December Favorites

 I can't believe that it's time for my last monthly favorites post of 2012.

Where did this year go?!

But on to my favorite products for December...

The Balm Time Balm Foundation

By now, everyone must know what a sucker I am for products from the Balm.

Every time that they put out a new eyeshadow palette (there's a new one coming out soon too!  Check out the info from Musings of a Muse.), I'm always first in line to pick it up and when Haute Look runs a sale, I always try to pick up one of the other products from the line that I haven't tried yet.

That's why I decided to pick up the Time Balm Foundation in Light a month or so ago. 

Happy Holidays!

I apologize profusely for being totally MIA this past week.  I was swept away by holiday-related insanity, as I bet many of you been too. 

It's amazing how much there is to do at this time of year, isn't it?

Anyway, I won't be around much the beginning of this week either because I'll be spending Christmas with my family but I promise to be back on track by the weekend.  I've got some great stuff to share with you guys (and if I manage to be a good girl for the next 24 hours, I'm thinking Santa's going to have a few makeup-related goodies in his sack for me too) that I'm really excited about so I can't wait to get back to blogging regularly again.

In the mean time, I hope that all of you enjoy the rest of the holiday season with family and friends.  As always, thanks for taking the time to read the blog.  It means the world to me.

See you soon.

Laura Geller Beauty Off the Vine TSV

I am a sucker for cute packaging, and it doesn't get much cuter than the box for the upcoming Laura Geller Beauty Off the Vine TSV on QVC.

The kit features good-for-your-skin ingredients like grapeseed oil and resveratrol, which are - you guessed it - derived from grapes, so it only makes sense that it has a wine theme.

Hence the wine inspired box.

The kit will be featured on QVC on Friday, December 28th, starting at midnight.  It costs $54.96 (+ $6.72 s/h), and is available on auto-delivery, with future kits arriving in April and August 2013.

The LORAC Pro Palette

LORAC Pro Palette

This review has been a long time coming.

I've had the LORAC Pro Palette ($42) since about mid-October, have used it countless times, and intended to write this post at least a half dozen times.

But between being without power for a couple of weeks, wanting to get up reviews of limited edition products, and other holiday related nonsense, it's taken nearly two months to actually do this.

Craziness.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I have a confession.

For years, I hated matte eye shadows.

Real, legit hate.

Avoiding-them-like-the-plague, absolutely-no-use-for, full on hate.

They were splotchy, dry and impossible to blend.

Why would anyone want to wear them, I used to wonder.

Of course, in hind sight, I realize that my issues with matte shadows had everything to do with the quality of the shadows I was working with.

Because, seriously, when I found the right matte shadows, it was like my entire world view changed.

All that hate turned to total and utter love.

Too Faced Sweet Indulgence Palette Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered The Too Faced Sweet Indulgence Palette Giveaway.  I loved reading everyone's comments about their favorite holiday looks - I may be inspired to try a few new ones this year.

I am happy to announce that the winner is Alison.  Alison, I emailed you at the address that you left in the comments so check your inbox for the details.

If you didn't win this giveaway, don't worry - I've got another planned for next month. (And a kind of special one planned for February when the blog turns a year old) so keep an eye out.

As always, thank you to everyone who takes the time to read the blog, leave comments and send emails. You guys do what I thought was impossible - make makeup even more fun. :)

Tarte 30% Off Friends and Family Sale

If you still have some holiday shopping left to do (or feel like treating yourself a little), here's some good news - Tarte is having a 30% off Friends and Family sale on their website.

The really good news is that all of their holiday 2012 gift sets like the Amazonian Clay Blush Set and LipSurgence Lip Tints Set, which are already amazing values, are eligible for the sale - which pretty much makes them ridiculous steals that everyone should snatch up.

The sale starts today and last until Thursday, December 13.  Use the code FFDEC at checkout to get the 30% off. You'll also get free shipping on orders of $40 and up.

Happy Shopping!

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian - The Must-Have Nude Lip Color That Everyone Needs

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian

This is a public service announcement that's been a long time coming.

I've had the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian for about three months and I've been meaning to write about it since pretty much the first day but something always seems to get in the way. 

Finally, I've gotten around to it.

And all I can say is that everyone needs this lipgloss.

Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch

Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch

Not to brag or anything, but I have the greatest sister in the world.

When I was stressed out about not having power and missing two whole weeks of work after Hurricane Sandy, she wanted to cheer me up and because she knows me so well, she knows that there's a surefire to raise my spirits.

Surprise me with makeup.

Guaranteed to make me happy every time.

So when she surprised me to the Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch (and a Revlon nail polish that will likely make it into my December Favorites because I am seriously obsessed with it), which I'd been wanting for a while, it definitely did perk me up.

bareMinerals Light Show Face Palette

Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to enter my holiday giveaway for the Too Faced Sweet Indulgences Palette.  You can find all the info here. Thanks to everyone who's already entered! 

As I've mentioned a million times before, I'm a big fan of Bare Escentuals' Ready line of pressed products.

Well, except the Ready Foundation. That left me pretty underwhelmed.

But all the other Ready products that I've tried - eye shadows, blushes, eyeliners, highlighters - have been fabulous  - beautifully pigmented, creamy and smooth.

That's why I was really excited to try one of the bareMinerals Ready face palettes.  They came out with three for the holidays - one sold at Sephora, one sold at the BE website and boutiques and one sold at Macy's, Nordstrom's and other department stores that carry BE. I think QVC and Ulta may have similar palettes that are just a bit smaller.

I chose the Light Show Palette, available at BE website and in BE boutiques - mainly because of its gorgeous teal shadow.