illuminating powder

We can always count of YSL to bring some colour to spring and I am loving the flushed cheeks and pink lips that they are doing this year! I'm not sure what makes it bohemian, but I'm willing to go with it!
Palette Pink Celebration - $99 - Limited Edition - pearly finish face highlighter that imparts a new radiance to the face for flawless skin. Of course I am a sucker for packaging and this one is calling my name!
Creme de Blush - $52 - in 5 colours: No 1 - Velvety Peach, No 2 - Powdery Rose, No 3 - Silky Praline, No 5 - Temptation Fuchsia, No 6 - Passion Red - on contact with the skin, the creamy texture turns into a light powdery film with an exceptionally smooth texture that blends perfectly.
Rouge Pur Couture - $37 - in 7 new shades: No 23 - Corail Poétique, No 24 - Blond Ingénu, No 25 - Taupe Raphael, No 26 - Rose Libertin, No 27 - Fuchsia Innocent, No 28 - Rose Boheme, No 29 - Rose Vénus - with a silky moisturizing texture that leaves the lips supple, smooth and dazzling with intense and vibrant colour and SPF 15.
Golden Gloss - $34 - in 4 new shades: No 40 - Golden Impertinence, No 41 - Golden Insolence, No 42 Golden Obsession, No 43 - Golden Irreverence
Ombre Solo - $32 - in 2 new shades: No 15 - Gold Leaf, No 16 - Topaz Blue
Mascara Singulier - $36 - No 6 - Deep Plum

Available at Holt Renfrew and selected Bay and Murale stores.

I've been eying this collection at Sephora for several weeks now but for some strange reason, none of the testers were ever there so I have been waiting to get my hot little hands on the products first so that I would have something intelligent to say - okay intelligent may be pushing it but you know what I mean!  If you are sick to death of winter, cold weather and corpse like looking skin that looks like it hasn't seen sun in eons, read on:
All Over Shimmer Duo in Kitten - $29 - multi-tasking at it's best: eye shadow, highlighter and decollete powder all in one pretty package!  This is the product I was most looking forward to trying - Kitten is one of my very favourite eyeshadows and now combined with this darker shade, makes a kick-ass highlighter!  I am fair enough that it even gives me a touch of colour but I expect normal people would just get the glow.  And it's glowy, not glittery which is a big plus!
Coconut Crush - $32 - the latest crush is a bronze, rose gold shade to be used on the lips and cheeks.  It contains coconut extract which is known to slow the degeneration of collagen and support the skin's natural structure to slow premature aging, as well as potent antioxidants and vitamins A, C and E to moisturize and protect.  This is the other product that I really wanted to try because I really liked the idea of the colour but I wasn't too keen of the coconut aspect as it's my least favourite smell.  No matter how great the colour, there is no way I could tolerate a strong coconut smell especially on my lips!  If you are of the same mindset, the smell is not a big deal - it's not overly strong even to begin with and it fades away really quickly. The colour itself is gorgeous and looks just as nice as a blush as it does on the lips which I do not always find to be the case with the Crush products.
Eye Shadow Trio - $26  - can be used wet or dry- Ethereal - base - light pinky tan with shimmer; lid - light mauve grey with silver shimmer; liner - dark brown with gold pearl or Gilded - base - light wheat with shimmer; lid - intense deep gold with gold sparkle; liner - rich espresso with gold sparkle
Silk Shimmer Gloss in Sunlight - $29 - formulated with silk powder, ultra-fine pear shimmer and infused with camellia seed oil and sunflower seed oil which all together give you smooth, luxurious, moisture-rich wear, high shine and impeccable comfort. This gloss formula is one of my favourites - it feels so smooth and slick on and really has one of the best shine pay-offs!  The colour of this one can be worn by pretty much everyone but I think I prefer the Coconut Crush bronze with rose to this one.

Available at selected Shoppers Beauty Boutiques and of course Sephora.

Have you started your Stila spring shopping yet and if so what did you get and what do I need?!

In Bloom Eye Shadow Palette & Brush - $55 - contains 10 shadows: ballet pink, lavender grey, golden pink, warm taupe, bone, soft violet, marine blue, shimmering copper, moss and nude - in both shimmers and mattes and what looks like a good sized brush.
Cream Cheek Duo in Blushing/Peony - $30 - in two shades of pink (soft and bright) to add a sheer natural flush to cheeks and lips.  I fell in love with the cream blush duo from their Naked Beauty collection last summer so I am expecting this one will be just as good!
Soft Focus Powder Eye Liner - $25 - in matte heather grey and matte dark brown - these look like fun and might be just the thing to do an easy smoky look!
Artificial Light Luminizing Powder - $23 - in shimmering soft nude - inspired by Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion, this soft shimmering powder highlights and brightens for a radiant glow.  Apply to inner corners of eyes, down the bridge of nose, above brows and to the tops of cheekbones withe the targeted applicator.  It can also be mixed with body lotion and applied to the body for a subtle shimmer.

Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss with SPF 15 - $24 - Infinite - nude pink

On counters tomorrow!  I'm looking to get my hands on that blush, what about you?

Is there anything more quintessentially Chanel than pearls?  Coco Chanel loved them for their simplicity, refined charm and above all, their power to illuminate the face - and thus were the inspiration for the Spring 2011 Makeup Collection
Ombres Perlées de Chanel - Limited Edition - $66 - five iridescent shades - Blanc perlé, Rose porcelaine, Violine clair, Gris vert and Gris noir scintillant - in a rich cream texture that glide on smoothly over the skin - I'm not normally a big fan of cream eyeshadow but I am fascinated by this and of course it is limited edition which is my kryptonite...
Les 4 Ombres - $61 - 200 Regard Perlé - a trio of pale, sunny tones with a sparkling anthracite green.
Le Crayon Yeux -  $25 - 690 Gris Scintillant
Rouge Allure - $37 - 840 Flamboyante - rosy red, 850 Coquette - vivid, energising pink
Rouge Coco - $38 - 770 Jersey Rose - universally flattering pink, 780 Peregrina - delicate coral
Lèvres Scintillantes - $31 -  151 Aragonite - sheer finish of subtle pink with blue flecks, 149 Nakkar - soda pink warmed by golden facets
Le Crayon a Lèvres - $26 - 370 Framboise, 380 Pêche
Joues Contrast - $47 - 650 Espiègle - rosy peach - I became quite obsessed with peach blushes last year so I'm happy to see this trend is continuing!
Poudre Universelle Compacte - $49 - 120 Rose Merveille - pale pink with subtle sparkles for a halo of light - this one is also on my shopping list and will be mine if it looks half as good in person as it does here!
Le Vernis - $26 - 511 Pearl Drop - pure and white in natural daylight and reveals golden reflections under evening light, 513 Black Pearl - pearly grey shimmering with deep blue and green reflections, 515 Pêche Nacrée - soft and feminine with a bronze effect - it goes without saying that I loves me some Chanel polishes!

On counters at the end of January which brings us to one of my biggest pet peeves - why does the US get Chanel sooner then we do, it hardly seems fair!  Will you be haunting the Chanel counter at the end of January or are you one of the lucky ones that has it already?

How much are you loving all the wonderful colour in this collection! The pigments are making me drool!
Cream Colour Base - $20
Virgin Isle - vivid bright coral (cream)
Tickle Me Pink - poppy creamy bright pink (cream)
Movie Star Red - medium toned blue red (cream)
Madly Magenta - vivid pinkish purple (cream)
Fluidline - $18
Dark Diversion - blackened plum
Blacktrack - solid flat black
209 Eyeliner Brush - $21
Zoom Lash - $16.50
New Hue - blackened burgundy
Zoom Fast Black Lash - $16.50 - deepest black
Lipstick - $17.50
Cockney - sheer yellow red with multidimensional pearl (lustre)
Neon Orange - bright clean orange (amplified)
Something New - creamy bright blue pink (amplified)
Style Curve - bright clean violet purple (cremesheen)
Lipglass - $17.50 - Clear
Pigment - $23.50
Electric Coral - bright coral with small pearl particles
Madly Personal - bright pink
 New Fixation - bright fuchsia red with soft pearl
Violet - vivid bright violet purple
Beauty Powder - $27
Play It Proper - pastel soft pink with sparkles
Too Chic - soft peachy cream with fine shimmer

On counters Sunday, December 26th, just in time for your frenzied Boxing Day shopping!

If you've been looking for a holiday collection that really does make you think about holiday parties, look no further, everything you need to glam yourself up for one is right here!
Jingle Belle Eyeshadow Palette - Limited Edition - $38 - beautiful rich jewel tones with a really pretty shimmer - this palette reminds me a lot of the Dior Jewel Eyeshadow Palette (I lost my mind trying to get both of them) - except the Dior one turned out to be disappointing because the shimmer was only on the top layer, the rest of the shadow turned out to be matte!  No such worry with this palette, the shimmer goes all the way through - I did really vicious things to the tester just to verify that!  The palette itself is covered with shiny crystally things and you know sparkly things make me happy!

Mine D'Or Shimmering Dust - Limited Edition - $35 - these golden nuggets can be applied anywhere from head to toe!  Mix them with your gloss or dust all over with a fluffy blush for a holiday glow!
Crystal Tattoo made with Swarovski Elements - Limited Edition -$12 - use the whole design together or cut apart to create your own design!  You can even use a little eyelash glue and glue to your lashes!
Divine Lash & Line Duo - $20 - two new additions to the regular line in Or and Vert D'Or.  Can be used as both a liquid liner and then the clever little ridges on the side of the applicator also let you use it as a mascara!
Duo Shadow & Glitter - $25 - in 3 colours: Smokey Silver, Golden Taupe, Opalescent - a new addition to the regular collection, it's a cream eyeshadow on top which screws off to reveal a sparkly loose powder to be used alone or together!
Nail Lacquer - Limited Edition - $12 - Violet Doré or Rouge Braise - polishes from Lise Watier are a treat for me - they aren't part of the regular line so when they appear, it's usually a colour worth looking at.  I also really like that their polishes come in small bottles, since I can never actually use one up before they go bad!
Lip Kiss Crayon Gloss - $18 - 3 new colours: Rose Intense, Melon Twist, Rouge Flamenco - I fell in love with these in the summer so I'm really happy to see new ones - all colours I covet.  And it's just such a convenient way to put on gloss!  Here's my tip for sharpening though, put it in the fridge first to harden it, it will make it so much easier to get a good clean sharpening.

Rouge Plumpissimo - $20 - a new red colour - Rouge Braise - is added to the lip plumping line just in time for the holidays!