Le Metier de Beaute Mediterranean Seas Kaleidoscope

A couple months ago MessyWands posted the PSA about the long lost kaleidoscopes.  I jumped on it and called the John Barret salon.  Only to be able to get Golden Beauty, and Aphrodite. I was connected through the blog with Alyx. She is so amazing!  She found me Mediterranean Seas and enchantment lip kaleidoscope. I was not able to find good pics of this(MS), so I am posting what I have for you! Mediterranean Seas is a beautiful mix of greens and a gorgeous shimmery peach.  At first glance, the last color in the kit reminded me of jade from their regular shadow line, but it is totally different. The rest are  also unlike any other LMDB colors.  The first color is a deep green with teal sparkles, the second color is a light green with flashes of gold, the third color is a beautiful peach with flashes of gold, and the last color is an incredible deep green with peach, teal, green, and gold sparkles.  It is so beautiful and unique!!  They are all super pigmented.  As always Le Metier de Beaute has the best quality shadows.  They are pricey, but worth every penny!  This kaleidoscope was released a couple years ago, but Alyx might still be able to track this down for you!

Laura Mercier tempting coral lip shine

After Best things in beauty recent post on the new Laura Mercier tempting coral lip shine, I hurried to Nordstrom.com and bought one.  Her reviews are one of my fav and I loved how her swatches of this color were.  She posted that on her it was more pink less coral, which appealed to me.  Everyone's lips are different, so on me it is mostly coral.  I would have liked it much more if it looked like  her swatches.  I must have more red in my lips.  It is still a beautiful color and adds a nice spark to my lips.  Not super unique, so I cant say it is a must.  I do not know if I would have purchased it if I tried it at the store first, but I am still happy with it.  I love the way it feels on the lips. Very moisturizing! This is part of the Lingerie collection which was just released. On to the swatches.  The swatch on the left is a thick one, the right is sheered out.

Sneak peak-Armani's new tourmaline pink blush!

Just a quick peak at the new Armani blush! Swatches to follow later.  I was disappointed when I first swatched as it was very light and sheer, but once applied it was a bit more pigmented!  It is very, very light and will not work if you are darker than me. It does give a nice glow!   It has a bit of shimmer/fine sparkles. It is super hard to describe.  Some were wondering if it would be too cool for them, but as a warm skinned girl(NC15) it works.  It is a cool pink with an iridescence, yet it shines warm.  The swatches might help better than my description.  EDIT: more pics a few posts above!

maybelline 24 hour color tattoo shadow

I was up early this morning and took a fun little trip to Rite Aid.  My plans were to pick up a couple of the new maybelline cream shadows that have been getting all the rave reviews.  I also picked up one of Maybellines new bouncy blushes.  The bouncy will be going back unopened.  Read a bunch of really bad reviews just now and decided to just forget it.  Anyway, on to the review for the shadow.  I got audacious asphalt(shimmery charcoal grey), bad to the bronze(bronze), and bold gold(gold!).  I was pleasantly surprised when I swatched the 1st one, asphalt.  It really is gorgeous!  I love the little bit of sparkle it has.  It kind of reminds me of a way lighter version of Chanels illusion d ombre in mirifque.  Well, the lower budget, lighter version.  Chanels is black where as this is charcoal.  I plan on only using these as a base under other shadows.  Using this type of product as a base makes your shadow more intense and works as a primer.  2 in 1! They have been compared to MACs paint pots and I can see why.  I have not tested out all 3, but I will later.  Go check these out!  They can be hard to find.  I bought the last of the 3 I got.

 These last pics were taken with asphalt as a base under Chanels Regard Perle. The swatches do these no justice.  I need to work on my pics.  They were $6.69.  Great deal compared to MAC's $17.50.  They are available in more colors, like purple, orange, blue, white, and a few others.

guerlain cruel gardenia

As promised here is a glimpse of the Guerlain cruel gardenia.  Not the best pic, but a pic!  It was used as a highlighter on my upper cheekbone.  I also used a blush with it.

Estee Lauder topaz chameleon illuminating powder gelee

I gave in to blog pressure and had to immediately order the new Estee Lauder topaz chameleon illuminating powder gelee.  What a title!!  I loved the first illuminating gelee they put out, so of course I had to get this.  My hopes were that I could pull it off as a bronzer.  I just got it and will have to play around with it for a while to see what I can or cant do. The topaz has the same formula as the modern mercury.  So far I am liking it!!  I use it sparingly with a fan brush and lightly dust it on like a highlighter/bronzer.  It adds a beautiful glow to my very, very pale skin.  I cant stand the orange, or muddy looks that a lot of bronzers tend to give me.  This looks pretty natural! I have a huge fear of looking Jersey Shore, or Oompa Loompa like.  This product can make pores look larger than life so I do have to be careful.  Almost all metallics tend to do that.  Go check this out at counters near you as this like the modern mercury will sell out quickly!  The swatches taken were pretty heavily done. It can be much more subtle with a light hand.

Guerlain cruel gardenia

I had been waiting for months after seeing a stock photo of Cruel Gardenia to come out!  It was love at first sight.  Everything about it was gorgeous.  The packaging, the product itself, and the way it looks on the skin. It reminded me of Estee Lauder's modern mercury, but  a little more subtle and pink.  I would describe it as a light pinkish silver.  It did not make my pores look huge like most metallics.  I was very surprised at that.  It did seem to make my pores look larger when swatched on my hands, but it is totally different on my face.  It was so pretty I bought a back up!  I do not do this at all with make up, so this was unusual.  It was on the pricey side, but it is worth it.  I highly recommend!! I will try to do a face of the day with it on tomorrow!

Tried to swatch the 2. Guerlain is on the right.

Welcome to my crazy, obsessive world!

Hi! I am so excited to start my blog!  I have been wanting to start a blog for a while, but like most things, it is easy for me to procrastinate.  I am starting this off as a love of all things beautiful. I have a wide range of tastes and find myself wanting almost everything.  I have a huge addiction to high end make up.  There will be many posts dedicated to that. I purchase many MU items based on stock photos. I would love to help ladies with real life photos of new items.  I know it would have saved me money to see exactly what I am buying.  This blog  will be such a big outlet for me.  I hope to share what I buy and learn with you all!