Musings of a Muse

Why do I feel so strange reviewing a Fall Collection right now? Lord, I’ve been so overwhelmed with Holiday Collections that I forgot how much I was loving all the beautiful Fall Collections!

One in particular that totally made my season was Clarins Jazzy Colours! Sadly, Clarins has removed the original promo from their site for this fabulous collection but have no fear it’s still alive and kicking on the website with a bit of searching and across counters worldwide! After trying out Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation I knew I had to dig deeper into the mysterious of Clarins and discover their beautiful Fall Collection for myself!

I tried out a majority of the offerings from Clarins Jazzy Colours and before I even get involved in my full on review I must say that it’s Muse Approved for purchase and comes with my highest recommendation! Clarins Jazzy Colours truly kept the idea of Fall together for me while bringing together warm, bold shades.

My favorite pieces in the collection are the Clarins Colour Quartet for Eyes. Two new shades were introduced for Fall which are So Sublime and So Chic, the palettes respectively create a warmer look and a cooler look. This is my first time trying out a Clarins Colour Quartet Palette and I was quite surprised at how wonderfully pigmented the shadows were. I’m unsure what I was expecting but to say I was in awe over how butter soft, easily blendable, and wonderfully pigmented these were, is an understatement. It’s difficult to choose a favorite from the two but I did fall head over heels in lust with So Chic which is a combination of warm shades that include shimmering black, shimmering white, shimmering khaki green, and a matte plum. So Chic manages to create an intense evening or day time look by contrasting green with a dominant plum and a beautiful highlight of white. The look I created using So Chic was my dupe of the Clarins Jazzy Colours promo image and probably my favorite of the looks I created using the palettes so far.

To start your look you can highlight your highbrow with the shimmering white, follow up by shading your lid and crease with the khaki green, proceed to blend the plum shade into the outer v and move it gently upwards to outline the crease, and finally, complete your look by lining the outer and lower lash line with the shimmering black!

Clarins Colour Quartet in So Sublime is made up of much more cooler tones when compared with So Chic. The palette contains two shades of light and dark contrasting pinks, a shimmering blue liner shade, and a shimmering gray.

For my look with So Sublime I simply used the darker pink on my crease and blended the lighter pink into my lid, I highlighted my brow bone using the gray, and completed the look with a pop of the blue on my lower lash line. I think the blue drowned out my eyes a tiny little bit so my next run with the palette I’ll be lining my upper eye with the blue instead and seeing how that looks!

Each palette is $40 USD and truly it’s not much to pay as the palettes are extremely beautiful pieces. The palettes come housed in a velvet cloth bag so you can store them safely without scratching the posh mirrored compact. The palettes are quite heavy and the quality is seen not only in the contents but in the packaging itself! I truly loved these and can definately see myself returning for more of the color options available.

Clarins Joli Rouge lipstick in Plum completed my look with the Clarins Colour Quartet in So Chic. This is an intense Plum shade with a rich burgundy finish that looks simply stunning with a bold smoky eye look. Although I could gush all day about the shade I have to say that Clarins Joli Rouge is possibly one of the better lipsticks I’ve come across in my travels through the cosmetic universe. Although I fell deeply in love with Urban Decay’s new Lipsticks I have to say that Clarins Joli Rouge has them topped and trumped in spades! The formula is so moisturizing, so vibrant, so glossy, so pigmented! Truly a quality lipstick if ever I did see one! At $23 USD the price is not much difference from Urban Decay’s new lipsticks either! Plum is quite a sophisticated look for me and I know I’ll be reaching for it again and again to top warmer looks I’ll be doing as the Fall season progresses!

And finally a new shade of Clarins Wonder Length Mascara was released which goes wonderfully well, again, with the Clarins Colour Quartet in So Chic! Wonder Plum completes the plum color perfectly in the So Chic palette with the perfect intense shade of plum colored lashes you’ll ever be privy too! The formula is the mascara is quite good and lengthens lashes while separating, curling, and fattening them up beautifully. The application is a straight, skinny brush which easily captured all your lashes in one pull and does a excellent job of getting hard to reach lower lashes!

All in all creating looks with Clarins Jazzy Colour Collection for Fall has been a great experience. The quality of each item was outstanding and I was very pleased with the completed results! I definately recommend picking up the lipstick and So Chic palette as those are my favorite out of the items I tested out!

As mentioned early this is Muse Approved for purchase! I loved it and I’m sure I’ll be sporting So Chic quite a few times this Fall and of course with my Joli Rouge lipstick I’m hopeful I’ll be the height of elegance and sophistication…..what? A girl can dream!

Check out more of the Clarins Makeup Collection, Jazzy Colours, and great skincare by visiting there website!

Loving this collection?

Love Clarins?

Have you tried Joli Rouge (What are you waiting for! Get some now!)?

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Check out some other Fall reviews you might have missed!

Jill Stuart Illuminance Review

Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Collection Review

Vincent Longo Diamante Quad in Aquila Review

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Retro Charm Review

Smashbox Wicked Lovely Collection Review

MAC Overrich Review with Swatches

Well…you either loved Manish Arora for MAC or you hated it, there wasn’t any in between that I’ve seen around the Internet this week!

I happen to fall into the absolutely in love, thrilled to pieces, simply adore this collection category!

This is the type of collection that sits up and screams my name with it’s bold shades of shadow, outrageous colors of blush, and vibrant glosses and lipsticks! Love, love, love!

If you hate it, I truly can’t begin to understand why but I absolutely love it and slap a big Muse Approval on it!

The packaging is truly beautiful on this collection with it’s Indian inspired swirls, hearts, and sparkle. It has a certain Hindi feel to it that’s masked in the colors and design! MAC went with a subtle neon orange for the blush compacts, a gold and pink for the palette with jewel encrusted hearts on the top, a darker hue of orange for the lipstick tubes, and yellow for the lipglasses. The designs are all etched and printed on without any stickers to peel off a la Fafi! Thank god for that! I simply love the beautiful golden swirls topped with multi-colored hearts! I’m particularly partial to the compact with it’s little jeweled hearts. It’s difficult to pick what my favorite items are in this collection as everything is beyond beautiful.

I highly recommend this collection for darker skin tones as the shades are so intense and vibrant they are sure to flatter a deeper tone!

The blushes in the collection are Pink Swoon and Devil. Out of the two Devil is absolutely, positively my favorite! Devil is a fiery, bold orange that gives me cheeks a nice pop of peachy color that can be worn sheer or built up for a deeper finish. Although some may be scared of such a vibrant orange shade, the Muse is no stranger to such a color. Devil is comparable to other pieces in my collection such as NARS Blush in Taos and Shu Uemura Blush in P Orange 58D (I’m working with Shu to get those crazy numbers and letters turned into names! Sheesh!).

NARS, MAC, and Shu Blushes

Pink Swoon was surprisingly low key after the shock of Devil! I haven’t yet tried it but I’m preparing myself to be disappointed as it’s a very true pink that swatched quite sheer however after a few strokes I did manage to build the color up so I’m keeping hope alive that it’ll be equally easy to get the desired intensity on my cheeks!

When presented with the lipsticks from Manish Arora of course the first one to catch my eye was Kiss Manish! Ahhhhhhhhh it’s perfection! The second I seen it I could only think one thing, Pink Grapefruit Lipglass! This was the ideal color to pair up with my very favorite lipglass color! Kiss Manish is a beautifully deep coral shade with touches of peach and orange. If you’re looking for an interesting alternative you might want to try Avon Lipstick in Rose Charm as I thought the finish was a good dupe although Kiss Manish is a bit deeper.

Avon Rose Charm vs MAC Kiss Manish

The second lipstick released, Girl About Town, is a deep fuchsia which is quite wearable when compared to other fuchsias I’ve run across from MAC. I actually like the way this looks on and when paired with Pink Manish Lipglass you get a rather nice look!

It’s probably obvious that out of the two MAC Lipglasses released with Manish Arora, Shine Manish is my favorite. This is a marriage most wonderful when paired up with MAC Lipstick in Kiss Manish! The color is slightly lighter than kiss Manish but manages to keep that intense fiery orange color that made Kiss Manish such a hit for me!

MAC Lipglass in Pink Manish is a true pink that’s not quite fuchsia in my opinion. It has a small dose of sheer shimmer and pairs up beautiful well with Girl About Town!

And finally the Pièce de Résistance, the MAC Manish Arora Palette! This shouldn’t be appealing to me as it contains quite a few matte shades however I forgive MAC for the matte since they also included some rather nice shimmery shades as well! I likely have almost all these shades already but I’m a sucker for beautiful compacts!

Shades included are:

• Nylon (Why is Nylon looking more beautiful in this palette?)
• Going Bananas (Released with C-Shock)
• Bitter
• Playful
• Electric Eel
• Deep Truth

The colors are much more vibrant than these swatches you see! I was just being overprotective with my palette and not pressing hard!

Overall, the collection was a winner for me! I’m particularly pleased with MAC Lipstick in Kiss Manish, MAC Blush in Devil, MAC Lipglass in Shine Manish, and the beautiful palette!

Call me a fan girl, call me a groupie, but I personally think MAC did a nice job with this collection and it’s Muse Approved for purchase!

Please keep in mind this may be sold out online but as I mentioned in a prior post it officially sells at MAC North Robertson and MAC Soho tomorrow morning as of 11AM so call early to reserve! I got a bit busy today and didn’t get a chance to call about shipping so I’ll try to do so tomorrow and let you know!

I don’t yet have face of the day looks using any of this but will group some together shortly so you can see the collection at work!

The Muse is a happy camper now that she has Manish Arora in her possession!

Love it?

Hauled any of it for yourself?

What did you get?

Skipping?

Tell the Muse!

MAC Colour Forms Review and Swatches

MAC Neo Sci-Fi Review

MAC DressCamp Review

MAC Heatherette Review

Contrary to the fact that Becca disappeared off the shelves of Sephora far to quickly and got slashed down to 50% off towards it’s sad demise, it happens to still happily have a cult following within the US and Europe.

Becca is alive and kicking and still bringing out some rather fab palettes! I’ve never personally been a Becca follower but I was recently browsing the ASOS website and came across three new palettes from Becca for Fall and I must say they look rather nice and are appealing to the new, natural side of the Muse!

Um only problem…I can’t recall Becca being so expensive? These range from $55-$65 USD each but in their defense they are quite stunning! The palettes are available in three shade selections entitled Avalon, Sateen, and Velveteen.

Becca Velveteen Palette $55 USD (Respectively £44)

Contains: Eyeshadows in Organza (White Shimmer), Lurex (Gold Shimmer), Chintz (Khaki Green Shimmer), and Shantung (Bronze Shimmer)

Eyeliner in Barbarella (Rich Black)

Becca Sateen Eye Palette $55 USD (Respectively £44)

Contains: Eyeshadows in Chantilly (Lavender Demi Matte), Lame (Silver-Mauve Shimmer), Tweed (Warm Brown Demi-Matte), and Tussah (Antique Gold Shimmer)

Eyeliner in Bambi (Brown)

I’m actually feeling the love for the Becca Eye Palette in Velveteen in a major way! Hmmm may indulge in this and review soon!

Check out more Becca at their website and see Becca Avalon Palette which I also have my eye on!

Becca Europe, UK, and Other Locations Portal

Love these?

Love Becca?

Miss it from Sephora?

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At least some of us are still on Fall mode! Vintage Sister updated it’s website today with the Fall Lip Balm Collection which includes new and old favorites!

• Candy Corn
• Treat or Trick
• Black Licorice
• Caramel Apple
• Pumpkin
• Orange Clove

Want ‘em?

Favorite balms for the Fall?

Tell the Muse!

Vintage Sister Spring 2008 Collection

Vintage Sister Christmas Collection

Tasty Balms from Vintage Sister (Includes a brief introduction to Vintage Sister)

Look! Dontcha want ‘em?

After all the insanity of Holiday Collection that I’ve been bombarding you with lately I’m sure you needed a break and wanted to hear more about Fall!

Check out mark’s new Earth Face Glow powders! Sweet right?

These quite remind me of many of the highlighting powders released by Banila Co and VOV and also somewhat like a MAC MSF too!

At $7 USD each you can afford to indulge in one or all three! I want to check these out because they really look quite pretty and I wouldn’t mind a bit of shimmer and sparkle on my cheeks!

They are available in three shades Pebbles (Soft Peach Shimmer), Quartz (Rose Shimmer), and Solar (Gold Shimmer).

I bet if you check E-bay you could probably get ‘em for $4-$5!

Yes, the Muse must go and check now because she thinks she needs these on the double!

Want ‘em?

Tried ‘em?

Do tell!

mark Summer Gorgeous Eye Trios

mark Glossblossom Lip Tint Review

mark Customize your Shimmer Palettes

Sugar Sweet Cheeks Baked Blush Review

Missha Shimmering Over Blush Review

Golly..I’m reviewing Clarins Fall Collection tonight and already the Holiday Collection is knocking on my door!

Isn’t it nuts how quickly collections have popped up this year? Phew! I’m exhausted and it isn’t even Christmas yet!

Clarins celebrates the Holiday Season with some fabulous kits this year and at $40 USD they are quite wallet friendly in my humble opinion!

The collection includes three gorgeous palettes with a sparkling clutch! Three three limited edition purses are available in gold, black, and silver and include everything to make up your face, lips, and cheeks for the upcoming Holiday Season!

Clarins Chic & Glam Chic Black
3 Eye Shadows: Mystic Plum, Star Grey, and Midnight Grey
2 Lipglosses: Red Grape and Rose Fizz
Clarins Wonder Volume Mascara in Black
Face Powder
Black Clutch
Sponge, Eye Brush, Lip Brush, and Mirror

Clarins Chic & Glam Trendy Gold
3 Eyeshadows: Warm Gold, Sun Bronze, Candy Rose
2 Lip Gloss Shades: Rose Cocktail and Milk Chocolate
Clarins Wonder Volume Mascara in Black
Face Powder
Gold Clutch
Sponge, Eye Brush, Lip Brush, and Mirror

Clarins Chic & Glam Classy Silver
3 Eyeshadows: Purple Lilac, Smoky Grey, White Snow
2 Lip Gloss Shades: Raspberry Pop and Bubble Gum
Clarins Wonder Volume Mascara in Wonder Black
Face Powder
Silver Clutch
Sponge, Eye Brush, Lip Brush, and Mirror

The palettes look quite darling and at $40 USD they aren’t too badly priced for gift giving as well as spoiling yourself with one or two!

The Clarins Holiday Collection is available now on counters and at the Clarins site!

Be sure to stop back later tonight to hear my detailed review on Clarins Fall Collection 2008: Jazzy Colours

Loving these?

Love Clarins?

Tell the Muse!

Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation Review: It’s LOVE!

Clarins Instant Light Eye Perfecting Base Review