The Body Shop Precious Pearlescents is available now in store and online. The Body Shop went a little warm this year and a little bold with their new Fall line up. I was quite delighted to see a mix of Fall friendly shades thrown together with some very vibrant, popping shades of green, blue, and lilac. Quite an interesting collection if you’re a friendly fan of color.
In honor of their new Fall Collection, The Body Shop is featuring new haul videos daily from youTubers who review, discuss, and even do tutorials using the collection. You can hop on over to The Body Shop Blog and enjoy a new video daily to see who’s loving all over the collection and what sort of looks they created. The Muse did a very brief video on her MuseTV channel over on youTube however she doesn’t particularly excel at video creating which is why she is following up that review with a post here on Musings.
Jump ahead for my review of The Body Shop Precious Pearlescents.
I’ve been working seriously hard at bringing you all the latest and the greatest for Fall Collections! I hope you’ve enjoyed all my reviews so far and I hope you’re looking forward to hearing about more Fall goodies! I definately have a few more up my sleeves that I’ll be bringing to you very soon and of course before you know it the Muse will take you down the Holiday road to bring you all the best selections for Winter and the Holiday from the US, Japan, Korea, and anywhere else that strikes my fancy!
For now I’m leaving you with a little weekend link love round up of links to Fall Collections I’ve reviewed! If you’re a loyal reader I’m sure you’ve already been through these but maybe you’ll enjoy looking through them again or maybe catch something you missed the first time around! If you’re a new reader I’m sure it’ll be great to browse through some past reviews and maybe find something you fancy purchasing to add to your current cosmetic wardrobe!
Jill Stuart’s Illuminance for Fall was rather tempting this year. It’s been quite a while since I indulged in any of Jill Stuart’s offerings but I must admit that this year the eye palettes had a special place in my heart!
MuseTV Presents: Jill Stuart Illuminance
As I mentioned in my video I was really tempted to purchase all five of the Jill Stuart Illuminance Eye Palettes but I ended up asking for three in total. Sadly, the LE palette was sold out but I am somewhat thankful that happened because it doesn’t appear as lovely as I had imagined after viewing pics of it on various blogs.
I’ve been much more reserved with my purchases lately and I settled on a total of two eye palettes and one blush for this collection.
One of the first things I noticed about this particular collection is the fact that both the eye palettes and the blush compact have had a slight revamp in packaging. Jill Stuart eye palettes normally have a smooth mirror finish in this case the compact has a slightly raised floral motif that I really think adds a little something extra and special to each palette. I’m hopeful they’ll keep this style of packaging as new palettes are released. The new powder blush compacts also have a brand new design with beautiful lace overlay and the brush handle now sports a rather cute “J” initial charm. These small yet pretty touches really made the packaging even more girlish and more princess-like than it’s predecessors.
Old Jill Stuart Eye Palettes Versus New
Old Jill Stuart Blush Compact Versus New
I’m not the biggest fan of Jill Stuart’s compact blushes (it goes without saying what a big fan I am of the loose powder blushes though!) but I adore the packaging and when I seen the new colors I had to have at least one. The shimmering gold spray on top of the powder (which quickly disappears with one swipe of your blush) was definately a key selling point for me. Although in the end this shimmer quickly disappears it still had me hopeful that the powder would actually have a fine mill of glitter straight through. Sadly, that’s not the case. The color I got was Gold Illuminance which is made up of cream, bright pink, and two shades of peach. The effect of the powder is a peachy glow do to the dominate peach shades in the palette. Color payoff isn’t fantastic but it’s decent and pretty.
With Flash
Without Flash
The two eye palettes I got were Jewel Dress and Brocade Gold. I am tempted to revisit the collection and get the other two palettes but for now I’m playing good girl as I’m hopeful Christmas will bring somthing particularly wonderful. Brocade Gold is my favorite of the two colors for the Fall. The shades are a stunning array of golds, peaches, bronze, and taupe. Jewel Dress contains more Summer friendly colors featuring hues of pinks, lilac, and taupe. The palettes contain a healthy amount of shimmery, glittery overspray that pretty much follows straight through to the shadow. Pigmentation is medium but can easily built up in intensity leaving behind a beautiful shimmery eye look.
With Flash
Without Flash
With Flash
Without Flash
Although all the colors are easily duped or replicated from past palettes I was still thrilled to pieces with this collection. The colors seemed deeper, more vibrant, and some had faint unique touches that weren’t completely identical to past shades. I particularly loved the eye palettes in this collection!
I’m very happy I did indulge and I wasn’t disappointed in the least! I highly recommend nabbing these if you have the means! I’m Muse Approving the Jill Stuart Illuminance Fall Collection for purchase!
Is it me or is Halloween thee best holiday evers? Halloween for me is what Christmas must be to the rest of the population! I simply adore it!
It’s not everyday I run across many products in the cosmetic world that have a Halloween theme! So, of course, I’m super excited about the Philosophy Haunted House Gift Set which includes three great shower gels!
I’m possibly the only one that totally digs the cute little skeleton hand creeping up from the dirt! Ahh so cute and creepy!
When I opened the box it was like pure childhood! All the smells combined created this spicy, warm Fall scent that really put me in the mood for the colder weather ahead!
The Muse likey! Halloween, shower gels, cute packaging…yup, I feel a Muse Approval coming on here!
In honor of Philosophy uber cute Haunted House Gift Set I did a short little MuseTV video for you guys! Excited? Me too!
MuseTV Presents: Philosophy Haunted House Review
The kit includes three, 3-1 shower gels in various Halloween and Fall themed scents. You’ll get Pumpkin Spice, Black Licorice, and Caramel Apple. Philosophy has gotten particularly better as of late with the scents of it’s newer shower gels and I’m particularly pleased with these three. Pumpkin Spice combines that warm, spicy pumpkin scent that makes you feel all cozy inside, Black Licorice is spot on and my favorite of the bunch, and Caramel Apple is a beautiful cocktail of sugary caramel and tart apple! My stomach is growling already! I may tip the bottle into my mouth at this point.
I’ve reviewed Philosophy Shower Gels prior to this but I will remind you that they are brilliant multitaskers which allow you to use them as a shower gel, shampoo, and a bubble bath too! They sud up wonderfully well and offer a guilt free shower experience minus the calories of actually eating all those Halloween treats!
Philosophy Haunted House is available now at www.philosophy.com do have a visit and don’t forget that these come in full size too if your sweet tooth happens to be extra big you might want to indulge in the 16 oz versions!
Check out the What’s New section and spot the matching lip shines and the new Cookie Exchange Gift Set! That one is screaming to the Muse, “buy me! buy me!”.
The Muse loves Philosophy Haunted House Gift Set and highly recommends nabbing one before it’s too late!
Muse Approval for this set!
Boo to you from the Muse and Happy Early Halloween!
Phew it sure has been a while since I did a MuseTV video hasn’t it? Hope you enjoyed that rather quick break down of Biore’s New Skincare Collection.
Some of the items, as I mentioned in my video, are brand new where as others are older products with new clothing. Whatever the case may be, old or new, Biore always has a special place in my heart when it comes to inexpensive, quality skincare.
Enliven
One of my two favorite items is the Biore Enliven Cooling Eye Gel which is a moisturizing, slightly cooling gel for offering moisture to the delicate eye are while reducing puffiness. I’ve used it for a few weeks now and it does a considerably good job of diminishing the puff that seems the plague my eyes upon waking up the morning. It does promise to erase dark circles as well but as of yet I haven’t seen any change in those. I actually really like this and it’s one of the first products that has actually worked and shown considerable change in my eye area in regards to puff. The box claims it’s made with a “moisture matrix” that holds up to three times it’s weight in water in which case you should see immediate results. I didn’t see immediate results however after about 10 minutes I noticed that my puffiness goes down drastically and my eye does appear well rested. This is a nice little prep prior to concealer as it moistens the eye area nicely plus the inexpensive price tag doesn’t hurt buying and trying it for yourself!
Revitalize
Sadly, after I reviewed Philosophy Purity Foaming Cleanser I was particularly thrilled. I simply adore foaming cleaners so I was quite happy to try out Biore 4-in-1 Self Foaming Cleanser which cleanses, tones, and detoxes skin all in one go! Nice! It’s a typical foaming cleanser that does a great job of removing all my makeup in one go (not waterproof mascara though!) while remaining gentle enough not to dry my face out. It foams..need I say more? That’s enough for me to love it. I have a foaming cleanser fetish!
Refresh
Biore Daily Cleansing Clothes are one of those lazy day makeup removal items I reach for when I’m not feeling like going through the big chore and project of removing makeup. One cloth pretty much does the job of removing it all in one go. Each cloth is pre-moistened with a gentle cleansing solution that whisks away dirt, grime, even waterproof mascara! Sweet!
Detoixfy
Biore Daily Scrub is an inexpensive way to exfoliate and detox skin to reveal fresh, more vibrant looking skin. The scrub contains tiny exfoliating grains that remove dead skin cells and resurface your skin. This is pretty gentle for everyday use and it doesn’t dry my skin out like other exfoliating products I’ve used. I believe this is a new scrub from Biore as I’ve tried and liked the blackhead version prior to this.
Purify
Another of my very favorite items from Biore would be the Biore Self Heating Mask. These are oil free masks that are gentle enough for everyday use although I use them about 2-3 times weekly. They are self heating upon contact with your skin and after use my skin is always left glowing! Loves these! Nourish and Restore
Finish up your Biore skincare regime with Biore Moisture Lotion and Boire Skin-Boosting Serum. Biore Moisture Lotion is an inexpensive way to have a light Summer (or humid weather) moisturize that contains SPF 15. Although Winter is almost here I know some of you live in warmer climates and this is an ideal light moisturizer for warmer weather! Biore Skin-Boosting Night Serum is new to the line up and offers extra night time moisture to skin while soothing and nourishing it while you sleep. I’ve convinced myself that my skin looks amazing in the AM after using this…is it me or the product? That remains to be seen!
All in all Biore offers some inexpensive, quality skincare selections that are well worth checking out for yourself! A few years ago it was one of my staple skincare products and to this day I use some of it still. I recommend checking out the Biore Cooling Eye Gel and the Biore 4-in-1 Self Foaming Cleanser both are a win for the Muse!
And of course the best part of Biore is that all my lovely readers can definately indulge as it’s pretty International from the US, to Japan, and even Indonesia!
Check out more from Biore by visiting there website. While you’re there check out the Biore Mandarin Blossom Pore Strips, I heart these!
This had been posted a long, long time ago but I get daily comments and emails asking me about my makeup collection and how I store it, organize it, etc….
If you click here you can visit my original post from a year ago to see various photos of my collection and how I store items and such!
And below you can watch some MuseTV on my storage solutions and such!
Enjoy!
There’s a part five somewhere but I can’t find it at the moment hehe! Will updated the post when I do!
I thought I’d share with you some of the really hysterical comments I get daily on youTube. I literally laugh myself silly sometimes at these comments and I can’t help but show you some of these because they may just amuse you too!
In order to be a video blogger you need to have really tough skin. People are brutal. I’ve had people tell me I have fat hands, I talk too much, and worst! Lucky enough the positive outweighs the negative in my entire time on youTube however I’ve never seen so many people so interested in where I get the money to buy cosmetics. I’ve taken to telling them I sell organs and rob banks! Seriously, when did it become anyone’s business where I get money to pay for anything I might own? Lordie! I guess these people didn’t have a Mum like mine growing up! If I dared ask such a question I’d get hit over the head with a broom stick or a wooden spoon (My mum’s Italian!). My mother instilled some serious manners into my sister and I and asking people where they got the money to buy something or how much it costs is a number 1 offense! That’s like seven years to life in my mother’s book!
I’m not ranting here I’m just generally amused! At first I was shocked but as I got used to youTube I realized that this was something I’d face daily and now I’m not so much shocked or hurt but just plain amazed at what people say!
Mind you these are NOT children! These are grown adults ranging from 19-35 or more! The funny thing is on a rare occasion some of these, as I dubbed them, “strange ones” follow me over to blogger and make generally rude comments. Mind you I really dislike taking away a person’s freedom of opinion and I generally want people to say what it is they are thinking but somehow these “strange ones” think it’s their god given right not only to insult me on youTube but waltz on over to Musings, pop a squat, and insult me here!
After all that babbling allow me to paste a few of my personal favorites:
Comment: OMG you breath so loud you talk and then it sounds like your gasping lol. My reply: sorry ’bout that. I hadn’t noticed I was gasping or breathing loudly.
I doubt she noticed the sarcasm in my “sorry ’bout that…” This particular gem comes to us from a 23 year old young lady.
In my travels through youTube everyone is VERY, VERY fond of telling me about infections, eye damage, bacteria, germs, etc….as if I didn’t already know all this.
This particular comment was in reply to the fact someone had said that powders are good for at least three years. I assume she wants me to use an eyeshadow once and throw it out after 2 months!
Once you open them though, you’re supposed to throw them out wayyy earlier than that; otherwise, you’re just setting yourself up for any eye infection.
Update: No Pink Eye Yet! Phew!
As I was saying earlier people are positively fascinated with my income!
Comments:
ooo mmmyyy ggooosh!!!..loopove your collection!!!!…
how mcuh money do spend on makeup??.. i mean just for 1 eyeshadow or blus..etc..cause u said u don’t buy cheap makeup liek the bodyshop..and i can’t even afford body shop cosmetics…=)..
man! u talk alot at the beginning…
where do u get all that money to buy these stuff.. u must be rich!..
anw, its quite an awesome collection
cheers~
so what do you do for a job to afford all this makeup? lol
I felt like replying None of your damn business LOL but I was nice! I thought the LOL at the end was a nice touch!
woahh…..i want your makeup. each of those eye shadows are like 13 dollars!! your probably broke huh. ahahaha.
How do you afford all your goodies?! They amaze me! x
Wow! How do you afford all that stuff? Do you have a mac pro card? Either way, that is still a lot of money! I saw your stash videos. I would love to just have like a fraction of what you have!
No I don’t but damn I WISH I did!
How mutch money did all the stuff cost must have been really expensive? But everything looks so yummy and delicious!!
How do you afford to buy high priced cosmetics at one time? and do you have a mac pro store near you?
They are equally fascinated with how much I talk and aren’t shy of telling me in rude terms how much I talk:
Comment: you really do talk a lot. but great stash
This one has a an irritated smiley at the end! I guess my talking really pissed her off! The nerve of me! Talking in my own videos!
Comment: WOW u talk alot!!!
Folks are also very fond of telling me that I giggle too much, I say ummm too much etc….
Comment: u sat “ummm” alot in this video omg lol
Well I guess you get the idea! And you can imagine that one of the main reasons I don’t do videos (and am slowly fading out FOTD pictures) anymore is because of all this drama! It’s sincerely too much of a headache to monitor comments on youTube and take out time to reply to what I consider some seriously weird comments. I’d much rather spend that time here with you guys interacting, discussing cosmetics, and just having a generally good time!
Strangely enough this post wasn’t inspired by youTube. It was actually taken from the fact that I’ve made a guest starring appearance on a few forums this week. Pictures of my stash and my self were taken from here and placed on a forum. Some of the comments were good ones but some were downright scary from what I saw. I actually wasn’t upset by anything that was said (I’ve been dubbed the “fat girl” on the forums it appears) because over the past year of blogging the written word and blogging video I’ve grown such a tough skin that none of this fails to shock me anymore or hurt me for that matter. It interests me that people find me so fascinating that they want to rip me a new a**hole without every getting to know me as a person! But oh well..to each his or her own! My take on it is I’m still the same old person I was yesterday and I’d personally never say or do anything that these people do and I take pride in that. I’m a generally nice and good person and I sadly fail to expect the same in people lately but I defiantly treasure those who have the same type of heart that I do!
Hope you enjoyed my foray into youTube!
Do feel free to comment minus the OMG WHEREZ U GETZ TEH MONIES FOR DAT!?
Hehe!
Cheers!
PS Do remember that I love each of you and 99.9% of the comments I get on Musings of a Muse are awesome so do keep chatting to me and commenting! I love hearing from each and every single one of you!
One of the Muse’s readers and mates, Rows, has a fantastic youTube video on her blog. Go visit Row by clicking here.
This is Row’s 7 year old cousin giving us a make-up tutorial. I wonder where her influence (and obsession) with cosmetics comes from hmmmmm!
How much are you loving the way she says “blusher” all proper and ladylike! I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time! This little poppet is positively adorable and I’m positive I learned a tip or two about application! I wonder where she pops off to when she’s on the floor? Studying her notes mayhaps?
Let’s give her 10 years or less and I’m positive she’ll have her own blog!
Note: She didn’t say “Ummmmm” once I could definately learn something from her!
Mind you she’s putting the eyeliner on correctly and you’re probably the one doing it wrong!
MAC Antiquitease Color popped up in stores today and of course the Muse walked as fast as her little legs could carry her to get her haul of Antiquitease goodies!
The entire collection is quite lovely with very few misses and quite a few hits!
MAC Antiquitease
I ended up purchasing the lot of mineralized shadows duos, one lipglass, one lipstick, all the pigments, the new fluidline, and a plushlash!
The shadows are stunning and these are as great as the Flashtronic shadows (sorry I had a brain fart while filming the video and I had said the last shadow collection with mineralized shadows was Rushmetal! Apologies I had meant Flashtronic!).
Almost all of the shadows have a gorgeous bold silver veining that runs through the shadow and have quite a dose of shimmer. I’ve already applied some on my eye and that silver veining contains quite a healthy pop once your brush connects with it! Gorgeous!
Mi’ Lady appears to be my favorite of the bunch so far because of it’s ultra bold red and purple coloring. Yum! I’m eager to create a look with this! Don’t let the red fool you though as the color actually shows almost orange on the the eye! It’s very interesting color!
Mi’ Lady
Family Silver is going to a be nice base shadow or highlighter for me as the colors are lighter in this shadow as compared to the others in this collection.
Mineralized Eyeshadow in Family Silver
Silversmith and Engaging are both beautiful colors as well. Silversmith is a wonderful duo of silver and gold while Engaging has a very pretty peachy pink color and a bronze.
Mineralized Eyeshadow in Silversmith
Mineralized Eyeshadow in Engaging
The only duo that has me wondering whether I am loving it or not is Earthly Riches. It’s a bit of a darker duo and I’m unsure how it’ll look but I grabbed it anyway at the risk of it selling out before I can make my mind up (I can always swap it off later if I hate it!).
Mineralized Eyeshadow in Earthly Riches
The star of the lipglasses and the lipsticks were the too outrageously bold red colors offered which were Red Romp and Queen’s Sin. I’m not one for red lipstick but Queen’s Sin was calling my name when I laid eyes on it! It’s quite a nice shade of red and perfect for the Holiday Season! Royal Romp is going to look amazing over it! I was in high debate whether to grab the Royal Romp Lipglass because it reminded me so much of Boundless In3D lipgloss but turns out that Royal Romp is a more subdued maroon when compared to the brighter, truer red of Boundless!
Royal Romp Lipglass and Queen’s Sin Lipstick
Royal Romp and Boundless (You can see the difference between the two)
The pigments are all quite nice and I’m loving Your Ladyship best as it reminds me of a beefed up Provence with tons more shimmer.
Gold Stroke is a nice brown with bits of gold swirled in. The website says it’s bits of red but I’m seeing gold. Sweet Sienna is a grey color with silver shimmer and again I have to disagree with the website as it says it’s a brown color with grey pearl but I don’t see any brown in it!
Your Ladyship, Gold Stroke, and Sweet Sienna
Finally I grabbed Uppity Fluidline which is gold in color. This will make a great base color and is perfect for the holidays and will look great combined with some of my other gold collections!
Uppity Fluidline
Overall, I’d say the collection is utterly wearable and very pretty! I’m loving all of it! I did skip on many of the lipglasses and lipsticks because they were just too nude in color for me so those in my opinion aren’t worth the purchase however everything else is a go and the Muse says get to your counter and grab some of this before it’s gone!
The holiday collections are full on and more collections will be popping up very soon! To keep you nice and organized here’s what you can expect from MAC in the next few weeks:
If I may, allow me to introduce you to a wonderful little Japanese Brand entitled Canmake.
Canmake is pretty much the bottom of the line in regards to cosmetics. It’s a cheap and cheesy little brand that packs a baby punch of goodness
It’s cute, usable, and inexpensive. If you’re on a budget we are heading into the land of sweet cosmetics that will cost you a few dollars and leave you left over money for lunch! Yay! Canmake kinda reminds me of a time when I was 10 or 11 and Bonnie Bell was the epitome of fine cosmetics and if you had a lipgloss from Bonnie Bell you were the height of fashion, style, and sophistication (or maybe that was just me feeling this way hmmm).
MuseTV Presents: A Spotlight On Canmake Cosmetics
Canmake has both an English and a Japanese site. For some odd reason or another I enjoy visiting the Japanese site more than the American site, don’t ask me why, we’ve already established I could be mental. Canmake’s site is pretty darn helpful as they have diagrams for application all over the bloody place! I love user friendly sites don’t you? This isn’t something you’ll find in any brand stateside so enjoy the helpfulness of the Japanese and take advantage of the great tutorials and how to’s on some of these sites because I personally find them very helpful and just awesome!
Canmake has a HUGE catalog of goodies and I only have a few of the items they carry! The entire line is pretty darn big. They carry a little bit of everything. Glosses, Blushes, Skincare, Perfume, Etc…
One item that I failed to mention in my video that deserves a good healthy rave would be the Cheek Gradation. Basically this is a highlighter not a blush, which means don’t try wearing it by it’s lonesome, it’s not nearly pigmented enough to make any difference on a bare skinned face. Apply your blush and afterwards apply the Cheek Gradation of your choice and Presto! Chango! You’ll glow and elude a soft dewy look! Yum!
The Gradations I’ve used are 01, 04 (we’ll take more about 04 in a second), and 02. Basically the Gradations give me a soft sparkle after using my blush and a cheaper Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick effect. I liked all the ones I have but my favorite would be the limited edition color 04. I don’t normally like a bronzed look and 04 gives the appearance of being a somewhat bronzy color however, upon using it, you’ll find out that it’s the most pigmented of all the Gradations that Canmake makes. It could possibly be used alone as a blusher (I haven’t tried that yet). 04 oringally started out as a limited edition shade but my little eye spies it on both the Japanese and the American site so if you have the means try and grab this gem! The Cheek Gradations run about $7 bucks each and hey if you’re really wanting a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick but the price seems just a little too much right now…spend $7 and get yourself a Canmake Cheek Gradation and call it a day The Muse loves them and recommends them fully!
Canmake Cheek Graduations
01, 04, and 02
Canmake makes quite a few different shadows, most of which I’ve tried. Sadly, you can’t expect too much from a Canmake shadow. Shadows are a good texture but they are very, very sheer depending on which shadow series you end up purchasing!
The first shadows I’ll discuss are the Eye Nuanace Trios. These are tiny circular palettes that include three very workable shades! I should say that if you aren’t a fan of pigmented shadows or you like a sheer, no nonsense, minimalist look, these are great! I’ve used these on many occasions when I am just not up for a full on eye makeup look! The trios always have colors that work well together so if you enjoy colors that are neatly organized you’ll love these! I have six of these and my favorite of the lot is 11. The combos of green and yellow are just lovely and it goes on for a pretty nice look!
Canmake Eye Nuance
03, 14, 11, 12, and 09
Oooo this guy got left out of the group picture my mistake Canmake Eye Nuance in 15
Overall, I’d say for around $5 you get what you pay for. If you have the means to get them do add them to you cart however, don’t pay more than retail for them! That’d be a waste!
Next up on the eyeshadow line would be a favorite of mine, the Metallic Eyes single shadows. These little guys are great! They pack a nice sparkle to them and are pretty nicely pigmented for the price of $4.50 or so! I use these as a highbrow highlighter or an all over color wash. They go on pretty heavy with the first stroke and you can build the intensity as little or as much as you like! I give these a high recommendation because they do exactly what they promise!
Canmake Metallic Eyeshadow
01, 11, and 08
Another that falls into my favorite list is the Glitter Eye palettes. These are pretty cute palettes. What I failed to mention earlier is the packaging these all come in is really tiny and small so it makes great for toting around! Now the Glitter Eye palettes are a favorite however, you have to be aware that some colors are more pigmented and others are very sheer. These are a tad on the grainy side, think the middle color in the Lunasol Geminate Eye Palettes, of course it’s not nearly as bad as that but as you get deeper into these palettes it gets a bit grainy. Most of the colors I can’t use alone for a look unless I really want a minimal no makeup look but I do use them as washes of colors to prep my eye area or as a highbrow highlighter and they work a treat! Purchase 06 or 05 if you want to wear these alone as those are the most pigmented I’ve come across for these! For $5 a pop these are worth getting one or two of just to try! The Muse recommends them!
Canmake Glitter Eye Palette
06, 05, 04, 01, and 02 Almost done with shadows! Two more to go
Next up the Dual Sparkle Shadow from Canmake. These are very sheer, so sheer they may be transparent. I don’t get too much sparkle from these but the good news is they do a great wash of color to prep my eye area for something that packs a better punch. I can’t say I don’t recommend buying these because I actually do. At about $4.50 you can’t afford not to at least try one or two! The colors offered are pretty nice and the shadows have a good, smooth texture to them.
Canmake Dual Sparkle Shadow
03 and 02
Finally on our list is another favorite of mine! The Glow Twin color are pretty darn pigmented for the price of $5.50 each. These are fantastic for a really, super quick make-up look! Darn good multitasking shadow in that you can create a simple look, use them as highbrow highlighters, use them as color washes, or even dip a blush brush in and powder your cheeks with them for some sparkle! The texture is very smooth and almost creamy when applied. I find that the top color has a bit more shimmer than the bottom color. The bottom color almost appears matte in texture compared to the top! I really like these and give them a big thumbs up
Canmake Glow Twin Color Shadows
03 and 02
Canmake has a really nice size line of glosses! I’ve only tried the Lip Essence and it goes right onto the recommendations list. It’s one of the few Japanese Brands that I’ve seen a sponge applicator with, as much as I like the spatula style applicator, sometimes it’s nice to have a sponge one
Canmake Lip Essence
Colors: Lip Essence and 02
The gloss is nice and slick minus any tacky, sticky feelings! The colors are very nice and you can wear them alone for a nice wash of gloss, shine, and a tiny bit of color. My favorite is 02 it gives me a nice reddish pink kissed look! $6 or so each and the Muse says it’s a steal for a great gloss!
Our Canmake Spotlight comes to an end with the Super Glitter Liner! Looking for a cheap inexpensive glitter liner? Well, here it is! Works just as well as the MAC Glitter Liners, or Too Faced, or Pop, or any of the other designer brands that put out Glitter Liners
Canmake Super Glitter Liners
01, 03, and Limited Editon 04
These liners are about $5 each and are perfect for adding a little sparkle to your lower and upper eye line! Wanna get the most bang for your buck? Use them as a liner, use them to smooth onto your lashes for a bit of sparkle, use by patting ont your shadow for some extra POP!
Another fine product from Canmake!
That’s all for today my friends! I hope you enjoyed getting to know more about my favorite inexpensive brand of cosmetic, Canmake! If you have any questions do give a shout and I’m happy to answer
A lovely reader left a wonderful comment for the Muse and had asked a question in regards to Lush and using Angels on Bare Skin.
I’ve discussed Lush a plenty on my blog as it’s part of my main skincare/bodycare/haircare regime so I pimp it as much as possible as I’ve had such brilliant results with it and of course when it works good the Muse must pass that info onto all you lovely ladies I’m positive you recall my rather long post about Lush prior to this but if you happened to miss it do click here and have a look!
Now her question was about a product called Angels on Bare Skin. Angels on Bare Skin is a Preservative Free Face Cleanser. First time users may be confused how exactly to use it! So…here’s a tutorial for Stephanie and anyone else who was interested in the best way to use Angels on Bare Skin!
Stephanie thanks for your comments and your question! I hope this helps!
MuseTV Presents: Angels on Bare Skin Tutorial
(If the video doesn’t play right away please try back in a few)
Hey pretties! Well it’s that time again! Today’s Spotlight I’m bringing you some lovely Visee goodies to please and entice! Lucky for you I did a majority of my blogging during free time on Sunday night because I have been swamped silly this week with work!
Visee is pretty much a virgin brand to me as I’ve only tried two products in the entire line! The good news is it’s brought to us by our lovely friends at Kose, the Muse likey Kose cosmetics!
The palettes I’ve discussed in my video and the ones I will post pictures of in a moment have been reviewed by the masses and enjoyed by all and might the Muse add her two cents to that and say that she agrees with everything great and good that’s been said about these palettes! They are superb and well worth the cash!
The palettes will set you back a mere $19 and change (USD) and with that donation to Visee you get yourself a brilliant shimmering, sparkley packed shadow quad that’s sure to make your eyes pop and dance in delight!
Visee Jewel Crushed Eyes
The palettes are pretty much on par with T’estimo and Jill Stuart and maybe..shhh..don’t tell anyone…possibly better. If you’re really a big fan of shimmer these shadows bring that and more! The thing about these is they are not airbrushed with a thin line of shimmer as some palettes are. The shimmer in these is right down to the core! Some brands do a thin airbrushing of shimmer ontop of the shadows, which for me, is obviously to score sales. In this case you’ll find that the shadows are just as they are from first use to last use, full of fine particles of glitter and shimmery bits and pieces!
Each palette contains four shadows or darker shades can be used as a liner!
These have plenty of pigment, fantastic staying power, and go on with a near perfect finish. If by chance you are either tired in the morning or shadow retarded (nothing to be ashamed about!) these are easy enough to apply because all the colors just work together! Don’t you love palettes like that?
Sadly, like Jill Stuart, the palettes are for at home use only! Taking these with you will scratch up the lovely case they come in but hey if that doesn’t bother you, tote them away
Contrary to what I had said in my video a little light bulb went off in my head and I remembered that I had tried two of the Visee Aqua Shining Eyes. These were recommended to me by a wonderful little lady and friend that I always talk about (You probably guessed who by now);)
Visee Aqua Shining Eyes
I randomly added these to my cart when shopping one day at Adam Beauty and I ended up just loving them! I’m not a big fan of cream shadows but props has to go to these fine shadows! They dry very quickly upon application, go on evenly without creasing, and have enough glittery bits to keep the Muse happy well into the day and night! These are around $16 USD each. A little steep in price but they work like an absolute dream! I do believe I need the rest of the colors Wish List anyone?
Overall the Muse highly recommends checking out the Jewel Crush Palettes and the Aqua Shining Eyes and if you’re hungry for more definately check out the rest of the line because I know at least several items that are on my wish list from this brilliant Japanese brand!
Visee Cosmetics can purchased for relatively good prices at Adam Beauty!
I hope you enjoyed this adventure in Visee! Stay tuned tomorrow for the next Japanese Brand Spotlight!
Work is swamped this week and I’ve been staying late! But I didn’t forget about you lovely ladies so here, as promised, the kick off of the first day of Japanese Cosmetics Week!
I’m quite a girly girl in all aspects which means if it’s pretty I am all over it!
As women, we are lucky enough to have an array of brands to choose from. Brands that run from practical and conventional, to cute and girlish, to plain and simple, and finally some brands can boast elegance and style.
Jill Stuart is one brand that can most definately lay claim to elegance, style, and so much more. The sheer gorgeous packaging on a Jill Stuart product guarantees it’s bringing you the pretty as well as a high quality make-up item!
I’m a great lover of many brands but I can’t honestly say I’ve run into any brands that are more beautiful and feminine than this line of cosmetics. I love being able to have a gorgeous product to use AND display on my vanity! You’re not only getting a beautiful make-up item to wear on your face but also an item that is presented in such a way that it’s outwardly beautiful to behold as well as use!
I can honestly admit if the product happened to be of a shabby quality, which it is not, I would still want the items for the cute compacts and jars they come in. Possibly a waste of money but I must say the packaging most definately sells the product in this case. Their is no question that the product is a good one but I imagine a good portion of the sales are generated by fancy, lovely presentation!
MuseTV Presents: A Spotlight On Jill Stuart Cosmetics
Jill Stuart Blushes
Jill Stuart has an array of loose powder blush to choose from, at the moment the general catalog contains 9 colors that are, to me, flattering on most skin types!
The blushes overall are good quality items. The texture is like nothing I’m run across stateside. It’s a very chalky, thin powder. It goes on quite flawlessly if you get the correct color. If you happen to choose an unflattering shade chances are the flawless finish to the blush will actually look chalky and flaky. I have five of the nine colors and have only run across one that didn’t particularly work well for me which was orange plush but it’s a small problem that can easily be redeemed by applying a blusher over orange plush during application.
These blushes come as I said loose and in a fancy plastic jar with their own brush. The jar itself can easily be mistaken for glass if you display it on your vanity but of course, upon picking it up, it’s only plastic. Don’t let the plastic put you off, it takes nothing away from the lovely packaging!
Glowing Red, Cherry Frost and Aurora Rose
Pink Passion and Orange Plush
Each brush that comes with the blushes is quite good quality with no shedding problems. They are soft, solid brushes that work well with this style of powder blush! Application is as easy as applying your BareMineral foundation, swirl, dap, brush on! I’ve heard mixed reviews about application problems with the blush, I’ve experienced no such problems!
Each jar of loose powder blush runs about $26 USD. Once your blush is gone you can purchase a replacement bag of the blush but I’m sadly unsure what the cost is for that!
Overall I love the blush and highly recommend it with glowing cheeks
Jill Stuart Loose Powder
The Jill Stuart Loose Powder comes in a similar jar as the blushes but a bit on the larger side. The powder comes in four different formulas which are shine, sparkle, natural and glow. I’ve only tried one of the four and that would be sparkle. The powder comes with a cute powder puff applicator and I personally use this as a finishing powder after I’ve completely my look. It creates a sheer sparkle effect much like Bare Escentuals gossamer face powders. If you’re not a lover of sparkle and shimmer this is perfectly fine to use because it’s very sheer minus the disco ball effect! The powder runs about $38 USD. It’s a perfectly great powder and gets my high rating!
Loose Powder Blush in Sparkle
Jill Stuart Eye Shadow Palettes
At the moment Jill Stuart has released seven eyeshadow palettes which contain four shimmering shadows in each compact. The textures of the shadows are on par with T’estimo palettes.
The texture is silky smooth and application is a breeze as the powder smooths on easily. Color intensity depends on many layers of the shadow you apply. One layer will give you a nice, gentle wash of color while two to three layers will give you a more dramatic, intense eye look. The colors are sparkley and full of shimmer.
I think, like other brands, the compacts sometimes come across with a strange combination of colors that give the appearance they won’t work together very well. Finding looks to come up with using some of these may prove difficult but with a little imagination you can create a fantastic eye look!
The compacts are extremely beautiful but unconventional to use outside of your home. If you’re looking for a compact to throw in your bag for touch-ups I strongly suggest looking elsewhere. The palettes are easy to scratch up if you stow them away in a purse or a make-up bag. The price per a palette is around $43 USD.
I adore these and can’t give them a big enough thumbs up!
Jill Stuart Pressed Powder
Jill Stuart has a line of pressed powders for every skin type. These are not foundation powders but just a pressed finishing powder or a powder you can use for quick touch ups. This formula, like the loose powder, comes in natural, shine, and sparkle. I only own one of the three and that would be…you guessed it..sparkle.
The sparkle powder doesn’t have much in the way of sparkle however I find it works fantastic when touching up under your eyes or powdering an oily forehead or a shiny nose!
It comes in, of course, an elegant compact with sponge applicator. Cost wise this carries a high price tag of $45 USD but is well worth it!
The powder isn’t an absolute must have but it is a nice conversation piece. You can probably skip it if you’re low on cash but if you happen to have the extra money I strongly suggest nabbing one or two!
Jill Stuart Pressed Powder Blush
Finally, last but not least I give you the Jill Stuart Pressed Powder Blushes! There was much excitement and fanfare when these were introduced and many people were eager to get their hands on them. You can see why they were so eagerly anticipated. The compact is a gorgeous silver affair with a detachable silver jeweled brush!
Our first views of these had many people worried about the practicality of having a brush that hung from a compact. How would we apply a blush with a brush hanging from the side? How would we store it? So many questions and a bit of disappointment for all! However, after further pictures were released in magazines and on blogs, much to our relief, we learned the brush was in fact detachable. The brush clips right off of the compact making for easy application and simple storage! The brush’s first reviews were poor ones. It was reviewed as being stiff and hard in texture but to my relief, upon getting my compacts, I found the brush was not so bad and quite soft without any shedding of any kind much like the loose powder brush but a little stiffer!
I can’t review the blush as it’s just been too pretty to touch as of yet but I can tell you that I’ve heard various review in poor favor of this! It was awaited patiently and eagerly and when it finally got to shops and was purchased a majority of the purchasers were disappointed and cried out their dismay at the fact that the blushes were so sheer with very minimal pigment! I’ve come across more bad reviews than I have good but again, I can’t speak for myself as I’m still in the phase of stroking it lovely and telling it how gorgeous it is and quickly putting it back in my beauty vault! Blushes run about $38 USD.
I’d recommend nabbing one just for the packaging alone if you have some extra cash! If not wait for the Muse to use hers and of course she’ll give you her honest opinion of it!
Jill Stuart carries a full range of cosmetics which includes glosses, lipsticks, single eyeshadows, face care, and more…
Prices increases go from anywhere from $5-$25 on top of retail cost.
You can find certain items on E-bay but again prices are jacked up!
Most all my Jill Stuart was purchased by friends and shipped to me via airmail so if you happen to have a friend living in Japan that makes life easier and cheaper!
Well…
That’s it
I hope you enjoyed exploring Jill Stuart cosmetics! Check back tomorrow for a new Japanese Brand Spotlight!
Stay Tuned tomorrow for an FOTD using Jill Stuart Cosmetics!
Next week I’ll be doing a spotlight on Japanese Brand cosmetics for the week you’ll see a new video each day starting Monday and ending on Friday.
I get many questions in regards to Japanese Brands and I thought I’d spotlight some different brands for you to view close up. I’ll be doing impressions of the products, reviews, pictures, and of course the video that goes along with it.
In preparation for the week in video I made this one in explanation of why MuseTV has been out of commission for a month or more!
Note: The video on Jill Stuart will be on display for your viewing pleasure on Monday! Check back!
I had meant Flashtronic!).
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