Kat Von D Poetica, Saint & Sinner Palette Reviews & Swatches

Hi Beauties,
 I am sharing my favorites with you. Great Holiday gift ideas for the special women in your lives. I have shared so far, Bare Escentuals Year Of Beauty, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, Bare Escentuals Putting On The Glitz, & Too Faced Sweet Dreams Today I will share my new Kat Von D palette favorites!
 These 3 are the new series of palettes. They come in this cigarette "style" tin case. Each case has a unique style embedded on it. All are original Kat Von D drawings. Poetica has a swirl "fleur de lis"  type design. Saint is etched with a gorgeous rose pattern. And my favorite is the Sinner design which is butterfly wings on a skull. All of these come with a sample of Kat Von D's High Voltage Primer in Skin  and a mini Autograph Pencil in Puro Amor (jet black) which is super rich & waterproof. The eyeshadows are all medium to heavily pigmented.

 Saint is the neutral of the bunch.  Heavens is a shimmery vanilla, Enjoy the Silence is lightest gold shimmer, <3 is a soft flesh tone pink with diamond twinkles, Downtown is a light reddish bronze, Sunny is a bronze gold, Pray For Me is a shimmery taupe, Bookworm is a medium chocolate brown, Caravaggio is a rich dark matte brown.

   Sinner is the mysterious one! It's rich purples & silvers make this the perfect palette for an amazing smoky eye.  Disco Dust is a soft shimmery pink, Linzy-Jane is a gorgeous iridescent light purple, Ace of Spades has a rich burgundy base with purple sparkle, Violator is a blackened purple base with tons of different color sparkles. Holy Bible is a soft pearl silver, Glock is a  gun metal grey, Dorian Gray is a rich charcoal gray & Lucifer is a matte black. I love this palette!

    Poetica is the perfect combo of the two palettes above. It has both neutrals & purples. Forgiveness a gorgeous butter-cream with gold shimmer, Sand Timer is a light cocoa sand with shimmer, Chandler is a rich shimmering copper, Tijuana is a blackened brown with gold sparkle, Wonderland is a deep burgundy with gold twinkles, Shiba is a beautiful true purple with gold twinkles, Babe is a light lavender and You Alone is a matte vanilla.

 All of these palettes are currently available at Sephora stores & on Sephora's online store for $35! Not a bad deal for 8 gorgeous shades & a liner!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Review & Swatches

Hi Beauties,
 You know when you think you have all your makeup figured out & you know exactly what works for you, then something turns your world upside down? Well that is exactly how I feel about Hourglass . I believe everything happens for a reason!
  A few weeks ago I went to a Make Up For Ever event at their makeup studio located inside Sephora in SoHo where I was treated, for lack of a better word, like garbage. I was not going to give my $$$ to MUFE after the way I was treated so I walked a few steps over to Sephora where I met Katie. I discussed with her my makeup likes & dislikes. She asked if I had tried Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, I told her no & she said she wanted to introduce me to it. She said she absolutely loved it! She brought me over to the Sephora Makeup Studio & offered to do my makeup.
 When I saw the white primer, I was a little apprehensive. I have tried other brand white primers that make my tan skin look washed out. This does not produce that result. At first when she applied it, I could not believe I had primer on. My skin felt light as air. None of that heavy, cloggy feel, just a light, cool feel. I looked in the mirror & my skin was glowing. I looked refreshed & rejuvenated. It did not affect my skintone in any way. I knew right then I was introduced to the most amazing primer ever! She did my makeup & everything looked so beautiful. I wore it for about 13 hours that day & my makeup did not budge!
 I love when by chance, wonderful things are discovered! When I got home I looked up Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer on Sephora's website.  I found out that it is 100% fragrance, oil & gluten free, it's waterproof, contains spf 15 & is mineral based. How awesome is that? It also absorbs excess oil & has light distributing properties that help hide the appearance of lines, pores & imperfections. I mean seriously, what else can you want from a primer??

In the photo below, I applied my foundation over Hourglass (on the left) and over the Other Brand (on the right). I immediately noticed how much the Other Brand primer altered the color of my foundation. I applied the same amount of foundation with the same brush & got 2 completely different results. The foundation over Hourglass  looks natural like a better version of my skin. Natural & glowing! With the Other Brand you can clearly see how off the color is and if you click on the photo & zoom it in, you can see how streaky the Other Brand makes my foundation look.

 Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is a must have for every one's makeup case. Whether you are a mom or a makeup artist, this is one product you should not go without. You can purchase this primer at Sephora stores & Sephora online by clicking here or you can purchase it directly from Hourglass by clicking here! The .33 oz is $17 and the 1 oz is $52. A little goes a long way so one to two pumps is more than enough for each application.

Love & Sparkles.
 Jess

Bare Escentuals Box Of Gems Review & Swatches

Hi Beauties,
 Here is yet another BE Holiday collection. Box Of Gems is a QVC exclusive. It contains 10 brand new shadow shades, 5 Buxoms  & 5 100% Natural Lip Glosses. All the lip colors have been previously released in kits. Everything in this kit is miniature size. The glosses & buxoms are all favorites. The new eyeshadows are really pretty.
  Beam is a gorgeous medium blue base with a light blue shimmer. Incandescent is a light chocolate with blue iridescent sparkles. Locket is a deep pink/purple base with purple shimmer.  Twinkle is a rich milk chocolate with tons of gold twinkles. Gem is hunter green matte base with emerald green shimmer. Solitaire is a blueish grey with diamond twinkles. Jewel is a medium deep pink with iridescent pink & purple shimmer. Glow is medium brown with light finely milled gold twinkles. Gleam is a light pinky beige sheen, like a flesh tone. Sparkling is a matte white base sheen with diamond shimmer. For the glosses, Cranberry Sorbet is a lightest cranberry. Angel Food Cake is sheer pink with pink & diamond twinkles. Energy Drink is peach with gold sheen. Sprinkles is a sheer clear cream with chunky diamond twinkles. Apple Butter is a medium brown with golden shimmer. And now the Buxoms! Betty, a gorgeous rich berry shade. Dani is a pinkish lilac. Kanani is a gorgeous candy pink. Gaby is a medium brownish berry with tons of shimmer. Sandy is a nude sandy shade with sheen.
 This collection is quite beautiful. All the new eyeshadows are nicely pigmented. I am enjoying them foiled much more than buffed on. Foiled they take on a whole new meaning. If you don't know how to foil, check out my tutorial on "The Art Of Foiling"

EYES
Sparkling (diamond hue)
Gleam (pale peach)
Glow (a golden tan)
Jewel (violet)
Solitaire (silvertone shade)
Gem (emerald shade)
Twinkle (chocolate shade)
Locket (amethyst)
Incandescent (topaz hue)
Beam (sapphire)
LIPS
Kanani (sheer pink)
Betty (crimson)
Dani (berry pink)
Gaby (grape wine)
Sandy (pink nude)
Sprinkles (diamond hue)
Cranberry Sorbet (cranberry shade)
Angel Food Cake (peach shade)
Energy Drink (grapefruit shade
Apple Butter (berry shade)

Box Of Gems is currently available at QVC online for $79.92, item #A218912. I love getting my holiday shopping done early & this would make an awesome gift!

Peace & Sparkling Sparkles,
 Jess

Holiday Favorites

Hi Beauties,
 This week I will be blogging about my holiday favorites! I think the gift of makeup is so wonderful! I mean what girl doesn't enjoy opening a box full of new beauty items?? Stay tuned for reviews of oldies but goodies & my new favorites including the unbelievably fantastical Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer!
 Love & Sparkles,
  Jess

Too Faced Sweet Dreams Review & Swatches

Hi Beauties,
 Like so many, I am such a sucker for beautiful packaging! I am absolutely in love with the way Too Faced has packaged their Holiday kits. Sweet Dreams looks like something out of a story book. Its package looks like an antique gold frame with a gorgeous fantasy queen on her big pink swan! There is gorgeous detail in the picture. Lots of butterflies, colored roses & flowers with glitter accents. When you lift it open, you reveal a framed mirror & 15 beautiful shades. There's pinks, peach, brown, blues, greens, bronze, silver, purple & gold shades. The colors compliment one another beautifully and there are matte, shimmery & sparkly shades in this collection to please every girl. Under the shadows, lies a pull-out drawer with two blushes, a bronzer & a highlighter. There is also three application tip cards & a full size tube of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
 I love this collection! It has some amazing, nicely pigmented shades. The packaging, again, is such a beautiful work of art. I think it will make the perfect, sophisticated gift for that special lady, even if that special lady is you ;)
EYES
Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer (sheer)
15 ~  0.03 oz Eye Shadows
In The Buff (matte ivory), Peach Fuzz (golden peach shimmer), Copper Peony (copper sun), Teddy Bear (matte taupe brown), Lovey Dovey (sable brown shimmer), Satin Sheets (golden pink champagne shimmer), Cut The Cake (lavender mauve shimmer), Party Girl (bright violet), Nice Ash (charcoal), Smolder (matte navy), Honeymoon (burnished gold shimmer), Label Whore (metallic brown with blue iridescent), Nice Stems! (golden clover), Cop A Teal (peacock blue), First Dance (matte deep purple)
FACE
Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (rich matte bronze)
Candlelight Glow Highlighting Powder (sheer luminous soft gold)
Blush in Cocoa Rose (soft pink brown)
Sweet Pink (fresh pink sheen)
EXTRAS
3 Signature step-by-step instruction cards

This gorgeous palette is currently available at Sephora Stores & Sephora online for $52.

Peace & Sparkles,
 Jess

Bare Escentuals Year Of Beauty Collection Review & Swatches (picture heavy)

Hi Beauties!
 I'm bringing you a sneak peek of the most anticipated collection of the year! I was super lucky to get this early! So of course I want to share it with you! I know that times are a little hard now for some so if you can only afford one collection this year, this is the one you need! All full size jars, in an array of colors, this one is sure to keep you happy for a while.
 This beautiful collection is named after the months of the year. January is a light periwinkle with a soft sheen a color never seen before in the BE world. February is a sheer medium pink with fine pink sheen. Like if Panache & Free Spirit had a baby, it would be February! March is a light lime green with a gold fine shimmer. April is a light dusty baby blue with light blue, gold, pink & diamond shimmer. May is a matte medium grape. June is is a lightest yellow sheen with diamond twinkles. June is a gorgeous deep royal blue with a hint of purple sheen. August is a golden bronze shimmer. September is the most beautiful & most difficult to describe! It is a brown sheen base with green, gold, pink & blue sheen shimmer with a hint of chunky iridescent blue twinkles.  Its amazing! October is a a deep purple base with burgundy & purple shimmer.  November is the strong version of Herbal Tea ;) It is a a medium grey base with pink shimmer. And now for the star that stole my heart December! Ahhh December how beautiful you are!! December's base is pure white but the shimmer is what makes this dreamy. It has these gorgeous twinkles that look like diamonds but color shift from blue to purple to pink. I just can't put into words how amazingly fantastical this color is! You just have to see it. Its the color I took most pictures of because I was trying to capture its beauty. It wasn't a complete success, I had to blur out one of the photos so you could see what I mean. That being said, I still didn't do it justice :( 
 The collection comes in a beautiful red box. The eyeshadows are stored in a slide out draw. January-June in one row, July-December in another row. This collection is absolutely gorgeous & you all need it!!

 This will be available during the preview sale this Friday for $72. However, if you can wait until Bare Escentuals Friends & Family Sale which is December 8-11 you can get this baby for $57.60! Now that is a GREAT deal!!

Love & December Iridescent Sparkles,
 Jess

Mark your calendars for Ulta's BE Holiday Event!!

Hi Beauties!
 I am in the middle of getting some blog postings together for you & I ran across this one Facebook!! Bravon Pascua, BE's Global Master Artist, announced that Ulta will be hosting a huge Bare Escentuals Holiday Celebration featuring The Glamorous Life Please contact your local ULTA to book your appointment! Below is the photo of the Face Chart created by Bravon Pascua using the beautiful pieces in the kit. I have also quoted Bravon's letter with a step by step to create the look! How awesome is this?? I can not WAIT for December 8th!

Here is Bravon's letter:

"Hey Facebook fans and friends,

Mark your calendars for an incredible Holiday Event hosted by Bare Escentuals at ULTA on Thursday December 8th. Call your local ULTA store to book an appointment before they fill up.

I've created a special Holiday Look just for this event using ULTA's Exclusive Glamorous Life Collection, I highly advise all of you to get your hands on this amazing kit before it's gone cause I'm telling you, this kit is HOT!

Here's my inspiration for the ULTA Holiday Event Look:

For fall/winter 2011/2012 makeup trends, the natural make-up look with pops of dramatic vampy colors are especially HOT this season. Flawless, healthy looking skin is all the rave, and let’s face it, never goes out of fashion! The classic smoky eye and sheer washes of red, wine and purple layered over your favorite nude lipcolor speaks elegant and sexy lips! Below are five important categories inspired from ‘New York Fashion Week’.

• Complexion – Skin should be clean and perfect. A flawless complexion begins with the gorgeous look of beautiful, bare skin that you get with bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation. Don’t be afraid to use different shades of bareMinerals SPF 15 foundation to achieve the look of flawless skin. Radiate the complexion sweeping Brightening Gold Mineral Veil all over the face.

• Cheeks – Sheer washes of rose and mauve toned blush, layered over gold/nude shimmer looked amazingly gorgeous! Perfect look for holiday.

• Eyes – Smoky eye make-up is definitely one of the hottest make-up trends this season. The only thing that changes about the smoky eye is the eyeshadow shade. Sheer beige or vanilla eyeshadow layered over olive greens, deep purples or espresso browns looked beautiful on the models and surprisingly the perfect shade choices for all skin tones and eye color! Round The Clock Eyeliner in 8pm applied to the upper and lower lash line base is a must. Smudged out for smoky eye perfection and long lasting waterproof wear finishing off with layers of black mascara.

• Lips – I love the look of sheer shades of red, purple or wine lipgloss layered over matte nude lipcolor. Pretty Amazing Lipgloss in Panache keeps you right on trend.

• Brows – This fall, the trend for brows were bold, front & center. Bold brows framed the faces of models for that picture perfect, eye catching important visual trend.


Hope this inspires you to glam it up for your bareMinerals Holiday Event. Have fun with the look!

Best regards,
Bravon"




 So hurry up, call & make your appointment for the event! Seating is limited so jump on this ASAP!!! Don't wait or you'll miss out on the fun!!

Love & Glamorous Sparkles,
 Jess