Cult of Cherry

We pull out a jar of cherries. "Oh, no!" she moans. "Don´t pull out a cherry stem! Please don´t!" It is too late. We have placed a full jar of maraschino cherries before her and beg her to do what Audrey did to impress management and secure employment at One-Eyed-Jacks. We beg her to do the stem trick. "It´s too intimate," she says, in demure protest. The she lowers the boom: "You know what? You´re gonna be the first person I´ve told the truth to... I can´t do it. I´m telling everyone I can do it, because they´re just so disappointed if I can´t." Sensing our woe, she adds, "Well, I did get drunk one night and did it in a New York hotel bar."

Then we ask this: What does it mean when a girl knows how to knot a cherry stem in her mouth? "It means she´s a great kisser?" she says, knowing we both know better. (Sherilyn Fenn interview, Rolling Stone No 588, October 4th 1990, p.68-71, 170)


MAC's Cult Of Cherry collection will launch in September. Of course, this collection made me think of Sherilyn Fenn on Twin Peaks. You might remember the famous cherry scene and the dark almost sinister-like colors. You can almost hear the Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack. This collection looks fabulous with all the red and plum variations. Fall keeps getting better and better.

Lipstick
Crème Cerise Sheer yellow taupe (lustre)
Lightly Ripe Sheer mid-tone pink (lustre)
Russian Red Intense bluish red (matte)
"O" Intense purplish red with metallic gold (frost)
So Scarlet Clean grape burgundy (amplified)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 U.S./$16.50 CDN

Lipglass
Cherry Blossom Sheer light pink with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Rich & Ripe Mid-tone pinkish red with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Cult of Cherry Clean red with red pearl (frost)

Liqueur Neutral brownish mauve with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Jampacked Sheer grape with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 U.S./$16.50 CDN


Mattene
Rapturous Deep berry red (matte)
Kirsch Blackened cranberry (matte)
Chock-ful Blackened brown (matte)
Bing Blackened eggplant (matte)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN

PowderBlush
Blooming Frosted deep dirty peach (frost)
Plum de Bois Frosted deep pink bronze with gold pearl (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $17.50 U.S./$22.00 CDN

Nail Lacquer
Silverstruck Frosty greyed taupe with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Illegal Purple Creamy blackened eggplant (cream)
Suggested Retail Price: $10.00 U.S./$12.00 CDN

ZoomLash
Zoom Black Rich black Suggested Retail Price: $11.00 U.S./$13.00 CDN

Eyeshadow X4 – Spiced ChocolateQuad
Nanogold Sheer yellow pink with pink pearl (frost)
Brash Frosty reddish copper (vxp)
Spiced Chocolate Dirty deep reddish brown (matte)
Sweet Chestnut Frosted cranberry (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $36.00 U.S./$43.00 CDN

Eyeshadow X4 – Tempting Quad
Next to Nothing Sheer yellow beige with pink pearl (frost)
Sharp Frosty bright yellow gold (satin)
Dark Edge Dirty chocolate brown (satin)
Tempting Rich coco (lustre)
Suggested Retail Price: $36.00 U.S./$43.00 CDN

Eyeshadow X4 – Shadowy Lady Quad
Light Fall Dirty light pink (satin)
Smudge Violet Frosty blackened lavender
with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Deep Truth Very dark blue (frost)
Shadowy Lady Darkly veiled plum (matte)
Suggested Retail Price: $36.00 U.S./$43.00 CDN

Credits: Youtube, Twin Peaks, and MAC

A limited first-edition supply of Ôscillation will be available ONE DAY ONLY - Thursday, July 31st(today!!!) – at select Lancôme locations. This vibrating mascara will not be available again until the fall, when the national launch of Ôscillation takes place.

It retails for $34 and will be available Today while supplies last at the following:

Online: Lancôme-usa.com and Sephora.com
Atlanta: Macy’s at the Lenox Square Mall
Brea: The Lancôme Boutique at the Brea Mall
Costa Mesa: Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza
Chicago: Macy’s on State Street and Bon-Ton at the Yorktown Mall
Dallas: Dillard’s and the Lancôme Boutique at NorthPark Center
Houston: Neiman Marcus at the Galleria
Miami: Macy’s at the Dadeland Mall
Manhattan: Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s 59th Street , Lord & Taylor, Macy’s Herald Square and the Lancôme boutique on Columbus Avenue
San Francisco: Macy’s Union Square
Santa Clara: The Lancôme Boutique at the Valley Fair Mall
Short Hills: The Lancôme Boutique at the Short Hills Mall

If you see it today let us know all the deets in the comments. I am curious on how this works and if it will give my lame lashes a curl!!

Credit: Lancome

Thursday Beauty Porn:

Estee Lauder Solid Perfume Compacts

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
No press samples were received. I just took this picture at my local Estee Lauder counter.

To keep this beauty related...my MAC Feline eyeliner did not survive this good weep.

Credit: Youtube/NBC

Something wicked this way comes....

The fall collection for Smashbox is called Wicked Lovely. It is equal parts good and bad girl. The cheek colors are ultra-feminine, sweet and girly. The eye duos pack a shimmery smokey punch. I could not believe how good these looked. I am a fan of Smashbox's primer and powders but I have never paid attention to anything else. This is a collection that opened my mind. There is not a clunker in the entire collection. The standout product is a gloss called Sultry. It photographed slightly vampish but this borders on Gothic dark. Two of my friends tested this lippie. It appeared Chanel Vampish-like on one while on the other it went dark....and we are talking Marilyn Manson dark. I liked the effect, but it was nixed.

Which brings me to the dishing on the upcoming black gloss from Lancome.

I must have it even if it is unwearable.

I already plan to layer it with my blue dazzleglass from MAC.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman and Style.com

Disclosure: I did not purchase this item. I tested it at my local Sephora.

Philosophy Amazing Grace products

I first experienced the Philosophy line at a Nordstorm counter in Portland Oregon. It was the Soul Mates fragrance that stopped me in my path. It was a hidden gem and made me explore the whole line. Amazing Grace is clearly their most popular and successful fragrance. It is a light fresh ultra-feminine floral with a slight musk drydown. It never causes any offense or creates havoc. I have always ignored it.

I like my perfume to create an experience, be bold or cause a scene. I have never wanted to smell clean or girly. I want to be sultry and mysterious.

Then I tried Amazing Grace as my nighttime shower routine and learned to love its subtlety. There are two stand out products in the collection.

The Amazing Grace Shower gel is so thick and rich that your blade needs to be rinsed every minute. It is more of a lotion texture than a traditional gel or cream. It does not lather well but somehow it really gives you an ultra close shave. There is no special magic in the ingredients but the velvet like texture just manages to work its charms.

This retails for $15. This is a more expensive alternative to drugstore shaving creams but the results are more effective and it smells better.

The other product that made me a fan was the Amazing Grace Perfumed Buffing Wash. This creamy shower gel provided great lather action(bubbles are a must in my book) and tiny exfoliating beads. The beads are slightly gritty but they rinse off with ease. It really scrubbed and exfoliated like no other. In fact it actually managed to remove a microscopic skin tab on my neck. There was no redness or irritation. It just decided that it was going to take care of business and that tab was outta there! No product has ever done that for me. This product retails for $26 and is still going strong for me. I have been testing it for several months and still have a huge amount left in the bottle.

The Shaving gel is exclusive to Sephora while the Buffing wash can also be found at Nordstorm, Sephora and Philosophy.com

Photo Credit: Sephora

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Philosophy

Chanel Fall 2008 Collection (a late recap...)

I stopped by my local Chanel counter to finally peek at the fall collection created by Peter Philips. This was his first full collection for Chanel. The cosmetic visionary did not disappoint. The influence of his collection was the apartments of Coco Chanel. It is a color palette of golds, taupes and gemstones. The standouts for me are Kaleidoscope nail polish and Delight glossimer. Delight takes my new found love of lavender and adds a truckload of shimmer.

I have already raved over Rose Dust but have failed to proclaim my love for Almond. This is a shimmery beige shade. The shimmer factor is fairly high, which is how I like it.

The new issue of Vogue has a fabulous blurb on Chanel's Peter Phillips. Sarah Brown gives us the lowdown on his beauty roots and the contents of his studio.

There are jars of pure powder pigment, the sort a painter would use("This was for a McQueen show. We did the boys in Yves Klein Blue," he says, producing a container of the deepest lapis);Swarovski glitter that looks destined for the most fantastic birthday cake;bits of couture-issue tulle and lengths of intricate lace from Lesage;a large envelope containing the finest Lemarie feathers and a half empty bottle labeled LIQUID TRANSPIRATION.

Mr Philips has nothing specific in store for us. He plans to have no plan. However he is willing to shake things up while offering handy palettes and tools.
Which brings us to the subject of holiday collections. I have not been privy to any sneak peeks but Chanel. There are photos floating around on the blogshere.
The theme is smoke and the palettes are useful and heavenly at the same time.
Peter will be responsible for many holiday lemmings.

The new issue of Vogue is at your newsstand and the fall collection is at your local Chanel counter. Let us know what you think of the new collection in the comments.

Credit: Vogue and Blogdorf Goodman

Estee Lauder Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum Corrector for Lines/Wrinkles/Age Spots

I have been testing this product for over a month. I wanted to give it a really good test run before I made any comments. I am slightly biased to Lauder's Perfectionist because I was such a fan of the original formula. I did not know how the tweaking would change an already solid performing product. When a perfumer tweaks a fragrance, it usually spells doom. So I have been raised by MUA into thinking that "change" only equals bad.

The tweaks that went into the new Perfectionist have only made the product better than before. It might be one of the best skincare innovations to have hit my vanity shelf in years. Lauder promised results within a day and remarkably there were noticeable changes in my skin. I am weary of going out on a limb on this promise only because I am a "Doubting Thomas" by nature. I can stand firm that you will see results within 1 week.

After just one week of use, I noticed improvements that ranged from less redness to smaller pores. My skin just looked healthy and more vibrant. I lost my "bloom" a while ago so my skin looks lackluster. Not exactly haggard but not exactly brimming with youthful enthusiasm. I have issues with small bumps due to product testing, slight ruddiness, and discoloration. After one week my skin looked two shades lighter. So much so that my La Mer foundation appeared dark on my skin.

I actually needed a foundation shade change.

There was a lot of science that went into this purple bottle. The innovations range from a "flexible elastomer technology", which fills in a wrinkle from the side so the depth is reduced in appearance. There is "light diffusion technology" which "diffuses and scatters light, blurring not just the appearance of the wrinkle but also neutralizing the micro-shadow".
This is fancy "smoke and mirrors" science.
I will take the trickery.

The actual physical skin improvements are the fading of discoloration and increased vitality and glow. Lauder used a cocktail of Anti-Oxidants(Mulberry, Grape and Scutellaris extracts) and Peptides to increase collagen production and combat spots.
I used it twice daily. I applied in the morning before my moisturizer and makeup routine. After one day, I stopped using a primer product. I felt that Perfectionist was doing all the work of a primer. It sealed off pores and gave my skin a clean canvas to work on.

After one week I had to change my foundation. My skin was at least two shades lighter. The third week had me changing my powder. The fourth week had me reaching for a tinted moisturizer. The fifth week had me going without makeup. It really is a product that works wonders.
Perfectionist was always good but this tweaking made it more effective and faster. It has the same texture but with an added bonus of a scent of greens, jasmine, peony and rose petals. It is lovely enough to be a perfume.
It is like the original formula but with speed.

It is available at your local Lauder counter. The 1.0 oz bottle is $55 while the 1.7 oz is $80.
Visit esteelauder.com for more information and details.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Estee Lauder Cosmetics

Blogdorf Goodman's Drugstore Deals and Steals for July 27th 2008 through July 2nd 2008

Target

CoverGirl: Lashblast mascara or Outlast lip color is on sale for $6.49
10% off other selected CoverGirl eye or lip products.
Sonia Kashuk: Eye Shadow duos or Super eye shadow brush for $6.99
10% off all other Sonia Kashuk cosmetics, accessories and bags.
Neutrogena: Sheers liquid foundation is on sale for $11.49
10% off all other Neutrogena face, lip and cosmetics products
Oilfree Acne Stress Control scrub is on sale for $5.99
10% off all other selected Neutrogena facial care and sun care products.
AcneFree: Treatment kit is on sale for $14.99
10% off all other AcneFree products

Rite Aid

CoverGirl: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on cosmetics
Physicians Formula: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on mineral wear cosmetics
Revlon: Super Lustrous or Moon Drops lip color is on sale for $4.99
Sally Hansen: $1 single check rebate on lip gloss, lip stick or lip treatments
Almay: Mascara, eye liner,eye shadow and makeup removers are sale priced at $4.99
Neutrogena: 40% on all cosmetics
Eucerin: Calming Itch Relief(6.8 oz),Calming Creme(8oz),Replenishing lotion(13.5 oz),and Cream(4oz) is priced at $5.99

Walgreens

Maybelline: Buy 1, get 1 FREE with foundation,powder, concealer, or blush
L'Oreal: Buy 1, get 1 50% off cosmetics includes HIP
Advanced Revitalift(5-1.7 oz) lotion,cream or serum is priced at $15.99
Sublime Bronze 6 pack towelettes or lotion or mist(5oz) is 25% off
Neutrogena: Acne or Deep Clean cleansers (4.2 to 9.1 oz, 25 pack wipes or 30 pack cloths are on sale $5.99)
Buy 1, get 1 50% on all Neutrogena cosmetics
Almay: Buy 1, get 1 50% off face and eye cosmetics
Jane: A mail rebate of $4.99 on Be Pure Mineral liquid mineral foundation,crushed & sheer powder,mineral powder brush.
Sally Hansen: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on nail color pen, insta-mail treatments
Garnier Nutritioniste: Instant Coupon of $5.00 on Skin Renew Anti-Puff eye roller
Yes To Carrots: 25% off of hair or skin care
Skin essentials: 25% off of assorted skin care
Zeno: It is priced at $129
Mederma: $3 off of skin care for scars

CVS

Wet N'Wild: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on all WNW cosmetics with CVS card
Maybelline: Colossal volum'Express is sale priced at $5.99 with CVS card
Aveeno: Facial Moisturizer(2.5-4 oz),treatment(1 oz) wrinkle, night or eye cream is priced at $12.99 with CVS card

Chanel Jewelry: Beauty Charms

I was shopping at my local Saks last Friday when I spotted a Chanel trunk show in progress. In the jewelry case was a pair of earrings with the famous interlocking C's and a tiny pink nail enamel bottle. My shopping gang all squealed in delight.

Not only is there a pair of nail polish earrings but there is also a bracelet with beauty charms. The charms range from a Chanel No 5 bottle to a mini compact.
Visit All Lacquered Up to see pictures of the jewelry!
http://www.alllacqueredup.com/

Bond 9's Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue: Annie's Review
It is better than Chinatown

Lexington Avenue is the third in the Warhol fragrance series from Bond 9. Lexington was chosen due to Andy Warhol living in various apartments on the avenue in the 1950's. He was working as an illustrator for the shoe company I.Miller. These illustrations provided the inspiration for the Lexington Avenue flacon. This bottle is whimsical and fun.

I thought I knew what to expect when I sprayed the tester of Lexington Avenue.
This fragrance exceeded my expectations and made my soul twirl. I made two calls.
The first was to Patti aka Cavewoman. The second call was to Shawn at the Bond store. I reserved my bottle. I am not sure if there is a waiting list in place but I had to get on it immediately.

Why am I chomping at the bit?

This is better than Chinatown.

What I have said is blasphemous to friends and old timers from the makeupalley fragrance boards.
Lexington Avenue takes the Chinatown idea of a floral woody chypre and tweaks it.
The tweaking starts off with a glorious opening of top notes. It begins with Blue Cypress. Wood notes generally appear in the drydown . I love that the comfort aspect of the fragrance arrives first. The woods are joined by a licorice-like Fennel note. Slightly anise-like but with more smoke. It is joined by the Chinatown Cardamom. This is where you will notice the similarities of the two fragrances. The comparison fades with the appearance of the genius addition of roasted almonds.

This is where my mind reeled.
I can not even begin to describe what this does to this fragrance formula. This is the home run part. Somehow it just smooths the spices out. This is the way a gourmand should be done. This is for the woman who wants to smell delicious but not like a cupcake.

The middle floral notes are a big bold pink peony, with a rooty orris and an Amelie worthy Creme Brulee. This is not saccharine sweet. You can almost taste the burnt crust. The fragrance ends in Chinatown fashion with pimento berry, patchouli and sandalwood.
This scent is so damn good.
I did not think the house could top Chinatown.
They managed to do it flawlessly in a quiet way.

Sillage and lasting power is not as strong as Chinatown but I will have no issue reapplying throughout the day. You just want to douse yourself with this fragrance.

The fragrance will be available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bond No 9's four NYC boutiques, and online at www.bond9.com

The launch date is September 2008 and the retail price for a 100 ml bottle will be $195. The 50 ml bottle will be $135. There will be a limited edition flacon available for the holiday season. This bottle will have Robert Lee Morris sterling silver shoe pendants of Warhol's shoe designs on a sterling silver chain. This will retail for $575.

Credit: Bond 9

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Bond 9

Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes
Review by Cavewoman

My first glimpse of GivenchyPhenomen'eyes mascara was a photo in one of the fashion-beauty magazines that I recently received. When I saw the little stubby wand with the prickly ball at the end, I had to laugh, because it looked like some strange Medieval torture device! But, if you have read any of the many mascara reviews I've written for blogdorfgoodman, you know already that I would try this new mascara, since I'll try any mascara in pursuit of visible, long, thick, pretty lashes. Any mascara gets its true test on my pale, straight, short, sparse lashes, and if a mascara takes more than five minutes to apply to achieve any results at all, I usually just give up on it. Most of the time I just don't even bother to wear mascara anymore. It just takes too long. Hence the drawer full of tested but not loved mascaras in my makeup storage unit. There might be twenty of them, I don't know, nothing other than two Dior mascaras ever sees the light of day, and even those still takes too long to apply to suit me. And so, I set out to find Phenomen'eyes. The day it appeared on the Sephora website, I ordered. The box arrived today, and I ripped into it to find the cute short fat tube inside it's box, tucked into the black Sephora drawstring bag and cradled in layers of white tissue. Lots of packaging for such a little prize!

I opened the box and took out the mascara, which is actually very elegantly packaged in a chubby, short black tube with silver lettering, and the signature G's around the silver cap. I untwisted. I pulled out the wand. I had a good laugh, and then I went to the lighted makeup mirror where I use the magnified side of the mirror to apply mascara. I bought this when I became so farsighted that I couldn't apply makeup without my eyeglasses, and of course I can't apply eye makeup with eyeglasses on. The mirror was a good investment.

But I digress. On to the product.

I started to apply the mascara at the outer part of my eye, and instantly I saw color and length. In less than one minute I saw every lash on my eye beautifully and evenly coated with mascara, bottom lashes too, invisible lashes I did not know I had, all coated and glossy and thickened and lengthened and even curled! The results were so fast and so dramatic that I could not believe my eyes, literally! My thin, teeny lashes toward the inner corner were also visible, it is so easy to maneuver the little mascara-ball into the corners without fear of poking myself in the eye like I did the first time I used Max Factor's Lash Perfection. The formula is glossy and rich, and felt soft on the lashes with no crispy or dry effect at all. There was absolutely not one single clump and I did not have to reach for the lash comb after application. The formula itself seems creamy, not too dry, not too wet. A second coat wasn't even necessary. My lashes looked like I had applied a set of fakes. After hours of wear, with no drooping and absolutely no flaking at all, (and running back to the mirror to make sure the magic hadn't disappeared,) I've already re-ordered. I can't even imagine bothering to re-try any of the abandoned mascaras in the drawer, in fact, I'm tossing them. I have found my HG mascara, and it deserves its name. It's phenomenal!!

Just when you think you've seen it all, just when you think no company can go any further in terms of formula or applicator or brush or container or tube in launching new mascaras, Givenchy re-invents the wheel. Whoever came up with this little prickly-ball applicator idea should be rewarded with a nice villa in Italy or perhaps an island in the Pacific. It's revolutionary, it's interesting, it's clever, it's different, and above all, it works. It's genius!

Disclosure: The product reviewed was purchased by the reviewer.

I have been addicted to the FOTD(Face of the Day) board on Makeupalley since it premiered. I started following several posters who had great beauty ideas and application skills. I might be a beauty junkie but my skills are far from being considered professional. I just do not have the talent. The talented Judica was born with great lashes and killer blending skills. This is her youtube instruction for MAC's Electroflash and Sonic Chic collection. Besides a killer soundtrack, it also features helpful tips and instruction.
The best tip is when she uses tape to get rid of unwanted sparkles and glitter.
It was so simple and genius.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is a silicon eye primer that manages to quietly take care of crease or fading issues. You truly only need a droplet of product to use. A dollop is too much. The formula is creamy, soft and easy to work with. It is not a struggle to blend or drying like Urban Decays Primer Potion. The primer is the shade of a light concealer, smells like fresh linen and holds onto your eyeshadow with a death grip. Everything from Lancomes Erika F to the taupe in my Wet N' Wild palette survives on my lids. There are no disappearing acts, no fading into the sunset, or melting in the high Midwest humidity. My shadows stayed put with no decrease in smokiness or vibrancy.

Now why does this not win Allure beauty awards or get any love from the MUA gals?
This retails for $17 and is available at Sephora.
http://www.sephora.com/

Disclosure: I purchased this product at my local Sephora store.

Blogdorf Goodman's Drugstore Deals and Steals for July 20th through July 26th 2008

Walgreens

Revlon: 40% off Colorstay cometics
Cetaphil: $6.99 sale price for 16 oz cleanser, cream or lotion
L'Oreal: Advanced Revitalift(5 to 1.7 oz) and Revitalift UV lotion(1.7 oz) is priced at $11.99
Age Perfect Radiance Perfector is priced at $15.99
L'Oreal Cleansers(5 or 8 oz)or 25-20 pack towelettes are on sale for $5.99
Rimmel: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on face or eye cosmetics
Jordana: 2 for $1 on eye or lip pencils(coupon offer)
Nivea: Natural Tone(6.8 to 13.5 oz) is on sale for $5.99
Banana Boat: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on UltraMist spray(6-8oz) or Tanning Oil(8 oz)
La Cross: 33% off grooming tools
ROC: $3 off on assorted skin care
Clearasil: Buy 1, get 50% off on creams or cleansers(.65 to 6.78 oz) or 90 pack pads
University Medical Face Lift: 33% off sale on reversal system,24 hour face lift(10z) and Hydreight moisturizer(3.5 oz)

Target

Clearasil: Ultra daily face wash is $5.99
10% off other selected Biore products
Biore: Pore Strips(8ct) is priced at $5.99
10% off other selected Clearasil products
Revlon: Beyond Natural primer and Skin Matching Makeup is priced at $10.89
10% off other selected Revlon face and eye products

Rite Aid

Revlon: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on cosmetics and beauty tools
Dove: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on original and advanced shampoo, conditioner or stylers
Maybelline: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on lip color or nail enamel
Garnier: $5 rebate on the Eye Roller
L'Oreal HIP: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on cosmetics
L'Oreal Wrinkle Decrease, Skin Genesis or Collagen Remodeler skin care is on sale for $15.99
L'Oreal Advanced revitalift or age perfect skin care is priced at $12.99
L'Oreal: Age Perfect Pro Calcium is priced at $16.99
L'Oreal: skin cleansers or eye makeup removers are priced at $5.99
L'Oreal: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on powder or liquid foundation, concealer or blush
Jane; Buy 1, get 50% off cosmetics
N.Y.C: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on cosmetics
Nivea: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on body care
Olay: Regenerist or Total Effects skin care are $16.99
Complete or Active Hydrating body care or beauty fluid is priced at $9.99

CVS
***I did not get the ad for CVS***
Let us know what the current sales are at your local CVS in the comments.

The Girls with Kaleidoscope Nails
By Melanie Parker

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

You won't want to be a girl with kaleidoscope eyes when girls with Chanel Le Vernis Kaleidoscope nails are all the rage. The standout nail lacquer from the Chanel Fall 2008 beauty collection is the Limited Edition (LE) Kaleidoscope. When I first heard about this new polish, I had hoped that it would have a holographic quality and reflect multiple colors that shifted shades with every turn of my fingers, much like the inner workings of my toy kaleidoscope that I held up to the window and gazed at as a child. But on me, this polish is a highly metallic (also known as a foil finish), molten gold. If anything, it reminds me of the outside of an old brass kaleidoscope. However, the word kaleidoscope is derived from the Greek words kalos (meaning "beautiful"), eidos ( meaning "form or shape") and skopeō (meaning "to look at"). Based on that description, this color is aptly named.

Reviews of this polish's color vary greatly. Some sales associates were telling customers it is cool toned, despite the distinct green hue that it casts in indirect light. Others find it to be a tarnished silver, while on me I see it as an antique brass or foiled khaki hue. I've provided indoor and outdoor photographs in natural lighting conditions. With flash, you can definitely see the high impact of the shimmer. This is definitely a color that changes depending on your skin tone, so your results will vary. I have seen it look stunning on both cool and warm toned hands. Le Vernis Kaleidoscope retails for $20, which reflects a $2 increase in the price of this brand's lacquer.

Another Limited Edition polish from the Chanel Fall 2008 beauty collection is Gold Fiction, which boasts a $30 price tag and provides the wearer with the look of an 18 kt. gold finish. I do not find yellow polishes flattering on any skin tone, and this polish has too much yellow for my taste. And be careful, the glass is sheathed in a gold finish, so you can't see the true polish color in the bottle. I recommend swatching this one at a department store before spending this much money on Gold Fiction.

The third polish in this collection is Fantastic!, and I'm not saying that it is, but that is actually the name of the lacquer. Fantastic! is a deep berry color with a slight shimmer in direct light. In indirect light, it appears to have a creme finish. It's elegant and the most conservative polish in this nail collection. If you have OPI Berry Berry Broadway, you already have a more shimmery version of it and can take a pass. Like Kaleidoscope, it is priced at $20. At this time, all three polishes are still available at Nordstrom.com.

This picture shows how Chanel Kaliedoscope compares with the oxidized silver and gold on a two-toned watchband. I think it favors wearing gold finished jewlery.

Photo Credit: Author Helen Groth photographed by Edwina Pickles Lyrics: John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
All other photos: Melanie Parker
Disclosure: The product featured in this review was a personal purchase by the reviewer.

Chanel Fall 2008 Couture

I know that the reviews have been fairly mixed but I was blown away by the details. Mr Lagerfeld was influenced by pipe organs. There were gauze tubes and the most lovely pins (pictured to the right) I have ever seen. But the most incredible piece was the hood full of roses. It was so lovely it hurt.

Credit: Style.com

Last Call on the Zoya 3 Free Polishes
By Melanie Parker

The Zoya 3 Free blogger promotion ends Saturday, July 19, 2008. This is your last chance to get in on the Blogdorf Goodman promotion by using code BLOG3 at www.zoya.com

Here are some swatches of the three polishes that Annie has picked to represent this blog in the promotion.

Indigo is a dark inky blue shimmer with sparse microglitter. It looks like the night sky on a cloudless night when the stars are shining.

Audrina is a hot purplish pink creme finish. If Ann isn't watching Gossip Girl, you may catch her absorbing a The Hills marathon. So, it's no surprise she picked this one from Zoya's recent Gossip collection to represent a fun summer bright polish for the promotion.

Annie is a tangerine dream of a shimmer finish. It's a deep orange with a gold shimmer flash, that dries darker on the nail. This polish was part of Zoya's recent Chit Chat collection, and was the obvious pick since it is our blog mistress's namesake.

In addition to the BLOG3 promotion, I got the following colors Trixie (silver foil finish), Parker (ballet slipper pink with silver veining), Deidre (a lavender taupe shimmer), Anastasia (merlot and copper duochrome shimmer), Yasmeen (deep plum shimmer), Indigo, Audrina, Annie, and Elke (pinkish red shimmer with gold flashing). And as if the three free polishes weren't enough, Zoya threw in a free large tube of Q Body Intense Total Hydrating Therapy lotion as a promotion of their Qtica brand.

Other bloggers who took part in the Zoya promotion are:

UP3 = Tart, Fergie, Lianne (All Lacquered Up)
BEAUTY3 = Indigo, Nikki, and Tobi (Beauty of Life)
SCRANGIE3 = Yasmeen, Ki, Trixie (Scrangie) Note: I placed 2 separate orders to get in on this code, as well as Blogdorf Goodman's, and there was a production delay with Ki and it did not ship, but you can see Trixie and Yasmeen in the group picture. Ki will ship separately when it becomes available.
ADD3 = Miley, Rea, Stephanie (Polish Addict)
TEMP3 = Tart, Sunny, and Susanne (Temptalia)
PD3 = Lo, Audrina, Elodie (Plain Dealer)
BEAUTY3 = Indigo, Nikki, and Tobi (Beauty of Life)

Shipping runs about $6.95 for 7 polishes through UPS (there is free shipping on larger orders). You can find out more about these products on the http://www.artofbeauty.com/ and http://www.zoya.com/

Political Lippie

Stila’s Rock the Vote Red Lip Color will go on sale today (July 17th)
(EDIT: The presidential lippie will appear on Monday, July 21st)
at www.stilacosmetics.com, and 25% of proceeds from the first 500 sold will be donated to Rock the Vote in support of their efforts to mobilize young people to get involved in the political process.
This bipartisan lippie is a pink red and will retail for $17 bucks.

Color Fever Lipstick Roses

Color Fever Roses is a sensual new Color Fever collection that transforms your lips with shades taken straight from nature. For the first time, Lancôme has captured the actual color of rose petals to create a vibrant collection of 5 new Color Fever Lipstick shades.

This new technology, the Spectrophotometer, creates the "perfect pigment recipe," replicating the exact shade of specific roses.

The shades are Enticing Rose, Rose Tempest, Lancome Rose Bud, Rose Fete and Daring Rose. All are beautiful and perfectly mimic the roses in my garden. They retail for $25 and are available at your local Lancome counter.

http://www.lancome-usa.com/makeup/lipcolor/color-fever-lipstick-roses.htm

The lipglosses blew my mind when I spotted them in Paris. The shades are Femme Petale, Rose Rapture, Rose Jolie, Rose Classique and French Rose. They are not as pigmented as they appear in the tube. They add just a dash of color. The heavenly glosses retail for $23. They have disappeared from my local Lancome counters.
http://www.lancome-usa.com/makeup/gloss/color-fever-gloss-roses.htm

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman's Rose Garden and Lancome