A Belated Merry Christmas to You All!

Hey everyone! So I'm back from my little holiday hiatus (which really wasn't much of a hiatus - I just couldn't find the time to blog as work has been a madhouse) with some amazing new products and fun new ABS developments (including a big giveaway) coming your way very soon.

The lovely Nicole sent me the most amazing Christmas package and of course I had to share! She included:

• Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon (seriously the most gorgeous red I've ever seen)
• OPI DS Nail Lacquer in Reserve
• Cle de Peau concealer (this has been on my wishlist for YEARS!)
• Amore Pacific Clarifying Mask (smells yummy)
• and a bunch of fun Hello Kitty goodies that really brighten up my office space

My other big Christmas gift came from the SO in the form of a Flip, which will finally enable me to post some (hopefully) great quality videos up on the ABS YouTube channel.


More photos (and details on my cute Flip skin) after the jump!

I've been lusting after the OPI Designer Series polishes since receiving DS Fantasy (photos here) and know that Reserve is going to be just as drool-worthy.


Chanel's Rouge Allure Laques have a wonderfully creamy formula and are amazingly long-wearing - I loved Ming (photo here) and Dragon is one of the most stunning reds I've ever seen and pretty much universally flattering. My dear friend Cathy gave it a shot last night and it looked stunning on her.


I love Amore's Treatment Enzyme Peel and I now have this Clarifying Masque which leaves my face looking toned, smooth and radiant. And it doesn't hurt that it smells delicious to boot.


Cle de Peau's concealer has long been hailed as the holy grail of concealers, and thanks to Nicole's generosity I finally have it in my hands. It's painfully small for something that's so painfully expensive, but I've been playing with it for the past few days and it's definitely living up to the hype thus far.


And now for the Flip! :) I've been wanting one for the longest time so that I could post some HD videos for you on YouTube (I've been thinking of doing videos of my favorite pink lipsticks, product reviews, demonstrations, swatches, etc.) and the SO was kind enough to oblige. I ordered myself a skin from DecalGirl and now I'm good to go!


How have the holidays been treating you? Share with me in the comments!

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Help Me Support A Fellow Blogger & Go Check Out Painted Ladies!

I know I've been promising you the Guerlain Holiday review and rest assured it's coming this week, but in the meantime if you're in the mood for some great new beauty reads head on over to Painted Ladies, a recently launched (August to be specific) beauty blog for all ages featuring reviews, Q&A's and tips and tricks from the pros, and of course, giveaways! They've actually currently got one going on for a MAC My Favorite Pink Dazzleglass (you all know how much I wanted this one - it's a gorgeous shade) which ends tomorrow, so be sure to head on over!

Why the mention on ABS? Well primarily because one of the Painted Ladies co-founders, Taryn, is a fantastic blogger and an even more wonderful friend ~ when ABS was barely a blip on the blogger radar (well I guess it still is barely more than a blip but you get what I mean) she offered me tons of moral support and even sent me two fabulous packages chock full of Japanese goodies to help me have some stuff to review on the blog. Check the packages out here and here!

So if you've got a free moment or two and are interested in checking out a fresh new perspective on the beauty scene, definitely head on over to Painted Ladies and have a look around. And don't forget to enter their giveaway!
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Nail Swatches of MAC's Baby Goth Girl & A Few Others

More stunning close-up shots courtesy of Charm Candy aka Tori, this time of MAC's Baby Goth Girl Nail Lacquer from their Style Black collection ~ you asked for nail swatches, she delivered, how great is she?

Baby Goth Girl is a black polish with lots of pinkish purple shimmer - according to Tori it's hard to capture on camera but I think she did an amazing job. After having seen her photos I'm dying to get my hands on a bottle!

Left to Right: China Glaze Flying Dragon, China Glaze On the Prowl, Essie Sexy Divide, MAC Baby Goth Girl

And since purple is currently my "it" color, Tori was kind enough to send me a few shots of some gorgeous purple polishes. Check out some close-ups (and one seriously cool holographic polish) after the jump!

China Glaze in IDK

I'd actually been meaning to purchase this gorgeous purpley lavender holographic polish for the longest time but had never quite gotten around to it, but Tori's photo lit the fire under me and I finally placed my order! I picked up a few other holographic polishes so be on the lookout for that post - my package is slated to arrive today. I've heard that China Glaze's holographic polishes look AMAZING coupled with the Konad.

China Glaze Tantalize Me

I love that Tantalize Me seems to have a slight duochrome blue sheen to it, at least in the photo. Definitely a nice almost-but-not-quite-pink option for my pink-loving self!

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MAC Dazzleglass Creme Swatches

More gorgeous swatches from the wonderful Charm Candy, aka Tori, this time of the hot new MAC Dazzleglass Cremes ~ her photography skills are fabulous, I nominate her as the official ABS photographer!

As labeled, we have swatches of Do It Up, My Favourite Pink, Perfectly Unordinary and Soft Dazzle taken with and without flash.


I can't review these for you as I haven't yet had a chance to check them out myself, but from the looks of these photos I think My Favourite Pink is definitely calling my name! Seriously, how can you resist a gloss with a name like that? It's making quite the claim and hopefully it loves up to it.

Have you tried any of the Dazzleglass Cremes yet? Any favorites emerging?

On a completely unrelated note, I finally had a chance to stop by the Jill Stuart boutique to check out the US launch of their cosmetics line this past weekend and of course I hauled a few items to share with you. Photos to come at some point this week!
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Up Close & Personal with Barbie Loves Stila Smudge Pot in Purple Pumps

Purple Pumps was the one Stila Smudge Pot I had my eye on (before I discovered the amazingness that is Little Black Dress) and so I was understandably disappointed when I noticed that the display at Sephora was missing the tester ~ but the wonderful Tori (of Charm Candy, a fabulous Juicy Couture Charm Resource) was sweet enough to send me a product photo and swatches. Have I mentioned lately that I absolutely adore my readers?

Swatch of Purple Pumps with flash.

Swatch of Purple Pumps sans flash.

It's just as gorgeous as I'd imagined it would be (check out the enlarged shot of Purple Pumps in the pot by clicking the photo above - it's got gorgeous flecks of glimmer in it) but I've still got my heart set on acquiring Little Black Dress. Not that I'd mind owning all three of these beauties!

Be sure to check out the rest of my Barbie Loves Stila collection swatches, and of course don't forget to enter my giveaway to win the All Doll'd Up Palette and L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara!

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More Package Fun!

Sorry for the terrible photo quality! I got home tonight to find this package from a very very lovely friend awaiting my arrival. It's already dark out, of course, but I couldn't resist taking photos to share with everybody anyway! So you'll just have to bear with me :).


She included this super adorable card - it looks like cats tightening up those pores with a Queen Helene Mint Julep mask LOL! Oh and everything was packaged absolutely beautifully.


She got me an Illamasqua gloss in Electrify which has been on my wishlist since one of the MA's tried this on me during the Sephora Times Square opening - it's gorgeous! These tubes are really long and skinny, and I love that I now have a lipstick case that fits them perfectly!


Two wonderful Philosophy lip products - Kiss Me lip treatment and Superglossy gloss. I'm so excited to try the lip treatment out tonight. Can't wait to see how it compares to my beloved Lip Slip!


Another Chanel Glossimer in Courtisane! I have to admit I giggled when I saw this, since Nicole also got me this very recently. It's such a gorgeous color so I'm more than happy to hav ea backup of it!


Tons of fun samples from L'Occitane, Essie, OPI, Urban Decay, Bliss, Caudalie, Dior, Clarins, Versace and Jonathon. Lots of things for me to play with!

And last but not least, some goodies for my tummy - which I've already started eating =P.



Thank you so so much Elaine I absolutely adore everything! Tomorrow is going to be one heck of a fun morning for me!
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A Package-Ful Weekend & My First Matte NOTD!

I'm a very lucky blogger to have so many wonderful readers that I consider to be friends, and this past weekend I received two wonderful packages that simply made my weekend!

Charm Candy (who runs a lovely blog on Juicy Couture Charms) sent me this ridiculously cute (and yummy smelling) package full of goodies from this little Hawaiian company called Berry Sweet Bath & Body. The mango butter lip balms seriously glide on like butter and there was this one pineapple lip scrub in the package that smelled so good I almost ate it! I'll be reviewing everything for you soon, so stay tuned for more detailed photos! Just as a teaser, the lip balms have scrumptious-sounding names like Lemon Cupcake, Mojito, Gummi Bears, Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry Candy.

And the always lovely and wonderful Nicole sent me a gorgeous OPI polish (I'll update with the color name once I'm at work - don't have it in front of me), Essie's Matte About Me (which I've been dying to get my hands on for the longest time but haven't been able to find), Chanel's Glossimer in Courtisane (which I've swatched for you previously - it's gorgeous) and Nail Life Aromatherapy Speed Dry (which I know I'll love since I loved the previous Nail Life product Nicole sent me). And of course I couldn't wait to dive right into all the products!

Close-up of Courtisane.

I used my new OPI polish topped with a coat of matte about you to create this really cool deep pink satiny matte manicure that I absolutely love! I can see myself getting so so much use out of Matte About You. I'm thinking of trying it over Zoya Zara next - I've heard that it looks pretty cool over shimmer.

And of course I'll be attempting a matte Konadicure at some point. I'm really curious to see how that turns out!

Thank you so much to both Nicole and Charm Candy for your generosity and thoughtfulness! Your beautiful packages really made my weekend something special and I'll definitely be thinking of each of you as I enjoy these products. <3
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Which Reminds Me...

A wonderful reader of mine, Deb of The Vinyl Word and Other Musings, was thoughtful enough to nominate me for an Adorable Blog Award, and I feel terrible that it's taken me this long to respond to her nomination! Thank you Deb!
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Tag You're It!

The gorgeous and talented Keely Valentine was sweet enough to tag me, and for once I'm remembering to post so here goes! The rules are:

• Open your first picture folder.
• Scroll down to the 10th photo.
• Post that photo along with a story.

And here it is!

This photos was taken this past winter during my first trip to Atlantic City, which included free limos, food, drinks, hotel suites, and pretty much everything else - let's just say it was a seriously amazing first AC experience! I took along one of my favorite LV pieces, a very limited edition Murakami for LV Pochette that has this darling panda on it, and was fiddling around with my camera and experimenting with close-ups. And being the incredibly accident-prone klutz that I am, out of the top you can see a little Tide pen poking out of the bag. Such fun memories!

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane with me!
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Armani-Mania Courtesy of Nicole!

Nothing brightens up a miserable week (or two or three) at work like a Nicole package! Today was seriously a disaster of a day--I wore my new sneakers to work (it's a decent walk so I keep the heels under my desk), and of course it poured on my way home, soaking them through and through--and work itself wasn't all that much better. So a built-by-Nicole package was the best thing that I could come home to (along with my baby Chloe of course).

Knowing how much I love playing around with different foundations, Nicole sent me samples of all the latest and greatest Armani products. How incredible is she? She's such a sweetheart for actually giving me a reason to look forward to waking up bright and early tomorrow morning. I get to play with new products!


My lovely package included samples of Armani's Crema Nera Obsidian Mineral Restoring Serum, Designer Shaping Cream Foundation, Lasting Silk UV Foundation, Luminous Silk Foundation, Light Master Primer and Micro-Fil Loose Powder. Did I happen to mention that Nicole and I are the same shade, meaning that I don't have to bother to test out a million foundation shades before settling on the right one? Nicole did all the hard work for me!

She also threw in some Moroccan Oil for my hair, which is sorely in need of some TLC thanks to all the styling it's been undergoing lately. My hair thanks you!

And last but most definitely not least, Nicole threw in an amazing surprise for me--La Mer's The Lip Balm!!!!! It'll be a great summer alternative to the Lip Slip she got me, which, in case you weren't aware, is the best lip balm ever (review HERE). Nicole also recently sent me the most thoughtful package for my birthday--check out what was in it by clicking HERE.

As always, thank you so so much Nicole, your generosity always amazes and humbles me!
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Early Birthday Gift For Me! :)

Nicole, whose thoughtfulness is seriously unparalleled, sent me an early birthday gift (my birthday's not for another month or so) which contained some amazing goodies that I just had to share with you all. Between this wonderful package and the early birthday gift my mother purchased for me today (an iPod Touch) it's been a fabulous day!


The pretty pink drawstring bag contained samples of Shu Uemura's Skin Purifier (this will be great for my trip to Korea), Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb body lotion (one of my fave fragrances), Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer, Origins Modern Friction, Shiseido Bio Performance Essenec and two Bond No. 9 Scent of Peace samples.

I was so surprised that Nicole remember how badly I had wanted Bond No. 9's The Scent of Peace after first sniffing it this past winter--it was literally love at first whiff. I just about fell over backwards when I opened the larger box to see this:


My very own The Scent of Peace fragrance in one of Bond No. 9's classic flacons. I still can't believe I now have a Bond No. 9 bottle to call my very own! This will definitely be given a place of prominence on my vanity.


She also got me this golden, shimmery Cle de Peau lipgloss in shade #2 which I've also been wanting for months and months but just haven't been able to bring myself to splurge on.


Thank you so so much Nicole for kicking off my birthday early and for getting things off to such an amazing start! I may just break into my new fragrance tomorrow, although I'm really not sure that I can bear to mar its beauty by using it just yet.
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Photos From The Jill Stuart Counter @ Takashimaya (Japan)

Photos courtesy of my gorgeous friend Cathy's trip to Japan!

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The Lip Slip by Sara Happ Review & Swatches

The Lip Slip by Sara Happ: One Luxe Balm ($24)
and a moody cow keychain that says:
"helps keep a smile on your face when the whole world has gone mad"

Yet another review brought about as a result of the fabulous generosity of Nicole! I'd blogged about Sara Happ's Lip Slip HERE, then forgotten about it for a bit until Candace posted her thoughts on this product in a comment:

"Ladies, this is the only lip balm that has actually functioned like a lip balm for me. It has a little bit of shimmer in it, that doesn't really make your lips shimmery...just kind of....glowy. It is not thick, but not thin textured either....it has consistency and STAYS ON. It absorbs into your lips, and is a winner for me! I think I am going to order a couple more! I may give Jason a tub to use too, since when we get to Iraq it will wreak havoc on our faces and lips."

Now for those of you who don't know, Candace is the queen of lip products, whether they be lipsticks, glosses, conditioners, etc. You have a lip question, Candace can probably answer it--so when she says something good, it's going to be good!

So when I received a package in the mail from Nicole a few days back (thank you thank you!), I was ecstatic to see Sara Happ's Lip Slip in there. Apparently Nicole also tried it and loved it so much that she felt I had to have it =). And if I value anybody's opinion when it comes to products that I'll love, it's Nicole's.

First of all how cute is the little golden box that it comes in? The Lip Slip is seriously my new product obsession~it's just that good.



The first time that I used this I managed to make a rather large dent in the surface as I thought that this would be similar in texture to a Korres Lip Butter or Carmex (aka pretty solid)--but nope, it's a soft, gooey substance that reminds me of melted taffy. Slip into some of this and your lips will not only be sheathed in long-lasting moisture, but they'll take on this pretty, soft-focus glow.

Close Up of Lip Slip

A better look at the shimmery bits.

Lip Slip is infused with Sweet Almond, Jojoba & Macadamia nut oils, and makes an immediate and noticeable difference in the condition of your lips. Wear this as an overnight treatment and you'll awaken to soft, luscious pouty lips that'll have you wondering, "Are those mine?"; use it during the day for some subtle shimmer and shine and continued hydration.

Swatch of Lip Slip

The first time that I used this overnight I was seriously amazed by how soft and plump my lips looked the next morning. And while $24 may seem like (and admittedly is) a lot to pay for a lip treatment, The Lip Slip is easily the longest-wearing lip conditioner that I've ever tried. I can slick on some Lip Slip, eat breakfast, drink a bottle of water, have a snack, drink some more water, and make it through lunch with this stuff still clinging tenaciously to my lips--this stuff will easily last for 6-7 hours.

Lip Swatch of Lip Slip

The Lip Slip provides some major hydration--notice that all the little lines on my lips caused by dryness seem to have plumped up? I'm usually hesitant to recommend what I consider to be somewhat pricey products, but this is something that I'd definitely purchase for all my friends and loved ones, and I'd recommend that you do the same.

Nicole purchased her Lip Slip from B-Glowing and was more than happy with their CS so if you're interested in purchasing this, definitely click on over!
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