Archives for January 2010

Like That Cameo Song, Smashbox’s New Heartbreaker Is Sweet Like Can-Daaaaaay!

January 26th, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

Y’know, the candy necklaces with the beads? 🙂 I went through a phase where I wore ’em 24/7 (that was many moons ago).

The first time I tried Heartbreaker ($18), Smashbox’s first perfume, it hit me like a candy necklace in the face!

Luckily, it dries down quickly, (30 minutes or so) first into a dessert-worthy mix of vanilla wafers and warm caramel, and ending as a whisper-light gardenia and musk. For an eau de parfum, it really doesn’t last too long (about four hours total), but sweet is definitely the theme all the way.
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Do You Kiss and Tell?

January 26th, 2010 by Karen 13 Comments

Smashbox Heartbreaker Palette in Kiss N’ Tell, $34.

What should I do with that hot pink eyeshadow?

‘Cause Every Girl’s Crazy About a Sharp Dressed Man

January 26th, 2010 by Karen 17 Comments

That Francois Nars sure can dress.

(From the NARS in SF event, June 2009).

Time Balm Concealer Blows Dark Circles Away

January 26th, 2010 by Karen 110 Comments

After using The Balm’s Time Balm Concealer for about a month, I gotta say — this stuff is totally legit (too legit to quit, even!).

It’s already replaced Dior Sculpt as my Numero Uno concealer love, making it worthy of a celebratory head bang (insert flying hair, rocking head and sign of the beast [HERE]).

Oh, Time Balm, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

First, price, which at $18 is $13 less than a tube of Dior Sculpt. Sure, neither one is drugstore-level affordable, but $18 sounds a lot better than $31 (and that extra $13 could go toward a tube of something wonderful like MAC Nymphette… I’m just sayin’.)

Time Balm Concealer in Medium

Yet price isn’t even the main reason I heart this tamer of dark circles so much. Quality is. In just about every way, I give Time Balm the edge over Dior Sculpt.

Time Balm: The Deets

Available in six shades from light to medium-dark (find them at Sephora), this cream concealer comes in a wee pot with a screw-on top and an applicator sponge. SIDE NOTE: I actually ditched the sponge, finding it a little too small for me and difficult to use. I prefer to apply and buff it with a foundation brush.

One issue I often have with concealers is how many will settle into my fine lines and look obvious after a few hours of wear. I’ve struggled to find ones that appear to blend into my skin, as opposed to sitting directly on top of it.
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Estee Lauder Says, “You Better Love Your Lips on Valentine’s Day”

January 26th, 2010 by Karen 28 Comments

Rise and shine, morning glories! 🙂 Do you feel the “love” on the lippies and glosses in Estee Lauder’s new Love Your Lips collection? You may, because all 16 of the limited edition lipsticks and glosses have the word emblazoned on their lipstick bullet or tube.

Estee Lauder Love Your Lips Collection

Signature Lipsticks in Pink to Berry Shades, $20: Lustrous Pink, Lush Rose, Cherry Kiss, Perfect Pink, Pink Kiss
Signature Lipsticks in Mauve to Plum Shades, $20: Radiant Wine, Rich Berry, Chelsea Rose, Radiant Rose
Siganture Lipsticks in Coral to Red Shades, $20: Coral Kiss, Portofino Coral, Spanish Red
Kissable Lip Glosses in Pink to Berry Shades, $18: Sweet Kiss, Cherry Kiss, Pink Kiss
Kissable Lip Gloss in Coral to Red Shades, $18: Coral Kiss

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Hurry Up, Spring!

January 25th, 2010 by Karen 5 Comments

I’m so over winter…

Do You Love?

January 25th, 2010 by Karen 14 Comments

Estee Lauder Love Your Lips Signature Lipstick in Cherry Kiss ($20, available in February).

Not-So-Secret Sci-Fi Tendencies and (More) Urban Decay Stardust Swatches

January 25th, 2010 by Karen 51 Comments

I was 8 when I watched cybernetic Ah-nold pop out his own eyeball in the first Terminator movie, and ever since then I’ve harbored a not-so-secret obsession with science fiction.

Consequently, it probably comes as no surprise that I’m over the moon in love with the out-of-this-world glitter in Urban Decay’s new Stardust Eyeshadows.

—– RANDOM SCI-FI TRANSMISSION —–

Are you watching Caprica, the new Battlestar Galactica spinoff?

In a nutshell, it precedes the near-extinction of humanity at the hands of man-made androids called Cylons.

Stay with me! 🙂

The show’s set 58 years before the events in Galactica, on a near future Earth-like planet that looks oddly like Vancouver, and even though Galactica seemed more shoot-em-up and space invaderish, there are still delightfully scary robots up in the mix (YAY!).

I don’t know if you liked BG, but you don’t have to have followed it to appreciate Caprica. If you like sci-fi, jump in! — and then let me what you think. 🙂

—– END RANDOM SCI-FI TRANSMISSION —–

*BEEP* LOL!

Back to the shadows (ha!). The four cuties I talk about here — Atmosphere, Retrograde, Griffith and Diamond Dog ($20 each) — perform basically the same as the others I tried earlier this month. Like those, they apply with sheer pigmentation while packing of loads o’ glittery sparkle, and they stick to my skin with minimal fallout.

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