Silver Belles

'Tis the season, y'all!  With the holidays quickly rounding the bend,  I figured I'd do a little rifling through my stash to see what kind of pomp and circumstance I would decorate my face with to match the upcoming festivities.  I knew that I wanted to forgo any greens, reds, and even golds this time around; I wanted something that could go from zero to one-hundred in no time flat if desired as well as offered a little bit of a "tinsel" factor without any assisting accoutrements.  Well, it didn't take me long to decide on just what shadow(s) to recruit for the job.  I decided to go with two silver beauties and - at the risk of sounding like a broken record - I will tell you that neither of them have I ever worn before.  But no matter.  Looks like I'll be wearing them real soon.  So if you have a few moments to spare, I'd love to show what I picked.  They're two standards from MAC - Knight and Electra.

 

Knight (renamed Knight Divine) is a sooty, charcoal-tinged silver that hails from MAC's permanent line of eyeshadows.  It is nicely pigmented and has a pearl finish (Veluxe Pearl in MAC-speak).  Although it falls underneath the Veluxe Pearl banner, I will say that it is not as soft as some of the other VPs I own.  Not sure how its current iteration Knight Divine compares, but Knight has a slightly drier texture and a more muted shine, but does performs well on the eye nonetheless. 

Now this shiny gem I have yapped about before.  It is Electra and it is an icy-gray silver.  It, too, is packed with pigment and performs very well on the eye.  It is slippery smooth to the touch and has a frost finish.

Knight (top), Electra (bottom)

So there you have it - a quick peek at what I'll probably be donning on my eyes this coming week.  Eh, it's nothing new, fancy or sparkly, but definitely has the strength to elicit a celebratory state of mind when done the right way.

Yep, I've decided to make way down to "Tinseltown" by way of two silvery O.G.'s of the M.A.C.  I plan on making (and keeping) this holiday fuss-free, but drama-full... using a collaboration of light and dark to get my creative point across.  Holiday window dressings for the eyes - DONE!     

But what about the rest of my face?  Hmm... gotta figure that out.  I'm juggling a few ideas over here, but we will see...  We will most definitely see!

MAC Knight (Knight Divine) and Electra are available at Macys, MAC boutiques and maccosmetics.com, and retail for $16 each.

 

NARS Lip Pencils

Hey, guys!  OK, so I didn't even bother feasting on the buffet of sales Black Friday had to offer this year.  Participating and becoming a part of the annual stampede of ravenous shoppers just didn't interest me this go 'round.  But far from having a case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), I'm happy to report that I had my appetite for beauty bargains sated the week prior.  In addition to the lip gloss Birthday Babe, I was also able to cop a set of lip pencils that I'm absolutely over the moon for.  Some of you may already be familiar with them, but for the uninitiated... well, I just gotta spill the beans!  So, if you have a few moments, I'd love to share with you my thoughts on NARS' Lip Pencils in Rikugien and Cruella. 

Every year, Sephora offers up little birthday freebies to those who are enrolled in its buyers' rewards program and this year's perk is an exceptional plus - two mini NARS Lip Pencils.  Short on size but long on color, this diminutive duo is a great sampling of the range of hues as well as the finishes available from the line (Velvet Matte and Satin).  These crayon-like lipsticks boast rich emollients, including vitamin E and silicon, to help keep lips from drying out during wear and aid in achieving a "smooth like buttah" application.

First up is Rikugien, which is described as a "rose-pink".  It's a gorgeous, muted nude/natural with a Satin finish that felt super smooth during application and very comforting on my pout.  Nicely pigmented, it offered just a hint of shine with no discernible taste.  It did have what I would call a faint "ingredient" smell, which I didn't find off putting and did not transfer to the lips at all.

 

Second out of the pack is Cruella, which is a burnt blue-red.  It is potently pigmented and, true to its Velvet Matte moniker, the shimmer-/shine-free finish felt über plush during application and wear.  It glided across my lips with ease without a tug or pull in sight.  Again, no discernible taste, but a faint "ingredient" smell. 

RiRi Woo (top), Cruella (bottom)

Out of curiosity, I lined it up next to MAC's infamous blue-red Ruby Woo (I have Rihanna's version RiRi Woo) and - as you can see - Cruella is darker, Woo is much brighter.  No dupe here.  Curiosity cured!

Rikugien (top), Cruella (bottom)

Well, there you have it!  You can safely color me impressed with this one, guys.  I mean it!  These NARS lippies are legit and definitely kept my lips feeling moisturized and soft.  The wear is so comfortable, even the matte, that it honestly felt like I was wearing nothing at all.  Both had nice staying power, however, they did fade significantly after eating.  But that's nothing that a little underpinning of lip liner can't solve.  So if your lips are in need of some hydrating, color therapy and you're in the market for yet another lip product, you may wanna give these lip pencils from NARS a look-see.  They come in a slew of arresting shades and would be a merited addition to any makeup maven's collection!

NARS Lip Pencil in Rikugien and Cruella are available at Sephora and beauty.com, and retail for $26.