Jouer Cosmetics

Henri Bendel's has a crack like effect on me. Major addiction. I seriously cannot go into the flagship store in NYC without making something mine.  This go around I decided to try Jouer, a cosmetics company known for the ability to connect their individual compacts into customizable palettes.

I picked up the limited edition Blushing Beauty Palette, which consists of the Whisper Tint/ Feather Highlighter duo, Chocolate/Peach Eyeshadow duo, Sheer Matte Touch Powder & Bronzer duo + Cherish Lipgloss. In this picture all of the pieces are actually connected. Worth mentioning- I think I got a lot of prestige product for the price of $58.

Here I am sporting the shadows, powder/bronzer duo & gloss. The colors are neutral classics.  I could see a lot of brides sporting this collection for the summer wedding season now upon us. Though it's listed currently as out of stock on Jouer's website, I would call Bendel's & see if they can ship it to you. It's pure loveliness!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Fabulous Finds Friday

I love Benefit Cosmetics- their cleverly named products & the fact that their products address real skin concerns & issues. I have countless highlighters from them! They have a cult following for their blushes such as Georgia, Dallas & their latest Hervana. They usually come in these whimsical cardboard boxes with a coordinating brush.

This is Benefit's best selling highlighting & bronzing duo '10.'Look similar? Hard Candy is carried exclusively at Walmart, so whenever I'm there I check out what's new. I recently spotted & scooped up their Fox in a Box Bronzing Duo in Skinny Dipping. The box houses shades that are dead ringers for Benefit's Dallas & Coralista. The color payoff of Hard Candy for a mass line is great quality. Plus, the California beachy colors in the Skinny Dipping Duo give the perfect glow as we head into summer!

One thing about the Hard Candy version is that the compact doesn't completely close, which is probably due to it being displayed open for view ability. It's not a big deal for me- as I'll probably pop the blush out & stick it in my Z Palette, anyway! For $6 vs $28- it's a steal of a deal for sure!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

LORAC Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box

It's that time of the year *swoon* when some of my favorite lines launch their holiday collections! Armed recently with a 20% Sephora coupon, I did some major damage online. On my list of acquisitions: Lorac's Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box Collection{$56}. I must say when I opened the box my first thought was, " Holy Toddlers and Tiaras!" It looked a little bit more, ahem, elegant online.

I wanted to keep an open mind, as I adore Lorac's buttery shadows. Opening the drawers my hopes lifted a little when I spotted the sparkly day & night palettes.

Upon lifting the top of the Steel Magnolia themed jewelry box, there was a bronzer meant for a giant & 2 rather frosted lipglosses.

Just to be honest, I do love some sparkle as seen here on my cell phone case. The shadow palettes were beautiful on the outside.

But when I opened them, I was disappointed to see how small the actual shadows were. I would have preferred less shades, for a little more product.

Lorac's shadows are lovely. I'm sporting some of the coppery colors from the Day compact.

The Night compact's color shades.

Here's a closer look at the gorgeous shades & actual size, which as you can see most shadow brushes wouldn't fit into completely! I felt like this entire collection had been put into production in a big rush. Quality of product aside(because it is there), this kit just isn't user friendly. Giant bronzers, tiny shadows- the layout is off. The box is not what I would call a keepsake, either. If you want tons of options, in one time use sizing- buy it. Otherwise, skip this one as there are tons of winners that I'll be showing you this holiday season!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Yes I'm a Smooth Operator!

I equate a great bronzer the same as I do a great pair of black pants- they both hide a multitude of sins! Any make-up artist will tell you, a great bronzer will wake up the face, give a healthy vibrancy to the skin- all the while concealing imperfections like uneven skintone or a pimple.

When Tarte launched their Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder- I knew I wanted to get my hands on it, especially because Sade's Smooth Operator is my theme song!{ha ha} As a skin care professional, I love that Tarte's products are free of parabens, mineral oil, phthalates & synthetic fragrance- it's a big help in eliminating possible irritants that could cause my finicky skin to breakout!

The sifter on Smooth Operator has only one hole in it which I haven't seen before- but it's genius! What a welcome relief, since dealing with & especially traveling with loose powders is always such a hot mess! I often tell clients to leave the seal over most sifters on loose powders & poke thru only a hole or two with an earring post- why didn't I invent this?!?

Thanks to the Amazonian clay, Smooth Operator minimizes the appearance of my pores while having a blotting powder like effect in mattifying my skin. Hooray for a radiant glow that will stay put during hot & humid summers in Baltimore!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

*Product gifted for review