Chances are you are going to be hitting up a few holiday parties in the next few weeks and part of what I love about this time of year is the permission to kick your makeup look a little. A little dab of shimmer, iridescence or gleam is a great way to show your holiday spirit. Below are the items I’m using to do it up right this season. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Clockwise from L to R:

HARD CANDY Shadow Dancers Liquid to Powder Eyeshadow in Bold & Beautiful ($6 @ walmart.com) - both shades contain luminizing pearls to make eye really … dance!

GLEAM BY MELANIE MILLS Body Radiance in Rose Gold ($15/1oz, $30/2oz, $40/3.5oz @ amazon.com) – this all-in-one moisturizer and body glow is nice for highlighting the fronts of the legs and décolletage.

6 Heart Princess Love in Wink by Takashi Murakami for SHU UEMURA False Eyelashes ($30 @ shuuemurausa.com) – Lashes add glamour to any look and these unique ones are adorned with a heart on each one and combines brown and pink lashes. How fun!

BARE ESCENTUALS Touch To-Glow ($14 @ macys.com) – for when you want a little luminosity, not glitter or harsh sparkle, this one will do the trick.

URBAN DECAY Naked Illuminating Shimmering Powder for Face and Body ($29 @ ulta.com) – a gorgeous shimmery powder that only UD can make perfect. I feel like this should have come with some kind of puff instead of a flat brush. Still nice though.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

I’ve always been a fan of the HARD CANDY line and even had their Eye Shadow Quads in the Hall of Fame for many years (they are discontinued and so I had to remove them). They were one of the first lines to really go deep into eye shadow and turn out some really unique shades. So I was really excited to hear about their Top Ten Eye Shadow Collection.

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Hard Candy Eye Shadow Quartet – Hall of Fame Worthy?

Pros – such great quality and the colors were some of the first edgy ones on the scene.
Cons – they discontinued them so no more new quads.

Do they stay in the Hall of Fame?

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I tend to have a heavy hand when applying blush. Cream, powder, it really doesn’t matter as I always have to check and double check again for exiting the house to make sure I don’t look a little clownish. That’s why I’m raving about HARD CANDY’s Hide & Glow Cheek ($8 @ amazon.com). The formula is in between a cream and a gel and it’s pretty hard to overdo it with these. Choose from 3 color duos, mine being Hot Date, which is a red on one side and a dark berry on the other.

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

When I’m walking down the street or in the mall and see someone with a pop of color on like a shirt or bag, I always end up saying in my head, “That looks cool. I gotta get me something in that shade.” And I do make an effort but I find myself gravitating back to the blacks and beiges. Why is this? I mean a pop of color always feels so fun and right. One area I seem to be successful in adding a pop of color to is my makeup routine. Lips or eyes or cheeks, why not add one of the colors of the season, coral to your look?

Here are some more picks in the on-going Spring Color Picks feature. Consider picking up any of these.

From L to R clockwise:

JAPONESQUE Eye Majic Instant Eyes in Slate Coral ($6/2 pair @ amazon.com)
MAC Nail Lacquer in Coral Wave ($14 @ maccosmetics.com)
HARD CANDY Painted Lady Lipstick in Hot Shot ($6 @ walmart.com)
LA PRAIRIE Cellular Lip Colour Effects in Breezy Coral ($40 @ nordstrom.com)
BORGHESE Nail Lacquer in Maraschino ($8 @ ulta.com)
MAYBELLINE NEW YORK Color Sensational Lipcolor in Coral Crush ($7.49 @ ulta.com)
NP SET by Napoleon Perdis On the Double Pen Black Liquid Eyeliner + Coral Cream Blush ($13 @ target.com)
SOFTLIPS Pure Coral Charm Sheer Lip Tint ($3.99 @ walgreens.com)
THE BODY SHOP Cheek Blush in Golden Coral ($14 @ thebodyshop.com)

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

It’s not orange and it’s quite a ways away from red and it’s one of the colors of the season. What is it? Coral! I’ve done a couple of product picks in the Coral department and I think that out of all the colors on Pantone’s Spring list, Coral seems to be the one that gets the most reaction. Here are some more product picks in the on-going Spring Color Picks 2010 feature from the best that are reppin’ the shade right now!

 

L to R clockwise:

MAC Eye Shadow in Free to Be ($14 @ nordstrom.com)
STILA One Step Prime Color in Capri Coral ($22 @ sephora.com)
TARINA TARANTINO Dollskin Cheek in Parasol ($25 @ dermstore.com)
MINERAL FUSION COSMETICS Cheeks Blush Powder in Coral Reef ($25 @ amazon.com)
CND Nail Colour in Tropic Coral #521 ($9 @ cnd.com)
HARD CANDY Visibly Wet Shockingly Glossy Lip Pencil in Precious ($6 @ walmart.com)
NYX COSMETICS Black Label Lipstick in Eros ($7.50 @ nyxcosmetics.com)

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

If you follow any aspect of fashion, you’ve heard that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2010 is Turquoise. Just hearing that news recently made me want to redo my living room or at least add some turquoise accents. Did I? No but I it did make me think of beauty products and how I could reflect the trend in my everyday makeup look with a splash of liquid on my nails or powder on my lids. “Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.”

Other colors of the Spring Season? Tomato Purée, Fusion Coral, Violet and Tuscany, to name a few. So what does that mean to you? I’ll be highlighting some products that showcase the colors in an on-going feature called Spring Color Picks. First up? Turquoise and Tomato Purée. I’m pairing the soothing blue-green and the tangy classic red in one feature as I think they balance each other out nicely. 

So you wanna see the product picks? 

Click here to read more

Not sure if you heard the news that the HARD CANDY is now exclusively being sold in Walmart stores. I’m not sure how I feel about it since a.) this line broke a lot of ground for Indy makeup brands and b.) I saw the documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Rent it. Very eye opening.

Anyway, I’m just going to focus on how much I love this line and these Intensif-eye Radiant Shadow Sticks ($6 @ amazon.com). Big colors/neons are so in right now for clothing and accessories so how taking it one step further with a pop of creamy color on the lids? Like the hot pink of Pixie or the bright green of Pop, all the shades are really wearable and you control the intensity. Nicely done, Hard Candy.

Wowee, wow-wow, is this one great! Then again, I should have guessed it would be pretty good because it’s HARD CANDY. While I have not been wow’d by all of their products, this Fragrance ($42/1.69oz, $55/3.38oz @ amazon.com) is pretty fab. It falls in the category of floriental and they describe it perfectly – “a hint of sweetness but with a bit of depth and mystery.” Spray it on and the nose detects the top notes of white tea and pink peppercorn (is that what that is??), middle notes of rose and jasmine and the base is a vanilla and cashmere musk. And it seems to last quite a while. Not one of those scents you put on and five minutes later forgot which scent you’re wearing. 

And the packaging? The slim bottle with black swirls around it is quite sleek and sexy and the top is like a pincushion with each size is represented by a different color – green for the 3.38oz and pink for the 1.69oz. How often does that happen? And I really liked the cardboard foil origami box it came in. Very colorful and the way it opened up was fun and unique.

I’ve never really been a fan of blue on the nails but this season, they have really grown on me. I am as shocked as you! I never thought I would sport the blue on my tips and toes. Here are some picks to complement your Blue Mood.

Clockwise from Left:

1. TROPEZ Royal Pearl $1.99 @ walgreens.com
2. LUSCIOUS COSMETICS Midnight Cove $17.50 @ lusciouscosmetics.com
3. CND Jiggy #258 $2.99 @ ulta.com
   
4. CHINA GLAZE Drinkin’ My Blues Away $2.99 @ jcpenney.com
   
5. HARD CANDY Vintage Nail Polish in Sky $7 @ sephora.com
   
6. OPI DS Fantasy $7.25 @ jcpenney.com
7. BARIELLE Berry Blue $8 @ barielle.com
8. WET N WILD Eggplant Frost $.99 @ target.com
9. NAILTINI Navy Grog $12 @ tinibeauty.com
   
10. MILANI Breezy $2.99 @ milanicosmetics.com
    
11. ORLY Blue Collar $1.99 @ jcpenney.com