Jouer Cosmetics recently did a relaunch this year, and I was excited to try their revamped line-up. Admittedly, I hadn’t tried their originaly products before, but I’m always curious about higher end cosmetic lines. The first thing I noticed when I received my Jouer products was that all of the products can be made to interlock. Yes, INTERLOCK! Like Legos… for makeup addicts. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen, and yet totally creative and different. Each palette is also labeled (blush, face, eye, etc.) on the side, in case you store them that way. All of the sleek compacts included mirrors, even the eyeshadows, which was interesting.

Jouer Rose Blush ($24.00) is a mineral powder blush described as a “soft dusty rose.” I’d buy that description; it’s fairly accurate. The color goes on softly; a very subtle dusting of subdued rose. It’s a buildable color, rather than one that you have to worry about diffusing later.

Jouer Amaretto Eyeshadow ($20.00) is a chocolate brown-bronze kind of color; not overly dark but not too light. The color has warm undertones, but not enough to classify it as a warm color–more neutral. All of Jouer’s powder eyeshadows can be used as a wet or dry, and they aren’t supposed to crease. When I used them (look to be posted next week), I used them over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, so I can’t attest to their power sans a base (but really, why wouldn’t you use a base?!).

Jouer Pink Champagne Eyeshadow ($20.00) is a soft, shimmery pink-neutral color. I see this being used mostly as an all-over lid color or to highlight the brow or inner tearduct. In the look I did using Jouer shadows, I used it as a lid and a highlighter, actually! The texture is very soft and satiny; it blends easily and applies smoothly.

You can find Jouer at www.jouercosmetics.com!  Also, on the website, they “show” you what each product looks like on four different skin tones, which is kind of cool!

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Clinique’s Blackberry Bloom collection for the holidays has a few stunning products definitely worth a trip over to your local Clinique counter! Particularly lovely is the Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Blackberry Bloom ($29.50) (pictured above), which is a pleasant shade of muted raspberry-mauve. It’s not too warm or cool, making it ideal for all skin tones. It has low level pearl in it; no over the top shimmer, more like a sophisticated sheen. Black Coffee ($14.00) is a rich shade of warm brown with golden flecks in it. I think it would be perfect way to add definition to the crease paired with a nude shade all over the lid. All of the shadows had great texture and consistency; they were smooth, pigmented, and blended easily.

Along with these holiday products, Clinique has come out with Party Red, featuring shades of red and coordinating products for those bold red lips. Both the Butter Shine Lipstick in Parisian Red ($14.00) and Long Last Lipstick in Party Red ($14.00) are excellent choices for your perfect holiday pout. Parisian Red seemed more like a truer red than Party Red, which is just a little subdued and has more of a frost finish to it. If I had to pick one, Parisian Red is the one I’d lust over!

You can see product photos of the products mentioned above, plus several more, as well as swatches… Continue reading »

Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick ($38.00) According to Bobbi Brown, there are five shades found within this shimmer brick: Candlelight, Gold, Copper, Beige, and Sand. I like the subtle glow it gave me; it’s very subtle, not too much color–more of a shimmer, highlighting effect. Some shimmer bricks give more color than others, but I’ve always liked the shimmer they’ve given, regardless of actual color (since I still consider these highlighters rather than blushes!). Copper Diamond is probably more suitable for warm-tones, just because it’s so warm itself. I still think cooler skin tones will enjoy this shimmer brick, because it won’t bronze you in a fake, orange kind of way.

Copper Diamond Glitter Lip Balm ($19.00) is a very subtle and sheer lip balm. It’s not sticky or tacky; it barely went on for me, to be honest. I saw a hint of shimmer/glitter on my lips, but the color itself was minimal. I haven’t tried the other shades, so perhaps those are more pigmented–otherwise, I’d skip these and head straight for the new, limited edition glitter lip gloss (the ones in the compact).

Glitz Metallic Eyeshadow ($20.00) is a new shade to the line’s existing metallic eyeshadows. The metallic eyeshadows have a more–you guessed it–metallic finish. I find they’re shimmery/frosty finishes, some of them do seem more metallic than others, though. Glitz itself is a soft, pale yellow-gold that goes on with a nice dose of shimmer and glitz (ha!). I think it’s a great shade for the holidays, as it’s a great all-over lid color to match with festive holiday-red lips! Oh, by the way? While they’re sold in their individual compacts, you can always pop ‘em out and put them in Bobbi Brown’s customizable palettes. Depotting without the hassle that comes alogn with MAC pots–awesome.

Ball Glitter Lip Gloss ($19.00) is actually my favorite product from the two collections. It’s a thick, semi-tacky gloss that is full of glittery bits with decent color. I picked up Ball, which gives lips some warmth and golden shimmer. It’s a great gloss over reds, especially a red like MAC’s Port Red, because of the lipstick’s subtle gold shimmer.

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Bobbi Brown’s Night Sky Long-Wear Eye Palette ($55.00) is offered as a holiday temptation! This palette includes Rockstar and Ocean long-wear cream shadow as well as Black Ink and Thunder Storm long-wear gel eyeliner. I am a big fan of Bobbi Brown’s long-wear gel eyeliner; I find it’s a bit creamier than most gel liners, but they’re still pigmented enough to give me the darkness I crave.

Rockstar is a silvery shade with a touch of blue undertones, while Ocean is a shimmery midnight blue. Black Ink is pretty much just that - a matte black. Thunder is a dark brownish-gray color. These colors go on just the way they appear, which is great, because I love it when products are true-to-color! I haven’t yet tried out the cream shadows to see how they wear, and I imagine I’ll more likely wear them as liner than as shadows ;)

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Three Custom Color Specialists recently launched their Czarina Collection, which includes:  Ballet Russe Lipstick ($18.50), Gilded Eye Shadow ($19.50), and Russian Blue Eye SHadow ($19.50).  Also, I have shots and swatches of TAI Lip Shine ($19.50), and every purchase of TAI results in 20% being donated towards the American Diabetes Association.  Wallflower was also recently launched as part of their creamy cheek colors, and it is a “shimmering beige.”  Perfect for subtle, flawless skin–the kind that never seems to grow old on the runways.  Here are some product shots and swatches for your beauty consumption!

“Travel is always so inspiring for us! We learn about other cultures, which helps us to be more global in our approach.” says Chad, “This collection pays homage to Russia with a look that exemplifies a modern Czarina; powerful, refined and sophisticated.”

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Urban Decay’s Holiday 2008 assortment offers this delectable eyeshadow palette called the Book of Shadows ($45.00).  Personally, I think it’s really the star product of what’s available (or coming soon) for their holiday offerings, despite there being a bejeweled “Poison Ring” ($50.00).  It offers an adorable pop up of flowers and eyeshadows, which is cute, though not something that really makes or breaks the palette.  When the lid is popped up, there is a small mirror available, so for those in a pinch, you could use it to apply the contents found inside.

What I like about this palette is they don’t sacrifice eyeshadow quality.  Each eyeshadow is pigmented, smooth, and there is such a great variety of colors within it.  There are dozens of amazing eyeshadow combinations to be found and created!  Oh, and did you see the price tag?  You get sixteen eyeshadows for that price (oh, and two palette brushes and a trial size of UDPP).  Cooler yet is it includes several never-before-seen colors from Urban Decay, which are exclusive to this palette, making it just that more tempting.  I strongly urge you to check this out at your nearest Urban Decay counter or Sephora store!

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Chanel’s Holiday 2008 collection includes Beiges de Chanel, which is a great quad of soft, warm tones.  It’s perfect for subtle holiday eyes, as well as more dramatic combinations (by using the dark brown with gold shimmer color).  The colors were silky smooth and had good pay off.  The only one with a chalkier texture was the “highlighter” color, and for that purpose, the texture works out.  I really love the bottom left color - it is just this gorgeous muted golden tan color.  This is such a classic quad well-suited for the holiday season.

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Bobbi Brown’s Shimmering Nudes Palette ($50.00) is BB’s latest palette launch.  For the past months, I have seen and played with many of her palettes (it seems like every collection is bound to have some sort of coordinating palette!).  On the whole, I haven’t been terribly impressed.  I admit I like bold colors and rich pigmentation, so naturally Bobbi Brown isn’t a brand that has “TEMPTALIA” written all over it.  Knowing this allows me to better appreciate the brand and its products for what they are.

With all that said, this is my favorite Bobbi Brown palette I’ve reviewed and seen to date.  Seven shades of soft neutrals ranging from pearlized shimmer wash to metallics.  It also comes with an eyeshadow/eyeliner brush (but who really cares?); the brush is workable, but I’d only use it in a pinch myself.  So why is it my favorite?  There is a nice level of color richness to the shades in this palette; I can see myself creating several glorious neutral and nude eyes using it.  (Of course, I have to remember to pull it out, so it might not actually happen…)

The shades you’ll find are:  Nude Beach (metallic), Nude Mist (shimmer wash), Naked, Nude Glow (metallic), Mica (shimmer wash), Nude Spice (metallic), and Espresso eyeshadows.  And you know what you don’t find?  Lip colors.  FANTASTIC!  The reason I say this is I hate getting eyeshadow residue on my lip colors (or anything creamy).  The other part is I’m not a huge fan of lip palettes, because I don’t like to use fingers, only lip brushes, with them aka pain in the rear.

So if you are looking for a good neutral eye palette, you really should head down to your local Bobbi Brown counter and check this baby out.  It will definitely suit your needs, methinks!

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I recently tried a few products from Thevi Cosmetics, which is a line founded by Thevaki Thambirajah.  Thevi created the brand because she “could never find cosmetics in shades that suited her coloring.”  She wanted colors that were “rich and vibrant without being harsh,” so Thevi Cosmetics was born as an answer to the frustrations she faced (and countless other women face).

“I know that there are many, many women like me. Women to whom ‘natural’ means ‘colorful.’ After all, what is more natural than a flower, a butterfly, a sunset? In our homes, in our dress, even in our foods and in our makeup, we are women who feel comfortable with color. In fact, we crave it. And while our skins come in a wide range of tones and shades, we all look best with a more intense makeup. Red lips. Strongly defined eyes. Visible cheek color. And of course, fresh, smooth complexions.”

How do they fare?  Continue reading »

Beth Bender Beauty put out this great trio for summer that is/was perfect for the season, but it also makes for a nice way to fade into fall, too.  This eyeshadow trio is called SGB ($36.00), and it is available at www.bettesboutique.com.  I love the coppery brown color, and I think the pale golden shade makes for a nice all-over lid color.  Beth Bender also knows about easy beauty, because she also is responsible for for the Get In Line Eyeilner & Stencil kits–making lining easier for those of us who struggle!

See swatches…

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