Archives for March 2012

It’s a Miracle!

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

A Miracle of Maracuja, that is.

The new eight-piece Tarte Miracle of Maracuja Set, available now at QVC.com for $59.96 (a $200 value).

The set includes:

An Airbrush Finish Bamboo Blush Brush (a QVC exclusive);
An Airblush Maracuja Blush in Amused (a QVC exclusive);
A Maracuja Waterproof Creaseless Concealer in either Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep;
A full-size bottle of Pure Maracuja Oil;
A Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liner in Black (a QVC exclusive);
A tube of Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara;
A Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Peaceful (a QVC exclusive); and
A Beauty & the Box Amazonia Clay Eyeshadow Quad (a QVC exclusive).

tarte miracle of maracuja

What a Beautiful Bouquet: It’s Summer in Italy, Circa 1950, and the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2012 Bouquet Collection Is in Bloom

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection

Someone’s a very sleepy sheepy out here (that would be me)…

I’m actually so beat right now that these pieces from the new Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet collection are barely speeding up my heartbeat at all.

And that’s freaky weird because I’m all over these rainbow shades and the mix of shimmers and creams.

The 18-piece release for spring/summer has some fun, flirty bits for eyes, lips and nails. The theme: 1950s Italian summers.

Okay, I’m down. I like the ’50s, Italy and summers, so it sounds like a win to me. 🙂

What do ya think? And how about those pastel nail lacquers? Even exhausted, I think my heart just skipped a beat.

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeshadow quad
Smooth Eye Color Quad in Bouquet 152 (new), $59

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeliner
Crayon Intense Eyeliners in Shimmer (repromote), Lilac (repromote), Agave (repromote), Lemon (new), Acqua (new) and Mint (new), $29 each

dolce gabbana bouquet collection lipgloss
Lipglosses from the top to bottom: Acqua (repromote), Raspberry (new), Innocence (repromote), Shimmer (repromote) and Pink Diamond (repromote), $29 each
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The China Glaze Prismatic Collection: Your Nails, Now in 3D

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

China Glaze Prismatic Collection

BAM! A single ray of white light streams through a prism and explodes into a rainbow of colors on your nails.

That’s the idea behind these new Prismatic polishes from China Glaze. The limited edition launch of six eye-catching glittery nail polishes ($8 each) really improved my spirits this afternoon. The gloomy, gray sky looming over the Bay Area felt like a big wet blanket on my mood.

It was bringing me down… But then I started swatching. 🙂

china glaze ray diant
Ray-Diant

Filled with glitter and holographic particles, these glimmering multi-colored metallics almost look like they’re hopping off my nails! — like they’re 3D powered, which is kinda cool.

As usual, China Glaze formulated the entire line, which bursts into professional beauty supply stores and salons in April, without DBP, toluene and formaldehyde.

In all of these swatches, I’m wearing two layers…

china glaze polarized
Polarized
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Outfit of the Day, Vol. 6: Layered By the Bay

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

outfit of the day (7)

You may have heard the old adage, “If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, always dress in layers.”

Some good advice right there, because despite being only 47 square miles, S.F. weather can vary wildly from one neighborhood to the next. One minute, you’re sunning yourself at a sidewalk cafe in the Mission District (here’s a city map); the next, you’re freezing your booty off by the beach in the Richmond (my old stomping grounds!).

Better to be safe than sorry.

Enter layers! — pieces of clothing you can quickly peel on/off.

Before driving into the city yesterday, I set aside a few of my favorite things to layer…

My crunchy outer shell (LOL!) consisted of this zippered faux-leather jacket I found at Nordstrom a couple seasons ago… I think the rich chocolate color goes well with black and gray clothes.

outfit of the day (6)

Under the jacket, because the city can get pretty cold, and because I also wanted to be able to cover my head if it started raining (which it did), I wore this zippered hoodie by Zella.

(SIDE NOTE: Zella is a line of fitness clothing kinda like a less expensive version of Lululemon. I’ve been finding their stuff at Nordstrom.)

outfit of the day (5)
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Buxom Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

Four of the 10 new Buxom Marvelous Moxie Lipglosses, $18 each. Buxom designed these glosses to deliver sheer, vivid color, a shiny mirror-like finish and volume to lips. Available now at Sephora.

Orange and Purple

March 14th, 2012 by Karen 3 Comments

A great color combination! I think it looks especially pretty on eyes. See: the new Buxom Color Choreography Eyeshadow in Belly Dance, $36.

How Often Do You Wear Colorful Makeup?

March 14th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

How often do you wear colorful makeup?

Pretty often, but it depends. When it comes to my eyes, I love color, especially bright color, but the further I get into my 30s, I have to admit, I feel less and less comfortable in lime greens and hot pinks when I’m tooling around the grocery store.

These days, if I’m just hanging around and not out doing something fancy or fun, I usually stick to neutral eyes with maybe a little pop of color on my lids or along my lash lines.

As for my cheeks, I have no such qualms. I’ll totally do brights under almost any circumstances, but I’ll usually apply them with a light hand.

And lips? Gimme a bright pink, red or orange pout any day of the week. 🙂

How about you? How often do you wear colorful makeup?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Almost over the hump, huzzah! What are you up to tonight? I’m just about to watch last night’s episode of Southland (seriously, how did we get along before DVRs?) and re-read a little more of The Hunger Games.

Hope you had a great day.