Musings of the Day: Running Low? Restock!

Wanna Muse?

Today's Musings is about replenishing your stock of "things I use everyday". You know what I mean...you reach for 'em daily, like mascara, foundation, primer, etc....

I recently had to make a list of items I was running low on so now is a perfect time to Muse about what I need and hear what you're running out of and need to replace.

Check it after the jump!

I placed this HUGE crazy order for BB Creams with a very dear reader and friend (thanks Bora) and inside was many BB Creams I hadn't tried or had to replenish as I ran out...yes, I do run out of BB Creams, crazy right? I use 'em so often that I run out a fair bit so it was a rather good excuse to get some others as well which I hadn't tried.

On top of that I am also hitting pan on Benefit Lemon Aid ummm totally can't live with out it, it's like the air I breath. Also running low on Urban Decay Primer Potion so lucky I snagged some during the Friends and Family Event but dude what the hell? It didn't have the new applicator....does the large version not have it yet?

Aside from that I'm good to rock and roll. No mascara, powder, or base makeup refills needed here nor any color cosmetics. Just the basics I listed.

How about you?

What are you running low on?

Tell the Muse!

Benefit Matterial Girl Review and Swatches

One of my client's came into my office today and said he heard on the new that it was the hottest day of the year. Honestly, it's sticky outside yes and it's about 85 degrees or so but I wouldn't call it the hottest day of the year.

Hmmm.

But it's good enough weather to test out Benefit Matterial Girl Matte Finishing Powder.

Jump for it.

Let's start by saying that Benefit always has these small little releases that simply kill it. Posietint and Coralista just to name a few. These items become instant cult classics. I love Benefit for this reason. It's not a big collection release, it's not 20 limited edition shadows, it's simply one solid release ever few months or so that rocks it.




Benefit Matterial Girl slipped by me this time and I just came across it on the website recently. Of course, I couldn't wait to test it out for myself. Did you know it's not on counter yet or at Sephora and also that's it's an Asian Exclusive that was available on Asian counters for a good while before popping up here in the states.

What is it?

Nothing huge, nothing crazy. It's simply a mattifying loose powder for setting makeup. It's for all the oily skin chicas who feel like their face is melting off. Mine isn't necessarily melting off but I can tell you that even my dry skin takes on oily and shiny with the best of 'em.

As always Benefit reigns the realm of cuteness with a sweet little package. The powder comes housed in a pale pink and white topped jar with a clear base and surrounding bows around it. This alone makes it worthy of a pick up.






A few readers asked for the ingredients list and most important of all it does contain talc but no cornstarch. Talc is commonly known for causing me to itch terribly but lucky enough this hasn't made me suffer in that direction. The secondary main ingredient is Mica.

The powder is soft, silky, and applies flawlessly. It's transparent for the most part but manages to even out my skin tone a fair bit, sets my makeup, and most important mattifies my skin.








What better day than the hottest day (supposedly) of the year to try this out? I set my makeup with it and did a few runs today around town with it on. Post Office, Bank, drop off dry cleaning, etc......I did a fair bit of walking about as well. So far my face is remaining in tact minus oil and shine. I haven't touched up yet and I'm going on about four hours of use so far, not bad for a loose powder.

So far so good.

Overall, I'm liking it. Cute packaging and shine free skin, what more could a girl want? If you're a lover of Benefit you're going to want to indulge. It's available now from www.benefitcosmetics.com

But don't buy it right now. It just launched. Wait a few and I'm positive Benefit will slip a free shipping coupon into your mail box shortly as they always do with new releases.

Are you wanting Benefit Matterial Girl?

Tell the Muse!

Benefit Lip Gloss Review and Swatches

Benefit has replaced many of it's glosses with a single new line of gloss in eight shades.

The formula is supposedly a glossy finish with a great color payoff and most important a dazzling shine.


What did I think of them?

Check it after the jump!

So long as you go into your purchase of Benefit Lip Gloss believing it to be more of a lip cream than a gloss you should be alright. It's a very interesting formula that isn't particularly glossy or shiny but more of a creamy lip color.

I tried three shades of the new gloss and I loved the fact that they had such great color payoff. Each one was quite pigmented and left behind a creamy, sparkling finish. It's not really a typical gloss in my opinion as the texture and formula are quite creamy in nature. One shade did have a slightly gritty texture due to the amount of shimmer in the product but it still managed to apply nicely. The shades all wear pretty long and have a moisturizing formula so they won't try out your lips.




The shades I tried were Zone Out (Golden Nude), Almost Famous (Bronze Penny), and Fresh Squeezed (Shimmering Off Pink). I loved all three shades but I was particularly delighted with Almost Famous as it paired up so great with many of my Summer looks this season.






























So long as your purchasing these for the pigmentation you should be ok but don't expect a super glossy finish. I thought that the formula of Benefit Her Glossiness was rather ideal for a glossy finish but these lacked the standard mirror shine you'll get from many "glosses" which is why I'm seeing them more as a creamy lip color.

Overall, the shades are very nice and if you prefer a gloss that isn't super sticky, tacky, or shiny these should appeal especially if you love a highly pigmented lip product!

Benefit Matterial Girl

Oh my god how did this slip by me? A brand new powder from Benefit?


Check it after the jump!

One thing about Benefit you must know, they excel at base makeup products. Benefit has so many winning products when it comes to base makeup that I dare say many are HG (holy grail) material for this Muse. Which is why I've very excited about the newest item in their base makeup range, Benefit Matterial Girl. This silky powder is used for mattifying and setting makeup. Dust onto your face, nose, and forehead to make those shiny, oily areas disappear.

As with most Benefit products Matterial Girl comes housed in a cute, girlish container...after all we are material girls aren't we? It's all about the material things and the packaging sometimes isn't it?

Loving all over this.

Review coming soon!

Available now from Benefit.

Popular Searches Of The Week

Here's some popular keywords that brought readers to Musings last week. Check 'em out.

Since LA Ink premiered the buzz around the Internet has brought many searches in for Kat Von D Concealer and how Kat Von D looks without her tats. The brand new Kat Von D Perfume has also caused a stir in my search box!

For some reason or another the Too Faced Smurfette Collection has generated quite a fair bit of incoming traffic lately. Everyone is searching up the smurfs...could it be we might see another smurfy collection soon or maybe it's just about ready to hit the clearance bin!

Folks are obviously feeling the heat and humidity because searches for warm weather friendly makeup are abound like MAC Just a Pinch Blush, Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation, and Lush Tea Tree Water Toner.

Milani Runway Eyes Wet and Dry Eye Shadow in Beach has been named my fav a few times here at Musings and obviously it's a fav this Summer as the searches are pouring in trying to find swatches for this great Summer shade!

The searches are also pouring in for Fall Makeup Collections 2009, Winter Collections 2009, and of course Holiday 2009. Obviously this heat doesn't sway anyone from yearning for Fall and Holiday looks!

And that's the top searches bringing people into Musings this week!

What are you searching for on my blog?

Do share, curious minds!

Benefit Automatic Eyeliner Duo Pencil Review and Swatches

New liners from Benefit chicas!

Check it, Benefit Automatic Eyeliner Duo Pencil are a brand new automatic eye pencil from Benefit that contains eyeliner on one side and a smudger on the other!


Jump ahead for a few swatches and babblings!

These new automatic pencils are a fuss proof way to apply and smudge liner easily and flawlessly. Kinda mimics my fav MAC Technakohl! Likey!

The formula is a nice creamy liner that blends flawlessly on eyes. I'm partial to using these to smoke out my eyes as all the shades are flattering for just that plus the smudger side of the pencil makes it easy to do so.








Benefit Automatic Eyeliner Duo Pencil are available in only three shades to flatter blondes, brunettes, and those with black hair. It's a rather easy and simple way of picking your liner as you're not presented with a ton of shades to choose from. I can appreciate not being offered 150 shades of eyeliner, keeping it simple is sometimes a good thing.

The shades are Call Me Nutty which is a rich hazelnut, Downtown Brown which is a deep brown, and Wink O'Ink which is a night sky gray.










If you're a lover of a liner that smudges beautifully these should appeal!

Available now from Sephora and Benefit

Top Keyword Searches At Musings

This is kinda a fun post or at least I think it is. I'm always curious what brings new users to Musings. I wonder how they get here, who they heard about me from, or what they looked up to locate my blog. I can't always tell if they heard about me from someone else or how they got here to begin with although I can make a guess as I can see where they traveled from to pop up here. One of my favorite pass times though is looking through keywords that brought a reader to my site. These are words they typed into a search engine which led them here!

I compiled a list of some of the top keywords that my stat service has collected and I thought I'd share them with you!

Click below for the list!

BB Cream, Blemish Balm Cream

With my very long post about What a BB Cream Is? it doesn't surprise me that this is one of the top keywords that brings readers to Musings!

Steam Cream is also a top search word that brings users over yonder. I find this rather funny as I fell so hard for Steam Cream and posted so much about it I'm guessing people gather around here as it's the first thing that pops up in google when I search Steam Cream myself!

Lush Reviews seems to be a top keyword as well. Not much surprise there considering how much I adore Lush!

Benefit Coralista seems to be a keyword that's led quite a few readers to my blog! Any wonder as Coralista was love at first swipe!

Stila Look Book is an interesting one as it continues to be a top keyword that leads people here. Interesting as Look Books are ages old and it's been a while since I posted about them! Obviously they still warrant an interest from some readers.

Some weird ones:

Steal It From my Friends Album
Hmmm what's this person up to?

Green Snot
When have I ever blogged green snot and why is this keyword bringing readers here?!

Naughty Maggie Gyllenhaal
I imagine my Agent Provocateur post tickles this keyword!

Are you a new reader?

What sort of keywords led you to my blog?

Share 'em!

Benefit One Hot Minute Review and Swatches

The Muse is known for getting excited about new Benefit. But of course she was beside herself when Benefit One Hot Minute popped onto the scene.




Click ahead for the review!

At first glance Benefit One Hot Minute is truly nothing to get to strung out over. I was actually somewhat disappointed after cracking the lid and seeing a rather dull almost matte powder inside that was somewhat muddy and rusty in color but boy was I ever wrong.

First off let's discuss packaging!

Packaging is awesome, as always with Benefit right? Benefit One Hot Minute comes housed in chic, vintage style canister with a screw top lid and comes with thee amazing fan brush. I favor this packaging over the normal powder boxes that Benefit uses as this is sturdy and makes travel with a breeze since you aren't worried about crushing it. The brush it comes with is awesome and ideal for application. It's a delicate fan brush with soft bristles that picks up just the right amount of product and easily distributes the powder easily. No fuss, no mess, and just the right amount of product gets picked up.












Now the powder...

I think I was so self absorbed in my Benefit Coralista kick that I wrapped my mind around Benefit One Hot Minute as possibly topping it or being bigger and better. This could be one reason at first look I was disappointed in the powder. It looked a bit muddy and rusty in color without much shimmer at all. First try with the powder was a big bust. I was disappointed it wasn't as pigmented as I had hoped and it also applied very sheer minus shimmer.






The follow up....

Even though my first attempt with One Hot Minute was a fail I quickly tried it again the next day with proper prepping. Turns out the best way to use this is with a tiny touch of peach or coral blush under it. I mistakenly was thinking it would be pigmented enough to work by itself when in fact Benefit does not advertise it as a bronzer or a blusher but as a highlighter. You'll be amazed, delighted, and a happy makeup junkie as ever if you use a tiny bit of stain or blush prior to applying One Hot Minute. As for me in my photos below I used a tiny dab of Morgen Schick Cheek Stain on each cheek and topped with One Hot Minute. The results? Subtly shimmery cheeks that have a kiss of sunny gold and rose. I'm in love. Absolutely in love. The combination of stain and powder on top created such a lovely finish to my cheeks. I think it screams Summer!

Overall, Benefit One Hot Minute is one of those universally flattering shades that will work for you all Summer and well into Fall for just a kiss of golden rose shimmer on cheeks and face. Remember to use a bit of blush or stain prior to highlighting with One Hot Minute and I guarantee you'll love the results as much as me.








Another fantastic winner from Benefit. Loves it!

Muse Approved for purchase.



Anyone else try yet?

Loving it?

Tell the Muse!