Love and Toast Handcream is a Little Tube of Heaven

I usually try to post a review of everything new I try out on this blog. Reading product review, of both old and new things, is probably my favorite type of post, so I try and return the favor by posting my own. Sometimes though, I’ll realize that I have been happily working through a product without having posted a word about it on my blog. Case in point? My Love & Toast Handcream ($9).

Love & Toast are a relatively small lotions and perfume company that aims to do good as well as make you smell good. A portion of proceeds from each purchase goes to the Regional Affiliates of Girls Inc. They make perfume, hand cream, and lip balm. They are sold from a variety of retailers including Amazon and Urban Outfitters. I picked up my hand cream at a spa. (Haven in SoHo, for you NYCers).

I picked up the Sugar Grapefruit version. The other scents available are Pomme Poivre (Apple Pear), Honey Coconut, Gin Blossom, Mandarin Tea, and Paper Flower. Sugar Grapefruit comes in a gorgeous bright pink tube with pretty illustrations, so it will look cute wherever you keep it. It’s a lovely, reasonably rich cream that sinks in very quickly. It’s not a super rich cream, so those of you who have very, very dry hands may wish to keep that in mind. Love and Toast’s real selling point comes from its use of fragrance. I wish my blog had some sort of scent-o-vision, because I just cannot get over how good this cream smells. It has a beautiful, sweet but not cloying, crisp, fresh citrus smell that instantly wakes you up. Plus, the scent hangs around for about an hour after you’ve put it on.

For the sheer gorgeousness of the scent I more than highly recommend Love and Toast’s handcreams. I urge you to track them down immediately and start getting that amazing burst of energy that comes from smelling something really good. Plus, you can feel good about yourself as well as some of the proceeds go to charity. Fantastic.

Beauty Blog Link Love

My Lips But Better writes about the MAC Venomous Villains launch party and shares her thoughts about the products.

Check out the duo-chromed awesomnicity (yes that is a word!) that Aijuswhanakno found through Persephone Minerals.

Tammerly at Pink Diva's Beauty Spot gives you the 'gloss' on the 2010 Sydney International Beauty Expo.

Amy Antoinette experiments with Kim Kardashian curls.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed gets to pretend she is a real makeup artist with the TEMPTU AIRbrush system!

Kim Porter reviews Dr. Miracle’s Follicle Healer Hydrating Oil, a great product for dry, damaged hair.

With blogger events and launch parties, it's Illamasqua overload at Hellcandy make-up! Check out the photos from the launch party here.

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Mascara and Yinnie's lashes become BFFs over at Looking Glass Beauty.

Daily Polish professes her love for all things Catrice with the turquoise lacquer, "I Sea You!"

Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More gives you a sneak peek at the new Sleek MakeUp Bad Girl & Good Girl Palettes, due to be released on October 27th!

Eyelining uses some NYX pigments to demonstrate how bad packaging can ruin a perfectly good product.

Vex in the City shows you how to step up your nail game on the cheap, with the new Instant Nail Effects from Barry M.

Emma swatches the best Orgasm dupe yet for only £3.99 at BirdsDecorateBranches!

Melissa reviews Smell Bent's limited edition Halloween Killer Smellies over at LovelyAndroid.

You need an idea for Halloween? Vesna at Beauty addict blog has one: turn yourself into a Dark Fairy for this year's Halloween!

Love NARS makeup but not the price tag? Lipglossiping signals the "dupe alert" siren when she shows off a serious but affordable dupe for NARS Albatross!

The Pink Sith is less than impressed with the Too Faced Naked Eye Palette, despite it having a few great taupe shadows.

Jellyminx jumps on the naked band wagon and shares a look created using the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Jolie Laide girl gets to work showing you the best of the Elf Mineral Shadows.

Louise spends a day chatting with Daniel Sandler and getting a whole new look!

The Lip Print discovers a products with a Happy Philosophy; you can share the love too!

theNotice finds a fab product to banish under-eye bags, and it's under $5!

L at Beautifully Addicted To gives a run down on Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanse.

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Jeweled Thumb is celebrating reaching her 400th post with a giveaway! Enter to win Stila, ELF, BE, Milani Bare To Wear and more!

Enter Phyrra's Beauty for the Earth The Wizard of Oz-Some Giveaway for a collection worth $60!

MAC Villainous Villains Review

Wow!! The launch of the year has finally arrived! Yes, the much anticipated Disney MAC collaboration has finally landed. After having skipped the last couple of MAC launches, I was most excited to actually take part in some much desired hauling.

The collection is based on 4 classic Disney villains: Cruella (101 Dalmations, Evil Queen (Snow White), Maleficiant (Sleeping Beauty), and the most recent, Dr Facilier (The Princess and the Frog). I didn't haul based on any particular character, but it turns out I ended up with a lot of Cruella. Better not tell my pup, huh?

Okay, what did I end up and what do I want?

Let me start with the blushes and beauty powders.

 Darkly My Dear is a matte dirty brown-y plum. When I first saw the color, it really reminded me of Prim and Proper from MAC's Liberty collection that came out in March. It's a matte color which is very pigmented, and is quite warm. I found that I had to use a very light hand with it. I have to admit, I do not love this color - it feels too strong for my skintone, and a little overwhelming. I'm not going to keep this blush. If you want it, please leave a message in the comments.

Her Own Devices is a very slightly shimmery beige. It looks quite pink in the pan, but it swatches almost nude. I'm going to love this for contouring. I don't have anything else like this in my collection.

Oh So Fair is a super pretty pale shimmery pink. It is pretty and sheer, but for me, I'm not blown away, and don't think that this product is super unique. I'm not sure I'll be keeping this.

Left to Right - Darkly My Dear, Her Own Devices, Oh So Fair

Next up - lip products!!!

I only ordered two lip products, but both are so good that it's a complete win. Wicked Ways is a gorgeous, cool, pink-toned red shimmery gloss. It's really fun to wear. It's quite simply deliciousness in a tube. 

L-R Wicked Ways, Innocence Beware, Sweet Joy

Innocence Beware is an amazing color. It's my perfect pinky nude. If it wasn't madly sold out, I'd want another one! It is a slightly warmer, pinker toned version of creme d'nude. It's perfect for wearing with knock-out smokey eyes. I'm in love. 

Normally I'm a real freak for eye shadows, but in this launch, I only got one - Sweet Joy. It's a shimmery, sheer gold. That sort of color is a must-have in anyone's collection. It has a gorgeous, soft, smooth feel, although it's quite sheer and I do feel I have to pack it on for it to show up against my skin tone. 

I was incredibly excited about a new product that MAC debuted in this collection - their magically cool powders. They are powders that are made from 70% water. Don't ask me to explain the science behind it, because quite clearly that is something that is well beyond me. I got the lighter shade, Truth & Light. It is a shimmery, highlighting "powder" with peachy tone. When you put it on, it really does feel magically cool and "wet", which then dries down to leave a gorgeous, subtly shimmery finish. This product is a lot of fun. Make sure you try this for yourself. 

My thoughts on this collection? Well, there are some truly fabulous products, and gorgeous, gorgeous colors to play with. The eye shadows to me felt either dupe-able or pantomime though. I love the multitude of matte blushes and beauty powders, since so often these have shimmer. The packaging is a real let down - the outside packaging using the illustrations is beautiful, but the actual packaging on the products is traditional and cheap looking, which is a real shame. However, I can see why products are selling like hot-cakes, and most things are already gone. 

I have 2 products that I'm not going to keep. Normally I just return them to MAC Online. However, since I know that there are products that people are dying to get their paws on, and it would be a shame for them to be thrown in the trash, please let me know if you are interested in swatched Oh So Fair and Darkly My Dear. 

What did you haul from this collection?