Summer Loving Giveaway: Clarins Joli Rouge Brilliant Lipstick Giveaway!

Summa, Summa time! Indeed it's getting there now kids. Summer has almost but not quite arrived, damn global warming may be keeping it from us.

Good news is Summer is going to be filled with a slew of hefty giveaways from yours truly. It'll be Christmas all through June, July, and August here at Musings so keep it tuned here for some exciting giveaways!

Let's start today off with a Clarins giveaway!

Check it after the jump!

Remember those Clarins Joli Rouge Brilliant Lipsticks I was loving all over this Spring? Can't forget that, whole lot of loving going on in that post.

Well....I want to share my great love for these fab lipsticks and give one away to readers who follow me on Twitter! Come visit me on Twitter, say hello, tell me your fav make up tricks, or whisper in my ear about how gorgeous I am (this sort of thing will get you brownie points). By following me on Twitter you'll be entered for your chance to win one Clarins Joli Rouge Brilliant Lipstick in Pink Sugar. If you follow me already no need to do anything, you'll already be entered to win! If you aren't following me clickie here and hit that follow button. The winner will be alerted via Direct Message on Twitter next Friday.


Good Luck!

P.S. No worries if you don't win this round! I have LOTS more goodies to giveaway all through Summer so keep it tuned here! And yes this is open to US, Europe, Asian, Canadian, and Planet Mars residents.

Laura Geller Baked Bites Lush Lip Color Palette Review and Swatches

Does anyone remember a long time ago in a land far, far away when Revlon (I think it was Revlon) had these uber cool powder lipsticks? I remember I had two shades and one was called Saddle....it came in a small compact kinda like eye shadow with a sponge applicator. You'd smooth it on using the sponge applicator and it would give lips a pigmented, matte powder finish. It was interesting to say the least and unique. I must have been 13 or so when I had it? Maybe a bit more? Bueller, Bueller Anyone?

Well ok if you're too young to recall these let me share with you the Laura Geller Baked Bites Lush Lip Color and Olive Oil Infushed Gloss Palette. Same concept here but a little different!






Check it out after the jump!

I'm sorta kinda on the fence about this one so bear with me here.

Here's the deets. Laura Geller Baked Bites Palette has two powder lipsticks or lip creams or lip powders or whatever is you want to call 'em. Basically they are a baked lip powder that are smoothed on using a sponge applicator and in their wake they leave behind a pigmented burst of color. Also included in the palette is an Olive Oil Infused Lip Gloss for placing on top of the powder after application so you have a shiny, glossy pigmented pout. The palette contains two shades which are a metallic bronzy peach and a deeper bronze berry. The gloss included has a reddish tint but is transparent after application.




Here's the deal. It would have been so much better if they simply stopped with two baked powders. Including the gloss killed it for me. The powders look incredible on my lips separate or mixed together. They really give an outrageous pop to my lips that I love. Very sexy looking and spicy. I have no idea if either sexy and spicy should be used in the same sentence when referring to me but just deal with it for a second while I tell you my tale. Now I loved the idea of having this glam pout but I admit a bit of gloss on top really sounded fab. Um not so good an idea. Adding the gloss on top does nothing. The gloss is infused with Olive Oil right? But it's barely emollient and far from glossy. It just feels cheap and hard. What happened to gorgeous shine and gloss? Damn you don't promise me things I can't have! I decided that even though I couldn't get glossy and fabulous from Miss Olive Oil Infused I'd go ahead and use some of my Too Faced Mirror Mirror Gloss on top of the baked lip powder. Bad idea. Very messy. Eep. I guess the powders are simply not meant to combine with a super moisturizing gloss.










So that's the story....

I'm really loving the powder lip colors, hating the gloss, and just feeling like I'm missing something when I just use the powder by themselves. Hmmm see? On the fence here.

Not sure if I adore this or not. At this point I'm wondering if I should just ditch and return it rather than have it end up in the cosmetic graveyard, unused and lonely for attention. Hmmm could be this one is leaving on a jet plane and won't be back again! Buh-bye!

Laura Geller Baked Bites Lush Lip Color Palette is available now from QVC for $29.50 USD, Item Number A87624. It's sorta kinda worth checking out as it's one of those things you might end up falling for!









For my look below I used the bronze peach shade with a bit of Too Faced Mirror Mirror Gloss on top. It took a fair bit of work to get it to look nice as during first application it was smeared and gunked up all over the place. Oh by the way that's my Summer Warrior look hehe. I'm using MAC Eye Shadow in Soft Force and Tempting on my eyes, loves 'em!






Anyone try?

What do you think of powder lip color?

Tell the Muse!

FaceFront Cosmetics Stunt Double Concealer Review

So rumor has it that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are a couple now. Ok, so I hope this is some publicity stunt because honestly Robert and Kirsten? Me no likey or approve. Seriously. Robert seems like such a fun loving Brit why would he want to hang ten and do the dirty with Kristen? She makes a fine Bella Swan but let's discuss her real time 'tude. First off the girl seems moody as all hell. She's constantly tapping her foot, rolling her eyes, blowing out a puff of irritated breath, etc..during interviews. Dude, if you didn't want this attention don't go into the biz of stardom. My other theory about Kristen is maybe she's not technically moody, maybe she's just baked 24/7, shrug...could be right? Looks high to me and not on life that's for sure. I seen a pic of her and that crazy Dakota kid aka Jane (can't wait to see how that's going to work. My mind's eye has a picture of Jane in it and Dakota Fanning doesn't come to mind!) yesterday and they were both giggling. I nearly passed out. Kristen...smiling...whoa! Write down that date.

Anyway.

The moral of the story is I've sobbed my little heart out since hearing that Rob and Kristen might be a couple. It's not right. Doesn't Rob realize the Muse is right here waiting for him!? I cried so much that I now have rings, bags, and a whole lot of ugly to conceal under my eyes. I think I need some industrial concealer for this job.

Hmmmm so I'll try out the new FaceFront Cosmetics Stunt Double Concealer and see if that erases all signs of my distress over Robert.


Click it to see if Stunt Double Concealer does the job!

Yea well FaceFront Cosmetics Stunt Double Concealer is def good at hiding it all, no question about that. Available for $15.50 USD in three shade selections, Stunt Double mimics the idea of Benefit Boi-ing with a cheaper price tag and a larger size. This is super pigmented so it's going to hide just about everything whether you're busy sobbing over Robert or just didn't get any sleep last night you'll be reaching for this bad boy to conceal it all. It's heavily pigmented, the Muse assures you it'll cover problems, any and all problems.




I absolutely adored what great coverage this offered however that doesn't mean it's perfect. Far from it for me sadly. The formula happens to be a harder formula than I'm used to which means alot of rubbing and alot of tugging to get it on and in place. I prefer creamy, moisturizing concealers since my eyes are beginning to show signs of aging and I like to be as delicate as I can be with them. A few years ago I picture Stunt Double as being my ideal concealer but the here and now spells it differently. It is creamy but it fails to blend well without a fair bit of tugging on my part which makes it a deal breaker for me. I know at least 25 people that would totally love this as it's that type of formula that smears on, conceals, and wears well all day but.....the tugging involved to get it properly in place could turn many off to purchasing.








Overall, love the pigmentation, think it's an incredible concealer and does exactly that, CONCEALS (in a major way) without creasing, fading, or caking. Fabulous, long wearing formula too! However, a creamy formula would make this one a winner. Needs a bit of work FaceFront. Like it but not loving it. Plenty of perks with it's small price tag and large size but it needs a bit of work in the Muse's opinion.

Well..since I don't have concealer I might as well give up on Robert and maybe take on Shia Labeouf? He'd be ideal for trips to Walgreens!

What do you think?

Anyone try FaceFront Stunt Double Concealer?

Is it love?

Tell the Muse!

Steals and Deals Alert: Bobbi Brown Concealer Palette at Cosmetics Company Outlet

Before the Muse headed on holiday she took a little road trip up to Woodbury Commons to score a few steals and deals. Here's a great Steal and Deal alert if you happen to be in the New York area and within driving distance of Woodbury.

Know that Bobbi Brown Concealer Palette that's become a holy grail for me over the course of a year now? I originally shelled out close to $70 or so for it when I got it on QVC but Cosmetics Company Outlet has 'em for $24.50 USD. GASP! YAY! SCORE!

Total steal in my humblest. Def drive up if you have the time. They had a slew of goodies plus it's worth it just to stock up on the palette if you're a lover.

Oh baby I'm a love you when you're on sale for over 50% Off! Yup, yup!

Bronzers for Dummies: Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder Review

Dudes!

What's up? Long time no speakie about the makeups! I swear I went through blogger withdrawal while on vacation. Some days I'm like "damn I have to get some posts out there for my little corner of the web but I'm sooo tired"...hey blogging is hard but after being away from it for so long I'm feeling more along the lines of "damn I can't wait to start chittering about makeup!"

Speaking of great makeup I thought I'd kick off my welcome home with a little bronzing 101. Bronzers for Dummies aka the Muse's most friendliest bronzing discovery. As you know I'm all about bronzers this Summer. I've been known to rant about bronzers and spawn spat about how horrible they are but I do so humbly admit that I'm on a rampage of bronzer love you moments. For example I recently had lunch with Lorac Baked Matte Satin Bronzer which has an SPF of 15! Hello, the Muse's best friends with it now. Nothing matte about it. But....ado...today is not about Lorac (that review is on the horizon so stay tuned). Today is about the Muse's favorite girlfriend, Bobbi.

Bobbi have I told you how much I love you recently?

Prob a million times but I do so bet you never get tired of it do ya? My recent love affair with bronzers was taken to the next level when encountering the user friendly application of Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer Powder in Antiqua! Loves it!




Click ahead to find out why I adore it...!

Leave it to Bobbi to create a slew of flattering bronzer shades for the masses. Sporting six shades of these popular bronzer powders are a yearly event with a new shade releasing each season. For the Muse it's all a new experience because last year she'd have turned her nose up at the idea of bronzer. This year though she's discovering the joys of Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder! Possibly the coolest thing about this particular bronzer are the interesting shade selections, particularly the pinks. The newest shade that I tried out is Antigua which is a killer bronzing pink shade with touches of bronze and brown to even out all that pink. Who doesn't love the idea of a pink shade of bronzer? It's sheer perfection in my opinion.






The formula is ultra soft and beautifully smooth for an even, flawless application. It's difficult to go wrong with this. I'm no expert when it comes to bronzers which makes this the ideal bronzer for a dummy like myself. I simply swirl a kabuki in the powder and dust onto the apples of my cheeks, forehead, and places where I want a touch of sun. The overall effect is a bronzing pink look that's quite flattering for anyone who's unsure of bronzers on a whole. I do so wish I had a bronzer like this last year when I was adamant about my dislike of them.

If you're in the market for a bronzer at the moment and never tried one I suggest checking out Bobbi Brown's selection of Illuminating Bronzing Powders. With six shades to choose from you're sure to find that perfect shade that's easy to apply and gives your face just the right touch of the sun.






I'm loving Antigua and now I have my eye on Maui! Yum, yum! Each bronzer is $33 USD and available now at your fav Bobbi Brown counter or by visiting www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com

For my look below I paired up Antigua with a little Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Scratch. I was trying to locate my Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Bronzed Pink, remember that awesome shade from last year? Needless to say I was unsuccessful finding it as I was rushing about today so I settled for Scratch which kinda reminds me of it!






I know, I know. Doesn't look to bronzy! Sadly the flash from the camera takes away from the color a tad bit so do head to the counter for a play and a swatch as it's considerably warmer than it shows in my picture.

Anyone try Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder?

Which color have you tried?

Did you do any hauling during the 25% Off Sale?

Share it!

Pieces of Life: Hello Again!

Hello gang!

Miss me? I missed you terribly. A world without beauty blogging makes the day seem oddly serene and quiet. Nearly two weeks without beauty blogging makes it all seem scary hehe! I so need my to get my beauty fix on. Even with plenty of duty free beauty surrounding me in my travels I still was needing a dose of the interweb so I could share my finds and passions with each of you.

The Muse is back now though so hello again! I hope you're excited for brand new posts, reviews, and general insane babblings from your friendly Muse over the course of the next few days (yes, that means the weekend will probably have an up crop of new posts too! Gotta get back on my game you see!).

I have 660 unread emails in my inbox and 300 plus comments to get through so do give me a sec and I promise I'll try to reach out to each of you as fast as my little fingers can type! For now I'm off to grab some good eats with my bestest mate Martin. After a long day at my office with plenty of stuff to catch up on after being so long away I had no time to grab a nibble! Phew!

Anyway....

Do share with me what you've been up to! What's new? Any beauty discovers or breaking news the Muse should know about? How's your Summer coming along so far...or is it even Summer with all the rain in New York I felt like I was returning to Winter after enjoying many a sunny day while on holiday the past several days!

I missed ya.
I love ya.
I'll talk with you all soon!

Big Hugs!
your Muse