I’m sure more than half the country is ready to talk spring but I can only deliver a spring collection, sorry! But it’s from CHANEL so you know it will be some nice springy colors to give you something to look forward to.

The Collection Notes de Printemps was inspired by the sunny duality of lightness and brightness that creates a harmony of pastels, electric pinks and vivid purples. Let’s look at one of the eye products, shall we?

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OhMahGodBecky, Lookatherbutt, no! Look at these lippies!! Wow! They’re from the new line, ARDENCY INN, and this is my first experience trying anything from it. From what I read, the whole brand seems right up my alley. Citing the New York music scene as a major influence, they’ve divided up the makeup line three collections:

• Americana - natural tones inspired by the multi-cultural heritage and effortless beauty of downtown New York
• Punker – Edgy blacks inspired by the darkly rimmer eyes and fierce attitude of punk rockers
• Modster – Upbeat colors inspired by the mod subculture of high fashion and all-night clubs.

I of course was instantly attracted to the Modster Collection and the Long Play Lip Vinyl ($23 @ ardencyinn.com and urbanoutfitters.com). These are a liquid lipsticks with mega shine and coverage. So how did they fair? Click after the jump to see!

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Clockwise from L to R:

TAYA BEAUTY Amazon White Clay Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner ($20/10oz each @ tayabeauty.com) – listen up flat and thin-haired peeps! These two will puff up strands to unseen proportions! Ok, maybe I’m being dramatic but my hair did seem a tad thicker than usual after using these for a few weeks. Both are formulated with real Amazon White Clay, extracts of Croton Lechleri Resin (also called Dragon’s Blood and is used to kill germs and heal wounds. Not sure why they use it in these two products!) and Raw Avocado Oil.

SKIN & CO. ROMA Sicilian Body Gel ($18.50/7.7oz @ dermstore.com) – this product has made this my favorite new line this month! It uses coconut-based surfactants (for lather) and extracts of organic olives, Sicilian oranges and a combo of oats and rice to keep dry skin at bay, which is really needed this time of year. The smell of this one is hard to describe besides what I picture every sophisticated house in Italy to smell like. Big recommendation (obviously)!

BE DELECTABLE Coconut & Cream Super Smoothing Body Polish ($14/8oz @ target.com) – coming to us from the Canadian line, Cake Beauty, this whole collection made up of creams, mists, body washes and body scrubs is quite obsessed with smelling like desserts! Take the aforementioned body polish. It’s made with coconut oil, aloe vera, and super fine apricot shells. And I’m normally not attracted to smell of dessert unless I’m eating it, but this coconut and cream really has me hooked.

LUSH Whoosh ($6.95-$11.95/3.5oz to 8.4oz @ lush.com) – when temps drop, most of us conserve water by taking less showers and baths but when we do, don’t you want to use one that conserves moisture too? This jelly body cleanser contains glycerin and honey to help skin keep skin from getting dry, which is my problem during these months. Oh and they also threw in some rosemary, grapefruit and lemon to give your nose a thrill too.

ZELENS Aka-Shiso Reviving Mineral Shower ($45/6.8oz @ barneys.com) – how cool is it that the Zelens line has moved into body care or did I miss it when they went in this direction? Anyway, I’ve been alternating between the above body cleansers and this one in the shower. This one contains 5 essential minerals and omega-3s (one of which is Shiso (Perilla) Oil) to not only clean but really feed the skin and energize it. 

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

Ever wonder how to recreate a look from past decades like the 1920s, 30s and on up until the 60s? Hair and makeup artist, LAUREN RENNELLS has come out with yet another book to help you create the looks at home. Her third book, Vintage Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look and goes over how makeup was worn in decades past. 

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Some classics never go away but when the Prescriptives line did, I thought their iconic Calyx Fragrance would too so I used it very sparingly, until I found out that CLINIQUE picked it up. Yeah! It came out in 1986 and it’s really unlike anything I have smelled before. I can’t even think of one that is close! It’s a fruity floral that light and crisp with notes of grapefruit and mandarin and then freesia, rose and jasmine, among others. Then, bubbling under are the greens that come through like sandalwood, vetiver and oakmoss. $52/1.7oz, $69/3oz @ ulta.com, sephora.com. 

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Since it’s January, any color you had left over from the fall is long gone and it’s funny, because I kind of forgot that I like a little color once in a while! So when I was sent VITA LIBERATA’s Untinted Self Tan Lotion for Body to try out, I totally had an, “oh yeah, I like self-tanners!” moment. How quickly we forget. 

Why this one works this time of year – it’s one of those gradual build-a-tan lotions, which unlike most these days, applies clear, dries really quickly and then develops over four to eight hours. It also has their unique moisture-lock© system, which keeps skin hydrated for 72 hours. So you have some color and some moisture. A nice combo this time of year and the color it left behind with the Warm one I tried is also just right for right now. 

So slather some of this on, hit the hay and wake up to a warm gentle glow, which you can make more intense when you get home from work as it comes in three shades – Warm (for light color), Deep (for medium color) and Deeper Deep (for the deepest color). $37.50/6.76oz @ nordstrom.com. 

NEUTROGENA Norwegian Formula Hand Cream ($3.59/2oz @ target.com, amazon.com) – if this is the way the Norwegians do hand cream, I’m totally in! This is not like any other hand “cream” I have ever used. And it’s not really even a hand cream. It’s more of a thick salve or ointment that seems to stay on the skin for a while but not in a greasy way but more in a protective way. This one is getting my hands through the winter weather.

NARS Cinematic Lipstick in Short Circuit from the Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection ($26 @ sephora.com) - If bright lippies are your thing, this is a great orange-red that I’ve been wearing for the past week straight. Things are cold and drab right now so why not perk up with this hot shade?  And it so catches me off guard during the day that when I walk past a mirror and catch a glimpse, I almost don’t think it’s me in the reflection!

PIXI BEAUTY Glow Tonic ($29/8.5oz @ dermstore.com, pixibeauty.com and amazon.com) – this is a brand new area for the brand and if this is any indication of the quality of what they’ll be putting out, I’m in! It’s an alcohol-free toner that exfoliates using 5% glycolic acid and nourishes it with aloe, witch hazel, hose chestnut extracts and ginseng.

GOURMET BODY PASTRIES Sweet Tarts Candy Whipped Shea Butter ($12/4oz, $21/8oz @ gourmetbodypastries.com) – I’m so not into dessert smelling body products so I’m glad that this brand makes some for us like this Sweet Tarts one. Yum! Smells great and it works even better on the skin and uses just a few ingredients – oils of olive, coconut, almonds and vitamin E as well as Shea Butter, aloe and vegetable glycerin. That’s it! Love this kind of brand. 

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

With the huge success of nude makeup these days, I found a cool eye shadow quad in this family from the DOLCE & GABBANA brand. It’s The Eyeshadow Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Desert ($59 @ saksfifthavenue.com). Besides the usual, “are these shades something I would wear?” question, I like that each is a different finish – one is matte, one is metallic and one is satin and one is pearl. And to answer the previous question, yes, I think each of these four shades is totally wearable for all skin types. 

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Do you remember when the use of oils in hair products first started coming out? I think Morocanoil was the first mainstream company but the “outrage” it caused? People were floored that one would even consider putting oil into their hair!! Now, it’s so commonplace and so many brands have their own in their lines. So will it continue to be a big trend in 2014? We shall find out and I’m voting yes, as they just seem to be getting better and better. Take this DARSHANA Natural Indian Hair Oil ($38/6oz @ darshanabeauty.com). Unlike 90% of hair oils on the market in the US, this one doesn’t contain one silicones, parabens and mineral oil. I’ve found a few very few in this category but they’re out there. Instead, this one is made with Ayurvedic ingredients as they are really great for your hair and this one will work on all hair types.

So how do you use this one? It can be used on towel-dried hair before blow drying, as a deeper overnight treatment for 30-minutes, overnight, or as a finishing product to tame fly-aways. One word of caution, use it very sparingly as a tiny amount goes a long way. I learned that one the hard way. 

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Love BENEFIT COSMETICS’ cheek stains? Well they just came out with a new one called Lollitint. And it’s right on trend with 2014’s Color of the Year, Orchid. This one called described as a candy orchid and is a lilac or lavender cream color.

Since these are a stain, I find the best way to apply them is to dab-dab onto a sponge and then dab-dab onto cheeks. That way there is no harsh lines or streaking.

Is this something you will be picking up for 2014?

$30 @ ulta.com sephora.com benefitcosmetics.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

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