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This Spring, Estée Lauder’s Big Plans for Pigment Involve the Pure Color Blushes

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Wearing Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush in Electric Pink

Holy frickin’ rad, Batgirl! I almost don’t know where to start…

The new Estée Lauder Pure Color Blushes are so packed with pigment that they might even make seasoned MAC addicts shed glittery tears of joy.

Estée Lauder went BIG with these new $28 blushes. Literally. The oversized pans are huge!

To put them in perspective, a husky tabby’s butt barely rivals their size. 🙂

And the powders? Let me put it this way: softer and finer than powdered sugar.

The 16 new powder blushes dance onto Estée Lauder counters, and into EL’s permanent line, next month. This week, I’ve been getting acquainted with one of the shades from that launch and three from a limited edition collection coming in May.


Clockwise from the red pan in the lower left: The Siren, Fearless, Naughty and Electric Pink

Carnation-colored Electric Pink is the shade bound for the permanent line. Soft and wearable, it kinda reminds me of a chillier version of MAC Blushbaby.

Reddish orange Naughty, bright red The Siren and hot pink Fearless, the bright limited edition shades, comprise a three-piece Pure Color Blush Collection By Tom Pecheaux, and when they arrive in May, they’ll be exclusive to Macy’s.

All four blushes apply with vibrant color that stays true from morning till night, and only one thing stands in their way of cheeky domination…

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Swatches from the left: Fearless, Electric Pink, The Siren and Naughty

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Wearing Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush in Siren
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Like Summer for Spring in the Middle of Winter, the Estée Lauder Pure Color Topaz Collection Is Ahead of Its Time

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It’s just a little out of whack, like wearing a turtleneck to the beach in summer or a bikini in a snowstorm. Ever since I started following seasonal beauty launches, my internal beauty clock has been months ahead of the actual present season.

You know that one cousin who always wears fall-ish matte red lips to the Fourth of July family picnic or spring pastels in December? That’s me now. Guilty as charged.

I’ve gotten so used to wearing colors targeted to seasons other than the current one that when a spring collection that looks like a summer launch comes along in the middle of winter, it doesn’t seem that bat sh*t cray-cray at all!

See, technically, Estée Lauder’s new Pure Color Topaz collection is a spring 2012 release, but the color palette of bronze, teal, taupe, sand and citron seems more like summer in Saint-Tropez to me than Easter Sunday brunch.

I wore the teal eyeliner, gold gloss and bronze blush from the launch last weekend and very felt poolside polished (very “Calgon, take me away…”). Granted, the whole summer siren thing doesn’t really work when you’re just parked in front of the computer in knee-high socks, uncombed hair and sweats, but as soon as I win the lottery and take my first vacation to the South of France, I’ll be able to conduct a more proper field test. 🙂

Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, $40

Estee Lauder calls this a “tribrid” compact with a liquid, powder and gel. Basically, it looks and behaves like a shimmery and pigmented rosy bronze powder blush. I think it might be too intense for many offices but would look right at home on a casual, ocean-view dinner date. Super pretty, but with its brief, two-hour wear time, it’ll probably fade by the time you’ve finished that last bite of mango sorbet.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss, $22.50

Yellowish in its tube, Citron Kiss applies more like a sheer gold with micro flecks of silver sparkle. Great if you like your lip looks on the quiet side, or if you’re on the market for a golden gloss to layer.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal, $22

I like this pencil’s smooth texture and intense color. I think it produces really pretty smudgy eyes, but the long tip terrifies me! I keep coming this close to poking out an eye (it comes with a sharpener).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

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Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz products from top to bottom: Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal and Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss
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The Estée Lauder Pure Color Topaz Collection for Spring 2012 Will Be Channeling Summer Soon

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How do you feel about Estée Lauder? Their new Pure Color Topaz spring collection is on its way to counters (and online) very, very soon.

Its 10 pieces for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails encompass a color palette of bronze, taupe, sand, citron yellow and teal, and judging by the few items I’ve seen (here are three of them below), it looks pretty summery to me.

Heck, though, I’m not complaining. I could always use a little summer this time of year, and bronze and teal might as well be my middle names (hyphenated, of course). 🙂

Reviews forthwith — as soon as I’ve spent some time playing with the pieces.

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Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz products from top to bottom: Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal and Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss
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Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon

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The new Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, $40. Coming soon to Estee Lauder counters!

The Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz collection for spring 2012 includes…

EYES
  • Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette in Topaz Mosaic, $45
  • Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Black, $22
  • Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal, $22
  • Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, $23.50
FACE
  • Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, $40
LIPS
  • Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss, $22.50

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  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sultry Caramel, $28
  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sensuous Nude, $28
  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sublime Nectar, $28
NAILS
  • Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Teal Topaz, $19

With the Estée Lauder Modern Chic Face Palette Travel Exclusive Kit, the In-Flight Movie Is Sheer To Be Good

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Estee Lauder Modern Chic Face Palette

Wait — so hunting for limited edition travel makeup exclusives at the airport doesn’t count as cardio? Well heck, I think it should. Hauling my carry-on bag from gate to gate, searching through each and every duty-free store to locate hard-to-find makeup goodies, must burn at least a few hundred calories.

I know I’d gladly break a sweat looking for the new Estée Lauder Modern Chic Face Palette. The new travel exclusive palette includes four powder eyeshadows, a powder blush, one face powder, one full-size lipstick and a travel-size mascara and eyeliner, all tucked away in a stylish midnight blue zippered case.

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4 Fast Reviews of Pricey New Skincare Products from SK-II, Lancôme, Estée Lauder and Josie Maran

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4 Skincare Product Reviews

Here are some of the skincare products I’ve put through the old testing ringer lately. Most of them are fairly new, like released within the past couple of months or so, but one of them, Josie’s Argan Cleansing Oil, came out back in summer.

The Cleansing Oil also happens to be the only one of these that sells for less than $80, so these are things up in the premium category, which, one would hope, means that they’re all incredibly awesome, right?

Let’s find out. 🙂

SK-II Skin Signature Eye Cream ($110 for a 0.5-oz. jar)

Luxury line SK-II is hooked on Pitera. It’s the brand’s signature ingredient, and it appears in everything across their entire line.

So what is Pitera?

In the company’s words, it’s a “…singular blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids that work together to help restore the appearance of your skin’s outer layers, by enabling the skin’s natural surface rejuvenation process to function at its prime.”

Ok, but what is it?

Well, it’s derived from yeast fermentation, and its history traces back about 30 years to a Japanese saké brewery…

No, fo’ reals! That’s when a scientist noticed that the hands of workers at the brewery looked surprisingly beautiful and young. A bunch of research later, a team of scientists that had been trying to get to the bottom of it think they figured out why, and they packaged up the secret formula and called it Pitera.

SK-II touts it as a “miracle water” used to regenerate, hydrate and restore balance to skin, and it’s in their new Signature Eye Cream, which hit counters last month.

It costs an arm and a leg, but it’s probably one of the most hydrating high-end eye creams I’ve ever tried. I’m serious — it’s crazy moisturizing! And it layers well beneath makeup, too.

I’m still waiting to see proof of its purported power to eliminate under-eye circles and firm the skin, but my normally parched eye area feels hella hydrated when I’m using this and looks fresh and dewy all day long.

For straight up moisture, this stuff is tops. Of course, it’s also brutally expensive.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Night Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Creme ($80 for a 1.7-oz. jar)

The actual application of Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Night brings me great joy. There’s something so sweet, soothing and comforting about the rosy apple scent that reminds me of hugging my mom.

Part of the line’s new Lift Firming/Sculpt Collection of moisturizers and treatments, it’s not the most moisturizing cream I’ve ever used, but I sure do like the fluffy texture and the scent.

It’s supposed to tighten and firm aging skin; that’s the big selling point, but I haven’t really noticed much in either respect. I do like slathering it on at night, though, as part of my bedtime ritual, on account of the scent, the texture, how quickly it absorbs and because it doesn’t leave behind a sticky layer of goo.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
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For a Limited Time, Eyes Will Smile from a Mile Away with the New 15-Piece Estée Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes Collection

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Estee Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes

My, oh, my, what’s this I spy? It looks like the new Pure Color Cyber Eyes collection from Estée Lauder is here.

Rich pigments and metallic finishes define this 15-piece limited edition release for eyes. With the collection, which is coming soon to Estée Lauder counters but available now online, EL introduces a completely new line of all-in-one liquid/powder/gel eyeshadows. The Pure Color Gelee Powder EyeShadows ($24 each) have an amphibious formula designed to be worn either wet or dry.

The release also features six new shades of the company’s Pure Color Intense Kajal EyeLiners ($20 each) and three jewel-toned Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Mascaras ($23.50 each).

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Pure Color Gelee Powder EyeShadow in Cyber Lilac

For a second there with Cyber Lilac I thought I was looking at foil wrapping paper (so pretty).
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