As I mentioned previously, I frequent YouTube for new tips, tutorials and trends in makeup artistry and beauty products.  One of my favorite channels I subscribe to is Ateya Richard's "Smuve Completions". She is not only entertaining, but informative, and I like the makeup tips she likes to share.  She favors NARS products and uses some blushes and eyeshadows in most of her videos.   I read in a magazine that alot of celebrities were wearing "Exhibit A" NARS blush...and it has alot of women of color talking about it.  Well, after various reviews, I decided to check NARS blushes out.

I went to Sephora, just to put some on to see how the color worked out.   A very flamboyant and super nice SA in the store, comes up to me, and I ask him about NARS blush.

SA: "Oh honey!!! You are gonna luuuuvee Exhibit A!!"   He then takes me to the NARS section. . . 

Me: "Ummmm that's like florescent orange!!!...not my color"

SA:  "Just try it"

Me: "Okay (I'm too nice.)"

So he puts some of the blush on me, and I look in the mirror, and I'm shocked at how pretty the color looks!  I really can't explain it... it's like a natural flush of color that complements my skin so well!.  

Me: "Wow... I'm speechless".

SA: "Told you girl!"

I grab Exhibit A, and Albatross (see below).  That color scared me as well, until I put it on and liked it.  It's a cheekbone hightlight with a subtle, sheer, golden overlay.  I love it, and think they were both worth the money.  They are highly pigmented, so you just have to use a tiny bit.

Here is a picture (courtesy of Indian Makeup Diva ) of Exhibit A and Albatross together.

Ateya's NARS review:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hSX4T2I0ac&feature=channel_page

Scandalous Beauty's NARS review: 

I will try to post a photo of myself with these colors on later!

Do you have NARS blushes?  Which colors do you like?   Let me know!

~Sher

I was so excited when the Hello Kitty for MAC line came out a couple of weeks ago.  I wasn't able to go to the premier, becaause I was a at work... so my husband (he's so sweet) volunteered to go for me.  I ended up getting the purse mirror, and a blush ("Tippy") from the line.   I wanted the keychain/mirror combo, but they were out.   After getting the blush home, I tried it, and thought it looked too much like another blush I had, so I returned it yesterday and got a Hello Kitty  lipglass in "Nice to Be Nice"-(It's the last one on the right in the picture below)  It's a bright sheer, pearly-orange color, but it's VERY sheer and actually looks pretty once you put it on.   While I was there, I got a Mineralize powder an a sample of the new MAC Studio Sculpt foundation (in NW43 and NW45, because I have to mix them to get the right shade to match my skin).  I'll post a review here when I try it out for a few days.  If you have any of these products, please post a comment and let me know your thoughts.  

The Hello Kitty Kouture line is coming out March 5th!!!!   I can't wait...the Sheer Mystery Powder compact is so cute! $90 is stretching it... but it does come with a refill powder.  The dazzleglass lipgloss will be around $30.  Gorgeous!

Review : March 5, 2009      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D1Tsj66Vnw

Hugs,

~Sher

I've been a Sephora Beauty Insider club member for about three years and one of the many little "perks" to being a member is getting a free gift in the month of your birthday (2 weeks before or after your birthdate).  A couple of weeks ago, I went in to Sephora to purchase some NARS blushes, and got a cute little set of Sephora lipglosses for my birthday gift!  The colors are very pretty, and the lipgloss is sheer, so you can wear it alone or with a lipliner (or on top of lipstick, if you prefer).  Colors are: Precious Pink  (barely-there sheer pink shimmer), Rosy Glow (golden pink) and Bronzed Beauty (red with gold shimmer)

If you're not a Sephora Beauty Insider memeber, go sign up.  Unfortunately, you can't redeem your bday gift at the Sephora's in JCPenney stores. Booooo!

I recently discovered these eyesshadows by Milani - the Runway collection.  Very shimmery and vibrant colors.  I must say that I still like my MAC pigments and shadows better, but these are good for drugstore quality. They come in a very cute, clear, domed container and each has it's own brush (which if you're like me, and very anal about getting the colors mixed up with differen't brushes, you'll appreciate that.)

Colors I bought:  Coffee Shop , Beach Sand and Black Out 

My Review:  Coffee Shop is a good crease/lid color for me and Beach Sand is a great color for a  highlight.  Black Out is one that I'm not impressed with, and would return it if I could find the reciept.  It's more of a charcoal grey than it is black.  I kinda like how it looked in the packaging because, as with the other colors in this collection, it has a pretty shimmer to it.  But nonetheless, it didn't work out and way to 'grey' looking.  I also noticed that after using these colors for a week, they've lost their initial  "shimmer".  Apparently, its only on the top :(  I'm a little disappointed about this, but it's okay. Here are few close-ups...

See how the first two photo are 'glittery'....yeah.. this one is not?   That's because I've used it more than the other two.  

 And here is a swatch:  (click for enlarged image)

Excuse the indentation on my arm from my camera strap..lol

Over all I like the colors and will definately use them  and if you're looking for some less expensive colors to play with, I recommed these :) And it's a natural look for everyday.

So hubby's out of town right now, and I decide to have some 'me' time.  I run to Walgreens to get some icecream (Haagen-Daz mango is my weapon of choice tonight- LUV!).  The lady that works at the cosmetics counter at my Walgreens is sweet and always so helpful, but tonight I really hoped I didn't see her because I was trying to make this quick so I could run back home to watch Oprah on my DVR...lol.  Yeeeah... sooooo she's there;  Darn!

SA: "Hey! [In her southern and oh-so-charming voice]"

Me: "Heeeey."

SA:  "We ghowt sum ov those mayusks you lak!"

Me: "oh really?--...Well, I really stopped in for icecream tonight"

SA: "Well purfikt! And you kin do a mayusk after yur ah-scream!"

Me: "Ok, I'll take a look at them."

So, not wanting my "ah-scream" to melt, I decided to go look at the masks (mayusks) she was talking about first.  See, she got me hooked on these a few months back, and I liked them.  They are by The Face Shop (search the site for "mask sheet") and are sold exclusively at Walgreens. My favorite ones are the Vita sheets (K,A,E,C and B) , The Fresh Fruit sheets (Pomegranite, Lemon and Aloe) and tonight I'm trying the Pearl mask sheet in the Essential collection---as we speak (what can I say?...I'm a multi-tasker :) ) This particular one is for clean skin, and usually your skin feels so refreshed afterwards. I picked up a couple of masks, my icecream, and a few eyeshadows (that she also told me about) and came home.  You guys should definately go check them out if you haven't already.   Back to Oprah and icecream...  ~Sher

Here's basically how the mask works: