Spring Collections 2009
By the Muse on April 3, 2009
Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color in Platinum Gold was released as part of the Spring Collection this year and proved extremely difficult to get a hold off. Almost as soon as it released it was sold out in Japan right away. See kids? Japan knows what LE really means!
Jump ahead to hear a rave about Platinum Gold!
Proving to be one of the most elusive items to date that the Muse had to track down, Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color in Platinum Gold also happens to be the most beautiful. After it selling out in Japan I had to quickly located it in Taiwan, which bless be, it was easy enough to locate. It’s understandable why it was so popular as it’s probably one of the prettiest shades in the Jelly Eye collection. The color is a white gold with contrasting silver shimmer and sparkle. It’s heavy duty sparkle so if you’re not a lover you’d best keep away from Jelly Eye Shadows in general.
Although it’s a cream shadow it blends effortlessly and creates a soft, subtle golden shimmer on the lid that can only be described as stunning. It also lends a certain lightness to my eyes so it’s particularly nice if I’m having a dark circle day or baggy eye day as this will brighten up my eyes a fair bit. I’ve have a few of the Jelly Eye Shadows before and I really like the formula. As I mentioned the formula blends easily and it’s also very light and smooth, not heavy at all, so it feels silky on. Although for some the amount of shimmer could be a deal breaker. It doesn’t dry quickly so it gives plenty of time to blend the shadow out, I’m a sucker for cream shadows that don’t dry right away as I think this causes woe for blending. The shadow comes housed in a gorgeous jar with a pretty silver top, very feminine and elegant.
The shade is probably my favorite from the line so far and is truly a pretty addition for Spring. It may prove slightly difficult to find so I suggest trying
KATE Gel Eyeshadow in GD-1 or
Coffret D’Or Fluffy Shine Eyes in 03. Both of these options are easier to find stateside and cheaper as well!
Apologies for my bare lips in the photos!
I’m looking forward to seeing what Jill Stuart has in store for us this Summer! I’ve been kinda off the Jill Stuart bandwagon lately but I’m always excited for new release.
By the Muse on April 1, 2009
I imagine BE had your mum in mind when they introduced the new Bare Escentuals Free To Be Mother’s Day Collection but hey I won’t tell your mum if you don’t tell mine about these awesome little kits! Shhhhh let’s get ‘em for ourselves and just stick to chocolates and flowers for our mothers!
Bare Escentuals Free To Be Mother’s Day Collection is a trio of three sets that include everything to make your yourself errr I mean your mum pretty this Mother’s Day!
Whether you are (or your mum) a classical beauty, a naturally elegant one, or an adventurous spirit you’ll find the perfectly suitable shade to suit your personality. Each kit is $39.50 USD which isn’t bad as you know how the Muse likes to complain about the price of BE lately. The kits come packaged in cute little hand held purses which makes the price tag even more appealing as you get a cute little bag with your color selections! Sweet! The makeup items included are everything you need for a complete face look.
Bare Escentuals Free To Be Mother’s Day Collection Naturally Elegant
Includes:
- bareMinerals Moonlit Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Splendor Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Fame Liner Shadow
- bareMinerals Premiere Blush
- bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss in Rosé
- Elegant Pewter Clutch Bag
Bare Escentuals Free To Be Mother’s Day Collection Naturally Adventurous
Includes:
- bareMinerals Exquisite Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Cleopatra ‘Cleo’ Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Dare Liner Shadow
- bareMinerals Morning Blush
- bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss in Sugar Cookie
- Adventurous Teal Clutch Bag
Bare Escentuals Free To Be Mother’s Day Collection Naturally Classic
Includes:
- bareMinerals Be Grateful Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Classic Eyecolor
- bareMinerals Sure Thing Liner Shadow
- bareMinerals Papaya Blush
- bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss in Wild Honey
- Classic Bronze Clutch Bag
The sets look really nice and I’m enjoying the price tag! Good work BE! The Muse be happy and wants to indulge in one, two….maybe all three!
Likey?
No likey?
Tell the Muse!
By the Muse on April 1, 2009
KATE Gradical Eyes Palettes are nothing new as they were released a year or two ago but for Spring 2009 KATE extended the line to release a new shade. I believe that this is the first time that KATE introduced a new shade to the collection, either that or I haven’t been paying much attention.
Jump ahead to see the newest shade!
Now I should mention I have pretty much all the shades from the KATE Gradical Eyes Palettes and I believe they were released for Spring 2007, correct me if I’m wrong. At the time I got them I was really quite pleased as they were pigmented and had some great colors however woe followed soon after. Out of all my KATE palettes, and I’m a big KATE fan mind you, Gradical Eyes is probably the worst ones they have in the line up. The texture of the shadows are a bit too chalky and don’t blend too smoothly. Anyway, the reason I’m telling you all this was because it would take alot for me to indulge in any new shades they released but this Spring they caught me! The newest shade release is BG-1 and it’s simply stunning! I seriously couldn’t resist the shade and I convinced myself it would be a great palette regardless of the crummy formula.
Wrong, but I’ll get into that shortly.
KATE Gradical Eyes Palettes contain a base shade of shadow, a contrasting shade, and a lid shade all in a powder formula. It also includes a highlighter or a base if you like in a cream formula. I’ve grown to hate these style of palettes as I don’t like the cream and think it’s an utterly wasteful item as I never use it. The basic application is applying the lightest shade as a base, the medium shade all over the lid and crease, and applying the darkest shade on the lid which you’ll blend slightly upwards. The final step is using the cream as a highlighter for the highbrow. Using the creamy shade as a base makes the shadow crease and just causes a major mess so I stick to using it as a highbrow highlighter.
As I mentioned above the lure of the newest shade got a hold of me as it’s quite pretty. The shade selection is called blue-green by KATE but for me it’s pure aqua. I’m a big lover of aqua which is why I decided to indulge.
Ado…even a new shade can’t take away from how crummy a formula the shadows are. Although all the shades are pretty and plenty pigmented they still blend badly. You can’t contrast much of your look as the shades are difficult to blend and end up turning into one big gob of aqua. Meh.
Although the palette is gorgeous shade it’s not worth purchasing in my humblest as the formula is simply too crummy to work with. KATE makes some great palettes but it’s an epic fail for the Gradical Eyes line.
No likey.
How about you?
Fan of Gradical Eyes?
Not so much?
Tell the Muse!
By the Muse on March 25, 2009
I gave you the deets on what to expect from our beloved Shu a few days ago! Here’s one further image of the brand new Shu Uemura Cream Eye Shadows!
Yummie right? These look incredible and knowing Shu they’ll be pigmented in a major way!
The shadows are already available at Nordstrom and will launch shortly on the Shu site.
Likey!
Wish list anyone?
By the Muse on March 25, 2009
I know, I know we’re all terribly upset with Jillian Dempsey for being married to a man with better hair than our own. What do you think that’s like in the morning at the old Dempsey house?
Picture this.
Wake up, frizzy scary morning hair and your husband is sitting next to you cool, calm, and collected with nice smooth wavy brown locks. Oh the agony. Jillian, honey, I don’t envy you anymore!
Anyway, Jillian actually holds her own in the makeup world. She’s responsible for what used to be Deluxe Beauty…god I miss Deluxe. As of late Jillian’s taken the world of Avon by storm with little collections being released
here and
there.
I must say up until now quite a bit of what she’s done has been pretty nice color wise and quality wise. Taking all that into consideration I was excited about the new Jillian Dempsey Celestial Spring Avon Collection that’s available this March.
Jump ahead for the details!
Jillian Dempsey Celestial Spring Avon Collection includes some key pieces for creating a little piece of Spring this season with shades of tranquil blues and pastel sky tones. The shades of the new Jillian Dempsey for Avon Celestial Eyeshadow shades kind of remind me of Bobbi Brown’s Surf Palette. Two shades are available in Moon Sand and Sunset Sky one of which is an ocean hue and the other a sandy gold. You can probably see what I mean about the Surf and Sand type of vibe I get from the two shadows. Quite nice. Each shade is baked and has a twinkling, shimmery finish. Likey! These are $8 USD each but I guarantee that Avon will offer a nice little steal on them sooner or later.
Follow up your sparkling eye look with Avon Big Color Glossy Lip Pencil which is a liner and gloss in one pencil! This is a moisturizing formula that glides onto lips leaving behind a shiny finish. They are $6 USD each and available in Glossy Celestial, Glossy Rose, Glossy Sand, and Glossy Sunset.
As the weather grows warmer a cream blush is always in favor! Check out Avon Be Blushed Cheek Color that will release with Celestial Spring in two shades for $8 USD each. With names like Icy Pearl and Tropical Peach the Muse can feel the love!
They’ll also be a new nail color release and an exclusive mascara created by Jillian Dempsey.
You can learn more about Jillian and her Avon Collections by visiting www.avon.com/jilliandempsey
I’ll be reviewing the Jillian Dempsey Celestial Spring Collection shortly for you, keep your eyes peeled!
Image Credit
By the Muse on March 24, 2009
Yesterday, I reviewed a few pieces for you from the Etude House Precious Mineral Project Collection. Today I’m diving deeper into the collection with a review of the new Etude House Precious Mineral Makeup Essence.
Etude House Precious Mineral Makeup Essence is simply a nice way of saying primer. All that makeup essence stuff makes it sound more important than it really is it’s simply a primer you use prior to foundation application. Yes, yes before you think it, before you even say it out loud, the answer is yes. Yes, Etude House Precious Mineral Makeup Essence is kinda sorta a dupe of Guerlain Meteorites Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer.
Major differences do separate the two so even though in appearance they look the same just about everything else including the color and formula is vastly different so please for the love of this Muse don’t go around saying what a great dupe Etude House Makeup Essence is for Guerlain Meteorites Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer.
I should get it off my chest first and foremost that this will sadly not make your foundation last longer. Some primers have the ability to allow makeup to last a good deal longer, some keep makeup fresh, and others just act as a really great prepping too. In this case, Etude House Precious Mineral Makeup Essence is simply a great prepping tool.
The formula is a watery texture that feels cooling on the skin and absorbs easily. It does have a creamy peach iridescent finish but it’s not noticeable on the skin in my opinion. Even fairer skin than my own probably won’t notice any sort of finish to the primer as it just absorbs clear or at least I thought so. I did notice that it tends to feel a little bit sticky until it dries down. It wasn’t really unpleasant but a little annoying having to wait a sec prior to applying my BB Cream.
Hmmm I guess I don’t sound completely overjoyed over this particular primer but it’s just nothing to get too excited about and I’ve tried far better primers that multitask at keeping my makeup fresh and long wearing plus prep my skin prior to foundation. This primer simply preps and offers no other bells and whistles. For it’s price it’s probably worth trying out but honestly you can safely skip it if you’re purchasing within the US for a higher price.
I liked it ok but I didn’t love it and probably won’t purchase it again. Although the Etude House Precious Mineral Project Collection is turning out very well so far I wasn’t loving this primer and think you can safely skip it.
By the Muse on March 24, 2009
The Muse already has her UK patrol looking out for Bourjois Paris Mineral Radiance.
Brand new from Bourjois Paris Mineral Radiance is a hot pressed formula that lightweight and silky with a matte, flawless finish. The powder is enriched with Vitamin E for healthy skin coverage. The powder also contains radiance boosting quartz and purified minerals for a luminous finish. The powder is available in five shades.
That’s a mouthful.
The Muse thinks it looks kinda boring and just like Bourjois Paris Pastel Teint Essential Pressed Powder, shrug! But that doesn’t sway me from wanting it as I think I need to experience “radiance boosting quartz”, that stuff sounds important and stuff!
Honestly, I have a funny feeling this may be an interesting, glorified shimmering powder but we must wait patiently until it’s located across the pond so I can bring it all the way back here and review for you!
For now just gag over the few pics I squirreled up! Love me much?
Babble Bourjois in the comment box!
I’m listening!
By the Muse on March 23, 2009
I can’t deny that the release of the Etude House Precious Mineral Skin Project Collection disappointed me. I really wanted some festive, flirty Spring Collection that was filled with sweet shimmering shades. Instead we got a round up of plenty of base makeup items with little of the collection concentrating on any point pieces.
Le sigh!
But fear not. Etude House Precious Mineral Skin Project Collection is solid gold base makeup and more than makes up for it’s lack of color with an amazing selecton of good quality base makeup for a nice price tag.
Even though I suffered some disappointed with it’s release I can’t deny that the release of Etude House Mineral Skin Project was probably one of the better collections released from Etude House as of late. Lately, collections have come and gone without really capturing my attention but this definitely caught my eye since I’m a fond fan of Etude House BB Creams.
Today I’ll be reviewing two of the items from the collection and continuing my review later this week with the rest of the items I got. The two items I am concentrating on today are Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream and Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact.
Until now the concept of “mineral” makeup in liquid form was rather confusing to me. I really didn’t get the point. Granted I imagined the formula included minerals in it’s ingredients but the finish was quite the same as any other liquid foundation I’ve come across. I’m mentioning this because I was quite delighted with the finish of the Etude House Mineral BB Cream. It’s a rather strange little product as it’s obviously a liquid cream however it’s finish is that of a mineral makeup and gives my skin a buffed on look that’s quite flawless and very, very pretty. I won’t say this dries down to a complete matte finish but it looks very matte and the complete effect looks quite like I used a mineral makeup. It’s interesting to say the least.
Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream has all the benefits of a normal run of the mill BB Cream as it offers an SPF of 30, anti-aging ingredients, and whitening benefits. Everything and the kitchen sink is offered with this BB Cream as with many others. I can’t speak for anti-aging but it does whiten and brighten skin and the added benefits of SPF 30 are always a bonus. The box proclaims it offers sheer coverage but I personally think it offers medium to heavy coverage with proper application. A little goes a very long way so a few drops do me well at offering beautiful coverage while erasing dullness from my skin and making my skin literally glow with health. Truly it’s near perfect coverage. The cream comes in two variations one light and one darker (although the darker shade isn’t that dark). Although the cream should adjust to your skin tone I do think that it’s best used on fair to medium complexions but not dark, tan, or olive tones. This is a Korean product so it’s especially suited to Asian skin especially if you have yellow undertones as the product has a good deal of soft beige to erase yellow tones and even out the complexion.
There isn’t anything particularly special about the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact but I fancy it anyway as it’s a perfect follow up for setting the BB Cream. The powder comes housed in a very simple pink compact with a large mirror and a soft sponge. This comes in three shades, I got the lightest and although I’d probably do better with the 2nd shade I didn’t mind so much as I felt like it went well with the lightest shade of BB that I selected. It blends out well on my skin and sets my makeup for long wear. It has an SPF of 30 as well which is fantastic.
Both products promise “sheer glowing skin” and honestly that’s exactly what they deliver. You’d never know it during application as both products just seem your run of the mill BB cream and powder foundation. But don’t let the formula fool you, the results speak for their self as my skin was glowing this morning. I’ve always wanted to be able to use mineral makeup but never really found a brand that didn’t match me itchy or make me look like I had a mask of makeup on. This gives me the look of mineral makeup in a liquid formula, likey!
A few things that deserved to be mentioned……
Wasn’t loving the price on any of this. I was shocked how expensive it was by Korean cosmetic standards. I’d honestly pay double for it since the quality is there but I couldn’t help but raise a brow at the price as normally Etude House is a good deal cheaper. The compact was 14,500 won and the bb cream was 13,500 won, as you can see not your typical price tag for Etude House but regardless well worth it. Secondly, I normally adore the pump style tube that Etude House favors for it’s BB Creams but I had a terrible time getting it to work this time and for some reason nothing was coming out. 3 dozen pumps later and a squeeze or two of the tube it finally started to flow, phew! For a sec there I thought I was going to have to slice into the tube to get to the cream! Sadly, the pump on the jar doesn’t unscrew as it’s glued on so I couldn’t even just unscrew the top to get to the product. Bit ranty about this! As you can see in my photos my tube of BB cream is rather flat and a little bit wrinkled up since I was struggling with it!
Wearing the BB Cream layered with the powder on top! The blush is also from the collection but I’ll be reviewing that later this week!
Aside from my minor rants I’m Muse Approving both Etude Hose Precious Mineral BB Cream and Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream for purchase.
I was lucky enough to have a very sweet person purchase these for me. If you’re wanting to purchase these I suggest checking on E-bay, Facial Shop, or G-Market to purchase although prices on the first two probably won’t be too kind!
Overall, even though I started my review with rants, woe, and general disappointed I must end it with a big wow at how impressed I am altogether with how amazing my skin was looking today thanks to the cream and powder.
Loves it!
Any of my Korean readers try yet?
Do share!
By the Muse on March 23, 2009
Sorry I really should have posted these with my original haul post from MAC SugarSweet. As requested from a few readers here are some swatches from MAC Minralize Skinfinish in Refined.
I was visiting on Cozy a few days ago and many of the girl’s were impressed with how pigmented Refined was. Just a note I thought it applied best and deepest when used with a kabuki brush. It works a treat as a blush so long as you buff the color into cheeks with a kabuki. With any other brush it acts more as a highlighter! Just thought I should add that if you were curious.
By the Muse on March 23, 2009
We’re all terribly spoiled aren’t we? Go on admit it! You know you’re spoiled. We all want more, more, and more. It’s simply in our nature…maybe? Who knows really but I do think we all want more for less.
Well, Urban Decay heard our cries for more!
If you’re not a lover of Urban Decay Primer Potion the Muse shuns you! This miracle primer helps shadows stay crease free the entire day. No caking, no creasing, and no fading! Shadows are virtually indestructible after a quick swipe, prep, and primer with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Urban Decay knew how much we loved it so they decided to amp it up!
Now get Urban Decay Large Primer Potion, a little big more bang for your buck. At .55 oz it’s almost but not quite double the size of the regular Urban Decay Primer Potion. $4 bucks more nabs you .55 oz where as before you could get .34 oz for $17 USD. Sweet! More primer for a mere few dollars more? Count the Muse on board this train.
The new primer comes in a chunkier bottle and sports the same sponge applicator as the original. Nothing has changed aside from the fact you’re getting a larger size for a few more dollars. Same great formula!
The upper neck of the tube is a little bit large which makes me wonder if it’ll allow use to get that very less bit of primer out without slicing off a finger. Sure hope so!
The price is quite nice so if you’re a lover of UDPP you’re going to want to super size it and go with UDLPP.
Urban Decay Large Primer Potion is Muse Approved for purchase. Personally, it’s my favorite and according to this Muse the best primer on the market!
Loves it!
By the Muse on March 23, 2009
Introducing, brand new for Spring, DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom.
DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom is inspired by the beauty of the apple blossom. DKNY BE Delicious Fresh Blossom is a blend of fresh floral with an innocent playfulness that cocktails freshness, vibrancy, and femininity.
I’m always quite the fan of Be Delicious so I look forward to smelling this latest version of the popular fragrance. This is an Eau de Parfum so it’ll be a nice lingering fragrance with plenty of throw I’m sure.
Available now at Bloomingdales in two sizes and two prices.
1.7 Oz $55 USD
3.4 Oz $77 USD
Are you a fan?
Eager to try Fresh Blossom?
Do share.
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