Given how impressed I am with Cle de Peau's concealer, I thought you guys would need to see swatches sooner rather than later.

As I mentioned before, CdP's famous concealer is a dense cream stick. I personally will need a little more experimentation to decide whether I prefer applying with fingers or with a fluffy brush, but you definitely don't

Military is in for fall, and for once I am on trend!  (Even if it's just my nails.)

I am kind of in love with Essie's whole fall collection, but let's start with khaki green Sew Psyched. Greyed-out green is one of my favorite colors, and Sew Psyched is intriguingly a creme that's not a creme. It actually has

I was attracted to Exces when I swatched it, but it was Liz's lip swatch over at Cafe Makeup that really pushed me over the edge.

I love how Exces is pigmented-but-sheer. Actually, when you first dab it on, it's VERY pigmented, but as you spread it over your lips, it takes on the translucence you see

NYX has been working overtime lately — they were backstage at Betsey Johnson, they're making video tutorials, they're showing up at trade shows, and they've been coming out with a slew of new products — some for the party girl (Liquid Crystal eyeliner), some for the 9-to-5er (Nude on Nude Natural Look eyeshadow palette).

NYX gave me

I'm behind on congratulations posts yet again. But to set your mind at ease, I wanted to share my giveaway protocol. On Monday after a contest ends, I use a random number generator to pick a winner from among the valid entries. I notify that winner by email. Sometimes the winner doesn't write back right away (which is why these

Many, many thanks to Soaper1 for tracking down and swatching Chanel's limited edition "Soho" polishes. As always, her perfect capture of the sparkle in Strong makes me want a polish I didn't know I needed.

Chanel's grand reopening of their boutique in Soho coincided with New York's Fashion Night Out (September 10). To commemorate the event, they released the limited

The Cle de Peau counter is not a safe place to hang out. And I was loitering there the other day (too late for swatching), when one of the sales associates said, "Would you like to try the world's greatest concealer?"

Not a fair question — I'd already wanted to try it anyway.

My sales associate prepped

Interesting story about these swatches. As you might already know, I've been lucky enough to swatch all of Stars Makeup Haven's eyeshadows so far. The only place to buy SMH products (other than starsmakeuphaven.com) is All Cosmetics Wholesale (allcosmeticswholesale.com).

Well I was talking to the folks at ACW, and they asked me if I'd be willing to swatch some

Happy fall!  Now through October 11, make a purchase of $60 or more at NARScosmetics.com and get a free mini lipgloss duo in Sweet Dreams/Dolce Vita with code karlalp.

Happy shopping!

EDIT: I thought no code was required; I was mistaken. So sorry!

This week's giveaway prize comes from MAC's Venomous Villains collection (which we expect to see for sale online Tuesday morning, and at counters on September 30th). One winner will receive Briar Rose Beauty Powder (Maleficent), Dark Deed lipstick (Maleficent), and Vainglorious eyeshadow (Evil Queen).

Rules and how to enter:

• This giveaway starts today and ends Sunday, October

A few weeks ago I mentioned a book-and-lipgloss deal involving Three Custom Color. Buy Brenda Novak's new book, Killer Heat, in the first week it comes out (September 28 – October 5), mail your receipt to

Brenda Novak – Lip Gloss
PO Box 3781
Citrus Heights, CA 95611

And you'll receive Three Custom Color's Killer Heat lipgloss

There's only one thing that disappoints me about Cruella's collection: I think this is the first time I've seen her name in print, and I always thought Disney had spelled her name "de Ville," making the pun just a little more subtle.

Aside from that, Cruella's collection is my favorite.

Her Own Devices Beauty Powder is a

Essie has already secured its reputation for wedding-worthy and office-safe... which makes their color choices for fall seem even more sexy and sophisticated.

I really love every shade in this collection. I like the nuance of Sew Psyched, Merino Cool, and In Stitches, the vibrancy of Limited Addiction, and the vampy sexiness of Little Brown Dress and Velvet Voyeur. I

That's not true, I'm not — but I never really had an overwhelming reason to WANT to go (not a huge fan of theme parks). Except that Givenchy just opened its only U.S. boutique... in the French pavilion in Epcot Center.

I first fell in love with the brand in Saks in Houston. Since those long-ago days,

I have two pieces of vital Talika news to share with you.

The first is for my New Yorkers. Talika doing an event all day tomorrow (Thursday, September 23) all over the city. Street artists will be in different locations at various times, and if you're one of the first five people on the scene with the