Lots of New Products and GWPs Courtesy of the New Bloomingdales Makeover Catalog!

The flagship Bloomingdales on 59th and Lex has just completed a massive renovation of their beauty floor. To celebrate, Bloomingdales sent out a very nice catalog featuring new products and is offering extensive Gifts with Purchase October 15th-25th. The store will be offering new brands and has a full calendar of events throughout October including makeovers, facials, skincare classes, and opportunities to meet makeup artists such as Dick Page and Poppy King. You can call 212-705-2000 to get more information on the events and look below for some of the Gift with Purchase information and highlighted products.

Gifts with Purchase:

• Lancome: Choice of 7 piece gift with any $35 Lancome purchase. 3 sets to choose from.
• Dior: 5 piece gift with $100 purchase
• Clarins: Choose 2 deluxe travel size treatments when you purchase any 2 skincare products
• Trish McEvoy: Must Have Lips 3 piece gift with any $75 purchase plus a Deluxe Makeup Planner with $250 purchase

• Shiseido: Skincare bonus with purchase of any 2 High Performance, Benefiance, white Lucent, The Skin Care or Pureness products plus a travel size The Skincare Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover and mini Perfect Rouge Lipstick with any foundation purchase
• Shu Uemura: Best-Of 6 piece gift with any $125 purchase
• SK-II: Full size Signs Uplifter with $325 purchase, plus a limited edition golden and Swarovski compact with $500 purchase
• Giorgio Armani: 6 piece Glamour Kit with exclusive full size Lip Shimmer shade with $95 purchase
• Benefit: Creaseless Crea Shadow in Bunny Hop and mini Bad Gal Lash with $65 purchase
• Laura Mercier: 5 piece Flawless gift with $85 purchase
• Estee Lauder: 7 piece gift with purchase of $29.50 or more. Large navy tote when you spend $55
• Prescriptives: Essential Makeup 5 piece kit when you spend $65. Full size Flawless Face Primer when you spend $95 as well as a pink tote and full size Intensive Rebuilding Cleanser when you spend $125
• Yves Saint Laurent: Must Haves 8 piece gift with $125 purchase
• Clarins: Eye Opening 5 iece gift with cosmetic bag with $200 purchase
• Bare Escentuals: 4 piece Radiance Gift with $35 purchase

New Products:

• Shu Uemura Planet Cat Palette ($65), Planet Ribbon Palette ($65), Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in Jupiter Brown ($25).
• Dior Serum de Rouge Lipstick ($32) contains 10 times more active skincare ingredients than other lipsticks. In 8 shades.
• Giorgio Armani 2009 Crustal Palette ($98) has matte and sparkling color for the eyes and a powder in a translucent golden shade. ArmaniSilk Lipstick in a limited edition shade ($38) is also available.
• Trish McEvoy Bejeweled Collection ($95) includes a Petite Makeup Planner in quilted white with black stitching, Petite refillable makeup bag, refillable makeup page, Dual Resort Bronzer, Easy Going Blush, Delicate Pink Eye Shadow, Sable Bronze Glaze Eye Shadow, Amethyst and Deep Aubergine Definers, Eye Base Essentials in Bare and Beauty Booster Lip Gloss in Brightening Pink.
• Laura Mercier Color Wardrobe ($98) is 2-tiered and contains 6 Eye Colours, 3 Cheek Colours, 6 Lip Stains, 2 Lip Glazes, a double ended Eye Colour brush, and a double ended lip brush.
• Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation ($48) is a micro-vibrating, polishing mineral makeup.

There are a number of other Gifts with Purchase available in addition to more new products and fabulous-sounding events. I'm definitely checking out the new store tomorrow!

Images from the Bloomingdales catalog.

Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics

The much-hyped Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics lined debuted this year at New York's City Saks 5th Avenue, and then subsequently made its way the Saks Beverly Hills store. I ran to Saks when the line was initially unveiled, intent on snapping up a number of items. I was a bit shocked to discover that nothing really appealed to me. The lipsticks seemed somewhat average, as did the blushes, bronzers, and shadows. I thought the shadow duos and quads either odd combinations or ones that had been done before.

A few weeks later I decided to go back and take another look. Part of the problem is that the lighting created for the D&G area on the cosmetics floor is very, very dim and yellow, making it difficult to tell what a color truly looks like. On the second occasion I had a good amount of time to kill and decided to swatch items and then head outside to get a more accurate sense of the colors. This made a big difference in my take on the line! I decided to purchase items I found unique yet wearable, and went with a Lipstick in Naked ($30) and Eye Liner in Stromboli ($29).

Naked is part of the Shine line of lipsticks designed to be semi sheer with high shine. Naked is a shimmery pink with warm beige undertones. The color can be layered to intensify the pigment. It's too pink to be a true "naked" neutral, but it is a lovely versatile color. The lipstick does have a strong rose scent which fades in time.


From left to right, the colors in this swatch comparison are: Bobbi Brown Rosebud Shimmer, Lancome Beauty's Eve, Paul & Joe Pain D'Epice (#27), Dolce & Gabbana Naked, Clinique Gingerfrost, Shiseido SL13, Julie Hewett Nude Noir.

The Crayon Intense Eye Liner in Stromboli is a black with very subtle gold sparkles. I find black to be harsh with my fair skin, but this is a softer black shade and the gold shimmer helps to keep the liner from being overwhelming. The liner is smudgable, the the pencil has a sponge tip on one end. Unfortunately, the liner fades throughout the day, the gold shimmer barely shows up, and the product seems to get a coating on it that necessitates sharpening between uses. Not grave issues, but for a $29 eye liner I expect more. I would not use this one on the waterline due to the glitter particles. Despite my lack of affection for Stromboli, I've heard multile raves about this product in the Coffee shade and may try that one.

Lancome Exotique Kiss

It was so nice out today (almost 70) that I decided to give myself one last summery manicure before opting for fall's ubiquitous vampy shades. This nail polish, part of Lancome's Le Vernis line ($18), came out this summer with the Tropiques Muse collection. It's a stunning pinky coral heavily laden with gold shimmer and sparkle. It's a tad too sheer for my liking but is striking when the sun hits it. If you can still find this one, perhaps at the DF&CCO, snatch it up!

Sephora Cash for Clunkers Haul

Sephora Cash for Clunkers is the store's most recent promotion, offering $10 off a $50 purchase (in store only) if you brought in 5 cosmetics to be recycled. I brought in 5 recent GWP items and didn't have a problem redeeming the offer, so I'm assuming minis are just fine. Here is what I picked up:

• Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler ($20)- my beloved Tarte curler (whose virtues I extolled here) broke this morning for the second time and after reading numerous raves for the Kevyn, I'm trying it out.
• Korres Mango Butter Lipstick ($18) in Natural Purple- the name sounds oxmoronic. This is a sheer, moisturizing lipstick in a sheer plummy my-lips-but-better shade. I was debating between this shade and Rose (another poor color description. It's actually a warm pinky peach) but I don't think I have another shade like this in my collection. Okay, who am I kidding. Of course I do. But I have fewer plummy berry colors than I do pinky peaches.
• Benefit Cosmetics Velvet Eyeshadow in Fawn Over You ($18)- this is a dark taupey beige with a polished shimmer in the most silky smooth, well, velvety formulation.

I also scored a large .5 oz Lancome Genefique Sample as my Beauty Insider gift. I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype.

Using It All Up

Every now and then, I look at my vast makeup collection and suddenly have the urge to start using products up! It generally stems from either being all-of-a-sudden overwhelmed by the sheer number of products that I have, or realizing that I've been using a product so frequently I'm making a dent in it. So far this year I've managed to use up 2 lipsticks (Clinique Buttershine in Adore U and Lorac Stylin), thanks to concentrated effort, and currently have a few products on my "use up" list. Since I'm convinced that product quantities multiply in my sleep :) using a product up can take a very long time (even forcing myself to use the product near daily) and I usually only manage to achieve the feat with cream products and pressed powder. I've never used up an eye shadow and can't imagine doing so! I'm currently trying to use up:

• Laura Mercier Praline Creme Cheek Color
  
• Lancome Rouge Attraction in Seismic, a color I've previously purchased (and subsequently sold) back ups of. This is why I no longer buy back ups! I ultimately get sick of a color or move on to a new favorite!
• Chantecaille Pegasus Super Lip Sheer
• Besame Champagne Lipstick

I'm slowly making progress! Granted I'll still have too many products after these are gone, but at least it's a temporary sense of accomplishment! Are you trying to use anything up?

My Favorite Mistake

Whenever a beauty magazine publishes a 'don't' list, one of the items is invariably "don't match your eye shadow to your eye color." The makeup powers-that-be have decreed that contrasting colors (plum if you have green eyes, amber if blue, etc) are the most flattering, but I happen to love green eye shadows and eye liners on my green eyes! To me, green is less harsh than black, more interesting than brown and really does showcase my eyes! I'm not always looking for contrast. Sometimes a soft smoulder or subtle definition is what I'm after, and I turn to my greens. Do you wear shadows and liners that match your eye color? What other makeup 'rules' do you break?

Here are some of my favorite green liners (click to enlarge):

1. Laura Geller Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Dark Green Apple (part of the Key Lime/Dark Green Apple Duo)
2. Laura Geller Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Key Lime (part of the Key Lime/Dark Green Apple Duo)
3. Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink
4. Redpoint Optic Effects Pencil (swirls of pearl, light and dark greens)
5. Lancome Artliner in Star Shower
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Stash
7. Jouer Pencil Eye Liner in Vert

As far as green shadows go, my favorite shadow is the ever-elusive Lancome Erika F. Lancome does not distribute this shade in the states, but it is available to Americans via Strawberrynet.com, which is where I purchased both my Erika F single and the Lancome Colour Focus Palette in Escapade Champetre, which contains the shade as well.
In addition to the glorious grayed green taupey sprakle of Erika F (bottom left corner), there is a very pale greenish white, a gorgeous shimmered emerald and a murky bronze green. The shades all work beautifully together or on their own. The Erika F single seems to go in and out of stock often and is well-worth looking out for. It is truly unique.

Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlet

Tucked away in some outlet malls and in the Loreal Building in New York City you might find true gems--Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlets. The Estee Lauder owned Cosmetic Company Outlets receive a good deal of attention on various message boards for the 30% off retail, limited edition and discontinued products and undistributed gifts with purchase available for sale, but I always make sure to check out the Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlets (DF&CCOs) for some amazing deals. DF&CCOs carry high end Loreal brand products (from Lancome to Giorgio Armani to Kiehls) and while the typical discount makes the shops worth a trip, their frequent blow outs draw me in. I picked up the following during one of their "4 for $40 sales."
They also frequently have prepackaged kits at unbelievable deals. I scored all of these brand new, perfect condition Shu Uemura products (4 shadows and 2 blushes) plus the palette for under $40. At retail, these would have cost me nearly $150!
You can Google for outlets in other areas of the country, but for NYCers, you'll find one at 575 5th.

Click images to enlarge.

Feature Focus: Unsung Heros

I wanted to highlight some unsung heroes--tried and true never-fail products that seem to fly under the radar. Products that you never see in magazines, rarely hear raved about. I'm sure that everyone has some of these unsung heroes in their arsenal--please post about them in the comments!
Darphin Blush Sensation in Soleil Sublime:

This is bar none the most beautiful, natural looking bronzer I've ever used. I'm quite fair and on the pinker side, and this has absolutely no orange in it. It features a gentle color gradation so you can customize your look depending on how much 'sun' you want that day! The shimmer is super-subtle and doesn't accentuate lines and wrinkles, just lends itself to a gentle glow. It costs $40 and is available at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

MAC Lilicent Blushcreme:

This cream blush has a unique love it or hate it texture. It's almost akin to a potted lipstick in that it's somewhat thick and remains dewy on the cheeks. This helps you look 'fresh' all day but if you're used to a cream to powder formula, this may take a bit of getting used to. The color is a real face brightener, and never fails to brighten my complexion with its warm, peachy rose hue. It is $18.50 and available on maccosmetics.com and at MAC counters nationwide.

Lancome Artliners:

Colors left to right are: Socialite, Brown, IceBlack, IceCarob and Star Shower
In my opinion, these little wonders stand alone in the liquid liner category. They are the easiest liquid liner and you can easily create a thin line right at the base of the lashes or thicker cat eye due to the unique flexible applicator that allows you to control the product. Unlike felt tip dispensers where the product may flow through inconsistently or only with pressure, these unique wands dip into the product and just enough comes out to create a perfect line every single time. The shades are gorgeous, although many of the unique ones are available on a limited edition basis. These are $28.50 and available wherever Lancome is sold.

Eye Necessities:

-Bare Escentuals Eye Shadow in Soul- the perfect vanilla base, this shadow is shimmer free (you can see the faintest glimmer in the pot which prevents lids from looking crepey but doesn't add a sparkle).
-Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen- the palest pink that brightens lids, creates the perfect base so your shadow lasts and the pigment appears true, and even works on its own for a natural eye look.
-Laura Mercier Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Key Lime/Dark Green Apple with Brush- gorgeous, baked, shimmery greens and a perfect brush for application. Use these wet or dry for a look less harsh than black but still achieve ample definition. I use the dark shadow on my upper lid and the light shadow to line underneath.
-Benefit Kohl Pencil Eye Liner in Sable- the only product I use on my inner rim. It lasts and lasts without iritation and glides on smoothly. The shade of brown is spot on--not too light or too dark.

Tools:

-MAC 208 brush- a very thin synthetic angle brush for precise gel eye liner application.
-Chanel Brush 3- a great brush for applying shadow to the outer corner. The bristles are densely packed and the thicker handle is weighted for easy application.
-Fresh Eye Definer Brush 20- the BEST crease brush, this is soft and perfectly shaped for the perfect placement and depth of color.
-Sephora Brand Professionnel Flat Blush Brush #42- perfect for small faces and the tapered point places the blush exactly where you want it to go.
-Tarte Eyelash Curler- this has never pinched my lids the way other highly-touted brands have and the lilac is so cute!

Plummy Beige Lipstick

Too plummy to be a true neutral, too neutral to be a true plum hue, not as cool as mauve and yet not quite warm...I love plummy beige lipsticks! The shades are complex and interesting yet still flattering and wearable for everyday. Here are some of my favorite plummy beige lipsticks:
From left to right: MAC Sharp Beige, MAC Midimauve, Paul and Joe 17, Lancome Beauty's Eve, L'Oreal Aishwarya Beige, Benefit Make Nice, Laura Mercier Brown Sugar Stickgloss, Tarte Champagne Brunch

Up Close:


Swatches:
From left to right: MAC Sharp Beige, MAC Midimauve, Paul and Joe 17, Lancome Beauty's Eve, L'Oreal Aishwarya Beige, Benefit Make Nice, Laura Mercier Brown Sugar Stickgloss, Tarte Champagne Brunch

Current Obessions

I go through phases when I can't get the idea of a articular brand or product out of head. Sometimes it's something that I already own and want to wear all of the time. In other instances it's something I can't wait to try.

Some of my latest obsessions include the following:

MAC Eye Shadow in Grain and Edward Bess Eye Shadow in Dusk- both always look great, no matter how tired I am or what other makeup I have on.
Crown Brush Pointed Crease Brush (C139) and Lancome Black Coffee Le Crayon Kohl Eye Liner- the brush is one of the best crease brushes I've used. The shape is perfect for both the socket and outer corner. The eye liner is a deep dark brown that makes the white of your eyes look brighter, and the formula is smooth and silky enough that you can get right up against the lash line with no tugging. It works on the inner rim as well.
Rock & Republic Imitate Mousse Blush in Rumor- this is my favorite blush out of all that I own. The texture is sublime and the shade is perfect. I'm so sad that the line is discontinued. Even though Rock & republic pops up from time to time on sample sale websites, none of them have had the mousse blushes. I'd definitely stock up if I found this one again!
Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint in Eco Pink- I love tinted balms in the summer and that fact that this one is natural and 95% organic is a huge benefit! Not only is the ginger scent uplifting, but the shade is a spot on--a sheer warm pink. Please excuse how jagged the tip looks; I almost destroyed it trying to take the picture!

Those are some products I already own that I'm loving, but my wishlist keeps growing! Right now I'm obsessing over Vapour Beauty, another organic line. The Aura Radiant Blush and Elixir Lip Gloss are calling my name! I wish I didn't have to order these sigh unseen but they are not available in brick and mortar stores as far as I know.

29 Cosmetics Highlighting Cream Blush is also at the top of the list. According to Neiman's it's a "real honest-to-goodness healthy glow packed with antioxidants that leave the skin naturally looking "blushed" not made up." This line is only carried in a few stores, none of which are on the east coast.

Finally, I'm also totally obsessed with Whole Foods 365 Caribbean Frozen Fruit Bars- strawberry, mango and coconut flavored deliciousness and only 110 calories per bar. It seriously tastes like vacation!

NARS Angelique Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment

Backed when I owned NARS Exhibit A blush, I always had the most difficult time coordinating a lip look with it. On my the blush had rosy, red, and peachy orange tones that harmonized well, but were difficult to replicate in a lipstick. For those that have and wear Exhibit A, NARS Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment in Angelique is the perfect counterpart.

The Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatments are slim, waxy tinted balms with SPF 15 and moisturizing mango butter. All of the shades (there are 6 total) are quite sheer, with Angelique having the most color. It's described as sheer strawberry and to me is a rosy red with just a hint of orangey coral. It's perfect for summer! The downside is that it is quite sheer and quite expensive for a tinted balm at $25. Sephora only seems to have 4 of the 6 shades, but Nordstrom and Blue Mercury have the full lot.
And just for fun, here is my eye look of the day:

• Becca Satin lash to crease
• Becca Tweed in the outer 3/4 of the crease
• Lancome Black Coffee to line close to the lash liner and on the waterline
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Shimmery Complex Roses

I tend to gravitate towards interesting colors. No straight pinks or greens for me! I like complex, multidimensional colors--murky taupey browns, iridescent pinky browns, luminous reddish pinky peaches. These shades are all what I'd considering interesting. They're all a blend of several tones and are of varying depths. If pressed for a one word description I'd use "rose," but that would belie the complexity of the shades.

From left to right: Origins Rose Gold, Shiseido SL13, Dolce and Gabbana Naked, Julie Hewett Nude Noir, Clinique Gingerfrost, Lancome Rendez-Vous

Same order as before: Origins Rose Gold, Shiseido SL13, Dolce and Gabbana Naked, Julie Hewett Nude Noir, Clinique Gingerfrost, Lancome Rendez-Vous

Lancone Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee

I think that Lancome is a seriously underrated brand. Sure it's ubiquitous, many of us grew up watching our mothers and grandmothers use it, and their fragrances are an instant migraine for me, but they have some terrific products, their eye liners and mascaras being exceptional in my opinion. Lancome Artliners and my Holy Grail liquid liners and when I wanted a deep dark bittersweet chocolate color eye pencil, I opted for Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee. This pencil consistently garners raves and when I saw that ebay was full of them for $10 instead of the $23 retail price, I I couldn't hold out.

According to Lancome, Le Crayon Kohl is "[t]he smoky, smudgy eye pencil.

A creamy-smooth pencil for lining, defining, colouring and contouring eyes. Formulated to glide on easily and blend beautifully for dramatically defined to soft and smoldering effects."

The pencil comes in 6 shades and is a good value, even it full price, since it is very long. Black Coffee is a brown so dark it is approaching black, but without any of the harshness or blueness of a black eye liner. It goes on incredibly smoothly with no tugging or dragging. This also means that it smudges easily. I don't have much of a problem with liner smuding on my top lids, but did learn that this guy is not good on the bottom or inner rim.

Two thumbs up, especially if you can snag it on ebay or in order to get a Gift with Purchase.
The flash makes the pencil look a bit warmer and lighter than it actually is, through the swatch is very true to color.