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Archives for May 2011

Wild Roses Couldn’t Keep Me Away from the New Burberry Beauty Lip Mists

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burberry lip mist review

Burberry Beauty is making a move on the must-have category with a line of $30 luxury lipsticks that look almost like bargains in spite of the price.

As soon as I saw Burberry Beauty’s Lip Mists, I wondered if I was witnessing a case of corporate espionage aimed at Chanel. These nine shiny, hydrating lippies share more than a few characteristics in common with the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines ($32).

First, there’s the finish, which has a similar subtle shine — a dewy, creamy sheen that pairs perfectly with a summertime tan. The colors themselves are rich, lightweight, long-lasting and loaded with pigment, and like the Shines don’t look heavy like a matte. Both of these lippies tread a lovely line somewhere between slightly sheer and fully opaque, but Burberry bests Chanel here in a few key areas.

Like wear time. The Lip Mists outlast the Coco Shines by a good, long while, and I wager they contain a little more color. Being slightly thicker than, yet not as slick as, the Coco Shines probably helps them last.

I like these so much that Wild roses couldn’t keep me away. Wild rose extract, which these contain, supposedly increases the amount of moisture they deliver to lips. Burberry also claims the extract stimulates the production of collagen, but I’m not too sure about that.

Yesterday I applied two layers of Feather Pink after lunch. Five hours and two cups of tea later, it was still going strong — and that’s without a layer of lip pencil underneath.

burberry lip mist blueberry feather pink
Lip Mist in No. 206 Blueberry (left) and No. 209 Feather Pink (right)
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Beauty, Art and Technology Collide with Digital Eyeshadow

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My guess is that you probably won’t see it being sold at Wally World anytime soon, but I still think it’s kinda neat — a digital “eyeshadow” that responds to eyelid movement.

Lulin Ding, an industrial designer, translated the idea of eyeshadow into a digital form using LED lights, creating a piece that merges beauty, technology and art.

A blink of the eye sets off the contraption to automatically light up the inner corner:

I was interested in the way women wear eyeshadow and how most of the time you can only see the details when their eyes are closed. I sought to translate the attributes of eyeshadow into a digital medium. I made the initial decision to use the light to paint the eyelids when you blink and close your eye. To digitize the object even more and I programmed the individual LEDs to vary their brightness. This added feature allows different -patterns to light upon your eyelids.
—Lulin Ding

So very sci-fi, right? I could easily see it as a funky trend worn by the beauty team in The Hunger Games, or maybe even by Sean Young’s character, Rachael, in Bladerunner.

Would you rock it? I totally would for Halloween. Or maybe to my parents house just so I could freak out my mom, haha!

Would you wear digital eyeshadow?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen

How to Remove Excess Mascara from Your Eyelids Without Messing Up Your Makeup

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Don’t you hate it when you finish your eye makeup and then go to put on your mascara and accidentally swipe the brush against your lids or your lower lash line?

Shoot!

Maybe it’s just because I’m uncoordinated and always in a hurry, but I do it all the time. To clean up the extra bits and bobs of mascara along my lower lash lines and lids that these mascara mishaps cause, I used to lightly dab a Q-tip moistened with makeup remover on the trouble spot(s), but I was never in love with that method. It was unprecise (like wielding a club in my clumsy hands), and whenever I used it I usually ended up also disrupting my eyeshadow, primer and concealer, too.

Yesterday I tried a new technique, and so far I love the results! Thankfully, it only took, oh, 22 years of wearing makeup to figure this out. Better late than never, I suppose. 🙂

Now, I dampen a thin concealer brush with eye makeup remover (you could even moisten the brush with a makeup remover wipe), and then carefully use the brush to precisely apply makeup remover to the problem areas. Then, using a pointed eyeshadow eye brush like the MAC 219, I lift away any excess product now loosened up by the remover.
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Eye Love the Subtle Sheen of These Satin Finishes: The $3 NYC New York Color Mono Eyeshadows

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nyc new york color mono eyeshadow review

Thanks to NYC New York Color’s 10 new limited edition Mono Eye Shadows ($2.99 each), I’m a little less freaked out about my birthday next month (I’m turning 36, oy vey!). I’ve been on the market for eye makeup that doesn’t draw attention to my fine lines, so these comfort colors could not have come at a better time.

nyc new york color mono eyeshadow review

Most of them have this sophisticated, soft satin finish that’s one of the most attractive, forgiving satins I’ve ever seen from a drugstore line (there are also a couple of mattes and frosts).

In terms of shine, satiny shadows broadcast a subtle sheen that sits somewhere between shimmers (or frosts) and mattes, and unlike hi-shine shimmers, they don’t appear to actively seek out the tiny wrinkles on my lids.

I feel like NYC’s satin shades turn back the clock to a kinder, gentler time — let’s call it 26, LOL! — when my eyes looked all bright and glowy most of the time. 🙂

A few of the shades stand out to me like…

  • Luxury Reborn — If MAC Woodwinked and Soba had a love child, I bet it would look just like this warm and golden bronzy brown. It looks BANGIN’ in the crease. Got teals, golds and greens? Don’t miss Luxury Reborn.
  • Broadway Look — This deep charcoal is the star of playgrounds where smokey eye looks are found.
  • In Vogue — I like this dark purple because it contains very little red, and some reddish purples can make me look like I’ve been crying.

nyc new york color mono eyeshadow review
Clockwise from the brown pan on the bottom left: Luxury Reborn, In Vogue and Broadway Look

nyc new york color mono eyeshadow review
Clockwise from pink pan on left: Buzz List, High Street and 5th Avenue

nyc new york color mono eyeshadow review
I Love NY

nyc new york color mono eyeshadow swatches
Swatches from left to right: Broadway Look, I Love NY, Luxury Reborn, Manhattan Gaze, In Vogue, High Street, 5th Avenue and Buzz List
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Should You Take the Plunge with Urban Decay’s New Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara?

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urban decay cannonball review

I wish I could say I field tested the new Urban Decay Cannonball Waterproof Mascara ($20) by leaping from the rock at Waimea Bay on Oahu, but the methodology I used was a little less glamorous than that.

To put the new lengthening, waterproof mascara to the test, I pit it against two super soaking challenges. First, I charged headlong into a downpour to run some errands without an umbrella-ella-ella. Then, I pushed a heavy vacuum around my house for more than an hour. 🙂

If waterproof mascaras that leave your lashes feeling heavy and cakey make you want to weep bitter tears, you can throw them in the trash. We have a solution: Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara! Rigorously field-tested in the ocean as well as sweat-drenched gym conditions, this exclusive Japanese formula refuses to budge. A special microcrystalline wax works with the dense, fuzzy brush to increase seductive length and volume, all while never flaking off and compromising your lashes’ natural feathery texture. Mermaids can now sing their siren songs with abandon, and high maintenance types can cry all they want.

—UrbanDecay.com

As soon as I applied two layers first thing last Saturday morning, I noticed a very cool doe-eyed effect. Not only does Cannonball dramatically lengthen and separate lashes, it also cures the curl from my Shu Uemura lash curler, locking it into place. It made my peepers look crazy big, like an anime puppy’s eyes when it begs for bacon.

With it on, I proceeded to vigorously vacuum the house, and by the time I finished, I was covered in a glistening, sweaty sheen. As soon as I finished that, I left to run some errands around town (it was raining cats and dogs!), first to Trader Joe’s, then the UPS store and finally to Target, before returning home to crank out three miles on the treadmill.

Covered. In. Sweat. I know that with what I put it through, I was expecting a lot, but no one wants to make excuses for a $20 mascara. Straight up — I was expecting a lot.

urban decay cannonball review tube

urban decay cannonball review brush
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Kate Spade Sample Sale: Select Items Up to 75% Off

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Just a quick heads up for all my fellow Kate Spade addicts: the brand’s currently hosting a kick @ss online sample sale with select handbags, clothing, jewelry and accessories up to 75% off.

Shipping on all orders is just $5, and all sales are final. The sale runs until 11:59pm PST on May 19, and quantities are limited, so if you see something you like you might want to snatch it up sooner than later. Also, you’ll have to enter your email address to gain access to the sale.

My birthday’s next month (shout out to all the Geminis!), so I’m thinking about treating myself to a birthday gift or two. 😉


A few items from the Kate Spade sample sale

Happy (deeply discounted) shopping!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. A big thanks to EC over at Never Enough Nails for the heads up on the sale.

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