Archives for June 2011

Should You R.S.V.P. for Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow in Seashell Pink?

June 15th, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

Tarte Seashell Pink

It appears that Tarte RSVP’d for Benefit’s popular Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P, and, while at the release party, stole the idea for the color, and ran with it all the way to the beach — or the Seashore, to be more precise.

Just how close is Tarte’s new Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in Seashell Pink to Benefit Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P.? The short answer: close.

Both shimmery pink cream eyeshadows look darn near like sisters in their pots and swatches, but I think if you look closely at both of them, you’ll see richer peach pigments in Seashell Pink.

Full size jar of Tarte Seashell Pink (left) and sample size Benefit R.S.V.P. (right)

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Say Cheese

June 15th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Anybody else have a thing for goat cheese? It’s one of my faves.

Taking It Back to the Old School

June 14th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments

Topshop Cheeks in Luminescence Is Sticking It to MAC Nymphette

June 14th, 2011 by Karen 51 Comments

Topshop Cheeks in Luminescence on cheeks

If you’ve spent sleepless nights (LOL! I almost typed “knights.” Yeah, someone’s been obsessed with Game of Thrones lately.) tossing and turning over the need to find a cream blush version of MAC Nymphette Lipglass, as bizarre as that might sound, you wouldn’t be the only one.

I’m right there with ya, babe! 🙂 But get this: Topshop might finally have a cure for what ails us.

The line recently introduced three new creamy, multi-purpose sticks called Cheeks, $20 blush/highlighters designed to add shimmery color to faces, lips, bodies and — you guessed it — cheeks.

If they look familiar, you’ve got a good eye. Luminescence, a peachy pink with golden pearl, must have a girl crush on MAC Nymphette Lipglass because it’s totally biting her style. It’s a pretty close reproduction of the color in stick blush form, and it glows on lips and cheeks. It and the other Cheeks are like thicker, creamier NARS Multiples that feel wetter to the touch and cost about half as much as their counterparts at NARS ($20 vs. $39 for a Multiple).

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My Lips and Eyes Glaze Over Topshop’s Sheer Glaze Lipgloss

June 14th, 2011 by Karen 32 Comments

“Mmmmmm. Glaze.”

I mumbled that out loud while standing in line at Starbucks the other day, and with a slightly sleazy enthusiasm that would have made Homer Simpson proud. I was just staring off into space, thinking about Topshop’s three new Glaze lipgloss colors ($12 each).

I’m usually pretty good about keeping my inner voice, well, inside, but Glaze’s creamy finish, non-sticky texture and NOM-worthy vanilla flavor and scent (both fade after about 5 minutes) got the better of me. The gentleman standing in front of me turned around in line, raised an eyebrow and said, “Excuse me?”

I had no reply, except to smile nervously until he looked away. 🙂

Topshop, a British clothing retailer, also has a line of makeup, available exclusively at their stores and online, and along with their permanent collection products for eyes, face, lips and nails, they have some seasonal releases, too.

The Glazes live in Topshop’s permanent line, and these three new shades bring the color selection to five. I hope the company decides to add more, because from what I’ve seen so far, I think these are kinda great.

Laid Back (top) and Bubblegum (bottom)
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3 Lessons Learned: Summer Hair Mishaps

June 14th, 2011 by Karen 51 Comments

Yesterday I came to the shockingly wonderful realization that the official start of summer is less than one week away, and judging by the rising temps and lack of rain in the 10-day forecast, it looks like the weather has finally gotten with the program.

Ah, summer… Such great memories, but when I think back to the summers of my youth, I’m surprised I remember them at all. There were no far-flung adventures backpacking through Europe or sailing trips around the world. Nope, my childhood summers were much more mundane. I spent most of them hanging out at the local Thrifty drugstore, where you could get a free ice cream for returning a shopping cart to the store, and watching videos on MTV (back when MTV actually played videos). For the most part, I spent my summers doing absolutely nothing.

Gawd, I miss those days!

Despite doing very little over those summers, I still managed to learn a few things, like these important lessons about hair…

1. Don’t make rash, heat-induced decisions

If the heat is getting to you and the sweat is trickling down from your scalp into your eyes, you might feel like your only relief is to cut off all or most of your hair, but resist the urge.

You don’t want to regret it later. Start by putting your hair up into a bun or ponytail, and give yourself a couple weeks to think it over.

One summer heatwave I showed up at my BFF Jen’s house to find her previously waist-length hair suddenly sitting at her shoulders. In an overheated state, she had cut her long locks herself, and it ended up looking like it had been cut by a three-year old wearing a blindfold.

We laugh about it now, but she felt pretty crappy at the time.

The lesson? No matter how hot it gets, step away from the scissors! Take time to think it over first.
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