Weekly Roundup

In theory these are the dog days of summer, but for beauty bloggers August is still hectic with fall collections and limited edition items being launched every day. It's our equivalent of the back to school rush, which I admit I've been missing (a little) since I stopped teaching. Instead of school supplies we get palettes and nail polish. Here's what my friends have been testing:

Charlestongirl has the scoop on Bobbi Brown's new Black Velvet Collection for fall at Best Things in Beauty. It's so un-Bobbi I had to check it twice just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The colors look like they would delight those of us who don't do beige. The model in the photo is a bit darker than me, but I have no doubt I can pull it off. How about you?

Have you been caught up in the Eat Pray Love craze? I haven't yet, but I'm weird like that. Kari from Fabulous Over Forty showed us how we can re-create Julia Robert's red carpet look from the movie premiere. Pretty woman, indeed.

My aversion to QVC aside, it is becoming a serious force in the beauty shopping field. Anne interviewed QVC personality Staci Dickerson at Beauty Xposé to learn what Staci does to get that summertime glow year round.

Kelly had amazing lash growth results from using Marini Lash by Jan Marini. See her results at Gouldylox Reviews and enter to win your very own tube of Marini Lash.

All week, Amy gave us previews and comparisons of Chanel's newest high-shine lip glosses, Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss. See what she thinks of this latest addition to the Chanel lip collection at Café Makeup and hide your credit cards. Seriously, I'm glad most of the colors are way too light for me, otherwise there'd be a shopping spree comparable to the one many of us experienced with Rouge Coco lipsticks. Still, Exces and Fatale are going to be mine. And here's some foreshadowing: Amy is already responsible for a couple of things you're going to see on this blog in the next week or two.

Dog lovers or not, most of us would be amused by the canine themed Bare Escentual Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow. Read Joey's account at Pink Sith. I just got the one in Mutt but have yet to give it serious testing beyond the initial swatch. Loved the texture from the first try, though.

And while we're on an animal theme, check out The Beauty Look Book for Sabrina's scoop on Paul and Joe's fall collection, complete with swans, cats, and pretty makeup. You know how I am with cats, but I still have issues with the idea my lipstick has pointy little ears.

The Clarisonic Opal has another big fan: Laurie at Product Girl. I've tried to resist them, but it looks there's one in my future after all.

And last, if you've missed my posts this week, you might be interested in the two new blushes I reviewed: Nars Douceur and Givenchy Le Prisme Blooming Fuchsias, the eye popping Nars Soft Touch Pencil in Palladium, or maybe a perfume review of something summer-appropriate but with enough character to keep me happy: Osmanthus Interdite by Parfum d'Empire. For a "what in the world" moment, take a look at this inexplicable bad fashion from J. Crew.

I hope you're enjoying the weekend. Stay happy and beautiful!

Photo by Walter Sanders, life.com