YVES SAINT LAURENT 2016 LIMITED EDITION CHINESE NEW YEAR EYESHADOW PALETTE - NOW AVAILABLE

Celebrate the year of the monkey—a year of ambition and charm—with this glamorous, limited-edition gold palette by Yves Saint Laurent. Inspired by handcrafted metal work, this palette celebrates the brand's appreciation for bringing artwork to life. The warm pink and beautiful taupe shades within the palette create a signature, illuminated eye look. Yves Saint Laurent wishes you a lucky start to the New Year.

Cost: $60.00 USD
Size: 2.65 oz

Availability: Nemain Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales

260 ALEZANE CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE POWDER BLUSH FALL 2015 COLLECTION LES AUTOMNALES - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Alezane is a new Joues Contraste Powder blush from the Chanel Fall 2015 collection Les Automnales (see the entire collection here). It is an extremely pigmented reddish brown with light reflecting gold micro glitter. I was honestly on the fence about this blush. I'm just none too excited about the gold micro glitter and it is somewhat visible on the face; especially by the end of the day. On me the blush is dark enough I can use it as a bronzer or blush and it doesn't take much pressure to pick up a fair amount of product either. The best brush I found for application is the Real Techniques duo-fiber face brush or their blush brush. Both are excellent for picking up the perfect amount of product without overdoing it and they blend everything out perfectly so as to minimize the flecks of gold micro glitter. The key to a flawless look with this blush is to blend, blend and more blending.

Below I have a few comparison swatches of some blushes in my collection. As you can see some are similar while others...not so much. Currently the Alezane blush retails for $45.00 USD (0.21 oz) and can be purchased at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales

436 MAGGY CHANEL ROUGE COCO ULTRA HYDRATING LIP COLOUR - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Lately I have been on a lipstick buying binge! So when I heard Chanel recently reformulated / relaunched their ROUGE COCO lipsticks I was definitely intrigued. Now I wasn't a fan of the original formula and I never really invested much money into purchasing many of them. I believe I had previously purchased maybe two, Magnolia and Mademoiselle. Magnolia I still have but the other, Mademoiselle, I promptly returned to the store. I didn't care for how heavy it felt on my lips because it had such a thick formula. Also, it wasn't very moisturizing as it tended to dry out my lips quite a bit. So I'm super excited to see how these new lipsticks will perform.

There are 29 new ROUGE COCO lipsticks to choose from and each are named for people who inspired Coco Chanel - friends, lovers and artists. Now naming a product for a muse isn't a new trend. Other brands such as Nars and Tom Ford have all done the same with their lipsticks but it is still nice to see how each brand honors those closest to them. With the Chanel ROUGE COCO lipsticks there are five color groups to choose from with the nudes named for her family, the pinks named for her best friends, corals named for her muses, reds named for her lovers and plums were named for her favorite artists. The ROUGE COCO lipsticks currently retail for $36.00 USD, contain .12 oz of product and are available in store and online at Chanel, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales just to name a few.

According to Chanel:

The reinvented ROUGE COCO is more expressive than ever, in a new formula and vibrant colour spectrum, with shade names inspired by Coco Chanels closest friends. The bright lip colour features an exclusive complex with Jojoba and Mimosa Butters, Sunflower Wax and silicone for lasting hydration and luminous results.

The shades within each color range are featured from lightest to darkest with an even numbering system (400 to 456). The nude shades are 400 to 408, the corals are 410 to 418, the pinks are 420 to 438, the reds are 440 to 446 and the plums are 448 to 456. With so many to choose from I was a little overwhelmed. Each color group has something special to offer and trying to choose just one was really difficult. Typically I gravitate towards nudes, pinks and plums so after swatching a few I finally settled on 436 Maggy. It's the perfect "MLBB" (my lips but better) lip color which is a deep mauve-y pink. It does contain teeny tiny micro glitter particles which are not as noticeable on the lips until the lipstick wears off. Then they are more readily visible. In the tube the lipstick does have a slight floral scent but it didn't carry over upon application which is nice. I hate when a lipstick has a heavy floral scent attached to it and you can still taste and smell it on your lips even after application. Maggy applies semi-opaque with buildable lightweight color. The color does deepen and darken the heavier the application and it still feels lightweight. It is important to note the moisturizing properties contained in the lipstick keep the lips hydrated but it does have a slight waxy feel and it allowed the lipstick to travel somewhat. Especially along the outer edges of the lips so I would advise applying a lipliner for a more pristine look. Wear time for the lipstick was about five hours before reapplication was necessary. Even if you are not a fan of Chanel I would definitely suggest purchasing a few of these. The beautiful color range and the lightweight moisturizing properties absolutely make them worth purchasing.

Availability: Chanel, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales
Price: $36.00 USD

NEW! TORY BURCH CAT'S MEOW LIMITED EDIITION EYESHADOW PALETTE - NOW AVAILABLE

Tory Burch Cat's Meow Eyeshadow palette channels easy glamour with radiant taupes, deep greys and inky blue-violets that create the perfect soft, smoky eye for day or evening. Each eyeshadow is formulated with an ultrafine powder that feels exceptionally smooth and applies seamlessly to the eye with the included double-ended eyeshadow brush. The shades are long-wearing, easily blended and provide moderate to full coverage. Also included in the palette is a how-to sheet with detailed instructions on how to create two different looks

Shades include:
- Hint (luminous tan camel)
- Smoking Slipper (golden espresso brown)
- Midnight (deep navy)
- Tawny (radiant taupe)
- Stone Cold (shimmering gray carbon)
- Magpie (iridescent blue-violet)

Availability: Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's
Price: $60.00 USD

NEW - YVES SAINT LAURENT CHINESE NEW YEAR COUTURE PALETTE HEARTS PROFUSION EDITION

Last year YSL re-promoted blush radiance #6 with a special limited edition packaging in celebration of the Chinese New Year. The palette was adorned with delicate jewel details inspired by the open-back floral design of one of Yves Saint Laurent’s most emblematic dresses. This year YSL is celebrating the Chinese New Year with a limited edition Couture eyeshadow palette - Hearts Profusion edition. The exterior of the palette features a red and gold heart design while the interior contains shades in warm coral, taupe and rose gold that will illuminate the eyes. Which has me wondering - will this new eyeshadow palette be a re-promote from their permanent line or will it be something new and wonderful! At first glance I thought it was the Saharienne eyeshadow palette which is gorgeous but it doesn't have coral or rose gold shades. Anyway, I'll be sure to update as I have more information.

Well, just as I suspected it is the Saharienne eyeshadow palette. 

Availability: pre-order online at Bloomingdales
Price: $60.00 USD

MINI BRUSH SET CHANEL HOLIDAY 2014 LES MINI DE CHANEL - PICS AND REVIEW

An array of exclusive, mini-sized brushes ideal for travel. Presented in a signature pouch with mirror. Set includes: Foundation Brush*, Blush Brush, Eyeshadow Brush*, Contour Brush, Eyeliner Brush and Lip Brush*.

Chanel's new limited edition LES MINI DE CHANEL is a holiday treat! It is a fun travel-size collection of six make up brushes, a brush pouch to store them in, a mirror and a round mesh tote to carry the whole set. When I first saw the Chanel Holiday mini brush set online at Bloomingdales I purchased it immediately. The brushes are super soft and work as well as full size brushes. I've used the brushes several times and I didn't notice any shedding with them either. The mirror is nice as well. I use it for touch-ups and it can rest inside the mesh pouch as a stand for hands free access. The mesh pouch allows you to see everything stored inside so that is great too. Although, to be totally honest, for the price I would have preferred a vinyl or leather pouch.

The Chanel Les Mini De Chanel brush set retails for $125 USD and is still available for purchase at NeimanMarcus.com.