Urban Decay Pocket Rockets: Hot Gloss, Hot Men

(Note that not all of the glosses match up correctly with the names on the display...some got misplaced)

Urban Decay's Pocket Rockets are definitely right up my alley. Combining two of my favorites (and I think the ladies will agree on this one), juicy gloss and sexy men, these lip glosses are yummy, yummy, yummy. Available in eight shades, these sweet-smelling lip glosses (the scent reminds me of butterscotch; Sephora describes it as "Creme Brulee") will keep your lips super soft and hydrated, while providing the bonus entertainment factor - turning the gloss package from side to side reveals alternating hologram images of men "well dressed" and subsequently in undies. The Pocket Rocket glosses are all given male first names, for each of the hunks featured. How cute??? I'm totally feeling that!

These are the Pocket Rocket shades along with color descriptions and finishes:

Eric - sheer true red (sheer - a tint of color)

Timothy - coral with pink glow (shimmer - light reflecting, glossy luster; cream - buttery, slightly opaque)

Jesse - sheer blackberry with warm sparkle (sparkle - visible, but not chunky glitter)

David - milky mauve (cream)

James - sheer hot pink with ultra-violet glow (shimmer, sheer)

Doug - sheer medium pink with irridescent sparkle (sparkle, sheer)

Kirk - creamy nude (sheer, cream)

Julio - sheer white with irridescent sparkle (sparkle, sheer)

Here are the product swatches:

Top row from left to right: Eric, Timothy, Jesse, David

Bottom row from left to right: Julio, Doug, Kirk, James

There is pretty much a guy (and a gloss ;-) ) for every girl and every occasion (I think these would make great goodie bag gifts). I am excited every time I take one of these "rockets" out of my pocket...I can't help it; they make me smile!




Some fun facts on these super-cool and totally sexy glosses:



They contain Hyalouronic Spheres, "to improve cellular function, prevent dehydration, and fill in lines and wrinkles." When the gloss tubes are rubbed, pheromones are released - these chemicals are meant to highten sexual attraction.



These novel glosses retail for $19, and can be purchased at Sephora stores, online at http://www.sephora.com/, at Ulta stores and at http://www.ulta.com/, and of course at the Urban Decay website, http://www.urbandecay.com/. I recommend going to the Urban Decay site for better images of the guys and also for info on their characters.




Bottom line? Guaranteed to fit neatly into your pocket, these glosses would make a nice addition to your lip product family.



Which one are you fancying? I think I'm a David girl.....or Timothy? Jesse? I can't pick just one!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics: Lip Tars Pack a Punch

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (or OCC, for short), is one of those brands to which I first got a formal introduction at the Make Up Show. My girl Adina, over at Krasey Beauty, had mentioned the line to me not long before the show, and she got me very interested in test driving some of the products. I was thrilled to be able to pick up some of the Lip Tars, OCC's highly pigmented lippies, that wear like lipsticks, but apply with the ease and convenience of a lip gloss. They go on to the lips with intense glossy color (they almost look like paint initially) and dry down to a more satin finish. When I say these puppies are extremely pigmented, I really mean it! A little drop of this product goes a VERY long way! The 10 mL tubes will be sure to last for quite some time! The Lip Tars are available in twelve colors, meant to be mixed together in a variety of combinations to create custom lip shades. The Lip Tars contain Vitamin E, Hemp Oil, Castor Oil, Peppermint Oil, and high intensity color pigments. Not only do your lips look hot, but they also feel great! The entire line of OCC products are also 100% Vegan and Cruelty-Free.

The colors in the Lip Tar range are:

NSFW - a vivid red

Katricia - a bright violet

Pageant - a "beauty queen" fuschia

Traffic - a bright yellow

Uber - a cool, taupe/beige

Melange - a warm, midtone neutral

Grandma - a cool, clean coral

Safety Orange - an intense orange

RX - a vibrant primary blue

Tarred - an opaque black

Feathered - an opaque white

Clear

Each of these retails for $12.50, and can be purchased at the OCC website, http://www.obsessivecompulsivecosmetics.com/ and a handful of professional makeup supply locations. The only retailer of the OCC line in the New York area is Rouge Makeup Studio, online at http://www.rougemakeupstudio.com/.

I picked up five of these stunners:

From left to right: Grandma, Pageant, Feathered, Melange, NSFW

Swatches of the Lip Tars (don't say I didn't warn you...these babies pack a punch!):

Top row from left to right: Grandma, Pageant, Feathered

Bottom row from left to right: Melange, NSFW, and custom color blend (mix of some Grandma, NSFW, Pageant, and Feathered)

I also created a custom lip color by combining the residual products left on my fingers after swatching all of the colors (it almost looks like a lip stain here). Here's what resulted:

In addition to the Lip Tars, OCC has a range of other products for use on the eyes, face, and body. I'm definitely lemming the Nail Lacquers and the Loose Colour Concentrates! Be sure to check out this awesome line! I'm down with OCC (yeah, you know me!).....are you?

TheBalm Shady Lady Palette: The "Bomb" for Creating Looks from the Neutral to the More Dramatic

Allow me to introduce you to TheBalm and their Shady Lady palette, consisting of nine beautiful and long-lasting colors that can be used to create looks from the day-time natural eye to the more dramatic eye that is appropriate for night-time. These shadows can all be used wet or dry. When used wet, they act as great bases (for other shadows) as well as eyeliners.

The shadows are all very nicely pigmented, feel extremely soft to the touch, and can be combined in many different ways to achieve a range of looks. This Sephora-exclusive, limited edition palette has also earned Sephora's "natural" seal of distinction.

Housed in the very adorable and compact leopard-print package, you will find the following colors, three of which are brand new shades:

*Caught in the Act Courtney - a rich brown with gold sparkle

Shameless Shana - tahitian bronze

Luscious Lani - icy pink champagne

*Jealous Jordana - rich shimmering green

*Risque Renee - dark navy blue sheen

Curvy Cami - plum shimmer with gold flecks

Jet-Setting Jennifer - pale gold shimmer

All About Alex - olive shimmer

Easy Wheezie - gunmetal grey shimmer

Note: The colors marked with the (*) are specifically designated as shadow/liners

How cute are those names? They all feature girl's first names with fun adjectives to describe each one!

And without further ado......the shadows in all of their glory!

And finally, what post would be complete without swatches?

Top row from left to right:

Caught in the Act Courtney, Shamless Shana, Luscious Lani

Middle row from left to right: Jealous Jordana, Risque Renee, Curvy Cami, Jet-Setting Jennifer
Bottom row from left to right: All About Alex, Easy Wheezie

The Shady Lady palette can be purchased at Sephora stores or online at http://www.sephora.com/, and it retails for $38. I was lucky enough, however, to snatch up this beauty at the Make Up Show for $20 :-) That, my cosmetics-loving friends, is a steal! I really do think, though, that $38 is very reasonable for nine extremely versatile colors (it averages out to a little over $4 per shadow)! If I were you, I'd go check out this shadow palette before it's gone!

You can also check out TheBalm's range of products by going to http://www.thebalm.com/.

Anyone else feeling the Shady Lady love? I'll post some FOTDs as I experiment with some looks!

Collective Stila Haul: The Make Up Show, Sephora, and Online Purchases

Stila has already gotten some love from me (see my first post), but now I want to show you some of the other goodies I recently picked up from the Make Up Show in NYC, from Stila's 40% off sale online, and from Sephora. I was really itching to try out some of their products, especially their best-selling Smudge Pots (gel eye-liners) and the infamous Kitten eyeshadow. Having already snagged a few items from the new Indian Summer collection at the Make Up Show - the 24K Smudge Pot ($20) and 24K Lip Gloss in Brilliant Pink ($22) - I was really interested in picking up a few other items. So, when I heard about the sale I was obviously eager to pounce. I ended up ordering the A-Lister set, a compilation of eight of Stila's best-selling and award-winning products, Smudge Pots in Cobalt and Bronze ($20 each generally, $12 each with the sale), and an empty quad (regularly $16, but $9.60 with the sale) to house the four shadows from the set. In the set there are four full-size shadows in Kitten, Wheat, Go-Lightly, and Mystic (all gorgeous, neutral, and shimmery), a sample size of the Convertible Color in Peony, an Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Shade 01, a Major Lash Mascara in Black, and a limited edition Lip Glaze in "Ulta" Mate Pink. This set was $40, which I thought was a pretty nice deal for all of these products. It's definitely a great way to sample some of Stila's best! Also at Sephora, I picked up the Oil-Free Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Light 01 ($36) for those summer days when it's just too hot to wear a heavier liquid foundation. So far, I'm really liking it!

And now for some pictures of the damage!

And for some product close-ups:

Clockwise from top left: Kitten, Wheat, Go-Lightly, and Mystic shadows

Clockwise from top left: Smudge Pots in 24K, Cobalt, and Bronze

Left to right

"Ulta" Mate Lip Glaze and 24K Lip Gloss in Brilliant Pink

Somehow, the Peony Convertible Color didn't make it into the group shot! Here she is in all her glory ;-) :

Peony is such a gorgeous nude shade! And the best part of these Convertible Colors is that they can be worn as either cheek colors or lip colors! I absolutely love versatile products! Don't you?

And now.....for the swatches!

Swatches from top row, left to right:

Kitten, Wheat, Go-Lightly Eyeshadows

Swatches from bottom row, left to right:

Mystic Eyeshadow, "Ulta" Mate Lip Gloss, 24K Brilliant Pink Lip Gloss

Left to right:

Peony Convertible Color, Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer (Shade 01), and Oil-Free Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer (Light 01)

Clockwise from top left: Bronze, 24K, and Cobalt Smudge Pots

I am really excited to try all of these products out! All of the colors are stunning and will fit nicely into my cosmetics collection.

As an initial review (based upon my swatching only), the Smudge Pots were fantastic. They offered pigmented, shimmery goodness! Interestingly, the 24K felt the smoothest. The shadows also felt incredibly smooth and were easily blendable. The colors were shimmery and pretty. Peony Convertible Color was absolutely lovely. I can easily see wearing this both on my cheeks and my lips; it had a very soft and creamy texture. Both lip glosses applied with the traditional Stila brush applicator (you must keep twisting the gloss container until the product dispenses through the tip), and while I didn't find them particularly pigmented, the colors were nice subtle pinks. The 24K Brilliant Pink gloss had the wonderful gold shimmer in it. I will definitely reach for these glosses this season. Also, to note, all of the products featured in the Indian Summer collection contain true 24K gold particles. WOW!

You can find these products (as well as others from the Stila line) at the following locations:

Sephora stores or at http://www.sephora.com/

Ulta stores or at http://www.ulta.com/

Online at the Stila website, http://www.stilacosmetics.com/

So there you have my haul, swatches, and mini-review. Now, I'm left wondering...what items do you have in your Stila collections (or what products of theirs are you loving or lemming right now)? Let me know! I'm all ears ;-)

MAC 25% Off Sale is Coming Up!

For all of my fellow MAC addicts (and for those who are new to the brand!), I would like to let you know that from June 16-18 all products, aside from their Viva Glam line (all proceeds for those go to charity), will be 25% off online at www.maccosmetics.com. This is definitely the time to stock up on the essentials (like brushes) and to scoop up any of those must-have items that have been lingering on your wish lists! Enter code SUMO at checkout to redeem this offer.

*Offer is valid in the US and Canada only.

**Special thanks to the lovely Temptalia for the heads-up!

What items do you think you'll be purchasing? I can't wait to hear! I'll definitely be making my list and checking it twice (or three or four times!) before I place my order.

The Bobbi Brown 25% Off Summer Shopping Event Going On Now!!

Now's the time to pick up those Bobbi Brown essentials!

Planning to order anything? Let me know what catches your eye!

Getting to Know the Beauty Chick: Shoes I'm Loving for Spring/Summer 2009

For this installment of "Getting to Know the Beauty Chick," I'm going to introduce you to some of the shoes/sandals I am seriously digging for these warm spring and summer months. Being only 5'4" (and some change lol), I love wearing heels to give me some added height. It is great to have some shoe options in practical shades like black, brown, and tan, but punching things up with some color is always fun and can brighten up any look. I always look for wedge heels and platforms to help lessen the painful effects higher heels can have on the feet (but, hey, sometimes beauty is pain, right?) I love going to places like DSW and Marshall's to find great deals on cute shoes. Department stores and online sites like http://www.zappos.com/, http://www.piperlime.com/, and http://www.endless.com/ are also great resources (they even carry great accessories)!

Here are a few of the shoes and sandals that have become my favorites (with a good pedicure, of course!):

AK Anne Klein Foxie Pump in Pink/Orange

(Approx. $60 on sale at Macy's last year)

For a better look at the color:

Gladiator-style sandals are very "in" now. Love these for their sturdy heel and nice-size platform!

Nine West Balboa Gladiator Sandal in Black

($89 at Nine West and http://www.ninewest.com/)

Everyone needs a great neutral wedge:

Bandolino Live Free Sandal in Natural

($49.95 at DSW Shoe Warehouse)

And for a pair that is not only cute, but very comfy:

Aerosoles Peek a Bow Wedge in Coffee

(Purchased at Marshall's last year)

Top view of Peek a Bow:

I hope you enjoyed this little showing of some of my favorite shoes. I will definitely be rocking them all this season!

What do you think of my picks? What are some of your favorites for the summer? Comment and let me know!