Thank you Giveaway *Deadline update*

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who's taken time to visit, comment and follow my blog and since I've gotten over 100 followers, I'm giving away a bottle of Chanel Jade (brand new in box) and other goodies to be decided.

To Enter:

1- Be a follower of this blog

2-Please leave a comment in this post telling me anything you want to see more of (i.e I want to see more notd) and/or if you have a question about anything (i.e how many e/s do you have? What brand of xyz do you prefer?)

3-Winner will be drawn at random from the entries.

You'll have 48hrs to claim your prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Any questions will be answered in winner announcement post.

*Updated* Deadline is November 2nd, 11:59 pm est.

Tsumori chisato for shu uemura-Ribbon palette and Lipgloss trio

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered the Ribbon palette and lip gloss trio from the tsumori chisato for shu uemura collection. I primarily ordered for the packaging-it's just too friggin cute but shu has pretty good quality in it's make up so I gave these pieces a shot.

The Ribbon palette (I've seen it labeled as radiant ribbon palette and ribbon planet palette, so I'm just calling it Ribbon) :

Compact is made of clear gold flecked plastic


It has 3 powder eye shadows (a shimmery pink, shimmery gold and matte lilac), 2 liners (gold shimmer brown and bright silver) and 1 blush (shimmery gold peach).


No flash, indoor light


With flash, indoor light

I was pretty happy with this palette. The shadows went on smooth, had good pigmentation and blended easily. I did not try the 2 creme liners though. The blush looks super bright but goes on pretty sheer (hence, the swatch didn't really show up).


Eotd using the palette and the shu uemura black liquid liner

The other item that wooed me was the cute lip gloss trio. It comes in a nylon bag with gold drawstring and star print.

3 shades-clear gold shimmer, peach with gold shimmer and sheer berry


No flash, indoor light


With flash, indoor light

The lip glosses go on nicely. They aren't sticky but I can't say how well they wear. They do have a scent to them (similar to Lancome Fever glosses), but the scent doesn't seem to linger long.

This collection is pretty and has adorable packaging. The make up itself is solid and seems to wear well. The main drawback is the price, but to soften the blow. You can order them on sephora.com and use the friends and family code, FF2009 for 20% off (valid till 11/2).

Mac Magic, Mirth and Mischief eyeshadows and dazzleglass

A quickie post~I went to the Mac Pro store to get the elusive Volcanic Ash mask today and they happen to have some items from the Magic, Mirth and Mischeif collection. I picked up the mineralized duos in Under Your Spell, Midnight Madness and Devil May-Care and the She-zam dazzleglass.

L->R: Under Your Spell, Midnight Madness and Devil May-Care
She-zam dazzleglass

Swatches~I'm not feeling these pics, will have to update with better ones tomorrow. The larger part of the duos is on top with the highlight shade on bottom. Dazzleglass is on the far right.

I really liked the pigmentation in the larger sections of the duos. You can build up the color quite well. The smaller highlighter shade is much dustier, grittier and fall out seems to likely occur. The really liked the multi colored glitter with the silver gloss-will definitely be fun to layer it over other lip colors. I will probably try these out tomorrow and report on how well they wear. It's getting late and I should def be in bed already, bah.

The blogsale page has been updated with a few items (including some dazzleglasses and bb creams), click here to go check out the page or use the link on the right side. Thanks for looking!

Givenchy Holiday 2009

I think that Givenchy has some of the best packaging around and for the holiday 2009 collection, it definitely did not disappoint in terms of presentation.

The Le Prisme Perles eyeshadow quad (Precious pearls) comes in an adorable drawstring satin pouch. There are applicators included in the pouch and the quad itself comes in a satin box with a removable lid (another jewelry-ish container).

The quad has 4 shimmery shades in white, pale yellow, pale pink and grey. When I got this palette, it reminded me a lot of the Prisme Again! eyeshadow quad in Precious Shimmer but the Prisme Perles has a better pigmentation to it and the colors are a bit different.

Swatches!
Top: Prisme Perles (Precious Pearls)
Bottom: Precious shimmer (I don't usually have that much of a problem with pigmentation with this quad, but it was being difficult).

Overall, definitely not a must have item but more of a lovely gift to have or receive. The packaging is lovely and the quad is decent but not very unique color wise.

I was more satisfied with the other items in this collection that I ordered. There is a new Parad'Eyes Fluid Eye liner in Tender pearl (a pretty metallic pink), a Rouge Interdit Shine lipstick in Pearl Shine (a sheer pearl shimmer) and a Gloss Interdit in Tender Pearl (a shimmery pale pink). The packaging did not have a pretty etching like the Le Poetiques but the lipstick case is infused with silver glitter. The tender pink gloss is a very pretty shimmery pink. I didn't think I would like the Pearl Shine lipstick since this isn't much color but it does give a nice pearl shimmer to your lips that noticeable but not too frosty. I've been wanting a nice pink eyeliner and this fits the bill. With a thin line, it doesn't scream pink but give a nice bit of shimmery pop to your eyes.

L to R: Tender Pink gloss, Pearl Shine lipstick, Tender Pink eyeliner

All items are available on Sephora.com.

Paul & Joe Holiday 2009

I went to an event at the Paul & Joe counter at Bergdorf today. They were doing makeovers and revealed the new holiday 2009 collection. It was a nice event and everyone at the counter was really friendly and helpful.

There are 2 new highlighting powders that were released. There is a gorgeous design over the powder but the time the compact was being used on me, the design was gone. The mua ended up using the powder not for highlighting but as an all over finishing powder and it was quite nice. It has a bit of shimmer but very subtle. The design is so pretty, its almost a shame to use. I did not see the pink version of this powder since everything was scattered because of the makeovers going on. All the pics below are indoors with natural lighting.

With flash


No flash


Compact does come with a brush

I decided to pick a smoky eye look so the mua used the 001 eye shadow palette. It's a nice trio of shadows, but once I got home I think I may have a lot of similar shadows so I'm not sure if I'll keep it, hence no swatches. First color is a pale lilac color, middle is a light taupe and the last is a dark shimmery grey. I may go for the 002 palette which has more golden shadows since I don't have as many in that family. The mua also used a new loose black pigment with silver glittery, the glittery didn't really stick since it was dry. Almost like a loose version of MAC Cinderfella mineral shadow.

Pretty purple and gold design for this collection


No flash

With flash

I was excited to see the new lip lacquers that were released. They come in squeeze tubes and went on smooth without any stickiness and the pigmentation was good. Some colors do have shimmer and others did not. I picked up 01 and 05. There is also a new pencil eyeliner released. It has the decorative purple design and comes in a dark grey color.

Left to Right: 001 (peach) and 005 (deeper peach with shimmer)


Eyeliner in 001

I ended up getting a gift with purchase. A cute set iwth a notebook, soap dish (?) and skin care samples including the peeling mask. I ended up buying a full size because I really like peeling masks but it's nice that I can actually sample it before committing.

**Update** Other items from the holiday collection are a pouch and vanity box with the purple and gold decoration. The pouch was cute and can be used as a makeup bag or a clutch. The box was just a box with a handle. It was pretty but I had hoped that there were compartments inside.

Dior Cristal Boreal Crystal Gloss Jewel + ghd Pretty in Pink

Ah shimmery Dior things, how can I resist? I do like the Cristal Boreal Crystal Gloss Jewel better than the Lady Dior Charm that was released last year. The price tag is also a bit better this year but still hurts. The lip gloss pendant is decorated with Swarovski crystal elements (52 according to the enclosed leaflet) with 4 being Aurore Boreale crystals.

It comes in a jewelry type box that flips open. The pendant is on a very long silk cord with a lobster clasp and Dior tag. The cord is a bit too long for me so if I do decide to wear this thing as a necklace, I'll have to switch out the silk cord for something shorter.

The face of the pendant swivels to reveal the gloss inside. Sorry for the lack of swatch. My camera wasn't picking it up very well. The gloss goes on clear with multi colored shimmer meant to give you very iridescent lips.

While stopping by one of my nearby Sephoras to return an item. I noticed that they had a ghd set in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness this month. When Yumeko had posted her pics of the cute pink ghd she had gotten, I was smitten. I had a hot pink T3 iron for awhile and it did a decent job but the ghd was calling me. I liked the color, the cute accessories that it had and the fact that I could curl and straighten. I hunted online and found a UK site that sold it with free international shipping. It took about 1.5 weeks to receive it. There was no tracking which was a bummer. The outside box was beaten to sh!t but the inside box was fine even though there was no padding. Luckily I had an adapter for the 2 prong plug so I was able to use the iron without much fuss. If I had waited I wouldn't have had to worry about the electrical compatibility, oh wellz.

The box offered in the states is different, it's more shoe box like, much like the other ghd packaging. However, it has all the accessories: pouch, hair clips, mini hair brush and tote. Click here to see the Sephora.com listing. This would definitely be a good item for the upcoming friends and family event :)

Dior Smoky Crystal palette

I was on the hunt for the Mac volcanic ash mask for a friend so I made a trip to Bloomingdales today. Sadly, no mask was available (The hunt continues!). However, I did spot the new Dior Holiday collection. The display seemed a bit empty but they did have the Smoky Crystal (089) Iridescent palette, the intense liquid eyeliner in Sparkling Purple and the lip gloss pendant. I was grossed out as some woman walking by stuck her finger in the tester for the pendant and immediately applied it to her lips-ick. The lip gloss for the pendant was a very shimmery pink (still contemplating over it). I liked the pendant part but I didn't like the silk cord that it was on.

Anyhoo, I've been wanting to get a shimmery gray eye shadow palette recently and the Smoky Crystal palette fits the bill quite nicely.

Swatches:
Top row: starting from top left going clockwise
Bottom: Intense liquid eyeliner in Sparkling Purple

The light taupe and medium taupe colors didn't interest me that much, but I really liked the bright silver color, dark shimmery grey and the lavender shade. The pigmentation was quite good with these shades and they went on smoothly. The sparkling purple eyeliner is nice accompaniment to the palette. Now I just have to make up my mind about the lip gloss pendant or wait till Sephora's Friends and Family at the end of this month~happening 10/19 -11/2, use code FF2009 for 20% off.