Basin White Body Butter

Love, love, LOVE this! Lovely consistency, beautiful texture, and long lasting scent. Perfect for the winter months when you need a heavier moisturizer or even year round for those who have drier skin. The big issue that I find with heavy duty moisturizers is that while they do leave your skin moisturized, they often leave it greasy as well. Not the case at all with this product. It sinks right into your skin leaving it soft, smooth and lightly perfumed all day long. Per the directions: After bathing or showering apply liberally and rub into skin for a silky smooth feeling.

It has the standard body butter "whipped" consistency and is available in 11 different scents.

Highly recommended.

Price:$18

Stila-Lip Glaze

This product is described as an "ultra high-shine lip gloss in a nifty click pen" and that's exactly what it is. The one that I purchased is named "Kitten" and is described as a nude pink shimmer but seems more of a champagne color to me. I love everything about this from the texture to the shine to the click pen. It dispenses as much product as you like and there is no mess or excess product to clean up. Kitten also has a beautiful finish, shimmery but not glittery.

Having said that, I believe most lip glosses/glazes are for the most part, created equal and I recommend this only if you are able to buy it in a set. An individual costs $22 and while this is a nice product, there are many comparable ones for much less money.

Recommended

Price:$22

Basin White Lip Scrub

I have always been a little hesitant to purchase a lip scrub simply because it's so easy to make your own and the same effect can also be achieved by using a toothbrush. However, after trying a sample of Basin White's Lip Scrub I decided to order this. It makes your lips super smooth with very little effort and isn't very abrasive at all. Though the container is small, a little goes a long way so I can see this lasting for quite some time.

Per the package directions: Apply to lips with finger tips. Rub in circular motion, then rinse or lick off.

Recommended.

www.basinwhite.com

Price:$8.99

Too Faced-Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer

I have been using Urban Decay's Primer Potion for quite a while but after being fed up with their ridiculous packaging, I decided to give the infamous Too Faced Shadow Insurance a try. It comes in a squeeze tube as opposed to the wand that UDPP has, which makes it much easier to finish the product once you begin to get near the end of it. The consistency of it is more oily than UDPP's creamy formula but in my opinion, performs about the same. They both work really well at keeping your eyeshadow from creasing for many hours throughout the day or night. Some will prefer the thinner, more oily Too Faced, while others will enjoy the creamier Urban Decay. That's really a personal preference, they both perform very well and do exactly as described.

Recommended
Price:$18

The Brush Guard

The Brush Guard has come out with a nifty little mesh tubing that goes over your makeup brushes to protect the bristles. It is described as a "stretchable, breathable tube which protects your makeup brushes". Wonderful for traveling/throwing in your bag since it helps keep the bristles from getting caught on things. They can also be used to help shape your brushes after washing them. I have used these just about every day since receiving them and my brushes are much better off because of it. You invest a lot of money into your brush collection, why not take an extra step in protecting them? These are great and I certainly intend to buy more once the ones I have are spoken for.

There are five package choices available:
Variety pack-assortment of each size
Ex. Small-Shadow/Liner
Small-Blush
Medium-Foundation
Large-Powder/Kabuki

Highly recommended
Available for purchase at thebrushguard.com

Price:$5.50(including tax and domestic shipping)

NYX-Mega Shine Lip Gloss

From left to right: Garnet, Plush Red, Frosted Walnut, Desert

NYX-What a wonderful little sleeper brand this is. Pictured above are 4 of their Mega Shine Lip Glosses that I purchased and absolutely adore. Opaque and a beautiful color payoff for a drugstore brand. The entire brand is worth checking out, the range of colors is huge and the price simply cannot be beaten. Even better, they often have these ridiculous blowout sales for 50-80% off of their already cheap prices! Please give this brand a look, it's a wonderful addition to any collection. In the past I have only seen it available at BSS but now it is sold at Ulta, Amazon, and of course NYX's own website.

Highly recommended.

nyxcosmetics.com

Price:$5.50

Bliss-Blood Orange and White Pepper Soapy Suds Body Wash and Bubbling Bath

I received this as a sample and was able to get 6 or 7 uses out of it. It is described as a "vibrantly scented soap that lets you squeeze more fun out of your foaming". I found it perfectly adequate and unremarkable. It got me clean but this is a very simple, no frills soap that I would never purchase. The same effect can be achieved with dozens of other soaps for much less money. Not recommended.


Price:$18

NARS-Blushes

Blush, blush, everywhere BLUSH!! Ask any blush fan what is on their list and Nars blushes will most likely be at or near the top of it. Highly pigmented, silky smooth, and easily blendable, Nars makes some of the best blushes available. Here are some of my current favorites.

Taos-Desert Rose With Shimmer

Angelika-Cotton Candy

Lovejoy-Shimmering Bronzed Rose

Dolce Vita-Dusty Rose

Desire-Cotton Candy Pink

Exhibit A-Brilliant Red

 

 

 

PRICE:$26

Coastal Scents 88 Eyeshadow Palette

I have been hearing about these palettes for what seems like years so I finally went ahead and got the color and warm palettes. What an amazing value! You get 88 shadows for pennies compared to what you would pay for individual shades or even comparable palettes. These are great for anyone who is just beginning to build their makeup collection and would like to try many different shades without breaking the bank. The color payoff for most of the shades is wonderful but I do recommend using a primer since some of the lighter shades can be a bit chalky and may crease on you throughout the day if worn alone.

Color Palette- As you can see by the photo, this palette is just plain fun! Lots of exciting shades that you may not want to invest in a full size of but would still like to have in your collection.

Warm Palette- This neutral palette can give the Urban Decay Naked Palette a run for its money. Lots of great dupes for many of the leading neutrals that are out there right now.

I have titled this post "Coastal Scents 88 Eyeshadow Palette", however I do not recommend going through them to purchase this. I ordered mine directly from the same manufacturer that Coastal Scents uses and paid 1/3 of the cost. Just go to Ebay and type in 88 Eyeshadow Palette and you will see lots of options. There are also Shimmer and Metallic 88 Palettes available.

Recommended.

Price:Approx. $9-$11(including shipping) on Ebay.

Lush Volcano Foot Mask

Love, love, LOVE this mask!! I am not overly impressed with the Lush products that I have tried so far but I have been in love with this since the very first time I used it. It is a clay foot mask made with mostly natural ingredients, has a pleasant minty scent and couldn't be simpler,  though a bit messy, to use.  You slather it all over your feet, wrap them up in plastic bags, let it sit for a little while, rinse off and voila! Smooth, soft feet and tootsies. If my feet are feeling rougher than usual, then I will follow up with a pumice stone. Highly recommended. Be advised that Lush products have an expiration date.

Price:$20.95

Urban Decay Naked Palette

 This past summer Urban Decay released its highly anticipated Naked Palette and it sold out immediately. Everywhere. I was on mailing lists, waiting lists, checking all of my usual haunts week in  and week out and I could not get my hands on this. That is until this past week when I strolled into Sephora to browse and there it was! I was in shock because this little beauty was impossible for me to find and there it was, just sitting there! There were only a few so I grabbed one before those disappeared as well.

This is such a beautiful palette. It comes with 12 eyeshadows, a double-ended version of the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, and a mini bottle of primer potion. This is a palette that has something for everyone. Neutral enough to be worn to the office but with enough bronzy and darker shades to be buildable for evening looks. As with all Urban Decay shadows, these are highly pigmented and have a silky texture that blends very easily. Wonderful for traveling, sleek enough to fit into any weekender bag or large purse. The outside of the case is a luxe velvety texture that certainly beats the old run of the mill plastic case that palettes usually come in. Though I lucked up and was able to get this, it will still probably be a bit hard to find for a while. However, this is worth the wait and it's really a wonderful value for all that you are getting. Highly recommended.

Price:$44

Urban Decay De-Slick In A Tube Mattifying Gel

 

Calling all oily and combination skin girls! Is your face an oil slick about 45 minutes after you leave the house? Are you constantly the "shiny face girl" in photographs who has a forehead that light bounces off of? Well, let me introduce you to Urban Decay's De-Slick In A Tube Mattifying Gel.  I have combination skin so I use it on my t-zone and it keeps the shine away much longer than going without it. It can be used on naked skin,  under foundation, or over makeup. A little goes a long way so use a very light hand when applying or else it will leave a white residue on your skin.

While I can't say this product lasts all day, I still need to lightly blot about midday, it has been wonderful for me. Definitely recommend.

Price:$28

MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick

From left to right: #15, #36, #43

A few months ago Make Up For Ever debuted a new lipstick collection called Rouge Artist Intense. They describe it as being a "highly pigmented, long-lasting lipstick that delivers rich color in one stroke". As soon as I saw these in person and swatched them I knew I had to add a few to my collection. These lipsticks are exactly as described, very highly pigmented and long-lasting.  I am talking hours of eating, drinking, and cheek kissing! There are 50, count' em, 50 different shades so you are sure to find to find something that tickles your fancy among them. Colors range from nudes and pinks to brights and vamps. They come in 3 different finishes: matte, pearly, and satin.

The three that I purchased are #15(a beautiful pearly violet), #36(a daring satin fuschia), and #43(a full on fire engine red, also a satin). #43 is part of the Moulin Rouge collection which also includes a lip gloss, jeweled crystals, and glamorous false eyelashes.

I highly recommend these lipsticks, they are an awesome buy and deliver exactly as promised.

Price:$19

Review-Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish

I have had my eye on this scrub for quite some time and recently purchased it after hearing a rave review from one of my favorite beauty mavens. The granules are of medium size and the consistency of the scrub is very nice. Incredibly moisturizing, great for the dry winter months. So moisturizing that you may find that you don't need to use an additional moisturizer after polishing your body with this. The scent is a brown sugar/lemony mix that I found to be pleasant and not overpowering at all. Will definitely repurchase.

Price: $38 for 7 oz
          $65 for 14.1 oz