B is for BURBERRY!

I still have some blogging to do which will include more IMATS items, until then I am going to share with you a few items that I have been loving lately.  I bought them the same day as IMATS but they were actually purchased immediately after at Saks.  I went to Saks thanks to my girl TaylieTot on Twitter.  I asked her where I could see, up close and personal, a Burberry makeup counter when I was in NYC.  She had suggested Saks and that's exactly where I headed.  I met this fab girly named Lisa who was more than happy to assist me with my purchase.  I guess I really didn't need much help because I was practically out of money, thanks to IMATS, and knew the exact two shadows I was going to gobble up.  I asked her for Pale Barley and Midnight Brown shadows.  Those are the two that I feel in love with after watching Tayler's video on  YouTube about her Burberry makeup.  I think I have a link in my first Burberry post, but I will add a link below as well.  You must check her out because she is FAB!  Let me tell you that these colors are absolutely gorgeous! I had it in my mind that I could only purchase two and nothing else.  If you follow me you know that I already have the Lipstick and two Glosses by Burberry.  Ok so I had my two shadows in my greedy little paws, and I totally steered clear of the lipsticks, because I went crazy at the INGLOT booth at IMATS (post coming soon).  I did however inquire about a pressed powder.  I was currently using my Chanel Double Perfection for touch ups during the day, and it was getting to be a little heavy.  I wanted something light and to just take down the shine if I have any.  I also didn't want something too dark to add a lot of unnecessary color to my already tanned skin.  Lisa helped me out with this perfect powder in my perfect shade.  So I ended up with only 3 Burberry products for Saks and the lovely Lisa.  Here is a photo of them below -

To the left is the Midnight Brown shadow, in the middle is my gorg new powder in Trench No.09, and shadow in Pale Barley on the right.  I have worn these two shadows every single day since I bought them.  They are AMAZING.  Let me tell you when I read a blog, or watch a YouTube video and they say that Burberry shadows are the best, everyone is totally CORRECT!  These shadows are soft, pigmented, and stay on all day.  Midnight Brown has a slight shimmer in the pan but not on the lid.  Pale Barley has this gorgeous shine but no glitter or shimmer.  They are just amazing.  The shadows are $29.00 and TOTALLY worth the price of admission.  As for the powder, which is actually called Sheer Luminous Compact Foundation, this is amazing as well.  Now that I am using my Gleam mixed with my liquid foundation, I only need a sheer powder to set and this fits the bill.  This is quite expensive at $55.00 but once again, totally worth the price.  The compact is classy, chunky, and gorgeous.  I don't mind a heavier compact that's why I like this one.

All in all I think that Burberry has some amazing products.  I must say I am still in LOVE with Chanel and my gorgeous friend Heather.  I did try to call Heather back today to talk about the new summer collection that just landed in stores.  So I am not giving up my interlocking CC's just yet.  I am just going backward in the alphabet and trying a little bit of what the letter B has to offer.

In the case of finding something that made me stray (just a little bit) away from my beloved Chanel - This case is SOLVED!  

Here is Tayler's info if you would like to check her out, you will love her, promise!  -

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TaylieTot
YourTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv2lcYS8-k&feature=relmfu
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/taylietot

Detective Kathy

Bdellium Brushes = Love at first sight!

I know you are hearing from me a lot these days.  Two posts yesterday and here is another today.  If you know me at all, you know that I love to talk!  I especially love to talk when it comes to finding some fab things that I feel as though I have to share with you.  Yesterday I wrote about my new fav new product love Gleam by Melanie Mills.  Today I am going to write about something that I have never written about before Makeup Brushes.  I have never written about Makeup Brushes before because honestly, I have never really been that excited about them UNTIL NOW!  I mean I have them, obviously for myself and my clients.  I have always had a mixture of brands that I would use or pick up a brush here and there.  Last year at IMATS I didn't buy one brush and was a little sad because I really wanted to check them out.  This time I was going to do just that. 

I remember finding a brush brand on Twitter, yes I know that Twitter again, welcome to 2012 it is here to stay!  Anyhew, I found a brush company that mentioned that they would be at IMATS.  What really drew me to them was their yellow brushes in their Twitter picture.  This brush company is called Bdellium Tools.  Let me tell you as soon as I saw those yellow handles I immediately went over to the booth.  I am so happy that I did because here I am after all of these years of being a Makeup Artist, finally LOVING the tools that I am working with.  I loved them so much after I used them I came home and ordered a few more. 

Here is a little background about Bdellium Tools - First of all lets pronounce the company correctly - Bdel*li*um [del-ee-uhm, -yuhm] The "b" is silent. Next lets talk about the fact that these are Professional Antibacterial Makeup Brushes which also come in an Eco-friendly line.  There are different types of Bdellium brushes.  They have the Studio, Travel, Maestro, & Bamboo lines.  The line I chose to purchase are the Studio.  There difference between the 3, with the exception of the eco-friendly Bamboo line, is the handles.  The Studio and Travel lines are identical in hair content and shape.  The only difference is the length of the handles.  The Maestro Series hair content and shape are identical to the Studio and Travel lines.  The difference is the ferrule, which is nickel plated brass.  This may tend to be stronger and more durable than the aluminum ferrule used in the Studio and Travel lines.  I chose the Studio simply because of the gorgeous yellow handles.  There wasn't much price difference between the two, I just liked the color because it makes me happy.  The yellow reminds me of the sun, and you know how much I love the sun!  I also love the long professional handles. 

Ok so here is a photo of my new pretties -

I bought, from left to right, #980, #959, #949, #780, & #768.  From the moment I used these luxurious brushes I was totally in love.  I loved them so much I thought I would add a few more to my collection.  I ordered 3 more, which have shipped but are not here yet.  I will post pics when I receive them.  I ordered #934, #778, and #781.  These are all eye brushes.  When I was at the booth I kept thinking that I had so many brushes at home I would only get what I absolutely needed.  Well, as you can see once I used them I realized that I had to have all matching yellow handles in my collection.  OK so I am a bit obsessed!  I am thinking by the end of June I will have the entire Bdellium set!  Two of each, one for me and one for my clients!

So IMATS is over until next year so how can you make these beauties yours you ask?  Simply go to www.bdelliumtools.com and place your order.  There is one stipulation before ordering, you MUST say the name of the company correctly.  Yes of course they can hear you so please practice and say it right! 

Once again a complete review where I could just go an and on and on and on.  The same disclaimer stands just like yesterday.  These opinions are my own, I am not getting compensated in any way, shape, or form for my review of these brushes.  I just LOVE them and totally want to share my love with all of you!  That's just how I roll! Speaking of rolling, let me roll on out the social media plug for this wonderful company!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/bdelliumtools
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/bdelliumtools
Website -  www.bdelliumtools.com

If you have any questions about these brushes you can comment below, tweet me, or email me!  OH and I almost forgot about something very important, the price.  These brushes are so affordable!  Yes that is correct, wait until you check out the prices you will not believe how affordable these are for the quality.  I guess affordable luxury are the words I would use when talking about these brushes!

In the case of finding brushes that make me happy when skies are grey, come on they are the color of sunshine - This case is SOLVED!

Detective Kathy

GLEAM Body Radiance by Melanie Mills

When I was at IMATS I was approached by this gorgeous woman who had a tube of something in her hands.  At the time I didn't know who she was or what the tube held.  I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the tube would hold something that I don't think I will ever be able to live without!

The gorgeous and sweet woman that I met was Melanie Mills.  She told me about her product called Gleam Body Radiance.  Since I am already quite tan, and LOVE to be absolutely as tan as I can possibly be, this product is right up my dark alley.  I will also say that if you are not tan, this product is still for you, and I will explain why below.  Melanie took my arm and put this bronze lotion all over it.  I have to tell you that my already tanned arm transformed into this bronze gorgeousness.  My arm looked smoother, softer, and flawless.  I immediately asked her if it was going to get all over my satin blouse, she assured me that it WOULD NOT transfer at all.  Once this was all rubbed in she told me how it can be used on arms, legs, full body, and also FACE!  My black satin shirt began to hit my arm and to my surprise, Melanie was correct, no transfer at all.  I have had some of these products in the past which turned out to be so messy.  Most of them were an oil or a cream.  I would rub them in and in seconds everything I put on would turn to a bronze mess.  Also all the products I tried in the past were very glittery which would end up all over me.  This is NOT glitter at all, it is pure liquid bronze in a tube.  After the chat and the demo, I walked away with the largest tube of this product in the color Bronze Gold.  I also bought a Lip Radiance in the color Naked.  This is also an exceptional product.  Makes my lips look smooth and gives a gorgeous nude glow.  This is a long wearing gloss does not slide around the lips.  BTW the smell on the Body and Lip Radiance's is simply divine. 

As soon as I got home I immediately looked up Melanie and her magic products.  Here is what I discovered

*Melanie Mills is an Emmy Award winning makeup artist who has become one of the most sought after names in the industry. Melanie served as head makeup artist on ABC television’s smash hit Dancing With The Stars for five years, redefining the look of the makeup for the series.*

Um OK so really Mel, you forgot to mention all of this to me when we were chatting about this product, and to think I gave you my business card! Melanie was so sweet and this just goes to show that she didn't need to talk about anything other than her fabulous product to sell it.  Once it goes on and how it transforms your skin, there is no way you would pass it up!  After I was finished at IMATS and went out into the sunlight I could not believe that this product looked even more flawless outside in the light.

I wanted to be able to wear this for a few days at work to see the response I would get before I did this blog post.  I wore it all week on my arms not that they were exposed because its like 40 degrees here still,  and today I added it to my foundation.  The first reaction was this morning at the time clock when my friend Theresa commented on my skin.  She told me that I had a JLO glow to my face.  Ok so I have been trying for years to get that glow on my skin.  The next came as I was walking in the hall and two other friends Pam & Tammy commented on my glowing skin as well.  It didn't end there but I am sure you get the point!  So here is what I did to achieve that glow - I put on my moisturizer, added some Gleam in Bronze Gold to my foundation, mixed them together and applied them with a foundation brush.  No bronzer or powder was needed after this. After watching Melanie's YouTube videos last night I learned that it can also be used on the eyes.  I did try it on today to see if it would make my eyes tear, and how it would stay on.  The result was perfection! Stayed on all day and no irritation.  I am so happy that I ordered the Rose Gold.  I think this will look stunning on the eyes.

 Here is the description of this product taken off of Melanie's website -

About Gleam

GLEAM Body Radiance creates a natural lit from within glow for the skin in an easy application. The lightest to the deepest complexions are all made luminous by a formula that hides skin imperfections, even filling wrinkles and enhancing the texture of the skin thanks to GLEAM Body Radiance’s velvety botanical base. GLEAM can be applied in a light touch to highlight shoulders, décolleté or to massage in liberally like a lotion, for all-over perfection.
Velvety, weightless yet so very rich, GLEAM Body Radiance makes your skin look alive and gorgeous for any occasion. GLEAM Body Radiance is transfer-resistant and imparts the look of radiant skin health and is an instant confidence booster. GLEAM luminizes and perfects skin in a lightly-scented vanilla potion, as a foundation does for the face.
“GLEAM Body Radiance is fabulous for anyone, and I wanted to add ingredients that were wonderful for the skin,” says Melanie Mills. GLEAM Body Radiance is made of water and Olive Oil, infused with Jojoba Seed Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, antioxidants Japanese Green Tea and White Tea extracts, Aloe Leaf Extract and Brown Seaweed, a hydrating marine extract that stimulates synthesis of Hyaluronic acid and increases elasticity. Together these anti-aging ingredients slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin.

Color Overview

LIGHT GOLD is an ethereal ray, the lightest formulation of GLEAM with a pale yellow base that counteracts ruddy and reddish skin undertones. Pure creamy velvet finish for the light to medium skin-tones. Camouflages stretch marks, scars and other imperfections and imparts a subtle dewy glow.

ROSE GOLD
Melanie Mills’ signature color and her personal favorite. This shade is the original color and was created first by Melanie for the “Golden Glow” that all Dancing with the Stars celebrities and pro dancers are finished with for the camera. Melanie wanted this creamy potion to emulate real Rose Gold and be liquid metal for the skin.

BRONZE GOLD
This shade is pure bronze, like a statue and has a wonderful yellow-orange undertone that also acts like liquid metal. BRONZE GOLD is the third deepest shade, perfect for medium to deep skin tones.


DEEP GOLD
Pure luminous, chocolate soufflé, with red velvet undertones that never look ashy on the skin. Beautiful and rich, this deep liquid metal shade is a game changer and delivers the “Glow” for the most melanin-rich skins who want to hide pigment patches, scars, stretch marks, dark knees and elbows.

So there you have it! As you can probably tell I could go on for hours about this product.  I totally found Melanie on Twitter and cannot stop tweeting about this product.  I actually was so excited, I ordered two more colors last night (Rose & Deep Gold) so I can highlight.  I also ordered another Lip Radiance in "Pop My Cork".  I want to let you know that  Melanie has a YouTube channel that has videos on the application of these products along with swatches.  I watched every single one last night! 

I know I review a lot of products and also purchase a lot but I have to tell you that this product is a MUST HAVE especially for summer.  If you have any imperfections on your legs, arms, or face that you would like to conceal, this is totally for you.  The coverage is flawless and makes it looks like all the imperfections were airbrushed out of your skin.  Even on my face that usually gets blotchy from the tan, looks totally even and glowing! 

Here is the website to order - http://www.gleambymelaniemills.com/ 

Here is Melanie's YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z65O9oe9Uwc

Melanie's Twitter Name - GLEAMBODY

Melanie's Facebook Page- http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gleam-Body-Radiance-by-Melanie-Mills/219443434737526

Here is the gorgeous Melanie -

Since this post is a total review I will disclose to you -

These products were all purchased by me and my opinions of these products are my own.  I am not being compensated in any way, shape, or form for my review of these products.  I just really love them and want to share my love with all of you.  Believe me if I had a store, these products would already be on my shelves! 

If you have any questions about these products, please Tweet me, or leave me a comment below.  You can also follow Melanie on Twitter and ask her questions too! 

In the case of finding some MUST HAVE products for my body, face, & lips - This case is SOLVED! 

Detective Kathy

IMATS NYC 2012 Haul

So let me begin by saying, I went, I saw, I learned, & I shopped!  Even though IMATS is a distant memory, I think of it every single day when I use all of the items that I purchased.  Since a lot of my readers and friends have asked to see photos of what I bought, I will post photos here.  I will be doing a separate blog post on most of the items.  There are some that are so AMAZING I just cannot wait to tell you about.  After I do this blog with the photos, I will hop right back on and write about a product that I know I WILL NOT live without now that I have it! 

So here it goes -

Well there you have it, everything I bought at IMATS NYC 2012! I think that's all at least!  If you have any questions on any of the products, please send me a message on Twitter, or comment below.  I did already post some of these photos on Twitter and had a lot of questions about the INGLOT products.  I will do a separate post on the colors very soon.  The first post I will be doing is about GLEAM Body Radiance created by the gorgeous Melanie Mills, and also my new favorite brushes of all time Bdellium Tools.  I loved them both so much I actually ordered more last night online.  I was going to wait until I received the others to do a post, but I really can't keep it to myself any longer! 

I did manage to save some money and go to Saks to purchase some Burberry Makeup.  I will also do that in a separate post. 

In the case of making it to IMATS NYC for the second year in a row - This case is SOLVED!

Detective Kathy

Happy Easter & POMP CONTEST Winner Chosen!

I just wanted to take a minute and wish a Happy Easter to all who celebrate! I hope you were blessed to enjoy the day with family and friends, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

This morning I numbered all of the contest entries in order that the answers came in.  I put the numbers into Random.org and out came a number attached to KRISTEN @momofSydBlake on Twitter!  I wrote to Kristen via Twitter this morning and she was surprised and very happy about winning the POMP Pearl Earrings by Sharon Case. 

I would like to thank everyone who entered the contest and also thank you to all of my new Twitter friends that I have acquired recently.  I enjoy chatting with you about things we love such as: Sharon Case, POMP, Y&R, makeup, family, and our lives in general!  Next weekend Detective Lynn and I will be taking our trip to NYC to IMATS (The International Makeup Artist Trade Show), and will actually be meeting up with some wonderful girls that I have become friends with on Twitter!  I am so excited for this I can hardly wait.  So much has happened since last years IMATS for me.  Starting this Blog and Tweeting has really been a life changer.  The friendships that I have developed are really a blessing.  I love to have people to chat with who share my interests. 

Before I close this blog post I would like to thank a very special person, Sharon Case, for sending me these beautiful earrings for the contest.  I would also like to thank my friend Bonnie, who's website - http://sharoncasefans.com/ provided the answer to the question for the contest! 

****Just a quick note, in case you didn't win the gorgeous pearl earrings, they are now on SALE!  Sharon has put the Pearl Earrings and Pearl Ring on sale 25% off until Mother's Day.  Here is the link - http://www.sharoncasejewelry.com/Mothers_Day_gift.html  I know what I am getting for Mother's Day!!! Well as long as my son is reading this!!!!

I am sure we all know what the ring and earrings look like but I had to add this beautiful picture of Sharon!  As you can see Sharon is wearing the earrings, ring, and also the Geometric Bracelet, that I recently bought and LOVE! 

Once again, thank you to all of our followers!  We appreciate you and hope that you continue reading!  Our next contest will be coming soon and will feature makeup products, some from IMATS!!

In the case of finding a winner of our first Blog Contest - This case is SOLVED!

Detective Kathy