I wish I could get all of my closest friends diamonds for Christmas — they really are a girl’s best friend — but unfortunately I have yet to acquire vast riches and treasure chests of gold.
While makeup may not exactly be equivalent to a platinum pave friendship bracelet, there are several products out this holiday season that have just as much sparkle and shine. Here are three great choices for the best friend who is always there for you.
Make Up For Ever Professional’s Diamonds For Ever Kit
Sparkle, shine, drama: Make Up For Ever’s limited edition Diamonds For Ever Kit is not only beautiful but also multi-functional!
Every piece in the kit is geared toward creating a look infused with diamonds, and you can use pieces in the kit together or separately to create different looks.
The kit is just $49.00, but you get $110 worth of Make Up For Ever goodies including:
– Aqua Eyes Water Proof Eye Pencil 1L in Star Black
– Diamond Shadow 301 in Diamond White
– Diamond Powder 11 (a loose shimmer powder) in Champagne
– Fascinating Lip Gloss 1 in Pearly Transparent
– Waterproof Lengthening Mascara in 1 Black
– and a cute black vanity tote with a built in mirror and velcro closure to hold all of the goodies!
I know a few weeks ago I was ranting on and on about my glitter issues ,but the Diamonds For Ever set has officially made me one with the glitter.
I played around with the kit this weekend and totally fell for the Aqua Eyes Water Proof Eye Pencil, Diamond Shadow and Waterproof Lengthening Mascara. The Aqua Eyes is *the* standout product. It doesn’t tug at my lids and is super easy to apply. Once you get it on your eyes, it stays put all day. It performs similarly to MAC Technakohl, so if you are a MAC Technakohl fan then you might want to give Aqua Eyes a try. Methinks I love it even more than my Graphblack!
Here’s a fotd with all the products, along with MAC Dollymix blush on the cheeks and a layer of MAC Composure lipstick underneath a layer of Fascinating lip gloss:
The obligatory goofy pic…
Pick this set up for your glitter-lurvin’ best girl.
Givenchy Irresisistible Perfume: For the Girly-girl
I’ve been reviewing a lot of boyfriend-inspired perfumes lately like Covet, so I wanted to find a holiday perfume that would suit the other end of the perfume spectrum.
Feminine, floral, sparkly: Givenchy’s Very Irresistible is unmistakably girly.
(Oh, and in case you are wondering, I did give the new Armani “Diamonds” perfume — an obvious tie-in to this post — a sniff. I liked it but wanted to find something that was super-fem with strong rose notes.)
On me, Very Irresistible smells like a lovely bouquet of roses with hints of fresh, sparkling green notes — think emerald cut diamonds and fresh cut flower stems!
The scent notes include: Centrifolia Rose, Peony Rose, Fantasia Rose, Passion Rose, Emotion Rose, Verbena Leaf and Star Anise. In addition to being an uber-feminine scent, it’s also versatile, and perfect for both a work day and a date night.
Give your best girl the 2.4 Eau du Toilette spray ($69.00). The graceful pink bottle is huge, and like a diamond, will last forever.
Random fragrance fun fact: Givenchy recently celebrated their 50 year fragrance anniversary this year. Givenchy’s first fragrances were Le De and L’Interdit, and Audrey Hepburn (my style hero) posed for the advertising campaign, becoming the first celebrity to be associated with a fragrance launch.
Olay Definity Eye Illuminator, For Your Make Up Wearing Gym Buddy
What the heck does eye cream have to do with sparkly diamonds? Hear me out, ya’ll!
There’s been constant discussion on this blog about wearing makeup at the gym. If you are one of the lucky few who can brave the gym sans makeup, then props to you for being such a natural beauty! I wish I could get away with no makeup, but I’ve got to put at least some concealer under my eyes, otherwise I look like the living dead. It’s so not cute, especially when you’re watching yourself do bicep curls.
And lately my dark circles have been really bad. To remedy this pressing and slightly stressful issue I’ve been layering Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer on top of Olay Definity, an under eye treatment that helps to lessen darkness and shadows. And wowee wow wow!
I put a few small drops underneath my eyes and then layer concealer on top. It gives the tiniest amount of shimmer, and it makes my under eye area look brighter.
It’s a really subtle brightening effect, so don’t expect your dark circles to disappear in a magical poof of smoke. It’s an eye cream, not a Christmas miracle. However, if you’re uber-conscious like me about your dark circles, then you might find the extra step worth it.
Got a best friend who’s always working on her fitness and/or bemoaning her dark circles? Pop a tube of Olay Definity Eye Illuminator (about $22.00) in her stocking.
Enjoy this wonderfully sunny day, ya’ll!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi Karen,
I love your blog so much! It’s my guilty please at work, but I have to secretly close the screen whenever a coworker walks by.
I love your hat with the flowers. May I ask where it is from? Thanks!
Hi Laurie!
Thanks for your nice complement. So glad I can be part of your workday!
That hat is from the Gap, and I got it years ago on sale. My sis-in-law made the flower pins a few years ago. Cute, yah?
Anyway, have a good day! I hope to see you back here soon. 🙂
OMG!! I’ve been wearing Very Irresistible for about 3(4?) years now! I LOVE it. And you’re right, at 2 squirts a day, it lasts about a year and a half.
Tootsie, is Very Irresistible your signature scent?!
I am wearing it right now, too. I love how the dry down is warm and yummy but still isn’t too sickly sweet!
Yes! The hat is fab and the flower pins are perfect!
Your eyeliner looks so PERFECT in the goofy pic!
Very Irresistible is not my favorite (I’m all about Coco Mademoiselle right now), but it’s a nice floral and the scent really lasts all day!
Definity, hmmm? I may have to add that to my Stila lip-plumping glaze in my dojo bag!
Ohhhh I love Coco Mademoiselle. That’s a really great fall/winter scent … so very feminine and sophisticated. That’s one of the perfumes on my “buy” list. (I also am lusting for Allure and Chance Eau Fraiche).
Definity is super cool but you really have to perfect the application (and if I can do, shoo’, anyone can). You just have to use the tiniest bit. I’ve found if I overdo it then it just gets all over the place. I know it’s not cheap for a drugstore lotion so save your reciept in case you aren’t feeling it. I like it though…it gives me some dark circle comfort!
I like Allure and Allure Sensuelle. Chance was nice on me in the beginning but didn’t do so well in the dry-down. I spotted a Chanel fragrance wardrobe at Macy’s for $80 (also on the Chanel website and possibly at Neiman). It has a tiny bottle of Chanel No. 5, Coco Mademoiselle, Allure, Allure Sensuelle and Coco (which I haven’t smelled yet). Each is .12 oz of the parfum (!) which makes it quite a bargain! This is on my Xmas list as I’m a bit po’ right now (curse that Nordstrom anyway!). Santa baby? Are you listening? 🙂
Coco is kinda heavy for me, but I think in the right circumstances it can be pretty.
That Chanel set sounds FRICKIN AWESOME. I really should get that for someone on my list that will appreciate it, like um, me. Just kidding … sorta. I bet the bottles would look super-cute on a mirrored vanity tray. Sigh! I gotta win the lottery, ASAP.
I don’t like the OG Chance because I have dry down issues with that as well. Have you tried the Chance Eau Fraiche? (It’s the green one)
Karen,
I guess it is my signature scent. LOL! I go through cycles where I’m very loyal to a scent… a serial monogamous scent person, if you will. Previous to Very Irresistable it was Romance by Ralph Lauren, Happy by Clinique, Allure by Chanel, and Beautiful by Estee Lauder. That’s about as far back as I can remember. I’ve worn each one, individually for about 2-5 years depending.
Probably way more than you needed to know! 😀
I’m not sure if I’ve tried the Chance Eau Fraiche, but I will now! And yeah, those little bottles would look adorable on a vanity!
Oh I love Very Irresistible. I have a limited edition one from last year’s holiday set, and it just smells so awesome!
Also, that MUFE kit is really giving me good reason to troop to the local boutique to check it out! Thanks for the lovely review! 🙂
Hey Tootsie,
I have been loyal to almost all of the scents you listed at one point in my life too. It’s amazing how certain perfumes define certain periods of time. Like, whenever I get a whiff of Estee Lauder Pleasures I think of my senior year of college; Clinique’s “Happy” makes me think of the really crappy year looking for a job right after graduation; and D&G’s “Light Blue” reminds me of my wedding day.
Have you smelled any of the Laura Mercier perfumes? I have a hunch that you might like Eau de Lune.
Hiya Glosslizard,
Yah, it’s *completely* different than the original Chance. I like it much, much more. It still has a lot of the same youthful, playful elements but it has more citrus notes to it!
I sooo need a cute vanity to store all of my makeup. It’s getting out of control. Last week my hub suggested buying a big makeup hutch and I was like, “Oh yeah! that’s the best idea you’ve had, EVER!”
Hey Jane,
Seriously, the kit is worth the money for the Aqua Eyes pencil *alone*. It’s frickin’ awesome! I think I’m gonna have to get every color.
Karenala, I love the hat!!!
Thanks AppleD! When are you coming out my way, chica?
Whoa! Points for El Hub! Can he talk to mine next? 😉
RIGHT?!!? Every girl needs a makeup hutch. Preferably a stylish one … with a lot of drawers!
Giiiirl, I do not know… probably in fall 2008…maybe. You need to do a winter spa tour in the Midwest. 😀
Hey girl…cute hat!! 🙂 Where did you get.
if you’re into hats…There’s this girl in NYC who I think you’d dig. http://www.umegoods.com. all her stuff is reversable. 🙂
Curses, Heather P! I *love* those hats! I think I want all of them! ARRGGHH!
I got the one in the pic above from Gap on sale a few years ago. My sis-in-law made the felt pins. 🙂