Exclusive swatches of the new Jesse's Girl Mineralized Shadows (plus a primer review!)

I was very honored last week to receive all six of the new Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Eye Shadows before they hit stores and the Jesse's Girl website, and today I'm going to show you swatches of each color, plus a few eye looks I did with some of the shades. These will retail for $3.99 each and should be available on the JG website, as well as Rite Aid, in just a few weeks.

But let's start with the Jesse's Girl Eye Shadow Primer, which I also received for review. This retails for $5.99 and you can purchase it on the Jesse's Girl site.

This primer is on the creamy side (not as dry as Urban Decay, but not as runny as the silicone-based Hard Candy eye primer) and it goes on a little wet, so be sure to give it a minute or two to dry before you start to apply your shadows.

I"ve been using it every day for a few days now, and when used with the Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Eye Shadows, I have to say that it's a winning combo. This primer really pumps up the color of the baked shadows and it keeps them in place all day on my lids without fading or creasing. I'm really impressed by this primer--especially given the low price!

Now on to the shadows:

(for larger images, click here)

Here are swatches of the entire Mineralized Baked Eye Shadow Collection--I swiped each shade with and without the Jesse's Girl Eye Primer underneath, just so you can see the difference in pigmentation:

I'd say that all of these swatches are extremely accurate in terms of color, with the exception of Ocean Breeze, which is actually a cooler blue than it appears here. It's more on the electric-blue end of the spectrum, and these swatches really do not do it justice.

Now for the eye looks:

For my first look, I used the beautiful Esmeralda from lash line to brow (it's actually more beige than it looks in the pan) and Plum Frost in my outer "v". Both shades applied very smoothly and were easy to work with and blend. I lined my eyes with the green shade in the Physicians Formula Gel Cream Eyeliner Trio for Green Eyes. I thought it would be nice to play up the subtle green undertone in Esmeralda by using a bolder green liner.

For my second look, I used Rosemary Frost as a wash from lash line to crease. This is the only shade I'm wearing on my lids. To line my eyes, I used Graphite Frost, which was extremely easy to use as a liner (I just ran my liner brush under water for a second and picked up the shadow directly from the pan).

For both eye looks, I used the Jesse's Girl Eye Primer before applying the shadows.

All in all, I am very pleased with these new shades (and the primer!). For $3.99, I think they're an excellent value considering you can use them in so many ways (sheer wash, intense pop of color, and also to line the eyes). The one thing I have not tried yet is using these shadows wet (foiling) but I'm pretty sure they'll work well in that capacity too.

The only tiny issue I have with these shadows is that all of the shades except for Ocean Breeze and Kiwi Shine contain silver sparkles, which will cause a bit of fallout during application. I am getting better about working with shadows that have fallout (it seems that so many of these baked shadows have this issue) but if you're a beginner, I suggest applying your shadow BEFORE your foundation, so that you can more easily wipe the fallout away (or just purchase Ocean Breeze or Kiwi Shine!).

That's it for this review--I hope you found it useful and, as always, I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Coming Soon: New Maybelline foundation, powder, concealer, blush and bronzer line

Remember these two words, ladies, because I guarantee that we're going to be seeing these words A LOT in drugstores, magazines, tv, etc. in the near future:

Fit Me

So just what is Fit Me? Read on for all the details (from happi.com):

Maybelline New York executives hope the launch of Fit Me, a four-product face line, will change the way women shop for cosmetics in mass markets.

The brand, which was already the leader in cosmetics for the four-week period ended Aug. 10, grew 15 percent to a 20.2 percent dollar share, according to sales data from SymphonyIRI Group.

Now, with the launch of Fit Me, Maybelline New York is looking to build on its face business and lure the entry-level face-makeup wearer, as well as the more established foundation consumer.

Maybelline executives say Fit Me offers a newer take on the “shade true” category, starting with a foundation, a powder, a concealer and a blush. Three bronzers help complete the finished look. What makes Fit Me different from other lines is that it links the various items together so the consumer will shop face as a regimen.

Items in Fit Me use “skin merge technology,” a patented formula that aims to match skin tone and blend quickly. Fit Me includes a foundation, which has an SPF 18 and uses pigments that are grounded and refined before being added to a translucent base to allow for skin-shade replication. The foundation has a number featured prominently on packaging so the consumer knows immediately which shade of powder will match her skin, as its corresponding partner will bear the same number. Powders use a creamy pigment technology, and both the foundation and powder are available in 18 shades and will retail for $7.99. The concealer is available in six shades, while the blush comes in 12. Concealers will sell for $6.49 and blush and bronzers will sell for $5.51 a piece.

Industry sources estimate Fit Me could generate as much as $70 million in first-year retail sales.

In most stores, Fit Me will take up about three feet of space. Whether that space is new to Maybelline or a way to fill a hole left by a discontinued brand is still being decided by retailers said Carolyn Holba, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Maybelline New York-Garnier. So that consumers can shop across the regimen, the line will be displayed in rows by shade, rather than by item. For example, the light-shade powders will be next to the light-shade foundations, along with coordinating blushes and concealers.

A print and TV advertising campaign for Fit Me follows a reality theme where each of Maybelline’s spokesmodels is filmed during various times of their days, giving it a documentary feel. Their Fit Me shade numbers are revealed at the end of each spot.

So ladies, what do we think of this new face line from Maybelline? It sounds like it will be competing directly with L'Oreal's True Match line, right? Are you excited to see these new products? I spotted this article over at Stylist which indicates this line will launch January 2011. If you click the article, there is an image of the products--they look very sleek and sort of NARS-ish! What do you think?

And the winner of the Palladio giveaway is...

I'm very excited to announce the winner of the 12-piece Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayon giveaway, sponsored by Palladio Beauty!

Out of 205 valid entries, here's the winning number as selected by random.org:

And who was lucky #55?

Congratulations, geckogal!

Geckogal, I have sent you an email so please respond as soon as you can to claim your wonderful prizes!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered this giveaway. And please don't worry if you didn't win--I have a few more exciting giveaways in store for September so please check back soon!

Review: Benefit To Go "Stay Put" Set

As you all know, I very rarely, if ever, review higher-end products on this blog. It's not that I don't love high end products, but it just doesn't seem right to put them on a blog that's devoted to saving money on beauty products. But every once in a while a fantastic deal comes along and I just can't resist.

This is exactly what happened a while back when the lovely Cutiegingerbread clued me in to a great deal on some Benefit trial kits. If you're not familiar with these, they're little kits full of trial size Benefit products that retail for an unbelievable price. This Stay Put Set retails for just $10 at Sephora and here's what you get:

Benefit To Go "Stay Put" Set (retail: $10)

As you can see, this kit includes smaller versions of some of Benefit's most popular items:

Stay Don't Stray Eyeshadow Primer (.09 oz)

full-size version retails for $24

Erase Paste Concealer in 02 Medium (.11 oz)

full-size version retails for $26

Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P. (.11 oz)

full-size version retails for $19

After Cutiegingerbread told me about these kits, I quickly became obsessed with getting the Stay Put Set for myself. I am ALWAYS on the search for the next best undereye concealer, and for just $10, to think that you also get an eye primer and a Creaseless Cream? It's just too much goodness in one small package!

But I couldn't buy this product for myself at Sephora. Actually, it's not that I couldn't, I just didn't want to. You see, a little while ago, someone in my family gave me a Sephora gift certificate in a very generous amount. And silly me, I seem to have misplaced the gift certificate. So on principle alone, I feel like I can't purchase anything from Sephora until I find this gift certificate. It would kill me to spend my own money on something, while knowing in the back of my head that this gift certificate is SOMEWHERE in my home. I've been tearing apart my house lately trying to find it, but so far I can't seem to locate it. Don't get me wrong--I am NOT giving up, but I did put my plans to buy the Stay Put Set on hold until I find this darn GC.

So Cutiegingerbread, the sweetheart that she is, periodically checked in with me via Twitter to ask me if I had 1) found my GC yet and 2) purchased the Stay Put Set yet. And when she found out that I hadn't done either, she was concerned that by the time I found my GC, the Stay Put Set would be sold out. So what did she do? Well, she went ahead and bought this little kit FOR ME and sent it to me a little while ago. What an incredibly sweet thing to do, right? I was left speechless by her kindness and generosity. To do something like this is well, unbelievable. And really, it's only something a fellow makeup addict can truly understand and appreciate.

So another HUGE thanks to Cutiegingerbread for going above and beyond to ensure that I got this little kit before it sold out. So now that I've gotten to test out everything in this kit, let's start with the product I was most excited to try: Erase Paste:

Erase Paste in 02 Medium is a great shade for me. For my particular dark circles, I need a concealer that is more peach in color, to counterbalance the reddish-purplish dark area. If I use a yellow-based concealer, it turns my dark area gray (ick!). So looking at these before and after shots, you can see that my under-eye area does not appear gray at all. But here's the thing: in the first photo, you can see that the light bounces off my skin due to my moisturizer. In the second pic, it still seems very shiny, right? Well, that's because Erase Paste is actually sort of greasy in texture. Don't get me wrong--it's not super slick or oily, but it does have a moisturizing property to it, and it feels kind of thick on my skin until I work it in a bit.

But the problem with working it in a bit is that it kind of loses its concealing properties the more I blend it. In other words, when I first apply it, it looks like it's going to completely cancel out my darkness, which is awesome. But the more I blend, the more sheer it becomes. And if I leave it thicker and don't blend it as well, it quickly gathers in the fine lines under my eyes. So in all honestly, I'm having a hard time making this one work for me.

But as you can see in the third photo, after I apply my foundation (in this photo I'm wearing Physicians Formula Healthy Skin Powder Foundation SPF 50, which I have reviewed here) it helps A LOT to conceal the darkness a well. But looking at this photo, you can still see some darkness under my eyes, so it's not like Erase Paste has completely erased it (well, does any concealer completely erase darkness?).

Final verdict on Benefit Erase Paste: I think this product would work best on normal to dry skin. If you have oily skin like me, it might be a bit too moisturizing to use on a daily basis. Also, if you have very dark circles, this might not provide you with enough pigmentation to conceal to your desired effect, but I think that if your circles are medium to light in nature, it might be very effective. I'm thrilled that the shade in this kit is peach-based, that's for darn sure! But I think I'll reserve this product for the colder months ahead, when my under-eye area needs more moisturization.

And finally, I'd like to give you a brief rundown of the other two products in this kit. First let's start with Stay Don't Stray eye primer. I need to tell you that I was a HUGE fan of the older Benefit eye primer, F.Y.Eye. This was the ONLY primer I used on my lids for practically all of the 1990s. It was amazing, so I had very high hopes for this newer primer. And folks, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I don't know if it's just my body chemistry or what, but Benefit eye primers work better on my oily lids than any other primers I've ever used (e.l.f., Urban Decay, Too Faced, etc.). Honestly, Stay Don't Stray feels like a little slice of heaven on my lids. The color beautifully evens out the skintone of my lids, and it just applies so effortlessly. Plus, it has been keeping even my most finicky shadows in place without even so much as a tiny crease all day and all night. My shadows look just as bright and vivid at 10 o'clock at night as they at 10 o'clock in the morning. If you've never tried a primer from Benefit, I think this would be a fabulous place to start. I just can't recommend it enough--especially at this price. The tube is small, but it will still last you a while, and CERTAINLY long enough to determine whether or not you'd like to invest in a full-size tube.

And finally, let's talk about the Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P. What a lovely, shimmery beige! It's the perfect all-over wash and the perfect highlight color. I know that some of you are scared of cream shadows (especially if you've got oily lids) but for me, this one does what it promises. It stays all day on my lids without creasing (thus the name) and it's also fantastic to use underneath powder shadows for extra insurance. I love it, but then again I've always been a fan of this line. The big selling point about this particular pot is that it's more than enough product to last you a good long while, so it's almost like buying a full size version but for a fraction of the cost.

All in all, I think the Benefit Stay Put Set is a very worthy investment. If you have been wanting to try some of the more popular Benefit products but were scared off by the price tags, then I would most certainly consider giving this kit a try (especially if you think the shade of the Erase Paste that comes with this kit might work for you. If your skin is much lighter or darker than mine--I'm a MAC NC20--then I'd probably skip this kit unless you have a friend you can give the Erase Paste to). But even if you just use the primer and shadow, it's still a great deal at just $10.

Do you already own this kit, or full size versions of any of these products? I'd love to hear how you like them!

Great bath and body deals at Walgreens this week

Hello, my lovelies! I hope you're enjoying the long weekend (if you're in the US). I've been spending time with Mr. G and my family, relaxing, reading and watching old movies (Mr. G talked me into watching Star Wars again last night, for the 100th time, even though I really wanted to watch Pretty in Pink again--haha). But I didn't want to let an opportunity go by to remind you of some really great deals on bath and body products this week at Wags.

Dial Body Wash and Bar Soap are BOGOFREE and there's a printable $1 coupon here (which I believe they allow you to print twice but don't quote me on that--I haven't tried it with this coupon since I'm stocked up on Dial body wash at the moment). But if you are able to print it twice, you can use both coupons during the same transaction of course, because you're using one coupon per bottle. So if Dial Body Wash is $3.99 at Wags (I think that's the price but I'm not sure) then you'll get two bottles for just $2!

The new Carmex Skincare (hand cream and body lotion) products that I showed you here are on sale for $4.99 with $4 back in Register Rewards, bringing your total down just 99-cents per tube! The regular retail price of these lotions is $6.29, so this is a VERY good deal. I will be reviewing these new lotions soon (hopefully this week) so please check back if you're curious.

St. Ives Body Washes are on sale for $2.99 with $2 back in Register Rewards, so if you clipped the $0.50 coupons for St. Ives that were in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, now is the time to use them! Who doesn't love full size bottles of body wash for $0.49, right? And if you were lucky enough to print the $1 coupons that were on the St. Ives Facebook page (they're no longer available) then you're looking at FREE body wash.

I hope this helps some of you who are looking to stock up on bath or body products this week!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mystic Lilac and Purple Gala

Oh boy! These new limited edition Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes are so pretty I don't even know where to begin (click here to see pics of the display, which I showed you yesterday). 

If you read my post from yesterday, you know that several polishes in this new collection have the same effect. I noticed that Golden Child, Blue Icing, Cosmic Blue, Purple Fiesta and Cherry Punch all have a sparse amount of holo microglitter and holo bar glitter running through them. If you'd like to see Purple Fiesta check out Short and Sweet Nails' swatches here.

If you haven't had success with Sally Hansen polishes in the past, let me tell you that the Xtreme Wear formula has been nothing short of awesome for me in terms of application and staying power (and price! These retail for just $2.99 at Rite Aid). These babies wear like IRON for me, especially when I use Orly Bonder base coat underneath, and a good top coat to finish things off (I usually use Sally Hansen Mega Shine, but since I'm currently out of that, I used Seche Vite for these).

First let's start with this little lovely:

(enlarge these photos to get the full effect)

Sally Hansen Purple Gala (retail: $2.99)

Purple Gala required three coats for complete opacity, but based on how sheer the first coat was, I was very happy that it only required three (I really thought it was going to need four or even five).

I'm showing you a blurry photo so you can better see the different shades of glitter in this formula:

If you enlarge the above pic, you can see that there's gold, sliver and blue glitter in this polish. Stunning!

I've heard from a few of you that have said that this is a close match to Hard Candy Mr. Wrong. I thought I'd do a side-by-side comparison with an old photo of Mr. Wrong from my review of it last year, so that you can determine for yourself whether or not you think you need both shades:

 Be sure to enlarge this photo--I deliberately left it HUGE so that you can really see the differences. In my opinion, the glitter in Purple Gala is larger, and the base of Mr. Wrong is more silver. But then again, I know that Mr. Wrong leans toward purple on a lot of people (on me it's waaaaay more silver) so if you're happy with the purple tendencies of Mr. Wrong, well then you probably don't need Purple Gala.  I'm very happy that I have both, but I do think they both give off the same vibe.

And finally, here's the show-stopper of the two (in my opinion):

 Sally Hansen Mystic Lilac (retail: $2.99)

A lilac-greige with iridescent seafoam green microglitter? Ahhhh! SUBLIME! This truly might be my favorite polish of all time. I could stare at it all day!  Oh, and this one required two coats for opacity. Perfect!

I mentioned yesterday that I thought this might be a close dupe for the limited edition L'Oreal Delicate Dusk (click here and here for details about Delicate Dusk).  Well you know I had to show you a side-by-side:

Mystic Lilac: index and middle finger

Delicate Dusk: ring and pinky finger

I'd say that, minus the lovely seafoam green microglitter, we have ourselves a match! But do I regret owning both? Not a chance! I'm absolutely obsessed with lilac-greige, if you couldn't tell.

So what do you think of these two shades? If you haven't already, are you planning to pick up some colors from this new collection? I'd love to hear from you!

New Sally Hansen Limited Edition Xtreme Wear Collection

Even if I'm the last person in the US to spot this display, I still consider it new, darnit! So apologies to all of you who consider these limited edition Xtreme Wear polishes yesterday's news. I'm still super excited about them so I'm going to show them to you!

(click photos to enlarge, again to magnify) 

There are 10 new shades in the collection:

There are a few interesting things I'd like to mention about this collection.  First of all, the following shades all have one thing in common:

Golden Child, Blue Icing, Cosmic Blue, Purple Fiesta and Cherry Punch all have the exact same effect: there is a very sparse amount of holographic micro glitter and holographic bar glitter floating within the shimmery base of all five of these shades.  I'm not sure if I've seen this effect from Sally Hansen before, but I think it's pretty.  It's interesting that so MANY of the polishes in this collection have this exact same effect though.

Next: the moment I saw Concrete and Mystic Lilac, which were conveniently located next to a L'Oreal Color of Hope display (do you know where I'm going with this?) I thought, "DUPES FOR DELICATE DUSK?"  (If you missed my Delicate Dusk hysteria, click here and here). I think a few of you have mentioned that these shades are similar, but I had to see for myself.  

Here are all three, side by side:

Granted, the lighting isn't the greatest, but at first glance it looks like Concrete is pretty close, right? But actually, in the store, Concrete is a very warm greige and it really lacks the lilac quality of Delicate Dusk. Plus, the moment I saw Mystic Lilac up close, I knew it had to be mine (I will be showing you swatches of this shade either today or tomorrow--you MUST see this shade up close if you haven't seen it already).

I also picked up Purple Gala, which is so gorgeous it's mindblowing. I'll be swatching that too, so please check back if you're curious.

The only other shade in this collection that I was really drawn to was Fireberry Red. Looking at it in the bottle, it appears to be a blood-red jelly with candy apple red microglitter.  I might already have something similar to it though, so that's why I hesitated. 

Plum Burst is also really pretty but I've seen, and owned, enough dupes of OPI My Auntie Drinks Chianti to last me a lifetime so I definitely don't need another.

I had been keeping two much-coveted $1 off Sally Hansen nail polish coupons in my purse for over a month now, just waiting for this display to hit my drugstores. I am SO glad I waited and didn't blow these coupons on something stupid! The retail price of Xtreme Wears at Rite Aid is $2.99.  But since I am at the Silver Level for the Wellness+ Card, I receive 10% off all non-sale items every day (yet another awesome reason to sign up for this card, ladies). So that brought my total down to $2.69 per bottle, and then with the two Sally Hansen coupons, I ended up getting Mystic Lilac and Purple Gala polish for just $1.69 a piece. Yay!

Alright, so I'm very anxious to hear about what shades you own from this collection. Please leave a comment and tell me all about them!

Introducing the new and improved Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eye Shadows!

FOR SWATCHES OF THESE SHADES, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

What would Labor Day Weekend (here in the US) be without a little eye candy, right? When I went to the post office today, I was super excited to see that I had received these newly repackaged and reformulated Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eye Shadows for review, so even though I haven't had time to swipe or test these pretty shadows yet, I just HAD to take some photos to share with you!

[Edit: 9/4/10] Huge thanks to Jesse's Girl for allowing me the opportunity to provide you with a sneak preview of these shadows! They are not yet available at Rite Aid or on the Jesse's Girl website, but they will be in a couple weeks! Also, the retail price for these shadows will be $3.99

So let's take a peek at these babies!

The first thing you'll notice is that the packaging is much different than the original Jesse's Girl Baked Shadows, which you can see here. Also, you'll notice in a minute that the colors have changed as well--a few of the shades look a little similar to ones from the old collection but for the most part, these are all brand new colors!

The new cases are sturdy, substantial, and they make a nice "click" sound when you close them. In fact, at first they reminded me of the Maybelline Eye Studio Baked Shadows, so I pulled my Sinful Cinnamon duo out so I could compare them side-by-side:

Notice how the pans are about the same size, but how the Maybelline package looks a little bit boxy compared to the Jesse's Girl package? In my opinion, the Jesse's Girl compact is just a tad more sleek and the corners are a little bit rounded, compared to the sharper corners of the Maybelline compact.

Hopefully this picture gives you a better idea as to what I'm talking about. Notice how the corners of the Maybelline shadow look sharper than the Jesse's Girl compact? The lucite/plastic is thicker as well, and after opening and closing each compact, you can really feel how substantial the Jesse's Girl compact is--it's got weight to it (don't worry, it's not heavy or anything) and it just feels very nice in my hand.

Now I'd like to show you all six shades in this newly revamped collection
(retail for each shadow will be $3.99):

(click to enlarge and again to magnify)

(be sure to take a closer look at Graphite Frost--if you look closely you'll see it has beautiful iridescent violet blue sparkles running through it)

So what do you think of these new & improved Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eyeshadows so far? Are you curious to see swatches and eye looks? I'll be playing with these over the weekend, so please check back next week for a complete set of swatches and probably a few eye looks as well!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

The NYC Limited Edition Berry Bloom Collection is here! (plus more Halloween goodies)

If you caught my post a while back about this new limited edition collection from NYC, then you know that I've been super excited to see it in person! Well, the other day I was at Rite Aid and I spotted it! All I can say is that if you are a fan of berries, plums and pinks, you're going to LOVE this collection.

But before I show you the pics, I have a question for you. I was so dumbfounded when I saw this display that I didn't know what to buy (everything is just so pretty!). I have all of those wonderful NYC coupons that are in this month's All You Magazine (which, by the way, I HIGHLY recommend you pick up if you're planning on buying anything from this display--click here for all the details), so I can purchase three products from this display for review. BUT, I don't know what to get! So if you could leave a comment on this post and let me know what you'd like me to purchase, I will take the three products that receive the most votes and head back to Rite Aid and pick them up (and review/swatch them here, of course!).

(click images to enlarge, again to magnify)

NYC Limited Edition Berry Bloom Collection

From my original post, here are the details:

• Rose lip gloss ($2.99): This product provides the coverage of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss with lush berry lip shades embossed with a rose pattern. Available shades: Rose kiss and peony kiss.
• Lippin' Large lip plumper ($3.99): This lip enhancer promises to provide noticeably, fuller, plumper lips instantly with the lip-enhancing effects of cinnamon and ginger. It also is infused with vitamin E to keep lips smooth and soft. Available shades: Pink Tu-Lip and Mulberry.
• IndividualEyes custom compact ($4.99): This coordinated shadow collection is designed to intensify and enhance eye color with a berry-inspired palette. Each of the four shades can be worn alone or blended to create a multitude of looks for day or evening. It is enriched with vitamins A and E and green tea extract. The kit includes one primer to prevent eye color from fading; four textured shadows to highlight, contour and define eyes; one illuminator to add dramatic highlight to the brow bone; one double-ended applicator; and step-by-step instructions on how to create several looks. Available shade: Berry Bloom.
• Eye Dust loose powder ($2.99): This blendable powder creates intense, smoky eyes. The concentrated, silky color glides on with a roller ball for a mess-free application. Use a small amount to create a subtle wash of color or more for an intense look. Available shades: Sparkling rose and wild orchid.
• Cheek Glow blush ($2.99): This oil-free blush is formulated with natural oil-absorbing ingredients to help control shine without clogging pores. Calendula extract helps soften skin and allows it to breathe, while oat flower soothes skin and rice starch absorbs oil. Available shades: Rose and cherry blossom.
• In A New York Minute quick dry nail polish ($1.99): Infused with a hint of shimmer to add depth and shine, this quick-dry nail enamel features a unique flat brush to produce the ultimate lacquer effect. Minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium and copper provider strengthening benefits, as the formula boosts shine and speeds drying time. Available shades: Peony and Mulberry Frost.

Aren't those lipglosses with the embossed rose design beautiful?? And I am loving that Mulberry Frost polish (it's hard to tell in this pic but it's a deep berry-wine shade with subtle gold shimmer). I also think the Eye Dusts are prettier in person (one is sort of a champagne-pink and the other is a warm plum). And of course that pretty pink blush is calling my name, as well as that Mulberry lipgloss. Gah! It's beautiful!

See, I need help! What would you like me to purchase for review? Please help me narrow it down. Thanks!

Oh, and I also spotted some more Halloween makeup displays with some fun items:

Fright Night Costume Parts Liquid Eyeliners

These liners are from a brand called Fright Night and the collection is Costume Parts. What drew me to these liners is the fact that there are glitter liners (far left), metallic liners (middle) and shimmery liners (right). I LOVE the neat ball-shaped bottle of the metallic liners. Have any of you tried this line before?

Also from Fright Night:

Fright Night Costume Parts Eyelashes

Sorry for the blurry picture, but look at these fun false eyelashes! There's peacock feathers, leopard spots and other neat designs. I'm really impressed with the creativity and variety of eyelashes at the drugstore this Halloween!

That's it for now, but once again, if there's anything in particular that you'd like me to review from the NYC collection, please please leave a comment and let me know!

Review: Cover Girl Shineblast Lipgloss in Radiate

I've been wanting to try these Cover Girl Shineblast lipglosses for a while now so I was very excited when I was sent the following gloss for review recently:

Cover Girl Shineblast Lipgloss in Radiate (retail: around $8)

In doing research on this line of glosses, I came across reviews by people who thought they didn't really deliver on color or shine. I have to agree that, in regard to this particular shade, Radiate, it's a bit lacking in pigmentation. It's a very sheer pink which, as you can see below, doesn't provide substantial color to my lips:

This is definitely a "your lips but better" type of shade that is quite pretty for what it is. Now, regarding the lack of shine, I can see how people may feel that it doesn't really give the "Shineblast" element that you might think a product of this name would deliver. I don't find this gloss particularly shiny or sparkly (although I think the very subtle, almost iridescent sparkle is super pretty).

So you may be asking yourself if you need this gloss at all. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is a specific and incredibly helpful reason to own this gloss that you might want to consider: it's ideal to layer over lipstains! In fact, that's exactly what Cover Girl suggests you do (check it out here).

In my opinion, this is a fantastic gloss to layer over lipstains (Cover Girl lipstains or otherwise) and here's why: it's not super thick, goopy or syrupy, which is exactly what you want for a gloss you're going to be putting on top of a lipstain. If I use a gloss that's too thick, it will completely negate the longwear properties of the lipstain. In other words, a heavy gloss will make the lipstain slide right off my lips. Also, when I'm wearing a lipstain, I'm not going for a super shiny lip look. So the fact that this gloss isn't super shiny or sparkly for me is PERFECT for the soft, stained look I want on my lips when I'm wearing a lipstain. For me, wearing Shineblast over my lipstains gives my lips a bit more moisture yet it doesn't cancel out the longwear abilities of the stain itself. I think it's a winning combo and I'm so glad I gave this gloss a try over my lipstains.

Oh, before I forget: another awesome reason to try this lipgloss? The doe-foot applicator! Oh my goodness. I'm absolutely obsessed with this applicator because it's just unlike any other doe-foot applicator I've ever used. As you can see in the close-up pic above, this applicator has grooves in it, which help to pick up more gloss for an easier application (don't you hate it when doe-foot applicators don't pick up any gloss at all and you have to keep repeatedly dipping them back into the tube to get enough gloss on your lips?). Also, the flatness of the applicator makes for an incredibly smooth and precise application. I've used many a horrible doe-foot applicator in my time, and all I can say is that this is the Cadillac of doe-foot applicators. Try it once and you'll totally understand what I'm saying.

And by the way, this gloss smells and tastes sort of like a combination of berry and watermelon. But neither the flavor nor fragrance are overpowering and they both fade pretty quickly.

So, do you own any Shineblast Lipglosses? How do you like them? Have you tried them layered over your favorite lipstains? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Attention romance novel fans: get a FREE Three Custom Color lipgloss!

I'm a huge bookworm and even though I'm not particularly into romance novels, I know that they're wildly popular and that some of you absolutely adore them! So if you're a romance novel type of gal, maybe you've heard of NYT best-selling author Brenda Novak?

Well Ms. Novak has a new book coming out titled Killer Heat and if you purchase it, you can snag yourself a FREE Three Custom Color lipgloss in a shade called...wait for it...Killer Heat! As a longtime fan of Three Custom Color, I can tell you that their glosses are awesome but, sadly, they don't always fit easily into my budget. So the best part about this deal is that this lipgloss retails for $21.50 and you'll get it FREE! Here are all the details:

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak returns with her final book for 2010 and it’s as hot as its name. She's offering readers a fun promotion, too--a gift with purchase. Buy Brenda's new book, Killer Heat September 28th through October 5th and mail Brenda the receipt to receive a FREE, yes we said free Three Custom Color lip-gloss valued at $21.50 in the shade of Killer Heat.

Readers can log onto www.brendanovak.com for more details. Brenda Novak's books are available wherever books are sold.

*Offer good only while supplies last – no exceptions on proof of book purchase dates.

L'Oreal Delicate Dusk: A Comparison

Since some of you seem to be loving L'Oreal Delicate Dusk as much as I am (from the L'Oreal limited edition Color of Hope collection I showed you yesterday), I thought it might be helpful to do a swatch comparison of this "lilac-greige" just to give you some perspective of how it compares to some true greige, taupe and lilac shades from my collection.

I selected the shades that I thought were closest to Delicate Dusk, and although I could have easily put Sally Hansen Commander in Chic and Confetti Moonstone in here, Rimmel Steel Gray is so close to the Sally Hansen and Confetti shades that I thought one of the three would be enough to give you a good perspective.

Ironically, there is another shade in my stash that I think might come the closest to Delicate Dusk, but I seem to have misplaced it at the moment. The shade is one of the newer Petites Color Fever shades called Vintage Gray. You can check out my post on Vintage Gray here (I had forgotten that I also did a gray/greige comparison of several other shades in that post, which might be helpful to some of you as well). 

So if it helps, I've put my swatches of Delicate Dusk and Vintage Gray together so you can see them side by side:

L'Oreal Delicate Dusk (left), Petites Color Fever Vintage Gray (right)

I think it's pretty easy to conclude that Delicate Dusk has a lot more lilac in it, while Vintage Gray is more of a true greige. So, not a match at all, but in the same general ballpark.

So let's see how Delicate Dusk compares to the other similar shades in my stash. Starting from my pinky finger and working up:

Pinky finger: NYX Girls The Taupe

Ring finger: Rimmel Steel Gray

 Middle finger: L'Oreal Delicate Dusk

Index finger: Wet n Wild Bite the Bullet

I hope this gives you a better idea as to the true beauty of Delicate Dusk. If you see it at your local drugstore, I say snatch it up! It's a beautiful, very versatile shade and I think it's the perfect balance of lilac and greige. 

So, do you have a favorite color in the above swatches? Are you a greige, taupe or lilac girl? Do you think you need to add Delicate Dusk to your collection? I'd love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: All of the above polishes were purchase by me with my own funds.

L'Oreal Limited Edition Color of Hope Collection

Before I get into this post, I want to make sure you all know about a wonderful Revlon rebate opportunity at Walgreens that the lovely Drugstore Divas posted about recently. Pair it with the printable Revlon nail color coupon I mentioned a little while ago (Drugstore Divas also have a link to that in their post if you missed it) and you've got yourself a great deal on some new Revlon goodies!

Last week when I was at CVS, I spotted the limited edition L'Oreal The Color of Hope display (5% of the proceeds from this collection go to ovarian cancer research). Unlike L'Oreal's last limited edition collection, Passport to Paradise (I was only drawn to the nail polishes in that collection), the colors in this collection really appeal to me, so I'm excited to show them to you. But a warning: they're pretty conservative, so if that's not your thing, I don't want to get your hopes up!

First let's start with the polish I purchased, which I found completely irresistible:

L'Oreal Delicate Dusk (retail: $4.99)

[EDIT: for a comparison of Delicate Dusk and other similar shades from my collection, please click here]

This one jumped right out at me and I had to have it. I might have something similar already in my stash (I'll have to check and see) but it's just so darned pretty, isn't it? I love how it straddles the worlds of greige and lilac, though it's not quite one or the other. So let's just call it lilac-greige, shall we?

Also, I had some L'Oreal coupons in my purse (which I thought I was never going to be able to use before they expired!) so I was able to get this polish for just $1.99. CVS sent me a $2 L'Oreal cosmetic coupon in the mail a while back, and I was able to stack that with a $1 L'Oreal manufacturer's coupon that was in a Red Plum mailer a few weeks ago.

Oh! And before I forget! Some of you loyal readers may be saying to yourselves, "I cannot believe she bought another L'Oreal nail polish after that last disaster" and all I can say is, "I know, right?" Well, I loved Delicate Dusk so much that I was willing to take a chance and I am so glad I did, because the formula of Delicate Dusk is 100 times better than the formula of Water's Edge and High Tide. L'Oreal must have been listening to our complaints because this formula is smoother, thinner, and so much easier to work! It was actually a dream to apply and the brush was perfect as well.

So let's take a look at the display:

Aside from the polishes, this eyeshadow quad immediately caught my eye for one very important reason:

L'Oreal Wear Infinite Pressed Eye Shadow Quad in Sophisticated Strength

It's difficult to tell in the above photo (you can view a way better photo on the L'Oreal website), but the shade in the lower left corner is the same type of charcoal-teal shade as the Maybelline Fashion Week trio, Charming Cobalt, which I showed you here, and the NARS duo that a few of my readers said looks like a dupe of Charming Cobalt! I'm beginning to realize that this charcoal-teal shade must be a trending color for fall, and I for one am VERY happy about that. I think it's such a lovely crease shade, and also perfect for a smoky eye look as well.

And finally, here is a closer shot of the four nail colors:

Sovereign Silver looks pretty frosty in person, so I really didn't gravitate toward it, but Color of Hope is really pretty in real life (sort of a dusty rose/mauve creme) and Imperial Plum is a gorgeous, deep vampy plummy-burgundy-brown that looks like it MIGHT be a jelly (but don't quote me on that).

Now that L'Oreal owns Essie, I'm wondering if any of these shades are dupes for Essie shades. Do any of you know? I'm not terribly familiar with Essie colors so I'm counting on one of you to school me. :)

Thanks for reading and, as always, I'd love to hear from you if you own anything from this collection. I'd also love to hear from you if you don't--what do you think of this assortment of mauves, raisins, plums, silvers and blues? Is anything catching your eye?

Weekly Drugstore Makeup Sales!

It's that time again, folks! Next week's drugstore makeup sales are now up, compliments of Make-Up on the Cheap! Just click the logo above to check 'em out!

Lots of interesting deals this week at the "big three" drugstores, and I have to say that Rite Aid has an interesting sale that I don't think I've ever seen before: 30% off Cover Girl Clean and Simple Ageless products with $1 back in +UP Rewards. The reason why this seems so unique to me is that I don't think I ever remember seeing a line of products go on sale for THIRTY percent off before. I've seen 50%, 40% and even 20%, but I don't think I've ever seen 30%. Have you? Anyway, still a good deal, and there are lots of others so definitely check out the complete list.

As always, I've love to know if there's anything you're particularly excited about for next week!

Giveaway: Complete set of Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayons

NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER.

If you read my review of the new Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayons, then you can probably understand how very excited I am to present this giveaway to you, sponsored by Palladio Beauty! I absolutely adore these pencils (sold at Sally Beauty, in-store and online) because they are just so versatile. You can wear them as liner, you can wear them for a wash of color on your lids, and you can wear them underneath your powder shadow for an extra punch of color. Worn under powder shadow, they are an excellent base to keep my shadow in place all day and night (I have super oily lids and they work extremely well as a primer for powder shadows on me). I also love the cooling effect of these pencils when you glide them over your skin. So basically, these pencils do it all, and I'm SO excited to be able to offer a complete set (every shade!) to one lucky winner.

One very lucky winner will receive a COMPLETE SET of Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayons, compliments of Palladio Beauty! The colors are as follows:

BLACK PEARL

ECLIPSE

SILVER BELLS

ICICLE

OLIVE

TWILIGHT

ESPRESSO

ICED COFFEE

MOONSTONE

CHAMPAGNE

RASPBERRY

BLUE SUEDE

(For more accurate color swatches and additional info, please click here.)

One lucky winner will receive one (1) each of all twelve (12) shades listed above.

The approximate retail value of this prize package is $72.00 (USD).

Please read all of the following rules before entering:

1) Giveaway open to residents of US and Canada, 18 and over. Void where prohibited.

2) To earn one entry, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question: What is your favorite product from Palladio Beauty? You must leave your email address in your comment. If you do not leave your email address in your comment, your entry will not be counted.

3) You may earn one (1) additional entry by retweeting the following message on Twitter:

Enter to win a complete set of @PalladioBeauty Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayons from @NouveauCheap http://bit.ly/9PkNBQ

Please be sure to state in your comment that you retweeted this message.

4) This giveaway begins today, September 1st, and will end Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 11:59PM Pacific. I will select one winner via random.org's random number generator and notify the winner on Tuesday, August 7th. The winner will then have 24 hours to respond. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, he or she will forfeit the prize and another winner will be selected. I will also announce the winner here on this blog, so if you do not receive my email, you can see if you have won by visiting my site on Sept. 7th.

Thanks best of luck to all of you!

Disclaimer: Palladio Beauty Group is the sponsor of this giveaway. NouveauCheap.blogspot.com has not received any form of compensation whatsoever from Palladio Beauty Group to host this giveaway.