Musings of a Muse

While browsing through the many Physicians Formula items on display I came across the Flawless Complexion Kit and decided to give it a whirl for myself!

L@@K kids a hot mess waiting to happen!

The kit includes everything you need for minimal makeup while giving a fresh, flawless look to your skin or so it says on the box! It includes a Talc-Free Mineral Face Powder, Talc-Free Mineral Blush, and Talc-Free Matte Finishing Veil.

As I said in an earlier post Physicians Formula can rarely do any wrong with items it releases and in the case of the Flawless Complexion Kit we have a dud. It’s awful.

I normally I use the Physicians Formula Powder Multi-Colored Face Powder and I felt like the Mineral Face Powder in this kit was almost an exact dupe of that powder but it turns out that this particular powder is just rubbish!

The entire kit is $19.95 USD and includes a total of three items. I really thought this was a deal as normally Physicians Formula blushes and foundations run around $9.95 USD each so this was a saving of at least $10 USD for three items. It was like buying two getting one free but honestly it was comparable to flushing my money down the toilet or burning it!

Where to start with how bad this entire kit is. It doesn’t have a single item included in it that’s good aside from MAYBE the finishing powder.

The packaging does get a minor Yay for coolness. I love packaging that includes a little hidden, under the makeup compartment to stash your brush and in this case both the mineral foundation and blush sport that design. This alone gets a Yay from me. Hey, at least it has one redeeming quality right?

The first item I’ll review is the Mineral Face Powder. I’ve no idea what they were thinking when they created this! Where as the Multi-Colored Face Powder is beautifully silky and soft this is absolutely chalky! As I buffed it into my skin I couldn’t help buy cringe. It not only made me look ashy, chalky, and made up but it also gave my appearance an absolutely disgustingly dull look. The glow and health my skin normally radiates was completely dulled as soon as I began applying! It was like someone had a light bulb on and promptly turned it off! My skin was looking fresh and dewy from my prep of toner and lotion but as soon as the powder hit..eeewwwww! What the hell?

I was counting on the blush the kit came with to lighten up the damage that the mineral powder had done! I thought for sure this would redeem my face as is but hells no it made it worst! The blush this came with is a very soft peach shade entitled Blushing Glow. It’s a mineral blush and sports the same bad effect as the mineral powder! As soon as I applied it I got the same chalky, ashy look and terribly gross appearance as if I was playing in dirt or something! You can literally see how many layers I had on at this point! One layer of mineral powder and one layer of mineral blush! At this point I imagine if I sneezed puffs of smoke would rise from my face!

Yuck!

The shade looks pretty enough in the palette but once on I thought it gave off a rather dull bronze look!

Finally, I figured I came this far I might as well finish with the Matte Finishing Veil. It can’t get any worst than this can it? Oh yes it can! The mineral veil is just another un-ending layer of chalk on my face! The brush on this is so harsh I could literally feel it scratching my skin! I’m shocked it didn’t leave some sort of mark on my face it was so hard! It does deserve a mention that the packaging on it was pretty good due to the fact that it dispersed product so well. Tip it and the powder flowed evenly into the brush! Very nice! However, the brush itself was absolute rubbish!

So now my look is complete. One layer of mineral foundation, one layer of mineral blush, and one layer of finishing veil. I imagine my face is bulletproof by this time. I’ve tried ALOT of makeup in my time but never had I felt so made up in my life. I felt like I was sporting a few pounds of powder on my face. On top of that it killed my skin! Killed it! My normally fresh, flawless skin was drowned in a see of disgusting powder that made it look dull, ashy, chalky, and just terrible!

Wow. Just wow. I can’t begin to describe to you how bad this kit truly is! I’m shocked and saddened to say as such because I truly do love Physicians Formula and believe they make some sincerely awesome products but this is awful!

I’m actually quite amazed that one little kit could do so much damage.

As you can see from my FOTD below I’m looking like hell warmed over a few times over:

Verdict: Don’t buy it! Don’t get sucked in by the cheap price and the cool array of products it includes! It’s wasted time and money! The Muse says NEVER again!

Have you tried this?

Love it?

Hate it as much as the Muse!

Tell me about it!

Click to here my ravings about Physicians Formula Cream Mineral Wear Foundation and Concealer! All for under $10 bucks!

Want more Beauty on a Budget? Get a sneak peek of upcoming reviews by clicking here!

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A few weeks ago I had reported to you that my article on Etude House’s Spring Collection was published on a popular Korean media site.

Today a very kind reader, jkim, brought to my attention that I had made an appearance on the Etude House’s official blog plus made a second appearance at The Daily Cosmetic.

Jkim was totally gorgeous enough to translate the entire article for me and I’m eternally grateful to her for it! Thanks lovie! The Muse hearts you in a major way right now!

I thought I’d share with what was said in the article! I’m EXTREMELY proud of the large community of Asian readers I have at Musings and it just tickles me that I’m recognized for that on Etude House’s blog and The Daily Cosmetic!

Check it:

??????, ?? ??? ???!

Etude House Breaking Down American Walls!
? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??

American Women Learn About Etude House Through Blogs

????????? daily@dailycosmetic.com

??? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???
??? ??.

Etude’s famous Korean cosmetics are slowly breaking down the steep walls of Asia and
the U.S.

???? ?? 5 ? ? ???? ??? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???
????? ?? ?? 2 ? ? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????.

Five years ago, Etude created the Etude House brand within Korea with a new concept
and products that recaptured women’s hearts. Now, for the last two years, the company
has successfully entered various Asian markets.

??? ???? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???
??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ? ?? ??? ????
???? ??.

But it hasn’t stopped there. Now, with American women learning about the products
through various American blogs, Etude House is beginning to transform itself into a
global brand.

?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ????
?? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???
?? ??.

In particular, for a domestic (Korean) brand to move beyond Asia and reach American
consumers is extremely rare but it’s proving itself not to be an exception even to a
cosmetics powerhouse like the U.S.

???? ???? ?? ? ??? ??? ??

Etude House products shown here in an American blog

? ?? ??? ‘Cosmetic w.’? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? 80 ?
??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??. ??? ???? ??? ??? ???
??? ? ? ??? ??? ?? ???, ???, ????, ???? ? ? 10 ??? ???
??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??. ??? ??? ??? ????? ? 140 ? ??
??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ? ? ???.

Referring to herself as a “Cosmetic w. (whore)” for her obsession with makeup, this
woman reviews an average of 80 products a month on her blog. The Etude House
products she reviewed came from this Spring’s new Peach line, which included the Pore
Erasing Peach Base, blusher, eyeshadow, lipgloss, etc. In all, around 10 products -
practically the entire line. There are nearly 140 comments total on all of her entries
regarding Etude, proving the popularity and interest of these products.

??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? “? ???? ??? ???? ???
??? ?? ?? ? ?? ?? ????(it’s wonderful, brillant primer and the price is
ridiculously inexpensive for such a great product)” ?? ???? ??? ??? ???
?? ??. ? ???? ?? ? ??? ?????“?? ???? ?? ????? ????
?? ?? ? ???? ???”? ??.

In her review of the Peach Skin Pact and Pore Erasing Peach Base, she sang its praises
by saying, “It’s wonderful, brillant primer and the price is ridiculously inexpensive for
such a great product” (sic). Ji Eun Yang, a college student who visited this blog, said
“I’m really proud of the fact that Korean cosmetics are starting to gain recognition all
over the world.”

??? ??? ??? “???? ? ??? ?? ??, ?? ?? ??? ?? ???
???? ????”?, “???? ? ??? ? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ? ??
??? ????? ??? ?”??? ???.

The Etude marketing director stated, “In today’s world, where ‘global’ is a big buzzword,
we were able to reaffirm the possibilities for Etude’s international ventures,” adding, “We
plan to develop fresh new products that will win the hearts of not only Asian consumers
but of those in the entire world.”

- ??? ? ????????, ?? ?? ? ??? ?? -
2008-05-19 ?? 2:17:00 ?thedailycosmetic.com

If you have a language pack installed you should be able to see the characters if not you’re likely seeing lots of question marks! Just read between the question marks for the English translation!

You can see the original story, in all it’s glory, by clicking here!

A big, big thanks to jkim for bringing this to my attention and for doing the translation!

I look forward to bringing you future reviews on all good things Korea! As you already know I love me some K-Drama So expect more K-Drama reviews too!

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I recently decided to risk life and limb by sawing open my Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Kids, don’t try this sh*t at home!

The bright idea to try this stemmed from my desperation for Primer Potion. My sister is out of town this week and I know I won’t have much time to head to Sephora to nab a new bottle and ordering online isn’t an option considering that it’ll take days to get here!

My schedule is booked solid this week with work, life, and everything else so yesterday morning I realized I was most definately out of primer!

My god the horror of it all!

My shadow creases in a sincerely major way be it Summer or Winter but its particularly bad in the humid weather that we are having. So as I pumped, pumped, pumped away this morning (you know what I mean if you’re a UD primer user) I realized that the good old tube of primer has reached it’s cash in date and was headed towards the rubbish bin!

My unsuspecting tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion!

When I came home later that night the bright idea to SAW open the tube came to me! It was a like a bright light bulb going off in my head! Of course! I’d just saw open the tube easily like I’ve seen performed on other blogs and mounds of primer would await me.

Yea…right.

My ass. Excuse my french

This is not a matter of simply sawing open the tube! This takes some sincere sweat, blood, and tears to do! Holy crap it was like a cardio work out just to get the bloody thing apart! I swear I must have been there 10 minutes at least sawing away with my dull kitchen knife! I couldn’t help but think how proud freaking Michael Myers would be of me!

All yur primers are belongs to me biatch!

Tools of the trade! Yes, this is what I used to hack the thing apart!

After narrowly missing slicing my thumb off and just grazing it enough to spurt blood all over the place I finally got the tube sliced open!

Starting to saw!

Slowing getting there!

And low and behold inside laid nirvana. You can watch videos, you can view pictures but nothing prepares you for the first time you saw open your very own tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion. Angels sung, birds chirped, all was right with the world again.

Holy COW! L@@K at all that primer!

And some more……….

After some major scoopage!

Sincerely, there was at least enough in the upper part of the tube to last me the rest of the month if not more!

Sadly, after the workout of cutting the top half open I wasn’t prepared for doing the bottom half. It was suggested on a video tutorial to slice not only the top but the bottom as well but the Muse has an attachment to her fingers and since she survived the first round of hacking she decided it was best to call it a day!

Do I recommend slicing your tube open?

Hells no!

This is sincerely hard, dangerous work! I’m thinking that $25 USD for a dual package of primers isn’t too bad a price to pay to keep all my fingers on one hand!

If you value your limbs I say don’t try it! It’s seriously a chore and I was just desperate!

Have you ever cracked open your tube of UDPP?

Considering it?

Love your fingers as much as the Muse loves hers?

Tell me all about it!

I’m thinking next time it would be easier to get a straw, stick it in, and suck the remaining potion out!

Better ideas anyone?

A most happy ending!

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Before I begin my review today I think it deserves a mention that I have a serious love affair with Physicians Formula cosmetics. I’ve been using the line since I was a wee teenager and have always felt they have released many products that pack a mighty fine bang for your buck! One of my favorite powders by Physicians Formula made it into my Year End Review for 2007. The line contains some seriously superior products with a really great price tag and it’s probably one of the very few drugstore brands that I trust with my money!

On to the review……

Physicians Formula has been very busy lately releasing all sorts of interesting products such as mineral wear and an organic range of cosmetics. I’ve neglected the line for a bit as I have a few staples that I normally stock up on and as I run low I always have a back up so it’s rare I need to venture into a drugstore to purchase any of the line.

Imagine my delight when I came across a big old display of Physicians Formula at the Walmart empire while shopping with my sister!

One of the first items that caught my eye was the Mineral Wear Cream Foundation. Why did that catch my eye first? It had a free gift attached. The Muse likey free gifts.

I’ve been searching for a new foundation for a while now. I use Morgen Schick Hide and Highlight palette as my main foundation but for some reason I haven’t been able to achieve the flawlessness that the palette normally gives me. My search has taken me on an endless stream of trying and ditching products rapidly as of late.

When I noticed this foundation I figured it was worth trying out for the price plus…did I mention..it came with a free gift!

This foundation is awesome. Oh my god the Muse loves it. It MAY be a tiny bit drying to some but I found it pure perfection. Silky, smooth, easy to blend, amazing coverage and takes my skin from dull to flawless in a snap! Plus did I mention it came with a free gift and it’s cheap as a day chips too? Are you in love with it yet?

One of the main things to love about this foundation is the uber awesome packaging. It comes in a squeeze style tube that has an attached sponge applicator. Squeeze a little bit of product on to the sponge and begin application by running the sponge across your face. I found that the sponge worked great at applying the product evenly and I didn’t have to touch my face a single time to blend! Coverage is amazingly good and my dull skin takes on a very nice smooth, radiant appearance in preparation for my blush. You can apply a very sheer amount if you desire or build up coverage as you see fit. The sponge applicator makes the coverage you seek easy to apply and blend.

The formula is very creamy but does feel somewhat dry once applied this could be because it dries matte but this didn’t sway my good opinion. The product is Talc-Free and claims to be fantastic for extra sensitive skin that are prone to break-outs.

Coverage lasted all day and I had no oily eruptions in the humid weather. The foundation felt weightless and breathable in the warm weather plus I looked put together and gorgeous all day!

The shade I tried was Creamy Natural which is a nice fair shade that will compliment medium fair skin tones. I stupidly didn’t pay close attention to the other colors available so I can’t say for sure if any shades are available for yellow skin tones or darker skin tones. The entire collection always appeared to cater to the fairer skin tone but maybe I haven’t paid enough attention when making my color selections.

The prepackaged foundation had a free gift as I mentioned earlier on which was a concealer click pen. I’ve tried Physicians Formula concealers prior to this and loved them but I’ve never tried this particular concealer. Turns out it’s a very good concealer. My favorite packaging for concealer is a click pen so of course I’m all on board when it comes to that style packaging! The concealer comes in a small pen, click a few times to get the product following, swipe on, pat into place and you’re dark circles are covered up and you appear awake and well rested once again! The formula is creamy and moisturizing plus it blends beautifully so minimal tugging is involved during application. All in all a very nice little concealer for the price!

The entire package cost me $9.48 USD and that’s probably the least amount I’ve ever paid for foundation and concealer in my life. I normally spend close to $30 USD for concealer alone and an additional $40-$50 for foundation. Imagine my surprise and delight that I got both a great foundation and concealer packaged together at least 80% lower to what I’m normally shelling out for product.

In all seriousness if you’re currently on a budget or you’re just looking for a cheaper solution for foundation and concealer this little package can’t be beat! I’m unsure how long they will package the two items together but even purchased separately you’re still saving yourself some serious cash!

I’ve a big supporter and believer in purchasing high end concealers and foundations. I truly support designer brands when it comes to both considering that I get better results, longer wear, and excellent coverage from counter brands! However, Physicians Formula gets a big Muse Approval for purchase as it sports all of the following bang for your buck:

• Long-Wearing
• Creamy, Moisturizing Formula
• Ridiculously Cheap Price Tag
• Excellent Packaging (Sponge Applicator, Click style pen)
• Perfect Matte Finish for Summer when skin tends to become oily

All in all I’m very happy I picked this up and I recommend trying it out for yourself! You can’t break the bank by at the very least testing it out for yourself!

The Muse is all over Mineral Wear Cream Foundation and Concealer from Physicians Formula! We have a winner here!

Use this already?

Love it?

Love Physicians Formula?

Want to try it?

Tell the Muse!

Click here to join in on the discussion of what your Beauty on a Budget finds are!

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Since the world as we know it has taken a nose dive and gas prices have risen up to $4.95 USD per a gallon and the future of the presidential election is the biggest mystery since Elvis appearing on a slice of whole wheat toast I’ve decided that we must have a Beauty on a Budget Week!

Yes kids, now is the time to take responsibility for our money and hope for the best.

And everyone from England who’s groaning about the ridiculously low cost of gas should know we yanks are spoiled and $4.95 USD is damn expensive!

The moral of the story is today my sister brought me to Walmart (I should say a few days ago as this was written a bit ago! Sorry ’bout that peeps!) as I kicked, screamed, and pleaded with her to PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ME TO WALMART FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THINGS GOOD AND HOLY!

I hate Walmart.

With a passion.

I really do.

Sorry if you love it.

I simply hate it.

It’s a giant space filled with really cheap stuff…I mean seriously cheap….I mean tacky cheap….I mean….ok I’m being a bit dramatic…you get the point. Aside from that I won’t get into what an evil empire it is!

Anyway. She’s going on holiday shortly and needed a few bits and bobs so somehow that translated into “Let’s go to Walmart!”

And it turned into a day trip with her, my best friend Jai, and myself. Praise Jebus that Jai came along for the ride! I mean seriously who else could I trade catty remarks with while browsing the aisles of really cheap crap laying around Walmart.

I’ve no idea how we got invovled in this road trip but obviously we had nothing better to do with our fabulous selves aside from following my sister around while she loaded her cart with enough stuff to cloth, feed, cleanse, and make up an entire country.

Since Jai and I drew the line at following her into the clothing department (our eyes were burning enough already imagine if we were presented with racks and racks of cheap clothes???) we wandered into the cosmetic aisles and amused ourselves with really cheap drugstore cosmetics.

And as we browsed we decided that we’d spend some bucks on really cheap drugstore finds and do an article on all the cool or maybe not so cool stuff we found!

So since inspiration struck in the middle of the cosmetic aisle at Walmart I’ve decided to bring you a week in review of really cheap, Beauty on a Budget finds!

You’ll see a new Beauty on a Budget review each day for the next week (or until I run out of crap to review).

In all seriousness, catty comments aside, I think it’s a great way for me to broaden my horizons and see what else is available that can’t be found at Neimans, Saks, Sephora, Nordies, or the inside of Japanese, Korean, and Singaporean drugstores.

It’ll be a real learning experience for me!

It’s a great essential guide for you as well since these may be a few items you might have wanted to try but like me have been burned one too many times by drugstore brands and have passed them by chalking them up as money well NOT spent.

I’ll be featuring many items I’ve passed up MANY times that I’ve wanted to try but have been highly skeptical of!

I hope you’re excited to learn more about these items and hey maybe I’ll find something in this pile that I actually really do LOVE!

What are your Beauty on a Budget favs?

Share ‘em with the Muse!

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My Mum always said never judge a book by it’s cover but I imagine she didn’t have MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator in mind when she sprouted those words of wisdom.

Have you seen this stuff? It’s disgusting. This stuff is absolutely rank. It’s a gooey mess of black sludge that will bring to mind the very worst budget horror films to the forefront of your feeble little brain.

But, as with all things, it appears my Mum was somehow right when she gave me that Mr. Roger’s mentality speech about how something might look bad but that didn’t necessarily mean it was bad.

Go Mum!

Even though MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator looks like it was scraped from the bottom of a rotting pile of garbage that does not account for it’s awesomeness. And boy oh boy is it awesome.

So this here blends volcanic ash with sugar crystals and Bob’s your Uncle you have a face and body scrub! How’s that for cool? Now you can run around and tell your friends how your skincare sports volcanic ash in it! If that does not make you the coolest kid on the block all hope is lost people!

It’s black, it’s gross, but turns out it smells heavenly. Go figure. The contradiction is too much to wrap my little mind around! I really love the smell! I can’t describe it too well but it’s half floral, half herbal, a bit foody and all good!

The consistency is a cocktail of slippery and oily fun. It contains a healthy dose of sugar crystals to scrub the dead skin cells off your face, elbows, knees, and just about anywhere else you’re seeking smooth, gorgeous skin!

I’ve only tried it on my face for the better part of the week and promptly made it my business to grab a second jar of it before it’s gone from the shelf for good.

Dear MAC, many of us would appreciate it if this was added to the permanent catalog! Thanks so much!

-the Muse and friends.

I can’t stop touching my face after I’ve used this. It feels so smooth and lovely! I’ve used this three times last week and I’ve noticed a vast improvement of the pesky blackheads that take up residence on the tip of my nose.

A little goes a long way so the generous size jar should last you a few months especially considering you won’t be using it daily. $19 USD gets you a big old 4.5 oz/133 ml bucket of this stuff and I’m sad to report it’s completely sold out at MAC’s website but do check around other sites or head on in to your local store to nab it while the going is good.

After three uses I noticed a vast improvement in my dry, oily weird-o combo skin I sport in the Summer. My skin is now beautifully smooth minus my dry, patchy cheeks and oily forehead! Thanks MAC!

I happened to notice after use that my latest obsession, Urban Decay’s Surreal Skin Mineral Makeup, is applying way better than ever before! Good news for the mineral foundation users this will make a perfect prep scrub in the shower!

This is easy enough to use and no prior brain surgery training is required. Wet your face, take a small amount of product and begin rubbing it on with gentle circular motions. As you rub you’ll notice the crystals begin to disappear and the scrub slowly foams up some. I keep scrubbing for about a minute or two and rinse with cold water. That’s it! Done! Beautiful skin all prepped and ready for your moisturizer and makeup!

MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is a winner for the Muse! I have two jars stocked in my washroom closet and I’m thinking I may need a few more if this won’t be making a reappearance anytime soon!

This one gets a hearty Muse Approval for purchase!

Go get it girls!

Love it?

Tried it?

Want to?

Tell the Muse!

Update:

It took me a few but I finally firgured out what was niggling at the back of my head about MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator!

It quite reminds me of Lush Coal Face!

It smells similar and does pretty much the same thing coal face does aside from the fact it’s a liquid scrub and coal face is a solid form!

So the good news is if you fail to find MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator at your local counter or freestanding you can head on over to Lush and grab yourself a chunk of coal face to comfort yourself with!

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Meet my Summer Must Have lipglass from MAC:

Pink Grapefruit.

Ahhh just the name makes shivers run down my back.

It’s simply thee most gorgeous shade of yum I’ve come across in a long, long time.

Have you picked this up yet? Stop reading this and get to MAC before it’s gone!

Hurry! Now damn you now!

Oh, Pink Grapefruit how I love thee, let me count the ways!

You’re a cocktail of shimmery orange, pink, red goodness that screams Summer hotness!

You’re gorgeous neon orange packaging is both hip and glow in the dark awesome.

You’re sticky and tacky but you last and last and last all day long!

You’re flattering too all my coral, peach, and orange blush shades!

You rock the socks off my shimmering gold, peach, orange, and copper eyeshadow collection!

Even thought I wasn’t feeling the MAC Summer trio of color stories over much I do so admit that Pink Grapefruit totally has my love for the moment and is most definately my latest obsession for Summer gorgeous!

Truly it’s a unique shade that I haven’t yet run across from MAC! The site calls it a combo of orange with gold pearl but it just seems like a mix of pink, red, orange, and copper! It’s a really complex color that is simply stunning on!

MAC Lipglass in Pink Grapefruit is a Summer Must Have for the Muse and gets a big, hearty Muse Approved for purchase!

If you’re purchased nothing else from MAC’s latest color stories you MUST at least get this!

How about you?

Own it?

Love it?

Tell the Muse!

Want more gloss? Check below for some great posts!

Click here to find out why I’m not loving Stila’s Kitten Silk Shimmer Gloss!

Click here to find out how much I’m loving MAC Dazzleglass with my raving review!

Click here to read about the Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflects I hauled from the Summer 2008 Collection!

Click here to read my obsession with a certain shade of tangerine gloss!

Click here to read what glosses made it onto My Current Beauty Addiction List!

Click here to read my obsession with Bubblegum Pink glosses!

Click here to read about the Ettusias Glitter Princess Collection and the glosses that came out with the release!

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Meredith at Daily Dose of Coffee attempts to stop the ravages of time on her face with L’Oreal’s Skin Genesis line. Find out how it works and what she thinks.

Viva Woman invites you to check out her updated tips on sunscreen protection and application this summer.

Advice Sister Alison at The Advice Sisters Guide to Life, Success and Happiness Blog discovers a luxe, multi-tasking face treatment by Chanel :a luxe, multi-tasking face treatment by Chanel called HYDRAMAX + ACTIVE TEINTE Active Moisture Tinted Lotion SPF 15. It’s truly a Skin Saving Wonder and it’s Advice Sisters Product of the Week!

Tink at Casual Lavish explores the nail polish watercoloring technique.

Beauty Anonymous thinks Anna Sui Fall 2008 Makeup Collection is adorable!

Summer skin got you down? Beauty411 reviews a new product from REN that will jumpstart your skin and leave it looking like you just had a facial!

Beauty in Real Life has great summer makeup tips from a celebrity makeup artist.

Jeanne at Periodic Style wants to get buff this summer…

Talking Makeup: How To Give Your Skin A Natural Glow by Celebrity Nutritionist Oz Garcia.

Monique at Beauty Girl Musings shares a new product to help control those fly-aways!

The Jet Set Girls try out L’Oreal’s latest self tanner.

Joy from the Makeup Junkie dishes on her night out with Cover Girl!

Discover which skincare line is loved by celebrity moms andA Mom in Red High Heels alike!

Toya from The Life of A Ladybug proves brown girls can and should wear orange in her Electro FOTD!

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Lately I’ve been daring enough to try out various cream eyeshadows. I’m normally not a big fan of cream shadows but I’ve run across some really good ones and this has turned my Nay into a Yay when it comes to them.

I recently blogged about Vincent Longo’s Beautiful Dreamer Summer Collection and one of the main items released with it were some new liquid shadows. Of course, I had to go out and buy them for myself so I could review them here!

I was pretty excited about these as they appeared to be a shimmering liquid shadow plus the colors looked very Summer friendly. I do so admit that product gets sold to me very quickly when the promo images of the model sporting the makeup looks posh, put together, and simply gorgeous. This may stem from some unconscious need to look that flawless, that gorgeous, or it could be I’m hoping to attempt the same eye, lip, or cheek look. Who knows really but I do automatically hunt out a product if I’m liking the way it appears on a model pimping the collection out. The model was looking simply stunning in this particular advert.

The collection, aside from the liquid shadow, wasn’t anything to get too excited about so I ended up purchasing just two colors of the shadow and leaving the rest. The liquid shadow only comes in four shades which is both good news and bad. Bad, if I ended up loving the product and not being able to get my hands on more colors of a great product. Good, because I actually didn’t end up loving Vincent Longo Liquid Shadow as much as I had hoped I would.

I was expecting a shimmering cream shadow but sadly that’s not the case. The lack of shimmer in these lead to the downward spiral that will slowly become my poor review on the product.

Did I miss the trendy boat that said metallics are so in this season? I never got the memo. This goes to show you how much of a non-trendy person I am. I tend to march to a different drum then the rest of the cosmetic society because I had no idea that metallics were so huge this Summer. I guess I should have gotten a hint when Bobbi Brown released it’s Metallic Single Eyeshadows or when Bourjois Paris came out with it’s Shimmer Shine Liquid Eye Shadow.

Which brings me to the fact that these do in fact dry down to a high metallic sheen. Although I don’t mind metallics, I just don’t find I reach for them first thing. These have some good key factors so it’s not all bad. They dry down very slowly giving you plenty of time to build up color and blend as much or as little as you like. I think this is key with liquid shadows and I really appreciate this type of formula when I buy a cream shadow! One of the main reasons I avoid cream shadow is the incredibly quick dry down time which makes blending such a bitch. The fact that these dry down so slowly and give plenty of time for both blending and adding additional product to build up the color is a big plus. They are also very long wearing and have pretty good pigmentation but you do have to slather color on to see a good pop of color. One brush stroke will definately not create a dramatic eye so be prepared to saturate your eye area with cream shadow.

The colors I got were Supple Rose which is a warm pink and Liquid Desire which is a golden peach. Guess what? They look exactly the same on my eye. I couldn’t really tell too much of a difference between the colors once they were on. Swatches appeared really gorgeous and shimmering and you can distinctively tell a difference in color. However, once applied the color melded on and both looked identical. I was particularly taken with the look of Liquid Desire when I swatched it but it ended up just being blah when it was on my eye!

Supple Rose

Liquid Kiss

As you can see from my FOTD’s it looks like I’m wearing the same exact shade of shadow in both photos.

Aside from the drama of color I just didn’t get the wow factor at all. The payoff in the end is very natural, neutral, and dare I say boring? Although you can’t see it in my pictures the effect is that of a high sheen of metallic. The shadow dries down but it still appears somewhat shiny and wet. You’d think this alone would give some sort of dramatic effect. Nope. Not really. Yawn.

I really can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that I’m disliking about these. I’m not thrilled about the price either. $24 USD per shadow isn’t exactly cheap chips and it seems even more expensive when I am not loving the product! Have no fear I imagine I’d be a real sport about the $24 bucks if I was loving these!

When it’s all is said and done I think you can safely skip these. Nice to play with, nice to try, but don’t be fooled by the swatches you might do while in Sephora. As pretty and shimmering as they look on your hand you just won’t get the same effect once the product is on your eyes.

Although the formula is excellent in regards to blending and pigmentation in the end it fails at creating any wow or excitement.

The Muse no likey.

Skip it and buy something else.

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Stila jumps on board the cool, refreshing band wagon and releases it’s new Hydrating Powder and Primer.

Both the powder and primer are available for pre-order at Stila’s site and are supposed to be officially released in 2-3 weeks but you can order now! I’m unsure exactly when the items will ship but it’s safe to say it’ll be before the official release of both!

I’m actually curious about both and leaning towards investing my hard earned cash into buying them! I have my doubts about the price but it may well be worth it!

I’ve been searching for a good primer for a while now and “hydrating” primer sounds quite interesting. Stila’s hydrating primer has an SPF 15 which is a big plus and anti-aging ingredients. The price at $34 USD does make me shudder but as I always say, “whoever said being beautiful was cheap?”

Stila Hydrating Primer

The powder also has my eye and I’m curious of it’s a cooling, “wet” feeling powder but again at $32 USD I am raising my eyebrows! At this price I can just dive in and purchase the Awake powder I’ve had my eye on for ages! But I’m not totally crossing this off the list as of yet! Must test this out and see for myself!

Stila Hydrating Powder

This is proof that certain words will trigger off that “need” for product! As soon as I heard hydrating I was ready to jump on the site, whip my credit card out, and begin the buying spree!

Will I review these? Depends! Stay tuned and they might pop up around here soon!

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Another Summer Collection for Banila Co has been released entitled Sun Blessed. This is the 2nd release for Summer from Banila Co and is much warmer than it’s previous release entitled “Blue”.

Releasing with the Sun Blessed Collection are the following items:

Face Blusher for 18,000 won which is a shimmering bronzer blush, Bronzer Highlighter for 12,000 won which is a shimmering cream bronzer for face and body, Bronzing Body Liner for 8,800 won, two new shades of the marble eyeshadows in a shimmering bronzy gold and a blue for 8,500 won each, two shades of shimmering lipstick for 12,000 won each, and several new shades of polish for 4,000 won each.

Sun Blessed Face Blusher

Sun Blessed Bronzing Highlighter

Sun Blessed Marbled Eyeshadows, Shimmer Lipstick, and Nail Polish

The collection looks lovely but I doubt I’ll be partaking as a few other items such as Etude House’s Sherbet Cool Party Collection has caught my eye!

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Click to read about Banila Co’s cooler Summer Collection!

Click to read why I’m lusting after the new Etude House Summer Skincare line up!

Craving more Korean cosmetics? Click to read my rave review for Etude House Pore Erasing Peach Base and Peach Pact Powder!

Get the scoop on Laneige’s Summer Collection by clicking here!

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One of my very favorite brands from Japan has updated it’s website with the latest Summer Collection. Susie N.Y. is a drugstore brand available in Japan that has a nice selection of cosmetics that really appeal to my sense of simplicity. I really enjoy the funky, fun colors released in the Summer!

Last Summer they released three dual eye color palettes in beautiful Summer shades that I really adored. Each palette contained a shimmering gold/silver glittery base and one solid, bold color. There was some debate over the fact that each palette contained the same exact base shade and how wasteful it was to purchase all three palettes for this reason. Even after the grave argument of whether it was worth shelling out cash for all three palettes with the same single base I ended up diving right in and purchasing all three (did you think I’d do anything different!? Come on now you know me!). The base is a really stunning shade and not only compliments the secondary color in the palette but other single colors I have! I’m actually happy I have three of the same shade as it’s become a staple for me when I prep my eye area for a deeper, darker, shade of shadow!

Summer 2007 Releases

Gorgeous Base Color

As you can see from the above photos Susie N.Y. takes a note from Shu’s simple, classic packaging. The Summer releases always seem to pop up in the same clear, plastic palette style which I adore (most of the other line sports the same packaging but larger forms such as the eye quads). The simplicity of the packaging is both practical and pretty to my eye and make for great storage as they are tiny and easy to stock in a bin!

This year Susie N.Y. has spiced things up with it’s Summer offerings and is offering two different palettes. A few new nail colors were introduced as well but what really caught my eye were the new dual eyeshadow palettes. From what I can see on the site it appears the base this year is a cream and the main color is powder! The combination of a cream and powder shadow should be an interesting combo!

The palettes are entitled “Attracting Eye” and are available in two shades for 1,400 yen each (around $12 USD each or “£6 GBP) but it’s safe to say they will be a bit discounted within drugstores.

The shades available are Miss No. 1 which is a deep rose pink powder and a complimenting lighter pink cream base and Daring which is a deep gold powder and a lighter shimmering cream base. The basic idea of each palette is to use the cream as a base and to line your eye with the powder but I think you can definately get creative with how you do up your eye with these! Who says we can’t have fun right?

The model appears to be sporting Miss No. 1 and I’m really liking the fresh, rosy look they have created with this palette!

All in all this collection has shaped out rather well. I love smaller collections for the Summer as I have time to save money for the soon to be released Fall collections! Expect a review on these palettes from me shortly as they have made their way onto my wishy list!

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Etude House’s website has been updated with the Summer Collection. The collection does not contain any makeup items but concentrates solely on skincare! I was slightly disappointed to see that no cosmetics were included but after viewing the items released I was intrigued by a few so I’ll be picking these up shortly and reviewing them as soon as I can!

The skincare is relatively good and I’m actually seriously considered ditching Lush for it. I’ve tried a toner and a moisturizer and both were fantastic plus the price is ridiculously cheap! Sadly, I’m unsure of what the products contain as I can’t read the bottle but I’ve had no oily spots as I sometimes get with certain moisturizers. I imagine the alcohol content is relatively low or non existent in the products as I’ve had no problem with dry patches either!

Just the name of the new Collection has me giddy to try it out! Sherbet Cool Party! Wahoo sounds rather refreshing doesn’t it?

The products are range in price from 9,000 to 12,000 won which is a ridiculous low cost of $9-$12 USD and these are GOOD size products mind you!

I’m purchasing the entire line which includes a toner, a gel moisturizer, serum, and a few other bits!

With the promo images pimping out cool, refreshing images, icy pictures, and just general snowy pictures here and there I’m picturing each item to actually have some sort of “cooling” benefits for the hot, humid weather!

The Muse is all over this collection! I normally don’t get so hyper about skincare but this has me positively enthralled!

Expect a review as soon as I can airmail this my way!

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Aren’t random acts of kindness awesome?

I was discussing Bourjois Paris’s New Rouge Hi-Tech a few weeks ago and one of my readers in England kindly e-mailed me soon after asking if I’d like a CP for it!

A big thanks goes out to Laura for helping the Muse out! Laura sent over my stain with a beautiful card that is now gracing my desk!

You can thank her for this review since this new stain is not yet available within the US as of yet!

At first glance the packaging misleads you into believing this is a creamy lip color however its very much a stain! I couldn’t be more thrilled with this as my very favorite product from Bourjous Paris, Bons Baisers de Paris, has long since been gone from our shelves!

The packaging is identical to the Bourjois Paris Shimmer Shine Liquid Eye Shadow. Unscrew to reveal the top of the wand applicator, pop the applicator out, and you’re ready to rock.

The formula is your typical gel like stain that’s a deep rose pigment. These come in a few shade options and I got the deeper shade of pink available. I didn’t find the formula drying in the least. Since this is a gel-like texture it goes on very moist and wet and leaves behind beautiful, pink lips. I love the look of “just bitten” lips or lips that look like I just had a cherry ice pop and this indeed gives me that look!

This is an ideal item for Summer and definately makes its way onto my Summer Makeup Must Have list simply because it’s refreshing, light, extremely long wearing and gives a beautiful burst of color to my lips without being heavy!

I went ahead and got really random by applying it to my cheeks as well as my lips. I’m happy to report it doubles up as a killer cheek stain. Although I’m somewhat grossed out by using one product on my lips and cheeks (as you may have already read my distaste for this from my Stila Cherry Crush Review) I couldn’t resist trying this out. It gave my cheeks a lovely blushing color! I was so taken with it on my cheeks that I may just need a back up bottle to use as a cheek stain!

Un-blended

Blended

I’m thinking at this price you can easily use it as a Benefit Benetint or Posietint dupe! You get almost identical results plus it’s much, much cheaper! This was available on sale at Boots for £5.75 and will likely cost between $12 and $16 USD when it arrives on our side of the pond.

All in all Bourjois Paris has another winner on it’s hands! Rouge Hi-Tech definately gets a hearty Muse Approval!

The Muse is loving the cost, loving the fresh look it creates, and really loving the packaging! What’s not to like!

This morning I did a quickie FOTD using Bourjois Paris Hi-Tech Rouge on both my lips and my cheeks. I did two versions of the photo which shows me wearing the stain with and without gloss. I think the gloss really makes the color of the stain pop!

Without Gloss

With Gloss

The Muse is loving this stain!

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