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Archives for June 2011

Stay With Me, Essence Longlasting Lipgloss

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essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss

Today, the first official day of summer, has been the hottest day of the year so far, yet shortly after it topped 92 °F this afternoon (33 °C) I exclaimed, “cool!”

Thanks to the shine-preventing power of powder (in this case MAC Blot), you may not be able to tell from these pics that my air conditioner is busted. I considered retreating with my water noodle to a pool, but then I would have had to wait before telling you about these bargain basement glosses from Essence.

Dang, right? Today has been all about the glosses. 🙂

The Essence line, an import from Germany, is still new to U.S. shores. Price-wise, it fits nicely next to other drugstore lines like NYC New York Color and Wet n Wild, and can be found at Ulta stores and also online.

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss
From the left: Me & My Ice Cream, I Like Cotton Candy, Candy Bar, Trendsetter, Kiss Kiss Kiss and Berry Me

Although I felt just so-so about Essence’s $2 eyeshadows, their Stay With Me Longlasting Lipglosses ($2.29) are in a whole different league. If I hadn’t known better, I would have pegged these as $18 glosses from a high-end brand.

Why do I like Essence Longlasting Lipgloss?

  • Pigment like whoa! — These are some of the boldest, richest drugstore lipglosses I’ve seen in a really long time, and kudos for their creamy finish. For sheerer coverage, all it takes is a few dots dabbed on the lips.
  • That feels good — I feel like cheering, “These feel good, oh, they feel so good, UH!” 🙂 Non-sticky and smooth, they’re like slightly thicker MAC Cremesheen Glasses, and moisturizing as all heck.
  • You’re sweet — I’m not often a fan of candy-flavored lip products, but these, I like. They taste and smell faintly of red gummy bears (fades after about 10 minutes), which takes me back to the fights I used to have over those with my brother back in the day.

I like all six of the colors, but I love purplish pink I Like Cotton Candy (a dead ringer for Benefit’s discontinued Kiss Me Gloss) and Candy Bar, a pinkish coral that looks great with summery golds and teals.

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss wands

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss swatches
Swatches from the left: Me & My Ice Cream, I Like Cotton Candy, Candy Bar, Trendsetter, Kiss Kiss Kiss and Berry Me
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It’s Glow Time with the Pacifica Island Glow Beautiful Body Kit

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When my eyes lighted upon the Pacifica Island Glow Beautiful Body Kit at Sephora last Sunday, I felt like a tourist browsing shops along a beach-side promenade. I was “just looking around” at the time (haha, we all know how that usually goes), and before I knew it, I was clutching the cute box in my hands!

The $24 kit comes with four of Pacifica’s newest products to buff, moisturize and make summer skin sparkle…

  • Kona Coffee & Sugar Detox Whole Body Scrub — I like this one a latte. 🙂 First, the granulated sugar, powdered coffee seed and sea salt buff the skin, before the safflower, soybean and coconut oils moisturize it into blissful submission. I prefer to use it while my skin is dry, so I’ll bring it into the tub with me to exfoliate before turning on the shower. After rinsing, it leaves behind a light but moisturizing film and a heavenly dark chocolate coffee scent. I love using this in the morning and then can’t wait to have a cup of coffee when I’m done.
  • Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter — Pacifica was not shy with the shimmery mica in this coco-nutty body butter. It feels a little thinner and less moisturizing than most of their body butters, but I love the scent and how it makes me look like I just stepped out from under a shower of silver shimmer.
  • Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter — Without a tan, I might worry about this leaving light orange streaks on my legs. Like a darker, bronze version of Pacifica’s Luminizing Body Butter, it might not be a perfect fit for lighter lovelies (maybe if you just use a little for a hint of color and shine), but it should sing from the rafters on tanned temptresses and darker divas.
  • Coconut Pearls Lip Quench — NOM! This smooth, non-sticky lip balm imparts a subtle sheen while kissing lips with a moisturizing coconut macaroon flavor, and tempting noses with the same yummy scent.


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The MAC Bloggers’ Obsessions Collection Is Available Now

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MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection and Evolution Revolution Lipglass

Rise and shine, morning glory! Today’s a big day. It’s the summer solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, the official first day of summer. 🙂 That, and it’s also the day the new MAC Bloggers’ Obsessions Collection (and Evolution Revolution Lipglass!) debut on the MAC website.

For now, the nine items in the online-exclusive collection of Lipglasses and Eyeshadows are labeled “Coming Soon,” but that will change any minute (possibly around noon Eastern Time well, some time today the link is live now!). When it does, check out the MAC overview page for pics and video interviews of each of the bloggers featured in the collection and more backstage footage of the MAC Cosmetics Production Facility, complete with oh-so-rockin’ hairnets and safety glasses.

A few things about the collection…

  • It’s only going to be available online, at least for now, which means it won’t be carried at MAC stores or counters.
  • I’m told it will only be sold in North America (US and Canada), which bums me out immensely, but I’m hoping MAC reconsiders that decision. If you’re an international MAC fan, check MBB a little later today because I have something planned that might be of interest to you.
  • Congrats to the gals who were able to sneak in under the radar and successfully purchase items through the MAC website last night (before today’s official release). That’s just cool.

Get ready for an Evolution Revolution… 🙂


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Jouer Serves Up Cool Pink Lips and Sheer Bronzed Skin for Summer 2011

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I’ve heard about days like today — sunny days in San Francisco — but always thought they were myths or legends. 🙂 Just kidding, of course. San Francisco does get sunny days, despite the many postcard pics of the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog, and today was one of them. It was so sunny and hot, in fact, that I probably could have fried a petrified dragon egg on the sidewalk (yes, I’m obsessed with Game of Thrones).


Not a cloud in the sky!

Not expecting it to be as warm as it was today, I did a full face of makeup for my meeting in the city, with foundation, concealer, powder, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, eye primer — the whole nine yards. Then, after the meeting, I started sweating on the short walk back to the car. The tiny trickle o’ perspiration that tickled its way down the side of my face got me thinking about simple summer makeup, and I couldn’t wait to get home so I could slip into some Jouer.

The high-end indie brand recently launched two new pieces for sweltering summer days, a Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Peony ($20) and an Oil-Free Sheer Bronzing Tint with SPF 15 ($32), both of them designed to be worn together for a simple yet polished summertime look.

When it’s really hot out, the last thing I want to feel is makeup melting on my skin. With these two lightweight products, that’s not a problem at all.

Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Peony ($20) — Jouer modeled the color of this cool and creamy pink gloss after their Mineral Powder Blush in Peony, a cult fave from the line. Smooth and non-sticky with a faint vanilla flavor and scent, it feels lighter than butterfly kisses and lasts about three hours on me. When it’s not out having fun, this cool-toned pink hangs out at Henri Bendel stores, but it can also be found online. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Oil-Free Sheer Bronzing Tint, SPF 15 ($32) — I like the subtle warmth this sheer golden brown tint gives to my skin. The product is easy to layer, but it never looks cakey or streaky, and my pores still feel like they can breath when I have it on. As much as I like it, however, I would love to see it made available in more colors for pale pretties and darker damsels. Like the Lip Gloss in Peony, it isn’t the easiest product to find; it lives at Henri Bendel stores, but it can also be found online. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+


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NARS Unsung Heroes: Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

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When I finished my first tube of lightweight, colorless NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24), the thought of not being able to reach for what I’d come to consider the best eye makeup primer currently on the market almost triggered a minor panic attack.

We’d been inseparable since we met last November, thanks to the Troublemaker Gift Set, and I was impressed from the start. Pro-Prime intensifies the color of products applied on top of it and extends wear time, too. It grips cream and powder shadows, eyeliners and brow pencils tighter than teeth on a night guard.

When I start with Pro-Prime in the morning, my eye makeup still looks fresh and crease-free at dinner, even on hot, muggy days.


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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, June 20

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Looking up in Union Square, San Francisco, California

  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 173. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Downright chipper, I’m surprised to say, even though I was up before the songbirds this morning. I have to brave the traffic down to the city for an early meeting today, but I shouldn’t be long.

  2. Today’s outfit?

    3. A loose-fitting, bright blue dress, gray button-down sweater, nude pumps and an off-white Kate Spade bag.

  3. What’s a skill you’d like to master?

    4. I suppose this is going to sound all kinds of boring compared to something like learning Mandarin or making homemade pasta (YUM!), but truth be told I’d really just like to get better at project management and learn the techniques that people use to achieve long-term goals. I’ve always been more of an “in the moment” girl, which has been fine for short-term projects that take a day or two to complete, but I struggle when it comes to bigger projects.

  4. What has been one of the highlights of 2011 for you so far?

    5. Turning 36. 🙂 Just glad I made it this far.

  5. Your favorite summer dish/snack?

    6. OOH! So much to choose from — watermelon, corn on the cob, grilled everything veggie burgers, frozen yogurt, shave ice, barbecue, potato salad… I just heard my tummy rumble.

    I guess if I have to choose just one thing, though, I pick Trader Joe’s Mango & Cream Bars. Right now they sit atop Nutella on my list of favorite snacks. So creamy, flavorful, and only 60 calories each? I’ve heard they’re seasonal, boo! I wonder how many boxes I can fit in the freezer if I move some things around…

  6. Do you enjoy talking on the phone?

    7. Yes and no. Not as much as I used to. It’s faster than e-mail or texting, which people sometimes overlook or ignore, but I don’t look forward to really long conversations anymore. I’d rather use the call to arrange a face-to-face and talk to them in person.

    I can’t believe how much time I spent on the phone when I was a teenager. I must have been doing a lot of babblin’.

  7. Highlight of your weekend?

    8. Spending time with my parents and brother yesterday. My brother and I even went for a walk together around the neighborhood, just he and I. That was nice.

  8. This morning I told myself…

    9. …that today would be a great day.

  9. Makeup or beauty confession:

    10. For longer than I care to remember, I’ve been too lazy to wax my upper lip hair, but if I don’t get around to doing it soon, I’m going to have a mustache like Tom Selleck.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Just one thing this week — to be the best version of myself I can possibly be.

Up and at ’em, cutie pie! It’s Monday, Monday once again, which means you and I get to spend another week 1) kicking butt and 2) talking about our favorite things in the worlds of makeup and beauty.

Do you have a minute to say hi? If you do, please let me know how you’re doing in today’s Monday Poll.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. Today’s outfit?
3. What’s a skill you’d like to master?
4. What has been one of the highlights of 2011 for you so far?
5. Your favorite summer dish/snack?
6. Do you enjoy talking on the phone?
7. What was the highlight of your weekend?
8. This morning I told myself…
9. Makeup or beauty confession:
10. Weekly goals:

You have a good one today, okay? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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