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Archives for January 2011

Naive Is Haute When It Comes to the Givenchy Naivement Couture Collection

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givenchy naivement couture collection spring 2011

You don’t have to love the way you look in sunny shades of warm orange and yellow to like Givenchy’s new Naivement Couture collection, but it certainly helps.

The spring/summer collection beams onto eyes, lips, faces and nails with buttery colors all kissed by the sun. These orange, pink, green, beige and peach shades have me looking forward to window shopping in the springtime and cruising sunny sidewalks with El Hub. 🙂 And even the name, which means “naively couture” in French, seems to fit with that mood (as would a Caffè Americano sipped at an outdoor cafe).

A Sunlit Look

givenchy naivement couture collection spring 2011

See how the orange eyeshadow extends beyond the model’s eyelids and up into her brows, and how it sweeps below her eyes and melts into the pink blush upon her cheeks? — like rays of sunlight painted on?

It almost looks like it’s radiating heat, which, considering how cold and gray it is here, makes me want to jump through the monitor.

givenchy naivement couture collection spring 2011

I love watching this kind of makeup strut down the runway, but how would it work in the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s? Ha! Isn’t that a reasonable question? 🙂 I mean, I guess I could make it more wearable by only applying the orange to the lids…

What’s Permanent, Limited Edition, and Where It Can Be Found

The 16-piece release comes with both permanent and limited edition products, nine of them repromotes that area available now, and seven are limited edition.

International gals can look forward to all seven of the L.E. pieces arriving this spring; Here in the U.S., we’ll have to settle for just four (coming to Sephora stores and online next month).
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We’re Springing Into Action Today with Swatches of the Dior Montaigne Collection for Spring 2011

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dior montaigne swatches

Happy hump day, young lady. 🙂 How are tricks out yonder way? Are you having a good week?

I wanted to post some swatches of the new Dior Montaigne spring collection. Here are all the products with the exception of the one lonely Sephora exclusive, Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in Trianon Silver #707, which I’ll add here as soon as I’ve seen it up close and personal.

Now, brace yourself for a whole lotta pink and gray (aka, my favorite colors in fourth grade, LOL!).

dior montaigne swatches display

dior montaigne swatches
Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Gris-Gris #034 ($58); you can also see 5-Colour Designer Eyeshadow in Soft Pink Design #018 ($58) peeking out on the left (full review here)
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How Easy Is It to Change Your Aura with Hourglass?

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hourglass aura collection

In the Effortless Makeup category, Hourglass’s new Aura collection ranks among one of my favorites for spring.

It’s like the brand has their fingers on the pulse of lazy girls like moi. The Aura Sheer Cheek Stains and Sheer Lip Stains are designed for ease of use. No brushes are required with Aura’s portable, pen-style applicators. Twisting the bottom of each one dispenses product through the sponge tip applicator at the other end, and it makes these sheer, buildable liquid stains practically foolproof to use.

For full details on the Hourglass Aura Collection, peep Can I Read Your Hourglass Aura? The Hourglass Aura Collection for Spring 2011.

The Aura Sheer Cheek Stains ($45) and Aura Sheer Lip Stains ($26) sink quickly into my skin, but there’s still a window of drying time (about a minute or so) in which I’m able to blend out any harsh edges with my fingers if I need to.


Hourglass Aura Sheer Cheek Stain and Sheer Lip Stain in Flush

If the zombies were coming and I had to make for the hills, I’d grab both the Cheek and Lip Stains in Flush, the reddish pink shade I’m wearing here, a few jars of Nutella, a pocket knife, my wedding pictures and Tabs.

Because I’d be able to apply the stains without a mirror (they’re that easy), I’d be able to evade the walking dead without having to sacrifice my look. 🙂

Hourglass Aura Sheer Cheek Stain in Flush, $45

This sheer liquid stain feels a lot like Benefit’s Posietint to me. It’s runny, but still has some weight to it. I’ve worn it on bare skin, atop foundation and even on top of powder, and in every case it stays put, lasting throughout the day. It also layers well, too, so I’m able to crank up the color when I want a bolder cheek. I LOVE the convenience, but dagnabbit that $45 hurts.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-
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Be Pretty in Prints This Spring with the Milly for Clinique Collection

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clinique pretty in prints

There really must be a “wrong side of the bed” because I think it’s the side I woke up on this morning. I needed more than mere caffeine to make it through the day today, so I stopped by my favorite chai place, the Nordstrom cafe, because it also happens to be located a few feet from the Nordie’s cosmetics department. 🙂

When I came to the Clinique counter, I almost dropped my drink!

clinique pretty in prints

With just three pieces, the new Milly for Clinique Pretty in Prints Collection might be one of the littlest releases this spring, but I’m such a total sucker for pretty prints.

About MillyMilly

The label was established in 2000, when founder/designer Michelle Smith returned to New York after working for Paris powerhouses like Hermès and Dior. The collections consistently turn out feminine pieces and classic silhouettes in personally designed fabrics and prints that appeal to socialistas as well as starlets on the preppy side. Milly has perfected the Palm Beach palette with Upper East Side polish.
— nymag.com

The chocolate browns and playful pinks just look so darn foolproof and wearable, don’t they? Sure, the colors themselves aren’t particularly edgy, but these look like the kinds of things I could wear when I want to look polished and professional but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it.

Clinique Pretty in Prints Compact $36 (limited edition) — Clinique nailed this powder eye/cheek palette because the colors go together perfectly. It comes with four eyeshadows — one, a pearly, peachy beige (looks a little like MAC Vex without the green pearl); a bronzy gold with a touch of green and pink glitter (GORGEOUS!); a shimmery, medium-toned pink; and a shimmery chocolate brown — and a peachy pink blush, which kinda resembles a less golden version of NARS Orgasm. Also in the mix: a snazzy drawstring printed pouch and how-to card with a step-by-step tutorial. Great for makeup newcomers and seasoned makeup addicts alike (the ones lacking self-control, like yours truly, ha!), particularly ones who wear warm colors well.
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MAC Jeanius: The Names That Could Have Been

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mac jenius collection for spring 2011

MAC wasn’t the first to don denim for a makeup collection, but they are the first to take the idea this far.

I’m still kicking myself for missing the Jeans de Chanel quad from Coco’s spring 2007 collection, but it looks like I’ll get another chance to exorcise my blue and gray denim demons on March 3, when the new MAC Jeanius Collection saunters onto MAC counters and into MAC stores.

The 16-piece limited edition collection showcases both new and repromoted makeup for eyes, lips and nails, and I’m totally down with idea of a collection filled with blue, pink, purple, white, gray and white, especially one with pans that look like the ones at the top (how cute are those buttons?).

But the more I think about it, the more I wish MAC would have taken the idea even further. Take the product names, for instance. Painted On and Acid Washed are great, but why stop there? Why not go all the way, right? Picture this: a MAC Lipstick in Pajama Jeans. 🙂

While I was standing in line at the post office yesterday, I got to thinking about all of the other jean-themed products MAC could have included in the collection. I don’t know, maybe it was the scent of freshly licked envelopes or the air of desperation in the room (seriously, that line was hella long), but I jotted some down in a list…
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NYC New York Color Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss, I Question Your Taste

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nyc new york color extreme lip glider lip gloss
NYC New York Color Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss in Plaza Punch

Just another shiny drugstore gloss? Not hardly. These NYC New York Color Extreme Glider Lip Glosses feel way more expensive than they should for $3 each. Smooth, thin and slick on my lips, they could almost pass for melted butter if it wasn’t for one little thing…

Butter tastes good. 🙂

I’ve tried three of the 10 shades, and all of them taste and smell like a strong blend of children’s cough syrup and fruit punch concentrate; luckily, it dissipates after a few minutes of wear.

Coverage varies widely among the colors, with some of them, like Downtown Brown and Metro Mauve, applying so sheer that I can barely see any pigment on my lips, while others, like Plaza Punch, have plenty of pigment to spare.

The three I have contain glitter, which looks kinda chunky in the tube, so I expected them to feel gritty, but they don’t. In fact, they could probably pass for MAC Lipgelées (LOVE) if not for the flavor and scent…

nyc new york color extreme lip glider lip gloss tubes

nyc new york color extreme lip glider lip gloss tubes-back

nyc new york color extreme lip glider lip gloss wands
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