Makeup Tips, How-to Apply Makeup, Eye Makeup, MAC Cosmetics

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Welcome to Free For Haul Fridays!

A play on Oh No They Didn’t’s “Free For All Fridays,” every Friday is Free For Haul Fridays! Friday is a day for fun — whether you’re already off enjoying your weekend or if you just need a way to get through til the end of the work day, FFH is here for you!

Share your latest beauty hauls! Once you’ve done that… say anything you’d like. Recommend your favorite book or tell us what you just started reading; share a great dessert recipe or a photo of your pet (which is sure to be the cutest, yeah?).

First, I’ll share mine!

I’ve actually been very good and haven’t bought any new makeup since the last FFHF!  I’m so proud :P

Now… have at it!

Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss

The Scarlet Season: Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss

Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss ($36.00 for 0.22 oz.) is a stunning shade of subdued ruby red with ruby and gold shimmer and the most amazing pigmentation. I remember when I first purchased this shade, which was also the first time I ever heard of or saw Le Metier de Beaute, back in February 2009 when I was in New York for fashion week. I completely fell head-over-heels in love with the shade; it was love at first swatch, as they’d say! The formula is out of this world; it’s moisturizing, glossy, ridiculously well-pigmented (it still feels more like a gloss than a lipstick or liquid lipstick), and it lasts for a good four to six hours on me. I’m still as pleased with it today as I was when I first purchased it.

I’m also pleased to note that Le Metier de Beaute has greatly improved their accessibility, available at many Neiman Marcus around the United States. (When I purchased this, they were only available at two stores or online at NeimanMarcus.com!)

What about you? Would you wear this red?

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Keep Reading!

China Glaze 5 Golden Rings Nail Lacquer

For the Holidays:  China Glaze Love You Snow Much Nail Lacquer Set

China Glaze Love You Snow Much Nail Lacquer Set ($12.00 to $18.00) is a holiday-themed set, and it includes 5 Golden Rings (pale gold), Emerald Sparkle (emerald green), Tinsel (light silver), and Ruby Pumps (ruby red).

• 5 Golden Rings is a paled yellow-gold with bright and muted yellow gold shimmer mixed in a sheer, tinted pale yellow base. Even with three coats, I couldn’t get this shade to look opaque on my nails. I like the color, but it’s a bit on the sheer side and I tend to gravitate towards more opaque choices myself. However, since it is so sheer in its base color, it gives you bling without being too much.
• Emerald Sparkle is a shimmery rich emerald green. It is a deep, dark forest green base mixed with brighter, more emerald green shimmer. It’s also a dream to apply; smooth and pigmented, it only needs two coats to obtain a rich, lush green that is entirely opaque.
• Tinsel is a bright silver shimmer suspended in a clear base. Since the base is clear, it is sheer and doesn’t apply completely opaque even with three coats. I think thicker coats and three or four of them might yield a slightly more opaque look, but some experimentation is necessary.
• Ruby Pumps is a shimmery bright ruby red. It has a medium bright red base with darker ruby red shimmer sprinkled throughout. It applies evenly and without a fuss, plus it goes opaque in just two medium-thick coats.

Which of the four is your favorite?

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 27/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you don’t own Emerald Sparkle/Ruby Pumps, this is a good set to pick ‘em up in! 5 Golden Rings and Tinsel may not be your cup of tea if you prefer opaque color–but if you do like sheer shades, you may love this set entirely.

Availability: 8ty8beauty.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com, TransDesign.com

See close-ups… Keep Reading!

Build a Quad: “Island Paradise”

Island Paradise is very similar to The Tropics, except it takes it to the next level–brighter, bolder–with the addition of two permanent, but PRO-only eyeshadow shades. I thought it might be nice to give you a more over-the-top kind of tropical eye.

This quad includes: MAC Bright Sunshine eyeshadow (bright yellow), MAC Bio-Green eyeshadow (bright medium green), MAC Freshwater eyeshadow (bright medium blue), and MAC Shimmermoss eyeshadow (shimmery teal). You could also swap out Freshwater and bring in Electric Eel for an even brighter blue.

A few combinations to try with this…

• Bright Sunshine all over lid, Bio-Green in the outer crease and lid, highlighter on brow
• Bright Sunshine on inner third of the lid, Bio-Green on the middle of lid, Freshwater on the outer third, Shimmermoss in the crease, highlighter on brow
• Bio-Green on the inner half of the lid, Shimmermoss on the outer half of the lid, Freshwater in the crease, highlighter on brow
• Bright Sunshine all over lid, Bio-Green in the outer crease and lid, Freshwater in the crease, highlighter on brow

A few looks I’ve done that can be replicated with these shades…

• Bright Yellow & Green
• Bright Tropical Eye
• Greens and Blues
• Green, Teal, & Blue

Build a Quad is a feature focusing on creating different eyeshadow palettes that are both beautiful and functional using permanent shades of eyeshadow. We invite readers to suggest their own build-a-quads — just leave your ideas in the comments! Don’t forget to name your quad! :)

See swatches… Keep Reading!

How do you feel about your brows? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Bane of your existence?

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It took me awhile, but I’m pretty happy with them. I hate the maintenance, though!

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Holiday Glitz: China Glaze Emerald Sparkle Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle Nail Lacquer ($3.50 to $6.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a signature shade for the holidays. I remember practically fall over myself trying to track it down without paying ridiculously inflated eBay prices and failing. This year, it is part of the Love You Snow Much Set, which also includes Tinsel (light silver), Ruby Pumps (ruby red), and 5 Golden Rings (pale gold). I love Emerald Sparkle so much, I feel it deserves its own post. I’ll review the entire set tomorrow, so stay tuned! :)

Emerald Sparkle is a shimmery rich emerald green. It is a deep, dark forest green base mixed with brighter, more emerald green shimmer. The combination is absolutely stunning, both in natural light, sunlight, and indoor lighting. It sparkles and shimmers, and it is so suitable for the holiday season. It’s also a dream to apply; smooth and pigmented, it only needs two coats to obtain a rich, lush green that is entirely opaque. This is definitely one of my favorite China Glaze shades to date, and it also has one of the best formulations amongst the brand’s line-up.

Would you rock Emerald Sparkle?

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 5/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  If you love lush green shades for your nails, I’m pretty sure you should be the owner of Emerald Sparkle… and make haste!

Availability: 8ty8beauty.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com, TransDesign.com

See close-ups… Keep Reading!

Holiday 2009 Gift Guide: Best Luxury Gifts

When I think luxury, I think of products that feel like an experience–decadent, luxurious, and satisfying–and often are items I wouldn’t myself purchase but would love to receive.  In that vein, I’ve missed the price range from as low as $45 to as high as $249.  At the end of day, luxury can be incredibly personal, but these are some of my personal favorites.

Guerlain Le Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a creamy, smooth, pigmented lipstick formula that applies and clings to lips without drying them. It has the most subtle, yet noticeable, shimmer that really shines without being garish. It’s really a top formula, but the price tag definitely slots it into the luxury bag.  (See some of my reviews here.)

Bliss Softening Socks ($48.00) are these awesome socks that pretty much come with this gel lining that soothes and moisturizes your feet while you wear them. Bliss says that a pair of socks lasts for up to fifty uses (not too bad!) and you wear ‘em for about twenty minutes. (You can even get them in a nifty holiday gift box at Bliss.) You can also give the same technology, but for hands (gloves, rather than socks, duh!).

BURN Candles ($60.00 for ~100 hours) come in amazing, complex scents that really waft throughout the room/rooms. I’ve found that I’ll burn one in the office, and the scent will be in the living room/kitchen and even in the bedroom. The scent is just enough to enjoy without being overwhelming. For the holidays, they’ve added the following scents: Firewood Embers, Grenadine Pomegranate and Sugar Pine Balsam. (They also have candles that burn for approximately 150 hours for $95.00 a pop.) You can also find BURN at Barneys.

Chanel Les Tissages Lames de Chanel (Shimmering Tweed Highlighter) ($60.00) is a beautiful composition of a tweed patterned highlighter that’s golden and bronze without being too much.  (You can read my full review here.)

See more of my favorite luxe gifts! Keep Reading!

What’s the Best Waterline Eyeliner…?

What brand/product wins this category? Any particular reason it wins?

Celebrate with us as we reach 200,000 comments!

Just eight months ago, on March 21st, 2009, we celebrate reaching 100,000 comments.  Sometime today, we’ll reach the crazy-insane mark of 200,000 comments.  It’s amazing how the time flies, and thank you all so much for your comments, feedback, questions, and suggestions.  Your participation is such a vital necessity to this blog and making it a success!

So congratulations to all of you, for making 200,000 a possibility!