I’m a sucker for eyeshadow sets. There’s just something about seeing three or four colors together, looking all palette-y and just crying out to be used in some creative way that gets me every time. I think I can count my single eyeshadows on one hand, whereas I have many, many palettes.

When I had some dough to spend at Sephora recently, I went shopping thinking that some eyeshadow would be at the top of my list. I’d been eying this set, the Bare Minerals Sweet  Decadence Eyecolors, for a while. Since Sephora is at the mall where I work, I pop in on my lunchtime quite frequently just to see what’s new, what’s happenin’, etc. So these Sweet Decadence colors had been calling my name since they came out.

Here’s the scoop: the set consists of four shadows, named Dulce de Leche, Tiramisu, Red Velvet Cake, and Chocolate Fondue. I mean, how can you resist these names? Let us not be swayed by names alone though – Dulce de Leche is a lovely golden highlighter color. Tiramisu is a sweet light brown, with pinkish tones. Red Velvet Cake is a sheer burgundy applied dry, or a fantastic rich burgundy used wet. Chocolate Fondue is, yes, dark chocolate brown.

The fun thing about these is how versatile they are. Use them wet, use them dry, blend them together, use them alone… you can do a lot with these colors. My initial test run was a pretty basic eye – highlight under the brow bone and inner corners, light brown on the lid, dark brown in the crease, burgundy used wet as liner. (Clickie the piccie for a closer look.) Success! I’m in love. The next time I use them, I will probably use the burgundy in the crease and the dark brown as liner and see how that looks.

The little brush that comes with the set isn’t so useful, so it’ll probably end up in the bottom of one of my drawers. I definitely recommend using a primer or cream shadow or something under these loose mineral eyeshadows to help the colors pop, plus it helps give them something to stick to.

In the picture, I’m wearing Kiss My Face SOS Lip Gloss in Amethyst. Also, I didn’t realize my cat was being all sleepy and adorable until I downloaded the picture from my camera, and then didn’t have the heart to crop him out. Internet, meet Theo!

Anyway, I’m lovin’ me some Sweet Decadence. Two Thumbs Up!

Bond No. 9 recently introduced their newest fragrance Brooklyn (read my review here), and the reaction to the bottle design was apparently quite intense. Some people love it, some people hate it… So Bond No. 9 has challenged artists and amateurs alike to create a new bottle design for Brooklyn.

The rules are:

• Create your design to fit within the outline of the Bond No. 9 superstar flacon and to include the circular “token” logo. (It’s downloadable at www.bondno9.com.)
• Any style, figurative or abstract, is fine.
• Inspiration can come from anywhere in Brooklyn—DUMBO, Park Slope, Flatbush, Canarsie, Midwood, Bay Ridge, et al.—or from the very idea of Brooklyn.
• Any medium is okay: oil, acrylic, watercolor, house paint, pastel, crayon, Magic Marker, makeup—even a ballpoint pen or pencil will do.
• Completed designs should be submitted to contactus@bondno9.com or Bond No. 9, 9 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012 by March 31, 2009.

After two winners are chosen in early April, Bond No. 9 will put the victorious designs into production, with the winner’s names displayed on the bottles. Each winner will also receive one bottle of Brooklyn per month for a year. (Hope your friends like it!)

So there you have it… it’ll be really interesting to see what people come up with!

My name is Claire and I am a makeup junkie. Actually, I am a cosmetics junkie… Stash photos are always popular, so I figured I’d share mine – although I’m kind of embarrassed about how MESSY the top of my desk is. I guess we’ll call the top of the desk the “Before” photo and I’ll just have to tidy it up. There is a little backstory: when we purchased our house two years ago, we had been living in a studio apartment. All my Stuff was crammed into a train case and in a medicine cabinet, and I did my makeup sitting on the floor of my apartment (the train case lived under the bed). The first thing I wanted upon moving into the house was a vanity for all my makeup and stuff. I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I ended up purchasing a small desk and a stand mirror, and it is still pretty much serving me well. Although I really probably need a “real” desk for files and paperwork now.

Here is the top drawer. (Click for larger photos.) The top drawer houses foundations, powders, random blushes, mascaras, eyelash curlers, concealers, and random other bits (I think there are even earrings in there!). My attempts to keep it organized invariably fail when I go rooting through in a hurry looking for something, but I do go through and toss really old stuff on occasion. Unused stuff tends to sink to the bottom.

Then there is the middle drawer. This drawer holds bronzers (and a few Cargo and Nyx blushes), eyeshadow, and various palettes. Since the palettes are skinny, they are stacked pretty deep – two Sephora palettes, and Urban Decay, several Fresh palettes… Also, eyeliner pencils and a few other random makeup items end up in this drawer. I don’t rifle through it as much as the top drawer, because until recently I haven’t been wearing eyeshadow very often.

The bottom drawer has lip products and makeup bags in it. This actually stays pretty well sorted. One basket holds balms and tinted balms, one holds wand glosses and random pot glosses, and one holds tube glosses. I recently tossed out stuff that was more than a year or two old, because it just seemed EWWW to keep them any longer than that. I am kind of a makeup bag nut, so I have too many. I’m such a sucker for gift with purchase bags, but I try to give some away once in a while.

Now for the top. This is where the real mess is. I haven’t organized the top of my desk in a few months and my cats keep cruising across the top and knocking stuff over, which means it gets put back kind of haphazardly. But the top of my desk shares space with random skincare products, hot rollers, books and magazines (both beauty and non-beauty), and my laptop. Geez, I need to organize it. I usually read my email and various news sites while I do my skincare and makeup in the morning, so my laptop is occasionally the scene of random makeup spills. So far, only powder, which blows out with compressed air.

I also usually have various products and PR handouts lying around my desk because this is where I write Claire’s Beauty. Having one desk for everything works okay, but I really need to find a better way to organize my files and handouts. I bought the file holder thingy in hopes that it would help, but it’s already getting full. A mini file cabinet may soon be in order. Of course, if I could somehow keep my cats from playing chase across my desk, I might be able to put a second organizer on top and put stuff on top of that. But I think I’m dreaming, because playing Chase across Claire’s desk seems to be a favorite game in my house.

I share this office area with my husband, and it’s one of my favorite places in the house. The corner of the room (just off to the left, you can see the window in the first desktop photo) is comprised of two really big windows looking into our backyard, facing north-west. The room gets a lot of natural light, and is an ideal place to be. I particularly like it in the summer, when we have flowers blooming in the backyard, but even this time of year isn’t bad. I can see where my daffodils are coming up, and in another few months our apple tree will be in bloom. It’s nice.

There you have it, a tour of my desk. Maybe I’ll clean it on my next day off and then I won’t be so embarrassed!

The lippie of the day today is from Desert Essence. Unfortunately, the lippies in question are not on their website (why do companies do that??) but the latest addition to my lip gloss collection is one of their Organic Lip Tints in Red Raspberry. Click the pictures for a larger view!

So what’s the scoop? These lip glosses join Burt’s Bees and Kiss My Face in the mass market natural lip color category. There are four colors, Italian Red Grape (purply), Red Raspberry (reddish), Vanilla Chai (brownish) and Coconut (clear). Red Raspberry floated my boat the most, so I picked that one. While the product itself isn’t certified organic, the plant-based ingredients are. It has some good emollients in it, including sunflower oil and shea oil, and uses iron oxides and mica for color.

I bought mine at my local New Seasons Market, but I think Whole Foods might carry them, and I’m sure other natural grocery stores do too. They’ve been a little hard to find online, but the link in the first paragraph is to an online source.

The color isn’t super-pigmented or particularly dark like the Kiss My Face glosses are. It’s more like a clear gloss with red sparkly bits in it. This is perfectly fine with me, as it suits a “your lips but better” natural look. I like the texture, it’s smooth and not gritty, or sticky. The only thing I found to complain about is that it doesn’t taste all that great. It’s a little bitter, but it’s not so objectionable that I won’t wear it. I think it’s the essential oils in the formula – at least it doesn’t taste chemically or like plastic as so many non-natural glosses do.

Anyway, I give it one and a half thumbs up, and am interested in trying the other shades. Also… speaking of Kiss My Face, right now you can get the new glosses for 50% off at their webstore with the code KMFSOS.

L’Occitane recently released a new fragrance for spring, Honey & Lemon Shimmering eau de toilette. I have the original Honey & Lemon edt, and like it quite a lot.

This new fragrance bears a resemblance to the original, but it’s fresher and sweeter, and overall has a lighter aspect to it. Also, it sparkles! The Shimmering edt has fragrance notes of lemon, cut grass, freesia, honey, orange blossom, apricot, and vanilla. It’s a fruity-floral with a gourmand twist. The first notes I notice are the lemon and apricot, a combination of sweetness and tartness that’s really fun. Then I get the cut grass, which is startlingly realistic, mixed with the florals. It brings a freshness to the fragrance that’s unique in a gourmand. The drydown on me is basically cut grass and vanilla, which actually smells much better than it sounds!

The shimmering edt really does shimmer, thanks to the presence of sparkly gold mica. It’s subtle but looks pretty on the decollete and in my hair. Click on the bottle for a larger picture – I used the flash to try to capture the sparkles but it’s hard to capture them in a photo. The shimmer is really pretty in real life, swirling around in the bottle.
Classic Honey & Lemon eau de toilette features notes of lemon, cinnamon, honey, caramel, vanilla, and patchouli. It’s definitely warmer and spicier than the new version. If I had to pigeonhole them, I’d say wear the Shimmering for Spring and the Classic for winter (or evening).

I promised I’d review this soon, and so here we are! I picked up a tube of Physicians Formula’s new Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara pretty much on a whim. I’m very devoted to Bourjois Yes To Volume mascara because the formula is super-smooth and I love how defined the comb makes each lash look. But a girl has to branch out sometimes, so I thought I’d try this EcoCert certified organic mascara.

I am such a sucker for cute packaging, and the tube is adorable. The brush is one of those new-fangled plastic ones (like Cover Girl LashExact), although the bristles aren’t as long as the LashExact (as I recall… it’s been a few years since I last tried anything except Bourjois and Benefit…). It comes in Black and Ultra Black – I got black. The package claims it “provides 5x Lash Boosting for lash length, volume & definition naturally.” Me being me, I’m thinking “5 times what? 5 times the length I have now? 5 times the volume?” Oh well. We will ignore silly claims on the package.

So, what’s the scoop? First, I have reasonably long lashes already. I also use an eyelash curler. My experience is the mascara has good texture, neither too dry or too wet. It’s quite smooth, and the pigmentation is good. I didn’t experience any flaking or smudging during the day – it stays put. I presume it’s not waterproof, but I haven’t been caught in a rainstorm yet, so I can’t comment there. Generally, I found the mascara to be on par with my second favorite mascara Bourjois Pump Up The Volume (that’s a link to the French site. Apparently we don’t get to have it in the US anymore. Sob!). I did have to use a lash comb a bit because my lashes wanted to stick together a little – not unusual and I’m kind of obsessed with definition.

Overall, I will continue to use this mascara, and can recommend it, especially if you want something natural. The eyes are so sensitive, I really like the idea of using a natural product, and I find this one to be totally acceptable. Nice Job!

Kenzo released three new fragrances for spring this month, and so far I’ve been able to try Eau de Fleur de magnolia, and can’t wait to check out the other two.

All of the Eaux des Fleurs are supposed to evoke the beauty and simplicity of flowering Japanese trees. Each year, a new flower will be picked, so consider these to be special edition fragrances. Full creative freedom was given to the perfumers, and each has created a unique and whimsical perfume. Kenzo has also chosen not to reveal the specific notes of the fragrances. I’m speculating that it is for us to enjoy the perfume as a whole creation, rather than analyze the parts. Of course, the perfume nerd in me longs to know what the notes are, but I’ll get over it and try to write about the perfume as an experience rather than an academic study.

Eau de Fleur de magnolia represents the “dignified and willowy allure” of magnolia flowers, and is a floral fragrance with hesperidic notes. (That means citrusy, by the way.) In the press materials the perfume is described as “capturing the fragile crystalline freshness of a magnolia blossom, like a ray of spring sun piercing winter clouds.” This description is apt, as the fragrance is a bright and cheerful scent, totally appropriate for daytime wear and really perfect for this time of the year. It opens with a wave of citrus notes, like the peels of lemons and grapefruits (as opposed to the sweeter juices). As these settle down, the perfume takes on a more floral character, and eventually the drydown reminds me of a soft and woody flower. Despite the name, this is not a “white floral” perfume, but rather has more of a woody aspect to me and the citrus keeps it very fresh. I really like it a lot, and it has exceptional staying power on my skin, even the citrusy notes.

Eau de Fleur de soie is described as a crimson floral note with a tender, fruity heart, and Eau de Fleur de thé is a floral concoction with notes of green tea and a hint of musk. Nordstrom has all three online, so if they are also available in stores, I’ll let you know.

I want to mention how pretty the bottles are. The glass is delicately tinted, and the shape isn’t square, but rather curves gently.

Each scent is available in 1.7 oz. bottles for $55.

I’m finally going to get with the program and stop being so darned anonymous! So here is the inaugural Eye Of The Day from Claire’s Beauty! I’m so shy and self-conscious about my looks, but I think I need to stop hiding behind my site and start showing off my makeup.

Somehow I never really start out doing my eye makeup with a plan in mind. I start with some kind of base color, and then root around in my rather large eyeshadow collection for inspiration. One color soon follows another and usually it looks pretty good.

First, I ALWAYS use Urban Decay Primer Potion. BEST STUFF EVER. If they had Nobel Prizes for cosmetics, I’d give it one. Then I started with the pale pink color from a Skinn Cosmetics Patina Eyeshadow palette. I use this color a lot because it really perks up the eye area. The I decided I wanted a blue color, so I picked the Shimmer Buds 03 from The Body Shop, but I didn’t want to put the blue on the lid so much as under the lower lash line. So I put the Peach Blossom color on my lid, blending with the pale pink. I needed something for the crease, so I grabbed my Fresh trio in Ancient Spell and used the shade Ancient Spell in the outer corner/crease. Then I put the Blue Iris from the Shimmer Bud under my lower lash line and just a smidge in the inner corner. I didn’t wear any eyeliner today. For brushes I use the eyeshadow brush from Eco-Tools, as well as a crease brush from Sephora.

This is the result after over 10 hours of wear, so it’s kind of faded (click for bigger picture). I didn’t have time this morning to take a pic, but I’ll definitely try to do that from now on. I also decided to have dear husband take a picture of my whole face, although I should have blotted my forehead first! I tried doing the whole “hold the camera out and click” thing but it didn’t work so well. This is a much more authentic smile, so I guess it really is better to have your picture taken by someone you like!

My foundation today is Tarte Smooth Operator, worn more sheer, and Benefit erase paste on my dark circles. I’m also wearing Nars Blush in Luster today, and the new Organic Wear mascara and Almay Pure Blends loose powder. The loose powder is pretty good at controlling shine – I didn’t blot all day or refresh and I’m only really shiny on my forehead. The mascara looks thicker in this picture than it does in real life – weird! I’m not wearing anything on my lips except clear lip balm.

Any and all (friendly) comments welcome!