Musings of a Muse

A few months ago I fell in with Kenzo Belle de Jour which is so above my budget but I can’t help it, it’s love people.

After writing my review I got a few e-mails asking me further about Kenzo Belle de Jour and I found a few fellow fans of the moisturizer. It was a relief knowing I wasn’t the only one in love with such an incredible cream, after all it is kinda expensive and I wasn’t sure if anyone out in Internet-land was loving it as much as I was.

Now recently I got a few more e-mails thanking me for recommending Belle de Jour. This warms my heart. It always makes me so terribly excited when someone takes a chance on my recommendation, purchases the product, and ends up loving it. It’s such a joy to hear success stories about people reading my review and enjoying the product as much as I do. Along with these kind words of thanks these fans told me, “But Muse if you loved Belle de Jour why haven’t your brought us a review of Kenzoko Fresh Lotus Water…” I even had two readers telling me they must hear about it from me prior to purchasing it..blush..thanks guys!

Well, here, for your pleasure, is a review of Kenzoki Fresh Lotus Water which indeed, for fans of Belle de Jour, smells just as incredible.

Jump for it.

If you’re not a lover of scented products look away dears, look away. But if you absolutely adore your skin care to have a beautiful scent stay close at hand while I tell you the joys of Fresh Lotus Water.

For a burst of cooling mist with the light, fresh scent of lotus this is your go to product for toning, hydrating, and waking up tired skin. This fresh water mist can be sprayed directly on face to prep skin prior to moisturizer or to end a hard night as a soothing toner.

The mist comes in a can and allows for a very fine cooling mist to be sprayed on skin. It’s refreshing, cooling, and ever so slightly moisturizing. I found it’s the perfect prep prior to applying Belle de Jour as it allows the moisturizer to absorb easily into my skin. Or it’s rather perfect after removing my makeup to tone my face.

The formula key element is dew grass which is used in many Chinese medicine for it’s reconstructing properties to promote and improve hydration in the skin.

I use alot of different mists on my face from Asia most of which are fairly cheap however one of the more expensive ones I lean towards will be replaced by this. It’s price is a tiny bit higher at $28 but I can’t forsake it’s incredible scent and moisturizing benefits.

Overall, Kenzoki Fresh Lotus Water is a fabulous mister for restoring moisture to your face. During the long humid days of Summer I’ll be using this to give my skin the hydration it needs minus my normal moisturizer which can prove to heavy for the heat. It’s a fine mist for getting my face moist, refreshing tired skin, and working as a light moisturizer for Summer wearin’ and tearin’!

Loves it!

Muse Approval for purchase!

Ahh Summer you’re still around here some place aren’t you? Please stick around a little longer as it feels like the Muse’s hasn’t had a chance to truly enjoy you being around this year.

In honor of Summer today I’ll share with you to fab bronzers that I’m loving from Clarins!

Jump ahead for the deets!

Ok, let me tell you a little secret…shhhh don’t tell anyone k? I always though Clarins was kinda for old ladies but than I tried a shadow quad and suddenly it opened a whole new world to me. Now I’m an utter addict and simply adore their releases.

I was all about the Clarins Instant Sun Light Collection this year as it had some great pieces to celebrate the heat with (do a search for the reviews on my blog). And even though I’m not a bronzer fan I found myself enjoying one or two this year without ranting and raving about them. You know me and the sun don’t get along so well, hello SPF? Wanna be BFF?

Safest way to get an instant spark of Summer sun?

Try out Clarins Instant Sun Light Bronzing Duo or Clarins Instant Sun Light Bronzing Powder!

As bronzing powder is sometimes incredibly difficult to work with I suggest trying out any that Clarins offers as they are a silky smooth formula that blend a treat. The effect is a beautiful touch of sun on face and cheeks.

Clarins Bronzing Duo is made of two shades of bronzer in two separate finishes. One light matte shade and one sparkling darker shade. Combine the two to contour your face or place the lighter shade on your forehead and the deeper on your cheeks for a safe Summer tan.

Clarins Bronzing Powder is a rich, deep bronze shade with a fine shimmer finish. The shade is very deep and could apply muddy so do use a tiny amount and build up slowly for a deeper tan. This has an SPF 15 as well.

I find the best way to use or apply either is by adding them on top of gently flushed cheeks. Grab your favorite cheek stain and apply to a fresh face (or a face prepped prior with tinted moisturizer. The lighter the makeup the more natural your bronzer will look). After your stain is in place dust a bit of bronzer on top for a lit from within glow.

Perfect for Summer sun and safe too.

Although Summer is ending you can still get away with bringing it with you into the Fall with these compacts plus it seems bronzed cheeks are making their way into many Fall looks.

Snag these palettes while they are still at your Clarins counter as they’ll be gone before you know it.

Loves ‘em!

See my Tips and Tricks for Bronzer Application to spice up your bronze look!

Hey peeps!

Bestest news ever. The popular Korean brand, The Face Shop, has launched a brand new US Website. This is absolutely thrilling news for me because as you know I’m a very big fan of Korean skincare and cosmetics. As more and more Korean brands launch US websites (Etude House, The Face Shop, etc….) I can’t help the proud mama feeling as many of these brands appeared on my blog over a year or more ago when they were still available within Korea and not yet launched in the US.

Jump ahead for more details on new Face Shop site!

I just browsed the site myself and it’s just now in it’s infant stage as a few of the color collections and skincare items haven’t been updated with product as of yet however they have many, many inexpensive skincare items that are online and available for purchase.

Like many Korean brands you get quality for a very low price. One thing that’s exciting about this launch is the fact that sheet masks and BB Creams are available for purchase. As you’ve heard me discuss in the past both sheet masks and BB Creams are somewhat unknown to the US market. The Asian market is saturated with face masks of all kinds and sheet masks are a popular part of an Asian’s girl daily skincare regime. BB Creams are also unknown with the US which gives me hope that they will become more popular with The Face Shop leading in on these. So far only one cream is available but I hope they’ll begin to launch further BB’s from the line as I’ve tried a few from Korea and they are quite good. Unknown to me The Face Shop products have also been available in Walgreens. Ha who knew?

Anyone ordering from the new online shop will recieve free samples with each purchase and orders over $25 will recieve a free Mask Sheet and finally orders of $50 will get free shopping and a Nature Garden Cleansing Bar for Face and Body.

Visit with the new US shop at www.thefaceshopusa.com

Hey guys!

Just a beauty reminder here about the Korres sale that’s going on now.

Visit www.korresusa.com and use promo code MUSE at checkout to get 30% Off plus you’ll get a free mini Korres Lipgloss sample with your purchase.

The sale is happening until September 15!

Happy Shoppin’!

The Muse wonders does she need any excuse at all to discuss pink gloss with you? Naaaa. Pink glosses are the root of my girlish good nature. My new favorite shade? Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Cabana Crush.

I heart you so.

Jump ahead to muse it with me!

This is my first whirl with Clinique Long Last Glosswear and I likey so far. The formula isn’t tacky or sticky and glides on rather nicely plus it’s heaps pigmented so you can easily get away with gloss alone minus stains or lipstick under it. It’s formula is fragrant free so those sensitive to flavors or scents in their glosses can rest assured this won’t break you out. At $14 it’s also fairly inexpensive!

Now that we got pass it’s good features let me tell you about Cabana Crush!

Oh my!

Cabana Crush is a lively pink shade with golden shimmer. It has a glossy, shiny finish with a hint of fine sparkle. The shade is quite complimenting with Summer and great to pair up with a warm bronze look for a pop of pink on lips. If you’re a lover of pink this should appeal.

Overall, Musings of cool colors of pink aside, Clinique Long Last Glosswear is a rather ideal pick for a small price tag. It’s in the range of a MAC Lipglass but with a large size. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to get glossy, shiny, pigmented lips here’s your ticket to ride.

Likey!

Ok, so yes I do have an obsession with quality concealer. I’ve tried so many concealers over the course of the year it’s grown from a simple obsession to a rather sick, twisted NEED to try something new. I’m always on the hunt for thee perfect concealer, the concealer that will change my life, the concealer that will end my woes of dark circles and puffy eyes forever.

Could that concealer be the new La Mer The Radiant Concealer?

At $65 this has to be the concealer that will create flawless coverage under my eyes, erase my dark circles, conceal my puffy eyes, erase my fine lines….yes…this one has to be it.

Available in three shades the treatment cream concealer optically corrects dark circles and blemishes to create a flawless finish. It instantly evens out the skin appearance while adding radiance. Gemstones capture light energy to camouflage dark circles and precious marine plant extracts help to reduce the appearance of under eye puffiness by the way it also has an SPF 25.

I’m not worthy La Mer.

I need this in my life, like now, like yesterday.

Expect some sort of review soon as I can’t control the need to snag me some of this. My excitement knows no bounds.

Available now from La Mer.

As Summer draws to a close I guess I shouldn’t worry about the need for tinted moisturizer but I can’t resist the allure of 100% Pure Tinted Moisturizer.

With it’s deeply pigmented formula, SPF 20, and good for you ingredients you can see why I’m wanting it. The moisturizer is supposedly a sheer to medium coverage but as I’ve tried 100% Pure cosmetics prior to this and I’ll place my bets on it being amazingly pigmented and also if the reviews are anything to go that might just be the case.

Although an SPF of 20 is somewhat low I still fine the product intriguing especially since the humidity today is yelling at me for lighter makeup wearin’!

100% Pure Tinted Moisturizer is available at QVC, Item Number A82300 for $37.

What a great time of the year to indulge in the Tarte Fall Collection 2009! Get 40% Off your total order using promo code FF09.

Happy shopping!

Hey chicas have you heard the good word about the new Sally Hansen HD Nail Color?

HD Hi-Definition Nail Color from Sally Hansen is a collection of eight shades of pure, vivid pigment polish with a patented formula that has real liquid crystals to create a multi-dimensional color and iridescent shine!

In celebration of this exciting launch, Sally Hansen is hosting a sweepstakes on their website (www.sallyhansen.com) from July 8, 2009-September 15, 2009. One grand prize winner will receive a 32inch HD TV, three will receive an iPod Nano, and ten weekly winners will receive a Sally Hansen Gift Bag!

You can enter the sweepstakes by visiting here.

In honor of the Sally Hansen Sweepstakes the Muse is giving away five sets of Sally Hansen HD Nail Color. This is for US residents only due to shipping of liquids, sorry girls.

You can enter the contest by placing your name and e-mail address in the widget below. To double your chances of winning you can follow me on Twitter.

Good Luck!

9/8/2009 UPDATE:  This post will be updated shortly with the winners for the contest.  I had a problem with Contest Machine and was unable.

Update: Winners Alerted.

So I’ve been kinda drooling over the new Temptu Airbrush System, not alot mind you just a little…like maybe enough to plop it into my Sephora cart and just kinda stare at it in awe….nothing too serious I promise. I’ve only ever played with the idea of hitting submit that probably won’t happen though…maybe…kinda….sorta….

While I’m busying trying to figure out if I want to unleash $200 or more dollars on my face I came across the new Temptu Retouch Blush and Foundation.

Ohhhhh I WANTS ‘em!

Check it after the jump.

I swear they make these things with the Muse in mind so I can get all hyper and chase my tail around the room in fits of excitement over new makeups. The Temptu Retouch Blush kinda reminds me of the By Terry line but about $10 or more dollars cheaper.

The blush supposedly delivers an airbrush quality finish to cheeks with dewy color. It’s a lightweight formula with a built-in brush for easy, peasy, 1, 2, 3-asy application. The colors all look quite exciting for a pinched cheek look. I’m normally not one to get excited about cream or liquid blush but I’m feelin’ the love here.

Temptu Retouch Foundation is the same style click pen applicator with built in brush. It’s available in an extensive collection of colors so you should be able to find at least one suitable tone. I’m a big fan of this style packaging for foundation application so I’m on this like white on rice.

The Temptu Retouch Foundation is $48 and the Retouch Blush is $35.

I wants them both please.

The Muse feels her hand wandering to that submit button! Somebody stop me please.