Archives for April 2008

Dior Goldrush Summer 2008 Collection: Swatches and Pics

April 15th, 2008 by Karen 77 Comments

dior-goldrush-summer-2008-569

Who loves gold, khaki and coral? I do! I do!

How ’bout Dior? Do you love Dior? Because I sure do.Â I got my paws on a few items from Goldrush,Â Dior’sÂ new summer collection. It’s a limited edition being delivered to your nearby Dior counter as we speak. Dior has given us some new eyeshadows, lipsticks, lipglosses, a blush, a highlighter and nail polishes in coordinating tan, coral, khaki and gold.

I really like the 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Golds 569 ($52).

Pretty, yah? The eyeshadow palette pictured above houses five shades — a beige, bronze, copper, gold and khaki, all wrapped up in a sleek, midnight blue, trademark Dior compact.Â
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Makeup and Driving: What Say You?

April 15th, 2008 by Karen 34 Comments

If you’ve been a reader of the blog for some time you’re probably aware of my not-so-secret obsession with Britney Spears!

Although TEAM BRITNEY had been scandal-free for a while, the poor girl gave the merciless paparazzi and the media fresh ammunition last Saturday after a minor fender bender on a busy Los Angeles freeway. Thankfully, no one was injured and no tickets were issued, but it looks like makeup may have been involved. It has been reported (which doesn’t mean that it’s true) that Brit was doing her makeup behind the wheel at the time the accident occurred.

True or not, it raises an interesting question: how do you feel about applying your makeup behind the wheel?

I’m incapable of multi-tasking behind the wheel, so I try not to do my makeup while I’m driving, but I admit I’ve done it before. I also know it’s not uncommon for women to use their rear views for quick touch-ups on the way to work.

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll! What have you got going on for today? Right now I’m busting into my Clinique gift with purchase loot from last week. I can’t wait to try out the cute palette.

Are you having a good day so far? I hope so.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Gillette Venus Embrace Razor: Leg Hair Annihilator Extraordinaire!

April 14th, 2008 by Karen 59 Comments

If ignored for too long, my legs would look like Chewbacca’s (love ya, Chewy!) — soft, silky and covered with hair — so to keep my gams smooth and hairless I either wax them or shave with razors like the Gillette Venus Embrace, God’s gift to hairy women everywhere!

What makes the Gillette Venus Embrace special? Two words: five blades! It’s a leg hair annihilator extraordinaire.

In this age of excess, you’d think someone in marketing would have said, “Is five blades going too far?” Thankfully, Venus went ahead with their quintuple-bladed monster because there’s a noticeable difference between the performance of the Venus Embrace and its triple-bladed predecessor, the Venus Breeze. Embrace gives a closer shave than any blade razor I’ve ever used before, which means having to shave less often. I credit this razor for giving me more time for things like making crazy cartoons with unicorns.

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MAC Fafi and Laura Mercier Gold Digger for a Warm Weather Face of the Day

April 14th, 2008 by Karen 66 Comments

makeup and beauty blog fotd

In typical Bay Area fashion, grey, overcast skies quickly replaced the sunny, warm weather we’d had for a few days, but I refuse to let go! I wasn’t up for this uber-red MAC look here, but I still wanted to try something bright and lively. So, this morning I gave this summery bronze and gold eye a try, featuring colors from the MAC Fafi and Laura Mercier Gold Digger collections. I first thought about going for broke with false eyelashes, too, but those will have to wait ’til next time.

Matte coral cheeks and shimmery coral lips complete the look. Now, all I need is a warm beach, a pair of flip flops and a large Jamba Juice (Orange Dream Machine, yum)!

makeup and beauty blog mac fafi laura mercier fotd1

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Guess by Marciano Perfume: For the Maneater in You

April 13th, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

Guess by Marciano perfume
I haven’t lived the single life in a while, but dangit if I were on the prowl I’d so rockÂ Guess by Marciano. Maneater aptly describes the way I feel wearing this scent.

I usually think of myself as the girl next door — ya know, the quirky one in t-shirt and jeans who drinks beer, watches reality TV and writes lists — but when I wear Guess by Marciano I feel transformed, like a cougar on the prowl! Rrraaooowww! Ft! Ft!Â

Just what makes this spicy floral so darn sexy? I suspect the fruity top notes (the first blast of fragrance) mellow out the musky base notes (the finale). The resulting fragrance is neither cloying nor overly sweet.Â

Top notesÂ — star fruit, grapefruit, orange curacao (an orange-flavored liquour) and cardamom (an herb belonging to the ginger family)
Middle notesÂ –pink honeysuckle, peony and jasmine
Base notesÂ — wood, vanilla, musk and dulce de leche (caramel)

I don’t have many spicy fragrances (piquant or pungent scents like clove oil, cinnamon or thyme)Â in my perfume collection because, for some reason, they make me sneeze! But my nose agrees with Guess by Marciano. No sneezing whatsoever.

It also has enough endurance to last all day long. I sprayed it on in the morning, and as I sniffed at my wrist throughout the day, there it was. The scent does change, though — a whiff of jasmine at lunch, and then vanilla and musk appeared later in the afternoon.
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MD Skincare All-Over Blemish Solution: A Pricey but Awesome Acne Fighter

April 13th, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments

md skincare all over blemish solution
At $84 it isn’t exactly budget friendly, but MD Skincare’sÂ All-Over Blemish SolutionÂ got me sayingÂ “Awwwwww yeeeeeah!”

Women have been goingÂ crazy over beta hydroxy (aka salicyclic) acids lately, and after a month of using MD Skincare’s product I’m ready to climb aboard the bandwagon. Scoot over, ladies! Make room! There’s really no comparison between my old standby benzoyl peroxide creams and All-Over Blemish Solution in terms of their ability to treat pimples. I saw a dramatic difference in my skin within days.Â

Even the cosmetics industry itself is going ga-ga over this stuff. Each year, members of CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc.) recognize the most innovative beauty products of the year as voted on by CEW members, industry professionals and beauty experts. The award isÂ considered one of the beauty industry’s highest honors. All-Over Blemish Solution won the award in 2007.

Shoot, I’d give this bad boy an award if I could … the Makeup and Beauty Blog Zit Destroyer Award. First off, the most welcome thing I noticed after using All-Over Blemish Solution was in how my skin felt. Benzoyl peroxide products have a tendency (at least on me) to tighten and dry sensitive skin, making it peel and itch. Not so with this stuff. All-Over Blemish is considerably less drying than any benzoyl peroxide I’ve ever used, even Proactiv. With All-Over Blemish Solution I noticed that my forehead and cheeks — my worst breakout zones — stayed almost zit-free and considerably smoother than they are when I’m using benzoyl peroxide.Â

Beyond the startling $84 price tag, there’s another price to pay if you intend to try this product — beta hydroxy acids increase skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. Be extra mindful to wear sunscreen on your face because most experts cite the beta-hydroxy acid-sun sensitivity issue as the most common side effect. My favorite facial sunscreen is Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Face Cream SPF 55.

makeup and beauty blog md skincare screen shot
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Makeup and Beauty Blog: Where You At??

April 12th, 2008 by Karen 30 Comments

truancy (noun, plural): the state of being idle

It’s hella hot out here in the Bay Area today, so I made the executive decision to play hooky and blog from Ocean Beach in San Francisco.Â

Well… to be honest, I didn’t actually do any “blogging” at the beach, but I thought about it. 🙂

My truancy today also involved cruising around in the 4Runner with the sunroof open and all the windows down while bumping Ray J.’sÂ Sexy Can I. Â

You’re a dirty birdy, Ray J.

But you know your girl — I couldn’t stay away from the Internets and had to sneak in a Makeup and Beauty Blog-related something, tom foolery or not.

My nails were thrashed after the beach, so I did a quickie manicure at home. Because it was so frickin’ hot this afternoon — like Christian Bale hot — I chose a cool, icy shade, going with Laura Mercier’s Nail Lacquer in Sterling ($15).Â

laura mercier gold digger sterling nail lacquer

Other than the beach and a manicure, I did a whole lotta nothing today and ’twas glorious! Of course, now the pangs of guilt are making themselves heard. Back! Back, evil guilt!

How was your Saturday, homie? Did you have chores to do, or were you able to catch up on some quality slacker time?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10: Primer Time with This Mini-Mousse in a Can

April 11th, 2008 by Karen 48 Comments

shu uemura uv under base spf 10
Small can, big mousse — Shu Uemura’s new UV Under Base with SPF 10 packs a wallop, but $32 is a lot to ask for a 2.2 oz can.

Have you ever used a mousse foundation primer before? — because I haven’t, until now. It’s kinda neat, all airy, fluffy and foamy. Because Shu’s UV Under Base is a mousse and not a runny liquid or gel like most foundation primers are, my skin soaks it up like a sponge. This baby does double duty as a skin protectant with the addition of SPF 10, which isn’t necessarily the ideal level of SPF to wear to the beach, but if you work in a black hole of an office building (like I did for years) and only see the sun on your breaks, SPF 10 should suffice.

But I wonder… The $32 can is barely 5 inches tall, and when I press the mousse trigger a ginormous strawberry-sized blob of product shoots out. I think I have poor thumb-to-mousse control. I get the feeling the can won’t last very long.

When I wore it under Becca Stick Foundation the other day, my skin looked really smooth. The pores on my face all but disappeared (although I still knew they were there, ha!), and the foundation I was wearing lasted all day long. Shu calls the product color Beige 01. I think it looks like dolce de leche ice cream. The very first time I used it, I got mousse happy and applied too much. With my skin tone (neutral, not yellow or pink dominant), it actually left a slight pink tint, so the second time around I used a lot less product — viola! No pink tint.

Can you see the Thanksgiving turkey in this clump o’ mousse?
shu uemura uv under base spf 10-product shot

Foundation primers are an optional makeup step, used to smooth the skin and to create an even surface on which to apply foundation. I’ll use one a few times a week when I have a little extra time. As a foundation primer, Shu’s Under Base works great and has a light scent that reminds me of baby powder and cinnamon. I wore it the other day under Becca Stick Foundation. Normally, I use Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Foundation Primer, and Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer has a lot of fans. Shu’s UV Under Base compares well to Laura’s primer, but I haven’t used Smashbox’s before.

Product: Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10
Price: $32
Use: As a foundation primer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Shu claims you can use UV Under Base by itself (en lieu of foundation) to even out your skin color. Maybe for lighter-skinned cuties, but with my skin tone I’d need something a bit more pigmented to wear it like that.

I had a blast in San Francisco today! My friend and I sat on a sunny bench in the middle of Union Square, drinking iced tea and catching up. After we said our goodbyes, I checked my Crackberry/Blackberry for your makeup suggestions and headed straight to Macy’s cosmetics department. 😉
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