The MAC Vera collection is perfect for flowery spring looks and includes two pretty pearlmatte face powders, Sunday Afternoon, and Flower Fantasy.

Below is a photo of my Sunday Afternoon powder.

Here is a swatch of MAC Vera Sunday Afternoon. This is done sweeping across the entire pan to pick up all of the colors:

Disclosure: This post is based  on an item given to me by a representative of MAC. For more, see the disclosure page.

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The Shop MAC-Cook MAC Collection is full of fun spring shades. For soft shades, look to the Vera collection, while for shades that shout, look to Shop MAC and Cook MAC. Shop MAC includes three new eye shadow quads which I have photos and swatches of below.

First up is the Shop MAC Call Me Bubbles Palette.

From  right to left are Call Me Bubbles swatches of the shades Call Me Bubbles, Fresh Daily, Full of Flavour, and Brash

Next is the MAC Shop and Drop Palette.

From left to right are Shop MAC swatches of the Shop and Drop shades Fresh Daily, Hypnotizing, Power Boosted, and Shop and Drop.

Finally, there is the Colour Added quad.

Below are MAC Colour Added swatches with the shades Laundry Daze, Colour Added, Pre-Packaged, and Self-Serve.

The pigment in the quads is pretty good. I have had a few times with recent collections where I thought the pigment was not as strong as it should be for MAC, but these tend to live up to the quality I would expect, and some of the colors are pretty interesting as well.

Disclosure: This review is based on items provided to me by MAC. For for, please refer to our disclosure page.

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The MAC Vera Collection for spring 2012 is one of my favorite spring collections. It is full of soft and pretty shades with a spring floral theme that tends to fit my own personal style. The collection also has three sets of crushed metallic pigments and I do love the MAC pigments.

I got two sets of the MAC Vera Pigments to swatch. The first, and my favorite, is the Aloha set, which will also work very nicely in summer when gold and bronze shades always become popular.  I decided to include photos of the pigment covers here too, since they give a nice sense of the shades.

Here are MAC Vera Aloha Pigment swatches of the shades Aloha, Shifting Sands, Campfire, and Lantern Light.

Next is the Strawberry Patch Pigment set.

Below are MAC Vera Strawberry Patch Pigment Swatches of the shades Strawberry Patch, Moon Rose, Rose Light, and Star Crystal.

Although listed as a frost, the Strawberry Patch shade was not milled as finely,and was a bit more like a glitter. I love the shade though!

Disclosure: This review and swatches is based on items given to me by a representative of MAC cosmetics. For more, please refer to the disclosure page.

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Valentine’s Day Makeup Tips

Many women find that on Valentine’s Day they enjoy disregarding their normal makeup routine in lieu of a more romantic look for this special day. Although the emotion of romance is responsible for putting a twinkle in a person’s eye and a glow in her cheeks, these traits can be enhanced using the following make-up tips:

Soft and Romantic
Those who wish to create a romantic, soft look for Valentine’s Day will find that light pink, apricot, or soft berry are the perfect shades for lips and cheeks, while yellow, beige, or even blue are ideal eyeshadow colors. For example, one can choose a beige shadow on the base of the lid, a subtle shade of blue for the crease, and a pale yellow on brow bone. When these eye colors are combined with apricot blush and soft matte pink lipstick the look is warm, romantic and inviting. The best eyeliner for this combination is brown or soft gray, as black will result in too sharp of a contrast and work against the soft appearance. Similarly, those who wear eyebrow pencil should choose a shade of light brown.

Smouldering and Sexy
Gray and deep pink work best for a sexy, desirable look that will make heads turn. The pink hue should be placed on the lid, with deep gray for the crease and a very pale gray or white shade for the highlight color. Red eyeshadow on the crease is also an option for those who are a bit daring. Deep black eyeliner works best with these combinations, and this should be followed by deepest black mascara. Bright glossy pink lipstick completes this look to perfection, and is a terrific choice for Valentine’s Day.

A Traditional Favorite
Smokey eyes are correct for virtually any occasion throughout the year. This look draws attention to the eyes in a way that cannot be rivaled by other options. Smokey eyes are created with grays, blacks, violets and browns in various combinations. To begin creating this look, a light charcoal shadow should be placed on the lid, beginning at the lash line and continuing upward to the crease. Black or deep matte gray should then be placed in the crease, and highlighted with a shimmery light gray or white shadow on the brow bone. As alternatives, one can create this look with dark green and gray, purple and silver, or chocolate and light pink. With this look, charcoal or black eyeliner and mascara is best, and lip color should be pale beige or frosty pink to complement, rather than detract from the smoldering eyes. For added glamour, lashes can be enhanced with an eyelash curler.

The Best Colors for Perfect Cheeks
It is important to choose colors wisely when selecting blush, as the hue chosen for one’s cheeks plays a bigger role than she may think in the overall result of the makeover. When selecting a blush for Valentine’s Day, it is wise to think rosy and light, but not overly dramatic unless one is planning a candlelight dinner. Neutral beige and soft pink are great choices, as are all shades of apricot as these hues impart a light, fresh and romantic look.

Essential Tips for Wearing Red Lipstick
Whichever look one chooses for Valentine’s Day, it will almost certainly benefit from a splash of red. Red lipstick is a timeless favorite that never goes out of style, and shades can be found to blend with all skin tones. Selecting the appropriate shade of red for lips is not difficult when one understands skin tones. Fair skin tones should be matched with shades of red that feature blue undertones. For medium skin tones, a brown based red is the best choice. Dark skin tones are best complemented by deep wine or plum tones. Those who do not care for red lipstick should consider a dark berry shade. This color adds a bit of brightness to virtually any skin tone, and is a fun and romantic shade to wear.

Practice Makes Perfect
Regardless of the which look one finds most appealing, it is a good idea to practice its creation a few days before Valentine’s Day so that one can be sure the techniques and color combinations have been mastered. Some women even try several of the aforementioned looks to determine which one blends most effectively with her hair, eyes and skin tone. Additionally, it is essential to avoid overdoing any particular look, as this will defeat the purpose for which it was selected.

Shop for the Best Makeup at Sephora and Beauty.com

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The Nars Spring Collection has a number of pretty items it, but my attention was quickly drawn to two: (1) The Lhasa Eye Shadow, which is a pretty silver grey that is akin to a deep taupe. Being a taupe fan, I wanted to try it,, and (2) The Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil. I love Nar’s Velvet Pencils and the shade on this one looked gorgeous in photos.

Today I have a swatch of the Lhasa shadow. I’ll put a swatch of the lip pencil up on Girl Gloss.  The first thing I noticed with this shadow was the high pigment. Seriously, one swipe and there is all the pigment that you need. If you really want more though, it is buildable and can be applied with a sponge or wet for deeper looks. The swatch below is just a  swipe back and forth once with a Q-tip, and that is pretty impressive given that, even with brands known for good pigment, I usually need to do more than that to get a good swatch for photos.

Here is Nars Lhasa with a little bit of distance:

And here is a swatch close up and held up to window light a bit more.

This is seriously a pretty color. If you like taupe, lavenders, or grays, you will want to check this one out!

As a final aside, when I was done with this, I wiped it off with the new Nars Makeup Removing Water, which is one heck of a good product. I’ll have a full review of it sometime in the next week or so.

The collection is available now at NarsCosmetics.com

Disclosure: This review is based on a product provided by a representative of the company. For more, please see our disclosure page.

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Smashbox has a set of very nice palettes customized for different eye colors and, if you are looking for the best shades for your blue, brown, or hazel eyes (green appears to be missing, although the Hazel eye set would work very well for green eyes), they offer a nice selection. But, before you get too hung up on the best eye shadow for blue eyes, brown eyes, etc., keep in mind that rules as far as that go are not set in stone. I am a big proponent of women wearing what they like, and taking suggestions of the best shades for eye color or skin tone as just that-suggestions. You are certainly free to wear something different. Indeed, among the Smashbox Photo Op palettes, I rather like the one for brown eyes best, and I have blue eyes.

Anyway, here they are and all really do have some nice shades in them.

Smashbox Photo Op Eye Enhancing Palette for Brown Eyes.

Smashbox Photo Op Eye Enhancing Palette for Blue Eyes.

Smashbox Photo Op Eye Enhancing Palette for Hazel Eyes.

These palettes are all exclusive to Sephora.

Se also our previous posts on the best makeup for your eye color:

Best Makeup for Blue Eyes

Best Makeup for Green Eyes

Best Makeup for Brown Eyes

Best Makeup for Hazel Eyes

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Here we are again at the end of the year, which means it is time for the best of the year posts! Below are Beauty and Fashion Tech’s best beauty product for 2011. The list includes the best makeup, best skin care, hair care, and best beauty gadgets that we tried this year. The items are in no particular order, although I tried to keep absolute favorites near the top. There are also a few items at the end of the list that I tried in 2011, but have not written the review of the item yet.

Best Beauty Products of 2011

(1) Ott Lite Makeup Mirror: This is a great makeup mirror that provides natural light in a highly adjustable and attractive package. Forget the cheap drugstore lighted mirrors an get the real deal with this one! I adore mine. Learn more in our initial review here: OttLite Makeup Mirror Review .

(2) Lancome Bi-Facil: When your dog eats a hot pink lipstick on the carpet, you will be glad if you have have some of this around. Oh, and it removes makeup from your eyes and face very well too! For more and for the story of the lipstick eating corgi, look here: Lancome Bi-Facil Review

(3) Skinsonic: The Skinsonic is a sonic skin cleansing system, similar to the popular Clarisonic, but much cheaper. Sonic cleansing is great for overall skin care and exfoliation. You can read more in our at home microdermabrasion guide.

(4) Iswas Handbag organizer: This is the best purse organizer on the market and it comes in several nice shades. Read our report: Iswas Handbag Report

(5) Sedu Revolution 4000i: Sedu makes great products, and the Revolution 4000i dryer is no exception. Learn more about the top hair dryers here: Best Hair Dryers

(6) Verseo eGlide: The Verseo eGlide is an interesting permanent hair removal device that uses a galvanic current instead of a lasers, which makes it great for those with darker skin or who want to remove facial hair, since a laser is not safe for either of those. I personally prefer my Tria Laser, but the eGlide did work for me to remove some facial hair. For more on the eGlide, see our Verseo eGlide review or our laser hair removal at home guide.

(7) Tokidoki Soda Shop Palette: This limited edition item is getting hard to find, but if you look at Sephora, there are multiple Tokidoki palettes and all are packed full of really well pigmented makeup. Learn more here:  Tokidoki Soda Shop Swatches and Review

(8) Hot Tools Pink Titanium Curling Iron: Hot tools makes a number of great curling irons. To learn more see our report: Best Curling Irons

(9) MAC Me Over Fall Collection: MAC’s fall collection was particularly impressive this year. See more here:  MAC Me Over Swatches

(10) MAC Bloggers Obsessions: the MAC Blogger’s Obsessions colelction was really fun because fellow beauty bloggers designed it! You can see photos here:  MAC Bloggers Obsessions Photos

(11) Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron: I love Sedu irons and this one it right up there at the top.  Learn about the top Flat Irons here: The Best Flat Irons

(12) Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Palette:  Laura Mercier has been putting out a number of neat palettes lately and this set is particularly nice.

(13) Brazilian Peel: This 30% glycolic peel works wonders for dull and acne prone skin. I used it weekly for four weeks with excellent results!

(14) Stila Dream in Color Palette: The best makeup palette of the holiday season. Get a large number of Stila shades in a single pretty palette!

Interested in the best products from past years? Look here:

Best Beauty Products of 2010

Best of 2009

Best of 2008

Best of 2007

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Today brings a bit of a preemptive post!

While Christmas morning might be a big event for the kids, New Year’s Eve is usually when the adults go a little wild with holiday celebration. Unfortunately, the late night, usual New Year’s dressings of alcohol, rich food and sometimes too-cramped rooms and houses can make you look tired, puffy and worn out the next morning. A few quick and simple beauty rules can help you look more vibrant and awake (even when you don’t feel especially awake!).

Tip 1: You Know It Will Be a Long Night, Be Prepared

Chances are you’ll probably know if you have plans in advance for any New Year’s celebration. Take advantage of this and plan ahead for the next morning. There’s nothing worse than waking up after a late night and trying to pick out clothing or gather makeup and hair care supplies. If you have all of your morning routine items laid out in advance, you’ll have a few extra moments to apply makeup, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and not feel as rushed to get on with your day while trying to hunt down everything you need.

Tip 2: Hydrate Yourself

Long nights can take a toll on your body in more ways than you might realize, especially if you celebrated New Year’s with a few traditional alcoholic beverages. Even though it’s usually consumed in liquid form, alcohol can contribute to dehydration. Combined with fatigue, a possibly smoky environment if there were cigarettes present at the party, and consumption of possibly salty or rich snacks during the evening, chances are your body needs to replenish. Drink water, and moisturize your skin with a good hydrating cream, especially if your skin feels dry or rough.

Tip 3: Pay Close Attention to Your Hair

Just like your skin, your hair might need some special attention the morning after New Year’s. Depending on your hair type and the environment that you spent the evening in, your hair may be dull, lank or oily the morning after, which can add to a and disheveled appearance. Take the extra time to shampoo it using a good shampoo formulated to your hair type, and condition it thoroughly.

Tip 4: The Eyes Have It

One mistake many women make after New Year’s eve parties is trying to conceal eye bags and puffiness with heavy eyeliner. While it seems like this would draw more attention to the eyes themselves and help overshadow any puffiness, it will do exactly the opposite in practice. Less is more when it comes to eye makeup the morning after the celebrating. Use a cold compress, such as cucumbers or tea bags, on eye puffiness before applying makeup. Avoid dark eyeliner and eye shadow; instead, use only some mascara and light, shimmering eye shadow on upper lids.

Tip 5: Use Less Makeup

Your skin may need a day or two to recover, so avoid heavy makeup or blush that might accentuate wrinkles, lines or skin dryness. Caking on the makeup is one of the worst ways to try to conceal fatigue after New Year’s celebrations or other long nights out, since the makeup will gather in crevices and can further dry out skin. Use a light powder to take the shine from your nose, and use concealer sparingly.

Take it easy this New Year’s Eve everyone! Have fun, but be safe!

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L’Oreal has released a new mascara that uses a combination of nylon and rayon fibers to create additional volume and length.  L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara advertises that is offers extra length, volume, and curling, with a long lasting and flake free formula.  I was sent a tube of the mascara to try, and I found it to be a rather interesting product. It is great for all day wear, length, and curl.

First off, this mascara is a bit different from a standard mascara, and I am glad that I read a few other reviews of it before I tried it, because that allowed me to use it right and get good results right from the start. In particular, several bloggers noted that the mascara would tend to clump, especially if you wipe the brush first. Being a rather compulsive brush wiper myself, I took that to heart.  So I tested the mascara two ways. On one eye I wiped the brush and applied as I normally would. On the other I did not wipe the brush and applied it a bit carefully to avoid clumps. Sure enough, the wiped brush did clump some for me, but I got very nice results when I applied the mascara straight from the tube and was careful to go easy with it, especially on the first coat.

The brush is slightly angled and you can see a fibrous appearance in it when it is loaded:

When applied correctly, I got a very nice look with this mascara. The first thing I noted was that it curls better than almost any mascara I have ever used. I could happily use this without curling my lashes first. It also gives nice length with good definition as long as you are careful. But if you try to apply this quickly or put on a second coat too soon, it will clump. In general though, this one also tends to look pretty good with just one coat, so you can avoid issues by simply carefully applying a single coat.

The mascara wore very well for me. I had no issues with flaking or smudging and was perfectly comfortable wearing this with my contact lenses.  It also lasted all day. Overall, I would probably buy this one for the good wear time and curling effect and I do recommend it. Just don’t apply it too quickly or too thick.

You can learn more at the product’s Facebook page.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, with compensation provided for review of the product. In addition,the product was provided by a representative of the company. For more information on these types of posts, please see the disclosure page.

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Fun and Festive Holiday Looks

Holiday makeovers can not only give you an extra opportunity to get into the holiday spirit, these makeovers often work wonders to lift your spirits. Looking your best during the holidays is important because this is a time when many people are very socially active and are attending dinner parties, concerts, and holiday gatherings. Try out some of the holiday makeover tips listed below and get into the festivities of the merry holiday season by changing your hair and makeup.

7 Ways to Makeover Yourself for the Holidays

1. Try out warmer shades of foundation and loose cosmetic powder for the cold months of the year. If you want to make coverage for your face quick and easy, mineral powders in warm tones provide a natural-appearing flush to your face while offering quick and easy application. Use a light hand on foundations so the rest of your makeup will stand out and be the center of attention.

2. Golds and silvers are popular decorative colors for the holidays and this also applies to makeup. Get festive and creative and use various shades of light but brilliant golds as lip gloss. Complement this look with metallic silvers and golds over the eyes for a look that stands out from the crowd.

3.  Bold, dark green eyeliners work wonders on all shades of eyes. Whether your eyes are hazel, dark brown, green, or blue, dark green eyeliner applied evenly over the top and bottom of the eye will grab attention from anyone near you.

4. Know when to be dramatic and know when to use a light hand with your makeup. If you are out shopping for the day or having lunch, apply light amounts of makeup. This will be just enough to enhance your natural beautiful features. However, if you are going out for a romantic dinner in a dimly lit restaurant, let your makeup match the mood of the evening. This type of night calls for more dramatic and bold application of eye makeup and lipstick application. Use bolder shades which will result in a dramatic and striking appearance.

5. Wear your hair loose and wavy as it fits the theme of heavy winds blowing and the gustiness of cold weather conditions. Light amounts of glitter matching the shade of your hair will can be lightly applied to the ends of long and beautiful trends. If your hair is short and spiky, let it fall into a natural curl and frame your face for a soft winter look. For a more dramatic appearance for your hair, braid in metallic gold thread into small braids randomly streaked throughout your hair.

6. Red lipstick and bracelets stand out in a crowd. Over accessorize during the holidays when it comes to bracelets. Long, silver, red, and gold bracelets can create a festive look and can be complemented by bright, red lipstick shades. Complete this look with red nail polish trimmed in gold at the tip of the nails.

7. To bring your entire look together, don’t forget about taking care of your skin throughout the holiday season. Cold climates can be rough on skin, so don’t forget to keep your face cleaned daily and be liberal with facial creams to protect the suppleness of your skin.

Shop for holiday fashion and makeup at Nordstrom

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