Musings of a Muse

I’m starting to feel like I’m the only makeup junkie alive who fails to feel the excitement for the MAC Hello Kitty Collection.

I’m so lonely, please don’t hate me (or hurt me).

New York has had pre-launch after pre-launch of this exciting collection and I’ve yet to attend a single one…..I’m just not feeling the love for Miss Kitty….

My story started some weeks ago when I was busy witching (exchange that w for a b) about the crazy strange goth look of Miss Kitty’s MAC release. Why black? Why god why!

Soon after the Muse decided she’d make up her own MAC Hello Kitty Collection and plea to the mighty gods at MAC to please give us pink and white? No one listened and the fan girls gathered at the gates of MAC Pro hammering the doors down and demanding their gothy black Hello Kitty packaging.

The Muse wept…cold and alone.

Was that too dramatic?

Probably.

But I lurve the dramas!

In all seriousness, MAC Hello Kitty sadly does not excite me however I do have a few odd pieces to share with you today. I will say that the packaging isn’t all bad mostly I’m not in love with the swirly bits but I do sorta dig the black but I must emphasize that the entire swirl effect they got going on…mmm not digging it. The palettes are actually quite awesome as they sport Hello Kitty’s cute little mug and a nice heavy spray of pink shimmer all over the palette! Fun, fun! Who knew?! However, the swirl design thingyamagee takes away from the palette and just makes it rather cheap looking in my humblest of opinions.

From what I’ve seen so far online the color selection looks pretty outstanding and I can definitely see myself loving some of these shades if I ever actually venture into a MAC store to sneak a peek. So far I haven’t been near a counter or a store as it just hasn’t held my interest.

I do wonder to myself if I’m falling off the MAC bandwagon or it’s just that I’m not particularly digging MAC Hello Kitty. I do think it’s a little bit of both but MAC will always remain near and dear to my heart it’s just that it’s been a tad bit hit or miss with me lately.

Actually, the moral of the story is, that I went and took my entire MAC Hello Kitty budget and blew it on a Kindle 2…obviously Kindle 2 trumped MAC Hello Kitty in this current stage of my life. However, I think I still might go and wander into MAC and just peek a bit more to see what appeals….I always say you never can tell until you see it for yourself, swatch it for yourself, and finally fall in love with it for yourself. Blogs are great, pics are wonderful, reviews are tops, but nothing quite makes up for just viewing it for yourself and finally making that decision of whether it’s a love or a leave.

Without further ado here are a few little pieces that ended up in my possession as the MAC fairy dropped them off at my house recently.

MAC Hello Kitty Eyeshadow Quad in Lucky Tom reminds me of Fafi’s release with the lemon (Crème Royal) and orange shade (Paradisco). Following up on these lighter shades are purple (Stylin) and a brown (Lucky Tom). This has to be the strangest mismatch of colors I’ve seen to date from MAC either that or I’m just not creative. Pairing two tropical shades (which I love by the way even though I already own Paradisco in a single) with a purple and brown completely throws me for a loop. Hello, do we has face charts please because I’m confused what to do next!?

MAC Hello Kitty Lipstick in Cute Ster is actually quite nice for Spring with it’s warm peachy base and golden shimmer. Loves this one!

MAC Hello Kitty Blush in Fun & Games is another winner for me as it’s a fabulous warm iridescent peach that will be flattering for the warmer weather ahead!

MAC Hello Kitty Lipglass in Fast Friends is sure to please anyone who likes unique shades of lipglass. The color is a nice purple but applies quite sheer aside from sparkling bits of purple shimmer it leaves behind. Should look fab on top of warmer berry shades!

And finally MAC Hello Kitty Nail Polish in Something About Pink which my sister is absolutely loving at the moment. This is a nice hot pink shade that should look fab on piggies this coming Spring and Summer!

Few things that deserved to be mentioned are the fact that, thank god, their are no stickers on the packaging. The design is not a sticker, no peeling off drama, no Dame Edna or Fafi problems here. The design is printed on the compacts, lipsticks, and glosses. Yay MAC! Also I think it’s worth mentioning that I really like this style quad for MAC and think they should embrace it with other palettes they release. It’s a nice slim line design that’s easy to store and great for traveling. I’m enjoying this size and style quite alot!

I’ll try not to disappoint, I promise to do my best and drag myself to MAC sometime this week to see if anything else strikes my fancy but be warned I might not be able to ever get over my depression of the MAC Hello Kitty release. Can we rewinds and do it over please?

What are you thoughts?

What have you hauled?

Get me the Muse in the spirit of things!

For some odd reason or another I couldn’t help but think of Toucan Sam when I seen the Guerlain Guerlain Paradise Exotique Eyeshadow Palette.

Maybe I was just hungry for some Fruit Loops?

I dunno what it is but the colors in the palette remind me of a bowl of brightly colored fruit loops! Hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing mind you.

Gorgeous is an understatement when confronting the brand new Guerlain Paradise Exotique EyeShadow Palette released for Spring 2009. The palette consists of three tropical (and fruity) shades and one brown shade thrown in for good measure. Hey, they had to have a little balance in there so brown was suitable for just that. I have a slew of Guerlain special release shadow palettes and I have to say this is quickly becoming a favorite as the shades are just lovely and pretty brilliant for the upcoming Spring season.

The fact that Guerlain manages to bring vibrant shades to a more mature audience definitely appeals. As I get older I’m somehow realizing that I can’t always walk out of the house sporting bold aqua eyeshadow, darn it I don’t want to grow up but this palette honestly makes it easy to wear bolder eye shadows but with a softer finish. The palette consists of lime green, a soft tropical orange, a vibrant yet soft pink, and a rather out of place brown shade. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the brown but I did acknowledge it as a good liner shade. Pairing up the fun shades in the palette is a blast and they all simply work well together. The green goes fabulously with the orange and the pink brings a little something special the to the green and so on and so fourth. Wear ‘em alone or mix them and match them for a cool tropical look.

The compact itself is a shiny metallic green with a palm and tropical bird design on the cover. It’s a typical classy Guerlain compact with a full size mirror, applicators, and that rather loathsome magnet for fingerprints finish…le sigh. One thing about Guerlain it sure does know how to make a palette that attracts fingerprints in a major way.

The shadows all have the customary silky formula that I’ve come to associate with Guerlain. In simple terms Guerlain shadows just work. They blend beautifully well and leave behind a silky finish that’s flawless. You’ll likely never run across a better shadow that leaves behind such an amazing finish and Guerlain always brings that high quality to the table with it’s eye shadow.

One minor rant would be that the gorgeous palm design on each shadow is an over spray so one swipe of your applicator and it’ll disappear fairly quickly. This is really a pet peeve of mine when it comes to Guerlain but I try to buck up and not cry too much over it however I’d love to see Guerlain maybe work on a better design that’s more deeply embedded into the shadows that will last far longer than after one simple swipe.

At $58 USD sadly, no, the palette is not cheap but for anyone who favors Guerlain it’ll seem like a small chunk of change to lay out for a truly stunning palette. This one is Muse Approved for purchase all the way around! Outstanding and truly beautiful. The Muse loves it!

For my look below I used the lime green as a contrasting shade in my crease and the tropical orange on my lid. I thought it came out kinda fun and it really kept my eyes bright, cheerful, and very awake without drowning them out in a ton of color.

Overall, I’m loving this palette and think it’ll make it’s way well into the Summer with it’s fun tropical shades.

Love the Guerlain Paradise Exotique Eyeshadow Palette?

Already brought it?

Wanting to?

Tell the Muse!

You know the Muse tends thinks that the creative genius behind MAC Eye Shadow in Forgery deserves a major award.

Although I have a slew of favorites when it comes to MAC Eye Shadow I do so admit that Forgery holds a special place in my heart.

It’s probably one of thee better shadows I own from MAC. Pairs up perfect with a cool look, works fabulous as a highlighter, tops off a smoky eye with just the right touch of shimmer, and simply screams sparkly brilliance.

Indeed, whoever created this shade deserves some sort of compensation. A tried and true favorite for this Muse.

Are you a fan of Forgery?

Tell the Muse!

Count the Muse curious but she’s busy a wondering. Are Bare Escentuals a Yay or a Nay with you?

Jump ahead to find out if the Muse is feeling Yay or Nay about ‘em!

I imagine many would beg to differ with me and tell me how much cheaper online mineral etailers are and how much more variety I can get for less, etc…but honestly Bare Escentuals Glimmers are a big yay for me!

I have dozens and dozens of these little guys and I continue to buy more as they release shades. I can find them on E-bay for really good prices plus pigmentation is awesome and quality is fantastic. Yes, mineral etailers definately have competitive pricing and variety but I haven’t met a mineral yet that’s as good as a Bare Escentuals Glimmer.

Big Yay for me!

How about you?

Yay or Nay?

Tell the Muse!

Best get into your inbox and start looking for your Sephora Spring Catalog 2009 ladies! The Sephora High Voltage Spring Catalog for 2009 is winging it’s way to your mail box as I type this.

I was shocked to come across my catalog so early in the season but hey I’m not complaining I always get hyped over a Sephora Catalog no matter the time of the year.

Surprisingly it’s jammed packed full of plenty of new products. Why my surprise? Well, I guess the economy has convinced me that somehow variety wouldn’t be making an appearance but have no fear plenty of choices to be had in the new catalog.

This year alot of emphasis on bright neon nail shades with more subdued eyes and brighter lip looks. I found the combos interesting to say the least. Some may open the catalog and think the models wearing the neon colored wigs a tad on the ridiculous side but I was feeling all that neon for some reason. Guess we can chalk it all up to my need for something bright as the weather is bleak and the economy is just plain dark, I’m sure we can all use a tiny bit of color in our lives at the moment! As per Spring 2008 they went with alot of bolder, vibrant looks but mostly it seems to lean more heavily on pooping lip shades and really outrageous nail colors.

Pretty good selections to be had as well and plenty of new items that we have pretty much already heard about already anyway but it’s always nice to read the details, see the prices, and just drool over the pretty pictures. Few reruns are thrown in for good measure from last season but I can cope with that.

Quite a few new mascaras are mentioned such as Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof, a new version of Lorac Specla Effects Mascara, and of course Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash. I was delighted to see the new Smashbox Beauty Guru Palettes which I hadn’t heard of until reading the catalog, those are looking quite nice!

Overall, I guess it isn’t an overwhelming amount of BRAND new items but plenty of selection for sure. I’m normally one for ranting a blue streak about how much I’m hating the catalog but I was kinda hyped to see it in with my mail today.

Flip through Sephora Catalogs from the past:

Sephora Spring Catalog 2008
Sephora Holiday Catalog 2007
Sephora Fall Catalog 2007

Did you get yours?

What do you think?

Loves it?

Leaves it?

Tell the Muse!