There's been an explosion of mascara innovation lately: new formulas, new brushes, wands that vibrate, etc. As far as I know, Lancome is the first out of the gate with a vibrating primer. It's called Oscillation Powerbooster — the companion to Ocillation, their recently released and CEW Insider's Choice Award–winning vibrating-wand mascara.

I was at the makeup counter a

MAC's Euristocrats II collection is scheduled to release July 2nd (ha! Good one, MAC). Euristocrats (Euristocrats I, the original) released April 2nd of last year — to every region other than the U.S. Imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Euristocrats II includes 8 limited edition lipsticks ($14), 8 Dazzleglasses ($18. Date Night is already part of the permanent

Bobbi Brown's latest collection is called "Nude," and there have been a good number of Bobbi products called "nude"... which means I'm doomed to mix up their names for the rest of time.

Bobbi says, "Nude makeup doesn't mean monochromatic, barely-there makeup. It means makeup that's right for your skin" — and I think that's why she keeps coming back

Alright, ladies and gents. For easy future reference, here is the entire range of NYX powder blushes. The blushes have numbers in addition to names (if you're referring to a rep palette, for instance), and they have been swatched in numerical order.

These swatches were made possible by the extraordinarily gracious and really ridiculously good-looking chixyb — who volunteered

Today concludes our look at the ($6!) NYX powder blushes — but don't worry, these will become a "hot topic" for future reference.

Copper and Pecan are both shimmery. Red... isn't that red. And I don't think I would have guessed that it would swatch like this, looking at the pan.
NYX Blush: Copper, Pecan, Expresso, Espresso, Red

Sorry to have interrupted the NYX blush series, but Graphic Garden didn't seem like it could wait. Last week we started making our way through the entire collection of NYX blushes, thanks to reader chixyb, who volunteered her rep palettes to make these swatches possible.

NYX blushes list for $6, though if you're patient, they do

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale is right around the corner (July 17 – August 2), and that means that most beauty brands will be selling items from their permanent collections, repackaged or regrouped into special sets. Because MAC has a special relationship with Nordstrom, they create a collection for Nordstrom's anniversary every year — this year it's Graphic Garden. (In Canada,

It's day 4 of our look at the NYX blushes (courtesy of chixyb, whose palettes I'm swatching).

NYX (pronounced "nix" like the Greek goddess of night, not spelled out like JFK) is a top-notch drugstore brand. You can find the brand in some random places (some grocery stores, the occasional clothing boutique), as well as in some Ultas,

Congratulations to Rachel F., who won the fabulous Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator giveaway!

These swatches were made possible by chixyb, who volunteered her own palettes for the swatching cause.

Today we're halfway through NYX's collection of $6 powder blushes. What's impressive about the line is the range of available shades (well beyond pink). Taupe is most widely loved as a contour shade (used to create a shadow in the hollow of your

As I'm sure you've heard by now, MAC's offering a 25% discount on online orders today and tomorrow. (Not valid on the purchase of gift cards, naturally, or Viva Glam products, because all that money goes to charity).

But if you're still not quite sure what to buy, which brush you need, etc. click here to

Special thanks to chixyb, who very graciously loaned her rep palettes to the swatching cause.

I mentioned yesterday that NYX is found in random places. My Ulta carries some of the line, but not the powder blushes, so I casually asked some of my makeup-loving friends which ones I would like if I were to buy sight-unseen. "Peach!"

This series is most gratefully dedicated to chixyb, who mailed me her NYX rep palettes for the purposes of swatching. (Wow.)

In terms of bang for your buck, you can't do much better than NYX. They have a reputation as a consistently excellent drugstore brand, and there's a lot of love for their eyeshadows, powder and cream

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If you were waiting for the high-pigment shades of Dior Addict lipstick, today is your day. Dior Addict lipstick ($26) is Dior's newest formula: medium coverage, lightweight lipstick with a light rose scent. The formula is said to contain some kind of primer ("Lip Neutralizer Complex"), to keep the color "true" even when applied to pigmented lips.

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