In the Muse's Purse: Silver Heart Lipstick Holder

Find out what the Muse's lipstick is held in when in her purse after the jump!

I found this adorable silver lipstick holder that's shaped like a heart in a cute little Asian shop a year or two ago. I slip the lipstick I'm wearing that day inside and flip it open whenever I need a touch up as the lid holds a mirror as well!







Cutes right?

Do check around smaller beauty shops, E-bay, and online to find a lipstick holder that's uniquely you!

Musings of the Day: Packaging Rat

When you buy new makeup be it MAC or anything else, do you keep the boxes and packaging it comes with?

Are you a pack rat?

The Muse normally keeps special items in their boxes. And sometimes she even keeps packaging for expensive brands, for example all my Givenchy blushes and shadow quads are kept in their boxes even if they aren't LE. MAC boxes I normally toss unless it's a special packaging like FAFI or Barbie, etc...

I used to keep Bobbi Brown in all the packaging but lately I toss it out even LE palettes I find that I toss the boxes which surprises me considering how anal I am about my cosmetic collection.

Crummy packaging, even if the item is LE, normally gets tossed. For example Urban Decay's sometimes has cruddy plastic packaging on LE items and I just toss that out. I also do this with LE Japanese brands products such as KATE palettes that are LE...the packaging is just plastic so I normally toss it, same for Lavshuca.

I actually wish I can get out of keeping boxes and packaging because it's such a hassle to store, organize, and even find items I'm looking for when everything is in little boxes.

I guess this makes me a bit of a packaging rat and a bit of a tosser depending on brands and such!

How about you?

Packaging rat?

No way! I toss it!

Tell the Muse!

Josie Maran @ Sephora in Santa Monica

If you happen to be in the Santa Monica area this weekend you can stop in and see Josie Maran at Sephora on Valentine's Day!


Jump ahead for the deets!


If you're single (or have an indulgent boyfriend) and wanting to do something tomorrow why not visit with Josie Maran at your local Sephora in Santa Monica....she'll be your date for V-Day this year but don't expect chocolate too, those are sold separately....what you can't have everything!


Sephora will also be doing make overs so if you're wanting your face done up pretty for the big date night stop on by!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Morgen Schick Hi Def Perfection Kit Review

I recent mused about HD makeup. Remember? In my musings about HD I mentioned the new Morgen Schick Hi Def Perfection Kit which I quickly snapped up for myself as I trust just about anything Morgen puts out.



I've been using the kit for the better part of this month now and I'm finally going to review! Yay everyone get excited!

Jump ahead to hear my thoughts!

I must emphasis prior to raving about this kit that it is not for everyone. I repeat, this is not for everyone. The formula of the foundation won't be something everyone loves so I really place a heavy emphasis on the fact that I think mamy people will not love it. As for me it's outstanding and a tried and true item that does exactly what it promises, creates flawless, beautiful, HD perfect skin.

The kit is $39.50 USD (an absolute steal of a price) and includes all of the following items:

Morgen Schick Hi-Def Hide and Hilight Concealing System (Two Colors)
Morgen Schick Hi-Def Radiant Schick Stick Duo in Pink
Morgen Schick Hi-Def Brightening Powder
Morgen Schick Whisper Set Powder
Brush and Makeup Sponge

I absolutely adore the two concealing pots. I'm a big fan of the Morgen Schick Hide and Hilight compact and it's my HG foundation so the new Morgen Schick Hide and Hilight Concealing pots are absolutely just as good and perhaps even better. Each pot is a creamy, moisturizing, heavily pigmented foundation. These cover literally EVERYTHING. Any mark, blemish, or problem you've wanted to conceal with foundation these will take care of. Mix the two shades together to create a perfect shade or use them separately where you need lighter or darker shades. For example you can use the darker shade as your primary foundation and the lighter shade as a concealer. I'm happiest by combining the two. The formula is quite thick so a little tiny bit goes a very long way. The texture is comparable to The Sensual Skin Enhancer however not as creamy and a bit thicker. I personally don't feel comfortable recommending these for use with oily skin or anyone prone to clogged pores as this is super thick and may cause more woe than joy. However, if you have dry skin you'll fit right in with this as my dry skin sucked it up and absolutely adores it. It doesn't flake, crease, or cake and just feels lovely on my skin. But again, even though I love it I do think some people will consider it greasy feeling or strange almost like stage makeup which is why I recommend a tiny dab. A small amount will do your entire face.







After applying the concealer pot you'll want to either follow up with your own concealer or leave as is. Personally I liked the pots as a foundation but not as a concealer as the formula was a bit too thick for under my eyes. Following up after using the concealing pots you can begin to dab the Whisper Set Powder on shadowy areas of your skin or in spots you used the foundation to set it. Normally I apply the foundation down the sides of my nose and spread it outwards so that's where I follow up with a stroke of the powder. Down the sides of my nose, on the sides of my mouth, and along my upper lip line. The powder is silky smooth and lovely. I have the powder from a previous kit and use it daily so it's nothing new. It does a nice job of setting my foundation and brightening up my face.





Finally you'll want to complete your look using the Hi-Def Brightening Powder. I didn't use this powder anywhere else aside from under my eyes. It works fabulously at lightening up my dark circles and dull eyes. You can use it all over your face if you want but I prefer sticking to my under eye area. The powder is similar to Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Powder in formula and color. It's white and silky smooth. Applying it will blend away fine lines or dullness with a quick sweep of your brush.





Finally the kit also contains a dual end Hi-Def Radiant Schick Stick Duo in Pink. This stick contains a healthy pink cheek stain and a shimmery pink cheek stain. Both ends can be used on either cheeks or lips. Morgen always suggests applying your cheek stain prior to your foundation so that your stain is more natural. This trick has stuck with me for over 10 years after hearing her recommend it on a video I got with my very first kit I purchased from her. It's the best way possible to use stain so it looks more natural on. I didn't like the shimmery end of the stain but I do like the regular standard stain which worked well at pinching my cheeks with color.









After my look is complete with the kit, as you'll see below, I do look a tad bit ghastly which is why I need to follow up with my regular makeup. Eye makeup, blush, etc...after a little blending and working on my face you'll notice that my skin is left looking absolutely picture perfect flawless. In this post I'm showing you a few pics using the kit with the bare minimal amount of makeup on my face. I'll also include links for recent reviews I've done of products where I am wearing this kit with full makeup and you'll notice the difference.

Here are a few links of me wearing the foundation kit with full makeup in place:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

In this first set of photos I'm using the complete system which includes the cheek stain on my face and lips with no other makeup. As you can see it looks nice on but not natural.



In this second set of photos I'm using minimal makeup on my face and the entire kit aside from the cheek stain.



Although both set of pictures look nice, or at least I think they do, they aren't as nice as when I have my full makeup in place.

Overall, I thought the kit was an outstanding value. Considering that I absolutely adore the Morgen Schick Hide and Hilight System and swear by it as my HG this kit was a happy find. The system truly does create flawless, beautiful skin however you do have to know how to use it to achieve great results. Just remember a little tiny bit goes a long way!

I was considering not Muse Approving it for purchase simply because the thickness of the foundation may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I reconsidered and thought that at $39.50 USD and HSN's fantastic return policy it's worth checking out for yourself. So I'm happy to slap a Muse Approval on this for purchase. Do check it out as it's well worth trying in my humble opinion.



If it's flawless, beautiful skin you seek def grab yourself a Morgen Schick Hi Def Perfection Kit.

Loves it!

YSL Matt Touch Compact Foundation

There is something so fabulously chic and luscious about the new YSL Matt Touch Compact Foundation.

YSL Matt Touch Compact Foundation is ridiculously pretty...the Muse likes pretty things. She likes to take them home and pet them and tell them how pretty they are. Gee is that very demented? Oh well!

Available in 10 shades YSL Matt Touch Compact Foundation has an ultra soft and comfortable texture to give your skin a flawless perfection with long-lasting matteness thanks to it's oil-regulating power and anti-shine powder. Oil-regulating power, bloody hell that sounds amazing! Take that oily skin! The formula contains SPF 20 so not only is it combating your oily skin but protecting it from the sun as well.

Anyway forget all that stuff.....I'm mostly enthralled by the pretty gold box...with it's flip top lid and YSL emblem on the powder. Oooooo pretties! The Muse must make it hers!

I'm such a sucker for gorgeous packaging!

Loves it?

Leaves it?

Tell the Muse!

It's on my wishy list!

Snag it now by visiting www.yslbeautyus.com

Benefit Hello Flawless!

The Muse happens to be quite a big fan of Benefit Get Even. Maybe those crazy kids at Benefit wanted to step their game up this Spring so they decided why not take something as good as Get Even and make it even better!


If Benefit Get Even just wasn't enough for you how about trying out Benefit Hello Flawless! The Muse thinks it should be renamed to Hello Gorgeous! with it's ultra slick compact and amazing formula!

Check it!


Benefit Hello Flawless! is the newest custom powder cover-up with SPF 15! Yay everyone run around in circles and rejoice that it contains SPF. I swear I heard the angels sing in Singapore just now as I know all my sweet 'pore readers are going to be amazingly happy at the release of a powder foundation that contains a healthy dose of SPF. All that hot, humid weather needs a good powder to keep the wicked oily skin at bay plus protect skin with the added "Benefit" (get it benefit? haha) of SPF.

Hello Flawless! has some sort of amazing, super duper incredible texture that allows chicks like us to customize the degree of cover-up they need by using the sponge...and get this...the brush included. That's right peeps you get not one but two applicators. I'm excited, are you excited? Hey, it's the little things that make a Muse happy!

Even better yet looking at the promo images it appears that everyone of my readers that has ever ranted at Benefit for lack of shade selections can now be blessedly silent as the shades appear to be suitable for just about everyone. Light, Medium, or Dark it seems that Benefit has you covered, literally.

Although Hello Flawless! won't be available until April, Benefit is featuring it on their website starting next week with a special "shade finder" tool for matching you up with your perfect Hello Flawless! shade so before you know it the Muse will be waving at you shouting "Hello Gorgeous!" as you pass by with your flawless coverage in place.

The Muse will be reviewing Benefit Hello Flawless! for you shortly. I'm quite interested in this one folks as I crave a light pressed powder for Summer and Get Even is normally my go to compact for those warmer days however Hello Flawless! sounds even better.

The Muse is on the case and bringing you the deets shortly.

Whatta ya think?

Loves it?

Want to try it out?

Tell the Muse!

Dianne Brill Lip Gloss Review, Photos, Swatches, and FOTD

The Muse loves obscure, unique, and interesting brands! She always loves exploring cracks and corners where other makeup addicts fell to look and coming across exciting new items that she's never heard of! She's a beauty adventure on the path to fortune and glory. By the way I don't even know what that means but when Indiana Jones said it, it sounded important and stuff! Shrug!

Behold, new and exciting makeup!




On my quest for fortune and glory I located one of thee cutest brands ever. Girlish, unique, and pretty are just a few words to describe the Dianne Brill Cosmetic Collection!

If you're bored with the same old hum drum counter cosmetics take a voyage through fortune and glory and discover some seriously awesome finds from Dianne Brill Cosmetics. I've been busy playing around with some of her cosmetics lately and all I can say is that I'm extremely pleased so over the next few days you'll be hearing alot of my ravings about the brand and the items they offer.

When I first seen the Dianne Brill Lip Gloss I was left wondering was it a gloss or a chocolate bon bon? Housed in a peach box with a flip top lid this sweet gloss was begging to be used. Flipping open the lid of the box you'll be presented with a cute pot of gloss that lays on a cute pastry cup wrapper! Lift it out and you'll see that the pastry cup invites you to Slip It On! Indeed, the Muse was eager to slip it on at this point.






The packaging and presentation simply screams at my girlish side and I couldn't help but feel excitement at all that cute packaging. The gloss pot itself is a heavy plastic with a silver top and Dianne Brill's cute emblem on top. Packaged with a little lip brush you'll be busy getting your pout nice and glossy in seconds of opening the box!

I tried two of the twenty three shade selections and both were richly pigmented so lip stain or lipstick are completely optional before use. If you like your glosses slippery smooth with plenty of stick and tack this be for you. The gloss lasts all day as the formula must be bullet proof or something of the sort. Aside from MAC Lipglass I haven't run across a gloss that had such a long wear time. The gloss is moisturizing, smooth, and creamy. It applies extremely well and stays put.

The shades I tried were Peekaboo Nightie and Feather Boa. Peekaboo Nightie is a rich dark pink with touches of golden shimmer where as Feather Boa is a Paler Pink, almost light peach in color, with multi-colored sparkles. The glosses had two separate flavors which leads me to wonder if every shade tastes different in the collection!? How fun if that's the case. Peekaboo Nightie is a sweet taste which I can't really put a name to and Feather Boa had more of a citrus taste to it. Both shades were very flattering on my lips but I was loving Peekaboo Nightie best as it gave me that really rich pink pout that I favor!



















The formula is loaded with 20% vitamins, antioxidants, and humectants for a healthy and gorgeous pout. The gloss manages to pout my lips up and make them look fuller which was a rather nice effect.

Between the variety, the great formula, and the sweet, girlish packaging I'm unsure what thrills me more about Dianne Brill Lip Gloss! These are totally a Muse Approved for purchase and I highly recommend trying at least one out. The Muse promises soon after you'll be hooked like her.



Truly an interesting and unique beauty find!

Thanks Dianne, the Muse hearts you.

You can find Dianne Brill Cosmetics at www.diannebrill.com

Purchase by visiting Beauty Habit

Have you tried the line before?

Loves it?

Wanting to try it after hearing my raves?

Tell the Muse!