Target Beauty High-Ends It!

if you didn't already know readers, your Kitty is a Target fanatic. lately a good 50% of all my new clothes are purchased there and everytime i go, i find more and more i want! i think the reason why i love Target's clothing so much is because it's cute, stylish and affordable (especially this adorable cardigan i picked up the other day for $19.99!). i am somewhat of a fashion obsessive who spends hours pouring over every available fashion mag and although i would love nothing more than to be able to spend $200 on a simple shirt, it's just not a feasible option for me. i need to be able to buy clothes that i love for reasonable prices, and that's where Target comes in. i think one of the greatest marketing ideas ever dreamed up was for Target to do their GO International lines, where different high-end designers create a line of clothing to be sold through Target at affordable prices. so successful was this venture that the next logical step was for Target to take that same high-end approach to their beauty department!

the new additions to Target's beauty world are less expensive makeup lines from Jemma Kidd ("JK"), Napoleon Perdis ("NP Set") and Petra Strand ("Pixi"). when i first saw them i was very impressed, they have testers for all the products and mirrors and q-tips and the whole shabang set up! although i was in a hurry, i did get to check out the different lines and saw promising things from each of them. i have to admit that i was most interested in the line by Jemma Kidd, whose makeup i have read a lot about but never had the opportunity to see in real life. her I-Tech Liquid Liners, $18 each, come in a rainbow of gorgeous colors and seem to be almost exact dupes of MAC's Liquidlast Liquid Liners. the I-Design Eye Color Collection, $18 each, are beautifully rich eyeshadows that have a very soft, velvety, blendable texture. what really caught my eye were her lipsticks, which come in two formulas: Classic Couture Collection, a creamy, high pigment formula for saturated, classic color and Sheer Vanity Gloss & Glaze Collection, a sheer, glossy lipstick that's heavy on moisture and light on color. when i tried on Belle De Jour from the latter group, i was instantly smitten! i am eternally on the hunt for the perfect nude lipcolor and this has become my new favorite. it has a similar texture to a very glossy lipbalm but significantly lightens your lip color, turning my naturally rosy lips into the pale, baby pink color i'm always chasing after. only problem is, much like MAC's Lustre lipsticks, Belle De Jour is the kind of lipstick that only looks good on lips that are perfectly smooth and flake-free. my solution for flaky lips? sleep with a thick layer of Carmex lip balm on and exfoliate with a warm, wet washcloth in the morning. your lips will be in the perfect condition for your trickiest lipsticks!

as for NP Set and Pixi, i can't share much information since i didn't get to try them out but i'll definitely be checking into them further the next time i'm at Target and will share my conclusions. although i'm very excited about these new additions to Target, i must say that their prices aren't so low-end. as a matter of fact, if you compare products from the artists regular lines to the Target-made lines, there is sometimes only a few dollars difference! if we just apply our regular high-end attitudes to these lines, only buying what we absolutely can't live without, then they will be a worthwhile addition to the Target beauty department, but don't get too caught up in the fact that these lines are supposedly 'inexpensive' and break your budget. happy Target shopping kittens!

have you tried any of the beauty products from the new Target line-up? if so, let's hear what they were and how you liked them!

QVC easy as 1,2,3

let's talk about QVC, bay-bee! i am totally, utterly addicted to this home shopping channel! i feel like no one ever mentions this GLORIOUS resource of beauty booty on the makeup blogs i read, and i can't help but wonder why? Lisa Robertson, (pictured to the left) a host on QVC, always says "no one does beauty better than us", and i'm telling you, girl knows what she's talking about! not only do they carry almost ALL of the best brands, (for example: Tarte, YSL, Bare Escentuals, Philosophy, Smashbox, Ojon, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Prescriptives, Kate Somerville, Kinerase, LORAC, Stila, and many, MANY more- seriously, check out the list of brands they carry here) but they have the BEST prices EVER! QVC almost always sells their products for less than what you'd spend in the stores, and they have fantastic deals where you can get, say, two tubes of Dr. Denese Self Tanner (usually $25) for $26.14! also, they have 'easy pay', which is this really helpful payment plan where you can divide the price of something costly into several payments (say you're buying Kate Somerville Exfolikate and it's selling for $100, you can do 4 payments of $25 a month so your wallet doesn't take such a hit all at once!) the prices can't be beat, and you have 30 days to try out anything you buy and then SEND IT BACK if you don't like it for a total refund. plus, S&H is totally reasonable and you can get whatever you order within 1-1.5 weeks.

ok so...fabulous selection of products, check! amazing prices, check! shopping while on the sofa in your favorite sweats, check! could there really be more to love about QVC you ask? yes! yes there is! QVC is the best BEST best thing to watch when you're bored! they have whole shows devoted to beauty (my two favorites, Beauty Beat and Saturday Night Beauty) and they are wildly entertaining! not only do they show you what you can get but they have the creators of the makeup lines there with them, showing you HOW to use the products they're hawking! it's great! i DVR each and every beauty related program on QVC and veg out in a makeup-induced coma while watching from the comfort of my aforementioned sweats. every saturday night there is an hour of Saturday Night Beauty, hosted by my favorite QVC girl Patti Reilly (right), and i'm warning you, lock up your credit cards before tuning in because you will want to buy EVERYTHING!

also, an interesting tidbit: QVC is now getting exclusivity with the brands that they sell! for example, Smashbox released their Halo Hydrating Perfecting Face powder a few months ago on-air, but you won't be able to buy it anywhere except QVC until this coming december. since that one launched, i've seen several other brands doing the same thing, so if there's something out there you're desperate for, your only shot at acquiring it may be to hit up QVC!

you can tune into QVC anytime because it's on 24/7, but if you're just interested in the beauty shows, check their showtimes at QVC's beauty page online. their online website is amazing too, it has tons of How-To videos, reviews, and information about the brands and products for sale. and don't say i didn't warn you about the impending bankruptcy you might fall into!