Oh how I love something new – and really love something cool and new.  This new line of cosmetics from super hot designers Rock & Republic fits the bill.

Launching on September 15th is a 116 piece collection of cosmetics that care for your skin – and the super cool packaging doesn’t hurt their cause.  What do I want to try, you might ask (or you might not, but I’m gonna tell you anyway…lol)?

Classic Tinted Primer – I am *oh so* picky about primers.  I have only tried two that I like – Smashbox  and Perfect Teint.  That’s it.   But I try them all, always looking for the holy grail (which I really think I have found in Perfect Teint).  Can’t wait to try R&R’s.  It has an SPF of 20, and has a hint of tint to it, to start evening out your skin tone from the bottom up – which is awesome.  I suspect you can wear this alone and look incredible.  It’s a silicone based primer, which I used to hate, until I figured out how well they work – so I have incredibly high hopes for this one.  Classic Tinted Primer comes in 4 shades and is $46.  Expensive, but so worth it if it works!

Extremist Mascara – Again, I am a mascara junkie.  I have about 4 that I truly love for all time, but am always on the lookout.  This one sounds great - “the luxuriously volumizing formula is like a push-up bra for your lashes, as your fringe assets are taken to dizzying new heights and towering lengths.”  Wow.  Plus the packaging looks extra cool.  I’m interested.

And I MUST get the Accentuate bronzer/highlighter.  That sucker is a whopping $225 - but look at it.  I’m assuming there are Swarovski crystals in the R&R logo.  And the colors are lovely too.  Must. Have.

The Rock & Republic cosmetic line will be available, again, September 15, at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomie’s and of course, at RockandRepublicCosmetics.com.  Fun fun fun.  When you get to try it, let me know what else needs to be on my must try list!

Have you used any freeze 24-7 products yet?  Honestly, I can’t quite decide for myself if I am a huge fan or not.  I have been sporadically using their Instant Smoother and Brightener – I keep using it though, and that says something.  My biggest beef with that product is the packaging, I think.  I struggle to open the dern thing, every time.  They have won tons of beauty awards, so I think they deserve a really good try, for sure. 

For some reason, their new product, Eyecing, is intriguing me.  Maybe it is because I am turning 40 on Friday (did I mention that?  Im trying to forget it.) and I am soooooo into rejuvenating this old face.  Or maybe it is because of some great marketing and really cute packaging.  Whatever the reason, it is on my shopping list. 

The Eyecing folks purport their product to really be an all in one eye product.  It uses a time release formula to brighten, decrease fine lines AND depuff your eyes.  I can’t think of anything else I might need to do to my eyes that doesn’t involve scalpels and such – and Im not quite there yet, thankfully.

Eyecing retails for $115 for an 18 ml jar, but only $65 for the 10 ml.  I can swing that to give it a try.  Have you tried it yet?  PLEASE let me know your thoughts!

Image: freeze247.com

Ok, I admit it.  Sometimes I get sucked in by great sales pitches on HSN (and QVC, and my alma mater JTV).  Such a thing happened a few days before I left for SXSW.  I was having a sleepless night and watching M. Asam present on HSN.  They have a line of anti-aging face care that really, compared to what I spend on my skin care normally, is quite a reasonable price.  I was doing well resisting until they pulled out the Perfect Teint.  I wish I had a clip of the video, because MAN was it convincing.  What this product essentially is is a primer.  A wonderful, amazing primer.  A primer that you can smooth over your wrinkles and see them disappear.  Yep, disappear.  Right before your very eyes. 

To me, Perfect Teint feels like Smashbox’s Photo Finish primer, but thicker - it is more of a cream than a liquid, whereas Smashbox is closer to a liquid.  Perfect Teint has the same silicon-y texture as Photo Finish as well.  This was something that had to grow on me with Smashbox, but I loved the way that it smoothed over my imperfections so much that it was worth getting used to.  This product is exactly the same.  The biggest difference that I can see between Perfect Teint and Smashbox is that the PT really will cover deeper wrinkles, pores and imperfections than the Photo Finish will.  Really, you can see your wrinkles leave your face as you smooth it on.  My mother used it while we were in San Antonio over the weekend and inquired how we could buy this by the gallon.  It really is quite good.  The effect lasts through the day, and I have been using it for about 2 weeks now, and have no signs of breaking out, clogged pores or anything untoward at all.  The only place I can really find this is through HSN - this is supposed to be a product that has gained some popularity in Europe - if there are any folks reading that have any sort of history with this product, I would LOVE to hear from you. 

Check it out at HSN, where you can get Perfect Teint by itself for $29.95 (with an autoship option that I think I WILL be taking upon my next order), or as a part of a kit.  I bought the kit, and the other products seem to be quite nice too, but will reserve judgement until I have really given it a full run.  But the Perfect Teint is too good to hold off on.  Check it out if you haven’t - really.  Man I love home shopping.

Image source - HSN.com

Oh boy, do I ever love Elizabeth Arden’s Double Density Mascara. It finds and accentuates every lash I have - and in combination with the Lash Optimizer (which is a moisturizing primer), below, it is as close to looking like false lashes without the fiber-y extenders as I have ever used. I swear it found lashes I never knew I had. No more thinking my lashes are sparse and stubby! There is no clumping - the brush is dense and full - and no smudging or flaking at all. And at a reasonable price of $17 for the mascara and $14 for the Lash Optimizer (don’t skip this, it is a miracle worker), this is definitely going on my reorder list.

Smashbox has made yet another improvement on their hot-selling (and much loved by all) Photo Finish Primer - they have added sunscreen and a moisturizer. I wonder if it will change the silicone consistancy of the primer to one that is slightly more palatable to me? I don’t know, but I definitely think it is worth a try, and it is definitely going on my Sephora list! You know how I love sunscreen.    I need to take a trip to Houston soon…
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 With Dermaxyl Complex is available at Sephora.com for $42 for just under 1 ounce!

Cavewoman, at BlogdorfGoodman, has been spending much time reviewing primers of late, and has quite a few on the list now. Here are a few that you might be interested in looking at:

• Elizabeth Arden’s Good Morning Serum (not bad)
• Nars Primer (not so great)
• Clinique Primer (eek!)
• Revlon Vital Radiance (pretty good)
• Shiseido Brightening Veil (hated it!)
  
• LaPrarie Rose Illusion (primer perfection)
  
• Smashbox Photo Finish (the primer against which all others are compared - the uber primer!)

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