Lancome's Newest Collection: Roseraie de Delices

Lancome's latest Spring 2012 collection by Aaron De May, their artistic director who is known in the industry as somewhat of a beauty genius (although he somewhat resembles the crypt keeper, see below for reference images), is an absolute beauty to behold. I want every single item they have put out for the collection and I'll show them to you so you can 'oooh' and 'aaaah' yourself.

Crypt Keeper

Aaron De May - Artistic Director of Lancome

As if Lady Gaga hadn't already told us in her latest music video for 'Marry the Night', mint is definitely going to be the huge color trend for Spring 2012 (she had insider information from Calvin Klein, Chanel and the likes) and that's okay with me because it is a delicate, feminine and fresh color. Without further adieu, I present to you the fabulous 5 color all-in-one shadow and liner compacts in Vert Tendresse and Rose Romance!

There's so many options with these! There's lid, crease, shadow, highlighter and liner in each of these, you can mix and match the colors for many different looks and combinations. The rose palette consists of peach and rose tones with a burgundy liner, while the green palette containing mint and forest greens with a darker grayish green liner. I love all of the colors because they have a shimmery iridescence to them that feels youthful and joyous. However, the cost of these is a little steep (as to be expected with Lancome products) at $48 each.

Now, I present to you what *really* caught my attention in this collection, the illuminating smooth powder which is a mixture of rosy pink and pastel shimmers. It's an all-in-one product for the cheeks and face, so you can use it as your face powder and blush, as well as highlighter (the parts that are more shimmery). The cost is, again, steep at $42, but it is such a beautiful item that appears to look like a bed of roses that it almost makes it worth the price.

My least favorite items in this collection are their waterproof eyeliner pens in green and white, I'm not a huge fan of their formulation, it's a little greasy for my taste,  but some people like that. Also, they're expensive at $25.50 each and you can probably find something similar in a drugstore.

The lipstick in this line is kind of adorable because the limited-edition packaging for the cotton candy shade and the color itself are the cutest. However, the 'Le French Touch Absolu Nu' lipstick costs $35 because of the packaging, while the rest are $29, $6 for packaging, Lancome?? Really??? I know that packaging didn't set them back anything so why are they overpricing? 'L'Absolu Rouge Nu' comes in the colors 'Sweet Marmalade' and 'Rose Petal'.

L'Absolu Rouge Nu in Sweet Marmalade

L'Absolute Roughe Nu in Rose Petal

Limited Edition - Le French Touch Absolu Nu in Cotton Candy

Using lip pencils as eyeliner

If you find that the formulation of the pencils is similar, you can substitute your lipliner (given that it is in a neutral shade and not some bright red or pink) as an eyeliner. If the chosen color is too red,  you will end up looking like a zombie. MAC lip pencils, such as Chestnut or Cork, can be very neutral and lend themselves to doing double duty as eye and lip liners quite well. They are creamy but hard enough so that they won't fall off your waterline (just above your lower eyelashes). I came across this quirky idea when I walked into a MAC store and was looking for a lighter-toned eye pencil that was neutral and not bronze, but was different enough from Teddy and Coffee, which I already own. 'Lo and behold I see Cork and I didn't even realize that it was a lip pencil at first, but I purchased it regardless because it seems to be made of the same minerals and chemicals as their eye pencils and it was such a beautiful color.

MAC's Lip liner in 'Cork'

Normally, I air on the side of caution when it comes to using products that are intended for one part of your body on another part of your body, specifically the eyes. However, this is a rare exception, because MAC is a well renowned company with amazing quality products and make-up products for your face tend to have the same ingredients in them regardless of whether they are for your cheeks, eyes, lips, or all over your face. This is why many makeup companies make all-over color sticks which can be applied anywhere you'd like. If you think you will be irritated by it because your eyes are sensitive, simply apply the color on the area outside of your eyelashes and that should be protective enough so that you won't have any adverse effects. Try to steer clear of anything that's waterproof or a 'stain' for your lips because these might stain your eyelid and could make it look pretty horrible. If you invest your time and money into good makeup and are careful about what you're doing, this is a substitute that can be made easily using the right products, obviously don't put anything from the dollar-store or unreputable brands on your eyes. Also, make sure that the lip pencil that you are using isn't too pointed and hard because you can harm the sensitive skin of your eyes, go for a creamier, smooth consistency pencil. Always try these out on your hand and other parts of your body before you attempt to put them on your face. Lip pencils are also very good for filling-in your eyebrows, so you really don't have to be limited by specific products in your color selection process. 

Urban Decay NAKED 2 Palette Review

If you know me, you may know that I am a huge fan of the original Urban Decay Naked palette. Such a huge fan, I've been using it since it first came out and love it so much that I try to use a bare minimum of the colors so I don't run out (I realize it's now back in stock, but it wasn't for a really long time at one point!). So imagine my excitement when there was an announcement on Urban Decay's website about something new arriving to do with the Naked line. I instantly rushed to the conclusion that they were going to have another palette, as did many of my fellow makeup junkies. However, many called up the company and were repeatedly told that it would not be another Naked eyeshadow palette. They were lied to. Behold, the new Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay:

Extras that come with the Naked 2 palette

Let's start with the main differences: The Naked 2 palette comes with a dual-sided brush, one side is a shader and contour brush, while the other side is a regular (but very well made) eyeshadow brush. These brushes are of the highest quality and they are from the Urban Decay Good Karma brush line, consisting of the Crease brush and Eyeshadow brush, I have provided links if you are interested in purchasing them separately. This is a nice touch over the dual-sided liner that you got with the original Naked palette, just because people are likely to purchase both and you don't really want to double-up on liners, especially since almost all of their palettes come with the 24/7 pencil eye liner. You also receive a travel-sized lipgloss from their Lip Junkie line in the color 'Naked', this is a really cute added bonus and fits perfectly in your purse for on-the-go touchups. Online, I received a free sample with the order and it was a mini 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in ElDorado. I'm happy about this eye liner because it's a shade I've never tried and am excited to experiment with! However, you won't be getting this necessarily, you may get other samples or colors if you order the Naked 2 online (Sephora won't be giving out free samples with purchase when it hits stores).

If you're looking for a giant change in this palette, you won't find it. The colors are not astonishingly different, they are in the same line of products for a reason. There is an overall neutral theme, but Urban Decay claims that there are more taupe and greige shades in the new palette. I wouldn't say that this is true, however, because the most prominent color is probably bronze (as 5 of the colors learn more towards bronze). There is most definitely a movement away from the overwhelming bronze overtone of the original Naked palette. I will go over every new color and tell you what the comparison is between the new and old one. Foxy is a new and unique shade and is not duplicated whatsoever. Half Baked, unfortunately, is exactly the same in both palettes (this was kind of a cop-out in my opinion, they could have attempted to make a new color here). Booty Call is very similar to Virgin from Naked 1 but it might be a tad more on the peach side. Chopper is orangey and does not appear to be similar to anything other than a lighter cross between Half Baked and Suspect. Tease is a brand new taupe and is matte, but it would be very similar to Sin (Naked 1) if it was shimmery. Snakebite appears to be a shade in between Half Baked (Naked 1) and Smog (Naked 1). Suspect appears unique like a slightly less glittery version of Sidecar (Naked 1). Verve and Pistol appear to be unique colors, they are lighter and are more along the greige spectrum Urban Decay was looking for. YDK is like a mixture between Sidecar (Naked 1) and Toasted (Naked 1). Busted is really just very similar to Hustle (Naked 1) but slightly more maroon. Blackout is unique because it is a matte black eyeshadow and Creep (Naked 1) was sparkly.

Naked Palette (Original)

Naked Palette 2

 I hope you found this review helpful when considering if you would like to purchase this palette or not. It retails for $50 and it really is a great deal because you're getting 12 full-sized eyeshadows (which normally retail for $17/each from Urban Decay), two eyeshadow brushes (which each retails around $26), a free lip gloss, and a free sample from their website. The deal on this is phenomenal and it would make a great Christmas or Hanukkah present for that special girl in your life. I promise you nobody would be disappointed if they received this as a gift. I am ecstatic, my husband purchased this for me as a birthday gift and I couldn't be any more over the moon. I'm a long-time fan of their original and I love this one too. These shades are really practical and you will use this palette every day because it is so versatile.

Side by side comparison of Naked 2 palette (top) vs. original Naked palette (bottom)

Changing your beauty routine with age

As time goes on, we realize we no longer look the same as we used to as teenagers and our makeup techniques have vastly improved and changed. The reason for this is to keep your look trendy and fresh but also age appropriate. Any products you use should naturally enhance your beauty rather than try to cover it up and change it to make you look like something you're not.

Under eye care
Aging skin requires that we use products with firming nutrients, but it doesn't mean that you have to be old to use them, I believe that if you use firming products from your twenties, you will look younger in your fifties and sixties. Under your eyes you can see the wrinkles and crows feet that really bother you when you look in the mirror. Packing concealer into here will not do you any good, as the concealer will set inside your wrinkles and make them pit even more. You will want to start by applying moisturizer and anti-aging firming cream under your eye by patting it on with your ring finger (never pushing it in as the skin is thin and will easily be damaged). Then put aloe vera gel or primer in the area where you have bags and wrinkles to seal your wrinkles before applying your concealer.

Color change
As we age, contrasting colors may look too stark and draw attention to our little wrinkles and imperfections. This is why it is a good idea to change your eyeshadow shades from dark/light contrasts to more muted neutrals  and browns, steering clear of blacks and saturated colors. Mature women tend to look best in dark brown mascara as the stark black tends to be too dramatic. Stick to lighter colors of blush, rather than going darker, over time. You want your cheeks to look rosy and young rather than old and gloomy. To avoid getting that smeared look that you can get with cream blush, stick to powder blushes. If you are already adept at using cream blushes, then get a lighter rosy color because at least this formula will hydrate your skin. Rose-toned blush works on all skin types and colors. You may want to consider using mineral makeup because the colors have more of a sheen that will bring light to your face and it has a dewy finish.

Lip-care
We all get small wrinkles all over our lips and that line around our lips, creating an unappealing sad-clown look. Use lip moisturizers/balms constantly to hydrate your lips, especially before you put your lipstick on. Exfoliate to get rid of excess flakes of skin. Line your lips with a lip liner, but do not go a shade that is darker than your lipstick because this is a dated look that is not suited for our modern lives. The purpose of lip liner is so that your lipstick will not run out of the lip line and into your wrinkles, this is a great trick to use.

Here are some inexpensive items you can order online that I recommend if you want to follow the tips in this post!

Snow Bunny Beauty Tips

Are you going skiing or snowboarding this holiday season? Do you just want to be able to look and feel great while wearing layers of clothing, without having to worry about your beauty products rubbing off on the collars of your jackets, insides of your hats, and scarves? This article will tell you how to get the snow bunny look without all the mess (and without all that skiing, I'm more of a hot chocolate by the fire kind of girl myself).

If you're going to be out in the cold, you will definitely want to consider getting a good strong moisturizer for your face and any other skin that is exposed as the cold weather can be very harsh and detrimental for your skin. Use a sweat-proof sunscreen on the body parts you will have exposed to the sun (even in the winter months it will burn you). Make sure you blot away any excess greasiness from the cream and sunscreen with a tissue before you do anything else, this will help the staying power of your makeup.

Then, primer is a girl's best friend during the winter months, so use a colorless gel-like primer or my personal favorite aloe vera gel, and cover your entire face with it. Stay away from cream-based eyeshadows and powders because they will definitely smear onto your clothing, as will anything with an oil base. You can choose whether you want to wear liquid blush or powder blush, but anything you put on must be covered by a translucent powder to set it (this includes your foundation) and reduce the amount of staining it will do to your clothes.

For a frost-inspired eyeshadow look, use colors that have a sheen and are pearly pales, such as white, silver and lilac. These colors look pretty and feminine but still retail that iced-edginess when put on correctly. Apply your lightest color (white) under the base of the eyebrow as your highlight, your mid-tone (lilac) on the eyelid itself and your darkest shade (silver) as the contour surrounding your eyelid.  Line your eyes with a waterproof kohl pencil for the most staying power (or a truly waterproof eye liner if you can find one) and use a brush to smoke out your eyeliner a little for a sultry gaze. To smoke out your kohl liner, use a black shimmer and extend it into a winged line to elongate your eye.

Make sure you blend everything together beautifully. As a final touch add the lightest color to the inner corner of your eyes generously and apply shimmer powder to your cheekbones, above your blush. For an extra-feminine snow bunny look, you can apply some fake lashes to the outer corners of your eyes, they will stay in place if you use Duo Lash Adhesive glue. Use waterproof mascara so that your sweat from snow sports will not make your mascara run. I would opt for a pinkish blush in a doll-like color, but don't go overboard because if your eye makeup is overpowering, we don't want your whole face to be brighter than the sun. For your lips, you will want to exfoliate to smoothen them out and then just apply a simple moisturizing lipgloss with SPF.

Have fun on the slopes or in the chateau drinking what makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside!

Ikea Furniture Extravaganza

I'm sure it's the one of the most common stories you've ever heard and it's about people moving into their first apartment and furnishing most of it with findings from Ikea. We are definitely no different. While a lot of their furniture can be cheap, poorly made, and downright yucky-looking, there are some modern diamonds in the rough. It also helps to have a handyman who is capable of putting it all together.

TOBIAS chair $79.99

MALM dressing table $129.99

We visited an Ikea this past Saturday and picked up a few things to 'finish off' our apartment, and most importantly, to 'finish off' my makeup nook. The current desk in the makeup haven is a dressing table with a drawer that slides out like a dream and consists of a wooden frame and glass top which is easy to clean and very beautiful on top of the white. The chair we recently bought is called the Tobias chair and retails for $79.99, we call it the 'ghost chair' because it's see-through. It gives an elegant upscale feel to the whole nook. I adorn it with a lime-green detailed pillow which matches our home. I definitely suggest looking into this chair for an affordable option to those designer chairs which have a similar appeal.

My makeup nook

I garnished the lovely cake that is my makeup corner with two floating shelves to hold my creams and perfumes, I bought a little wire rack from Daiso Japan to place my palettes on (far right corner) and used rubbermaid mini-storage drawers for the excessive amounts of makeup I have. I have a small oval mirror from Ikea in addition to the reversible lighted magnifying mirror which has 5 different light settings. This corner has everything I need to feel beautiful, luxurious, and comfortable. My morning routine here makes me feel as though I can do anything I set my mind to.

Across from my space in the bedroom we share, my hubby has his computer on a desk we just purchased on Saturday, accompanied by a comfortable computer desk-worthy chair. We wanted to get the chair in the white variety but it was unavailable at the time so we just picked up the black one that they had in stock rather than waiting and paying for delivery or going back later. The desk is a good size as it fits his 27-inch mammoth of a monitor and it is sleek enough not to over-encumber our bedroom. You can place the open-framework legs of the desk on either side, we placed ours on the opposite side than what you see in the photo to give the illusion of more space as you walk into our room. The Verner swivel chair is very comfortable, especially for the price, it has wheels that you can roll it around on and it leans backwards an adequate amount. It is a fairly ergonomic chair and does not take up as much room as most computer chairs do. The two drawers of the desk are fairly shallow and are not very capable of holding more than a few papers or assorted computer gadgets (we keep the latter here).

MICKE desk $69

VERNER swivel chair $59.99

 

Cyber Monday Sales

So as most of you know, today is the day the internet gives something back and gives us Cyber Monday in repayment for sucking the lives out of us the rest of the year. I've scooped out the best beauty deals for you and thoroughly researched the web for deals. You will want to take advantage of these sales because cosmetics products only go on sale when an item is being discontinued, is old, or a store will no longer be carrying that brand... it is very rare that they just have a great sale, usually the sales are fairly bogus. The best deals I can find thus far are:

- Stila's warehouse sale where things are up to 80% off can be found here. They make fabulous eyeshadow and lipgloss

- E.L.F. has a 50% off any purchase over $25 (code 50wide) offer or you can get free shipping over $25 (SHIP25) at their site here - it's unfortunate that you can't have both offers, though

- Cherryculture has 20% off your entire purchase on their website, they have great NYX products and most of their stock is inexpensive to begin with

-  Clinique gives you 3 deluxe sized samples (which means bigger than sample size but smaller than the full product) for any purchase on their website, this is a great deal because the items they have as samples can be amazing: such as blush, eye creams, lipsticks. So I suggest you pick up something you love by them and would use up even if there was no free offer (I get the De-Puffing Eye Massage Serum).

- Elizabeth Arden has 25% off any order and free shipping with code BF2 here and a free 9 piece deluxe gift set with any order over $40.

- Tarte has a pretty lame deal of 20% off up to $100 and then you get $30 off, the code is CYBER and you get a free full-sized gift here

- Shiseido (which almost never has a sale on anything) has a gift of deluxe samples including a primer, translucent powder and satin face color in a cosmetic pouch for purachases of over $50.

- Bath&BodyWorks has an amazing deal of 25% off your entire order with the code CYBER2011 and when you check out anything in the Holiday Traditions Body Care selection you get buy 1, get 1 free for double your order!

- The Body Shop has any 3 single items in the online store for $30... that's right, even if the one item you chose was over the total price, it will still only be charged as 3 for $30. You also get free shipping with any purchase. If you add the code JOY10, you also get 10% off your order. So 3 items end up being $27, when usually just one would run you higher than that. Plus you get the free shipping... this is an amazing deal for night-cream and moisturizers.

Happy hunting everybody!!!!

Cosmetics Consumer Conspiracies

The cosmetics industry has long been shrouded in mystery, making up false pseudo-scientific reports for their products, not releasing any of their testing information to the public, and hocking up the price of simple cosmetics that could literally be made in your own home. If you look at the product labels you will see many compounds that you don't necessarily recognize even if you've taken high-level Biochemistry courses and have similar academia qualifications. There have been accusations and fines for almost all of the cosmetics manufacturers (Sephora and L'Oreal to name a few) for price fixing after secret meetings. Apparently, these companies have always been monopolizing the market to their advantage, so that private-label household brands stand no chance in the multibillion dollar industry.

If you want to know what poison the cosmetics industry is pouring into the majority of your products and calling them 'cosmetic grade' (in that they won't kill you if you use them) you can check out the list of 12 chemicals used that will adversely harm your skin, promote aging and are carcinogenic agents. If your cosmetics claim that they are organic, you should look at the ingredients list on the back of the product, because I can almost guarantee you that these products are not organic. Just because something is 'Certified Organic' does not mean the entire product is, it means that some of the ingredients used in the product are organic compounds, these will usually have asterisks by the name. At the very bottom in fine print you will see that the asterisk means that only those products are organic. It is very important when purchasing products that you read between the lines and pay attention to the fine print. The cosmetics industry is preying on the fact that the majority of their consumers are not educated in that specific field and/or don't care about what the products are made out of. You don't need to have a degree in Chemistry to see strange long-winded chemical names that you don't recognize and wonder what they're doing to your skin and body.



http://www.vermontsoap.com/specials.shtml

It's a big let down to know that companies are trying to fool consumers so if you have any doubts or questions you should call up your favorite cosmetics companies and ask about their products and practices. They have a responsibility to be honest with their consumers and if you find that they are beating around the bush or being dishonest and have a history of bad practices you may want to consider switching brands. If you're unsure where to start, ry Vermont Soap Organics products, for example, because they are completely open about their ingredients and even have a page on their website dedicated to listing all of the ingredients in every product. If you see that a cosmetic has a 'USDA grade' label on it, then you know you're dealing with a product that is good enough for your body as determined by the Food and Drug Administration because 'USDA grade' means that it is good enough for human consumption (these are the guildelines used to determine whether something is healthy to eat!). The factory where these products come from must be an Organic Processor factory that is legalized to make these products with federal certification in the United States. 

http://www.liquidplanet.com/images/tier3/Organic_USDA_Paneldiagram.gif



Keep in mind that without fragrance enhancers and chemical oils, naturally made products will not be as potent in their overall appearance and smell as those jam-packed with inorganic compounds. Changing to an all-natural, healthy skincare routine may take some getting used to, but it's definitely worth saving your skin from the risks of drying out, cancer, and oil imbalance. Also, if you think you are purchasing products that are hypoallergenic, you must keep in mind that this only means that there are less allergic compounds in that product compared to others, but it does not mean that there are no allergic products. There is no federal regulation for products that controls the amount of allergens found so these labels are purely introduced by the manufacturer. Make sure you know what it is you are allergic to by going to your doctor and then look out for those ingredients in everything you buy and stay away from them.

Until next time, stay beautiful and healthy everybody!!