Kardashian Kollection for OPI?

A few days ago, Kim Kardashian tweeted:

"Were shooting our ad campaign today 4 our new GLAM line of nail polish for Nicole by OPI. You guys are gonna faint when u see our new polish"

By we, I'm assuming Kim is referring to her partners in krime: Khloe and Kourtney.

No release date has been set for the Kardashian nail collection, but I'm excited. OPI is one of my favorite polish brands, and they never cease to impress me. I mean, I initially scoffed at the The One Less Lonely Girl (Justin Bieber) collection  - but immediately changed my (pun intended) tune once I saw the shades in person and tested them out (I'm sporting a "Baby" Blue pedicure right now).

So tell me, will you be keeping an eye out for the Kardashian polishes?

Sephora Colorista Custom Makeup Palette

Add this to my "I wish I woulda thought of that" list:

So you know the super-sized makeup palettes that you can't pass up because you get, like, a million products for next to nothing? Yeah...I love those too. Problem is that said palettes aren't exactly portable, unless you carry this handbag.

So the geniuses at Sephora added a removable compact to their new Colorista Custom Makeup Palette. Choose eight of your favorite shades from the palette, pop them into the compact and you're good to go - literally. Magnets hold each color tray in place, ensuring that they stay in place. And mirrors are included in both the compact and palette cases, but it's BYOB (bring your own brushes) situation.

The Colorista Custom Makeup Palette includes 40 eye shadows, 5 cream eyeliners, 15 lipsticks/lipglosses, 4 blushes and 2 bronzers. Get it for just $36 at Sephora stores and sephora.com.

Stila Friends and Family Sale 2011

Don't miss Stila's Friends and Family sale. There's only 3 days left. Use code FRIENDS11 to cash in!

$1 Flip Flops at Old Navy

Tomorrow, you can buy a different pair of flip fops for every day of the week, pay with a $10 and get change back!

CoverGirl LipPerfection Transformation Challenge Update

I'm back with with an update to my CoverGirl LipPerfection Transformation Challenge. It's day six, and I've already noticed an improvement in the texture of my lips. I haven't applied lip balm since the I started this challenge, and my lips don't miss it. And this speaks volumes because I am a lip balm addict, usually slathering it on several times daily.

Since I started wearing CoverGirl LipPerfection exclusively, my lips have been slightly more hydrated - and MUCH smoother. Typically, before I apply lipstick, I have to exfoliate my lips because the lipstick exaggerates every flaw. But this lipcolor lets me skip that step.

Day two was a warm Spring day in Philadelphia, so I was thinking pink. I chose "Delight," a sparkly pink that wore nicely all day long and made me smile when I caught glimpse of my reflection that afternoon. On days three and four, I rocked a red pout - LipPerfection shade "Hot Passion" (seen below). I think that this may become my signature scarlet lip. I kept the rest of my face relatively bare and let my lips be the main attraction. I usually reserve a red lip for special occasions, but this shade looked so pretty (not to mention juicy) that I've added it to the regular rotation.

After two days of channeling Gwen Stefani, I decided to play it a little more low key - and opted for more natural shades...so I wore "Hypnotic" and "Captivate" on days five and six.

LipPerfection's "Silk Moisturizing Complex" promises to improve lip condition in just 7 days, but I've seen and feel a noticeable difference already. I'll be back soon with a recap of my week-long love affair with LipPerfection. Watch out, Angelina.

*COVERGIRL is compensating me for my time and participation in the LipPerfection Transformation Challenge; however, all opinions shared are my own.

Behind The Scenes Workshop With Mario Dedivanovic

Watch this video of my friend Mario Dedivanovic flexing his makeup artistry muscles. Isn't he amazing?

For more information about Mario's upcoming workshops, keep an eye on his blog. And be sure to check out his weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays With Mario!

Peep My Polish: Essie Sew Psyched

So today, I headed to the nail salon for a loooooong overdue (and much needed) manicure. I had planned on picking a bright shade, but when I came across Essie's Sew Psyched, it spoke to me. As soon as I laid eyes on its "cashmere-soft sage pewter" gorgeousness, I immediately picked up the bottle and stopped perusing the polish selection. I have to say that it looks a little more pewter in the bottle and more sage on my skin, but I am beyond pleased with my choice. I guess you could say I'm soooooo psyched! LOL. I just crack myself up. Hopefully, you're mildly amused by my lame attempts at humor too.

For some reason, Sew Psyched and a whole bunch of other shades are on sale at essie.com for just $3.80. I don't know why - but who cares?!? Just consider yourself lucky and fill up your virtual cart before the folks at Essie come to their senses.

So, what do you think of my polish? Would you wear a green shade on your nails?

True Beauty Secrets

A few months ago, I filmed a beauty secret campaign for Elizabeth Arden and Better TV. So what is my true beauty secret? Watch and learn...

Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks!

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled beauty programming to bring you this important, public service announcement...

From May 6 to May 15, visit Starbucks between 3-5 p.m. for a half-price Frappuccino of your choice.

Customize your drink to be just the way you want it. You can flavor it up with an old favorite like caramel, enjoy a new dynamic duo like our Mocha Coconut Frappuccino blended beverage or make any combination of flavor offerings. Mix up your milk with 2%, nonfat or soy. Coffee it up with an extra pump of coffee or a shot of espresso. And don’t forget to top it off with a little bit of fun in the form of whipped cream, drizzles or sprinkles.

For a daily Happy Hour text message reminder, text MIXIT to 44264 (In Canada text MIXIT to 98075).

CoverGirl LipPerfection Transformation Challenge

Back in February, I had an opportunity to test COVERGIRL's newest lipstick, LipPerfection lipcolor. LipPerfection does double duty – while drenching your pout in rich, creamy color, it performs like a treatment. Silk therapy moisturizers hydrate and smooth dry lips. So, the more you wear it, the better your lips look and feel. COVERGIRL promises the product's "Silk Moisturizing Complex" provides smooth gorgeous color and sustained levels of moisture to actually improve lip condition in just 7 days.

After testing it out for a few days, off and on, I was so impressed by the flattering shades, staying power and unique formula that I included it in a Beauty Breakthroughs article I penned for Philadelphia Magazine.  But, to be honest, I didn't test it for seven days straight, so I really couldn't verify the better-lips-in-a-week claim.

But a few weeks ago, I was contacted by COVERGIRL – and they asked me to do just that. So I agreed to take the "LipPerfection Transformation Challenge" and wear nothing but LipPerfection on my lips for a week. Over the next seven days, I'll be chronicling my experience here, sharing my experience with the product. And this time, next week, I'll let you know whether or not to believe the hydration hype.

So for the first day of the challenge, I decided to go for the something out of my comfort zone. When I wear makeup, nine times out of ten, I wear lipgloss – and a nude/neutral one, at that. COVERGIRL sent me all 44 shades of LipPerfection, so I had a plethora of pretty shades to choose from.

Siren (left), Tempt (right)

I opted for a richly pigmented, bright pink called Siren. It applied very smoothly and felt comfortable on my lips. But after seeing my reflection in the mirror, I felt that it was a little light for my complexion. I was running late for work and didn't feel like taking it off and starting over – so I grabbed a wine shade, called Tempt, and layered it on top. The result was a gorgeous fuchsia that garnered a handful of compliments at work, and made me feel like a more polished version of myself.

My lips didn't feel or get dry, and I didn't feel the urge to swipe on lip balm throughout the day, like I usually do. And it gets better: my lipstick looked freshly applied all day long (even after lunch!) and even when it faded in the late afternoon, it left behind a uniform, intentional looking stain.

So far, so good. I'll be back in a few days for an update.

*COVERGIRL is compensating me for my time and participation in the LipPerfection Transformation Challenge; however, all opinions shared are my own.

BCBGeneration Charlie Envelope Clutch

Though I'm a total handbag junkie, I don't usually get all verklempt over a clutch. It's just that I'm a purse pack rat and carry around too much junk to fit in anything smaller than a roomy satchel. But the BCBGeneration Charlie Envelope Clutch has me considering downsizing.

It immediately caught my eye in the May 2011 issue of InStyle. With a price tag of $78, I thought "What a steal!" What's even better is that I located it online at Zappos.com ON SALE for $54.60. And how pretty is the pale pink?

Makeup Mondays With Mario: Picture Perfect

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.

Hi Mario,

As a celebrity makeup artist who also does makeup for magazines and such, can you share some tips and favorite products that will help me look more beautiful in photographs? Thanks a lot!

Sincerely,

Livia

Livia,

When doing makeup that will be photographed, it's important that your skin has an overall even coverage to start with. Try to get a perfect foundation shade that will match your neck and body. Women tend to use a base that is lighter than their body. But when photographed, the face will look very washed out or too made up. Tinted moisturizer like the ones from Laura Mercier work great for photos because they have just enough coverage and pigment. 

Try to stay away from pressed powders as they will give off a very flat and harsh look on camera. Instead, set your face with loose, translucent powders. Highlighting the cheekbones is one of my favorite tricks for photographs because it gives you that young and healthy glow to your skin. My favorite highlighter is Eye M Glam, of course, because of its sheer, golden glow. It’s also important to warm up your skin with bronzer so you don’t appear to be just one shade. Try LORAC TANtalizer Baked Bronzer across your cheeks and framing your face. It's a great shade and also looks very natural and warm in photos. 

Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario!

xo,

Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!