We have moved! Please head to http://www.lavieenbeaute.wordpress.com if your browser does not automatically redirect you. Please update your bookmarks with the change! La Vie en Beauté: January 2010

Introduction

Welcome to my abode of pretty things (:. Continuing Oscar Wilde's aesthetic one beautiful possession at a time.

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IMPORTANT: I will ALWAYS disclose which products I have received from companies free of cost. I will never write sponsored or paid articles. Products sent to me are sent for consideration only, and are not guaranteed a good review. Unless otherwise indicated, everything reviewed are products purchased by me.

La Vie En Beaute is formerly Diamond in the Rough at thoughtsofeverythingandanything.blogspot.com. Please note the change because Blogger WILL NOT automatically redirect you!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Get Messy--Decanting an "Empty" Lipstick

So my mother proudly presents me with an empty MAC lipstick--"You can add this to your little [Back2Mac] pile!!"--while saying it was a shame it was empty because it was a pretty color. So..I took a spatula and scooped out as much product as I could. Voila--


The color is Party Mate - May 2008's Naughty Nauticals.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

EOTD: Bright Yellow





I used:
Shu uemura citrine painting gel liner
Shiseido Glistening Sand hydropowder
Shu uemura ME300 e/s to blend the two together.

1st, I did an all over wash of Glistening Sand. Then, I used a lipstick brush to start from the bottom of my lid, start at the lashline and blend up. Lastly, I layered ME300 on top of Glistening Sand & Citrine to blend the colors together.

I really just created this EOTD to match my nails that I showed you earlier :) Love yellow! Such a happy color.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

NOTD: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry 10 Lightening

*Note: Insta-Dry is the triangular shaped bottles that are about 3-4$ for 0.31 oz / 9.17 ml*


Bright yellow nail polish--my fav. Got nothin' much to add after that.

Anyways I bought this because it looked close to Essie's Shorty Pants (my all time favorite yellow, because I'm very picky when it comes to yellow. It is though, streaky. Unfortunately.)
It's not close. This is more golden, Shorty Pants is more of hat I'd consider a true yellow.

But the formula on this one kicks Essie's butt. Doesn't chip after 3 days (doesn't sound like much, but for a yellow, its pretty good!), whereas Essie's can chip as soon as a day. (It still chips faster than I'd like, especially when I'm used to China Glaze & OPI but I'll take it) The wider brush took some getting used to for me (probably because my actual nails are quite small) and I'm very used to the thinner brushes of China Glaze & Essie. This actually could have been a one coater polish, albeit a medium thick coat. It's great.

All in all a really nice yellow polish!

EOTD: Dior Smokey Crystal

Droooooooooooool.

So beautiful.

That's all I will say until the review (long overdue).




Swatches:



Beautiful. You all need it.

Review: Skin MD Shielding Lotion

(Source). Click the picture if you want to take a trip to the Skin MD natural site.

Disclaimer: A Skin MD representative sent this to me for consideration and review.

Wow, a skincare review Ti_Amo, you say? Yes! Why? Well, to be honest, because a company sent this to me and I really was curious about it. Supposedly a good for you lotion that helps heal the skin? Color me skeptical. It's toted to be able to help burns or rashes or anything else that you might want to heal. Well, I didn't have many things that I wanted to fix, but I gave it a try anyways.

Surprise! I like it! Maybe its the texture [a light gel, something like an Aloe Vera gel would be like. Well surprise, one of the ingredients is aloe vera!] and the cooling sensation (thank you, Aloe) and the way it sinks in so fast.



Anyways, enough from the rough description and onto the real review.

What is a shielding lotion? Taken from Skin MD's site, "
A Shielding Lotion is far more effective as a dry skin treatment than conventional moisturizing lotions or protective creams. If you suffer from dry skin, you know that just using a moisturizing lotion doesn't solve the problem.

A shielding lotion keeps moisture-robbing irritants away from the skin while the proprietary "super" humectants hydrate the skin throughout the day.

An accumulated effect of Skin MD Natural is fully realized after only a few days of daily use. Depending on how dry your skin is the first few days may require reapplications after only a few hours. Usually, after a few days of continuous use, only one or two daily applications are necessary to see the improvement."


So pretty much, using a shielding moisturizes and locks the moisture in, and depending on how dry your skin is, you may have to reapply several times a day to only once or twice a day.

Well, after weeks of not using lotion on my my legs (oi, I know) one quick application of this and they feel so much better! Whats better is that its not thick and it sinks in quickly so it doesn't rub off on my clothes.

Ingredients:
*Paraben Free & uses natural ingredients*
There is a slight scent, noticeable once you put it on--really it just smells like aloe and a little soapy. You can still smell it after it sinks into your skin but you'd have to really sniff at where you applied it to notice. After it sinks in, it does leave my hands a little slippery--not because its an excess of lotion, but it leaves a sort of ''shield''? It doesn't cause too many problems.

The packaging is very utilitarian with a red push-down cap. It sometimes gets stuck and you have to push harder, but the lotion also doesn't dry inside the cap (so you don't end up with a semi-hardened blob of lotion, ew!).



But wait--Shielding lotion claims to be able to use on the face! I tried this and it did give some moisture, much like an Aloe Vera gel I also own, but Chicago winters seem to be too harsh, because I need to use a heavier cream. However, I think this would be perfect for hot summers!

Shielding Lotion comes in a red top bottle which is the regular version and a yellow top bottle with SPF15. You can order Shielding Lotion here at the Skin MD site, 18$ for 4 oz (120 ml), or find a store here with their store locater. (P.S. you can even request that Skin MD be stocked at a store near you with this form).

I know what you're thinking--18$ for a 4 oz bottle? Ridiculous! However, I've been using this for about 3 weeks and have used 1/6 of it. It should last you at least 1-2 months according to Skin MD.

Intrigued? Skipping it? Let me know what you think!

EOTD: Using MAC Hypnotizing

So after I bought Hypnotizing, I was stuck on how to use it. A warm taupe? I'd never had one of them in my collection! However, it does pair very nicely with dark blues (like Love Lace, its collection mate). I used MAC Mauvement in the crease, Hypnotizing on the lid and Plumage in the outer V. Pics didn't turn out so great :/. Curse the winter light.



Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Shu Uemura Egerie Spring 2010

The collection is now available on Nordstrom.com. It includes:

Satin Glow Radiant Stick Highlighter, Blush: 40$, 2 colors. Description: "Soft, creamy texture for the cheeks in a stick style to create a delicate satin veil on the face. Highlight colors with tiny particles of pearls for a shimmery finish. "

New Black Leather false eyelashes. "Thick black lashes with eyeliner made from faux-snake pressed leather. Add of a hint of rock accessories for a wild and sexy look. " 30$.

Eye shimmer duo: 42$, 3 variations. Starry Violet, Glint Blue, Shiny Mint. Description:
"Duo-color eyeshadow that includes a shimmering creamy liquid and hyper-sparkling glitter powder. After applying the liquid base, layer on the soft, crushed, glimmering powder which stays on perfectly for sparkling and enchanting eyes. "



Nail Lacquer 2 shades, 18$. PA010 [Black], PA935.


It's all soo gorgeous! I am interested in the blush stick [not highlighter], the starry violet eye shimmer duo, and black, maybe pink nail polish. The lashes look so cool too, but I can't justify the price. This collection, with the tough black accessories but also pastel colors is soo up my alley!! What are you looking at?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New, NON-LE MAC Eyeshadows!

Breaking news from Temptalia! [Well, it's certainly breaking news to me!]

"...Oh, you say Lucky Green is not permament? Well, let me fill you in on a little something MAC has slipped under the radar this season… On January 15th, MAC Freestanding stores will have Lucky Green… permanently. Oh, yeah! (I actually have a fairly decent amount of pan showing on my Lucky Green, love it so!)

Along with Lucky Green, PRO shades such as Atlantic Blue and a few additional shades will all be added the permanent eyeshadow range at freestanding stores. I don’t have much more information, but you can expect me to be at MAC first thing on the 15th to purchase one of each! :) From what readers and artists have told me, all MAC counters will get these shades in, but counters will only have them available until their stock runs out. It’s pretty much the equivalent of C-Shock in terms of shades — they’re bright, colorful pops of color. I won’t be able to tell you anything about quality ’til Friday, sorry folks!

Here are the shades:

  • Winkle Mid-tone cornflower blue
  • Sunny Spot Light acid green yellow
  • Lucky Green Frosted mid-tone lime
  • Vibrant Grape Bright magenta violet
  • Free To Be Bright true coral
  • Atlantic Blue Bright violet blue
  • Red Brick Orange red
  • Goldenrod Bright marigold yellow"
What do you have your eye on? I am thinking of adding Sunny Spot, Lucky Green, Atlantic Blue & Goldenrod to my collection :)

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Review: MAC Hypnotizing


MAC Hypnotizing [right].

This particular eyeshadow [MAC Love Lace collection, December 26 2009] has been garnering alot of chatter recently. Why? Mostly...because its taupe.

As many of you know, taupe is probably the most treasured [I kid you not] eyeshadow color in the makeup world. In its many colors and form, it's one of the colors most everyone loves because they can find one that works for them, and its flattering.

So, when MAC comes out with a warm taupe....what do you get? Tons of buzz and sold units!



Voila...MAC Hypnotizing.

It's a warm taupe, almost not quite taupe anymore, and frosty. The texture is rather dry for a drost but not to the point it's unworkable. It's quite wearable, though it mostly shows up on the lid as a frostly silvery sheen rather than alot of color. It doesn't crease on me over UDPP.

Overall, definetly a worthwhile item to pick up at only 14.50$ USD :) Available nationwide.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Dior Quints

Supposedly reformulated and the colors are supposed to be more vibrant. However, these are not Iridescent. From Sephora:

Old Night Dust:


New Night Dust:


Old Stylish Moves:


New Stylish Moves:



NEW: Mystic Smokes



And Extase Pinks:



Ooh la la! So gorgeous. I want them all!! Especially Mystic Smokes & Extase Pinks...

Sunday, January 3, 2010

NOTD: Navy & Silver


In support of my Orlando Magic -- even as my hometown Chicago Bulls beat them on Saturday...no loss :) I love both teams.

Anyways, what I used:

Seche Vite base Coat
CND Top Coat
MAC Naughty Nauticals [soo gorgeous, May 08]
OPI Stars in My Eyes [holiday 07 I think..]

Friday, January 1, 2010

IMPORTANT: URL & Name Changes!

Hi everyone! Because of the long URL and the name that isn't very unique, I think I will be changing both to La vie en beauté, French for 'The life in beauty'.

Hopefully the URL will be Lavieenbeaute.blogspot.com.
I hope you like it--Please remember to change your bookmarks!

Please also do not freak out when you see another blog name than what you're used to in your feed! :) I hope I don't lose any of my readers this way!

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