SEPHORA LOYALTY REWARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - DEC 2015

Sephora Loyalty Rewards are finally arriving so start checking the mailbox and/or your email! The loyalty rewards are redeemable starting today, Dec 2nd and consist of $25 off purchase of $50 for VIB Rouge, $20 off purchase of $50 for VIB and $15 off purchase of $50 for BI (Beauty Insiders). The loyalty reward is good for a one-time use and doesn't expire until Dec 13th for BI and Dec 14th for VIB Rouge and VIBs (they're given an extra day to redeem theirs).

Here is a roundup of several beauty recommendations to use with your loyalty reward and a few items I am considering purchasing as well.

My latest makeup brand obsession is Burberry; especially their wet / dry silk shadows. I recently purchased three and am currently testing them. So far they have exceeded my expectations. These shadows have a silky texture and are incredibly soft to the touch. There are a total of eighteen to choose from and I am eager to purchase more. If you plan on purchasing any of these I recommend you do so now as they tend to sell out rather quickly.

For those that crave a subtle eye look I highly recommend the Lancome Auda(City) in Paris eyeshadow palette. The color selection in this palette is not over the top or super bright. It is more of a subtle wash of neutrals with a slight punch of color. This highly underrated palette houses sixteen gorgeous shadows with amazing staying power. See my full review and swatches here for reference.

A few lip products I have been dying to try are the Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro lip colors. They are a matte lip stain with a velvety soft texture. These are quite popular and over half the colors tend to stay sold out. I am most interested in trying 507, a mauve rosy pink and 508, a pink nude. Hopefully Sephora will restock these before the loyalty rewards end.

This next item launches on the Too Faced website Dec 8th, the Chocolate Bon Bons eyeshadow palette. The palette IS available online at Sephora during their loyalty rewards period. I have the original Too Face Chocolate Bar palette and it contains a mixture of warm and cool toned eyeshadows. While this new palette is rumored to be all cool toned shades. I've seen a few online swatches on Instagram and it seems to house quite a few pink shades.

My last two recommendations are the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette and the Marc Jacobs The Sofia Five Piece Petites Le Marc Lip Creme Collection. The first item, the UD eyeshadow palette, is limited-edition so I would purchase this now as it will definitely sell out. The palette itself was created and developed with Gwen Stefani. It houses 15 of her must-have shades with the majority of the palette being somewhat neutral. The Marc Jacobs Sofia lipstick collection is available in store at Sephora and consists of five gorgeous mini Marc Jacobs lipsticks. I own several of his lipsticks and this is such a great value for your money!

GIORGIO ARMANI ECLIPSE COLLECTION - NEW EYE TINTS / SUMMER 2015

The new Giorgio Armani Eclipse collection features three new Eye Tints for Summer 2015. The new shades are 13, 14 and 15. Take care when placing your order though the Neiman Marcus website has the 3 shades listed as: Agathe, Bordeaux and Gold. While the Giorgio Armani website has them listed as: 13 Zenith, 14 Sunrise and 15 Sunset. Nordstrom just lists the numbers: 13, 14 and 15.

If you are a fan of the eye tints then I'm sure you will love these three new shades as well. I have three shades from the original line up and I'm eager to try more; especially 15 Sunset. When I'm in a rush in the mornings I just grab an eye tint and swipe some color on my eyes then I'm good to go. It's an easy no muss - no fuss, grab and go type eye product that doesn't involve a whole lot of work.

Giorgio Armani Eye Tints - $38.00 USD

13 ZENITH

14 SUNRISE

15 SUNSET

"Eye Tint is the 1st to market liquid tint for eyes. The innovative formula transforms from liquid to solid, instantly adhering to the eye lid providing 16 hours of fault-proof, smudge-free and crease-free wear. 12 luminous runway inspired shades can be used as an eye shadow or eye liner, and infinitely layered for natural to glamorous looks."

Available now: Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus

GIORGIO ARMANI LUXE IS MORE PALETTE and POUCH - NEIMAN MARCUS EXCLUSIVE / FALL 2015

New for Fall is the Neiman Marcus Exclusive Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette and Pouch. This huge compact palette houses ten eyeshadows in the top layer and two highlight powders and two contouring creams in the bottom layer. Included in the compact are two eye applicators for the shadows and sponges for the powders and creams. This gorgeous palette comes wrapped in a luxe velvet pouch.

NM Exclusive Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette and Pouch - $140.00 USD

Drawing inspiration from old Hollywood glamour the 10 neutral eyeshadows in varying textures allow the wearer to create a variety of glamorous looks. Also included is a mini travel size version of the Ecstasy Lip Lacquer in shade 402.

Available: Neiman Marcus

Pre-order now - expected to ship on or before October 22, 2015.

NEW IN BEAUTY / UPCOMING BEAUTY EXCLUSIVES - AUGUST 2015 EDITION

New in Beauty! Fabulous Makeup Finds and Trends - 

Summer is winding down and the Fall collections are already rolling out to a department store counter near you. Are you ready? I know I'm not. I haven't even finished playing with all of my Summer makeup goodies yet! So who can even think about Fall right now....ugh!!! LOL

Anyway, whether you are ready or not there's a whole bunch of new Fall Beauty items just waiting to keep your wallets empty! I've selected a few of my favorites below. Also, I'll post a more in-depth breakdown of each item later today so be sure to look for those posts as well.

Neiman Marcus Exclusive Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette and Pouch - $140.00 USD

Available for Pre-Order: Neiman Marcus - Expected to ship no later than 10/22/2015

Neiman Marcus Exclusive Tom Ford Lips and Boys 3 piece set - $105.00 USD

Available for Pre-Order: Neiman Marcus - Expected to ship no later than 10/12/2015

Although these three new Giorgio Armani Eye Tints are from the Summer Eclipse collection all three colors would look great for Fall. So I included them in this week's roundup of fabulous products to try.  

Giorgio Armani Eye Tints - $38.00 USD

Available now: Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus

13 ZENITH

14 SUNRISE

15 SUNSET

Tom Ford Complexion Enhancing Primer - $74.00 USD

Available now: Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus

Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo Moodlight - $80.00 USD

Available now: Nordstrom and Nemain Marcus

AUDA[CITY] IN PARIS eyeshadow palette - $68.00 USD

Available now: Lancome, Ulta and Macy's

GIORGIO ARMANI BEAUTY SAVINGS ALERT: 15% OFF EXCLUSIVE SHOPPING PASS WITH YOUR $75 OR MORE PURCHASE

An exclusive private shopping event for Giorgio Armani Subscribers. For a limited time enter code: EVENT15 to receive 15% off your $75 or more purchase with complimentary shipping. Offer expires on 02/24/15.

Subscribe here Giorgio Armani Beauty to take part in this private event and to receive future exclusive offers.

NORDSTROM BUY 2 GET 1 FREE MASCARA MADNESS - NOV 8TH 2014 / PRE-ORDER NOW!

Nordstrom is already taking pre-orders for their HUGE Mascara Madness event. 

Nordstrom already hosted the event in May and now they are offering it again this coming Saturday, November 8th. This one day only event will be held all day and most Nordstrom stores will accept pre-orders up until Friday, Nov 7th.

For those who are unfamiliar with this event - Nordstrom allows shoppers to purchase (in store and online) two mascaras and then receive a third mascara for free. Last May there were no limits on the number of mascaras pre-ordered (I pre-ordered 9 of the Guerlain Maxi Lash mascaras) and you were able to purchase from across multiple brands. Just remember the lowest priced mascara will be the freebie so keep that in mind while shopping.

When you pre-order for the promotion you are guaranteed your mascaras and you will not be billed for them until a day or two before the event. If you decide to wait and make a purchase on the day of the event then quantities will be limited and your favorite brand might already be sold out. The same applies for making a purchase online as well. Additionally, online purchases will only apply to select brands while in-store and pre-orders will apply to all cosmetic brands.

So don’t miss out on this exclusive Nordstrom opportunity! Hurry in and get your pre-order before your favorite brand is sold out!

There are some exclusions - the B2G1 free promotion does not apply to lash primer or enhancing products (i.e. lash plumping serum). **Please note** All information listed in this post (including the exclusions) are subject to change. I will be sure to update this post immediately should that occur.

Last May, several readers had questions about the event so I'm posting those here:

a reader asked how do they pre-order - 

To pre-order one can visit their local Nordstrom department store and pre-order from any cosmetic counter. If you don't have a Nordstrom store nearby you can call the closest one and they will let you pre-order over the phone. Then they will mail out the mascaras to you. Or if either option is not feasible then you can order online from the Nordstrom website the day of the event. Keep in mind though the more popular mascaras will sell out quickly the day of the event so don't wait!!!

a reader asked for mascara recommendations - 

It all really depends on what kind of eyelashes that you have and personal preference. When choosing a mascara it all depends on several things - how wiry (hard) or thin (soft) your lashes are, do you want volume (making them look longer) or fullness (making them look thicker) and the last thing to consider is how far apart are your lashes spaced. Are they clumped together with little to no space between them or are they kind of sparse and spaced far apart. Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA is a good mascara that doesn't flake, smudge or smear but it applies wet and over time dries out rather quickly. Chanel Le Volume (one of my favs) is another great mascara but it takes several swipes to get a good application onto the lashes. Guerlain Maxi Lash is great as well and I pre-ordered three of those. I do not like Benefit They're Real - it smudges, it flakes and I hate the wand. However others have had a great experience with it. Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill mascara is another good one too. My last pick would be Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara which is another fav that I am currently using. I've tried Bobbi Brown's mascara but it makes my eyes itch so its a no go for me. Most of my favs are based on the fact that my lashes are super soft, medium length and spaced close together with no gaps. So I can recommend what works for me but I would suggest start collecting samples. Most high end department stores carry samples of their top mascara and that way you can try it before you spend a bunch of money on something that may not work for you.

a reader asked about picking up pre-orders - 

If a paid pre-order is not picked up the day of the event then the store holds the items for you. As a courtesy please call the store to let them know you will stop by later. Or upon request they will mail them to you if necessary. If pre-orders are not paid in advance then the store may not hold your items after the event ends UNLESS you call to make prior arrangements. Communication is a must!!

11 MYSTERY GIORGIO ARMANI EYES TO KILL 4 COLOR SHIMMER EYESHADOW PALETTE - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

I love the classic simplicity of the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill 4 color shimmer eyeshadow palette in 11 Mystery. This eyeshadow palette is a gorgeous and understated collection of grey and brown neutral eyeshadows with two of the shades having a shimmer finish and the other two having a satin and matte finish. The top shade is a medium grey brown satin, the next shade is a shimmery warm vanilla, the third shade is a shimmery taupe, and the fourth shade is a matte smokey dark brown with subtle grey undertones.  

The shadows in the Mystery palette are soft to the touch, easy to apply with no fall out and wear for approx. ten hours with no creasing. It is currently priced at $59.00 USD and can be purchased on the Giorgio Armani website here. 

15 PARMA GIORGIO ARMANI EYES TO KILL MACRO-COLOR SOLO EYESHADOW - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

In the past I've written several posts about various Giorgio Armani products I have purchased - liquid blushes, liquid foundations, powder blushes and even fluid sheers. With the majority of those products I've had relatively great success so I was a little surprised to find that I've never tried any of the eyeshadows from this brand. With that in mind I decided to purchase a few of the solo eyeshadows and one or two of the eyeshadow quads as well.

Typically I gravitate towards plummy taupe or purplish gray eyeshadows. So it was no surprise the first solo eyeshadow I decided to purchase was 15 Parma. It is a shimmery plum colored eyeshadow with miniscule reddish plum sparkles and faint hints of a taupe undertone. It is extremely pigmented, finely milled and blends beautifully. The wear time for Parma was about ten hours with slight fading but no creasing.

The Giorgio Armani Solo eyeshadows currently retail for $32.00 USD and contain .061 oz of product.

CURRENTLY CRAVING / ON MY WISHLIST / DEALS AND SALES

GIORGIO ARMANI -

Today is the last day for the Giorgio Armani Friends and Family event. Get 20% off with code FAMILY14 once you spend $75 or more. For an added bonus spend $125 or more and get 5 deluxe samples. One of the items I've been loving from this brand are the Rouge Ecstasy lipsticks. I currently have 508 Daybreak (check out my review here) so I totally took advantage of this offer and picked up a few more lip products. I also wanted a few more Cheek Fabric blushes, I have 506 (check out my review here) so I was going to purchase 503 and 507 but unfortunately they are waitlist only right now. Anyway I'll probably get those later when they are back in stock. Another great item to add to the shopping list are the Fluid Sheers. I have a few of those and they last a really, really long time (I'll post the review links below) and the same goes for the Maestro Fusion blushes too. The last two items I wanted to purchase are a few of the single eyeshadows and a couple of the eyeshadow quad compacts. I haven't tried either one before so these are definitely at the top of my shopping list.

GIORGIO ARMANI FLUID SHEER 8 SPRING 2013 COLLECTION - SWATCHES and REVIEW

GIORGIO ARMANI FLUID SHEER 9 SPRING 2013 COLLECTION - SWATCHES and REVIEW

400 GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW 

500 GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW 

NARS -

Another new product I'm really excited about are the Nars Dual-Intensity eyeshadows. OMG, they look gorgeous! There are twelve shades to choose from, they retail for about $29 and they contain .05 oz of product. These are shimmer eyeshadows that can be applied dry or wet depending on your personal preference. The eyeshadows are already available for purchase on the Nars.com website but if you need to see it and swatch it in person then they should start popping up in stores starting tomorrow, July 1st. 

 

NORDSTROM -

Over the weekend I made a quick trip to Nordstrom for some sandals. I needed a cute pair for the upcoming July 4th weekend only I didn't have any luck finding anything I really liked. So after I got back home I checked online and I found these: MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Gage' Flip Flops. How cute are they! They come in two different colors: Vanilla and Brown and they were only around $59. Another bonus is the thick sole (I just hate a flat shoe) and they look so comfy! I'm super excited to be getting these! Now I just need to find a new purse to go with them! Haha! 

500 GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

In April Giorgio Armani will be releasing their newest creation the Maestro Fusion Blush (It is currently available online at Nordstrom). The intensity of the Italian sun was used as inspiration in the creation of the Maestro Fusion blushes (there are a total of three). Their purpose is to give the face and body the appearance of a natural sun-kissed look. The liquid blushes have a lightweight formula that luminates and highlights the cheeks. They can be used as a blush, bronzer or one can mix, blend or layer for a custom-made result.

"The secret of this iconic Maestro formula is no water or white powder. Instead, it contains five non-comedogenic oils, including white lotus oil, which gradually evaporate upon application and leave you with a “no makeup feel.” The ultra-fine oil-pigments suspension enhances the skin and is enriched with finely milled micro-pearls for liquid summer bronzer and essential concentrated pigments for fusion blush. For optimal results, use a single drop of the highly pigmented blush formula."

The Fusion liquid blushes come in three colors: 300 is coral, 400 is berry and 500 is a warm mauve. I purchased both the 400 and 500 blushes. A lot of the basic information that I posted on this review today is similar to what I have already posted about the liquid blush in 400. The link for my review on 400 will be listed below. Anyway, fusion liquid blush in 500 is more like a warm mauve with a strong brown undertone. It is super pigmented and lasts all day - so no worries about wear time and fading and because these are super pigmented not much product is needed. Take care when using them - they are very messy!

Check out my review of 400 here: 400 GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION BLUSH

400 GIORGIO ARMANI MAESTRO FUSION BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

In April Giorgio Armani will be releasing their newest creation the Maestro Fusion Blush (It is currently available online at Nordstrom). The intensity of the Italian sun was used as inspiration in the creation of the Maestro Fusion blushes (there are a total of three). Their purpose is to give the face and body the appearance of a natural sun-kissed look. The liquid blushes have a lightweight formula that luminates and highlights the cheeks. They can be used as a blush, bronzer or one can mix, blend or layer for a custom-made result.

"The secret of this iconic Maestro formula is no water or white powder. Instead, it contains five non-comedogenic oils, including white lotus oil, which gradually evaporate upon application and leave you with a “no makeup feel.” The ultra-fine oil-pigments suspension enhances the skin and is enriched with finely milled micro-pearls for liquid summer bronzer and essential concentrated pigments for fusion blush. For optimal results, use a single drop of the highly pigmented blush formula."

The Fusion blushes come in three colors: 300 is coral, 400 is berry and 500 is a warm mauve. I purchased both the 400 and 500 blushes. When I first opened the 400 blush I was taken aback by how dark it looked. It was supposed to be a neutral berry color but it swatched with a strong red undertone. Its still a very pretty color but it just seemed darker than what I had expected.

The Fusion blushes are quite messy (see the picture below of the dropper). So unless you are proficient with using droppers, which I definitely am not, then expect to make a mess. It says to use one drop for the face but even then I found that to be a bit much. One could get away with using maybe half of a drop. Anyway, if the whole dropper thing seems overwhelming just dab the dropper against your hand and then use a makeup brush to apply it to the face. Or one can just swipe a brush along side the dropper to get a dab of product for the face. However you decide to use it this product is definitely gonna take some practice even for the seasoned makeup artist.

If I had to pick just one out of the three to purchase I'd have to say 400 is my favorite. The color seems much more compatible with my cooler / paler skintone. The Giorgio Armani 'Maestro' Fusion Blush currently retails for $52.00 USD and it contains .5 fl oz. of product. On the Nordstrom website they have the liquid blushes listed at .6 fl oz. but per the box and the container it is only .5 fl oz. It is important to note the Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheers contain 1 fl oz. and cost $64. So these new Fusion blushes are half the size and $12 less which is still a bit pricey.

IMPORTANT to remember:

1. Store them upright or they will leak out!
2. Take care when handling as these will stain the skin and clothing.
3. Extremely pigmented so not much product is needed.
4. Most important - shake before using as the product has a tendency to settle / separate.

506 GIORGIO ARMANI CHEEK FABRIC BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

For my birthday I wanted to splurge on some Giorgio Armani cosmetics. It also helped that they were offering an extra 15% off any online purchase (see my post here). So I picked out one of the new Giorgio Armani cheek fabric blushes in 506. The cheek fabric blushes are supposed to apply rather sheer and soft with buildable color. Also the color range has been extended to include a few vibrant shades that will appeal to a larger audience. The Giorgio Armani Cheek fabric blushes are currently priced at $46.00 USD for .14oz of product and there are a total of eight to choose from.

506 is a neutral rosy pink blush with buildable color. It does apply rather sheer and the blush felt densely packed (not hard but not overly powdery) when swatched. The blush doesn't contain any sparkle or micro glitter but at times it tends to lend a slight sheen to the cheek (almost like a glow from within) when the light catches your face at certain angles. The wear time was a solid 10 hours with little to no fading. I was really impressed with the quality of the 506 Cheek Fabric blush - it truly exceeded my expectations. I will definitely be purchasing more in the near future. Overall the Giorgio Armani cheek fabric blushes are a high quality blush that are a great investment piece to have in your makeup collection.

GET A CODE FOR 15% OFF ONLINE AT GIORGIO ARMANI - DEALS / SALES

Subscribers / Members to the Giorgio Armani website can get 15% off any Giorgio Armani order. Need a code then click here to get your exclusive members only code for 15% off any order. The 15% off is good until March 24th so hurry and get your shop on!

Receive free shipping with any purchase of $75 or more.

508 DAYBREAK GIORGIO ARMANI ROUGE ECSTASY LIPSTICK - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

GIORGIO ARMANI 508 DAYBREAK is a neutral semi-opaque mauve pink lipstick. It is one of thirty six shades released with the new "CC" (color and care) formula which was first available late last summer. They apply like a lip balm but have the pigmentation of a traditional lipstick and last a total wear time of four to five hours with slight fading after two hours. They seemed similar to the Chanel rouge coco shines but these had more pigmentation and weren't as glossy. The Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy lipsticks currently retail for $34.00 USD and contain .14 oz. of product. They are available for purchase at Nordstrom or on the Giorgio Armani beauty website.