Preview: Marc Jacobs Beauty

Hi folks!

Yes, I know I’ve been gone for a looonnnggg time (and an even longer story) but I’m back and guess what I’ve brought with me? Not just a preview, but some nice picspam of the new Marc Jacobs Beauty collection that premiered at Sephora on August 9th!

Marc Jacobs Beauty coming to Sephora on 9 August 2013!

Marc Jacobs Beauty has come to Sephora as of 9 August 2013!

Sephora addicts, I mean, VIB’s got the chance to purchase from a select few items for 48 hours and the two products I chose were the Magic Marc’er eyeliner and Lust for Lacquer lip vinyl in ‘Stolen Kisses’.

Standard Disclaimer > I own stock in LVMH which is the parent company of Marc Jacobs Beauty.

‘Stolen Kisses’ Lip Vinyl by Marc Jacobs Beauty – $28

Close-up of ‘Stolen Kisses’ Lip Vinyl from Marc Jacobs Beauty. Does my new digital SLR camera take great pics or what?

Me being the lip gloss junkie that I am, I picked up Stolen Kisses–a lovely deep raspberry with shimmer and a sheer finish. Reminds me of a Wet & Wild lipgloss I could barely afford when I was a high school student in the 80’s (yes, dating myself here). Wore a really nice few hours (about three) through Wawa coffee, a glass of water and tea. I reapplied it after a few hours purely because I love the tingly feel. It just feels good to put on!

However, at the $28 price tag I was a bit torn about purchasing another. My gold standard in lipgloss, Illamasqua intense lip gloss, comes in at around $20 and has more staying power and intense color. But in Marc Jacobs’ favor his lip vinyls have a little ‘paddle’ foot applicator (Illamasqua’s has a small brush) which is wonderful for gals like me who have very full lips. Now I did get a chance to see the entire lip vinyl collection in person and was pleased to find out that unlike Stolen Kisses, there are more opaque lip vinyls that literally were packed with color. Truth Or Dare and Boom Boom! are tops on my list for my next haul.

Magic Marc’er in ‘Blacquer’ – $30

Picked this calligraphy-style eyeliner pen in Blacquer. Love,love, LOVE how balanced this felt-tipped eyeliner feels in my hand to produce such a precisely lined eye it’s to die for. When I say ‘balanced’, I mean the design makes it easier to concentrate on where you want to exactly line your eyes and it is very easy to use whether you are a novice or an expert. The black is very black. One of my biggest pet peeves about black eyeliner is that most of the ones on the market are ‘off black’. This one is anything but.

If I had to buy just *one* item from the Marc Jacobs Beauty collection it would be this eyeliner. The fact this eyeliner is manufactured in Japan is not to be overlooked. Once you hold in in your hands, and see how easy it is to line your eyes, you’ll wonder what you ever did without this. On a side note, you could tuck this baby in with your folio alongside of another pen and who would know the difference but you?

Main Picture One (Magic Marc’er lining eyes, Stolen Kisses Lip Vinyl on lips)

For more Marc Jacobs Beauty items that have caught my eye, and some ‘in the wild’ pics I took of the collection at Sephora, beam on over to my Pinterest board. To purchase, head on over to Sephora.com, MarcJacobs.com or your freestanding Sephora store.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Nail Polishes — Love the bottle design and the colors.

Love the photography on this campaign! Also, the Vamp eyeshadow palette (erroneously labeled as The Lolita) is my favorite for Fall. I wish the case wasn’t plastic though.

Lip Glosses and Nail Polishes by Marc Jacobs Beauty.

More nail polishes, blushes and face powders by Marc Jacobs Beauty

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MAC PRO NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!!!

MAC PRO now available online to all!

Yes, this post is worthy of the caps in the headline.

Finally, MAC has made some of its most coveted (and hauled by yours truly) products from their PRO line available online at MACcosmetics.com. These are products and colors not regularly sold outside of MAC PRO stores unless repromoted in special collections or popping up unannounced on the website for sale. Before you run off to the site with credit card in hand, here are a few items I highly recommend purchasing.

Chromaline in BlackBlack

This is without a doubt the BLACKEST and most long-lasting gel eyeliner I have ever used. It is a waterproof gel/cream and It lasts through sweat, humidity (yes I have Florida tested it) and applies smooth and precisely. The pigmentation is second to none and no other black gel eyeliner I have tried has come close to how black this is. I personally like using a light line of this along my lashline to use as a ‘guide’ to putting on false eyelashes.

Chromagraphic Pencil in Hi-Def Cyan and Process Magenta

These brightly-colored pencils are very soft and go on smoother than the eye and lip pencils in MAC’s regular retail range. Hi-Def Cyan is truly cyan as in #E0FFFF hex code and the glowing blue color from TRON which looks amazing paired up with a black & silver smokey eye. I like to use the Process Magenta color as a lip liner to amp up pink and purple lipsticks.

Mixing Medium in Shine and Matte

Ever wonder how to get those gorgeous MAC pigments to stick on your lid? Have a fancy to fiddle with finishes? These mixing mediums are great to use to apply and punch up the intensity of MAC pigments, or to use with the eye shadows should you choose to. If you are a pigment hoarder like I am, you need this product in BOTH formulations.

Pigment in Kelly Green and Electric Coral, Eye Shadow in Bottle Green and Blue Calm

MAC pigments serve as wonderful bases in order to amp up your eyeshadow color. Kelly Green is a gorgeous green well-suited to cool skintones, and Electric Coral is just cool enough to make coral eyeshadows like Paradisco and Motif pop. I am very partial to MAC Veluxe Pearl finishes and bright blues so Blue Calm is a must while Bottle Green is a gorgeous dark matte green perfect for Fall/winter.

So those are all of my must haves. Of course the MAC Pro collection has lots of other lipstick colors (Violetta is definitely worth checking out) and items so definitely visit the website to see what goodies tickle your fancy.

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Tarte Cosmetics 30% off Friends And Family Sale!

Tarte Friends & Family 30% off sale? Step away from the blush and nobody gets hurt!

If you’re a bona-fide Tartlette you understand full well my excitement at the 30% off Friends and Family sale Tarte Cosmetics has going on at their website. And even if you’re not a Tartlette yet, now is a great time to initiate yourself into the cosmetic awesomeness that Tarte. Use the code FFAUG through August 8, 2012.

Here are my recommended picks to haul during the sale.

Amazonian Clay Long-Wearing Blush

Blushaholics can’t truly call themselves one unless they own one of these amazing blushes. Made with Amazonian clay, they are moisturizing to dry skin yet oil-resistant enough to withstand even my OPEC-threatening oily skin. These blushes are very pigmented and you need very little to start with and the coverage is buildable. For those with dark skin, be wary of the very light shades as while the color does build up, fair shades will look ashy on dark skin. My favorite blush colors (and the ones I own) are Frisky, Tipsy, Amused and Flush. I’ve tested these in the hot Florida heat and while there was some fading of the color at about 4 – 5 hours, a quick re-touch with a little product brought it back to life.

Swatches of my beloved Tarte Amazonian Blushes!

Amazonian Clay SPF15 12 Hr Full Coverage Foundation

This foundation is waterproof and is so light on the skin it is a godsend for oily-skinned gals. Unfortunately I returned the color I bought (Deep) as it is made for dark-skinned beauties with yellow undertones, not us red undertoned gals. That aside the foundation performs well, blends effortlessly, is long-wearing and comfortable even on my sensitive acne-prone skin. Hopefully Tarte will make a dark shade with red undertones in the future.

Amazonian Clay emphasEYES Eyeliner

If I didn’t already own an obscene amount of MAC fluidlines and YSL gel eyeliners I would so haul some from Tarte. Made with Amazonian clay, these waterproof eyeliners are softer than MAC’s yet a bit stiffer than YSL’s but come in a very wearable range of five (5) shades. A nice bonus is all shades of Tarte’s waterproof eyeliner come with a brush to line and smudge the product on your lids.

So what are you hauling from the sale? Got anything you’ve just gotta have? Comment and let everyone know!

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Makeup Intelligence: Chanel Summer 2012 [Updated!]

UPDATE! This collection is NOW AVAILABLE on Chanel.com‘s website.

Thanks to CafeMakeup.com, there are some preliminary images of Chanel’s Summer 2012 collection. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Chanel 2012 Summer Collection -- Pretty heavy on the warm colors. (source: CafeMakeup.com)

I really can’t say I’m enthused about this collection. The colors skew too warm for me and the palette is rather bland. This is definitely a collection for those who aren’t big risk takers in the color department this Summer. What are your thoughts?