Holiday Gift Idea #2: Chanel Mini Glossimer Trio

I came across these really cute Mini Glossimer Trio sets from Chanel when I went to check out the beauty floor at SAKS a few weeks ago. I am a huge fan of these glosses (I have Mica and Coral Reef). They are super silky smooth, not sticky, and have a gorgeous shine to them. They vary in finish, but most I have seen seem to contain some shimmer (not chunky glitter, but rather a subtle sparkle). Others are a little frosty, while a few are cream formulas, completely devoid of any shimmer or sheen. The only thing I don't love about the Glossimers, I would have to say, would be the price tag. A regular full-size gloss goes for $27 (ouch!)

I have been eyeing some more of these babies, but have relegated them to my wish list because they are pretty pricey. Cue in the trios! Though they have been available previously, these gloss collections are only around for the holiday season. There are two different versions of the limited edition sets, two tonalities if you will. The first, Les Soleils, features some beautiful warm shades - Pin-Up, a beige peach, Coral Reef, a pink beige, and Glow, a bronze peach. The cool set, Les Roses, includes Magnifique, a sparkly pink, Glaze, a white pink, and Satinette, a pearl pink. I think this is the perfect way to give the gift of luscious lips (or if it's for yourself, a great way to get your feet wet and test out a few of Chanel's best-selling shades!) The packaging of the sets themselves look gorgeous, too (but we are talking Chanel, of course). Each comes housed in a black box, adorned with the traditional Chanel logo, within a larger gold package.

Any luxe lip gloss lovers in your lives? These sets retail for $50, and are available at SAKS stores and online at http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/.

Kiss kiss!!

I've Got Eyes For You, Baby: Current Lemmings

New collections are launching. I'm a beauty addict. Sephora's having a Friends and Family sale. My birthday is coming next month. These might sound like excuses for creating a list of "products I just can't take my eyes off of," but whatever the case may be, I am feeling the need to get some of my beauty (and other) lemmings put down in writing.




First off, the Holiday '09 collection has popped up on the Nars website, and a few of the goods are just calling out my name (don't you hear it, too?). I'm particularly impressed by the new shades of the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. The hues are rich and bold - Toundra, a deep wine, and Pop Life, a "holly" red.











Nars eyeshadows are among the best in their buttery soft formulation, and the earthy and smoky colors being offered as part of the collection are definitely appealing. I'm especially loving the look of the Eurydice duo, a coupling of gorgeous aubergine purple and clean graphite.

As the Sephora sale is fast approaching (it will run from October 19-November 2), I have put together some of the items that I've been waiting to purchase from the website. As I've previously blogged about the new Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. 2, I might finally "break down" (kicking and screaming, arm-twisting and all, right? ;-)) and purchase this palette. Between the color assortment and the great value, this one is pretty close to a definite score for me. As I'm keen on makeup/product sets, I'm also eyeing the Buxom Babes About Town collection from Bare Escentuals (I really adore their lip products!) and the Fresh Star Light, Star Bright kit. I'm a Fresh "virgin," and this little compilation of some of their products would be a great way for me to get my feet wet, so to speak. Make Up For Ever always has me lemming something. Right now, I'm itching to try out the HD foundation, the HD concealer, and the Flash Color palette (though these might all go on my list for the next Make-up Show!).

I'm forever a "perfume freak," always checking out the new scents to set my olfactory system a-flutter. LOLA, Marc Jacobs' new fragrance, is up there on my list right now.

My final beauty lemming is the Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon. I'm going on lip swatch photos for this one, but the pigmentation on this product seems to be pretty phenomenal. In between a gloss and a lipstick, this vibrant red color has me stopped in my tracks (red light does mean stop!).

And now for something I actually need - a camera! As some of you know, towards the end of Fashion Week I lost the Canon digital Elf camera I have had for about four years. I was devastated. I mean what does a blogger do without being able to capture swatch photos?!? I've been feeling quite lost (hence the lack of product reviews as of late). Needless to say, I will have to get myself a new camera ASAP. I've been looking at the updated version of my beloved Canon, namely the SD970 model. With 12.1 Mega Pixels and 5x optical zoom, I think I would be able to take some quality pictures. Was losing my camera a blessing in dusguise? Hmmm.....

So I've shared with you some of the items that I'm currently desiring. Now, I want to know... what's on your list (you know you have one!)?

Getting To Know The Beauty Chick: Girl, You Smell Good

OK, so I know that fragrance preferences are very subjective - the scent that one individual might love could be an odor that another just can't stand. Perfumes work with body chemistry. The effect of the very same fragrance might come off slightly differently from one person to the next.

With this in mind, this post is meant less to recommend perfumes that I think you should check out, but more to give you a little more insight into the persona of "The Beauty Chick" - what I love and what makes me tick. Nevertheless, If I do give you some ideas of products you might want to try, that would be great!

I generally have around five bottles of perfume in circulation at any given time. I love to rotate my favorites. I'm definitely not the type that waits to finish one fragrance being before starting another. Hey, they all need some love! My favorite scents are generally fruity, have hints of vanilla, are slightly floral, and are, of course, very girly ;-)

Here are some of the fragrances that get me going in the morning:

Chanel - Chance Eau Fraiche (3.4 oz, $90)

Dior - Miss Dior Cherie Eau de Parfum (1.7 oz, $72)

Juicy Couture - Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum (3.4 oz, $85)

Burberry - London Eau de Parfum (1.7 oz.)

This one I use more for nights out.

Sarah Jessica Parker - Lovely Eau de Parfum (3.4 oz., $68)

*I usually am not a fan of perfumes with celebrity names attached to them, but Lovely I really found to be"lovely" and I couldn't resist ;-)

Lavanila - Pure Vanilla Eau de Parfum (rollerball, $18)

I love when perfumes are available in rollerball form. These are great to keep in your purse for those days when you're in a hurry in the morning (you can swipe some on while you're rushing to get to work!) or for some "touch-ups" during the day. This one, by Lavanila Laboratories, is made with all natural ingredients.

There you have it - a few of my favorite perfumes. I'm the kind of gal who can't get through a day without a little spritz of something sweet. These perfumes can be found at Sephora and other department stores (see stores and their websites for pricing info on other sizes available). I often get many of my perfumes from outlet stores. You can find some great deals and they usually have a nice selection of current and popular scents. The Fragrance Outlet and Perfumania are great for discounted prices. You can check out http://www.premiumoutlets.com/ to find the center nearest to you that has one of these stores.

What are some of your favorite perfumes? Are there some you just can't get enough of? Share with me!

Getting To Know The Beauty Chick: Cosmetics I'm loving right now

So I thought I would use this post to provide a little insight into my current beauty loves. These are products that I have been using lately on an almost daily basis. I hope you enjoy this intro!

Foundation: I have been abolutely LOVING Revlon's Colorstay Foundation. I picked this up about a month or so ago in the shade Ivory (their lightest shade....yes, I'm a pale gal!) and it has been doing a great job of covering up my redness and any blemishes. The coverage seems to be medium to full (it is nicely buildable). I'm moving through this bottle now and I'm glad I have another waiting for me!

Concealer: Lately I have been alternating between MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW15 and Smashbox High Definition Concealer in Fair for my undereye area. The MAC concealer is nice and creamy. With the Smashbox concealer, a little goes a long way! I have found that the tiniest dab of product is sufficient. The great thing about this HD concealer is that it feels super light on the skin. Both are definitely great products! To cover any redness in my skin (around my nose or cheeks, for example) and blemishes I've been using the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC15. The slight yellow undertones work well to conceal any blotchiness.
Powder: My powder of choice right now is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light. I love the way this powder buffs easily into my skin to set my foundation and concealer. I generally apply this with either the MAC 134 (large powder brush) or the MAC 183 (flat-top kabuki brush).

Blush: There are two blushes in my collection now that I seem to be gravitating toward. The first is the Laura Geller Blush n Brighten in Roseberry. This product gives me the prettiest pink glow. It is gorgeous and just a little bit gets the job done! The other item is a recent addition to my makeup stash, a Beauty Powder Blush in On a Mission, which was released with MAC's latest collection, Style Warriors. This is such a beautiful plummy blush color that applies so smoothly and warms up my cheeks wonderfully.

Bronzer: Bronzer is an absolute must for me, especially in the summertime. The Chanel Bronze Universel Makeup Base and NARS Laguna bronzers are terrific to help me warm up my complexion. I sometimes alternate between the two products (the Chanel bronzer has a cream-type consistency and the NARS bronzer is a typical powder formula), and other times I layer the NARS powder over the Chanel bronzing base to set it.

Eyeshadow: Lately I've been keeping my eye looks clean and simple (I love using color, but my poor eyelids are still recovering from an allergic reaction to something in some of my more intense shadows). On a daily basis I have been grabbing for a neutral and slightly shimmery cream shadow to use as an all-over lid wash. The product of choice has been Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P., a light shimmery champagne color. It applies smoothly and stays put (especially when I add a little Urban Decay Primer Potion underneath.....another fave!) R.S.V.P. would also make a nice base for other shadows.

Mascara: My go-to mascara has been Clinique Long Pretty Lashes. It is great for an everyday natural look. I have also been trying some colored mascaras lately. Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascaras in Flipside (teal) and Electric Blue are great for adding a pop of color to the eye area, especially when the rest of the eye is left neutral.

Lip Gloss: I have been making my way fairly quickly through the Korres Cherry Lipgloss in 23 Light Purple. This is a great pinky purple color that is a MLBB shade on my highly pigmented lips. It is natural, too (really...all of Korres' products are natural!)

So there you have it! These are the products that have truly been essentials for me as of late. Everything I've mentioned works great together for a perfect everyday look.

If you want any further information on any of the items I have mentioned, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment! I'd also like to know......what are some of your makeup favorites?