Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Hey, ya’ll. Would you help your girl out by taking a couple minutes to answer this marketing survey? I’m trying to find new ways to advertise besides Google because I’m kinda tired of seeing random ads on the blog for pink compost toilets and Asian brides.
It’s just 12 questions and won’t take very long. Thanks for your help. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Your girl did a lil’ hauling today at the Macy’s Union Square Laura Mercier counter. I picked up some cream shadows from the Dreamy Collection, along with a navy blue cake eyeliner and a flat eyeliner brush.
Here’s a pic of the haul sans camera flash:
I know I’ve moaned and groaned about my one bad incident with a Laura Mercier cream blush brush, but when Frank, a cool makeup artist at the Union Square counter, showed me how to use a flat eyeliner brush to apply Bleu Marine Eye Liner on my waterline (to make my eyes look bigger), I had a moment. [Continue reading…]
Imagine a nearly transparent version of your favorite brightly colored lipstick — what you’d end up with would look a lot like MAC’s new Strobe Kiss and Strobe Current Tinted Lip Conditioner Sticks, two little lovelies from MAC’s new Strobe Collection. In stick form both look bold and bright, but they apply unexpectedly sheer. Picture a transparent wash of color.
I got my hands on two of the five available shades — Strobe Kiss, a light coral with golden shimmer, and Strobe Current, a shimmery red plum. [Continue reading…]
With Eversun Beauty Powder Blush and Strobe Kiss Tinted Lip Conditioner, MAC did not let me down. After work I spent the afternoon playing with makeup. Hey, sometimes it makes total sense to take half an hour to apply makeup instead of tackling your to-do list. Some days are like that. Check out the fruit of your girl’s lazy afternoon:
I paired Eversun and Strobe Kiss with a green and purple eye. This took a lil’ longer than my standard 10-minute makeovers. It looks subtle, but there was lots of blending and eyeliner. Time flies when you’re having fun!
No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. For once, I’m not wearing pink lipstick, LOL!
Spotlight is one of three lip colors ($12 each) in Flirt’s Glamourazzi Extreme Lip Lacquer line. A peachy bronze with a touch o’ sparkle, Spotlight has staying power and lots of shine. I applied it before leaving for work this morning and didn’t have to reapply for four hours! It even lasted through the turkey wrap I had for lunch. The brush pen tip makes it easy to apply in a rush, even when I’ve got one sandal out the door.
For me, spring heralds the arrival of allergy season and periodic bouts of hives along with random patches of itchy skin. Yea, spring!
When my allergies are acting up, I try to avoid scented body products because they will often make the situation worse. Thank goodness for Aveeno Active Naturals Eczema Care Body Wash ($9.99 ) and Moisturizing Cream ($9.99), a superstar unscented combo able to clean and moisturize without irritating or drying out my allergy-prone skin.
Use: To cleanse and moisturize the itchy, extra-dry skin associated with eczema
Price: $9.99 apiece
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Both Eczema Care Body Wash and Moisturizing Cream are fragrance- and steroid-free, making them ideal for people with sensitive skin. Created by dermatologists to provide itch relief to eczema sufferers (you don’t have to suffer from eczema to use it, though), each contains oat essence and ceramides, compounds with soothing properties. These products are so gentle that they’re approved for use on baby skin (but, as with any product, read your labels and consult a physician if in doubt). [Continue reading…]
I had a lot of fun with MAC Club eyeshadow today. Its versatility makes it great for creating quick, daytime smokey eyes. I had about three seconds to put on my makeup this morning, and I owe this look to MAC Club. Paired with a few new products from Fafi and the N Collections, MAC Club helped me finish this look in 10 minutes.
Believe it or not, but there is a completely rational explanation (as soon as I think of it) for why my nails are different colors in this picture.
New York Magazine online has posted a spiffy feature in which you can browse through a huge assortment of pretty lipsticks. You can compare by thumbnail image or view them as a slide show with swatches, prices and availability. Both drugstore and department store brands appear in the lineup. I spotted Maybelline, Clarins and Clinique and couldn’t help but notice the MAC presence, holla!
“We tested over 400 [lipsticks] to make sure they looked, smelled and rocked the lips hot,” says Sharon Clott, online assistant market editor at New York Magazine.
For each lipstick there’s a product shot, swatches and the colors on the lips of NY Magazine staffers. (Side note: do you suppose lipstick tester/model was in their job description? I’d so apply for that gig in a hot second.)
I’d like to see them add swatches done on real skin to the swatches they’ve provided on white backgrounds, but the lip pics still give you a good idea of each color.
Earlier today on the site I found quite a few lippies to add to my to-try list, including Haute Face Matte Lipstick in Star Power (#66) and Clarins Joli Rouge in Hot Pink (#79). Have fun!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen