Review by Joeybunny - Blushes You Can't Have #2, MAC Afterdusk

Last year, Elvira and I decided to torture you all with twelve taupes that you can’t have, twelve beautiful pans of taupey deliciousness that were either hard-to-find (HTF) or discontinued (DCed).

Well, it’s 20-freakin’-11, bitches, and this year we’ve decided to focus on blushes you can’t have! Yes, with Elvira and me, the sadism never ends!

Last month, Elvira presented us with Chanel Joues Contraste in Poesie. This month, I bring you what might be my absolute favorite blush: MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Afterdusk.

By now, I am sure that we are all aware that MAC has a terrible and filthy habit of making some of their best products limited edition (or LE): Moth Brown, French Grey, Parrot, Strawberry Blonde...the list could go on forever. Sometimes, products get re-released. Sometimes, they unfortunately don’t. Afterdusk is one product that I pray to Hayzeus that MAC brings out again sometime soon.

I noticed that - at least in this bunny’s humble opinion - MAC’s best blushes have always been LE. Afterdusk is definitely at the top of my list of MAC’s best cheek colors.

Released in the Moonbathe collection back in May 2007, Afterdusk sold out quite quickly. How could it not? Have you seen it?! Afterdusk is what NARS Orgasm wishes it could be: a slightly red-tinged peachy-pink shot through with gold shimmer that is strong on pigmentation. Afterdusk to me was always more reminiscent of a post-coital flush than Orgasm (and possibly Afterdusk is an allusion to certain nighttime activities, ha!).

On my NC40 skin, Afterdusk is the perfect hit of brightness and glow. The color is pigmented enough to show up, but not so strong as to be garish on the skin. I can never overdo an application of this blush. It magically goes with every eye and lip look I could conjure up. Afterdusk was quite possibly one of the best purchases I ever forced my college boyfriend to make for me at MAC (bless Jason’s heart, he dutifully bought me every MAC collection that was released in the first year of our relationship).

Afterdusk is one of the few blushes I own (and I have over seventy, I believe) that has an actual dent in it - I use it so often! I know that it’s hard to see in my photos, but it’ is definitely there. I know that when I do hit pan, my wails of grief will echo throughout the world. Twitter will go offline, Makeup Alley will explode, and Elvira will start running around naked self-flagellating. Seriously! I can’t dupe this damned blush for my life. I’m scared of finishing it!

So, if you want to save Elvira’s ass from a thorny whip, go find a dupe for me. Please?

Review by Joeybunny - Le Metier de Beaute Smoldering Embarkment Eye Kaleidoscope

Le Metier de Beaute is fast becoming my newest addiction - it may not be as inexpensive as crack, but it sure does make me look and feel better!

It helps that the Le Metier counter at Bergdorf Goodman is manned by the gorgeous and beyond knowledgeable Dustin Lujan. Dustin’s eye and taste is impeccable, so it is no surprise to me that he was commissioned by Le Metier to design their newest Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, Smoldering Embarkment. Le Metier’s Eye Kaleidoscopes are four-tiered little cases of absolutely stunning colors, texture, and pigmentation.

Le Metier’s eyeshadows are designed to be layered to create new colors, and the Eye Kaleidoscopes are meant to be used from top to bottom: using the first color as a base, work your way down to create the color and look you desire. Of course, the shadows don’t have to be used in this way, but these instructions serve as a reminder to experiment with color. Le Metier’s Eye Kaleidoscopes often include a color that makes its owner scratch its head (more often than not, this color is red-toned and decidedly different from the rest), but each color has a purpose: highlight, warmth, shape, definition. Eye Kaleidoscopes are the big girl’s palette!

Smoldering Embarkment is not my first Eye Kaleidoscope; I own Persephone, which came out about two years ago. However, that one was a gift. I actually paid for Smoldering Embarkment. I make this statement because, as you may know, Le Metier’s Eye Kaleidoscopes retail for $95. Yes, $95. The price tag is hefty, but you are paying for four very large eyeshadows in a mirrored compact (and Le Metier’s singles retail for $30 each, so the Eye Kaleidoscope is a bargain - you basically get an eyeshadow for free).

(look at my messy desk with my tower of coconut oil and my Wolverine headphones!)

Admittedly, $95 is a pretty penny to throw down, and so I say the following with all honesty (and not because Dustin is a friend, or because I already love Le Metier):

This palette is absolutely worth the price tag. I mean this! You could create a myriad of sophisticated and beautiful looks with it. The texture of these eyeshadows is unparalleled. Dustin did not fail us.

Ok, enough of that: let’s get to the colors!

Tier One: First Love, gorgeous, glowing ivory-bone color. I have skipped many past Eye Kaleidoscopes because there was always one color (usually the top color) that did not really show up on my skin. However, this color shows up on me; the pigmentation level is such that I could use this as both a highlight or a lid shade. I am always looking for a new favorite highlight shade, and this one is just stunning.

Tier Two: Love Struck, a color that defies normal description. Is it brown? Is it taupe? Is it khaki? Is it bronze? Is it gold? I have no idea. Whatever it is, it is utterly unique. I could not dupe this shade if I tried. I can tell you that it will make taupe lovers, brown lovers, and green lovers go gaga.

Tier Three: In Love, a beautiful and slightly browned red-purple. This color, I expect, would scare most wearers. However, the color is deceiving - on the skin, it swatches a decidedly copper shade. Layered with the other colors, In Love provides an unparalleled depth to the eye. Since I am a red lover, I know I’ll end up wearing this by itself on my lids.

Tier Four: Lovelorn, the most unbelievable grey you will ever see. A deep grey with a blue undertone, Lovelorn has rainbow shimmer. Freakin’ rainbow shimmer. Oh, and the shimmer sticks when you apply it to the lids. Gorgeous, just gorgeous. Lovelorn was the color that made me immediately purchase this palette. Honestly! I only swatched Lovelorn and told Dustin “Ok, ring me up!” Think about that - I paid $95 because of one color. That’s how beautiful Lovelorn is!

So, do you need this? If you haven’t realized that I’d say “yes”, then you have issues with reading comprehension and need to go back to fourth grade. This palette is as inventive and sophisticated as it gets - and is limited edition. Call Dustin at Bergdorf Goodman (212-872-8612) and tell him Joey made you buy it. He’ll understand.

Thursday Poll

Other than sharing the same Birthday (July 2nd), I don't have very much in common with Lindsay Lohan. However, I can't seem to escape hearing about her day in and day out.  Apparently she is on trial for theft of a $2,500 necklace and probation violation and is facing certain jail time.  I'm not in favor of celebrities getting special treatment when it comes to breaking the law.  Heck, if they did get special treatment, LiLo would have already been in jail and unable to steal that necklace.  The thing that gets me is WHY she would steal a necklace.  She has money. She has fame.  She has the means to get all sorts of jewelery for free at almost any time.  Perhaps the fact that I use logic in my understanding of things illogical is the reason I am having such a hard time understanding why she did what she did.  Obviously the root of the problem with most celebrity arrests is the pedestal we put celebrities on in the first place.  They are larger than life. They are super human.  So when we hear about one breaking the law, why is it that we can't bring ourselves to have a celebrity pay the price for unlawful activity?  The actual person that the celebrity is, is often confused with a role they may have played in the past.  Charlie Sheen isn't a toothless cocaine smoking whore monger, he's a sweet and funny guy on 2 and a half Men.  Mel Gibson isn't a racist, bigot, hypocritical religious zealot, he's that funny yet sensitive and slightly wacky guy from the Lethal Weapon movies. And Lindsay Lohan....Well...She's better known for her drug addled exploits than her acting career...OK. So she is a bad example.  I wonder if I were to be caught with cocaine in my purse (a la Paris Hilton) if I would get off with a warning or actually face jail time.  I bet the result would be jail.  I'm not famous and I'm not wealthy.  OK. Before this little rant turns into a diatribe on how our justice system is unreasonably skewed towards punishing minorities and the poor, I'll sum it up this way. Break the law, pay the consequences. I know not every situation is black and white, but there are far too many grey areas when it comes to celebrities. But we as a society have as much ownership of this issue too. If we would just stop buying the magazines about celebrity gossip, stop watching the celebrity gossip shows and stop visiting the celebrity gossip blogs, maybe this "Cult of Celebrity" would not be as powerful as it is. Or perhaps watching celebrities fall apart at the seams is a sort of Schadenfreude (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others) that we just can't seem to get enough of.

On To The Poll!

1.  Blush Of The Day - Chanel JC in Tea Rose. A warm pink that is very very sheer. You have to be pretty pale to have this color even show upon you and you need a stiff brush to get as much pigment as you can from the product.  Not my favorite Chanel JC but I own it so I'll use it.

2.  What sort of celebrity "news" (a.k.a. Gossip) Magazines, TV shows or Blogs do you follow? - I just check D-Listed every once in a blue moon. Otherwise I try to avoid celebrity news as much as possible.  I found that I like being blissfully ignorant of some actors and musicians as a human being. My idolization of Trent Reznor was snuffed out when I read an interview with him and he came off as a giant ass.

3.  Finish This Sentence: "It was limited edition and I wish I had purchased ___________" - Chanel JC in Satinette, Pink Cloud, and any other limited edition JC, and also MAC pigment in Coco. Oh how I wish MAC would bring this color back. I haven't purchased any MAC since the whole Rodarte fiasco, but I would totally give them my money for a full sized Coco pigment.

4.  What was the last movie you saw in the theaters? - I saw the Liam Neeson thriller "Unknown". It was a decent movie. I enjoyed seeing the fashions and makeup of January Jones in the movie. And the slight twist in the movie was good, but I should have waited for video.

5.  What cosmetic brand have you never tried but would love to try? - Ellis Faas looks really cool and believe it or not I have never owned a La Metier de Beaute product. I need to get something  don't ya thing?

Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel

image from http://www.olehenriksen.com

 

People tell me I don't look my age. I don't think that's because I don't have wrinkles...because I do. I don't think it's because I have the attention span of a toddler...Oooh Shiny! I don't think it is because I have the same interests as a 12 year old girl...Hello Kitty Alarm Clock! I think it's because I still have acne.  I had my first break out around age 12. Since then I have had acne ranging from mild to severe. I have tried almost every pill and topical solution available, and to make things worse my skin is very sensitive. Some products make my face red, raw and flakey...but still with acne.  Do you have any idea what a pain it is to look for something that will banish wrinkles yet treat acne at the same time?  Some days I would rather I have dry skin and wrinkles than oily skin and acne.  Yes. It get's that bad. 

I started taking a less is more approach to skin care in the past few years. A simple cleaning routine, a treatment for acne & wrinkles, eye cream and a moisturizer for night and a similar approach for day time with added in sunscreen and a makeup primer.  You know what?  My skin started to behave. Instead of acting like some emo teenager my skin started to act like a confident 25 year old.  HA! OK. I don't have the skin of a 25 year old but allow me to use hyperbole and fantasy. It's my blog after all!
 

So when I was given a very generous sample of the Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel I was skeptical but also cautious to add anything new to my routine. However, I started to break out again due to a recent change in diet as well as medication.  I had to get my skin it under control and fast.  I reached for my Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel sample and read the ingredients:

Water, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Algae Extract, Glycerin, Calcium Ascorbate, Sorbitol, Tocopherol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Auranium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance.

Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid as well as sugar acids and fruit acids, I was sure this stuff was going to eat away at the top layer of my skin. But with the Glycerin and Algae in the product I felt a little more at ease that it would moisturize enough to keep me from looking like someone that looked at the ark in Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark.  (No picture of face melting will be posted)

Out of desperation I open the sample of Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel and apply a tiny bit (small pea size) of the gel to my cleansed and toned face. It spreads easily and has a light fresh scent that fades upon application. The gel itself isn't sticky and seems to absorb quickly into my skin. I follow with my regular moisturizer and head to bed.  The next morning I awoke to the sun shining, birds tweeting and angels singing in the heavens.  I look in the mirror and instead of seeing a bad guy from Raiders of the Lost Ark avec melted face, I see Clear Skin. MY clear skin. My skin actually looked glowy.  I assume this is what Joeybunny sees every morning. My skin looked glowy and soft and smooth.  Sure I still had some pimples on my face (heck noting works that fact) but they were noticeably smaller and less red.  My skin looked calmer and less irritated than it has in ages!  With repeated use over the next 3 weeks (hey, I told you this was a generous sample and you only need a tiny bit) my skin started looking brighter, more even, and my acne was gone. Oh and best of all. The oil production on my face had slowed. You did notice a spike in gas prices didn't you?  That was me. OPEC is pissed at me and my less oily skin right now.  Some of my post acne scars were also disappearing and I think the laugh lines around my mouth were starting to look less pronounced. (Of course being an Evil Sith Lord I don't have a lot to laugh about unless I am torturing someone)

You know what I did when my sample ran out?  I purchased a full size jar of the Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel.  Yup! 1.7 oz for $45 but it was well worth every penny.  I don't need to use much, so I expect this gel to last me a good 6 months or more.  I use a spatula I have from an old creme to get the product out. I'm not a fan of dipping my fingers into product jars and risking contamination.  Hello Ole Henriksen, if you are reading this, please consider changing to an airless pump or adding in a spatula to your products in jars. thankyouverymuch!

Do you NEED this?  YES if you are still acne prone or have acne, or have no acne, but oily skin.  This gel when used under a moisturizer will reduce your acne and wrinkles all in one!  For those with sensitive skin I recommend using this product every other night until you feel your skin has gotten used to the acids. If you have very dry skin, I recommend you using this product with a really good non pore clogging moisturizer or perhaps skipping it altogether. I may be too much for Dry skin.  I'm so pleased with this product and Ole Henriksen's Less is more approach and use of natural ingredients and products without Parabens, Sulfates Synthetic Dyes and Petro-Chemicals I will definitely like to check out other products for my, now happy, skin!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Garnet Desire

I may have to pledge my undying love to Tom Pecheux, Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director, for coming out with a collection so pretty and so wearable as the Estee Lauder Pure Color Collection.  Mr. Pecheux is single handedly dismantling the "Old Lady" image that Estee Lauder used to have into a fun and contemporary line for all ages.  Now the lip gloss I'm going to talk about today isn't from the recent spring collection, however I have seen those glosses and they are BEAUTIFUL! No this one is a gloss I should have posted about during the red lips week, but totally forgot about it.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Garnet Desire is a sweet cool strawberry red with beautiful shimmer and excellent shine.  This non sticky gloss is loaded with pigment and wears extremely well for a lip gloss. The slim yet sturdy packaging touts the signature gold capped wand in a clear tube.  Perfect for knowing how much you have left before you need to pick up another one.  Or, in my case. Perfect for knowing how much I have left and not caring one bit about buying another one, but still buying one anyway because owing gloss is a hobby for me.

Sure it comes off on your tea cup but I see that as a way to enjoy sung the cushiony soft doe foot applicator to apply the gloss again. It glides easily over the lips and has not overt fragrance or taste.

The color,a s I mentioned is a cool strawberry with a lot of shimmer. The shimmer gives the color depth when worn on the lips. For those afraid of wearing red lips, this gloss may be a wonderful alternative to a bright red lipstick.  For those that love red lipstick, this gloss looks absolutelyfuckingfabulous when dotted in the center of your lips and smoothed out to the sides. It's a definitely "Kiss Me" invitation to your mate!

Do you need this?  YES. This is a non sticky gloss that wears beautifully. It has no discernible scent that I can detect and the price of $20 beats Chanel Glossimers! Now, I'm not saying the Estee Lauder Pure Color glosses are BETTER than Chanel Glossimers, but they are close enough in quality and formula that I can overlook the lack of glitter that the Estee Lauder glosses have in comparison to the Chanel Glossimers. With over 30 colors and 3 formulas (Shine, Shimmer and Sparkle) You would be hard pressed NOT to find a color that suits you.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I think that by now you all have seen multiple pictures and swatches of the Urban Decay Naked Palette. This is Urban Decay's best selling palette in the history of the company.  Truth be told, they can't make the palette fast enough to sate these hungry neutral shadow lovers. Urban Decay recently had to change some of the options with this palette just to keep up with demand.  Instead of the double ended pencil in brown and black, the palette includes a full size eyeshadow brush.  Some people groused at the change but I think either option is pretty cool. Urban Decay brushes are supposed to be very nice so what's to worry about?

The palette consists of 12 shades of neutral but not boring eye shadows. The first 6 are (from left to right) (A * indicates a permanent color from the UD collection)

Virgin - A sheer satin cream

Sin* - A shimmery champagne

Naked - A matte light brown (perfect eyebrow color for lighter haired users

Sidecar - sparkly deep beige

Buck - A matte brown (perfect eyebrow color for darker blondes to light brunettes

Half Baked - A metallic bronze

The second 6 are (from left to right) (A * indicates a permanent color from the UD collection)

Smog* - A shimmery golden brown

Darkhorse - A shimmer bronzey taupe

Toasted* - A shimmery muted copper

Hustle - A shimmery plum brown

Creep - A metallic and glittery black

Gunmetal* - A metallic dark grey

Ah. But here in lies the reason for my post.  Like most makeup addicts, receiving a pristine, perfect palette is essential. Wonky pans and smudges make the whole experience less than special.  When you enlarge this picture you will see that the arrows on the bottom point to pans that arrived askew in the palette. The arrows on the top indicate pans that had smudges in them (most likely from assembly when the workers were trying to right the pans in the palette)

 

Now you may ask if these "imperfections" in the palette upset me.  My answer was Yes. It was annoying that I paid $45 for a palette with such poor quality production. However, after I got over  myself and came back to reality I realized that the very slight imperfections had no impact on the quality of the palette. The smudges, while present were probably made by someone wearing gloves. It's not like powder can be a host to a virus or anything like that so I didn't worry about contamination. And most important, those smudges disappeared once I actually USED the palette. Now I have brush strokes on all the pans. The smudges are a distant memory.

As I said above. Sure the palette may have a few pans askew and a few smudges, but that does not detract from the extreme high quality of the shadows themselves.  Urban Decay has very highly pigmented shadows with excellent staying power.  Even the matte shadows are easy to blend and never chalky. You can't go wrong with any of the colors in this palette.  Trust me as a person with a phobia of palettes with more than 5 choices, I never feel apprehensive about which color to choose because I know what ever I choose it will look amazing.  This, my dear readers, is a neutral shadow lover's ultimate palette.

OK. Swatches just for shits and giggles...like you haven't seen a million of them already.

Virgin and sine are my faves from this section.  I love Naked for filling in my eyebrows.

Darkhorse is an awesome taupe. It makes a great crease color too!

 

I love Hustle for it's deep plummy colors. Gunmetal has a special place in my heart as it was the very first UD shadow I ever purchased about 13 years ago.

Do you NEED this?  Well if you adore neutral shadows then YES! For the price (now $48) you certainly get your money's worth. (The mini Urban Decay Primer Potion it comes with is nice to have for travel). The only problem is finding a place that actually has the palette in stock.  When I started editing photos for this post The Urban Decay Website had them in stock. By the time I spell checked the post they were gone. But try Ulta, Sephora, and Urban Decay Websites from time to time and you'll eventually find it. But PLEASE do not pay more than retail for this palette (I'm talking about ebay) It's nice but if you are patient you can get one from a real store.

I thought you might like to know......

Breaking news: Chanel.com is now mobile-friendly!

So now you can buy makeup any time you want, from wherever you want. Muwahahahaha

Review by Joeybunny - Sugarpill Cold Heart Palette

After my incredibly happy experience with my Sugarpill Chromalusts, I decided to once again try something new from the line. This time, I decided to go with some of the pressed eyeshadows. Now, I have heard numerous raves about the pressed eyeshadows. The pans are as big as MUFE, very inexpensive ($12 for a single Sugarpill shadow compared to $14 for a MUFE pan without the plastic compact), and most importantly: BRIGHT! Two of the colors in particular appealed to me, Poison Plum and Afterparty. Poison Plum is a deep, nearly matte purple that is often compared to the famed - and much beloved by this bunny! - MUFE #92. Afterparty is a sheen-y and happy bright blue that Or did she say it was her favorite blue ever? Whatever, Ana knows her colors so I trusted her judgement.

Now, Sugarpill offers three different pre-made 4-pan palette combinations that retail for $34. Think about that: $34 for four eyeshadows that retail for $12 each! Craziness! How could I turn down such a deal? I can’t, and since I fell into some extra “fun money” a couple of weeks ago, I decided to splurge on the Cold Heart palette (well, Brian of Cosmetic Viking pretty much forced me into it with the tutorial featured here - how stunning is he?).

The Cold Heart palette features the previously mentioned Poison Plum and Afterparty, but also has Tako (pronounced Taco, a matte pure white) and Bulletproof (a matte black). I did not already own a white eyeshadow, and black eyeshadows are always handy to own, so this palette was pretty much a no-brainer for me.

So, how does this palette fare? Well, I’ll give you a list and some swatches!:

• Contrary to popular conjecture, Sugarpill Poison Plum is in no way similar to MUFE #92. Maybe it’s my skintone, but Poison Plum pulls clearly more red-toned than MUFE #92 (MUFE #92 is the horizontal swatch in the above picture). In fact, on my eyes Poison Plum looks almost magenta!
• Sugarpill Afterparty is really the most stunning blue I have ever seen in pressed shadow form. The closest eyeshadow I can think of that may be similar to Afterparty is Fyrinnae’s 1.22 Gigawatts, but 1.22 Gigawatts may actually be slightly darker and is obviously more shimmery.
• Sugarpill Bulletproof is the most pigmented black pressed eyeshadow I have ever seen. I thought Urban Decay Perversion was the most pigmented ever, but it pales in comparison. I do have to compare this to Fyrinnae Snow White, though.
• Sugarpill Tako was slightly disappointing. I know it seems white in my swatch, but that swatch is very heavily built up. There’s something about the tone of my skin that makes this seem more beige when I apply it. I literally have to do at least 5 layers of Tako before it appears white on my lids. 1-3 layers has a color that resembles...well, a certain bodily fluid. It’s true! Look at pictures of Illamasqua Load nail polish to understand what I’m talking about.

Here’s a FOTD I did using this palette. I didn’t use Poison Plum, but used the other three shades. I received SO many compliments on this!

So, do I recommend this palette, or any of these shadows? HELL YES. How could I not? The pigmentation and value is second to none, and the colors are just so pretty and so affordable. I want Love + (a deep true red) and Midori (a happy green) next.

Thursday Poll

Darthypie will be Turning 4 next week. It's amazing how fast time has gone. Oh and Yes. I have seen that Volkswagon commercial with the kid in the Vader suit and Yes it does remind me of Darthypie a whole lot. I love it. So Birthday parties for kid where I live are very different from when I was growing up. First of all, most parties past the age of 1 are held at places like Chuck E Cheese, Moon Bounce Arenas, Karate Studios, or Fire Stations. Rarely if ever does a kid under the age of 5 have a party at their home. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid it was pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, a pinata (if you were lucky) and cake. Now it's Pizza and Cake and some sort of activity. Oh and what is also new. Kids were usually dropped off at my house and the parents came back for them later. Now the parents HAVE TO attend the party for the duration. That means enduring over an hour of top 40 music, or what is supposed to be music, screaming kids and making small talk with other parents. This is not what I signed up for. OK. I didn't sign up for anything, but still. It's insane.  Oh, and the oddest part is that kids don't open presents in front of other kids.  All the presents are corralled on a table then put into big plastic bags and loaded into the car of the birthday child. Really?  I just spent $15 on a present for your kid. could you at least afford me the opportunity to see his reaction when he unwraps it?  Nope.  Now I could be a rebel. I could go against the status quo and have a party at home, have pin the tail on the donkey and open presents in front of everyone, but that would all be for me. And this party isn't about me. it's about Darthypie. If that's the style where we live and we can afford it, then I say let's do it.  all my childhood memories don't have to be relived through my child.  However, having talked with parents of kid who have older siblings, the "event" party usually goes away by age 5 or 6 and then only a select few are taken out to celebrate.  Thanks goodness. Maybe I can even drop Darthypie off at a birthday party for an hour or so and get some retail therapy. That would be nice.  But in the mean time. I'm in no hurry to have him grow up. Right now he still runs to greet me when I come home, tells me he loves me and wants to play with me. I'll enjoy it while I can, because I'm sure as soon as I can say teenager Darthypie will be 13 and embarrassed to be seen with me. (which is my goal in life anyway).

On To The Poll!

1.  Blush Of The Day? - I'm wearing the blush from the Chantecaille Tiger In The Wild Palette. It's amazing how much pigment you can pick up by softly taping the blush brush on the pan. The color reminds me of a lighter Chanel JC In Love and a Darker Nars Orgasm Blush.

2.  Were the bulk of your birthday celebrations as a child celebrated outside of the home? Did you open presents in front of everyone or save it until later? - Well as you ca see above mine were celebrated at home and presents were opened in front of everyone. And I liked it that way.

3.  Do you consider the color of your clothes when choosing what makeup to wear? - I definitely do. I usually choose a cool or warm blush based on the outfit and that will dictate the kind of eye makeup I do as well. But since I wear mostly black and grey I can do whatever I like.

4.  When is your birthday (Month and Day only)? And is there anything special you want this year fro your birthday? - Mine is July 2nd.  I have a long list of stuff I want but it's all too expensive.  If I had my druthers I would like a Cartier LOVE bracelet in platinum. I would even take one in 14K gold, but even the gold one is 6 thousand or something crazy like that.  So I'll settle for a long weekend in NYC and a bottle of Cereus Pour Femme #3 perfume from Barney's.

5.  What kind of HOOR are you (Lipstick, Eyeshadow, Foundation, Blush, Specific Color) and what was your most recent purchase in your HOOR category? - I'm definitely a taupe eyeshadow HOOR. But you  knew that. My most recent purchase was a Wet n Wild Eyeshadow in Silent Treatment. After Reading Amy's review on Cafe Makeup I was sold!

Review by Joeybunny - Bond No.9 New York Oud

I know that the majority of you are looking at this review and wondering what the hell an oud is, so let me kick off with an explanation:

Oud - a resin that comes from Aquilaria trees; an extremely expensive commodity, it’s been known to be used as an aphrodisiac and as spiritual aids. It also makes perfumes smell awesome to Joey.

Ok, glad I got that out of the way.

Bond No.9 never really fails to disappoint me, and New York Oud is the latest on my long list of Bond loves. Released at the beginning of this month, New York Oud is definitely one of the most adventurous Bonds I’ve sniffed to date. There is nothing typically pretty about this scent. Most oud scents are very Oriental in tone, but New York Oud is not. The press material for the scent calls it a paradox, a “New York verve.” I don’t know if I would have gone that far, but this is definitely unique.

New York Oud is not for the floral lover, the citrus lover, or the aquatic lover. Yes, there are fruity notes: a tart plum and orange open up the initial bloom of oud. And yes, there is both a rose and an iris note at the heart of scent. Still, these notes all play a supporting role to what is the unique appeal of this scent, which is the decidedly atypical (and unabashedly un-Orientalesque) combination of the oud with the musk and vetvier base notes.

In a less poetic manner: there is no spice or incense, but instead a very warm and skin-like scent that radiates off of the wearer. The initial spray is a tad bit flowery (I find that rose and patchouli together only amplifies the rose), but not overly so, which I attribute to the presence of plum and orange in the top notes. Those first minutes, you smell romantic and a little bit naughty. However, as the perfume mellows it melds to your skin. It’s delicious, but not in a gourmand (foody) sort of way. There’s something slightly carnal about this, something that reminds me of sweat or one’s natural fragrance that radiates off of heated skin. It is here that the New York inspiration feels most sincere; I’m reminded of frantic days and crowded trains and the hints of my perfume on my skin when I crawl into bed hours later.

Oh, which brings me to something I love about this scent: since it contains a higher percentage of oud than most oud scents, it lasts much longer on the skin. As I write this review, I’ve been wearing New York Oud for 18 hours now, and I can still smell it on me! At this point, it smells like my skin but better, if that makes sense. I smell sweet, warm, and cozy. Absolutely perfect.

New York Oud retails for $310 for a gorgeous 100ml bottle and, as with every other Bond I love, it’s completely a worthwhile investment if you’re looking for a more atypical scent.

Review by Joeybunny - Liz Earle Energising Body Lotion

The only thing I may love more than taupe eyeshadows and bacon is body lotion. Ok, that could be a lie. I love bacon more than life itself.

In any case, I am really a body lotion fiend. My chronically dry skin plus an obsessive love of boiling hot showers leaves me with scaly, flaky arms and legs. I pride myself on my skin (boys love to tell me I’m soft, ha!), so a good lotion is an absolute must for me.

I was given the opportunity to try Liz Earle’s Energising Body Lotion, and since I was out of my trusty Olay Quench, I thought the Liz Earle lotion would be worth a shot. We all know Elvira has positively swooned over Liz Earle’s skincare, so I thought the body care would be just as great.

The Energising Body Lotion contains a plethora of nineteen happy, skin-loving ingredients such as caffeine, avocado oil, vitamin E, and rose flower oil. Really, the list just goes on and on. Basically, this lotion claims to leave its wearer feeling smoother, firmer, and more toned with each application. But does that actually happen?

Well, let’s see:

• This lotion smells quite herbal, almost medicinal. Not a bad thing in my opinion, but I bet some wearers wouldn’t be pleased.
• The lotion is quite light, which I didn’t expect considering the amount of essential oils in it. It sinks into my skin quite quickly, but does leave a slight tacky feel at first. When the tackiness dries, my skin does in fact feel tighter! I started rubbing copious amounts of it onto my ass and upper arms when I noticed this (hey, at least I’m honest!). My upper arms even looked a bit tighter, but that could have been my delusional hopes. All in all, I was quite pleased with the tightening and firming effect - I felt more confident.
• This lotion did a very good job of calming a case of razor burn I had on my shins without stinging or further irritating my skin.

I have to say, I was and am quite pleased with the performance of this lotion. The only cons?:

• This isn’t the most moisturizing lotion ever. Considering the wintery NYC weather and my already abnormally dry skin, I needed more hydration than this provided my skin.
• This tube is kind of small for a body lotion! 5 fl. oz. is not big enough for me. Two weeks’ worth of daily usage (all over my body) emptied out most of this tube.
• This is somewhat pricey at $31USD. Granted, it’s effective but still - considering how quickly I used this tube, the price per usage is quite high.

So, can I recommend this? Hell yes, but not for wintertime usage. This would be the absolute best lotion for me in the spring and summertime, when lightweight moisture and tightening effects are necessary. However, this just isn’t doing it for me right now. Once tank top and miniskirt weather kicks in, I’ll be ordering another tube and giving this lotion a second try.

L'eau de Kenzo Amour

For Valentine's Day I thought I would bring you a new fragrance to consider.  Now you know I'm not one to wax poetic about perfumes. I'm hardly a connoisseur of fine fragrances, but I know what I like.  I am a big supporter of wearing perfume to please yourself.  I don't wear perfumes to please others...that is until I was given a chance to try out L'eau de Kenzo Amour by Kenzo.  The moment I sprayed this new, limited edition, version of the infamous Kenzo Amour I thought I would smell yet another floral that would mellow and turn soft as it dried down.  Little did I expect Mr. Sith to walk by and remark that he LOVED the perfume and that if I didn't like it, could I at least wear it for him some times.

Wear perfume for someone else?

You mean. Were perfume for the enjoyment of others?

I never thought of it that way.  Sure I may be a bit selfish in my perfume wardrobe. I have a lot of scents that I did not seek approval from anyone, but me.  Perhaps that plan has caused the rut of Rose scents I wallow in every day.  Perhaps branching out to scents that others would enjoy on me would be good.  I can already tell you that Darthypie does not like certain perfumes on me.  With the tact of a 4 year old, he tells me how "stinky" I am when I wear them.  Even the L'eau de Kenzo Amour fragrance passed this offspring's discernible nose.  I have changed my philosophy about fragrance somewhat now.

Rule number 1. Wear perfume for yourself

Rule number 2. If others love it too then you win. 

Rule number 3. If others don't love it, keep wearing it because of rule number 1.

L'eau de Kenzo Amour is an eau de toilette that comes in a 2.5 ox bottle for $75 USD.  The bottle itself is exquisite with transparent and fuchsia glass base and a long elegant top that looks like an art sculpture more than a perfume bottle.  Kenzo is always on the forefront of the most artistic bottles I have ever seen.

The L'eau de Kenzo Amour is a fresher, yet still romantic scent of Kenzo Amour.  However L'eau de Kenzo Amour is a limited edition fragrance and just launched on February 1st in stores and online at kenzousa.com. 

The notes of the fragrance are as follows:

Top Note
Tea, Bitter Orange, Bergamot

Middle Note
Peony, Ylang Ylang, Frangipani Blossom

Base Note
Vanilla, White Musks

Here is what I experienced when I used it.

At first spray I smell sharp tea and citrus.  As the fragrance begins to dry down I am notice a strong overtaking of the Vanilla but then the Frangipani, Ylang Ylan and Peony burst through. Once the fragrance is completely dried down I smell a very slight powder but also a sweet and soft mixture of the florals in the middle notes that stays with me for a fairly long time.

This is a light fresh scent with a nice foundation of vanilla and white musk that keeps the fragrance from feeling too childish, sweet or flowery for my tastes. It's sophisticated enough for the office but sensual enough for a date. Since likes and dislikes of fragrances are so subjective I'm not going to say you NEED this. But I will say that I find myself reaching for this scent over all my others mostly because I like it, but also because Mr. Sith likes it too.  It's a keeper for sure.

Happy Valentine's Day to my readers.  You all have no idea how happy you make me when I know that you read and comment on this blog.  I don't make my living from this blog, it is just my passion that keeps me going.  Thank you for keeping that passion alive in me and for inspiring me to do more and more every day! I love you all!

Beauty Blog Link Love

Do you want a lip product that's both long-lasting and hydrating? Get the best of both worlds with MAC Kissable Lipcolour, as reviewed by My Lips But Better.

Madame B Fatale trials some Cellnique products,with some lovely results!

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow and Mood Boosting Powder and Blush is making Tracy at Beauty Reflections smile!

Fabulous eyeshadows for a bargain price? Claire reckons she's found some from Collection 2000.

Socialite Dreams is celebrating Black History Month with the 28 Days of Black Beauty: a series showing a black female celebrity each day and recreating her famous look with makeup!

Valentine's Day is almost here! Check out Musicalhouses' funky Valentine's Day eye and funky Valentine's Day nails!

Makeup Morsels finds a spot-on dupe for her favorite Asian gel eyeshadow.

Over at Queen of Turquoise Rachel shows off some of ELF's lovely lippies!

Retrodiva was asked how to do a cat eye, so she explains how in a new tutorial video.

Gouldylox desperately wants longer hair but doesn't want the damage and hates how clip-in locks feel. These look like a gimmick, but actually deliver.

Phyrra raves about a new indie company, Brazen Cosmetics. She shares a 20% off coupon code, too!

Jellyminx embraces her inner rock chick and share a super easy smokey eye look.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away the Pink Sith tells of her experience with Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating and Mattifying Pressed Powder in 01 Teint Rose.

Are you ready for your Valentine? .. Why not check out Sleek MakeUP's Stiletto Collection, It's Limited Edition, and especially for Valentines!

Jo at Music and Makeup talks about her experience at the Academy Of Freelance Makeup.

The Lip Print combines two of her favourite things: celebrity makeup and red lipstick.

Beautywoome shares the things she dropped from her beauty routine in 2010 and why they've been given the boot!

Anita gets excited about the details and promo pictures of MAC’s gorgeous, girly, "Quite Cute" collection over at Pleasureflush!

Amy Antoinette showcases her perfume collection

Fabulous eyeshadows for a bargain price? Claire reckons she's found some from Collection 2000.



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To celebrate her 2 year blog anniversary, Audrey Dao is giving away Urban Decay’s Naked Palette, 15 year 24/7 Eye Pencils and much more!

Want a chance to check out some of theNotice's favourite products? You're in luck - Rae's giving away five of her favourite products!

Krasey Beauty is celebrating her two year anniversary with a huge giveaway ! Naturally, it's packed with her favorites from Make Up For Ever, Zoya, Hourglass, and more!

Will Mr. Postman bring YOU a package from the Cargo Spring 2011 Voyages collection? Enter the giveaway at Prime Beauty but hurry, the giveaway ends Monday, Feb. 14th!

Beautifully Addicted To are saying thank you to their beautifull followerswith a host of goodies include OPI, Bliss, and MAC as a giveaway!