Bath and Body Works got into the Summer game really fast this year. They started pimpin’ out their new Summer Vanilla scents and offering sample sizes way back in February. That’s what I’m talking about! Who needs Winter when we can have Summer!
Check it!
Read More...I recently bought the liquid version of Chanel’s Teint Innocence foundation, in Cameo 20 (I live in the Northwest…I’m pale, yes). It’s a light-weight foundation (oil-free!) that gives a light to medium coverage. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you’ll still be able to see your darker spots (acne scars, dark freckles, what have you), but that’s mostly because you know where they are and are trying to spot them. The average person, upon looking at you, will prolly just think your skin looks dewy and fresh. That’s seriously what this does. It brightens your skin, giving it a fresh glow, and anyone who’s close enough to pick out the little flaws should be punched anyway, right? 
I really like the light-weight feel of it, and the fact that I can touch my face without fear of having makeup all over my fingers. I also tend to rest my head against my boyfriend’s shoulder when we’re on the bus, and other liquid foundations have smudged onto his jacket (which, thankfully, rubs clean quite nicely, being Gore-Tex and all).
The foundation has SPF 12 in it, which isn’t a lot, but I use Clinique’s City Block SPF 25 every day anyway, so the SPF situation doesn’t concern me very much. I do sometimes set it with a powder, if I want a matte look, but it’s not necessary and usually I don’t bother.
I apply with my fingertips, which was weird for me the first time around. I’ve since adapted, though, and it’s fine. I just dab dots onto my face and blend gently into my skin. Works beautifully. So, here’s the bottom-line:
Pros: light, non-greasy, formula; gives you a dewy, fresh glow, while smoothing out imperfections and giving you an overall “flawless finish” look. I haven’t experienced break-outs or drying out, and I don’t look like I have foundation caked or packed on. It really just smooths into your skin, making your skin look better than it is. Who doesn’t love that?
Cons: price. At $47 a bottle, it’s a bit steep, but that’s Chanel for you. I personally feel like if I’m going to indulge in anything pricey, it should be foundation, since your skin is so important. The bottle also does not have a pump, and though it’s easy enough to pour out what you need, I can imagine it might get a bit difficult towards the end when there’s very little left in the bottle. But it looks like it’ll last for quite some time, so I’m satisfied.
Overall: I like it. I like it better than any Clinique liquid foundation I’ve tried (which are considerably cheaper), because the color match is perfect and the formula feels better – easier to blend and such a soft, radiant finish. Win!
My first impression of this palette was not a stellar one…But as I used it, my view point changed entirely!
This is a great palette for someone just getting into Urban Decay, in my opinion. It was my first palette from the brand, and I was not disappointed.
First of all, colors:
You get a great mix of neutral and vivid colors. There’s a color for everyone. Even if you’re the type of makeup-wearer who leans towards neutrals, one of the vibrant colors can be used as a liner to spice things up. You get two colors in the purple/pink category (Fishnet/Ransom), one green (Graffiti–my favorite green I own), one blue (Peace), one yellow/gold (Honey), one black (Zero), and three neutrals (Shag, Scratch, and Underground).
Formula/Pigmentation:
These colors are BRIGHT! They barely need any building up! My suggestion (that I learned from the Muse herself) is to use a sponge applicator. It picks up the pigmentation much better than any other brush I’ve used. I still think a base is needed, but they are so intense that if you’re in a pinch, they’d last for a while. The shadows are creamy and smooth. They apply like butter! They are definitely no-hassle shadows.
Price:
The palette is $38 for nine 1.2 gram shadows, two sponge applicators, and a very mini Urban Decay Primer Potion. I think it is very worth it, as a little of these shadows goes a long way. The packaging is cute and has protected my shadows just fine, and I’ve carried it in my purse before. For the variety that you get, it is money well-spent.
Cons:
The packaging is like a little two sided. It’s cute and sturdy, with a good sized mirror. The problem rests in it being made of a velvety/felt material. It is a magnet for dust and powder! So keep it in a safe, clean spot if you’d rather have it in pristine condition. Also, the inside stains easily and the powder from the shadows gets on the mirror and on the white cardboard.
This is the perfect palette for anyone interested in trying out something new and fun. The existence of the neutrals makes it practical, but the bright colors jazz it up and add something fresh to any makeup collection.
I’ve been wearing Underground for over a week already, which is something I rarely do! I’m so A.D.D. about changing my look from day to day that I rarely wear the same look twice in a week…but I’ve found this color to go with everything! I’ll be buying the separate shadow when I run out. I’ve also been wearing Scratch as a blush. I’m fair skinned, so it shows up just barely, and it gives a nice ‘barely rosey’ color to my cheeks.
Dude, anyone been lurking around the Target Beauty aisles? Guilty! Every time I hit up Target I head over to beauty first, can’t help myself I like to sniff the Soap and Glory and sigh happily while other chicks in the aisles give me weird looks.
Pixi has a new primer out that you may wanna check out. I already played around with it a little bit myself so check it after the jump!
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I do so remember the first time I purchased a Benefit Boxed Powder. Do you remember yours?
Read More...I first heard of BFTE from YouTube videos. After I heard the name once, it seemed to be dropping everywhere in cyberspace. I shrugged it off at first…until I saw Tangerine and Lemon. I had been looking for the perfect vibrant yellow and orange. And there they were, at $6.50 a pop.
Ordering was simple, and the products came fast. The hard part was choosing from over 250 colors. It was my first experience with any mineral company, so I researched how to apply them, and what colors were favored.
I ended up ordering ten for $50, and the Color of the Week, which retails for $2. The colors I purchased were Tangerine, Lemon, Dragon, Mermaid, Peacock, Kou, Fire Dancer, Grape, Atlantis, Whisper, and Big Island.
Some were a hit, and some left a little to be desired.
The duo tones were, and still are, my favorites. I love the idea of having two shades in one. The color reflexes work well with each other and create a beautiful shades and contoured look without even having to try. Those shdes were Dragon, Mermaid, Peacock, and Whisper–the first three being my favorites out of the entire purchase.
Next, I sampled the Hawaii collection. These are all PACKED with shimmer. Though it isn’t glitter, it still IS a mineral shadow, and it will fall out with these. They are beautiful colors, but do dull down as time wears on. It is noticeable when they are applied wet. The vivid appearance loses it’s light. These shades are Fire Dancer, Kou, and Big Island. I found Fire Dancer to be a gorgeous color, but not the right shade for me. I’d recommend it for blue eyes.
Though not matte, Tangerine, Atlantis, Grape and Lemon are neither glittery, duotone or all that shimmery. They do have a slight sheen. Tangerine and Lemon are both very pigmented, but ended up not being the perfect shades I’d thought them to be. Tangerine is bright, but it isn’t a true orange. It leans more towards orange-aid. Lemon has a metallic-like sheen that makes it appear almost light green on the lid. A friend of mine even asked me one day, “are you wearing green and orange eyeshadow?” Grape is a nice color; it’s wonderful for lining or as a crease color.
Overall the shadows were a good buy. I would have switched some colors looking back, but it was a good first experience. They are all highly pigmented, so they are perfect for the girls who love intense and bright shadows. I suggest applying them wet for the most extreme effect, especially the duotones. They blend well and it is very easy to create winning looks with the amount of selection available.
I have not tried them as nailpolish. I have, however, tried Fire Dancer as a sparkling, pinky-red lipcolor and it looked amazing!
These are for the adventurous makeup lovers who want to stand out. They do require some cleanup if you’re using a shimmering or glittery shade, but that’s pretty average with mineral shadows.
Loveeee this!!!
I have tried a lot of foundations from different brands… this is THE ONE for me..I am so glad I have found this
pros:
-easy to blend
-gives good coverage without needing to pile up a lot
-the finish is more of creamy ( makes my face glow?? ) after I put this on my skin feels so moisturized and healthy
-they have reasonably wide range of color selections : I think they have 9 ( maybe more ) I wear CF204.5 and it suits my olive NC35-40 really really well
cons:
-it doesn’t come with pumps so you need to use a spatula but that doesn’t bother me
-kinda expensive : in UK it is around £30 so it is not exactly cheap but I think it is worth it and I bought it on ebay and cost me around US$15 only
-it doesn’t control oil really well so you will need to use a primer and set it with powder… I don’t really set it with powder in winter since my skin is dry during winter
-it has mineral oil ( I don’t really care…but for those who does this might not be one for them )
overall I think this is a really great product since it gives really nice glow finish and my face doesn’t look like I have applied a lot of foundation ( some ppl didnt know I have foundation even lol )
It was only a matter of time before Avon caught the tinted lip bug craze. Not everyone is up for dishing out $22 or more dollars on a sheer lipstick so if Bobbi Brown Lip Treatment and NARS Sheer Lip Treatment just aren’t in your beauty budget right now, have no fear, Avon is here to save the day!
Jump!
Read More...‘ello, ‘ello!
Anyone check out the Victoria’s Secret Safari Makeup Collection yet? It has some seriously nice pieces! Lucky enough, yours truly somehow resisted its evil allure and only ended up with a single little little gloss plus I paid .81 cents for it ha!
Jump ahead to read the review.
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At first glance 2 Love My Lips Lip Gloss is your typical range of lip gloss in a few interesting shades. Mind you, its an indie brand I’ve never heard of but you know the Muse, boldly going where no Muse has gone before in the beauty world.
But….don’t let that typical lip gloss look full you! 2 Love My Lips Gloss has something a little bit different about it!
Jump!
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Morning dears!
Sometimes I ask myself, “Do you really NEED another Japanese foaming facial cleanser?” and I proceed to remember why I don’t need another one. Could it be the dozens that already grace my bathroom closet? Yes, that would be it.
However, I can’t resist a tube of foaming face wash that has Hello Kitty’s face plastered on it.
Damn straight I’ll indulge in that!
Jump!
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Dude, Pur Minerals has this new online application that lets you create customized looks virtually…
I’m such a geek as I’ve spent the better part of the last 30 minutes playing around with this!
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Morning chicks!
Looks like we started our journey over the hump today and the weekend will soon be here. Phew, thank god! I need a little R&R.
After loading up Musings of a Muse in your browser this morning you may have noticed a brand new look. I wanted to go ahead and introduce you to some of the fun new features on Musings in this intro post.
If you look to your left hand side I have some new icon options for you. There are two important icons here which are Daily Dose of Beauty and Submit Your Own Review.
Daily Dose of Beauty is a brand category that won’t appear on the front page but will simply be available if you mosey on over and click the icon. It’ll be updated daily with new products, beauty tidbits, and other fun stuff. If you already subscribe to Musings via RSS, you’ll be alerted automatically of new updates to this part of my blog.
Now here’s the really exciting part! Submit Your Own Review is another new feature here and yes, easy to guess, its all about submitting your own review to Musings. I really love reading all your comments and thoughts on a product but I also wanted to give you a way to express your very own unique, individual review of products you are loving or hating at the moment. Simply click Submit a Review and you’ll be magically whisked away to a form that will allow you to submit your own lovely review. I hope you’ll enjoy this feature. I’ve wanted to have something like this on Musings for a long time and finally I can bring it to you.
Although its not new I wanted to just take a moment to tell you the categories are available on the left hand side of the blog now. I know when I visit blogs I love to have a long list of fun stuff to read through. These categories offer you the option to search through posts by brand, by review type, and many other ways to enjoy reading Musings.
A new widget has been installed on the right hand side of the blog now as well. This is where you can view my most popular posts, recent posts, recently reviewed products, and also recent comments. This is a handy tool for catching up on what’s going on around here.
And finally the right side also features the new As Seen by the Muse category (aka Daily Photo) you can click on this and enjoy a new photo daily. Could be beauty, could be me moblogging something that caught my eye, or something I’m currently obsessing over. You can visit and view the picture and even comment on it if you like.
I also have some other features that will be live shortly which will include a makeup gallery, a possible forum, and a few other bits and bobs.
I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy these new features. I know some of you expressed you aren’t loving the new design but I’m hopeful you’ll give it a chance and grow to love it.
Have fun exploring and by all means let me know what you think!
Talk soon!
How does 18 hours of shine free-wear sound to you?
Sounds bloody great to me!
Please can I has some Lancome Teint Idole Fresh Wear please?
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