Spring Collections 2008
By the Muse on February 8, 2008
It’s sadly the end of the week and I have to bring a close to Japanese Spring Collection Week!
*sniff*
I wish I had more time on the weekend to update but I find I get too busy to blog during the weekends so you guys will have to wait until Monday for more goodies!
The wait will be worth it! I promise sweet treats for next week’s entries!
Sneak Peek for next week:
Majolica Majorca’s Spring Collection
KATE’s Spring Collection
Ablion Epirse Spring Collection
Ettusais Glitter Princess Collection (Click here for details)
And much, much more!
If you missed any of my posts this week here’s a break down of what I’ve covered so far:
Click here to see KATE’s New Gel Mascara Reviewed!
Click here to read about Lavshuca’s Spring Collection!
Click here to see the Kiss Chocolatier Spring Collection with an FOTD!
Click here to see Lavshuca’s new Noble On palettes in action!
Click here and here to see some of the new Magie Deco, Jill Stuart, and Lunasol Palettes from the Muse’s mate and reader, Betsy!
If you’d like to discuss any of these brands, have any questions, or anything else do post ‘em here! The Muse is all ears!
By the Muse on February 8, 2008
Guess what?
Sephora’s updated it’s site with it’s newest Spring Catalog!
The theme this year is “Beauty as Art” and I’m not particularly loving the cover art! However, model images on the inside definately look promising!
Sadly, the catalog for me is a disappointment which is no great surprise I guess. Most of what is featured we pretty much already know about and plus they have the standard stuff that they pimp constantly in the catalog like Benefit’s Bad Gal Mascara (Worst freaking mascara in the world!), Lash Injection (another loser!), and of course little bits of Sephora stuff is littered through (It’s their catalog so I guess they have to pimp some of their own line right?) like lipsticks, shadows, the brush selection etc…..
It’s a snore for me which is good news as I’ve dropped plenty on Japanese Spring Collections this Season so money saved!
Check out the catalog yourself by clicking here!
Loving the newest Catalog?
As bored and snored as the Muse?
See something you want?
Discuss!
Click here to enjoy my musings about the Sephora Holiday 2007 Collection!
Click here to read about the Sephora Summer Catalog from last year!
Click here to read about the Sephora Fall Catalog 2007!
By the Muse on February 7, 2008
I need to relax. What better way to relax then to blog?
Japanese Spring Collection week continues with the eagerly anticipated X Disney Collection! I blogged about this Collection not so long ago in a prior post (Click for details!) and soon after I knew I had to have the entire set!
How freaking cute is the packaging on this? My god I’m in love!
The collection consists of a lip treatment, handcream, and face powders.
My favorite of the collection are the two face powders! The packaging is like Guerlain’s Meteorites but a tiny bit smaller in size. I was somewhat disappointed by the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of powder beads inside but the packaging, quality, and pigment of the product make up for it!
The powders come in two shades one of which is a beautiful pink! The packaging on the pink shade features Flower, the lovable skunk from Bambi! Awwww! These come with a cute powder puff with ribbon which really makes me love it even more for the girlish Victorian factor! I can’t help myself I love cute cosmetics! Don’t you!?
The pink is a beautiful shade and can be worn alone if you so desire or used as a highlighter. The color is pigmented enough that you can easily get away with using it as a blush! I guess the puff isn’t a conventional way of applying but it works well enough for dotting onto your cheeks! I used some of this last night but decided to use my #187 to pick up the color! It worked a treat because the #187 didn’t become saturated with color it just picked up enough to highlight my chubby cheeks hehe!
The peach color features Bambi on the box! Oh my god so cute! I wanna lick the box! My favorite is Flower but I love Bambi just as much! The peach does remind me of the Jill Stuart Blush in 05 Orange Blush (Click here to see the color) and I found it a bit chalky in comparison to the silky texture of the pink. However, it needs to be tested a bit more prior to making my final decision! Like the pink it’s nicely pigmented to use as a blush or a highlighter! Yet again a disappointing amount of product but hey we got the cute packaging right? Right!
The other two items in the set were a handcream and a lip treatment. The handcream is a lovely cooling, moisturizing orange scented cream for your hands. Nothing really special here but the packaging does include Lady from Lady and the Tramp!
The lip treatment is quite yummie tasting but don’t be fooled into thinking it’ll be good for use with lipstick or as a glossy finish for your lips. This is a lip treatment so it’s good to moisturize but doesn’t leave your lips glossy or shiny! It’s most definately not good for use over lipsticks either. The packaging features sweet Marie from The AristoCats! Awwwwwwwwww! I’m so in love. Did I mention that?
I can’t squeal enough about this collection! It’s so cute!
Overall, a job well done for Paul & Joe! A beautiful selection of very cute items!
Love it?
Want it?
Tell the Muse!
By the Muse on February 7, 2008
The Muse’s mate Betsy has shared some wonderful images of her Spring Haul again with the Muse!
You can see the previous palettes that Betsy has purchased for Spring by clicking here!
I’m totally lemming the new Lunasol palettes after seeing the pictures she sent me so gorgeous! The Magie Deco are so pricey but obviously worth the bucks as look at how beautiful these are!
Cosme Decorte Magie Deco Palettes
Lunasol Palette
By the Muse on February 5, 2008
After much debate I decided to purchase some of KATE’s newest Spring Collection this season! One item that particularly caught my eye was the new Gel Mascara. I have the latest gel mascara that was released this winter but I decided I’d like to try out the new formula as curiosity got the best of me!
I’ll be featuring some of KATE’s new palettes in an upcoming post but for now I’ll be reviewing the mascara for you!
I’m not particularly sure if I love or hate the new formula so this is a bit of a mixed review. First of all one of the most surprising factors of the new mascara is the applicator. This doesn’t have the standard brush applicator, in it’s place we have a new short comb applicator. To me it just looks like a stick with little ridges set into it. It’s in no way like the standard MJ Lash Extender comb applicator it’s far slimmer.
The good news is if you’re Asian and your lashes are very tiny this may very well be your ideal mascara as the applicator has a special knack for pulling lashes out and forward for beautiful volume! I purchased one of these mascara’s for my sister as she was curious about the original gel formula and this really works well on her minuscule lashes! She has really tiny baby lashes and the applicator worked them out and up very well!
KATE’s New Gel Mascara with the new applicator
New vs Old (KATE’s new applicator featured on top while KATE’s old standard brush applicator is shown on the bottom)
The applicator also works well at capturing lashes in the inner corner of the eye. The lashes in my inner eye are always difficult to get at but this fits right in and takes them from limp to fab!
The texture is the same as the original gel mascara to me but maybe a little bit lighter. If you’ve never tried the original formula it basically a very light texture that feels very natural on!
I’ve found a lighter hand is best when applying as I did notice it was clumping up a bit while applying. I think a combination of the applicator and the clumping turned me off slightly. I’m not particularly a fan of the new applicator unfortunately. I’m not entirely sure why I’m not loving it as I adore the Bare Escentuals brushless mascara which is almost the same concept as this plus I really love the old Kate Gel Mascara!
I think it’s an ok update to the line but I’m not quite at the stage where I can’t live without it. Slightly good news is that someone did comment in my Visee Aqua Shining Eyes FOTD (Click!) and asked if I had done something different with my lashes! So maybe, just maybe this is actually doing something good for my lashes!
I may feel differently after using this more but at the moment I’m undecided!
Have this already?
Love it?
Want it?
Discuss!
By the Muse on February 5, 2008
Hold onto your seats we are reboarding the Bobbi Brown Train and my week of Spring Collection reviews continues!
Taking a little break from the Japanese front today I bring you a Spring Collection from the US shores!
I’ve had bumpy rides with Bobbi Brown before but I gave into my need for more Bobbi last week when I seen her on QVC.
I dunno what it is but QVC really sells me on cosmetics! Damn them straight to hell and back (scratch the back part! Let them stay in hell and rot!).
Seriously, you know how it is when you watch QVC and that sudden hardcore NEED rocks your world and before long you find yourself snatching up the phone like the QVC agoraphobia fan club that does daily calls to review cosmetics and skincare they are using in the comfort of their own homes since they don’t venture outside the house!
Wow..that was rather dramatic wasn’t it? But truth be told in that statement my friends! I want to know these people who call QVC at 4AM, my god maybe I’m one of them (no I’m not! I haven’t reached that height of insanity yet thanks very much!)!
Anyway.
As I’ve been saying for the past few days I’ve tivo’ed Bobbi’s episodes like the mad little lady I am and watched them over the past few days and Bobbi sold me on a few of her items. I think maybe it was that host Lisa that really sold me on the items I purchased. You know the one? She acts like you’ll never ever in this lifetime or your second (if you believe in that sort of thing) will you be able to get this super rare, ultra limited edition palette! MY GOD GET IT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! WE ONLY HAVE 2 IN STOCK! IF YOU MISS THIS YOU’LL NEVER GET IT AGAIN (Two days later you find it at your local Cosmetics Company Outlet for half the price!)!!!!!!
Wow….what was I saying?
Oh yes, Bobbi Brown.
Anyway, I was watching Bobbi slather concealer on a model’s eye while making her up with the Pink Raspberry Palette and in that instant, as Bobbi multitasked through a look like the ultra awesome wizard she is, I realized I too, must OWN this palette!
I had previously seen the palette in action on Erika’s blog, Makeup Bag, and as gorgeous as Erika looked sporting the palette I just felt it wasn’t me.
The hot pinks and dark shadows just weren’t calling my name at all however I did end up purchasing two of the potted rouge colors from this collection previously from Nordies which I meant to review but never got around too! Lucky you I’m going to do it all in one big post (prepared to be bored or enlightened or a little of both)!
After watching Bobbi work her magic with the palette I wandered over to her website and started browsing the Pink Raspberry Collection and a few clicks later I had a cart full of stuff I didn’t need but was lemming rather hard (and I didn’t have to pay $4 bucks or more per an item to get it shipped to me! Screw you QVC stop trying to make money off me with your damn stupid shipping costs!)!
Somehow, I’m not even sure how, I ended up with all of the Pink Raspberry Collection and I’m hear now to tell say that you too need all of the collection too simply because I don’t want to be alone with my sickness.
No seriously you really need to check some of this collection out because it has some rather great items!
I think what really sold me on this was the promo images of the models! They look so fresh and naturally beautiful with their full, pink glossy lips and lovely pink cheeks!
The palette is really a gorgeous yet simple affair that contains some rather vibrant yet elegant shades! At $55 USD it isn’t totally cheap but you’re getting a nice bit of product for the price and high quality product at that. However, you can safely skip this unless you’re really lemming it hard or you like simple makeup! The look this creates is very simple, pretty but still somewhat dull in my opinion! The shadows are matte and plain but the blush somehow makes up for that and when used together you get rather vibrant eyes with popping cheeks if that makes sense at all!
You’ll get a beautiful pink blush, two lip creams, and two shadows. The pink blush is definately the gem in the palette! It’s vibrant and contracts beautifully with the darker eyeshadow as I mentioned above!
By the very way, strangely enough after ordering this I ended up going to the Cosmetics Company Outlet and finding the Bridal Palette from last year for half the price with almost identical colors in it. It’s the story of my life to miss steals and deals sigh!
Overall, it’s a beautiful palette for the Spring and it can be worked right into everyday use and remains “season-less” for me as it’s perfect for a casual Spring or Summer day! If you so please you can spice up Fall and Winter with a bit of pink as well and use it then!
However I hate the fact that the powder gets in the lipcreams and such! Palettes like this normally get a pass up by me because they are so messy but this one was too pretty to pass up so I guess I’ll live!
A month or so ago I had purchased the potted rogue for cheeks and lips and these definately deserve a look at! I got my colors in Pink Raspberry and Raspberry, one is a light true pink color while the other is a deep pink. These are $22 USD each and have a fitting price tag as they contain a good bit of product for the price plus the colors are pigmented and longwearing!
As I’ve mentioned in my last few posts I am now officially part of some sort of Pink Gloss club! I’ve been snatching up Pink Glosses left and right and it appears it’s the height of fashion in my little world (I rule there so back off! You can visit if you behave yourself!) .
I got the two glosses that came with this collection which I originally said wouldn’t look good at all on me. I’m about to contradict myself so hold onto your panties!
I’ve since fallen in love with Pink Popsicle which is a very deep pink gloss! If that wasn’t enough I went and got the Glitter Lipgloss as well in Pink Raspberry! Both are ultra beautiful! Particular Pink Popsicle which makes my lips pop and sizzle! I particular love the applicator on these as it picks up plenty of product to get my lips nice and shiny with little effort! I’m also deeply in lust with the pigmentation as I don’t need to stain my lips prior to use since the color is deep enough to wear on it’s very own!
Pink Popsicle
Pink Raspberry
Finally after much debate I ended up with the lip pencils and guess what? I love ‘em! I’m not much of a lip pencil fan and I’m also not one for lining my lips but these are too cool! They are super moisturizing and again, like the gloss, very pigmented! A little swipe of these, some gloss on top and you’ll be looking posh!
To wrap up all my gushing (by now you wanna vomit) I must say that the collection is great. Previously I was thinking that it wasn’t so wonderful but after trying this stuff for myself it’s making it’s way onto my favorite list for the Spring!
You seriously have to take a look at the Bobbi Brown website or head to your local counter and have a peek! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with a few of these items and want them for yourself!
The Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry Collection could possibly be one of the best Spring Collections released western side!
I’ll happily stick the Muse Approved sticker on these items!
I know I’m overdosing everyone on pictures lately but I thought it would make up for the fact that my camera takes such crummy swatch shots. At least you can have a general idea of how the makeup looks on so I’ll be including FOTD’s with each of the reviews I do this week!
Below I used the Pink Raspberry Palette plus Pink Popsicle Lipgloss. I found it came out simply nice. Nothing too crazy but not too boring either. Interesting FOTD I’d call it! I’m less then flawless this morning as you can fine lines on my right hand eye due to Bobbi’s Concealer Palette that I reviewed yesterday. It hasn’t been 20 minutes since I put it on and already I have creasing into my fine lines! Rant! I also happened to use Majolica Majorca’s newest lash extender in this FOTD which I’ll be reviewing for you later this week!
Got some of this already?
Love it?
Want it?
Hate it?
Tell the Muse what your thoughts are!
Click here to read about my original train trip with Bobbi Brown!
Click here to read my original impressions of the Pink Raspberry Collection!
Click here to read my mad ravings for the Bobbi Brown Metallics Collection!
Click here to read about the Pink Quartz Limited Edition Shimmer Brick!
Click here to read my latest post and review about the Bobbi Brown Concealer Palette!
By the Muse on February 5, 2008
A new Stila Collection is available on the site this morning which is entitled Pon Pon Gerbera and centers around the Gerbera daisy!
The new collection is themed as an “Asia Exclusive” but as we know from the Christmas Collection that’s probably not the case at all.
However, the collection is very pretty and consists of a new palette, one new blush, a lipgloss, and a glitter liner!
As pretty as the collection is I wouldn’t run too quickly to purchase it as Stila has been having a crazy amount of sales lately and I’m positive within a few months these items will be greatly reduced!
Pon Pon Gerbera Palette $45 USD
Pon Pon Gerbera Blush $18 USD
Pon Pon Gerbera Lip Glaze $20 USD
Glitter Eyeliner in Purple Pink $18
From what I can tell the only repromote in the collection is the Glitter Eye Liner aside from that the rest of the items are newly released colors!
It looks like a nice collection but I can definately wait for a sale!
Click here to read about the previous “Asia Only” Collection from Stila!
Click here to read about Stila’s New Spring Palettes!
Click here to read my review on Stila’s newest Lip and Cheek Stain, Cherry Crush!
Click here to read about my review of Stila’s Illuminating Powders!
Click here to read about the release of Stila’s Resort Collection!
Click here to read my review of the Stila Look Book Palettes!
Click here to read my review on Stila Convertible Color!
By the Muse on February 4, 2008
It’s that time of the year again kids!
It’s time for the newest Spring Collections that are popping up in stores since as early as the beginning of January!
Many beautiful products await my review this week and I have a ton of new items to review, discuss, and show you guys!
I’m going to launch my week of review with Kiss’s newest Spring Collection entitled Chocolatier which is a small, yet beautiful collection of goodies! I’m not sure you can call this an official Spring release as it only consists of a palette and two lipglosses however the quality more than makes up for the quantity! You can click here to read my original post about this line up!
I originally thought I’d just want the Mocha Chocolate gloss but since my obsession with pink gloss has set in I decided to get both glosses (CLICK! to read about my need for pink gloss!).
I’ll start my review off by setting in on the glosses! I was shocked to learn that these are flavored glosses as normally Japanese glosses are tasteless however these are flavored and beautifully so might I add! The pink gloss carries the beautiful flavor of strawberry ice cream while the brown gloss carries the flavor of Chocolate Mocha! Neither lacks an artificial taste or smell! They both taste wonderful and the smell is simply to die for, very much like the real thing! This flavor plays a redeeming role in my review since I’m not particularly a fan of the texture on these. The gloss is a bit tacky and sticky which is a deal breaker for me however since they smell and taste so wonderful I forgive the formula. I’m not thrilled with the way these apply either. I find they apply a bit streaky so you really have to layer it on to get good decent coverage! However, even though the formula stinks and the application is crummy once it’s on it looks rather great! This morning I wore the pink. I couldn’t wear it alone since it’s rather sheer however with a tiny bit of Stila Cherry Crush I found the color really looked great. The pink color really popped and although I’m not a fan of such a mod pink I thought it looked rather nice! Sadly, since I’m licking my lips constantly to taste it I’m not sure how long it’ll last on! The formula happens to be very thick and in the running with a MAC lipglass so it’s safe to say once you apply enough of this it should last you a few hours! Overall, I really do like these and I’m pleased to have purchased both!
Chocolate Mocha
Strawberry
Next up, our eye palette!
The eye palette has me yearning for brown mascara this morning as I used it. Why? Because brown mascara would have went so well with the beautiful shades of pink and brown! The shadows in this are a pale pink, a dark mauve pink, a sandy beige pink, and a deep chocolate brown liner. These are pigmented enough to create a beautiful, natural look! I have a few Kiss palettes but this could make it’s way onto my favorite list shortly! The colors aren’t exactly Spring but they are natural so it’s very user friendly for all the seasons! I’m particular fond of the beautiful smoked eye look that the chocolate liner creates. All four colors just work so have no fear that you’ll end up with a palette that leaves you puzzled or clueless how to use it. The colors just go together and work well to give you a perfect pink look with a lovely underlay of brown thus the name of the collection comes into play as it reminds me of a Strawberry Sundae with Chocolate syrup on top!
To begin my application I used the pale pink shade as a wash of color over my entire eye area from upper brow area all the way to my lid! The diagram suggests applying this particular color on the center of your eye area so I paid special attention to apply it the middle of my lid as per the recommendation of the packaging however I did find that once I applied the deeper pink it washed out the pale color! After this I proceeded to use sandy beige color to highlight my high brown area taking care to blend downwards. After this I used the darkest pink shade on my lid and crease area and completed the look by applying the dark chocolate liner to my upper and lower lash line. I also used a bit of the palest pink on my bottom lash line to brighten up my eye area. I was very, very light with the chocolate brown on my bottom lash line since I find that brown shades on the lower part of my eye makes me appear a bit tired and washed out!
Overall, I really love the look the palette and the gloss created together!
To create the look below I simply used the Chocolatier Palette plus the Strawberry Gloss! I think brown mascara would have really made the look POP! but I only own black so I ended up using the new KATE Gel Mascara which I’ll be reviewing tomorrow for you! Apologies for all the photos but I was so in lust with the palette I ended up cam whoring big time!
I highly recommend nabbing the entire collection for yourself as it’s a beautiful lot of goodies to have!
The Kiss Chocolatier Collection is most definately Muse Approved for purchase!
Want this for yourself?
Already have it?
Tell the Muse!
By the Muse on February 4, 2008
Laneige’s Spring Collection has launched in Korea and is making it’s way across the Asian board. Most of the Laneige sites haven’t yet been updated with the new collection but it is out and available in Korea (lucky you if you live there!)!
It’s quite a beautiful collection!
Although, I want some of it I may refrain as I haven’t even dug into my Winter Collection from Laneige yet!
The collection consists of a loose powder, eyeshadow palette, and blush palette! The packaging is quite beautiful and I’m having a hard time not purchasing all of it!
I’m not sure which Asian countries are getting the update aside from Korea and China. I’m also unsure what the import to Singapore will be and if available the price range as sadly Singapore gets hit with a bit of a price jack.
The Loose Powder 30,000 KRW (approximately $31-$33 USD or so). The blusher carries the same price tag while the eyeshadow palette is a big lower in price at 28,000 KRW (approximately $29-31 USD).
Expect to pay a raise of about $9 -$11 USD per item online. I’m noticing the powder popping up online for $39-40 USD and the blush and eyeshadow palettes at around the same.
Point makeup instructions are available on the Korean site if you want to know what was used on the model and how to achieve the look.
Overall, another beautiful offering from Laneige!
By the Muse on January 31, 2008
Too Faced is taking us too a galaxy far, far away with it’s Spring Collection entitled Galactic Glam!
Much of the collection consists of quick fixes such as a new primer, liner and cleanser but some interesting eyeshadows and such have popped up too!
Borderline $18.50 USD
This pencil is a colorless stick that keeps your lipgloss from traveling all over your face and down your chin to your cheek…etc….you know what I mean right? It’s been done before but Too Faced decided to jump on the bandwagon and do their very own version! I’m slightly curious. I’ve tried pencils like this before and haven’t had much success to be honest.
Shadow Insurance $17 USD
Nothing can tear me away from my Urban Decay Potion Primer not even Too Faced’s new shadow insurance. This primer promises that your eyeshadow will stick all day however I already have my trusty UDPP so I’m not really needing to try anything new plus my primer is $2 bucks cheaper! Ya Boyeeeeeee!
Lip of Luxury $18 USD
Now here’s an interesting little lipstick. It’s champagne infused. I wonder what the hell that means? Do you think they inject it with tiny doses of champagne? I’m in if they do! Nothing like a bit of bubbly on the side of my lipstick! I love the cute pink packaging with sparkly diamond topper!
The Hopeless Romantic Quickie Palette $29.50 USD
Meh…another quickie chronicle? I don’t really like these too much to be honest as I find them messy! They are ok I guess if I can find them on sale but really to pay full price I’m not interested. The set includes two layers instead of the standard one layer so it’s somewhat unique in that!
Lash Injection Antidote $23.50 USD
This is basically formulated to remove Lash Injection but they forget to mention how much Lash Injection sucks! I don’t need a $23.50 mascara remover when the said mascara comes off without any help at all! Lash Injections sheds fibers like a cashmere sweater! You don’t need a remover when it comes off so easily by itself!
Mood Swing $18.50 USD
Another lipgloss that promises to be your custom shade of color. Probably doesn’t work. Just my humblest!
Galaxy Glam Eyeshadow $19.50 USD
Ahhh the star of the show! Now these are something to get hyper about! These shadows are infused with beautiful swirls of shimmering blues, golds, greens, and pink! They look rather awesome to my eye but I’m a tad bit worried that they won’t give the desired look I’m hoping for and just turn black when on! We shall see!
Want any of this?
Love it?
Hate it?
Discuss?
Comment box open!
By the Muse on January 31, 2008
My very awesome mate and reader, Betsy, has gotten her Japanese Spring haul in! Lucky duck! I’m still eagerly sitting by my mail box awaiting my Spring goodies!
Betsy was kind enough to e-mail me last night and give me a low down on her goodies plus pictures!
You have Betsy to thank for these gorgeous pics!
Have a lookee:
You might remember me blogging about Beaute de Kose’s Cyber Shining Eyes Palettes that were released this Spring (You can click here for details on the release).
Betsy ended up getting the 002 variation of the palette and I’m drooling! The palette is absolutely gorgeous! She says that the palette reminded her of YSL’s White Gold Palette and I must say I agree!
The colors look very metallic and quite sparkly! I love any LE’s that Beaute de Kose does as the always end up something special and this palette is most definately yummie!
Betsy picked up two of the new Jill Stuart Seductive Eye Palettes as well. I’ve dodged the Seductive Eye palettes bullet for a while now convincing myself the colors would be matte and boring but after seeing these images I’d say I’m back on board and the lemming force is strong! I guess they aren’t so matte after all! Looks like lots of chunky glitter, shimmer, and sparkle! Betsy says indeed they are full of beautiful sparkle and the only color that’s a bit matte would be the 2nd shadow which can be used as a base for the other shadows in the palette! As you can see from the pictures below the palettes are astoundingly drool worthy!
Finally we have one of the new Lunasol Palettes and as always it’s gorgeous! I’m impressed with the newest palettes this year as they have many good, solid color combos that mix well together and I want at least two!
Overall, Spring in Japan is turning out very nicely!
Thanks for the pics and impressions Betsy!
By the Muse on January 29, 2008
Many of you are already in the know about what’s coming up in the Spring but I thought I’d do a bit of a Spring Round Up of the Collections that are popping up with a little commentary about each!
Do share your own thoughts and tell me how you’re feeling about these collections!
NARS was one of the first Spring Collections I seen pop on the scene with it’s Shanghai Lily Collection. It also happens to have set the theme for this year’s Collections with it’s bold look. As beautiful as the collection is it leaves me with a bit of a question mark hanging over my head as it’s not in keeping with my general look of Spring! The colors are very bold and dark reminding me of a Fall Collection rather then the light feeling of Spring. The star of the collection for me would be the newest eyeshadow in Abyssina which is soft pearl shimmer.
Overall, I really do love the look of the collection but it loses some of it’s appeal when the weather begins to warm up and I’m looking for a softer look! If they released this for the Fall I’m positive I’d be all over it like white on rice however this fails to wow me at the moment! I’ll definately pick up Abyssina but the rest I can do without until the colder weather sets in and the feel of Spring has left the air!
Smashbox hits another foul ball with it’s Green Room Collection. It consists of tons of bronzey shades and again it appears they confused seasons here. This look reminds me of a more Summer feel with it’s warmer, golden colors! Last Spring we got a rather nice surprise with the Tokidoki Collection however this too wasn’t worth your time. Aside from the gorgeous Tokidoki themed packaging the actual product and colors were a bit too sheer for my lighting thus this year we ended up with another dud. The Green Room Collection fails on all accounts for me and I can’t pick out a single item out of the collection that intrigues me. This one is can be skipped on all accounts.
For the sake of being an avid collector I did indeed purchase some of the Givenchy Denim Collection this year just because I’m so diseased but I can’t help but feel ripped off. Again, we have really dark colors for the Spring! I’m starting to get confused what Season we are heading into here! The collection has absolutely nothing to redeem itself and it consists of all dark, deep colors that I can’t even associate a Season with! I hate to say these things as I’m such a collector and fan of Givenchy but this collection leaves no lasting impression on me! Saks also happened to pop up with a new Prismissime for the Eyes which consists of colors from the Sweet and Decandent Chocolate Prismissime. It’s quite lovely and has since made it’s starring appearance on Sephora however again another disappointment. I purchased this even thought I already own the Sweet and Decandent Chocolate Prismissime palettes separately but it’s not an absolutely have to have for a few reasons. One would be the fact that again the colors are completely off Season for me and secondly if you have the original palettes you really don’t need to shell out the cash for this new palette unless you’re as sick as I am! After some confusion it’s finally been cleared up that the blue-purplish blush you may have seen as part of the Collection is an Asian Exclusive, Japan to be exact I believe so of course we got ripped off on that. I debated myself for a while whether I should have my friend get me the blush but I’ve since decided I’ve overindulged in this collection and I really don’t need more items I probably won’t even use!
Overall, the Collection is interesting but it loses points for it’s dark colors! If you’re a collector I, of course, recommend it for purchase. If you’re not, it’s safe to skip it!
After much debate I decided to get a majority of the Lavshuca Spring Collection! In keeping with the current theme Lavshuca decided to take the Fall road as well and introduce a ton of palettes that contain some bronzey, brownish looking colors with one lighter shade. Again, I’m scratching my head in confusion! A good friend of mine, Mayu, lives in Japan and isn’t so busy at the moment so I’ve had her do the Spring Collection Shopping Spree for me and I ended up getting the new Noble On Eye Palettes. Just call me curious but I have to see for myself what the drama is with these palettes. They intrigue me to say the very least. The new slim style lipshades have also piqued my interest and I’ve decided I must try these as well but if you ask me they just look like the same standard Lavshuca lipstick in new packaging but we shall see!
Overall, this too seems to be a disappointment but I’m eagerly awaiting the package which should be here soon so I can review these!
Majolica Majorca has my heart this season with their newest Majolook palettes! I cannot wait to get my hands on these! At least the colors are reminding me of Spring here with beautiful pinks, aquas, and golds! Thank you Shiseido for having a heart and gifting us with true Spring palettes! Click here to read more about MJ’s newest Collection!
Much to my utter dismay Jill Stuart’s Seductive Eye Collection totally broke my heart. How do I dislike thee, let me count the ways! Matte shadows? My god the horror! Similar to every other JS Palette released? Check. More dark colors? Sheesh. I can’t believe I’m about to admit this but I skipped on all of the newest releases from JS this year and I plan on sticking to my word about purchasing these as they were just not interesting at all! Click here to read about the Seductive Eye Collection!
I believe I’ve bored you enough with my Musings about Spring Collections! I’ll be reviewing quite a few Spring Collections soon as I purchase them!
Click Here to Read about My Impressions of the Dior Spring Collection 2008
By the Muse on January 29, 2008
Bath and Body Works is slowly sneaking new Temptation bits and bobs onto it’s site! What have I come across?
Let’s see!
So far the line has pretty much stayed the same however they stuck three new Body Sprays on the site in the last few days which leads me to believe we’ll see some more new items pop up slowly over the course of the next few weeks!
Right now I’m seeing three new Body Sprays! Two are new and one has been released a few seasons ago! Yay! Exciting!
Frozen Daiquiri Body Spray (Repromote) $8 USD
Forever Frosting Body Spray (The Three in One Body Wash is very popular and I’m sure the Body Spray will be delightful!) $8 USD
Banana Smoothie Body Spray $8 USD
By the Muse on January 28, 2008
Ettusais has updated it’s website with a new glittery collection of goodies!
5 Glitter Pencils have been released in an array of lovely colors for 1050 yen each and 3 LE Lipglosses are available for 1575 yen!
The Japanese and Chinese site has been updated with the latest collection but the Singapore and Taiwanese site has yet to see the update so I’m unsure if my lovely ‘pore friends will be able to nab these! If anyone knows do tell me as I’m curious!
I plan on getting maybe one of the pencils and two of the glosses but I’m undecided as of yet. The collection definately looks very cute and I’m a sucker for cute glosses!
Want it?
Have it already?
Tell the Muse!
By the Muse on January 23, 2008
Stila has introduced two new quads for the Spring entitled Spring 4 Eyes in two flavors, Montemart and Marrakesh.
According the Stila’s website each palette is mini size and the shadows are about the size of a US nickel!
They sound very cute but the price tag of $38 USD doesn’t thrill me nor do the colors! The palette itself looks quite nice with the silver embossed Stila logo but I’m not excited enough to shell out nearly $40 for a tiny palette!
Montemart is a cool palette that contains shimmering shades of pinks and purples while Marrakesh is a warm palette that contains shimmering shades of golds and bronzes!
They look very cute but I think I’ll be passing as I know of at least four other collections that have caught my eye and are on the top of my Must Have List for the Spring (Plus I don’t want to be caught in three months having spent the original price tag and seeing them on sale as Stila has been having a TON of sales as of late!).
Marrakesh
Montemart
Love these?
Want ‘em?
Tell your Muse!
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