Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow duo in Navy Narcissist

Blue eyeshadow wouldn't be my first choice on a rainy day but certain blues can look great on. Naturally, I got the Maybelline Baked Eyeshadow duo in Navy Narcissist. This is the last duo I'll be reviewing.

Navy Narcissist

Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Sinful Sinnamon

I'm not big on reddish eyeshadows but since I was collecting these Maybelline duos, I bought Sinful Sinnamon anyway.

Sinful Sinnamon



Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Lawless Lavender

I'd been looking forward to trying out the Maybelline eyeshadow duo in Lawless Lavender. I love lavender eyeshadow. It's one of the most flattering shades for brown eyes. This duo has a solid lavender shade on the left side and a marbleized pink and purple combination on the right.

Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow duo in Silver Starlet

The next duo on the block is Silver Starlet. I really had high hopes for this one because it looked really nice in the pan and it swatched reasonably well, even when dry.

Silver Starlet

Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Khaki Craze

Khaki Craze was the first duo that I bought from the collection. I love gold eyeshadow and I'd been on a khaki streak so this fit the bill. You get a deep khaki green on the left side and a marbleized gold with green and brown pigments on the right. It's a really nice combination although each side could well be used alone.

Maybelline Eyestudio Color Pearls

After yesterday's post, I still have pearls on my mind. Looking up the Maybelline Eyestudio Baked Eyeshadow Duos, I discovered that the Maybelline website calls them the "Color Pearls." They are normally sold at $5-8 each, but I picked them up for around $1-2 apiece at Target. This week, I plan to feature a shade a day of the five that I have.

Ombres Perlees de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette

Ombres Perlees de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette

A girl's gotta keep to a budget, so I limited myself to this one item from the Chanel Spring 2011 Makeup Collection. But oh my, it is the most beautiful thing ever. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.

Chanel Glossimer in Star

For my last SoHo Story feature, I have the Chanel Glossimer in Star.

Chanel Glossimer in Star

Laura Mercier Sequin Eye Colour in Tiger's Eye

I had the opportunity to check out all the shades of Laura Mercier's Sequin Eye Color one quiet night at my favorite counter. They had just come out and the associate was nice enough to let me play around with all the colors. Then with one of my purchases, I took home a sample of Tiger's Eye.

Laura Mercier Sequin Eye Color in Tiger's Eye ($22)

Laura Mercier Sequin Eye Colour in Violetta

When Laura Mercier's Mystique Collection for fall 2010 came out, we got a sneak peek at the Sequin Eyeshadows that would become their next eyeshadow formulation. I got Violetta from that collection.

Laura Mercier Sequin Eye Color in Violetta ($22)

SoHo de Chanel Highlighting Powders and Blush

The star of the SoHo Story Collection from Chanel has to be the Highlighting Powders and Blush. It's a compact in the usual rounded square fashion but with 3 different colored powders and SoHo carved on the top.

SoHo De Chanel Highlighting Powders and Blush

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Steel

When the Chanel Soho Story Collection became available on Chanel.com, I picked up only two items. One is the Rouge Coco in Stunning, which I've already reviewed. The other is the nail color Steel ($23).

NARS Lip Gloss

I recently had a chance to get a sample of a couple of NARS lip gloss shades. The duo here was a gift with purchase on the online order that included my NARS blush in Douceur and the recently reviewed Eyeshadow Base.

NARS Lip Gloss Duo in Sweet Dreams and Dolce Vita

Sephora Collection Makeup Palette To Go - Pink Limited Edition

On a whim, I decided to pick up Sephora's Makeup Palette To Go in the Breast Cancer Awareness Edition.

Sephora Makeup Palette To Go - Pink Limited Edition

Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder and Fan Brush Preview

I recently placed an order with Sephora and was able to get my sample of the new Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder with the mini fan brush. Ironically, one of the items in my order was actually the full-sized Powder Fan Brush. I just wasn't sure I wanted to order the powder yet.

I've been using the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder to set my makeup for years. I even have the Loose Setting Powder from when they used to make it in various shades (not just translucent). Laura Mercier powders are topnotch. I try other brands but I always go back to Laura Mercier. Naturally, I was curious about this new powder.


Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder Sample Box

Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder Sample with Mini Brush

Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Rue De Passy

Nowadays, I crave variety over quantity. More colors over bigger pans. But at the end of the day, I realize that maybe I should be looking for more quality over everything else. If you're willing to shell out extra for that quality, here is a suggestion: the Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Rue de Passy.

Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette ($84)

Rue De Passy

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I wasn't really in the market for a new eye primer but a good friend gave me a gift certificate so I thought I'd give this one a try.

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24)

Smashbox Instant Eyes Shadow and Liner Palette

The Smashbox Instant Eyes Shadow and Liner Palette features 4 eyeshadows and 3 cream liners in a tiny palette with a mirror and double-ended brush. Sephora had been selling it at a bargain price and when it arrived, it had no box, just bubblewrap. I have a theory that such items that they feature on sale sometimes come from sets that are broken apart and sold as individual items. Not necessarily a bad thing if a set isn't interesting enough to spend $45 on.

Smashbox Instant Eyes Shadow and Liner Palette

Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in Marrow

I'd been growing quite adventurous with my nail color selections lately. Maybe I'm bored with the old pinks and nudes. Maybe it's the weather. Well whatever it is seems to have possessed me to buy a Violet nailpolish. The latest incarnation, from a brand that's been garnering a lot of interest lately, is Butter London's Marrow.

Rouge G de Guerlain in Gisele

I had mixed feelings about the shade Gilian, my first ever Rouge G purchase. I loved the formula of the lipstick but wanted a little more oomph, as far as the color went. I decided to go with Gisele which is described as a deep golden rose.

The formula stays true to my first impression. The pigmentation is very nice, the application very smooth and the feel on the lips, super creamy. When you see it, it's definitely luxurious, what with that heavy silver case with the pop-up mirror.

Rouge G de Guerlain ($46)

Sephora Collection Nano Eyeliner

Sephora sells a lot of eyeliners and of course, they have their own brand of it. Truthfully, the day I picked these up, I wasn't looking for one. I was just looking to fill up my cart to get free shipping on my online order. At $5 a pop, these Nano Eyeliners worked perfectly.

Sephora Nano Eyeliner

Barbie lives on

On the requisite trip to Target yesterday, I spent a good amount of time hanging out at the Barbie aisle. The choices remain endless (but stocks don't!). I zeroed in on the Barbie I Can Be series which Target was selling for $7.99. This week, this is the best deal on Barbie that you can find (considering the regular retail of the specific doll and not including Barbie dolls that are regularly-priced at $20 and up). Granted, they had the Basic Barbie on sale for less than $5, and you could still get a doll for around that price, if it's a gift for someone special, you'd want a little more than your basic doll in a two-piece, no?

It reminded me to dig up my old Barbie Loves Stila palette that hasn't been getting much attention. It's the old All Doll'd Up eyeshadow palette from 2009 with 4 pans, 12 colors and a lenticular Barbie image in front. There's no reason you can't recreate a Barbie eye with this one.

Barbie Loves Stila All Doll'd Up Eyeshadow Palette

Laura Mercier Colour Essentials Face Palette

Nordstrom has an exclusive item from Laura Mercier out for the holidays. Laura Mercier is one of my favorite makeup brands and I've probably tried each and every product from this line. Picking this up required some thought on my part but as I didn't have any of the shades in the palette, I went for it.

The Laura Mercier Colour Essentials Face Palette is a boxed set that includes not just the palette but a full-size lip pencil in Natural and a mini eye basics in Wheat. The entire kit is encased in a lovely brown drawstring velvet pouch and everything is in one box.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

I've been thinking about a friend of mine who's moved to Norway for work and how she must be dealing with the cold weather and the lack of humidity. When I first moved to the east coast, my skin got so dry, I had to revamp my entire grooming routine. I changed all my bath products and became somewhat of a moisturizer addict. Lotion became a necessity, not a luxury. It was out with the soap and the Bath and Body Works shower gels too. One winter, I discovered L'Occitane's Almond Shower Oil and I was hooked.