Archives for September 2010

The $3 e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush Will Look Right at Home in Your Makeup Kit

September 25th, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

Written by Katie

Have you ever had a brush with elves? No? How about a brush by e.l.f.? Blogger Katie of My Lips But Better has, and today she shares the magic with a review of the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.

The e.l.f. Studio Powder BrushÂ and MAC 109 for comparison

I have a confession to make… even though I’m a beauty blogger and people expect me to look nice all the time, sometimes I’m just too lazy to apply foundation. This is especially true when I’m rushing to get ready for class in the morning. But then I discovered powder foundation and my life was complete… except that I didn’t have the right tool to apply it.

See, most powder foundations come with those sponges that I don’t like for two reasonsÂ — they’re hard to clean, and most people never wash them anyway. So I tried a kabuki brush, which can easily be washed, except that the short stubby handle meant I couldn’t put it in my brush organizer with the rest my brushes.

I was about to give up entirely when I stumbled onto the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush. I wasn’t expecting such great quality from a $3.00 brush but this one really proved me wrong! The dense brush head is perfect for picking up powder foundation and buffing it into the skin instead of just dusting it on top. It’s basically a kabuki brush with a long handle, which is exactly what I needed.

The e.l.f. Studio Powder BrushÂ and MAC 109 (again for comparison)

I also love the way this “powder brush” applies my liquid foundation. It gives a smooth, flawless finish (similar to Sephora’s coveted #55 brush) when used with MAC Face & Body or NARS Sheer Glow.
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Just in Case You Ever NEED Your Toenails Clipped at the Airport…

September 25th, 2010 by Karen 20 Comments

When I was waiting for my flight out of San Francisco, I passed something I’d never seen before in an airport at a little spa called Xpress.

They offer the usual spa services like massages, manicures, pedicures, stuff like that, but also something that was a regular kick in the pants. They’ll even clip your toenails…for $15 (on top of the cost of a foot massage). Fo’ serious! You REALLY gotta have scary long toenails to spend $15 to have ’em cut at an airport, LOL! I’d rather wait till I arrived at my destination and buy a $3 pair of clippers.

Hmm, I wonder if the TSA ever orders people to do it. Yeah, that would be a little embarrassing. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Zzzz… It’s just after 11:30PM here, and tomorrow’s the day of the big show. Time for sleep!

Saturday Surfing

September 25th, 2010 by Karen 26 Comments

Driving into Milan

Buongiorno, signorina! To quote many American toddlers during football season, “Touchdown!” Greetings from Milan. 🙂 I’m just getting settled in my hotel, but I couldn’t let a little jet lag and delirium (Italy is 9 hours ahead of the U.S. West Coast) stand between me and the Web. Are you ready for today’s intercontinental installment of Saturday Surfing?

I’ve only been in the city for a few hours, so I haven’t had a chance to explore very much, but the surrounding area is an interesting mix of rural houses, open tracts of land and high-rise buildings.

Lots of green!

…juxtaposed with random buildings like this one named after El Hub, ha ha!

A Milan street

See the rooftop garden across the way?

One of the first things I noticed here was how fashionable folks are. Within the span of 5 minutes, I saw a guy in leather pants with a well sculpted mohawk, another dude in a full-length faux fur, and a woman wearing a pair of crazy sky-high leopard print shoes.

Being fashion challenged myself, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb, but hey, what can ya do? I just smile and hope for the best. 🙂

Have a great day today, and I’ll catch up with you soon. I think I need a quick nap…

Eh, it can wait a few minutes. Surf’s up!

Random Bright Spots

Burt’s Bees Nutmeg lip shimmer looks like something my lips would love — theNotice
FASCINATING: Do Men Prefer Women with Make-up? — Rabbit Write
Okay, I think I found my new favorite bracelets (you know me and costume jewelry) — We Heart This
$52.50 gets you 18 eyeshadows (most of them BRIGHT!) in the Kryolan Shimmering Vision Cream Base Eyeshadow Palette — Vampy Varnish
Have you heard Lush’s Sacred Truth? — Kajal Couture
Do you ever feel like you can’t/won’t wear lipstick? — My Women Stuff
Repurpose makeup packaging to make a handy sewing kit — Eat, DINK and Be Merry

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Would You Flip for Chanel SoHo Rouge Allure Lacque in Stunt?

September 24th, 2010 by Karen 27 Comments

Happy Friday, young lady! 🙂 Greetings from the past — YES, the past.

Okay, not exactly. I scheduled this post before I left for the airport this morning. Right now I’m probably somewhere over Greenland begging a flight attendant for another small bag of pretzels and nuts (I just love those damn things).

Speaking of nuts, one of the things I’ve never wanted to be: a stuntwoman.

Sure, I’m down with heights, and I like fast cars, but why would I ever leap from a building onto a speeding train in three-inch heels?

Oh, hail, naaaw!

The closest I think I’ll ever get to stunt-work: the new Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque in Stunt ($32).

It’s a cute creamy plum lipgloss, one of the limited edition goodies in the Chanel SoHo collection. For full coverage color with lots of shine, slick this densely pigmented gloss on sparingly because a little goes a long way (thankfully).

chanel soho stunt rouge allure lacque lips
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Reporting from Milan Fashion Week, aka We’re Not in Kansas Anymore!

September 23rd, 2010 by Karen 81 Comments

What it do, homeskillet? Are you ready for a few days of gelato-fueled fun!?

Remember how I spent most of Monday stuck in San Francisco working out the kinks with my passport? Well, tomorrow morning my cameras and I are off to Italy to cover Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan Fashion Week show.

I’ll be knee-deep in makeup backstage at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2011 show on Sunday, digging up deets on the runway looks and bringing you insider beauty tips from the incomparable Pat McGrath (she collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana on their makeup and brush collection).
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Chanel SoHo de Chanel: Because It Never Hurts to Be Prepared…for Space Invaders!

September 23rd, 2010 by Karen 13 Comments

chanel soho de chanel review swatches photos

You know what they should give out during mass at the Church of Chanel? Coupon codes. Or maybe instead of a church raffle they could hold a friends & family sale (hint, hint, Karl!).

Wishful thinking, right? Yeah, I get the feeling we’ll be waiting a long time before we see a big sale at Chanel. I’d be less surprised to see one of the aliens from Mars Attacks win a gold medal in figure skating (“Ack! Ack!”).

But if you’re willing to throw down $65 (!) for the new limited edition SoHo de Chanel Highlighting Powder and Blush, maybe you won’t care how well the aliens do at some future Olympics because your cheeks will radiate an otherworldly glow.

Coupled with the package’s striking good looks (LOVE the design on the pan!), this is Chanel at the top of their game, and the only thing holding it back is the price.

chanel soho de chanel review swatches photos 2

Wear each of the pan’s three finely-milled powders separately — a light reddish plum, a pinkish ivory and a peachy pink — or swirl a brush over all three to mix them for a soft, shimmery glow (I prefer the latter).
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MAC Pro Longwear Concealer Is Catching Up to TimeBalm in the Polls

September 23rd, 2010 by Karen 49 Comments

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer Review final

So it’s election season again, and today I got one of those annoying robocalls that went a little something like this:

“Hello,” it began, “my name is MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, and I approve this message.”

“Uh… Hello?”

“The following is an automated poll with important questions about the upcoming election for mayor of your makeup bag.”

“What? Oh, I hate these things…”

“If you were to learn that my opponent, theBalm’s timeBalm concealer, was not the best thing to happen to womankind since men started waxing their butts and back, would you…

A. Immediately hang up.

B. Exclaim, “No way! I don’t believe it!” into the phone and run screaming naked out of the house.

C. Answer, “Really? Tell me more.”

D. None of the above.

“C.”

Truth is, I’ve been a big supporter of timeBalm concealer ($18), but MAC’s new line of medium-to-full coverage matte liquid concealers just might sway my vote. 🙂

MAC created them to conceal dark circles, spots and discolorations with a long-wearing, flawless, natural-looking finish.

The 16 available shades ($16.50 each), which come in a small glass bottle with a pump applicator top, dropped on counters last week with two other products, the Pro Longwear Lipcreme Lipsticks ($16) and Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundations ($29.50).

In a nutshell, this stuff works like a liquid version of timeBalm (I like it more than the actual liquid version of timeBalm). I’ve been wearing it in NW 30 lately (for reference, I’m an NC 35), to cover up my under-eye circles, and like timeBalm it thoroughly blocks out the dark areas without creasing, feathering, fading or settling into my fine lines.
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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Star Glossimer from the Chanel SoHo Collection

September 23rd, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

A glittery pinkish purple lipgloss? Yes, please!

And the fact that this one’s also a Chanel Glossimer doesn’t hurt — well, except for the $27 price. That part hurts, but overlooking the way in which that makes my tummy churn, yippee!

She’s called Star, and like her namesake she’s all about the sparkle (with a very light tint). We’re talking good glitter here, very fine, and it doesn’t migrate around my lips.

Star feels thick and slightly sticky to me with a wear time around 90 minutes (mediocre for a gloss), and I’m glad that Chanel kept her scent- and flavor-free.

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