Sephora + Pantone Universe

When I was an "aspiring" art student in college, I was in love with the Pantone swatches that we had in the classroom. Last year, everyone was on fire for tangerine - this year the color is Emerald. Sephora and Pantone Universe have partnered with some pretty packaging and some pretty cool products too.  Please enjoy the following press release.


SEPHORA and Pantone proudly announce the 2013 Color of the Year beauty collection featuring PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, available exclusively at SEPHORA.   Sharing a strong passion for how color can transform a face, mood or even an attitude, SEPHORA and Pantone continue to change how you wear, feel and think about color through the second annual installment of this radiant and modern Color of the Year beauty collection. The launch of 2012 Color of the Year, Tangerine Tango, created record breaking results for the retailer, with fans purchasing a Tangerine Tango item every six seconds during the month of launch. In 2013, SEPHORA invites you to discover the color of positive energy and possibility, and open your eyes to the power of Emerald. 

Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum. Emerald, a perfectly balanced green, is a mix of warm and cool, which makes it so versatile and flattering to many skin tones,” noted Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world.“ 
Inspired by the many facets of a gemstone, this collection features Sephora Collection’s high performance formulas in modern packaging, designed by SEPHORA and inspired by the iconic PANTONE® Chip.  Each eye shadow, blush, eye liner, lip gloss, mascara and nail polish offers unique finishes like matte, metallic and lacquer to capture the sparkle and play off light unique to an Emerald, the perfect green – blue hue.
“What I love about this year’s Color of the Year collection is it’s electrifying and modern. Emerald evokes power and possibility, which are two things women should feel when they wear makeup,” said SEPHORA PRO Lead Artist Gilbert Soliz. “SEPHORA once again challenges women to envelope themselves in the trend color, from subtle effects to bold saturated statements, Emerald will energize the way you think and feel about color.” 

SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE 2013 Color of the Year PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald Capsule Collection

·         The 2013 Color of the Year Emerald Collection – $68
A comprehensive collection of Emerald beauty
o    1 Color Grid Eye Shadow Block in BIONIC
o    1 Color Code Prismatic Shadow
o    1 Color Cube Lid Liner Stain
o    1 Lightspeed Glitter Dust
o    1 Graphic Sculpt Waterproof Jumbo Eyeliner
o    1 Color Watt Highlighting Mascara

·         Colorbyte Lip Wands - $24
This lip gloss set offers four unique shades, textures and finishes, leaving lips with a smooth and comfortable shine – colors include Touch of Emerald (clear with Emerald sparkle), Crocus (lacquer lilac), Georgia Peach (lacquer peach) and Cameo Brown (lacquer nude)

·         Color Grid Shadow Block  –  $26
Features three color-coordinating eye shadows – this trio allows you to create a variety of on-trend beauty looks
o    BIONIC –  Emerald, White Alyssum and Crown
o    ECLISPED – Emerald Glitter, Amberlight and Olivine
o    ELEMENTAL – Emerald Shimmer, Appleblossom and Camel

·         Color Code Prismatic Shadow –  $22
A revolutionary, water resistant high pigment cream formula for the eyes that goes on easily and lasts all day

·         Color Cube Lid Liner Stain  –  $16
A 3-in-1 mousse cream that can be used as a shadow, cream liner or lid stain

·         Lightspeed Glitter Dust  –  $14
A pot of pure Emerald loose glitter, give your look a subtle shimmer or layer for a powerful pop

·         Graphic Sculpt Waterproof Jumbo Liner  –  $17
Features a proprietary long wearing easy glide formula, with a luminous shimmer finish

·         Graphic Lift Liquid Liner  –  $17
Features a flocked tip applicator and long-lasting formula in metallic shimmer finish

·         Graphic Etch Waterproof Eyeliner  –  $17
This retractable pencil features a waterproof easy glide formula in a soft Emerald pigment finish

·         Glitter Strobe Eyeliner Set  –  $18
This four piece Emerald eyeliner set features finishes in glitter, iridescent, metallic and matte

·         Color Watt Highlighting Mascara –  $18
A richly pigmented mascara in Emerald in a matte finish, wear alone for full color expression or add to tips for a flash of color

·         Color Theory Sculpting Blush   $24
The perfect blush duo to compliment any Emerald color accents featuring Dusty Pink and Pink Mist

·         Color Charged Graphic Lacquer –   $10
The richest pigment of Emerald in a high gloss lacquer finish

·         Mini Graphic Effect Lacquers – $18
A collection of three mini polishes featuring finishes in Emerald (clear with Emerald glitter), shimmer (Emerald and silver) and matte metallic

·         Emerald Tip Nail Ring – $22
The perfect accessory to embrace the 2013 Color of the Year – make a nail jewel statement with this ring, featuring an Emerald and crystal tip

·         Color of the Year Accessories –
o    Color Contour Face Brush Set ($68) This 8 piece brush set with stand provides you with all you need to create any Emerald look: Highlighting Fan Brush, Face Contour Brush, Angled Liner Brush, Short Smudge Brush, Cream Shadow Brush, All Over Shadow Brush, Crease Shadow Brush and Smudge Brush (all synthetic)
o    Spectra Blend Eye Brush Roll ($20) A 3 piece mini travel brush in a magnetic pouch features an Angled Blush Brush, Eyeshadow Brush and Shadow Blending Brush (all synthetic)
o    Color Block Beauty Box ($38) A hard cosmetic case featuring a removable travel box and organizing compartments
o    Prismatic Glitter False Lashes ($10) Luxurious black false lashes featuring a strip of emerald glitter
o    Color Sculpting Kabuki Brush ($22)The perfect travel size kabuki brush (synthetic)
o    Emerald Compact Mirror ($18) A must have travel mirror for touchups, two sided featuring 3x magnification

The SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE 2013 Color of the Year PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald Collection will be available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com beginning March, for a limited time.






JulieG Ornamental

Only two lovely polishes left in the Holiday Collection from JulieG and this is Ornamental, a gold shimmer. Now granted, I have lots of gold shimmers and gold honestly isn't my thing. But it's not always about me - it's about the polish. I used a base coat of Poshe and 2 coats of polish. Again, no top coat because I wanted to play with these polishes quickly. 

So I'm a bit lame and only got a sun (kinda) photo but you can see that it's a pretty, full coverage polish in just 2 coats. Super lovely, the price is so right at $4, and well, if you're into gold shimmers, here's a great one!

You can purchase JulieG in Rite Aid stores across the US or shop online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics which ships worldwide!  JulieG sells for $3.99 for a 0.35 fl oz (10 mL) bottle.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

SensatioNail Holidays

I've been seeing SensatioNail pop up in my local Walgreens (and you can play with the LED lamp under some acrylic!) but did you know that this past holiday season they had some pretty magnetic colors? You may be able to still find them where you find SensatioNail. Please enjoy the below press release (which is now a bit out of date).


SensatioNail™ Invincible Gel Polish Starter Kit ($60, mass retailers) is the perfect gift for moms, daughters, sisters and girlfriends as everyone will benefit from the convenience of getting a salon-quality gel manicure at home! SensatioNail Invincible Gel Polishes are Formaldehyde, Toluene and Dibutyl Pthalate free and require zero dry time. The kit will provide ten high-shine manicures so your loved ones will be reminded of your great gift over and over again!

For those on your list who already have the SensatioNail™ Invincible Gel Polish Starter Kit, add a little glimmer to their holiday stocking with the limited-edition Magnetic Gel Polish ($11.99, mass retailers).  Gift a sparkling manicure that will Captivate, Tantalize, Enchant and Allure your loved ones from holiday party to New Year’s Eve Bash.  


JulieG Gift Wrapped

I thought I lost my notecard with my notes on this polish but as I was cleaning, I found it under my desk. So let's talk about JulieG - if you haven't heard, the core line of polish was just extended, adding 27 new polishes! I will have more information on those in the coming weeks (or days, depending on how productive I am!) but you can always check out the Jesse's Girl website.

JulieG Gift Wrapped is from the JulieG Holiday Collection and it's a magenta shimmer stunner. I used a base coat of Poshe, 2 coats and no top coat.

It reminds me of the lovely shimmers from China Glaze Summer Days  - full coverage and super lovely.

It's like shade and more shade here - these photos are a bit old (oops). I've noticed that I need to moisturize my cuticles daily, so I've been keeping cuticle oil everywhere.

It's funny but I've been loving taking pictures in this spot - and it's a random spot!  It's my front door! I want to paint a Celtic knot of motherhood on my front door but then I'd love this lovely photo spot.  Decisions.

So this polish is pretty awesome - it's formula is super smooth, fast drying time and no need to add a top coat for shine (although I like to add a top coat for strength and lasting power of my polishes).

You can purchase JulieG in Rite Aid stores across the US or shop online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics which ships worldwide!  JulieG sells for $3.99 for a 0.35 fl oz (10 mL) bottle.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Lancôme Holiday Shades

Do you have any Lancôme polishes? I bought one - and haven't worn it. I don't know if these are still available, but here are the images for the 2012 Holiday Shades.

Left to Right: Bubbly Gold, Flirty Red and Ginger Swing.
Jeweled tones infused with subtle variations of precious gold for $15 each.