Julep Warehouse Sale

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Julep warehouse sale is going on now! Some older items are as low as $2.99.

Beautylish: Lucky Bag 2014

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It’s finally here! Beautylish’s Lucky Bags!

The Beautylish Lucky Bag

$150+ worth of amazing full-size products (a mix of new goodies and favorites from last season) for $75.
Pre-order now through Dec. 31; bags ship Jan. 2.

Natural
You love products, but lean toward a more neutral palette and prefer quick and easy looks.
http://shrsl.com/?~4s1k

Bold
Bright colors and dramatic makeup are part of your routine, and you’d be totally willing to try glitter lips and contouring.
http://shrsl.com/?~4s1l

EM Michelle Phan brushes

EM Michelle Phan has released new items to their site – BRUSHES! All brushes are synthetic but other than that I have no idea of the quality.

	lip brush play up your lip color with the perfect tool. this brush works with any lip formula – applies smoothly and evenly every time. precision flat tip allows you to outline lips before you fill in with color. handcrafted of 100% synthetic fibers how to: this brush has the perfect shape to define your lips and fill them in with ultimate precision; now you can rock the red lip! Price: $12
	angled eye liner brush this brush is the best of both worlds – it’s firm enough for pickup yet soft enough to apply on your lash line (even the delicate inner water line). works with any eye liner formula – powder, cream or gel. handcrafted with 100% mixed synthetic fibers how to: gently dab onto powder, cream, gel and glide brush along the lash line for a smooth deposit of color. Price: $12
	angled shadow brush this brush is great for applying shadow to the corners of your eyes as well as shaping for more contour and depth. handcrafted of 100% mixed synthetic fibers. how to: use the angled side to run across the middle of your lid (feel the eye socket and use back and forth motions to create the contoured look) Price: $15
	all over shadow brush this brush is great for applying shadow to the corners of your eyes as well as shaping for more contour and depth. handcrafted of 100% mixed synthetic fibers how to: use the angled side to run across the middle of your lid (feel the eye socket and use back and forth motions to create the contoured look) Price: $15
	angled blush brush this brush has the perfect angle to use for all your face color needs, from contouring to blushing or bronzing. hand crafted of 100% synthetic fibers how to: for a fresh look –apply blush to the apples of your cheeks. for an all-over bronze look – use brush in a 3-motion shape from your temple to cheekbone to your jaw line. to contour – make a fishy-face then run the brush in the hollows. Price: $24
	flat foundation brush use to apply liquid foundation, cc cream, or highlighter. your makeup will go on more smoothly and evenly for a flawless look every time! handcrafted of 100% synthetic fibers how to: use short, even brush strokes until blended. Price :$26
	pointed foundation brush use to apply liquid foundation, cc cream, or highlighter. it’s perfect to smooth out hard to blend spots – eyes, nose, and mouth area. handcrafted of 100% synthetic fibers. how to: use gentle dabbing motions to blend and smooth out small areas Price: $26
	all over face brush this brush is the go-to brush for all your face powder needs to blush, powder, highlight or bronze your face to perfection every time! handcrafted of 100% synthetic fibers how to: sweep any powder all over your face evenly and smoothly. its soft texture is so luxurious; you’ll want to use it all the time. Price: $29

FDS Personals Perfectly Portable Cleansing Cloths

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FDS – “Feminine, Discreet, Sensual” has over 40 years of experience with a wide range of feminine care products ranging from sprays to feminine washes and now Personal Perfectly Portable Cleansing Cloths.

These cleansing clothes are similar to other feminine hygiene cleansing cloths already on the market but the difference between these and others is that these are packaged in a pack of 10 that makes these look like cosmetic wipes instead of individually wrapped such as Always Wipes-to-Go or U by Kotex Refresh Flushable Moist Wipes.

These are available only at select Walmart stores for $4.99-$5.99.

From Walmart’s site:

• Mild and non-irritating
• Gentle enough for sensitive skin
• Enriched with natural extracts and moisturizing aloe vera
• pH balanced
• Discreet and flushable
• Hypoallergenic
• Free of parabens, sulfates, dyes and alcohol

These are a bit more dry than baby wipes which would be a fair comparison since both are essentially for the same region of a person’s body. These are also more narrow than a single baby wipe. Huggies One & Done Baby Wipes are 7.7 x 6.7 inches while these FDS Personals are 4.7 x 7.5 inches so there’s that to consider. I do like the packaging. The packaging is cute and fun looking and most people wouldn’t recognize it as being a package of feminine cleansing wipes.

Would I buy these for myself? At this point in time I’m not sure. These FDS cleansing cloths are new to me so I have to get use to using something that has a wet texture to it. I do have to admit the feeling of the damp cloth on the skin in that area is… well weird and will take a while to get use to. I do think these have merit especially during that time of the month when it’s not exactly the most fresh feeling time of the month.

Would you try these? Have you tried these or something similar? If so, what are your impressions of these feminine care wipes?

Products provided by BrandBacker.

Press Sample

Julep: January 2014 selections

Referral Affiliate

It’s that time of the month again! Good-bye 2013 and hello 2014! Julep Maven subscription selection opened today and among the items that are back in stock are the Quick Dry Drops! So here’s what January 2014 holds for subscribers!

Julep Maven boxes are $19.99 unless there is an upgrade then you add on the extra price of the upgrade amount (see upgrade amount below). Selection opens today and closes on the 24th.

January Boho Glam BoxHannah – Boho Glam: Sage crème
Noelle – Boho Glam: Sandy beach silk
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: Back by popular demand, these game-changing drops will leave your manicure touchably smudge-free in just a few minutes.

January Bombshell BoxMae – Bombshell: Soft lavender satin
Margot – Bombshell: Old Hollywood gold shimmer
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: Back by popular demand, these game-changing drops will leave your manicure touchably smudge-free in just a few minutes.

January Classic with a Twist BoxMona – Classic with a Twist: Storm cloud grey crème
Abigail – Classic with a Twist: Light peony pink silk
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: Back by popular demand, these game-changing drops will leave your manicure touchably smudge-free in just a few minutes.

January It Girl BoxAnnemarie – It Girl: Warm cocoa crème
Hope – It Girl: Stark white satin
Farrah – It Girl: Lilac silk

January Modern Beauty BoxEssential Cuticle Oil: Keep your hands looking gorgeous with our nourishing cuticle oil. Use daily to soften rough cuticles, encourage strong, healthy nail growth, and extend the life of your mani.
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: Back by popular demand, these game-changing drops will leave your manicure touchably smudge-free in just a few minutes.
Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover: This professional cuticle softener makes it easy to maintain gorgeous nails. The lanolin-enriched formula quickly removes overgrown cuticles, clearing the way for a cleaner, prettier mani.

Core Classics BoxRock Star Hand Crème: Anti-aging, emollient blend of shea butter, glycerin, coconut oil, and vitamin E keeps hands hydrated, even after washing.
Essential Cuticle Oil: Keep your hands looking gorgeous with our nourishing cuticle oil. Use daily to soften rough cuticles, encourage strong, healthy nail growth, and extend the life of your mani.
Julep Emery Board: Our sturdy, two-sided emery board features a medium-coarse grit for filing and a fine grit for shaping.

The Boudoir Collection: Polish Lover Upgrade (+$25)Set includes: Hannah, Noelle, Mae, Margot, Mona, Abigail, Annemarie, Hope, and Farrah.

The Boudoir Collection: Upgrade (+$35)For mani perfectionists: nine new nail colors, plus Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops and Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover. ($158 value)

Set includes: Hannah, Noelle, Mae, Margot, Mona, Abigail, Annemarie, Hope, Farrah, Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops, and Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover.

The Boudoir Collection: Ultimate Upgrade (+$55)For the Maven who wants it all: nine new nail colors, Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops, Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover, Essential Cuticle Oil, and the Resort Collection. ($204 value)

Set includes: Hannah, Noelle, Mae, Margot, Mona, Abigail, Annemarie, Hope, Farrah, Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops, Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover, Essential Cuticle Oil, and The Resort Collection.

Add On – The Resort Collection ($14.99)

Add On – Cuticle Pusher ($9.99)
Images and info provided by Julep.com.

Ipsy: My December 2013 Glambag

Purchased Referral

My Ipsy bag came earlier this week and I have to admit the sneak peeks make me excited for my bag but once I get my bag I’m not as excited. lol Oh don’t get me wrong, I like the items this month but for me it’s the thrill of the chase in finding the sneak peeks and revealing what those items are than the actual bag itself. LOL

Since next Wednesday is Christmas and the following Wednesday is New Year’s Day sneak peeks for the January Glambag may be delayed. I’ll have to look back at 2012 and 2013 to see when those sneak peeks were published.

On to my bags along with what my daughters received.

	The Bag I actually like this month’s bag. The texture of the pattern, the hint of red inside kind of feels like Christian Louboutin inspired this bag. Ipsy needs to keep the quality of the bags up to par with this one even if they want to do funky styles it has to be like this. Since I’ve been a member from the beginning (November 22, 2011) I have every single bag and only the animal print bag and this bag are ones I’d use in public.
	Be A Bombshell “The One Stick” in Girl Crush The color is pretty in person however with my coloring it’s just a tad bit wrong for me. I think I’ll pair this with a darker pink blush and essentially use this as a cheek highlighter. I’m still not sold on it’s use as a shadow or lipstick. My eldest also received Girl Crush, my middle girl received Sunset and my youngest is expected to receive Flustered.
	POP Beauty “Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio” in Smokin Hot I have mixed feelings on this one only because I have so many blacks and silvers but the colors are pretty and these are colors I would and do use. All three of my girls received or will receive Naturally Bare.
	NYX Cosmetics Extra Creamy Round Lipsticks in Celene The color looks a little bland however there is a gold shimmer and over a red lipstick, to tone down the red, it’s really pretty. My eldest received J.Cat Beauty’s The Big One in Caramel Mocha while my middle one received NYX in B52. My youngest is expected to receive a NYX lipstick as well but not sure of the color at this time.
	Nicka K New York in Classic Taupe Love the bottle shape, like the fact the bristles are thick but I’m not fond of the color. It looks like a shade hot chocolate. The other issue I have is while the bristles are thick the brush is too wide so sticking it back into the bottle causes the bristles to bend and become out of shape. 😦 My eldest received Starrily’s Bzz Bzz, while the middle one received Nicka K’s in Ripe Apple (gorgeous red) and my youngest is expected to get Classic Taupe as well. While I don’t like the Taupe on its own if used as a base with Ripe Apple on top then the two become this love chocolate red which I’m really loving.
	Ardell Natural Lashes in 120 Demi Both the middle daughter and I received these lashes while my eldest received Demeter Fragrance Library Snow perfume. My youngest is expected to receive Mirabella Beauty Eye Blender Brush. As a lash fiend I obviously LOVE these lashes. I’ve been using Ardell for years now… well since I was about 16. Lashes are so much fun and it’s amazing how a pair of lashes can really open up my eyes. The only sad thing I no longer wear contact lenses due to a bad fitting which ruined my eyes and so lashes that are too long simply brush against my glasses. I only now wear lashes on special occasions rather than daily. The bad thing about lashes is that I introduced lashes to my youngest (who is now 15) when she began to do pageants this year and she’s now become a lash fiend so I have to hide my lash stash from her because I found empty boxes in her bathroom when I didn’t! LOL

Overall, I did like my bag this month but as I posted above I like the thrill of the hunt for sneak peeks more. I will use everything, even that Taupe polish. Not a bad bag for only $10.

More pics:

Ipsy referral link

Glamour Doll Eyes: December OTM

Purchased

Glamour Doll Eyes releases a new color each month known as “Of The Month’s“, better known at OTMs. OTM spots will open on the 8th of the month unless it lands on a weekend then any spots available will open the Friday before the 8th; for example, this month the 8th fell on a Sunday so open spots were made available on the 6th. The OTMs are typically $6 per month plus $2 shipping for a total of $8 per month.

The December OTMs have been shipped and mine came yesterday! I did order an additional shadow with it came two samples however since the extra shadow I ordered is a gift I won’t reveal what I bought until the person I bought it for gets her gift. 😉 #evilsecretsanta

The December 2012 OTM was amazing and once again Vee at GDE was super generous! This time everything came inside a plastic bag which came inside another plastic bag with a cute little penguin! Of course my boys thought it was candy for them so I had to tell them it’s makeup, which was partially true.

Inside came a package of Blow Pop Minis, a brush from Sedona Lace, two eyeshadows, a blush, a mini nail polish, two more shadow samples (plus two for the other item I order) and a sample soap.

Sedona Lace Synthetic Blender – EB 13 retails $8.95 and that alone pays for the December OTM. I’ll have swatches up on my Facebook page and in a follow up post looking back at the last 12 months of OTM shadows.

Studio Gear: Holiday Smokey Eye Palette

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Studio Gear’s Holiday palette is here! My first experience with Studio Gear products was via an Ipsy Glam Bag back in May 2012 and while I liked the lipstick what I really wanted to try were shadows or blushes. I’ve never heard of this company before Ipsy and thanks to BrandBacker I had the chance to try both in the Studio Gear Holiday Smokey Eye Palette!

First impressions: This reminds me of another palette I bought in September. In fact it’s almost the same size as that palette packaging being just a smidgen smaller. The shadow pans and the blush pan are normal size which is nice since many similar palettes tend to have smaller eyeshadow pans.

There are four shadows and one blush in the Studio Gear Holiday Smokey Palette and one blush. The color choices are lovely and almost universally flattering.

• Snowy Glow (blush)
• Frost (shadow)
• Coal (shadow)
• Platinum (shadow)
• Glimmer (shadow)

Available at Studio Gear Cosmetics
Regular price: $40
Sale price: $25
Free shipping on US orders!
Reader Discount: 10% Off ($22.50 after promo code)
Reader Discount Code: SGHOLIDAY*
May be used with other items on sale.

Now I do have to point out the label on the inside cover showing which color is what is absolutely wrong. Platinum, Frost and Coal are ordered differently in the instructions to where the products are actually placed. So for those who want to follow the directions make sure you don’t go by how the colors are listed otherwise you might end up using Coal instead of Frost.

Oh and before I forget, you need to use these with a base or primer otherwise Frost and Glimmer don’t pop.

This review contains a sample
product sent for consideration by Brandbacker.

Press Sample Ipsy Affiliate

NAKED3 is now out!

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NAKED3 on Sephora
NAKED3 on ULTA
Don’t forget that if you have Swagbucks OR EBates to use those to earn either SBs or cash back! Also don’t forget to use those promo codes for free gifts – BLITZ and MYSTERY are still available as is MERRYMINI.

Other promo codes:
FREE Tarte Primer mini with any $25 purchase. Code: TARTEPRIME
FREE Benefit Stay Don’t Stray mini with any $25 purchase. Code: STAYDSTRAY
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FREE Stila CC cream deluxe sample with any $25 purchase. Code: STILACC
FREE Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam deluxe sample with any $25 purchase. Code: CFOAM
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Pantone: Color of the Year for 2014

Pantone announced the 2014 Color of the Year. I was hoping for Dazzling Blue but Radiant Orchid won out and it’s a very lovely shade of purple. So are you excited for the 2014 Color of the Year? We should be seeing some pretty shadows, lipsticks, blushes and nail polishes from cosmetic companies in 2014 based on Radiant Orchid.

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year for 2014:
PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid
Expressive, exotic Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and warmth
CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 5, 2013 – Pantone, an X-Rite company and the global authority, today announced PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple, as the color of the year for 2014.

“While the 2013 color of the year, PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, served as a symbol of growth, renewal and prosperity, Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society.”

“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

Radiant Orchid for Fashion
Radiant Orchid’s rosy undertones radiate on the skin, producing a healthy glow when worn by both men and women. A dazzling attention-getter, Radiant Orchid permeated the runways during the spring 2014 fashion shows and is already making its way onto the red carpet. Fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2014, including Emerson by Jackie Fraser-Swan, Juicy Couture and Yoana Baraschi, are incorporating Radiant Orchid into their spring collections and variations of this hue will carry into men’s and women’s clothing and accessories throughout next year.

Radiant Orchid for Beauty
A modern and surprisingly versatile shade, Radiant Orchid enlivens the skin, making all who wear it feel more healthy and energetic. Blending both cool and warm undertones, purple is an appealing hue for distinctive combinations and flattering to many hair, eye and skin tones.

This multifaceted hue is seductive when combined with red and pairs well with its sister shades of lavender, purple and pink, which provides an assortment of lipstick and blush options. Radiant Orchid’s exuberance also acts as a brilliant finishing touch to nails.

Radiant Orchid for Interiors
Spruce up interior spaces by incorporating this eye-catching hue in paint, accent pieces and accessories. As adaptable as it is beautiful, Radiant Orchid complements olive and deeper hunter greens, and offers a gorgeous combination when paired with turquoise, teal and even light yellows.

Likewise, the vibrant color is sure to liven up neutrals including gray, beige and taupe. Uplifting and bold without being overpowering, Radiant Orchid reenergizes almost any color palette and provides a unifying element for diverse spaces.

Cross-Referencing to Other PANTONE Libraries
PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid can also be cross-referenced to all other PANTONE Libraries including PANTONE PLUS for graphic design. For cross-referencing information, see http://www.pantone.com/ColoroftheYear.

About the PANTONE Color of the Year
The color of the year selection requires careful consideration and, to arrive at the selection, Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.

For more than a decade, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. Past colors include: