Weekend Roundup - July 31

Bye Bye July! I can happily kiss this month goodbye. It has been amazingly hot and dry in the DC area. We expect hot summers here, but this one has been brutal, with almost everything Mother Nature could throw our way.

We have so much to share in the beauty roundup this week - from summer to fall, short hair to long, and every color of beauty in between!

If you're going to spend your hard-earned dollars on a makeup palette, you really want to make sure you get the best use out of the colors. So many palettes offer one or two must-have's, and the rest are never used. Gaia from The Non-Blonde had to decide which of two different palettes to select, and she shared with us the one she chose from NARS.

Kari at Fab Over Forty has renewed her love of makeup with a brand that's an old favorite. This week she shared with us some of the newest products to the line and how she's back to using Elizabeth Arden.

Cindy, our Prime Beauty gal, had the opportunity to interview makeup artist Lori Taylor from Smashbox Cosmetics. Read what tips and tricks she learned!

Growing your hair out can be a daunting experience. Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews has been sharing with us her hair-growing experience. I think she's getting younger with every inch of growth! Kelly has a giveaway of five of her favorite Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs hair products that have helped her along the way. Be sure to enter!

While we're on the subject of hair, would you rather be blond or brunette, or how about highlights? Anne at Beauty Xposé showed us a virtual site where we can test drive a new hair color without opening a box or stepping foot in a salon. See Anne's results!

Karla Sugar shared her swatches of the latest Lancôme Fall Collection, French Coquettes. Take a peek at these rich, lovely shades at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself. I purchased the exquisite La Rose Déco compact. Lancôme has nailed trendy again!

Do your eyebrows need a little extra help to look their best? Laurie at Product Girl showed us how we can have great brows and contribute to a good cause by purchasing IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil.

I spent some time describing my adoration of the Guerlain eye palettes from the Champs-Élysées Fall 2010 Collection. Yesterday, I even raved about "the competition's palettes" with my favorite Armani buddy. Check out Best Things in Beauty for my swatching and swooning over the palettes. You must also go see Gaia's swatches of 93 Rue de Passy (one I didn't buy) at The Non-Blonde.

And one last thing...Kristen of Beauty Addict fame has been on a blogging hiatus for months. She's back! I added her to my "Favorite Blogs" to make it convenient for you to bop over to her blog now and then. Hers was one of the first beauty blogs I started reading. We are thrilled to see her writing again!

I'll start another giveaway contest tomorrow - and tonight I'll have a few of my new fall YSL Beauty purchases to show you. Come on back after your tour!