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Archives for August 2008

All Aboard the Cherry Train with Laura Mercier Cherries Noir

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It’s cherries, cherries everywhere as Laura Mercier boards the cherry train with her Cherries Noir fall makeup collection of colors inspired by 1940s Hollywood glam.

Due on counters nationwide September 1, the collection includes six matte and shimmer Eye Colour eye shadows ($22 each), one Illuminating Powder quad for cheeks ($35) and five Lip Velvet ($22) lipsticks.

Like last week’s MAC Cult of Cherry, Cherries Noir features some really striking lip products I think they’ll be the stars of the show.

A friend of mine who works for Laura Mercier said the new Lip Velvets aren’t exactly lipsticks but rather lip stains packaged like lip glosses, with textures similar to LM’s Glace lip gloss.

With a demi-matte finish (semi-matte, halfway between a matte lipstick and a shiny gloss), the wine, berry and plum shades look easy to wear. If you’ve been looking for a lip that leans toward dark without going full-on vampire, look out for Cherries Noir.

Cherries Noir Lips

  • Cassis: deep mulberry
  • Cherry Blossom: earthy berry
  • Mocha Rouge: tawny brick red
  • Naked Rose: neutral peachy pink
  • Royal Plum: muted wine

I’m looking forward to these and will stalk Nordstrom until I get my hands on ’em!

What do you think about Laura Mercier’s Cherries Noir? Cherry overkill or can’t wait?

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Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani

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Hey, girlies! I’m here at the mall killing some time before heading over to the movies to watch Pineapple Express. At Nordstrom I spied Gwen Stefani’s new Harajuku Lovers fragrances. The bottles are just as cute as I thought they’d be, and each scent comes in two sizes. The large 1.0-fl oz bottles cost $45, and the small 0.33-fl oz are $25.

Unfortunately, none of these lil’ cuties will be coming home with mama. I sniffed all five fragrances and found them too fruity and sweet. “G,” the Gwen doll’s scent, smelled exactly like the bag of Hawaiian coconut candy I finished off the other night. Good for my tummy, yes, but not so good as a fragrance.

Turns out I’m not the only person who wasn’t thrilled by these; bellasugar didn’t think too highly of them, either. Le sigh… I really wanted to like these, too.

Oh, snap! I just looked at the clock, and I need to head to the theater (gotta get my popcorn before the show).

Hope you’re having a good evening!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Do You Like Pink Lips?

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If there’s a cure for pink lipstick and lipgloss mania I don’t want it. Other color trends come and go, but for me pink lips will always stand the test of time. Here are some of my recent pink lip obsessions.

Happy Saturday! How’s it going today? After straightening out the living room, putting everything in its proper place and thinking about pink lipsticks for a long, long time, I’m officially ready to begin the rest of my day. Better late than never, yo!

Oh, yeah, if you’re ever in my part of California and craving reasonably priced, authentic Japanese food (never mind the giant bronze eagle statue in the dining room), I highly recommend Sushi Boat in San Rafael. I only just found the place a couple weeks ago, but it has already become one of my favorite restaurants in Marin.

I hope you’re having a great weekend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Cult of Cherry Face of the Day with Spiced Chocolate Quad

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Am I the only girl out there who thinks watching The Golden Girls and playing with makeup constitutes a good time? I hope not, LOL!

Earlier this afternoon, with MAC’s Cherry Blossom face chart laid out on the floor in front of me, I did some experimenting with MAC Cult of Cherry’s Spiced Chocolate Quad, Plum du Bois blush, Creme Cerise lipstick and Cherry Blossom Lipglass.

Face charts for Cult of Cherry and MAC’s other makeup collections are available on the MAC website. The charts indicate which products and brushes to use for different looks, and, in some cases, indicate the proper placement of color.

The Cheeks and Lips

In the Cherry Blossom chart, the eyes are bold, but the cheeks and lips are soft and subtle. I reached for Plum du Bois and, following the chart, swirled some on my cheeks with a MAC 187 brush (aka the skunk brush).

Then, I lined my lips with Sublime Culture Cremestick Liner, filling them in with Creme Cherise Lipstick. I topped them off with a layer of Cherry Blossom Lipglass.

The Eyes

Eye Products I Used

I prefer to do one eye at a time, working each one to completion before I move on to the next eye. Some women prefer to work on both eyes at the same time, completing a step on one eye and then repeating it on the other, since they already have the correct brush in hand. I think it boils down to personal preference. For me, it’s faster if I finish one eye before moving on to the other.

The Eyes: Step by Step

  1. First, using a MAC 266 brush, I shaded in my brows with Concrete.
  2. Then, I highlighted the brow bone by dusting Nanogold onto it with a 252 eye shader brush.
  3. I applied Pink Couture Shadestick onto my lids, blending out the edges with my finger.
  4. Then, I swept Sweet Chestnut Eye Shadow directly on top of the Pink Couture Shadestick with a 217 blending brush.
  5. To add more depth to the eye, I added Spiced Chocolate Eye Shadow into the crease with a 219 pencil brush.
  6. With the same brush, I ran Sweet Chestnut Eye Shadow along the lower lash line.
  7. To finish the eye look, I curled my lashes, and then added two coats of Zoomblack mascara onto both the upper and lower lashes.

All done, my little cherry blossom! 🙂
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YOU MUST CHOOSE: The R. Kelly Edition

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1. For three months, would you rather live with unwashed hair or uncut toe nails (and you can’t file or sand them down at all)?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

2. Destiny brings you together with your high school or college crush (the one who got away, le sigh). Unfortunately, the two of you are forced to catch up either locked for 24 hours in a Twilight Zone version of an Abercrombie & Fitch store (with music blasting and stinky cologne hanging in the air) or a haunted Ferris wheel that never stops spinning (not even to let you use the ladies room!).
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

3. If you could take home *any* fall makeup collection in its entirety, which one would it be?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

4. Would you rather have unnaturally fast hair growth in your ears or your nose?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

5. You’re shipwrecked on a deserted island with either R. Kelly or the most annoying person you know.
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

6. During a solar eclipse, a booming voice from above (sounds like Cher) orders you to use one single mascara ALL YEAR LONG. Which mascara would it be?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

It’s Friday, yea! Come on, let’s play! Just copy the following list and paste it along with your answers in the comments. 🙂

  1. Unwashed hair or uncut toe nails?
  2. Abercrombie store or the haunted Ferris wheel?
  3. Which fall makeup collection?
  4. Crazy hair in your ears or your nose?
  5. R. Kelly, or the most annoying person you know?
  6. Mascara for the year?

Today is my day off (wheee!), which doesn’t actually mean I don’t have any work to do. It just means I don’t have to go to work at the literary agency. I’m headed to the city in a few for a quick coffee with a friend and may do a little window shopping if time permits. I should be back home soon.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Overrich: Product Shots, Swatches

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MAC Overrich was the second collection to hit MAC counters today. Its eight MAC pigments promise to steal some of Cult of Cherry’s thunder. All eight of these loose shadows ($19.50 each) made shorty wanna get loose! I think these shades of green, gold, bronze and copper are perfect for fall.

All eight pigments are limited edition at regular MAC freestanding stores and counters, but according to one of my sources, MAC Pro stores should still carry most of the Overrich shades even after the collection has sold out elsewhere. The following six colors are slated to remain part of the permanent Pro Store pigment line-up:

Likely Permanent Pro Store Pigments

  1. Blonde’s Gold
  2. Heritage Rouge
  3. Copperbeam
  4. Vintage Gold
  5. Antique Green
  6. Museum Bronze

Note that the remaining two Overrich shades, Mega-Rich and Mauvement, will even be limited edition at MAC Pro Stores, so if you’re lusting after either one, grab ’em quick, girlfriend.


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MAC Cult of Cherry On Sale Now: Product Shots, Swatches

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MAC counters nationwide are under constant attack today by crazed MAC fans (like me) dying to get their grubby, makeup stained hands on the new Cult of Cherry and Overrich collections. It’s total mayhem! 🙂

More on MAC Cult of Cherry and Overrich

I’m late for work and have to zip out the door, but here are swatches for now. I’ll post updates later today with more detailed reviews. Enjoy! 🙂

Eye Shadow Palettes ($36)

Shadowy Lady

Spiced Chocolate

Tempting

Lipsticks ($14)

Mattene Lipsticks ($14.50)

Tinted Lipglass ($14)

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Shu Uemura Fall 2008 Limited Edition Instinct Collection

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True confession: when I was nine years old, all I wanted out of life was to star in a Duran Duran video. My fourth grade brain believed it was my destiny to be that glamorous Patrick Nagel girl on the cover of the Rio album, and I thought that looking like her would lead to me being cast as John Taylor’s love interest in a video involving pirates and perhaps a very fast boat.


Illustration by Patrick Nagel

Sadly, I never fulfilled my Duran Duran music video dreams, but a part of me still yearns to be that glam album cover girl.

Enter Shu Uemura’s Fall 2008 collection. The minimalist shapes and lines used for the packaging feel oh-so-80s, as if Nagel’s Duran Duran cover exploded in my makeup bag.

The design echoes throughout the entire color collection of three blushes, three eye shadow duos, two lipsticks and a face powder, but the packaging isn’t the only thing that distinguishes this release from others this season.

Yes, the reds, browns and purples so popular this fall are also present here, but this collection is more about shine, gloss and textured layers. It’s a clean break from the matte eyes and lips we’ve seen so far.

Instinct marks the first collection for Kakuyasu Uchiide, Shu Uemura’s new international artistic director.

The Eye Shadow Duos


Mystifier Eye Shadow Duo

With a cream shadow on one side and a powder on the other, each Duo Eye Shadow ($36) provides plenty of flexibility. I can see myself wearing the cream shadows alone or layered beneath the powders. For an easy eye look (’cause, girl, you know I like easy!), I applied the cream shade on the lid and the powder in the crease.

The cream shadows feel thinner and drier than MAC Paint Pots do. One layer delivers a sheer wash of shimmery color (much like Laura Mercier’s Cream Eye Duos from the Dreamy collection); two layers create a bolder pop. If you have super oily lids, you might want to prime them first before applying these cream shadows to prevent color from settling into the creases of your eye.

The powdered shadows in these duos are classic Shu Uemura — finely milled, highly blendable and highly pigmented (aka eyelid heaven).

Mystifier, pictured above, houses a black and green duochrome cream shadow (SOO PRETTY) and a brownish bronze powder shadow.

Mesmerizer, below, holds a light purple cream shadow and gold powder shadow. I wore this to work a few days ago with a look similar to this gold and purple eye I did with MAC shadows.

I haven’t used Tantilizer, the third of the three fall collection eye shadow duos (a green cream shadow and a goldish bronze powder), but I love both of the other two. They’re easy to use and deliver just the right amount of color without going over the top.


Mesmerizer Eye Shadow Duo
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