MAC Electro Flash Collection

MAC Cosmetics has been busy, creating a couple of new lines for all of us beauty addicts. My favorite? Definately Electro Flash! Obviously, the pièce de résistance of the Electro Flash Collection are the Mineralized Eye Shadow Duos. Available in 9 different duos, these shadows are packed full of pigment and shimmer. I know that some of you are turned off by shimmery eye shadows, but I do not fit into that category. One side of the duo is a swirl of complimenting colors that blend together perfectly and just look amazing on any eyelid. The other side has a single shade that is complimenting to the swirl side. The mono-shade is a great liner shadow and can be used to create a gorgeous smokey eye. I really love that MAC is releasing duos again because it is so much easier to only have to tote one shadow along instead of 2 or 3. I've already picked up Polar Opposites (Dirty Purple with silver, indigo and pink veining/True silver mono), Odd Couple (Shade description: Warm gold with lavender and bronze veining/Purple mono), and Hot Contrast (Dirty red with silver and black veining/Black mono). Let me just tell you, Hot Contrast is an absolute must for anyone who likes to do a smokey eye.

In addition to the MES Duos, Electro Flash also contains 4 new Lip Glass shades (Cultureclash Frosty clear baby pink with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost), Major Minor Frosty mid-tone beige with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost), Sonic Vibe Frosty mid-tone pink with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost), and Li’ Hot Pepper Frosty burnt red with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost))and 4 new Lipstick shades (Vanity’s Child Sheer pale beige with pearl (Lustre), Fast Thrill Frosty clean mid-tone pink with pearl (Frost), Mellow Mood Glossy mid-tone dirty pink with pearl (Lustre), Dangerously Hot Creamy deep brown red (Amplified)). Nothing too new and exciting. Some very nice shades, but I think I would rather pick up more MES Duos!

I should also make one more comment. For anyone who hasn't used mineral eye shadows yet, be warned that they can be messy. The more you use them, the better you get at controling their messiness. But believe me, they are so beautiful that it's worth putting up with the messiness!

The new Electro Flash Collection is currently available on MACCosmetics.com as well as Macys.com. Macys is currently offering FREE SHIPPING on any $50 MAC Cosmetics purchase. Use coupon / promo code ELECTRO to take advantage of this offer. It's also available at some MAC Cosmetics counters and should be available everywhere later this week. Happy Shopping!

Fafi For Mac

So last Friday I decided to meet my bestest friend for lunch. Of course I got their way too early. To kill the time, I ran to the Macy's that was across the street from the restaurant we were meeting at. Big mistake. I tried to browse from a distance. Glancing at clothes and shoes from a distance, and only getting close to the racks that were 75% off or more. After just plopping down $2500 for a pool, I was feeling guilty about the spending and trying to avoid spending even more! I must say, I actually did a really good job of walking away from some gorgeous new Spring dresses. Walking away from the make-up department was another thing.

Just as I was about to walk out of Macy's, my eye was drawn to the MAC Cosmetics counter. Prominently displayed was their new Fafi Collection. I had heard about this collection for the past couple of weeks. I will say that at first, I didn't give it a second thought. For those of you who don't know, Fafi is some sort of French graffitti artist. All of the hoopla about this line seemed to focus on her artwork on the packaging and the compacts. That made me think that maybe the make-up itself wasn't that spectacular if all these people were focusing on the packaging. Let me just tell you, I was so wrong.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Iridescent Powder/Pressed. Talk about shimmer. The first thing that I thought of was that it was very similar to Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Bricks, but in one color. Available in 3 colors, I was immediately drawn to the middle shade, Verve-Acious. Since we're quickly approaching Spring/Summer, this shade called out to me. Perfect for giving a beautiful sun-kissed sheerness to your face, it is also a must have for your neck, shoulders, and chest. Not one to shy away from shimmer, I was really suprised at how much building power this product has. Dust it on for a barely there kiss of color with not much shimmer. Add layers to give you more of a party girl shimmer. This product is also versatile in the way that it can be applied. Brush it on, buff if on, swipe it on, use a brush, use a sponge, use your hand, etc. Each type of application gives you a different look. At $21, I really think that this product is a steal.

After talking to the free lance make-up artist that was working there that day, I was convinced to let her try the eye palettes on me. There are two palettes to choose from with one featuring shades of pink, brown, and black and the other featuring shades of peach, yellow, green, and blue. Not being afraid of color, I let her go to town and do whatever she wanted on me. Although she was excited to hear that I wasn't afraid of color and would have loved to use the greens and blues, she opted to use the colors of Palette #1 to give me a killer smokey eye. She told me that with my blue eyes and blonde hair, I would "rock" those colors. Oh my God was she right! She didn't give me vamped up smokey eyes, she gave me a daytime smokey eye. It was gorgeous. Using the pink and browns as bases and the black shade as a liner, my eyes totally popped. I needed to have this palette!

My last purchase that day was one of the powder blushes. Although I loved both of them, I chose Hipness. The shade description notes that this is an intense coral with white pearl. I guess that's a pretty good description. Putting this shade on top of Verve-Acious powder, I looked like I just got home from a great tropical vacation. Not the I spent a week in the islands and came home with sunburn look, but the I limited my time in the sun and got sunkissed look. Fashion Frenzy was also a gorgeous shade, but it had much more pink in it.

Although I only purchased those three items that day, I am currently placing an order online to get some of the Fafi lip colors. As most of you know, I am lip gloss obsessed. Many times, I don't give lipsticks a second glance. This line has changed that opinion! I cannot believe how packed with shimmer these LIPSTICKS are. It's almost as if they took their lipglosses, put them in a freezer and made the lipsticks. They give you so much shine it is unreal. Pair it with a Lipglass and watch out.

As usual, some of the pieces in this collection are already sold out. I've counted 6 items as sold out on the MAC website, but as of right now Macys.com has every product in stock. If you are interested in any of these pieces, my suggestion is that you don't wait. We all know how fast the Barbie Loves MAC Collection flew off of the shelves. Also, the make-up artist who worked on me told me that supposedly the compacts and pieces that have Fafi artwork on them are supposed to be collector items that will be worth a lot of money. She said that's the word around MAC. Just something to keep in mind once you use up the products housed inside of them!

Go Red For Women At Macy's

Sorry this one is so late, but I just came across it myself. February is American Heart Month and Macy's is kicking it off in a fashionable way. Today, February 1st (can you believe it's February already), if you wear RED and go shopping at Macy's, you will receive an exclusive All-Day Savings Pass for an extra 15% off apparel and accessories–all in support of Go Red For Women. If you're not wearing red, don't worry. Just stop by the Accessories Department and make a $2 donation to the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement and receive a Red Dress Pin and All-Day Shopping Pass! Click Here for all of the information. It's a great way to raise awareness and it's another excuse to go shopping!

Estée Lauder's Pink Ribbon Collection

I'm glad to see everyone has been enjoying the Breast Cancer Awareness products that I've been spotlighting. Estée Lauder's Pink Ribbon Collection is another BCA collection that is a must see. As most of you probably know, Estée Lauder annually supports the fight against breast cancer by releasing not one, but a number of pink products. And they are always hot sellers. Some of these products are already sold out at a number of Estée Lauder counters as well as many online retailers and it's only a week into October. Estée Lauder will donate a half a million dollars from the sales of their Pink Ribbon Collection. I highly recommend both of the lip gloss (Pure Color Crystal in Evelyn Pink and High Gloss in Pink Ribbon Pink). Both glosses are sheer enough to layer over your favorite lipsticks, but have enough color to give your lips a nice kiss of pink. The high gloss also offers unbelievable shine.

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.

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

Chanel Lumiere D'Artifices

Ahhhh...Chanel. As soon as you hear that word you immediately think of high end, luxury items. Whether it's handbags, fragrances, shoes, or cosmetics, Chanel is definately tres chic. Of course, with luxury comes high prices. This is why I do not own many Chanel brand products. Knowing that I cannot afford such things, I try to stay as far away from the Chanel counters as possible. This is no easy task. Many a days as I'm standing on Washington and State, waiting for the CTA bus #60, I'm tempted and teased as the Chanel counter in Macy's tries to lure me in. As I watch all of the happy people playing with Chanel cosmetics and perfumes through the window on Washington, I can't help but want to run in and play too. Usually, I have enough will power to walk away. Today was not one of those days.

Today I went into Macy's and checked out the new Spring 2007 line from Chanel. Why, oh why did I do that!?!? I am now totally smitten with their new Lumiere D'Artifices. I mean, I had been seeing things about it online for about a month now, but had yet to see it in person. It contains three rows of metallic colors - cool silver, deep anthracite and warm bronze. Each can be worn alone, all together, as highlighters, as liners, you get the point. The pattern on the palette was created to resemble sequins on a Chanel dress. I am a huge lover of metallic looking shadows. They are so versatile and can be worn for day or night. When I put this on at the counter, I was amazed. Since it is Chanel, it was no suprise that the shadows just glided onto my eye lids. I was able to create the greatest "smokey eyes" look. So, did I pick this one up? NO! At $75, even I thought this was a bit pricey. I told the girl at the counter that I'll just have to come in every day and do my make-up at the counter! I know that this is a Chanel product and whatever, but $75??? The palette was not even that big. On top of it, I feel that the colors can be found in other collections at a fraction of the price.