“Beauty has its form, and its mediums. The light and dimensional harmony of two reflective sources: new Beauty Powder/Loose, coordinated with the soft ambient highlights provided by five new Studio Lights. The look: radiant and sculpturesque.”

MAC’s newest collection, Of Beauty, gives us an array of pearlescent loose powder that provides a sheer, lightly reflective, shimmering iridescent finish to the skin.

You can use the Beauty Powder/Loose ($21 US) in many ways; ideal for highlighting eyes, cheeks and décolletage. There are six Limited Edition colors available:

Dancing Light Creamy gold with white gold reflect
Drizzlegold Fleshy beige with copper and gold reflect
Natural Flare Peachy champagne with white and gold reflect
Sunspill Coral Peach with white and gold reflect
Tenderdusk Soft pink with red and gold reflect
Soft Flame Rich plum with reddish copper reflect

Also in the Of Beauty collection are Studio Lights ($14.50 US), a softly tinted, sheer, reflective, semi-fluid colour used on the under-eye area to help brighten the look of dark circles. Can also be used to highlight and contour key areas of the face. Five Limited Edition colors available:

Skin Lure Soft creamy beige
Ideal Pink Palest pinkish beige
Smoothspice Caramel
Frangipan Pale golden yellow
Sand Soft peachy beige

With all of the beautiful and luminous holiday looks I’ve seen so far, like the ones from Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown this year, Of Beauty is the perfect way to complete your beauty look this season.

Bond No. 9 recently came out with two new fragrances, Saks Fifth Avenue for Her and Him, marking the first time a specialty store has even commissioned a perfumery to design scents and pioneering a new genre of luxury fragrances.

And how perfect is this union, you ask? If you’re not familiar with Bond No. 9, here’s a little background. Bond No. 9 launched as an homage to the city it was born in, New York, (with its corporate address being 9 Bond Street, in Noho). All 31 Bond No. 9 fragrances give every single New York neighborhood a scent to call its own – try out Bryant Park, Chinatown, or Wall Street to name a few.

And then there’s Saks. Well if you don’t know, Saks is the definition of New York retail elegance and an iconic destination store in the Big Apple located in the heart of 5th Avenue, an ultra-sophisticated neighborhood unto itself. So, you can imagine that when you combine the two, you get a match made in New York heaven.

Check out this amazing crystal-encrusted bottle featuring Saks’ white and black logo – wouldn’t you want this piece of bling sitting on your dresser??

When I wore Saks Fifth Avenue for Her today, the scent was so floral, heavy like gardenias. one of my co-workers even said that it smelled like I rubbed a flower on my arm. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t too sweet or anything. It was actually very romantic and sexy. It could easily be a classic scent that I can come back to again and again.

The Take-Off:
- Jasmine
- Tuberose (perennial plant of the agave family – think yucca, Joshua tree)

The Heart:
- Gardenia

The Bottom:
- Vetiver (perennial grass native to India)
- Vanilla

Saks Fifth Avenue for Her retails for $125 US for a 1.7 oz. bottle and is available now exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide, on Saks.com and at Bond No. 9’s four New York boutiques.

RELATED POSTS: Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory Review

Happy Friday! Here are some of my favorite reads from around the web this week to help you catch up on your weekend reading.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic gives us Dr. Brandt week! Check out her reviews on some of the more popular products from this skincare line.

Enter for your chance to win a FULL set of Billy B. makeup brushes at The Makeup Girl. It’s valued at $250 US so get on over there now!

Check out Beauty Treasures on a Budget from The Muse. They’re super cute!

A Girl’s Gotta Spa tells us about the Body Wrap. Do you need it to hide all the holiday fixin’s? I think I might!

Makeup and Beauty Blog is doing the CAN CAN this weekend in the Bay Area. What do YOU want to know from Paris Hilton, herself?

Beauty Junkie in SF tells us how she maintains her lovely blonde locks on a budget!

Need a stocking stuffer idea? Peep this Marc Jacob find on City Chic!

Don’t forget to check out my beauty reviews this week where I tell you what I loved or hated about Chanel’s Hydramax Moisture Boost Cream and Clinique’s High Definition Lash Mascara!

Sephora’s giving you another chance to get your hands on some great freebies!

From now through Dec. 31st, when you spend $50 US more on Sephora.com you can get this cute silver clutch filled with samples of our favorite beauty products. All you have to do is enter promo code CLUTCH1 at checkout and you’re all set! While supplies last, of course, so don’t wait!

Enjoy!

Chanel has never disappointed me (well.. maybe just their prices) and my latest find from them is definitely not an exception.

I started using Chanel Hydramax Moisture Boost Cream ($58 US) a couple of weeks ago and I’m sooo in love with the formula. Now that the weather is getting colder in San Francisco, I have issues with dry skin in the winter. This moisturizing cream is rich, but not heavy. It smells wonderful, like summer peaches and is blue-ish in color. It also has a cooling sensation when you apply it - hmm, I wonder if that was intentional with the blue…

Here’s some of the science behind it from Chanel.com:

Powerful formula performs at the source of dehydration, helping accelerate skin’s ability to hydrate itself, utilizing skin proteins and an enzyme that trap moisture in and between cells. Also performs at the surface, creating a moist micro-climate to achieve perfect hydration. Extract of Yeast stimulates the formation of ‘comfort lipids,’ the natural lipids often lacking in dehydrated skin. Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Extract of Cassia and sugar derivatives provide moisture to the skin surface for softness and comfort. Vitamin E derivative helps protect against skin-damaging free radicals.

This is definitely one that I’d recommend. My face feels softer, and doesn’t make me greasy after a few hours - as some other heavier creams tend to do for me and, my makeup applies nicely on top of it. I couldn’t believe how many compliments I’ve gotten on my skin lately and it makes me want to believe that this moisturizer is making the difference! The only annoying thing about it is that it comes in a jar, and not a pump. It’s like we’re living in the stone age!

Have you tried this moisturizer yet? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to know!

Do these words sound familiar? Well if they don’t, I’m sure Heidi Klum will remind you tonight on the new season premiere of Bravo’s Project Runway!!

This show is so addicting, even if you don’t really care about fashion, this reality competition is always one that delivers for me. Just like my very favorite, Top Chef, it’s all about refining a craft (design, cooking, etc) and not about who can manipulate the rest of the peons off the show.

I’m definitely looking forward to it; are you??

I was a little skeptical to try this mascara because I hadn’t used any products from Clinique for as long as I can remember. The brand didn’t have any pizzazz for me all those years ago so I really wasn’t expecting much from the mascara. But, I’m surprised (and glad) to say that I really like this mascara!

Three things that I’m looking for in a good mascara is: volume, length, and longevity. I’d say that this High Definition Lashes Mascara ($14 US) has all of the above, but if it gave me more volume, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a favorite.

I’ve been wearing it for a couple of days now and I’ve noticed that it’s really easy to apply. I can get an even coverage without trying too hard and within 2-3 coats –- I put on three because I wanted my lashes to look fuller. (I’m telling you, they’re really skimpy.)

The brush is a dual one – one side is for applying the color and then it has a comb to brush out your lashes so that you can create definition for each lash. I found that I didn’t need the comb side and was worried that it would affect the applicator side (not big enough, etc.) but it didn’t. I don’t know about you but I may not have been affected because I don’t have a lot of lashes to begin with.

Again, this didn’t give me all the volume that I was looking for but I didn’t really miss it either. It’s nice for your more subtle day looks when you’re not looking to blow everyone away with your fabulous lashes. It defines nicely and does a great job with lengthening for me. I can wear it all day (I’m talking 12+ hours) and it doesn’t flake at all - woo hoo!!!

At $14 bucks a pop (slightly higher than drugstore brands), I think this one’s really worth a try. Let me know what you think of this Allure Editor’s Choice Winner.

I just read on GlamBlush about the new spokesperson for Cover Girl’s Lash Blast mascara that’s been all the craze for the past couple of weeks and I’m soooo happy to see that it’s Drew Barrymore!

The reviews on Makeup Alley are just fair, so I’m not really sure what the big deal is. All I do know is that, for some reason, I really want to try it anyway! Especially now, after watching Cover Girl’s cheesy new commercial with Drew Barrymore! I love the girl to death but this wasn’t doing anything for me. What do you think about it?

I’m almost out of my favorite L’Oreal Original Voluminous Mascara and I’m open and willing to try a new drugstore brand – because who doesn’t love a great bargain product?? I know, I do!

Any of you out there have your own reviews on this new mascara? I’d love to hear them and if you think they are better than your current favorites.

Boy are there a lot of birthdays going on today! My boyfriend, my Auntie Le, and my boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend, Faye, all share the same birthday!! Hope you all have a fantabulous day!

And Honey, if you’re reading this today - I hope you have a great day and I can’t wait to take you out to dinner tonight! I love you lots, Babe!

Ouch!! How many of you caught the Heidi and LC confrontation on MTV’s The Hills? Sometimes, when my boyfriend isn’t around, I switch the channel so that I can indulge in this guilty pleasure! Tonight, I changed the channel from wrestling to the last 5 minutes of The Hills episode that everyone’s been waiting for - Heidi and Lauren finally get together to discuss the feud that’s been the major plotline this entire season.

It seemed harmless enough, when Heidi tried to make small talk and was obviously trying to apologize to Lauren for the whole scandal that unfolded earlier this year. And I really thought that they were going to kiss and make up as Lauren was fighting back the tears in between Heidi’s constant I’m Sorry’s. But to my surprise, Lauren uttered these words that must have been like a shot through the heart.. because I certainly felt the stab!

“The only thing there really is to do is to is forgive and forget… I want to forgive you and I want to forget you. ” Here’s the clip of death (fast forward through the first 30 seconds of Audrina). Not sure if the video works, so if it doesn’t, watch on MTV’s Overdrive HERE.

I mean, c’mon! As much as I really dislike Heidi, she seemed so geniune in trying to apologize for crazy Spencer. But, since it wouldn’t be a fabulous episode of The Hills without it, they decided that LC and Heidi would continue their feud. Maybe they’ll kiss and make up at the wedding reception.

I guess we’ll have to stay tuned to see what happens!