New Base Makeup from Excel

Excel has updated it's catalog with a new base makeup for Spring 2009!


Is it me or did Excel grow up suddenly? It's now featured as an elegant brand where before I got more of a cheap vibe from it. Hmm maybe it's just me!

Two new items are featured for the base makeup line up which are a pressed powder and a concealer. The pressed powder contains SPF 32 which is a rather nice number for powder. The items are 1,600 and 2,200 yen respectively with refills for the compact at a nice price of 1,500 yen. Although these current sums convert like absolute rubbish to USD the actually beauty budget would being able to purchase in yen ;)



I doubt I'll indulge as I'm really concealer'ed out at this point (way too many concealer reviews from this Muse lately!) and I'm still mourning Raycious to indulge in any new Japanese powders but it does look like a nice line up of items.

As we near the end of the month and start in on March I'm sure we'll see more and more Japanese brands that will begin updating their base makeup line. I look forward to seeing what Lunasol and a few other brands have in store for us.

Musings of the Day: Purchasing Power!

Ok people. Come on! Help your economy out here! Buy more makeup!

Jump ahead to find out what my next cosmetic purchase will be!

If I can find the bloody thing my next purchase will be Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Concealer!

But hello impossible to find! I've seen it in CVS but sadly ever single color was sold out! Grrrr! And I'm so not asking one of the brain dead employees if they have any more in stock because it might turn into an Easter Egg Hunt. Turns out you don't actually need a brain to work at CVS...go figure (no offense to the people with brains who work at CVS. No CVS employees were harmed in the making of this post).

Anyway, I seriously NEED this concealer! I know I'll be disappointed but I still wants it!

Click to find out more about Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Concealer.

How about you?

What's your next makeup purchase?

Spill it!

The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ Review

The Muse is wondering should she call the poison control center? She just finished scrubbing her lips with The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ but she's pretty sure as she scrubbed she consumed more than half of the product.

Oops.

I couldn't help myself it tastes like sugar and peppermint.....It happens right?



Winter stinks! It makes my cheeks patchy and dry! It makes my legs, elbows, and knees itchy and flaky! And it makes my lips dry which leads to cracking and peeling.

Have no fear I have The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ to save the day....I figure if I don't use it to scrub away dead skin cells on my lips at the very least I can eat it for a snack.

Julie Andrews told me one of her favorite things is brown paper packages tied up with strings or in this case brown paper boxes tied up with ribbons. The Lip Scrub comes in a tiny brown box tied up pretty with a white ribbon. Open the box up and you'll find a pot of exfoliating lip scrub for your dry lips!






The formula is a white scrub with plenty of sugar crystals and an amazingly sweet peppermint taste (if you prefer it comes in any number of other flavors like Cinnamon Sugar and Vanilla Bean!). To use, simply scoop a small amount out (or a large amount whatever your pleasure) and scrub onto lips! After scrubbing for a few minutes remove with a tissue and presto your lips are beautiful again! The scrub removes flaky dry skin and preps them for lipstick or a kiss from your sweetie.





I absolutely love this product and it's a life saver for me as my lips get terribly dry and cracked in the Winter. I follow up my scrub with some of my Lip Slip and my lips are gorgeous again!

The Lip Scrub by Sara Happy is fully Muse Approved for purchase. An absolutely essential item for dry, cracked lips.



But please, don't try to eat it....

Find out more about Sara's great products by visiting http://thelipscrub.com

Tried it?

Love it?

Tell the Muse!

Milani Pretty Pair Review and Swatches

If you're anything like the Muse you might like a matching pair of this and a matching pair of that. How about a matching lipstick and lip gloss combo housed in a slick little compact with a fold out mirror?



In steps Milani Pretty Pair which features all three for a couture of color!


Select from 8 different shades of perfectly matching lipstick and lip gloss with the new Milani Pretty Pair Lipstick and Lip Gloss Duos out for Spring 2009.

These duos contain one lipstick and one lip gloss for creating a perfectly matching glossy, pigmented pout. Slap them both in a rather cute compact with a flip out mirror and it's a pretty fine beauty budget find. Mix 'em up for three different looks that you can achieve by wearing them alone or together.

Milani Pretty Pair Lipstick and Lip Gloss come housed in a stand up gold compact which has a slide out mirror on the back for easy application on the go. Simply twist and pull to release each product! Apply the lipstick first and pair it up with the gloss for added impact of color and shine.








Both products are heavily pigmented and quite a nice buy for the price of $6.99 USD. You're probably not going to be able to purchase a gloss and a lipstick at $7 bucks so this is a nice little budget option as it gets you both.

Although the products are meant for wearing alone or together, I personally prefer using them together as they work best that way as the lipstick on it's own is a little bit drying. Paired with the gloss you won't notice the drying texture of the lipstick so it's best to wear them together in my humble opinion. The formula is paraben-free as well which is always a plus.

I tried the shades Two Sweet and Two Good to Be True. Two Sweet wasn't working out too well on me as it's really a very true red. If you love bold, vibrant red shades you'll absolutely adore this. On me it looks a tiny bit clown-like. Two Good to Be True is stunning and quite flattering! It's a mix of beige with gold and silver sparkles that give it a bit of a bronze brown look. This shade was quite lovely for Spring and will work well into Summer.














If you're looking for a rather cute compact of gloss and lipstick paired together for a low price, Milani Pretty Pair is something you'll absolutely love. The Muse thinks they are well worth checking out for yourself for that perfect Spring pout!

Loves 'em?

Tried 'em already?

Tell the Muse!

Visit with Milani for further info and check your local CVS to purchase!

Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Soothing Body Lotion and Gentle Cream Body Wash

The Muse is terribly obsessed with the Crabree & Evenlyn Distillations Collection. I recently reviewed the Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Revitalize Conditioning Body Lotion which was love at first application. Today I'll be bringing you a review of the Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Soothing Body Lotion and Gentle Cream Body Wash.


Jump ahead for the deets!

The new Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations line up combines the benefits of 100% essential oils and natural ingredients to create a relaxing blend for both your skin and your senses. Each blend contains no parabens, no mineral oil, and absolutely no additives.

Although I've already tried out the Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Soothing Body Lotion that version was a revitalizing blend which contained tart lemons to wake this tired Muse up! The blend I'm currently loving is filled with relaxing lavender and rosewood essential oils which makes it the perfect sleepy time body lotion. The lotion absorbs on contact and melts into skin beautifully leaving behind a lovely herbal scent that's soothing and healing to my dry skin. The scent is relaxing and quite comforting which makes it an ideal lotion to use just before bed. I'll save my other lotion for early morning wake up calls!




This is my first time trying Crabtree & Evelyn Distillations Gentle Cream Body Wash. This too is scented with lavender and rosewood essential oils which makes it a perfect companion to layer with my body lotion. The formula is a creamy, dreamy moisturizing body wash that cleanses as it moisturizes my dull, dry skin. The lavender does a wonderful job of soothing my skin and locking in moisture and of course, it's simply relaxing to breath in the scent while I shower!




I'm really enjoying this new collection and think it's well worth checking out for yourself!

Visit www.crabtree-evelyn.com to check out the Crabtree & Evelyn Distillations line up for yourself.