Revlon Fire & Ice Collection - Vintage Inspired Packaging for Revlon's Classic Red

My collage of Fire and Ice featuring the tall drugstore display.
Smaller displays are also at stores.

In 1952, Revlon introduced Fire and Ice, an iconic red shade. When I think of certain brands, certain shades are just lodged in my memory. Chanel has Vamp, Clinque has Black Honey, Bare Escentuals has Mineral Veil... Revlon has always been Fire and Ice for me.

Revlon has relaunched the classic red shade of Super Lustrous lipstick in gorgeous vintage packing as a limited edition. I picked one up from my local drugstore for $8.99. The packaging is straight out of Mad Men. The lipstick case is columned silver and has vintage Revlon in gold. Totally elegant!

I am looking forward to whipping this out at a holiday party. It's too pretty not to show off.


Jessica Biel reinventing the 1952 ad featuring Dorian Leigh.


The vintage packaging.

Standing bold and tall. Fire and Ice.


I love this tube.

Vintage Revlon


Such a gorgeous, fierce red.


1952 to 2010, still a classic.


R is for really pretty.

Great pigmentation.


Classic.


Swatched on lips. I'm not as pouty as Jessica!

Congrats Ria! These Frankens Are Yours!

The winning names dubbed by Ria!
1.Rainbow Cloud
2.Crushed roses
3.Posh Lavender Spice
4.Sea my nails


Congrats to Ria! She is the winner of these four frankens from a just for fun game from this post. Her names for the following frankens were selected by a guest judge (namely Mr. Beautyburg). There were some awesome entries!! I loved KarenD's suggestion for #1, City Lights. MissMidnightBlue's entry for #3, Violet Dreams, was just spot on. Unteal We Meet Again caught my attention for #4, by Zara. Thanks to everyone who participated. This was fun and there will be future contests like this to come!

Models Own - Green Flash with China Glaze Holiday Glitters

Models Own - Green Flash
Light leaf green foil.


Did everyone have a great Halloween? Marlowe dressed as a frog prince (photo to come later) and I was inspired by his green to post about one of my favorite pretty greens in my collection. Models Own Green Flash is a light leaf green foil. I think it doesn't scream "green" as much as it says "shine" "metallic" or "bling" and that's why I like it. This is such a pretty girly green!

Green Flash

Models Own Green Flash with China Glaze Holiday Offerings
China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses bottle
Mistletoe Kisses (index), Party Hearty (middle), Mistletoe Kisses (ring), Party Hearty (pinkie)

China Glaze Party Hearty bottle.
Mistletoe Kisses (index), Party Hearty (middle), Mistletoe Kisses (ring), Party Hearty (pinkie)


Are we ready to focus on the holidays now? Just like how the Xmas cards and decorations are already on stores shelves, Beautyburg will be focusing on lots of holiday products (including an upcoming series on the best eyeshadow/multi-use palette for your money). So check back in!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fall 2010 Colors - Metallic Momentum and Instant Coffee

Sally Hansen has really come up with some winners this season. I have reviewed a few from their Complete Salon Manicure line (click here to view Sequin Scandal, Fedora, Problem Child and Golden Ticket). The colors they have come out with feel seasonally appropriate without being completely predictable.

Here are two from Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri line from their Limited Edition Fall Display. Metallic Momentum is a taupe-y silver frost metallic. What I like about this shade is that it's not a straight-up silver. It's got some taupe-y beige to it that give it a more sophisticated and less space-age fee. Instant Coffee is more latte imo. With mauve undertones, this would be so pretty for work. The application on both polishes was amazingly smooth and the pigmentation was very good. I personally love the rounded applicator brush on this line. The display promises 1 stroke, 1 coat, done!... I would say yes that's pretty close.

Metallic Momentum and Instant Coffee

Metallic Momentum
This would be great for Konading.

Instant Coffee


The display.
Almost true to the display: 1 Stroke, 1 Coat, Done!
I would do 2 for proper application, but you could definitely get away with one!
Very impressed!

Epic Fail with L'Oreal Nail Polishes - Midnight Muse and The Color of Hope

A little background info on this post: I haven't purchased a L'Oreal polish in years. I have seen some really cool vintage shades on MakeupAlley's nail board, and in recent years, a few interesting colors have come out but nothing that really drew me in completely.

Then I saw the Midnight Muse display. I love, love, love dark vampy colors, and even the display reads "...to reveal your inner vamp." The single bottles per display also nudged me to seal the deal and buy a couple. (Side note: L'oreal - please at least put two out per display. One is so stingy! C'mon!)


In the bottle, these seemed like a dream to me. There were two shimmers and two cremes. I thought the shimmers looked more interesting, so I got those. Luminescence is a dark, vampy purple with purple shimmer (almost black on the nail). Femme Noir is a duochrome rich mahogany dark blackened red.

Not once, not twice but THREE TIMES and still not a great application. The formula is thick. I thinned and thinned with Poshe Restore, and it was never thin enough. Two lightly applied coats resulted in bubbling the first two times. The third, I tried extremely hard to have a very, very light hand, and even still, the application wasn't perfect. The formula also never seemed to dry. I used my usual Poshe base coat and top coat for all applications. The third I applied it was early evening. I went to bed 3+ hours later and woke up to sheet marks and dulling.

If I had it in me, I would try to thin it again and then apply only 1 coat. Such a pity because the colors are just stunning.

Luminescence (left) and Femme Noir (right)


I mean look at these in the bottle! Just so pretty (especially Femme Noir).

Tim Gunn, I'm sorry, but I couldn't make it work.

Just gorgeous in the bottle. Luminescence in sunlight.
On the nail? Totally different story.
Should I just keep thinning it?


Again. To.Die.For. (in the bottle only).

This is attempt #3 at application. After many many drops of Restore nail polish thinner.

Femme Noir. I cry because of you.


I thought, maybe it was just the Midnight Muse series. I went to another L'Oreal display and picked up a couple from The Color of Hope collection.

The display.

Delicate Dusk and Imperial Plum

After 3 attempts with Femme Noir, 2 attempts with Luminescence and 1 big time fail with Delicate Dusk, I could not bring myself to try Imperial Plum. Just too much pain.



Delicate Dusk may in fact be too delicate for application.
Same issues as the others.
Put on at 7pm, went to bed at 10:30? Woke up to this mess.

Bubbling bubbling bubbling.
It was actually worse with Femme Noir.

I just get mad looking at this.
Such a pretty shade otherwise.

I don't have a grade system for reviews here on Beautyburg (at least not yet), but if I did, these would be a big fat F for EPIC Fail.

So question for you guys... what to do when a formula just isn't working for you?

Beauties Factory 24 Color Palette vs Ben Nye Lumiere Grande


A few posts ago, I reviewed BenNye's Lumiere Grande eyeshadow palette. (If you missed that post, click here.) To sum it up, great palette with uber pigmented, creamy shadows and a relatively good value. Those who wouldn't have use for a lot of color may not be interested, but if you love big color pay-off, definitely go for it.

While I was searching for the Ben Nye palette, I came across a very similar one sold by Beauties Factory. Beauties Factory is a website and Ebay seller that sells beauty supplies and makeup that I've seen a lot on YouTube videos (namely the 88 and 120 palettes). This palette that I am comparing with the Ben Nye is labeled as "24 Grande Color Eyeshadow Palette." It costs about $30 (less on Ebay I believe). I was interested to see if the color pay-off was similar to that of the Ben Nye and what the overall quality was like.

So I ordered... and here are my thoughts.

Open view.
Beauties Factory's palette comes with 24 colors, a mix of shimmer and matte in two layers of twelve.
One thing that it has over the Ben Nye, which I love, is that it comes with a black matte.

The two palettes closed.

Opened.
Ben Nye to the left (the one with writing in the box) and Beauties Factory to the right.

Ben Nye (right) vs Beauties Factories (left).

Detail of Ben Nye shadows.

Detail of Beauties Factory.

Detail of Beauties Factory.


Close up detail of Beauties Factory.

In the pot, colors seem similar.

Similar pop-in case

Ben Nye on the left and Beauties Factory on the right.
This was the probably the best swatch example where I noticed a drastic difference in pigmentation.

Ben Nye (right) vs Beauties Factory (left)


Most of the Beauties Factory eyeshadows were of similar pigmentation, but not all were super-stars like Ben Nye. They were drier, but Ben Nye is exceptionally creamy and smooth. For those on a budget, Beauties Factory may be a good option.


To review
Ben Nye vs Beauties Factory
12 vs 24 eyeshadows
$50-$60 + shipping vs $29.99 or less with shipping included
all shimmers vs shimmers + mattes
all super pigmented & creamy application vs some misses but overall very good quality

Want Phoenix Lashes? Be Selita Ebanks from Kanye Bank's Runaway

Want Phoenix inspired lashes? If you are in need of a last minute Halloween costume, pile on some of these lashes from Inglot, wing some matte white eyeshadow, cat-line your eyes, put some feathers on a nude body suit, get some Thai brass fingernails and voila! You are Selita Ebanks from Kanye West's Runaway.

Haven't seen this 34 minute long video? Vanessa Beecroft and Philip Lim are collaborators on this project. And for all of the baggage that comes with Kanye, I have to say that I love the aesthetic of this video and especially the ballerinas.


Four Frankens - Name Them And They Could Be Yours!

My Four Frankens


#1 - A soft beige taupe with micro holo glitter.

#2 - A raspberry/magenta jelly-ish color wish multi-colored shimmers and flakies

#3 - a vibrant violet with purple, pink and blue shimmer (sorry it's not full to the top)
#4 - a teal jelly with silver and blue micro glitters.

This is just for fun. Leave a comment with the names for the frankens and your email. 10/31/10 - a winner will be chosen. Feel free to enter more than once. Thanks and have fun!

Inglot - My Freedom System Palettes Swatched

To continue my original post on Inglot (click here to view the intro), here are the palettes I created through their Freedom System. Warning PIC HEAVY!

Inglot Freedom System at their Times Square Store

My two palettes

This is one of the biggest sells! Tight, slim storage!

These magnets are super strong!

Other items that are available through the Freedom System.
I am interested in creating a brow powder and wax system!

My Haul (I also got lashes not pictured).

My neutral palette.

I wanted something that I could use as my go to for base shadows. I usually pick one bright or one smoky color and then look for neutrals to work with that one selected color.

The top right color is awesome. It's a sheer iridescent pink that will be awesome for mixing.


The top row of my neutral palette. You can see it's a mix of matte and shimmer.

The bottom row of my neutral palette. Mostly shimmer.


My "brights" palette.

Close up. Check out that GREEN!

Teal, purple, blue, yellow. I'm a happy camper.

Ka-Blam - look at this color payoff.

I wasn't even packing on the color. Very very very pigmented.


Now, just FYI, some of Inglot's eyeshadows do ***not*** come in the Freedom System. Some are sold individually as pans for $12 each, 2 grams and 0.07 oz. If you had seen my math breakdown in my intro post, you would know that each square of the 10 pan palette is 2.7 grams and 0.09 oz and costs $5 each (the palette is $50 for the 10 square). So unless you truly love the color, it doesn't really make sense in my opinion to buy these singles. This purple was just GORGEOUS, and I had to get it. Hard to find a purple like this that doesn't give you a bruised look.


Some more beautiful singles.


Here is the math breakdown again for Inglot Freedom System vs MAC:
Inglot Freedom System 10 square eyeshadow palette $50, $5 per eyeshadow, $55.55 per oz!
MAC eyeshadows $14.50 each for single or $11 for a pro pan, $290 or $220 per oz!


As of now, Inglot is open in Times Square and Las Vegas in the US. The makeup artist I spoke at the store said that they were opening locations at Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, NJ and another store in Soho, NYC. I'm glad to see Inglot expanding, as I am really starting to fall in love with their line.

Bummer is you can't order on their website, but the girls at the Time Square store are happy to take phone orders if you are interested.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Sequin Scandal

Sequin Scandal

Yes, another post on Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fall Limited Edition display. What can I say? There are a lot of great colors in this display.

Sequin Scandal is a dark, military olived green with golden speckles of shimmer. It's a perfect fall and winter color. This is a major color in my fashion palette for the cooler seasons, so I do have plans on being matchy-matchy with my clothes and nails.

The display.

Inglot - An Introduction! Freedom System A First Look!


Eyeshadows in squares and rounds.

Have you guys heard of Inglot? I have posted about some of their nail polishes in the past (click here to see their flakies). They carry a 4 flakie top coats in their permanent line. So if you missed Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure's Hidden Treasure, try Inglot. 202-205 are the Flakies (don't see 205 on the website but it was definitely in store in Times Square last week).

I had seen their flagship open when I still lived in NYC, but I hadn't heard much about them from makeup forums like Specktra or MUA. I discovered their nail polishes and fell in love, but I was late to discover their AWESOME makeup. While I was back in NYC last week, I decided to pick up some stuff. Not only is their makeup ah-mah-zing quality (definitely on par with other makeup artist lines like MAC or Make Up For Ever), but the price is definitely wallet friendly! See my math break down below.

Meet the Freedom System by Inglot.
A do-it-yourself, pick-your-palette of eyeshadows, face powders, lipsticks, creme concealers, blushes, brow powder and brow waxes.
Palettes come in squares and rounds of 5, 4, 2, 10.


Here are the two palettes I made. Look how cool!
These magnetized palettes can be stacked on top of each other!


I will be swatching these on a later post.
Warning: I hope you love brights. Huge color pay-off! Yay!

10 eyeshadows for $50?!
The pan size is 2.7 gram, 0.09 oz.
MAC single eyeshadows are 1.5 gram, 0.05 oz and $14.50 each!

THE MATH BREAKDOWN
Inglot Freedom System 10 square eyeshadow palette $50, $5 per eyeshadow, $55.55 per oz!
MAC eyeshadows $14.50 each for single or $11 for a pro pan, $290 or $220 per oz!
ZOMG - BIG DIFFERENCE!!

George Michael would totally approve.


Breast Cancer Awareness



I know I am late with this post, but maybe posting about BCA at the end of the month will serve as a reminder that this disease and the fight against it should always be in the forefront of our minds.

I have friends and family (some as young as early 20s!) diagnosed with breast cancer. It's a scary thing to think that so many people in our lives can be devastated by this horrible disease. It's been wonderful and uniting to see so many of my blogging friends sharing their thoughts and stories of friends, family and loved ones.

Here are some ideas for ways you can help with Breast Cancer Awareness. There are a lot of simple and easy (and even free) ways to support BCA!

- Get involved in a walk, 5k, marathon supporting Breast Cancer Research
- Donate your hair to a charity that provides wigs for cancer patients (I chopped off 14" last year and gave it to Beautiful Lengths).
- Post about it on your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Blog.
- Make a donation.
- Shop!
- Wear a pink ribbon.

Marlowe is wearing his pink ribbon today!! :) For more information check out http://www.nbcam.org and http://ww5.komen.org .

Marlowe's sign was created for Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog. She put together a great idea to create signs for Breast Cancer Awareness... and she's even giving away a prize to boot!

CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER!!!


Congrats to Halifax of Sparkled Beauty! You are the winner of our Urban Decay Book of Shadows III UD Hearts NYC Giveaway!

Thank you everyone for playing! We will be posting from NYC this week, so please look out for updates from the Big Apple.

Here are the answers to the Trivia questions that were worth extra entries! Follow me on Twitter for future contests!

1. Where was the orig location of Barneys and what's there now?
A. 17th and 7th Ave which is now home to Filene's Basement and BBB.

2. Where was NARS first sold when it launched?
A. Barneys (at the original location).

3. Which NYC dept store was the first to carry MAC in the US?
A. Henri Bendel's

Please join us for future contests. There is still time to enter our MAC Venomous Villians Giveaway which ends tomorrow!

Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure Fedora vs RBL Jane from Tudors Collection


Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Fedora, a pale taupe nude with warm champagne shimmer. This is a new (possibly LE?) shade from the same display from earlier posts featuring Problem Child and Golden Ticket. This is a great pale nude shade for most skin tones. It may not work on super pale skin tones with cooler coloring.

From the bottle, it reminded me a lot of Jane from Rescue Beauty Lounge's Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty collection. But on the nail, Jane is much paler and the shimmer is slightly more apparent in Fedora. Both are great neutrals. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to RBL's Jane, Fedora may be a good option, but RBL is having a 50% November 1st. So if your heart is set on Jane... you could wait until then.


Fedora vs. Jane
Sally Hansen Fedora vs. Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane


Similar but Jane is much paler on the nail.

Fedora in the bottle. The shimmer.

Thanks for looking!

ONE DAY GIVEAWAY CONTEST! Urban Decay Book of Shadows III UD Hearts NYC




Urban Decay loves NYC and so do I.... to celebrate my return to NYC next week, I will hosting a one day only giveaway contest. Please read the directions below. All entries must be in by 1:00pm PST October 15, 2010. The winner will be contacted via email (so make sure to leave your email). This is open to international friends. The prize will be mailed 10/25/10.












How to play:

1. Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite thing about NYC. (don't forget you email so I can contact you when you win).

Do step 1 and you are entered!! But to for ****MORE***** chances to win do the following:

2. Follow the blog (leave in your comment how you follow) - 1 extra entry

3. Follow me on Twitter. Click here. - 1 extra entry

4. Retweet this contest on Twitter. Post it on your Facebook. Blog about it! - 1 extra entry each

5. Follow me on Twitter and watch for trivia in the next 24 hours. Respond to me with correct answers for extra entries. You may be able to get up to ****TEN extra entries **** with a correct answer! (Either leave your answer in another comment, Direct Message me on Twitter or email me at beautyburg@gmail.com)

GOOD LUCK!!

p.s. Don't forget to enter our Venous Villains Giveaway! Ends 10/18/10. Click here to enter.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Problem Child


Remember those hideous movies?! Just thinking about them makes me feel ill. I think my parents took me to at least one of them in theatres (possibly because they thought it was educational?).

Here is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Problem Child. This Problem Child is a beautiful, jewel-toned, dark amethyst purple with tiny red, gold shimmer and hidden FLAKIES! Everyone knows I love *love* a good flakie. This one is subtle which makes it more alluring and mysterious. I personally really like the Complete Salon Manicure line. The chubby brush and formula make the application a cinch. Two coats and you have great coverage and color. I do find that I'm more likely to purchase at a BOGO or BOGO 50% since $7.49-ish is a little high for a single bottle. But I think for hidden flakies, it's worth it!




See the flakies in the bottle! Just gorgeous!


Here is the display.
Problem Child is bottom right.
I've already reviewed Golden Ticket from this collection and more coming soon!

Ben Nye Lumiere Grand Colour Palette Swatched




Here is Ben Nye Lumiere Grand Colour Palette (I've also seen it referred to as Grand Lumiere Palette). I purchased it after seeing it all over YouTube (MissChievous, ThePinkLadyJ are a couple of channels that have reviewed it). Unfortunately, Ben Nye doesn't sell directly. You can Google etailers and the palettes range from $50-60 + shipping. Be warned, you may be lead to some clown makeup sites.

Here are some swatches and details. I will try to post looks later.

Sun Yellow is anything but mellow. KA-POW! I love the color payoff.

Great color payoff! These were swatched dry.

Ice Gold is a very pretty creamy, vanilla white. I could use this everyday.

I can't wait to play with this palette to create some looks!
I am feeling a tropical look or something bright pink and purple.

I want to try Azalea as a blush. MAC has a PRO color in the same namesake.


I'm definitely going to play with this palette this week. Are there any looks that you guys want to see? I might be interested in doing something that isn't sooooooooo dramatic.



Updated: Caught someone playing with my palette!!

I've got a Golden Ticket.... Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Golden Ticket




No I don't have Turrets (as Cartman pretends to lol).

But I do have Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Golden Ticket. A new shade launched for I assume Fall 2010? Golden Ticket is a peachy gold glitter in a sheer pink peach blossom base. Very pretty and very dense. Pictured below is only two coats.

Pretty gold glitter in a pinky peach base.


The display.
Golden Ticket is on the top left.


I purchased a few other colors from this display and will be reviewing them later. There were some very interesting shades that are perfect for fall and winter fabrics.

Thanks for looking!

Is Bare Escentuals Buxom Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow more obidient than my dog?!!


Bare Escentuals - Buxom Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow shown in Mutt. The eyeshadow has a spongey but not wet texture. Marlowe's texture? Nuggety.

Bare Escentuals is making a charitable contribution ($20,000 according to Lucky Magazine) to Canine Companions for Independence-a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs. Marlowe is only generous with his cuteness (not really a philanthropist).


Swatched on skin. Taupe with silver shimmer. Very wearable for everyday! Marlowe is wearable everyday, too.

I wore this with NARS eyeshadow primer and got crease-less color for 10 hours+. Very impressed with the "stay" of Stay-There. The longevity of wear and the pigmentation were both excellent. Marlowe is great with stay. He won't eat his food unless given permission, even if I leave the room... but 10 hours+ stay? I don't think he could do that.

Woof! Marlowe can't catch a frisbee. Eye-paw/Eye-mouth coordination not his forte.


There are 10 "breeds" eye shadows ranging from a metallic Black Lab to an outrageously bright purple Schnauzer. $17 for at Sephora. My only con on this eyeshadow is that is it soooooooooo small (0.12). Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner $19 for 0.16oz, Shiseido Hydro Powder eyeshadow $21 or 0.21oz and MUFE Aqua Cream $22 for 0.21oz. The texture of Stay-There is more spongey and like a wet cream-to-powder finish. The other brands above are more like hard creams. Stay-There reminds me a some Shu Uemura eyeshadows that were LE from a few seasons ago. The Pros are excellent wear, good pigmentation, bright colors and cute dog illustration (lol! maybe not a pro to some).

There are definitely worth a try! Marlowe thinks so too.