2008 Year End Reflection

It feels like the year virtually flew by doesn't it? It's been a great year for makeup that's for sure! My year end favorite post is upcoming shortly but I thought we could reflect on a few things first!

Some of the questions I asked myself as I was reflecting were the following:


The Muse will place her answers here and you can answer, if you like, in the comment field below! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this!

I think I have to take myself all the way back to Spring 2008 to get a good idea of my very favorite collection of the year. The Etude House My Lovely Face Collection (aka Peach Collection) was my absolute favorite of the year! And it's no wonder with it's great packaging, fresh peachy shades, and incredible Pore Erasing Peach Base! This was by far my fav of the year! Etude House Spring 2009 I Can't Help Smiling is simply adorably but in the Muse's opinion it isn't nearly as kawaii as last year's collection!

In reflecting on my tastes and whether they have changed or not from last year I'd have to say a loud YES! I embraced more natural looks this year, got really excited about nudes and neutrals, and just dramatically altered my normal bold looks to include some very mature ones! So yes indeed my tastes have changed a tad bit. This doesn't mean I don't still adore bold looks but I have to say I've surprised myself with the amount of natural makeup I've taken on lately!

Unquestionably my greatest cosmetic find of the year was NARS Blush in Super Orgasm! I've heard rants and I've heard hate but I simply adored it. For me it was pure perfection! Not that it tops Super Orgasm but discovering that Urban Decay Primer has a SLEW of product left in the bottle after slicing it open is definitely a highlight of my year as well!

I can't say so much if I embraced any trends this year. I kinda march to the beat of my own drum and I'm not one for embracing a trend but more along the lines of doing my own thing! One trend I definitely couldn't get a handle on, no mater how hard I tried, was the vampy lip! I tried with MAC Binge and tried again with the Lancome Piha Collection but it just didn't work on this Muse!

I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't somewhat excited about the MAC Hello Kitty Collection! Although I made up my own little ideas about how this collection should look, I do find myself getting more and more antsy for it's release as I am eager to see it in person for myself. Yes, I know I'll be disappointed but I just can't seem to shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, it'll be great! I'm also excited to see what the Summer has in store for us! Summer releases are a great time to stock up on bold shades so of course I look forward to what MAC, Urban Decay, and other brands have on the menu for the warmer weather!

Now it's your turn.....

Tell the Muse all about what you loved and hated in 2008?

What your greatest find was?

What trends you embraced?

I'm listening!

NuBo Cosmetics

I'm pretty sure I'm too young to take full advantage of the new cosmetic line NuBo or at least I'd like to think so. Debuting at Harrods in November, NuBo claims to offer "cosmeceutical-strength formulations without controversial chemical ingredients, including parabens, petrochemicals and sodium lauryl sulfate".


If you're conscious of what goes onto your face I'm pretty sure the idea of a high street brand cosmetic that promises quality minus harmful ingredients is probably thrilling you to bits and pieces.

At the moment NuBo consists mostly of skincare and I'm unsure if they have plans to further the line into cosmetics. One product that did interest me, cosmetic wise, was the NuBo Voile.


The product is an invisible veil created to hide lines, correct skin tone, and create flawless skin. This contains Hyaluronic Acid to fill and plump fine lines while offering extra moisture.

Considering I don't have fine lines as of yet on my face is it terribly vain to admit that I fancy the lilac packaging and that was what really got my attention? Although, if you experiencing fine lines on your face already this sounds like an absolute miracle.

NoBu does look quite interesting but unless you're willing to pay high street prices (prices range from £30 all the way to a whooping £120) you may find that it's something you can safely skip on. But hey I'm sure some of us have found staple products that we are willing to dish the cash out for and NoBu may contain some staple products that we all can't live without.

The Muse may try to get her greedy hands on some NuBo Voile as all the pretty packaging is too difficult to resist.

Visit Harrods for further information about NuBo

What are your thoughts on this brand?

Tell the Muse!

Spring Collections 2009: Kiss Chocolat Collection

There isn't any question in the world that I absolutely adored the Kiss Chocolatier Collection for Sprng 2008 so I was really thrilled when I heard that Kiss would be following up on the theme and releasing a new chocolate collection for Spring 2009.


Sadly, I wasn't too excited once I actually got the chance to view the collection for myself.

The Kiss Chocolat Collection is quite small so it's nothing to get too hyper about however I will say that I'm quite disappointed in the Kiss Dual Chocolat Eye Palettes released with the collection. Now the colors are absolutely fav and keeping with the chocolate strawberry theme however the main shade is a cream shadow. Although I've made piece with cream shadows I think it's safe to say that these will probably be a mess to apply, lack pigmentation, plus the liner being a powder kinda makes them a tad on the boring side.

Le sigh!



The good news is that the Lip Chocolat Treatment looks quite good! Of course it's strawberry chocolate scented and flavored...Muse likey! Last year I enjoyed the glosses released with the Chocolatier Collection immensely! The flavors were really true to life and they smelled so yummie! I'm looking forward to this lipgloss in a major way and I'll definately be reviewing it soon!



Although the collection's main focus item, the duos, are a sore disappointment I do think the gloss looks like a joy!

What do you think?

Love this collection?

Not so much?

Tell the Muse!

ck Calvin Klein Tempting Glimmer Sheer Creme Eyeshadow

Ok, up until now absolutely nothing from the ck Calvin Klein line has tempted me but now I have something to be excited about!


Read on for the deets on what has me so excited......


Don't these look lush!? And they aren't too badly priced either at $18 USD per a pot! I wants them all! Well maybe not all but I def have my eye on the gold one! I haven't really dove fully into the ck line but I have to say these caught my attention in a major way!

Loves it!

Yes, yes I know I spelled Klein wrong in my picture...your Muse isn't perfect and she makes mistakes too...she's also too lazy to correct it! Besides it adds a certain charm to the post don't you agree?

What's your take on these?

Want 'em?

What are your favs from the ck Calvin Klein line?

Tell the Muse!

Givenchy Spring Collection 2009

Givenchy always holds a special place in this Muse's heart. The Givenchy Spring Collection 2009 sure does look interesting and I can see myself picking up at least one or two of the items they are offering up!










I'm such a little nit picker but as gorgeous as the items are don't you think they are a tad warm for Spring? I'm more of the mind that lighter, breezier shades are more flattering come Spring. This looks a tad bit too Summery! Not that I'm complaining I firgure I can haul it and stash away until June! Love, love those red lippies!

What do you think?



Trash or Stash!?

Want it?

Tell the Muse!

Source

The Body Shop Spring Collection 2009

I admit that I occasionally get tempted by the cosmetic offerings at The Body Shop although I do still stand by my right to say I find them vastly overpriced! Wince! It's The Body Shop not Sephora after all right? But aside from that I have picked up quite a few pieces here and there that I have been quite pleased with and in all honesty some have even became staple products.


The Body Shop Spring Collection definitely keeps in the theme of Spring with soft shades of pink that I'm sure you'll fancy!





I have my eye on the darker of the two blushes that's for sure but I think I can probably safely skip everything else!

What do you think?

Want any of this collection?

Skipping it in favor of something else?

Tell the Muse!

Source

Too Faced Spring Collection 2009

Lord it's freezing outside and I'm talking Spring! Dontcha just hate getting into Spring Collections so early? It kinda rushes things along far too quickly for me and besides I'm still not done enjoying Winter yet!

Oh well...I guess I better dive right in and tell you about the new items popping up for Too Faced Spring Collection 2009 so far!

Too Faced Girls Dig Pearls Lipgloss $18 USD

Considering how absolutely in love I am with Too Faced Mirror Mirror Gloss I expect big things from the new Too Faced Gloss entitled Girls Dig Pearls. What a strange name!?



Available in three shade selections this gloss is supposely created using real sea pearls..forget all that crushed diamond stuff..this is pearls people!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder $28 USD

I don't personally use bronzer all that much and the ones I have come across I definately don't use in the Spring but Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder is all about being brown in the Spring I guess!



We got pearls in the gloss and now we have REAL cocoa powder in the bronzing powder! W00t! This Spring Collection is getting interesting!

Too Faced Insurance Policy Eye Shadow Collection $35 USD

Snag six pigmented shadows and a Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer with this cute kit!



Like this collection?

Interested in any of it for yourself?

Tell the Muse!

Musings of the Day: Leaves It!

This is a hard one because the Muse has never found a brand of cosmetic that she didn't like but she thought hard about it and here are a few that kinda sorta don't tickle my fancy!

• Sephora Brand

We all know and love Sephora but the Muse doesn't feel any great love for the Sephora brand cosmetics. I've purchased a few bits and pieces but I'm always somewhat disappointed with whatever I buy and honestly for the quality I think it's a tad bit over priced.

• Laura Mercier

Heck I love Laura! I think the Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit was incredible! However, I do visit the counter and just pass by on a majority of the offerings. I find it a tiny bit boring in all honesty....

• Shiseido

I bow to the gods of Shiseido! But did you ever notice a majority of my Shiseido collection is from branch off brands within Japan such as Majorca Majolica? I never really indulge my need for Shiseido at my local counter. I dunno why but I really never found anything that Shiseido US offers that I absolutely must have aside from their killer face cotton!

I'm trying to think of more but hells knows this is a tough question for the Muse who loves just about anything and everything about cosmetics!

How about you? Which brands just don't interest you!

Tell the Muse!

Bobbi Brights Eye Palette Review and Swatches

I can't begin to tell you how many people have e-mailed me begging, pleading, and asking that I please for the love of makeup review the Bobbi Brights Eye Palette. Honestly, I heard you all and I appreciate how excited you were about this palette but for the Muse it was somewhat of a no, no. I think you can all guess why? No? One word, matte. All 35 shades in the palette are matte and the Muse and matte just never got along very well.

But for the sake of all good things cosmetic the Muse decided she MUST bring you the review you've pleaded with her for and today you're in for a treat as I bring you the Bobbi Brights Eye Palette review!




It's understandable why many Bobbi Brown (and makeup junkies in general) fans got pretty excited when they seen the Brights Eye Palette. It consists of 35 shadows in every color you probably ever wanted all in one spot! Nifty right? Who doesn't want a palette that contains an array of colors all in one place.

At $70 USD I was expecting a MAC Pro style sized palette and boy was I shocked when I figured out the palette was actually the standard Bobbi Brown palette size. Whoa.....I'm unsure why I was under the impressions that the shadows would be medium or even full size or why I was thinking the palette was huge. I guess the price tag kinda sorta made me think I was going to get some giant palette. Not the case my friends. Truthfully I am somewhat disappointed that each shadow is smaller than the size of a US dime and that the palette is in fact quite tiny.








After my initial shock at the size I started smiling stupidly because I was somewhat pleased at how kawaii the palette actually was. It's small size and cute fold out design is actually extremely practical for travel plus whoever uses a full size shadow completely anyway (especially if you have a large stash of eyeshadow!)? I couldn't help but feel particularly pleased that on my next trip I could easily take a full color wardrobe with me thanks to this tiny palette as it contains everything from blues, to yellows, to pinks, and purples...all bold, all bright, all Muse friendly colors!






















I was shocked to read the description on the website that states "designed to be worn one at a time..." Hey, what are they talking about? You can totally do some amazing looks with a few colors at one time so the Muse highly recommends mixing and matching to create 100's of looks using one simple palette. Likey.

The colors are all very true and each is pigmented although, minor rant, matte in finish but that's ok as I thought these would make a great base shade which I can proceed to layer with pigments or sparkles from my own collection. I think all the shades are quite unique however Coral, Peach, Buttercup, Maize, and a few of the lighter shades are pretty similar but just a tiny bit lighter or darker. But I don't mind much as the colors are so small once I use up one shade it'll almost be like having a back up! On a side note I did notice that the brighter shades were much more pigmented than the lighter shades and some shades had a bit of a chalky formula.

The Muse did the math and at $70 USD for the palette the calculations come up as $2 USD per a shadow which isn't bad at all. $70 USD may seem a bit much to shell out for a palette of this size especially once you see that in fact the palette is smaller than an index card but I do think that it's got quite a bit of bang for your buck inside.

Who needs it?

• Anyone that loves bright bold shades
• Those who want a travel friendly palette with a slew of color options
• Makeup users that are unafraid of a matte finish
• Matte Lovers
• Those who don't have a ton of makeup but want a bigger stash of color

I'm slapping a big Muse Approval on the palette! It has a slew of color options to create 100's of looks, it's compact and amazingly travel friendly, and it's just too darn cute! I think this one is a keeper! If you don't have a ton of options available in your cosmetic wardrobe at the moment I think you'll really want to indulge in this one.



The Muse likey. Alot. Snag one at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics or head to your local Bobbi counter to try out the colors!

I'll be doing a few FOTD's with the palette next week so stay tuned!