The Best Beauty Tools Part 1

We all can get caught up in the allure of a new cosmetic collection and be swept away by a palette full of tempting colors whether it be plums, taupes, or berries and we start fantasizing about the myriad of color combinations we can create with that makeup.

In reality, tools will take you farther than color and makeup alone. It can additionally help you achieve the look you want in a more polished manner.

Here is an overview of what I deem to be some of the best beauty tools:

• Le Metier De Beaute Eye Lash Curler ($18.00) was just reviewed here for my May favorites. This eye lash curler does not crease, is easy to use and and really helps your lashes maintain its curl. Shu who? 

• MAKE UP FOREVER Double Eye Pencil Sharpener ($7.00) - it accomodates both small and large pencils, the blades are sharp and gives my pencil a sharp edge without breakage, and it is easy to clean. After my Trish McEvoy sharpener crapped out on me, I was in the market for a new one and this sharpener fulfills all my sharpening needs, plus it's sturdy. 

• Le Meier De Beaute Concealer Brush  ($50.00) wide and easy to use with synthetic bristles. It was love at first stroke when I went to order this brush, there was little to no reviews on it so I felt like I was taking a gamble (a small one, but one nonetheless). I am so pleased that I have this brush and it is now my favorite! 

• MAC's #227 Brush ($30.00) I don't talk about MAC on here a lot, I went through my MAC phase but haven't stepped foot in a MAC Cosmetic store in several months. This large fluff brush is labeled under MAC's eye brush section, but I actually use this for my powdered highlighter and sweep it gingerly on top of my cheek bones. I like the size of the bristles and find that the size works perfectly for larger area like my cheek bones and the side of my eyes to blend my makeup out (a trick I picked up from watching Tiffany D.'s makeup tutorials on YouTube).   

• Le Metier De Beaute Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum ($95.00) I'll do a future post on this with pictures and everything, but in the mean time I wanted to talk about this fabulous serum. I was skeptic at first but that skepticism went out the window after about three weeks of use and I woke up to fuller, lusher looking eye lashes. I don't know a single lady that doesn't want fuller lashes, so this is something to consider if you were aching for lash lusciousness. :)

• Evian Facial Spray ($10.00) I'm not sure what category this would really fall under, it's not makeup so I'm putting it here under tools. I use this spray every day after applying my makeup to help it "set". I also will take this with me when I travel and use a "TSA Approved travel size" on the plane, when I feel like my face is so parched from the dry, stifling cabin air. For $10.00 I always have a bottle or two of this stuff in my arsenal. 

• Trish McEvoy Finish Line ($24.00) this incredible dropper contains a waterproof formula that can take your shadows from eye shadow to a liquid liner that won't budge or smudge!   

• Deborah Lippmann The Stripper Nail Polish Remover ($18.00) I've talked about my love for this polish remover back in March, here (who knew one could love a polish remover so much?!) but really it smells good thanks to the lavender addition and makes removing those stubborn glitter nail polishes a breeze! It also comes in a convenient twist cap making it safe for storage and a pump applicator that dispense the right amount of remover! Now that really is special. 

 There are more tools that I have not mentioned and am saving for part 2's installment. I've just wanted to do this post for awhile now and share with you some of favorite my beauty tools. 

What are some of your favorite tools?  

Giorgio Armani's Eyes To Kill in Pulp Fiction #04 Swatch and Review

Ok, so I am probably late to the party on reviewing this, forgive me. My hope is that I am still fashionably late. I resisted these for as long as I could until it gnawed away at me and all my willpower went out the door.

I think I have hesitated on buying these for so long is because, honestly, they scared me. Not in a Jason from "Friday the 13th" movies (seriously one sight of that hockey mask and I'm freaking out) kind of way, but more of a I'm not in my 20's anymore and I'm a mom now type of way. Not that I think mom's have a free pass to look dowdy because they spawned a child, because I don't. I think I just was hesitant that these gorgeous eye shadows would not translate to wearable and appropriate for my lifestyle. I was wrong, they are awesome.

I was excited to see what all the hype was about with these shadows and all I can say is, I get it now. The stay powering is unparalleled, even after washing my arm with soap this eye shadow did not want to budge.  The pigmentation is fantastic. How do you spell gorgeous? P-U-L-P F-I-C-T-I-O-N? I ordered Pulp Fiction #04 from Neiman Marcus online, while I ordered Purpura #03 from Giorgio Armani's website directly (I believe this is a new color and not available yet in stores). Purpura will be reviewed in a future post.

Touted as an eye shadow hybrid, Giorgio Armani has come out with 15 different shadows using innovative bi-polymer technology.  These shadow are suppose to adhere to the lid making it resistant to sweating, creasing, water, and flaking (how cool is that?!). With a brush, it can be applied both wet or dry.  

Retails for $32.00 USD and can be found at high end retailers everywhere (Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, etc.) and found online at giorgioarmanibeauty.com.

Pulp Fiction #04

Simply gorgeous!

Taken with a flash

Taken with no flash - this best represents the color

It looks bronzey here, but I think it's the reddish hue it is picking up

I will definitely be getting more Eyes To Kill silk eye shadow, will you?

Rouge Bunny Rouge Solstice Halcyon Eye Shadow Swatches and Review

Rouge Bunny Rouge is a niche cosmetic company that is exclusive to zuneta.com. Zuneta will ship worldwide and makes these once unattainable brands accessible to everyone. I was so pleased to own a bit of RBR from this whimsical company and I have definitely "fallen down the rabbit hole"...

Here is more information from the company's website "Easily the most imaginative, inspirational and addictive brand we've come across! The formulas are out of this world and we can't get enough of the enchanting product descriptions. Be warned, once you fall down the rabbit hole and try this brand there is no going back..."

I think Solstice Halcyon should be a staple in every woman's cosmetic wardrobe. I don't see any flaws with Solstice, in fact, the color is beautiful.  It can be worn alone for a more natural look, or paired with a darker color blended in the crease can be more dramatic. The company boasts that it is long lasting and  can last 10 hours when worn wet! I cannot attest to that but I'm happy if creasing doesn't happen after a few hours, I'd be pleased with 8! It blends very well and does not just sit on the eye lid but merges well with other shadows.

Solstice Halcyon is part of their 'when the birds are singing collection' they describe it as a semi-matte mauve beige. This particular shadow is a pleasure to blend and the texture is velvety smooth. Call me crazy but on my screen it is pulling out a peach color that on my arm and in the pan I just don't see. As usual, it is hard to capture the beauty of all this makeup on a computer screen.

I'm going to let the pictures do the rest of the talking since a picture is worth a 1,000 words after all. I encourage you to check out Rouge Bunny's website when you have a spare moment.

This one shadow has enchanted me greatly and I am already planning my next Rouge Bunny Rouge purchase! I mentioned that I may have just found my holy grail eye shadow here but this definitely needs to be added to this list!

All pictures were taken in direct sunlight. I love that that finely milled sparkles to this shadow appear.

With tax the shadow retails for $34.12 USD and is approximately 21£ and you get 2.4 g. worth of product.

Isn't Solstice Halcyon yummy? Will you be purchasing this, if you do not already own it? 

Edward Bess Deep Shine Lip Gloss - French Lace - Swatches and Review

I always feel weird saying anything less than positive about any product, especially one by a brand that I have come to know and love. There I said it - confessions of a beauty blogger. With that being said, I resolved to be objective and point out both the positive and negative in a product, aiming in the hopes that with enough feedback from enough people the appropriate people catch wind and changes can be made turning the negative into a positive.

The product in this review is Edward Bess' Deep Shine Lip Gloss in 'French Lace' - a pale, creamy pink gloss. I was in the market for a more subdued pink as I have plenty of peachy pink glosses and plenty of bubblegum pinks in my arsenal. Toss in a couple of hot pinks and that rounds out my collection. What I do not have is a faint pink gloss. Enter 'French Lace'. It seemed serendipitous that I stumbled upon The Everyday Beauty blog where she just happened to be featuring said lip gloss and I just happened to be needing wanting the exact lip gloss she was describing and by Edward Bess of all people!!! I think I rushed off to the Neiman Marcus website to order before I could even read the rest of her review, I was that excited. I think if I didn't have that darn beauty ADD of mine, I may have just paused enough to read the rest before hitting 'order' on my computer screen. I may have just saved myself $30.00. Oh, who am I kidding? I would have probably still ordered it because I was looking for a reason to order this and then this review practically fell in my lap!

Shown here: three swipes of gloss 

The good about this lip gloss:

• It's lanolin-free. 

• The color is really pretty. I do like the fact that I don't already own something in the same family as this color. 

• The lip gloss smells good as you are hit with his signature fig scent when using this. The smell doesn't last too long, but if you are sensitive to smell heed this as a word of caution.  

The ok about this lip gloss: 

• The applicator is not my favorite either. My favorite is the doe-footed ones ala Chanel's Rogue Allure's. The sponged tipped applicator is sufficient but considering this is part of a premium cosmetic line I expect something above sufficient. 

The not so good about this lip gloss:

• It is sticky and I do not like the way it feels on my lips. I want to grab the nearest napkin and rub it off, not what I had in mind when applying this. The lipgloss claims to be hydrating, I disagree -sticky does not equal hydration. 

• It is rather a pain in the you-know-what to apply. I have read he changed his packaging rather recently and from what I have gathered not all those changes were welcomed. Seeing how this is my first lip gloss from him, I have nothing to compare it too. I can attest to the fact that if he did make the opening to this gloss smaller and make it more of a challenge to get enough gloss to adequately coat your lips, then I would say no dice! Do not think you can swiftly put this on without going unnoticed in public unless you were trying to bring attention to the fact that you are putting on your lip gloss after dipping the applicator several times. 

• The gloss also claims to have an exclusive treatment (not sure what???) that "ensures fullness" - my lips look the same to me before as after wearing this. 

The lip gloss can be purchased for $30.00 at http://www.neimanmarcus.com or http://www.edwardbess.com. You can find it at brick and mortar stores at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills or in New York City at Bergdorf Goodman's. For those in the UK, you can purchase Edward Bess products through http://www.zuneta.com/. 

What is your holy grail lip gloss? Mine is Chanel (Glossimers, Rogue Allure's, etc.) 

May 2011 Favorites

Even though May had 31 days in it, it did seem to go by rather quickly. Here are the products (some I have talked about before, some I have not) that I got a lot of use out of and helped keep me purdy throughout the month: 

• Le Metier de Beaute eye lash curler is in a class of it's own. This replaced my Shu-Umera curler the instant I tried it. Ever since, I have been giving Shu the cold shoulder. Retails for $18.00 and is worth every penny.

• Butter London's nail lacquer in 'Snog' looks great to use in a summer pedicure or for those more daring, just as great on the fingers. It is as hot-pink as you get without venturing into neon territory. Retails for $14.00

• Chanel's Base Lumiere is a fantastic illuminating makeup base that gives you that "glow from within" look, perfect for layering under your foundation. Retails for $42.00 

• Edward Bess' Ultra Luminous Shadow in 'Storm' is my holy grail shadow to date. I love how buttery soft the texture is and the color is gorgeous! I have a weakness for silvery/mauvey taupes (and yes that is a color! ;) ). Retails for  $30.00 

• Le Metier De Beaute's Crease Brush is a recent acquisition of mine. From the day I received it, I wondered how I got by without it. The capability to make my makeup look blended is awesome with this brush. Retails for $45.00 

• Chantecaille's Brillant Gloss in 'Love', with one swipe my lips look perfectly kissable. *mwaaa* It is also such a delicate pink -- perfect for running my errands in. Retails for $28.00

• Another one of my favorites is Le Metier De Beaute's Dualistic Eye Pencil in 'Tamarack' which can serve as both an eye shadow base or as a liner. The color depth of this gorgeous brown is something that one can only be appreciated in person. Retails for $36.00

What were your May favorites? Please share, I love finding new product discoveries.