My last two experiences with Revlon lipstick (Orange Flip & Certainly Red) were enough to get me hooked. I decided to grab a few shades that spoke to me: Wild Orchid, Berry Haute, Stormy Pink, and Blushing Mauve. I was a little bit nervous about Berry Haute because it looked so very lavender in the tube, and pretty confident I would love the Matte Stormy Pink so long as it wasn't overly drying. I was not disappointed in any of the instances, but Wild Orchid came out as a clear winner with Stormy Pink following close behind in 2nd place. My photos, swatches, comparsons and final thoughts are below:

Stormy Pink Lip Swatch

Full Face Swatch: Wild Orchid

Final thoughts:

Wild Orchid looks like it could be a dupe of M.A.C.'s Show Orchid, but I didn't have it to compare. Wild Orchid was definitely the easiest to work with and trumped all of the shades as far as formula, opacity, and color pay-off. The finish really makes this shade pop setting it apart from the other bright pinks in my line up. While this shade isn't something I would wear every day, it is a fun shade to break out on a gloomy day. 

Berry Haute applies pretty sheer, but is very moisturizing. If you're looking for an opaque purple lipstick, this isn't it. Being that I am fair skinned, I was actually pleasantly surprised with this shade. My berry lipsticks were much more red in comparison, and this read more of a blue based pink when on me.

Stormy Pink- If you are looking for a matte Barbie pink lipstick that would make Nicki Minaj weep, this is the one. I loved it so much, but I always did have a soft spot for Barbie! Of all the shades this one had the most staying power, but avoided being too dry for those of you who hate mattes. The finish reminded me of  the semi-matte mattene lipsticks M.A.C. put out. The only downside to this shade was that it settled into my lip lines a little bit.

I am completely head over heels in love with this collabration between Verabel jewelry and Alyson Fox (Fox Art). In most cases these are vintage lockets that have been restored and plated in 16K gold (silver lockets are also available in the shop). The lockets each feature original illustrations by the amazingly talented Alyson Fox. The illustrations are then preserved under a glass-like protectant. I think these make for the perfect gift. Is it bad if I get one for myself first?   See more from Verabel Jewelry here.

The images from CARDIGAN's fall look book has me longing for a weekend trip upstate. I am totally the kind of girl that would wear sequins while residing in a cabin, so naturally it is aimed for gals like me (but with more disposable income). This isn't exactly practical sportswear, but rather swoon-worth knits:

The chevron craze has been oddly refreshing given that we all now own five thousand variations of striped clothing. Chevron home decor is a simple way to add a splash of graphic modernity to your home as well. Some of my favorite pieces are pictured (& linked) below:

For Your Closet: 

{top} Everly Zig Zag Dress $44 @ Tobi; Alice + Olivia Chevron Sequin Dress $550 @ Shopbop; Amanda Uprichard Mayfair Zig Zag Dress $189; Zig Zag Dress $22.80 Forever 21; Chevron by Lillian Crowe $36 @ Need Supply;  Lariat Layering Bracelet: Black & White Chevron $15 @ William & Jessica;

{bottom} Linea Pelle Chevron Skinny Hip Belt $105 @ Shopbop; Chevron Multi Metal Necklace $58 @ Scarlett Garnet;   Lucca Couture Zig Zag Strapless Dress in Blue/White $82 @ Singer 22; Frenchi Ribbed Trim Sweater Dress $48 @ Nordstrom;

For Your Home Decor:

{top} Charcoal and White Oversized Chevron Pillow Cover $22 @ Moxie & Mandie; Zigzag Duvet Cover $79 @ Urban Outfitters; Milliken Black and White Collection Vibe Techno Black Rug @ Rugs USA; Ziggy Chair $279  @ Urban Outfitters; 

{bottom} Yellow Chevron Pillow Cover  $15 @ Skoope;  Chevron Shower Curtain $49 @ West Elm; Amore & Chevron pillows @ Honey Pie Design;

Lately I've been falling for textured creams, white lace, and embroidered ivory. I love layering a pretty lace piece with black or bold colors for a bit of contrast. My picks are below:

I've always been both fascinated & intimidated by the fragrance & perfume industry. I have always felt it is a bit akin to wine, I love wine but I don't really KNOW wine. With perfume I have a true love and appreciation for the work of perfumers. I enjoy testing fragrances and trying to guess the various notes, but I am a novice at best. In the age where every celebrity has at least one fragrance it can be even more daunting to find a true gem. I try to avoid the celebrity variety at all costs, but I would hardly consider myself a perfume snob. While I adore Bond No. 9's Chinatown and the classic Chanel No. 5, I can be found wearing Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb or any of the Marc Jacobs fragrances far more frequently. I need someone to hold my hand and guide me through the world of fragrance.

Luckily, Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have compiled this little black book of perfumes to guide us through what they consider to be the top 100 perfumes. Whether they are old, new, affordable, or expensive these fragrances are what they consider to be masterpieces. Each perfume is reviewed individually, and when available the authors compared 2011 samples to earlier samples given that formulas are constantly changing due to stricter restrictions on allergens in perfume (these restrictions may actually be endangering your favorite fragrance!). The blurbs provide incredibly useful information without overwhelming you, but beware after reading it your fragrance wish-list will likely expand! This is an excellent resource for the expert, novice, or even the casual fragrance shopper. Anyone who loves perfume would enjoy this as a gift or guide alike. The book will hit book shelves on October 31st. You can pre-order The Little Book of Perfumes: The Hundred Classics now on Amazon.com. 

Please note: An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review consideration.

Lucky Magazine's annual shopping event, Lucky Shops New York, has long been one of my favorite shopping events of the year, ranking right up there with the Barney's Warehouse sale and the Manolo Blahnik sample sale. Who can beat 100 of our favorite brands at discounted prices under one roof?  I typically use the event as an excuse to scout out deals on handbags. One year I attended, I won a ton of American Express gift cards by schooling a bunch of girls on Mario Kart for Nintendo DS.  Little did they know, I'm a bit of a gamer in my spare time, but it gave me some spending money to which I applied towards my favorite Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Bag in sea foam. You never know what you will find within the walls of Lucky Shops, so don't miss your chance to join in on the fun! I will be shopping my heart out again this year and you can join me! See below for details:

When: November 4- 6th

Where: 441 W 14th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues NYC {map it}

Why: Amazing designer deals with up to 70% discounts, see a full list of vendors here.

Keep yourself in the know and follow luckyshopsny on Twitter & check out the Lucky Magazine Tumblr. Happy Shopping!

It took me a while to get through M.A.C.'s Fall Color Collection even despite the fact I either own or have used many of these products in the past. I consider many of the products to be staples, while others are great products with simply limited use for me. Let's start with the staples: Pigments in Tan, Golden Olive, and Violet are gorgeous and are wonderful to work with. There are a bizzillion black eye liners to choose from but Feline & Blacktrack are two of the very best. I still prefer Smolder kohl liner to Feline for a smokey eye, but I know Smolder reads a bit blue on many people, so Feline is a good substitute in that case. Blacktrack is hands down my favorite gel liner, so to say it is a staple would be an understatement. To see my swatches and additional thoughts on the products keep reading below:

Lip Erase is a useful tool, especially to those of us who have pigmented lips. It certainly is a much better alternative than using concealor on your lips which can be cakey. I however, wouldn't really recommend it if you have dry lips as I did when I was testing. It is a slightly drying product in its own right, but it stays put, so that is the trade-off.


I was really impressed with the Chromagraphic Pencils. They go on so smooth and have great color pay -off. They will work wonders for face & body painting on Halloween! As for everyday use, Process Magenta looks phenomenal on the lips. 

My three favorite pigments of this group all have similar shimmering finishes that I love. I was impressed with Blue Storm as well, largely because of the finish. I found it to be beautiful color I could really get sucked into using a ton. I was a bit surprised by how much I loved it. Emerald Storm is lovely, but feel it should have been called Emerald Dusk instead because it was just a tad dark for my taste. Emerald Storm looks to be the offspring of Antique Green and Deep Blue Green (see my comparison swatches below).

I didn't purchase Starless Night because I own Later, a very dark pigment with blue and purple overlay, and I found them to be very similar & I honestly don't use Later that much. Later truly is gorgeous when applied wet, although my swatch above doesn't really do it justice. (there are better swatches of Later on the blog if you're interested)

Neo-Orange & Magenta Madness swatches are useful if you like to mix your own lip color. Beyond that I don't see many every day uses for them. Both seemed a bit chalky and applied unevenly.

If you're bored with your polish, as I was with my O.P.I.'s Sweet Memories , a barely there pink, simply grab some glitter and clear nail polish (or if you have it on hand as I did some glitter polish) and apply some glitter mixture to your two ring fingers. This is quick, easy, and fun without being too over the top. This is fantastic for gals who are shy about the whole nail art trend. :) For my ring finger I used Art Club Nail Art Polish in Silver Glitter for the silver base and added a bit of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball on top for some multi-color glitter dimension. Have fun painting on the bling!

Alyson Fox, an illustrator & photographer, has just released the most wonderful photo book entitled, A Shade of Red: One Lipstick and One Hundred Women. As the title suggests, Alyson's photos captured 100 different women wearing one shade of lipstick, Revlon's Certainly Red. Not only are the photos beautiful,  they showcase the transformative power of lipstick. Applying red lipstick can immediately transform how one feels, acts, and maybe even how others respond to you. Two of my favorite images from the book are posted above. The images truly speak for themselves. You can preview more of the images on Alyson's website.  The book is available for purchase now @ Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

I also decided I should try out the classic lipstick. I must say I was an instant fan! This lipstick performed and wore well without being the least bit drying. I've posted images and swatches below, but it is definitely one of the best drugstore lipsticks available:

 A Shade of Red: One Lipstick and One Hundred Women can be purchased at Amazon.com

*note: a copy of this book was provided to me for post consideration by the PR company, I purchased the lipstick at my local CVS for personal use.