New From Urban Decay

Listen up, my fellow UD'ers. Urban Decay's Fall offerings have just went live on the website, and they look like heartbreakers each and every single item.

Yes, it is a bit early to be thinking of fall, and yet, we don't really care here at la casa de Krasey. Any time is a good time for Urban Decay!

Check out the offerings and tell me in the comments, what are you lemming from Urban Decay's fall lineup?

A Final NARSsism, and Also New from NARS

You all loved the tips, now see Marcel’s latest modeling assignment…

Introducing NARS Pro-Prime!

“MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE”

“Priming products are always the last step of your skincare regimen, and the very first step in applying complexion makeup. Use the new Pro-Prime products to extend the wear of makeup, intensify eye color, minimize the appearance of fine lines, large pores and refine the surface of skin. I never leave the house without them!”

With the launch of NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep and Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, the makeup artistry of Founder and Creative Director François Nars is now at your fingertips. Each product serves a specific function in prolonging makeup by preventing creases, and ensuring a smooth and even application.

Accompanying that flawless canvas, we have Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment- a kiss of color for spring and summer.

NARS Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment, a new addition to the brand, puts colorful, long-lasting, SPF-infused moisture right at your fingertips in one convenient product. It nourishes, hydrates and protects chapped lips while providing color in a range of six deliciously sexy and subtly-tinted colors.  The shades, which can be worn alone or paired with any NARS lip product, include Aurore (seashell pink), Greta (mauve), Paloma (cantaloupe), Lara (pastel pink) Angélique (strawberry) and Bianca (pearl).

The product boasts an array of ingredients such as Wild Mango Butter, Vitamin E, Polar Berries and Açai Oil- providing the perfect antidote to dry, chapped lips from winter.

Also new, say hello to these sexy sticks of bright sheer shades, Multiple Tints

NARS Multiple Tints are bright, yet translucent, giving cheeks and lips a sheer pop of buildable color. This multi-purpose tool can be worn alone for flush cheeks or stained lips or layered with other NARS face and lip products for a bolder effect.  The Multiple Tint is available in three vibrant shades – Beverly Hills (bright red), Turks & Caicos (bright orange) and Cadaqués (bright fuchsia). 

Cadaqués

Beverly Hills

Turks and Caicos

More new NARS? Yes please! All of these items are currently available for purchase on the NARS Cosmetics website.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection for Fall

Even though we are barely into spring, it is full speed ahead with a fall 2010 nail polish sneak peek. Say hello to China Glaze for fall- a collection called Vintage Vixen.

Step out with these multi-faceted jewel tones, rich reds, titillating taupes and smoldering sands. This collection deliverers a high octane 40’s era glamour with a sophisticated edge! The 12 colors in this collection include:

• Riveter Rouge – Deep red shimmer
• Foxy – Burgundy frost with shimmer
• Goin’ My Way – Brown frost with copper shimmer
• Classic Camel – Khaki crème with gold micro glitter
• Swing Baby – Taupe frost with silver micro glitter
• Ingrid – “Greige” crème with copper micro glitter
• Hey Doll – Rose frost with shimmer
• Bogie – Plum frost with shimmer
• First Class Tocket – Deep purple frost with shimmer
• Midnight Mission – Navy blue frost with silver micro glitter
• Emerald Fitzgerald – Turquoise green frost with shimmer
• Jitterbug – Grey chrome with silver micro glitter

I am a huge fan of the 40's aesthetic, so this collection definitely excites me. How about you? Are you feeling this collection for fall?

La Prairie Whisper Shades Review and Swatches

As promised, here is a closer look at the "Whisper Shades" collection La Prairie.

Whispers of spring in the warm gentle breeze

Delicate dewdrops and a fine morning mist

Blooms emerge shyly, almost a tease

Warm flirts with cool in a delicate spring tryst

The key item in La Prairie's Spring and Summer Range, the Cellular Treatment Eye Colour Ensemble in  Les Lignes Et Lumieres is a stunning departure from your typical eyeshadow palette. Housed in a sleek and chic silver package, Les Lignes features 4 shades of softly delicate pastel shadows with a contrasting strip of matte black shadow to line and intensify the eyes.

Each powdery pastel captures light most beautifully, giving off a fine sheen that is shimmer in big girl's clothing. The shades all apply softly and blend like a dream, wearing well on their own for a soft look or playing with the matte black and other darker shades to create unique looks.

The shades included are a matte black liner color, a buttery yellow gold, a cool lilac with a hint of pink, a soft seafoam green, and a bright ivory.

Swatched without a base, you can see how delicate the colors truly are. I only wish the dimension tranferred well on camera. Over a more emollient base, these definitely stand out.

The morning chill gives way

To a bright golden sun in the sky

Tropical beaches a playground by day

Summer flights of fancy pass me on by

Cellular Lip Colour Effects in Breezy Coral is one of the limited edition colors for the lips, and the embodiment of the lip color philosophy for this collection. In contrast to the softer shades we see for the eyes, the lip colors bring brilliantly bold pops of color that don't whisper, but shout summer.

Breezy Coral is a warm mid-toned pink with flecks of golden sparkle. As with all of the La Prairie Cellular Lip Colour Effects, Breezy Coral is very high on the shimmer and shine scale, in a sophisticated sort of way. This lipgloss is neither tacky nor watered down, but a blissful state in the middle that gives it the ability to adhere to the lips without gluing them together. Lightly fragranced and infused with light reflecting pigments, this lipgloss makes lips look plump and feel pillowy.

La Prairie's Whisper Shades collection for Spring and Summer is a journey into the joyful days of spring and summer. For my fellow lovers of luxury cosmetics, this collection is full of must-haves.


*Product provided for consideration

La Prairie Whisper Shades

Soft wisps of color for the eyes
Blossoming petal shades for the lips
We sing, wear, and embody the spirit of the changing season
Abandoning the cold vice of winter,
embracing sunshine, warmth, and the spring.

Spring has sprung, bringing sunshine, fresh blooms, and a definite spring in all of our steps. Capturing the essence of my favorite part of the year, the newest collection from La Prairie called "Whisper Shades" is a color collection that simultaneously brings soft accents and brilliant pops of color to cheeks, eyes, and lips. We are shedding our cloaks of darker winter colors in favor of shades that are as light and delicate as the petals that bloom so prolifically in the spring and summer months.

For the full collection information, as well as for event details, read on!

Spotted- Whats New At Sephora

Just in time for the Friends and Family Sale, Sephora has updated it's stock with fun new things to try. Just remember, code FF2009 gets you 20% off!

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Holiday Collection

From the Sephora website: World-renowned Japanese fashion designer Tsumori Chisato creates the limited-edition "wish upon a star" Holiday collection exclusively for shu uemura. Tsumori's favorite Japanese icons, "twinkle star" and "lucky cat", add a playful spirit and tidings of luck throughout the collection.

Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Planet Ribbon Palette- A palette featuring 3 eyeshadows, 1 cream liner, 1 cream highlighter, 1 blush, and 2 dual-ended applicators. Planet Ribbon appears to be the more demure of the 2 palette choices, with shades of peach, plum, and gold.

 

Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Planet Cat Palette- A palette featuring 3 eyeshadows, 1 cream liner, 1 cream highlighter, 1 blush, and 2 dual-ended applicators. Planet Cat appears to be the more dramatic of the 2 palette choices, with shades of silver, blue, and pink.

 

Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick- A shade described as 'Jupitor Brown'

 

Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Mini Lipgloss Set with Pouch- A trio of miniature glosses in shades Venus Peach, Moon Gold, and Scorpion Red

 

OPI for Sephora Nail Color Trio- A trio of polishes including Metro Chic, A True Romantic,and Domestic Goddess

Ed Hardy Love Kills Slowly Gift Set- I have a great disdain for Ed Hardy clothing in general, but I must say that this all-in-one palette has me intrigued.

Have you hauled from the Sephora sale yet? Who else is feeling inspired?

Meeting Francois Nars at Saks- Another Life Goal Achieved

Readers, I am currently sitting here, 7 hours later, still reeling after meeting the artistic genius that is Francois Nars. As I had blogged previously, the iconic artist was in town meeting fans, and signing copies of his amazing work. Being promoted was the Nars love New York set, which includes favorites such as Orgasm Blush, Uptown Girl eyeshadow duo, Soho Nail Polish, and New York Eyeshadow. Also for sale was Makeup Your Mind, and his long-time out of print book, X Ray.

There are few makeup artists that I absolutely adore, and Nars is one of them. His work, his vision, and of course, his exceptional brand have captured my heart. Meeting Francois in person only made me fall a little more in love with him as a person, as the man behind the brand was warm, personable, and genuinely charming. Each and every person that visited his table got his full, undivided attention, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to discuss favorite products with him, as well as some of the tongue in cheek names. Color me smittened, kitten.

After I stopped babbling, Francois was kind enough to sign my copy of X-Ray, Makeup Your Mind, and the NARS loves New York set. I should have better pictures of it this weekend, but suffice it to say that those are my goodies laid out on the table in front of him.

As I happily floated on out of the store, I did come across the holiday collection on display.

No swatches yet, but I can say that I absolutely LOVED each and every piece that I saw. We are talking new eyeshadow duos, new shades of matte lip pencils, a new highlighting multiple, and an amazing new eyeshadow pencil.


The Nars Holiday Collection is already for sale on the website, so definitely check it out.

Tell me readers, do you adore NARS as much as I do?

Glamour gone Twisted with the Illamasqua Dystopia Collection

Dystopia is the opposite of Utopia. It is what you get when in your quest for perfection, you create a perfect chaos. Everything just goes terribly wrong, and you get something that is dark, twisted, cruel, sinister, and yet, eerily beautiful, all at once.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that I am a HUGE fan of everything Illamasqua. The newest fall collection, Dystopia, has me positively giddy with excitement as I ponder all of it's intense incarnations and endless possibilities. Taking the edgy feel of strong metallics, sharp angles, and lots of smoke, Illamasqua added key pops of neon color to create something twisted, unexpected, and beautiful.

I have a few key pieces from the collection so far, and am waiting on the quads to be available to snatch up the rest. Here is a selective review:

Intense Gloss in Galactic

Not for the faint of heart, Galactic is an intense (and I mean intense) metallic silver gloss that packs one heck of a punch. On close inspection, the gloss has a superfine silver glitter particle that gives it such an intense, metallic shine. This literally looks like you poured molten silver on your lips! While it may be too gothic for some, I highly recommend giving it a chance on top of your favorite red lipstick. The end result is both unexpected, and beautiful.

Sheer Gloss in Explode

Explode is one of the milder pieces in the collection, designed to add versatility to your lip arsenal. To me the name conjures up images of a brilliant star, bursting in the sky. Explode a stunning icy pink with a strong lavender tone to it, and on close inspection you can really appreciate the lavender pearl. Beautiful on its own, Explode is also perfect for adding life to a pale lip, or toning down a bright lip. This has literally become my new favorite lipgloss.

Pigment in Android

Android is a complex blend of black, blue, and silver that morphs depending on how much you apply, and what you wear with it. My first experience with Illamasqua pigments have me craving more. Android applies smoothly, blends beautiful, and adds instant dimension to any smoky eyed looks. The glitter is superfine, and the pigment itself has no grit or chunk.

Nail Varnish in Velocity- Another first for me, this nail varnish is a beautiful shade of dirty lavender. Wear is exceptional, and the color is nothing short of beautiful.

Some more swatches:

With flash:
Without flash:
Dystopia is one collection that is not to be missed. While you can't get it stateside at Sephora, it is available on Illamasqua.com. Hurry, because this is one collection that I could see easily selling out.

MAC for DSQUARED Review and Swatches

Every year, MAC releases a collection, in collaboration with amazing contemporary designers. This year, MAC got together with the dynamic duo, Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared.

Greasepaint Sticks-
Expanding on the launch of the basic black greasepaints, Dsquared sees the introduction of V and B, a violet and blue greasepaint stick, respectively. Like its blue cousin, these paintsticks contain chunky particles of glitter, and once applied do.not.budge. These babies inspired love (and lust) at first sight, and I knew I had to own them both.

Lipsticks-
This collaboration covers both the dramatic and subdued ends of the spectrum with a muted red (Blood Red), and a pinkish nude (Nude Rose). Both lipsticks are fairly sheer, and thus slightly boring for me.

Fuschia Fix is a deep raspberry pink lip conditioner.

Clear Gloss and lip erase are nothing new, and neither is our beloved feline khol power and sculpt and shape duos.

Swatches:
L-R Greasepaint sticks in B, Black, and V, Blood Red, Nude Rose, Feline under the lipsticks
Fuschia Fix TLC, Dim Lip Erase

All in all, I felt that the stars of this collection were the new shades of greasepaint sticks. Tell me in the comments, did you (will you) haul from MAC DSquared?

MAC Trend FW '09 Review and Swatches

MAC Trend FW was a mini collection, released to showcase fall color trends.

The quad contains 4 shades in varying hues of blue and grey. I found the texture of these to be somewhat in between chalky and smooth, and pigmentation was at medium. This is a solid palette, but by no means a must have.

The lipsticks contained your standard issue coral, grape, burgundy, and dirty taupe. While none of the colors stood out, I do believe that Faultlessly Fashion Week (the deep grape shade) was my favorite.

I especially loved the lipglasses of this collection. Both New Berry and So This Season were deliciously pearl like in quality, done up in deep, juicy hues. Runway fav is a gorgeous, sparkling nude.

Swatches:

Quad on Left, Lipsticks L-R Red Full Stop, Faultlessly Fashion Week, Hipster, Our Pick

Lipglasses: New Berry, So This Season, Runway Fav

That is Trend FW 09 in a nutshell. What do you think? Does anything stand out to you?

More Mac Holiday 2009!

Looks like we have hit MAC holiday pay dirt today, with more photos and information about the MAC holiday sets.

All photos/collection info is thanks to BeautyStat.com

MAC Holiday 2009 Lip and Face Kits

Heavenly Dish Neutral Lip Kit ($22)

Floating Lightly Pale neutral pink beige
Heavenly Dish Sheer mid-tone neutral pink
Barely Visible Glossy pale nude with pearl

Possessed By Pink! Lip Kit ($22.50)
Tickled Dark plum
Laugh A Lot Creamy mid-tone blue pink
Sweet Smile Glossy mid-tone pink with pearl

MAC Holiday 2009 Eye Kits

6 Sorceress Eye Shadows ($36)
Magnetized Light frosted lavender
Altered State Deep frosted blue purple
White Rabbit Frosted soft white
Edge of Dark Charcoal with silver pearl
Hold My Gaze Mid-tone cool green grey
Hypnotizing Frosted grayed mauve

6 Devil May Dare Warm Eye Shadows ($36)
Dare Ya! Light frosty peachy pink
Devilishly Dark Rich brown with gold pearl
Oh My Darling Pale frosty cream
Prankster Mid-tone frosted olive
Sorcery Blackened burgundy
Gold Tease Frosty mid-tone gold

6 Mystic Cool Eye Shadows ($36)
Cool Incantation Opalescent white gold
Shhh, Don’t Tell Pale neutral pink
Blue Enchantment Dark frosted turquoise
Rose Potion Mid-tone frosted rose
Deep Secret Deep frosted indigo
Violet Vow Deep cool brown

6 Smoke and Mirrors Eye Shadows
Fire in Her Eyes Frost neutral beige
Black Magique Black with gold pearl
Deception Frosty golden brown
Spell No. 9 Soft muted pink beige
Wide-eyed Wonder Mid frosty grey taupe


MAC Holiday 2009 Face Kits

Hocus Focus Colourful Face Kit ($38)
Pretty Baby Soft baby pink
Peachykeen Mid-tone peach with pearl
Sunsparked Pearl Frost warm beige with pearl

Fab-racadabra Bronze Face Kit ($38)
Golden Muted gold tan with gold pearl
Sunbasque Gilded peach with pearl
Buffed & Polished Frosty bronzed gold

What do we think folks, yay or nay?