A) and are imprinted with a woven pattern much like that of the Lady Dior Avenue tote (a beautiful bag by the way).
Originally I was vying for the Aurora (a breath taking combination of pinks, soft tan and soft bronze) which was created for fair to medium complexions but after talking with Eric I figured why not also get the Sunset palette which is much deeper in shading.
I’m so glad I picked up both because they’re both equally stunning. The powder is silky and glides on the skin easily and imparts a lovely sheen. They’re both very pigmented so a little dab will do you particularly with the deeper shade of Sunset. In MAC-speak I am an NC20-25 and the Sunset works but only if I apply it sparingly and with a light hand (a stippling brush is my brush of choice for this one).
This year, Dior introduced the Healthy Glow Summer Fluid. A lightly textured liquid to powder finish, this product gives a sheer wash of color that can be used alone on bare skin or mixed with foundation for a sun kissed glow. There are two shades in the Electric Tropics collection and I chose 01 Rosy Nude.
At first glance I rejected this product because it looked far too dark for me. But after playing with it I realized a) I could use a tad more color this summer and b) the color intensity does sheer out if you use a light hand. So, in my bag it went.
I find this product works best when used with foundation (1-2 drops should be enough). It gave my face a touch more warmth and looked velvety on my skin – not overly dewy and not matte. And in case you’re wondering, there are no shimmers or glitters as you often find in products of this nature.
The only part of this collection I was disappointed with were the Dior Addict Crystal Glosses. They claim to deliver hydration and volume to the lips – I experienced neither. The shades are lightly tinted – more so in the tubes than on lips – and offer next to nothing in terms of color.
They are more slick (that’s my way of saying a slippery mess) than other Dior glosses and tend to bleed. To get some wear out of these I’m applying them over brighter toned lip pencils. In this way, they add a nice sheen to the lips but honestly, a clear gloss from any drugstore brand would do the same.
Every love affair comes with at least one gripe and mine are the Crystal glosses. Boo hiss!
Otherwise, the collection is a departure from the in your face brights we’re seeing for summer. If you like neutrals but want your look to reflect a hint of a summer glow this could be the collection for you.
Are you into this seasons bright oranges and pinks or do you prefer summery neutrals? What are you grabbing from this collection…anything?
♡Liz
All items available now at major department stores while supplies last.
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There must be something in the air…I’m sure of it because cosmetics companies that I usually wouldn’t glance at twice are stepping up their game in the color category.
Take for instance Chanel. If you’re a Chanel maven don’t hate on me it’s just that up until recently, their collections and color stories in general have been blasé.
But, the last few collections have had me singing a different tune!
When I peeked the summer collection (inspired by garden flowers) I was curiously captivated and after swatching a few of the items I contacted my trusty rep (Eric) and with one swipe of my card I was the proud owner of a bouquet of summer goodness.
The item that first caught my eye was the buzz worthy Mimosa nail polish. All I can say is yowza – that is some kinda’ color! Chanel does make a good polish and although this color can be duplicated by less expensive brands I couldn’t pass up on this one.
I then toyed with the eyeshadow quad, Lilium. There’s something about bright yellows, greens and yellow-green combos in particular that have me going wild this year…what’s up with that? Anyway, I fell head over the yellow-green slight frost shade in the quad along with the metallic blackened green (great for a smoky look).
The shadows are well pigmented – enough so that what you see in the pan is what you get on the eye. However, I especially like applying these wet for a more intense look. What I like about this quad is that it offers you a combination of frosts and metalics with varying degrees of texture intensities.
In virtually any collection I pick up I bee line for lips. There were two shades from the Rouge Coco line and I chose Gardénia – a rose tone lipstick with gentle hints of gold shimmer (refreshingly pretty).
The Rouge Coco formulation is creamy, wears for hours (about 4 hours on me) and has a semi-opaque application with a hint of frost. If you like your lipsticks sans fragrance you might be bothered by the slight rose aroma. I happen to love it and it does dissipate within minutes.
As much as I’m enjoying the items I’ve mentioned so far the real steel magnolia from this collection has to be the Soleil Tan de Chanel in Bronze Rose. When swirled together you’ll get a peachy pink shade that runs slightly cool due to the cool pink part of the pan.
The product wears well (6+ hours), is buildable, goes on silky smooth and is easy to blend. My recommendation is that fair to medium skin tones consider this one because some of the lightest shades in this palette may turn ashy on darker skins (best to swatch in store to see how it plays against your skin to be certain it works for you).
I’m so impressed with Chanel these days that I’m even considering trying some of their foundations and a few other items from the permanent line.
How about you? Does your makeup garden consist of any Chanel? What’s your favorite item that you recommend I try? Would love your thoughts!
xoLiz
All items available now at major department stores while supplies last.
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When I first read the promotional copy for Illamasqua’s Toxic Nature collection I had visions of a futuristic time, a time when society had a veritable breakdown devastated by chaos – dark, dingy, dirty, dystopic – something reminiscent of Mad Max with the smell of brutality in the air and survival the goal of the day.
But since this is, after all, a makeup collection the promotional imagery was colorful and rich. I can always count on Illamasqua to make the unnatural and distorted look stunning.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this collection and went straight to the source on launch day. When my package arrived from the UK I opened it with trembling hands and out tumbled one of my favorite color collections, to date, of 2011.
The collection consists of six cream pigments (the star of this show!), two lipsticks, two glosses, five polishes, a precision ink eyeliner and a handmade toxic claw. Nope. That wasn’t a typo.
Let me begin with my personal pick of the collection…the cream pigments.
All six were consistent in texture, that is to say they were all creamy without going on sticky or wet. They dry down to a matte finish in no time. And the wear is amazing! All day (8+ hours) with no creasing, fading or movement of any kind. And did I say I did not use a base?
What makes these cream pigments so especially cool is they are a multipurpose product. Don’t you just love it when a product really goes to work for you? I tried the cream pigments as eye shadows (my favorite way to wear them), as eyeshadow bases, as a cheek color, lip color and color corrector. Yup. You read right a color corrector. These nifty little pots are excellent to color correct dark circles, redness, and hyperpigmentation.
Now to be fair, if your discoloration is severe, these babies may need some extra muscle to fully neutralize what you’re concealing but if what ails you is slight to light, give ether the peach (*Emerge) or the green (Bedaub) a try.
If you’ve never tried an Illamasqua lipstick what you should know is they are…slammin’! Really, the color pay off is top notch and toxic nature’s Atomic (a vibrant fuschia) and Flare (a bright orange) are no exception. The wear time on me is average at about 6 hours and because of the intensity of the matte formulation there is a slight stain left on lips – which I rather like.
Although I’m not a big collector of nail polish, I couldn’t pass up on the shade Bacterium. While the name conjures images of sludge and slime splattered with bug bits, the color is exquisite. Illamasqua describes it as a pearlized ash/ochre and I have to agree. It’s not only a lovely shade for the summer but will work just as beautifully come fall. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that after six days there was no chipping. Gotta ‘ love that.
And last but not least, the precision ink eyeliner. The beauty grapevine touted this as the most unique item of the collection but quite honestly, it’s a waterproof pen eyeliner folks. The color is called Glister, an opalescent nude. I’d love to jump up and down over this item (it does glide on easily and wears well on lids but not on the waterline) but lets just say my socks weren’t knocked off BUT they did roll down a bit ☺
My alter ego, Maxine, had a field day with this collection. She donned her black patent leather pants, swept Atomic on her lips, Delirium on eyes, and cheeks affixed a pair of handcuffs to her belt loop (hey, it’s my alter egos accessory of the day and we are talking about toxic nature), gave herself a wink in the mirror before she straddled her steel horse and rode off to face the unpredictable, uncharted and unnatural world that is toxic nature…
What did you (or your alter ego – I know you have one) pick up from the collection? Let me know below!
xo♡Liz
*Available in the EU only.
All items available now at sephora.com
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For their latest collection, MAC could have easily called this Quite Pretty but “cute” has much more appeal.
As a bona fide girly girl, I couldn’t pass up on this collection and I’m so glad I didn’t miss out.
Yes, the colors are pastel which aren’t for everyone but with a little creative panache anyone can make these spring time shades work. No joshin’.
I applied the Cutie eyeshadow quad over more intense shadow bases and the palette really came to life. Used alone, they offer a lovely wash of pastel perfection on the lids. If your preference are uber pigmented palettes this one won’t come on and make you happy! But, if you’re like me and enjoy a variety of textures, pigmentation, etc. in your collection you might want to give this quad a try.
The lipsticks are yummy as always with equally pastel tones in MAC’s signature vanilla scent. What can I say…I’m lip crazy! And while a shade like Quite Cute (a bright white lavender) may be tough to pull off as a solo shade it looks fantastic layered over and under other lipsticks, lip pencils and glosses.
Oh, and if you’re a daring diva try Candy Yum Yum (a matte neon pink) applied straight from the bullet – dab on lips with your finger instead if the color is too intense – and get ready to start a commotion. If you’re a pink lover (and not afraid to be the center of attention) I insist you add this shade to your collection…stat!
On to the lip glosses…
I’ve worn the Plushglass glosses layered over lipsticks and lip pencils as well as alone on lips. Because these Plushglass shades have little pigmentation my preference is to wear them over other lip products. As I said, I’m a lip lover and I like my lips to have some pop (this is where I’d present you with a proper smacking of lips…wait fooorrrr iiiit…).
I’m a sucker for products with imprinted images so you can imagine my heart skipped a beat when I spied the mineralize blushes. A small drop of complimentary color in the center of the pan makes the mineralize blushes too cute to pass up!
Of the three blushes, Giggly (light pink with plum heart center) and Sakura (lavender with magenta heart center) are my favorites. But the third blush, Miss Behave (light beige with mint green heart center), is not to be overlooked.
Miss Behave is very fair (perhaps even chalky on some darker skins) in color and while it appears like a shade to pass on I encourage you to give it another look because it makes a luscious highlighter for cheeks, brow bone and lips (try dabbing that juicy mint green center onto your lips…adorable!).
All in all this collection gets a My Beauty Black Book thumbs up. And it couldn’t have been introduced at a better time given the gloomy weather we’ve been having in northern California. The Quite Cute collection is a kick up your wedges array of cute-ifying products sure to brighten your day…if you just say “yes” to cute!
So what are your thoughts on the collection? Did you pick up anything? Please share as I love to gab about makeup ☺
♡Liz
All items available now (while supplies last) at maccosmetics.com, MAC counters and free standing MAC stores. Happy shopping!
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From time to time I’ll be sharing a few how-to’s with you from eye looks, lip looks (my favorite so stay tuned…) and more!
However, my Beauty Black Book also includes tutorials and other creative ideas from makeup artists, style warriors and everything (or should I say everyone) in between.
Today, I wanted to share not only a fantastic way to wear the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection but also introduce you to a wonderful musician and artist.
I discovered Dusty Hunter by accident (as is how we often find one another on the Internet) after reading about him on the Temptalia website. Anyway, I think at the time he was doing a comparison of MAC foundations – and a rather thorough one at that.
In late March, Dusty filmed a tutorial using the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection of colors but he put his own rock and roll spin on it – who knew Estee Lauder was this hip?! (after watching Dusty’s incredible use of the eye palette I was pushed over the edge and into Nordstrom to give this collection a closer inspection).
Well, after watching Dusty’s video you’ll be head slammin’ and raising your lighters in agreeable unison (people still do that, right?).
Watch Dusty’s video below and discover a modernly cool way to wear a classic collection. Oh, and be sure to visit his YouTube channel and send him some love (and subscribe!).
xo♡Liz
All items available now (while supplies last) at major department stores.
©MyBeautyBlackBook.com All rights reserved.
What you might not know about me is that I love rituals. I don’t know but there’s something relaxing, almost soothing about going through the motions of a ritual.
Take for instance my ritual of meditation. I’ve been up and down – sometimes meditating daily and other times doing anything but finding the stillness within.
The other day I was taken through a beautiful meditation with the intention of discovering my inner goddess. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and kept anticipating her grand entrance.
What would she look like, sound like, say to me? So many questions which – as you can imagine – interrupted my flow of ohs and ohms. When my great goddess finally made an appearance what I recall was amazing color. Turquoise, robins egg blue, bright yellow…she was wrapped in a rainbow of color!
And when I came out of my meditation I was immediately reminded of the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess summer collection.
The eyeshadow palette in particular makes my inner goddess want to don a brightly colored tunic, head wrap and gladiator sandals.
Estee Lauder has really stepped up their game (I suspect their creative director Tom Pecheux has much to do with this) in the color arena. I admit, I rarely gave Estee Lauder a second glance as I strolled down the cosmetic aisles but today, I often make a quick stop at EL.
If you like saturated eyeshadows you’ll love the eye palette. Every one of the six shades are rich in color and silky in texture. Blending is gorgeous and whether you like to combine shades or sweep a single color on your lids you won’t be disappointed.
And don’t pass up on the Shadowstick duo – a double ended eye pencil. I chose Pink Teal (a duo chrome pink with hints of gold on one end and a beautiful teal on the other) and was completely delighted with the color pay off. It applies smoothly and “sticks” to the skin – no movement, no transfer, no creasing. The Shadowstick duo is great as a shadow base, an eyeliner or on the lids as shadow itself. Love!
But the golden trophy of this collection has to be the Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush (insert big sigh). This product is visually gorgeous! An illuminating blush that is buildable, the shade is peachy pink and gives the prettiest sun-kissed glow. I would suggest using this product as a true blush but hey…give it a go as an all over touch of color (makeup is meant to inspire your creativity so experiment and have fun!).
Each of the last few years it seems Estee Lauder releases a Bronze Goddess collection. This is the first year I’ve bitten on the collection so I can’t share how this years product assortment compares to years past.
What I can say is that I will anticipate next years release with a bindi on my forehead and bells on my toes ;-D
How about you? Have you connected with your inner goddess lately? And, how will she adorn herself with the Bronze Goddess goodies? Share your inner goddess story with me below!
xoLiz
All items available now (while supplies last) at major department stores.
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