The Weekend Beauty Shopper Steals and Deals

Gosh I missed the Weekend Beauty Shopper Steals and Deals two weeks in a row! Hate me much?

I'm back ;) And I have some great buys just for you!

Now is a good time to wander over to Stila and grab the new limited edition "Asian" Exclusive palettes for 20% off! Use code: DANIELLEBFF and get 20% off your total plus free shipping! A special thank you to Janice at Specktra Blog for the great code!

Autumn is just right now upon us but that hasn't stopped Bath and Body Works from saying out with the old and in with the new! You can nab a majority of it's Fall lineup on clearance as they begin making room for their Christmas goodies!

Check out some of these items and nab a deal:

Simply Divine Cherry Pie Three in One Shower Gel 16oz $6


Vanilla Ice Cream Body Spray 8oz $4

Various Temptation Dual Lipglosses $4



Pecan Passion Three in One Shower Gel 16oz $6


Spend $50 at Benefit and get a free mini Benetint Cheek Stain Use Code: ROSYGLOW


Receive 10% off your purchase at 99 Perfume Use Coupon Code TAKE10


Urban Decay has revamped the packaging on it's eyeliners which is good news because it means you can nab the same eyeliners in the old packaging for far less! Head on over to Urban Decay website to score the vintage eyeliners at a 2 for $20 price tag!


Sephora has Free Shipping on orders of $25 and more! Use code: FREESHIP25

Speaking of Free Shipping it deserves a re-mention that MAC is offering Free Shipping for the entire year using code GLOSS! Thanks to Betsy for that one!

Head over to QVC to get three Tarte Lipglosses Powered by Borba for $45! Item #A13111



Recieve a free Fusion Soft Lights from Smashbox when you purchase $40 or more! Use code: BBCELEB

And finally Saks has it's annual Friends and Family discount going on at the moment! To take advantage of this you have to either have a good relationship with an MA or by chance meet a nice one in store! If you have a regular MA just call up and she'll happily give you a discount plus ship your items free! If not you can try calling and see if they'll extend the offer but sometimes it's best to go in store, smile pretty, and ask if you're able to get the discount!

20% off merchandise and 15% off Beauty Items! This is ongoing until this week and into Saturday but not sure if it extends to Sunday!

That's it for this weekend's Steals and Deals!

Happy Shopping! Have a great weekend!

Your Requests

Hello Pretties!

I'm opening the panel for requests! I'm curious what you want to read about! Tell me.

It can be anything from reviews, FOTD's, more information about specific products, etc....

Tell me what you want to see on Musings of a Muse ;)

Majorca Majolica Spring 2008 Collection

I dunno whether to laugh or cry that Majorca Majolica already has news of it's Spring Collection!

Jeez, Halloween hasn't even past yet!

The good news is your number #1 source for all good things Japanese has posted the update about Majorca Majolica's newest line up!

Click yourself over and visit with Iris and let her tell you all the delights that MJ has in store for us come January (Yes, I said January).

MAC Royal Assets Holiday Collection 2007

Ok, MAC Addicts.

It's that time you've all been waiting for ;)

The Muse's haul is very tiny, actually, it's bigger than I originally thought it would be!





This morning I was fairly sure I was going to end up with one palette but, of course, like the diseased cosmetic whore I am, I ended up purchasing three of the four Royal Asset Palettes.

Unless you're as diseased as I am you only need one of the Royal Assets palettes in my opinion. This only applies if you are up to date with MAC Formal Black Holiday Collection 2006. If you didn't partake of Holiday palettes last year this year is a good time to nab very similar palettes as 2006's releases!

I'm not sure what I think of the actual compacts yet. I'm sorta of loving them and I'm sorta hating them. They are very nicely made. Very classy, worldly, chic but they may have a little bit of an underlay of cheap. I'm not sure what exactly it is that's turning me off but I feel a little cheap going on here. So, right now I'm in a love/hate relationship with the actual style.








Contents are typical MAC eyeshadows that are very, very similar to Formal Black!

The Muse took the guess work out of this for you and compared the palettes side by side. The only palette I totally skipped out on was the Smokey Eye because it wasn't even close to last year's in beauty! It was actually quite blah! The colors seemed all matte to me and not as beautiful as last year's smokey palette! The good news is that I highly recommend nabbing the Royal Assets Metallic Eyes palette as that appears to be a bit similar to last year's smokey palette!

Let's review. I ended up getting the Cool, Warm, and Metallic Eye palettes.

Metallic Eyes


Cool Eyes


Warm Eyes


Few differences in last year's palettes and this years! Here we are comparing the warm palette from this year (on the left) to the warm palette from last year (on the right).

Royal Assets Warm Eyes Palette vs. Formal Black Eyes Warm Palette


I don't have the names of last year's shadows sadly. It's not listed on the box or the insert and the Muse is a bit too lazy to look it up on the internet ;) So I'll give you a run down of the names of this year's shadows and compare them to last years!

Royal Assets Warm Eyes Palette Eyeshadows:
Sunday Best (this is replacing a lighter gold color. It's nude with a bit of a frosty shimmer to it)
Star Voilet (this is replacing a copper color. It's not nearly as nice as last year's color. It's a matte light brown)
Club (this is replacing a beige gold color, last year was a nice color but this year the color is even better! It's a nice shimmering gold)
Showstopper (This is a bluish brown color and replacing a caca green/brown color from last year! I'm not sure I like this color! Prefer last years!)
Nobility (This is matte dark brown color! Very blah! Last year was a lighter chocolate matte brown! Neither is pretty in my opinion)

I'm comparing Formal Black's Smokey Palette to this year's Metallic Palette because 1. I didn't get this year's smokey palette as it was too blah for me to bother! And 2. These are a bit similar in color!

Formal Black Eyes Smokey Palette vs. Royal Assets Metallic Eyes Palette


The Metallic palette is definately a keeper! The colors are very workable and in my opinion it's the best palette in the lot of the four that were released! It quite reminds me of last year's outstanding smokey eye palette! Again, I don't have last year's color names as they aren't listed so I am going to do a quick rundown comparison.

Royal Assets Metallic Eyes Palette Eyeshadows:
Honey Lust (This is nothing like the nude color that's included with the Formal Black Smokey Eye Palette! It's a gorgeous shimmering gold!)
Silver Fog (Silver Fog is a silver white shimmering shadow that's very similar to what was included in last year's palette! Last year it was a bit of a darker silver shimmer.)
Stately Black (This is a light copper shimmer that's slightly similar to the brown shimmer we got but not quite the same!)
Velvet Lady (Nothing like the smokey eye palette this is a beautiful dark blue with silver shimmer!)
Creme Royal (Again nothing like last year's color! This is chocolate brown with an almost iridescent green too it)
Manor (Black Tied was included with the Smokey Eye Palette and this is quite similar but has much less silver than Black Tied and is much more subdued!)

I made a mistake and had to edit this! Sorry :) Thanks to the reader that pointed out my error! This is a comparison between Intense Eyes from Formal Black and the Cool Eyes from Royal Assets! Cool eyes last year is a bit similar to the Royal Assets version however I find that Intense Eyes from Formal Black was more on the same base as this year's Cool palette!

Formal Black Eyes Intense Eyes Palette vs. Royal Assets Cool Eyes Palette


Royal Assets Cool Eyes Palette Eyeshadows:
Shadowy (This is a very light pale pink! Last year we had no light pink color like this.)
Silverwear (This is a frosty matte silver! Again, nothing like this!)
Modern Heir (Light Fuschia pink. Last year we had a similar pink but a bit more dark.)
Queen's Jewel (This is a light off purple color. Last year we had a true purple color in the cool palette)
Medellin (Very similar but minus the frost. This is a matte dark chocolate color)
Trophy (An iridescent bluish color, nothing like last year's palette)

Formal Black's Intense Eye palette had much more POP! to it! This year the colors are nice but not nearly as beautiful as the previous palette which had a beautiful aqua, green, purple, etc....This year many of the shadows are a matte frost texture and not nearly as shimmery.

MAC Royal Assets Palettes

Metallic Eyes, Cool Eyes, and Warm Eyes

Overall, it's a nice collection but nothing you have to have unless you're a serious MAC addict! I do suggest grabbing the Metallic Eye Palette as it is quite gorgeous! The rest I advise leaving and saving your money!

The lip palettes are nice as well but they weren't so appealing I had to have them so I skipped! Brush sets are very pretty as well but nothing I don't already have.

A good collection for new MAC users or people that skipped out on the Formal Black collection.

Count the Muse as being a bit sad and depressed that the collection didn't completely knock her socks off!

Oh well we have the Stylists collection to look forward to right?

Come Back Cozy, Come Back!

Is anyone else going through Cozy withdrawal?

When will it be back?

Come back Cozy, Come back! The Muse doesn't have anywhere to lurk!

;)

The Muse's Japanese Brand Wish List

Now that the Muse has taken care of a majority of the collections here in the states she's ready to pursue her Japanese Brand Wish List!

I really want to hear all about what you guys are lemming from Japan this year ;)

Here's what I am wanting:

The two new limited edition Christmas palettes from Lavshuca are so definitely on my wish list! The Japanese take all the extra steps to make a palette perfect in my opinion and in this case I'll explain how. This palette is cute right? But are you thinking that maybe it'll be a bit messy having eyes and lips in one place? That's how the Muse's mind works and when I originally seen this I was thinking oh wow love it, cute, but it's going to be messy :(



Have no fear the palette is completely organized and mess free. The lip side of the palette has a clear plastic hinge that lifts up for application and flips down when not in use. Tell me is this mess free and awesome? The Muse loves the Japanese and bows to their superiority in making all things cosmetic perfect ;)

These retail for about $15 each and can be seen on the Lavshuca website!

They are most definitely on the Muse's wish list!

The two Elegance Christmas Coffrets are on my wish list as well! Each kit comes with a gorgeous eyeshadow, blush, lipgloss, and case! These are a bit steep at about $78 each but I'm really loving the look of the eyeshadows in these kits! These are on the Muse's "maybe" wish list! The only thing preventing me at this point of purchasing both is the price tag!

Elegance Christmas Coffrets 2007






Kesalan Patharan's My Dear X-Mas Coffrets are also on my wish list. Dear Dream seems somewhat more appealing to me than Dear Wish so it may come down to purchasing just one of these! Each Set is $65 USD (Can anyone verify the price for me in Singapore please?).

Kesalan Patharan's My Dear X-Mas Coffrets 2007


Anna Sui's Christmas collection is delightful and I'm lemming just about all of it! On my wish list are the two separate makeup kits which include a pouch, gloss, and blush (peach and pink color options), the loose powder glitter, and the glitter mascara overcoat are all on my wish list!

Anna Sui Christmas Collection 2007


Anna Sui Christmas Set $45 Each USD


Anna Sui Glitter Mascara Overcoat $25 Each USD


Anna Sui Loose Gitter Powder $18 Each USD


I'm sure there are more items that will pop up and make their way onto my wish list but for now these are the items I'm really wanting!

I'm eagerly awaiting Majorica Majolica's website update because I know I most definately want all of the Christmas items that will be introduced!

The Muse will update you as her list gets longer and her wallet continues screaming in absolute agonizing pain!

Want any of these items?
Something else on your Japanese Cosmetic Wish List?

Tell the Muse all about it!

Jill Stuart Christmas Coffret 2007

The Muse has caved.

After much consideration the Jill Stuart Christmas Coffret somehow ended up in her cart and she couldn't say no. So she's gone and purchased it!

Bad Muse, Bad!

Jill Stuart Christmas Coffret

How about you?
Want It?
Need It?
Not Really?

Tell me!

Lorac Perfectly Pink Blush

It appears Lorac has a new blush out but I think it might be exclusive to QVC?

Lorac Perfectly Pink Blush as seen on QVC


Wander over to QVC and punch in item number A74612 and you can see this interesting little blush for yourself.

I'm kinda leaning towards wanting this because it reminds me of Benefit's Dandelion which I really adore.

I find that Lorac cosmetics are pretty pigmented so I'm curious to see if this blush is equally pigmented and gives me the Perfectly Pink look that it promises!

The Muse shall investigate further and let you know ;)

Want It?
Need It?

Tell me!

Blog Spotlight: Nessasary Makeup

'ello there!

Allow the Muse, if she may, to share with you a most interesting little blog!

I came across Nessasary Makeup when checking my stats one day (kinda of like I ran across Rocketqueen's! Stats are good they let me discover awesome cosmetic blogs! Teehee).

The blog is too awesome and I really love it and I find myself checking it twice a day or more. At the moment it, with Rocketqueen and Bjooti, is a favorite of mine.

I was originally going to present the blog after copying an FOTD I seen on the blog but I haven't gotten a chance to do that particular FOTD and today was a good day to share this blog with you as some interesting little items have popped up on Nessasary Makeup!

First of all I love the personal feel to this blog (reminds me of my own). The girl that runs it is friendly, always answers her comments, does awesome q&a sessions, etc....

She does FOTD's (which are always an interested to me), shows her collection, does tons of swatches, etc....

Overall, it's a cool blog!

The main reason I'm telling you this is today she has up the new MAC Holiday Palettes which is exciting and disappointing. Exciting to see these in close up but disappointing as they really do look identical to last years!

Either way do wander over and have a visit at Nessasary Makeup!

Are you loving the new look of Musings of a Muse? Poll Closed

Yes! It's Gorgeous!	49 (76%)
I like the old blog better!	4 (6%)
No not at all!	3 (4%)
Yes, but needs improvements!	8 (12%)

Votes so far: 64
Poll closed

Our poll is officially closed!

Thanks to everyone that voted!

I'm curious those who didn't like the new template or said it needed improvements, etc....what sort of improvements would you like to see? Why aren't you liking this new template?

Let the Muse know ;)

She aims to please!

MAC Formal Black 2006 vs MAC Antiquitease 2007

The Muse loves you.

Since she loves you so much she decided that it would be a very good idea to haul out all of last year's MAC Formal Black and do the comparison work for you!

Go on tell me how great I am, don't be modest!

Here's the lowdown my pretties. If you skipped out on MAC Formal Black last year or you're a new MAC addict, this year's holiday collection is all about you however, if you're an avid collector, your color stories are up to date, and you're just a general makeup whore (like the Muse) that would mean this collection is somewhat of a snore.

Currently my wish list is leaning towards the eye palettes and everything else seems like I can do without it!

Without further babble from me here's the scoop on MAC's Holiday Collection this year!

The best place to start is the palettes last year we had 4 palettes just like this year. Those consisted of Smokey Eyes, Intense Eyes, Warm Eyes, and Cool Eyes. This year Metallic Eyes has replaced Intense Eyes.

MAC Formal Black Cool Eyes Palette

Click here to view the Antiquitease Cool Eyes Palette
Overall, the palette appears very similar to last year's Formal Black Cool Eyes Palette aside from a few colors that look different! I still have to see this year's palette to in person to decide but this sadly might turn into a non buy for me!

MAC Formal Black Smokey Eye Palette

This almost appears identical to MAC's Antiquitease Smokey Eye palette! Click here to see the palette and compare for yourself!

MAC Formal Black Intense Eyes Palette

I loved this palette last year and I love it to this day and it appears this wasn't duplicated in anyway this year but it's been replaced with the Metallic Eye Palette which I am definately adding to my list to get as I've seen photos of it and it's very nice! Again, I have to see it in person myself but I'd say the Metallic Eye Palette is one to nab for sure! See it here.

MAC Formal Black Warm Eyes Palette

This year's warm eyes palette appears a bit different but some colors seem similar so I'll have to see at my counter tomorrow how much unlike they are!

The eye palettes are always on my list because it's a nice bit of product for the price at $36 USD plus this year's design is simply stunning however if the colors are the same I can count them off my list! Looking forward to seeing these in person tomorrow!

I didn't purchase any holiday lip palettes last year and I rarely do because they are just too messy for me however I did purchase the Viva Glam lip palette simply to donate my money to a good cause. Last year we were gifted with six shades in a palette and I believe the price was $48 USD (don't quote me on that). This year they are offering two palettes at $22.50 USD each with three shades per palette. That price is for the Viva Glam lip palettes not the regular holiday palettes.

If I recall correctly the lip palettes were the same price last year as the eyeshadow palettes where this year it's less product for a bit more considering if you purchase two that would be $45 USD for six shades in two palettes when last year it was $36 USD for six shades in one palette. If I'm wrong do comment! I'm pretty sure that was the cost per palette last year!

MAC Formal Black Viva Glam Palette

I never touched my palette from last year! *blush*

I've broken down the Curiousitease sets for you so you can see what you're getting, color wise, in each set. These are a complete waste of cash for me since I have all the colors and if you're an avid pigment user, a collector, or just a general makeup junkie chances are you have all the colors already as well! However, if you're new to MAC or just missed out on certain items this is a great time to nab a deal! $29.50 USD gets you 5 vials of pigment and if you're familiar with pigment you know these will last AGES and AGES so a little goes a long way! A nice little bang for your buck!

The Cool Set of Curiousitease Pigments includes:
Helium
Softwash Grey
Naval Blue
Forest Green
Reflects Blue Glitter

I just realized how splendidly all these colors go together when I set them out next to each other so thanks MAC!

The Muse does not own Forest Green (I thought I did but I guess I don't! Unless it's playing Hide and Seek with me at the moment).

Naval Blue, Softwash Grey, Helium, Reflects Blue Glitter


MAC is offering a warm collection of pigments as well which is also $29.50 USD and includes five pigment vials.

The Warm Set of Curiousitease Pigments includes:
Lilywhite
Dazzleray
Copper Sparkle
Sunpepper
Reflects Gold Glitter

Again, thanks MAC! These go pretty well together ;) I never realized how nicely Dazzleray and Lilywhite look together !

Lilywhite, Dazzleray, Sunpepper, Copper Sparkle, Reflects Gold Glitter


This year, in keeping with the theme of mini eye pencils (see my Urban Decay Mini 24/7 Eyeliner blog entry), MAC bundled together 5 mini softsparkle pencils. Again, such a great deal, $29.50 USD for all 5 pencils. I have all the softsparkle pencils but if I didn't this would most definately be on my wish list! If you have none of these eyeliner pencils I highly recommend nabbing this smart collection!

The Curiousitease Softsparkle Eyeliner Set Includes:
Nightsky
Peacocky
Iris Accents
Reflecto
Goldenair

Peacocky, Reflecto, Nightsky, Iris Accents, Goldenair


MAC Formal Black Lipgloss Dress Sets


The above picture is the lipglosses that were included with the Dress Sets last year. This year the colors are far different from what I've seen in photos. Keep in mind the glosses included with these set are mini versions so don't expect to get 5 full size glosses

Brush sets are another snore for me as I have a majority of the brushes! If you happen to have all these brushes too and are loving the case they come in, like the Muse, I highly recommend skipping on purchasing just because you're convincing yourself you could use the brushes (but really you're just wanting the bag).

The good news for weird, diseased people like ourselves is we can safely skip buying the brush bags and go ahead and score JUST the bag on E-bay!

Now if you happen to not have many good brushes in your collection this is a good chance to nab some great brushes at a super great price! If you break down the cost per a brush set it comes to about $9.60 per a brush! That's a steep savings on brushes! Brush Sets are $48 usd per set and the special edition Heirloom collection is $45.

The Muse has broken down each set so you can see what you'll be getting should you purchase the sets!

Face Brush Set


The face brush set includes (as pictured from left to right) 194 (useless brush in my opinion), 190, 168, and 187. This set is a bit tricky because it includes the 194 which in my humblest opinion is garbage and useless. So that means you'll be taking 3 brushes and dividing by the $48 price tag which comes out to $16 per a brush! Purchase the lot separately in full size and it'll run you a nice hefty $200 or so!

It's worth mentioning that I hear high debates about the quality of the brushes in these sets. I've heard they aren't as good as the larger size, they shed, and so on and so fourth. I personally own larger and smaller sizes of MAC brushes and I've never experienced any problems with the smaller sizes! I even LIKE the smaller sizes better! Easy storage, portable, clean up as good as the large size, and take less space in my makeup bag! So if you're wondering if the mini sizes are any better or worst than the full size I would say it's about the same quality as the larger size brushes. MAC makes some outstanding brushes whether they be mini or large size!

Basic Brush Set


The basic brush set includes (as pictured from top to bottom) the 266, 219, 229, 129, and (not pictured) 316.

Eye Brush Set


The eye brush set includes (pictured from left to right) the 252, 212, 275, 217, and 209.

If you're in high debate what would be the best brush set to lay your money on I'd say it would be the eye set or the face brush set!

As for the Heirloom Brush Set that appears to have the same brushes as the basic brush set but in special clothing so if you're yearning the basic brush set why not get the Heirloom Set and save yourself $3!

Heirloom Brush Set $45 USD


That's all for my comparisons to this year's collection and last year's :)

I hope it's helped you decide what will be a hit for you and what will be a miss!

The only thing I didn't cover were Antiquitease Finery which are the lipstick sets. I did purchase lipsticks from last year but can't recall the colors so I am unable to do the comparisons for you! I will say Coral Lips and Tan Lips look very similar to colors I got last year!

Happy Shopping tomorrow and don't forget to comment and let the Muse know what you got! She's all ears!

Boring Japanese Brand FOTD

This morning I was rushing around like a lunatic (I'm already a lunatic but when I'm late I'm even crazier) and I ended up doing this really simple, boring FOTD instead of the brighter colors I had planned!

But, for your viewing pleasure, here it be!







I used all Japanese cosmetics to create the look ;)

What I Used:

Cheeks:
Gransenbon Blush in 02

Eyes:
KATE Gradical Eyes in BK-1
Canmake Sparkling Lame Liner in 01
Kiss Volumizing Mascara
K-Palette Mascara Tears Overcoat in Silver

Lips:
Lavshuca Jewel Lipstick in PK2
Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge in RD2

The Muse and E-mail

Hello World!

I'm slowly catching up on e-mails and it's a process to say the least! If you've written to me please know I do my best to get back to all e-mails ;)





If I haven't replied for some reason it's probably because my inbox is sickeningly disorganized ;)

The good news is I believe I am up to date on all my E-mail as of today (aside from a few personal friend e-mails)! If you're awaiting a reply, have a question, or just want to say hello you can always comment and get a super fast reply ;) Or e-mail me again and I promise now that my inbox is somewhat back to normal I will return your reply in a shorter amount of time!

Many thanks for all the e-mails, comments, etc! I appreciate all of you and their would be no Musings without you to read them!

Hugs and Kisses from the Muse!