Tarte for True Blood

I have a confession...I don't watch True Blood.  Everyone still OK??  Do I need to get the smelling salts out?  It's not that I wouldn't watch True Blood, it's just that I don't have HBO.  I've seen a few of the early episodes before we got rid of HBO, but that's it.


So even though I'm not a fan of True Blood, I couldn't pass up the eye shadow palette and Lip Tint (there's also a Cheek Stain, but I passed on it...just not a fan of the gel cheek stains).  I'm already a fan of Tarte's Lipsurgence Lip Tints, so I couldn't wait to get it, and the palette just looked so darn awesome that I took the plunge, even though I've never tried Tarte's shadows.


Tarte for True Blood Lipsurgence Lip Tint is a sheer, blood red (duh) with a light shimmer and a minty fresh scent that is cooling on the lips.  The main reason I love the Lipsurgence Lip Tints is because they're sheer, but have buildable coverage.  They're perfect if you're scared of bold colored lips, like me, but still want a bit of that bold color.  Plus, they're also moisturizing and have a bit of a sheen to them, so you can just swipe them on and go.  I'd say in regards to texture and color, they're very much like a tinted lip balm, just with a bit more tint.  I have a couple other of the Lip Tints (not including the ones on my wishlist!), so I will do a separate post on them because they darn well deserve it!

Swatched light, then heavy on the arm.  Just a couple swipes on the lips.

Now onto the palette.  As I stated before, I'm new to Tarte eye shadows, but I've read good things about them, and I figured a big palette was a great opportunity to try a bunch of them out.  The palette itself is super cool with it's laced-up black and red pleather look.  As for the shadows, most of the 18 colors in the palette are ones that I would wear (there's a few I won't use much, but hey...can't win 'em all), and from what I can find, they're full-size, so for the money, a pretty decent value.  Almost all of the swatches were from one swipe.  The lighter colors took a couple swipes to achieve the color, but I can deal with that.  Texture-wise, they are all very smooth, and a couple of them do have glitter.  The palette also includes a mini Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, mini Natural Lift Eye Primer, and mini Emphaseyes Aqua-Gel Eyeliner...I'm not going to review those mostly 'cause I don't wanna, and they're not the reason I bought the palette.


I am going to give you loads of swatches, though!

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Dawn, The Light, Bayou, Charmer, Werewolf, Fairy

Left to Right:  Dawn (light, shimmering gold), The Light (pale, shimmering beige), Bayou (shimmering antique gold), Charmer (shimmering copper), Werewolf (matte dark brown), Fairy (light, shimmering white-pink)

Middle Row (5): Moss, Telepath, Glamour Me, Waitress, Dusk

Left to Right:  Moss (shimmering evergreen), Telepath (rose with silver glitter), Glamour Me (deep, shimmering eggplant), Waitress (shimmering beige with silver glitter), Dusk (matte pinky beige)

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:  Legend, The True Death, Stake, Nocturnal, V, Immortal

Left to Right:  Legend (matte black), The True Death (metallic silver), Stake (matte grey), Nocturnal (matte black with blue glitter), V (metallic cranberry), Immortal (matte black with silver glitter)

See the blue sparkles in Nocturnal?!  Pretty!

You can purchase the Tarte for True Blood Collection is available at sephora.com.  The Lip Tint is $24 and the palette is $52.  There is also a Natural Cheek Stain available for $$30.

Burberry Nude Beige Lip Glow Lip Gloss and Rosewood Lip Cover Lipstick

See, I can follow through.  But before I toot my own horn too much, let's see how the rest of the week goes.  This post is going to be short and sweet, because frankly, I had a bit o' wine while cooking dinner, and I'm just not so much with the words right now.


The lip gloss comes in a clear, square tube with a metal wand that has the Burberry plaid check design etched into it.  The applicator is a doe-foot, which I know is not a favorite of many, but I don't mind it.  The lipstick comes in a heavy metal case which has a magnetic closure and is also etched with the plaid check design.

Swatches after the jump.

Chanel Rouge Allure - Naive

I recently picked up Naive, which is in the Rouge Allure formula.  If you haven't tried the Rouge Allure formula, it is very moisturizing and the colors go on opaque with just a couple of swipes.  Naive is a natural, baby mauve-pink with a bit of golden shimmer.  On me, Naive is just a bit lighter than my natural lip color, making it perfect to wear with most makeup, and especially for an easy-going, natural look.

I couldn't find Naive anywhere but on Chanel.com, so it may not be a permanent color.  If you're looking for a light, natural pink, then you'd better get Naive while you can.  Rouge Allures retail for $30, and through November 1st, you can get free shipping from Chanel online with code 0910GLOSS.

Chanel Soho Collection - Stunning Rouge Coco & Stupendous Quad

After seeing all the swatches of Stunning Rouge Coco and the Stupendous Quad I was smitten.  Uh, too bad they both were sold out when I order Star Glossimer.  I was willing to wait until Soho launched at department store counters, but luckily, I didn't have to.  Chanel online restocked!  (yeah, yeah, it was the highlight of my day, what of it?)  You want pretty swatches?  Of course you do.


Stunning Rouge Coco is a gorgeous neutral pink with golden shimmer.  It's a my lips, but better color...just a bit deeper, and I love it.  It's so much prettier than I imagined.  It is pigmented and the color just melts into my lips.

Check out Stupendous after the jump.

Chanel Soho Collection - Star Glossimer

Here's another pretty from Chanel's Soho Collection, Star Glossimer.  Star is a sheer pink loaded with silver microglitter.  I know, I know...glitter doesn't exactly say, "Grown-up", but the glitter in this gloss is ultra-fine and really acts more as a shine enhancer.  Unless someone is standing an inch from your lips, they're not going to notice the glitter.  Given the sheerness of the color, it's great for those who just want to add shine to the lips, or for adding shine to any lipstick.





Once I got a good look at Star, it reminded me of Futile (from the Spring 2010 Collection), so I pulled it out for comparison.  Turns out, Futile is more of a champagne pink with gold microglitter in much less quantities than in Star.  However, given that both have that super sheer base, if you have Futile, you can easily skip Star, which is sold out in the U.S. online, anyway.

Now, I'm not posting this to torture anyone who missed out on Futile, and therefore, might want Star.  Soho was released in Canada and at selected locations around the world.  Furthermore, there are rumors on various discussion boards that the Soho Collection will filter down to the luxury department stores (Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman) in the October/November timeframe.  Fingers crossed, because there are a couple of items that, after seeing the swatches, I now want.


OK, enough chit-chat, there are more pretty pictures after the jump!

A Beautiful Life S'Stains Lip Shine and Natural Nail Lacquer: Reviews and Swatches

I'm always interested in trying new brands, and while perusing Urban Outfitter's beauty section, A Beautiful Life piqued my interest.  A Beautiful Life products are all natural and petrochemical-free.  Being the nail and lip junkie that I am, I selected one of the S'Stains Lip Shines and two of the Natural Nail Lacquers to try out.

S'Stains Long-Lasting Satin Lip Shines (from ABL):  S'stains are 100% natural, paraben-and petrochemical-FREE satin-y lip glosses. Each color is packed with natural lip conditioners, like shea butter, vitamin E and the near-miraculous ARGAN OIL! It also packs a pleasantly plumping trio of essential oils (cassia, peppermint, and ginger) - JUST ENOUGH to smooth fine lines and give you the perfect pout without stinging (ouchies!).

I selected 80's Pink, which is a sheer, bright bubblegum pink with white and violet shimmers.  The Lip Shine comes in a squeeze tube with a slant-tip applicator.  Satin Lip Shine is quite an accurate descriptor.  It's not a gloss, but there's more shine than a balm...the finish is satin.  It gives the lips a nice, natural sheen.  S'Stains are not sticky or tacky.  The texture is reminscent of Burt's Bees Lip Shines, if you've ever tried those.


The plumping action, well, honestly it's hard to tell on me.  I will say, no stinging, and just an ever-so-slight slight tingling, that didn't bother me at all.  Usually, just the tingling sensation that is in most plumpers is enough to keep me away, but I'm totally fine with this.  The scent is really pleasing and not overwhelming.  I first thought, "Mmm, cinnamon!"  But, after reading the description, I totally pick up the peppermint and ginger.


Wearability, well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's long-wearing.  The sheen fades within an hour or so, and the color lasted about three hours (and yes, I ate and drank).  Afterward, my lips did feel nice and soft, and with the shea butter, vitamin E, and Argan Oil, I can only imagine they'll feel even better with regular use of this lip shine.


Overall, I really like the Lip Shine, and I plan on getting a couple more.  They're available through A Beautiful Life and are $14 each for 10mL (oddly enough, I can't find them on UO's website anymore).  I give the S'Stains Lip Shine 4 paws up!

Keep reading for my review and swatches of the Natural Nail Lacquer.

Chanel Fall 2010 Collection: Review and Swatches

I've had my stuff for nearly two weeks and I'm just now getting around to swatching.  I thought I would have time while on vacation, but it was cloudy and rainy when I did have down time.  I know pretty much everyone in the U.S. has their goodies already, so this old news, but better late than never.  Plus, I know our friends to the north are still awaiting this collection with baited breath, so for them, this relevant.

I picked up all four Glossimers (Pink Teaser, Rose Dilemma, Petit Pêche, and Coral Love), Chintz Rouge Allure, Taupe Grisé Soft Touch Eye Shadow, Pink Explosion and Rose Temptation Joues Contrastes, and Paradoxal Le Vernis.  I will post separate swatches for Paradoxal, so check back for those.  I passed on Enigma Quad because it's permanent, but I will get it sometime in the future.  Just need to free up some funds, first.

I found this collection to be full of gorgeous colors, and one of the better ones that has Chanel released.  It was hard not to purchase this entire collection.

Product pictures, descriptions, and swatches after the jump!

Chanel Master Class

Back from vacation and I'm not wasting any time.  When I went to my favorite Chanel counter to pick up the fall collection (on which I will soon do a post), the wonderful artist there told me they were going to hold a Master Class to show the techniques they learn, and asked if I would be interested.  A class all about Chanel?!  Lucky for me it was being held the day after I returned from vacation, so  "Sign me up!", I said.


The class was a two hour long session in which we learned about what the Chanel line has to offer, and then were shown how to do a simple smokey eye.  Being that I'm fairly proficient in makeup application, I wasn't so interested in learning how to apply makeup, but it was nevertheless informative, and gave me the opportunity to try out colors I never would've chosen in a million years.

More on the class and some pictures!

Paul & Joe Spring and Summer 2010 Goodies

Paul & Joe is one of those brands that has flown under the radar since it's creation, but really deserves to have a spotlight shown on it.  It was once carried at Sephora, but now is really more of a boutique-brand, being carried at only a few locations and places online.


I did purchase a couple of items back when P&J was carried at Sephora, but lost track of the brand when it was discontinued.  It recently piqued my interest again when I spotted the Summer 2010 Collection being reviewed on The Beauty Look Book.  She recommended purchasing from Beautyhabit, which I went ahead and did.  I'd like to mention Beautyhabit's customer service is really fantastic.  The Mirage nail polish was on back order, and I received an e-mail from a real person letting me know that my order would be shipping without Mirage, and it would be sent along once it was back in stock.  When my main package arrived, there was a nice little pouch of samples and a handwritten thank you card.  Mirage arrived just a few days later with another pouch of samples and another lovely note.  I highly recommend purchasing from Beautyhabit, and I will do so in the future.


The nail polishes in the Summer Sahara Collection are what really caught my eye.  Well, those and the cute kitty packaging on the Honeysuckle Eye Shadow from Spring 2010 Collection.  Those items promptly went into my bag.  I'm also a purple fiend, so I snagged Purple Clover Eye Shadow.  Finally, although I'm normally a gloss person, I wanted to try out one of the lipsticks, so I chose Sahara, as the other two appeared a little frosty for my taste.

Clockwise from top left is Sahara Lipstick, Marrakesh and Oasis Nail Polishes, and Purple Clover and Honeysuckle Eye Shadows.  Photo is sans Mirage, as it just arrived the other day.  Lucky I put this post off!


Many more pictures and swatches after the jump, along with my general thoughts of the cosmetics line.

Zoya Hot Lips: Swatches and Review

A little while back Zoya did a promotion where you could get three Hot Lips Glossy Lip Balms free (you just had to pay for shipping).  I'm not one to pass up on a deal like that, especially since I'd been lemming a few, anyway.  Being the nude/natural/pale pink lip-lover that I am, I chose Trendy, Fame, and Meow (how could swatchcat not get Meow?!).  I already had Shimmer and Glimmer from when they were released as a set with the corresponding nail polish.




Shimmer is a light shimmering pink.  I did't see this color listed as one of the many choices...or maybe they renamed it Luvie, which appears to be strikingly close, according to the swatch on it's website.  Glimmer is described as a pale shimmering gold.  Trendy is described as a sheer shimmering peachy pink.  Fame is described as a pale nude cream.  Meow is described as a shimmering pink sand.