Greatest Hits of 2011

2011 was pretty great! I definitely didn't blog as much as I wanted to, but oh well! Here's a few of our favorite mems for the year (and I have to say, I think March was my fave!)!

January

• Marta came to visit Greenville for the second time in 3 months! We celebrated New Years with friends and Justin's brothers - one of the best I have ever had!
• Our little man, Romeo, turned 2 years old.
• I had to rush Justin to the Emergency Room for severe stomach pains. The ER was a total nightmare and we still don't know what in the world happened.

February

• I threw my first “hired” party! Our good friend, Josh, asked me to design a party for his wife, Theresea's, birthday. She loves pigs so much, so I went with a pig-inspired theme. She was so surprised!

March

• I helped my friend, Jody, throw a huge Rockstar-Glam Birthday Bash - Oh yes, costumes included. 
• Marta visited again! She came to celebrate Justin and my birthdays with a huge beach-inspired party for J and a trip to Charleston!
• We took a short trip to Asheville.. Justin got his first tattoo!
• We went on an amazing roadtrip to West Palm Beach, FL with friends, Josh and Theresa.. Lots of great memories and more birthday celebrations!
• I celebrated my 27th birthday, which Justin surprised me with an incredible party (which he decorated all by himself!) filled with our best friends. 
• Justin's birthday gift to me was also a huge surprise.. our new puppy, Coco Chanel!
• I was hired by another friend to design a bridal shower inspired by Anthropologie
• I designed and hosted a jungle-themed baby shower for my good friend, Tiffany

April

• We traveled to Virginia to see Justin's brother, extended family and his immediate fam, who drove down from Wisconsin. We had an packed weekend, including juggling our 2 pups and catching up with relatives we hadn't seen in a long time!

May

• We celebrated Easter by hosting a colorful, little lunch party with Justin's bros. Unfortunately, Justin was super sick and missed out.
• Justin had to have an unexpected surgery, and was hospitalized for 5 days. Not a fun memory.
• Jody and I hosted a fun oriental-inspired cookout. The food was to DIE for. 
• We saw Sleigh Bells in Asheville and ran into our friends, Gina & Curtis. Incredible show.
• We finally told our friends that we were planning to move. Wow, it was definitely more difficult than I imagined. 
• I hosted a small Mexican dinner party for our close friends. Dinner was awesome, until towards the end - Romeo decided to have massive, explosive diarrhea. 

June

• We said 'goodbye' to many of our dear friends - including our Shepherding Group - which we were welcomed by a gorgeous farewell party on our last night with the group
• We threw our own farewell party and an emotional last few nights in Greenville
• We endured a handful of days of nonstop packing for the big move. Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning with my sister, her fiance (now hubby) and our closest friends
• We moved from South Carolina to Minnesota, journeying with 2 vehicles, a giant moving truck and 2 very needy pups
• Summer began and we lived it up before finally finding some jobs.. We saw Foster the People, late nights watching movies, hottubbing, a Father's Day Jazz Party and silly memories at the Drive-In
• I began freelancing for Chanel again! It felt so good to be back with my all-time favorite cosmetic line
• My good friend, Jade, got married! I was honored to be a part of her big day as her Personal Attendant

July

• We rocked out with my parents at a Black Keys show - our birthday gifts from them
• Celebrated the 4th watching fireworks overlooking our beautiful MN Boat Club venue where we had our MN Wedding Reception in 2008
• My friend, Ash, offered me a free ticket to see Britney Spears live! We had fantastic seats and sang our little hearts out!
• I hosted (with some help from Jade!) a garden-inspired baby shower for my good friend, Mulder and her unborn twins. The whole experience was insane and amazing at the same time! {Photos}
• Our planned "family camping trip" quickly shifted to an indoor weekend after some rough weather {Photos}

August

• Vanessa and I hosted a Cuban-inspired bachelorette/bridal shower dinner party for our little sister, Lanae. All the work put into it was so worth it! {Photos}
• I designed and helped host a second bridal shower for Lanae, inspired by lemons
• I was offered a job as the Business Manager for the Minneapolis Macy's Chanel counter.. Definitely one of my dream jobs (aside from my career in therapy)
• After couple years, we finally were able to go to the MN State Fair and stuff our faces with handfuls of greasy food

September

• My dear high school friend, Laura, got hitched - I was honored to do makeup and be a part of her special day! On the same day, in all of the craziness, Coco went into her first heat. Talk about bad timing.. 
• Mulder finally had her babies! I finally met them despite all of the chaos with my new job, and we celebrated her birthday 
• My little sister got married! I was honored to do almost all of the decor for the wedding/reception And yes, I cried like a little baby. 

October

• Justin and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary
• We took advantage of some time off work and traveled to southern Wisconsin to visit his family and Marta
• My little blog turned 2 years old!
• I helped with decor for Lanae and Jordan's Spooky Halloween Party

November

• We celebrated a Gold + Aqua Thanksgiving with my family for the first time ever. I threw the party decor together on a budget of $2.99! We girls laughed our heads off as we rushed around, serving food and maneuvered through the messiest kitchen in the world!
• I left my job at Macy's for an incredible opportunity to work in therapy again (plus, paid grad school tuition!)

December

• I publicized my new Starter Site "alannaandes.com", kicking off my plans to create a business in party design and planning
• Lanae (my sister) and her hubby got a new pup! Little Bernie is the cutest little Boston!
• I started my new job at the MN Autism Center School - So far, I love it!
• I helped my mom throw an Italian-inspired Christmas dinner party on Christmas Eve! It was such a fabulous night and the food was delish!
• We traveled to Wisconsin to celebrate a belated Christmas with Justin's family and ring in the New Year in Galena with Marta & Justin's brothers! 
• Our little peanut, Coco Chanel turned 1 year old! I love her to pieces and I really can't believe how big she is!

Miscellaneous Photos from 2011

Why Hello There, 2011!

Since We've Moved

Jordan & Lanae's Wedding Setup and Rehearsal

Jordan & Lanae's Wedding Day

Coco Chanel

July 2011

Big Changes and a Brand New Job

I have been looking for a job in counseling/therapy since we moved to Minnesota and haven't had much luck. I was genuinely excited to take the Business Manager position for Chanel in Minneapolis, but definitely wanted to keep my options open in pursuing my career in the mental health field. I have thought about grad school a lot more lately too.. struggling with the outstanding costs and sacrifice of time I would be making, not to mention.. it's school. It would be sweet to go back. Well - bittersweet, anyway.

My resume has been all over a handful of general and mental health job-search sites plus my manual search for jobs had been pretty tiresome and dead-ended. I decided to put as much of me into Chanel as possible, as a manager and freelance makeup artist, since I love Chanel more than just about anything. I repeat - I love Chanel. I hate retail. This was my 3rd time working for Macy's and the management, structure and communication skills have been different every time. I am not writing this to speak badly of Macy's, I think it just comes down to my disregard for all retail in the world. Of course, I took the job at the perfect time - end of summer, ready to roll full-forced into Thanksgiving and Christmas. Schedules grew worse and my patience grew thin. It was fun while it lasted though. I made some great friends and met some fantastic people during my short time there.

It all happened really fast. A few weeks ago, I received an alert for The Minnesota Autism Center looking for therapists to work with children who have autism (ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorders). I looked at the qualifications and thought I'd at least email my resume, even though my exposure to autism was mostly limited to children with Asperger's. I was shocked to receive an response from an actual human being within a half hour of my email. I was given an interview for the next afternoon (yee!) and I just so happened to have a short shift, allowing me to make it to the interview. I kept my hopes low, so I wouldn't be down on myself if I didn't get it. The interview went well and I found myself praying I'd get the job. Cell bill reimbursement, great pay, great hours, great experience and most of all.. paid tuition for grad school. It seemed too good to be true. Less than 2 hours after the interview, I received a call with an offer. Ah!!! I had to keep my mouth shut until I was able to give my notice to my Chanel Account Executive and Cosmetics Manager.. I was pretty shocked how fast it all happened - I still am. Within 24 hours, my life had gone from no job leads to an offer. My last 2 weeks flew by. 2 weeks full of long hours, giftwrapping, Shanghai Wok & LeeAnn Chin (not that I don't mind, haha) and crappy, overplayed Christmas music. I definitely won't miss Macy's, but I'll miss the people.

I had a nice long weekend to relax before I started my new job. It's been really great so far! There are a handful of MAC Centers around MN and the first MAC School (where I work) launched this past fall. I am a behavior therapist for 5th grade, working one-on-one with two children on a daily basis (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) providing ABA Therapy and assisting within the school setting. The structure and ABA Therapy is actually pretty incredible. I'm pretty new to it all, but I really like it. I feel like I've learned so much already, on top of absolutely falling in love with each of those kids. Each child in our little class is so entertaining in their own way and so smart! One of the kiddos I work with has me laughing all day with his sweet personality and mannerisms.. so cute! It's pretty exciting to be back in the mental health field again, not to mention the joy of being to freelance for Chanel on the side. It's so nice to have a regular weekday schedule where I don't have to drive to Minneapolis, the parking is free and I finish before 4pm. I forgot what it felt like to have weekends and a normal social life! More than anything, it's incredibly rewarding to be able to work with children again.

If you wanna know a little more about MAC - The Minnesota Autism Center.. Check out a couple videos below.

xo

Chanel, Brides & Babies, Fried Food and a Whole Lotta Diapers

I feel like I keep rambling about how busy my life has been in the last 6 months. Well.. It HAS been busy. Overwhelmingly busy. We had our huge move in June, lots of baby showers and bridal showers, babies being born, Laura's wedding & planning my sister's wedding, the MN State Fair (obvi.), brand new jobs and the nightmares of having unfixed pups.

Obviously, I it's hard to blog about all of these things in one post, but I am doing my best to stay caught up with this little blog as best as I can! Can you believe this blog is going on 2 years old? It seems way longer than that..

So.

Brand new jobs. I think I've already talked about Justin and his job a few posts ago and I've mentioned that I took a freelance job for Chanel. In August, I met with my previous Account Executive for Chanel to discuss possibly working as the Business Manager for the downtown Minneapolis Chanel counter at Macy's. The meeting went well and I was offered the job! I have been there a few weeks so far and enjoy it for the most part. This fall, I will have been working in the cosmetics industry for 8 years - whether at a counter or freelance. For the last 4+ years I was a full-time mental health counselor, so it's definitely interesting to be at a counter again (especially in management), although sometimes I still feel like I'm counseling with all of the interesting people I interact with everyday. Retail can get old pretty quick, but somehow I make an exception since it's Chanel. I mean, c'mon. I love Chanel.

Before I accepted the job at Chanel, I was on a desperate job hunt and even had an interview set up for a job focusing on adults, home placement and family crisis situations. After submitting my resume, I received a voicemail (on a Friday) from a man, who I could have sworn said his name was "Stew". I called back to set up the interview time and graciously asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.. Was it "Stew"? And she crustily responds.. "No. It's Sue." OOOPS. Why in the world didn't I just ask them to repeat her name, instead of guessing it? Idiot me! I played it cool and continued to set up a time to meet. In my excitement of being offered an interview, I took the first time available (the following Monday) and went on with my day. Little did I know, I had a meeting scheduled at the same time for something very important to me, so I weighed the pros and cons and decided to call Stew/Sue back and ask for a later time. She never returned my call, so I attempted to call her again Monday morning and we finally connected. The first thing she said to me was this: "I'm sorry-- What could possibly be more important than this interview?" I was a little caught off guard by her tone and apologized again for the inconvenience. She continued to respond sharply to me as I offered to come in at any other time and she refused to budge or swap her lunch hour and told me she would still see me if I cancelled my already scheduled appointment. I thanked her for the opportunity and that was that. Thank goodness I didn't go to the interview, get the job and then realize the person I was working for. That woman needed a vacation or a serious nap.

Now that I'm moving head first into my position at Chanel, I'm getting to know the ups and downs of transportation and the value of my time. Did you know it takes me - on average - an hour and a half (in rush hour) to get to work in the morning? Did you know it costs me 13$ to park in the garage each day I work? It's definitely been a challenge, but I'm not giving up. It's so funny how I've spent most of my life living in the Twin Cities and I don't know left from right when I'm downtown. I am so twisted! I'm slowly getting it though..I've met some fun people so far, including the ladies at my counter. One is a serious veteran who's worked for Chanel for 15 years (wow!) and completely reminds me of Candace Azzara from In Her Shoes.  The other has fantastic experience and started the same time I did, not to mention we totally have a similar sense of humor. Aside from the ridiculous drive and expensive parking, I like it.

I've always loved the Minneapolis skyline.. (Click for source.)

Showers and babies. Mulder finally had her two, little twin girls a couple weeks ago! Her shower was one of the first parties I hosted since living back in MN and I am super happy to share the the shower will actually be seen in an upcoming feature at Baby Lifestyles -- I'll share more deets later! It has been really hard for me to be able to see Mulder and the babies since I accepted the new job. I hate that my new schedule has basically taken over my life! I finally was able to see her last week and make a fun little dinner to celebrate her birthday (with Jade and Nate too). The babies were absolutely breathtaking. Seriously.. The tiniest, sweetest little things. They have the cutest names -- Kendall and Hartley! It's so adorable how one has dark hair and the other is totally blonde.. I can't wait to see them again!

Bachelorette parties & a beautiful wedding It's been really great catching up with new and old friends since the move, especially celebrating my good friend Laura's bachelorette party!  It just so happened to be the same night my sister was hosting a Lady Gaga-themed bachelorette party! It was fun to help her create her costume over a couple weeks and as I headed to Laura's bach party, I stopped to do Gaga makeup for some of the girls! Laura's sisters threw a memorable and fun Girl's Night Out (and In!) to celebrate.. We began at a hotel in Bloomington and headed downtown Minneapolis to Zelo for a super delish dinner.. then back to the hotel for gifts and games! It was such a fun night.

We made this insane skirt out of an old belt, tulle, peacock feathers and tons of hot glue.. 

For the wedding day, I was really honored to do makeup for Laura, her mom and the bridal party as well. She gave me the sweetest, unexpected, little thank-you gift and I died when I opened it -- So stinkin' cute and thoughtful!!

After pure chaos of running home to change and dealing with some unexpected craziness, I made it back just in time for the big event. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. It was at the University Club in St. Paul - I had never been there before. It was such a charming venue for a wedding, I loved it. The ceremony was beautiful, and I cried a little of course! She looked fantastic and they were adorable together during the entire evening. The reception was special and there were some sweet moments with all of the glass-clinking and kissing and an emotional song/video her dad shared with her. Unfortunately, Justin had already committed to going to the bachelor party for Jordan (Lanae's fiance) happening at the same time. Boo. Attending a wedding alone is stinky, but it was great to see old friends - some who I haven't seen since High School.

A few minutes before the ceremony --  No crying.. God bless waterproof mascara!

The moment I lost it.. She looked INCREDIBLE.

I've never seen Laura so happy!

Our little girl is now a 'woman'. Back up a little bit.. After I finished with Laura's wedding-day makeup, I rushed home to change and get ready for the wedding. On my way, I called Justin and received some dreaded news: Coco went into heat. GREAT. Since neither Romeo or Coco are fixed, we didn't want to risk pregnancy for her - especially since she's so tiny and it would be hard for her to carry Romeo's puppies. Before making it home, I flew into Petsmart to find some puppy diapers and hoped to quickly talk to an expert on what we need to expect and what was actually happening with her. I found a bunch of diapers (holy expensive!) and went up to the Banfield counter where there were 2 women sitting behind the desk. I told them I had some questions about my 9-month old puppy who just began heat and one of the women responded with willingness to help with any questions, seeming to know what she was talking about. She explained how all puppies are different but if we don't plan to breed, that we should keep Romeo somewhere else for the next 4+ weeks. Uhhhh no? Where the heck am I supposed to keep him?! I explained that we could keep them separated and she would have diapers on to prevent from any mess and the woman told me this:

• Woman: "They need to be in separate kennels - far away from each other, or she will get pregnant."
• Me: "Of course..We will keep them separate". 
• Woman: "No. If they are in separate kennels, but the kennels are near each other, she will get pregnant."
• Me: {Laughing} "Wait. How? He can impregnate her from another kennel? Wouldn't that be pretty unlikely that he could reach or.. "
• Woman: "Yes. She will get pregnant. {Touching her temples} They can connect." 
• Me: "Ok. So you're telling me that she can actually get pregnant by just thinking about it?"
• Woman: "Yup."

Are you kidding me, lady?! She was serious, too. I can't believe I actually believed it for a minute, but get out of town! Dogs can't get pregnant by just "mentally connecting". Sheesh.

Regardless of Banfield-crazies giving us false advice, we had been debating whether or not to get her fixed (when we adopted her) because we really wanted to have puppies. We're still kind of unsure about it all, but will most likely have them both fixed - and soon. We don't know much about heat or pregnancy or breeding (gah!), but obviously it's expensive to get a pup fixed (not to mention two!). So that's the plan. It's been a ridiculous nightmare to keep them separated though. Romeo is so intense to be near her, while she just sits and looks at us, as if to say, "Oh, please." I know it doesn't compare to being a parent of a human baby, but diapers are expensive! It's definitely worth it to use them though, since they prevent so much mess (and hopefully pregnancy!).

Poor baby girl!

They barely fit her! They were too big and too small in some places..

Her diapers are hysterical though. So cute and little! I do feel really bad for her.. She seems so bummy since it all began. Romeo has been exhausting us with trying to keep them apart - He's seriously lost it. Poor little guy!

The good ol' MN State Fair. This year, we were lucky to go to the fair TWICE!

My handsome hubby and his gyro

My mom tried to adopt this guy at the mini donut stand, after he said he was from Guatemala. Oh, Mom!

And for round two.. 

We got 'Lloyd Christmas' during our wait for food at the Hollywood Diner

Boys hanging at Heritage

Instead of tossing the mullet through the hole, Vanessa gladly took my dare to go peek her face through  --  hehe

Thanks to my mom and The Current, I have liked Tapes 'n Tapes for some time now! It worked perfect for us to be at the fair the same day they were playing a show! My mom and some girls from work saved good seats for a while before people started going to the front to dance, despite being in the way. Security kept trying to kick them out, until we all jumped up and rushed the stage (a total Footloose moment!) and jammed out the rest of the song! It was pretty exciting! The show was awesome.. of course, we were front and center!

Tapes 'n Tapes

Other than that, I have been helping my little sister plan her wedding and my new party-planning site is in the works!! More details coming soon (duh!)!

Goodnight, dolls.

xo

The Wonderful World of Retail

Justin and I were watching SNL last night, and this skit had us laughing SO HARD!



Don't ya just love those obnoxious commercials promoting "huuuuge sales events!" and "blowout savings!!!"? My friend Marta arrives this Tuesday (Eeee!) and we are pumped and ready to hit the Black Friday sales at 4am.. We'll definitely find some good deals, but more than anything we're anticipating some real psychotic-freak-action with the 'doorbusters' and mass chaos - all just to save a few bucks. I can't wait, it's gonna be pretty entertaining!

Of all my memorable moments in the years I've spent in cosmetics, I will never forget the times I've spent with my good friends (and co-workers at the time) Jade and Misty. Misty and I would bend over backwards for our sweet, yet scatter-brained boss, unloading boxes and boxes of products.. Jade and I would crouch behind the counters and sing LOUD and off-key along with the Christmas music playing over the store on repeat, watching people's reactions.. Pretty sure we wet ourselves laughing! Ohhh, I'll be sure to share more cosmetic department memories later.

It's nice to finally be able to enjoy Christmas now that I don't work in the retail world anymore. No more cheesy/overplayed music, no more redundant tinsel and customers asking for gift receipts after the transaction completes, no more ugly "complimentary gift-wrapping", no more gifts-with-purchase, no more annoying customers asking for "free samples" with no intention of buying. Ohh, so sweet. All this Black Friday anticipation reminds me of when I worked in cosmetics at Herberger's back home.. Not only did I have to be to work by 3:30am, but I had to park and ride a bus, which shuttled all the mall employees from 10 miles away, so all of the parking spaces could be free for the super-shoppers. I will never forget that morning.. Adults screaming and pushing and shoving, fighting over who-got-in-line-first and debating that they can use coupons in cosmetics (what do you think this is people, Wal-Mart?!). Then, of course, all of the registers were overloaded and the entire store slowed down to snail-pace, ticking off the customers even more.

Can't WAIT!


xo

It's About to Break, Break Like a Fever

I really haven't been writing much lately.. Mostly because I've been super busy, and also because I decided not to.

A lot has happened in the past 10 days! I have been working a lot and recently got "the call" from HR at my job. Every year, at our starting date, we have to take a mandatory, 2-week sebbatical. It's a pretty bittersweet situation. No work for 2 weeks. Nice. Unpaid? Not nice. When I got "the call" telling me whether or not I would be approved for sebbatical and a restart date (our program has been on the rocks because of the economy and budgets, blah blah). So yeah! I got the call and it was good news. I was approved, but my sebbatical had to be pushed 2 weeks earlier (April 19 through May 3) - which I was really unprepared for. When I went in to sign papers and finalize everything, I was sent down the road for my very first "drug test". Yeah, strange I know. Seeing as I'm 26 years old and never had a drug test. It was fun I guess (HA!), maybe because I have never touched a drug in my life. Justin asked me that morning if I had eaten any poppyseeds lately.. That would be my luck completely, wouldn't it? Luckily I hadn't - not that I had anything to worry about!

Last week, I basically had to quickly notify my clients and remind them several times, "That's right, we will NOT be having session for the next two weeks." Some of them had a hard time with the early news, and I honestly expected atleast 1 or 2 of them to forget, and come to our regularly scheduled session anyway. Sure enough, 1 did forget (so far) and was apparently waiting in the clinic's waiting room for 45 minutes before calling me, so I could remind them that we were NOT having session. I felt kind of bad, but I guess it's bound to happen.

It worked out pretty nice because my sister, Vanessa (nurse in IN), has been planning to come down to visit with her roomie for some time now, and my sebbatical dates fell perfectly in place. They came down last week and left yesterday. We had a fun weekend at the beach and spent time relaxing and shopping here in Greenville (read post)!

Still really missing my friends. I haven't been home since last August, and I feel like I'm dying of loneliness.

My good friend, Tiffany's wedding is this Saturday! Excited to do the makeup and be a part of her big day. Still trying to decide what to wear. Hmm.

It's been pretty exciting to do more weddings as a freelance artist (versus brides coming to the makeup counter). Aside from Tiff's, I just booked a mutual friend's wedding day for makeup, my sister's wedding is this fall, along with another good friend of mine this fall. Eeee! I haven't even spoken much about the huge opportunity to do makeup (a friend of mine was featured) for Redbook photoshoot - which should be coming out in June or July? I'll definitely be posting about that one when I'm able to talk about it.

I'll never forget the first makeover I did on a woman when I was working for Lancôme (about 7 years ago?). She came to the counter to buy some concealer for her two, very recent black eyes. Whew! I didn't ask any questions, but we ended up doing an entire consultation and makeover, which consisted of her breaking down and crying. Apparently her husband/bf and her were in a fight and he beat the crud out of her. It was pretty emotional, but a great experience. After my first makeover, I felt like I could do anything! I'm really proud to be able to be in the cosmetic world for this long (which has not, and will never include Mary Kay or any other recruiting schemes!), especially without any cosmotology school or anything. I've always wanted to take a few classes for fun, anyway. With all that said, I know for a fact that I could not have come this far without my friend, Misty, who I've had the honor to work beside. Aside from practicing and just playing around, she really did teach me everything I know.

That's pretty much my life as of now. Finally caught up on Project Runway and 1 behind on Lost. Looking forward to the rest of this week and next week work-free. I have a few things planned, so I'm excited! I've been pretty emotionally and mentally drained for a while now, so a break is exactly what I need.



p.s. You should totally check out my friend, Tiffany's (another Tiffany!) blog, In Pursuit - She and her hubby have had some insane adventures traveling to Bangladesh. Crazy stories already!!

I'm listening to: Third Eye Blind - About to Break

[Lyrics - Third Eye Blind]


xo

Santa Baby...

I have been looking through some of my favorite cosmetic lines and their Holiday Collections for 2009. I have to say, Santa, I've been very good this year! As I have been in the cosmetics industry for over 6 years now and a freelance makeup artist and PA for Shiseido Cosmetics I highly doubt I need any more makeup. But then again, who said anything about need...I WANT!




[Collection Cage Doree De Chanel]

The Chanel 2009 Holiday Collection is incredible. It's a tad "hello, summer" to me, but I'm loving the flamingo pink and peacock blue! The collection was inspired by exotic birds, hence its name, Birds of Paradise. The tweed highlighter is incredible, and the polish? I'll take 5 of everything. Beautiful.


[Les Tissages Lames de Chanel / Shimmering Tweed Highlighter]


[Professional Eyeliner Duo in Celadon-Lame (Green/Black)]


[Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Bird of Paradise]


[Gorgeous Le Vernis Nail Polish in Trapeze (Limited)]


[Holiday Featured Lip Collection 2009 Includes: Aqualumiere in Maldives, Galapagos, Grenada and Tasmania; Aqualumiere Gloss in Colibri, Hirondelle and Canari]

[Sources: Makeup & Beauty Blog, Temptalia, Chanel]

--



Luckily, I have been given a little "sneak preview" of this amazing collection earlier this summer and it is absolutely phenomenal. Dick Page's brand new line of shadows literally blend like butter. I know, because I use them on clients and they sell left and right. I'm totally in love the new metallics going on here. This collection is totally fresh and original.



The 2009 Holiday Collection includes:
Luminizing Satin Eye Colors in Pyrite Crystal, Pyrite Sun, and Blue Stone
Perfect Mascara in Intense Teal
Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil in Golden Green
Perfect Rouge Lipstick in Rose Quartz
Transluscent Loose Powder in Septarian (Delicate Pale Gold)

[Source: Shiseido]

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Again, more metallics, greys, plums and the sexy smoke. Forever a fan. ♥




[Limited Edition Chrome Eye Shadows in Silver, Gold and Pewter]


[Limited Edition Lip Colors in Port, Chrome Metallic and Plum Pearl Metallic]


[Bobbi's Award-Winning Gel Eye Liner in Black Ink, Available in 16 other colors]

[Source: Bobbi Brown]

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Christian Dior's 2009 Collection was inspired by Aurora Borealis crystal, created by Swarovski for Dior in the mid-50's. The Collection focuses on iridescent pinks, lilacs and metallics.


[5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in Smoky Crystal]


[Crystal Boreal Eye Shadow in Purple and Silver Gem, embossed with crystal pattern]


[Rouge Dior - Creme De Gloss in Sweet Praline]


[“Cristal Boréal” - "An oval pendant, inspired by the shape of the neo-Louis XVI chairs that Christian Dior loved, is adorned with 52 Swarovski crystals of which 4 are Aurore Boréale. This pendant contains a crystal-effect gloss declined in one easy-to-wear shade: Pink Crystal. A true makeup jewel for precious iridescent lips". Availabile in Specialty Stores]

[Source: Tempalia, Christian Dior]

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Metallics, Metallics, Metallics!!! MAC's Holiday Collection is playful, fun and sparkling! It's all about combining hot and cold with a "Baroque Boudoir" luxe theme, including the usual dramatic punches that makes MAC what it is.



MAC's 2009 Holiday Collection includes:



MAC Holiday 2009 Lipstick:
Pervette (soft bright pink with violet opalescent shimmer)
Utter Fun (fuchsia cherry pink)
Surprise Me (mid-tone peach)
Total Wow! (blue pink berry)

MAC Holiday 2009 Dazzleglass:
She-Zam Sheer (silver with silver and red pearl)
Jingle Jangle (sheer yellow peach)
Phiff! (yellow pink with red and sapphire pearl)

MAC Holiday 2009 Cremesheen Glass:
Ever So Rich (sheer lilac)
Partial to Pink (light creamy yellow pink w/light gold pearl)
Boy Bait (light neutral beige with pearl)

Softsparkle Eye Pencil:
Iris Accents (pale violet with silver pearl)
Nightsky (true black with silver pearl)

Mineralize Blush:
Su perdu pernatural (mid-tone coral)
Conjure Up Dirty (mid-tone plum)

MAC Holiday 2009 Nail Lacquer:
$$$ Yes Metallic (silver foil)
Lucky Number (metallic blue pink)




[Pictured - It's A Miracle / Crescent (gold)]

MAC Holiday 2009 Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo:
Devil-May (light violet) / Crescent (silver)
Under Your Spell Base (light yellow, peach pink) / Crescent (rich copper)
Mayhem Base (dirty brown gold) / Crescent (silver)
Midnight Madness Base (dirty grey brown) / Crescent (gold)
It's A Miracle Base (deep blue burgundy) / Crescent (gold)
Blue Sorcery Base (bright turquoise) / Crescent (silver)

[Sources: Musings of a Muse, MAC]

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Lancôme went with a different route... Instead of the similar metallics and iridescents seen with the previous collections, Lancôme chose to go more rich and seductive with sultry reds and plums. Althought I'm not a ruby-red lipstick wearer, I absolutely love the Collection. Plus, Kate Winslet is flawless.



The Collection includes:

Sparkling Cherub Illuminating Powder
Color Design Cream Eye Shadow in Pink Lace, Garter Belt and Haute Smoke
Ink Artliner in Plum Tease and Brun Mystere
Holiday Eye & Cheek Palette in Evening Splendor, Nude Seduction and Plum Irresistible
La Laque Fever Lipshine in Captivating, Untamed Plum, Seductively. Evening Splendor, Feverish
L'Absolu Rouge in Luxe, Crushed Rose, Coquette, Rouge Seduction
Le Lipstique in Rougelle
Ôscillation Mascara in Sparkle Silver Top Coat, Sparkle Gold Top Coat and Black
La Vernis in Untamed Plum and In All Her Splendor





[Sources: Beautifulmakeupsearch, Lancome]

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I thought YSL's focus was totally couture, power, luxe, typical YSL. I've always loved YSL..It's very glammy rock! Enjoy.


[PALETTE DUO POUR LES YEUX - Lavender/Violet]


[PALETTE DUO POUR LES LÈVRES - Rose Beige/Champagne]


[Mini Touche Blush N°11 - Coral Beige Blush]


[Rouge Pur Lipstick: Black Tulip, Sublime Red, Sweet Dark Purple and Pink Grenadine]


[Golden Gloss: Golden Cherry, a rich red and Golden Lavander, a subtle mauve]


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