Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Shadow palettes

I learned about the special edition Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow quads from dear Cavewoman. She had received it as a birthday gift from a person with great style and taste. She raved about the quality of the eyeshadows and the stunning case. I was excited because I am a sucker for a stunning compact. However I was unprepared for just how STUNNING these really were.

First off lets talk about the shadows. These are very wearable. They deliver on their promise of crease resistant color that lasts throughout the day. The colors are rich but not highly pigmented. It gives a subtle wash to the eye. The colors range from lovely muted plums to rich brown suedes that make you regret that you bought the Bobbi Brown chocolate palette.

The quad compact designs were reproduced from a 14 panel mural that was commissioned by Miss Arden in 1935. It was created by the artist Clara Fargo Thomas. The panels celebrated the beauty of women throughout the ages. Each compact shows "a vignette from the mural and features a woman who represented the ultimate beauty of her time". The sueded brown compact features Queen Nefertiti of Egypt. The velvet plumtones compact features MumTaz Mahal who was the inpsiration of the Taj Mahal. The neutal cashmere compact honors the twentieth century woman. This is composite of a woman from the 1930's. Very old movie star glamour. The compact is worthy of being owned by Joan Crawford herself!

These compacts are priced at $30 at your local Elizabeth Arden counter. They are limited editions....which is code for run and grab these before they are sold out.
photos: my own,icfw.org and gettyimages.






Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Elizabeth Arden

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Tuesday August 1st 2006:

What is your lippie of the day?

My choice: MAC Florabundi with MAC Lustreglass in Star Nova.
Florabundi looks exactly like my beloved Madame B. It is the perfect blue based pink.

Can anyone identify the woman applying her lipstick?

photo: gettyimages

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Monday July 31st:

MAC Cockatease
A rich coral color with a silver shimmer.

Lipstick does not have a particular origin. However, it is known to have been used around 5000 years ago in ancient Babylon, when semi-precious jewels were crushed and applied to the lips and occasionally around the eyes. Ancient Egyptians extracted purplish-red dye from fucus-algin, 0.01% iodine, and some bromine mannite, which resulted in serious illness. Cleopatra had her lipstick made from crushed carmine beetles, which gave a deep red pigment, and ants for a base. Lipsticks with shimmering effects were initially made using a substance found in fish scales called pearlescence.-WIKIPEDI
photos: brobertson and gettyimages

If you'll excuse me, I better go to the powder moon. I mean room. Fix my lipstick.
from Pillow Talk

Rock the Gloss Challenge Day Three: Pillow Talk by Nars.
A lovely shade of azaela pink. Nars glosses have the most ideal texture. They are non sticky with no gritty feeling. Nars glosses are also highly pigmented.
Stop by your local Nars counter to check out the glosses and the new blush called Oasis or peek online at the Nars site, Drugstore.com or the trusty Sephora.

What is your lippie today?

photos from: DorisDay.net

I receive a lot of press releases but this one is worthy of being posted.
Of course these events are never held in Cleveland.

Who: Victoria’s Secret supermodels Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolina Kurkova, Izabel Goulart and Selita Ebanks

What: To launch the sexiest color on earth, the Victoria’s Secret Angels will gather in the City of Angels on July 31st and kick off the 50 days of sexy in Los Angeles. Launch activity with supermodels Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolina Kurkova, Izabel Goulart, and Selita Ebanks includes:
1. Autograph signing from 12-2pm at the Victoria’s Secret Store at The Grove at Farmers Market
2. Exclusive launch of Very Sexy Makeup at The Grove one day early, featuring free makeovers all day. The store will remain open until midnight.

Why: Victoria’s Secret, the authority on all things sexy, will preview the new Very Sexy Makeup line exclusively in Los Angeles on August 1st.
Very Sexy Makeup is the new, signature cosmetics line from the world-renowned lingerie and beauty brand. The high-performance makeup products will launch exclusively in 22 stores in the Los Angeles area on August 1st.
From glosses for seductive lips to bronzers for glowing skin, Very Sexy Makeup is a tightly-edited portfolio of 30 high performance formulas and 200(Blogdorf note: Did they just say 200? They got my attention.) must-have, runway-ready shades. This fresh, fun take on sexy glamour features irresistible color, sensuous textures, and flawless wear.

When: Monday, July 31st, 2006

Where: Victoria’s Secret Store at The Grove at Farmers Market
6301 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles

New makeup line launches excite me. If anyone attends let us know!
I am curious about the glosses.

photos: gettyimages

Day 2 of Lipstick/Lipgloss Challenge:

My lipstick is MAC's Dainty Cake with #7 Or Euphoric gloss by Bourjois.

Dainty Cake is a lovely coral with a gloden hue. A great summer color.

Which lipstick or lipgloss did you choose for today?

photo: Even the Queen does touch ups in public! gettyimages.

Rock the Gloss!

Cavewoman and I had an editorial meeting yesterday.
Well....this just means we went shopping.
I have started to blame all my purchases on "blog research".

Anyway....we were talking about challenges.
I have a horrible habit of using only a handful of my lipglosses. I often reach for my latest purchase.

So today I am starting a challenge.
I will make myself wear a different gloss or lipstick for at least a month or until I go through my collection.
Whichever comes first.

First day: My lipstick is MAC Mauvellous with Too Faced Diamond pink gloss on top.

Anyone up for this challenge?
What is your lipstick or lipgloss for today?

photo: Madonna with lipstick
title of challenge: cavewoman

Butterfly Lashes

I turned to Beauty Addict and said "There is a drag queen buried deep inside of me"
Tbone quickly snapped
"He is not buried so deep."

Its true.
If it was socially acceptable I would wear Shu butterfly lashes with gowns to work.

From the Shu Uemura site: A dramatic pair of feather false eyelashes inspired by the butterfly. Rich brown feathers adorned with a spotted pattern and flared at the ends.
Priced at $25.00
http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/default.aspx

Peaches on the Collar

"Let's go," she said, pulling Annie's coat tight around her and smelling what seemed to be the faint lingering aroma of peaches in the collar.
-quote fromTania's NaNoWriMo novel I was a Teenage Ninja Pirate.
http://braintrappedingirlsbody.blogspot.com

I have been curious about this one particular scent from Luckyscent called Snow Peach from Renee.
http://luckyscent.com/

Description from Luckyscent:
A dreamily delicious scent inspired by the delectable Japanese snow peach. As sweet and refreshing as peach sorbet. There is a bit of the green leaf, a hint of the fragile blossom and a generous dollop of the mouthwatering fruit – luscious and perfectly ripe. A little bite of heaven. If you are a peach lover, this will make you swoon. Fresh, delicate and practically edible.

Notes are: green leaves, white peach, grapefruit, orange blossoms, mulberry, hyacinth and musk.

Doesn't this sound lovely? Should I cave?

Art from Sam Flores

Some makeup porn pictures for your afternoon viewing: These are from my friend Sandy's Nordstrom Anniversary Haul. The first picture is the "soon to be infamous" Bobbi Brown Chocolate Palette and MAC Patternmaker lipglosses. The Bobbi Brown palette appears to have sold out across the country but it can not hurt to call Nordstrom and beg for a store search.
The MAC glosses are still available. They are worth a Nordstrom visit. Lovely wearable colors in a snazzy case.
Sorry the pictures are so dark. I am still learning my digital camera.

Coutorture is hosting three wonderful giveaways/contests this month.
The prizes are:

1. One pair of skinny white jeans from Tag Jeans and Girlshop or if your size is unavailable a $50 gift certificate for girlshop.

2. A cheek stain, lipgloss, and eyeliner from Tarte.

3. A sample set of County Bunny Bath products from Shannon of Gotta Spa.

Not that this a competition....but I really would love to have a Blogdorf reader win.
Plus you can tell us if the Tarte products are lemming worthy.
If you win the County Bunny Bath products I just might have to hunt you down to steal them. Just warning you.
Enter at the side bar....and may the best beauty junkie win!!!!!

Blogdorf Goodman along with Beauty Addict, eBeautyDaily, Shake your Beauty, Jack & Hill and Lipstick is my Crack are featured in the latest issue in Allure. We were interviewed by Margaret Lee, who asked what are favorite products are. So, I wanted to go into more detail concerning my answers along with giving a "shout out" to the products that did not make the cut.

1. Bond 9's Chinatown: I can not stop talking about this one. It is one of my favorites. I have decided to retell the first time I smelled Chinatown since the answer in Allure was slightly vague.
I visit NYC with Cavewoman every few months to meet friends and sniff perfumes. We have been doing this trip ever since we have met. We take a bus from Ohio and drive all night. We arrive in NYC at 8 a.m. and proceed to shop all day. At 8 p.m. our coach arrives to take us back to the buckeye state. Our day is filled with stops at Barneys, Bergdorfs, Bendels, Bond, Caron, Saks (sometimes) and TAK. One specific trip included a stop at Bond that we will never forget. The owner, Laurice, met us there with her lab bottle of Chinatown. She brought it there for her number #1 fan...Cavewoman. She unscrewed the lid and the scent wafted throughout the store. It knocked all of six of us to our knees. This was a rare occurrence because we all have such different tastes. We all agreed that this was "full-bottle worthy." This would be the last time all six of us agreed on one single perfumes merits. In case you are wondering, full-bottle worthy means that a perfume is worth purchasing in its full-size form.

2. Lancome's Mille & Une Roses: This is a reissue of 2000 et une Rose. It is the best rose scent in my humble opinion. Cavewoman gifted me with my bottles. I always prayed to the fragrance gods that it would be reissued, but I never believed it could happen. You could have knocked me over with a feather when Robin at Now Smell This spilled the news. I have both bottles and it is the exact same fragrance. I owe the entire Lancome company a huge hug for making my scent dreams come true.
Saying that, can you bring "Rouge Now or Never" back?
Pretty please...

3. Shu Uemura pressed eye shadow in ME gold 370: Allure wanted us to do an accurate count of our beauty products. This was a scary assignment. In the end I was relieved, as the total number could have been worse. I know Makeup Alley members who have fragrance collections that number more than 300 and eyeshadow collections that need their own insurance policies. I wrote to Allure and told them my final total. I also wrote that the only part of total that disturbed me were the shower gels. A wise woman (Bela from the blog Slap of the Day) once said that she did not want to be survived by her shower gels. This statement haunts me. I rather be survived by my fragrances or lipglosses. (I am joking of course! Or am I?)
In the end I purged my shower product collection.
As for the Shu shadow....this is the only shadow I have hit pan on. This is MUA-speak for "getting to the bottom of the eyeshadow." It is that first glimpse of the bottom. You can only hit pan once in a single shadow. My Shu looks like it has been through wars. The cover lid is scratched and hanging on by a thread.
It is loved.

4. Smashbox Primer: Cavewoman wrote all the primer reviews during the 40 Days and 40 Nights of Primers. This was our first Blogdorf Goodman project. She tested high end and drugstore along with cult products. Not everyone was happy with her reviews. ( I am looking at you DHC fans!)
We took the project very seriously. Cavewoman decided to use one foundation to make sure the results would be more fair. She used her best at the time---La Prairie. She soon got sick of this foundation after 20 straight days. The top primer for its quality and price point is the infamous Smashbox. I am a convert and could not agree more. It is like a layer of glass over your face. It makes foundation easier to apply and last longer. It really deserves its cult status and all the raves.

5. Tocca Body Cream in Stella: Let us hope that the brass at Tocca see that and finally get the Stella out in fragrance form. The rumor has been around since 2003.


The products that did not make the cut:

1. Ormonde Jayne's Ormonde
A swoonworthy fragrance that gets compliments. Mysterious and addictive. It is damn good.

2. Estee Lauder's Perfectionist [CP+] with Poly-Collagen Peptides Correcting Serum for Lines/Wrinkles/Age Spots: This is an incredible skincare product that does not get the press it deserves. It feels like a well hidden secret. It has dramatically changed my face for the better. It has fixed problems and has made it appear younger.

3. Proc!aim's Glossing Polish
During a work trip in Columbus my co-worker Gela was examining my defrizzing gels and polishes. She stated that my products had the same ingredients as hers, but she pays significantly less. She then took me to the African American hair product section at my local Sally's Beauty Supply. This gloss is incredible. It eliminates frizz and gives the most incredible shine. It also nourishes the hair. A 12 fl oz bottle only costs $9. I really wanted this product to get a shout out in Allure.

So tell me your favorite beauty products.
What are your best finds?

Huge fragrance news:

Ormonde Jayne has a new fragrance coming out according to the London Times. It will be called Orris Noir.

It is a spicy oriental with notes of pink pepper, cardamom (you know I am a sucker for anything with this note), iris , coriander seed, bergamot, pimento berries, myrrh and patchouli. The notes give me hope that once again I will fall under the spell of a Ormonde Jayne fragrance. I have been waiting for something new from the Ormonde house. I know if I am ever lucky enough to meet her I might have a "Beatlemania/In Sync" meltdown. There will be gushing and awkward "Champaca is so great" proclamations.

The real question is: Will it be as good as Frederic Malle's Iris Poudre? I would love to hear thoughts from my fragrance friends or OJ junkies. If you have yet to experience her fragrances then check out the site at: http://www.ormondejayne.com/

I highly encourage purchasing the sample pack.

All info from London Times. I spotted the great news on makeupalley courtesy of mua member lipstick. Photo from tubbs.net.

MAC's Muse Collection

The MAC Muse collection was better than I thought it would be. The shadows were the surprise.

They are highly pigmented with a wonderful shimmer. The standouts were Persona/Screen Vinyl. Screen Vinyl is a smoky grey/black with multi-color shimmer. Great for a smoky eye look. The other standout duo was Illusionary/Burning Ambition. The gold is one of the best I have ever tried. I did not "cave" because I have so many other colors like it. I am sure I will be kicking myself when it is gone but I could not justify another gold eyeshadow.

The infamous mineralizers are back with this collection. Shooting Star and Shimpagne are already sold out on the MAC site. These are selling like hotcakes across the country. You might want to pick one up soon. These went for outrageous prices on Ebay. My personal favorite was Porcelain Pink. Gave a slight flush to the face.

The lipsticks were not amazing this time. They reissued Pink Maribu. 15 minutes is the perfect lipstick for a smoky eye look. A very pigmented nude.
The top gloss was Ciao Manhattan. It is a shimmery flesh colored coral.

Now onto the most important MAC news. The next collection is going to be amazing. There is a stunning berry lipstick that will fly off the shelves. The new Viva Glam campaign will feature several celebrities.
One will be Dita Von Teese.

Quick Free Shipping Alert at Gloss: Free shipping on any order this Saturday(7/22) and Sunday(7/23) only. This would be a great time to stock up on some favorites. If you spend $35 and type in code: sumskin
You will get a sample kit that includes Chanel mini
glossimer sample, Clinique sun-care body gel sample and Clarins self-tanning instant gel sample
Visit Gloss.com at: http://www.gloss.com/home/index.jsp

Products featured: Chanel's Cuir de Russe parfum at $160.00
(One of my lemmings that I never seem to get around to. Maybe this time I will cave!)

Perfectionist [CP+] with Poly-Collagen PeptidesCorrecting Serum for Lines/Wrinkles/Age Spots; 1 oz=$55, 1.7 oz=$80 and 3.4 oz=$125.00
(One of my favorite skincare products. It can change your life.)

La Mer's The Powder $65.00
(You know how I feel about this one.)

La Mer's The Treatment Fluid Founfation SPF 15 $75.00
(The holy grail foundation. Coverage and lasting power out of this world.)

MAC's Prep and Prime $20.00
(One of my first primers.)

all photos from Gloss

No wonder you're looking thin when all that you live on is lipgloss and cigarettes.
- pulp

My Biggest makeup regret this year is not picking up a YSL Gold Golden Gloss and a backup Praline. Today I went online and spotted them at Nordstorm's website. I also placed the Bobbi Brown chocolate palette in my cart.

These are getting very hard to find at Saks and Nordstorm stores. They were a stunning shimmery gloss. Might have been the best on the market. Praline is a magnificent color. It dresses up the lip with sparkle and just a touch of a nude color. Think Nars Foul Play but sheer....with an added kick of shimmer.

Description from Nordstorm: Dress your lips in a smile of shimmering gold with new Golden Gloss. The gloss forms a mirror-effect on the lips which sparkles with mother-of-pearl. A complex of nourishing oils (nigelle and cameline oils) protects the lips while providing total comfort. The magic and shimmer of gold captured on the lips!

The colors:

#1 Simply Gold: The hardest to find and most desired.

#2 Golden Praline: My personal favorite.

#3 Golden Pink

#4 Golden Fuschia

#5 Golden Copper

#6 Golden Plum: This is going to be great for fall.

Men's Beauty Week:

Ormonde for men is one of my favorite fragrances for men. The notes are similar to Ormonde for Women but more greener.

The notes are juniper berry, bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom and coriander seeds,oudh and black hemlock,vetivert, cedar, sandalwood and musk.

From Wikipedi: In ancient Greece, hemlock was used to poison condemned prisoners. The most famous victim of hemlock poisoning is probably Socrates. After being condemned to death for impiety in 399 BC, Socrates was given a potent solution of the hemlock plant.

From the Journal of International Plato Society: In English, 'hemlock' refers not only to poison hemlock, but to water hemlock, hemlock water dropwort, lesser hemlock (parsley), and other herbs as well, all resembling each other in their lacy, umbrella-like flowers and tiny fruits. They are members of the Umbelliferae plant family, a very large and widespread group that includes such edible vegetables as carrots, celery, dill, parsley, and parsnips. It is easy for the various hemlocks to be mistaken for these vegetables, often with dire results. The root of poison hemlock, for example, looks like a white carrot or parsnip, and its leaves, especially in the first year of the plants two-year cycle, closely resemble parsley.-http://www.nd.edu/~plato/bloch.htm by Enid Bloch

Editors note: Tussah sent me this link concerning the evergreen tree hemlock http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=263. This makes more sense. The poison hemlock is said to smell like "mouse". I was startled that such a great scent can come from a base of a poison that smells musty and mouse-like. Of course...it was more fun wearing a scent made from poison instead of evergreen.

This scent can only be purchased at the Ormonde Jayne site. If you have never tried any of her scents then you are in for a treat. This is my favorite fragrance house. I would highly recommend ordering the sample set. The sample size vial is fairly generous and you can at least get two wearings from it. My personal favorites are Ormonde, Champaca and Tolu.

http://www.ormondejayne.com/

photo of Mr Peck from byhoo.bdchina

FourFour has his recap of the 1st Project Runway and it is genius.

I was absolutely giddy when it when up. I am going to miss his gifs of Nick. I am hoping someone steps up to the plate and becomes "gif-able".
I see no frontrunners.

The best part of the recap: When he compared Vincent to Fozzy Bear. I needed that laugh after a rough day at work.
He also placed Allison on a unicorn and appreciates the mystery of Malan.

Read FourFour before you watch Project Runway tonight.
http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/

My pick for who could be shown the door tonight: Vincent
Edited: Boy was I wrong!!!! LOL
all FozzyBear pics from punkasskid and photo of the PJ gang from Boston.com

I missed my best friend's Bday!

Here are the hints:

1. She loves Hello Kitty
2. She is a fellow 2000 et une Rose fan
3. She followed the World Cup religiously.
4. Viva La Lohan!
5. Nanadebary is one of her holy grail scents.

I hope you had a great Bday sweetie!

Send her a Bday wish at:
http://atreauombligo.blogspot.com/

photo: gettyimages

The Day I Met Koneko

The official gloss of the last Cleveland meetup.
Dior Kiss in Sorbet Meringue #2


Last Sunday we met up in Cleveland for a day of shopping. The gang consisted of cavewoman, griffie, koneko and me. This was the first time we met the adorable Koneko from Koneko's Mostly Beauty Blog.
http://beautydiary.blogspot.com/

We began the day at SAKS at the Nars counter. We played with the new fall collection and discussed eye shadow combos. Mr Lovejoy helped me figure out new looks for my Nars Thunderball. This is a required shadow for all makeup junkies.

He then took the gang to the La Mer counter for the finger test in their new powder product. Koneko was just as startled at how finely milled it was...and she is also a proud owner of the product. I realize that I have become a cheerleader for La Mer. It is hard to not scream from the rooftops about the foundation and powder. It is holy grail status. They are expecting the concealer any day now. I can not wait!

We then went to check out the Nordstorm anniversary sale. The best part of this sale were the limited edition beauty products specifically created for Nordstorm. MAC had a beautiful collection filled with compacts and palettes. I loved the YSL palette in a pink case. It was very snazzy and was filled with pretty pink colors. I went over to the Bobbi Brown counter and discovered that the Chocolate eye palette was sold out. This product sold like hotcakes.
Check out the review at Beauty Addict: http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/
Should I try to hunt this down? Anyone smitten with it?

The biggest beauty find was courtesy of Cavewoman. She introduced us to the power of the DiorKiss gloss.
Cavewoman, Koneko and I bought the Sorbet Meringue #008. It is a clear gloss with a multi-color shimmer. Griffie purchased orange nectar #248. This is a sheer tangerine with gold glitter. It looked incredible on.

Read Koneko's blog for a review of the gloss along with great pictures.

We can not wait to go shopping again!

All hail the ponytail!!

Once again I have been holding onto a picture waiting for the perfect moment to whip it out.

I want to wish a belated blogger bday/anniversary to Miss Peej at Monkeyposh. Her blog is on my daily rounds every morning when I am drinking my coffee with vanilla nut creamer.

Speaking of vanilla nut....

http://monkeyposh.blogspot.com/

I can not sass her anymore about the creamer. I can still sass her about ponytails and having crushes on gay men.

My fall coat lemming by Moschino.

The collar stopped me in my tracks.

My #2 lemming for fall: The Miu Miu boot from Saks.
It was love at first sight....until I saw the price tag.
I will have to love these from afar.

Cavewoman fell madly in love with the Scent of Peace candle by Bond. Of course this is not surprising considering:

1. Bond candles are always lovely to look at.
2. Bond makes high quality candles with excellent throw.
3. One of her favorite SA's at SAKS sold it to her.
4. She is the original Bond girl.

Notes are: grapefruit, black currant, lily of the valley, hedione, cedarwood and musk.

Available at SAKS and Beautycafe.
http://www.beautycafe.com/bond_no_9.htm

You might remember my friend Sandy from the post about the goodwill auction in youngstown. She was the one that had the score of the evening with a vintage diamond watch.
A week ago we went to the Dallas Shoe Store in Cleveland. This is like a DSW without the organization, bright lights and clean fixtures. However you can find the most amazing shoes and bags in this store.
My mission was Marc Jacob bags. I cornered every sales clerk and pretty much moved through the store like a shark looking for prey. My prey was gone. The most painful moment...when they told me the prices.
They were priced at $80-$200. I had to hold myself up at the counter.
The gods were very cruel to me.
The find of the day once again belonged to dear Sandy.
Can you believe these?
Hold onto your hats.....
They were $100.

*waves smelling salts under blogdorf readers noses to revive them*

Compacts from Sunday's shopping expedition: Koneko's famous Prada compact along with cavewoman's new baby....an asian exclusive Chanel. My MAC Deneuve looked like it was from the wrong side of the tracks.
I need to step up my game.
photos by me and yes they are not that great of quality.
I am learning.