Anastasia She Wears It Well Eyeshadow Palette

Anastasia She Wears It Well Eyeshadow Palette (available here) -  $34

A mirrored palette of nine, pigment-rich matte and shimmer shadows in nude and neutral shades.  Classic Hollywood glamour meets modern moxie with this array of shadows that impart a sophisticated smolder to the eyes.  No matter how you wear them, you're sure to wear them well.  Anastasia's Illumin8 formula features Youthful Synergy Complex®, clinically proven to illuminate, firm, and hydrate the skin.

Neutral/nekkid palettes have been around for some time now, some more famous than the others, but when it comes to wearable browns and bronzes, I can never have enough!  The generous folks at Anastasia sent me the new She Wears It Well palette, and I just found one more neutral palette to love :D  The packaging is beautiful as are the shadows included in the palette.  The palette features a black croc-embossed pattern on the outside and includes a large mirror on the inside.  The side opposite the mirror holds the 9 eyeshadows and the brush.

The Anastasia She Wears It Well Palette features 9 shades - a mixture of mattes (3) and shimmers (6) and a small dual-ended brush is included in the palette.  The texture of the eyeshadows are smooth, pigmented, long-lasting (with a primer), and I didn't have fallout issues with any of them.  The shimmery shades are buttery smooth without any annoying chunky glitter in them.  I am not sure about the "Youthful Synergy Complex," but if you are wearing this almost every day (and you very well could), any ingredient that illuminates and firms the skin should be quite welcome :D

Anastasia She Wears It Well Eyeshadow Palette - Swatches/FOTD

I will try and use this palette for a couple of looks once I get some more time, but for now I just did a simple look using Foxy (applied all over the lid) and Onyx (applied along lashline).  Here's how it looks on me:

Overall, I am quite impressed by Anastasia's She Wears It Well Eyeshadow palette.  The shades of nude/neutral matte and shimmer included in this palette are varied enough to allow for different looks for the day (and night) while the lone black shade - Onyx - would work great both for a smokey eye or used wet as a liner.  I don't find the brush particularly useful, but it's nice to have one just for an emergency.  According to me, Anastasia found the perfect balance with the quality and pricing, and if you are looking for a good palette that features work-appropriate shades but can also work great for darker eye makeup looks, do give this a try - it's definitely one of the better neutral palettes out there!

Product provided by PR.

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush: Brume D'Or (Bombay Express Makeup Collection)

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush Brume D'Or (available here) - $43.00

Part of the limited edition Bombay Express makeup collection, Chanel describes Brume D'Or as "beautifully sunny earth tone awakens cheeks with an elegant glow."  I kept going back and forth about whether I really need this blush, but I did eventually end up buying it.  The power of the magic words "limited edition" never fails!

Chanel Joues Contraste blush in Brume d'Or comes packaged in the typical Chanel packaging - with a velvet pouch for storing the compact in, and a generous large mirror and a useable brush included.

The blush is a beautiful brown-bronze, and while Chanel calls this a blush, left to my own devices, I would have called this a blush-bronzer hybrid :P  The soft blush has very fine shimmer mixed in, but typical to the Joues Contrate formula, the shimmer melts into the skin and shows up more as a sheen rather than shimmer particles.  The result is a beautiful glow that I somehow never seem to get with any other blush.

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Brume D'Or - Swatches/FOTD

I have never really used a bronzer, and I have never been very confident about about using one, so a blush that looks and feels like a bronzer doesn't make things any easier for me.  I played around for a while and here's my theory - for me, this works best as a contouring of sorts, applied below the cheek bones and along the jawline (along the hairline).  It might work differently on different skin tones, but at least for my darker skin tone I found it best used this way.  Here's a look at the swatches and how it looks on me.

While I have used only Brume D'Or in the photo, it does pair beautifully with with a subtle pink blush like Chanel's Rose Initiale gives a very natural effect.  The formula is easy to use and blends like a dream.  Like most Chanel products, this has a rose fragrance to it which I am quite used to but, of course, might be an issue if you prefer unscented products.

Brume d'Or, is the one shining point in the otherwise disappointing Bombay Express collection, and while I am still waiting for Nirvana, this one is definitely a good buy.

MORE CHANEL MAKEUP AND BEAUTY REVIEWS HERE.

Snapshot Love: Swirls

Yumm chocolate cake from WholeFoods..

Diorshow Mascara in Rich Black 090: Review

Dior Show Mascara in Rick Black 090 (available here) - $ 25

The original, award-winning Dior mascara that has been a backstage cult-favorite for 10 years, this mascara delivers perfectly plush, everyday glam lashes with an innovative XXL brush for maximum show-stopping volume. Its creamy, buildable, customizable formula allows you to achieve the same dramatic lash volume that can be seen on the Dior runway for a glamorous, false lash effect.  The legendary brush came after a true moment of inspiration. Dior makeup artists would use plush toothbrushes to coat models lashes backstage to create show-stopping, catwalk lashes and volume when a regular mascara wand just wouldn't do. It's also available in a waterproof formula.

Another of the bonuses from a Sephora shopping spree ages back, the Diorshow mascara had been lying around mostly ignored until last week when I started cleaning out my makeup and decided I just have to finish up a whole lot of products.  Aside from a Rouge Serum lipstick, I haven't bothered to try out anything else from the Dior range, mostly because I really didn't like the lipstick.  This mascara, though, might be a step towards repairing the damage.

The best part about this mascara, for me, is the big fat brush/applicator wand.  This isn't something unique to the Diorshow mascara, but a lot of other mascaras that boast such chubby wands don't have the same arrangement of bristles. Perhaps Dior just has a better formula, but whatever the reason may be, I find this does an awesome job of reaching each of my lashes, including the ones in the very corners without leaving smears on my eyelids.  The formula is superb, providing natural-looking, beautifully separated lashes without any flaking or smudging.  With mascaras, I think, whether you like a particular kind or not depends on what effect you are looking for - I like natural-looking lashes that are lengthened, separated, and the mascara needs to hold the curl that I get from my lash curler.  I deposit most of the color at the root of my lashes and wiggle the wand upward to just lightly coat the rest of the lashes.  For my requirements, the Diorshow works beautifully, and this could easily be one of my favorite mascaras.  If you are looking for dramatically volumized lashes, though, this might leave you disappointed.  The mascara does have a slight fragrance to it that doesn't really bother me, and I don't find it strong either, but if you prefer unscented makeup products you might find it an issue.

Diorshow Mascara in Rich Black 090 - Ingredients

Diorshow mascara in Rich Black 090 - Ingredient list typed out from the Sephora website, so please excuse any typos.

Also love:  Dior Creme Abricot Fortifying Cream for Nails

MORE MASCARA REVIEWS:
Sublime de Chanel mascara - Deep Black (10) 
Chanel Inimitable Intense Sophistique versus Inimitable (Regular) Mascara 
Covergirl Natureluxe Mascara - Very Black
Covergirl LashPerfection Mascara - Very Black
Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
YSL Faux Cils - Noir Radical

L'Eau de Chloé Eau de Toilette Spray

L'Eau de Chloé  Eau de Toilette (available here) - from $65

L'Eau de Chloé is elegance injected with a modern twist. It's an utterly innate sense of chic with the fresh feeling of springtime pastels, light dresses, and rose petals.  This smooth and comfortable fragrance is a totally addictive floral mix. Made with 22 percent natural rose water, the scent is fresh, carefree, and feminine with a delicate and lively mix of rose, floral notes, and green outdoorsy notes.

L'Eau de Chloé EDP Fragrance Notes: Grapefruit, Cedrat, Peach, Violet, Rose Petals, Natural Water of Rose, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber.

Style: Free. Spontaneous. Feminine.

I got a deluxe sampler of the L'Eau de Chloé Eau de Parfum as a GWP with my Sephora shopping a couple of weeks back.  Despite being on the fence about rose-based perfumes, I have used the original Chloé (the pink one) a lot this summer.  L'Eau de Chloé uses a similar rose base but mixes it with citrus and fruity notes and rounds it up with the amber and the cedarwood.  The smell is delicate and fresh with a predominant powdery rose note.  The citrus notes aren't very obvious, but I suspect that's what gives the perfume it's freshness.  For a light perfume, it dos stay a reasonably long while on me - not the whole day, but at least 6 hours - and layering over a moisturizer helps with the staying power.  Give this a try if delicate rose fragrances are just your thing, and yes it would match perfectly with pastels and light dresses!

L'Eau de Chloé EDT Spray - Ingredients

More Perfume Reviews HERE.

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-hour Smoothing Eye Primer (available here) - $19

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-hour Smoothing Eye Primer truly locks eyeshadow in place while preventing fallout and migration for truer shadow payoff. The universal shade glides on easily and powers from the morning into the evening for 12 hours of perfect wear time. This double-duty, high-performance eye product can be used as both a shadow primer and an under eye base to smooth areas around the eye, giving you a seamless application and all around 360 degree eye solutions.

I got the Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer (wow..that's a long name!) as part of a Tarte primer trio from Sephora.  I haven't gotten around to using the other two primers, but I am always ready to try out an eye makeup primer :D

Tarte packs the eye makeup primer in a squeeze tube, and while I am not sure if the full-size version is the exact same packaging, it definitely is a tube.  I needed to give a good shake or two to the tube to get the primer to start flowing out, so now I just store the tube upside down to help dispensing easier.   The consistency is creamy that dries to an almost invisible finish.

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer - The Good and The Bad

It's first product I am trying from Tarte, and I am definitely interested in trying more.  The eye makeup primer is creamy and easy to use.  It dries quickly enough and is almost invisible, smooth finish on my darker eyelids.  This is a huge plus point for me since a lot of the primers dry to an ashy finish.  I didn't have any issue with the product separating, but I did review a couple of reviews online about this happening.  I think giving the tube a good shake before using might solve that issue.  The other good thing about the Tarte Clean Slate eye makeup primer - it's free of parabens and is cruelty-free!  The one issue I do have is that it is just slightly less long-lasting than my go-to primer - UD Primer Potion or the Benefit Stay Don't Stray.  My eyelids tend to get oily over time, and to be fair, this primer did a pretty good job if I didn't compare it with the others.  If you have dry skin, this would be fabulous at smoothing out the eyelid and would last much longer.  Overall, this is a good primer, almost as good as the best!

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer- Ingredients

Nail Care 101: Easy Remedies for Yellowing Nails

Pink healthy nails are a little difficult to maintain, especially if you are the sort who loves to apply darker nail colours on a regular basis.  Not so much of an issue on my hands, but this is a problem I face quite often on my toes, since I prefer the darker shades for my feet.  Yellowing of the nails can also happen due to medical issues, which is a whole different story, but if that dark red polish is the one to blame for your nail woes, here are 5 things you can try:

Always start with a base coat.  A clear, protective base coat forms a barrier between the nail and your actual nail polish thus lessening the chances of any yellowing.  It also smooths out the nail and gives a more even surface for the nail polish, thus giving a glossier finish.  My pick - Essie All In One Base Coat.

Avoid dark colors :D   That should sort out the yellowing problem!  Oh well, okay, at least try to avoid darker nail colors until your nails grow out to a healthier color.  Opt for a trendy greige and make it your new fashion statement.  On my nails this week - I decided to go with a wash of Chanel June.

Avoid harsh nail polish removers.  The reason this might contribute to the problem of yellowing nails is because, harsh nail polish removers literally strip out the nail and can make it more susceptible to any future staining.  Use gentler nail polish removers and change the cotton often rather than using one polish-soaked pad for all the nails.  I do keep a some acetone-containing stronger remover, though, to use for quick cleanup around the edges.

Take a break - from nail polish.  My nails are free of nail polish most days of the week, and it's only when weekend comes around that I actually bother with picking a shade.  I stay at home, and I can be as laid back with my appearance as I wish, but others who step out into the outside world every day might want to do things differently.   If possible, though, try to avoid nail colors for a while until the yellow nails grow out.

Remedies to try at home for yellow nails:  Disclaimer -  I have never tried any of these, but I found a lot DIY solutions online, so am listing some here.

• Dissolve a denture-cleaning tablet in some water and soak your nails in this for a few minutes.
•  Mix the juice one lemon in a bowl of lukewarm water and use as a once-weekly soaking treatment.
• A mix of olive oil and lemon juice applied to the nails helps with strengthening nails and grow them out healthier.

There are also treatments that recommend a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda (you can check that here), but again, I have not tried any of these, and I cannot vouch for the efficacy or safety of any of these :P

Finally, while not really directly related to yellowing, try to use 3-free nail polishes (free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP) whenever possible, and always use a good cuticle/hand cream to keep your nails and hands looking healthy and soft.  Aside from making nails look dreadful, staining due to nail polishes is not that much of a problem, and left alone, the nails do eventually grow out to a normal color.  Yellowing of nails can also be due to much more serious medical issues, though, like jaundice or a fungal infection.  Please check with your physician to rule out any medical causes.

MORE ON NAIL CARE:
5-Step Guide To Neater Manicures
Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter
Crabtree and Evelyn 60 Second Fix for Hands

Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream Review

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (available here)
Specially formulated, this buttery cream taps Sweet Almond Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter to moisturize and soften your cuticles while Vitamin E and Sunflower Oil nourish brittle nails. Feel pampered and polished from tips to toes.  Moisturizes and softens cuticles with Sweet Almond Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter.  Nourishes brittle nails with Vitamin E and Sunflower Oil.  Fresh Lemon scent.

Burt's Bees is one of my favorite brands for a lot of reasons - the products aren't terribly expensive and are easily available in most drugstores, plus they are brimming with natural ingredients.  Among the many products that I have tried, my favorite from Burt's Bees has to be the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (okay, it's a tie between this and the Burt's Bees lip balms).  I have the smaller version that I got as part of a kit, but the tin packaging is just the same in the full-size version too.

The product is quite similar to a lip balm in texture and consistency.  I don't have any issues with using my fingers to pick up the product, but you can always use a clean Q-tip for that.  Burt's Bees has packed the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream with the goodness of a whole lot of natural plant extracts and oils while keeping the formula light and easy to absorb.  It nourishes the cuticles without leaving a greasy fingerprints on whatever I touch!  The cream has a lemony scent to it that is fresh yet subtle.  Overall, a wallet-friendly product that delivers on all its claims.  I keep this for the day time and use the heavier Dior Creme Abricot at night.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - Ingredients

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream Ingredients:  Sweet Almond Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter to moisturize and soften cuticles and Vitamin E and Sunflower Oil to nourish brittle nails.

MORE FROM BURT'S BEES:
Burt's Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter
Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo and ConditionerBurt's Bees Hand Salve
Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme
Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream
Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract  
Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion 
Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm in a Tin

Brown Smokey Eye In A Jiffy

Smokey eyes are a perfect choice for anyone looking for dramatic eye makeup options, but a simple soft version works just great for the day-time and/or if you are shy of going too dark with your eye makeup.   Pair a black eyeliner with a cream eyeshadow to get the simplest smokey eye in a jiffy.

You will need:  A primer, a soft black pencil eyeliner, brown/bronze eyeshadow, a highlighter shade, and mascara.

Start with a primer, applying it over the entire eyelid.  This helps bring out the color of the eyeshadows while latching on to the makeup and helping it stay on longer.  My pick - Benefit Stay Don't Stray Creaseless Primer.

Using a soft black eyeliner pencil, line close to the upper lashline and then smudge this gently with either your finger or a smudger brush.  I prefer using a brush because I find this gentler.  I have used the Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, but use any soft, easy-to-smudge (and inexpensive) eyeliner.

Apply a brown (or any other color of your choice) cream eyeshadow over the smudged liner.  Deposit the color closer to crease area and blend towards the lashline.  This way, the darkness of the smudged liner gets slightly toned down by the shadow but still shows through without being completely covered.  I have used Chanel fluid shadow in Splash.

Finish with tons of mascara, concentrating on depositing the maximum color to the roots of the lashes.  This helps intensify the smokey eye and makes the lashes look thicker.  Am currently trying out the Diorshow Mascara (and loving it).

I used rose-mauve lipliner topped with a pinkish beige lipgloss (Chanel Sweet Beige) and used Chanel's Brume D'Or on my cheeks.

Snapshot Love! Strappy, Braided, and on Sale...

There seem to be a lot of sales going on this time of the year, and what better excuse to go shoe shopping than deep discounts at the Aldo store..okay, not really deep, but a sale is a sale is a sale!  Guess everyone else had the same brilliant idea long before I did because every shoe I liked was only available in at least 2 sizes larger.  Thanks to the modern day miracle of online shopping, I snagged myself a pair of strappy, braided wedges.

I better wear these every single day before it gets too cold and need to start the hunt for the perfect winter boots :P

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus with Antioxidant Complex - Preview

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus with Antioxidant Complex - a dual-benefit, high performance skincare range for luxurious hydration and protection against environmental aggressors, in four easy steps. Developed exclusively around Jurlique’s classic blend of rose essential oils, this system is specially formulated to target the first signs of moisture loss, delivering long-lasting moisturization and antioxidant protection.

Having sensitive, acne-prone skin that reacts to the mildest of ingredients, I am generally very reluctant to try out anything new with my skincare routine.  The folks at Jurlique sent these to me some time back, but because my skin was having one of its unpredictable mood swings, I couldn't try this out earlier.  Just started using this and am loving it so far.   Detailed reviews in a bit, but so far, I am loving the light formulations and how easily it absorbs into my skin.  For more information on the products and availability, check here.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer Sweet Beige

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Sweet Beige (available here) - $29.50 

Gorgeous shimmer and a high-shine glow is delivered effortlessly to lips with just one stroke of this best-selling lipgloss. A wide range of shades, from sheer and natural to sparkling and rich, look beautiful on their own, or over your favorite Chanel lipstick. Equally beautiful: the conditioning formula's comfort and long wear.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes glossimer in Sweet Beige was released some time back - part of the Holiday 2011, I think - but was re-introduced with the recent Les Essentiels de Chanel makeup collection for fall 2012.  It is a nude, almost milky pinkish beige lipgloss, and like all of the Levres Scintillantes, Sweet Beige too has shimmer mixed in.  The colour is slightly darker than what my photos show, but after days of trying to get the photos right, this is the best I could come up with - sorry!

The Levres Scintillantes glosses feature doefoot applicators that make application a breeze.  The formula itself is nonsticky, and while I cannot truthfully say that it replaces my lip balm, I do find these glosses extremely lip friendly and nondrying.  The coverage is quite sheer, and on my pigmented lips, the color is almost nonexistent.  Generally, I use a rose-mauve lipliner to even out my lip color (it's what best matches my natural lip color) and then apply this lip gloss to get a neutral/natural lip color that doesn't make me look all washed out.  The shimmer in the formula is very fine, and while it's seen quite well in the tube, on my lips it almost disappears, visible only up close or under very bright sunlight.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Sweet Beige - Swatch/FOTD

A simple pinkish-beige color that pairs beautifully with darker eye makeup, Sweet Beige might not be the most unique shade out there, but it is very pretty.  Chanel makes some of the best lipglosses, and if you are on the lookout for the perfect neutral lip, do give this a try.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Sweet Beige - Ingredients

More Chanel makeup reviews HERE.

Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum

Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum Spray (available here)

"I wanted this fragrance to be a personal library of scent memories. For example, my love of night blooming jasmine has lasted a lifetime. Growing up in California, I distinctly remember the scent of jasmine on summer evenings. I consider the scent of the ocean to be one of life's most uplifting sensual experiences. No aroma is quite so purifying, humbling and exhilarating. The combination of the salty air and tropical oils reminds me of long sunny days on the beach-pure happiness." —Jennifer Aniston

Fragrance Notes:  Evoking memories of sunny days at the beach and happy summer nights, this captivating composition includes light, blooming floral notes set against a sensual base of musk and woods.

The clean cut glass bottle features simple lines, and the best part about this is that even the smaller, more affordable travel sizes are the spray version.

 Jennifer Aniston has been a favorite of mine (and I guess just about everyone loves her too) ever since I started watching Friends way back in the past!  From her hair to her simple yet elegant style, there is nothing about her I can find fault with - nothing, until I tried her perfume, that is.  The Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum spray seems to have garnered predominantly positive reviews from most people, but I sit firmly with the few that dislike it.  Meant to smell beachy and sensual, I don't get any hints of the salty beach air from it.  What I do get is an overbearingly intense hit of jasmine - and not the sort that gets carried in the cool night breeze and delicately perfumes the air in your garden.  To me this smells just too strong and quite synthetic.  The strong opening notes do fade off, though, with time but never really change into anything else.  Thankfully (for me, that is), the perfume doesn't last very long, so I don't have to worry about smelling awful for long.

Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum Spray - Ingredients

Until very recently, I have had jasmine plants in my garden (and I recently bought a gardenia that I am keeping my fingers crossed about), so perhaps my expectations of what a delicate jasmine scent should be like are quite high.  It is quite difficult to bottle nature after all!  The perfume has a lot of great reviews, and if you love jasmine-based scents, you might want to give this a try the next time you are at Sephora.

More Perfume Reviews HERE.