Fall Collections 2008
By the Muse on September 2, 2008
Just when you think MAC has done it all they switch things up a little bit and create another new, interesting, and unique collection that will appeal to the n00bs and fan girls alike.
Although MAC has done and re-done pigments until we are all blue in the face I think it’s safe to say that they never get old and we never get tired of ‘em, at least I don’t!
Last year MAC Rush Metal made me a happy girl but this year…this year MAC Overrich really made me estactic. Although Rush Metal is by far one of my favorite pigment collections I must admit that I was thrilled with MAC Overrich.
The pigments in Overrich are good deal different from most previous pigment releases. The formula is a finer grain of product that pigments are most definately not known for and the colors are richer and deeper than any previous release I’ve collected thus far.
Now the formula as I mentioned is slightly different on a few colors. I noticed the formula varied in format in several of the pigments however pretty much very single shade had a very finely milled texture. Most pigments I own do not have this texture, most are very grainy and chunky where as most all of the Overrich pigments were finely milled powder. I also noticed that the colors blended easier and fall out wasn’t as bad as it normally is with other MAC pigments. I also felt like the colors were more richer and intense in comparsion to past shades I’ve collected.
I got all the colors released aside from Mauvement which was a repromote from Rush Metal. The colors are truly intense shades that are super Fall friendly and will be great for creating unique, mysterious, dark eye looks! I can barely wait to dive in!
Blonde’s Gold is my favorite and happens to be a perfect shade of tan that contains so much gold it can easily be mistaken for a shimmering subdued beige shade.
Vintage Gold and Antique Green are next on my top list! These two combined will create a near perfect smoky green eye look. Vintage Gold is an olive green with traces of gold where as Antique Green is a true forest green shade.
Heritage Rouge is a deep burgundy with hints of brown.
Copperbeam is a fine brown with hints of deeper red which creates a tarnished maroon shade.
Mega-Rich is a burnt orange and ideally perfect for Fall!
And finally Museum Bronze is a taupe off brown with hints of gold.
As you can see a majority of the shades contain quite a good deal of golden shimmer which is quite alright with me as I favor a bit of gold in all my shades.
The selection is extremely Fall orintated but can easily work well in the Winter if you’re seeking some ultra chic smoky looks using bolder shades.
I’m glad I got all the colors as they are something well worth picking up! I’m particularly enamoured with Blonde’s Gold.
All in all I’m loving MAC Overrich! It’s a wonderful selection of colors that are Muse Approved for purchase!
Grab ‘em before they are gone!
Got these?
Loving ‘em?
Want ‘em?
Which colors are your favorite?
Tell the Muse!
The Importance of Piggie Vials
MAC Antiquitease Color
MAC Blue Storm
MAC Painterly and In3D
MAC Rush Metal
MAC Cult of the Cherry
By the Muse on September 2, 2008
I never realized how many products Bobbi Brown releases. Bobbi Brown is quite like MAC with it’s variety and frequency of new and exciting products.
In the past few months I’ve seen a number of different collections released from Bobbi Brown one of which happens to be the new Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow and Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Color. They just recently introduced the Mauve Collection and now new Metallic shadows and lippes! Cool! The Muse be happy!
I got the chance to try out some of the Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow selections when I was testing out the Bronzed Pink Collection and I enjoyed them immensely! I was excited to see the line extended to include new shades for Fall!
I recently got to test out a few new colors with the Metallic Eye Shadow selections. I fell in love with these shadows last Fall when I purchased the Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow Palettes. I loved those palettes with a passion and I wish they’d introduced something similiar this year however they have come out with a TON of colors to choose from so the variety is definately more appealing and instead of having to stick to a few palettes colors you can now have a slew of colors to choose from! With eighteen shades to choose from ranging from bold to soft there is definately something for everyone available.
The colors I played around with this time around were Lavender, Cognac, and Champagne Quartz. The shadows are heavily pigmented with a very fine bit of shimmer. The texture and formula is that of a thick almost creamy powder. It glides pretty effortlessly onto your lid and blends like a dream. The finish is unmistakably metallic which gives your eye a very soft, unique look.
Wearing Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Champagne Quartz (Lid and Crease) and Cognac (Crease and Outer V)
I’m partial to the Lavender as it was a perfect soft lily shade that brightened up my eye while creating just the right amount of pop! Definately Summer and Spring friendly! I paired up Champagne Quartz with Cognac (without getting loaded mind you!) and came out with a rather nice, natural, neutral look that had a teeny tiny bit of edge.
Wearing Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Lavender
The shadows are definately an indulgence at $20 USD but they are actually bigger in size at 2.8g compared to a MAC shadow which is 1.5g. This was kindly pointed out to me by a reader and I’m realizing now that the Bobbi Brown shadow is actually the better bargain of the two.
Since Metallic are ruling some of the Fall Season you might want to head over to Bobbi Brown’s site and have a click through the numerous shades!
I’m wanting to try some of these shadows:
Mint
Golden Peach
Gold Dust (Swoon!)
Navajo
How about you?
Of course we couldn’t have Metallic Eye Shadow without including some sort of lippie to go along with the collection!
In comes Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Color to make your eyes and lips a perfect match of wow!
Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Color have a tiny hint of shimmer with a soft, moisturizing formula that’s sure to please. I was frightened of Metallic Lip Color as I was thinking the finish would be quite gaudy and strange however I’m happy to report that it looks quite gorgeous on. The formula is wonderfully moisturizing so a bit of gloss after is completely optional as the lipstick has plenty of it’s own shine without! The lip color isn’t deeply pigmented but more of a simple, sheer, lovely wash of color. I tried this out in Pretty in Pink which is a soft peachy, pink shade that went great with my Champagne Quartz and Cognac look!
You’ll have plenty of color selection available with eighteen shades to choose from! Click here to view the shades. Berry is calling my name! Pretties!
All in all the Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow and Metallic Lip Color definately has a little something for everyone to enjoy and is truly fitting for the upcoming Fall season!
Tried Bobbi Brown’s Metallic Eye Shadow?
How about the lip color?
Love it?
Want to try it?
Tell the Muse!
Bobbi Brown Mauve Collection Review
Bobbi Brown Bronzed Collection Review
Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry Collection Review
By the Muse on September 2, 2008
I have my eye on this:
By the Muse on August 28, 2008
I promised a review on Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer to you earlier this week! And here it is! Love me much?
Now is a good time to head on over to Sephora and grab some of these primers because the Muse is about to blow you out of the water with all my raving.
Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer is a product you have to try in store. At first glance I wanted to order two or three colors but I quickly realized I’d have to test this in store.
I only got one because I was trying so hard to be good but I really wanted three of the selections available. Damn. But after all tomorrow is another day!
The colors I wanted to try were Pink 7, Mauve 2, and Yellow 6 and as I said I only walked out of the store with one shade which was Yellow 6.
Before I begin my review here are the details what each color is used for:
0 Neutral-Adds natural luminosity to the complexion
1 Green-Minimizes redness
2 Mauve-Counteracts sallow undertones
4 Caramel-(Make Up For Ever needs to learn to count, what happened to three?)-Combats ashiness in medium to dark skin tones
5 Blue-Adds radiance to fair skin and reduces minor imperfections
6 Yellow-Lightens dark complexions
8 Pink-Brightens the complexion and counteracts sallow undertones
My review is reserved to Yellow but since I am going back shortly for the other colors I will most definately be giving those a review of their very own!
For obvious reasons I picked up Yellow because as you may already know I’m terribly obsessed with whitening my skin as much as humanly possible without looking like Michael Jackson of course.
Shudders in fear.
I’m happy to report that Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer does exactly what it promises to do. It lightens up my complextion very naturally while prepping my skin for my foundation. Funny thing is that the primer works so well I actually feel like I don’t need foundation after application of the primer! Fantastic!
The formula is not a silicon base as per the normal range of primers. It happens to be a lovely creamy, moisturizing blend that feels like a tinted moisturizer and offers coverage like a light set foundation. Although some may be slightly scared of the idea of lightening up your skin tone this effectively leaves behind a semi-matte very natural finish that doesn’t necessarily lighten but more along the lines of evens out and brightens your skin. I’m absolutely thrilled with the finished result.
I’m unsure what the results would be if you’re looking to fill in deep lines or pores this felt more along the lines of a treatment for evening out my dull skin while prepping the skin for foundation or as I mentioned you can easily get away using it on it’s own! I tried it out in several ways one of which happened to be by itself with a bit of blush on top and it looked great. It lends my skin a dewy, creamy look that eases shadowing I have on my skin while brightening up dullness.
The formula isn’t greasy nor is it oily it’s actually beautifully moisturizing and absorbs quickly into the skin while keeping the promise of lightening my skin tone. As I mentioned this isn’t going to bring your skin down an entire shade but it will cast a certain light off your skin giving the illusion of a lighter look.
The product comes in a pump style bottle which I’m sure those anal of germs will simply love (like me!). One squirt should do the job but I personally went ahead and used three on the day I was using it as my sole foundation. I like how it creates a nice flawless finish for my other makeup and I absolutely love how it works as a simple prep for just blush or a cheek stain!
I didn’t notice any difference when worn with my foundation as far as wear goes. It seemed my foundation lasted the normal four to five hours before melting away and crying for a touch up however I can honestly say that when used without foundation my face did remain fresh, bright, and dewy for at least 7-8 hours sans touch ups in between.
Overall, I’ll most definately be indulging in other colors from the line and I’m very pleased with the results this produces. It delivers on it’s promises which is sometimes rare in the cosmetic world. I’m Muse Approving this one for purchase and highly recommending you go out and try it for yourself. I’m particularly curious for those that suffer from redness as Green is recommended for banishing redness on the skin. This could very likely offer a great option for covering that particular woe right up!
I like these. Alot. Expect to hear more raves about other colors soon!
These are available now from Sephora for $35 USD each! Grab ‘em! The Muse thinks you’ll love ‘em!
Tried these?
Love ‘em?
Want to try ‘em out?
Tell the Muse!
Reader’s Request: Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer Face of the Day
By the Muse on August 26, 2008
You have to be excited about this review right?
As discussed in my earlier article Benefit has introduced a brand new product called Powderflage and guess what? It happens to be brilliant.
Ok, although Benefit Powderflage gets a big hooray from me there is one minor rant that I should get to first.
The fan brush.
I was quite excited about the fan brush that came with the kit. It was very cool that Benefit was including a brush for application with Powderflage and I was both thankful and happy to have something to use with this. Although, I was worried that a fan brush wouldn’t be so great for application, I still felt like it was rather a nice item to include. I’ve always used my 190SE to apply this type of powder. The 190 fits snug under my eye and picks up just the right amount of powder for this delicate area. But hey, I was willing to try out a fan brush to apply the powder! Why not! The Muse is all about adventurous new makeup techniques!
Umm…
The fan brush…..
Can you say mini? Can you say very, very, very small….wow…..
I was a bit disappointed at the minuscule size of the brush. What in the world was I supposed to do with this?!
The brush is ridiculously tiny.
Well….
Aside from my minor rant about the brush I will proceed to turn that frown upside in a second when I tell you about how the brush actually works even though it’s size is ridiculously tiny!
Now Benefit went ahead and brought back the wonderful packaging from days of old. This excites the Muse and makes her very happy. The Muse remembers when Benefit used to sport this style of packaging for most of it’s cosmetics. I remember when Benetint and Glamazon came in a cardboard tube like this. I also happen to remember when Mr. Frosty and other eye pencils by Benefit came in cardboard tubes as well! Am I dating myself or do you guys remember that too? I love that Benefit is returning to it’s roots and I hope in the future they’ll continue to re-introduce this great packaging.
Anyway enough gushing about the packaging eh? You want the review dontcha?
So Powderflage what’s it for? Who can use it? What’s it do? Etc…etc…
Powderflage makes some big promises. It promises to banish dark circles and brighten up your eye area it also promises to erase fine lines. Does it? Yes, but with a trick.
This super fine powder is weightless and near transparent. Although it sports a slight shimmer and a shade of pink have no fear as the formula is pretty much colorless. Now I’ve tried a similar product from Laura Mercier which I reviewed in the past, I wasn’t too thrilled with the Laura Mercier version for a few reasons one of which was the fact that it settled into fine lines. To add insult to injury the product was also very white and not so transparent as it claimed so each time I applied my under eyes were left looking quite ghastly and ghostly.
Now Benefit Powderflage gets it all right. The powder’s formula is a good deal lighter in comparison to Laura Mercier so it doesn’t settle into my fine lines plus the fact that it’s so light it breezes across my under eyes brightening them up without leaving behind a layer of product that not only ages me but also makes me look quite white and pale around the eye area. Yes, it does indeed erase fine lines and gives an airbrushed, flawless finish to my eyes. Loves it! And yes it does indeed brighten the eye area up making it appear not only flawless but awake and refreshed.
Does it work at covering dark circles?
No. I personally don’t believe you can use this on it’s own to cover heavy dark circles however if you’re younger or need lighter coverage than yes absolutely you can get away with using this as your concealer.
Personally I need extra coverage so I conceal my eyes using my normal concealer and I proceed to follow up with Benefit Powderflage for a bit of extra coverage, extra brightening, and it also happens to work a treat at setting and holding my concealer in place all day long.
Now as I said I was quite devastated by the tiny little fan brush but turns out it makes the absolute perfect item for “flagging” on Powderflage!
The powder is so very fine that you’ll need something tiny to pick it up and in comes Benefit’s small little fan brush that helps apply Powderflage like a dream. The fan brush picks up just enough product to smooth under your eyes while fitting the contour of the eye beautifully well. It’s size is ideal for getting just the amount of powder where you need it without ever leaving behind a heavy layer that will settle into fine lines. A few strokes and your eyes will look beautifully awake and ready for the world. In the end I’m happy that Benefit thought to include such a great little brush for application so you see it’s not bad at all but quite helpful!
Do I love Benefit Powderflage? YES! I adore it. It’s fabulous! We have another winner from Benefit here.
Wakes up my tired eyes, sets my concealer beautifully well, erases fine little lines in an instant, and of course makes me look flawless and gorgeous!
This one you have to try out! Well worth your time in the Muse’s opinion!
I’m slapping a big Muse Approval on it!
Get it!
I’ll be mad if you don’t 
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder Review
Benefit Posietint Review
Benefit B Spot Review
Benefit Erase Paste Review
By the Muse on August 26, 2008
Ahh leave it to our beloved Shu to create an outstanding Fall collection shrouded in mysterious and sensual colors.
Shu Uemura Instinct consists of several interesting pieces. Of course the shadow palettes are what caught my eye first. Each palette is a duo that consists of a powder shadow and a cream base that can also double up as a liner. The palette is housed in the standard slick, clear Shu compact and sports a gorgeous design on front. The combination of doubling up a shadow and a base is an interesting concept and is sure to be loved and hailed by those who fancy using MAC Paint Pots as base prior to shadow.
Turns out, for once, we get the better end of the collection as the Japanese release actually sells the base and the shadow as single pieces ranging in prices from 2,940 yen and 2,415 yen where as we get the entire palette for $36 USD. I find this particularly interesting because I think the design of our palette is actually quite gorgeous in comparison to buying a single shadow and a potted base. I’m unsure how many other countries will have the palettes available to them but I do know for a fact that Singapore and the UK has the palettes for purchase and not the singles. Although purchasing the singles turns out to be a bit cheaper I rather like the idea of having both in one palette.
The collection also consists of an array of flattering, Fall shades of blush, highlighter, and lipsticks which all compliment the shadow palettes beautifully.
I think they did an outstanding job with this one and it’s definately on my favorite list this season! I’ll be reviewing some of the Shu Uemura Instinct Fall Mode Makeup collection later this week for you. Excited?
Love this collection?
Nabbed any of it for yourself?
Want to?
Tell the Muse!
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