Wednesday Wish List: Sephora Color Play 5 in 1

Okay... I know it's not really Wednesday but I couldn't help myself!

I know a lot of people look down on the 88 color palettes (either via Coastal Scents or generic E-bay ones) but for me I love it! It's probably my single most used product. Yes there's a mix of quality and pigmentation, some are a little chalky or sheer, and the sizes are small but overall I'm quite happy with most of the colors. I love the variety and options which sparks my creativity, and in general I'm a fan of large palettes rather than a zillion little single eye shadows that you have to open and close individually, it's way faster and more convenient. My problem lately is I've been doing a lot of short travel, just for a night or 2, so I need to pack light. Larger palettes thus aren't the most convenient thing in the work. Enter my new drool item...

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 for $29.50

What is it? Sephora's latest pallet containing 50 eye shadows (looks like a mixture of matte and shimmer), 10 lip glosses, and 5 blushes.

What's so special about it? It looks like a lot of other generic eyeshadow/blush palettes. It's composed of 5 smaller interchangeable mini pallets that can be taken out and put in another smaller pallet that's better suited for purses and travel. SCORE! I get both sides of what I want, a large diverse palette that easy to use daily and has lots of options but can also be separated and made smaller for travel!



Here's Sephora's official spiel on it.

Color Play - 5 in 1 ($150 Value)

What it is:
A versatile eye, lip, and cheek set featuring five interchangeable color stories.

What it does:
Create a look to fit any mood or style with five sub-palettes, each of which fits easily into a conveniently portable compact. To switch color stories, just pop out the previous look and insert a new one. New Sephora Collection formulations provide long-lasting wear and excellent color payoff for seriously stunning results.

Each of the five sub-palettes contains:
- 10 x Eyeshadows
- 2 x Lip colors
- Blush

I think the $150 value part is a little bogus (where do they always come up with those magical numbers?) but I think about thirty dollars is reasonable for everything the palette has. Obviously it's a little pricer than the 88 by about 10 bucks but it also has glosses and blushes, but I think what you are really paying for is that extra convenience of versatility. I know some people are critical of the Sephora brand products but I can't say too much about them as I've had limited experience (a lip plumping pencil, mini mascara sample, a manicure pen, and 2 glitter pens) and never really tried any of their shadows or blushes. I think I'd go into this expecting about the same as the 88 palette, a couple good shadows, some mediocre, and a few washes.

Another thing I like about the palette is the fun color stories of the individual palettes. There's one that looks good for a smokey eye, one for a neutral look, and 3 more colorful coordinated ones. Each palette has it's own name too.

Dinner in Paris: Grays and blacks

Coffee in New York: Browns and neutral eye

Shopping in Milan: Purples and pinks, green

Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens

Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

I'm super super tempted for this one but so far I've only been able to find a couple reviews and they're the "I-haven't-tried-it-yet-but-here-it-is-out-of-the-box, the-colors-look-pretty-and-might-be-really-pigmented" type of reviews which don't really do much for me. Right now out of 67 reviews on Sephora it has a 4.7 out of 5 but I generally find the reviews are more favorable on the site and come from such a mix of people (young/old, newbies/old timers) that it's not as specific and useful to me. The past Color Play palettes haven't gotten such good reviews but so far this one does seem to be beating some peoples expectations. I'm dying to see some swatches and hear the quality is at least equal to 88 and I'll dive right in. Who knows, maybe I'll have to take the plunge and swatch it for all you folks. :P

Wednesday Wish List: MAC Mineralize Blush Duo Two Virtues

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Two Virtues

A few weeks ago I went to LA for spring break so I got to go MAC! (There are no anywhere close to where I live, in the middle of nowhere). I was so excited and slightly overwhelmed by it all but right away the mineralized duo blushes from the Too Fabulous collection. They were so pretty. When I inquired about them the artist suggested Buddy Up or Rhapsody in Two for my light to meduim skin (NW20 or 25).

Mineralize Blush $23.00

A limited-edition Mineralize Blush featuring two shades swirled into an abstract pattern. Delivers the sheer colour and soft, dimensional pearl finish of all M∙A∙C Mineralize powder formulas.

Rhapsody is the light pale pink and light peach. I swatched it and found it to be very light and somewhat sheer. It had a pretty sparkle but not much color, almost more like a very faint highlight rather than a true blusher. I've had the NARS Orgasm for quite awhile and never find it very satisfying and I felt this would be a similar experience. For my money I like some ooommpphh!

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Rhapsody in Two

Buddy Up is a dirty rose and neutral yellow pink. I don't know what to say about it. I swatched it and just wasn't impressed. It's a nice rose, but again, just nothing special or unique in my eyes.

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Buddy Up

What really caught my eye was the Two Virtues, a combo of light blue pink and light violet. The pink really pops. This blush is really pigments and you need only a tiny tiny bit and a light hand but I found it to be beautiful! I felt it really made skin pop and look a little tanner with a glow. The pink was fun and girly but not TOO crazy unwearable (coughcough te powder blush in Full Fushia!), I just loved everything about it and could just sense it would be one of my top items. Unfortunately they were out, and so was the other store we tried the next day! Grrrr.

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Two Virtures

Wednesday Wish List: Dior Pure Poison

Current wish list item:

Pure Poison by Dior
1 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $59
1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $75
3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $95

Pure Poison has been my main scent for about 2~2 1/2 years so far and I ran dry of my current 1 oz bottle in early December. Sadly, current budget crisis after my recent holiday mean I can't afford even a 1 oz bottle. It's such a lovely unique scent though that doesn't 'tickle' like some of overly powerful florals of fruity scents. It's described as:

... a modern floral based on a white flower bouquet, infused with fresh amber. A radiant scent, it emits both purity and seduction with a first impression of soft flowers and the lingering allure of woody-amber and sexy musks.

It's primary notes are: sweet orange, bergamot, mandarin, orange flower, jasmine, gardenia, sandalwood, white amber, and musks. I'm a fan of musks and I can definitely detect that as well as hints of the amber, gardenia and maybe a little of the jasmine. It's said to have a "luminous, textured, and seductive" style. I agree with seductive for sure. I love it because it's professional and light for everyday use, yet also a little sultry and sexy if applied slightly heavier in the evenings. It's a versitile scent, at least with my particular skin chemistry.

As a side note I like the bottle. I've always been fascinated with pretty perfume bottle and once dreamed of being a 'perfume bottle designer'. Lol. It's simple, yet pretty, not over the top, and not so bizarrely awkwardly shaped in an attempt to be 'artistic' or different. Overall, it's classic yet a little modern, inside and out. I'd recommend it to anyone in the market for something new, and I can't wait to get my hands on another bottle again, hopefully soon!