Musings of a Muse

All the convenience of a powder blush in a cream formula? Hmmmm must try says the Muse!

Clinique Blushwear Cream Stick Blush was introduced as part of the brand new Clinique Fall Collection 2008 entitled Modern Matte.

Mattes are outside my range but considering I’ve been very open and adventurous lately when it comes to matte shadows I decided to test these out! I’ll be bringing you a review shortly but for now I did want to introduce you to the new Blushwear Cream Stick Blush in Shy Blush!

Becoming friends with a blush in a stick form truly isn’t that hard! It’s convenient, easy to apply, and pigmented enough to make me blush all day long plus the color I have, Shy Blush, is the ideal warm color for Fall!

The formula is moisturizing and long wearing plus leaves behind a rather nice sheen of color. As I mentioned the color I have is Shy Blush which is a brownish peach with hints of bronze. The color leaves behind a very natural finish that lends a nice warmth to cheeks for the Fall season!

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, pigmented blush option that’s easy to apply and offers a flattering, natural finish this is worth checking out!

Clinique Blushwear Cream Stick Blush is available now from Clinique! Do check out the other shades available, the Muse has her eye on Very Blush!

Check it: The Muse sportin’ Clinique Blushwear Cream Stick Blush in Shy Blush

Check out some past Musings on Fall Collection for 2008!

Chanel Eyeliner Duo Review

NARS Super Orgasm Review

Pop Apple of the Cheeks Review

Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation Review

I’m not partial to rubies. Rubies remind me of budget vampire flicks, blood, and oh, this guy:

I harbor a secret hope that they’ll bring Gordon Walker back as he’s the villain I was secretly hoping would bring down the Winchester boys after they started waxing Jared’s eyebrows and deep frying him in a tanning bed. Once you start man-grooming that badly all bets are off for the Muse!

Before

After Hollywood man-grooming!

I thought it was so killer watching Jared run after Gordon Walker with a stake while yelling, “Don’t call me Sammie!” Although I was considering personally contacting Kripke and telling him that the scene would be WAY better if they had Jared running around chasing Gordon in his boxer shorts. Just the Muse’s opinion but that would make fine, healthy entertainment for the tweens, teens, and generally old fan girls like the Muse!

That’s hot.

But since we probably won’t see any ruby red blood dripping from Gordon Walker’s vampy teeth anytime soon we’ll have to settle for getting our ruby fix from the new Bare Escentuals Ruby Collection.

Although I’m a big fan of pointing out all the wrongs with Bare Escentuals kits now a days that doesn’t stop me from being their biggest supporter when it comes to purchasing their kits, especially Holiday ones!

The Bare Escentuals Ruby Collection is $54 USD and contains the following items:

bareMinerals Ruby Radiance All Over Face Color
bareMinerals Golden Ruby Eye Shadow
bareMinerals Vintage Ruby Eye Color
bareMinerals Wild Ruby Eye Liner Powder
Double Ended Black Mascara and Ruby Beautifully Luminous Lashes
Ruby Buxom Lip Polish
Cheek Brush
Double-Ended Shadow and Eyeliner Brush
Faux Croc Clutch

I have a few rants, I have some raves, I have good news and I also have some bad news with this review sooooooo sit back, relax, and take it all in as this is going to be a bit of a long ride!

It’s always best to start with the good news so I’ll tell you that first. The kit is priced at $54 USD and contains the same amount of items released with the Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection from last year which was actually, here’s the good news part, $59 USD! You’re getting a great kit at nearly $5 USD less so maybe Bare Escentuals is actually listening to the Muse when she rants about the price as of late!

I personally love Bare Escentuals kits because they make application easy, simple, and fuss-free. If you’re not an expert at applying makeup I highly suggest nabbing one of their full kits because it truly breaks down application and teaches you how to create a beautiful look. Although I didn’t completely love the look that I got from the Bare Escentuals Ruby Collection I generally liked a good deal of the items included with the set and in the end the look I created wasn’t too bad just not thrilling (that’s the only bad news I really have).

My favorite item in the kit was the Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Ruby. The color is truly a nice ruby shade with a metallic-like finish that lends a nice warmth to lips. I mentioned this last year but it deserves to be said again that I really appreciate the fact that Buxom Lips Gloss now comes with a brush applicator and not a sponge tip applicator. The gloss was always a mediocre find for me until they converted to the brush applicator which now makes it a fabulous gloss in my opinion. The brush allows for much better application and really brings out the thick formula and pigmentation of the gloss where as before you could never really tell how good the gloss was as the sponge applicator failed to pick up enough product to really apply correctly.

Bare Escentuals Ruby Radiance All Over Face Color is my next favorite item within the kit. The entire collection is supposedly infused with real ruby powder. In the case of the Ruby Radiance All Over Face Color you can get the flair of the ruby within the powder. It has nice touches of warm red and pink with a very faint shimmer that’s not overwhelming on the skin. Once buffed on you’re left with a very rich, warm shade of cheek color. The finished result quite reminds me of the mauve blush included with the Bobbi Brown Mauve Face Palette.

The eye colors included in the kit are Golden Ruby and Vintage Ruby. Golden Ruby is a shimmering subdued golden shade which you’ll be using as an all over color wash while Vintage Ruby is soft fawn shade that contrasts Golden Ruby on the crease of your eye. I was too thrilled with Vintage Ruby but I can’t deny that it does contrast well with Golden Ruby. Golden Ruby was my favorite of the two as I love shimmering golds for my eyes. Following up your look you’ll be using Wild Ruby as a liner shade which is a purple plum shade. Wild Ruby seems out of place with the other shades but it does complete the overall look well and goes rather well with Vintage Ruby.

I took note that Bare Escentuals has introduced a new lift and peel seal. You may not care about this as much as I do but it thrilled me to bits that it was so EASY to open up the jars due to this new seal. You simply snatch the upper part and twist up and open! The seal pulls off in one go and you aren’t spilling content or having to scratch the remaining label off if you didn’t pull it all off the first go. I really appreciated this new seal and I hope other brands that seal product in a similiar fashion will begin using the same method!

Pull Up

Twist

Open!

To complete your Bare Escentuals Ruby look you can use the dual end mascara included with the kit. As per normal the mascara isn’t anything to write home about, it a simple black mascara that isn’t really fantastic but does the job well enough. On the opposite end you’ll get a Ruby Beautifully Luminous Lashes. I’ve reviewed Bare Escentuals Luminous Lashes prior to this and you can see that review here. Although I think the Ruby Luminous Lashes is great to add to my collection I just see it as a rather strange item to include with this kit. Sparkling ruby lashes just didn’t really go so well with the completed look I created with my kit.

Finally the kit includes a face brush, dual ended eye brush, and a faux croc makeup case. The brushes include a red handle and a ruby crystal embedded into the handle which mimics last year’s collection where they had white handles and a diamond crystal embed. The croc makeup bag is cute but knowing me I’ll swap it away as it really isn’t particularly thrilling and looks a tiny bit old lady like however it’s a nice extra to the collection!

Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Brush versus Bare Escentuals Ruby Collection Brush

Overall, the collection was really nice. You’ll be happy to know that the products are nice, full size and not small sample sizes as per the Bare Escentuals Rocker Kit Tutorial that I recently reviewed. I was particularly delighted that the Radiance Powder was full size and not small like last year’s Classic Rock Collection.

The collection created a warm look which I wasn’t completely feeling as I prefer a cooler look for the Holidays but I can’t deny that it does look very natural and nice but nothing too dramatic.

All in all I think Bare Escentuals did a great job with the Ruby Collection. It’s not my favorite kit that they released but it contains a nice selection of items, a majority of which I really liked alot. I’m glad BE decided to lower the price slightly as well and I do think $54 USD is a fair enough price for the entire kit and the majority of items you’ll be getting. It’s well worth checking out for yourself. This is a Sephora exclusive so if you’re wanting to swatch up, check out, or buy these for yourself you’ll have to head over to Sephora to nab it!

Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection Review

Bare Escentuals Classic Rock and Bare Escentuals Platinum Collection

Bare Escentuals Pure Platinum Collection Review

Bare Escentuals bareGold Collection Review

Bare Escentuals bareDiamond Collection Review

Bare Escentuals Rocker Eye Kit Review

The Muse’s wishy list is filled with dreams of the gloss sets from the MAC Little Darling Collection! However, today she’ll forsake the glosses and bring you a review of the next best thing, the MAC Little Darling Softsparkle/Eye Pencil Set!

Excited?

About a week ago I brought you some swatches from items I already own from this particular set and today I’ll bring you the remaining swatches. When I first heard about this set I got uber excited as I thought that the set included ALL MAC Softsparkle Pencils. I got even more hyper when I thought the set included two shades of Softsparkle Pencils I didn’t already own.

But duh….

The Muse quickly realized today upon opening the canister up that it actually included three SoftSparkle Pencils and two regular eye pencils from MAC!

Well, slap me and call me silly who knew?

The good news is I now have a backup of my very favorite pencil Peacocked! w00t! And the better news is I have a brand new SoftSparkle Pencil I’ve never even heard of entitled Chocolight!

This is fairly great deal at $29.50 USD as it contains five nice size (not full size) eye pencils from MAC. For all those technical people out there that means the large size pencils are 1.68g/0.059oz and the mini size are .95g/0.03oz. Either way you deal it, the Muse thinks it’s a good deal as it’s like paying under $5 USD per a pencil!

The pencils you’ll get with this set are:

MAC Softsparkle Eyeliner Pencils in:

• Peacocked (a sea foam green shade with shimmer)
• Chocolight (light caramel brown with shimmer)
• Mint & Green (olive green with shimmer)

MAC Eyeliner Pencils in:

• Black Funk (true black shade)
• Fab Orchid (true purple shade)

I simply adore Softsparkle pencils however a few things you’ll need to know, 1. the formula isn’t particularly fabulous and 2. I don’t think they are waterline safe. The formula on these are a tiny bit hard so if you’re used to using MAC Kohl or Technakohl don’t expect the same melty, buttery formula, these just don’t have that beautiful glide. A bit of tugging is invovled to get them on and a little bit of lining and re-lining to get the color on properly is required. However, after all that drama you’re left with a beautiful sparkling liner look so all is forgiven and right with the world again!

Similar problem with the MAC Eyeliner Pencils, they just don’t have a soft formula and they involve a bit of tugging to get into place but thankfully no re-lining is required, they normally go right on without streaking or need for another application! These are actually my least favorite in the MAC eye pencil line up and I don’t actually own any aside from these two that came with the kit! They are good but they aren’t great.

The pencils come housed in a bright red canister which resemble last year’s packaging aside from the fact that these are a lovely bright red. I shamefully admit I threw out my canisters from last season as in the Muse’s life there is such a thing as just “TOO MUCH crap!” But don’t follow my rules! The canister is actually a nice way to store and travel with the pencils or if you want you can tuck other small makeup items into them! Or if you happen to be of the Martha Stewart variety I bet you could come up with some fabulously awesome idea for using this thing! It’s a good thing!

All in all I think the MAC Little Darlings Softsparkle/Eye Pencil Set is a fab package and well worth the price tag with a few minor rants here and there from your dear old Muse!

I’m looking forward to nabbing the MAC Little Darling gloss sets shortly so expect a review and swatches as soon as I can get them in my greedy little hands!

MAC Little Darlings Product Photos and Swatches

MAC Adoring Carmine Face Brush Set Review

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eye Palettes started off as an exclusive item from our friends at Nordstrom however Bobbi was feeling generous so she’s included them in with her Winter and Holiday Collection which means you can get ‘em from your local Bobbi Brown counter or directly from Bobbi Brown’s website now! No Nordstoms required!

I thought for sure that I’d want to indulge in both versions of this palette but turns out it has some minor flaws that made me feel a little less in love with it. Up till now I’ve been having awesome Bobbi Brown experiences but sadly I wasn’t feeling the love for the Long Wear Eye Palette.

The palette comes in two color variations, Moon Rock and Night Sky. I tested out Night Sky for myself and the palette overall is rather wonderful with a few minor rants here and there from your dear old Muse.

The palette contains two Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadows in Ocean Storm and Rockstar and two Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liners in Black Ink and Thunder Storm. Ocean Storm has an off cast of gray to it but it appears more like a shimmering white once applied and Rockstar is a deep navy blue that has a slightly shimmery finish. Black Ink is obviously a true black liner shade while Thunder Storm has an off cast of brown but appears very black once applied even though in the photo I took it looks like a true brown.

Ocean Storm and Rock Star

Black Ink and Thunder Storm

Rockstar, Ocean Storm, Blank Ink, and Thunder Storm

RockStar and Ocean Storm

Black Ink and Thunder Storm

You can probably get a total of four looks from the palette but I just choose to do one complete look by using the two cream shadows and one liner. To do my look I used Ocean Storm as an eye prep from lid to crease and followed up with Rockstar all over my lid. To complete my look I used the Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner in Black in on my lower lash line and upper lash line. There is absolutely no denying that the completed look has a nice sophisticated edge. I thought it opened my eyes up and created a soft, pretty look however this does not change my mind about some of the problems that arose while using the palette.

One major problem with the palette is the packaging. Although the packaging looked ideal to me it needs a tiny bit of work to be perfect. The palette contains a lid for each of the liners and shadows. This is a wonderful idea as it protects the contents of the palette and keeps the liners and shadows from hardening. Each lid snaps open and closed to protect the content of each “well” however I find it very difficult unsnapping each lid. Each time I used the palette I had to get a nail file and wriggle it under the lid to get them to pop up and open. Maybe after a few uses the lids will loosen enough to open easy but at this point I struggle with them every time I use the palette. Although I completely appreciate the idea behind the lids I do get a major case of irritation that it takes so long to get each lid open prior to use.

Closed

Opened

Now the liners are pure perfection! You probably know what a joyous day it was the day I discovered how much I love Bobbi Brown Gel Liner! Angels sung in heaven, the sun shined bright, all was right with the world when I got my first pot of Bobbi Gel Liner however the long-wear cream eyeshadow left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

As I mentioned I simply adored the finished look the palette gave my eyes however the cream shadows have a crummy formula in my humblest. They blend very streaky and even after a few layers color payoff isn’t too fabulous. I won’t rant too much on pigmentation considering I think the idea is to give a very light finish and not bold and loud however after five layers of Rockstar I finally decided that this was the best I was going to get in the color department and I wasn’t going to stretch it out any further. The shadows do have a great formula for the simple fact that they don’t dry right away so you have plenty of time to layer, blend, and just generally work with the shadow before it completely dries down. Cream shadow formulas that remain moist for a while are really user friendly in my opinion and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Cream gets a rave in that department. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that they seriously apply in a major streaky messy. As I move my finger across my eye to blend I end up completely removing the shadow so I take my brush add more color and reblend with my fingertip and again and again and over and over I proceed to repeat the process a million times. After a while, if I’m lucky, I’ll finally have a good layer of product and my bare lid won’t show through but this does take a good 20 minutes to perfect since for some odd reason the shadow just streaks every which way from Friday!

I almost failed to mention the palette also includes a dual sides brush which is very nice. One end has a shadow brush applicator and the other side has a thin liner brush with cap! I totally appreciated the fact that they included a cap for the liner brush as after using liner it’s always messy to put the brush back into the palette.

Overall, the palette is actually really nice with a few minor imperfections however it’s these imperfections that will probably prevent me from purchasing the second color available. I loved the look I created using the palette but I think the packaging needs a tiny bit of work and the formula on the cream shadows could be slightly better!

I do recommend heading to your counter and trying it out for yourself as you might very well fall into the love/hate relationship I’m currently having with it! Not all bad but not completely good either!

The Muse’s opinion remains open on this one and she hopes as time passes she’ll grow to love it!

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Palettes are available now at the Bobbi Brown Website or your local counter! They are limited edition and $55 USD each!

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2008

Bobbi Brown Pink Satin Collection Review

Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick

Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Cream Compact Foundation Review

A few weeks ago I introduced you to some of DuWop’s new items for Fall which was a small selection of interesting bits and bobs. One item in particular instantly caught and held my eye which was the DuWop Crush Molten Metallic Eyeshadow Trio.

Can you say love?

The DuWop Crush palette contains just about everything I love about a shadow palette. Pigmented shadows, beautiful finish, shimmery, intense color! Yes, indeed the Muse loves it alot! She sometimes sleep with it under her pillow and whispers her love to it although it hasn’t yet replied…oh well!

It’s quickly becoming my favorite Fall shadow trio although I doubt I’ll be faithful to it…you know the Muse, ever the junkie when it comes to eyeshadow! Jumping around and cheating on favorites is fair play in cosmetic land!

However, right now, it’s high up there on the rungs of eyeshadow nirvana!

In all seriousness, you should probably get out that Sephora wish list and check it twice making sure that the DuWop Crush Eyeshadow Palette is on there!

The palette consists of three deeply pigmented shadows that work at either creating three single color looks or creating multiply looks by combining the three. Although it’s only three shades they work extremely well at creating a multitude of different looks that are amazingly flattering for the Fall season! The colors in the palette include a copper, a cranberry, and a golden cream.

The texture on these is a creamy powder finish that blends like a dream! The colors all have fantastic color pay off and wear well all day long. Although they could be considered metallic in finish I felt like the shadows also had a beautiful shimmery finish as well. Although the formula was slightly flaky fall out was minimal and easy to clean up!

I created two seperate looks using the trio. The first one I used the darker copper shade and the cranberry shade as a contrasting color on the outer v and swept up towards the crease. The second look I created using the single golden cream shade all over my crease and lid.

Loving the lips? It’s Shine Manish Lipglass from MAC!

All in all the looks I created are very warm and flattering for the season!

I have to say that the DuWop Crush palette is definately Muse Approved for purchase! The colors are amazingly pigmented, beautiful for Fall, and stunning on. It’s a must have palette for Fall in my opinion! It comes with my highest recommendation and approval for purchase! You can nab it for $24 USD at DuWop (Free Shipping on orders $50 and up) or from Sephora.

By the way, it totally felt like a Sally day today hehe!

Love it?

Tried it?

Want it for yourself?

Tell the Muse!

DuWop Fall Collection 2008

DuWop Spring Collection 2008

DuWop Moon Venom Review

DuWop Pretty Mystic Palette

I do so admit all the pink from the Smashbox Holiday Collection entitled Rapture has gotten me completely excited and hyper!

I’m rolling around in happiness at the prospect of pink! What? I’m a chick, I dig pink, sue me.

No seriously I really am quite excited about the rather cute little quilted pink cases that a majority of Smashbox Rapture is coming in so happy in fact that I knew I had to have one for my very own!

In comes Smashbox Gift of Glow which includes a cute ribbon tie makeup clutch in, you guessed it, PINK that the Muse absolutely loves! The makeup case isn’t the only thing to get excited about though! This set includes some wonderful items to get you all sparkled up for the Holiday Season!

The case included with Smashbox Gift of Glow is a dual zip clutch style makeup bag with two loose pockets for storing makeup, brushes, etc….it closes up using two pink ribbons which you tie together. It’s pink and it’s quilted and it’s very Musey-like! Inside you’ll find all the perfect treats to makeup cheeks, lips, and face!

The kit includes a Smash Shadow Liner in Hollywood. This morning I used Hollywood as a liner however the formula is so smooth it’s claim of being a “shadow liner” is all truth. This will make an ideal base for shadows or used on it’s own it as shadow. The color is a bronzy brown with quite a fair bit of gold sparkle that looks wonderful paired up with gold shadows.

The kit also includes two brushes which are a liner brush and a baby buki brush. The baby buki brush is quite nice although it sheds a tiny little bit however after my second use I didn’t notice shedding so that’s a good sign! The liner brush is a full size brush with is unheard of as many Holiday gift sets take to creating mini or smaller versions of full size brushes however Smashbox generously tucked in this full size liner brush! The brush, in my opinion, is a little too large for lining eyes but it works a treat for working on the v of the eye and the lower lash line! It’s has pink handle which I absolutely adore of course! More Pink! YAY!

The kit includes a Smashbox lipgloss in Gilded which is a Shimmery Pale Gold however I do not have pictures of the gloss sadly! Sorry ’bout that!

And finally my favorite piece in the set is the Smashbox Flash Powder in Gold which can be used on face, eyes, or body! This morning I used this on my eyes as a shadow and lined with Hollywood! The two match up beautifully well. This is a finely milled, silky powder that gives a beautiful golden shimmer and highlight to the face without overdosing your cheeks in disco fever! It’s quite a subtle sparkle that’s perfect for the holidays! If you’re looking for an inexpensive option to Chanel’s new Poudre Precieuse Gold Highlighting Powder this could definately work well at a much nicer price!

Here are a few more swatches of Flash and Hollywood side by side:

The entire kit costs $49 USD and is well worth it considering a majority of the products included are full size items. Breaking down the cost including the bag would make each piece $8.10 USD.

To create my look below I used NARS Super Orgasm on my cheeks and highlighted my face with Smashbox Flash Powder for a bit of gold sparkle! On my eyes I used Smashbox Flash Powder and lined with Smashbox Shadow Liner in Hollywood. I completed the look using one of the glosses available in the Smashbox Rapture Lipgloss Set (which I’ll be reviewing for you shortly!).

All in all I think that the Smashbox Gift of Glow offers a nice selection of goodies that will help us sparkle, shimmer, and shine for the Holiday Season! The set would make a beautiful gift for anyone who adores Smashbox Cosmetics or craves a bit of shimmer! The gift set has a reasonable price tag attached and includes a variety of items to create one or two complete holiday looks for the season!

The Muse likey!

You can get yours at Sephora or Smashbox Cosmetics!

Want it?

Love the Smashbox Rapture Collection?

Lemming any of it?

Do tell the Muse!

Further details about the Smashbox Rapture Collection

Further images from the Smashbox Rapture Collection

Smashbox Wicked Lovely Review and Swatches

Stila’s Holiday Collection 2008 is turning out wonderfully well so far! I really love when Stila releases kits for the Holidays as they are always filled with great items and have a super sweet price tag attached!

One item in particular that grabbed my attention is the Stila Step Out and Shine Color Collection and Handbag Gift Set. The really awesome thing about Stila Step Out and Shine would be the fact that it includes the brand new, not yet debuted Stila Pomegranate Crush Cheek and Lip Stain! W00t! Score!

You know how much I loved Stila Cherry Crush? Take a trip down memory lane…CLICK!

Well, take Stila Cherry Crush and amp it up a little bit, deepen it, darken it, create a more intensely flushing shade and you’ll have Stila Pomegranate Crush!

Excited? I am but you can chalk that up to my great love of stains!

Stila Pomegranate Crush multitasks as a cheek and a lip stain and as per my earlier review of Stila Cherry Crush I have beef with using a product on my face that has already touched my lips! The Muse is anal about germs to say the least. So I highly recommend using the mini size that’s available with this gift set for your lips and later, when it debuts, grab yourself a full size for your cheeks!

Pomegranate Crush is a deeper shade of red than Cherry Crush which was much more pink. The color is ideal for Fall as it has a certain cast of maroon to it which is delightful!

This morning I was trying to locate my Stila Cherry Crush as I wanted to compare the two but sadly I couldn’t find! Swatches to follow later today!

The kit includes a slew of other goodies to create a quick, simple, flattering Holiday face! Aside from Stila Pomegranate Crush you’ll also receive the following items:

Stila Convertible Color in Orchid
Stila All Over Shimmer Luminize
Stila Multi-Effect Mascara Black
Stila Pomegranate Crush (as mentioned above)
A cute silver clutch with purple lining and a Stila emblem tag inside!

The Stila Convertible Color you’ll get is not available in the regular line up which makes the kit extra special that it included an item you normally can’t get. The color is a reddish maroon shade which adds just the right flush to cheeks and lips. A lighter hand will get you a blushing look while a heavier hand will create a deeper pop of color on cheeks! Convertible Color is appropriately named as it can easily convert from a cheek product to a lip product. How you use it is entirely up to you! I’ve reviewed Convertible Color prior to this and it’s one of favorite products from Stila as I adore products that multitask and allow for quick application!

Stila All Over Shimmer Luminize is a shimmery, light wear cream that can be used on lids, cheeks, or lips for an added touch of sparkling highlight! The is my first experience with the All Over Shimmer Luminize and I liked it! I tried it on my eyes as an all over color wash and it worked a treat at creating a rather natural highlight to my eyes.

This is my first experience with Stila Multi-Effect Mascara and it’s quite good. This is a nice volumizing mascara that gives a brilliant feather effect to lashes. It separates perfectly while creating a full look, plump look to lashes!

Before Mascara:

After Mascara:

For the look I created below I used everything in the kit and only added a bit of Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero and some gloss to bring the look together.

With Gloss:






Without Gloss

I started my look by applying the Stila All Over Shimmer Luminize on my lids and following up with two layers of Stila Multi-Effect Mascara. I followed up by applying Stila Convertible Color in Orchid to my cheeks and completed the look by applying Stila Pomegranate Crush to my lips!

The results: A simply, classic flushed look that was both simple and elegant.

I recommend the kit for cooler and warmer skin types as the kit is plenty pigmented to suit any tone. The kit is ideal for those who are super busy during the Holidays and want a quick, easy, and fun look on the go! It doesn’t take a ton of work or time to apply and the results are beautiful and natural!

I liked this one alot so I’m Muse Approving it for purchase!

I did notice an interesting fact about this kit. The one Stila is offering includes all of the goodies I listed however Sephora has an exclusive kit that also contains an eye quad which I thought was really nice as well!

Whichever Stila Step Out and Shine Color Collection suits you, rest assured your Muse loved this one!

It makes a killer gift but you know you want it for yourself anyway so why bother right? Hehe!

Love this?

Loving anything from the Stila Holiday 2008 Collection?

Any of the items on your wish list?

Tell the Muse!

Stila SPF 20 Shine Lip Color Review

Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder Review

Stila Convertible Color Review

Dontcha just love MAC Holiday?

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside!

I’m REALLY loving MAC Little Darlings for Holiday 2008!

Last year, I didn’t take advantage of any of the sets introduced since I had so many of the items already offered and I was being a bit reserved with my purchases so I’d have plenty of money to feed my Japanese Holiday addiction!

I felt rather badly later since I missed out on the lip sets but many months passed and I was happy to haul those at my local CCO!

This year, however, I am taking full advantage of MAC Little Darlings and I’ll be quite the glutton with the interesting pieces releasing with these cute coffrets!

Although the piggie collections didn’t catch my eye (since I already have a majority of these in full size already) I do so highly recommend nabbing one or all since they are a super value for those of you who are new to MAC pigments! Each set includes five small vials of pigment (believe me that vial will last ages) for $29.50 USD. One thing I absolutely love about these sets is how interesting it is to see what colors they pair together! I noticed that Pink Mauved and Quietly, which I have in full sizes, make a great combo! I’d have never pair the two of these until I seen them in the cool pigment set!

This year there is a set of five warm pigments and five cool pigments each of which set contains a bit of MAC glitter as well so you can sparkle and shimmer your way through the holidays!

MAC Warm Pigment Set
Gold Dust
Gold Mode
Melon
Gold Stroke
Reflects Antique Gold (Glitter)

MAC Cool Pigment Set
Frost
Quietly
Pinked Mauve
Teal
Reflects Blackened Red (Glitter)

Although I won’t indulge in the pigments, I definately have my eye on the gloss selections! Yummie! These come packaged in lots of five for $29.50 USD as well please keep in mind these are mini size glosses, not full size however still a great deal none the less!

MAC Coral Lipglass/Lustreglass Set
Pink Grapefruit (ZOMG! It’s the Muse’s very favorite lipglass! Now you can get it in the gift set! I’m so excited I might just spit)
Wondstruck
Budding
Ola Mango!
Underage

5 Neutral Lipglass/Lip Lustreglass Set
C-Thru
Mouthwatering
Languish
Love Nectar
Beaux

5 Pink Lipglass/Lip Lustreglass Set
Fleur Delight
Song and Dance
Flashmode
Little VI
Magnetique

And finally MAC is releasing a Soft Sparkle Gift Set which includes five mini soft sparkle pencils! I have two of the colors of the five in the gift set so I’ll definately be indulging in this one as I want three shades I don’t have (nor have I ever heard of!). As with all the sets this too is $29.50 USD.

MAC Soft Sparkle Pencil Gift Set
Peacocked
Mint and Olive
Chocolight
Fab Orchid
Black Funk

If you’re new to MAC you have to be excited about these little sets or if you’re an old school’er I’m sure you still feel the love for at least one or two of these kits!

The Muse has her eye on maybe one or two of the gloss sets and definately the Soft Sparkle pencils!

These will be available from MAC as of November 6th so keep your eyes peeled to your local MAC counter or the MAC website! I did swatches of the items I already have to help you decide if you absolutely have to have some of these!

How about you?

What are you hauling?

What are you leaving?

Tell the Muse!

MAC Red She Said

MAC Royal Assets Holiday Collection 2007 Review

MAC Formal Black Vs MAC Royal Assets

MAC Holiday 2007

I absolutely love staining my lips and cheeks! Stains work so well at giving a natural, flushed looks to both lips and cheeks.

I’m particularly partial to staining my lips prior to gloss as it gives that extra pop to gloss! One of my very favorite products for staining my lips was from Bourjois Paris and came in a pen applicator! I was so sad they stopped carrying these soon after their original release.

I’ve since been through a slew of stains but I’ve located a new favorite when I recently purchased Etude House 55 Kissful Tint Chou!

Etude House 55 Kissful Tint Chou is available in four shades which are a pink, red, orange, and sheer pink.

I tried the red shade only but I’ll be going back shortly for more colors as it’s a very good stain. The stain comes in a cute little tube with squeeze applicator. Dab a small amount on your finger and smooth on or apply directly from the tube. The formula is a silicon like texture that smooths on dry and leaves behind a pinch of color bringing blah lips to life with a beautiful flush of red! This is beautiful with or without gloss! I like the interesting texture as although it’s a gel formula it still feels rather dry when applied which makes it ideal for lips as it doesn’t apply in a streaky mess! The stain lasts for a good four hours or so before fading even when drinking or eating which is great as all I have to do is touch up my gloss and go as my lips are already nicely flushed with color!

As you can see below the color choice I made was quite red however I thought it looked quite natural on and not scary or kool-aid like in appearance. My lips are quite red already however this enhances the natural color of my lips!

I really liked this one and it’s one of Etude House’s better items. It also happens to be extremely cheap at $4 USD. I paid retail price as I have a friend in Korea who purchased it for me however I’ve seen it on E-bay ranging from $9.99-$12.99 USD and I think it’s well worth that price even though the tube is tiny!

Before

After

I’m Muse Approving this one! Definately loves it!

Do you stain your lips?

How about your cheeks?

Tell the Muse!

The Muse Appears in Etude House’s Newsletter

Etude House Plumping Lip Tint Review

Etude House Aqua Sherbet Skincare Review

Etude House Lash Designing Vitcara Mascara Review

A few weeks ago I had blogged about Josie Maran’s new cosmetic collection and today I’m bringing you my review.

The collection was actually appealing to my eye as I liked the pink packaging that everything came in and as you know the Muse is a sucker for cute packaging. Honestly, that’s what originally attracted me to the brand. After lusting after the sweet pink metallic compacts I decided I must try it for myself and see if the content is as good as the products! Today I’m bringing you a review of a few of the items in the collection and I think I’ll be pursuing the line further so perhaps you’ll see another review shortly as I was impressed with the few pieces I’ve tried so far!

First of all, good news for the green goddesses, Josie Maran cosmetics are very green friendly in both packaging and ingredients. The Muse is the first to admit she isn’t always conscious of what goes onto her face however I do respect that many of you are so you’ll be happy to know that a majority of Jose Maran Cosmetics are paraben-free, organic, and contain many natural, non toxic ingredients. The packaging is biodegradable and recyclable so the outside packaging is just as green friendly as what’s inside it! You can find further information about the packaging, ingredients and more by clicking here.

Today I’m doing a round up review today of products I used to do one complete look. The look I created was a very simple, natural yet elegant work friendly face. I think a majority of the line creates a softer look so if you’re yearning for a bolder look you may have to look elsewhere but if you love softer colors this should be exactly what you’re looking for.

The shadows I’ve seen from the line range from soft shimmery powders to easily blendable matte shades. Yes, I know, shocking, matte shades that are easy to blend! What’s the world coming too? But it’s quite true! In the look I created I used Josie Maran Eyeshadow in Maple which is a soft matte brown. The texture is beautifully silky and smooth and it blends like a dream. I’ve never run across mattes that are easy to work with but this applied smoothly and blended in wonderfully. The shadow glides right onto the eye like butter and leaves behind nicely pigmented color!

To compliment my nude eye look I gave my cheeks a hint of natural color with Josie Maran Cream Blush in Sunrise. Sunrise is a very soft pink and comes in a weightless formula that glides on smoothly, absorbs into the skin easily, and leaves behind a soft, natural pop of color. I wish I had picked this blush up for the Summer as it would have been an ideal lightweight cream blush for the warmer weather!

In consideration of how light and fresh my look was turning out I thought a darker color of lipstick would be ideal so I used Josie Maran Lipstick in Devious to spice things up a little bit! The formula is lightweight and moisturizing while manging to keep a good healthy pigmentation when applied. Devious is possibly the truest red I own in my collection and I quite love how it complimented my natural face and eye look!

Since I’m ALWAYS on a concealer binge, I, of course, needed to try out Josie Maran Concealer for myself. Although I’m a self confessed hater of stick concealers this was actually an interesting little concealer. It’s not smooth enough to be call moisturizing in all honestly however it still manages to have a certain thickness to it and staying power that I found interesting. It doesn’t crease into fine lines or cake for that matter and it’s a bit too drying for my already dry under eyes however this doesn’t prevent me from actually liking it. It works well at hiding light to medium dark circles and it manages to stay exactly where you put it. It just sticks really well to the under eye area and doesn’t move which I thought was a big plus and a redeeming quality considering it’s not as moisturizing as I like my concealers to be! The color I choose was the lightest shade which is entitled Butter. Butter was slightly disappointing as it contained a healthy amount of beige and being the lightest shade available it still looked too dark for me however it actually does do a good job of freshening up my eyes and making me look awake as any good concealer should!

Here’s my completed look using the products I just reviewed:

Swatches from Left to Right: Josie Maran Eye Shadow in Maple, Josie Maran Lipstick in Devious, Josie Maran Cream Blush in Sunrise, and Josie Maran Concealer in Butter

Overall, I liked the items I tried from Josie Maran cosmetics. I know I’ll be going back for more shadows for sure as I loved the buttery smooth formula and I think I’ll indulge in another cream blush for myself! I’m also very curious about the tinted moisturizer!

You can see more of the offerings from Josie Maran by visiting www.josiemarancosmetics.com

How about you?

Tried any of Josie Maran’s new line?

Want to?

Tell the Muse!

Further Information About Josie Maran Cosmetics

Tis the Season for bling or so they tell me (not really it’s only freaking October sheesh!)! Honestly, I don’t need a particular Holiday or Season to want shimmer, glitter, and sparkle in my daily makeup routine!

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liners have a huge cult following and it’s not difficult to firgure out why! These are some of thee most intense glitter liners I’ve had the pleasure of collecting (I have almost all the shades available!) and although a few companies have jumped on board the glitter liner express train none measure up to the beauty that is a Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liner (see the reviews for yourself on MUA!)

Supposing you wanted to indulge in three shades of Heavy Metal Liner right now…did you know it would set you back $54 USD and tax…ouchie but well worth it!

What if I told you, you could get all three for $32 bucks….! Sound good?

Well, you can!

Urban Decay has a brand new trio of available now for $32 USD which includes three full size Heavy Metal Liners in the following shades:

• Metalhead (Purple)
• Glam Rock (Silver)
• Stage Diva (Aqua)

Stage Diva is exclusive to the trio gift set and not available as a single liner purchase so that makes this set a bit more special!

The liners are intense glitter overload so if you love a bit of sparkle and glimmer for the Holiday Season these will do the job on the double! Not many companies make glitter liners and those who do (MAC, Too Faced, Etc..) haven’t quite perfected the great formula of Heavy Metal Liners. Other brands you have to keep going over the liner to build color and glitter up where as Heavy Metal liners offer a quick stroke and go method as they are heavily laced with nice chunks of glitter!

I simply adore topping a smokey eye look with some Glam Rock or I use these as lash sparkles by smoothing the small application brush onto my lashes after my mascara has tried down, this creates a sparkling lash look!

Whether you use these in a bold, outrageous way or for a more suble sparkle, they make any eye look pop and sizzle especially during Christmas parties, New Year, or in the Muse’s case who needs no excuse to bling herself out, anytime is a good time!

These are available now from Urban Decay Cosmetics do check ‘em out they’d make a fab gift for someone or yourself…..go on you know you want ‘em!

Want more Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liner color selections? CLICK!

While you’re visiting Urban Decay do check out the Urban Decay Book of Shadows, it’s thee must have palette of the Season in my opinion! I’ll be reviewing it soon for you!

Love Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liners?

Favorite Urban Decay makeup items?

Tell me!

Urban Decay Summer Collection 2008 Review

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil Review

Urban Decay Limited Edition Train Cases

Urban Decay Lipstick Review

Urban Decay Limited Edition Lipstick Cap

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Liner Gifts Sets Review