Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Dude, sometimes I feel like we are totally on the same page! Yesterday when we looked at sheer Failbait, one of the five new Urban Decay Lip Love Honey-Infused Lip Therapy ($16) tubes, I thought, “There’s something very Victoria’s Secret-y about this,” and some of you gals said the same thing too.
Whether Lip Love was designed with Vicky gloss in mind, I dunno. But what I do know is this: it feels great on my lips.
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Thierry Mugler Camouflaging Palette, $65.
Yes, that would be me standing in the middle of Sephora sniffing the new Too Faced The Bronzed & The Beautiful French Riviera Edition Kit ($38) like a weirdo.
The new limited edition summer set comes with a bevy of bronzing treats to get your skin tanned and highlighted just right. You get three bestselling Too Faced powder bronzers, an exclusive golden highlighter, a face primer and three step-by-step bronzing tutorial cards.
Just thinking about the pan of Chocolate Soleil bronzer, by far my favorite thing in the kit, makes my tummy rumble… IT SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE TOO! Chocolate Rice Krispies, to be precise. A smooth, matte pure brown without orange undertones, it’s a combination that can be hard to find. It’s so brown, in fact, that if I’m not careful and go overboard with it, it can look muddy on me.
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When it comes to some tasks, time ceases to exist in a measurable way. For all intents and purposes, these tasks have neither a beginning nor an end. They simply last forever…
Brushing cat hair from my clothes (Tabs sheds like cray-cray!), scraping the last bits of Nutella from a mostly (but never entirely) empty jar, groping around the house for misplaced eyeglasses, washing makeup brushes…
That last one, in particular, is the bane of my existence. Because I paint my mug a lot, and sometimes a few times a day, I leave dozens of dirty brushes in my wake.
I was going through a $12 bottle of MAC Brush Cleanser every couple of months until the day I tried Aussie Opposites Attract. It worked as well as the MAC cleaner yet cost just $3.
I love saving scrilla (who doesn’t?), but Becca’s $15 Professional Brush Soap has me reconsidering that. After using it for the past two weeks, dayum! — makeup cleansing greatness.
It does the deed in the blink of an eye! Becca uses plant oils to craft this solid soap. It works on both natural and synthetic fibers, cutting through powders and creams quicker than…something really quick! It’s like soap with a rapier wit, LOL! Even the toughest stuff — dried foundation, concealer and cream shadow — falls away in a flash. With this, I’m able to clean all of my brushes in half the time it takes me when I use MAC Brush Cleanser or shampoo.
The Hourglass Summer 2011 collection from the left to the right: Prodigy Lipgloss in Ingenue ($26), Prodigy Lipgloss in Heroine ($26) and Script Precision Liquid Liner ($32).
Reviews/swatches coming soon. 🙂
Urban Decay’s three new Baked Bronzers for Face and Body ($26 each) probably won’t satisfy the Oompa-Loompas or Snookies of the world. Able to be worn wet or dry on the face, eyes, lips and body, the faux tan these powder bronzers bring doesn’t look as orange that.
But if you’re interested yet unsure which Baked Bronzer to snag, Urban Decay International Makeup Artist Eric Jimenez suggests following these steps:
These Baked Bronzers come in three different levels of color. The lightest is Gilded, Baked is the medium, and Toasted is the darkest shade. Each also varies in terms of coverage, with Gilded offering the least, and Toasted delivering more of a full-coverage look.
If you plan to wear them on your face, Eric suggests going with the finish that best suits the condition of your skin. If you have great, practically flawless skin, consider either Gilded, which has a shimmery golden finish, or Baked, which has a shimmery silver finish. (NOTE: The “veins” of shimmer in these new Baked Bronzers are not spray overlays; they penetrate all the way through the entire pan 🙂 ).
Since shimmers tend to emphasize things like fine lines, pore size and oily skin, if you’re dealing with bothersome skin issues, Eric recommends Toasted, which has a more forgiving matte finish.
From left to right: Gilded, Baked and Toasted
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Urban Decay Lip Love Honey-Infused Lip Therapy in Failbait, one of five new lipglosses from Urban Decay for summer 2011 ($16 each).
Available soon at Sephora, Ulta, select Macy’s and also online.
I know it’s allergy season because my mirror told me, and it told me even before my sinuses found out. One morning about a week ago I looked in the mirror and saw two big, fluffy pillows under my eyes that said, “Congratulations, Karen! You’re a hot mess.”
When allergies cause my eyes to water, itch and swell up, I usually turn to a few different de-puffing tricks, like cold compresses, chilled tea bags and spoons, but I also try to keep my eyes open (as much as possible, haha!) to new things.
While not a new product, First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller Intense Therapy ($24) is new to me. It’s a moisturizing liquid roller ball similar to my beloved Clinique All About Eyes Serum ($26). Like Clinique’s serum, it contains caffeine (which, applied topically, might constrict blood vessels) and antioxidants to (allegedly) reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness and fine lines.
Unfortunately, there’s another thing they have in common: they’re expensive.
Both products also create a cooling sensation on the skin, like a refreshing splash of water. I think Clinique’s version wins in the hydration department, but Detox works faster and also contains illuminating mica, which, if nothing else, illuminates the under eye-area with some brightening shimmer, making it at least appear brighter. Every little bit helps, especially when allergies and insomnia double team my eyes.
