NARS new lip gloss gives long wearing shine, colour, and plumps the lips. All 9 colours are creamy in texture without any sparkle! The only down side in my opinion is the brush. It’s very short and has barely any bristles. Apparently this is supposed to enable precision with the application, but I find it takes too long to apply the product.

For anyone who wished for a lipgloss that stayed on YSL just launched this hybrid product–Glossy Stain, and like the name suggests it’s a gloss that wears like a lip stain. The texture feels, and looks much like a gloss but the formula lasts like a lip stain would much longer than your average lip gloss. It comes in 19 shades, and as of now is available only at Selfridges.

Armani’s latest edition to their foundation line is the Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation SPF 20. Perfect for anyone who wants their skin to look tighter and firmer. Especially formulated complex of emollients and velvet filters contribute to a smoother looking complexion.What I also like about this product is the blue pearl pigment that gives a gorgeous luminosity to the skin.

The foundation is available in 10 shades online and in-store.

As a huge fan of nail art, I’m super excited to finally see a better selection of the nail art products hitting the drugstores. One product I found that really caught my attention are these Nail Jazz pens. So far, these are the best nail art pens I have seen on the market. Instead of the typical fine tipped brush, the polish squeezes out of a very fine metal tip allowing you to create the most detailed designs. On each pen, the top of the cap has a fine metal tip, while under the cap there’s a regular brush for painting on a base coat. I got the Aura Atmosphere Set of 8 colours plus a bonus french manicure set. The french manicure set comes with tip stickers and there are some interesting shapes including a chevron shape which I look forward to using. If I have one complaint it would be that they need more colours. Especially non-shimmery ones.

I had purchased my set at the PNE, but iff you’re looking to purchase the set, they are available on the Nail Jazz website.

As a dry skinned person (everywhere except my face) I love body oil. These two new ones are quite fabulous. The Tom Ford Neroli Portofino line, includes a body oil infused with the scent of the fragrance. It contains citrus oils, floral and amber notes. For an oil it’s quite lightweight but still hydrating. The best part is it leaves the skin with a radiant glow.

Jo Malone’s English Pear and Freesia dry oil is delicately scented and leaves no trace of oil on the skin at all. It absorbs quickly and adds moisture to dry skin.

Both are lovely but when it comes down to it I’m all about the glow. I prefer an oil that leaves a sheen on the skin. Of the two I chose the Tom Ford version.

A new addition to the Velvet Lip Pencil line, NARS takes the original matte formula and switches it up into a gorgeously glossy, intensely hydrating pencil. NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil is a jumbo sized chubby pencil that slides on like smooth butter and is glossy without the stickiness. If you’re looking for a gloss with staying power but in the convenience of a liner/pencil shape then this product is perfect for you.

The new Dior Addict lipsticks launched this week. After seeing the movie/commercial in the weeks leading up to the launch featuring Kate Moss, I knew I had to try them. The texture is ultra light and sheer with lots of sheen. It feels weightless on the lips because it has 25% less wax than a ordinary lipstick, and contains a reflecting gel. There are tons of colours–44. I have Nude 333 and New Look 745. The nude one is really light but perfect for just throwing on in the day, or to wear with dark or bright eyes. New Look is an orangey red its a good bright for Spring. If you’re looking for a lipstick that’s shiny, and not sticky like a gloss but feels like a lip balm, and you feel like spending $31, then this is the product for you!

As a brow obsessed person, I’m always trying out new brow products. I just got these new wind up pencils a couple of weeks ago, and I’m loving them. The pencil is a little softer than others I’ve used, but I am able to get a well defined brow that looks natural. As far as wearability I do my brows in the morning and they stay all day. The price point is only $12, you really can’t go wrong with that.

For tips on defining eyebrows click here.

When it comes to mascara on myself I’m not into anything natural. I like thick, long, notice-me lashes. That’s exactly what you get with the Ellis Faas mascara. The brush is standard size and so I thought, especially with it being a new tube, I wouldn’t get my desired effect without a lot of coats. Actually the brush loads up with product with the first application. I was able to get big lashes with just one coat. The black is rich and dark for added drama but it also comes in brown too. If you are looking for something subtle, this is probably not the mascara for you.

Wallet friendly beauty is always a good thing. Over the past few weeks these drug store brands caught our eye:

Joe Fresh Eyeshadow has 6 new colours for fall. For the price you really can’t beat these, they blend pretty well and the pay off is good too.

I’m really into L’oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black. For thick super black lashes this is the way to go. It claims to have twice the intensity of L’oreal’s classic black shade, it is as black as tar and makes your lashes look amazing. However, if you’re not into overly dramatic and slightly clumpy then this is not the mascara for you. Personally I’m a fan.

Got2b recently launched a couple of new hair products and sent some our way to review. Fat-tastic Instant Collagen Infusion Mega-Lift Root Boosting Spray is designed to plump up flat hair, give lift and body without feeling crunchy. Lisa tried it first on damp hair and it worked pretty good considering it didn’t feel too crunchy or product heavy. The next time she used it she sprayed her roots on hair that hadn’t been washed for a day. Normally she washes her hair everyday because it looks so flat on the second day, but thought she’d test out the product to see if it could get some volume. She then sprayed her roots with the product and then blow dried. She got quite a bit of volume and it was so much faster than rewashing and blow drying her hair.

On my hair, after spritzing the roots I used my hands to push my hair up, skipped the blow dry, and used a curling iron to create waves. I did get some volume at the roots that lasted quite well. Prior to using the curling iron I applied the Smoothing Lotion as it works as a heat protector as well as smoothing fly aways which it does nicely. The best thing about this product though, is the smell!

I just tried these new lipsticks from Make Up Forever. They really are quite nice. They come in 3 different textures-matte, pearly, and satin. I enjoyed the matte and the satin, I’m never a huge fan of overly frosty textures. All 3 textures are packed with pigment, apparently 50% more than traditional lipstick. The pay off is excellent, and they wear very well. What is most exciting is the fact that there are 50 new colours to choose from! A make up kit overhaul is in my near future, and these new lipsticks will be great new additions to my lip palette.

Available at Sephora

As a make up artist I’m completely obsessed with my brushes. Brushes can make or break my make up application, more so than the products I’m using. Advanced Beauty Tools are unlike any brushes I’ve seen or used before. The brushes are designed as an “art object as well as to function as a professional make up brush”. All of the brushes are made with 100% man made fibre called NuFibre. This of course makes them completely animal free. Not just ethically conscious but an excellent alternative for anyone who suffers from allergies or has sensitive skin. I have to admit I’ve added them to my personal brush collection and have been using them on myself daily!

Chrome Collection

I have to admit it took me a minute to get used to the shape of the handle on the Chrome Collection. What I absolutely love about the brushes is the texture of the hairs. The texture feels incredibly soft unlike any synthetic make up brush I’ve come across before. Having said that, I still found that the brushes both pick up and deposit product onto the skin really well. Blending is fast and easy. I especially like the large buffer brush, the foundation brush, and the eye contour brush.

Precision Brushes

These brushes have brilliant packaging. A true retractable case that pulls apart to expose the brush tip, and closes and covers when pushed together. Perfect for your make up bag. I love these for detailed work like sharp red lips, carving out a brow, or for more defined eye make up.

Foaming Brush Cleanser

The foaming brush cleanser sanitizes and cleans the brush fibres. After using black cream liner, 2 pumps on the micro fibre cloth quickly brought the brush back to new. The cleanser dries quickly too so you can switch colours, and keep going with your make up in minutes.

*Advanced Beauty Tools were provided to Smudge Style

This product has been around for awhile, but it is new to me. To be honest, I don’t know if I would have tried it except that I received it as a free bonus and I instantly fell in love. Biotherm Baume Corps is an intensely moisturizing body lotion that works wonders on dry skin. It’s made with apricot oil which gives it a nice smell and has a really light smooth texture that is not greasy. I put this on after a shower and my legs are moisturized all day — no dry patches. I’m definitely going back for more but I think I need to get myself a larger bottle.

Lash Stiletto Voluptuous is the latest edition to the mascara family at Maybelline. I reviewed last years Lash Stiletto and it was pretty good so I was interested in trying this new one. Overall it does give a thicker and longer look to my lashes, the waved shape of the brush grabs lashes from the root and extends them which adds length. The brush pulls out lots of product from the tube so you can pile it on. I always wear black mascara and this one is jet black and patent looking which makes the lashes stand out.

I’ve been wearing the Becca Lip and Cheek Creme for the last month and I really love how light weight, smooth and blendable this product is. It is much more richly pigmented than a lot of the creme blushes out there so a little goes a long way. I’ve been wearing the Tuberose colour which is a salmon pink colour and I think it’s the best colour out of all this range. Personally, I don’t love using this for my lips because the texture is a bit matte for the lips, but I think it would work well under a gloss. If you are into creme blushes this one is definitely worth checking out.

Yves Saint Laurent has a few products in their skin care line up referred to as Top Secrets. It features their niche products for the person who goes beyond basic skincare. Pore Refiner Skincare Brush is a translucent serum that once applied to the skin minimizes the look of large pores and imperfections. It also mattifies oily skin for a shine free complexion. I apply the pore refiner after moisturizer and before foundation, which makes a great makeup base for anyone with oily prone skin.

What’s so great about EA 8 hour cream? It’s jam packed with super moisturizing ingredients like petrolatum and vitamin E. This original skin protectant dates way back to the 1930’s and is still a staple in any savvy make up artists kit. The emollient texture leaves dry skin anywhere on the face or body feeling soothed and hydrated. Because of it’s natural sheen, Backstage it’s often used to highlight the high planes of models faces, gloss lips, and tame brows.