Go Back to School in Style the new SALLY HANSEN + CRAYOLA INSTA-DRI COLLECTION

Color authorities Crayola and Sally Hansen have joined forces to offer a bright, bold, and fun suite of limited edition hues that dry in just 60 seconds. The exclusive collection that launched on July 1st. 

Sharpen those pencils, pack that apple, and add the final touch to your back-to-school look in an instant! The new Sally Hansen + Crayola Insta-Dri Collection transports you back to that care-free time of coloring with crayons, sketching out vibrant creations, and jumping back into the September back to school season. Color authorities Crayola and Sally Hansen joined forces to offer a bright, bold, and fun suite of hues that dry in just 60 seconds — so no time is wasted for the woman on the go. With a 60 second dry time, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri® Nail Color’s 3-in-1 formula features a built-in base and top coat to provide shiny, extended wear in a single step in just one stroke. These color specialists did their homework: From a saturated red to a marvelously mod white, here are the 12 new, specially designed shades inspired directly by the Crayola crayon colors we all know and love.

Wild Strawberry

Ripe and ravishing, this primary red crème shade is a classic.

L’OCCITANE Limited Edition Shea Butter Melting Honey Collection!

This fall, L’OCCITANE presents the Shea Butter Honey Collection, a limited edition sampling of body care products uniting two rich ingredients from two regions of the world – lavender honey from Monsieur Molle’s cooperative, and our prized shea butter from Burkina Faso. The result is a delightful blend that offers protective, nourishing and skin-softening benefits. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

L'Occitane's Limited Edition Cherry Blossom Collection

L'Occitane Spring Cherry EDT, Red Cherry EDT, and Cherry Blossom EDT

For the past few years, it has been my pleasure to feature L'Occitane's annual, limited edition Spring scent: first it was Spring Cherry, then Cerisier Rouge Eau Intense, and now Cherry Blossom! {Product sent for review/feature consideration}

Meet the City Samba Collection from NYC New York Color!

With summer in full swing, NYC New York Color is bringing the sexy, sultry beach look of Brazil right to you with their limited edition City Samba Collection—these bright summery shades are sure to amp up your summer style instantly!

This gorgeous, limited edition color collection is inspired by the vibrancy of Brazil to give you the perfect beauty escape. NYC New York Color is bringing the sexy beaches and sizzling sun of Brazil to New York with the new, limited edition City Samba collection filled with Brazilian fun and flare. Look your sexiest yet with Carnivale-ready nail polishes, brilliant lip glosses, and shimmering bronzing powders. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Limited, Valentine Editions of Early to Rise and Early to Bed Shower Gels from Kiss My Face

Winding down at the end of the day and rising up in the morning can be challenging for some. Make slumber simple with the Kiss My Face Early to Rise and Early to Bed Shower Gels. With sleep enhancing aromatherapy from natural essential oils, these formulas promote a sounder sleep, enhance dreaming and improve awareness for the following day. {Products sent for review consideration}

Carol's Daughter Limited Edition Gardenia Bath & Body Collection (An HSN Exclusive)

This fresh, limited-edition (HSN Exclusive) Gardenia fragrance joins the Carol’s Daughter family of delicious, naturally inspired scents. Free your skin with this moisturizing collection of a Body Cleansing Cream, Body Cream and Dry Oil Mist that doesn’t smother your skin with heavy artificial mineral oil – allowing it to breathe naturally. As is customary with Carol’s Daughter, the Gardenia Collection is free of parabens, petroleum and artificial colors. {Products sent for consideration}

Zac Posen + John Frieda - Target Exclusives!

This season, the John Frieda Hair Care Experts went backstage at Zac Posen, coloring models’ hair with rich shades of Precision Foam Colour to bring out the vibrancy in Posen’s runway looks. Now Posen is bringing his coveted designs to Precision Foam Colour, outfitting the boxes in exclusive prints.

Milani Cosmetic May 2013 Limited Edition Collections

In May, Milani Cosmetics will be launching two limited edition collections: Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils and Tantastic Face & Body Baked Bronzers.

Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils will be available at select Walgreens, HEB, and Fred Meyer stores. The collection will also be available on www.milanicosmetics.com.

Tantastic Face & Body Baked Bronzers will be available at select Walgreens, HEB, and Fred Meyer stores. The collection will also be available on www.milanicosmetics.com.

I've been super impressed with everything that I've tried from Milani Cosmetics so far, especially some of their new releases (I wear the UltraFine Liquid Eyeliner in Turquoise at least once a week). I'm pretty sure I want all six of the eyeshadow pencils! What are your favorite Milani products? What will you be picking up from these newest collections? My inquiring mind wants to know! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Until next time...

Take Your Tips on a Trip to Oz With LE Nail Lacquers from OPI Inspiredby Disney’s Oz

OPI announces the launch of six limited edition nail lacquers and a new Liquid Sand™ shade, inspired by Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful. With an all-star cast that includes James Franco and Michelle Williams, this highly-anticipated film opens in theaters on March 8, 2013.

“OPI is very excited to take this fantastical journey with Disney,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Inspired by the magic of Oz The Great and Powerful, this SoftShades collection captures the whimsy seen in the film, from glittery shades packed with white, gold and silvery iridescent confetti – Lights of Emerald City, When Monkeys Fly! and Which is Witch? – to soft neutrals in white, beige and pink – Don’t Burst My Bubble, Glints of Glinda and I Theodora You. 

(For pictures and descriptions of all the shades in the line, follow the jump)

Fab Five Friday: Fragrance Edition

(Couldn't figure out an AKA for this one, but I will say that this will probably end up being a regular feature. Y'all know I love an awesome alliterative title!)

A Visit to the Image Factory with a Firecracker to Take a Master Class! AKA: My Fall Smashbox Favorites

I'm not going to ramble on about this, because this post is picture heavy. These are a few of my favorite pieces for the fall from one of my favorite cosmetic companies, Smashbox Cosmetics. There are a few pieces from the Fall 2012 Image Factory Collection (which I previewed here), my favorite red lip gloss (because I'm wearing red now; it's a relatively new development), and one of the gems of my makeup collection, The Master Class Palette...

Image Factory AirBlush in Berry Bliss

Image Factory AirBlush in Berry Bliss: A superblendable, mousse-like blush for airbrushed-looking cheeks. This blush provides an instantly healthy look to cheeks. The lasting formula contains ultra-fine pigments for blendability and silicone elastomers to minimize the appearance of imperfections for a perfectly radiant glow. (This is such a pretty, creamy, richly pigmented shade! It blends in like butter and leaves a lovely natural flush.)

Bath and Body Works: Welcome to Paris Event

(photo via Bath and Body Works' Facebook Page)

EMBARK ON A TRIP TO FRANCE WITH BATH & BODY WORKS

AT THE WELCOME TO PARIS FRAGRANCE EVENT

Bath & Body Works transports you to the city of lights on Saturday, August 11^th to celebrate the launch of Signature Collection From Paris, With Love - three alluring scents inspired by the “je ne sais quoi” of the captivating city. From the moment you step into the store, you’ll be surrounded by the sights, sounds, tastes, and of course, scents of Paris.

Experience the most romantic city in the world at your local Bath & Body Works:

• Get a whirl wind tour of the iconic city through our new Parisian inspired fragrances – Paris in Bloom, Sweet on Paris, Paris Nights and one of our top fragrances Paris Amour. 

• Enter for the chance to take home the ultimate Paris fragrance experience - full size shower gel, body lotion and fine fragrance mist in one of the From Paris, With Love fragrances.

• With every full size Signature purchase, guests will receive a gift featuring a Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Mini Candle and trial size Body Lotion as well as a Caramel Apple PocketBac and holder all together in a sweet mesh bag. These items are not available in stores until September so quantities are limited!

Hawaiian Shores Collection from Avon

This summer I am trying to live a life at the beach, vicariously through my beauty products. If it promises to give you a beachy glow, sun kissed color, surfer girl chic hair, or smell anything remotely oceany or tropical, I'm all about it! So it should come as no surprise that I was super interested in Avon's new Hawaiian Shores Collection.

MAC Wishlist: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Edition

MAC Wish List: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Edition by mamafashionist1 featuring lip makeup

Oh MAC! I think the reason that it took me so long to make my first purchase from the brand was because subconsciously I knew that it was a slippery slope that would lead me to want to spend ALL of my money! Plus, I'm a total sucker for anything limited edition, so I'm forever longing for at least a few goodies from the latest collection (that seem to to be popping up faster than I can keep up with). 

I was able to attend a fun little beauty event at my local Nordstrom recently, and one thing I learned was that Nordstrom was actually the first specialty retailer to sell MAC Cosmetics. This established a very special relationship between MAC Cosmetics and Nordstrom and so often times there are items available there that you can't get at other retailers-this latest collection is an example of such.

Beauty Bar + CEW = The Best Subscription Box EVER!!!

Lovelies, RUN don't walk, to order this EXCLUSIVE, Limited Edition, while quantities last, expertly curated (by the Cosmetic Executive Women or CEW)  box from BeautyBar.com! For $25 you will receive some of the best new beauty products, as voted on by industry insiders (see the complete list of winners here). The Insiders’ Choice Beauty Box features 11 products selected as the industry’s most innovative picks during this year’s 18^th Annual CEW Beauty Insiders’ Choice Awards. The box features both finalist and winning products.

Germ Free California Dreaming with New Scents from Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Pocketbacs

My 11 year old daughter, Peyton,  is obsessed with Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Pocketbacs; every time she has a little bit of pocket money, she's buying a new one or one of the cute little holders. Well, confession time: after years of stocking up on them for her during back to school time, I think I now share her obsession! And with the steady introduction of new scents, and it's overall usefulness (not to mention it's cute factor), who can blame me!

My collection of Pocketbacs...

Peyton's collection (it looks kind of depleted, huh? We're going to have to stock up!)

 Check out 3 of the latest scents, inspired by summer fun in the California sun: