Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Color Theory Sculpting Blush Flash Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Lovethescents!

The flash giveaway I promised! I have one gorgeous Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Color Theory Sculpting Blush ($24) to give away. A futuristic pressed powder blush that delivers comfortable wear and pure hues inspired by the Color of the Year.

Wear powder perfection with this lightweight blush featuring a duet of complementary tones especially formulated to harmonize with emerald looks. This powder is enriched with actives to preserve skin elasticity and packed with brown seaweed extract for a soft and supple complexion. The slim compact includes a hidden mirror that snaps magnetically in place for easy application anywhere, anytime.Very cool! The shades are Dusty Pink and Pink Mist.

How can you enter to win this giveaway contest (technically a sweepstakes)?  Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post). After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn. I can't believe the number of winners I haven't been able to find in the past.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet. Remember, tweet the contest title - if you don't, that entry won't count. I will tweet the contest early this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

Anyone who has commented here in the last month will receive a fourth entry. I will know.

The deadline for entries will be tomorrow, Sunday, March 17, 2013, at 5:00 pm EDT. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday morning. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere. Here are the terms. I will carefully pack and ship the prize (as I always do). I cannot insure the prize for overseas shipment - it's amazingly expensive to do so because of the way I have to send insured mail. If it's lost or stolen in transit, I may not be able to replace it with another prize just like it. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail service does right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner.

The winner must be able to provide me with a "mailable address," meaning the U.S. Post Office recognizes it or its street, province, and other "elements" the way the winner provides them. I've had some trouble with both U.S. and international addresses lately.

For all the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Color Theory Shadow Block - Elemental from the Emerald Collection

The moment I saw this piece from the Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Emerald Collection, I wanted it. After what seems like months of waiting, the Emerald Collection is finally available. I dipped my toes in the water with the Color Theory Shadow Block - Elemental ($26). There are two other Shadow Blocks, one of which is calling my name.

Like its predecessors, this palette rivals any luxury eye shadow palette in packaging and quality. The emerald and white fitted box is special. Plus, I love the magnet closure. Here is a photo showing the clear top swung open.

The three shades in this palette are Emerald Shimmer (to celebrate the Color of 2013), Appleblossom, and Camel. I'm not really sure which shades are Appleblossom and Camel, but I'm going to assume that the darker matte neutral shade is Camel and the sparkling lighter neutral is Appleblossom. Two of the three shades in this palette are exquisite, but I think a better choice could have been made with the matte color.

Enhance and invigorate your eyes with this shadow palette that delivers a pearlized, sheer finish for a more natural look. The reflective properties of diamond dust and micro-fine platinum powder diffuse light, creating a luminous soft-focus effect. The neutral tones featured in this palette draw out a new facet of Emerald, highlighting the Color of the Year as a perfect everyday accent. No matter how you wear Emerald - from subtle to dramatic - its universally flattering tone complements and intensifies every iris.

I took swatch photos yesterday in full, morning sunshine. I swatched each shade with a sponge-tipped applicator.

The Emerald shade is drop-dead, exuberantly exquisite. I can't imagine how it could get prettier.  What a kockout!

What I am assuming is Camel is muddy on my skin. I can blend it with Appleblossom to give it some life, but I don't like mud on my eyes. If you can wear very warm light browns, you will feel differently about it, I'm sure.

The shimmering golden beige is gorgeous. I could live in it. It sets off the Emerald so perfectly that I'm thrilled they live together in the same palette.

The Emerald Shade is available in different finishes in other palettes. For example, Emerald Glitter is featured in the Shadow Box Eclipsed, and "plain" Emerald lights up the Shadow Box Bionic. There's also a Color Code Prismatic Shadow Block single eye shadow in Emerald. So many choices! I think I may have the best one, but the only way to find out whether I need more is to order them online or go to a Sephora. Hmm...I have a few things to return. I think I have a new mission.

Don't you think this palette is worth every cent of the $26 price, plus more - despite the muddy shade hiding among two beauties? You can find the Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Emerald Collection at Sephora.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Color of 2013: Emerald

Pantone's Color of the Year for 2013 is Emerald, 17-5641. I'm excited. I will enjoy seeing a year with an emerald undercurrent in beauty and fashion.

United by a passion for color, Sephora and Pantone combine their expertise to become beauty’s leading authority on color. Sharing an affection for how color can transform a face, mood, or even an attitude, this breakthrough beauty partnership will change how you wear, feel, and think about color. You’ll be introduced to playful shades that will inspire experimentation and exhilarating new products you’ll impulsively want to sweep on. It will reawaken and reinvigorate your own passion for color—or ignite a newfound love.

I'm ready. I've signed up at Sephora to receive notice of the new PANTONE UNIVERSE products as soon as they are posted. You can too, or browse the emerald products that have already launched at this Sephora link.

Photos courtesy of Sephora

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Gleaming Lipgloss Set

Sephora's darling little Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Gleaming Lipgloss Set ($26) could be called bargain beauty. The set of five metallic, mega-shine, multidimensional lip glosses is a treat.

Inspired by Pantone’s 2013 Plus Series Metallic Book, this season is all about the rich gleam of rose gold, the chilled shine of silver, and the fiery glow of bronze. This collection of glamorous glosses provides pearlescent pigments in three-dimensional form: fantastic pop, brilliance, and shine. These glosses are hydrating, non-sticky, and packed with a variety of vibrant and subdued finishes. Containing a new generation of polymers, their advanced coating formula allows for a flexible veil that moves with lips for long, comfortable wear. The convenient, portable vials (read that ultra-tiny) are the perfect an on-the-go solution, leaving room for a library of shades in your makeup bag or purse.

I love these glosses. Like all of the Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE makeup I've purchased, these little glosses will hold their own when compared to luxury lip glosses. Compare them in quality, and I think you'll find them competitive.

The photo showing them in their case is an illustration of a camera lens blinded by the white packaging. A clear top serves as the cover. As cute as it is, I had to ditch the packaging. I have little space left in my makeup bag or my bathroom.

The colors are Boysenberry, Magenta Haze, Bright Rose, Baked Clay, and Rose Dawn. Since the colors on my arm don't match the colors in Sephora's promotional photo at the top of this feature, I must have shuffled them a bit. Since the tiny square tubes aren't marked with their shades, you'll have to reference the packaging to know what's what. Each shade matches a Pantone color

Boysenberry, top left on my arm, is a stunning grape. I think that's Magenta Haze next to it. Bright Rose is under Boysenberry on my arm. It's pastel rose on the lips. Baked Clay is the stunning brown. Rose Dawn is the almost-clear shade that is the only shade at the bottom of my swatches.

Sephora says, "Be dazzled." I think I am. This Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Gleaming Lipgloss set will make a nice gift, if you can part with it. It's too cute.

As I'm sure you know, Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE collections are exclusive to Sephora.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Alchemy of Color Face Palette

Yowsers, this is pretty! Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Alchemy of Color Face Palette ($30) reminded me of a new color "brand within a brand," but with a lot more pizazz. I hope you get my drift because I'm not going to fess up. Let's just say I haven't purchased any of those other brand's items.

Once again, Sephora has introduced extraordinary color makeup in a luxury magnetic-closure compact - this time with six shades to highlight, contour, sculpt, and define your look for the season, or any season. This new Alchemy of Color Face Palette will appeal to everyone, but especially to makeup "collectors."

Fall under the spell of the Alchemy of Color Collection, an enchanting collaboration between PANTONE UNIVERSE and Sephora that marries the shades of the season with exclusive formulation and finish. This versatile palette of silky, soft formulas contains light and dark shades with both matte and pearly finishes to create a natural-looking glow. Achieve a perfect flush with the high-pigment blushes and then wear a beautiful, sheer glow thanks to the airy, ultra-transparent base of the highlighting formulas. 

If you check out Pantone's Fall 2012 colors, you may wonder how Alchemy of Color fits in. Rose Smoke and Honey Gold are probably the connection. I wouldn't be excited by a face palette featuring French Roast. Maybe on the eyes, but...

I ordered this palette from Sephora sight-unseen, and I could not have been more pleased when it arrived. These colors are brilliant - even if my photo directly above is a bit dark. Sometimes, the brilliance of white distracts my camera, and there's a lot of white in this compact's case.

I took swatch photos in an unconventional way. You can see in the palette that there is a narrow strip of color at the top left and bottom right. I blended that color with the shade next to it. So, on my arm, you will see four shades - two of them are blended. I took my swatch photos in full sun, and I swatched heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator.

I drooled. Fortunately I was outdoors. You must consider that this palette costs $30, a bargain. I buy a lot of luxury makeup, and Alchemy of Color is extremely competitive with most of it.

The top shade on my arm is one of the blends. It's a gorgeous copper-rose. The pink below (upper right in the palette) is a warm pink on my skin - one with plenty of pigmentation. It's a pretty blush.

The shimmering, icy pink is a blend of the two side-by-side pinks in the bottom row. The bright, shimmering gold is simply stunning. You can apply these colors dry, as I did above for my photos, or wet for even more brilliance and longer wear.I like them dry because they offer enough wattage for my complexion. I like subtle color.

These colors apply perfectly - no duds in the bunch. I'm in love. Whoever hooked up with PANTONE UNIVERSE at Sephora deserves a raise.

This new palette is exclusive to Sephora. I purchased mine online. What do you think?

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Giveaway Contest for Prisma Chrome Blush in Apricot Brandy

Congratulations to Cindy!

I was so impressed by everything about the limited-edition Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Prisma Chrome Blush in Apricot Brandy ($16) that I decided to give one away. In the tangerine theme, the color of the year, Sephora has created a blush that combines all the best features of baked, powder, and cream formulas, releasing perfect color and a texture that lays on the cheeks like a second skin.

Easily blendable and buildable without being powdery, this unique blush leaves an unbelievably polished and sparkling finish. The warm shade, Apricot Brandy (PANTONE #17-1540), was inspired by the Color of the Year, Tangerine Tango, and will light up the apples of your cheeks with a spirited glow - or provide highlights in tangerine that are sure to warm your face.

I cannot say enough about the elegant packaging of the Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Collection. It's substantial, better than the packaging of products that cost ten times as much. The box is gorgeous (see photo above); the box insert is equally stunning in its craftsmanship. The blush compact looks pricey (it's a bit small, but hey?). All in all, this blush is as worth of your consideration as any I've seen this year. I don't usually dwell on packaging, but take a look at what you'll see after your lift up the outer packaging. The blush compact is nestled within a perfectly fit insert, with a clear plastic covering to protect it.

All of this wouldn't matter if the blush were mediocre, but the sparkling peach color is dynamite. It's got style.I was impressed when I opened the compact, and I was even more impressed when I started to play with Apricot Brandy. Check out my swatch photos at my original feature.

I have one Apricot Brandy to give away. How can you enter to win this contest (technically a sweepstakes)? Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post). After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet. Remember, tweet the contest title - if you don't, that entry won't count. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, April 21, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday morning. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere. Here are the terms. I will carefully pack and ship the prize (as I always do). I cannot insure the prize for overseas shipment - it's amazingly expensive to do so because of the way I have to send insured mail. If it's lost or stolen in transit, I may not be able to replace it with another prize just like it. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail service does right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner.

For all the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE

In the last day, I have developed an insatiable urge to buy a lot of tangerine makeup. Me!? First, I received an e-mail from Sephora, telling me that as a Sephora V.I.B., I could get an advance look at a single piece from Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Collection. Shown above, Tangerine Tango Crème Lipstick ($18) is the color of the year. The rest of the collection can be seen, but not purchased, until later this month. Just go to this link.

"United by a passion for color, Sephora and Pantone have combined their expertise to become beauty's 'leading authority on color.' Sharing an affection for how color can transform a face, mood, or even an attitude, this breakthrough beauty partnership will change how you wear, feel, and think about color. You'll be introduced to playful shades that will inspire experimentation and exhilarating new products you'll impulsively want to apply. The collection will reawaken and reinvigorate your own passion for color - or ignite a newfound love. Celebrate the Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango!"

What must I have? I'm going to have a meltdown if I don't get my hands on Prisma Chrome Blush in Apricot Brandy ($16), shown above. The warm Apricot Brandy was inspired by PANTONE #17-1540. It will "light up the apples of your cheeks with a spirited glow." Another must-have is the four-piece Color of the Year Lipgloss Set ($20).

You know what I'll be doing every morning when I awaken and multiple times/day. I'll be checking Sephora for these new items.

Photos courtesy of Sephora