Have you ever run across makeup that fell so far below your expectations that you wonder how it got released? Thankfully it doesn’t happen often but I do have an unfortunate experience to report. I was sent the new Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature makeup collection to review on Bionic Beauty.

I set off to my bathroom with some of the bright cream shadows in hand, an eyeliner and a lipgloss. I applied everything and hmmm… still not dry. Twenty minutes later the eyeliner and “cream” shadows were still a runny mess and the lipgloss was coagulating on my lips. I ended up washing it all off after an hour.

Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature makeup collection swatches

Anyhow, here are swatches. These were taken after 30 minutes on my arm. From left to right…

The Couleurs Nature lipgloss in Mure- This is a very pretty translucent pink gloss. Sadly it was sticky and became gloppy on the lips, plus it’s $15!

The Pastel Creme Eyeshadow in Bleu Horizon- I typically adore bright shadows but I’m really not sure how one could wear this shadow. I usually tend to gravitate towards cream shadows because I like their long wear and softness. However, this is the consistency of a nail polish- it was runny, and the applicator is a lip gloss wand so you can’t apply it correctly. And most importantly it never dried. ($17)

The Pastel Creme Eyeshadow in Or- This color is certainly much more wearable than Bleu Horizon, but my comments on it’s lack luster performance still apply. ($17)

Liquid Shadow and Liner in Lapis Lazuli- This color is just plain gorgeous- a dark blue shimmer. It seems that they already discontinued it because I can’t find it anywhere on their site. Anyhow, a liquid shadow/liner combo is a good idea however, again the application feel short. The applicator itself is a too-short nail polish style brush. It’s too thick to line with and too thin to apply shadow. This formula also didn’t dry. Yves Rocher does have other colors available on their site- hopefully they have improved the formula.

In summary, this collection is way too pricey for the quality. Heck, I don’t think I’d pay a dollar each for the items above. I also don’t like how they are trying to market this with a “natural” feeling when they are packed with chemicals and non-natural ingredients. Hopefully I’ll have better luck with some of their other items… or maybe I got a bad batch.

You can check out the entire makeup collection at Yves Rocher’s website.

This Orly collection appeared in early Spring 2009, but I just got the chance to pick it all up. While some colors are stands outs, others are just so-so. I guess it all depends on what you like. So on with the swatches!

Orly's Cashmere Cardigan

Cashmere Cardigan is coollllllll… It’s a truly unique periwinkle blue. Love it! It applied like a dream, wore very well and didn’t chip or peel for three days.

Orly's Country Club Khaki (my favorite!)

Country Club Khaki is my favorite in this collection, by far! I’ve actually been wearing this constantly. Most of you ladies have probably heard about OPI’s You Don’t Know Jacques and the other “mushroomy” nail polishes. Well, this is a toned done version and looks SO much better to me than Jacques ever did. I have Jacques and it’s “eh” to me. Country Club Khaki is also going to be great for the transition into fall!

Orly's OMG nail polish

OMG is a very cool toned berry nail polish. The name to me really doesn’t fit a “preppy” collection, but oh well. The polish applied very nicely and was very pigmented. This is only 2 coats!

Orly's Polo Princess

Polo Princess is great if you want an opaque pink cream. With my super pale skin, it didn’t work well for me personally, but I think if you have a tan this could be gorgeous. There’s no shimmer at all.

Orly's Tennis Anyone nail polish

Tennis Anyone is the work-safe color in this collection. It’s a sheer nude, but like most sheers, it’s tough to get it to apply evenly. This was better than some sheers, but still gloppy.

The Orly Prepster collection is available at OrlyBeauty.com for $7.50 a bottle. Or keep your eyes peeled at your local CVS stores!

In mid June I showed you swatches of Essie’s amazing blue polish, Mesmerize. While the rest of the collection certainly isn’t as spunky, some of the colors are certainly worth a peek. And as always, Essie nail polish applies and wears like a dream.

Spring 2009 nail polish from Essie

Flawless is a very cool-toned pink with a slightly dusty appearance. It’s a true cream with no hint of shimmer. I applied 3 coats for pure matte coverage.

One of A Kind is a cream red with a coral undertone. This red is great for warm-toned gals.

Status Symbol- a punchy bubble gum pink! This color is perfect for a slight foray into the neons that are so popular this summer. You’ll need a few coats to reach opaqueness though.

All Lacquered Up, a classic red cream. This one doesn’t have the orange/coral undertone of One of a Kind. And while it’s still quite warm, it would be better than OOAK for cooler skin tones. Personally, I’d pick up one or the other- they’re close enough that most people won’t notice the difference.

Eternal Optimist is another slightly dusted pink creme. I’m no usually a pink polish gal, but this was a bit grungy, yet subtle. Almost a flesh tone for those of us pale ladies.

Which colors are your favorites?

I got my hands on two more of the Sally Hansen for Tracy Reese limited edition nail polishes! I spotted these in my local drugstore on the same day Erin from The Cheap Chick grabbed 2 Honeydews up in her neck of the woods. It must’ve been Sally Hansen day!

Sally Hansen nail polish in Beet Stain

Beet Stain is a deep berry cream. While it’s nothing unusual or mind-blowing, it’s certainly a pretty color. If you don’t have any deep, cool-toned reds, this is one to pick up. I think it will be great for pedicures during the winter!

Sally Hansen nail polish in Night Hydrangea

Night Hydrangea is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. Indoors it looks like a purple cream, outside there is an obvious silver shimmer to the polish. The purple is spectacular. I will definitely get a LOT of wear from this color!

Both polishes applied nicely. I get the most amazing wear from Sally Hansen Salon polishes. Normally by manicures chip in under a day, but the SH polishes last up to 3 if I’m careful.

If you missed my swatches of Tassel, Honeydew and Forsythia, check out Part 1 of this collection.

Have you spotted any of the Limited Edition shades in your area?

When Essie launched their Spring 2009 nail polishes, most of us were enamored with Mesmerize.

Mesmerize nail polish by Essie

Well ladies, it’s just gorgeous in real life. The medium blue cream is very flattering on cool-toned skin. It’s punchy, summery and like all Essie formulas- it wears very well and applies like a dream.

If you’re like me and can’t find Essie’s newer polishes in your local stores, you can order them from Essie.com for $8. If you’re interested in trying some of their basic shades, be sure to check out your local Target store!

Tis the season to break out the sunless tanners. Even those of us who embrace the pale can benefit from a few applications occasionally. I’ll be testing and reviewing several sunless tanners over the coming months.

First up… True Blue Spa’s super nifty Shade to Order.
Shade to Order is a custom sunless tanner. You dial in the tone you want by twisting the top portion of the bottle. Then pump and apply.

Unlike many sunless tanners, Shade to Order smells NICE. It’s fresh and slightly spicy. Plus it’s loaded with moisturizers to improve skin tone while bronzing. And due to those same moisturizers, it’s also virtually streak free and produces an even and natural color. No brassiness or orange.

I used the Level 5 to start for a week (Level 7 is the lightest – almost pure moisturizer), then increased to Level 3 for two days and ended up with a subtle tan. Enough to make me look healthy and not fake n’ baked.

However, as with all sunless tanners, you should abide by my Sunless Tanner Tips for the best application.

Shade to Order can be found at your local Bath & Body Works store or online at bbw.com. A 6.7 ounce bottle runs $18.50.

Dashing Diva nail polishes have long been on my “must-try” list. This Spring, they released a brand new collection “Manhattan” with over 100 polishes (yep, you read that right). Each polish is set to envoke thoughts of the infamous New York neighborhood.

First up, my personal favorite- Mulberry Street… a deep, slightly frosted wine-purple with golden duochrome shimmer. The color is simply fabulous!

Show Off is a bubblegum pink cream. This will make a nice color for summer pedicures! I had some issues with pigmentation on this color. My photos show 4 coats and it’s still not quite bottle color.

Upper East Side is a muted neutral creme and I like the color for day wear or conservative offices. However, I had a ton of cuticle drag, chipping, and clumping with this color. I’m not sure if my bottle was a fluke, but this was not fun to apply. At. All.

Wall Street is your standard classic red cream. Nothing to off-the-wall here. If you look closely, you’ll see that I had application issues with this color as well. Cuticle drag, weight lines at my nail tips, flow issues into my cuticles, and it chipped that same night.

Overall, I have to say, the colors were nice and a 100+ collection is quite impressive. However, the application issues didn’t sell the brand for me. For eight bucks, I’d rather buy OPI or Sally Hansen Salon nail polish.

Each bottle is $8 and available at DashingDiva.com or their NYC salons.

Lancome’s Spring 2009 collection, Pink Irreverence, featured some gorgeous pink, magenta and other rosey shades. But the star in my mind was the Piha Black lipgloss.

Even though so many of my friends and family looked at me like I was nuts for wanting a black lipgloss, I searched high and low. Every store in my area was sold out. Finally Mo, from Mythbuster Beauty (Side note… Mo, I love you!!), shipped me a mysterious package. Squeals of delite erupted through our house for the next few hours (yep, I admit, I squealed).

And since some ladies still doubt it’s wearability, I’m here with a collection of photos showing off cool ways to wear Lancome’s Piha Black gloss without looking like a goth-princess…

Loose Lips’ NY Lumi-shine lip gloss in Fate – Piha Black layered over top.

L’Oreal’s Cherry Freeze lipstick topped with Piha Black.

NARS Velvet Matte lip pencil in Roman Holiday with Piha Black over top.

I LOVE wearing my Piha Black over any pink lipcolor (like the NARS pencil above), guaranteed pretty for spring. But I’ve been combining Piha Black with pretty much every color I own and haven’t anything that was bad yet. The Piha Black adds depth and dimension and a perfect amount of sparkle. If you want to perk up a matte lipcolor, this is a quick and gorgeous way!
Piha Black is $25 at LancomeUSA.com.

You’ve probably seen the new L’Oreal HIP makeup offerings at your local drugstore… I couldn’t resist giving you all a review of my favorite new product: the Kohl Eyeliners.

Why do I love them so much?

Mainly because I FINALLY have a liner that stays put on my water line. I was one of those ladies that would line my waterline (the inner rim of your lower eyelid) when I’d create a smoky eye look and 2 minutes later… poof. The liner would be gone. I gave up.

The new HIP kohl liner actually stays put! On my lids too. I really love how they make a nice neat line that you can smudge, keep precise or do whatever. Plus the color is very pigmented and has just enough sparkle to make your eyes really pop.

What I didn’t love... the fallout. But I solved that by doing my lining first, then putting on my mineral makeup. The little felt type tip rubbed against my lashes and that’s what dropped the powder bits on my face. Like I said, easy enough fix, but just be aware. It’s certainly not enough to keep me from wearing these liners. I really really love the way my eyes look- Perfect for a night out!

On my eyes: L’Oreal HIP Kohl Eyeliner in Navy, L’Oreal Bare Natural Mascara in Black, Purely Cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Cotton Candy.

I basically lined my upper and lower lashline with HIP liner in Navy. Then ran a small liner brush over both lines to soften them. I lined my waterline to add depth to the look.

To add a bit more light- I applied Purely Cosmetics’ loose eyeshadow in Cotton Candy (a soft, sparkly pink) to the inner corners of my eyes.

Since the eye look is dark, I don’t believe you need extreme lashes. I used one coat of L’Oreal’s Bare Naturale mascara (my review is here) in Black.

L’Oreal HIP Kohl Eyeliners sell for $13 at your local drugstore or shop them at Drugstore.com ($13).

Sally Hansen’s Limited Edition nail polish shades create quite a stir in the fanatical polish world. I got my hands on three of the new Spring 2009 Tracy Reese collection colors!

Sally Hansen nail polish in Honeydew

Honeydew is my absolute favorite of the 3 polishes I tried. The color is unique, fun and perfect for summer manicures or pedicures.

As always, the Sally Hansen Salon polishes were smooth to apply- no bubbling, no pulling. Their length of wear really impresses me. I typically only get a day before my polish starts chipping, Sally Hansen Salon polishes last up to 3 days on my fingers!

Sally Hansen nail polish in Forsythia

Forsythia was not the best color for me. I think it would work on someone with a darker skintone, but since I’m a cool-toned, pale gal, this warm yellow really washed me out. Forsythia is a cream with light shimmer to increase depth.

Sall Hansen nail polish in Tassel

Tassel is a warm gold frost. I typically have a very hard time getting a frosted polish to apply with “straight lines”, however Sally Hansen’s frosts always work for me. Again, this color is a bit too warm for my skin, but I can see myself using it for holiday festivities or to create some artwork on my nails.

All Lacquered Up has a rundown of the other four colors from the Spring 2009 Tracy Reese collection. I’m REALLY longing for Night Hydrangea. Gorgeous!

What’s your favorite color in the collection? Have you spotted the Limited Edition shades at your local drugstore?