2011 BREAST CANCER AWARENESS BEAUTY

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month and many beauty brands have created special BCA branded products to support breast cancer research. So why not support a worthy cause while scoring some new pink themed beauty products?  And most of these beauty items are Limited Edition so there's even more incentive to start shopping. Here are my top picks:

Stila - Positive and Pretty Palette  ($14)
Specially created for Breast Cancer Awareness month, this palette will leave you looking and feeling beautiful from the inside out. Palette includes:
- 4 eye shadow shades ("Gift", "Passion", "Positive" & "Beauty")
- Cheek color ("Pretty")
- Bronzer/Highlighter ("Empower")
A portion of the proceeds from this Limited Edition pink-themed palette will go to breast cancer research and the betterment of women living with cancer.

Estee Lauder - Evelyn Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection  ($24)
This set features a Limited Edition Pure Color Lipstick in "Wildly Pink", plus a pink croc-embossed clutch. Estée Lauder will donate 20% of the suggested retail price of its Pink Ribbon Collection to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide.

Jane Iredale -  Roses & Lollipops Lip Duo ($30)
A lip duo featuring two new universally flattering lip shades in a keychain locket featuring a pink Swarovski crystal. The locket contains two of Jane Iredale's best-selling products: PureMoist™ Lip Colour ("Roses") – a pigment-rich, creamy lipstick that hydrates with jojoba and grape seed extract; and PureGloss™ for Lips (in "Lollipops") – a sheer, petroleum-free gloss made with green tea leaf extract.
Jane Iredale donates 100% of profits from the sale of this product to Living Beyond Breast Cancer which empowers all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life.

Bobbi Brown - Pink Ribbon Collection  ($44)
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bobbi has created the Limited Edition Pink Ribbon Collection. The set features "Pink" Lip Color and "Bellini" High Shimmer Lip Gloss, which can be worn individually or layered together. With each purchase, $10 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, an organization dedicated to preventing breast cancer by funding clinical and translational research worldwide.

Sonia Kashuk - Breast Cancer Awareness Proudly Pink Brush Set ($14.99)
Be beautiful inside and out with this set of professional quality makeup brushes with clean white handles, chic silver trim and plush pink bristles. Housed in a structured silver and pink-lined makeup case, this signature set includes a Powder/Blusher Brush, Crease Brush, Synthetic Foundation/Concealer Brush, Small Eyeshadow Brush and Bent Eyeliner Brush.  A donation of 15% per purchase will be made to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

 CND - Pink Wishes Colour & Effects Duo  ($20)
The CND Pink Wishes Duo helps you continue the fight against breast cancer and show your support of breast cancer survivors. This Limited Edition nail polish set features Pink Wishes Colour, a cotton-candy pink which layers beautifully with Pink Wishes Effect that has a sweet, pale pink pearlescent sheen.

Boots - No7 Intensive Moisture Face Mask  ($19.99)
An intensively quenching treat for softer, smoother skin. With caring vitamins A, C and E, plus invigorating apple extract to brighten your skin. This deliciously soft, lightly whipped gel-cream will leave your skin feeling softer, plumper and looking more youthful.  Boots is donating $2 from every sale of this mask to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $25,000, now and during the month of October.

Elemis - Think Pink Beauty Collection  ($55)
The renowned British spa and skincare brand has packaged three of their most popular products (Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment Neck and Bust cream; Pro-Collagen Marine Cream; and Skin Nourishing Shower Cream) into a super cute pink beauty case. Spoil yourself for a good cause.  A portion of every kit sold will be donated to Breast Cancer Care with the company promising to pledge at least $16,000 to breast cancer research this year.


To learn more about Breast Cancer and the search for the cure , visit the following websites:
www.NationalBreastCancer.org
www.komen.org
www.bcrfcure.org
www.findacure.org

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Neutral Eye Palettes

Neutral eye shadows have been around for ages. They are the 'vanilla ice cream' of the makeup world - good but sometimes a little boring. But recently this beauty staple has gotten a new lease on life.  This trend started with Urban Decay's launch of the wildly popular "Naked" Palette which lead to an explosion of eye shadow collections in a neutral range of shades.  Here's my top picks of neutral eye shadow palettes that reflect a variety of price points. Happy shopping my lovelies!

 

Bobbie Brown -  "Sand Tortoiseshell" Eye Palette ($60)
The Tortoiseshell eye palette in "Sand" is for lighter skin tones, with light to dark shadows in flattering warm neutrals. This eye shadow collection let's you go from soft to smoky in no time flat. The eight shadows in this palette are designed to be layered - there’s no blending required. Start with the lightest shade, then layer the darker shades until you get the desired intensity.
* This eye palette is also available in "Bronze Tortoiseshell"  for medium to darker skintones.

Urban Decay  - "Naked" Palette  ($48)
Everybody wants to look good NAKED! Far from a group of boring beige shadows, the Naked Palette's long, lean, seductive case is packed with twelve gorgeous neutrals, including five NEW shades. This palette contains a range of textures: everything from glitter to shimmer to matte. Also included in palette is  the Good Karma eye shadow brush and a travel-size eyeshadow Primer Potion.

Stila - "Natural Eye Shadow" Palette ($39)
A beautiful palette consisting of Stila's award-winning Eye Shadows in wearable, neutral shades for every skintone that can be worn wet or dry and a limited-edition Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. It also contains an eight-page lookbook with detailed how-to tips and tricks.

NYX - "Nude on Nude" Pallete ($25)
This set contains a classic medley of 20 neutral eye shadows and 10 vibrant lip colors that work for every skin tone and every occasion. What more could a girl ask for?

SLEEK Make-UP - "Storm" i-Divine Palette ($10)
The Storm i-Divine palette is comprised of 12 strong and rich shades perfect for accentuating the eyes and creating natural looks.

E.L.F. - "Essential Beauty School" 32-Piece Eyeshadow Palette ($5)
This 32-color Professional Eyeshadow Palette is the all-you-need eyeshadow assortment, perfect for on-the-go beauty! With endless colors & textures to choose from, this professional eyeshadow palette lets you create your own personal look whenever you wish, wherever you are. 



* Note - the first eye shadow palette featured in this article is Kat Von Dee's True Romance eye shadow palette in "Saint". This product is yet to be released on Sephora.com.

HAUL VIDEO & REVIEW: Sleek MakeUP

Headquartered in London, Sleek MakeUP is an established cosmetic brand throughout Europe, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.  Their tagline 'My Skin, My Shade, My Makeup’ concisely conveys the message of their brand and the reflects the diverse range of woman who wears Sleek MakeUP. Fortunately for us gals in the U.S., we can now purchase their cosmetic products online. 

In the enclosed video below I review several products from Sleek MakeUP's line:

 

See below for detailed pictures with color swatches of all cosmetic products I reviewed:

Tester Kit of Creme to Powder Foundation:

  Top Row: Light/Medium -  Latte, Creme Caramel, Sweet Honey, Noisette, Terracotta   

Bottom Row: Light - Shell, Sand, Calico, Bamboo, Latte

Top Row: Dark -  Cannelle, Sepia, Hot Chocolate, Deep Sable, Coffee Bean   

Bottom Row: Medium/Dark - Terracotta, Russet, Demerara, Henna, Cannelle

Luminious Pressed Powder:

 Left to Right:  01(light), 02 (medium), 03 (medium dark), 04 (dark)

Face Contour Kit & Glisten Me Illuminator:

Left to Right: "Light", "Medium" and "Dark"    

Glisten Me Face & Body Illuminator in "Empress"

Powder Blush:

Left to Right:  "Scandalous" (unreleased), "Sunrise", "Rose Gold", "Pomegranate", "Life's A Peach" (unreleased)

 i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette:

 "Bad Girl" Palette

Top Row: Innocence, Gullible, Blade, Gun Metal, Underground, Noir

Bottom Row: Intoxicated, Envy, Obnoxious, Abyss, Twilight, Rebel

 "Good Girl" Palette

Top Row:  Lychee, Meringue, Candy Floss, Lollipop, Pink Punch, Cupcake

Bottom Row:  Strawberry Sorbet, Pink Grapefruit, Peach Melba, Papaya, Raspberry Coulis, Morello

 "Circus" Palette

Top Row:   Red, Purple, Magenta, White, Yellow, Fuschia

Bottom Row: Black, Lavendar, Lime, Bright Blue, Navy,Orange

Eyelashes, Eyeliner & Nail Polish:

 Left Column: Havana (corner) and Harare (full) lashes  

Right Column: "Turquoise" nail polish and Glitter Dip It Eye Liner in "Steel"

 Pout Polish:

Top Row (left to right): "Powder Pink" and "Chocolate Kiss"

Bottom Row (left to right): "Raspberry Souffle" and "Electro Peach"

* Products were provided for review but I am not affiliated with the company, nor was I paid to review any of the products mentioned in this video and blog post.

SEPORA: HAUL VIDEO & REVIEW

I recently made an online purchase from Sephora and wanted to share my beauty and skincare haul with my "Karen's World of Beauty" Readers.  Check out the video and product details below:



ITEMS PURCHASED:

Josie Maran - "Love Nest Josie's Argan Favorites" ($55 Value)  $25    *Sephora Exclusive!
A four-piece, travel-size gift set that includes Josie Maran's favorite argan oil must-haves for the face, eyes, cheeks, lips, and hair.

This set contains:
-0.21 oz Argan Color Stick in Petal Pink
- 0.11 oz Gogo Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara
- 0.5 oz Argan Illuminizer
- 0.5 oz 100% Argan Oil

Stila - "Pretty in Paris" travel palette  $10
The second in a five-part series of collectible palettes, The Pretty in Paris palette is all you need to get pretty on the go!

This set contains:
- 4 x 0.15 oz Eye Shadows in Crepe (pale pink), Cherie (reddish brown), Jolie (brownish pink), Chocolat (brown).
- 0.09 oz Convertible Color in Rosebud (deep rose brown - limited-edition shade)

Dr. Dennis Gross - "Alpha Beta® Peel Trial Kit"  $35    *Sephora Exclusive!
A two-step, at-home peel with the original and extra strength formulas of the Alpha Beta® anti-aging peel treatments.  This firming, toning, and retexturizing treatment delivers both immediate results and long-term benefits for a variety of skincare concerns.


Feel free to share what cosmetic or skincare product you're loving from Sephora (or any other beauty emporium). I want to know what you love and what you recommend so please leave a comment.  Thanks my lovelies!!!


*** Note - In video I mention Dermalogica facial sponge. I actually purchased from Ulta - not Sephora. Sorry, I got confused with all my online shopping!