Musings of a Muse

Absolutely adore IsaDora but more often than not it proves damn difficult to locate! Walgreens used to stock it but they diced it a while back ago.

Cosmetic Mall is lovely enough to have an entire catalog’s worth of the brand but some of the LE items are always iffy to find.

However, I still enjoy each of their releases and the hunt of finding them, well, it’s a worthy punishment since the brand is so ace.

Let’s take a look at the IsaDora Jungle Fever Summer 2011 Collection!

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IsaDora has been a little uneventful with collections this year and I haven’t purchased from the line in a long time. Sadly the new IsaDora Glitzy Collection for Holiday 2010 fails to excite me as well so I can either sob over how unfair it all is or just give thanks I’m not having to dish out for another wonderful Holiday Collection.

Let’s take a look, you tell me what you think!

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Although difficult to work with, I still adore loose mineral blushes. Bare Escentuals has SO many vibrant shades that I simply can’t say no to, I also pretty much dig all over the more bolder shades Aromaleigh and Medusa Cosmetics offers as well!

On a whim I purchased some IsaDora Mineral Blush Powder and now I’m totally obsessed with it.

Likey!

Jump!

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As always, really enjoying the Isadora Summer Collection 2010.

Jump for the deets!

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If you’re wanting to keep your gifts on the lower end, say, mmmm $30 or under, this be the guide for you!

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This Muse is personally worried about getting her hands on the new IsaDora Holiday Collection 2009 but LipGloss Bitch is already on to IsaDora Spring Collection 2010.

Stop, wait, you’re going to fast now!

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Merry days ahead my dears with the IsaDora Holiday Collection 2009 vying for it’s spot on my wish list. Sporting the name of my very favorite Lush Shower Gel, IsaDora Snow Fairy is a selection of cool, chilly shades of pink for a crisp, snowy look.

Loves it!

Jump for the deets.

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Oooooo chicas let me tell you.  It’s icy cold outside.   It’s been a weird few days in my little city as the weather is more Winter than Fall.   But we had a few warm Fall days around these parts and lord knows it’s my very fav time of the year.

I’m celebrating Fall with Isadora Bohemian Rhapsody today.   It’s a rather fab little collection that’s inexpensive and quite sitting with the season plus it carries the name of my very favorite song from Queen what more could a girl want?  Did I ever tell you about my Freddy Mercury obsession?  Wait…maybe we’ll skip that chat otherwise we’ll never get to the review.

What was I saying? Oh yes the IsaDora Bohemian Rhapsody Collection!

Check it after the jump!

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IsaDora believes it’s evoking the 70′s with it’s new Bohemian Rhapsody Collection but the Muse just sees a warm, elegant look for the cooler weather ahead. Loving all over this look and must haves it now!

Take a peep after the jump!

I’m ever always slightly skeptical of combining browns and greens for some odd reason but I should know by now it simply works. The new IsaDora Bohemian Rhapsody collection features the model wearing a combination of olive green and deep chocolate on her eyes which pops and screams Fall. It’s a beautiful cocktail of warm colors for a cooler season and I’m loving all over it. The collection is geared towards a more 70′s retro feel but I’m just seeing it as a very beautiful collection that has a certain warmth to it which I associate with Fall. Although traditionally olive greens and browns aren’t something to get too excited about as many collections release similar shades like these for Autumn, but I still can’t help but feel quite excited about this collection.

At the center of the collection is a brand new Isadora Eye Palette in Bohemian Rhapsody ($19.50) which is a range of warm shades of olive green, browns, and golds. I’m quite interested in picking up the palette and the IsaDora Chrome Lip Polish in Candied Apple and the IsaDora Perfect Moisture Lipstick in Russet as I’m loving the model’s lips in the promo images.

There are also several other offerings such as a liner pencil, nail polishes, and a bronzer to choose from but for me the eye palette and lip items were what stood out most.

(Click to Enlarge)

Overall, I’m really loving the imagery of this collection and look forward to hauling it. I’ve also glimpsed IsaDora Holiday 2009 and must say it looks thrilling but more about that later.

This collection will be available for purchase from Cosmetic Mall as of 09/15 and Amazon.com soon after.

If being delirious means sporting super popping shades of shadow on my lids and lips I’m all over the brand new IsaDora Summer Collection Delirious!

Check it!

We can always count on IsaDora to give us a crazy cool palette for each season’s release, Summer happens to be no different with the IsaDora Eye Palette in Delirious. I’m literally delirious just staring at it! Bright shades of coral, blue, pink, yellow, and brown make up this bright hued palette.

The collection also has brand new shades of IsaDora Perfect Moisture Lipstick and 3-D Glitter Gloss plus a bronzing powder that was released with the early Summer Collection I told you about several weeks ago. Great selection of items but my eye is on the prize of that palette!

Interesting also is the release of IsaDora Delirious Eau de Toilette. This is a first as I’ve never seen a fragrance from them prior to this. Sparkling, fruity, and green so says the description, count the Muse curious she likes sparkling fruity blends!

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Overall, a nice release of goodies to look forward to from IsaDora!

Technically speaking it’s still Spring right? Just be quiet and pretend it’s Spring for a little while so I can show you the Isadora Blooming Spring Palette. Shhh no one will know it’s almost Summer. Close your eyes, think of a cool brisk breeze, the scent of tulips in the air…are in your special Spring place now?

Good!

Let’s go to the review!

Ok, so no matter what one thing that IsaDora never fails out is giving me bang for my buck. Beautiful palette, $19 bucks? I can go for that.

The IsaDora Blooming Spring Palette contains five beautiful shades for that perfect Spring eye look, shhh you’re in your Spring place now no thinking about bronzers! No but seriously you can easily get away with using the palette year round as it has some great shadows. Peach, Pink Purple, Green, and Brown make up the palette shades. These can be combined or used separately to create various looks. The colors are all quite pigmented and blend very well however they do have a tad bit of a chalky formula. In my experience with IsaDora palettes so far I noticed they sport a very similar formula and texture to that of most Japanese eye palettes, it’s that creamy powder formula that’s almost chalky in texture. This isn’t a bad thing but if you aren’t a lover of such a formula you might not like working with these. The shadows are very nice, pigmented, buttery smooth, and they blend quite well it’s just that strange chalky texture that could sway some. Personally I like the way they apply and think they create some seriously lovely looks.

The only rant I have about the IsaDora Blooming Spring Palette is the fact that it was a simple black compact. Most of their special releases have a different compact design but this is simply the standard black casing. Meh a tad disappointing for a packaging junkie like myself but nothing to get to upset over.

All in all, for the price the quality is there and it’s worth picking up if you’re an IsaDora fan. I think it’s also worth trying out if you’re new to the line.

Few small notes…..

Cosmetic Mall used to sell IsaDora but now it gives a strange buy two option. This is news to me until a few readers mentioned it. So basically they want you to purchase two of every product. What?! Not cool. So….you can either get a friend and order together or you can order through the IsaDora Amazon Store. As your last option you can check on Evil-bay although I suggest heading to the Amazon Store to score the palette and other items from IsaDora at retail price.

Here’s a few looks I did with the palette:

Using Pink:

Using Peach:

Using Green and Brown:

Anyone an IsaDora fan?

Wanting this palette?

Tell the Muse!

Isadora Ultra Cover Compact Powder was recently released along with the Isadora Summer Collection. Although the compact isn’t apart of the Summer Collection it manages to stand up by itself and offer very good coverage with an equally nice price tag.

With an SPF 20 and plenty of pigment to cover everything, the Isadora Ultra Cover Compact Powder could be a nice (and cheaper) dupe of the Muse’s very favorite powder of the moment, Benefit Hello Flawless. If you’re looking to cut corners this powder is half the cost ($16 USD) and has plenty of the pigment that wow’ed me over when I reviewed Hello Flawless for you!

The powder instantly covers problem areas with a pigmented, silky formula that blends easily and flawlessly into skin. The powder comes in one universal tone which I suppose Isadora thought was a good idea but it’s a bit too beige and orange for this Muse but she does so admit that it blends pretty well once applied however I do have my doubts for anyone with fairer skin than my own or even darker for that matter as the shade just seems a tad off for darker or lighter tones. I’d recommend it for medium, medium fair, and possibly caramel tones but nothing darker or lighter than those.

SPF 20 protects skin against the harsh Summer sun while the powder formula allows for breathable flawless coverage for oily to normal skin. At the moment my skin is suffering it’s normal stage of dryness after a harsh Winter and the powder applied perfectly well without flaking up or looking unnatural on.

Coverage is mostly definitely heavy but can be applied sheer with a brush instead of a sponge. I imagine you can get all three coverages from the one powder including light, medium, to heavy. The powder is supposed to be ideal for covering up ruddy cheeks or redness on the face however I suffer from neither so I can’t say if that works but I did take note that the finish is that of a mineral foundation and it evens out my skin nicely.

For the price I don’t think you can go wrong especially if you’ve been considering Hello Flawless but just weren’t willing to dish out the $34 for it. Isadora Ultra Compact Powder makes quite a nice dupe and is good wear for the humid days ahead when our skin will need a bit of powder to keep it mattified and fresh looking while battling a forehead that looks like a mirror as our skin becomes more oily due to the warmer weather. I’d have liked a bigger selection of colors but for what it’s worth the universal shade isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be at first swatch, just remember to build up coverage slowly to avoid a case of a muddy or a mask-like look.

Sportin’ Isadora Ultra Cover Compact Powder with a spot of blush!

Visit http://www.isadora.com for more deets and purchase from Amazon or Cosmetic Mall if my review has fed your lemming!

Although the Muse is anything but a sun goddess she can’t help herself from falling helplessly in love and lust with the IsaDora early Summer release, IsaDora Bronzing Trend.

The Muse is loving the beautiful lips and eyes in this promo image. The sun kissed, bronzy lips are gorgeous and the seductive bronzes and golds on the eyes is truly a stunning look for Summer! These are the days I don’t mind all that tanned skin so much as it looks so yummy for the warm weather!

All of the details for the items releasing are in the promo image below:

The Muse is on board with that shadow palette, blushing bronzer, and gorgeous shade of lipgloss!

Likey!

IsaDora Bronzing Trend could get me on board with a tan yet! One never knows when presented with a collection like this.

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Oh hai super cheap light and bright for my eyes!

IsaDora Eye Brow Lift & Define is a dual ended pencil that multitasks the job of defining and filling brows and highlighting them. One end of the pencil has a dark brown brown filler whole the other has a soft matte pink highlighter on the other end.

My brows are full already that I’m not making as much use out of the filler as I should but I am seriously in lust with the highlighter side of the pencil. It’s kinda a cheaper version of Benefit Lemon Aid. It works great at simply highlighting the upper brow area, giving eyes an arch and illusion of a lift. Or use it all over your eye to mattify it (particularly great if you have oily lids) and waken up your eyes. It’s ideal as a prep and prime for eyes and acts as a concealer for your lid area. My lids tend to be a bit red and dull unless I use a yellow base on them prior to applying shadow so this is ideal as a little pick me up for my lids. Even though it’s a pale pink shade it still manages to freshen up my lids and make me look wide awake and fresh. Likey! At $13 USD it’s a rather nice little steal and deal.

Who might like this:

• Anyone who has oily lids and wants to mattify them prior to shadow to prevent creasing and fading.
• Those who need to fill in brows for a fuller look!
• Anyone who has a touch of sagging around the eye area and desires a lifted look.
• Those who need a wake up call for their eyes!

All in all I really liked the price on this and can def see myself purchasing again in the future. I like the convenience of a dual product but I’d actually like to see them do the highlighter separately as I made more use of it.

You can purchase IsaDora at Amazon and Cosmetic Mall.

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I’ve already blogged the IsaDora Spring Collection, In Bloom but today I thought I’d share further details and images from the collection as it’s such a great beauty budget collection that it’s well worth a re-mention! Have a peek after the jump!

For Eyes:

Isadora Shadow Palette in Blooming Spring $19 USD

A Spring color palette of soft bleached pastels in peachy sherbet, soft pastel pink, glimmering lilac, sheer luminous mint and shimmering bronze.

For Brows:

Isadora Eye Brow Lift and Define $13 USD

A double ended brow pencil and highlighter is a one-stop-shop for flawless, shapely brows. Apply the soft pink color underneath the brow to accentuate brow area and make eyes pop. Gently fill in sparse areas in brows with the brown pencil to naturally define brows and frame the eyes.

Isadora Jumbo Flex Sharpener $5 USD

Professional quality flexible sharpener for round or sharp jumbo pencils. It includes a cleaning stick and pop-off case for storing shavings for mess-free sharpening.

For Complexion:

Isadora Ultra Cover Compact Powder SPF 15 in Camouflage $14

This anti-redness water-based pressed powder foundation instantly covers problem areas such as veins, dark under eye circles and effortlessly evens out skin tone for a flawless finish. The universal shade flatters all skin tones and features an oil absorbing formula that immediately mattifies and protects skin with SPF 15. Perfect for on the go touch ups as skin adjusts to warmer climates.

For Lips:

Isadora Crystal Gloss Stick $12

A sheer lip gloss stick with a crystal shine finish with the perfect touch of color. Moisturizing shea butter and Vitamin E provide a soft and creamy texture.

Available in 6 Shades:

• Taffeta Pink: a soft, luminous pink
• Mango Fizz: a shimmery copper
• Coral Rose: a vibrant coral with a hint of pink
• Choco Breeze: a bold terracotta
• Bermuda Pink: a vivid, feminine pink
• In Red: a glossy, dazzling red

The entire collection is available now from Cosmetic Mall.