Stila Stay All Day, Sparkle All Night Liquid Lipstick Set Review, Swatches, Video & Photos – Baci, Rubino, Fresco, Patina and Bacca

By now you know Stila Cosmetics released their holiday lip kits. I picked up the Stay All Day, Sparkle All Night Set when it first released on Ulta.com because I was obsessed with trying the Glitterati lip topper. The set includes 1 glitter lip topper and 5 liquid lip colors in the shades:

1. Baci (nude pink)
2. Rubino (beet red)
3. Fresco (mid-tone dusty rose)
4. Patina (dusty rose)
5. Bacca (raspberry)

It is limited edition and currently available at Sephora, Ulta and StilaCosmetics.com for $39. I love their liquid lipsticks - the smell, the comfort - amazing. I only wish this set had a bit more variety to it with the colors (like last year's set). All in all, it's a great set for the Gliterrati top coat; a holiday gift set and/or a way to test out Stila's formula before committing to the full size.

L to R: Fresco, Bacca, Patina, Rubino, Baci

Glitterati top coat

Here is a quick swatch video of them all. Make sure you watch until I turn off my studio lights and you can get a better view of the glitter shift of the colors.

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As per usual, here are lip swatches of each of them. Please keep in mind that these are incredible more beautiful with the glitter top coat on (if that's your thing) and it's hard to fully capture the glitter on the lips in a photo.

Stila Rubino

Stila Bacca

Stila Patina

Stila Fresco

Stila Baci

When it comes to the lip topper, make sure that you tap it onto your lips instead of swiping it across so you can build up the glitter. Here's a look of me applying Glitterati to Bacca.

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And just in case you missed it, here is a shot of me wearing an ombré lip with Bacca on the outer part of my lips with Patina in the inner portion.

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Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum Fragrance Review and Giveaway

Normally, I would never order a fragrance online without smelling a sample of it and giving it at least 2 hours wear on my pulse points before deciding to purchase a full bottle. Of course, all of that fragrance knowledge and common sense went out of the window the second that I read about Valentino Valentina's Eau de Parfum.

Valentino Valentina first launched in September 2011 and was designed to capture the flavors of Rome and Italy while highlighting the sensual and sweet aromatic feel from the fashion house. I remember the first time that I smelled it - the sweet wild strawberries opened up on me and it made my room smell like I was baking a strawberry shortcake. There comes a time when you just know that a blind buy is going to work for you once you get used to understanding the history and notes of the fragrance. And me being a lover of everything gourmand and floral, I knew that this was the one.

The Notes Top: Bergamot, White truffles Heart: Orange Blossoms, Sweet Jasmine, Tuberose, Wild Strawberries Base: Vanilla, Amber, Cedar

The Packaging Valentino Valentina is packaged in a circular bottle that is decorated with elegant pink, rosey and ivory florals. The Valentino name is etched onto the front of the chrome nozzle that is capped with a safety travel top that is easily removable.

The Bottom Line This is a fragrance that is meant for fruity and floral lovers. Seriously, if you don't like strawberries and flowers then "X" out of your browser immediately. But if you do, then... :-).

Availability Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum is available in 1.0 oz, 1.7 oz and 2.7 oz bottles with an accompanying body lotion, body oil, shower gel and deodorant at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Saks starting at $88.

But by now you guys should know that my favorites become your favorites and as you can see above, my Valentino collection kind of exploded after getting my first bottle of Valentino.

So I’m going to be hooking you up with your own bottle of Valentino Valentina with a giveaway!

Blog giveaway (Two winners) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this fragrance in your collection. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Sunday, October 16^th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose two subscribers at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date. The Instagram winners will be chosen separately.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Instagram entry (Two winners) To enter this giveaway on Instagram, please head to over to this photo and follow the rules listed to enter.

Good luck everyone!

MAC Cosmetics is Releasing New Strobe Powders in Iridescent Highlighting Shades

Update 10.13.16 @ 2:22PM EST: We finally have swatches on a woman of color. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BLgyMY8D97f/[/embed]

Just when you thought you had enough highlighters...MAC Cosmetics goes ahead and releases a new set of iridescent strobe powders! Just look at these swatches that we've rounded up for you.

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[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BE8I6gTN94L/[/embed]

Had enough? No? Oh, okay.

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Shades from left to right: Soft Frost, Beaming Blush, Double Gleam, and Show Gold.

These are scheduled to launch in November as part of their upcoming "In The Spotlight" Collection. It is being reported that there are 6 new strobe skin finishes being released that will all be permanent.

Stay tuned...we will keep you updated once we have the official press release and samples.

Enter to Win: Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder Instagram Giveaway

I can't believe that it's already fall. Yes, it is my favorite season - the cooler weather; the darker makeup; the thoughts of being able to layer my clothes and throw on some booties - the possibilities are endless. So I figured now was a good time to give away one of my favorite bronzing compacts the Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes.

The Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder has four matte shades that you can use for bronzing and contouring. Normally, I would use a compact that was fully one shade but I have a hard time as a woman of color finding a good bronzer that doesn't run red on my skin tone and the Guerlain bronzers are a god send. With that said, we all know their bronzers can be a bit pricey to purchase especially when I change shade throughout the winter/summer. So I found the 4 seasons Terracotta bronzer which is a great deal for me because it was only $76 on Sephora, I was able to use a coupon and it gives me 4 shades to choose from throughout the year. 

Knowing how hard it was for me to find a high end bronzer, I wanted to hook two of you up with your very own in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes (I ordered three when I purchased - yes, I stick by my statement of my favorites become your favorites). Now onto the Instagram giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

It’s time to giveaway this high end Guerlain prize to two lucky Instagram followers! The prize includes:

• Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes ($76)

1. You must follow @candycoatedclosets on Instagram.

2. In the comments on this Instagram photo, tag three friends so they can learn about all of the fun we have on here.

3. You can enter up to 5 times with a new set of tagged friends in each comment.

That’s it!

Contest runs from Thursday, September 22, 2016 and ends Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 11:59pm est. Two winners will be randomly chosen from those who commented (not those tagged within the comments) and announced within 48 hours of the contest ending.

No giveaway/spam profiles & profile must be set to public by the end of the contest so we can ensure that you are following @candycoatedclosets. Open internationally; 18+, to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

Make sure that you click on the links above if you want to learn more about this amazing product from the giveaway!

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Colourpop Fall Edit 2016 Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches & Photos – Times Square, Viper, Love Bug, Wolfie

First, I'm shooting all of these photos (and possible video if I upload with the new camera so let me know what you guys think). When Colourpop Cosmetics launched their Fall Edit 1 collection, they included a promo to receive 4 free shade if you ordered over a certain amount: Times Square, Viper, Love Bug and Notion (swatched in this previous post). Of course, I received them all (yes, I shop too much) so here's a look at Times Square, Viper, Love Bug and Wolfie that I received in my last order.

• Times Square ($6) – Ultra Matte Lip
• Viper ($6) – Ultra Matte Lip
• Love Bug ($6) – Everyday is Valentine's Day when you wear this rich Terracota in an ultra matte Lip
• Wolfie ($6) – Leave ‘em howling in this rich rosy pink ultra glossy lip with a flash of gold on top in a Metallic finish

Here is a lip swatch of Viper for you. Let me know what other colors you guys want to see swatched on the lips. 

Viper topped with Wolfie

Here is a lip swatch of Love Bug. While it is a beautiful color, please remember that this is an Ultra Matte liquid lip and it is very drying! 

Also, check out my Instagram for quick video tutorials on how I created the look with Love Bug!

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio - Quick Review, Swatches & Photos

Urban Decay released an illuminating palette that contains three shades of Urban Decay’s Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body in the shades Pyrite (gold champagne), Oasis (marbled frosted taupe) and Twilight (iridescent pink).

The limited edition palette which retails for $36 includes the three shades in 0.08 oz/ 2.36 mL and a double ended brush to apply them with.

I was able to swatch and play with these during the Sephora holiday preview but sadly, I have nothing positive to say about these. I mean...the packaging is pretty?

Ok maybe I was exaggerating by saying I had nothing positive to say. Pyrite, the gold champagne on the left and Twilight, the iridescent pink on the right did look pretty on my skin tone. They are just very chunky and glittery so I would personally use this on my body as opposed to my face.

Now that shade in the middle - Oasis (the marbled frosted taupe) - just...no UD. This was a major fail on their part because I couldn't even get it to swatch decently. It is too chunky, chalky and fell apart every time I tried to pick the product up on my hand or brush.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this palette at all. Save your money for a better holiday item. If you have to have a holiday highlighting/illuminating palette, I would look into the Laura Mercier Fall In Love Face Illuminator Collection.

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Stila Star Light, Star Bright Highlighting Palette - Quick Review, Swatches & Photos

Star Light, Star Bright First star I see tonight - How I wish Stila Cosmetics got this highlighting palette right. The Stila Star Light, Star Bright Highlighting Palette is a new, limited edition trio of highlighters that was released for the holidays. It includes three radiance-enhancing highlighters with an ultra-smooth formula that was designed to melt into your skin. It is $39 USD and contains 3 x 0.5 oz/ 14.78 mL of product. The shades are transcendence (opalescent pink), Kitten (shimmering nude pink) and Bronze (sunkissed radiance).

The brand says that the formula was created with “ultra-fine, light diffusing particles” that will melt into your skin and give you a natural-looking glow...and that's where I think the problem is.

At first touch, these are some of the softest highlighters I have ever felt. So smooth, creamy and buttery that I wanted to just stand there and rub my finger in it all day. When it comes to swatching or wearing it, it gets a big F from me. The colors are pretty but there was hardly any pigmentation to it for it to show up properly on my skin tone. Below there are swatches taken in store.

When trying to apply this with a brush...well just don't. Please don't. If you want to take the chance, I recommend applying it with your fingers first and then blending it out with a beauty blender. Let me know if this works for you or what you thought about it.

This is available exclusively at Sephora.com and in-stores for $39 USD.

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Versace Eros Pour Femme Fragrance Review & Twitter Giveaway

I was first introduced to Versace Eros Pour Femme during the 2016 Fragrance Foundation Consumer Choice Awards.

It's a powerful floral fragrance with hints of citrus that has notes of Sicilian lemon, Calabrian bergamot, pomegranate accords, lemon, sambac jasmine absolute, jasmine infusion, peony, sandalwood, ambrox, musk and various cedars. When I first smelled it, I immediately noticed the ethereal floral scent that was inspired by the enchanting Greek mythology.

The bottle is designed with gold mythological codes of the classic Versace design - the embossed Medusa and Greek key engraving around the perimeter of the bottle is what truly makes this packaging.

So I wasn't sure how many of you had the opportunity to try Eros Pour Femme yet so I figured why not do a quick giveaway on it for our Twitter community?

To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter, RT my pinned tweet and you’re entered to win! Make sure you tag a friend so they can enter too. 18+ or older to participate. This is only open to U.S. residents (sorry babes).

See you there and remember – we have tons of giveaways across all of the social media platforms so check around!

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Michael Kors Collection Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collection Re-See Recap

Only Michael Kors could make me want to go home, walk to my closet, grab everything in it and immediately start packing it away to start fresh. Even as I'm typing this, I'm side eyeing my closet and fighting the urge clear it out to make room for nautical and floral explosion that is the Michael Kors Collection Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collection. I attended the Re-See event on Wednesday at his studios on 42nd street to get a closer look at the collection.

You can see all the looks from their NYFW runway show here. And in keeping with our follow-me-to-fashion-week, I decided to dip into the fragrance collection to showcase (and giveaway) Glam Jasmine - an eau de parfum that focuses on a bouquet explosion of its namesake flower; Egyptian jasmine, jasmine sambac and jasmine petals. It's a warm and sexy fragrance with sparkling citrus notes and woody cedar mixed with black currant, jasmine, sandalwood,white flowers and cassis.

Blog giveaway (One winner) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me which piece from this collection is your favorite. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Wednesday, September 21^st, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose one subscriber at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Misha Collection SS17 Runway Show NYFW Recap

There's a sense of delight when you give into opulence and the Misha Collection SS17 Runway Show was a testament to that. The luxury Australian fashion label, led by Creative Director and designer Michelle Aznavorian, made its New York Fashion Week debut with its opening and closing walk done by the superstar Jourdan Dunn.

The Misha Collection SS17 oozes opulence, extravagant glamour, luxury and mystery. The collection was inspired by fashion icons of Studio 54 gone by evoking feelings of elegance and supplication. With references to classic vintage shapes from the seventies and eighties, the seductive mood is enhanced by breathtaking new textures, custom lace, ostrich feather, silk Devoré and pony leather are intertwined with a monochromatic colour palette splashed with leopard print and daring red. 

Click on the photos to see a bigger slideshow.

I loved how the designer was able to incorporate hints of elegance and sophistication into the spirit of Studio 54. Now for the makeup - one of our favorite beauty brands - Stila Cosmetics was responsible for creating the luxe and lust beauty look for the runway. Check out these photos of Sarah Lucero of Stila working her magic on Jourdan Dunn.

You can see all the looks from their NYFW debut on their new Runway page here and you can watch SS17 runway show from start to finish below.

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Saw anything that you liked? Well I did because I immediately ran home with my gift bag and i had to figure out which meals I was cutting out so I that could afford that red wool coat. :-) Luckily, there was a surprise in the gift bag.

 

So our gift bag included a cute keychain and notebook from the Misha Collection, a Stay All Day Matte'ificent lipstick in the shade Jolie from Makeup Partner Stila Cosmetics, a volumizing conditioning spray from Hair Partner René Furterer and a $100 gift card to the Misha Collection! And as usual, I have an extra bag for one of you!

I want to be sure to bring as much of New York Fashion Week to you as I can so here is your chance to enter to win everything pictured in the gift bag photos.

Blog giveaway (One winner) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me which piece from this collection is your favorite. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Sunday, September 18^th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST (my birthday woot woot). I will choose one subscriber at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario Is Coming In October 2016

It's official. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Master palette by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is coming in October 2016. It is a limited edition eyeshadow palette that looks to be more neutral and cool-toned.

During his official announcement of the palette, Mario instagrammed his excitement and stated that “all of the shades are named after the most influential women and places in my life. These women and places have all been very significant in my life and career.” 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ6TrNigpx7/?taken-by=makeupbymario[/embed]

The palette includes 12 shades and an eyeshadow brush. The shades are (finishes to be announced):

• Hollywood
• NYC
• Kim
• Muse
• Marina
• Claudia
• Lula
• Isabel
• Violeta
• 5th Ave
• Bronx
• Paris

It will retail for $45 (no pro discount available) and will be available online at Anastasia Beverly Hills on September 29th, October 4th online at Sephora, Ulta and Macy's and in-stores on October 15th. Again, it is limited edition. Here are additional swatches taken from Norvina's Instagram page.

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 Now that we're finally seeing the palette up close, are you interested in it?

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DKNY Summer 2013 Donna Karan Fragrance Twitter Giveaway

We're nearing the end of summer and I think I'm more excited than I should be! For starters, it's officially Virgo season (September 18th, woot woot) and the weather is finally going to calm down so I can step outside without feeling like I walked right into the Sahara Desert. So how about a quick Twitter giveaway while I clear out some more products?DKNY New York Summer (Edition 2013) for women is a luxury fragrance that possesses a blend of raspberry, lily of the valley, cyclamen, orange flower, musk. DKNY New York Summer (Edition 2013) for men is a fruity casual fragrance that features a blend of grapefruit, white pepper, yuzu, geranium and seawater.

To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter, RT my pinned tweet and you’re entered to win! 18+ or older to participate. This is only open to U.S. residents (sorry babes).

See you there and remember – we have tons of giveaways across all of the social media platforms so check around!

The New Tarteist Pro Custom Magnetic Palette - Limited Edition Wild Animal Print

Finally, Tarte Cosmetics has released their new Tarteist Pro Custom Magnetic Palette ($17). It's an empty, refillable magnetic palette that you can use to customize your makeup wardrobe (basically a Z-Palette customized with Tarte's style in a limited edition Wild Animal Print).

Here are a few photos of the inside so you can see the huge mirror. I also depoted 2 of the new metallic eyeshadows from Tarte. 

And here is a shot of Tarte filling the palette with their blushes, eyeshadows and kiss creams.

Would it be crazy of me to purchase a second one? What do you think of this customizable palette?

It is available now at tarte.com ($17).

How to Make Your Shiny Nail Polish Matte with OPI Nail Lacquer and Matte Top Coat

A Monday is never complete without a look a #ManiMonday feature. Today, I wanted to show you how you can refresh a manicure using OPI's Matte Top Coat ($10).

Press the play button below to watch a quick clip of me using the matte top coat to transform my nails that were done with OPI Miami Beat Nail Lacquer.

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And for a look at the final results.

The matte topcoat is the perfect addition to your fall wardrobe. I've had this one bottle for about a year and it has held up nicely. The rings shown are from Charlotte Russe.  

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Rihanna’s Lipstick Color at the 2016 MTV VMAs – Cherry Blossom and Raine Fever by Coloured Raine Cosmetics

By now, you’ve figured out every single outfit that Rihanna wore to the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards but while the world was consumed with her pale pink sporty ensemble from Hood By Air and her gold grommet belted gown from Alexandre Vauthier, I was obsessing over what lipstick shades she was wearing and how I could find them? Luckily, I didn't need to look far...

Image from www.mtv.co.uk

Rihanna opened the show with her hair slicked back in a pony tail and wearing head-to-toe pale pink with hints of red in her sporty, corseted outfit.  Her deep red lipstick is what pulled everything together for me and according to the team over at Coloured Raine Cosmetics, she is wearing Cherry Blossom, a deep blue based red matte liquid lipstick that only costs $17.

Image from www.mtv.com

Rihanna's final look was the gold grommet belted gown from Alexandre Vauthier - a elegant gown to close the show and accept her Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. She chose to pair the gold hue and dramatic styling with the dark purple lipstick Raine Fever from Coloured Raine - again, available for $17.

So it's easy to say here are the shades, go ahead and buy them so you can be one step closer to living your life like the Bad Girl herself but will the colors look the same on you? Are they comfortable? Are they worth the money? Luckily, I already had both of these shades in my lipstick collection and I can attest to the fact they are long-wearing, comfortable and true to color (especially on women of color).

Here I am wearing Raine Fever (left) and Cherry Blossom (right).

You can read a more in-depth review with more photos of these shades in my previous Coloured Raine Cosmetics feature here. And make sure you check out the Coloured Raine team celebrating the lipstick shade features on their Instagram below.

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Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish - Take Me to Thread Swatch and Wear Test

It's been a while since I did a #ManiMonday blog post and it was largely due to the fact that I haven't tried a new color or formula for my nails that I really wanted to share until now. A few weeks ago, I stopped by Walgreens to check in on the new arrivals for Fall and I stumbled upon Take Me to Thread from the Essie Gel Couture line.The Gel Couture line of nail polish is a fairly new two-step formula that promises to give you up to 14 days of luxurious wear - while maintaining the color and shine with an instant gel-like manicure that does not require a UV lamp. Naturally, I scoffed at that. I never get more than 2-3 days of non-chipped polish on my natural nails but then again I haven't used gel polish because I didn't want to use a UV lamp and weaken my natural nails or expose my skin to that type of light source directly.

Needless to say I was intrigued to test out Essie's new line and the colors looked beautiful in the store so why not?

First, you want to start off with a fresh set of nails. Remove any residue of previous nail polish or base - you do not need to use a base coat with this line. Next, you can apply the gel couture color that you like - however, before I apply anything to my nails, I make sure to moisturize my hands, nails and cuticles with Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.This cream is instrumental to keeping my hands and nails healthy and strong (yes, before you ask, I am working on filming a guide on how to grow natural and healthy nails lol).

Next, I applied two coats of Take Me to Thread and allowed each coat to dry for about 3 minutes before applying another one. The final step - step 2 - is to seal in the color with the gel couture top coat for flawless gel-like shine.The brush is a bit wider and more tapered than the normal Essie polishes which allows for more coverage and an easier application. Now on to the point of this review; to see if the polish really stands up to its promise of a 14-day wear. So far, I've had this on for 3.5 days. I have done everything normal in my routine: thoroughly washed my hair, washed dishes, showered, cleaned, applied many many products to my natural hair, fussed around at work, styled some photoshoots - everything that I would normally do and nothing has chipped away.With Day 3, you can start to see some of the scratches starting to form from just the daily wear and tear but I am beyond impressed with the coverage from this two step system. I will come back and update you everyday up until day 14 so you can see the results but so far - it is a must have!

Overall: Don't the photos speak for themselves? There are 42 colors available and each gel couture polish and the top coat retails for $11.50. You can pick it up at Ricky's NYC, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, CVS, Duane Reade or Essie.com. It might look a bit pricey at first, but think about the amount of wear you will get out of one manicure. #WorthIt

Giorgio Armani Beauty Lasting Silk UV Foundation SPF 20 Twitter Giveaway

Ok, could that title be any longer? Well I am a wicked word master so probably but you get the point. :-D I asked you guys on the 'gram how you wanted some of the other giveaways to go and the popular vote was to spread it out throughout the rest of my social media channels and in smaller portions so more of you have a chance to win. I'm all about spreading love so that's what we're going to do!

Today, I decided to dip into the makeup goodie stash and I pulled out the Giorgio Armani Beauty Lasting Silk UV Foundation SPF 20 in shade 5.5.  This foundation is described as an infallible, long-wearing matte satin foundation with SPF 20 sun protection. It was inspired by gabardine fabric, which is strong, durable, and made to withstand harsh conditions, this revolutionary new water-based foundation was designed to stand up to extreme backstage conditions. The formula features micro-fil high tech silk technology to provide 14-hour medium satin matte coverage that never smudges. This product is an Allure Best Medium Coverage Foundation Award Winner. It is suitable for normal to oily skin.

Now that we talked about the details, here's how to enter (please remember that this is shade specific - it comes in shade 5.5 - I received a PR package and clearly I'm not this light sooooo :-p). To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter, RT my tweet and you're entered to win!

See you there and remember - we have tons of giveaways across all of the social media platforms so check it up!

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Coming This Fall: 'Empire' is Launching A New Fragrance Collection

Empire fans, you knew this was coming. Following on the heels of their beauty collections with CoverGirl and Deborah Lippmann, Fox's hit show is launching its own fragrance collection that is designed for men and women. 

Lyon's Truth, the sexy Eau de Parfum for women, is a floral blend of Bulgarian rose, vanilla orchid, tonka bean, sandalwood and violet blossom mixed with blackberry and velvet plum. Lyon's Legacy, the sophisticated cologne for men, mixes bergamot, geranium, lemon water, and lavender with bottom notes of warm amber, vanilla suede, and tobacco leaf. 

Both fragrances will be available online on mid September and at Macy's during the holiday season.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Fragrance Review + Surprise Giveaway

It's the scent that started it all. Tom Ford's Black Orchid debuted in 2006, making it the first fragrance from the designer.

It is a statement fragrance that is described as an oriental chypre - a rich and spicy woody fragrance. It has top notes of French jasmine, black truffle, black currant, ylang-ylang and effervescent citrus. The heart notes hold the spicy floral punch of Tom Ford's black orchid which lead to the woody base noes of dark chocolate, amber, vetiver, vanilla, balsam, patchouli and sandalwood.

As opposed to the brighter and more feminine Velvet Orchid, Black Orchid is a classically dark fragrance that basks itself in luxury. Honestly, it took me a long time to come around to Black Orchid because of its smoldering spicy notes. I tend to favor more fruity and floral notes - more on the sweeter side - and Black Orchid definitely took me on a new adventure with its earthy dry down so for me, this is more of my fall/winter scent because it is so deep.

As usual, the packaging is amazing and I hate that I can never do it justice in the photos. The fragrance is packaged in a fluted black glass bottle with a gold engraved metal plate and gold ribbon around the neck. And here's a fun fact for you - one of the colognes that Michael Jackson was known to love is our very own Black Orchid by Tom Ford.

It is available here in 1.0oz, 1.7oz and 3.4oz but just like with Velvet Orchid, I want to help one of you start (or finish) your Orchid collection with a giveaway!

Blog giveaway (Two winners) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this fragrance in your collection. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Monday, August 22^nd, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose two subscribers at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date. The Instagram winner will be chosen separately.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Instagram entry (One winner) To enter this giveaway on Instagram, please head to over to this photo and follow the rules listed to enter.

Good luck everyone!

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The Lure of a Sweet Gourmand: Viktor & Rolf Bonbon Fragrance Review

Melted creamy caramel, dripping Tahitian vanilla and syruped canned peaches. Would you believe me if I told you that I was just describing a fragrance? Sounds scrumptious right? As much as I'd love to eat that right now (um hello ice cream sundae), I'm actually describing Viktor's and Rolf's Bonbon EDP - a gourmand fragrance.

So in case you don't know, a gourmand fragrance is a perfume that has sweet ingredients in it and smells almost edible. Literally, your mouth will begin to water the second that you smell its succulent notes and fade away into the scent of its dessert-like qualities. That's exactly what happened with me when I first got Bonbon.

I ordered Bonbon on a blind buy, of course because of its beautiful presentation, but mainly because it's the little sister to Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb - which I've been obsessed with since 2008. Now although this is the little sister to Flowerbomb, I find Bonbon to be a bit more grown up and seductive. It opens with a huge explosive of caramel and sugary sweets surrounding it and as it dies down, the heart notes of peach, orange blossom and jasmine start to take over. Now I find the more grown up and sophisticated part of this fragrance comes in when it starts to settle into the base notes - specifically the sandalwood and cedar. Surprisingly, I love how the earlier sweet notes blend into the woody base to form a more concrete and sultry scent.

Notes includes mandarin, orange peach, orange blossom, jasmine, caramel, cedar, guaiac wood, sandalwood and amber. It has an 8 hour+ longevity and a memorable sillage.

Now for the fun part - our Bonbon giveaway! This bottle is just too pretty to keep at the CCC HQ so I want one of you to be able to win your own. Here's how to enter:

I want to know what tickles your taste buds (as well as your nose). Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your favorite type of candy and why you need this bottle of Bonbon in your collection. I will choose one winner from all of the comments on Tuesday, July 12th at 5:00pm EST. Open internationally; 18+, to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

Good luck everyone!

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