Take a look at the lush colors that Stila brings us for the Fall. The new backstage palette features six jewel toned shades that can be worn wet or dry. The palette features a brocade design, an inspirational quote (“Lo0k for inspiration on the runway, find beauty in the mirror” ~Sarah Lucero, pro makeup artist) on an embossed paper compact.

Backstage eyeshadow palette - $28

Swatches - Backstage eyeshadow palette

The custom color blush reacts to your skins PH to create the perfect shade for you!

Custom color blush - $20

The new long wear liquid lip color is said to last for 24 hours, while delivering some serious moisture and bold color. This lip color is enriched with Vitamin E oil and Avocado oil to keep your lips soft and supple.

Long wear liquid lip color - $22

Swatches - Long wear liquid lip color

The new Stila long wear lip liner delivers 70% pigment so get ready to experience vibrant color!

Long wear lip liner - $18

Swatches - Long wear lip liner

The product that I am looking forward to the most is the Custom Color Blush. Stila has taken the guess work out of finding the perfect shade. Which products will you buy from this collection?

It’s been a few weeks since I had a giveaway so I decided that I would give away one of the things that I love best…a makeup palette. This months’ giveaway is the Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 palette which has 5 interchangeable color stories. Each individual palette features 10 eyeshadows, 2 lips colors and 1 blush. Simply remove the palette of your choice and throw it in your purse, how handy is that!

The color stories in the palette are:

Dinner in Paris: Grays and blacks

Coffee in New York: Browns

Shopping in Milan: Purples and pinks, green

Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens

Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

This contest is open to my loyal subscribers so ONLY Subscribers are eligible to WIN this giveaway. Your subscription status will verified through the subscribers database.

To enter:

1. Subscribe via Feedburner (if you are not already subscribed)

2. Leave a comment letting us know that you are a subscriber and why you would like to win the 5 in 1 palette.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, 18+. The winner will be chosen at random on May 10th , 2010. All entries must be received by May 10th 11:59pm EST.

I like blush, in fact I like it almost as much as I like bronzer. For me blush is the perfect way to brighten up my face when I want a nice and healthy glow. Some days I’m just not into the whole primer, foundation, powder bit, you know? On those days I wear a little blush, gloss and mascara; it’s quick and easy and I’m out the door (especially when I’m running late). I decided to go to my favorite beauty haunt and see what was in stock that I haven’t tried before. – no easy task. I asked one of the sales ladies if she could recommend a new product to try and she suggested MAKE UP FOR EVER High Definition Blush. I took a look at the bottle and thought that it was a bit small and that I would not get much out of it but I quickly saw that one pump would go a long way. In fact I only needed half a pump for both cheeks!

This blush is highly pigmented so you only need very little but unfortunately the container is going to pump out more than you are probably going to need…so press lightly. This formula is creamy as very easy to apply with a brush or your fingertips. When it dries it leaves quite a luminous finish and it stays on for hours, yes hours. I didn’t need to reapply while at work, the color stayed true throughout the day.

The blush comes in 14 colors, most of which were sold out when I was at the store (not surprising). I was able to try out the shades that were there and I opted for #9 - In the Spotlight. This color is supposed to be a nude but it’s pretty intense, more like a light/medium brown. Either way, I liked how it looked on my complexion so I decided to purchase it. The little bottle will last me quite a long time so it’s worth the price especially since I adore the rich colors and easy application. The only thing that I would change is the pump, less product needs to come out or allow for more control in dispensing the product. Overall this is a good buy if you love blush and want something with a lot of staying power (this blush delivers).

#9 - "In the Spotlight" swatch

This blush is sold exclusively at Sephora and retails for $25 for a 0.33 oz bottle.

While browsing around Sephora I came across yet another palette that I just had to try. Too Faced Cosmetics brings us a Deluxe Palette named Fun in the Dark which comes with a light-up mirror, hence the name. I liked the idea of being able to do a quickie touch-up at a lounge without having to head to the often over crowded ladies room. So yes Too Faced, you reeled me in yet again! When I got home I tossed my purchases into my huge bag of Makeup to test at a later date, so when I finally got around to opening up the box I noticed that the light-up mirror didn’t work BOOOO! I was pretty bummed that the mirror didn’t work since this was one of the main reasons that I purchased the palette.

Take a look at the colors in the palette:

The kit contain four eyeshadows (Pin-Up, Peep Show, Full Frontal, Lucky Charms), a lip-gloss (Tropical Pink), a lipstick (Free Love), Blush (Papa Don’t Preach) and a two tone bronzer (Sun Bunny). The case has the usual Too Faced vintage images and a magnetic closure to keep the palette shut. The colors are pretty, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of shades but that can be a plus if you’re looking for everyday colors. The palette is small so it’s something that you can toss in your bag that’s neat and small. The palette retails at $32.50 so it’s pretty easy on the wallet especially if you’re a beauty junkie like me and you buy makeup like you buy breakfast.

My favorite piece of the palette is Sun Bunny bronzer, I like how it’s a mixture of a pink and gold shimmery tone which would compliment just about any complexion. My least favorite would be the Tropical Pink lip gloss which looks great in the palette but when applied it looks more like a clear gloss with flecks of glitter. The shadows apply smoothly and are highly pigmented which I like – they feel like velvet on the skin. Overall this is a great kit that is easily worth the price because all of the items purchased individually would cost much more. If you decide to purchase this kit just be sure to open it up to make sure that the lights work before purchasing. Go ahead ladies, get Too Faced!

Accessory designer Tarina Tarantino “The Queen of Irreverent Luxury” has delved into the beauty world with her new line of glamorous makeup and luxe packaging. Tarina is a former makeup artist so it was no surprise that she would eventually come up with a makeup line of her own. When I passed by the Sephora store on Madison Avenue and saw the huge sign in the window announcing that Tarina’s line would be sold exclusively at Sephora I walked right in to check it out. The displays inside the store were eye catching and most of the makeup had already been sold out but beauty the product junkie that I am I still wanted a little something for myself. I picked up the conditioning lip sheen in Cameo because I loved the nude shade and because you can never have enough makeup!

The packaging on the products is just gorgeous, I especially loved the high intensity eye shadows, the cases are encrusted with crystal gems, purty! I adore the names of her products:

• Sparklicity Pure (a highlighter for eyes, cheeks and lips)
• Dollskin Cheeks (High definition blush in 5 colors)
• Eye Dream Hyperliner (shimmery waterproof eyeliner)
• Sparklicity Shimmer Dust (hair/body glitter)
• Conditioning Lip Sheen Paramour (medium pigment lip color)

These are some of the items that I was able to try out at Sephora and I absolutely loved them. I’d be curious to see if anyone was able to snag a few of her products and what they thought of them. I’m a fan of Tarina’s makeup already and I will be coming back to pick up a goody of five of her new line. Perhaps I’ll  even have a little giveaway…

Sparklicity Pure $19

Dollskin Cheeks $25

Eye Dream Hyperliner $17

Sparklicity Shimmer Dust $39

Conditioning Lip Sheen Paramour $22

All items are available exclusively at Sephora.

Too Faced presents the ladies with their Walk of Shame set which contains “Everything a girl needs to get her man and still look respectable in the morning” or so the label says. This kit is designed to be a beauty on the go overnight kit built for refreshing yourself in the morning after perhaps a long night out . As a married gal I would not need this kit for that purpose but I still thought that it was cute enough to purchase when I saw it in Sephora. Personally I love an all in one kit that you can toss in you bag for an overnight stay or weekend trip. So what does the kit come with? Well here is what you get:

• An adorable pink and satin black makeup bag
• Pink travel toothbrush
• Shadow Insurance eye shadow primer
• Mini Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer
• Mirrored compact that contains two shadows (Totally Toasted & Silk Teddy) and a bronzer (Sun Bunny Light)
• Totally Nude lip color
• “Oral Fixation” mints

This palette is ideal for creating the natural look. The colors are very earthy and can work well with most skin tones. The only downside is that I wished that this set came with some applicators – so unfortunately you will have to supply your own. The colors are light enough so that you can look refreshed and not overly done up. For me this would be a perfect weekend look because it gives me face a sun kissed look and wakes up my face!

Eye Shadows: Silk Teddy (R), Totally Toasted (L)

Lipstick: Totally Nude

This kit can be yours for $38 (valued at $95) – this is a total steal.