Earlier this week, I went to check out my local Nordstroms for their Half-Yearly Sale.  As a beauty junkie, I had to stop by the MAC counter to check out their latest goodies.  And what did I find? A Nordstrom Beauty Exclusive: MAC Look in a Box - a boxed gift set that comes with 5 MAC products (4 of them are full-sized!)

Valued at $100, these three box sets are selling for $59.50 each.

Sun Siren:Five essential products packaged together to achieve a luxurious, shine-filled bronze look. Features Bronze Bronzing Powder, Shroom and Amber Lights Eyeshadows, Get Rich Quick Dazzleglass, Buffer Brush 181SE and a promo-sized Zoom Lash.

Sweet Tease:Five essential products packaged together to achieve a minimalist, lightly sexy look. Features Shell Pearl Beauty Powder, Mulch and Gleam Eyeshadows, Love Nectar Lustreglass, promo-sized Zoom Lash and a 181SE Buffer Brush.

Seductress:Five essential products packaged together to achieve a modern, seductive look. Features Belightful Iridescent Powder/Pressed, Knight Divine and Naked Lunch Eyeshadows, Bare Slimshine Lipstick, 181SE Buffer Brush and a promo-sized Zoom Lash.

Don’t these look gorgeous? MAC should come out with these exclusives for the holidays, don’t you agree?

A week ago, I mentioned marK’s new Valentine’s Day Gift Sets - that are surprisingly under $20! Fortunately, I was able to try out marK’s Candy Kisses Lipgloss Gift Set. Let’s see if this gift set is as sweet as it sounds…

Product Details:

• 3 candy wrapped shaped lip gloss pots in Toffee Crunch, Tiramisu, and White Truffle

Approx. Price: $10 for 3 lip glosses

Where to Purchase?: Meet Mark

The Swatches

The Bottom Line: These lip glosses are definitely great for a Valentine’s Day gift for yourself, a girl friend or teenagers. I love the cute candy shaped packaging - it shouts out Valentine’s Day! They are about the size of a quarter, so one can easily throw this into your purse for a quick pick-me-up. What I notice about cosmetic gift sets, is that well…they are not as high quality as the products sold individually. So, don’t expect high pigmentation or staying power from these lip glosses. These lip glosses may smell incredibly sweet and yummy. but keep in mind that these are very sheer. Toffee Crunch is the least favorite out of this gift set. Sadly, it did not compliment my skin tone at all. I have a sweet spot for pink lip colors, so I am favoring Tiramisu and White Truffle. My favorite out of the three? Definitely White Truffle - a sheer berry color.

mark Cosmetics proves that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look lovely this Valentine’s Day by introducing you to these cute Valentine Day kits for under $20.

mark’s Sweetheart Deal - you get 2 kits for $20
Flirt 101 Kit Includes:
- eye shadows in magaic and south beach
- snap to it mini, which holds both shades
- kissink in red siren
- juice gems in juicy cherry pop

Love 4 Ever Kit Includes:
- eye shadows in cake and luvstruck
- snap to it mini, which holds both shades
- kissink in berry bitten
- juice gems in juicy cassis

marK’s Candy Kisses Lip Gloss

Kit includes 3 candy shaped lipglosses for only $10!

Where to Purchase?: Online or your marK representative

Yes…we all want to save this holiday season, but unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of inexpensive beauty products.

So what do you get for the high-end makeup snob that won’t hurt your wallet? Easy… Prescriptives Colorscope Refillable Palette for Eyes and Cheeks.

Source: Prescriptives

Eye shadow swatches

Overall, this is a beautiful palette. Considering that the original price was $52 and has been reduced to $39.50 - this is a great price point for the high-end makeup snob. Individually, the single eye shadows run $14 a pop!

All the eye shadows are full-sized and highly pigmented. With the exception of the navy blue and black, all the eye shadows leave a shimmery satin finish. The navy blue and black eye shadows are more matte with glitter bits – these shadows are more appropriate for the evening. They’re so easy to blend – easier than MAC’s Holiday 2008 Smokey Eye Palette! However, the blush didn’t swatch too well, but when applied to my NC 35-40 skin, I was given a natural flush for everyday wear. Also, I love the packaging -the palette is enclosed in a zippered case, which makes it ideal for traveling during this winter holiday.

FAB TIP:Once this palette is used up, you can refill the palette with new Prescriptive eye shadows!