Archives for June 2009

The Guerlain Terracotta 2009 Collection: Holy Smoke!

June 6th, 2009 by Karen 9 Comments

Today MBB reader Amy Lynne takes a look at how Guerlain’s taupe tiger known as Holy Smoke stands up to other products in similar shades.

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HOLY TAUPE!

Guerlain’s Terracotta 2009 Collection included a beautiful multi-faceted taupe called Holy Smoke ($35). Like many Guerlain products, the color is both rich and sophisticated, with multicolored micro-shimmers that give it depth and richness in a remarkably fine-milled powder. In other words, it doesn’t take much to get a huge taupe bang.

The question is — how does Holy Smoke compare to the other stars in the Taupe Galaxy?

As a pigment, Holy Smoke delivers much richer color than pressed shadows like Chanel Vega or Safari. One reason why comparatively messy pigments are as popular as they are is because the format gives amazing coverage without having to dig in your brush too hard, thanks to the soft, loose nature of the product.

I was shocked to find that Shu Uemura’s legendary (but, alas, now discontinued) pressed ME Silver 934 held its own beautifully against Guerlain’s Holy Smoke…

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I swatched Holy Smoke next to my other favorite taupe pigments — MAC’s Coco and Subtle (both limited editions from years past), as well as Bare Escentual’s Queen Tiffany.

I think the Guerlain offers a more subtle, sophisticated look compared to the others. Coco seems to almost match the color but has larger particles of shimmer compared to the small, micro-shimmer particles in Guerlain’s Holy Smoke.

If you love taupes, don’t miss Guerlain’s Holy Smoke. Like legendary taupes from the past, it’s limited edition.

This post was written by Amy Lynne, MBB reader and lover of all things Chanel and Shu Uemura. She lives with her hubby, three kids and a labradoodle puppy named Sherman and believes makeup shouldn’t be about following rules — rather, it should be about having fun and how it makes you feel. 🙂

Stila Indian Summer Face of the Day

June 6th, 2009 by Karen 56 Comments

stila indian summer charmed palette fotd karen 2 final

What goes well with barbeques, beaches and hot summer nights?

One word: Stila. 🙂

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Here’s a look I tried with some of the products from the new Stila Indian Summer Collection.

I was just fooling around at the time, half watching an old ’80s movie called Vision Quest on TV (who knew high school wrestling could be so interesting?).

It’s a bronze, purple and teal eye with tan cheeks and a golden orange lip that I can see myself wearing with a flirty summer dress.

This thing has pool party written all over it. 🙂

Eyes

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I know the eye map above makes it seem complicated, but I swear it’s not.

For the look, I started by applying Stila 24K Golden Noir Smudge Pot onto my lids with a MAC 239 Eye Brush and then used a finger to blend out the edges and draw the color into the lid.
Next, I grabbed a MAC 217 Blending Brush and swept the shimmery rose shade from the Stila Charmed Palette into the crease.
With the same brush, I patted the shimmery bronze shade from the Stila Charmed Palette onto the inner half of my eye.
Then for depth, I used the MAC 239 to apply the shimmery purple shade to the outer half of the lid.
Since I had a lot of shimmer action on my lids and in the crease, I used a finger to highlight my brow bone with the golden side of Stila’s Marigold Convertible Color. It’s a step that I think adds a subtle glow and nicely contrasts with the shimmery shadows.
Because I wanted to color and define the lower lash line, I patted the teal shade from the Stila Charmed Palette along my lower lashes with a Sonia Kashuk Angled Eye Shadow Brush…
…and then layered a thin line of Stila Golden Noir directly on top of it using a MAC 209 Eye Liner Brush.

To wrap up the eye portion of the look, I covered up my dark circles, filled in my brows, curled my lashes and added two coats of Stila Lash Visor Mascara.

Cheeks and Lips

Since the eyes were so shimmery, I toned down the skin beneath them, applying and blending the brown side of the Stila Marigold Convertible Color onto the apples of each cheek.
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A Quick Summertime Makeup Look

June 6th, 2009 by Karen 33 Comments

Heya, ladies! How’s your Saturday coming along? This comes out of left field, but last night I saw and absolutely loved Pixar’s Up, their latest animated flick. OMG! It’s effing delightful — poignant, breathtaking to see — and it restored some of my faith in humanity. If there are people out there thoughtful and capable enough to make a film like Up… well, anyway, I can’t recommend it enough.

As for today’s video post, it’s just a quick summertime makeup look (click here to see the video) using a few of my favorite products. 🙂

Hope you’re enjoying the weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

YOU MUST CHOOSE: The Tough Choices Edition

June 5th, 2009 by Karen 56 Comments

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If you were forced to do one or the other 24/7 for an entire year (to job interviews, prom, the beach, your wedding…), would you rather 1) have to wear a combination of knee-high leg warmers and slitted Kanye West glasses OR 2) have porcelain veneer vampire fangs?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

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For a period of one year, would you rather 1) give up toilet paper OR 2) refrain from all forms of body hair removal?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

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Would you rather 1) have your hair go suddenly and completely gray OR 2) have to accompany Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag on a cross country road trip in a car without air conditioning or radio?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

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Would you rather 1) have to give your pet(s) up for adoption (TABS!) OR 2) have to eat nothing but earthworms (they are high in protein) and carrots for the next three years?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

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If you had to choose, which of the following men would be your baby daddy: Kevin Federline, Michael Jackson or Bobby Brown?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

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Photo by Dawn Endico

While having lunch with a friend, you run into your ex — you know, the one who totally crushed your heart. You’re single now and look totally smokin’ HAWT. The chemistry’s still there; your ex asks you out to dinner, but you *know* it’s just a front to start things up again.

Do you say yes to dinner OR no thanks?

YOU MUST CHOOSE!

C’mon, you know you wanna play YOU MUST CHOOSE! Just copy the list below, and paste it with your answers in the comments. 🙂

The Tough Choices Edition

1. The knee-high leg warmers/Kanye West glasses combo OR porcelain veneer vampire fangs?
2. Give up toilet paper OR all forms of body hair removal?
3. Overnight gray hair OR Speidi road trip?
4. Pet adoption OR earthworm/carrot diet for three years?
5. Baby daddy: K-Fed, Michael Jackson or Bobby Brown?
6. Your ex wants you back: yes or no?

Let the weekend begin!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Comment to Win MAC Style Warrior Purple Rite Lipstick

June 5th, 2009 by Karen 232 Comments

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

mac style warrior purple rite

Yes! We made it to Friday, haaay!

I wish we could all take a long lunch together, hang out at the MAC counter and talk about our weekends while drooling over makeup…

I’m starved, but before we go, let’s hold a Friday giveaway!

The prize

One lucky lady will win a tube of frosty MAC Style Warrior Purple Rite Lipstick (a $14 value). 🙂

How to enter

Entering is supa dupa easy. Just leave a comment describing your plans for the weekend.

I’m attending a NARS event at Nordstrom, and then El Hub is taking me to a baseball game tomorrow night.

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Saturday night.

í–‰ìš´!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

MAX Factor Says “Peace out, America…”

June 5th, 2009 by Karen 77 Comments

MAX Factor says goodbye to the US market

Procter & Gamble Co. is pulling the plug on the iconic MAX Factor brand early next year, discontinuing US distribution to better focus on the growing CoverGirl line.

End of an era

There would be no makeup without MAX — that is to say he coined the term “makeup,” based on the verb, “to make up” (one’s face).

The company pioneered contemporary cosmetics back in the golden years of film and TV, *inventing* lip gloss in 1930, introducing Liquid Nail Enamel in 1934 (a predecessor of today’s nail enamels), inventing cake makeup in 1937 (called Pan-Cake), Tru-Color Lipstick in 1940 (the first smudge-proof lipstick), the first concealer in 1954 (called Erace), the first waterproof makeup in 1971 and even introduced the principles of Color Harmony, which held that “certain combinations of a woman’s complexion, hair and eye coloring were most effectively complemented by specific makeup shades.”

Wow, right?

Factor dominated Hollywood makeup artistry back in the 1920s-1930s, decorating virtually all of Hollywood’s leading ladies — Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland. His name appeared on film credits galore.

But time marched on; competition got tougher; the pace of innovation at MAX Factor slowed. The ’90s and early 2000s weren’t kind to the brand in America, and the company lost relevance and market share over time.

Today, the lion’s share of the brand’s $1.2 billion in annual sales comes from international markets like Russia and the UK.

Overseas sales will continue, but if you hail from US shores, it may be time to stock up.

Bittersweet goodbye

I remember wearing their Pan Cake makeup in high school… A girl named Stella sat next to me in class and always looked so elegant applying it from the pan.

And I also remember being really broke in college and finding their 2000 Calorie Mascara at the drugstore. It was one of just a handful of decent drugstore mascaras at the time.

Ah, the memories…

Do you have any stories about the MAX Factor brand? Are you sad or glad to see them go?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Les Naturels De Chanel Swatches and First Impressions

June 4th, 2009 by Karen 54 Comments

les naturels de chanel

Flashy it ain’t, but if you love neutrals like Lady Gaga loves cards, Chanel’s latest collection deserves a closer peek.

The 10-piece Les Naturels De Chanel contains goodies for eyes, lips and cheeks ($27-40) and features cream, brown, gray, pink and peach shades in finishes ranging from soft shimmer to matte.

I popped by the Chanel counter this afternoon to do my due diligence. 🙂

Like most neutrals, these didn’t scream “LOOK HERE!” from across the room, and they may be too quiet for some, but their elegance still captured my attention. They remind me of something Bobbi Brown (aka Queen of the Neutral Look) would create.

Product shots

les naturels de chanel orchid rose
Orchid Rose Joues Contraste Powder Blush, $42

les naturels de chanel lily and slate eyeshadow
Lily and Slate Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, $29 each

les naturels de chanel lotus and mahogany eyeshadows
Lotus and Mahogany Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, $29 each

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From top to bottom: Bel Air, Unity and Waterlily Lesvres Scintillantes Glossimers, $27 each

The release also includes two lipsticks, both of which are repromotes from the summer 2008 collection, but I spaced out at the counter and forgot to take pictures, oops! The two shades are called Naive (a creamy pink) and Curious (a creamy brown) and will go for $30 each.

Swatches

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From left to right: Lily, Lotus, Mahogany and Slate Ombre Essentielle Eyeshadows
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How to Make Your Loose Powder Last

June 4th, 2009 by Karen 41 Comments

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No matter how hard I try, I’m awful when it comes to controlling how much product I use with my loose powder jars.

It’s not like I’m devoid of muscle control, or like I’m shakin’ the jars like a Polaroid picture.

I don’t know, but every time I gently shake a jar to load the sifter tray, mayhem ensues; powder gets everywhere, and I’m sent down the same product-wastin’ path…

The wastefulness starts with the excess of powder in the tray. It’s why my brush gets overloaded with powder, which I end up blowing off or tapping away when I go to dilute the brush before application.

A lot product gets wasted in the process, and that makes me kind of cranky. 🙁

Makeup McGyver!

I finally found a way to doctor those jars of loose powder to cut back on waste.

It’s a cheap and easy trick that takes less than three minutes to do, and it makes it easier to control the amount of powder that feeds through those built-in sifters, consequently reducing the amount of product that gets lost to the wind.