November Spawned a Monster

I am spending my Sunday afternoon on the Luckyscent website. CB I Hate Perfume has a new scent named November.

The notes are a hodgepodge of the smells of fall from pumpkin pie to bonfires.
The other notes listed are fallen apples, wood smoke, dried grass, fallen leaves, wet branches, damp moss, chanterelle mushrooms and a hint of pine forest.

CB I Hate Perfume captures moments like no other fragrance company. His gems smell like the air before a thunderstorm or the forest floor after a good rain. The scents might be difficult to wear but are worth owning. Sometimes you just need to smell the beach in 1966 or a baby doll's head. You need to go back to a memory to find comfort or clarity.

Speaking of memories and finding clarity, there is something about listening to a Morrisey song on a Sunday afternoon.
He captures despair, longing and how it sucks to be alone.
He never gets the boy and likes to whine about it.
We are two peas in a pod. We both can not dance and like to be pelted with lilies.

Yesterday, Morrisey collasped while performing and was taken to a hopsital.
If you are a fan...send a little prayer or get well vibe his way.

Visit Luckyscent for CB I Hate Perfume details and lemming opportunities.
http://www.luckyscent.com/

Disclaimer: I do not have a sample of this scent.
This is just a rambling lemming.

Credits: Luckyscent and Morrisey.

The Tale of The Black Forest

Bobbi Brown's Forest Shimmer Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

This is a deep forest, slightly sooty green with gold pearl action. It is in the same family as MAC's Greensmoke eyeshadow. The depth of the color is astounding. It is gothic dark and mysterious. Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliners are whipped smooth but are tough as nails. It will not budge on the lid.
It retails for $21 and is available at your local Bobbi Brown counter.

Visit http://www.bobbibrown.com/ for more information.

Swatch Picture: From top to bottom-MAC's Greensmoke(wet), MAC's Greensmoke(dry) and Bobbi Brown's Forest Shimmer Ink Gel Eyeliner

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bobbi Brown

Never Invest In Any Idea You Can't Illustrate With A Crayon

Bobbi Brown Lip Crayon from Fall 2009

This chubby pencil combines the lux feeling of a high end lipstick with the ease of a pencil. The creamy texture is slightly startling. It feels too moisturizing and cashmere-like to be a pencil. Each husky pencil comes with a handy sharpener and retails for $22. The shades are honeysuckle, coral pink, raisin berry, posey, dusty nude and wild rose. The only drawback is the taste. My BB chubs never had a taste or scent before. I can not pinpoint what I am tasting. Is it mint? Let me know in the comments.

Pictured above is Dusty Nude
Quote from Peter Lynch
Visit http://www.bobbibrown.com/ for more information

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bobbi Brown

No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher's dirty looks.

"Pencils are black in a big way for fall. They're quick, mistake-proof and can go from subtle to bold in one easy stroke"
Quote from Bobbi Brown

This is a creamy pencil that applies like a dream. It glides on smooth and features a built-in smudger on the opposite end to soften the liner for easy smoky eyes. Each pencil comes with a complimentary sharpener. It is available in 9 shades.
Jet
Walnut
Caviar
Midnight
Hunter
Brown Plum
Dusk
Charcoal
Mahogany

I am currently testing Jet. This is a sooty black that manages to stay put on my upper lid. Application is truly a dream. It does not drag, crumble or gook up. Jet does not survive a full day on my waterline...but no one ever does. Curse my damp lid ridge!
The black is pretty dark but nothing like MAC's Feline.

They are currently at your local Bobbi Brown counter and retail for $20.
visit http://www.bobbibrown.com/

Title from Alice Cooper
Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bobbi Brown

Ivy League Admissions

Bobbi Brown's Ivy League Collection for Fall 2009
Review for Bash Metallic Eye Shadow

This limited edition eye shadow is from the Fall 2009 collection from Bobbi Brown. The collection is called Ivy League and features an assortment of fabulous creamy eye pencils, lip crayons, a new gel eyeliner and two new eye shadows.

Bash is a metallic sooty myrtle green shade. The color straddles the line of a leafy spinach and a British racing green. Bash is glorious.

The texture and pigment of Bobbi Brown metallic shadows is first rate. They have great depth and fire and feel like cashmere. Bash retails for $20 and is available at your local Bobbi Brown counter. Visit http://www.bobbibrown.com/ for more information.


Pictured: Bash with a wet and dry application.






Credit: Blogdorf Goodman and Bobbi Brown

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bobbi Brown

Studio Visit: Preview of MAC’s Fall 2009 Color Collection
By Jessica M and Angie W


The Fall 2009 color collection from MAC is called “Make-Up Art Cosmetics,” and it brings MAC back to its original theme of makeup as a form of creative self-expression. For this collection, MAC collaborated with three artists who take imaginative approaches to beauty in their own art. Thanks to Annie, the two of us were able to attend a special evening celebrating the collection in New York.

Our first destination was a gathering at the artist Marilyn Minter’s studio. Minter’s signature style blurs the line between fine art and advertising. Her bold, close-up photographs of women’s lavishly made-up faces draw out the decadent, messy side of glamour, and her recent video, titled “Green Pink Caviar,” focuses on lipsticked mouths eating candy and other sticky treats.

Minter’s studio, on an upper floor of a classic cast-iron building in SoHo, was crowded with a festive and stylish group of beauty experts and art fans for the MAC event. Waiters in MAC/Minter t-shirts were offering dishes of ice cream with do-it-yourself sprinkles, and the walls were decorated with images from the artist’s recent work. We were able to view the pigments and glitters that MAC developed in cooperation with Minter, and their dazzling, sparkling tones made even more sense when we saw them in the context of the artist’s photographs, paintings, and art supplies.

Our second stop was a pre-war building on a side-street in Greenwich Village. We took the elevator up to the artist Maira Kalman’s apartment and found ourselves in the middle of a chatty, intimate get-together. Kalman’s illustrations have appeared everywhere from children’s books to The New Yorker magazine. She’s known for her quirky wit, her love of everyday things, her affectionate caricatures of her fellow city-dwellers, and her playful, sophisticated use of color.

Just as in Minter’s studio, were able to see Kalman’s personal belongings, well-stocked bookcases, and home décor as sources for her art. We admired her displays of vintage hats and shoes, in particular, and we nibbled hors d’oeuvres that were clever updates on comfort foods, like tiny egg-salad sandwiches and little mac-and-cheese croquettes, paired with refreshing pomegranate mojitos. The waiters at this second event were wearing MAC/Kalman t-shirts, and we really started hoping that all these shirts will be available for purchase along with the makeup! Speaking of the makeup, we had a sneak peek at a range of eye shadows and “Technakohl” liners inspired by Kalman’s work, and we noticed that their bright and pastel shades are similar to the colors she favors in her illustrations.

We were temporarily distracted from our thoughts about makeup and art when we spotted Isaac Mizrahi, an old friend of Maira Kalman, making his way through the room. And if we had attended the third event of the night, a party at the Chelsea studio of painter Richard Phillips, we would have sighted more stars, including designers Gareth Pugh and Erin Featherston, not to mention Ed Westwick from “Gossip Girl.” (Sorry, Annie! We know you love Chuck Bass!) But we needed our beauty sleep in order to get up early for our day-jobs the next morning...oh well! In any case, we’re really looking forward to seeing the whole product line in stores soon.

MAC’s Fall Color Collection, “Make-Up Art Cosmetics,” is scheduled to launch on August 20, 2009 in the USA. You can read more about the collection at http://www.specktra.net/2009/07/14/mac-make-up-art-collection-product-images

Photos by Jessica M.

Kalman illustration from The Elements of Style (Penguin Press, 2005).

Declaring Indigo by Lancome




You might be seeing this photo on all the blogs tonight. This is the first image released from the upcoming fall collection called Declaring Indigo. The color collection celebrates all things Paris. There will be red lipsticks (*silently begs the gods for a Behnaz dupe*)and a navy blue nail polish. Of course, there is more to this collection than that. My 100% focus is on that stunning brush set featured in the latest Allure magazine. I think Lancome has awakened the beast in me. That set has to be mine.

The brush set is exclusive to Nordstorm and is available for pre-order at this link: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3037244/0~2376780~6009391~6016274~6018544?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6018544&P=1
***People: I have not ordered it yet...so please do make it sell out until after the weekend. I need to let my credit card cool down after the damage I did at the Beautyhabit sale this afternoon.***

Visit the Lancome blog and read Kerry Diamond's post about the collection:
http://www.thelancomeblog.blogspot.com/

Protect Me From What I Want

A review of Jill Stuart Tint Liquid Foundation Control Color

I have lemmed and swooned over Jill Stuart cosmetics ever since I spotted a shimmery eye shadow palette on Makeupalley. I remember that day well.

It was morning. I was sneaking MUA time at work. I was sipping a coffee with some blueberry creamer in it. It was an average day and nothing indicated that something huge was going to take place. Then a fellow muaer posted a picture of a eye shadow palette that she got in Japan. MUAers post makeup porn all the time.
I opened up the post and lost my mind.

I became slightly obsessed with all things Jill Stuart. I scoured the net for glimpses of other products. I paid closer attention to her runway shows and wistfully wondered if it was her own lipsticks that adorned the models. When I tried to do The Secret, I used a picture of a palette on my "inspiration board". This could explain why I am single and alone. I should have put a picture of a dream man on that board instead of a beauty item. But if I was honest with myself...I really would have a hard time choosing my soul mate or being able to purchase Jill Stuart cosmetics in the US. I want them both so badly. But a Jill Stuart primer will never break my heart and will make my pores appear smaller.

I have finally got my hands on a Jill Stuart product. I have been testing the Tint Liquid Foundation Control Color. This foundation has a very light texture with awe-inspiring coverage skills. My imperfections were covered yet my face looked natural. There was no caking, morphing or settling into any crevices or pores. It gave a matte finish and dried fairly quickly. I applied the foundation directly on my face with my fingers and used a sponge to do the blending. This application worked very well. I had no situations or streaks. Lasting power was above average but it did not score as high as La Mer. La Mer foundation is a beast when it comes to staying power. Overall, I can see what the fuss is all about. Jill Stuart foundation is amazing and certainly worth all the coin and praise. Rumors swirl over the US release date. It was first reported that it would appear in March at the Jill Stuart NYC Soho boutique. It is now June and there is still no word on a release date or any information on when our lemmings will be satisfied.

So until the long awaited launch...we will get our Jill Stuart fixes on the MUA makeup board and the blog Musings of a Muse.

If anyone knows anything about the US launch date let us know in the comments.

Hawthorn Heights with Chanel: My first fall lemming....

They say hawthorn is supposed to heal a broken heart.
So I might need to drink this bottle.

Beige is a new addition to the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection. It looks like it will be exclusive to Saks according to their latest catalog. The range is usually only found at Bergdorf Goodman or Chanel boutiques. The notes range from hawthorn to frangipani. There is also a touch of honey. The only ingredient that gives me pause is freesia.
Freesia and I fell out a long time ago...

The EDT bottle is 6.8 fl.oz and retails for $190.
I have not had the pleasure of a sniff... so let us know the real scoop in the comments.