Make Up For Ever Cyber Monday Artist Shadow Collector's Palette - Swatches & Review

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Make Up For Ever Cyber Monday Artist Shadow Collector's Palette

Make Up For Ever has once again released a mega Artist Shadow palette! While similar in design to the 30th Anniversary Palette, the Cyber Monday palette is not a re-release of the former. I personally missed the 30th Anniversary Palette (still sad to this day about it!), but I've seen some bloggers compare the two and affirm that you could easily own both without feeling you have total duplicates.

Urban Decay Holiday 2015 - Partial Collection Swatches & Reviews

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'Tis the Season for Urban Decay Holiday 2015

The holiday season is underway and Urban Decay has released some amazing goodies to tempt makeup addicts!

We've swatched and reviewed a handful of them and we're excited to share them with you. Click to view the full reviews below!

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencils - Swatches & Review

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Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencils

If you struggle, like me, with finding liners that stick like glue to your waterline Urban Decay's announcement regarding their new waterline-specific liners probably peaked your interest.

They recently released 5 deep shades in their 24/7 Waterline collection meant to offer a demi-matte finish in a creamy formula (according to UD it's even creamier than their original 24/7 liners). These were formulated by UD specifically for the waterline, which is notorious for breaking down even the best eyeliners. While UD described them as creamier than the original 24/7 liners, I personally found these had a thicker formula. Urban Decay's original 24/7 liners have an incredibly creamy formula to me (love it) and while these don't drag on the waterline while applying from my experience, they definitely weren't as ultra-soft. Again, no drag, but definitely thicker, which wasn't a bad thing in my opinion!

Price - $20 retail

Where to Buy - UrbanDecay.com, Sephora/Sephora.com

Urban Decay Travel-Size Set of 5 Delirious 24/7 Liners Holiday 2015 - Swatches & Review

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Urban Decay Travel-Size Set of 5 Delirious 24/7 Liners

The second set of travel-size 24/7 liners Urban Decay has released this holiday season, Delirious features bold and unique shades in juxtaposition to the Cosmic set, which features softer, staple shades.

If you tend to take your time getting through an entire liner these are great--variety and travel-ready! The shades are fun and perfect for more artist looks or for adding a little pop of something special to a daily look.

Price - $29

Where to Buy - Sephora/Sephora.com

Urban Decay Travel-Size Set of 5 Cosmic 24/7 Liners Holiday 2015 - Swatches & Review

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Urban Decay Travel-Size Set of 5 Cosmic 24/7 Liner Set

Another holiday season, another fabulous chance to snag some of UD's coveted 24/7 liners for a great price! Each year I always eye (and often purchase) UD's liner sets. Aside from liners in my professional kit and my go-to daily personal liner shade (zero), it tends to take me a long time to get through more unique shades, so the travel-sizes are a great compromise! I love to travel with these. Sometimes full-size pencils are just long enough to fit in absolutely nothing!

This set includes 5 shades perfect for achieving a softer or more neutral look. It has my absolute favorite black UD liner--zero--along with 4 other complementary shades.

Price - $29 retail

Where to Buy - UrbanDecay.com

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Lit Holiday 2015 - Swatch & Review

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Urban Decay Naked Illuminated in Lit

Urban Decay released a new face and body highlighter in a shimmery bronze shade as part of its holiday 2015 collection, which might first raise an eyebrow or two (bronze for the holidays?!), but given the fact the holidays are all about glitz and glam it actually makes perfect sense! The formula is baked and meant to be used on both the face and body and has what Urban Decay calls a "microfine shimmer". While I wouldn't personally call it microfine (to me, Hourglass powders are microfine), it is actually very unique texture- and finish-wise! While not chunky or super reflective on the whole, it is well pigmented and has an almost demi-matte, satin finish that includes some reflective sparks.

The packaging has a compartment in the bottom that houses a brush meant to be used for application.

Price - $30

Where to Buy - UrbanDecay.com, Sephora/Sephora.com

Urban Decay Cosmetics Vice 4 Palette Holiday 2015 - Swatches & Review

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Urban Decay Cosmetics Vice 4

Urban Decay's Vice 4 palette consists of 20 amazing shades--all never-before-seen--housed in a hard case that features a large built-in mirror and dual-ended brush. I always find the Vice palettes have some of the most creatively designed exteriors and Vice 4 is no exception--loving the splintered holographic design!

The shades included in Vice 4 offer a mix of mattes, metallics and shimmers and range from neutrals to vibrant pops of color and deep sultry shades. I often found in the past that UD tended not to incorporate many (if any) mattes in a lot of their older palettes (then again, I've been a UD fan since the 90s) so it's nice to see such variety in their newer ones!

While Vice palettes tend to be on the larger side, if you're bringing a larger carry-on or checked bag while traveling over the holidays I'm sure you could find room for it, especially since the Vice 4 comes in a fabulous coordinating bag. I tend not to travel with any of mine, however, because I'd hate for anything to damage my precious Vices--pun intended!

Price - $60 retail

Where to Buy - UrbanDecay.com, Sephora/Sephora.com

Make Up For Ever Artist Plexi-Gloss Collection Holiday 2015 - Swatches & Review

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Make Up For Ever Artist Plexi-Gloss Collection Holiday 2015 Set

Lip gloss lovers, do yourself a favor and just hand your credit cards over because I think you'll find it hard not to buy this set of MUFE Plexi-Gloss lippies after you take a peek at them--available now! They're beautiful, they perform wonderfully and the price is decent compared to the retail value ($228 retail value with a $150 price tag).  Yes, this set is a bit of an investment (or indulgence), but if you're a real lippy addict that probably doesn't phase you too much. 

I've talked about MUFE's plexi-glosses in the past, so I won't bore you too much with the nitty-gritty details (feel free to look back at my previous post for that), but I will say that while the formulas tend to vary slightly between the finishes, they are all extremely self-leveling and give lips a plump finish overall. 

Price - $150 retail ($228 value)

Where to Buy - MakeUpForEver.com/MUFE Boutiques; Sephora.com/Sephora

*Want a chance to win this set? We're giving it away to our readers for the holidays. Click here to learn more and enter! 

Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2015 Beauty Deals

It's that time of year again! Sales and special deals are pouring in from brands and stores everywhere. We know it can be hard to keep everything organized, which is why we're posting our annual Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2015 Deals post. We've listed some of our personal favorites and will keep updating as we become aware of them. Good luck and happy shopping!

*Note: This feature is merely meant to relay sales information for those interested in staying on top of this year's deals. We have not used all of the brands/products listed below and therefore cannot personally recommend them all. Please be aware, information may be inaccurate below if brands change their sales or misinform us. 

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator Review

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Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator 

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator offers what the brand describes as professional grade chemical and physical exfoliation (meant specifically for the face) as well as pore perfecting.

Price: $58 retail (2 oz)

Where to Buy: drbrandtskincare.com, Sephora.com & other retailers

Making Your Own Sunshine All Year Long with BIC® Soleil® Glow® Razors

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Temperatures are dropping like crazy--at least they are if you’re up north like I am. And while fuzzy sweaters may be a big part of my wardrobe, fuzzy legs are not! I know it may sound odd, but this New Englander doesn’t let her legs or underarms go just because I’m bundled up from head to toe.

While the fact that I can’t handle the feeling of unshaven skin is certainly motivation to shave, so is the general health of my skin. Shaving is actually a really great way to gently exfoliate delicate skin! Nobody wants to emerge from a long winter with scaly skin, after all. It’s easier to maintain than do major skin therapy later.

Healing my 30-Something Skin - Top Fall Skincare Picks 2015 for Sensitive, Dry-Combo Skin

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BeautyPopStop's Fall 2015 Top Skincare

My skin is extremely important to me. I've talked quite a few times over the years about how careful I am to maintain a healthy, even complexion. I would much rather be able to feel confident with bare skin than feel I need to cover up certain areas. When I turned 30 a few years ago I noticed a drastic change in my skin. My once effortlessly clear, bright complexion grew dull and I started to notice patches of breakouts around my chin and forehead. I know I was fortunate to have so many years of great skin, but this sudden change really shook me.