Charlotte Ronson A Summer's Kiss Face and Body Glow

Fashion "it" girl Charlotte Ronson is best known for combining her effortless sense of style with her chic downtown designs. Charlotte is "bringing the same sensibility to her new beauty collection." Inspired by her friends and family, the line takes its direction from the different looks and lifestyles of her inner circle. There's a multi-tonal eye shadow palette for Nicole Richie; a weightless, nonstick gloss for her DJ sister Samantha; and a luminous light-filtering powder for Rashida Jones.



The entire collection is designed around her muses - their different routines and diverse beauty - appealing to a wide range of women who want to look pretty on-the-go without trying too hard. Every product seamlessly transitions from day to night and is especially portable and easy to use. Plus, the formulas are infused with light-adjusting technology so you look flawlessly radiant in every cast of light, no matter what spotlight you find yourself under.



I was surfing Sephora and saw Ronson's A Summer's Kiss Face and Body Glow ($18). As a total illuminator junkie, I had to have it. The price was right, so into my cart it went.



When it arrived, I was extremely happy with my initial tests. The color is a bronze gold with just a hint of rose gold. My first impression was, Wow!" The liquid illuminator/bronzer definitely adjusts its shimmer and glow based on the lighting.



Here are two swatch photos of a heavy application at the top of my arm, with a lighter, more normal one below. I applied both swatches with a concealer brush and took my initial swatch photos in full sun.



I decided to test A Summer's Kiss for longevity by leaving the swatch on my arm and going off to run errands. I went to CVS, got some things for my mother, delivered them, and came directly home. At no time during my foray did the inside of my arm get an excessive workout. The product didn't fare well on my arm. By the time I got home, there was little left.



The swatch photo at right was taken with some clouds overhead that moved in while I was gone. As you can see, the color wore off significantly. There was some color and some sparkle left, but the pizzazz was gone.



Interestingly, the color persists nicely on my face. With sunshine or strong indoor light on my face, A Summer's Kiss is a pretty, gleaming, shimmering medium-toned bronze-gold. With less light, it shows me less gleam and more color. It's cooling when I apply it.



The active ingredients, listed at Sephora, include:

• Nano-fine titanium dioxide and alumina: work synergistically to create a soft-focus effect by absorbing, reflecting, and scattering light;
• Multidimensional pigments: creates differentiating shimmer and luminosity effects;
• Capric/caprylic triglyceride and xctyl palmitate: help keep the skin soft, supple, and moisturized; and
• Vitamins C and E: strong antioxidants to protect the skin from environmental aggressors.

My conclusions about A Summer's Kiss? It's a pretty facial illuminator or shimmering bronzer in a color most of us can wear, and the price is very reasonable. It only fails the test as a body bronzer. You only need a tiny amount of product to achieve a pretty look, so the three-ounce tube should last a long time if you are wearing it only on your face.



Charlotte Ronson's A Summer's Kiss Face and Body Glow is exclusive to Sephora. I bought mine online. You can see Ronson's complete collection at Sephora.



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

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Guerlain Mosaic Tan-Enhancing Bronzer for Face and Décolleté

I am such a pushover when it comes to pretty compacts! When I saw Guerlain's Mosaic Tan-Enhancing Bonzer ($69) while surfing Sephora, it went into my cart immediately. The limited-edition bronzer for face and body arrived a few days after I placed my order. It's HUGE.

This summer, Guerlain introduces an ultra-chic limited-edition essential accessory for your tan. The secret of its radiance? A mosaic of sun-kissed shades with ochre and gold tones to illuminate your look. Apply Terracotta Mosaic to the face, shoulders, neck, and décolleté to enhance any tan with a subtle shimmery effect.

What did I find the first time I applied it? You don't need to have a tan to achieve a flattering sun-kissed look. The many shades in the compact are captured in Sephora's photo (at top) better than mine (at right). With multiple shades of brown, threaded with gold, the mosaic shades blend on the skin to offer a pretty light tan shade that's buildable. Brush it on lightly, and you will glow. Apply it with a heavier hand, and you'll look like you spent your holiday at the beach.

Here are a couple of swatch photos, taken in sunshine. To ensure I got enough color for the photos, I used a sponge-tipped applicator and ran it across the shades in the compact, left to right, making sure to hit all the colors. There's a heavy swatch at the top of my arm and a lighter one below. When applied with a brush, the shade is even lighter, making it wearable by us pale-faces as well as gals with darker skin or those who have been working on a tan.

There is some shimmer in the color, but not the kind that will make you look unnatural or sparkly. It's a pretty sheen. There is also a fragrance in the powder. It's not overwhelming to my nose.

This was a good blind pick at Sephora. While the price seems steep, the compact is huge. I imagine it will last me almost five years! Mosaic Tan-Enhancing Bronzer is available online only at Sephora.

For those of you who are Sephora V.I.B.'s, V.I.B. weekend starts today. Use code VIBHATBOX at checkout, and you will receive an eight-piece deluxe sample set with any $35 purchase. Double points too. If you are a V.I.B., you should have received an in-store coupon in your e-mail.

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

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Ultraflesh Bronze Metalika Bronze and Glow Collection

Wow! I am not sure how I could be more impressed with a sight-unseen purchase. I discovered Ultraflesh while browsing Sephora online. I knew nothing about it. Somehow, I had overlooked the publicity about the line launching at Sephora last fall. Now, I have purchased nearly everything. Here is what Sephora has to say about the brand.

High fashion, function, and performance come together in Ultraflesh. Inspired by the desire to elevate mundane beauty routines, founders Nicole Ostoya and Robin Coe Hutshing created this high-fashion collection of beauty products, which are made with innovative designs and infused with even more innovative technology. Packaged in unique, memorable designs, their panther-inspired mascara tube is just one beautiful example that Ultraflesh is not just a brand, it's a movement.

Ultraflesh debuted at Sephora with a mascara. I haven't tried it. The new items, exclusive to Sephora, are incredible.

The Bronze Metalika Bronze and Glow Collection ($39) is a multipurpose five-piece compact that has everything you need to achieve the ultimate bronze glow. I was jumping-for-joy pleased when it arrived. I had already read that the mineral-based, talc-free, non-comedogenic formulas offered cream-to-powder color that can be used all over the face, with a long-wearing and non-creasing shimmer effect. I also knew that the formulas were free of most of the nasty ingredients we are all trying to avoid. What I didn't know before my new collections arrived was how incredible and luxuriously creamy the textures of the components are. Each item in a collection rivals the most expensive makeup, but without the luxury price.

This Bronze Metalika Bronze and Glow Collection contains:

• One Allover Enhancer,
• Two Allover Shimmers,
• Two Allover Highlighting Pencils.

They could not be nicer. Even more exciting, the shades worked for me - no mud, no overwhelming heavy colors - just skin-enhancing beauty. How good does it get?

The collection has levels, much like a Kaleidoscope. Here is a photo at right of the enhancer, taken outdoors in sunshine. Below at left is a photo of the second level of the palette, containing the cream shimmers. I was amazed with how nice these products are, even before I pulled out the lowest level, containing two mini-pencils for highlighting or lining the eyes.

Because these are sheer, wearable shades, they were extremely hard to photograph. I took my swatch photo in full, outdoor sun, and I swatched the enhancer and shimmers with a sponge-tipped applicator. I applied the pencils as-is. You will see the enhancer at the top of my arm, the shimmers below (barely), and the two pencils at the bottom.

There isn't a shade in the bunch I don't love. The rosy copper-bronze is the darkest, but remember that I applied it very heavily for the photo. It is gorgeous on the skin when applied with a brush. It leaves my face with a soft glow, radiant and illuminated with a neutral bronze shade. I can't find enough superlatives to describe it. The enhancer alone is worth the price of the collection, but it gets more exciting.

The creamy shimmers offer a light pure gold and rose gold touch. They can be used anywhere. The pencils are intended to be eyeliners, but they are fabulous highlighters when applied lightly and blended. One is a white gold, and the other rose gold. I'm not sure how this collection could get any prettier. I'm gushing.

I haven't had the collection long enough to know how long the shades "wear," but my intuition tells me that they will be shades that stay with me all day. Their textures give away their quality.

I have quickly become an Ultraflesh addict. I also purchased the Highlight and Shimmer Collection and two UltraGloss Luminous High-Shine Lip Glosses, which I hope to show you this week if the sun shines again.

You can find Ultraflesh at Sephora.

Top photo courtesy of Sephora

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Sephora Collection The Hot 10 Nano Eyeliner Set Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to MrsIvan2004! She won this set!

A $50 value, Sephora's new, limited-edition The Hot 10 Nano Eyeliner Set contains 10 highly pigmented eye pencils in an array of shades. Each of these Nano Eyeliners glides on smoothly and comfortably to create a bold line of color that lasts all day. Shea butter and rosemary extracts make the pencils incredibly smooth and easy to apply.

The shades offer a beautiful array of looks.

• Midnight Black
• Wild Spirit
• Azure Blue
• Lagoon
• Silver Green
• Chocolate
• Golden Sand
• Khaki Green
• Iced Brown
• Pure White

Customers reviewing the set at Sephora have given it a five-star rating. I liked the shades, with some of my favorites in the set.

How can you enter to win? Easy! Just leave a comment here once. After you comment, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com 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).

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point, but you can save me time by telling me you're a follower in your comment). I can't track followers through a third-party service, so you need to be on Google's list for me to verify the entry.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, May 7, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner at that time. 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 will be open to anyone anywhere in the world. I will ship the prize uninsured (the insurance costs way too much). I will also provide proof of shipping, if necessary. I am going to take a chance that both mail systems will deliver the box - yours and mine - without loss, theft, or destruction! Let's see how it works if we have an "international winner." So far, my luck with international shipping hasn't been very good. I want to keep trying because there are so many of you out there reading my blog (and I'm grateful).

Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora

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NARS Lose Yourself Blush/Bronzing Powder Duo & Lip Gloss Set

Just in case you are a Sephora VIB and still trying to decide what to purchase (by midnight) with your CHICWEEK 15% discount, may I suggest the NARS Lose Yourself Blush/Bronzing Powder Duo & Lip Gloss Set ($49). I bought one, and I wore it two days in a row this week. You may laugh, but I try so many products, a two-day run in one week is remarkable.

The limited-edition set is exclusive to Sephora. It pairs Angelika Blush with Laguna Bronzer and a large mini-sized Angelika Lip Gloss. With its bright and bronze shades, it summons the spirit of spring and summer. The subtly sparkling cotton-candy pink Angelika Blush and Lip Gloss provide a breezy, ready-to-wear look. There are gold flecks in the blush and gold and silver sparkles in the gloss, but neither is over-the-top glittery. I apply with blush with a fluffy brush so that I don't look "too pink." The Laguna Bronzer is the perfect contouring shade to go with the pretty-in-pink look.

I love the set and meant to tell you about it earlier. You have a few hours left to get yours at a 15% discount in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Sephora

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News You Need to Know: YSL and BITE

One's history, one's new: sheer lip colors...

YSL is discontinuing its Gloss Volupté Sheer Sensual Gloss Stick SPF 9 - very soon. I would guess that production stopped long ago, since its replacement is going to hit the counters in April. The replacement sounds divine, but...if you are as addicted as I am to the Gloss Stick, hoard now!

Yesterday, I asked my favorite Neiman Marcus sales associate to pull every color they had left except Tangy Orange. Today, I found that Sephora has only one shade left to sell. Why don't companies warn us? If you like these fabulous Gloss Sticks, it's time to search and buy. The replacement may be stunning - and probably is. The gals in the stores have been trained, and they think it's going to wow us. I just like what I like, and I hate to lose favorites.

Not long ago, I got a very nice sample from Sephora. BITE Lip Rouge ($22) is a multitasking lip color and blush, rich with buildable layers of color and a satin texture. This lip color delivers the super-antioxidant resveratrol, which fights free radicals with potent long-term anti-aging benefits. Each Lip Rouge contains the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of red wine (so do we or don't we ingest our liptick?). For weeks, Sephora has had an offer of a free sample with the promotion code BITE.

The Geranium sample shade comes in a pot that's generous for a free sample and well worth your selection. The sample was still available last night. Now that I have a few of the samples (perfect for my purse for lip and cheek color on the go), I plan to order another shade. This is a nice tinted balm - worthy of a look-see.

Here's a swatch of Geranium, the shade Sephora sent. It's very pretty. On my lips, it's light pink. I applied the Lip Rouge with my finger and took my photo in outdoor sunlight. When I order one, I will select a shade that is slightly darker - maybe Raisin.

BITE is new to Sephora. In addition to featuring beauty's hottest antioxidant, resveratrol, the all-natural ingredient list of their many lip products includes organic shea butter, superfoods, and food-grade colors, making them good enough to eat. "It's beauty that's better for you."

While I am telling you about Sephora, the company just started a sample promotion. You can select five samples of skin-care products until April 5. No special code is needed. While the samples are the typical packet samples, it's a nice offer. You'll get five samples, and you can still get your BITE sample. You won't even have to look at smelly perfume samples.

I'm toying with making News You Need to Know a periodic feature - appearing when I have news bytes to share ("half-posts" to combine) - so please let me know what you think.

Photos courtesy of Sephora

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Sephora Give Me Some Lip Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Cindy! Ladyboarder9669 won!

I love Sephora's sampler sets, and I found Give Me Some Lip to be very nice. The set of seven of Sephora's most talked-about lip essentials in a limited-edition collection is a great value at $26. Granted, the products are not full-sized, but they are a blast for playing and experimenting with color.

This set of deluxe minis includes everything you need for a perfectly pink pout for spring, from juicy lip glosses and a lasting lip stain to a precision liner and lipstick. This set contains the following lip products, which include some of my personal favorites, Tarte, Smashbox, and Josie Maran.

• 0.01 oz Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Amsterdam (rosy nude)
• 0.1 oz Tarte Rise & Shine Gloss Duo in Mauve (muted plum)
• 0.12 oz Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Wallflower (nude creamy pink)
• 0.28 oz Lancome Juicy Tubes in Moulin Rose (sheer pink)
• 0.14 oz Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in True Color (light pink)
• 0.14 oz Josie Maran Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss in Precious (sheer petal pink)
• 0.02 oz Sephora Collection Nano Lips Liner in Candid Candy (pale neutral pink)

I bought one to give away - always thinking about you when I go on my shopping sprees! How can you enter to win? Just leave a comment here once. After you comment, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com 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).

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest later today (once the brunch hour is over), and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point, but you can save me time by telling me you're a follower in your comment). I can't track followers through a third-party service, so you need to be on Google's list for me to verify the entry.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, February 19, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner at that time. 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 U. S. and Canadian residents only. I still can't stand in line at the Post Office to send international packages (although I can drive now!). I can do Click-n-Ship. I promise, international readers, we should be able to go back to completely open contests soon!

Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora

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