Musings of a Muse

Laura Geller Marble Cakes Baked Eyeshadow and Liner Duo makes it so easy to shade, line, and define my eyes with a great little kit that even includes a dual ended brush. Likey!

The Muse enjoys simplicity packaged in one box don’t you?

Jump for it!

Although Laura Geller Baked Eyeshadow and Liner Duos are readily available on Sephora for $23 bucks, the Muse highly recs checking ‘em out on QVC (Item Number A86595) as they contain not only a baked shadow/liner duo but also come prepackaged with a dual ended brush for application.

After my foray into the world of Laura Geller’s Baked products with a kit I recently purchased I’m kinda lusting all things from the line. These duos are super as they are affordable and have great color payoff. The shadow comes housed in a chic black compact with mirror. They are split down the middle with the shadow on one side and the liner on the other. Honestly, if you’re wanting to you can easily use the liner side as a contrasting shade of shadow as well. The shadow side has a slightly sparkle finish where as the liner is more matte but not difficult to work with as it blends rather beautifully. Both shades are super smooth, silky, and very easy to work with. Could be the baked formula but they sport a beautiful formula. The basic idea is to use the shadow side as a color wash all over lid and crease and follow up with the liner to define eyes. Lining with the enclosed color proves a little difficult since the shadow shade is so similar in color however it does end up working very well when used wet as you’ll get a bolder more dramatic finish. Color payoff on the shades I tried were very good.

The kit also includes a dual ended brush which has a fluffy shadow shader on one side and a flat angled liner brush on the other. Both brushes are good quality with super soft bristles and no shedding.

The colors I tried were SugarSky/BlueBerry and Unearthed/Dark Chocolate. Sugarsky is a shimmering sky blue and Blueberry is a deep navy blue. Unearthed is a sparkling golden brown and Dark Chocolate as per it’s name is a velvety dark chocolate.

For my look below I used Unearthed all over my lid and followed up by lining my lower and bottom lash line with Dark Chocolate. I didn’t wet Dark Chocolate so the results aren’t as dramatic as they could be.

Overall, these are great little shadows and quite a super deal if you purchase the set for $26. Sephora has a total of four shades including a green combo that I’m wanting to indulge in where a the QVC sets are only available in the shades I have reviewed and swatched for you here. I liked these very much and deem them worthy of a Muse Approval.

Loves ‘em! Great deal, beautiful pigmentation, and superb formula to work with.

One of my client’s came into my office today and said he heard on the new that it was the hottest day of the year. Honestly, it’s sticky outside yes and it’s about 85 degrees or so but I wouldn’t call it the hottest day of the year.

Hmmm.

But it’s good enough weather to test out Benefit Matterial Girl Matte Finishing Powder.

Jump for it.

Let’s start by saying that Benefit always has these small little releases that simply kill it. Posietint and Coralista just to name a few. These items become instant cult classics. I love Benefit for this reason. It’s not a big collection release, it’s not 20 limited edition shadows, it’s simply one solid release ever few months or so that rocks it.

Benefit Matterial Girl slipped by me this time and I just came across it on the website recently. Of course, I couldn’t wait to test it out for myself. Did you know it’s not on counter yet or at Sephora and also that’s it’s an Asian Exclusive that was available on Asian counters for a good while before popping up here in the states.

What is it?

Nothing huge, nothing crazy. It’s simply a mattifying loose powder for setting makeup. It’s for all the oily skin chicas who feel like their face is melting off. Mine isn’t necessarily melting off but I can tell you that even my dry skin takes on oily and shiny with the best of ‘em.

As always Benefit reigns the realm of cuteness with a sweet little package. The powder comes housed in a pale pink and white topped jar with a clear base and surrounding bows around it. This alone makes it worthy of a pick up.

A few readers asked for the ingredients list and most important of all it does contain talc but no cornstarch. Talc is commonly known for causing me to itch terribly but lucky enough this hasn’t made me suffer in that direction. The secondary main ingredient is Mica.

The powder is soft, silky, and applies flawlessly. It’s transparent for the most part but manages to even out my skin tone a fair bit, sets my makeup, and most important mattifies my skin.

What better day than the hottest day (supposedly) of the year to try this out? I set my makeup with it and did a few runs today around town with it on. Post Office, Bank, drop off dry cleaning, etc……I did a fair bit of walking about as well. So far my face is remaining in tact minus oil and shine. I haven’t touched up yet and I’m going on about four hours of use so far, not bad for a loose powder.

So far so good.

Overall, I’m liking it. Cute packaging and shine free skin, what more could a girl want? If you’re a lover of Benefit you’re going to want to indulge. It’s available now from www.benefitcosmetics.com

But don’t buy it right now. It just launched. Wait a few and I’m positive Benefit will slip a free shipping coupon into your mail box shortly as they always do with new releases.

Are you wanting Benefit Matterial Girl?

Tell the Muse!

I’m a want to create the perfect smoky eye for Fall.

In order to obtain my ideal smoky eye I think I shall indulge in the Sephora The Smokey Eye Brush Set…..

See here?

Everything I need to create said smoky eye…btw is it smokey or smoky…hmm…

Jump for it!

$42 bucks and a near 5 star rating on Sephora has me wanting this kit…I’m such a bloody mush when it comes to brush sets. I always tell myself, “You so don’t need another brush set…” but my evil side proceeds to reply with, “Yes you do, what could one more hurt?”

This six piece set contains tools for creating a perfect smoked out eye. I actually do a fair job of a smoky eye on myself and don’t need a brush set to do it but hey….my evil side said it’s ok to indulge.

You’ll get a total of five Sephora Professionelle (I wonder if the “le” on the end of Professional makes these more important) Brushes and a how-to booklet plus a chic faux leather case for toting around your tools.

The brushes included are a wide smudger, an all over shadow brush, a small domed smudger, and a dual sided brow brush and comb. Plus did I mention you get Volume Mascara too? Sweetness!

I think I wants it if that’s ok. I just don’t think I needs it but hey who’s keeping track of that!

More beauty abroad coming atcha today chicas.

I’ve been having a ton of fun sampling all the goodies that I got with my Skin79 Diamond Collection Set. This set is an incredible deal as it includes a slew of items for one low cost.

Although the sets aren’t sold in the US you can purchase individual items from E-bay and a few select online shops if you Google a bit and search around.

Today I’m reviewing the Skin79 Diamond Collection Star Glow Ball Powder.

Tale a peep after the jump!

This is much like my Esprique Precious Illuminate Nuancer which I simply adore however not as nice, tell you why in a few.

The “powder” is made up of several shades of pastel colored balls to be used to highlight certain areas of the face. It’s supposed to brighten the face up while highlighting however the formula is terribly frosty which is unflattering on my face.

The highlighter is housed in a cute, simple pink jar with a super soft puff included. Love the puff…it’s truly luxurious and super soft. The balls all range in shades from pastel pink, green, purple, etc…much like you’d find in a jar of Guerlain Meteorites. Where as Guerlain and Esprique is a subtle little highlight this is a rather frosty, shimmery affair that looks like a disco ball blew up in my face. Of course I adore sparkle and the likes but this was a bit overkill.

Not much else to say about it sadly other than the fact it was a sore disappointment and will end up on my swap list directly.

No likey.

Most of the Skin79 Diamond Collection has been a joy up until now but this one is a safe skip if you’re not wanting a frosty mess on your face. Pretty in the jar not on the face.

I hate nudes. They are so terribly unflattering on this Muse. Last year, Bobbi introduced me to a new way to wear nudes though with the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nude Collection.

For someone who has venomously denied loving Nudes, I suddenly found myself loving the idea of creating a chic, natural, nude look! Bobbi you sure do know how to charm a girl.

This year, Bobbi Brown keeps me clamoring back for more with her newest Nude Collection featuring the Bobbi Brown Nude Eye Palette.

Jump ahead for the review!

This year things are a little bit different. Last year the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Palette contained a total of seven shades. This year the new Nude Eye Palette contains six shades in the new customize palette. Basically each shadow is contained in a duo with two shadows making up a combination for one look. Of course you can mix and match any of the shades included but the fact they are grouped into two shades makes it easier to create a single look from the shades paired together. The new custom palette allow you to snap duos in and out easily. It’s kinda like getting an empty custom palette free as after you hit pan on the duos you can head to Bobbi and snap in any number of items for face, lips, or eyes.

The palette’s ease of use lays in the fact that it’s made up of matte, sparkle, and metallic finish shadows. Nudes are difficult for me to pull off but pairing a nude base with a hint of sparkle makes application easier and friendly.

You get a total of six shades which are:

Navajo and Pebble (Creamy Beige Matte and Metallic Champagne Nude)
Chino and Beige Linen (Muddy Beige Matte and Beige Brown Shimmer)
Maple Sugar and Caviar (Beige Brown Metallic and Chocolate Matte Brown)

The shades are all pigmented and have an incredible texture for blending. You do get a fair bit of fall out from the metallic and shimmer finishes but with proper prepping you can avoid this. I do always find shades like Caviar incredibly difficult to work with but I think these are meant more as a liner shade than an actual eye shadow.

The collection also included Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink which is proving to be my best friend at the moment. I love the deep chocolate of this shade and love the way it tight lines my upper waterline to create a certain air of mystery. Bobbi makes one of the best gel liners around so it’s quite nice to add this particular shade to my arsenal.

Overall, the Bobbi Brown Nude Palette is the ideal and easy way to wear nude shadows. It’s work friendly and manages to create a natural, nude look that has a flair of fun to it.

Loves it!

Another great Bobbi palette.

Anyone haul it?

Share!

If you shop Kohl’s it’s likely you browse around the American Beauty Cosmetics display and check out what Ashley Judd is up. My sister simply adores Kohls so while she’s busy getting her Kohls sale jive on I normally wander around the cosmetic counter and aisles to see what’s new with Flirt and American Beauty.

For a bargain department store Kohls has a pretty extensive array of beauty items that they carry, American Beauty being one of their in house brands.

Jump ahead for a peep at keeping your peachy Summer glow with American Beauty Perfect Mineral Loose Powder Blush.

If you’re a lover of mineral blushes you’re sure to enjoy the American Beauty Perfect Mineral Loose Powder Blush. This little guy is a loose mineral blush available in six shades for $18.50 (it’s on sale right now for $14.80). If you’re busy comparing it to your BE blushes you must know that it’s about triple the size and considerably larger for the price. It comes with a brush for application but I honestly didn’t love it. It sheds terribly and the bristles are awful scratchy.

Aside from the crummy brush the actual blush is quite nice particularly the shade I have which is Nude Sand. Nude Sand is a deep coral shade with a very subtle shimmer. The blush is silky smooth and blends beautifully leaving behind quite a pigmented pop of peach to my cheeks. It gives a very nice glowy look to my face and cheeks. The formula is very lightweight and long wearing for a natural, healthy finish.

Overall, it’s worthy of a pick up if you’re at Kohls. It’s a rather fab way of keeping that Summer glow all through Fall!

Likey!

Say hello to my new little friend:

La Mer The Radiant Concealer!

Jump ahead for my review and swatches of this new concealer from La Mer.

$65 could prove too much to splurge on a concealer but honestly I’m willing to spend my life savings on anything to make me look well rested and flawless. I can’t be the only one feeling that way!

The new La Mer The Radiant Concealer doesn’t come cheap but it does what it promises and that my friends is worth it’s weight in gold.

This concealer comes housed in a super chic white case with a mirror plate proudly displaying the “La Mer” on it’s cover. Kicking up the packaging further is the fact that it comes with a faux leather carrying case and mini concealer brush and here you have yourself a super chic piece of cosmetic.

The Muse is in love with the fact that Le Mer continues to extend it’s cosmetic line further and further as of late and of course couldn’t be happier about a concealer release as hey she happens to be utterly obsessed with concealers as you may know from reading her babblings.

With a formula that sports an SPF 25 and gemstones that capture the light to mask dark circles and blemishes this concealer is ready to do battle with your worst flaws.

I have dry under eyes so I normally seek out the most moisturizing concealer I can find but I do so admit that a concealer with a harder, tackier texture actually offers me the longest wear. This is the formula this concealer sports. It’s not creamy or moisturizing and has a harder texture than my normal round of coverage but it still manages to blend seamlessly and wears incredibly long. My dry eyes don’t seem to mind the formula at all so it’s not creeping into fine lines or caking up. Once blended it wears all day without failing me. The pigmentation is very good and it manages to conceal my main worries such as fine lines, puffy eyes, and dark circles.

Overall, it’s ability to wear stay in place all day makes it a gem of a concealer for this Muse. It covers completely and allows a flawless, well rested look.

Loves it!

Quite a great concealer. The price is high but well worth every penny.

Anyone try yet?

Love it?

Tell the Muse!

Avon is keeping it cheap and cute with it’s new Avon Color Trend Lip Duo Lipstick & Lip Gloss. This dual sided lip gadget has a lipstick on end and a gloss on the other, sweet the Muse loves techy beauty finds!

Click ahead to hear my thoughts.

This little guy is available in four separate shades for a mere $3.25 each. These aren’t a big size but they have just enough product for toting around with you for quickie touch ups. The novelty is the dual-end design which lets you smooth on a nourishing lip color and top it with a shiny gloss.

The lipstick side of the product is quite sheer and subtle where as the gloss is decently pigmented. You’d think this would be reversed with the lipstick sporting the richer pigmentation but it does manage to work as the lipstick acts more as a balm and a prep for lips prior to gloss application.

The color I tried Pink Fizz Duo which has a gloss that’s lilac pink is color and a frosty baby pink shade of lipstick.

Neither product is flavored so those who aren’t a fan of scented, flavored lip products will be relieved. The texture of both the gloss and the lipstick is nicely moisturizing for it’s beauty budget price tag.

Overall, Avon Color Trend Lip Duo Lipstick & Lip Gloss is a rather cute, inexpensive beauty find for throwing into your bag for touch ups on the go or if you have a bit of an oral fixation and always find yourself applying and reapplying balms or gloss this should appeal.

Likey!

Available now from Avon.

The Muse has been fiddling about with Tarte ReCreate Foundation for a few months now. It’s chock full of interesting features one of which is very important, anti-aging. Can’t say there are a slew of anti-aging foundations on the market that I know of. The novelty of a foundation that would aid me in keeping my skin youthful and fresh sounded incredible.

Jump ahead for the deets and review.

Like many foundation, Tarte ReCreate Foundation has plenty of good points and a few bad.

It’s paraben-free, natural formula is a very good point particularly if you’re super conscious of what goes into your makeup. The fact that it contains an SPF 15 is another good point but I do think that’s a tad low in the sun protection department. And most important of all it’s interesting “wrinkle rewind” technology which holds a claim of being clinically proven to decrease fine lines and wrinkles while increasing moisture, toning, and firming the skin.

All this is very appealing however I may not be getting the full benefit of it as I don’t have fine lines or wrinkles on my face as of yet so I can’t speak for whether it’s improving any of that. I also can’t say if it’s working at keeping my skin youthful as a few short months of use would never be enough time to judge that however that doesn’t stop me from loving the idea that it could very well be protecting my skin and preventing wrinkles.

The formula is creamy, moisturizing and blends flawlessly onto my skin. It’s a tad on the runny side but not in a bad way as that allows it to easily absorb into my dry skin. It’s not incredibly pigmented but it’s rich enough to allow light to medium coverage but if you have major skin care woes you’re wanting to cover it probably won’t completely help that case (even though it says full coverage I felt it wasn’t pigmented enough for total coverage). I’ve heard it tends to sink and settle into pores but I don’t have large pores so it sits comfortable on my skin and almost feels like a glove…it’s not a silicon feel but it feels interesting during first application.

I’m also a big lover of the packaging. It comes in a pump style tube that dispenses just the right amount of product. Fantastically clean, mess-free distribution makes it a winner in the packaging department!

Now my main problem with it…

The shades.

All the colors have an incredible amount of unflattering beige to them. Even the very lightest ivory looks like a muddy beige shade. This in itself was a deal breaker for me as it made me look terribly old and uneven. The shade was just wrong. I did do a ton of swatches of other shades and all of them were just sadly wrong for my tone. MAC seems to have a similar problem when it comes to foundation as many of their shades have incredible amounts of either orange or beige and of course drugstore brands as well.

Overall, if the interesting concept of an anti-aging foundation appeals to me in a major way and I like the formula of the foundation as well as it’s light and feels nice on my face. However, the shade selection does need considerably improvement and I can’t say I’d indulge again once I’m done with this one.

Anyone try Tarte ReCreate?

Love it?

Not so much?

Tell the Muse!

Dontcha just love products with “intense” in the name. Golly, that must mean they are really special. Intense gloss..oooooo! So important!

Ilamasqua Intense Lipgloss has made it’s way to US shores recently and the Muse must say indeed it’s intense. Intensely rich, intensely pigmented, intensely thick and creamy….yup, intense for shiz.

Jump for it!

All though I’m not a lover of matte gloss I can’t help but be slightly tickled over the new Ilamasqua Intense Lipgloss.

Housed in an ultra slim line tube this gloss is unlike anything I’ve had the pleasure of trying to date. It’s more like a lip enamel as it gives lips a patent leather shine.

I’ve never had the pleasure of using anything like it in all my beauty days. It’s quite like a thick, creamy, ooey gooey lip cream. The gloss is incredibly pigmented and extremely thick in consistency. You’d think the combination of those two traits would make it a mess to deal with but so not the case. The gloss fairly glides onto lips without having to go back over it (you can if you want to get an extra, extra bold look) as it’s rich pigmentation covers lips completely in a thick layer of beautiful gloss. Although thick it feels quite comfortable on without being sticky, tacky, or overwhelmingly heavy. It’s quite lightweight for such a formula and feels natural and pleasant on my lips.

I’m actually pleased with the applicator as well which is a simple squeeze tube with a narrow, thin slant. The slant fits the curve of my lips quite well and aids in getting the gloss in place minus mess or drama. The gloss itself also has a fresh fruity taste and scent. It also manages to wear very long.

The color I tried was Indulge which is a hot neon pink. Not exactly my shade of choice but surprisingly works well with a minimal makeup look!

If you’re a lover of very thick glosses with super pigmentation Illamasqua Intense Lip Gloss is bound to please.

Likey!

Have you tried Illamasqua gloss yet?

Loving it?

Do share!

The Muse happens to be quite addicted to transparent powders for some reason especially ones that promise to make me flawless. Aromaleigh Silk Powder Primer preps your face for mineral foundation supposedly leaving behind a flawless canvas for makeup!

Does it work?

Find out after the jump!

The general idea of this powder is to use it as a prep and prime prior to minerals. Since my main foundation of choice aren’t minerals it’s somewhat useless however I did want to try it out anyway. I’m actually pretty impressed with it

I used it in three separate ways. Once to prime my face prior to using Urban Decay Surreal Skin Mineral Foundation, secondly as finishing, setting powder, and thirdly to mask minor flaws prior to using a cheek stain sans foundation. As a primer it works remarkably well. It’s difficult to explain the results but my mineral makeup looks more refined and finished when I use this prior to application. As a setting powder it doesn’t really work as the powder is a bit on the thick side and white causing a strange cast of weird on my face. It also doesn’t work very well on it’s own as again same strange white cast when used.

The powder is quite a thick texture and not as silky as many transparent powders I’ve used. It blends quite well and in regards to prepping for minerals it exceeds and does the job well. It’s actually meant for normal or combination skin types but it worked well enough on my crazy not sure what it wants to be skin at the moment. The powder acts almost like a barrier or shield between your skin and the mineral foundation of your choice. This technique allows for your minerals to last longer and look flawless.

It supposedly refines pores and fine lines but I have neither so I can’t speak for that. It also claims to be a natural moisture absorbing powder so as the temperature and humidity changes in your environment it’ll keep your oily skin under control. I’ve used it in the normal oily places on my face such as forehead and sides of noses but didn’t notice too much of a difference. This has to be explored further before I have my final say on that feature.

Overall, it’s a good product if you’re a mineral foundation user however if your dominate foundation is liquid or cream you can safely skip. I think it’s worthy of a try out for mineral users as you’ll notice your foundation will last longer while your face will have a more flawless look.