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

NEW! YVES SAINT LAURENT NU COUTURE VARIATION TEN-COLOR EXPERT EYE PALETTE - AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Yves Saint Laurent Couture Variation Ten-Color Expert Eye Palette is filled with hues directly inspired by the brand's creative studio in Paris. From pale to deep and matte to shimmery, you can create infinite looks with ease. Its long, sleek couture case also features a dual-ended expert applicator for optimal flexibility and color payoff.

Availability: pre-order at Nordstrom
Price: $95.00 USD

As you can see from the swatches and pics below this is a very warmed toned eyeshadow palette. It is absolutely gorgeous!

NEW! YVES SAINT LAURENT TUXEDO COUTURE VARIATION TEN-COLOR EXPERT EYE PALETTE - AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Yves Saint Laurent Couture Variation Ten-Color Expert Eye Palette is filled with hues directly inspired by the brand's creative studio in Paris. From pale to deep and matte to shimmery, you can create infinite looks with ease. Its long, sleek couture case also features a dual-ended expert applicator for optimal flexibility and color payoff.

Availability: pre-order at Nordstrom
Price: $95.00 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

NEW! YVES SAINT LAURENT VOLUPTE TINT-IN-OIL

New! An amazing all in one lip color with a lip tint housed in a deep conditioning oil. Each unique color tint interacts with the lips on contact. It enhances the natural shade of the lips and creates a signature lip look that is as unique as the person wearing it. The color tint contains four essential oils - apricot, macadamia, jojoba and coriander (apricot kernel oil, coriander fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, and possiflora edulis seed oil) which offer intense hydration and leave the lips with a beautiful pop of color and a gorgeous glow as the oil dissipates.

"An ultra-stabilizing ingredient developed by YSL Beauté for its ability to disperse and solubilize colorants in oil. The Colour Link Diffuser envelops the colour pigments within the oil to dispense an ever-evolving burst of liquid lip colour. The oils slowly disappear but the pop of colour stays true."

Apply a thin coat for a natural look or apply several coats for an intense over the top shine with color. The longer the unique color tint interacts with the lips the more vibrant the pop of color.

There are a total of eight YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil color tints to choose from. VIB and VIB Rouge members have early access to purchase them on the Sephora.com website. No worries if you are not VIB or VIB Rouge, these will be available starting around mid-January to early February 2015. Each color tint will retail for $32.00 USD, contains .20 fl oz of product and all eight will be available at Sephora and Nordstrom. I almost forgot to mention - there is a slight fruity scent to these (I believe passion fruit and mango) but it smells so delicious it shouldn't be a problem!

1 DRIVE ME COPPER

2 OH MY GOLD

3 UNDRESS ME

4 I ROSE YOU

5 CHERRY MY CHERIE

6 PEACH MY LOVE

7 CRUSH ME ORANGE

8 PINK ABOUT ME

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!!

7 ROSE INFINITE YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

I recently purchased #7 Rose Infinite a YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick. It is described as a shady pink taupe - it seemed like a warm rose brown to me. The lipstick has a slight fruity scent and a semi-sheer finish that can be layered to attain a more pigmented look. Rose Infinite contains miniscule flecks of glitter that are barely noticeable, applies really smooth with no tugging or pulling and has a semi-glossy finish. It wore for about three to four hours before fading but seemed to keep my lips moisturized the majority of the wear time.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipsticks are currently priced at $35.00 USD for .15 oz of product. It can be purchased in store or online at Nordstrom or Sephora.

6 YSL BLUSH RADIANCE RADIANT BLUSH - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

YSL blush radiance in 6 is a two tone radiant blush. The blush has a satiny finish with a matte texture that is densely compacted in a little mirrored compact. A bright pink sheen with a matte dusty rose make up the two color combos for this blush. When first swatched the semi-sheer blush seemed to lack any vibrant color to match what it looks like in the pan. I then used a denser brush to get through the top layer of product for a more vibrant swatch. The more I worked at it the bolder the colors seemed to appear. Seriously! I shouldn't have to work this hard for a blush as vibrant as this??? Anyway, the more I used the blush the more I was able to pick up a good bit of color. Although I had a hard time getting the blush to show up on me the first few times of use it eventually became more pigmented. Wear time for radiant blush 6 was about 8 hours when it started to really fade. The YSL blush radiance is available in five color combos and can be purchased at most major department stores and Sephora. It currently retails for $45.00 USD and it contains .14 oz of product.

7 ROSE QUARTZ YVES SAINT LAURENT CRÈME DE BLUSH

YVES SAINT LAURENT 07 ROSE QUARTZ CRÈME DE BLUSH was first released with the YSL Spring 2013 Arty Stone collection. It currently retails for $38.00 USD and it contains .19 oz. of product. It is available for purchase at most Sephora stores and at any major department store. 

Rose Quartz is a bright pink blush that is lightweight and applies effortlessly. This amazing cream to powder blush is long lasting with a solid wear time of ten to twelve hours. I noticed slight fading after ten hours but the color still looked fantastic even after twelve. This was my first cream blush from YSL and I must say I am really impressed. 

For application I prefer to use synthetic brushes when applying cream products. The synthetic bristles allow for an easy and flawless application. I start the application process with a light hand and apply the product in layers so as not to overdo it.

IMPERIAL JADE YVES SAINT LAURENT NAIL LACQUER - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

The past year or so, has seen the launch of several new high end cosmetic lines. Many of those new lines I had been wanting to try but with the high price tag I wasn't ready to take the plunge and make that kind of commitment; just yet anyway.

For 2013, one of my ideas for my blog was to purchase a nail polish from a different high end cosmetic line each month and then blog about it. The purchase could be from any new or old high end brand and in my opinion, this would be a great way of testing out their products than purchasing a more expensive eyeshadow or blush. Anyway, for the month of January, prior work commitments kept me from posting hardly any blog updates all month long. So February will have two reviews and pending any huge blow-ups at my job, I should be able to stay focused and on task.

If you have a particular brand(s) that you would like me to test out or if you have any recommendations please feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to see what are your favorites.

"Yves Saint Laurent introduces the La Laque Couture collection for Spring 2013. The vibrant assortment of ultra-shiny hues makes every woman feel couture to the fingertips."

For my January monthly review I decided to purchase the YSL nail lacquer in 34 Imperial Jade. This gorgeous jade green polish is part of the YSL La Laque Couture Spring 2013 collection and was just too beautiful to pass up. I purchased the YSL polish from the Nordstrom.com website and I also used Ebates as well. When you use Ebates to make online purchases you earn additional money back from each purchase and you know I'm all about saving as much as I can! Anyway, seeing as how I haven't ever tried any YSL products I was super excited to get started.

Since this was my first time purchasing anything from the YSL brand I wasn't sure what to expect. I was hoping the quality would be stellar and this would translate into my buying more of their products. I do know that the YSL brand is well known for their Rouge Volupté Shines, their TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch pens, and their ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stains.

THE REVIEW

The brush applicator:
When I first opened the nail polish bottle and pulled out the applicator brush it was huge. If you have ever used Dior nail polishes it is similar to their brush applicator only the YSL was even bigger. I didn't think it was possible, but it's definitely a lot bigger. Unfortunately, the bigger brush translated to an even bigger mess. I had a really hard time trying to paint my nails. The polish ended up all over my nails, cuticles and fingers. It was especially hard to apply small applications of the polish as well because the huge brush picked up so much polish.

The color:
The second thing I noticed right away about the polish was the color. The bottle of YSL nailpolish housed this beautiful jade green polish that was to die for; it was so gorgeous! However, once I had applied the polish to my nails it didn't seem as vibrant a jade green as it had in the bottle. Then, as the polish dried even more, it seemed to take on a dullness and lost some of its shine. I tried applying a top coat but the jade green color still looked flat.

The texture / formula:
The texture / formula of the polish in the bottle was a watery, runny consistency but it definitely clung to the applicator brush. Due to this consistency it took forever to dry on my nails. Once the polish did dry it still maintained a slight gummy-ness feeling to the touch. So reapplication was necessary due to smudges.

Cost / Size:
The cost for this polish was $25.00 USD for .33 fl. oz. This is slighter higher than Dior's polish which is the same size but sells for a dollar less.

Final Thoughts:
After trying out the polish several times I was still really aggravated with how much more work and time the larger brush applicator caused me. The polish formula was still a big issue as well. This being the first time I've ever tried a YSL product, I'm not sure if this is typical YSL nailpolish quality or if the brand as a whole is subpar. As of right now I'm still undecided on whether to return it or just suck it up and write off the whole YSL experience as a total "FAIL".

SEPHORA: NARS VIB GIFT - HAUL / SHOP SPREE

Starting yesterday at Sephora stores and on the Sephora website, Nars is offering Sephora VIB's a special Valentine's Day set of minis. The mini set consists of a bronzing powder in Laguna (.08 oz), smudge proof eyeshadow base (.09 oz), and a liquid illuminator in Orgasm or Copacabana (0.29 oz). Be sure to specify which illuminator that you want otherwise you may not get the one that you were expecting. If ordering online use code: VIBNARS and in store use the e-mailed coupon similar to the one pictured below. Additionally, the only requirement is $35 purchase of products, which considering all the amazing stuff that is at Sephora shouldn't be too hard.

Anyway, I went last night to get my Nars gift bag because the Sephora that I shop at always runs out of these types of promotional items rather quickly. Also, I knew that spending the required $35 wasn't going to be that difficult either seeing as how I had several items that I wanted to get. The only difficult thing about this whole shopping trip was trying to decide on what to purchase. LOL

As I was debating on what to purchase I remembered that I had run out of my YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch highlighter so I decided to repurchase it. I've heard about and I've tried, the Milani HD advanced concealer. It is the perfect dupe and a cheaper alternative to the YSL product. The Milani product currently retails for approx. $7 at drugstores whereas, the YSL Touche Eclat retails for $40 at Sephora and most major department stores.

For me, I have extremely dry skin underneath the eyes and the Milani HD concealer is definitely no substitute for the YSL product. When I wore the Milani brand I experienced flakes and scale-y patches around the eye area. It also didn't sink into the skin as well as the YSL. The YSL Touche Eclat leaves my skin with a nice healthy and radiant glow that seems to revitalize my appearance. It is truly a miracle worker in a skinny metal tube. I just LOVE it!

This cute little Nars bag pictured above contained the Nars mini set and then right next to it is the YSL Touche Eclat that I purchased.

The above are pictures of the Nars mini products that I received in the Nars bag after I made my $35 or more purchase at Sephora. I have the Nars Laguna bronzer in a bigger compact and think it is a wonderful bronzer for the upcoming Summer months. It really adds definition to my face. Now, I haven't ever used the Copacabana illuminator so I'm excited to give it a try. The Nars eyeshadow base I use everyday as my Go-To eye primer and it is wonderful. I am willing to go so far as to say it is my "HG" - Holy Grail eye primer because its that good, no its that GREAT! This little tube of eye base I will probably keep for when I have to travel as its the perfect size for such an occasion.