I mentioned it before but Clinique has been surprising me as of late. When their new Cheek Pop collection landed on my desk, I instantly fell in love because your girls loves blush!
These vibrant blushes are bright but leave a natural flush on your cheeks. The silky smooth formula goes on effortlessly and lasts all day. Developed with patented technology, Cheek Pop’s formula begins as a smooth liquid which is then transformed through a slow baking process into a completely new distinct powder that feels luxuriously lightweight in texture and silky smooth to the touch. When I swirled by blush brush (my current fave is NARS Yachiyo Kabuki), I did have to go at it a while for it to pick up any color. I’m sure a brush that’s more densely packed wouldn’t run into this but that did stand out to me at first. The formula is sheer but buildable.
Berry Pop: as described this is a berry shade that complements dark skin beautifully
Ginger Pop
Peach Pop
Plum Pop
Clinique’s Cheek Pop ($21) is available now and come in a clear compact. Each pretty blush is embossed with a beautiful gerber daisy.
Disclosure: samples were provided for editorial consideration.
In between running around NYC looking at studios masquerading as one bedrooms and shopping for the apartment I’ve yet to actually sign a lease on*, I’ve taken up a new hobby in the form of shopping for neutral eye palettes. I’m not sure how one relates to the other (they don’t) but I felt like giving you guys a quick summary of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks.
I don’t know what the impetus was for this new found love of all things neutral but I’m sure it was somewhere in between Urban Decay’s Naked 1 (holy grail) and Naked 2 (not so much holy grail). I used to long for bright blues and vivid hues but here I am proclaiming my love for warm an cozy every day colors.
It could also very well be because the beauty industry as a whole has gone nude because very one and their momma is releasing an eyeshadow palette got to replace your entire makeup collection (lol as if that’ll ever happen). Below is a breakdown of a few I’m loving.
Sigma Beauty Warm Neutrals Eye Shadow Palette: released last month, this was my go-to makeup item all throughout December. The 12 colors are warm and rich varying between shimmers, frosts, sheen, and matte finishes. As my first time trying out sigma eye makeup, I was loving the texture of each shadow. Neither chalky or powdery, these applied nicely without primer and lasted me through all of my holiday parties and now stands at attention on my vanity.
‘The NARSissist’ Eye Palette: named after its social media handles, NARS took 15 of their best-selling hues and put them in one handy palette. While I prefer the texture of the cinematic eyeshadow the brand released in the Guy Bourdin collection, this is a nice palette for those who love the brand and is looking to invest in a collection without having to worry about depotting and spending too much. To best benefit from these, apply a primer underneath for ease of application. Also do yourself a favor and follow them on Instagram and Twitter - @NARSissist is one I the few beauty brands that’s able to sell me products and entertain at the same damn time.
Urban Decay Naked 3: I was on the fence about this and truth be told only ordered it because of the hype (and I’m sorta Type A so there was no way I wasn’t going to complete my naked collection). While Naked 2 left me yearning for more, Naked 3 surprised me with its rose toned neutrals - something I’ve never actually owned before. All of my nude eyeshadows tend to be on the brown side á la Naked 1, but these colors are pretty and oh so buttery. There are some colors I could do without (the really pale ones) but dear lord I need a full sized version of Buzz, Trick, and Factory.
Smashbox Full Exposure Palette: I probably own like four Smashbox items so I was shocked at how quick I was to hit “Add to Cart” with this one. I haven’t played around much with it but I can definitely say this is the palette to reach for when creating a smokey eye (the NARS is perfect as well but since that’s sold out - WOMP! - it may be worth looking at this one in the meantime).
Too Faced The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette: whatever I picked this up only because a) I had time to kill before going to view an apartment, and b) each shade supposedly smells like cocoa. I mean. Hello. 16 matte and shimmer shades that smell like chocolate, housed in a chocolate like tin. The highlight shades do scare me (the matte more than the shimmer) because there’s an epidemic of supremely highlighted brow bones in African American women and I refuse to become one of them.
Clinique All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette: Holy wow, Clinique! I typically go to Clinique for foundations or skincare but this came as a total surprise. Although it’s a tinier palette than any of the others mentioned, its compact nature makes it perfect for on-the-go.
Honorable mention goes to not a palette but a few affordable eyeshadows that you can put in a palette: Makeup Geek eyeshadows. I guess being an OG beauty blogger, Marlena knows what women are looking for. Her individual shadows are like buttah and sooooo pigmented. At $6 each (those in a pan are $12) I love the formulation and longevity. My favorite shades are: Brown Sugar, Glamorous, Gold Digger, and Mocha.
Disclosure: samples were provided for editorial consideration.
Fashionably Clinique: Trina Turk designs a one-of-kind cosmetics bag filled with seven of her handpicked favorites for a complete look—and it’s only available at Nordstrom. A $65 value—yours with any $25 Clinique purchase.
Includes:
* - Take the Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes and Lips (1.7 oz.) * - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (1 oz.) * - Blushwear Cream Stick in Rosy * - Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Sun Burst * - Lash Doubling Mascara in Black (0.14 oz.) * - Different Lipstick in Tenderheart * - Superfit Makeup (0.5 oz.)
Online and in store. One per person, while supply lasts. Gift will be added automatically in Checkout and can only be shipped to the same destination as your order.
I have a love hate relationship with this recession that we’re in. Hate it-for all the obvious reasons mainly…I AIN’T GOT NO MONEY! Love it because all these stores are in a panic. We’ve all herd that Macy’s i closing 11 of its stores. But now their clearance items are dirt cheap! Best part? Now they’re offering 99 cent shipping on its fashion clearance items> Think about it…these clearance items are already reduced 50 to 70 percent off and now you pay just 99 cents to get it sent home. The bad news…there’s always bad news in a recession…today’s the last day. Enter the code 99CENTS at checkout
Get a free Clinique tote bag with any $30.00 purchase at www.clinique.com. When I saw this I thought it was really cute. But then I noticed that Clinique is already advertising for Valentine’s Say. I was walking in around in Duane Reade and saw a whole aisle devoted to Valentine’s Day crap- candy, cards, the works! And Now here’s Clinique with their super cute pink tote and ridiculously awesome scents (hello Clinique Happy…and there newest one Happy in Bloom) . Damn you.
Enter TOTE at checkout.
ULTA is having their Friends and Family event but it only lasts for 5 days! Take 20% off your entire purchase. Event lasts from January 15 to January 19. Enter promo code 82548 at checkout or print out the coupon and head o your nearest ULTA.
Another pink product for my lovelies!!!! This one comes from skincare genius Clinique.
This is the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.
This Clinique classic is all dressed up this October and is limited edition. It comes with a key chain complete with two silver-tone charms: a Clinique “C” and Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon.
This costs $35.00 and because it’s all about helping out…$10.00 from your purchase helps support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And just in time since we can’t have ashy skin in the cooler weather.
I mentioned it before but Clinique has been surprising me as of late. When their new Cheek Pop collection landed on my desk, I instantly fell in love because your girls loves blush!
