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Archives for November 2011

Bejeweled for Less with LORAC’s New Bejeweled Gloss Set of Six Glosses for $25

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LORAC Holiday 2011 Bejeweled Gloss

LORAC Bejeweled Gloss for Holiday 2011I must say, LORAC certainly knows how to get the attention of this lipgloss-lovin’ lass.

The six colorful, sparkly glosses in the $25 Bejeweled Lip Gloss Collection, the company’s latest limited edition lipgloss-palooza, don’t just look good; they feel great, too, with a non-sticky, slippery texture that’s just the right thickness for me.

These are the kinds of glosses I’ll reach for when I feel like wearing a bit of glitter on my lips but don’t necessarily want to shimmer in direct sunlight as brightly as Vampire Edward does.

New for the holidays, they deliver sheer-to-medium pigmentation in a long-wearing, hydrating lip formula with a faint brown sugar flavor and scent that I like.

lorac bejeweled gloss (3)

They remind me of another fab holiday lipgloss, that one also a good value — the Anastasia Kisses on My List kit — except with more pigment and sparkle, to boot.

lorac bejeweled gloss (2)
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Lucia! Congratulations, Lucia! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

It’s another glorious fall day out Novato way, babe, and I’m just getting up. I know I’m a little late today, but I let myself sleep in. Wait — who am I kidding? It was Tabs who let me sleep in because the tabby alarm clock didn’t chime.

I haven’t seen or heard any sign of him this morning… I guess he’s sleeping in, too.

What are you up to this weekend? Did you do anything last night? I stayed home and watched the new episode of Grimm. Have you been watching that? Pretty good, right? It kinda reminds me of The Dresden Files, which I used to like, in how it melds the fairytale and modern worlds together. I like it when the protagonists in things like that aren’t just flawed, which you gotta have, but also in way over their head most of the time.

Once I find “my toy,” which is this week’s new nickname for Tabs (“Where’s my toy!?” “Time to play with my toy.” “I love my toy…”), and lavish him with lurvies for a spell, I think I’ll ask El Hub if he’ll take me to breakfast. I’ve been craving pancakes and popcorn somethin’ fierce lately, so if I can take care of the pancake cravings now, then I can focus on the popcorn one at the movies this afternoon.

Yep, busy day today, as you can tell, and it totally revolves around food. 🙂

I hope you have something nice lined up for this weekend. Why don’t we start with our Sephora giveaway to get things off to a good start? You know what that means. It’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora" title="Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, what’s your favorite fairytale? Have you ever braided your hair? What’s your outlook on glitter as it pertains to makeup? Are you hungry for anything in particular right now, and if so, what? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/uxtHec

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Lucia! Congratulations, Lucia! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Dolce & Gabbana Ruby Collection Blush in Peach: The Pit in This Peach Is a Beautiful Jewel

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dolce & gabbana ruby collection peach blush (4)

If it weren’t for Dolce & Gabbana’s new $55 Ruby Blush in Peach, I’d feel (and kinda look) like a long lost member of the Village People in this coat.

One of seven limited edition pieces in Dolce & Gabbana’s new holiday 2011 collection (coming soon), the matte peachy pink blush evokes a timeless elegance more fitting of shift dresses, structured pocketbooks and patent-leather high heels than faux furs, feathers and Y.M.C.A.

Can’t you just see it with a crisp cat eye and a rich red lip?

SWOON! 🙂

The Dolce & Gabbana Ruby collection for holiday 2011 includes…

(Full reviews and pretty pictures coming soon!)

  • Ruby Lipsticks in Devil 220, Scarlett 195, Ultra 190, Ruby 180 and Iconic 210 ($37 each)
  • Ruby Eyeshadow in Femme Fatale 100 ($75)
  • Ruby Blush in Peach 20 ($55)

Dolce fans might recognize the packaging; it’s the same bejeweled compact from last year’s lovely Lip Jewels. Sure, it tacks $11 on top of Dolce’s already hefty $44 blush price, but it sure is an unmistakeable design.

Gaudy? Maybe, yeah, a little, but I think it’s gorgeous. Like a piece of art resting on a makeup counter (and almost as spendy).

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dolce & gabbana ruby collection peach blush (1)
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4 Fast Reviews of Pricey New Skincare Products from SK-II, Lancôme, Estée Lauder and Josie Maran

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4 Skincare Product Reviews

Here are some of the skincare products I’ve put through the old testing ringer lately. Most of them are fairly new, like released within the past couple of months or so, but one of them, Josie’s Argan Cleansing Oil, came out back in summer.

The Cleansing Oil also happens to be the only one of these that sells for less than $80, so these are things up in the premium category, which, one would hope, means that they’re all incredibly awesome, right?

Let’s find out. 🙂

SK-II Skin Signature Eye Cream ($110 for a 0.5-oz. jar)

Luxury line SK-II is hooked on Pitera. It’s the brand’s signature ingredient, and it appears in everything across their entire line.

So what is Pitera?

In the company’s words, it’s a “…singular blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids that work together to help restore the appearance of your skin’s outer layers, by enabling the skin’s natural surface rejuvenation process to function at its prime.”

Ok, but what is it?

Well, it’s derived from yeast fermentation, and its history traces back about 30 years to a Japanese saké brewery…

No, fo’ reals! That’s when a scientist noticed that the hands of workers at the brewery looked surprisingly beautiful and young. A bunch of research later, a team of scientists that had been trying to get to the bottom of it think they figured out why, and they packaged up the secret formula and called it Pitera.

SK-II touts it as a “miracle water” used to regenerate, hydrate and restore balance to skin, and it’s in their new Signature Eye Cream, which hit counters last month.

It costs an arm and a leg, but it’s probably one of the most hydrating high-end eye creams I’ve ever tried. I’m serious — it’s crazy moisturizing! And it layers well beneath makeup, too.

I’m still waiting to see proof of its purported power to eliminate under-eye circles and firm the skin, but my normally parched eye area feels hella hydrated when I’m using this and looks fresh and dewy all day long.

For straight up moisture, this stuff is tops. Of course, it’s also brutally expensive.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Night Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Creme ($80 for a 1.7-oz. jar)

The actual application of Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Night brings me great joy. There’s something so sweet, soothing and comforting about the rosy apple scent that reminds me of hugging my mom.

Part of the line’s new Lift Firming/Sculpt Collection of moisturizers and treatments, it’s not the most moisturizing cream I’ve ever used, but I sure do like the fluffy texture and the scent.

It’s supposed to tighten and firm aging skin; that’s the big selling point, but I haven’t really noticed much in either respect. I do like slathering it on at night, though, as part of my bedtime ritual, on account of the scent, the texture, how quickly it absorbs and because it doesn’t leave behind a sticky layer of goo.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
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If Your Time Is Worth More Than $1, Don’t Miss These E.L.F. Eyes Lips Face Nail Polish Remover Pads

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Nail lacquers better look out! There’s a new sheriff in town, and he brought a case of these of amazing E.L.F. Eyes Lips Face Nail Polish Remover Pads.

A dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, but someone forgot to tell that to E.L.F. With the exception of that travel pouch of emergency Nutella in my purse (no judgement), these are the best $1 products I’ve seen in a while.

A beauty obsessed pal of mine recently raved about pre-soaked nail polish remover pads, saying that they saved her a ton of time and kept her nails and cuticles in good condition, and WOW! — she was not kidding.

For removing non-glittery nail polishes, these are the shiz! One pad takes care of the whole kit and caboodle for me — base coat, top coat and multiple layers — for all 10 fingers.

Glitters, on the other hand (no pun intended) are a different story. I tried to see how these would handle my recent glitter ombre mani, and although the pads put up a good fight and cut through most of the sparkly stuff, I still had to use four of them to finish the job (there are 18 of them in a pack).

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