Sigma's Crème De Couture Collection

Sigma Crème de Couture Collection includes 1 Eyeshadow Palette (with 16 colors in total) inspired by macaroons with pastel and colorful pigmentation as well as three full-sized blushes (a peachy pink, violet, and pale blush pink color) for $55. This is a great value for these products and would make a wonderful Holiday gift for anyone who loves makeup. The packaging is absolutely delightful, it's reminds me of a high-end candy fantasy, without any of the weight gain and tooth pain!

Sigma Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette: These colors pack a really large punch. Costs $44 individually. 

Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette Swatches

As you can see, all of the colors were applied without a primer and they swatched very intensely. The lighter pink color an the yellow would pop better with a nude or white primer, but overall, great pigmentation in this set. I especially am a fan of the mint green shade and the blues which are very well done. The color that I would wear the most is the violet purple, which is a shade similar to the violet blush in this collection. For brown eyes, the violets really make them pop, for green eyes, the browns and the violets work well, and for blue eyes, the browns and blues would further accentuate the tone of the eyes.

Creme de Couture Blush Swatches

Blackberry Essence Blush: This color is a velvety lilac, more reminiscent of spring than fall, but it is the ideal color to use purple-based blushes with. This color is not overwhelming, blends beautifully and can be used just as any other blush. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

  

Strawberry Ambrosia Blush: Bubble-gum pink is back! Whether you want to use this color as a highlighter above your cheekbones or as a full-on blush for the fair-skinned, it's an absolutely breath-taking color. It gives a matte frosty appearance, perfect for a winter snow bunny. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

Cherry Apple Blush: Featuring a matte finish, as with the rest of this collection, this color is a tangerine-infused pink. It's a perfect color for autumn, resembling a plump apricot or leaf turning color. The color is the most flatting for all skintones of the bunch. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

I am rarely ever a fan of buying an entire collection, but Sigma did everything right here. All of the colors are matte and wearable, even though they have so much pigmentation, because they are easy to blend and build up or fade out. I am absolutely in love with this set, and the savings is so great if you purchase it all together, that I really do believe buying it all is a must!

Lancome's Newest Collection: Roseraie de Delices

Lancome's latest Spring 2012 collection by Aaron De May, their artistic director who is known in the industry as somewhat of a beauty genius (although he somewhat resembles the crypt keeper, see below for reference images), is an absolute beauty to behold. I want every single item they have put out for the collection and I'll show them to you so you can 'oooh' and 'aaaah' yourself.

Crypt Keeper

Aaron De May - Artistic Director of Lancome

As if Lady Gaga hadn't already told us in her latest music video for 'Marry the Night', mint is definitely going to be the huge color trend for Spring 2012 (she had insider information from Calvin Klein, Chanel and the likes) and that's okay with me because it is a delicate, feminine and fresh color. Without further adieu, I present to you the fabulous 5 color all-in-one shadow and liner compacts in Vert Tendresse and Rose Romance!

There's so many options with these! There's lid, crease, shadow, highlighter and liner in each of these, you can mix and match the colors for many different looks and combinations. The rose palette consists of peach and rose tones with a burgundy liner, while the green palette containing mint and forest greens with a darker grayish green liner. I love all of the colors because they have a shimmery iridescence to them that feels youthful and joyous. However, the cost of these is a little steep (as to be expected with Lancome products) at $48 each.

Now, I present to you what *really* caught my attention in this collection, the illuminating smooth powder which is a mixture of rosy pink and pastel shimmers. It's an all-in-one product for the cheeks and face, so you can use it as your face powder and blush, as well as highlighter (the parts that are more shimmery). The cost is, again, steep at $42, but it is such a beautiful item that appears to look like a bed of roses that it almost makes it worth the price.

My least favorite items in this collection are their waterproof eyeliner pens in green and white, I'm not a huge fan of their formulation, it's a little greasy for my taste,  but some people like that. Also, they're expensive at $25.50 each and you can probably find something similar in a drugstore.

The lipstick in this line is kind of adorable because the limited-edition packaging for the cotton candy shade and the color itself are the cutest. However, the 'Le French Touch Absolu Nu' lipstick costs $35 because of the packaging, while the rest are $29, $6 for packaging, Lancome?? Really??? I know that packaging didn't set them back anything so why are they overpricing? 'L'Absolu Rouge Nu' comes in the colors 'Sweet Marmalade' and 'Rose Petal'.

L'Absolu Rouge Nu in Sweet Marmalade

L'Absolute Roughe Nu in Rose Petal

Limited Edition - Le French Touch Absolu Nu in Cotton Candy

E.L.F. review

I purchased a bunch of things when E.L.F (eyes, lips, face) had a sale awhile ago and I got basically everything you see here for about $31.00, shipping included. I've heard great things about some of their products and seen them in video reviews, so I figured I would give them a shot, after all they are so inexpensive it's hard to stay away (most of their products are sold for $1/product). I don't know how they sell everything so inexpensively, but it goes to show you that a lot of makeup products are so overpriced and are probably filled with the same kinds of chemicals. Obviously there will be *some* quality difference, I wouldn't purchase face creams and health-related items from an inexpensive website because you don't necessarily know what you're getting, but in terms of the things I got, I'm perfectly fine with the quality. This is my haul:

I decided to experiment with bronzers but I wasn't willing to pay too much for them because I don't know how often I'll be using them or which shade I like best, I figured it was best to first try my hand with these big products from E.L.F. that I knew would last me awhile. It also helps the packaging is basically a mimic of NARS packaging, which gives it a higher quality feel. I also purchased an eyebrow kit, brushes, brush shampoo, sponges, shimmering facial whip, cover sticks, all-over face powder, blushes, and an eyelash curler (something I've always wanted to try out but never wanted to splurge on as a purchase).

 For $3 each I purchased the 'Golden Bronzer' and 'Contouring Blush and Bronzing powder' from left to right on top of the photo, respectively. These colors are true to the way they look, the color payoff is great, and they have a beautiful shimmer to them, which isn't too sparkly but appears as a dewy finish on your skin. In terms of single-shade bronzer, I chose the $1 each 'Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder' in 'Sun Kissed' and 'Matte Bronze'. The latter of these is too dark for my fair skin tone, but they also have a little bit of sparkle (matte bronze has considerably less and will not give you a dewy finish). Finally, as an all-over face powder, I chose 'Clarifying Pressed Powder' in 'Rosy Beige' because I was running low on my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish. Obviously, this product's quality is nowhere near that of a MAC powder, however I was pleasantly surprised that it is just as good as any drugstore brand (L'Oreal, Revlon, etc.) which usually retail upwards of $8. I found that the powder colors appear darker in reality than they do on their website photos, had I known this, I probably would have gone with a lighter shade.

I was intrigued with their $3 each blushes being package duplicates of NARS blushes, so I purchased one as a highlighter in 'Gotta Glow' and one in 'Mellow Mauve' because I normally purchase colors that are lighter, so I wanted to try a darker blush for a change. I have used the highlighter a whole lot, it's useful for the inner corner of your eyes to give you that refreshingly awake look and for on top of your cheekbones so they appear larger and more beautiful. I was glad I went with a darker blush because the color payoff doesn't appear to be too great with these blushes, you have to put quite a lot on your brush to get any color at all out of it. Finally, I purchased the 'Natural Radiance Blusher' in 'Blushing', this one had larger glitter specks inside of it and is much more pigmented than the other ones, but the packaging is just awful. I wouldn't purchase this again even though it was only $1 because it's really a small amount of blush, in a very annoying package that you have to slide to get open every time (it even took me awhile to figure out how to open it!).

 I got extremely excited when I saw that they had a 'Waterproof Eyeliner Pen' because I thought that for $1 I could get the equivalent of Stila's waterproof eyeliner pen (which this appears to be a packaging duplicate of). Right off the bat I purchased three of them in plum, coffee and black. when they arrived, I was excited that they tip is easy to use and went on waterproof on my hand. Unfortunately when I tried it out on my eyes, I found that the formula was too dry and the pen has to be pressed too hard onto your eye and you never quite can achieve that perfect line that I go for. If you're fine with just a smudged line, these are ideal. But if you're looking to do that perfect cat eye, stay away from these pens because you'll just be disappointed. I also purchased a $1 eyelash curler which is just as good as any other eyelash curler I've ever seen and even comes with a replacement pad. Then, I went for the $3 'Eyebrow Kit' in 'medium' which happened to be the perfect color for my eyebrows. This comes with an eyebrow pigmented wax (the darker color) to fill in your eyebrows and keep them in place, as well as the lighter brown color as another aid to filling the color in and setting the wax. I'm very happy with this product and I use it every day now, it also came with a handy little brush if you don't have one to begin with.

The difference between the 'All Over Cover Stick' and the 'All Over Color Stick' is that the former is very matte and can cover your pimples (it's a thick formula) and the latter is sheer and slides onto your skin like cream (it has a shimmery finish and is not matte at all). At $1 each, they are both worth the price for their respective uses (one to cover pimples, the other to add highlights to your face). The 8-pack of sponges is also $1 and is just as good as any sponges you will get at the drugstore, while the brushes I purchased were also the same price. I'm a big fan of the 'Defining Eye Brush' for contouring my eyes with nude colors because the color doesn't go on too harsh as with other brushes, the bristles are more spaced out and give a fluffier appearance to the brush. However, I have nothing positive to say about the 'Foundation Brush' and the 'Eye Shadow Brush'. The foundation brush is far too small to do anything with, it would take you much too long to apply your foundation with this poor excuse for a brush (it's way too thin and small overall). The eye shadow brush is also really flimsy and very short, you can't pack a whole lot of product onto it, so unless you like a very faint wash of color on your eyes, this is not a good brush.

 A video review convinced me to purchase the 'Shimmering Facial Whip' which is a product of creamy consistency which a very potent color. These colors also have a ton of staying power, they won't come off or wear off as the day goes on at all. They're a great value at only $1 each, I purchased the colors 'Lilac Petal' and 'Toasted'. I use these as a base for eyeshadow looks by placing them on my eyelid instead of primer or concealer, they give a very sheer finish. You can use these in any way you want on your face, they are very versatile, I have read of people using them as lipgloss and blush. This is definitely a product I recommend.



You can purchase a bunch of their items online at Amazon as well, they make great stocking stuffers or Christmas gifts and really are very inexpensive for a large quantity of good products:

Z Palette: to buy or not to buy?

I wrote last week that I had ordered my very first Z palette to house all of my old depotted eyeshadows from various brands that don't fit into a regular-sized palette (which usually holds 16mm eyeshadows). So I decided to embark on this little journey to make my own customized palette of random blushes and eyeshadows that I had laying around. When you are finished, your collection will look like this (but less beat-up than mine because some of my products are really used up and abused):

What you'll need for this project:

• depotted eyeshadows/blushes (if you don't know how to do this, check back to my depotting entry where I tell you how to)
• labels
• adhesive magnets (from an art store or department store)
• scissors
• Z palette or any magnetic palette that's empty and fits any size pans
• rubbing alcohol
• scrubbing sponge

Firstly, you will want to dab a scrubbing sponge into rubbing alcohol and make sure you take the excess glue off of the back of your depotted eyeshadow pan. This will make the whole process a lot less messy and keep your palette looking clean. Take your depotted eyeshadows/blushes and cut a label to write the name of the product, the company that made it and the color for your reference. Unstick the adhesive peel from the magnet and place it on the back of your eyeshadow so that you have reference if you run out of a certain color you love and need to go back and get some more. If you really don't care what the color or product is then just skip this step.

Tools you will need

Then you can cut out a magnet that measures the size of your pan, so place the pan on top of the adhesive magnet and stick it on. Cut around the pan with your scissors or an exacto knife so that you have a perfectly sized magnet. This magnet goes on top of the label to make sure your eyeshadow is securely in the pan. Some pans are magnetized and do not need to have magnets placed on their backs. It is easy to remove the magnetic adhesive strip by hand so if you need name-reference, you can simply do that and re-apply it. If you choose to put your label on the outermost side and sandwich the magnet between the label and the pan, you may not have as good of a grip and your shadows may move.

You can make a separate little paper sheet insert that you can stick to the window of the palette that acts as a guide to your colors. I chose not to do this because I don't use these colors extremely often and will certainly not re-purchase these brands when I can get my hands on MAC and Urban Decay shadows. I have NYX, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Trish McEvoy, and Clinique products in my Z palette. Most of my stuff is from random gifts with purchases and drug-store buys when I was first starting out with makeup.

My first Z palette!

The last step is simply organizing your pans and popping them in the Z palette however you'd like! I like the concept of the Z palette because you can see everything you have inside, but the problem is that I thought they would be bigger. It turns out the Z palette PRO ($28) and the Z palette regular ($20) palettes only differ by half an inch in width and a very minuscule amount in depth. The depth is important to me so I opted for the PRO palette because I'm putting blushes and mineralized shadows in my next one. But if you're only going to put small eyeshadows, I suggest going for the regular one, as it is $8 cheaper. You can purchase them on Amazon, which is what I did and they arrive in approximately 3 business days. I like the fact that I can now stack all of my eyeshadows and blushes with my other palettes rather than investing in tons of those little Rubbermaid drawers to put them in. When you put things away like this, you risk not seeing all your products for long periods of time and purchasing items even though you already have some at home (but you don't remember because you haven't seen them in awhile). I don't like rifling through my single eyeshadows for a particular color I'm looking for, so this is going to make my morning makeup routine a lot simpler. I suggest buying these if you're a big fan of makeup and have an enormous collection like I do. I'm thrilled with the way I can see all of my colors so I know what to reach for! I give them a 9/10, only because I want more and I think they can be even bigger to fit larger products!

Sephora Mini-Haul and Product Reviews

Lately, I find myself drawn to a particular texture of makeup rather than one brand or another: silky. Silky means that if you rub the makeup mixture in between your fingers, you feel as though your fingers are coated in the finest layer of silk with no bulges, imperfections, or obtrusions. I think powders with this texture will give the most airbrushed makeup look that you can achieve without actually using an airbrush (or even better than an airbrush, depending on which one you have). I used the VIBDREAM sale at Sephora for the holiday season (20% off all items purchased for Nov. 11-14th) for Very Important Beauty Insiders (people who have spent $350+ in a calendar year at Sephora). I was part of this program because my husband bought me the TEMPTU airbrush system as a wedding present, although we ended up returning it multiple times because of all the defects it had, but that's a story for another time.

I bought myself a tried, tested and true favorite: Diorskin Shimmer Powder by Dior, and then I decided to replenish my depleting quantity of Urban Decay's Grifter, feeling adventurous I purchased Kat Von D's Saint palette and the elusive Korres' Wild Rose Compact Powder (because Sephora is usually out of these). I'll be posting photos of all the products and swatches, as well as my impressions of all of them.

Diorskin Shimmer Powder
The original retail value of this shimmer block is $44, which is quite a hefty price, but it was definitely worth it with my discount. I personally buy the Rose Diamond set because of my skin's undertones, since it comes in either pinkish hues or beige/tan hues. Photos do not do this product justice, it is extremely stunning and flattering. This is one of those products that you can wear every day, even though it is shimmer, without looking like you belong in a nightclub. When applied to the cheeks as blush and above for a highlighting effect, it allows your cheekbones to stand out and people will wonder how you're so naturally beautiful. The sign of a great face product is that it looks natural when you put it on, and this is exactly that. The texture is soft and the color payoff is amazing, the colors are not too bright, like some of the Tarina Tarantino or MAC colors tend to be, it is the right amount of color and there is no fall-out or waste. The product is a generous size and there are four shades of color to choose from. There is a highlight white tone, a ballet-pink shimmer, a mauve-rose blush and a fuschia pink blush. However, the fact that you can mix them all together in whichever way you want allows for uniqueness and creativity on your part. I highly recommend this product, it's one of those that get 100% from me.

Urban Decay Grifter Eyeshadow
This is one of my favorite eyeshadows. You have to realize the gravity of that statement when I say this about an eyeshadow that is not from MAC. Urban Decay's color payoff in this shade is brilliant, you get exactly what you see, you can wash the color out a little bit by applying it with a light hand or you can increase its potency by using a mixing medium or Visine when you apply it. Regardless, this is a product that looks great on fair skinned girls with brown eyes. It's got a quite a bit of pizzazz, some may not be comfortable wearing it at work because of the glitter inside of it. The glitter speckles can be quite large and if you have sensitive eyes, then I do not recommend this eyeshadow. I'm lucky enough to be able to wear it and I love it. This product isn't quite as silky smooth as the others I bought this haul, but it's not bad either. It's a good product for a good price ($17 retail) that you will get a ton of usage out of (I get hundreds and hundreds of applications from one of these pots). Just because it might not be for everyone and it's not from the best company ever made, I'm giving this product an 85%, but I would definitely recommend this to you.

Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Saint
Not particularly liking Kat Von D's style in general, I was reluctant to purchase her makeup and that's why I've waited until I completed my thorough research and asked as many opinions as I could about her products. Can I just say that I was blown away by the quality of this palette especially when comparing it to the price (it retails for $35). The similar predecessor of this palette is Urban Decay's Naked palette, which I also have, and the difference here is that Kat Von D's formula is a lot softer to wear while the colors are vibrant and beautiful, you probably have to use less of this product to get the color you want than of the Urban Decay one. Don't get me wrong, I love them both, but this palette seems a little more practical to me because it has a lot less glitter-specks (only the color '<3' and 'bookworm' have them) and they are very sheer. The palette also comes with her autograph pencil liner in black and this formula is comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner. This palette gets a 95% on my scale and it only doesn't achieve perfection because I wish there were even more colors and the palette was a little larger. However, the packaging is darling, the tin is made of metal and not cardboard like most palettes out there. I do wish that 'Pray For Me' was a little darker when swatched and the camera did not pick up the intensity of '<3' but trust me it really does look like the color you see in the palette.

Korres Wild Rose Compact Powder

I have read stellar reviews on Korres products in general but I've never been drawn to them until I randomly was walking through Sephora and touched this powder out of curiosity. Swatching this item feels like you are running your finger through a cloud. It most certainly is a far cry from MAC's studio-finish powders which are a little harsh to the touch. I don't yet know what kind of coverage this gives, but I tend to use my powder after foundations and this will work perfectly for me. Another bonus is that their 02 Golden Fair color is exactly my skin-tone and I rarely find my exact warmish pinkish hue in any makeup brand. I'm thrilled to try this out, you basically can't even see the powder on my skin in the swatch, but I assure you it is there. I give this product an 80% so far because I have yet to try it and I wish it had a little bit of shimmer in it for an even healthier glow (although I realize it's not practical to wear shimmer everywhere, I'm going to try to impress upon you that we should all always be wearing a bit of shimmer). Also, this didn't rate as high on my scale because I just can't get as excited about a powder as I can about eyeshadows, and the packaging was just bland. It opens up to reveal a little sponge underneath the product, which thoroughly annoyed me, because I thought there was going to be a lot more product (as the case would lead to believe) than there truly is. However, this is one of those products that is healthier than the rest because it is formed without parabens, aluminums and other nasty chemicals we shouldn't be putting on our faces, so I guess beauty and quantity suffer for health. It has a pleasant scent, sheer coverage and reduces shine, all bonuses when it comes to powder compacts. It's also $28 which is not quite as much as some of the other powders on the market.

The Kate Middleton look

Want to look like the lovely Duchess of Cambridge? I've found the scoop on what her favorite look is and how to achieve it yourself. She goes for fairly neutral, natural tones with a slight mauve tint to her eyeshadow, accentuated with lots of black eyeliner. To achieve the look of her skin, you'll want to consider bronzer and a light pink blush. She is a fan of Bobbi Brown cosmetics and her wedding day makeup was entirely done by her with their line of makeup products. I have found duplicates of their colors in other lines so that you can easily access the shades she has used. I suggest starting off with your eyeshadow so that you can easily manipulate your eye makeup without rubbing your foundation off with your hand.

Use concealer on your eyes (eyelids and under your eyes) to give them a uniform, refreshed look that can act as a blank canvas for the color application. Then, take an ivory or very light bone colored eyeshadow and apply it all over the eye from your eyelashes to your eyebrows. I used MAC's Sweet Eyes from the Devoted Poppy holiday palette (the one in the top left corner), but you can use any nude color that suits your skin. To cover your eyelid, use MAC's 'Under Your Spell' eyeshadow, the lavender-silver side of it with a flat shadow brush and pack the color in. Afterwards, apply Elizabeth Arden's 'Vintage' eyeshadow in the crease of your eye and don't forget the next step to blend it in thoroughly with a fluffy brush (a brush that is not as dense as those you put your shadows on with) so you can feather out the color. Make sure you also apply this color to the lower lash line.

After blending out the contour color, use an angled brush to place black eyeshadow on your lash line and extend it out to the corner a little bit. Kate Middleton does not create a cat-eye with her liner but does extend her darkest shadow out past the corner of her eye, so if you want to achieve her look, you should do the same. Blend out the black so that it is not stark and obvious. She uses either a gel or liquid liner, but since the appearance is similar just use whichever you are most comfortable with. I used a liquid liner because it was faster and lined my eye all the way around just as she does. She applies the black liner to the bottom lash line and not the waterline. This is the look she goes for, although it is not the most flattering because lining your eyes all the way around is a dated look and will make your eyes appear older than they are. Regardless, I did it to show you the exact way she goes about doing her makeup!

After this all you need is a coat of black mascara and use some darker eyeshadow or an eyebrow liner to fill in your brows. Kate has dark eyebrows and it appears as though she fills them in from close-up photos of her. My brows are much more arched than hers because hers have a more straight appearance, if you can get your brows to go in straighter then you will achieve a look much more similar to hers than I ever will. Make sure to fill in your brows with a darker color because it makes a big difference to the overall look. For your face, apply foundation in a natural color, then contour your cheeks as well as up and around your hairline and forehead with a bronzer. Kate has quite a tanned facial complexion when she applies her makeup so this leads me to believe she uses quite a lot of bronzer, and some light pink blush on the apples of her cheeks. She has quite a matte look to her face so I don't recommend using any shimmer powder or cheek highlights if you're going for her exact look.

She doesn't wear lipstick, just a coat of a nude lipgloss you think is attractive on you will work great. It's a pretty low-maintenance look that's easy to do in the morning if you want an appropriate work look (though I would skip out on the black liner all across the bottom lash line). Hope you have fun making yourself look like Kate Middleton!!! :)