BSB: Beauty news, makeup swatches and pictures, nail polish articles, makeup tutorials, product reviews, and how-to's from a MAC-trained makeup artist.

Gift Guide: Color Craze...

I love these colors. What do you call them? Tropical brights, maybe? Anyway, each would make a fabulous holiday gift for someone, don'tcha think?

1. TOP:  Enormous Lash  ~ Beauty Society lash booster gives long lashes (safely) in 4 to 6 weeks.
2. RIGHT:  Laughter Body Care collection smells like the "Southern Mediterranean where the sun drenched orange groves sweep down to the sea"  $65
3. BOTTOM: Ren's Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil ~ uplifting, sensual, soothing...  $48
4. LEFT: MOR Cinnamon and Clove Tin (with notes of sandalwood, cedarwood and patouchli) has a hand cream, soap and body butter in the prettiest tin!  $48

Five Things 11.30.10

If you've gotta go, maybe surrounded by pretty goodies is the best way!

How is everything today?! I'm thankful to be beyond Thanksgiving andofficially into the holiday season! And I'm having great fun browsing for items for the gift guide. It does, however, leave me with some serious Wish List items of my own (mostly fragrances)!

What are your Wishes this season?

xoxo,
*jen

 

1. Am I just a very easily led person? Because nearly every perfume review I read has me dying to try it! Take, for example, this review of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Three Kings. The opening burst of citrus, the bright floral heart, and the mystical base... I want this seasonal yumminess, STAT!
   
   
2. The WAH Nails site has me wishing I were more talented at nail art. Have you seen it? Polka dots, accent nails, patterns, colors... So much fun!
   
   
   
   
   
3. Think Katy Perry is selling out, what with her upcoming nail polish collection and her new fragrance? So what?! So does she.
   
   "I want to sell out! That’s the thing. I’m a businesswoman, and selling out sounds good to me.    — Katy Perry
   
   I appreciate her refreshing honesty
   
   
   
4. Buy these shimmering undies and help the victims of Haiti's earthquake. Each purchase results in the donation of a handheld solar LED lantern to victims in Port Au Prince.
   
   
5. These crack me up! They are tiny little hand-shaped soaps. The creator made 2500 for a graduate school project. You can buy a set of seven for $28. I love 'em!

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Gift Guide: NARS goodies...

Take a look at what NARS has to offer this holiday!
The colors are killing me, man. How pretty!

Click the pics to go to the NARS site*.

_{*DISCLOSURE: NARS is one of our affiliate partners, which means we make a small amount of money from every purchase you make using our links to their site.}

Gift Guide: Haute Blot...

No sweat. Give the gift of a refined and blotted complexion -  in such a pretty package, too! $12

 

Gift Guide: Paper Vapor...

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Incense Paper   Burn it or stash it and enjoy the gorgeous scented pleasures.
$25

Gift Guide: Mistletoe Kiss...

A quintet of medium-sized lip glosses.
$50

Gift Guide: Infuse Soothe...

100% natural oils blended to infuse your bath with the four elements: fire (to promote vitality, energy and clarity), wood (to regenerate and invigorate), earth (to restore equilibrium, calm and centre the mind), water (to unravel stress and tension), and metal (to purify and eliminate toxins).
$38

A special message from BSB...

The Nail Ninja: Little Drummer Boy (by China Glaze) {nail polish review, pictures, swatches}

The Nail Ninja says: while deep blue isn't what one automatically thinks of for a holiday nail lacquer collection, it's kind of genius. This China Glaze blue, Little Drummer Boy, is just shy of leaning green, and it has a very pretty lighter blue microshimmer. Maybe you have similar blues, but a blue collector will enjoy the unique spin this shade brings to the table.

The only downside: what a pain to clean up. Medium-to-dark blue varnishes always stain The Ninja's cuticles and skin during removal. Were she not so distracted, she'd have remembered to slick on some cuticle oil before carefully sliding the remover-saturated cotton away from the nailbed. Whoops. Instead, she had to resort to a hearty scrubbing then a full manicure including cuticle remover. Sigh. She'd lile to say she'll do better next time, but it's doubtful...

Gift Guide: Scent Savor

Love the season? Love the scents of the season? Savor your favorite smells with tiny spritz bottles from Demeter. Apple Pie, Cranberry, Christmas Tree, and bushels of others to fill your stockings -and noses!

The Nail Ninja: Sugar Plums - more than it appears (by China Glaze) {nail polish pictures, reviews, swatches}

The Nail Ninja says: It's a matter of record that The Ninja adores a plum polish. This one, Sugar Plums,  is sneaky, though. What appears to be a fairly typical, unassuming plum with miniscule silver shimmer is actually a radiant shade with a bit of holiday mystery. The secret? A resplendant multi-colored mini sparkle that comes out only when the time is right... sorta like Santa.

The wear and application are stellar, as always. Thanks, China Glaze! Swatches are 2 coats.

Five Things 11.23.10

1. Pink Friday is a new lipstick at MAC, with a twist. It was designed by hip hop queen Nicki Minaj. (No, I won't even try to pretend I know who she is - it's the lippie I'm about) Expect a creamy bright pink lip (satin finish). The twist? You have four (4!) shots at it. Four (4!) Fridays, actually. You can only buy it online, and only Friday, Nov. 26th (Black Friday) and the next three Fridays.
   PS: This coincides with Nicki Minaj's new album release; it's called Pink Friday. Duh.
   
   
2. I'm in lust with this scrummy yummy black cowl neck shirt from Athleta. Look at the sexy (and surely flattering?) cabling! $64 _via
   
   
3. The Muse is leading the search for the missing Lambie. Any clues or tips are appreciated!
   
   
4. Dear, lovely balyage, does the bell toll for you for the last time? Word from down under, from the inimitable Zoe, seems to suggest it is. She's ushering in the era of "Dessert Hair". Are you going to give it a try?
   
   
5. I'm addicted to the inspiring words and pretty lettering at the notebook doodles. Bookmark it or put it in your feed reader. You can thank me later.

What are your five things for today?

Gift Guide: Her Splurge

Everyone who appreciates luxe products deserves to try this decadent cult classic at least once! The scent alone says "pampering". $130

The Nail Ninja: Frosty {by China Glaze} (nail polish swatch, review)

The Nail Ninja says: Don't disregard Frosty, one of the holiday selections from China Glaze. It's ethereal and sheer with one coat, gloriously shimmery with two, and pristinely chic in three. Easy to apply, this pretty white polish glides on and wears well. Look closely and you'll note its resemblance to shimmering snow with a thin layer of ice on top.
_{Shown here with an overlay of Nfu-oh GS-7 as an accent nail.}

Gift Guide: Scrubbly Bubbly...

Fresh and light and effervescent. The perfect pick-me-up before a holiday party.  $16

Gift Guide: Scentsploration

Sephora packages some popular scents in kits for men and women. Each kit contains a voucher which can be taken into a Sephora store and exchanged for a bottle of fragrance.
_{$50 for the Deluxe versions for him (12 0.03oz sample vials plus 1oz each of Jack Black Beard Lube and Face Buff) or her (12 0.05oz sample vials + refillable rollerball); $75 for the Collector's Editions for him (7 mini bottles) or her (9 mini bottles).}

Gift Guide: Luxe pluck...

  Tweezerman: Luxe Edition Crystal Slant Tweezer  $100

The Nail Ninja: Cheers to You {China Glaze Holiday '10} nail polish swatch & review

The Nail NInja says: here's your mermaid-style mani.

Blue-green mermaid goodness by way of Halley's Comet, from Orly's Cosmic FX collection.* What could be better? Well, The Ninja can answer that: SEQUINS. Well, not sequins, really. More like a yummy glitter from Nfu-Oh with tiny little holo shimmers and a more sparse showing of bigger holo bits in a clear base. The result? It's like a sequined teal prom dress with a mermaid fishtail hem. And that's rad.

_{*What? The Ninja said that despite her bemused reaction to the hype over these colors, this is the only color she liked from the collection. She's no hypocrite. ;)}

t

Five Things 11.16.10

Lady Gaga is getting a fragrance. Of course. It may or may not be called "Monster;" that's unconfirmed - not to mention predictable. Coty, who will be producing the scent, says the ad campaign will be "unprecedented and groundbreaking". Doubtless.  The packaging will apparently reflect the singer's "artistic sensibility". I can't wait... for the trainwreck.





Angel. The scent puts fear into the hearts of many. But many others disagree, which is why you smell it everywhere. Those of you in the latter group can rejoice! Thierry Mugler has dressed up the controversial scent in various wrappings as a present to fans. Collectors will want to snap up the solid perfume in a star-shaped, Swarovski-bedecked ring, a leatheresque-dressed star flacon, and a Swarovski-clad oversized perfume extrait (13oz of gourmand goodies). That last one, the Deluxe Superstar, will hurt the wallet, though (nearly 3k!).  (Shh... I kinda want that ring!!)

Oh, Gio. You're killin' me here with these amazing new mottled eyeshadows. You say they give 24-hour wear, which is perfect for hanging out all night with international men of mystery (or hitting up the company holiday party). I don't even mind your choice of spokeswhore (much).



Wake me when it's over. Essie isn't actually working the shock and awe angle with their Winter collection. I just can't get excited about a green (looks like a darker version of Fall's Sew Psyched, which was gorgeous but geez!); a brown; a plummy-brown; a dark reddish-brown; a red; and a grey. At least it's not all sheer pinks...






Like many girls, I always loved those little dolls within dolls. Lush has released a holiday Matryoshka Nesting Doll that Will let us play like a kid on Christmas morning! Unwrap the doll to get your hands on a So White Soap, a Cinders Bath Bomb, and a So White Bath Bomb. Adorable!! (get it)