Shakeup Your Makeup

I grew up absolutely loving Barbie and her entire entourage. I had the dream house, huge Rubbermaid totes full of dolls, clothes and accessories, and anything else that went along with her. It's no wonder I love makeup. Barbie always had the most up-to-date eyeshadow application and hair-do's. She was a fashionista before her time!

It's not wonder that Stila paired up again with Barbie to create the Barbie Loves Stila collection. I was lucky enough to get the "All Doll'd Up" eyeshadow palette from my grandmother for my birthday. This palette consists of 4 pans of eyeshadows, each of which has 3 shades that coordinate together, totalling 12 fantastic colors in one convenient package. The outside has a holographic Barbie who winks at you - so cute!

This trio of shadows was difficult to capture on camera - particularly the turquoise and purple shade. The turquoise is a deep, very complex shade of turquoise. It has shades of green, navy and even a hint of golden shimmer. The middle is a true graphite color with tons of shimmer. The far right is a very deep, but neon, purple. I can't really describe this shade, but I think if you pulled out a Barbie doll from the '80's, she was rockin' this shade!

If you like blues, you will love this trio. The far right is a true, cobalt blue. The shimmer-factor isn't overwhelming, and it would make a great liner color as well. The middle is as dark a navy blue as I've seen - at first I thought it was black with a blue shimmer, but once swatched, it really is navy. The far right is a dark silver.

This last pan is my close-second favorite color set. I love greens, so by default I liked these. The outer color is a very pale mustard yellow with minimal golden shimmer. The middle is such a neat color - it's a deep chocolate brown with duochrome effect, ranging into the greens and golds. The outer color is a beautiful pale-evergreen color.

I was very impressed with these colors. The pigmentation is excellent, and the consistency is that of the much-coveted Kitten eyeshadow. Not one is brittle. All blend effortlessly together. They can be applied wet, as a liner, or dry. There is no fall out when used, and the range of colors and mix-and-match opportunities are endless! This is very much a bargain at the $28 price tag.

I also received the Barbie Loves Stila "Little Black Dress" Smudgepot, which I'll have up shortly, too!

I decided to tackle some Christmas shopping the other day and went into Marshalls to see what they had, particularly in their bath, body, and cosmetics section. I know it can be hit-or-miss, but sometimes there are some great bargains in there!

While rummaging through, I found two eyeshadow quads by Sophia Milano. Who's Sophia Milano, you ask? I have no idea, so if someone can shed some light on this line, I'd greatly appreciate it! I did pick up two quads, one brown and one blue-purple to try out. At $3.99 each, that's only $1 a shadow, so you can't really beat that!

The colors are really, quite pretty and different, so I was excited to try them out. The brown set has colors that are a bit cooler than I normally wear. The top left is a brownish-wine with silver shimmer. The top right is a beautiful champagne/ivory. The bottom left is a muted gold, and the bottom right is a really cool brown shade with silver glitter.

The purple/blue quad was really quite unique. The colors have a lot of personality and manage to change from blues to purples, which I find quite fascinating. I really don't have any colors like this in my collection, so I was excited to pick this up. The top left is a deep purple with blue shimmer. I don't think this color can make up it's mind, and I think it definitely will take a mind of its own depending on what I am wearing with it. The top right is a beautiful ice-white with silver glitter. The bottom left is a deep periwinkle blue with navy shimmer. The bottom left is a almost-black charcoal.

I will say, I am quite impressed with the pigmentation of these. They aren't super smooth or as creamy as I prefer (think Stila Kitten), but really are quite bendable into the skin. Really, not a bad deal for the price.

Below is a sneak peak at the new mark. Super Flip for Eyes and Lips, Holiday 2009. This should be available now - what a jam-packed collection! Nine eye and nine lip colors, with a set of three brushes (free!), and you have your entire look in one convenient package.

new super flip color kit
The ultimate flip for it, featuring nine shades for eyes and nine shades for lips! Shadows range from matte midnight to shimmery soft gold. Flip the palette around for six glosses and three lip colors, ranging from a "hint" of pink to opaque "racy" red.

Below is a closeup of the eyeshadows. There is a little bit of everything: matte to shimmer, white to black. With such a wide range of colors, the looks are endless!

The lip colors are just as gorgeous. I love mark's lip products - I think I own 8 of their hook-ups alone! Again, as with the eyeshadows, there are matte and shimmery shades. Also, you can choose from neutrals, bright berries, and even gold!

Unfortunately, my flash washed out the colors (again), so I am going to try and get a good shot of them in natural light. Unfortunately it's been gloomy and rainy here, so that will have to wait! I was exceptionally impressed with the pigmentation of the matte shades. Lava is a very deep, dark charcoal, and would be great to add a smokey look to any eyeshadow.

I also ordered the Holiday Treats Mini Juice Gems (2008). I love these, and being that they were on clearance, it was a steal! I think that Candy Apple is my favorite, but it's a tough call. These shades are great for the fall - nice, warm, and smooth. They even have a sweet scent!

Do any of you use the mark. by Avon line? What is your favorite product?

Today is my birthday, which is so hard to believe. It's amazing how, as you get older, the days, months and years seem to whiz right by! I feel like I just took down all of my fall decorations and threw out the pumpkin from last year, and here we are thinking about getting a new round of pumpkins to carve for the front porch!

Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for a wonderful year, and I look forward to many more to come!