Sephora Formula X "Alchemy" & China Glaze "Golden Seal"

Happy Fifth Day of Christmas, loves!  I didn't even realize that we are already halfway through the Twelve Days of Christmas until an hour and a half ago, and even though I have a terrifying mountain of holiday swatches sitting on my desktop dying to be posted, I just had to make last minute room for these ones in honor of them *five ... golden ... rings*!!!!!

China Glaze "Golden Seal" + Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

China Glaze "Golden Seal" + Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

Rainbow Honey : Holiday 2014 "Honey Gold" & "Don't Gingersnap At Me!"

Hello, honey bunnies!!  It was a Rainbow Honey nail mail day for me (HOORAY) and all these holiday goodie-inspired pretties are putting me in the mood for baking.  My mom's heritage is solid Scandinavian so around here when the snow begins to fall, sandbakkels are in the making.  Omm nom nom.

You may recognize this "Don't Gingersnap At Me!" from last year's holiday selection, though thankfully for those of us who missed it, those three festive holiday glitters have made a return this season, in complement to this year's holiday offerings, "Honey Gold" & "Gingered!".  This holiday is all about luxurious, spiced metals, and I'm not really sure whether to feel hungry or glamorous so I'm embracing a confused mélange of both.

Pür Minerals "Let It Glow" bronze, blush, & brighten cheek trio

It was only when I started typing out the name of this holiday set that the name hit me: "Let It Glow".  LET IT GO.  I guess now we know why I felt an irresistible draw to the set... it's that flurrying Elsa power, at it again.  Serendipitous indeed that I randomly decided to swatch this box for the last day of my Frozen swatchathon! ❄

"Naughty & Nice" ... "Sugar & Spice" ... "Glisten & Glow"

Stila: Eyes Are The Window "Spirit" [eyeshadow palette]

Happy weekend!!  Today is one of those idyllic early autumn days, with a most perfectly pure periwinkle sky saturating the blushing landscape with sunshine and contentment.  It's a treasure of a day.  And speaking of treasures...

Stila: Eyes Are The Window "Spirit"

...witness Stila "Spirit", a mystical eyeshadow palette sheathed in an luxe metallic compact of romantic rose gold and opulent white gold.  Something about this particular palette has the feel of prophecies and mysterious magic to me, like fate parting the mist before you.  Wistful and ethereal, this Eyes Are The Window installment so elegantly illustrates the element of spirit in shimmering mists, roses, and precious metals.

Stila: Eyes Are The Window "Spirit"

Butter London: Brick Lane Collection "Dubs" & "Twigged" ( & "Marrow", for good measure )

I obviously would like to be a princess, but I have to admit: living with royalty is exhausting.  I know this because I live with my dog May, and May is quite confident that she is queen.  Like the other day, I had just returned from a run and was serenely doing pigeon stretch when all of a sudden I feel this furry flop on my leg, and there's May stubbornly nesting down in the most ungainly fashion possible.  I kind of huffed at her incredulously, and she just looked at me like, "quiet, fool, I am napping now".  The pups get sassy when they do not feel that they have gotten enough pettings, though to judge by the state of my leggings that clearly can not be the case.  May is queen and she'll flop where she wants, and that's that, humans.

May: "You're on my spot."

Among polish, however, it's Butter London that's queen.  Butters have been a special favorite of mine since the dawn of my polish obsession.  Butter London's "Brick Lane" Collection for Fall 2014 brings together a healthy mix of existing favorites and brand-new beauties.  Returning Butters are "British Racing Green" from the Fashionista's Favorites Fall/Winter 2009 collection, and "Ladybird" from this February's New York Fashion Week and also Summer 2014's Lolly Brights collection, along with "Ladybird" Liquid Lipstick and "Twigged" Wink Cream Eyeshadow from the Boho Rock Spring 2014 collection.  New Butters in a range of harvest hues are "Cor Blimey", "Bric-A-Brac", "Brick Lane", and of course, "Dubs", plus a multitude of mascaras, lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadow creams, eyeliners, cheek tints, etc.

Butter London "Dubs" & "Twigged"

Stila: "In The Light" vs. Eyes Are The Window "Soul" {eyeshadow palette comparison}

Do you think there are fairies in the desert?  Whenever I think of faerie folk, I generally envision them as feisty and frolicking in a verdant forest setting, where magic could masquerade all around and one might never know.  Somehow a stark desert expanse, simmering under a relentless sun, seems much too exposed for the shy elfin peoples.  And yet... can't you kind of imagine sand fairies with wispy mirage wings that fluff about in the sandstorms and create those mesmerizing ripples across the dunes??  Maybe?

Stila "Soul" [top] vs. "In The Light" [bottom]

Well anyways, these palettes reminded me of sun-drenched sands and bronzed beaches, and they are also fairly magical.  One of the lovely ladies at my local Ulta warned me that I wasn't going to be able to resist the packaging of Stila's 20th Anniversary collection, and she was right, I was not.   The new compacts are positively transcendent; exquisite and elemental with a mirrored metallic finish of rose, white, and yellow golds.  I can't even.  Just take my money.