Moon Over Blogdorf: Jill Stuart's Illuminance Eyes in Dazzling Moon

All lemmings can be traced back to the online beauty juggernaut called Makeupalley. This is like an opium den for beauty addicts and junkies. Every Makeupalley board has their specific beauty drug of choice. The perfume crowd salivate over the new Serge Luten's release. The nail girls talk about the Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes in reverent tones. The fashion gang loves J Crew so much that it is often referred to as "JCrack". The makeup crew has board hiccups when a new MAC collection is launched.

Each board on Makeupalley has different cliques and gangs. For the most part, the boards are friendly and open to newcomers. But there are groups that emerge that can mimic your high school cafeteria.
So who do I think is the coolest group on the makeup board?
The muaers who are into the Japanese makeup brands. Their high school equivalent is the bad girls who smoke behind the gym and date the hottest guys in town. They are the Pink Siths of the world.

I can finally hold my head high in the cool mua circles. I am the proud owner of a Jill Stuart eye shadow palette. Everything that has been written about Jill Stuart cosmetics is 100% true. Pigment and shimmer power can not be matched by anyone. The texture is buttery smooth.

My palette came straight from the shores of Japan. I was very lucky to have a good friend and the very first beauty blogger Koneko do a custom purchase for me. I gave her no direction. All I said was "pick the best one with a whole lot of shimmer fire".
Koneko selected the most magnificent palette called Dazzling Moon. It is slightly unique among the Jill Stuart palettes. It does not have a pinkish shade in the mix. There is a silver fox shimmer with a metallic tint of pale gray, a sheer cold lavender that relects blue, an iris tinged blue and a sooty black with multi-colored shimmer sparks. All infused with a glittery fire that surpasses any US brand.

Jill Stuart Cosmetics are not available in the United States. You can order from these online sources: http://ichibankao.com/default.aspx
http://www.bobodave.com/

There are other Illuminance palettes.

The others are:

#01 Jewel Dress

#02 Fantastic Light

#03 Brocade Gold

#04 Aqua Crystal

#06 Blossoming Shine

#07 Layered Gem

#08 Dazzling Moon

Chasing Liberty

MAC Cosmetics and Target released their Liberty inspired collections almost simultaneously. Both collections quickly sold out online. Liberty of London is known for flowery, art nouveau prints. The shop opened in 1875 and sold fabric and objects from the East. Clients included Oscar Wilde and artists from the arts&crafts and art nouveau movements.
You can spot a Liberty print from a mile away. The flowers are tiny, bright and plentiful. The vines are cluttered and tangled. There are partridge birds and fruits. Everything is either cheerful or gothic romantic like Wuthering Heights.

So who had the better representation of the look and philosophy of Liberty fabric?
MAC Cosmetics.

I was bitterly disappointed with the Target line.
I purchased a scarf sight unseen.
Huge mistake. It looked like a bed sheet with cheap tassels.
To put it simply...it was a hot mess.
The print is all Liberty. The flowers are perky and happy. The color scheme is mint and buttery yellows. The quality of the fabric is not well translated.




MAC's Liberty collection was pure perfection. It captured the essence of Liberty.

The product and paper packaging is based on a William Morris design called Strawberry Thief. This print is littered with birds, leaves, vines, strawberries and flowers.

Open up the package, and you are greeted with friendly and colorful posies. It is a whimsical and lovely surprise!

The lippies are on the bright side.
1. Peachstock is a peach nude with no pink undertones. Great for olive toned gals! (satin)
2. Ever Hip is a creamy, light coral with a pink undertone. (cremesheen)
3. Blooming Lovely is a creamy, greyed out lilac. Less Blue than Lavender Whip. (amplified)
4. Petals and Peacocks is a creamy, ultra bright magenta pink(amplified formula). Brighter and more intense than MAC 's Show Orchid.



The lipglasses are pink twinged.
1. Frankly Fresh is a neutral pink beige pearl.
2. Perennial High Style is a bright coral with a rose undertone.



3. English Accents is a mid-toned lavender pink
and the one that seems out of place with the pinks is
A Different Groove which is a deep purple brown with pearl. This is more William Morris inspired.

The eye shadows capture the shades used in Liberty prints.
1. Give Me Liberty of London is a flat, matte sheer posey pink.
2. Free to Be sounds like a Chemical Brothers song and is a true matte coral.
3. Dames Desire is a frosty, reddish purple.
4. Bough Grey is a blueish gray with a quirky hint of green fire. Worth the buzz.


5. Birds and Berries is a dark, frosted teal blue with green flashes.

Nail Lacquer
1. Vestral White is a creamy white
2. Blue India is a cool, cornflower blue toned gray. This is a creme formula with no shimmer. I have layered it with great success with OPI's Alice in Wonderland shimmers.


The Powder Blushes are:
Prim & Proper is a neutral nude, satin formula and
Dirty Plum is a sheer, matte dark plum. Dirty Plum is hard for me to wear.

Beauty Powder
Shell Pearl(pictured) is a pale peach with gold pearl. It is the most perfect touch of apricot! I have been layering it with Ripe Peach with great success.


Summer Rose is a soft violet pink with pearl. Very flush-like.

This collection will be difficult to locate since it largely sold out and old by makeupalley standards. However, there are stragglers here and there.

Readers: If you have spotted this collection at your local MAC counter or free standing store...speak up and let us know. Tell us the store and phone number in the comments.

True Love Waits

The spring press releases are arriving in my mail box. I got excited by the Nars offering based on the description below.

Inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s role as Lucille in La Chamade, the NARS Spring 2010 Collection features soft, sexy shades that are as elegant as they are versatile.

I was stoked until I saw the pictures. The lippie looks Chamade worthy but the grape nail polish has me at a loss.


“I love Catherine’s makeup look in this movie,” says François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics who chose supermodel Amber Valletta for the campaign. “It’s very sophisticated and bourgeois in a Parisian ‘16th Arrondissement’ way. She is the perfect reference for this collection, and apropos for spring, a time to embrace color and get noticed.”

NARS Cruising Lipstick- $24

This subtle, sexy pink lipstick hue provides a sheer natural long-lasting color

NARS Lip Gloss- $24

Easy Lover-Serious luster meets sexy color in this ultra-sheer hot pink lip gloss

Ophelia- This high-shine strawberry nectar lip gloss is deliciously sweet and seductive

NARS Purple Rain Nail Polish - $16

This intensely gothic purple is a bright and audacious shade destined to become a modern classic. (nothing says Catherine Deneuve like a Prince song!)

NARS D. Gorgeous Single Eyeshadow-$23

This dusty lilac powder eyeshadow yields just a hint of flirtation, but never misses its mark

NARS Camargue Duo Cream Eyeshadow-$32

Named for the deep, dancing, sun-cast hues found in the French river delta, this pairing of golden moss and sienna, with multi-colored reflections comes in a soft-blending, glistening cream eyeshadow formula

NARS Kuala Lumpur Duo Eyeshadow-$32

Like its Malaysian city namesake, this perfectly harmonized gold infused rose and boysenberry pairing is influenced by contrasts—rich and subtle, traditional yet modern

NARS Glitter Pencil-$24




This bright sky blue, silver glitter-infused hue delivers powerful, vibrant color that slides on smooth and remains creamy for blending

The Spring 2010 collection will be available on January 15, 2010 at narscosmetics.com

Has this collection arrived at your counters yet? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Credits: Youtube and Nars PR