NARS Summer 2011 Collection

NARS SUMMER COLLECTION

Face

• Blush in New Order - $27.00 US

Lips

• Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage - $25.00
• Lipstick in Mayflower - $24.00 US
• Lip gloss in Wonder - $24.00 US
• Velvette Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero - $24.00 US

Eyes

• The Eye Shadows in Cap Ferrat - $45.00 US
• Duo Eye Shadows in Dogon (metallic beige and a metallic royal navy) - $33.00 US
• Duo Eye Shadows in Exotic Dance - $33 US
• Soft Touch Eye Shadow Pencil in Deep Chartreuse Glitter - $24.00 US
• Volumizing Mascara - $25 US

Nail Polish - $17.00 US

• Ecume, Matte White - $17.00 US
• Kismert, Shimmering Sunflower - $17 US

 Product Details:

Left to Right:  Cap Ferrat, Exotic Dance, Dogon

Source:  Nars Cosmetics Official Site

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soleil Collection for Summer 2011

     Preview of Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Soleil Collection for Summer 2011

Eye Shadow Palette

Soft Matte Bronzer

Soft Duo Bronzer - Amber Bronze, Medium Duo

      

Sea Star Bronzing Blush

Liquid Bronzer

Bronze Goddess Soleil Fragrance (Limited Edition)

Bronze Goddess Fragrance (Limited Edition)

Duo Eye Pencil (Pink Teal)

Duo Eye Pencil (Gold Bronze)

Bronze Goddess Island Oasis EyeShadow Palette - $42.00

Palette includes shimmering metallics and sunlit satin shadows.  The Palette contains 6 complementary shades to wear alone or together

Duo Eye Pencil - $20.00 US

• Gold Bronze 
• Pink Teal 

"Two tempting eye shades for the ultimate goddess effect.  The intense, stay true color is long wearing with high shimmer metallic finish.  The smooth formula glides on easily and feels comfortable.  Can be used two ways for definition adn drama; apply to lash line as a liner or all over the lid as a shadow." - Estee Lauder Website

 Pure Color Gloss - $20.00 US

• Blazing Coral Sparkle
• Plum Divine Shimmer
• Sun Burst Sparkle (Limited Edition)

Pure Color Crystal Lipstick - $24.00

• Tiramasu

Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush - $34.00

"Bronze goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush is feather light and enhances any skin's bronzed complexion with a warm sun kissed glow.  Featuring an artful starfish resting on a shimmering sand inspired background, the silky, soft powder bronzing blush gives skin a naturally radiant, smooth, sun kissed finish.  Buildable coverage. " - Estee Lauder Website

Bronzers - $30.00

"Silky Luxurious Powder Bronzer.  Unique oil control complex keeps skin shine free and comfortable.  Smooth, oil free poweder is perfect for giving face, shoulders and decolletage a healthy bronze look.  Oversized compact with contoured brush.  Designed to create a the look of a fabulous tan.  

Non-acnegenic, fragrance free.  Dermatologist tested" - Estee Lauder Website

• Soft Matte Bronzer
• Soft Shimmer Bronzer
• Soft Duo Bronzer (Amber Bronze medium/Amber Bronze Rich)
• Two ways to give yourself a healthy glow
• Super luxurious powder bronzer duo
• Unique oil control complex keeps skin shine free and comfortable
• Two smooth, oil free shades blend brilliantly to give face, shoulders and decolletage a seductive bronze look

Bronze Goddess Luminous Liquid Bronzer - $28.50 (Limited Edition) 

Pure Color Nail Lacquer - $19.00 US

• Shimmering Bronze (Limited Edition)

Bronze Goddes Soleil Fragrance - $55.00/3.4 oz (Limited Edition)

"Summer's new sun kissed fragrance.  Inspired by the warm of the mediterranean, a citrus floral blend with notes of Bergamot and Orange Blossom. Fragrance Type:  Solar Citrus Floral" -Estee Lauder Website

Bronze Goddess Estee Lauder Fragrance - $55.00/3.4 oz (Limited Edition)

"The fragrance tht worships every inch of you.  A sensious, sundrenched blend of Bergamot and Mandarin, cooled with Tahitian gardenia Petals and Coconut, warmed with Amber, Sandalwood and Vetiver" - Estee Lauder Website

I purchased several this collection of which will be the upcoming featured products of the week if you want to follow along. If you want to check out my product photos and swatches and comparison swatches, please visit: http://www.bellaliberte.com/2011/05/estee-lauder-bronze-goddess-for-summer.html

Here's the list of what I purchased from the collection:

• Bronze Goddess Eye Shadow Palette 
• Bronze Goddess Duo Eye Pencil 
• Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush 
• Pure Color Crystal Lipstick

Smokey Purples with Ruby Lips - Mac Packed to Go Six Cool Smokey Shades

At first when I sat down to to do this look, I anticipated using Mac's Satin Taupe from the Mac Six Cool Smokey Eye Palette, however I just began playing with the purples. I have a strange relationship with the color purple and as a result, I was drawn to it. I decided to do another purple smokey eye, this one also smokey, but with a warmer lip and cheek. I really like this look. I think it's very sultry and sexy without being over the top. I would say this is more of a nighttime look, however I did this look and then went to take an exam in Criminal Procedure. haha. So, I guess it's also a daytime look as well. I hope you all enjoy!

Products Used:
Face:

• Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Natural with Pale Yellow Powder
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque
• Benefit Hoola Bronzer
• Nars Amour Blush

Eyes:

• Smashbox Lid Primer
• Mac Packed to Go 6 Cool Smokey Eyeshadow Palette:
• Beauty Marked
• Tenderstorm
• A Brown Suit
• Mac Naked Pigment
• Make Up For Ever Aqua Smokey Lash Mascara
• Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner
• Mac Taupe Impeccable Brown Pencil

Lips:

• Hello Kitty by Sephora Sweet Gloss in Grapefruit
• Laura Mercier Plumping Lip Gloss in Ruby
• Mac Lip Liner in Soar

Nail of the Day - Butter London West End Wonderland

OMG. If you like sparkle and glitter, then you have to have to have to try Butter London West End Wonderland! I have been really into antique gold glitters lately, like Bobbi Brown's Antique Gold Metallic Cream Eyeshadow and Mac's Antique Gold pigment, and this nail polish just put the icing on the cake! I wore this polish for three days straight and received soooooo many compliments, if only I could have remembered the exact name! (For some reason, every time someone would ask me the name all I could remember was "wonderland"! Eeeek!)

I love this lacquer, it's smooth, easy to apply and is nearly opaque with just one coat and this is glitter, people! The glitter is not chunky and with a topcoat it doesn't leave the fingers feeling rough! (Aka: It won't snag your favorite cardigan or sweater!) This is definitely one of my new favorite lacquers and I am just so impressed with Butter London's glitter polishes in general, as well as, their cream polishes. I think they are so worth the investment.

To apply this polish, I used Seche Base as a base coat, two coats of Butter London West End Wonderland and one coat of Seche Vite as a top coat! Enjoy!

Butter London - West End Wonderland - Two Coats with Flash

Butter London - West End Wonderland - Two Coats with Flash

Butter London - West End Wonderland - Two Coats with Flash

Butter London - West End Wonderland - Two Coats NO Flash

Hourglass Lipstick - My New FAVORITE!!!

Hourglass Lipstick - My New FAVORITE!!!

Ok, this lipstick if expensive, but every girl should spoil themselves and have at least one shade!!! 

 I purchased the Fresco (Rosy Nude) shade.  This lipstick simply feels good from the moment you put it on until it finally fades away, usually 3-4 hours.  It leaves your lips feeling creamy smooth and super moisturized.  The shade in the picture appears a little more peach/orange than the actual product.  The shade is much more similar to the actual swatch below.  It's a very pretty neutral shade with hint of rose.  It's a very nice shade to wear on it's own or utilize it as a base color and add other shades like red shades to it.  Of all my lipsticks I use regularly and have tried, this is definitely my new favorite and I love the fact that it's refillable!  This reduces the overall cost of my refill and saves on the environment as well.  It feels simply magnificent on the lips and offers a wide variety of shades that work nicely on all types of skin tones as well.

I will definitely be adding more shades to my collection!

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Product Details

$30 US/ .12 oz

24 Shades Available

Lipstick tubes are refillable

Lipstick refill cartridge's are sold separately

To refill cartridge firmly pull existing cartridge from base and replace with new.  sound of snap indicates cartridge is firmly in place.

Warm and Cool Toned Colors - What are they and how it works!?

One of my awesome readers asked the following question last week:

Well, since you asked and provided a very thoughtful answer to my first question, can you talk more about warm and cool colors? I pretty much understand what colors are cool and what colors are warm, but how does that apply to individuals? I could not tell you what I am and I certainly can't make color choices based on warm and cool. But I'm beginning to wonder if it has something to do with why I think certain colors look better on me than others. And yet you bought cool and warm for yourself... Thanks for being so helpful!  

My response to this question was pretty long, but I realized I needed to write a post about Warm and Cool colors since I have been raving about Mac's Packed To Go Cool and Warm Smokey Palettes. So here it is.

What are warm colors and what are cool colors?

Warm colors are usually earth tones, like golds, olives, corals, earthy reds, browns, etc. Cool tones are usually jewel tones, like purples, blues, emerald, ruby, pink, etc.

Cool	Warm
You look best in these colors:	You look best in these colors:

Source: http://www.mineral-makeup-reviews.com/Cool-or-Warm-Skin-Tone.html#ixzz1LERvbOIx

How can you tell if you are have warm or cool toned skin?

Look at the veins in the underside of your arms, if they veins appear to be green, you have warm toned skin, if your veins appear to be blue, you have cool toned skin. If you can't tell what color your veins are because they are very much in the middle, then you are probably a neutral (which means you can wear both cool and warm shades with ease!)

Here is a another helpful chart for making the determination: 
 

Cool Tones	Warm Tones
Looks better in pure white than ivory	Looks better in ivory than pure white
Can easily wear black	Looks washed out with black worn close to the face
My skin is: Very dark brown with reddish or blue undertones Brown with pink undertone True olive (most Asians and Latinos) Medium with no color in cheeks Medium with faint pink cheeks Pale with no color in cheeks Pale with pink undertones Ruddy-pinkish red Brown or bronze when I tan	My skin is: Very dark brown with golden undertones Brown with golden undertone Medium with golden undertones Pale with peach or gold undertones Golden brown, when I tan
Notable examples -  Elizabeth Taylor, Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, Courtney Cox, Sandra Bullock, Terri Hatcher, Kirstin Davis, America Fererra, Keira Knightley, Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Liv Tyler, Alexis Bledel, Megan Fox, Jennifer Connelly, Shania Twain, Brooke Shields Sophia Bush, Penelope Cruz, Candace Bergen, Sarah Chalke, Hillary Clinton, Heather Locklear, Britney Spears, Sarah Jessica Parker, Christy Brinkley, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeri Ryan, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Pompano	Notable examples -Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reba McIntyre, Julianne Hough, Sarah Ferguson, Marcia Cross, Calista Flockhart, Rebecca Romjin, Tara Reid, Renee Zellweger, Ellen Degeneres, Diane Sawyer, Amy Adams, Jillian Anderson, Amanda Bynes, Becki Newton, Nicole Richie, Kim Raver, Kristen Johnston, Leona Lewis

Source: http://www.mineral-makeup-reviews.com/Cool-or-Warm-Skin-Tone.html#ixzz1LERvbOIx

Why does it matter if I have warm or cool toned skin?

Well, you will not only notice it helps when it comes to picking out shades of colors to wear, but also when picking out foundations, powders, concealers, etc. The major point to remember is, a person with cool toned skin will need a foundation with pink undertones, whereas a person with warm toned skin will need a foundation with yellow undertones. For example, brands like Maybelline Fit offer lines of foundation, concealers and powders based on whether the customer has warm or cool toned skin. Buying the correct color foundation, concealer and powder shade will not only make your skin look amazing, it will make your makeup look better. However, just because you have warm or cool toned skin, it doesn't mean you cannot try the opposite shades on your skin. You just will need to think more about how you will make those colors bring out your natural undertones.

To better help everyone understand how undertones and foundation work, I created this helpful chart.

Foundation Shade Range Chart

Shade	Warm	Neutral-Warm	Neutral	Neutral Cool	Cool
Foundation Colors	Yellow Based Foundation	Neutral Base with Yellow Undertones Foundation	Neutral Shade Foundation	Neutral Base with Pink Undertones Foundation	Pink Based Shade Foundation
Example Mac Shade Value	C2, C3, C4, etc.	NC 20, NC25, NC30, NC35, NC40, etc.	N2, N3, N4, etc.	NW20, NW25, NW30, NW45, etc.	W2, W3, W4, etc.

Something else to note, a lot of makeup artists will match you to shades that will neutralize your undertones so it's easier for you to wear both sets of shades. For example, every time I go to the Chanel counter and I get color matched, the makeup artists tries to pick out shades of foundation with cooler undertones, so that my warm skin tone will be appear more neutral and thus more attractive in a wider range of colors. So, if you are not feeling your super cool or warm toned skin, you can attempt to neutralize its natural coloring a bit by going for a shade that is neutral-cool or neutral-warm.

Whoa, wait one second. Why am I the opposite color in Mac foundation shades?

Mac uses a different classification system for foundations, concealers warm powders. Warm shades are classified as cool shades and cool shades are classified as warm shades. So, even though my skin tone in Mac is NC25 (neutral-cool), I actually have warm undertones in my skin, like golds. People with cool undertones will buy warm foundation shades from Mac because their color system. (these people have pink and purple undertones in their skin.)

So, does this mean if I have warm skin I can never wear pinks?
No. Even if you have warm skin or cool skin you can wear the opposite shades, you just need to think about how to incorporate those shades with other shades that flatter your skin tone. For example, I have warm skin so wearing pinks and light purples or blues is hard for me. To make it more wearable I have to mix tones that are easier for me to wear like golds, greens, and warm browns with pinks. However, you'll notice I still wear purples, pinks and blues, I just mix them with other tones that are flattering for my skin tone or I opt for an intense smokey eye in those shades to help balance my skin tone. Blues are actually notoriously pretty on brown eyes, so sometimes colors that you might not think you could wear because of the shade of your skin (warm or cool), actually can look really pretty if applied with other beauty rules in mind. But honestly, in my opinion rules about makeup hinder creativity. Don't be afraid to try something different. Trial and error is more fun and helpful when playing with makeup than following the rules! Hope this helps!

Too Faced Bronzed Have More Fun Summer 2011 Makeup Collection

The Bronze and the Beautiful - $38

Set includes 3 bronzing formulas and a complexion enhancing golden powder and primed and poreless tint.

• Sun Bunny (classic bronze)
• Chocolate soleil (matte bronze)
• Powdered Sun (gold)
• Snow Bunny (mocha/pink)
• Primed and Poreless (bronzed tint)

Poolside Primping Makeup Collection - $42

Summer collection of best-sellers and must haves.  

•   Glamour Gloss in a Peek-a-Boo 

Primed and Poreless Bronzed Tint - $30

Bronze tint version of best selling face primer.  Formulated to prime and enhance all skin tones.  It gives a warm glow while providing optimum sun protection.  It banishes completion imperfections and leaves skin virually poreless

• Bronze Tint

Full Bloom Cheek and Lip Color - $21

The pigment-rich creamy blush blends effortless onto cheeks and lips flushing them with luminous color

• Sweet Pea, Sheer Berry
• Prim & Poppy, Warm Coral
• Tea Rose, Dusty Rose

Full Bloom Ultra Flush blush - $19

The blooming blush brightens your complexion with a burst of sheer and luminous color

• Sweet Pink, Perfect Pink
• Whos yYour Poppy, Warm Peach
• Cocoa Rose, Soft Pink Brown

Retractable Bronze Buki Brush - $34

Bronze-buki engineered to apply bronzer in an airbrushed, layered fashion.  The longer crimped bristles pick up the ideal amount of bronzer while the shorter bristles buff in color for an even glow.  The dense brush base allows you to expertly blend for a guaranteed, natural finish.

Glamour Gloss - $19

A super shine lip gloss collection with a natural plumping and cooling action.  Twelve richly pigmented shades offer a chic range of choices for todays glam girl

• Chihuahaua Bite, Sheer Strawberry
• This is Pretty, Neutral Rose

I actually purchased the Bronze and the Beautiful collection which I'm in the process of using and will be reviewing shortly, but so far, my thoughts are positive...very nice!!!

Stay tuned for my review!!!

I am also interested in some of the blushes but would like to swatch them before purchasing.

MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder - Launches May 5, 2011 (N. America)

MAC's Magically Cool Liquid Powder

Launches:  May 5, 2011

Quote:

In the height of the summer swelter, who doesn't crave, to suddenly feel, look and be cooler - shine, oil and heat - all gone! you've longed for it. And now it's captured! Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder.  An alchemical fusion that charms water droplets into a loose powder while remaining over 50 percent H2O. The feather light silky powder goes on with the refreshing impact of an ocean mist.  What's more, this magical melange contains just enough optical blurring via it's light diffusing pigments to render the skins surface into line softened. natural luminosity. A cool-to-be-cool way to set, and enhance, the look of foundation.  For the bare-faced, there's the reward of natural radiance.  During it's earlier limited edtion launch, it was hailed by cognoscenti wanting to stay covertly cool and perfectly collected. This time round it's here to stay.  How magical is that?

Source:  Spektra

Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to actually touch and feel this product, because I think it may be one that I would like.  At least from what I've read and know conceptually about how it works, it sounds appealing to me.  I guess time will tell :)  I will definitely be in the stores swatching and testing this product.  I will provide an update if and when I purchase it :) 

Shades:
Truth and Light - Sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink (Permanent)
Cajun - Sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold (Permanent)
Honey Rose - Sheer Rosey Beige with multi-dimensional shimmer (Permanent)
 Price:  $29.50/$35.50