Musings of a Muse

Whoa the Muse is on Holiday mode today!

Yeah baby!

Check out the new Urban Decay Limited Edition Lipstick Cap:

Do you love it?

I love it.

Totally spoiled indulgence but I think it’s freaking HAWT and would make a perfect gift!

These limited edition caps are available for Urban Decay’s new lipstick collection! Each cap comes housed in a cute black box with ribbon pull. The outer packaging is just as gorgeous as the inner in this case. The box has a black swirl effect all over the box with the Urban Decay emblem on the very top.

Inside you’ll find the gorgeous cap which is a mix of translucent purple encased in a silver outer shell. This is no wimpy cap! The metal casing allows for knocking around your purse or bag while protecting your favorite lipstick and making it beautiful when you’re ready to whip it out f your purse for touch ups! Seriously now how cool is it to take this out and start applying? Love it! The cap has both a goth and feminine edge that’s reminiscent of Anna Sui’s packaging and design…must be all that purple and black!

Each cap is $15 USD and fits on all the newest lipsticks from Urban Decay. Simply remove the cap from the old lipstick and replace it with this killer cap!

I think purchasing a lipstick plus the cap would make a super gift for a good friend (or yourself..of COURSE!).

Check it out at Urban Decay!

The Muse likes this one…I can’t help but approve it! Love it for myself and love it for a gift!

Love it?

Want one for your very own?

Tell the Muse!

Urban Decay Lipstick Review

Making the Most of Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Holiday Collection 2008: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-Eye Pencil Sets Review

It’s too early I tell ya! It’s just too damn early to be talking about Holiday Collections now when the leaves are just about to turn color!

But…talk about it I will…..

The Tarte Holiday Collection 2008 is shaping up rather nicely with a tempting array of goodies packaged beautifully and ready for gift giving.

As all years prior you’ll be getting plenty of bang for your buck this year from Tarte and they have packed up a considerable amount of product with a small price tag!

As with all years prior they are releasing a new Tarte Cheek Trio for $25 USD. The trio contains three mini cheek stains housed in a cute gold pouch!

Loving, simply loving the Tarte Purse Your Lips Clutch! This clutch includes nine limited edition shades of lipgloss for $39 USD!

And finally you might recall the amazing hype and excitement over Tarte’s We Wish You Wealth palette. This year you can get excited about the Tarte The Vanity Palette!

You’ll get:
16 Shades of Gloss
16 Shadows
1 Mascara
Bronzer
Luminizer
4 Blushes
Makeup Brushes

The palette remains the same price as last year at $52 USD!

All in all Tarte Holiday 2008 is definitely shaping up nicely with plenty of great gift giving options for yourself or friends and family!

Lemming any of Tarte’s Holiday Collection for yourself?

Loving that extra large palette?

Tell the Muse!

Check out last year’s Tarte We Wish You Wealth Palette

Tarte Berry Couture Set Review

Tarte Peaches and Cream Foundation Review

Tarte EmphasEye Eye Pencil Review

I came, I saw, I conquered the Pixi display at Target!

I ended up hauling quite a few items from the new Pixi Collection available at Target and about 98% of it I was pretty darn happy about however I was slightly disappointed with the Pixi Eye Beauty Kit in Miracle I picked up!

I’ll start my tale by telling you that I’ve wanted a Pixi Eye Beauty Kit for a very, very long time. I remember lemming two that were available for a terribly long time on Sephora but for some odd reason I never picked them up and finally when I did wake up and say “gee I really should order those”, tragedy struck…….they were out of stock.

So….

The Muse would visit Sephora daily in the hopes they’d pop back up again but sadly they never did. She was tempted to ask friends in London to please go and grab them for her but she wasn’t feeling like spending cash on airmail plus the inflated price of the palette UK side.

Good news finally came when Target began carrying the entire Pixi Collection! Blessed be!

Sadly, the wait for Pixi Eye Beauty Kits wasn’t worth it.

Although the palette is nice enough it has it’s fair share of flaws and in the end it’s $28 USD price tag is seriously not worth it!

What’s not the like about a super credit card slim palette that contains eye shimmering shades of shadow? Alot.

Although I like the palette well enough it’s main problem is the quality for the cash. If the price was a bit lower I imagine I’d recommend purchasing one or two but at $28 USD it doesn’t come through to warrant such a high cost.

I purchased Miracle but there are about 12 other color options available for you to choose from and who knows some of those may be good but Miracle is lacking big time. The shades are all pastel and range in golds, pinks, and other softer natural shades. The color pay off is practically non existent and ridiculously sheer. The shadows are all very soft, silky, and easy to blend however that doesn’t redeem the fact that the shades are sadly lacking pigment of any kind.

The good news is, yes you can create a rather nice daytime look, the bad news is that you’re paying $28 USD to create a look you can probably duplicate for heaps cheaper with a posher brand of cosmetics that would cost less!

The shades included in the palette are as follows:
Dusky Light Copper
Bronze Copper
Shimmering Gold
Pearl Pink
Light Brown
Shimmering Yellow
Shimmering Dark Rose
Shimmering Brownish Copper

Basically all of the above shades look pretty much the same when on your lid. There isn’t anything to contrast each shade so if you’re wanting to use several shades for one look, chances are you’ll end up looking like you have one shade on in the long run.

The good news is that although the colors are sheer they still manage to create a fresh look to my eyes and the shimmer in each shade is very nice however this still doesn’t justify the cost.

The packaging is interesting on the compact in it’s simple very slim design. I give Pixi major props for managing to keep a certain cuteness about the compact while also having a simple design for easy storage and portability.

Overall, I just feel like the palette isn’t worth it’s ridiculous $28 USD price tag. If they consider lowering the price I may be tempted to purchase another shade selection but even than I have serious doubts if I’d indulge further.

All in all this one I’m on the outs about this one. Definitely check out the Pixi line at Target as they have some fantastic offerings that I’ll review for you shortly but steer clear of the Pixi Eye Beauty Kits…they just aren’t worth the cash!

Tried out any of the Pixi line for yourself?

Loving it?

Tell the Muse!

NP Set Lip Goss Review

Target Steps It Up with it’s New Line of Cosmetics from Pixi, Jemm Kidd, and More!

Sephora is turning 10! Happy Birthday Sephora! We all love you very, very much, particularly the Muse of course!

In honor of it’s 10 year’s providing much joy to the beauty whores of the world, Sephora is doing up some seriously awesome collections and sets that are truly a steal in a deal!

One such set that caught my eye is the Too Faced The Quickie Chronicles Mini Collection…whoa…have you seen this?

This contains 8 Too Faced Quickie Chronicle Mini Palettes for $59.10 USD

It’s a bit early to be offering gift advice but wouldn’t this be a super pressie for a good friend or the makeup lover in your life? Or yourself of course…!

With 8 palettes you can create endless looks!

I’m very tempted by this one, very!

At $59.10 USD it works out to around $7.50 USD per palette but buy this during the Sephora Friends and Family Discount and you’ll end up paying around $5.85 USD per palette! Sweet!

I may indulge…I’m very tempted by this one…very!

What do you think?

Want this collection?

Love the idea of 8 palettes for such a low price?

Tell the Muse!

Too Faced Smoke and Mirrors Review

Too Faced Mess in a Dress Eyeshadow

Too Faced Mineral Water Review

theBalm has introduced a few interesting little palettes for the Holiday season!

Balm Springs $21 USD

Even though it’s Winter the Balm is taking us to the islands for the holiday season with it’s Balm Springs travel palette that contains shimmering golds and bronzes for a warm look!

Includes Overshadow in No Money, No Honey, shadyLady shadow in Shameless Shana, Pick-Up Liner in Casanova, and a mini shadow brush!

Balm Beach $21 USD

Take a trip to the beach this season with warmer shades of bronze, gold, and pink with the travel friendly Balm Beach palette!

Includes BalmShelter Tinted Gloss in Girl Next Door, shadyLady Shadow in Mischievous, Bahama Mama, and Hot Mama.

If you’re in for something a little bit different this holiday season I’m sure these will appeal!

Want ‘em?

Sporting a sparkling look this season or prefer a shimmering bronzey look?

Check out more of theBalm at their website!

theBalm Overshadow Review

theBalm Balms Away Makeup Break Up Review

I get ALOT of email daily at Musings and I honestly do have a really, really hard time keeping up with it all but I’m truly listening when you write me. One such case of e-mail overload would be about a zillion messages I got from various people asking for a review on Jelly Pong Pong Venus Magical Pearls.

I believe I caused a bit of an epidemic with my reviews on various awesome Jelly Pong Pong items because I get daily e-mails asking about the entire line and I honestly can’t answer all the questions about certain items as I haven’t tried the complete line of products! Sorry guys, the Muse is only one girl and contrary to popular belief I do not own every item in every collection ever released hehe!

But the good news is I can at lest ease your curiosity about Jelly Pong Pong’s Venus Magical Pearls finally. So, yes, I am listening and here, as requested, is my review!

These are awesome and come with my seal of approval before I even review! They have a bit of a novelty feel to them while keeping the cuteness that is Jelly Pong Pong and adding an inventive way to use eyeshadow!

What are they?

Exactly what it says on the package…Magical Pearls! Ooooo! Ok..not really….but close to magical as you’ll get. Basically you’ll be purchasing a cute container of shimmering pearls and in keeping with Jelly Pong Pong’s theme of “swiping and going” makeup these make shadow application a pure breeze and goof proof for the not so expert makeup inclined. Each jar contains a single shade of pearls which you’ll swipe your finger across, picking up shimmering color that you can use on your eyes or face. The fun doesn’t end there though…pick up one pearl and squash it between your finger tips to release a second contrasting shimmering shade! Awesome right?

I personally haven’t tried these on my face but I love creating a simple yet stunning eye look using the two shades. I normally start my look by swiping my fingers across the pearls and applying all over my lid and into my crease. I follow up by taking my frustrations out on the pearl and squashing it between my fingertips to release the secondary shade which I use all over my lid.

And it’s really that simple.

You can use a blending brush to blend out any harsh lines but honestly it’s a simple swipe of your finger tips to get an interesting blend of shimmering colors on your eyes! Obviously part of the appeal is how quickly you can create a look using the product. It makes makeup application simple and quite fun!

The color combinations are rather wonderful and go together beautifully plus the shades are very nicely pigmented making the product last very long since you only need one tiny pearl to complete your look! The pearls are very tiny and to create my looks below I used a single pearl.

Jelly Pong Pong has these available in four shade selections which evens out to roughly eight colors combinations. I’ve tried out two of the four and I’ll be purchasing the other two shades shortly (expect a follow up review for those…).

The shades I’ve tried out are Goddess Skin and Worship. Of the two Worship is my very favorite as the color combo is beautiful plus it’s a rather great time of the year to be wearing the two shades included with Worship. Worship starts as beautiful, shimmering gold, once crushed it goes from gold to a deeply pigmented fiery orange that contrasts perfectly with the gold. Goddess Skin starts out as a bronze which looks rather brownish, it has a nice shimmery finish. Once crushed Goddess Skin turns into an olive green, pairing an olive green and a bronze brownish shade never crossed my mind but turns out the two shades bounce off each other rather nicely.

ACK dontcha just love MAC Lipglass in Pink Grapefruit? I’m also sporting Lancome Absolue Makeup in the above picture on a completely prepped face!

All in all I think the simplicity of use, stunning colors, and unique application process makes this a really fun product to pick up for yourself! It doesn’t have to be difficult to create a rather flawless, fun look and Jelly Pong Pong Venus Magical Pearls helps that process right along!

I loved these and definately recommend at least trying one shade..soon after I guarantee you’ll want the rest!

These are available from Jelly Pong Pong for $20 USD or £15 on their website. The site ships domestic and international!

You can check out other combinations available here.

Tried these?

Love ‘em?

Do tell me!

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Cushion Review

Jelly Pong Pong Crystallize Review

Whoa…just whoa…have you seen Guerlain Midnight Butterfly yet?

Can you say ridiculously awesome?

I wants it all, NOW!

Source

This collection speaks for itself without the Muse’s commentary!

Stunning!

Thanks to my good buddy Iris and My Woman Stuff for scooping this story!

Want this?

Lemming it as badly as I am?

Tell the Muse!

I’ve had Lush Skin Nanny for a while now but since I got it in the Summer, I was unable to use it as it’s really thick and isn’t great for warmer, humid weather wear.

The weather is still pretty warm here but I decided to bust out and begin using Skin Nanny. I really hate doing skin care reviews after only a few days of use but I’m so excited about Skin Nanny I really wanted to share my experiences with you so far.

I’ve said it before but it’s important that I re-mention what sort of skin I have. I have a combination skin type that’s oily in the Summer and pretty dry in the Winter. At the moment I’m experiencing oily skin on my forehead, dry skin between my eye brows, and pretty normal skin on the rest of my face.

It deserves to be mentioned that I really don’t think you can get away with using Skin Nanny for a day time moisturizer. It’s very heavy and very thick which makes it ideal for replenishing moisture during the night however for day use I think it might be a bit too much. Unless you have severely dry skin on your face I’m doubtful this will work for anything else but a night cream. Personally I’ll be using Skin Nanny as a night cream because even come Winter when my skin is drier this is still very thick for day time use.

Here’s the description from Lush UK:

Anti-ageing Skin-Protection The natural way to protect your skin from wrinkliness Lots of hype and humbug gets written about skincare. We can`t be bothered with all that; we stick to the facts. If you are going out in the sun and want to look after your skin, you`ve got to choose a moisturiser with some protection. In Skin Nanny we`ve made a rich, effective cream which you`ve got to have if you`re the latter side of 30. It`s got the AHAs that exist naturally in fruit. We use freshly squeezed apple juice, not synthetics. It`s all part of our tradition is herbalists, the holistic approach to keeping your skin bright by using the whole fruit. Starflower oil moisturises and hydrates your skin; it has omega 6 oils and nutritious fatty acids (a lot nicer than they sound). Skin Nanny`s vitamins C and E come naturally with almond and hibiscus oils to penetrate your skin and smoothe wrinkles (for a while). We give it an emollient jojoba, camellia and candalilia wax complex to revive your skin immediately. All in all, we are delighted to have Skin Nanny taking care of our faces. The older you are the more you will appreciate it and the sooner you start, the happier you`ll be in future.

Now I’m really excited to add this to my night time skin regime. I’ve been trying to find a good anti-aging moisturizer so Skin Nanny couldn’t come out at a better time considering that Lush pretty much makes up 95% of my skincare already. My normal night cream is Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough and I’ll be happily replacing that with Skin Nanny!

As I mentioned about the moisturizer is extremely thick and creamy which means it doesn’t absorb fully on contact with the skin. It does take a fair bit of work on your part to get this nice and smoothed onto the skin however after it’s on it feels rather wonderful and you can feel it working to create a good layer of moisture. Come morning my skin feels amazing! The formula contains SPF as well which is always an added bonus if you decide to wear this out and about.

Lush has ALWAYS been very good to my skin and I give it 100% credit for how great my skin looks today so I have no doubts in my mind that this will protect my skin and keep it younger looking for years to come.

Strangely enough, one of the greater things about this moisturizer was the fact that it helped improve the dryness under my eyes considerably. Although I haven’t stopped using my normal eye cream I do like the results of smoothing this over my face and under my eyes and come morning I’m left with smoother, softer skin under my eyes which in turn makes applying concealer easier minus creasing or caking due to dryness!

It’s honestly a very, very heavy moisturizer so please prior to purchasing do ask for a small sample to take home and try or you can purchase a sample pot for $5 USD which you can later bring back to receive $5 off the larger size moisturizer of your choice!

Who I recommend try it:

• Anyone, old or young, who has dry skin and seeks heavy duty moisture!
• Women 25 and up who are looking for an anti-aging cream.
• Those who are seeking a good night cream that will replenish and renew moisture to the skin over night.

Honestly, I loved adding this to my skincare line up and I think it pure perfection for night wear. I’m happy Lush has finally broken into creating a moisturizer with anti-aging ingredients! Lush has kept my skin clear, blemish-free, and beautiful for a few years now and I look forward to it keeping my skin from aging as well now!

If you fit into any of the categories above I highly recommend and approve this one for purchase!

The Muse loves it!

Lush Skin Nanny Moisturizer is available now from Lush NA and Lush UK for $46.95 USD or £25.

Check your local country Lush website for further details if these moisturizers are available in your country!

Picking Apart my Best Feature: A Guide to what the Muse uses on her face from Lush

Lush Vanishing Cream Review

Lush Perfume

Simplifying your Haircare with Lush

Cracking Apart a Super-Size Lush Pud

Ahhh!

Glitter!

The Muse likey glitter so when she seen Bare Escentuals Extreme Glitter Kit she knew she must have it! Now!

The kit includes three Bare Escentuals Extreme Glimmers with “mega-watt” sparkle….doesn’t this sound soooooooo Muse-like? I mean seriously, mega-watt sparkle? It has my name written all over it! I simply know that Bare Escentuals was thinking all about ME when they created this kit!

What you get:

• Bare Minerals Extreme Silver Eye Color
• Bare Minerals Extreme Plum Eye Color
• Bare Minerals Extreme Bronze Eye Color
• Glimmer Brush
• Sample Size Prime Time Eyelid Primer

$32 USD for the set! I like the price but the shadows are sized at 0.01oz eep! That’s really tiny….if you recall I recently reviewed the Bare Escentuals Rocker Eye Kit and the shadows included were 0.02 oz in size and that was pretty small and these are downsized a bit….

I’ll definately be purchasing this kit for myself however the smaller and smaller size does disappoint me as I’ve always associated Bare Escentuals with getting more for less but I guess nothing stays the same especially with the economy the way it is at the moment.

Bare Escentuals Holiday/Winter Collection is shaping up nicely if they keep releasing sparkling kits like this one the Muse will be very happy!

Like this one?

Want it?

Tell the Muse!

I’ll be reviewing it for you shortly as soon as I get my greedy little hands on it!

Bare Escentuals Rocker Eye Kit Review

Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection Review

Bare Minerals Pure Gold Collection Review

Bare Escentuals iQuad Eyeshadow Review

Bare Escentuals Smokey “V” Eye Kit Review