MUSE Artist Eye Palette Row 1
If there’s one spring collection that’s been a sleeper, it’s Smashbox’s Muse Collection. It was one of the first collections to be available online (at Nordstrom’s), but I didn’t seem to hear about it much. I haven’t even seen a real review on it yet! So imagine my surprise when I happen upon it at Nordstrom’s last week, and the lovely Smashbox artist tells me they’re sold out!
The MUSE Artist Eye Palette ($48.00) contains ten eyeshadows along with an eyeshadow brush, and every eyeshadow has a great finish, texture, and color pay off. The first row is almost a lighter, pastel version of the second row of colors. It’s a great idea, because then you know you can do a lot of easy 2-3 color looks with this palette. The texture is buttery and smooth–no chalkiness, no skipping. The colors are rich and very much how they appear in the palette, which I can appreciate, since I hate feeling duped! Stila’s Precious Pearl Palette still has my heart, but Smashbox did a great job and offers bargain buy of ten shadows for $48 (Stila’s contains six and costs $40).
The MUSE Lip Paints ($21.00) are semi-sheer glosses with a colored base and then gold shimmer. Artiste is a reddish coral shade, and it is the darkest of the three. Virtuoso is a peachy, creamy shade, while Luminary is a warm baby pink. They’re all pretty, but none of them stood out and made me feel like I had to get one. The MUSE Rush Blush ($24.00) is a nice peach-toned pink shade that’ll go great on warm toned skin, and I think would still work well on cooler toned skin. It’s matte in its finish, and the pigmentation reminded me a bit of NARS blushes. Smooth and rich without being powdery. I must say, for the price of the Lip Paints or Blush, I’d rather just put my money towards the Eye Palette.
Finally, the MUSE Cream Eyeliner Artist Pencil Set ($36.00) contains three richly pigmented liners in Antique Gold, Imperial, Lapis, and Slate. At my counter, I only saw three out, which I believe are Antique Gold, Lapis, and Slate. These liners are really smooth with no skipping, an the colors are vibrant and true to color. The set of four for $36 means you get each for $9, which is pretty good when it comes to more high-end eye liners. I was tempted to get these, but since they were sold out, I had no choice but not!
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Stila’s Precious Pearl Collection not only features the so stunning Precious Pearl Palette, but four shades of Pearl Shimmer Gloss ($22.00 each):
- South Sea Coral Soft peach with white shimmer
- Pearlescent Pink Mid-tone pink with shimmer
- Ocean Currant Deep, sheer berry with pink and red shimmer
- Pearl Kitten Universally flattering warm pink-champagne with shimmer
I was able to try out South Sea Coral, which is a soft, semi-sheer peachy shade with multi-colored shimmer; as well as Pearl Kitten, which is a frosty, shimmery beigey color. It almost looks brown in the tube, but the formula itself is pretty sheer so it ends up working out when applied to lips. I preferred South Sea Coral, because on my lips, it’s almost like a sheer, milky peach with subtle gold shimmer. Pearl Kitten is richer in shimmer and gives my lips a bronzy look.
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I got a chance to get an early sneak peek at some of YSL’s Spring 2009 treats comin’ at us this February! 
I played with Palette d’Artiste for the Complexion ($62.00), Gloss Pur #4 (Pure Raspberry), Rouge Pur #146 (Romantic Pink), and Nail Touch #5 (Tender Pink Touch).
I’m really lovin’ the Gloss Pur formula–it’s creamy, pigmented, and not sticky at all. I love me a good pigmented gloss! I’m not positive whether all of the Gloss Purs have no shimmer, but it’s nice to see a gloss that’s just gloss and shine without the shimmer. The creaminess of the lipstick is lovely, and the shade is a more wearable shade of bubblegum pink.
The Nail Touch #5 is an interesting product, as it was my first time trying out a nail polish pen. I liked the experience, and it makes for a great on-the-go nail polish. This shade in particular is incredibly sheer, coming out mostly as a sheer pink–nice for the office or for those looking for something super subtle.
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the rest of this collection when it launches this spring!
Check out product photos and swatches… Continue reading →
Above is Taffy, you can see the other two… Continue reading →
Remember I told you about my love for Calvin Klein’s Maven Lip Gloss? I wasn’t joking! I picked up three more of these glosses at Sephora–and of course, I didn’t even use my $15 off coupon. I was too impatient to go home and get it! The colors I bought were Taffy, Knockout, and Radar. I just love the way these glosses feel alone (and I rarely wear glosses alone), so I wanted some great everyday shades. Taffy is a nice, soft pink with gold shimmer in it. Knockout is a cooler, pastel purple-pink that’s less traditionally everyday–it reminded me of Negligee lipglass by MAC. Radar is ridiculously pretty, being almost like a nude lipgloss but with plenty of pink and peach undertones.
See close-ups and swatches (and lip swatches coming soon)! Continue reading →
Calvin Klein Delicious Light Glistening Lip Gloss in Maven ($16.00) is a great night-on-the-town kind of color. It’s a very pigmented gloss in a deep shade of burgundy-wine, so it gives lips a dramatic look without being too high maintenance. The gloss formula itself is non-sticky as far as I could tell, but still thick enough that it’s not a balm or a sheer gloss.
When applied, the color goes on smoothly and looks almost like shimmering water (if water was burgundy and that was acceptable!). The shimmer is just right; it’s obvious and noticeable, but it isn’t chunky or gritty. I found the gloss lasted for several hours before fading, and I didn’t get the dreaded lipgloss ring at the end of the day. I rarely like a gloss enough to wear it alone, but I find this one to be exceptional for that purpose.
This gloss is perfect for nights out, but you can definitely rock it during the day time. Right now, I keep it in my purse, because its an easy grab-and-go color I can wear if I need to amp up my look while out and about.
Swatch + lip swatch… Continue reading →
