As many of you may or may not know the infamous Makeup Show NYC is less than 3 days away and not only will there be new features and the usual fabulous makeup treats but some of Makeup’s hottest and talented artist will be unveiling a limited edition personalized brush set.

The Makeup Show Brush Set includes a full set of 13 brushes suitable for artist at every level and were hand picked by I’ve super talents. With a full set of The Makeup Show Artist Brush Line all aspiring or working artists will be sure to master the artistry that makes James Vincent, Jon Hennessey, Orlando Santiago, Esterique Adam and Danessa Myricks all internationally renowned artists and educators.

Artist Brush Sets will retail for $20 to $90 for the full collection, launch on the May 13th and 14th and will then be available exclusively on Hautelook.com Summer 2012.

In October, NARS plans to launch a limited edition collaboration with Any Warhol. And to tease our beauty junkie senses. NARS has released a teaser video that hints at the pop culture aesthetic of the upcoming collection.

So, Which Warhol character do you think will make an appearance in the collection?

I’m kinda intrigued by this collection, How about you?

M·A·C Cosmetics announced today a limited edition line of cosmetics with fashion visionary and muse Carine Roitfeld, to launch in Fall 2012.  Carine collaborated on all creative aspects of the collection; package design, product names and colour palettes.  The M·A·C Carine Roitfeld Collection features 20 pieces with a focus on eyes and brows that reflect Carine’s signature look: smoky eye, bold brows and nude lips.

A specially created Good Luck Star stencil makes its debut and can be seen in the collection image for which Carine was photographed by Mario Sorrenti.  This marks the first time M·A·C has worked with the legendary photographer.

I’m very interested in seeing what this former fashion model, writer and photographer collaboration and collection will offer. Wanna know more about Carine Roitfeld?  Click here for a brief background.

More to come from M·A·C and Carine this Fall.

MAC Tres Cheek limited edition collection, offers a sextet of powder blushes that are certain to please all skin-tones, shades and hues. MAC Cosmetics blushes retail for $20.00 for 0.21 oz . Even though this collection is small in size. It is not small in color. The colors offered can go from bright red-orange, to a glorious touch of peach, to pink or lavender. The formula for these blushes are seamlessly sheer and buildable.

I only picked up one blush from this new collection. To see all available products released with the Tres Cheek collection click here or here.

Modern Mandarin is described as a red-orange and has a satin finish.  I’m not certain that I see all the red in this blush but, there is a hint of red thrown in. It is soft to the touch and blends well no matter the brush used. This color is full on and is highly pigmented, which for some can be a bit intimidating. This shade stays as bright on the skin as it is in the pan. This color requires layering to achieve your desired boldness.  So start off light and build the color up. Because this blush is a satin finish, it applies smoothly to the skin and wasn’t hard to blend out.

Originally, I thought Modern Mandarin was dupable. But it turns out the colors I thought were perfect matches (MAC Optimistic Orange & Discontinued Foolish Me) lacked the orange intensity this blush has.  This blush wears pretty well. It lasted for about 7 hours on my dry/combination skin. In my opinion I think this color will look amazing on deeper skin tones. I also think this paired with the new MAC Glorify skinfinish/highlighter, will make the skin have that fabulous glow from within look.

MAC’s In Extra Dimension collection which launches April 5th, introduces a new liquid-powder hybrid formula with prismatic reflections that instantly sculpts, highlights and models the face to the desired effect – In Extra Dimension.This collection offers star products to try:three shades of Extra Dimension Skin-finish and  ten shimmering tints of Extra Dimension Eye Shadows.

Here’s what I picked up from the In Extra Dimension collection, To see a complete list of available products click here or here.

MAC Sweet Heat ($20.00 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a bright peach champagne. This eyeshadow works amazing wet or dry. The color pay-off is very metallic and smooth. The eyeshadow lasts for about 6 hours with a primer/base and the same time without. While I really like this color, I think it’s dupable. I’ll show the dupe a little later.

MAC Superb Extra Dimension Skinfinish/Highlighter ($29.00 for 0.31 oz.) is described as a soft peachy nude.  There is also a hint of red thrown in. This color applies super smooth onto the skin. The texture of this highlighter is soft, dry and buttery. The sheen and pigmentation in this highlighter is buildable and doesn’t accentuate the negatives on your skin, If you know what I mean. This color will look great on all skin-tones.

MAC Glorify Extra Dimension Skinfinish/Highlighter ($29.00 for 0.31 oz.) is described as a copper with golden shimmer. OMG! This officially is my summer favorite. This color is liquid gold in my opinion. It glides onto the skin super smooth and is very buildable. This color will look absolutely amazing on deeper skin tones.

Overall, I’m really impressed with this collection. The colors are very pigmented, the silky formula glides onto the skin like butter and offers a nice buildable sheen to the skin.  The Skin-finishes don’t highlight large pores or accentuate scarring and acne marks. But, I feel like I have seen/felt these products somewhere before. After doing some research in my makeup lab. hahaha! I realized that these new products are nothing more than the Magic Cooling Powders, that came out last year but, in the pressed form. And I’m so glad MAC decided to make a pressed version because, the loose cooling powders while great were very messy.  This cool, creamy, silky, near-fluid formula creates a luminous, visually arresting and well-defined finish to skin.

Side note: If you decide to buy Superb you do not need Sweet Heat as they are exact dupes for each other. (See below) I think I may be returning my Sweet Heat eyeshadow and replacing it with Modern Pewter.

On April 5th, Mac will release three (yes 3) limited edition collections. MAC has been known for launching collections back to back but, four at one time is a lot. At any rate, listed below are product details on the new collections.

M·A·C TRÈS CHEEK
Available April 5, 2012 through May 3, 2012

POWDER BLUSH
Pink Tea    Neutral beige pink (satin)
Lovecloud    Bright mid-tone pink (satin)
Peony Petal    Bright blue pink (satin)
Modern Mandarin    Red-orange (satin)
Immortal Flower    Bright peach (satin)
Full of Joy    Lavender (frost)
Suggested Retail Price    $20.00 U.S./$24.00 CDN

M·A·C REEL SEXY
Available April 5, 2012 through May 24, 2012

POWDER BLUSH
Pink Cult    Mid-tone dirty neutral pink (matte)
Magenta    Bright magenta (matte)
Suggested Retail Price    $20.00 U.S./$24.00 CDN

NAIL LACQUER
Vivid Effect    Vivid orange coral (creme)
In the Dark…Purple    Vivid violet (creme)
Screening Room    Bright mid-tone teal (creme)
Suggested Retail Price    $15.00 U.S./$18.00 CDN

MINERALIZE SKINFINISH
Lightscapade    Soft candlelit beige with multi-dimensional shimmer
Suggested Retail Price    $28.00 U.S./$33.50 CDN

LIPSTICK
Reel Sexy    Light bright coral (amplified)
Watch Me Simmer    Bight pink-orange (amplified)
Pink Popcorn    Lavender (lustre)
Heroine    Bright violet/purple (matte)
Suggested Retail Price    $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN

CREMESHEEN GLASS
Private Screening    Mid-tone peach
Cinestyle    Mid-tone blue grey violet
Star Quality    Bright orange coral
Colour Saturation    Dark cool wine
Suggested Retail Price $19.00 U.S./$22.50 CDN

PRO PALETTE EYE SHADOW X2
Dynamic Duo 1    Coral with yellow pearl (veluxe pearl) and Clean purple (matte)
Dynamic Duo 2    Violet duochrome with pearl (frost) and Clean violet (matte)
Dynamic Duo 3    Dirty-toned purple (veluxe pearl) and Teal blue (matte)
Dynamic Duo 4    Mid-tone pink (satin) and Blackened violet (matte)
Suggested Retail Price    $27.50 U.S./$33.00 CDN

ZOOM LASH MASCARA
Zoomblack   Rich black
Suggested Retail Price    $15.00 U.S./$18.00 CDN

EYE KOHL
Heirloom    A highly metallicized greyed lavender
Hyacinth    Dirtied mid-tone blue
Resort    Deep amethyst plum
Smolder    Intense black
Suggested Retail Price    $15.00 U.S./$18.00 CDN

M·A·C In Extra Dimension
Available April 5, 2012 through May 24, 2012

EXTRA DIMENSION SKINFINISH
Whisper Of Gilt -Light, Soft White Gold with Shimmery Sheen
Superb -Soft Peachy Nude with Multi-dimensional Shimmer
Glorify -Copper with Golden Shimmer
Suggested Retail Price $28.00 U.S./$33.50 CDN

EXTRA DIMENSION EYE SHADOW
Warm Thunder -Dirty Silver Grey (Metallic)
Blue Orbit -Light Iridescent Purple (Metallic)
Grand Galaxy -Dirty Mid tone Violet (Metallic)
Lunar- Royal blue (Metallic)
Havana Dirty -Copper Brown (Metallic)
Sweet Heat – Bright Peach Champagne (Metallic)
Modern Pewter -Dirty Olive Gold (Metallic)
Rich Core -Dirty Aubergine (Metallic)
Dark Dare Charcoal Black (Glow)
Young Venus – Pale White Pink (Metallic)
Suggested Retail Price $20.00 U.S./$24.00 CDN

BRUSHES
128 Split Fiber Cheek Brush
Suggested Retail Price$32.00 u.S./$38.50 cDN
234 Split Fiber Eye Blending Brush
Suggested Retail Price $22.50 u.S./$27.00 cDN

All of these collections are currently online at maccosmetics.com

On March 23rd, OCC ushered in spring with a new collection. This limited edition collection of lip tars and nail lacquers infuses traditional pastel colors with pops of nearly neon vibrancy. And best part of it all, OCC has heard the consumers plea and changed it’s packaging.

Presenting “The Garden Collection”…

Lip Tar

Digitalis – Pink-Tinged Lavendar
BellaDonna – Ultra Violet
Chlorophyll – Full-on Teal
Ophelia – Pure Petal Pink
PennyRoyal – Roasted Peach/Brown
Kava Kava – True Peach/Neutral

Nail Lacquer

Kava Kava – Creme Beige Neutral
Copperhead – Brillant Copper Glitter
Arsenic – Brillant Silver Glitter
Phantasm – Pastel Blue Metallic
Chimera – Metallic Mint
Chlorophyll – Vibrant Teal/Green

This entire collection and so much more is available online at occmakeup.com or the Obsessive Complusive Cosmetics store at 174 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002

Sleek Makeup a UK brand that I really wish was sold here in the states. Exclusively debuted 5 “Blush by 3″ palettes in Superdrug, a UK drug store. The blush by 3 palettes, house three blushes that are well pigmented, bold, and vibrant. I recently got my hands on “Pink Sprint” Blush by 3 palette and all I can say is WOW! The other “Blush by 3″ palettes are named: “Lace, Pumpkin, Flame, & Sugar”, I hope to own them all soon.

Retailing for £9.99 and $16.00 US dollars. These palettes are awesomely priced and perfect for spring and summer. Some have compared Sleek blushes to NARS and while I do think the colors offered are similar the color payoff is what makes them different. To me, Sleek blushes are a hint powdery, chalky and airy. Which makes them lose some of their vibrant pigmentation when applied to the cheeks. That is something I don’t get from my NARS blushes. Now don’t get me wrong for a drug store blush, this palette and all the other Sleek Makeup blushes I have tried and own they are the bomb.com.

The three colors included in “Pink Sprint” are Pinktini, Pink Ice & Pink Parfait. All three shades are matte in formula. Matte blushes can be a little tricky to work with but, as long as you have the right brush and blend, blend, blend, You should have no problems. The colors in the palette look very intimidating but, are very wearable for all complexions.

Pinktini is a deep pink berry color. That must be applied lightly unless you like that 80′s look of heavy bruised cheeks. This color is wearable for day or night and has the smoothiest feel out of the three. Very buttery feeling and very similar to NARS’s texture of blushes.

Pink Ice is a bright neon hot pink. Wowzer! This color is, in your face bright. But, when applied to the cheek can be as loud or as soft as you build it up to be. This color also looks very similar to Sleek’s Santorini blusher that was limited edition and released with the Mediterranean collection last year.

Pink Parfait – is the birth child of Pinktini and Pink Ice in my opinion. It is a medium toned pinky plum color that is wearable all year-long around. By all skin tones. Out of the three colors offered this one was the hardest to work with. As it is a little stiff and blotchy. But nothing a little extra blending can’t fix.

Overall, I’m loving this palette and can’t wait to own the rest. I was reading on Sleek’s facebook page that these will be available online soon. The price and quality are excellent and so worth the price. If you can’t get your hands on any “Blush by 3″ palettes or you don’t feel like waiting be sure to check out some of Sleek’s single blushes that retail for $6.50 each.

Here are a few comparison swatches just for kicks.

MAC Magenta Madness, Sleek Santorini, Pink Ice

As many of you may or may not know, I recently got an iPhone 4s! Yes friends, my Apple product world is now complete. So you know, the first thing I did with my new gadget other than download instagram was to look through the thousands of apps for ones that are beauty related. Yes true beauty junkie here, lol. And as luck would have it, I stumbled across L’Oreal’s True Match app and downloaded it immediately.

I’ve used L’Oreal True Match foundations($9.99) in my kit and loved the fact that for a drugstore brand, they offered a wide selection of colors for all skin-tones. But never had I tried the foundation out on myself. And to get your “true match” with the L’Oreal app, all you have to do is answer a few questions that are super simple and easy.

After answering the questions, the app matched me with W9.5. From the picture on my iPhone (see below) this foundation looks all kinds of off. It looks too dark and red but, because I answered the questions as accurately as possible. I blamed my eye and color alterations that happens with most color swatches found online. What I did like was that,  not only did this app tell me the appropriate shade but, it offered a celebrity match. My celebrity match was Liya Kebede, and after seeing her complexion. I was sure that the bottle shown prior was incorrect.

With my shade (W9.5) planted in my head. I went out to my local drug store to purchase ( with the help of the the store locator) a bottle of L’Oreal True Match. Sadly after going to three different drug stores. I started getting discouraged because w9.5 was nowhere to be found.  After going to what felt like a zillions stores. I finally found W9.5. Yay!!! In person W9.5 still seemed a bit off to me but, looks can be deceiving. Just to be on the safe side I also purchased W8.

L’Oreal’s True Match Makeup was created with Opti-Match Technology to precisely calibrate color shades. This foundation comes in the three common undertones, warm, neutral and cool.  With over 33 options to choose from, sadly  I wasn’t able to find my perfect match with just one foundation. So I did what I normally do with drug store foundations. I bought two bottles, like I stated earlier. This foundation feels great on the skin. It blends out nicely and doesn’t require a lot to get medium coverage. I also like the fact that it can be sheered down with lotion to make a great tinted moisturizer. The wear time on this foundation was pretty decent. I would say about 5 hours into wearing it, I noticed I needed to refresh my skin. Nothing a blotting sheet couldn’t fix.  I don’t have oily skin so I’m going to assume the wear time may be less for someone with oily skin.  I wish this foundation came with a pump, as I feel I waste a lot of product without one. According to the L’Oreal website it is said that, “True Match not only perfectly matches your skin tone but, also blends effortlessly to enhance your skin’s texture”.  While I didn’t see an immediate improvements to my skin texture. I did feel the foundation blended nicely into my skin and didn’t give me that “mask” feeling.

Overall, I found that I enjoyed the L’Oreal app more than the actual foundation.Weird right? I played with the app answering the questions on my mom, sister and a few friends behalf. Out all the people who I, “True Matched”, I was the only person whose match wasn’t perfect. No complaints though, I like this foundation and will continue to use it in my kit. I’m going to work on the right mixture for myself (sorry no picture of me with foundation applied will update soon).

Personally speaking, If you have a smart phone. I strongly suggest downloading the app. It’s super easy, fast, and most importantly free. Who doesn’t want to find their true match! Right? True Match Matchmaker App

Have you ever tried any of L’Oreal’s True Match products? If so share your experience in the comments.

True Match Matchmaker App allows you to find your precise True Match shade by determining your unique undertone and depth through a series of focused questions. Once you find your True Match shade you will be able to use the store locator feature to see which stores carry your shade as well as see who your celebrity undertone match is and get other product recommendations based on your unique shade!

“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by L’Oreal Paris via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of L’Oreal Paris.”

Wow, I just realized I haven’t shared with you guys a”Nail That” post in ages. Right now, I’m gearing myself for spring and you know what that means, right? Bold and bright nail colors.  My latest maniure features Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics “Pool Boy” nail polish. Pool Boy, is a gorgeous opaque aqua blue creme that applies very well with two coats. My ring finger features OPI’s Nicki Minaj “Save Me” nail polish, which adds a nice sparkle and pop.

I can’t believe it’s the third month of the year already. And with MAC launching new collections every day (OK every week) I feel like the year is going past even faster.  Any way on March 1st, MAC launched the Chenman collection.

Chen Man is the star of the Chinese fashion photography world.  Chen Man’s MAC collaboration combines bold and sensual colors with the artist’s fascination with love and water (represented by the colours pink and blue).

Here’s what I picked up from the Chenman Collection. To see a full list of available products, head over to www.maccosmetics.com

Supersweet mineralize eye shadow duo is described as a half bronze,pink,gold mélange/half solid golden pink(frost). I find that most of MAC’s mineralize eyeshadows are prettier in the pan than on the eye. Some how this one caught my eye because of the solid golden pink side. The pink side will not only make a great eyeshadow color. But I’m liking it as a cheek highlight as well. The marble side is brownish grey with a slight hint of blue veining. When applied wet or dry the color payoff was pretty much the same. Of course when applied wet there was a nice foil appearance.

Force of Love Lipstick & Glass are both described as vivid honeysuckle pinks. Force of Love lipstick has a matte finish and goes on very opaque and pigmented. There is a hint of orange mixed in with this hot pink lipstick, making this color bold and perfect for summer. This color is also dupable in my opinion. I know there is something in my collection that looks very similar to this. I’ll do an update when I find that color. Force of Love  lipglass is also well pigmented and is a perfect match to the lipstick. I like both of these lip products but, not together. For me when both of these are worn together it’s just to shiny and too much for my liking. Now I love a good shiny gloss but, I’m not a huge fan of super shiny red or hot pink lips.

This collection is fairly small and the stand outs to me were the items I picked up. I’m happy with my purchases and hopefully will get good use out of them. What have/did you pick up from this collection?

MAC Force of Love Lipstick

MAC Force of Love Lip-glass

MAC Force of Lovelipstick & lip-glass

What hasn’t Nicki Minaj been doing lately? She has a lipstick out with MAC Cosmetics, a new single on the air waves and now a nail polish collection with OPI. This girl is busy. And I’m not even mad at her.

Nicki Minaj’s OPI collection is composed of 6 limited edition nail lacquers that are bold bright and over the top just like the artist. Each lacquer retails for $8.50 and are uniquely named after song’s off of Nicki Minaj’s  ”Pink Friday” album.

Here’s what I picked up from the Nicki Minaj collection. To see a complete list of available items. Head over to www.opi.com

Save Me is described as a clear polish with rainbow-colored holographic glitter bars. This polish isn’t a “wow” factor alone but, when layered over other polishes really add sparkle and shine to the nails. This polish applies a little patchy due to the glitter bars.

Did it on ‘Em is described as a Chartreuse lime green with a yellow undertone. The formula on this polis is cream and it applies nice and opaque with two coats. I thought this was an exact dupe for OPI’s “Who the Shrek Are You?” but, this one is a hint light and not streaky at all.

Metallic 4 Life is described as a charcoal translucent polish with small and medium silver hex glitter. This color is stunning but requires at least three coats to be opaque. I strongly suggest applying a layer black, pewter or gray polish first to make this one pop and look opaque.

Pink Friday is a creamy bubblegum pink. This color applied evenly and opaque with two coats. This color looks great on all skin tones. I wish  I could say the same for the “Pink Friday” lipstick that came out last year with MAC.

This collection overall is very nice. I’m still on the hunt for “Fly” and hopefully, I can find it soon as these polishes are flying on and off the shelves pretty quickly.  OPI can be found at JCPenny, Ulta and some local beauty supply stores.