Musings of a Muse

As you know, MAC is set to release it’s brand new Prime Focus Collection on August 18 (just in time to get skin flawless for back to school) and the collection features four shades of their new MAC Prep + Prime Fortified Skin Enhancer SPF 35.

Here’s a few swatches with a review that will follow soon!

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Remember my original post about the L’occitane Makeup Collection? At the time this was news that had hit British shores but I’m now happy to report its very much alive and kicking on US shores and in stores too!

Anyone seeing it yet at their local L’occitane?

Jump!

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Morning loves!

How’s everyone today? Monday blue’sing like me? I did have one highlight to my Monday morning. I’ve been catching up on the Adventure Calender on BBC since I missed a few days with it being the weekend and all. Sadly, I can’t take full advantage of any videos they post since you do have to be in England to view, boo, hiss, rant! Anyway….on the 11th Day of Christmas they posted David and The Proclaimers. Lucky enough some fan posted up the video on youTube so the rest of the world could enjoy it.

And I give to you, the Doctor, making a complete arse of himself.

Have you ever in your life seen David so excited? Not I. I got a grip on the fact that he was a HUGE Proclaimers fan when he was on Graham Norton sometime last year but this goes above and beyond doesn’t it? The fact that he’s wearing his straight line pants and geeky tie totally cracks me up, as in not only is David a fan boy but so is the Doctor.

Oh vey. The Adventure Calender needs to pump out more like this. Maybe on the 25th they can gift us with Friday Night Project episode, now that would be HAWT!

As the end of time draws nearer I imagine I’ll shed a tear or two, at least it’ll be memorable!

Anyway….’nuff geekin’.

How about some makeup?

Anyone see the new MAC collections hitting the shelves shortly? I know I’m on it like white on rice!

Jump for my Musings on MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes!

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MAC Warm & Cozy hits counters in January, just about the right time of the year me thinks as it’s nude selection of shades does have me thinking warm and cozy thoughts on a cold Winter’s night!

Jump for it!

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I haven’t quite found it in my heart yet to dig into my Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura goodies but I thought you’d all appreciate a few babbles about the items and some photos.

Jump ahead to see pics of the Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Planet Cat Palette.

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As you read in my prior post, a new line of cosmetics has been recently released themed around the popular Twilight book and movie series. Might as well milk the cash cow with themed cosmetics. If you make them the fanpires errrr fans will come.

Honestly, I adore the idea of Twilight makeup. Hey, this is part of being a geek that never grew up. The idea of cosmetics themed around a favorite book of mine is always in style. Personally, I’m waiting for the WoW or Doctor Who cosmetic line but I’ll settle for Twilight if I must.

Jump ahead for more of my initial thoughts on Twilight Beauty.

The Muse bets any amount of money that you are wondering if she’ll indulge in some Twilight Beauty. To answer your question quickly without having to torture you too much through the babbling ahead I’ll say yes. If you want to hear me rant to do read ahead, if you’d rather just leave it at yes and wait for my reviews stop reading now.

Ahhh so you’re still here.

Here’s the deal. I’m very grumpy that they launched the site and are taking pre-orders for about 50% of the makeup. I’m an instant gratification kinda girl I am not wanting to wait until October for makeup k? If you don’t have it in stock please don’t proceed to flaunt it at me, make me want it, but tell me I have to wait until the end of October to have. Not cool guys not cool.

That’s my first rant…read more.

Ok, so I’m about to rant a little more here. Brace yourself.

I’m disappointed.

I’m kinda disappointed in most of the line. As I told you in a previous post it’s split into two collections which are Luna and Volturi. Hmmm who loves the Volturi? Anyone a fan? Yea well not loving that idea but ok. I guess the basic concept is lighter vs darker and more goth. However, I don’t see too many differences between the two collections anyway so I do believe they should have just left it at “Twilight Beauty” forget the entire Luna and Volturi concept.

Here’s the low down…it breaks my heart to be so brutally honest….absolutely nothing in the collection is a must have in my humblest opinion. Nothing stands out or shouts at me to buy it. I am a tad disappointed that it wasn’t something that wow’ed me. I honestly do not have a better idea for the collection but I just don’t like it as is either. Aside from the lipstick nothing else really grabs me as a must have and my total cart is made up of four items costing around $83…..The Twilight Beauty Blushing Creme has some of my attention but it honestly looks to sheer in the photos but it’s in my cart as I’m curious. I did see one color of Twilight Beauty Lip Gloss that appeals and one shade of Twilight Beauty Staining Balm. However, I can’t really see anything special or unique about any of the items on offer. I’m particularly disappointed in the packaging which isn’t quite living up to my idea of Twilight, dare I say it looks cheap?

So yes I’m kinda feeling all brokenhearted today….I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t this. The good news is maybe after I decide on my final order and get the products I’ll be wow’ed by the quality.

What are your thoughts?

Twilight Beauty Yay or Nay?

So far my list consists of the following:

• Twilight Beauty Staining Lip Balm in Rapture (Maybe Blush too)
• Twilight Beauty Blushing Creme in Swoon
• Twilight Beauty Lip Gloss in Butterfly Kisses (Maybe Myth as well)
• Twilight Beauty Gleam Metallic Mascara in Panther

What’s your list looking like?

Indulging?

Share it!

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Long gone are the days of old when the Muse had to have every single MAC Pigment ever known to men, ahhh the life of a cosmetic junkie.

The last of the trio in the MAC Make-Up Art is the Fall As Seen By Marilyn Minter. This collection includes MAC Pigments, MAC Reflects Glitter, and MAC Glitter. As much as I adore pigment I’m not particularly excited about this release as I do believe I’ve overdosed on plenty of piggies and glitter to last me a full life time.

Click ahead to muse about the brand new MAC Push the Edge Pigment!

The Muse’s initial impression of MAC Pigment in Push the Edge was, “whoa that’s a dupe of Entremauve”. Turns out that’s a nay. Although quite similar (so much so you can skip Push the Edge if you already own Entremauve) they are have a subtle little difference. Push the Edge is a deep set royal purple as is Entremauve but the difference is Entremauve is a tiny bit deeper in color and has a subtle bit of golden shimmer. Aside from this they pretty much swatch almost identical.

I’ve never made fair use of Entramauve as it’s either too deep a purple for me to appreciate or I just don’t have the talent to create a dramatic eye look using it. When I originally purchased it my MA suggested using it as a liner but it seemed a whole lot of piggie just to use as a liner. Since that day it’s sat happily away on my shelf without getting any love from me.

This leads me to believe that Push the Edge may very well suffer the same faith. I do so wish I could create some incredibly purple smoky eye look but I fear I don’t have the talent to take on such a bold look.

I liked Mariyln’s collection least of the three MAC Make-Up Art Trios sadly. I’m always one for getting excited about pigments but this time around I may safely skip.

Are you lemming Push the Edge?

What sort of look would you create using it?

Do share!

Maria Kalman obviously thinks of Fall as being a vibrant time of the year. Although a Fall Collection no one can say that Maria Kalman hasn’t created some bold, bright, beautiful shades for her MAC Collection this upcoming September.

As part of the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Collection the Maria Kalman for MAC Collection is made up of six shades of shadow and five shades of MAC Technakohl. Unconventional for Fall? For sure. Beautiful? No doubt.

Check it after the jump!

I have a very small stash of goodies from this collection that I’ve swatched for you and will give you a very brief babble about. This collection cries the Muse’s name as it’s filled with beautiful, fun shades. It’s not typically Fall but it’ll be nice to stash away for when Spring arrives next year!

I have two of the six shadows to show you and I’ll be quite excited to see the rest upon their release. The shades I have are Crest the Wave and Maria’s Mood. Crest the Wave is a rich buttery yellow with a frost finish and Maria’s Mood is a blue pink with a satin finish. Out of the two Crest the Wave has the best pigmentation but I’m not fond of the frost finish, regardless the shade is truly lovely. Maria’s Mood is a vast disappointment as it has a very sheer color payoff plus it’s a good deal chalky and almost matte in finish.

The MAC Technakohl is even more exciting than the shadows as they are so fun and funky with greens, oranges, and teals as the dominate colors. The two I have are Full of Fuchsia and Artistic License. Both shades are very fun and a rare treat for kohl colors!

Maria Kalman is famous for her whimsical visual dairies. Her shades for MAC are cheeky, witty, amusing, and playful.

Her collection will be available in September from MAC with the other three in the MAC Make-Up Art series.

What do you think of fun shades for Fall?

Loving this?

Haulin’?

Tell the Muse!

As Fall approaches MAC releases (September 2009) it’s brand new three part color series which is a collaboration with three artists who work in three separate mediums, photograph, paint, and illustration.

One of the three collections is the Richard Phillips for MAC Collection. Richard Phillips is an expert photo-retoucher and creates lush seven-foot tall oil paintings of men and women based on photographs he cuts out of magazines. His collection is the largest of the three color stories releasing and includes three shadow quads, various lipstick and lipglasses, and blushes covering lips, cheeks, and eyes.

Jump ahead for a small peek at a few pieces!

The Muse was treated to an early sneak peek of the Richard Phillips for MAC, MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Fall 2009 Collection and will give you a few pictures of the items she has available right now. Most of the items I received were very simple and would make for a stunning Fall nude look.

I’ll be indulging in all of the MAC quads but the one I have to show you today is the MAC Eye Shadow Quad in Notoriety. Notoriety contains Skintone 1 (light white pink), Skintone 2 (dirty gold), Notoriety (brown with golden pearl), and Rich & Earthy (coral bronze). The quad is surprisingly gorgeous in it’s simplicity and I’m looking forward to creating a warm, nude Fall look with it.

The two lipglasses I received were New Spirit (beige coral) and Young Thing (creamy gold). Out of the two New Spirit is the prettiest but isn’t unique for me as it reminds me of a few shades of lipglass I already own. Young Thing is a bit to nude for me so I’m doubtful it’ll be a love but we shall see!

MAC Lipstick in Lovin’ It neutral light brown which is fairly pretty and will pair up well with the Notoriety Quad. It’s a decent Fall shade but nothing to get too crazy over.

And finally MAC Blush in The Perfect Cheek is a pale matte off pink. This I’m really not loving and I’m unsure will even show up as it looks quite chalky and sheer. But I do admit it’ll also pair up with the other items and compliment the shades in this collection very well.

Overall, I’d say the quads are quite special in this particular release and I’m looking forward to seeing the other two, In the Gallery and Photo Realism. So far I’m not too impressed with the lipstick, glosses, and blush I have on hand but I’ll reserve further judgment until I see the rest in person!

Anyone hyped about this collection?

Haulin’ hard?

Haulin’ small?

Tell the Muse!

This post will be updated with swatch photos shortly.

Matte is a difficult medium to work with and not one I’m fond of. I admire those who can work with matte shades and create gorgeous looks because honestly I stink at it. If matte is your game you must be over the moon that Illamasqua has made it’s way across the pond and now resides at Sephora.com and Sephora Times Square.

Jump ahead for my first impressions and review of a few Illamasqua Eye Shadows I got to test out this week!

I’ve read a few reviews comparing Illamasqua to MAC but for myself personally I think they are considerably different brands. Packaging, pigmentation, and price are a just a few things that set Illamasqua apart from MAC.

For the most part my adventures in Illamasqua Eye Shadow has so far been a tad on the disappointing side since I’m not a matte girl. The formula of the shadows is weak in pigmentation and a tad on the chalky side. I haven’t applied on my eye as of yet but so far they prove difficult to blend just on my arm. The swatches I did take had to be built up with several swipes. I did take note that wet or applied with a base they seem brighter and more intense but without they aren’t anywhere in the same vicinity as the pigmentation of a MAC eye shadow. Colors appear buildable which redeems the fact that at first swatch you aren’t going to jump up and down in delight at how pigmented the eye shadow is. I tried two shadows out so far which were Moan and CanCan. Moan is an olive green and CanCan is a pretty violet.

I did enjoy the interesting, unique packaging. It’s a square cut curved design that’s quite chic. This is 2g of eyeshadow for $20 where as MAC is 1.5g and $14.50. Obviously, the design isn’t only larger than a standard MAC shadow but it actually proves to hold more product. Remember looks can be deceiving sometimes and packaging can appear large but not contain a large amount of product but these prove to in fact hold a bit more shadow.

So far I can’t say that Illamasqua would replace MAC for me. I expected more for the price tag and was a tad shocked I wasn’t doing cartwheels around the room as it’s been very hyped up by makeup lovers far and wide so I did think I’d fit right into that groove. I do have to try these on my eye before making my final decision. So far I’m not too impressed but I will reserve judgment as I plan on purchasing a few of the shimmer finishes for myself because my current review could be a bit bias since matte really isn’t my medium of choice and I don’t have the skills to work with it.

So far Illamasqua won’t take over MAC for me as the price is higher and the pigmentation so far isn’t nearly as up to par. But we shall see….I need to explore and test further. If matte is your finish of choice you’ll be thrilled with a majority of the offerings from the line. In a sea of shadows dominated by various finishes, matte is a unique offering in the makeup world especially a collection of cosmetics that caters to such a finish.

Have you tried Illamasqua Eye Shadow?

Do you love them?

Tell the Muse!

I’ve been using C.O. Bigelow Triple Task Eye Treatment for a few weeks now in place of DERMADoctor Wrinkle Revenge and I’m kinda digging on it.

Click after the jump for some first impressions and a bit of a review!

Few fun facts about my eyes…

I have a few fine lines, dark circles nothing dramatic but they are there if I don’t get proper rest, plus some puffiness. Mainly I’ve been looking for an eye cream for ages to rid myself of puffiness that’s one of my great concerns as I tend to wake up puffy. I’ve tried all the normal tips and tricks to get the puffiness down but to no avail, still puffy.

One of the interesting things about C.O. Bigelow Triple Task Eye Treatment that captured my interest was the fact that it contained 3% Eyeliss. Eyeliss is supposedly a miracle worker for puffy eyes. Not many eye creams contain Eyeliss at least none of the ones I’ve been privy too and believe me I’ve tried alot lately. Strangely enough Eyeliss is sometimes found in concealers. I know Lorac is guilty of putting a bit of Eyeliss in their concealer as is Tarte which I think it’s rather fab as what better way to battle the puff than with concealer right? So indeed Eyeliss being an active ingredient in this sold me on it. Honestly, if Eyeliss was not listed I’d have skipped as I’m a bit of a snob and rather splurge on higher end eye creams in the hopes that the most buck will get me the biggest bang of results.

Not surprising that up until now I really don’t see too much of a difference in my eye area but that’s no fault of the cream as I’ve purchased eye creams that are $80 bucks and rarely see any results. Puffiness is still there, fine lines are a tiny bit blurred but not erased by any means, and dark circles still firmly around when I’m caught running on 5 hours of sleep.

The good news is the cream is inexpensive and does a fairly good job of moisturizing my dry under eye area without causing milia. Richer creams have been known to create a milia problem for me but thankfully I’ve seen none of that with this. It’s a very basic eye cream that moisturizes but offers little else. I could also be jumping the gun here as I’ve only used it a few weeks so I may need to wait a little longer to see any long term results. I’m one for instant gratification and want to see visible results with one application but that’s a tad unfair.

Overall, C.O. Bigelow Triple Task Eye Treatment works nicely enough offering moisture where it’s needed but not much else…so far anyway. I’ll revisit this in a few weeks and update you on the process but I suspect not much will change. Honestly, it’s not all bad at all and quite a good moisturizing eye cream for it’s price tag which I can definitely appreciate.

Have you tried this?

Love it?

Would you be willing to try?

What’s your HG eye cream?

Tell the Muse!