.:: CybeleSays ::.

Let’s kick off the New Year with a really great palette; probably the best one I’ve seen in the last year.

Have you seen STILA’s Dream In Full Color Palette in person? I didn’t realize how large it was until I saw it when popped into Sephora recently. I know it’s hard to tell the size of things when looking at it online so I took the liberty of taking some pictures of it in different locations. Stay with me as it will be worth it at the end…

Click here to read more

In honor of the new MAKE UP FOR EVER store opening today in Los Angeles, I’m giving away their Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Premium Set. It’s 10 of their wicked awesome Aqua Creams and application brush packed in a patterned tin valued at $175. Wanna win it? Click here!

The more lip glosses I try the more I realize how kind of amazing these are at staying on lips. So of course I have to wonder what took me so long to discover their, L’OREAL PARIS, Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact. Uh-maze-ing! Not only does the color stay on for hours but it doesn’t flake or smear off. I think we’ve all tried something like this by now and most seem to stay for a little while but eventually come off and usually by flaking dryly off. These did make my lips a little on the dry but that’s after I took it off after wearing it for 8 or so hours, so that was ok in my book!

If you’re not familiar with how these work, one side is the color and it’s like a paint and not thick and waxy at all like a lipstick. The other tube in the duo is a clear chapstick-type of glosser, they call a conditioning topcoat. So when the color needs to be refreshed, just reapply the topcoat, not the color again.

Dare I say that I think they are better than these? I think they just might be!

And the container acts like a mirror. Nice added bonus!

They just came out with their Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compact Collection ($11.99 @ lorealparis.com or drugstores nationwide) and I’ve got a set to giveaway to one lucky reader. The colors are: Beyoncé (Beyoncé’s Red), Andie MacDowell (Andie’s Rose), Diane Keaton (Diane’s Tuberose), Eva Longoria Parker (Eva’s Caramel), Kate del Castillo (Kate’s Plum) and Linda Evangelista (Linda’s Beige).

It’s officially June so time for another Cleaning Out the Closet contest where you the readers win contents of the beauty closet. Below is a list of some of the brands and each package has a value of at least $75.

Who? I will randomly pick 10 winners to receive a box of beauty products straight out of the beauty closet.

How to enter: sign up for the RSS feed (orange subscribe button top right of page) AND enter through Contest Machine below.

Wanna get more than one entry? If you have a blog, post/twitter (as many times as you want!) about the contest and then email the link to cybelesayscontest@gmail.com. You'll receive an extra entry for writing about the contest on your site.

SHU UEMURA BARE ESCENTUALS DERMADOCTOR LUSH THYMES JAPONESQUE FINGR’S BLOOM MAC NAPOLEON PERDIS PUR MINERALS SLIP N’ TOSS FAB BEAUTY SORME C.O. BIGELOW FLIRT! PHILOSOPHY BALMSHELL KIWI REVLON NAILENE DENTABURST BATH & BODY WORKS EVERYDAY MINERALS ZOYA SEPHORA ESSIE GRAHAM WEBB MAYBELLINE WISP LORAC NYX PHILOSOPHY COVER GIRL AVON ORLY STILA PIXI WHISH VASELINE MOLTON BROWN POP BEAUTY L’OREAL ESTEE LAUDER BALLMANIA and more…

Do you ever really find a product you like and use it, have fun, etc, and then forget about it? This video (thanks rosebud143!) reminded me of the WHITE SANDS line and this product that I wrote about a while ago. Since my hair is really getting long (well past my shoulders now), I’m able to curl it and go for the loose waves look more often and so I’ve been revisiting their Stuck-Up Mega Hold Styling Spray and I feel like I am discovering it for the first time! And I have not found one to do the same thing since. Imagine being able to apply your spray to your hair before applying the heat from a flat iron or curling iron. Such hold and it helps your curls last longer than they normally would and without looking crunchy.

I have two things going on with Stuck-Up – first is I am adding to the Hall of Fame – yes, it’s that good.

And second is, I have 10 cans to giveaway to you so enter below and good luck!

Do you depot your makeup? Or have you ever wanted to depot your compacts? I guess a better question would be, how many items do you carry around in your purse and do you ever wish you could just tote one palette where every color is your favorite? I think every female has that dream. And now a product has come along to solve this issue! The UNII Palette is a 6” x 4” magnetized empty palette that you put your depoted makeup in. There are some great videos on how to depot on their site. Click here to see them. Each Magnetized Palette comes with an adhesive magnetic sheet with writable labels so you don’t forgot the names of your shades, a full size mirror inside the palette, a cute moveable thumb grip so you don’t accidentally plunge your thumb into one of your powders (good thinking).

How would you like to win one of the gift bags given out at the official post-party of this year’s GRAMMY Awards? I have two to giveaway! Inside the 16”w x 13”l x 10”d beautiful blue reusable Moroccanoil bag is 3 full size Moroccanoil products in a cloth zippered tote – Shampoo (8.5oz, Conditioner 8.5oz and the Treatment Oil (1.7oz)

Simply follow me on Twitter (Cybelesays_com) and RT the following: “Win a Moroccanoil gift set from the GRAMMY post-party on www.cybelesays.com." Just follow me and RT and you’re entered. The two winners will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 @ 6pm PST. Good luck!

Dear Readers,

I just randomly seleced the winners for the 'Cleaning Out the Beauty Closet' contest so check your email and if you won, please follow the instructions to varify your mailing address so your prizes can be sent to you! If you didn't win, don't fret. I'll be running another contest shortly.

All my blush,

~Cybele

I can’t even begin to express the elation with this latest discovery. I’ve complained quite a bit the last few months that my nails don’t grow. They peel and are just generally blah, when it comes to cool and lady-like. I envy Scrangie and All Lacquered Up. They can apply, remove, apply and remove yet again and still have nice looking nails in the end. What is my discovery that has me simply giddy? Artificial nails as in the press on kind! And have they come a long way from the Lee Press On Nails from many moons ago. And with the economic climate, who can afford a weekly manicure at the salon. And the styles are a lot more realistic with most making short and sporty lengths to medium lengths. And the glue they use really adheres them on nicely so pop-offs are pretty rare. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the topic and here is what I can tell you.

• Most packs contain anywhere from 24 to 48 nails so there are a lot of sizes to choose from. You WILL find your sizes.
• Prices run between $4.99 to $7.99 a pack.
• Like makeup, quite a few brands seem to do seasonal collections.
  
• You can wear them from seven days to ten days.
• Tip shapes range from roundish to squoval and you can get short or sporty length to a medium. Gone are the dragon claws!
• Best variety of nails seems to be found at Rite Aid stores.
• There was no glue that stuck out as better than another.

The major brands that make full coverage nails that I could find are Pretty Woman USA, Nail Bliss and the ones I tried below. Here are some details and observations on each.

Click here to read more

Hello!

Check your mail to see if you won as the emails just went out. We had a lot of entries as you probably saw. And I think I like that Contest Machine used for this contest with the exception of the first 24-hours when the site and widget went down a few times. It truly picks the winners at random, which means less work for me!

Don't fret if you didn't win as another contest will be rolling out late next week.

Until then ...

All my blush,

~Cybele