Beauty411

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusives: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Chanel and More!

Christmas comes twice a year at my house....in December and in July, when Nordstrom has their Anniversary Sale.  On July 18^th the race to the cosmetic department will begin, as devoted beauty junkies can seize the opportunity to get a hold of these fabulous items, many exclusive to Nordstrom. 

On July 18th through August 3rd, shoppers nationwide will rise with the sun and rush to their nearest Nordstrom.  This ritual signifies the beginning of the two week period where the limited supply of coveted Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusive items become available.  So, what is the best way to guarantee a successful shopping mission?  The answer is easy: PRE-ORDER!

This year, over 100 beauty brands are participating.  Some highlights include MAC, Chanel, Juicy Couture, NARS, Kiehl’s, Laura Mercier, Marc Jacobs, Dior, Bobbi Brown and Philosophy.

You can bet I'll be making my list and checking it more than twice and getting my pre-order in early.  Here are some of the best in beauty: 

Bobbi Brown – Cocoa Mauve Collection, Fall's most-wanted shades for eyes, cheeks and lips in a sleek black nylon cosmetic case.  Colors include Berry Mauve Creamy Lip Color, Iced Mauve Metallic Eye Shadow, Cocoa Mauve Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner and Sand Pink Blush. Price: $65.00.  I'm so ordering this!

MAC

– Colour Forms Anniversary Collection

• Colour Forms Basic Brush set (red).  Price: $49.50
• Colour Forms Advanced Brush set (purple and green).  Price: $49.50
• Beauty Powder.  Price: $22.00
• Powder Blush.  Price: $17.50
• Lipstick.  4 colors Price: $14.00
• Green: Mac Colour Forms Eye Palette Warm:  $38.00
• Purple: Mac Colour Forms Eye Palette Cool:  $38.00
• Red: Mac Colour Forms Lip Palette Warm: $24.50
• Blue: Mac Colour Forms Lip Palette Cool: $24.50
• Yellow: Mac Colour Forms Lip Palette Neutral: $24.50

Laura Mercier - Twilight gift set - Set includes a mini eye mosaic, double ended brush (angled eye and smudge), Lip Glace in Cinnamon, mini eye pencil in purple sapphire, full size black mascara and a 2 oz tube of French Vanilla Souffle body cream, all in a chic brown patent makeup bag.  Price: $55.00.

Trish McEvoy - Micro Mini Makeup Planner.  Price: $68.00 

Chanel

• Nail Lacquer exclusive Rose Tourbillon.  Price: $20.00
• So Chanel Illuminating Powder.  Price: $65.00
• Quatuor Levres De Chanel Satin and Shine Lip Palette  in 10 Les Roses.  Price: $60.00

Philosophy

• Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion

- Giant -size 32 oz jug of Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion.  Price: $40.00

Purity Made Simple - Giant size 32 oz.  Price: $36.50

Amazing Grace Shower Gel - Giant size 32 oz.  Price: $29.50 

Lancome

• Anniversary Eye & Face Palette - Available in two color ways (warm or cool), the metallic patent leather Anniversary palette includes 2 cheek colors and 4 eye colors, with a convenient shadow brush tucked inside.  Price: $52.50
• Anniversary Gift with Purchase – 7 piece collection
• Juicy Tube Set - Available in two color ways (warm or cool), this gift set includes 4 mini Juicy Tubes in a chic patent leather case.  Price: $39.50 

Bare Escentuals

• In Fashion set

- 8 Piece set has everything needed to celebrate style: bareMinerals Flawless Radiance All-Over Face Color, bareMinerals Eye Color in Bahamas, bareMinerals Liner Shadow in Caviar, bareMinerals Blush in Escape, bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipcolor in Bavarian Crème, Flawless Radiance Blush, Double Ended Precision Eye Brush, all in a black clutch.  Price: $75.00

For the complete list of offerings and pictures, you need to head over to Nordstrom and browse, plot, drool and start making your list.  Pre-orders start TODAY with shipping on July 18th.  While the rest of the world fights the crowds that day, you'll feel all smug that your pre-order beauty haul will be on it's way to you.  So what are you ordering?

 

 

The Beauty Bowl: Team Beauty411

Not wanting to ignore the big game this weekend, some of my fellow beauty bloggers and I are hosting our own version of The Beauty Bowl.  As the coach of Team Beauty411, it's my pleasure to announce the lineup for today's game:

The Playbook:  Beauty Confidential by fellow blogger Nadine Haobsch.  It's all in there.  The good. The bad. The scoop.

The Offense:  My current obsession ~ the spring makeup collections from Laura Mercier and Chanel. They are simply gorgeous.  From Laura Mercier, the Shy Violet quad is smokey, sultry.  And blue is all over this spring (did you see the SAG awards?) and no collection is more beautiful than Chanel.

The Defense: Have to go with skincare in this category. I'm giving the nod to Skinceutical C E Ferulic + Hydrating B5 Gel +Shiseido sunscreen.  We're fighting aging all the way!

Special Teams:  No coach would dare go on the field without the Shu Uemura eyelash curler and Fiber Extension Mascara.  You've been warned!

MVP:  There is only one MVP and for me, that has to be my Julie Hewett lip lush. This product has ruined me for lippies forever. Putting this on completely transforms my face. It feels wonderful on the lips.  I want one in every color!

The Bench: Like any coach, you should always have a few things that you want to purchase in case the lottery comes in.  These are the purchases I need want to make: Badgley Mischka Limited Edition Parfum; Quelques Fleurs  Royale Parfum; Amore Pacific Body Renewal Creme.   

So, BeautyFans, what products would make your team on The Beauty Bowl?  Make sure to check out these sites to see what products made the teams of these bloggers:

• 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic
• A Touch of Blusher
• Beauty411
• Canadian Beauty
• For the love of beauty
• Grayburn
• Steeping Beauty
• The Beauty of Life
• Urbane Girl

Cosmetics ~ Weekend Roundup

A weekly roundup of cosmetics news from this week:

• Spring has sprung at the cosmetic counters!  Have you checked out the new spring collections from MAC (the N Collection -- if you like neutrals, you'll love this!), NARS Shanghai Lily Collection and of course, Chanel.  At this point, the Chanel collection has won my heart, although I am waiting anxiously for the lines--especially Dior.  And don't forget the new Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry collection.
• We bemoaned the lack of the swag bags due to the cancelling of the Golden Globes earlier this week and now it seems we're in good company, as the NY Times points out today. 
• Take time this weekend to do something nice for yourself!  An in-home spa treatment, a long bath, read a book or discover a new beauty blog (see some of my favorites to your right).  We can all use some "me" time. 

The Smokey Eye: Updated

The smokey eye trend continues to be strong this season.  Yet doing a "good" smokey eye look takes alot of practice.  As with any good technique, the right tools are essential.  I recommend the Sephora Smokey Eye Kit.  This kit provides 5 brushes--the wide smudge, all over shadow, small domed-smudge, detail and dual sided brow brush/comb, plus a full size volumizing mascara. To change up your look, instead of a dark, smokey eye, lighten it up using the new Bleu Celestes eyeshadow quad from the Spring '08 Chanel collection. Gorgeous! To further assist with the lesson, Beauty 411 turns to the experts at Sephora.  Check out this video tutorial: 

Seasonality of Fragrance

As the temperatures get cooler (or colder, in my case), not only do we adjust our makeup and wardrobe.  We intuitively reach for different fragrances, as well.  Suddenly the Marc Jacobs' Daisy we loved this summer just doesn't feel substantial enough.  In the summer, light florals or citrus scents dominate.  In the winter, the spices, Orientals or heavy florals tend to be more favored with our cashmere sweaters and candlelight dinners.  Some classic fragrances that I usually associate with winter are Coco (Chanel), Opium (Yves Saint Laurent) and Shalimar (Guerlain).  Have you changed your fragrance this season?  What fragrance are you wearing now?