Back in May, I was given some insider info about what Smashbox had up its sleeve for Fall 2009, and what I heard had me squeeing. I was told there would be a collection based off of the court of Henry VIII, with new items like a jet set quad and plum mascara.Well, I am happy to report that Temptalia has just posted the color story, and I am really liking what I see!Here is what we can expect:
Smashbox Reign Collection for Fall 2009
Eye Shadow Palette ($42.00)
Majesty Champgane, fuchsia, and black trio
Monarch Gold, copper, and brown trio
Jet Set Palette ($48.00)
Matte black/dark brown, Gold and metallic brown liner duos
Fusion Blush ($32.00)
Regal
Lash DNA Mascara ($19.00)
Plum
Lip Gloss ($18.00)
Crowned Shimmering peachy pink
Doubletake Lip Color ($22.00)
Amaretto
Currant
Somehow, fall collections seem to be the best for me in terms of products and colors, and Reign is looking like it might live up to Wicked Lovely (a collection which I loved) for me. While this isn't nearly as dramatic as what we are seeing with the MAC Style Black collection, I am still pleased to see some stand out pieces in colors that I can rock with confidence at my corporate job.
What do we think? Is this a hit or miss from Smashbox? Or are we reserving judgment till we see it in person?
*Image, and color items list, along with some descriptions are courtesy of Specktra.Net
Lets get straight to it. Here is my review of the highly anticipated Colour Craft Collection, which officially launches July 9th.
Lipsticks: These are really nothing to write home about. Like with every collection, there are shades to please everyone. None of them were unique enough to warrant me bringing them home with me. Madly Creative (Frost)- Frosty light pink with gold/champagne tones. Fairly pigmented, just not at all unique unfortunately.
Ever Embellish (Lustre) - Sheer plum. Being that its a lustre, it is a bit too sheer for my tastes.
Made with Love (Lustre)- Surprisingly pigmented, a bright pinky coral.
Colour Crafted (Frost) - Frosty milky pink. This color is a bit too 1980's for me, not a fan.
Trimming Talk (Frost) - Frosty bright fuchsia pink. Bright, but not overly so.
Most Popular (Lustre) - Pinky mauve with strong purple tones.
Marbled Lipglass: These are made up of 3 colors that are meant to be mixed together. I was actually pleasantly surprised by these glosses. Unlike the travesty that was the colorless tricolor glosses from Sugar Sweet, these actually have pigment and a beautiful pearl. If I didn't already have a million lipglosses, I would have gotten a couple. Pretty Pattern - Warm beigey neutral with lots of sparkle. I would imagine this would instantly add dimension to a nude lip.
Crazy Haute - Midtone cool pink. zzzz
Nice Mix Up - Burnished orangey bronze. Very pretty, and very summer
Funky Fusion - Medium warm pink, very pigmented.
Eclectic Edge - A lovely shade of lilacy purple. This is what I wanted Ever So Rich creamsheen glass to look like.
Miss Marble - Mauvey pink, pigmented with minimal glitters.
Mineralize Skinfinish: You know how we all love ourselves some msf's. Three of these are solid, while the other three have three different stripes of color. The textures between all 6 of them vary, but most I noticed to be fairly frosty, without having glitter chunks that some mineralized skinfinishes tend to have. Out of the 6, my favorites were Smooth Merge, and Cheeky Bronze. Sunny by Nature- Deep orangey bronze. In the pan I could tell it had a significant pink pearl to it, but in swatches it ended up looking more like a muddy brown on me
Cheeky Bronze - I ended up picking this one up. It is a soft bronzed peach and absolutely gorgeous. Not as chunky as some of the other msfs, and with subtle sparkle. Definitely pigmented enough to be a blush on me.
Porcelain Pink - Soft pinky coral with subtle gold pearl- A lot of folks are very excited for this particular repromote. Now don't throw rocks at me, but I wasn't a fan of how this swatched on me at all. I found it too chunky in the glitters, and severely lacking in the pigmentation department. Honestly, if I want a highlight I will use something not so chunky.
Triple Fusion - Left: Soft champagne gold / Center: Soft golden peach / Right: Rose pink with gold nuances. Swatched as a pink champagne shade. This one to me was a bit chunky in the glitter department. No bueno.
Smooth Merge - Left: Soft champange pink / Center: Deep rose / Right: Pale cool pink. Swatched altogether as a frosty raspberry. This was my favorite of the bunch! Smooth and frosty with no chunky glitter, and the color was divine!
Warm Blend - Left: Antique gold / Center: Mahogany Bronze / Right: Copper- Warm brown/bronze. Pretty color, but I just didn't need it. This also had a bit more glitter than the others.
Mineralize Eyeshadows: Each mes comes with four colors in a circular quadrant grid. In each shadow, 2 of the shades are glittery, while the other 2 are more frosty. While I really liked the concept, I did not like some of the color combinations. I also wan't a fan of the glitters in some of the colors.
Assemblage - White with silver pearl / Deep grey / Black with silver glitter / Warm yellow gold. This one seems to be best suited towards soft smoky eyes. It is pretty, but it is neither unique nor pleasantly textured. The black did not swatch well at all.
Odd Bits - Mid-tone silver grey / Dusty rose with gold pearl / Dark burgundy/ Peachy bronze- This one almost came home with me, but it was the dusty rose that killed it for me. Like with some of the other shades in these, it was just too frosty!
Fashion Patch - Ice blue / Off white / Black with silver glitter / Light white pink- I originally thought that this one would come home with me, but I did not like how frosty the colors looked in my swatches. The combination is fun, but it would have been better in a different eyeshadow finish.
Eccentricity - Rich gold / Light violet / Deep plum/ Rich bronze- This was another one of my favorites out of the bunch. The combination of colors were lovely, and the only slightly chunky shade in this is the gold.
Natural Flare - Copper / Yellow orange / Mid-tone brown / Rich gold- This one actually ended up being my favorite of the bunch. Both the copper and the yellowish orange shade swatched very pigmented, and I imagine this will be awesome for the summer months!
Girlish Romp - Mid-tone violet / Yellow white with gold pearl / Light pastel coral / Mid-tone pink. All pastel shades, all very frosty. Not really my cup of tea.
Mineralize Blush: I will preface this review by saying I am not a fan of mineralize blushes. I find them too glittery, and not at all long lasting. I am afraid these are just like all the other mineralize blushes mac has previously released in that regard. The colors are gorgeous, with Style Demon being my favorite, but the formulation just turns me off. Gimme my beauty powder blushes MAC! Hand-Finish - Peachy gold pink. Fairly glittery, not very pigmented.
Fab-dabulous - Another nice shade gone wrong with the finish, a warm burnt coral
Daft Pink - Bright, Deep cool pink. Too frosty for me.
Improvise - Corally peach meets golden brown. Also fairly chunky in the glitter department.
Cheek & Cheerful - Mid-tone bronzey brown with yellow gold veining
Style Demon - My favorite of the bunch, a deep brick red with copper pearl.
Brushes: I am so thrilled to see a repromote of the 226. It is an amazing crease and outer v brush, and I am very happy to be able to pick up a couple. The 131 is brand new, and I think it will be a fantastic cheek brush. It is dual bristled, and has a flat head, making it just the right shape to soften contours as well.
Here are some initial swatches. More will come soon, with labels! On the left: Top to bottom are the glosses in Eclectic Edge, Nice Mixup, and Funky Fusion Very top and almost invisible are mineral blushes in hand finish and improvise Mineral eyeshadows, top to bottom in Girlish Romp, Eccentricity, Fashion Patch, Odd Bits, Assemblage and Natural Flare Hand finish (left) Natural Flare on Right Smooth Merge MSF Left to Right: MSFS in Sunny by Nature, Porcelain Pink, Cheeky Bronze, Warm Blend, Triple Fusion Mineral Blushes in Style Demon, Daft Pink, Fab Dabulous, Cheeky and Cheerful
Lipsticks, Top to bottom left to right: Most Popular, Colour Crafted, Madly Creative, Ever Embellish, Trimming Talk, Made with Love
Glosses top to bottom: Miss Marble, Crazy Haute, Pretty Pattern
My inspiration for the Illamasqua contest stemmed from my love and fascination with Ancient Egyptian lore. The Ancient Egyptians represent everything exotic and sexy, and I tried to model this look after both Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile and Isis, the Goddess of Fertility. I made this look very dramatic on purpose, since I was feeling fierce and a bit over the top. I am also contemplating doing a lighter version of this look, but we shall see.
I used:
Make Up For Ever Primer # 7
Mehron Aquacolor in Metallic Gold
Make Up For Ever Flash Color in Gold
Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Solstice
Eyes:
Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Cream Eyeshadow for brows and lid and to line
Smashbox Bionic Mascara
Drugstore Brand Lashes
Lips
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in NSFW
Im not lying when I say that painting my entire face gold without an airbrush was not easy! I am happy with how it turned out though. The above picture is without flash, and unedited. The only thing I did was made the bottom warmer, because my pale neck looked weird.
Here it is with flash. Lets ignore the fact that I couldn't paint my neck, and the fact that the flash reflects off of metallic gold in weird ways, making it look a little off in places. It wasn't in real life, I promise!And there you have it, my entry! Try not to laugh too hard, or run away scared.
My love for Philosophy Shower Gels knows no bounds, and now everyone has an opportunity to snag them at a special rate!
From now through July 6th, get 2 full sized shower gels of your choosing for $25 (a savings of $7) or, save even more and get 3 full sized shower gels of your choice for $33 (a savings of $15)!
The codes are: 2 For Deal: Summer2for25 3 For Deal: Summer3for33
Methinks I need to add Pink Frosted Layer Cake, Belgian Waffle, and Classic Fudge Cake to my already bursting Philosophy Shower Gel arsenal. Which scents are you eying? Will you indulge?
It may not be apparent if you have been reading my blog in recent times, but one of my top 5 makeup brands happens to be NARS Cosmetics (Make Up For Ever, Illamasqua, MAC, YSL, and Smashbox are others).
I blogged on and hauled some of the summer 2009 collection, now feast your eyes on some gorgeous images from the fall 2009 collection! Can you say lust-worthy?!
Here is the lineup: Eyeshadow Duo in Silk Road- Duo of frosty pink and warm rose gold Eyeshadow Duo in Indian Summer- Duo of deep grey/deep blue-grey Eyeshadow Duo in Brumes- Duo of pinky taupe and darkened yellow Eyeshadow Single in Mekong- Deep espresso with warm rose gold tones
Lipstick in Fast Ride, a deep, but sheer berry shade Nail Lacquer in Tokaido Express- Blackened plum with gold shimmer
All this news for fall is too much I tell you! I literally want this whole collection, just from looking at the promotional images alone.
Thoughts anyone? Who else is as excited for NARS (and fall collections in general) as I am?! Do tell!!
Sources: Iswii.net for the lovely images Em of Too Much Blush for rough translations, and for the heads up
Ladies and Gentleman, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you all to C.M. C.M has not had a strong voice on this beauty blog thus far, but all of that is about to change. She is tired of being neglected, and she wants everyone to know that she will not sit quietly neglected any longer. She wants some love and attention too!
Who is C.M- I thought you would never ask! C.M is my curly mop, a.k.a jew-fro, a.k.a my mane. She is so wild that I do consider her a separate entity, much like my bosom, but that is a whole other story. My C.M is dry, coarse, thick, curly, frizzy, color treated, and unruly. She doesn’t like the sun, and she especially doesn’t like the harsh NYC climate. Being the wild child that she is, she does nothing but present styling technical difficulties. Her unique nature makes finding the perfect products difficult, and between you and me, I am starting to think that sometimes she does not want to be tamed at all.
Keeping all that in mind, I know that I need to bust out the big guns when my hair becomes especially coarse and unruly. This is where the Retro-Chic Conditioning Hair Potion comes into play. Part of the Retro-Chic line. This conditioner uses vitamins and anti-oxidants to protect the hair, restore any damage done, lock-in color, and provide lasting protection against the drying effects of harsh environmental conditions (N.Y.C summer, anyone?).
Developed by Joshua Bernard, a professional hair artist that teamed with two of the world’s leading molecular scientists to develop the industry’s first "Microcapsule Remediation System" for hair conditioning. What all of those fancy words means is that the formula of this conditioner takes all of the good-for-your-hair ingredients, and traps them into itty bitty capsules, ensuring that the hair loving goodness doesn’t lose potency with prolonged usage.
The conditioner itself is of moderate thickness (not watery, but not as thick as a deep conditioner), and smells deliciously of citrus fruit. I applied this after shampooing (I used my default Ojon shampoo by the way), and allowed it to seep into my hair while I went about my other shower business. After 4 minutes, I rinsed it out and allowed my hair its usual air-dry. I have been using this conditioner for the past 2 weeks, and I am impressed with how my hair looks and feels. Even with my first use, I could not get over how shiny my hair looked and how soft my hair felt. Delightfully absent is my not-so-best friend, Mr Frizz. As I continue to use this, I definitely notice that my hair continues to look and feel great. CM is one happy camper.
Retro-Chic Hair Conditioner is available on BeautyChoice.com. My C.M likes it, and she thinks your C.M, or any mane at all, will love it too.
While The Makeup Show gave me the opportunity to check out many amazing and well-known brands, what had me most excited was being able to see and purchase products from smaller brands that cater to the professional artist. Mehron was definitely one of those brands that I could not wait to test drive.
While scanning all of Mehron’s offerings at the show, my vision tunneled as my peepers spotted the Mehron Paradise AQ 8 Color Palette. I have seen so many amazing reviews for these palettes that I felt I was personally acquainted with them. I skipped the courting phase and eagerly snatched up 3 different color varieties (pastel, tropical, metallic) and whipped out my card faster than you can say charge it.
The first one up for review is Metallic, a palette that houses 8 sparkling metallic shades ranging from red to silver to gold.
Mehron Aquacolor is a type of water-activated pancake makeup. Used for face and body-painting, the aquacolors only require that you wet your brush and dip it into the pan to activate the rich, creamy color that doesn't fade, crease, or appear dull. Once applied, the colors are both vibrant and long lasting. They don't cake up or crumble like some bases tend to do. To me these are the perfect eyeshadow base!
Enough talk, here are the swatches!
Definitely loving these way much. I am working on swatches of both Tropical and Pastel palettes. Until then, tell me what highly anticipated items you recently snagged that met your expectations?
I am just your average 20 something; working in corporate services while doubling as a stylist and beauty blogger. The fun never ends!
Born & raised in NYC, I am not afraid to snatch up all my wonderful city has to offer, and bring it all to you.
Back in May, I was given some insider info about what Smashbox had up its sleeve for Fall 2009, and what I heard had me squeeing. I was told there would be a collection based off of the court of Henry VIII, with new items like a jet set quad and plum mascara. Well, I am happy to report that Temptalia has just posted the color story, and I am really liking what I see! Here is what we can expect: 
