Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

Happy weekend everyone!   What big plans do you have as the summer is winding down?   I’m spending my first weekend all summer as an empty nester and I’ve yet to decide what to do with my time.  Maybe nothing, and enjoy the last of the lazy days of summer!    In the meantime, enjoy some of the best in beauty and fashion around the web.

Whether it’s back-to-school time or you just want to save big on clothes, check out The Budget Fashionista to see how you can get a big discount on your purchases at Gap, Old Navy and more.  But hurry, the sale ends August 29th!

Charlestongirl of Best Things in Beauty is a lover of all things Bobbi Brown.  Last week she was fortunate enough to attend a Bobbi Brown Master Class.  She’s sharing the latest beauty tips she learned and see the newest in Bobbi products, too!

Tragedy struck the fashion world this spring with the news of Alexander McQueen’s death.  Butter London nail polish pays homage to him with their new shade All Hail McQueen.  Gaia from The Non-Blonde shares her thoughts on this honorary shade.   

Are you ready for the Emmy’s this weekend?  Anne from BeautyXposé is giving us easy to use at-home tips on how to get a gorgeous white smile, just like the ones we’ll see on the Emmy’s red carpet. 

Do you want to make your pores and fine lines disappear?  We all want that flawless face before applying makeup and Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews shares with us a Jouer product that gives her that flawless look. 

We love products that give us a flawless face, but sometimes we need to learn how to use the products to get the look we want.  Makeup artist Victoria Stiles will be doing ”Flawless Faces Web Series”.  See Makeup Artist Backstage to learn about the series.

The economy may be putting us in a grey mood, but Sabrina from The Beauty Look Book shows us all things beautiful in grey.  From nail polish to handbags and everything in between, there’s a grey you may fall in love with!

Sadly, there have been times when we’ve all overdone it in the sun.   Carla from Product Girl tested a Caudalie product for her sunburn.   Did she get the relief she needed?

What are some of the hot color trends this fall?  Purple is one of them, and I share with you some of my favorite purple beauty products.  Could there be a purple in your future?   And don’t forget to sign up for my Perricone giveaway!

Image from Fishing Lanier

Soon we’ll be enjoying leaves turning colors and cool crisp walks.  But this weekend check out what beauty bloggers around the web have to say about summer beauty, new Fall collections and so much more, including a wonderful giveaway! 

Charlestongirl from Best Things in Beauty has the scoop on Bobbi Brown’s new Black Velvet Collection for fall.  Bobbi created the Black Velvet colors to provide a strong look, but one that’s pretty too.

Fall beauty is showing up everywhere.   Gaia from The Non-Blonde shows us the newest limited edition blush from Givenchy called Le Prisme Blush Blooming Fuchsias.   The pretty packaging and beautiful colors will have you captivated too!

Thinking about your holiday shopping?  Over at The Budget Fashionista, check out an interesting way to save yourself some money for the season.

Have you become a QVC beauty junkie like many of us?  Anne from BeautyXposé interviewed QVC personality Staci Dickerson to see what she does to get that summertime glow all year round.   You might be surprised by some of the products used in her beauty routine. 

Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews had amazing lash growth results from using Marini Lash by Jan Marini.   See her shocking results and enter to win your very own tube of Marini Lash.  Good luck!

Amy at Café Makeup gave us previews and comparisons all week of Chanel’s newest high shine lip glosses Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss.   She what she thinks of this latest addition to the Chanel lip craze.

Padded bras, padded socks, padded underwear – all things to make our lives a little smoother, softer and bootier.  And now we have makeup that’s even padded!   It seems to be the newest rage in makeup.  Who would have thought?  

A few months ago Bobbi Brown came out with this Denim and Rose Collection. Believe me when I say this set is much prettier in person than what it shows online.   I didn’t think I’d care for this much until I saw it in person.  Check out Best Things in Beauty’s post on this pretty set.  This set includes 4 eye shadows, 4 lip colors and a cheek color and a nice sized mirror.  All of this is enclosed in a padded denim zip up case.  Cute.

Several years ago Laura Mercier came out with her Library Palettes.   They were these little “books” of color and you could buy them individually or as a 3 book set house in a box just like buying a booked set of reading books.   Now she’s taken that Library Palette to updated looks with this gorgeous palette along with a mini mascara in a Kooba designed (padded of course) case.   This is a beautiful set exclusive to Nordstrom.  This padded set includes 3 lip colors, 3 eye shadows, 2 cheek colors, a glow veil bronzer a dual ended brush, a mini mascara all in a Kooba case (love Kooba bags!).  The mirror and slots for credit cards, license and cash are so brilliant!    It too is limited edition.   So classy.

And now NARS has jumped on the padded makeup bandwagon with two palettes of their own.  The one shown above is Beautiful Life Lip and Cheek palette.   It includes Top Row (left to right):  Sexual Healing Lipstick (sheer, shimmering pink blossom) Honolulu Honey Lipstick (satin, flesh-toned beige) Roman Holiday Lipstick (sheer, delicate pastel pink) Funny Face Lipstick (semi-matte fuchsia)   Bottom Row (left to right): Copacabana Multiple (glistening pearl)  Orgasm Multiple (peachy pink with shimmer) All in a black padded zip case. 

The other new palette by NARS is this Only You Eye and Cheek palette.  It includes Top Row (left to right):  Alhambra Duo Eyeshadow (left side: metallic rose mist)  Mekong Single Eyeshadow (espresso fused with gold) Eurydice Duo Eyeshadow (left side: electric aubergine) Pandora Duo Eyeshadow (right side: matte black) Bottom Row (left to right):    Hungry Heart Blush Duo (left side: iridescent gold ivory) Orgasm Blush (peachy pink with shimmer).   All encased in, you guessed it, a padded case.  

So what do you think about about this padded palette craze?  Is is good or a gimmick?

Here is another fabulousset that I picked up at Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.   The Bobbi Brown Chocolate and Navy Palette.   This one also had me really excited because of the value –  $75 for the whole set valued at $135 and because of the extremely wearable colors I’m sure I will get a lot of use out of this set!

The set includes the 5 pan eye shadow palette with a brush and includes the shades

• Navajo
• Cement
• Gold Bar
• Copper Cocoa
• Royal Navy

I was told the only color not currently in the regular line is Royal Navy, but I don’t see Gold Bar online, just Gold.  Also included is an Everything Mascara, a Caviar Gel Ink Eyeliner and travel sized eyeliner brush, a Brownie lipstick and Pink Blossom Lip Gloss.   Everything is all full-sized except the travel brush.    Below are the eye shadow shades applied to my arm in the same order that they are in the pan. 

On my skin, the Navajo blends right in, the Cement is a light grey shade, the Gold Bar shade is similar to Navajo except Gold Bar is shimmery, the Copper Cocoa explains the shade perfectly and that too is shimmery and the Royal Navy is more like a charcoal navy shade.  

Above is the Caviar Ink Gel Liner applied to my hand.   It is not quite as dark as a true black, but more like a charcoal black.

Shown in the two photos above is the Brownie lipstick.   For me, it matches my natural lip color perfectly, so this is definitely one that will get a lot of use.  I’ve owned it in the past and used it right up.   Below is a swatch of the Brownie lipstick and the Pink Blossom gloss.   A true pale pink that looks lovely on top of the Brownie lipstick.  Also included in the package are instructional tips/suggestions on how to wear the set.   I’m going to be sure to follow that and see what kind of results I get.

This Nordstrom Anniversary special was a huge hit too and is sold out online back online this morning.   But, you can call Jennifer at Nordstrom Bobbi Brown counter to see if she can get you one if you are interested in this fabulous palette.   952-883-2121  But I’d hurry!

It’s nearing that time of year again, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.   And do you know what that means?   Super buys on beauty!  Again, there are some incredible deals of pre-packaged sets or large sizes with a special price, and the beauty companies pull out all the stops for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.    This year they are doing it so much smarter than in the past.   It used to be that you could pre-order what you wanted to purchase and then wait till the sale and pick it up.   But, if you were one of the unlucky ones and didn’t pre-order, your chances of getting the goods when the sale day started were very slim to none.   Now you can go in store or online and pre-order and it is shipped to you from their warehouse, even before the sale actually starts on July 16th.   Or if you can’t seem to get it together before that, you can go into the store and the stores will have good stock.  I wouldn’t wait too long though – no guarantees!

Here are a few of my favorites of the many, many wonderful deals to choose from.  Be sure to check online for more specials available.   Decisions, decisions…

This Dior deluxe palette is so much more gorgeous in person than how it looks here.   It includes a soft pink blush, a three tone bronzer,  four beautiful eye shadows, two lip glosses and a mini brush.    $54.00   There’s a Dior Addict Ultra Gloss lip gloss that’s exclusive too.  Fabulous!

Trish McEvoy always has wonderful value sets and this is no exception.  The “Must Have” collection for eyes is a $175 value for $85   It includes an “emergency card” which is credit card sized palette of 8 eye shadows, a dual ended makeup brush, a travel sized Eye Base Essential in Bare,  Instant Eye Lift, travel size Lash Enhancer, travel size Mascara, all in a mesh pouch to fit in your petite size planner. 

Giorgio Armani make beautiful brushes.  In this set you get a mini blush brush, a mini blender brush (I use the blender brush every single day) a mini eye shader brush and a mini eye contour brush all in a travel pouch.     These aren’t tiny mini brushes either, they are really nicely sized ones.  Individually these would sell for $167 and are being sold for $75.

This Bobbi Brown set is incredibly priced!   The products are all full-sized and would sell for $139 if purchased separately.   They’re selling the set for $75!   This Chocolate and Navy set includes a 5 pan eyeshadow palette including a new navy shade, an Everything mascara, Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink along with an ultra fine liner brush, a Brownie shade lipstick and Pink Blossom lip gloss.   

Not to be outdone, Lancome has this Hypnose lash set for $42, valued at $99.  It includes Hypnose mascara in full size, a full sized Ink Artliner in Brun Elegance, a full sized Cils Booster XL, BiFacil makeup remover and a smudge brush #1 in a satin pouch.

Jo Malone fragrance sets are always divine and of course this one is no exception either.   This is a $135 value for $85 and you get an Orange Blossom Cologne (I wear this a lot), Grapefruit scented travel candle, Lime Basil and Mandarin Bath Oil and Pomegranate Noir Body Creme.  I’m in fragrance heaven already.

For the botanical skin care lover, Chantecaille has this set for you.  A $209 value for $135.  You get a Pure Rosewater, a Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser and a Vital Essence all in this pink drawstring nylon bag.    

And last, but certainly not least in my list of favorites is this Laura Mercier Portable Beauty Set for $65 with nearly $100 savings off the $164 value.  The set includes a split pan eye shadow duo, a dual ended brush, a split pan cheek color duo, a dual ended Lip Glace along with a mascara in this cosmetic bag. 

Deals this good only come around once a year, so be sure to check out all of them.  I’m sure I missed some that might be your favorites.  If you want to talk with a sales associate if you don’t have a Nordstrom near you, call 952-883-2121 and tell them Fab Over 40 sent you.  They’ll be great at assisting you in what you need.

Thursday, May 20th is National Makeover Day on QVC.

Are you free tomorrow (Thursday) to watch QVC for 24 hours?  Well, if you are, you’ll have a day of beauty devoted to helping women create a positive change inside and out.  There will be home makeovers and then fashion makeovers by Bradley Bayou and Gretta Monahan.   Headlining the hair will be Chaz Dean with his WEN hair care line and Bobbi Brown with makeup.  Even Suze Orman gets in on the makeover fun with a financial makeover.

Personally, I’m very excited about the Bobbi Brown feature.  The products shown above are from the Downtown Beauty six piece collection which will be featured tomorrow.  This would regularly sell for approximately $157 and will be $102 on QVC.  But stay tuned regarding that price, could it be better???  You get a five eyeshadow eye palette,  five palette lip shades, a Caviar Longwear Eye Gel along with the liner brush, a Washed Rose Shimmering Blush and a sheer gloss in Popsicle. 

As part of “National Makeover Day” QVC will give six deserving women from Dress for Success personal life makeovers – including a beauty makeover from Bobbi Brown, financial makeover from Suze Orman, hair makeover from Chaz Dean and a fashion makeover from Bradley Bayou and Gretta Monahan.  The transformations will be revealed live, throughout the day, on QVC, with the experts sharing how QVC’s customers can acheive similar results from the comfort of their own homes.

Bobbi Brown has been a huge supporter of Dress for Success and QVC will be making a collective contribution of $250,000 to the organization.     I wish I could watch all day!  Maybe that cough will be coming back that plagued me the last time QVC had an all-day beauty day.