New Goodies From Benefit

Benefit Cosmetics has released three new products. Many of you may recall my last post about Benefit's new relase, Rush Hour, and how I was not at all impressed since it was nothing new, nothing original. So I have to admit that the new lipstick, cream blush, and and cream eye shadow/liner are nothing new, but the shades and packaging are so great I am willing to overlook that. The only thing that does bother me is that these products (especially the lipstick and the eyeliner) seem to be rip-offs of Stila products. Take a look and you decide.

I am generally not a lipstick girl, but I absolutely love the new Silky-Finish Lipstick from Benefit. The color spectrum runs from light neutrals to deep plums. The color is sheer, but buildable. Slick on one coat for barely there color or add multiple coats to give your lips deeper color. This product also moisturizes lips like you wouldn't believe. When I put this lipstick on, it felt like the color and the lipstick was just melting into my lips. It also serves as a great base if you want to layer some gloss on top. I skipped the lipliner and just threw some Silky-Finish Lipstick on my lips topped off with a gloss and I loved what I saw. And I know that we're not supposed to judge products based on their packaging, but I love the packaging for this product. The black lipstick tube embellished with the trademark Benefit logo and loop is just too cute.

On to eyes! With Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner, Benefit has taken two of my favorite Stila products (Shadow Pots and Cream Liners) and combined them into one convenient product. Apply a light layer all over your eyelid, and then apply multiple layers to line and contour your eyes. The best thing is that if you choose to only use one color, your shadow and liner is going to be an absolute perfect match because technically they are the same color. Of course you're not limited to one color, mix and match to create a dramatic effect. There are tons of shades to choose from, but I'm hoping that they will release some more lighter shades. I'm thinking white, silver, violet, light blue...I love wearing lighter shades in warmer weather. The fact that these shadows/liners are cream makes them so blendable. You know what I'm thinking...SMOKEY EYES!!! And again, I love the packaging!

Lastly, the product I'm least impressed with, Benefit's Sheer Cream Blusher. Benefit claims, "Give cheeks a perky pinch of natural color and cheer up your cheeks with one of these beautifully natural shades." Three shades are available in coral, rose, and berry. Okay, so the product is not bad, but it still doesn't give me the natural flush that I get from my Tarte Cheek Stain. I have yet to find a product that comes close to the natural look of Tarte. The other thing is that I love Benefit's powder blushes (especially Dallas) for when I want more of a dramatic color look. So basically, the new Sheer Cream Blusher just isn't my cup of tea, but I'm sure that tons of you will love it. It's still a great product, just one that I don't need.

Vera Wang Bridal Trunk Show

Attention Chicagoland Brides to be!!! Macy's on State Street in Downtown Chicago will be hosting a Vera Wang Bridal Truck Show starting this Friday, April 1st. For those of you unfamiliar with a trunk show, it's an opportunity to see an entire collection from a designer, in this case Vera Wang. As most brides to be who have shopped for a wedding dress know, many boutiques and stores only carry a few pieces from a number of different designers. Here's your chance to see every piece in the collection. Trunk shows often offer special deals as well. Call 312-781-3545 to reserve a spot.

Attention Salad Lovers

So it's time for another not really make-up, fashion, or style post, but any stylish and fashion conscious person will probably enjoy it. I don't know about you, but I LOVE salads. For me, they seem to be the easiest to go lunches. I can buy a bag of salad or a big pre-made salad and just scoop some of it into a container and I'm good to go. I love turkey sandwiches (probably even more than a salad), but sometimes I am just too lazy to actually make the sandwich. So that's when I grab the salad. The only thing I do not like about taking salads to go for school or work lunches is the fact that I end up using like 3 tupperware containers. One holds the actual salad, one holds the dressing because I don't want super soggy and wilted lettuce, and another holds the utensils and napkins. And of course, I can never fit those 3 containers into my lunch bag. Let me just tell you how excited I was when I saw the Fit & Fresh Salad Shaker. At first glance, it looks like a normal tuperware container that nicely holds your salad. However, upon closer inspection you will see that it has a built in dressing container that holds the dressing separately from the actual salad. Even better, it has a built in compartment to hold your fork and napkin! I absolutely LOVE this thing. And, it's only $6.99, which is pretty close to the price you would pay for just a plain tupperware container that didn't have all of these nifty features. Oh! I almost forgot! It also has an ice pack that snaps into the lip so it will keep your salad cool and crisp for 6 hours. They also have the Fit & Fresh Start Breakfast Chiller for cereal (it keeps your milk separate from your cereal...great for kids) and the Fit & Fresh Fruit & Veggie Bowl which has three compartments to separate fruits and veggies and has a removable container in the middle to hold a dip. With Spring finally here, these are great for those light on the go lunches. Believe me, you'll see me sitting by Lake Michigan munching on my salad out of these containers this Spring and Summer!

New Philosophy Products

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a Philosophy girl. I swear by their face products (Which now that I think about it, I've never blogged about! Add that to the to do list!), love their bubble baths, and would die without their 3-in-1 bath products. When I saw Cristina Carlino, founder of Philosophy, talking about their bubble bath product and the fact that it "produces bubbles like you see in the movies with only a cap full," I immediately ordered a bottle. Now, I must say, the bubbles were more abundent and lasted longer than any other bubble bath product I have ever used, however, it did take a little more than a cap full. That didn't bother me that much though, because it still didn't take that much product to produce amazing results. The only downside to the product was that it was only available in Philosophy's perfume scents: Amazing Grace and Falling In Love. While I love both of those scents, when I'm in the bath/shower I want to use the fruity and sweeter fragrances that are found in their 3-in-1 products.

The powers that be at Philosophy must have heard my complaining because they have finally expanded their bubble bath line to include other scents. Red Delicious Apple, Old Fashioned Lemonade, Sweet Coconut Milk, and Empowerment are now all available in bubble bath form. At the moment, I am obsessed with the Red Delicious Apple scent. It makes me ready for spring. The scent is so fresh and clean and although it does smell like a fresh, ripe apple, it lingers on your body as simply as fresh, clean, sweet smell so no worries about smelling like a giant apple. I picked up the Philosophy Apple Circle Duo and love the scent layering affect. The body scrub makes me skin feel divine. Word of warning...the rich red color may make your shower look the the shower scene in Psycho! If you're in a rush to get to summer, try the Sweet Coconut Milk scent. It reminds me of loading up with suntan oil and laying out by the pool or on the beach.

I'm really hoping that Philosophy continues to expand their bubble bath product and also continues to add such great fragrances.

The Really Big Sale At Gap

If you haven't heard yet, The Really Big Sale at Gap is here! What I love most about this sale is that it's not just winter items that weren't big sellers that they are trying to push out...They have tons of items for warmer weather too. I found a ton of oh so cute sweaters, swimsuits, short sleeve shirts, spring jackets, fall coats, cute ballet flats, skirts, dresses, and even bras and panties. They also have a wide variety of accessories. Check it out...I'm sure you're going to find something that you have to have! There are also a few Gap.com coupon / promo codes that will get you free shipping. Use coupon code FREE100 to get free shipping with any $100 purchase. If you are a Gap card holder, use coupon code FREESHIP to get free shipping with any $50 purchase.

Sale At Sephora

Have you been at Sephora.com lately? They are having a huge sale. Save up to 75% off on select products. Quantities are limited, so don't wait too long. No coupon code is necessary to get the savings. I am told that the "FUTURE28" coupon code is still valid, but I cannot personally atest to that. It doesn't hurt to try it though.

My New Nine West Suit

On Wednesday, my friend and I decided to run over to Macy's in between our classes. I am so glad that we did! We found coupons in the Chicago Sun-Times offering an extra 20% off items to celebrate Macy's version of Fields Days now called the Spring Sale or something like that. I found two unbelievable finds. The first is a gorgeous new Spring trench coat by Kenneth Cole. It's black with almost a metallic like sheen. It's cinched in at the waist thus not requiring a belt. It was on sale as part of the "Brands Never On Sale" promotion and then with the extra 20% off it came to $101.98 with tax. Unbelievable!

But my friends, that was not the best find of the day. While looking at the business suits section I came across a huge area of clearance suits. As I began to browse I was drawn to a chocolate brown suit with detailed pinstripes of the same color only bolder and piping that I am unable to describe. It was by Nine West. I could not believe my luck that it was in my size! I immediately began thinking about the beautiful chocolate Nine West heels that I purchased at Carson's before they closed that would be the perfect match with this suit. But then my high began to drop because I figured there was no way I was going to be able to afford this suit. I slowly began to turn the tag over, not in a rush to ultimately discover the outlandish price. But then, the heavens opened and birds sang...Regular Price: $395...Clearance Price: $79!!! I could not believe it. $79?!?!?! My friend began searching through the racks looking for the same suit in her size. And although there were many, many Nine West suits to choose from at the same Oh My God price, it seems that there was only one chocolate brown with gorgeous pinstripes and piping available in any size. It was my lucky day.

If you are looking for a business suit, you must check out Macy's. They had so many great brands to choose from, and unlike usual clearance deals where they are all ugly and bright green and yellow, these were some of the most stylish suits I have seen. Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, Jones New York, Nine West, and Ralph Lauren are just a few of the brands I found. Professional Grad Students...this is a must for you! Take the opportunity to stock up on affordable suits while you can. Believe me, when you need one they are never on sale!!! If you can't make it to an actual Macy's, check out the sale online. Spring Fashion Sale & Event! Free Shipping with $125 purchase throughout the site. Promo code: SPRINGFS. Offer valid 03.21.07-04.01.07

Okay, okay, okay...I know it's been way too long since my last post. I greatly apologize. I've been having too many real world problems to post lately. Too many things going on at school (why did I go to grad school again???), too many family things (how many people have birthdays in March???), and to top everything off COMPUTER PROBLEMS!!! While the first two have finally started to settle down, although I'm sure the school stuff will act up again shortly, I'm still in the process of fixing the computer problems. Hopefully, this weekend I will be shopping for a new laptop. Anyone have any suggestions as for which new laptop I should buy? Feel free to leave a comment. Anyhoo, back to posting about all things good.