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Archives for June 2010

New in Beauty, June 4: LORAC’s Version of the Little Black Dress and the Poor Girl’s Minx Manicure

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  • Just the thing to wear with my little black dress! 🙂
    With the The Little Black Palette by Lorac ($32), you’ll be ready for anything. It comes with four shimmery long-lasting Lorac Baked Eyeshadows and a tiny tube of Behind The Scenes Eye Shadow Primer, all tucked away in a convenient case.
  • A poor girl’s Minx Manicure
    Why throw down for a Minx Mani when you can do your own at home with the $15 Sephora by OPI Chic Print for Nails. Let your imagination run wild with funky patterns in geometric, striped and animal prints, MEOW!
  • If I could turn back time…
    The Hourglass Anti-Aging Timeless Complexion Duo ($55) comes with two of their bestsellers — Illusion Tinted Moisturzier and their Veil Mineral Primer — to protect and turn back the hands of time. Both contain SPF 15 but DON’T contain parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and dyes. Available in Ivory and Light Beige.
  • Um…did you say dulce de leche?!
    Infused with argan oil, these Josie Maran Natural Volume Lip Glosses ($20) don’t just stimulate lips. Flavored with dulce de leche, they may also stimulating your appetite (they’re doing it to mine)! Available in six shades — light pink, rosy nude, golden beige, petal pink, apricot and plum.
  • I want these palettes to breeze into my life; anytime works for me
    LOVE the colors in the Dr. Hauschka Cool Breeze and Warm Breeze makeup palettes ($50 each), and I wonder if it helps that they’re enriched with black tea.
  • OOH! Is that the new “It Girl”?
    The Stila It Girl Eye Shadow Trio Palette in Warm bundles three of Stila’s award-winning eyeshadows in Lamé (a shimmery gold), Chloe (a shimmery bronze) and Kitten (a shimmery pink). At just $10, it’s quite the steal!
  • Spread your wings and prepare to fly…
    How pretty! Your heart love may skip (mine did) when you see the pink, orange and turquoise shades in the OPI Summer Flutter Mini Set ($7.70). WANT!
  • Go ahead, get nude, yay!
    Nude Lips lip balm ($14) melts at body temperature, and it’s s infused with organic cupuacu (a tropical rainforest tree; you learn something new every day!) and Tahitian vanilla.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

That’s No Mirage: Smashbox Eye Illusion Breathes New Life into Your Makeup

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smashbox eye illusion review

Every makeup junkie has at least a few of ’em — sad, neglected eyeshadows and liners tossed into a miscellaneous junk drawer or lost at the bottom of a long forgotten makeup bag (aww!).

Smashbox must have felt terrible about all of that wasted potential because they designed their latest Smashbox Eye Illusion ($28, available at Sephora stores and Smashbox.com) trio to breathe new life into second string colors. When layered on top of other eyeshadows and liners, its sheer, iridescent blue, pink and gold change the hue of existing products and add a metallic finish.

The Eye Illusion products have been around for years, but this latest version, the first one I’ve tried, comes with three colors instead of what had been the usual four.

Each of its three colors instantly morph eyeshadows and liners into something new, and they aren’t particular about the texture of the products they change, be they powders, creams or liquids.
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My Summer Romance with the Urban Decay Summer of Love Shadow Palette

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urban decay summer of love shadow palette

I wish I could be a butterfly on the wall at Urban Decay HQ and watch the creative peeps plan the brand’s summer lineup. Do they huddle around a big table smoking blunts and eating brownies, hotboxing in a board room until someone proclaims, “Whoa! Like, Eureka!”

You know what I mean, right? 🙂 And they must know, too. Those cheeky references to herbal refreshment — nope, I’m not talking about Celestial Seasonings — aren’t foolin’ anyone.

Your honor, let the record show that this year’s Summer of Love Shadow Palette ($29) is a little less obvious in its references than last year’s incredible Get Baked (LOVE!) was, but it still has that same vibe.

The palette’s been available online and at Sephora since March, but I only just recently took the time to explore its many charms.

To my surprise, the six-piece set doesn’t give me the munchies, but it does make me crave glittery eye looks and pretty pops of color:
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Comment to Win A Full Set of Avon Glazewear Lipglosses [25 WINNERS!]

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  • The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up one sunny morning to the encouraging clatter of colorful songbirds and cartoon forest critters like in Disney’s Snow White? The bunnies would make breakfast while fluttering finches helped you put on your dress. And before you left the house, a very official-looking chipmunk with a clipboard and tiny glasses on the end of his nose would stand at your feet, examine your ensemble and say, “Needs more color!”

Question: Does your current lipgloss stash leave you uninspired?

Today’s gargantuan giveaway may not come with animated forest friends, but it does have all the fixin’s for a complete lip color makeover. Let these Avon Glazewear Lipglosses help you with your summertime looks.

TODAY’S PRIZES

(Winners randomly selected)

The entire set of sixteen (16) Avon Glazewear Lipglosses in various shades of pink, mauve, gold, brown, clear, red and plum. Prizes valued at $96 each (25 winners).

These glosses get raves for their non-sticky texture and the wide range of colors and finishes throughout the set.

TO ENTER

To enter the Avon Glazewear Lipgloss giveaway, just answer the following question in the comments:

“When did you start wearing lipgloss?”

My answer: I didn’t really start wearing gloss until I got out of college in the late ’90s. During the first part of the decade, when I was in high school and college, lipstick was more popular, but no one I knew wore gloss! It wasn’t until about 1998 when I picked up my first tube of MAC Spite that gloss entered the picture. It was love at first sight and all downhill from there.

RULES

Please, one entry per person, and don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the comment form so I can reach you if you’ve won.

The giveaway is open to US readers only (per the company’s request).

I’ll choose the winners at random from the entries left in the comments by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, June 5, 2010.

Good luck! And have a splendiferous day! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

3 Red Hot Summertime Lips from Urban Decay, Lancome and Illamasqua

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urban decay colin
Wearing Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lipgloss in Colin

Sup, ladies? How was your Wednesday? Mine went well until a killer migraine struck me down. The ones I get are tied to sound, and loud noises make my head throb like a disco. Thankfully, it’s just been me and Tabs all afternoon, and apart from his occasional meows to go outside, it’s been quiet here at Casa de MBB.

Loud noises hurt, but makeup doesn’t, so I tried to relax with a few of the red hot lip colors I’ve had crushes on as of late…

Red often gets pigeonholed as a holiday color, but it can look great any time of year. In summer, I like reds with orange, coral or rose tones and a shiny, high-gloss finish.

lancome rose mythique
Wearing Lancome L’Absolu Creme de Brilliance in Rose Mythique
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Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette: These Eyeshadows Almost Blend Themselves

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Clarins Instant Sun Light Summer Colour Collection Eye Quartet and Liner Palette review

Cute black shoes, jeans that make my bum look good, pictures of men with rippled abs, and wearable neutral eye palettes — these are some of the things I love. love

Cue the band!

The Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette ($36) has a lot to offer ladies who love warm, blendable neutrals. With four smooth, pigmented powder shadows and an accompanying cream liner, it’s ready and waiting to help you rock a range of casual to dressy eye looks.

Now available at Clarins counters and online, it’s part of the eight-piece Instant Sun Light summer collection.

First thing I have to say about these shadows is WOW! — they blend exceptionally well (almost blend themselves). If you’ve ever had trubs blending eyeshadows in the past and struggle to avoid those tell-tale lines of demarcation (oh, honey, I’ve been there!), I’m betting this palette helps you step up your game. 🙂
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