Holiday 2007

Yves Saint Laurent is on a hot streak this holiday season with cute and sassy products from their Love Collection. This silver charm was inspired by an old piece of jewelry that Yves Saint Laurent loved. The original heart is made of white gold and is embellished with garnet-colored Swarovski crystals.

The replica is just as cute, it's a fraction of the cost, and it also contains garnet crystals. What's inside is just as delightful: a true red lipstick and a natural-colored, ultra-shiny lip gloss. This is the perfect combo to create the lips for your Simply Irresistible Halloween look.

The coolest part of the package is that the applicator is hidden in the top ring. YSL featured this same kind of awesome secret lip brush in their Lip Twins Duo. Let me tell you, it is really convenient!

This palette-charm makes a great holiday gift for your best friend, sister... or just as a special splurge for yourself. It sells for $62 and is available for a limited time, so if this is up your alley, pick it up before the seasonal rush starts!

Woo woo, MAC has just released more of its holiday collection. First it was Antiquitease, and now the special holiday compacts are coming out. I met with my MAC contact earlier this week, and she gave me a few of these treats to try out. I haven't tried them yet, but I'll keep you posted on which, if any, are must-buys. To see a slew of photos (no, really, I'm talking a LOT of photos), and to find out about the products, read more

Just out from Shu Uemura is the 2007 Holiday Muse collection. This rich and sinfully decadent line is filled with warm browns and beiges, deep reds and—of course—tons of gold and metallics. The collection was developed by celebrity makeup artist and Artistic Director for Shu Uemura USA, Gina Brooke.

Gina's inspiration came from the flattering and very seductive amber hue of a candlelit room. Imagining a woman who epitomizes luxury as her muse, she tried to capture that air of radiant sophistication.

The collection includes three new shades of Rouge Unlimited lipstick in Gold Beige, Pink Beige and Chocolate Brown ($23 each), silver glitter mascara ($30), two limited-edition nail polishes in Gold Beige and Chocolate Brown ($16 each) and two amazing eye shadow palettes in Dignified Grace (four warm golden shades, $65) and Enchanting Charisma (four soft neutral shades, $65).

So far my favorite product is the Dignified Grace shadow palette, but I haven't tried everything quite yet. Does this muse seem to be drawing you in?

"Wow" is all I have to say about this new glamorous and rich-toned, holiday 2007 limited-edition Multi-Usage Makeup Palette ($67) from the Yves Saint Laurent Love Collection. Leave it to the big guns to create such an aesthetically pretty and make-you-feel-loved makeup palette. And for once—I do have to be fair here—the price really isn't all that outrageous for what you're getting.

Inside of the silver palette you'll find three eye shadows in Heavenly Beige, Magic Copper and Moonlit Burgundy, three lipsticks in Pure Garnet, Natural Beige and Bohemia Rose, one of their best-selling lip glosses in Golden Gloss, one highlighter in Starry Rose and one medium rose-colored blush (Tender Rose) that has been created in the shape of a giant heart. Do you love this palette as much as I do?

Are you ready to begin your holiday shopping? One thing is for sure — mass retailers are. I have been keeping my eyes and ears open lately in hopes of hearing buzz about the latest and greatest products new to the market for the many someone specials on my holiday 2007 shopping list; however, it looks like I may stand alone.

According to a recent article, The National Retail Federation is predicting an all time low in sales since 2002. Due to the weak housing market, consumers are forced to cut back on holiday spending. Lucky for me I am an anal retentive planner who has learned to save for a rainy day. Have you ever put yourself on a savings plan a few months before the holidays?

If you are trying to save on gifts this year, keep your eye out for beauty related marketing tricks and ploys such as:

• Resist the allure of celebrities, especially the vast amount of celebrity fragrances available and set to launch. Beware of all the glossy posters that are set to appear everywhere this season.
• Just when you think you've walked off of the cosmetics floor scot free, products may appear again in holiday packaged gift sets in another department. Beauty products appear to cost less in sets, however, this is not always the case.
• While additional staff is recruited to facilitate lines and crowds, they are also there to aggressively push sales. Don't let their powers of persistence sway you.

Source

Doesn't it seem like MAC is coming out with a new collection every week? Not that I'm complaining—each one gives me ideas galore! The latest is Antiquitease, a holiday collection featuring beautiful gilded hues. The collection is inspired by ornate decorations, and the colors look amazing.

There are a ton of limited-edition products, so I'll just tell you which ones I'm most excited about. The eyeliner you see here is Fluidline in Uppity, a beautiful gold tone. Your Ladyship is a pigment; it's creamy white with gold pearl, so it would be a beautiful highlighter for eyes or cheekbones. I'm LOVING the Mineralize eye shadows, which build complex and intense color. And how sexy is that lipstick in Queen's Sin?

My contacts at MAC tell me that this is "just the tip of the iceberg," so rest assured, I'll keep you posted on what's coming! For now, check out this gallery of the complete Antiquitease collection. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Woo hoo, Holiday 2007 party palettes are here already! These products for your eyes, lips and cheeks are not only terrific values but they are all slim, and travel-friendly for the Bella gal on the go. I hope you like what you see because this is just the beginning of many, many more holiday specials for the season!

Tarte We Wish You Wealth Palette costs $52, yet it has a $578 value — talk about holiday savings. This little limited-edition treat includes exclusive products like cheek stains in a pan form and new shades.

Inside you'll find 16 lip glosses, 16 eye shadows, four gel eyeliners, four cheek stains, three 24/7 lip sheers, an eyelid primer, one luminizer and eye shadow and eyeliner brushes. Does it really get much better than this?

For two more hot holiday 2007 palettes, read more

Smashbox has just come out with its Beyond Beauty Holiday 2007 Collection in shimmering cool-toned and warm-toned shades for the eyes, cheeks and lips. You can either choose to buy the entire line for $240 or you can purchase the products separately.

The collection includes a light speed lip gloss set ($29), Fusion Eye and Cheek Palettes in two different color families ($39), an Encounter brush kit that comes with six makeup brushes ($84), and a Flawless Finish Skin Perfector Kit ($49) that includes a Photo Finish Foundation Primer in full and travel sizes and a Photo Op Under Eye Brightener.

I love that if you buy everything it comes in a comes in a zipped carry case so it's easy to tote around and travel with. Also, the colors are really versatile so they can be worn day or night, the texture of the powders are super soft, and the glosses are to die for — this is a holiday collection you won't want to miss!

OH! YES! BABY! As part of its Holiday 2007 collection, Nars has created a new Multiple highlighter stick ($36.50 at Sephora) in the legendary cult favorite shade Orgasm — a color that has remained one of the company's best sellers since it was launched.

This creamy, shimmery pinky-peach highlighter/blush seems to fall somewhere between other Multiples South Beach and Maldives (I told you I'm a beauty junkie).

Typically this shade looks the most flattering on ladies with olive skin, but trust me when I say that this color somehow manages to flatter all shades of skin: its famous fans range from SJP to Marcia Cross to Jennifer Lopez. Get your credit cards ready, because once you see this mind blowing, earth shattering, toe-curling color, it's bound to fly off the shelves!

While I know it's a little bit early to start shopping for holiday gifts, I see no harm in beginning a list to prepare for the busy shopping days ahead. That's why I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at the new Calvin Klein Euphoria Crystalline Collection.

Basically, Calvin Klein has gathered three of its most popular products from the Euphoria perfume range and has amped up the packaging with Swarovski crystals to bring some holiday frill to your fragrance! The limited-edition collection hits stores on November 1 and includes these festive treats:

• a 3.4 ounce fragrance adorned with Swarovski crystals ($75)
• a solid perfume compact bejeweled with Swarovksi crystals ($45)
• a scented body lotion ($40)