Tuesday, August 26, 2008

product test drive......Ralph Lauren's Notorious


i contacted a rep at L'Oreal regarding the release of Ralph Lauren's new fragrance, Notorious. though the initial try-out offer was over, she used to be from Cincinnati, and in the spirit of good neighbors, i received a 1.7 bottle in the mail today! i thought i would simply be getting a sample, not an entire bottle, but it made my day.

Notorious is a cuddling sort of smell. it's not overpowering and doesn't flirt with you from across the room...it simply brushes up against you and makes you want to inhale. it's sweet but not sticky, warm but not suffocating. i think it's misnamed, because it's title implies that it has an element of danger. this fragrance isn't dangerous, and i wouldn't even classify it as sultry or seductive. it is sexy in a comfortable way.

the notes swear that there is a chocolate element in it, as so many gourmand-y fragrances profess, but i don't smell it. i like the vagueness of the patchouli because it matures the other sugary notes.

it's breatheable, pleasant, and would be great for a first date or a romantic evening at home. i'll have to try this one out on Prince Charming!

the notes are: chocolate cosmos ("a decadent, chocolate-scented burgundy flower exclusive to Ralph Lauren Fragrances"; black currant, pink peppercorn, bergamot, white frost peonies, carnation, patchouli musk, vanilla and iris.

product crush.....mirror mirror gloss by two faced


i think a lot of people overlook Two-Faced, and i think it's the marketing. it definitely appeals to a younger crowd, because their packaging is, in a word, juvenile. however, if you can get past it, they really do have some great products.

i'm really excited about their Mirror Mirror Gloss. they have a bunch of fabulous, sheer color options that aren't sticky, and they are also scented with a fun burst of fragrance!

per sephora.com, "The deliciously-flavored colors are scented: Envy Me with currant, I Love Myself with grapefruit, I Know You Want Me with Apple, Damn I'm Hot! with Cherry, I'm Perfect with Banana, and Don't Hate Me with Strawberry".

i've been wearing "I'm Perfect" (sheer beige) over Naked by Urban Decay, and i've also tried "Damn, I'm Hot" (sheer red) and "Envy Me" (sheer currant). they are all long-lasting and very shiny, and the scents are a really nice touch!

i almost prefer "I'm Perfect" to the "Girls on Film" Glamour Gloss, simply for the shine. "Envy Me" helps create a look similar to Smashbox's Wicked/Lovely dark lips when paired with Urban's Rockstar liner (made for eyes, but fun for eggplant lips, too!) and their Apocalypse (blackberry/sheer cream) lipstick. then again, i'm prone to a good cocktail.

try these lipglosses-they'll put a little perk in your pout!

Friday, August 22, 2008

product cocktail.....urban decay liner and two faced gloss!



i'd much rather do up my eyes than my lips.

ask my favorite stylist friend, Beauty Queen, and she won't miss a beat while telling you that my lip line is not for the faint of heart. it's hard to get right. most days i don't even fight that battle. in addition, my lips don't take color well. nearly everything turns to sheer boring pink on me. it's strange....things that would normally would be very dark on one person just mellow out on me, almost like i just put on a transparent gloss.

it's not very often that i get fanatical about a lip look. lip products, yes. i can talk up gloss, stains and plumpers all day. truth be told, though, i don't have high hopes for a big difference. i've learned to be content with something that looks nice, and to expect a certain result.

yesterday, quite by accident, i combined two products that created a lip look that i could not keep my eyes off of.

Urban Decay's new 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencils are a loooong time coming. their eyeliners are already above the curve in my mind-creamy, highly pigmented, and long-lasting. these lip liners are the same.

i covered my entire lips with Naked, which is a neutral pink. then, i topped it all off with Two-Faced Glamour Gloss in Girls on Film, a pink-nude beige shimmer.

when i stepped back and looked in the mirror, i didn't immediately gasp that my look was all about lips. what i was impressed with was that i had found a lip look that made my face look polished....dare i say it? the perfect nude for me! it's a hard task to find one's perfect naked lip look.

i need to buy these two products in bulk.....i can't see myself living without them!!

hopefully i'll be able to post pics of this new look soon.....

Thursday, August 21, 2008

scented for life!!

my perfume collection is large, but not nearly as vast as some aficionados out there. while you would think their reviews and musings would encourage me that i'm not as obsessed as they are, more often than not it nudges me that i've got a lot of catching up to do.

one of my favorite perfume blogs, nowsmellthis, recently pondered about how long their perfume collection would last. i haven't done the math on mine, but this article sure has me feeling like i'm living in excess (just a bit....).

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

product lust...LORAC's fall releases!


one of the best parts of fall is the rich color that all the makeup lines come out with. LORAC has got some great products you might want to check out!

first, look at the Multi-Platinum Palette above. with colors like Rockstar, Serenity, Heavy Metal, Sapphire Storm, Dreamy, and Techno, and blush in Couture, this could be your go-to palette for evening!

my fave color releases this season from LORAC are After Party (dark black violet) Green Room (a deep emerald sheen) and Celebutante (shimmering teal blue).




in addition to making your eyes pop with color and shimmer, LORAC now has a concelear/highlighter duo called Double Feature.

one end holds (you guessed it!) a concealer, while the other end is a highlighting formula, perfect for adding some light around the eye area! the product has a rollerball which they suggest that you use to blend everything. the concealer looks adequate, but i get really excited about the highlighter. the product comes in three shades.

Monday, August 18, 2008

product crush.......Gendarme Sky


my quest for new and interesting perfume never ends.

i'm finding that having a significant other might tinker with my perfume selection. there are some things that he's not crazy about, though he hasn't nixed anything yet that's broken my heart. then again, i haven't let him smell those, because i'm scared!

i was in Sephora the other day and i smelled something that was very pleasant. it was a clean smell...but not like a laundry or soap smell. i'm so over those! it was soft and fresh, and it was Gendarme Sky. it's advertised online as a feminine fragrance, but it was camping out in the men's fragrance section when i found it. i have no problem wearing a masculine fragrance....i wear Boss Pure and L'eauParKenzo pour Homme at work all the time. i guess i just need to snag myself a sample and see if it's boyfriend approved.

the notes are: sparkling bergamot, sweet lime, green lemon cardamom and cognac; mid-notes of Magnolia flower and Asian pepper oil and a dry down of warm woods and luxurious Spanish moss.

product test drive.....Benefit Posietint


i made friends with Posietint.

although i'm probably the last gal on the planet to review this stuff, i'll throw my two cents in. my first go-ronund with this stuff didn't go very well. i can't tell you that it's foolproof, either. using it takes a little bit of practice, but it has great results!

Posietint is a lip and cheek stain by Benefit. They already have another great cheek stain out (Benetint, if you aren't familiar). this formula is much pinker and creates a very pretty flush on the cheeks. much like Tarte's stains, you look like you glow from within.

it looks like a big bottle of pink nail polish. the applicator actually looks like a nail polish brush. the trick is to work quickly and blend like mad. if you do it right, it's subtle and it becomes part of your skin. you don't look "made up", you just look healthy, and in my mind, that's the entire purpose of blush!

if you haven't checked it out already, wander over to the Benefit counter or check it out at Sephora!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

product lust.....bare escentuals buxom lips full color


i love when a company has the brains to improve upon something that's already good.

take, for instance, Bare Escentuals. i loved Buxom Lips before, with it's shimmery sheer color and it's minty tingle. i loved to wear it over stains and lip pencils. but now, there is Buxom Lips Full Color. it's fuller color coverage in a formula that you already love....yay!!

it promises "intense sheen and color opacity with no sticky or tacky feeling". i promise that i'll definitely end up buying some.