Avon Sale! Buy 2 Get 1 Free Plus Free Shipping

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 CONFIRMED!!

There have been rumors and I have been following along carefully waiting with bated breath and now it's official!  The new Naked Palette 2 from Urban Decay is scheduled to be released on December 1st.  What!?  That's in two days!!!  Eep!

The new palette comes with a double sided brush (one end looks like the Good Karma Shadow Brush and the other end looks like the Good Karma Crease Brush) and a mini Lip Junkie lipgloss.  On to the pics....

 

Colors L to R: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

Not sure what the differences between the first Naked Palette and the new Naked 2 are?  Check out the side by side comparison below. (photo courtesy of Pinch of Pretty)

Naked Palette 2 - Top

Naked Palette Original - Bottom

So... who's in?  Are you buying?  Do you need another neutral palette? Are the colors different enough for you? 

For me, I want to swatch them or at least see swatches but my first impression is that they do look very similar and the colors look to be so close and only vary to the original palette by a few shades.  I waited to buy the Naked palette for like, EVER and I was glad I waited because I bought it when I wanted to and I love it.  I don't like to buy things "under pressure" so to speak because it's popular or because it's selling out.  I can wait.  It's just makeup!  Hahaha!!

I wonder if they'll sell this for the same price ($48) or hike up the cost because of the double ended brush.  Hmm... we'll all know very soon.  Get on the email list!  

Betty xo

Thanksgiving Sale at Cherry Culture: 20% OFF everything in store!

Sorry this post is late in coming but I've been running around all day doing last minute things getting ready for tomorrow.  Phew!  This holiday has snuck up on me like you wouldn't believe.  I literally thought I had another week.  Haha!

They have some amazing deals going on over there!  Like what you say?  Like the Amuse 11x11 Eyeshadow Palette for $2.99 and Jumbo Eye Pencils for $1.99! 

Gobble Gobble!

Betty xo

MAC Launch TODAY! Gareth Pugh for MAC Collection (US)

London-based style subversive Gareth Pugh infuses his shadowy, esoteric vision into an exclusive collection for M•A•C. Shades, accessories and design - as stylistically daring as his reputation!

 

 Availability: Today!! November 23rd (North America), December 2011 (International)

Lipstick ($22.00 U.S. / $27.00 CDN)

• Restrict Creamy grayed nude (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
• Fervent Glossy blackened berry (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Lipglass ($22.00 U.S. / $27.00 CDN)

• Vacant Sheer light lavender gray with violet pearl(Limited Edition)
• Outrage Sheer berry with blue pearl (Limited Edition)

 

Metal-X Cream Eyeshadow ($32.00 U.S. / $38.50 CDN)

• Obscura Frosted gunmetal grey (Limited Edition)
• Ardent Frosty blackened burgundy (Limited Edition)

 

 

powder blush "Strada" is pictured above on the right.

 

Pigment ($32.00 U.S. / $38.50 CDN)

• Guise Frosty grey (Limited Edition)
• Deceit Blacked plum with pink pearl (Limited Edition)

 

Mascara ($15.00 U.S. / $18.00 CDN)

• Studio Fix Boldblack Lash Blackest Black

Technakohl Liner ($19.00 U.S. / $23.00 CDN)

• Greyprint Rich pewter grey with frost
• Graphblack Rich graphic black

 

Powder Blush ($30.00 U.S. / $36.50 CDN)

• Strada Mid-tone nude (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Beauty Powder ($60.00 U.S. / $72.00 CDN)

• Elude Translucent neutral beige (Limited Edition)

 

Nail Lacquer ($23.00 U.S. / $27.50 CDN)

• Inert Creamy mid-tone greyed nude (Creme) (Limited Edition)
• Ascension Grey with blue violet reflective pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)
• Hyper Deep blue with violet pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)

 

Lashes ($18.00 U.S. / $21.50 CDN)

• Flight Lash Dense, geometric triangle-shaped lash (Limited Edition)

 

Brush ($60.00 U.S. / $72.00 CDN)

• Buffer Square handled buffer brush (Limited Edition)

 

Accessories ($75.00 U.S. / $90.00 CDN)

• Square bag with geometric, high gloss and matte geometric design on front and back. Interior pockets and elastic loops. (Limited Edition)

Beauty.com Special - Get a Free sample-filled bag by Erickson Beamon ($165 value)

As always when you shop at Beauty.com, you're actually shopping at two different online stores!  You can shop at beauty.com and drugstore.com and they share the same cart at checkout!  It makes shopping for your favorite products easier, faster and it allows you to take advantage of all the great deals they have!

And they always offer free shipping on all orders over $25 (including tax!). Woot!

 

Valued at $165, this free gift is full of prestige samples including:

• $10 Beauty.com Gift Card
• $20 Sunglass Hut at Beauty.com Gift Card
• Too Faced® Primed & Poreless™ Skin Smoothing Face Primer SPF 20, Bronze Tin 
• Oscar Blandi® Protein Mist for Restyling Hair
• Solutions That Stick® Garment Guards
• Laura Geller® Sugar Free Matte Baked Eyeshadow Duo, Biscotti & Toast
• NUXE™ Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil
• FusionBeauty® LipFusion™ InFatuation® Liquid Shine Multi-Action Lip Fattener, Angelic
• Amika® Obliphica Oil Treatment
• Smashbox® Photo Finish® Luminizing Foundation Primer
• H2O Plus Spa Sea Moss Replenishing Body Balm
• Murad® Hydro-Dynamic™ Ultimate Moisture
• Nick Chavez® Angel Wings Ultra Light Styling Paste – Full-size!
• It Cosmetics® Bye Bye Under Eye® Full Coverage Waterproof Concealer, Natural Medium
• ARCONA® Gentle Solution, Repair PM
• Stila® Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner, Blue Ribbon – Full-size!

That is an amazing gift bag and probably one of the best I've seen around the holiday season that has been offered in a loooong time.  And that bag!!!  It's beautiful!  If you have a lot of people to buy for this holiday season, I definitely recommend checking out this site and taking advantage of this great "free gift with purchase".  Why?  Because you could divide this set up and give one or two of the items away as additional gifts, stocking stuffers or keep one for yourself!  There is plenty to go around.... :-)

Happy early Thanksgiving!!

Betty xo

Upcoming Black Friday Sales

It's that time of the year again when stores compete for your hard earned dollar! And this year it's even more competitive, as consumer spending is reported to be down even lower than last year's spending due to the hard hit economy.

So companies are doing what they can to get you to part with a little more dough this holiday season. To help you out, below I've compiled some upcoming Black Friday sales at some of the most popular and favorite beauty destinations. Happy shopping and have fun!

SEPHORA

Beginning online at 12am and in stores (check local times) on Black Friday, Sephora will have a special selection of ten fan favorites for $10.

Click here to see a complete list of the fan favorite products on Sephora's Facebook page if you haven't already!  My local Sephora store is opening at 4am!! CRAZY! 

ULTA


Doors open at 6am Black Friday!!! Yowza!  Click the flyer below to see the details enlarged.  The sales listed on the flyer are good for two days ONLY - Thursday 11/25 and Friday 11/26, in store and online.

  

BONUS: there will be an additional 190 online only deals posted on the Ulta website on Thursday 11/25 so be sure to check their website eary Friday morning!

Who's braving the wee morning hours????  Anybody?  I'm gonna wait for Cyber Monday myself... I think. Haha!

Betty xo

Review: HANAair Hair Dryer

Love it or Leave it?  LOVE IT!!

• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 3 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Ease of Use: 3.5 out of 5
• Overall: 3.6 out of 5
• Would I buy again? Product provided for review
• Price: $194.99 US

 

Where to Buy:

• Misikko

 

They describe it as:

The HANAair hairdryer is the industry’s first Italian Design inspired hairdryer to have an operation of 2300 Wattage Power. Enhanced with Pure Tourmaline Crystals and a Ceramic Heater that delivers the Most Advanced Far Infrared Ionic Heat, the HANAair will leave your hair with the healthiest shine and brilliance. This is the only hair dryer that will actually make your hair healthier and more radiant with each and every use.

Advantages:

• Very lightweight
• Comes with a 2 year warranty
• Very long cord that doesn't tangle easily - love that!
• Cuts drying time in half, if not more!

 

Disadvantages:

• A medium heat setting is really needed
• The Cold Shot button is in a location that can keep getting pressed

 

Overall Opinion:

If you're going to spend a lot to have your hair done and/or spend a lot on expensive products to maintain your color or style, it's a no brainer that you should spend good money on quality products.  If you add up what you spend on drug store or lower end hair dryers, flat irons, etc., you would probably kick yourself because you could have just spent less (or the same!) and plunked down the cash once for a quality, high end product that will last you years.

While the packaging itself is not quite up to par for a device that labels itself "professional", the technology and design in this hairdryer will give you fantastic results.  This dryer is definitely suited for everyone but it's especially good for those of you out there with really thick or curly hair.  I have medium-long hair and a LOT of it and it cut my drying time down by more than half!  It usually takes me about 15 minutes or so to dry my hair and I was done in about 6 minutes with this dryer.  Impressive!  I dried it using two different methods: using a round brush a few times and just my fingers another time and got great results no matter the technique.

One of my issues with this dryer (and why it scored lower on packaging and ease of use) are that it needs a third heat setting.  The low is too low for me and the high just felt too hot when I was drying the crown and bangs and I wanted to lower the heat. The description claims to have 3 heat settings but it doesn't.  I'm not sure if that's a marketing error or... Even the picture clearly shows that there are only 2 heat settings:

Thank goodness for the concentrator nozzle though.  You shouldn't ever dry your hair without the nozzle on, especially if you use this dryer!! It gets very hot - 2300 Watts to be exact.  Direct contact with that kind of high heat and your hair will fry.  Nozzle = smoother finish :-D

The other issue I found with this was that the cold shot button is located right where you would hold the dryer (again, why it scored lower on packaging and ease of use) and I found myself accidentally hitting it and switching to cold when I didn't want to.  It's easily fixable, I guess, because you just teach yourself to hold the dryer differently than you normally would.  Thankfully it's incredibly lightweight so figuring out a new hand position worked out ok.

Speaking of lightweight... the hairdryer is perfectly balanced so you don't have the nozzle weighing down one end more than the other and that made it so much easier to style and move the dryer around as I worked.  I didn't know that was an issue I was struggling with on my other dryer until I used this one! 

They also have other high end hair dryers and flat irons for sale if your interested and in the market.  It is the holiday season after all so go on over and take a look!  Spoil your bestie, sister, mom or yourself.  You all deserve it!!

Betty Says:  This is a very expensive hair dryer but you get what you pay for - ALWAYS.  Make the investment in this and you won't be disappointed. TIP: if you have thin or thinning hair, use the low heat setting as it's better for the health of your hair and you won't risk damaging or burning your hair. 

MAC Viva Glam – Ricky Martin & Nicki Minaj for Viva Glam

Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj in the M·A·C Viva Glam 2012 campaign visual shot by David LaChapelle. Every cent of Ricky and Nicki’s Viva Glam products, on-counter February 2012, goes to support the M·A·C AIDS Fund.

Review: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara

Love it or Leave it?  LOVE IT!!

• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 5 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Ease of Use: 5 out of 5
• Overall: 4.5 out of 5
• Would I buy again? Absolutely!
• Price: $25 US

 

Where to Buy:

• Sephora
• Ulta
• Nordstrom's

 

They describe it as:

This mascara helps create Lancôme's most flirtatious lash look. A new, unique, cone-shaped brush provides an extremely smooth application, precisely defining even your hard-to-reach corners and lower lashes. This expert formula lifts and thickens every single lash without weighing it down.

Advantages:

• It gives great length, separation and volume!
• The formula is wonderful
• The wand is great with a specially designed tip to get the inner and outer corners

 

Disadvantages:

• It's expensive

 

Overall Opinion:

I love this mascara! The formula is fantastic and you can put coat after coat on without it clumping up your lashes. The genius design of the little bristles at the end of the wand make for an easy application of getting to those smaller lashes on the inner and outer corners of the eye.  The packaging is sleek and feminine and just so pretty.

Betty Says:  I know this is on the higher price point for a mascara but it's so worth it.  It doesn't dry out quickly like that other high priced beautiful mascara that I love (*cough* Dior).  I think this is one of my new faves! Buy this when Sephora is having one of their VIB sales and see if you love it too!

Review: Too Faced Size Queen Mascara

Love it or Leave it?  LEAVE IT!!

• Product: 2 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Quality: 2 out of 5
• Ease of Use: 1 out of 5
• Overall: 2 out of 5
• Would I buy again? No
• Price: $21 US

 

Where to Buy:

• Sephora
• Ulta

 

They describe it as:

This keratin-infused, curl-setting formula works synergistically with the gigantic, dual-helix brush to create big lashes. The massive, corkscrew-shaped brush includes two types of bristles. Long, lengthening bristles and short, volumizing fibers allow you to grab, coat, and condition every single lash for a lavish, layered effect. In just one coat, lashes are ultra-long, thick, defined and curled.

 

Advantages:

• The packaging is always nice from Too Faced
• The formula seems good

 

Disadvantages:

• You will get the mascara all over your eyelid no matter what you do
• It is difficult to use because the brush head is ridiculously huge
• It clumped my lashes

 

Overall Opinion:

I knew when I saw the brush head that it was going to be a bit wonky to apply, so I didn't have high hopes.  Not to mention, the way they have the bristles spaced and the shape of the bristles on the wand separated, there was no way this was going to work.  Lo and behold when I went to try it, did it get all over my eyelid!  It also applied really clumpy to my lashes because of the design of the bristles.  It's too bad because the formula seems really nice and with the right brush head and bristles, this could've been a winner.

Betty Says:  There are way better new mascara products out there on the market that are easier to use and at all various price points.  If you're brave and want to give it a try, go for it.  I'd love to know how you made out!  TIP: small eyes beware!! This is definitely not for you.