Earlier this week I had the chance to take tour through some of Maybelline's 2012 product launches and I have to say I am seriously impressed. From new products in their Super Stay lip collection to a new lengthening mascara, Maybelline certainly means business. However, the most impressive (aka the ones I immediately opened on the train ride home) are new cream eyeshadows called Color Tattoo. The formula boasts 24 hour wear and amazing color payoff with a smooth, buttery texture. They'll be arriving at drugstores near you in Spring 2012 with the jaw droppingly low price of $6.99 and 10 bold shades.

Best daytime neutral: Tough as Taupe - a matte greige (pictured above)

Best winter color: Pomegranate Punk - a reddish wine

Best spring color: Edgy Emerald - a light turquoise

Most original color: Tie! Tenacious Teal - a vibrant turquoise and Painted Purple - a purple purpal with tonal shimmer

How do you wear yourcream shadows? Do you wear them alone or do you layer them with shadow? Leave your answers in the comments below!

CoverGirl has always been a brand close to my heart, but when Drew Barrymore was selected as a new face for the brand, my affinity doubled. Drew was such a natural choice - good looks aside, her carefree spirit really embodies the freedom that we should feel when playing with makeup. While i've loved all the ads featuring Drew, the image for Intense ShadowBlast really caught my attention. Maybe it's because I'm a card-carrying member of team redhead or the fresh take on blue, but I just had to know how to achieve the look, and I'm passing the info on to you.

To achieve Drew's look, try these CoverGirl products:

COVERGIRL LipPerfection Lipcolor in Delish

COVERGIRL LipPerfection Lipliner in Seduce

LashBlast Fusion Mascara in Very Black

Intense ShadowBlast in Blue Bomb

Which of Drew's ads for the iconic brand have been your favorite?

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan

$11.00 at M·A·C

(Warning: there is a possibility that I will share entirely too much about my personal life in this post.)

I remember the day my best friend Katie and I went to the MAC counter in our local Dillard's. There was probably a new collection on counter that day or we had the itch for something new and exciting. To be honest, I don't remember what products I purchased that day. It was probably Cedar lipliner, Nymphette lipglass, Mulch eyeshadow or something else unassuming. That day, Katie purchased Bitter and Electric Eel eyeshadow.

Something about the color has stuck with me throughout the years. I'm not sure if it's the shade, the name or the way the shadow made us feel whenever we considered wearing it. I remember how feisty she looked whenever she wore it all over her lid - something about the shadow at the time intimidated me (even though I'd wear Pink Pearl pigment like no one else).

Electric Eel is a satin textured tropical inspired turquoise. The finish has just enough sheen to make you feel like this color could have been taken directly from the back of an eel, especially when you swatch it on the back of your hand and it falls in the crevices and cracks of your skin.

There are a lot of things I struggle to remember about Katie - the different ways she wore her hair, her style philosophy when it came to hats or even the last thing she ever said to me. What I can remember is how much she loved MAC's Electric Eel eyeshadow and how looking at Electric Eel somehow brings a piece of her into the present.

What beauty products recall memories for you?

Benefit Cosmetics Eyeliner Gilded

$20.00 by Benefit at Sephora

There are so many things to say and love about Benefit's Gilded pencil, that I wouldn't have been able to say if I weren't given it as a gift.  To be honest, I wouldn't have given this product a second chance.  It's a big, gold pencil....sometimes it's good to have friends lift you out of life's makeup rut.

My favorite way to wear Gilded is as a liner on my lower lashline, with mascara as my only other eye product, and a punchy blue-red lip (of course I still can't put down my Ruffian Red).  The instant you sweep the pencil around your lash line, your whole face brightens, your eyes look bigger, and you look like you've just had a nap.  I promise - there are witnesses.

If you're not the type of gal to give Gilded a second look either, than allow me to be the friend to pull you out of your makeup rut - you just might be surprised.

Laura Mercier Satinée Créme Eye Colour

$22.00 by Laura Mercier at Nordstrom

For years I have been using cream eyeshadows as a base for my daily look. I've used everything from MAC Paint Pots to Revlon Cream Shadows. The texture across the board varies, and it really does depend upon the brand and your personal preference what works best for you.

Before testing these shadows in Ecru Silk and Pink Chiffon, I didn't have much experience with Laura Mercier products.  I know the brand has a great reputation, and is a great go-to for luxurious basics, but I'm not the type of girl that goes around buying basics. I guess you can say I'd rather purchase Electric Eel than a neutral highlighter.

As you squeeze the shadow out of the tiny hole in the tube, you almost think the product is thick and dried out; it stays together so nicely.  The instant you sweep it off the flat top of the cap and onto your eyelid, the product melts into a smooth, silk-like texture that glides onto your skin. It applies and dries down very thin, with sheer-to-normal coverage.  The color is easily built and the product doesn't look cakey on the lid.

To be honest, I'm quite impressed with these shadows.  They are great for women of all types and might even soothe the most jaded of makeup users like me ;).

On Saturday, Style IT headed out on a quest for yellow eyeshadow. There are plenty of brands that carry varying shades of yellow (Make Up For Ever, MAC, etc) but the shades we have found are matte. We were on the hunt for a shimmering, vibrant yellow eyeshadow.

We love NYX for their great color selection, but we're pretty picky about pigmentation and texture so we stay away from ordering online. We found a store the supposedly sold their products, and we couldn't contain our excitement. The store, Essentials Plus, was conveniently located on 5th Avenue next to Sephora. The store was great, focused mostly on haircare, but not an NYX product to be found. After a quick trip around Sephora, we headed to Ricky's, the last chance for yellow eyeshadow before making the trip to MAC Pro.

Ricky's didn't disappoint us. We discovered Ben Nye, a cosmetics company designed for stage makeup, had the perfect vibrant yellow with a hint of shimmer. We snatched it up immediately, along with with a compact of pressed rice powder and a bottle of glycerin for our diy mixing medium.

We're picky about our eyeshadow - it took us the longest time to find the perfect shade of emerald green. What beauty products are you picky about?

Accept it, you know it's going to happen eventually. Whether you're franticly late for an event, or using your favorite, too-expensive color, chances are you might drop it. And it might break.

Fortunately, there are those genius few who have the ability to repair your smashed shadow. They're passing the knowledge onto to you via Youtube.

You'll need a ziplock bag (sandwich or quart), a rolling pin or hairspray can, a quarter, a bobby pin, an old tshirt or linen, rubbing alcohol, and a dropper bottle to reconstruct your shattered shadow.

A big thank you to Youtube user EnKoreMakeup for this and his many other instructional videos!

Do you have a favorite YouTube how to video? Post the link below!

Related:

Sephora's Smokey Eye Kit -- Carolyn NY Colors -- Color Palettes for the Savvy

There are an incredible amount of brush sets on the market. We've always used a set of brushes collected from various free gifts throughout the years. But as we began to use Sephora's Smokey Eye Kit ($42), we found ourselves transported back to the time when applying eye makeup was artful and exciting.

One significant reason for this experience is the way the brush feels in your hand. As you're following the step-by-step instructions (included) to create a perfect smokey eye, the brush feels well made, solid and luxurious. The six piece kit includes five Sephora Professionelle brushes (wide smudge, all over shadow, small domed smudge, detail and comb) as well as Sephora Volume Mascara. The set comes enclosed in a beautiful gunmetal faux leather case.

The Sephora Smokey Eye Kit makes a great stocking stuffer for the Holidays or a perfect gift for a gal pal. Enter code FIFTY at checkout to receive free shipping on orders over $50, or FF2007 for 20% off your entire order.