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Archives for June 2010

Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava: Paradise Lost? Find It in This Bottle

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pacifica hawaiian ruby guava

Adding beauty fuel to my burning Pacifica obsession: Hawaiian Ruby Guava Body Wash ($18) and Body Butter ($18).

Both bits are part of Pacifica’s five-piece Hawaiian Ruby Guava collection of body care products scented with an island-y brew of guava, pomello (a citrus fruit, kinda like a grapefruit) and coconut.

The scent’s been around for a while, and I’m kicking myself for not trying it sooner. It smells authentic to me, and not overly sugary or artificial like so many of the Hawaiian-themed fragrances that are out there now. I catch a whiff on my skin and DING! DING! “This is the captain speaking. Flight attendants, prepare the cabin for landing. Welcome to Hawaii, folks, and mahalo for choosing to fly with us and Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava…”
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Bargainistas: Keep an Eye Out for the $11 NYX Purple Smokey Look Kit

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nyx purple smokey look kit review swatches photos

The times, they are a-changin’, edgy eyeshadow lovahs, and ground zero’s at a drugstore near you. Thanks to budget brands like NYX, colorful shadows have gotten a lot more accessible over the past few years. Case in point: NYX’s new NYX Purple Smokey Look Kit for summer, aka one of the best drugstore palettes I’ve seen in a really long time.

It’s a little hard to tell from these pictures because I forgot to take one with me holding it, but the case easily fits in the palm of my hand and looks built for easy travel. This particular palette, the Purple Smokey Look Kit, is one of three released from NYX for summer, and like the others it costs just $11! $11! This one comes with nine color coordinated powder shadows and two lipsticks.

If I’d known absolutely nothing about NYX before taking a look at this palette, I would’ve assumed the shadows, which come in various shades of purple, blue and black, were from a department store line like MAC. Like pricier products, they go on with vibrant pigmentation, wet or dry, blend easily and stay put all day long without fading.
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Should You Take a Shine to Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose Raspberry Lip Gloss?

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bobbi brown raspberry lipgloss reviews photos swatches

If you catch yourself singing Prince’s Raspberry Beret (ya know, the kind you find at a second hand store) while wearing Bobbi Brown’s Raspberry Shimmer Lip Gloss ($20), maybe we could sing a duet! — because every time I apply this shimmery, non-sticky cutie, the sole lipgloss in Bobbi’s new Denim & Rose collection for fall, I feel like belting the song. Musical notes

Thematically, the Denim & Rose collection combines the toughness of denim and the softness of rose with makeup (and cute packaging!) for rock n’ roll smokey eyes and romantic lips and cheeks.

For more on Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose, check out these previous posts…

Like a study in contrasts, Raspberry’s reddish pink feels innocent yet a little naughty at the same time. It taunts and teases onlookers without hastily giving up the goods.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, June 28

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makeup and beauty blog monday poll

  1. Mood:

    2. Shockingly alert for a Monday morning. It usually takes ye olde mental engine a while to warm up, but my neurons are already wide awake! This rarely ever happens… I feel like I should do something to take advantage of the occasion, ha!

  2. Highlight of last weekend?

    3. Sleep! I got a jaw-dropping 12 hours of sleep on BOTH Saturday and Sunday night. Is it sad when sleep qualifies as a highlight? Maybe, but, oh, ’twas glorious!

  3. What are three staple makeup items you usually have in your makeup bag?

    4. MAC Concrete Eyeshadow, the MAC 266 brush and The Balm Time Balm concealer

  4. If you could raid one person’s closet, whose would it be?

    5. Carrie Bradshaw’s, but only *after* she married Big

  5. Your life described in a song?

    6. Fighter, by Christina Aguilera

  6. How would you describe your ideal Friday night?

    7. Tapas, a good bottle of red wine and interesting convo!

  7. Breakfast?

    8. One slice of toast with peanut butter, a glass of orange juice and a mug of Irish breakfast tea (with milk and honey)

  8. Worst movie you’ve seen this year so far?

    9. Without a doubt, Splice, and I have yet to recover from it. Last weekend’s She’s Out of My League was also pretty awful…

  9. Outfit:

    10. A gray summer dress and flip-flops

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Now that I’m over my head cold, run at least twice, clean and organize my desk, and find some tips and tools to improve my time management.

Hello and happy Monday, cuties. 🙂 Welcome to the last Monday Poll of June.

Before you dive head first into your to-do list (how long is yours?), let me know how you’re doing this morning. To do the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

1. Mood:
2. Highlight of last weekend?
3. Three staple makeup items in your makeup bag?
4. If you could raid one person’s closet, whose would it be?
5. Your life described in a song?
6. How would you describe your ideal Friday night?
7. Breakfast?
8. Worst movie you’ve seen so far this year?
9. Outfit:
10. Your weekly goals:

Here’s to another great week together, *raises cup of tea*! Talk soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂

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