LORAC Croc Mocktail Collection

It’s nice to see a new lip gloss kit from Lorac this year. It seemed that for the past few years it was the same old lip gloss kit featuring the Lorac Lip Polishes in the same old colors. This year, the LORAC Croc Mocktail Collection features the Mocktail lip glosses. This collection contains glosses named and flavored especially for the holiday season. They include Mistletoe Mojito (mint, sugar & melon), Champagne (sparkling pear), Sugarplumtini (plum & berry), Spiced Cider (red apple), Candy Cane Cosmo (peppermint), and Irish Coffee (vanilla latte). All of the flavors sound so tempting! The colors range from deep pinks to copper reds. Each lip gloss tube also has a mini mirror attached to it making it easy to do touch ups anywhere.

I've done a review on these in the past (too lazy to find the old post!), but I'll do a mini-review right now. These Mocktails smell amazing!!! I am especially in love with Candy Cane Cosmo...nothing says Christmas like the smell of candy cane. These glosses feel so velvety on your lips. The staying power is decent, but its not like MAC Pro Longwear. The coverage is more opaque than sheer. Perfect if you hate to give up your lipstick for a gloss, but still perfect if you want the coverage of lipstick but only want to use a gloss.

This kit has a retail value of $55 but is priced at $25. It is a limited edition and is currently available at Sephora.com. Happy Shopping!

Bronzer Palettes

Someone posted a comment about their love of the Clinique bronzer palette and asked if I have any product similar to that which I love. First, let me say that I too love the Clinique bronzer palette. I love all of the Clinique checker palettes, as I like to call them. Clinique always seems to hit the nail on the head when it comes to selecting multiple colors that when blended together create the perfect color and shading. But there are quite of few other bronzers that I truly enjoy using too.

Laura Geller Bronze - N - Brighten Bronze & Brighten - This is the first Laura Geller product I ever used and the one that I have loved the most. Not only is this a bronzer but it also contains color corrective pigments to help even out skintones. For me, that's what makes this product superior. I don't have to worry about layering on concealers and foundations if I have a bad blemish day. This baby does it all! Laura Geller creates these masterpieces by selecting 5 complimentary colors, mixing them together, and then having them bake on terra cotta sheets for 24 hours. The color on my skin is so natural. Perfectly sunkissed without a hint of orange.

Cargo BeachBlush - Miami Beach - Cargo's BeachBlushs come in 5 varieties, but Miami Beach is my favorite bronzer. Take a big face brush, swirl it around in all 4 strips of color and go crazy. The nice thing is that these strips of color are big enough that if you find that you need a little more of the darkest shade or a little more of a medium shade, you can simply swipe your brush through that shade only and add it to your face. This is a plus for anyone who likes to change their look up. Just a hint of a sunkissed face for day, but add a little more of the darker shade for a stunning tan for night.

LORAC Caribbean Heat - This a newbie. I came across this product about 2 weeks ago, but I already love it. I love it for all the reasons that I love the Cargo BeachBlush. And let's face it...it's from LORAC. Who doesn't love LORAC??? I swear, when I put this on it feels so soft and velvety on my face. It's nice and light and feels like I'm wearing nothing. The key component of this product is the rose bronze shade. A rose shade is essential to creating a great, natural looking bronzer.

Givenchy Prismissime - Face & Eye Powder 34 Sunset - Okay, so I don't own this one...at least not yet. It's a little pricey, and since I've been spending money like I've got money trees growing in my backyard lately, I've had to have some self control and pass on this one. But I still love it. I swear, this has to be made out of velvet. George Costanza would love it. 9 gorgeous, summertime shades fill this compact. Shades include: matte bronze, soft pink with golden shimmer, soft matte light brown, pink with pink shimmer, bronze with gold shimmer, coral with coral shimmer, soft matte suntan, pale pink with gold shimmer, and a rich, matte suntan. This is great because you can choose between shimmer and matte within the same compact. I am definately a shimmer kind of girl, but I know that many people are anti-shimmer. I don't know how anyone can be against light reflecting pigments that draw attention away from fine lines and blemishes, but to each her own!

Sephora Coupon Codes

Just wanted to share the latest Sephora.com coupon / promo code I received. Enter "FUTURE28" upon check-out and receive the free deluxe sample of your choice. Choose from Care by Stella McCartney 5 Benefits Moisturising Cream, Dior J'Adore, Lorac Mocktail in Lava Flow, or Cosmedicine Medi-Morphosis Self-Adjusting Exfoliator. Great choices, but I think everyone knows that I'm going with the Lorac Mocktail. Happy Shopping!

Lorac Mocktail Lip Gloss Review

So I finally have used my new LORAC Mocktail lip gloss long enough to give a review. Overall, I love this product! I used the Sex On The Beach shade, which is listed as a "fuschia shade." I will say, this color screams "Hello 1980s" from the tube, but is just a gorgeous, sheer pink when applied. The feel and texture of this gloss is heavenly. It is thick enough to feel it on your lips, but is so creamy that it feels like it is seeping into your lips to mositurize them. When I first took the cap off of the tube, it almost had an overwhelming sweet smell to it. It has gotten less noticable, but if you are one of those people who are turned off by sweet smelling lip glosses then this is not for you. The taste, on the other hand, was not overwhelming and was suprisingly subtle. I was suprised by how much this did taste like a Sex on the Beach cocktail. The good thing is that the taste was subtle enough not to make you want to lick it off your lips, a hazard of other sweet tasting glosses. What about shine, you ask? This was not the shiniest gloss I have ever used, but it had a low key sheen to it. It is noticable without being overbearing.

I am definately going to check out other shades of this product. Looking at the color samples of each shade, it appears that the Sex on the Beach shade has the least amount of shimmer to it. I am curious as to how the more shimmery shades are. Final word...LORAC has once again nailed the art of lip glosses! Love it, love it, love it!

Tons Of Sephora News

I'm having a pretty crappy day, so I was really excited to see a new email from Sephora loaded with tons of goodies! First off, Benefit's Hopelessly Devoted To Pink is now available! Need I even say limited edition!!! Girls, do not miss out on this one. I already have mine and have to say that this is their best palette since "Curve Hugger." All of the pink hues put me in the mood for Valentine's Day. And I loooooooove the heart mirror. I'm going to give these as Valentine's Day gifts to my single girlfriends (that is if they can wait that long and don't end up running out and picking this up for themselves).

Next, ***SEPHORA COUPON / PROMO CODE ALERT*** It's been awhile since they've released a new code, so I knew one had to be coming out soon enough. Enter ADDICTED to get a free deluxe sample of LORAC's new Mocktini Lipgloss. These are the very same LORAC Mocktini glosses that I just recently posted about. It doesn't say what shade you get, but I'm thinking you probably get what is posted in the picture. There is no minimum purchase required, but you can't use the code if you're only buying gift cards. Not that any of you are going to have that problem anyways since I'm sure that most will want to pick up Benefit's Hopelessly Devoted To Pink!

Are you lucky enough to be a Beauty Insider??? (If not, click the link to join!) I am!!! Okay, to my fellow insiders, here is an unbelievable perk. While supplies last, you can score a Stila Lip Glaze in the very rare shade of raisin. What makes this shade so rare? It is usually only available in Japan. I was lucky enough to have a friend that was in Japan not too long ago who purchased this oh so gorgeous shade for me. Girls, trust me, this is a must have shade. This is a universally flattering berry shade, packed with shimmer, that has a raisin scent. I have been on a berry shade kick lately and have to say that this is one of my favorites. Insider perks tend to sell out quickly, so I wouldn't wait too long if you want to get one of these. Don't forget, Beauty Insiders also get deluxe samples with every $100 they spend (it's cumulative so you don't have to spend the $100 all at once).

One other little side note...as many of you know, I'm unlucky enough to be back in school. I am still getting into the swing of things this new semester, and as such my posts have not been as frequent as they should be. Rest assured, soon I will be back into the swing of things (or at the point where I just don't care if all of my reading is done) and will be posting more frequently again. Happy shopping!

New LORAC Products

It looks like Beauty.com is tired of being in Sephora.com's shadow. While browsing around on Beauty.com I was very suprised to find a bunch of brand spankin' new items by LORAC available only here. They will eventually be available where ever Lorac products are sold, but for now, the only place to get them is at Beauty.com. I think this is a great marketing deal. Beauty.com is definately, in my opinion, overlooked by many cosmetics consumers, even though they offer so many great gift with purchase opportunities, and even a percentage back program. But enough of my rambling...let's get onto the new products from LORAC.

LORAC Mocktail Flavored Lip Gloss - I think this is the one I'm most excited about. I am a huge fan of LORAC Lip Polish High Shine Glosses and can't imagine why I would not like this one too. The line features flavors of exotic drinks like Sex on the Beach, Mai Tai, and Tequila Sunrise (hence the name "mocktail"). The spectrum of shades is higly diverse. From nudes to pinks to peaches to plums to bronze, you are sure to find a shade that will flatter your skintone. I am curious as to what type of applicator this lip gloss has; whether it is a sponge tip or a brush. Either way, I'm sure I will love this lip gloss. LORAC has never let me down before. If anyone has tried these yet, please comment and let us all know what your experience was.

LORAC Cheek Stamp Satiny Powder Blush - This one also looks promising. As I look at this product, I can't believe that no one else has come out with this before (at least to my knowledge). A soft sponge applicator gently "stamps" powder blush onto your cheeks. Now, since I have yet to test these products out as of yet, I can only comment based on information provided and pictures shown. Looking at this picture, it appears that this product is going to allow the perfect amount of powder blush to be distributed. As someone who has dealt with loose powder blushes that tend to get all over the place, this is a welcomed relief. No longer are gel and cream blush sticks the only convenient "on-the-go" blushes available. Finally, the girls who love powder will be able to have convenience too. Available in 5 shades.

LORAC protecTINT Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30, Beach Bronze - Tinted moisturizers are quickly becoming all the rage. Many people are throwing out their old foundations and replacing them with these. Tinted moisturizers help to even skin tones, tend to last longer than foundation, and are easily applied. The downside is that some do not conceal well. Let me tell you, I live in tinted moisturizers in the winter. Even if it is a no make-up day, I usually will at least have tinted moisturizer on. It fights the cold winter days by keeping my face moisturized. It also covers my drab "I haven't seen the sun since July" pastey look that tends to take over my face duing the winter. This latest version by LORAC seems to be another "not new" product to flood the cosmetics market. I will probably wait until this product is available to test in person at Sephora. If I am for some reason extremely impressed then I might pick it up. For now, I'm content with the tinted moisturizers I already use. Available in 5 shades.

LORAC Publicity Stunt Lashes - I am never one to overlook new mascaras. I will try every one available. There is nothing better than long, lush lashes. Reading the description available on this product, I don't know what to say. "To achieve the lengthening a plant cellulose is combined with volcanic ash from an island chain in the South Pacific. The pulverized ash mixed with the cellulose and other ingredients produces a water impervious substance that bonds to hair, elongating the lash and increasing the wear due to its water repelling qualities...your lashes will look clean and pristine for days!" Okay...special ash from the South Pacific? Like I said, I'm always willing to try new mascaras, but when I read such out there descriptions I tend to wonder whether the products are decent or just a bunch of hype. This will be another product that I will wait to test out before purchasing. They seem to be focusing on the fact that the opposite end of the tube contains a brush for separating your lashes. To me, that means that the mascara is most likely going to make your lashes clump. Why else would you need a comb? I am more interested in the shape of the actual mascara brush. It looks like it is pinched in the middle. I've never seen a brush like that, so I have no idea what it will do. The description focuses too much on the South Pacific and fails to mention why the brush has this unique feature and just what it will do.