Shu Uemura Spring is now on the site!

Shu Uemura Mirage collection: (All images taken from shuuemura-usa.com)

Spring Mode Makeup Eye Shadow Palette: (3 shades) 40$
"Eye shadow palettes consisting of delicate shades of “light” and “shadow” colors. The foggy pastel and pearly “light” and “shadow” colors create an illusion-like, unforgettable makeup image that gently and gradually arises like a mirage."
--taken from shu uemura site

Fantasia:


Utopia:


Spring Mode Makeup Defining Cheek Palette: (2 shades, 1 cream 1 powder)38$
"A palette with new cream and powder blusher to achieve outstanding dimension. Creamy translucent shadow color shapes the cheek definition and together with a dash of vivid blush creates a long-lasting, beautiful finish."
--taken from shu uemura site

Orange Phase:


Misty Glow:


Spring Mode Makeup Drawing Pencil: (19$)
"Glowing colors to accentuate the dimensional eyes created by the eye shadow palette. The smooth gliding formula enables easy drawing on the eye lids. Recommended to be used partially for subtle accentuation."
--taken from shu uemura site

14 ME Light-Blue:


15 ME Lilac:


04 ME Pink: (repromote)


Spring Mode Makeup Lip Duo Tint and Gloss: 32$, 1 color
"New, double-deck lip duo with rouge color and gloss in one.The vivid rouge color provides a healthy tint to your lips, while the pale pink gloss wraps lips with shine."
--taken from shu uemura site



Rouge Unlimited: 3 new colors 23$
"Refreshing spring shades of pink, nude and brown to perfectly match the eye and cheek make-up."
--taken from shu uemura site
347: Medium Rose Pink


768: Mulled berry


934: Nude Caramel (this color is my favorite out of the 3!)


So that's that! Shu Uemura's 2009 Spring collection. What are you picking up?

MAC's Good-Byes!

Today MAC sent out an email that these products (usually past limited editions) would be taken off the site, and, (I assume), shipped to CCOs. Here are the items, grab them before they're gone!

Eye Shadow Suite in Ocean 2, Counterparts and Shallow v. Deep


Mineralize Eye Shadow (Trio) in Word-of-Mouth, Inter-view and Outspoken


Eye Shadows in Grand Entrance, Talent Pool, Glamour Check! and Dreammaker


Pigment in Spiritualize, Cocomotion, Gold Mode and Mauvement


Lipstick in Quiet, Please, Crazeee and Soft Pause


Brushed Metal-X in Gold Spice and Forged Rose


Mineralize Skinfinish (Duo) in Medium /Natural And Shimmer


Nail Lacquer in Beiged Bliss and $$$$$ Yes


Beauty Powder Blush in Secret Blush, Feeling and Enough Said


Glitter: Reflects Bronze, Reflects Very Pink and Reflects Purple Duo

Haul: Wisconsin Dells CCO

While I was in Madison, WI, I had to go and check out the outlets for any good finds of course! There were loads of good stuff; this is what I saw:

MAC:
Tinted lip conditioners (pot and tube), assorted, (4+)
Lure packaging dark wine color lipsticks
3 Neo sci fi lipsticks, sci-fi-delity, beige and brown
Flowerplay, SO many lipsticks!!!
Lots of assorted mostly red slimshines and mattenes
Venetian lipglass
Lots of 3D and varnish and lacquers
2007 holiday lip sets 2, pinks and beiges
Colorforms red and blue lip palettes
3 Fafi dolls
Fafi eye palettes 1 and 2
2007 holiday smokey, intense (? Maybe it was warm) and cool eyes
Sweetness, Strada, 5-6 other blushes
Moonbathe blushes (both of them)
Neo sci fi blushes (both)
Loose beauty powder (4, natural flare among them)
4 sculpt and shape, the very lightest and darkest among them
Ostentatious, Nightfish, Brassy and Sweet Sage fluidlines
Assorted bags
Eyeshadows: Flashtrack, all 3 Mcqueen shadows, bark, copperplate, MANCATCHER!!! Sea myth, black tied (lure packaging), the other light green Lure shadow, carbon, time & space, evening aura, saturnal, claire de lune, another Moonbathe shadow, Velvet moss, chill, rose blanc, mossglower, gesso, jewel blue (5-6 more!!)
Pigments: Accent Red, viz a violet, tea time, cornflower, jardin aires, helium, dark soul, gilded green, sweet sienna, your ladyship, naked, fairy lite, gold stroke, gold mode, rose, 3-5 more permanent pigments
Take Wing 4 eyes quad

Bobbi Brown:
LOADS of sets! At least 6!
One was chocolate shimmer ink gel liner, bone eyeshadow, a blush, a lipgloss
Mauve, Raspberry, last year’s holiday lip palette,
A few summers ago’s blue and beige eyeshadow palette
4-5 pastelly cream eyeshadows
Black gel liner, sepia,
1 creamy lip color, nude-ish pink
set of 3 lip glosses (tubes)
Pale Pink pot rouge
set of 3 brushes
Tawny shimmerbrick
Rockstar trio from last year
face blender brush
ALSO::: 187 brush for 29$!!

But I only hauled Sweet Sienna :) Pics!


Now I have all of the Antiquitease pigments; your ladyship, sweet sienna, and gold stroke.

PSA: 25% off Select Bobbi Brown at Neiman Marcus

I was at my local Neiman Marcus today and found a small table right in front of the Bobbi Brown counter and discovered 25% off! Great deals!

shimmering nudes: 37.50
eyelip palette: 45$
masters lipstick palette: 150
set of 4 tinted lip balm/glosses: 22$

Review: Besame Souffle Foundation

(picture from zappos.com)
Yay, my first foundation review! Hopefully I can kick off the series strongly.
This is one of the items that intrigued me during the mass Besame sale frenzy, where everything was (and still is!) practically a third of it's original price. No, Besame is not going out of busines, but they are revamping the product ingredients and packaging. While it is now gone from the besamecosmetics.com site, I am still reviewing this because you can probably find one in Makeupalley swap or ebay; even zappos.com

Firstly, the price: At the time of the sale, it was 4$! But, the original price was 18$. But you use so little every time it's totally worth whatever you paid!

Packaging: Besame's stuff comes in cute red boxes with cream print. It's very vintage and classy if I do say so myself. The foundation comes in a glass pot with a red lid, and a red and cream label at the bottom.



Scent: The foundation has a slight rose scent that does not dissipate--I find I can still smell it some time after I've put it on. It doesn't bother me--even me, the self-confessed hater of floral scents--but it may to those who are scent-sensitive.

Texture: Souffle foundation is actually very firm, not light and airy like you would think. But it's very pigmented, so just a dab can cover a wide area.

Wear: Besame's foundation wears all day and into the night for me. It blends in well too and looks super natural.

Coverage: This is heavy-duty coverage! I don't use such heavy foundation normally, so I just dab at it and use my fingers to blend it out to make it sheerer. It's great for those who just can't find a foundation that covers very well--I don't think I've seen a foundation that has this amount of coverage!

Color Selection: I believe there were 5 shades of this when it was available. They are:
Bisque: Around MAC NC15. This is extremely pink compared to Yellow Cameo.
Yellow Cameo (I have this one, just a tad too yellow for my NC20 in MAC ski, pictured)




Medium Beige: I assume this is for people around MAC NC30
Golden Beige: Around MAC NC35
Honey: Around MAC NC40
As you can see, Besame doesn't really cater to very dark or pale yellow skintones, so it is hard to find a match. I think this is pretty bad for a brand that wants to become more well-known, but perhaps they are also adding more colors in the revamp.

All in all, a great foundation if:
1. You can find a shade match.
2. You want a heavy duty or medium coverage foundation.
3. OR You love vintage or rose smelling products.

But definetly worth a try!

MAC Chill Collection is on the site!!

I found the promo absolutely stunning, but none of the collection excites me--except maybe the permanent pen liner. I have dupes and warm skin, so alot of it probably won't work that well for me.

What are you planning to haul?

Haul: Pear SONY B&C Labs CP Balm!

Yay! I managed to find the Pear Sony CP balm (along with apple, orange, orange hand cream and pear hand creams) at Mitsuwa Market a few days ago. There is also a strawberry one that i am just kicking myself for not getting (didn't look like sony cp!)

For a link to my review of the Apple, Peach and Orange balms, click here.

And this just cracks me up--they fit on the others' pot!

NEW: Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation!

Happy Holidays from Bobbi Brown Online. One of our Artists will be with you shortly.
Hello. Thank you for your interest in Bobbi Brown Online. My name is Wendy. How may I assist you?
Millason: I recently heard that Bobbi was coming out with a new foundation in the Spring. Is this true?
Wendy: Hi Millason!
Wendy: Bobbi is coming out with the Skin Foundation. This is for a combination skin type and it is long wearing.
Wendy: It will be available February 2009.
Wendy: Stay tuned!
Millason: If I am currently using the Tinted Moisturizer, would this work well for me?
Wendy: This would be a great option for you as well. The Skin Foundation will offer you a bit more coverage but still look like skin.
Millason: Will it have SPF?
Wendy: I don't think it will contain a sunscreen but I do not have all of the information on this Foundation as it is still not available.
Wendy: I do apologize.
Millason: That's alright. Do you know how it will be packaged?
Wendy: It will be in a bottle.
Wendy: Not a tube like your Tinted Moisturizer.
Millason: Well, thank you for all of that information. I appreciate it.
Wendy: You are welcome and have a Happy Holidays, Millason!!
Millason: Thanks, you too!
Wendy: Thanks.

Credits go to MUA'er lalashake for picture and MillasonPaige for the conversation.

Review: Stila Rock The Vote Red

(part of the stila Rock the Vote ad on stilacosmetics.com)

This is the color that Stila cosmetics designed intending to encourage people to 'rock the vote' or to go vote in the 2008 US elections.

What they say:
"Hit the polls wearing Rock the Vote Red! This election year, Stila has teamed up with Rock the Vote and created a powerful red lip color, to inspire all you Stila girls to exercise your right to vote. If you have not registered to vote yet, don't despair. Just click the register to vote icon to get started. Remember, casting your ballot is the only way to garentee your voice will be heard, and if you look incredibly glamorous at the same time, all the better!"
--taken from stilacosmetics.com

Wear: This gets a great score from me for wear. It wears well, and doesn't fade until the very last hours of the day. And when it fades, it fades evenly and leaves a really nice stain.

Color: I would say this is a yellow red with a slight hint of blue, if that makes sense! I think it would look great on a variety of skintones.
How it looks on NC20:


Comparisions: I find this pretty much a DEAD ON dupe for MAC Port Red, LE in Naughty Nauticals (May 2008). The only difference (so subtle however) is that Rock The Vote is a hint bluer. I also feel that the MAC is more moisturizing, and of course, more fragranced with that vanilla scent.
Top is MAC port Red, the bottom is Stila.


Texture: For those who have tried MAC frost lipsticks, I find it slightly firmer than that. It's super pigmented though, so a little will last a long way. This is a LOUD color! I don't think I would recommend it for those who are scared of red and just want to test out the waters. Part of the reason why I love it though is because of that obnoxious brightness.

Price: One of them will set you back 17$, which is an OK price. It's not cheap, or expensive, but middle of the road. However, I have heard reports of Stila lipsticks going back super quickly--if this happens to me I definetly will not repurchase, as 17$ for a lifetime of a few months is a ripoff! However, a percentage of the sales for this shade (not stated how much) will be given to Rock the Vote.

Packaging: This comes in Stila's signature enforced silver cardboard packaging. It's very chic, in my opinion, very sleek and pretty. I expected a little more design on the tube though, from Stila! I think it would be nice if they incorporated more of the Stila girls onto their packaging.

All in all, if you are looking for a dupe of the elusive MAC port red, or just in need of a great red, this is the red to go to! Order now, at stilacosmetics.com before December 14th, and you can get it before the holidays!

15% off at Sephora until 12/14!!

Code is FYP96 :) This is great, especially if you missed friends and family! Also, remember to use ebates (8%) which equals 23%!! Even better!

Review: C.O. Bigelow The Classic Rose Salve

I've been using this as an overnight balm for years, and thought that I should finally review it! And here it is.

What is it? Developed by Bigelow Chemists, it is fragrance-free, and not tested on animals.

Their description:
“Our famous Rose Salve has long been a favorite since the early days due to its ability to care for lips and beautify skin. Emulsified with extra soothing Rose Extract which helps ease irritation and condition the skin.

Directions for use: Pat on anything as needed to care for lips or anything that needs a fix.”

First of all, the fragrance. I don’t know what you all consider fragrance free, but since this has a 1% rose extract, it definetly smells like roses. It may not bother you, but I don’t exactly love it, since I’m not a huge fan of flowers anyways. It lingers for quite awhile.

Moisturizing: Honestly, this is pretty much just like Vaseline. It sits on your lips, and doesn’t really sink in and moisturize. I put this on top of my usual lip balm and Rose Salve “seals” it, and I love to use this just for that use.

Amount you get and Price:
It's 0.56oz or 16 g. It seems like such a small quantity to pay for 7.50, but honestly, I think I bought mine 3 (close to 4) years ago and I still have over 50% left!! Great buy in this aspect.

Ingredients include:
Petrolatum, Lanolin oil, squalane, jojoba esters, rosa centifolia flower extract, gossypium herbaceum (cotton) seed oil, octyldodecanol, bisabolol, red 20 lake (CI 73360).

Color: It’s tinted a transparent, pinky red but it goes on clear. Therefore, don’t buy this if you are expecting a tinted lip balm.

Lasting ability: I find that this lasts for at least six hours. I can put it on before I go to bed and still feel it on my lips when I wake up. So definetly its a winner for lasting ability.

Packaging: This comes in a blue-purple tin, with white and pink lettering depicting ingredients, use, description and product name. It's nice, but I don't find jar type lip balms very hygienic.

Other comments:
It states that you can also use this for minor cuts. It lessens the stinging, and doesn't rub off on clothes like Neosporin might, but I can't see any other difference between the two.
Honestly, in my opinion, it's fancified Vaseline with a little scent and coloring thrown in. But hey, it's a nice girly version that will look much better than Vaseline on your dresser.

Pics:

Haul: What Came in the Mail!

(Sofina Aube gloss top, EL high gloss bottom)

Yay! Free haul. My mother's friend works in DC, shipping cosmetics/fragrance/skincare, so when my mother's company did a mass order she sent along a few freebies.

-EL Double wear mascara sample
-3 makeup bags (EL and Lancome)
-EL lipsticks, one my mom has (Dunno the name sorry!) and 02 Luscious Rose Hydra Lustre
(02)


-07 pearl high gloss, LOVE these!


Swap:
-Sofina Aube Fruitina Gloss eX05



News: Sofina Aube is now DC'ed and replaced with Aube Couture. While personally I didn't get to try many of Aube's things, I did swatch them and they were very nice. Aube Couture looks too 'safe', too blah and boring. Aube will be missed.

CCO Haul Swatches :)

Requested by a lovely reader--enjoy!