Whenever I travel, I usually bring the Fresh Stage Door palette with me. The colors are versatile, and the palette has a large mirror. Double duty! These aren’t the best pictures, but the makeup came out rather nice for travel makeup, so I decided to blog it anyway.

The Stage Door Palette isn’t being made anymore, but there are some pretty pictures of it here.

I used Stage Door, a nude shimmering mauve on the lid, and Evening Cloak, a blue grey with gold shimmer, in the crease. The highlight is Night Orchid, a shimmering champagne ivory. I used a Physician’s Formula Organic Wear pencil to line (it looks like they’ve discontinued the color, it was navy).

On my cheeks I have a Body Shop RoseFlower blush. The lip color is Tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Carina.

Writing about vanilla perfumes reminds me of my other favorite (or one of my other favorites…), rose perfumes. I have many favorite rose perfumes, and though it would be fun to summarize them all in one place.

Pacifica Perfume makes one of my favorites, their Persian Rose. Despite the presence of other notes, this is really a “straight-up” rose kind of scent. It’s fresh though, not fussy, and has a nice delicacy. It’s lighter, like most of Pacifica’s perfumes, so layering with lotion will make the scent last longer.

Fresh’s Cannabis Rose is much more intense. It’s really rich, with a lot of heavy base notes that keep the fragrance lasting for a long time. The official notes are Bulgarian roses, pomegranate flower, Italian bergamot, cannabis accord, sheer jasmine, dark chocolate, white musk, patchouli, and oolong tea. It has a lot going on! It’s definitely a favorite though, because it’s unlike just about anything else. It’s Rose with a Kick.

YSL’s Parisienne is a much fruitier rose. It has violets and blackberries and sandalwood notes that make for a fresh, younger approach to rose. I like it, but not as much as these first two.

The rose perfume that introduced me to rose perfume was The Perfumer’s Workshop’s Tea Rose. This was my signature scent in high school. It’s knock-you-down strong, definitely a “spritz and walk through” kind of perfume. While it’s not expensive and there are other (probably better) rose soliflores, this is probably the one that defines rose for me, just because of the pleasant memories I have of wearing it as a teenager.

I cleaned up and reorganized all my makeup and realized I haven’t used any of my palettes for months. I decided to bust out Fresh’s Winter Picnic palette today for a change of pace. Fresh isn’t selling it anymore, but you can still find it around the net. The Winter Picnic palette consists of six colors: a pale lilac-y color, a white pearl, medium khaki taupe, deep chocolate, muted sky blue with greenish undertones, and a dusty pink with shimmer. I love Fresh’s eyeshadows, although they do tend to go on a bit sheer – but you can build the color, and they’re quite blendable. For best results, use over an eyeshadow primer.

The colors in the palette are more matte than shimmery, which creates a very rich deep effect. Today I used Mist on Everest (the muted sky blue) on the lid, with Hyacinth (the lavender-lilac) in the inner corners. Dry Earth (the chocolate color) went in the crease, and I used Moonlit Path (the white pearl) as a highlight. Moonlit Path is probably the sparkliest color of all six. I used a grey pencil liner to keep things a little softer than black or brown.

My cheeks are Cargo’s BeachBlush in Sunset Beach. On my lips I’m wearing Paul & Joe lipstick 064 RPM.

It’s been a rather long day and I am feeling quite tired, lazy, and cranky. So today’s blog post is a list of 5 things that would definitely cheer me up if they landed in my hot little hands. As always, in no particular order…

1. These NYX eyeshadow palettes look GORGEOUS. I particularly want I Dream of St. Thomas or I Dream of St. Lucia! Plus, can’t beat the price!! I feel an order coming on…

2. I’m kind of feelin’ my place or yours Gina eau de toilette from Benefit. Once the attack of pink pepper wears off, it mellows out into a delish raspberry-patchouli vibe.

3. This Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 looks FABULOUS!! Me want!

4. Don’t these Mini Mark It Stick for eyes and lips from mark. look adorable? I want green opal and violet opal for eyes, and peachy pearl and plummy pearl for lips.

5. I REALLY want to try this evolution of smooth lip balm. Badly. Soon. It’s something about the packaging, the spherical shape, the pretty pastel colors… I’m a sucker.

Fresh… just say it. It rolls off the tongue so nice. Fresssssssh. I’m a total sucker for Fresh, mostly for their makeup, perfumes, and body care. They really embody everything I find appealing in a cosmetics line. The packaging is perfect, with all the clean lines and pretty decorations (especially on the makeup). The names of the products are very appealing, and the products themselves rarely disappoint me. Yes, I *heart* Fresh.

It should come as no surprise then to learn that I’m very enamored of their luminizer called Twilight Freshface Glow. This sheer, illuminating lotion imparts a fresh radiance to the skin, giving it that lit-from-within glow without being excessively sparkly or shiny. You can use it in a few ways, applied to bare skin and worn under makeup, or by itself, used as a highlighter over makeup, or even mixed with a foundation.

Personally, I like to mix a dab with my foundation for a dewy, glowy finish that’s really appealing. I’ve also mixed a dab with my moisturizer on “no-makeup” days to make my otherwise bare skin look just a little more radiant. It’s perfect for mornings after getting little sleep when you could use a little extra glow to otherwise tired skin, and probably very ideal for perking up the complexion when you’re under the weather too.

Like all Fresh products, this one contains happy-skin ingredients too, like Vitamins A, C, and E, and evening primrose extract. It’s emollient, but not greasy. If you’re really oily, I probably wouldn’t use it all over the face, but rather as a highlighter or with just a touch mixed with makeup. Dry complexions should really love it.

At $36 bucks a tube it’s not cheap, but I’m just using drops at a time so it should last a while. Besides, it’s just awesome stuff and is worth the splurge. Two Thumbs Up!

I have a pile of stuff to write about (MAC Hello Kitty, Maybelline Lash Stylist, Cargo PlantLove, Bare Escentuals stuff…) but we did inventory at work today and I’m beat. So I’m taking another break (yesterday’s post was pretty lazy too!) and following the lead of Oh…pretty!, which is a blog I like to read. Because I use and have SO MUCH product, this is going to be what I used today. I tag everyone who reads and wants to do this, like Oh…Pretty! did. If you put a link to your list in the comments, I’ll read yours too!

* Shampoo: Aveda Shampure
* Conditioner: Nature’s Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Hair Defense Conditioner
* Styling products: Living Proof No Frizz for Thick Hair, TRESemme hairspray
* Shower Gel: Suave Exhale Lively Juicy Tangerine Body Wash
* Body moisturizer: L’Occitane 15% Shea Butter Body Lotion
* Deodorant: L’Occitane Purifying Deodorant
* Fake Tan: none
* Cleanser: 40 Carrots Carrot + Creme Cleanser
* Moisturizer: Cosmetic Surgeon In A Jar Firming & Tightening Cream
* Eye makeup remover: none
* Exfoliator: Cosmetic Surgeon In A Jar Ultimate Skin Exfoliator
* Primer: none
* Foundation: Stila Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer
* Foundation brush: none today, but usually EcoTools
* Concealer: Benefit Erase Paste
* Powder: Clarins Lose Powder
* Blusher: The Body Shop Roseflower Blush in Pink
* Bronzer: none today
* Highlighter: Guerlain Meteorites
* Eyeshadow base: Urban Decay Primer Potion
* Eyeshadows: MAC Hello Kitty Lucky Tom
* Eyeliner: MAC Hello Kitty Lucky Tom (purple color used as liner)
* Eyelash curler: Tarte Picture Perfect Lash Curler
* Eyelash base: none
* Mascara: Maybelline Lash Stiletto
* Lipstick: none today
* Lipgloss: L’Occitane Honey & Lemon gloss
* Nail Colour: Citra Formaldehyde Free Healthy Nails
* Perfume: Fresh Patchouli Pure

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!

In an ideal world, I’d have unlimited funds to purchase everything I want to try, cosmetics or otherwise. Since this fantasy hasn’t come true yet, I just have to yearn… although I hope to try all of these sooner or later! In no particular order…

1. Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Face Sculpting Trio looks like it has real potential! Since this isn’t that expensive, I may try it sooner rather than later.

2. Make Up For Ever HD Powder looks like perfection in a jar. Is it worth it??

3. Likewise, Make Up For Ever HD Primer Microperfecting Primer felt great on the back of my hand. Is it a must have??

4. The Lovejoy/Albatross combo in this Nars Gift Set is REALLY calling my name!!! We wants it!

5. After the Epic Fail that was That Gal, I’m leery of similar products. But the Twilight Freshface Glow is SO PRETTY! Hmm, might get an SA to make me a sample at Sephora…