The Lipstick Bandits Reunite: Summer Brights Edition

It’s been awhile, but The Bandits are back, just in time for the new season.  ’Summer Brights,’ our Bandit chief instructed, and as always, we’re here to deliver.

Pink, to me, is as summery as it gets.  It can be 30 degrees and raining outside, but as long as I have bright pink lipstick and some floral sunglasses on, the world seems sunnier.  I’m certainly not encouraging you to join in my deluded pastimes, but as far as summery lipstick goes, just take my advice and buy yourself something eye-searingly pink.

I’ve never talked about Milani lipsticks on Makeup Morsels before, maybe because there’s simply too much makeup to blog about and not enough time, but they are fantastic.  Some of the shades are misses, but more often than not, they have wonderfully pigmented colors.  And this pink, I was pleasantly surprised at finding something such a bright pink creme at the drugstore.

Everyone, Meet Milani Rose Hip:

New Beauty Stuffs from Illamasqua: Midnight Edition

Midnight edition, as in ‘none of these beauty stuffs are midnight-related, but I’m writing this past midnight.’

It was a beautiful day filled with macarons & museums (and very good friends), one of the most relaxing I’ve had in awhile.  And as that double shot espresso doesn’t seem to be kicking in, I’ll go ahead and share some Illamasqua news before I nod off.

First of all, a gorgeous new collection that launched less than a week ago in the UK (and available globally starting May 31), aptly named ‘Naked Strangers.  It’s a well-edited array of nudes and metallics.  I’ll give you a moment to gape at these promo images.

(As it turns out, I did nod off, which is why you’re reading this on Sunday instead of Saturday).

Empties & Monthly Purchases, 4/21-5/20

This is my last official month on the beauty ban, which is exciting!  Yes?  Exciting!  I’ve decided to continue doing empties/monthly purchase posts with looser guidelines from this point forward, but more on that at the end of the post.

Because this blog gives me the perfect excuse to talk about my life, here’s a quick recap of my day.  I no longer know where I’m going to live next year, and I haven’t washed my hair in 5 days (or has it been 6?) because I keep forgetting to buy shampoo.  Finesse Clean+Simple seems to have poofed off every drugstore in sight, and I’m convinced that there is no such thing as silicone and sulfate free at the drugstore anymore.  and I just realized right now that I forgot about Trader Joe’s.  Write it down MM, write it down.

Anyways I finally caved today, chose the lesser of two evils, and bought some Garnier 2in1, which does contain sulfate but is completely dimethicone free.

Now for the empties, I basically broke every rule of product photography shooting these, such as 1) never shoot products that are empty and look like they’ve been rescued from a dumpster and 2) at least try to make the product look good.  But since I am a train wreck with rather unfortunate hair (although I have done a decent job faking it with Phyto 7 Botanical Hydrating Balm on the ends and loads of dry shampoo on my roots), I figure you can cut me some slack this one time.

Empties

• Opti-Free Replenish Saline Solution: such a ripoff.  Not buying this anymore
• Vickery & Clarke Ginger & Clementine Body Wash: decent, not much to say here
• Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash: not a fan, leaves a residue on my skin and doesn’t cleanse all that well
• Finesse Clean+Simple Shampoo for Normal Hair
• MBD Sheet Masks: Earl Grey Tea & Macaron, Southern France Apricot.  Should review these soon (not included in tally)
• Trind Hand Repair
• Dermelect Alpine Rose Stem Cell Serum
• DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
• L’occitane Hand Cream
• Shiseido Therapino Oil Balm: HG, why have I never reviewed this?
• 2 tealights (not included in tally)
• Rembrandt Intense Stain Removal Toothpaste: I like this, but it didn’t make as big of a difference as my current whitening products do.  Will not repurchase.

The tally:

Beauty Blog Link Love 5/20/12

K from Beautifully Addicted To gets in the mood for spring/summer with L’Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish in French Riviera.

Gratuitous puppy pics ahead! Check out Krasey Beauty’s review of what’s new from Scope!

Jenn from Spiced beauty helps you prep your underarms for Summer! (I promise, it’s not as awkward as it sounds.)

Want a walk on the womanly wild side? Addicted to Beauty wonders if having a fox fur bikini wax is the way to go.

Love nails? Then you’ll want to check out the latest trends from Nails Inc. Check out Hellcandy’s post for a sneak peek at the latest and upcoming collections here.

Brace yourselves for a giveaway everyday in June 2012 hosted by Handmade Reviews.

It’s that time of year again. Beauty Info Zone has the tanning bases covered with Supergoop. Whether you want self-tanning or a new kind of SPF, you can learn about it on Beauty Info Zone.

Jenny has you covered for next Halloween with this spooky Ghost of Marie Antoinette FOTD at My Funny Valentine blog.

Mac’s summer collection Hey Sailor is about to be released in the US, but it’s been out in Europe for a while, so head over to Pleasureflush to check out what Anita has hauled from the collection by clicking here and here.

Miss Beauty Nerd hosts a spa party sponsored by Biore to test out their new skincare for combination skin. Cupcakes, facials and manicures… what more could a girl ask for?

Looking for the perfect pink for summer? Amy Antoinette reviews the beautiful new YSL La Laque Couture Rose Futuriste.

Makeup, Beauty and More reviews and swatches the butter LONDON Spring/Summer 2012 collection!

—Do you like spring and the pretty things that come with it? Head over to Makeup Morsels for a chance to win 2 beautiful Senna blushes from the new Mod Muse collection.

First Look: Victoria’s Secret Summer Bronzing Collection

First off, apologies for my absence these past few days, but it has been a long week.  You’ll hear more about it on Monday, along with my teeth-whitening regimen, so get  excited (ok, maybe not the right word).  Woohoo!

The one bright spot on my week was the Victoria’s Secret summer beauty collection, which arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  There’s more product waiting to be photographed, but I thought I’d show you the eyeshadows and bronzers first.

There’s two new Eyeshadow Quads, the first in Eye Contact, full of practical shades and beautiful neutrals.

And then there’s Come Closer, which has a gorgeous robin’s egg blue, along with a taupe, a pink, and a shimmery highlight shade.

There’s also three shades of Pressed Mineral Bronzing Powder (Sunstruck, Bronze Ambition, and Heat Wave), and I have two to show you.

Bronze Ambition is a chocolate-brown color:

Sunstruck, which I’m wearing right now, is a glowy, tawny gold.  Not at all orange.  Definitely Makeup Morsels approved.

And in other news, the brand has hopped on the Pinterest bandwagon lately.

Hope your weekend is humming along nicely so far.  Is there anything here you’d like me to review right away?

MM

Full Disclosure: The products in this post were submitted for editorial consideration and review.  For more information, please see my disclaimer.