Musings of a Muse

I really love DuWop. They do some fantastic products especially their Lip Venom Lipgloss! Some hate it and some love it! I happen to fall into the love group! When I heard that DuWop was coming out with a Cheek Venom I knew I had to try it!

The concept behind Cheek Venom is supposedly the same “technology” as Lip Venom. What the hell does that exactly mean?

Well…..

Lip Venom contains a tingly spicy mix of ingredients to get the blood flowing in your lips which causes one of two things: plumping and a reddening!

In steps Cheek Venom which does almost the same thing but this time around you’ll won’t get the plumping effects but the reddening or pinkening of your cheeks! The ingredients in Cheek Venom are almost identical to what can be found in the gloss version and in turn this cocktail creates a slight sting when applied and BOOM! You’re blushing!

One of the first things I’d like to mention is this stuff smells sincerely heavenly. It smells like a piece of Red Hot chewing gum! It’s spicy with a slight sweetness to it! I wanted to take a spoon and eat it! Yum! I was really hoping for an awesome product but it failed that mark sadly. It does what it promises! After application you’ll feel a slightly warming and maybe a bit of a sting (almost like someone slapped you lightly or pinched your cheeks) and you’ll have a gorgeous flush soon after however the glow is too sheer for me!

The product itself is not nearly pigmented enough for me and it gives a more natural pay off which I’m not completely loving! I’d have liked something a bit more when it comes to the color. The effect doesn’t last in regards to the “flush” you get when using this so you’re left with a very nice yet sheer hint of color from the actually cosmetic side of the product! At first use it looks pretty nice on and your face looks as if you had just worked out, stepped in from the cold, or had been pinched! However, as I said, the results don’t last very long and the blush itself isn’t pigmented enough to keep the effect all day long.

Each pot is $24 USD and comes in two shades. I ended up testing both colors but I’m not completely happy with the results! Colors available are Diamondback and Sidewinder. Diamondback is a peachy coral with hints of pink while Sidewinder is a muted neutral rose.

Sidewinder

Diamondback

All in all I love the concept and idea of Cheek Venom but a bit more pigmentation would have made this perfect. If you’re sensitive you might want to skip this! If you’ve used Lip Venom before and found it was too powerful and stung too much than chances are you won’t like the feeling of Cheek Venom!

With a little work DuWop can have a hit on their hands here but for now it’s just average for the Muse! If it’s natural you seek these be for you! If you’re more of a loud person that likes bolder looks you’ll want to skip these!

Click here to read about some of DuWop’s Spring Collection for 2008!

Click here to read my review on DuWop’s Moon Venom!

Don’t you love when products combine SPF into the mix of things?

I’ve been very conscious of my skin lately and sun damage which makes me shop “smarter” for items that contain healthy amounts of SPF. I was pretty thrilled to see Stila combine SPF 20 with it’s Shine Lip Colors for it’s Summer Collection 2008.

Stila makes some great lipsticks, glosses, etc….and I’m currently in love with the Stila Shine Lip Colors. They are light weight, emollient, moisturizing, and pigmented! What more could a girl want?

I love a lipstick that not only combines the benefit of good solid color but also one that wears as if I have gloss on my lips, this being the case with this particular release of lip colors from Stila. The formula is a beautifully moisturizing lip color with plenty of good for you ingredients packed in plus SPF 20!

I think we all prefer lighter makeup in the Summer and these are the perfect solution for kissable, soft lips with a beautiful hint of color. Being beautiful and protecting my skin is always in style.

Although the collection is small, with only eight colors to choose from, I think that the line is a welcome addition to Stila’s Summer Collection. The colors I got are Sarah, a nude beige, and Anna, a beautiful sheer, pouting red!

Stila Shine Lip Colors with SPF 20 are most definately Muse Approved for purchase! I heart these!

Love ‘em?

Want ‘em?

Share with the Muse!

Psssttt………Stay Tuned to hear more about the Stila Summer Collection including reviews on Kitten Eye Wash, Kitten Lipgloss, and the popular, selling out fast, Kitten Eye Palette! Coming Soon!

Enjoy my rave review about Stila’s Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain by clicking here!

Read through my babblings about Stila’s Look Book Palettes by clicking here!

Click here to read about Stila’s “Asia” Only Exclusive Palettes featuring the Stila Girls!

Bath and Body Works is slowly updating it’s website with the new Summer Collections for 2008! One item I ran across while breezing around the site are the new C.O. Bigelow Body Washes!

Tis a mint infused fruity body wash that promises to invigorate you in the shower and wake you up! I’m just thrilled to hear they are infused with mint! How yummie is that?

Raspberry Mint, Lime Mint, Lemon Mint, and Orange Mint are available now from Bath and Body Works for $12 USD each!

Expect a review soon as I’m very tempted by these!

Want ‘em?

Tell the Muse!

If you have $30 I can show you the perfect way to spend it!

Behold:

Meet the best duo I’ve seen around since Batman and Robin (that’s saying alot considering these guys wore tights and fought off crazy criminals! Hey, I’m just saying it has to be hard work wearing tights and saving the world!).

NARS has decided to pair up it’s popular Orgasm Lipgloss with a brand new nail polish in Orgasm! My life is almost complete now….I’m just waiting patiently for the NARS Eyeshadow in Orgasm and I should be good to go!

In all seriousness NARS Orgasm Blush is probably one of my most favorite colors around. It’s peachy, it’s pink, it has a tiny bit of shimmer that reflects so beautifully off my cheeks…in other words, it’s perfect.

NARS Lipgloss in Orgasm is equally perfect and now….nail polish too! Oh my!

I’m super excited about this kit. What’s not to love? The color is pure perfection, the price is awesome, and I get not only hot nails from it but hot lips! Yes, indeed, the Muse is liking it alot.

I’m not very good at taking care of my nails sadly but I’m definately going to be sporting NARS Orgasm Nail Polish all Summer long! I’ve truly fell deeply in love with this and I say you needs it now so hurry to Sephora and purchase it for your very own!

Sometimes brands create items and work the angle so many times it’s enough to make a person yawn or scream (depending on your personality) but in the case of Orgasm I don’t think they can extend the line any further without making me roll around on the floor in excitement! Who doesn’t love the awesome line of blushes that NARS has available, hell I have practically all of ‘em! Extending the line to include matching glosses and nail varnishes is an absolutely brilliant idea to me and I seriously can’t grow tire of the beautiful peachy pink concoction that is Orgasm. They definately picked the perfect combo for this kit!

So….

If you have $30 bucks to spare, I highly recommend heading to your nearest Sephora and grabbing yourself this little kit! You won’t be sorry!

Multiple Orgasms

Here’s a little Face of the Day for you but please be gentle as I am foundation-less! I only used NARS Blush in Orgasm and NARS Lipgloss in Orgasm for the FOTD and I’m otherwise cosmetic free. I’m having a bad skin day too so give a girl a break

NARS Orgasm gets a hearty Muse Approval for purchase be it kit, gloss, or blush!

Click here to read my recent babblings about NARS Spring Collection!

Click here to read my first post about the NARS Orgasm Lipgloss and Nail Polish Set!

I’m in heaven.

How gorgeous is this duo of NARS goodness?

We have the blush, we have the lipgloss, and now we have the sweet peachy pink perfection of a nail polish! Life is good.

The Muse wants this set!

Retails for $30 USD at Sephora!

I’m all over it! Review Coming Soon…..As soon as tomorrow maybe Check back!

Want it?

Majorca Majolica’s early Summer Collection is a small release of some very nice products. This release brings a new mascara entitled Lash Heat Metallic which is a burnt orange color, a shimmering metallic powder in gold, and some nail polishes. I purchased the powder and the mascara and left the nail polishes.

The powder is a similar affair to the Holiday release and is entitled Powder Metallic Heat which is fitting as it’s a gold shimmering powder where as the Holiday release was a sparkling white. The packaging is identical to the previous release which is a small container with lid and a powder puff. The color does appear gold but has hints of bronzy orange to it as well. I personally don’t think it’s pigmented enough to use alone but more for use as a highlighter. You can use it for a variety of purposes such as on your eyes, body, or face. It’s very pretty and I’m happy to have it to add to my MJ Collection.

The mascara is a gorgeous shimmering metallic burnt orange with hints of gold sparkle and is entitled Lash Heat Metallic. It’s beautiful on and very flattering with both gold and orange eyeshadows. I decided to pair it up with gold and orange as pictured in the ad for the Summer release.

I used the mascara by itself but I believe it works best when combined with your normal mascara. First apply a coat of black mascara and finish with an overcoat of the Lash Heat Metallic. I find when applying a base it emphasizes the color of the Lash Heat Metallic beautifully and you end up with gorgeous orange/gold shimmering lashes! This is the 2nd release of a colored mascara from Majolica Majorca. Last Summer MJ released a deep true blue mascara overcoat that was deliciously bright and bold!

Both the powder and mascara are beautiful additions to your Summer cosmetic collections and well worth adding to your shopping list! I really love this collection! A palette in golds and oranges would have been brilliant to go along with the powder and mascara.

I paid the original price for the mascara and powder which was 1200 yen and 1400 yen. This is respectively about $12 and $14 USD. I’ve seen the prices range for about $5-6 or more on top of retail on online shops. You can see my Guide to Japanese Shopping for further information about purchasing these products online.

What I Used:

Eyes
Majorca Majolica Lash Heat Metallic
MAC Eyeshadow in Firespot
Majorca Majolica Frozen Splash Eyes in GD 821

Lips
Majorca Majolica Hydrating Lipgloss in OR317

Face
Aromaleigh Rocks! Mineral Powder Blush in SundayGirl

I tried to do a really close up image so you can see the Lash Heat Metallic on!

Lash Heat Metallic and Powder Heat Metallic are both Muse Approved for purchase!

Read more about the Majorca Majolica Summer Collection by clicking here!

Click here to see my collection of Majorca Majolica Mascaras including the Holiday Release and last Summer’s blue overcoat!

Click here to read my review of Majorca Majolica’s Spring Collection!