guerlain

Tweaking my makeup collection has been a priority lately. I've tried lots of items from different brands, and am really discovering what I like and don't like. I'm trying my best to get rid of things I'm not particularly fond of and don't use, and really wanted to introduce some more luxurious items into my collection. These palettes were at the top of my list.

After months of indecisiveness I finally purchased two Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palettes in Rue des Francs-Bourgeois and Champs-Elysees. When I'd heard about an upcoming 20% off promotion from Sephora, I knew I had to pull the trigger and since I couldn't decide which I liked better, I got both. 

I've had them for weeks, but haven't used them yet, mainly because I wanted to photograph them first, but also because they're so pretty and I'm not quite ready to dig in yet and mess them up. These palettes are absolutely gorgeous, the packaging is stunning and the quality is unquestionable.

krisi

Meet 'Krisi', my gorgeous new cropped moto jacket from Club Monaco. When I first saw this collection I knew that I had to have this piece. It's just so pretty --- the fur trimmed collar, the sherpa lining, the dark gray twill shell. I waited this one out for months and finally scored it for 52% off of the original price; it was the last one available at the store and was in my size, a.k.a. totally meant to be!

The jacket is available for purchase here.

hanamichi

I went a little overboard at the NARs counter at Lord & Taylor a few weeks ago and this palette was definitely the belle of the ball. It's the Hanamichi eyeshadow palette, part of the NARs Kabuki collection, which features four shadows in a mirrored compact and a beautiful mini brush. I'd seen it online and was intrigued, but when I saw it in person I knew almost immediately that it'd be going home with me.

Get yours here.

skeleton

This sweater is EVERYTHING!


...photo from Google.com (I think the origin is from Topshop.com)...

linens 'n things

I picked up a few awesome pieces this weekend, including an amazing linen tank from Club Monaco that I'd been eyeing for a while, a super soft draped top from J. Crew and an amazing necklace from Bloomingdales.

on the prowl

'Carnby' by Steve Madden

Despite a vow to myself to not entertain purchasing another shoe with a heel over 4", I knew as soon as I saw these gloriously gaudy and over the top skyscraping leopard platform booties that they'd be mine. After cyberstalking for months, they finally went on sale for 50% off. I tried them on in store and the deal was done.

Because they aren't ridiculous enough, I added some hot pink laces --- and I love them!!!

instagram'd (+giveaway winners)

Instagram has quickly become by favorite app on the iPhone --- Follow me @vanessawilliams

Congratulations to LeeLeeCakes and Courtney, winners of the Urban Decay Rollergirl Nail Kit Giveaway. I've emailed you both. Please reply no later than Thursday, October 20 with your mailing addresses, so I can get these lovely polishes to you ASAP. 

Thank you to everyone who entered.

rollergirl (+ giveaway)

When I placed my last order with Urban Decay there was an error and a couple of the items were no longer available. Urban Decay sent me a $20 voucher and I used it to get the THREE sets of the Rollergirl Nail Kit; one for me, two for you!!!

In honor of my 100th blog post and as a special thanks to my lovely readers, I'd like to present my first giveaway!!! Up for grabs is two of these awesome sets; there will be two winners.

These sets retail for $28 each, but Urban Decay had them on sale for $8!!! This set of mini polishes includes six colors; Fame (shimmery beige), Superfreak (gold glitter), Xanadu (purple glitter), Miss T (pearly fuchsia), Woodstock (hot pink) and Love Train (iridescent white).

To be eligible to win you must be a follower of Leather and Lollipops via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Bloglovin' or email subscription (each one counts for an entry) AND you must leave a comment to this post letting me know your name, email address and how you follow Leather and Lollipops.

Giveaway open to U.S. residents, 18 or older
Entry period ends Thursday, October 13 at 11:59pm EST
The winner will be choosen randomly (using Random.org) and announced on Friday, October 14

An entry should look something like this:
"I follow Leather and Lollipops on Google Friend Connect and Bloglovin' and my email address is xyz@gmail.com"
This counts as TWO entries (one for GFC and one for Bloglovin')


*Some readers have been reporting issues with posting comments --- if you're not able to use your personal profile info, try using ANONYMOUS as the user/identity to leave a comment*

Good luck and thank you from the bottom of my heart for checking out my blog!!!


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I also want to give special thanks to my awesome husband, Jay, for encouraging me to follow through with starting the blog and for putting up with my incessant ridiculousness, whining, complaining, frustration, self-doubt and insecurities about my abilities while going through the process of learning what having a blog is all about, taking and editing photos and developing my writing. I am, admittedly, a handful and he's been unbelievably and incredibly patient.

all that glitters

 I have no clue how my favorite Vans got so tattered, but I just couldn't let them go without a fight. This is my latest DIY project, inspired by Honestly WTF's DIY Miu Miu Sneakers tutorial.

black and tan

 

Beautiful 'Ambush' leather side zip ankle boots by Topshop, intermittently available, coveted by many --- finally got my (virtual) hands on these babies in black and tan. Also available in black glitter.

...photos from Topshop.com...

brushing up

I simply couldn't resist picking up some makeup brushes on Hautelook today by Crown Brush. I've been curious about this brand of brushes for a while and am excited to finally give them a try. I ended up going with a 15 piece professional brush set ($37.50) and a 10 piece badger brush set ($41.50). 

25 brushes later it becomes even more apparent that I rarely do things on a small scale.

...photos from Hautelook.com...

tarte for true blood

As a huge fan of the True Blood series on HBO I checked this palette out online as soon as it was released. I wasn't that impressed by the colors when I saw them on my computer screen and had very little experience with Tarte products. I'd only ever used Tarte's EmphasEYES Amazonian clay waterproof clay eyeliner in three colors, and loved them all, but they completely dried out before I could put a dent in any of the pots which was a total bummer and waste of money at $22 a pop.

This palette stayed in the back of my mind and I finally got a chance to see it in person a couple of weeks ago and was instantly sold. The packaging has a ton of personality and the colors inside are gorgeous. The spectrum is covered with both neutrals and bold colors and mattes and shimmers, so the possibilities are endless. It retails for $52 and includes 17 - 0.07oz eyeshadows, and EmphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner in black, Lights Camera Lashes! Mascara in black and a Lifted Natural Eye Primer. 

The colors in the palette are as follows (descriptions per Sephora.com):

The Light (shimmering warm ivory)
Fairy (shimmering pink)
Dusk (matte warm taupe)
Dawn (shimmering gold dust)
Werewolf (matte chocolate)
Waitress (sparkling pink champagne)
Nocturnal (sparkling deep indigo)
Charmer (sparkling burnt copper)
Glamour Me (sparkling deep plum)
Stake (matte steel)
Bayou (shimmering golden tan)
Telepath (sparking warm rose)
The True Death (sparkling silver)
Immortal (sparkling midnight black)
Moss (shimmering forest green)
Legend (deep matte black)
V (sparkling crimson)

Get yours here.

hideaway

I picked up two sets of the Sterilite Clearview Wide 3 Drawer Unit at Walmart for about $16 each with makeup organization in mind and they have been a huge hit, especially with Jay who loves the idea of my stuff NOT being all over our apartment. I have them stacked on my dresser.

Starting from the bottom up:

Excess body sprays...
The operative word here is EXCESS;  I have another stash stuffed on a shelf. 

Palettes...

I've got two 88 shadow palettes, a 40 shadow palette, my 12 blush palette and several Urban Decay shadow palettes. I use the Naked Palette the most which is why it's front and center.

Foundations, pressed powders, loose powders, concealers, tinted moisturizers, illuminizers...
I've acquired quite a few of these products in the past year; I really wanted to put some drugstore brands to the test.

Blushes, bronzers, lipglosses and lipsticks...

Lipgloss was the first form of makeup that I got into. This year I've started experimenting with lipsticks and lip pencils. 

Eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras...
Over the years I've grown a nice collection of shadows. This year I shifted my focus to palettes, but I still reach for the individual, duo and quad shadows every now and then.

All the extras --- Unopened goodies, brushes, contacts, eyelashes, miscellaneous tools...

I always try to keep extra sponges and powder puffs for my compacts so I can replace them on a regular basis.

Brushes and applicators sit on top, all of which are in desperate need of a bath...
I have a lot of MAC brushes, but I also really like brushes from Coastal Scents and drugstore brands like Posh and Sonia Kashuk.

Getting everything organized was a great way of taking inventory and sorting out the products that were expired, that I no longer used or liked or that weren't right for me. I used to have stacks, bags, baskets of makeup scattered all over. Having everything in one place helps me get a lay of the land when it comes to using products and putting together looks. It's great to know that I can reach for something and find it immediately.