Thursday, October 31, 2013

Stila Color Me Pretty Lip & Cheek Palette | Stila Holiday 2013

Color Me Pretty ($28; stilacosmetics.com) is a travel-friendly, lip & cheek palette from Stila for the Holidays. It features five of Stila's Convertible Colors for Lips & Cheeks, packaged in a light weight tin compact. *Press Sample







Stila's Convertible Color formula is one of my absolute favorite and the colors are extremely easy to wear and very comfortable on dry skin. The texture does feel a tad sticky, but its a lovely formula that doesn't not enhance large pores or dry spots on the cheeks. With the exception of Kitten, everything else in this palette is quite flattering on my skintone. Kitten is a nice color, but it is a tad shimmery on me - might be a great highlight color on lighter skintones. If you do have oily skin though, the convertible color formula might not be the best, but its definitely something I'd recommend for anyone with dry skin, wanting to try a cream blush with a soft, dewy finish. I also prefer these on my cheeks than on the lips, but the colors are very wearable both ways. Overall, its an excellent palette for the price and a fantastic gift for any blush fiend!






What are your thoughts on the Stila Color Me Pretty Lip & Cheek Palette?

bareMinerals Kiss & Tell Marvelous Moxie Lipstick Set | bareMinerals Holiday 2013

bare Minerals has some of the nicest kits and value sets for the holidays featuring some fabulous lipstick and lip glosses in deluxe sizes at pocket friendly prices. The Kiss & Tell Set ($29; bareminerals.com; Nordstrom; Ulta)comes with five of the creamy, moisturizing Marvelous Moxie lipsticks in pinks and nudes.  *Press Sample







Colors include, Be Bold (deep berry; LE), Get Ready (Medium Pink), Speak Your Mind (Nude Pink), Break Away (Pinky nude with a hint of brown), Go All Out (Hot Pink; LE). The lipsticks come in mini sizes and the formula is smooth, creamy and very moisturizing - all of them are creme finishes, with no hint of shimmer/glitter. These lipsticks seem to have a tad less of the minty flavor than the full sizes, but they are just as pigmented. I haven't had any issues with the lipstick bullets breaking off yet, but I would recommend using a lip brush since they seem very creamy, texture wise. They are quite long wearing when paired with a lip liner underneath and the all of these colors are something I'd wear quite often. Overall, Kiss & Tell is a cute little kit definitely worth picking up, especially if you haven't tried the Marvelous Moxie Lipstick formula yet! Go All Out & Be Bold are limited-edition shades exclusive to this kit.








Wearing Get Ready


What are your thoughts on the bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Kiss & Tell Lipstick Set?

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

ZOYA Nail Polish in Payton | Zoya Zenith Holiday 2013 Collection

ZOYA's Payton, part of the Zenith Holiday'13 Collection is described as a 'Galactic Cranberry Holo' in a full-coverage base. I love holos and while this may not be as holographic as other polishes I've tried, it still is beautiful and the scattered shimmer is just gorgeous! Its a perfect fall/winter shade and the finish is almost like a jelly, in a much opaque base.  *Press Sample

Zoya Nail Polish in Payton Review, Photos & Swatches

I needed two coats for complete coverage and the polish itself is quite glossy. The dark plummy base is perfect for scattered holos like these. The consistency was quite thick, but the formula dries fast for a slightly thicker polish. Overall, definitely another one must have polish from Zoya's Holiday Collection!


Available now online at zoya.com.

Price : $8 each

Zoya Nail Polishes are 5-free (Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor).

What are your thoughts on Payton? 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio | Laura Mercier Holiday 2013

Laura Mercier's Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons ($25; lauramercier.com) are a new, limited edition product for the holidays. The trios come in three shade ranges and each petite palette comes with three baked shadows in different finishes. I have here the Bronze Trio, which is a gorgeous neutral trio with a shimmery dark brown, a matte beige and an iridescent, duo chrome brown with a flash of green! *Press Sample

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio Review, Photos & Swatches


The duo chrome shade is quite interesting and the other two shades are great everyday neutrals - just the sort I almost, always wear! The packaging is really cute - its tiny and comes with a nice mirror inside. Like most baked shadows, these ones can be used wet/dry and they are quite pigmented even when used dry. The texture is slightly on the direr side, but blends really well. There's a small amount of glitter fallout, nothing major, but I would recommending doing you eyes before foundation/tinted moisturizer. I cant speak for the other two trios, but this one is perfect for any neutral lover, the shades are beautiful and the palette is something that I've been reaching out to quite a lot. Overall, its definitely a must-have for a simple, effortless, everyday neutral eye.

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio Review, Photos & Swatches Laura Mercier Holiday 2013

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio Review, Photos & Swatches Laura Mercier Holiday 2013

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Bonbons in Bronze Trio Swatch
Bronze Opal on the lid, Sienna on the outercorner and Cameo as a light wash to soften.

Have you tried the Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Trios?

Monday, October 28, 2013

Burberry Trench Kisses Autumn/Winter 2013 | Lip Mist in Rosewood & Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black

I picked up a couple of pieces from Burberry's newest collection for A/W' 13 - Trench Kisses. Trench Kisses features everything Oxblood - from eye crayons to lipsticks and nail polishes, along with a few other pieces from the permanent line. The Lip Mist Natural Sheer Lipstick in Rosewood is new - its a sheer version of the Lip Cover in Rosewood and the Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black is a brand new formula - its an eye crayon that works as a liner/shadow that can be smudged out for an intense or soft smokey eye.

Burberry Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Trench Kisses Collection



The Lip Mist in Rosewood ($30; burberry.com)  is darker than what I had expected it to be. Its a rosy brown with very fine shimmer. Its not too glossy for the lip mist formula and the color is quite natural looking as a sheer wash. While the lip mists aren't formulated to be very pigmented, I found Rosewood a bit more pigmented than other lip mists I've tried. I would have definitely preferred it a little more glossy, with lesser hints of brown, on my pigmented lips. It still is something I'd wear quite a bit and is a very flattering color for most medium/dark skin tones. Like all of Burberry's lip products, this one too is pretttty strongly scented and the color lasts about 2-3 hours on me without any dryness issues. I don't own anything exactly like this color, but it is quite close to some other colors I own (see comparisons below), like Bobbi Bown's Creamy Lip Color in Italian Rose which is slightly deeper and Bite Beauty Pepper,which is a tad lighter, much more creamier.

Burberry Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Trench Kisses Collection Lip Mist in Rosewood Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Trench Kisses Collection Lip Mist in Rosewood Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist in Rosewood Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist in Rosewood Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist in Rosewood Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist in Rosewood Swatch

Burberry Rosewood Lip Mist Compared To Bobbi Brown Italian Rose and Bite Beauty pepper Swatches


Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black ($30; burberry.com) is a richly pigmented, basic black eye pencil that smudges out beautifully. The color is very intense and adheres very well to the waterline. Even on the lash lines, it doesn't smear a lot and works really well as a base too. Effortless Kohl also comes with a sharpener and while its not waterproof, I found it to be water-resistant, with very minimal smudging even after a good 4-5 hours. Overall, its a great liner for the waterline and a nice formula to work with if you like to smudge your eyeliner out for a soft, simple everyday look.

Burberry Efforless Kohl in Poppy Black Burberry Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Trench Kisses Collection

Burberry Efforless Kohl in Poppy Black Burberry Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Trench Kisses Collection

Burberry Beauty Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black Review, Photos & Swatches

Burberry Beauty Effortless Kohl in Poppy Black Swatch


Check out Gummy Vision for some serious Burberry A/W goodness and Vanity-Fashionista for swatches of everything Oxblood!

What are your thoughts on the Burberry Trench Kisses Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection?

Anastasia Eye Covet Waterproof Eyeliner Set | Anastasia Holiday 2013

The Anastasia Eye Covet Waterproof Eyeliner Set ($28; ulta.com) features six of the brand's Covet Eyeliner Pencils in a mix of matte & shimmery finishes. Its a great way to try out the formula and a few colors from the range. I've tried the shade Noir earlier and absolutely love the creamy, smooth formula and intense color. *Press Sample





As for the eyeliners in this set, I think the matte finishes have better color payoff than the shimmery colors, but all of them were quite creamy, went on smooth and I din't have to tug or pull while applying. The shimmery shades aren't recommended for the waterline, but the matte shades do a good job on the waterline and absolutely don't sting or burn my eyes.They are very long wearing on my lids and definitely need a waterproof remover to get off.  My only qualm is that since these are twist up pencils, the tip doesn't stay sharp, if you want a thinner precise line - the full size pencil comes with a sharpener included. Overall, its a great value, the pencils aren't tiny either and if you have a problem with matte black eyeliners stinging your waterline, give the Anastasia one a try!







Have you tried the Anastasia Covet Waterproof Eyeliners?

3 Face Oils I'm Currently Loving

Fall/Winter is when my skin is at its driest and light oils are what I reach out to the most. I like them on their own, or to mix in with moisturizers for richer, deep hydration. Three oils I've been loving putting on my face of late are the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light, Melvita Argan Oil Roll-On for Face & Lips and the Orico Superico Vitamin Rich Face Oil.






Josie Maran Argan Oil Light ($14-$48) - Its a lighter version of the classic Argan Oil by Josie Maran and something I like better mixed it in with lighter moisturizers than by itself. Read a full review of this oil here. It has a weird oil-like scent and takes a while to completely sink in, but definitely retains moisture pretty well.




Orico Superico Vitamin Rich Face Oil ($47) - I absolutely love everything about this one - the wonderful herbal scent, the light texture and how amazingly well it nourishes my skin. Its a concoction of various oils, yet absorbs super fast and keeps my dry skin super hydrated. Its a tad expensive, but a little goes a long way. Orico is not the most easiest to find, but their products are fantastic and so is this oil. My new favorite for the cold weather season!



Melvita 100% Argan oil Roll On For Face & Lips ($15)  - Its a 100% pure argan oil in a super convenient roll on form. Its a nice way of moisturizing dry spots when you don't want to slather your whole face with oil. Its quite rich, very moisturizing and works wonders on cuticles too. I haven't tried it on my lips, but its a great one to have in your purse while traveling. As much as I like Melvita, I think their products not sold through their US website anymore. The UK website ships to the US, but I'm not sure of the shipping costs.




Have you tried any of these facial oils?

* Some products mentioned in this article are press samples