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Archives for March 2012

Marcel Wanders Isn’t the Only One With Fingerprints on the New MAC & Marcel Wanders Collection

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mac marcel wanders kim
Wearing MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Kim on my lips and Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium beneath my eyes

Stealth alert! If you’re currently undercover as a secret spy and/or must avoid leaving your fingerprints behind for classified reasons, you might want to handle the MAC & Marcel Wanders collection with kid gloves.

Literally.

Available now on MAC counters, in stores and also online, the 14-piece release, a partnership with Amsterdam-based industrial designer Marcel Wanders, is a feast for the eyes! — and the makeup, brushes and lone fragrance that comprise the collection, with their sleek, mirrored surfaces and mock chrome packaging (replete with striking angles and curves) would be tough to miss, even from across a crowded MAC store.

Seriously, these pieces could have a career in forensics. They pick up fingerprints quicker than you can say “Yes, Jason Bourne, you may dye my hair in the sink.” 🙂

Man, I love that scene…

Here’s a look at three of the pieces from the release, the details of which, like how the angular packaging of the Sheer Mystery Powder compact contrasts with the curves on the Lipstick cases, I was able to appreciate more fully once I’d buffed my fingerprints away.

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Kim, $22.50

With a smooth, non-sticky texture that feels less like a Lipglass and more like a Plushglass to me (but without the telltale tingling), Kim surprised me.

Before I tried it on, I was sure this shimmery plum would be too cool and dark for my warm NC42 skin, but I was wrong. I think it’s neutral enough for most gals to wear, and I like the way it brightens my face.

I also dig the faint vanilla flavor and scent, and the brush-tip applicator feels good against my lips. As for wear time, I get about two hours, which isn’t bad for a non-sticky gloss. That said, the $22.50 price tag still seems a little high.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC & Marcel Wanders Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium, $60

I remember paying $45 for a Sheer Mystery Powder for Holiday 2006 and feeling like it killed me a little at the time, but compared to this, with its special edition $60 packaging, that was a steal!

For me, Light Medium is a touch too pale to wear all over, but I do like dusting it beneath my eyes to set my concealer and to brighten the center of my face.

Even though it’s mad pricey, the Sheer Mystery Powders are still among my MAC faves. Their silky texture always looks and feels lightweight, and their sheer coverage never lets me down. Plus, you get an extra refill pan.

The compact is a mighty magnet for fingerprints, though, and the price sure seems high. $60.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie, $22.50

At first I was like, “Eh,” when I swatched this peachy beige on my arm. It just seemed so pale, frosty and difficult to wear, but I changed my tune when I saw it on my lips. Maybe it’s the rich peach tones, but something mellows out the frostiness and keep things from looking too harsh.

I really like how Annelie layers with other peachy pink lip products. Lately, for an easygoing neutral lip, I’ve been wearing it with Subculture liner and a dab of Evolution Revolution on top.

Beautiful color, but the fingerprint-attracting packaging remains a minor sticking point for me. $22.50. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

mac marcel wanders annelie lipstick
MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie, $22.50

mac marcel wanders annelie lipstick with beurre and evolution revolution
MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie layered with MAC Subculture and MAC Evolution Revolution
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Pink Cherry Blossoms and Blue Skies: Another MAC Chenman Face of the Day

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mac chenman

I was looking through those pics of cherry blossom trees from my walk around the neighborhood last weekend, and this one down below, with the branches reaching for the sky, stopped me in my tracks.

Hmm… pink and blue. How very MAC Chenman!

So here’s my second take on a look inspired by that release. This time, I also incorporated a couple of my tried-and-true MAC faves — Feline Eye Kohl (which I love because it doesn’t turn blue on my skin!) and Dollymix blush.

Wearing just the eyeshadows alone, I thought my eyes in this look were subtler than they were in last week’s eye look, so I added swishes of black liner on my upper and lower water lines to amp things up.

mac chenman

EYES

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Milani’s New Spring 2012 Runway Eyes Eyeshadows for Spring 2012 Have Something Big in Common With Tabs

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I like my kitty supermodels chunky…


E! True Hollywood Story: Tabs the Cat, from Stray to Supermodel

…and my eyeshadows smooove, like Ryan Gosling. 🙂

Last weekend I gave Milani’s three new spring 2012 Runway Eyes eyeshadows a try, but instead of marveling at their sparkly abundance and bodacious $6.99 price tag, I kept getting distracted by something in the mirror…

Chunks, and not the kind I like.

When I apply these dry, I can see the grains chillin’ on top of my eyelids. No, they aren’t the smoothest shadows at the rodeo, if you catch my drift.

Applied wet, using a brush moistened with MAC Fix+, seems to smooth out the texture. It also intensifies the shimmery colors of these shadows, in particular Golden Touch (the golden beige) and Peaches & Cream (the silvery peach), but I still see stray grains on my lids that I feel the urge to buff.

Golden khaki Antigua, on the other hand, gets closer to great. I think it looks and feels smoother than the other two shades, and at least for me, with its hint of gray, has the most star power among these three.


From the left, Antigua, Golden Touch and Peaches & Cream applied dry (the three shades on the left) and wet (the three shades on the right)
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Out on a Wedge With the Comfy Unisa Kami Shoe

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unisa kami wedge review (1)

So, I made a shoe pact with myself a few weeks ago in which I pledged, from now on, to only bring home new shoes that I can actually walk in.

A novel concept, I know. 🙂

I probably should have done it sooner, too, because I can barely walk in half the shoes I own.

But it’s not my fault (well, I mean it is). It’s the high heels! They’re the worst offenders. It’s too bad they’re such tasty eye candy…


The very uncomfortable Seychelles Squeak Sandal

So this pact of mine, I started doubting my commitment to it the other day at DSW, surrounded by aisle after aisle of sky-high heels. Then, the $49.95 Unisa Kami Wedge walked into my life.

I’d been on the hunt for a stylish, comfy pair of nude wedges to wear with jeans and spring dresses, and had visited a bunch of different stores and poked around online, but nothing really struck my fancy until I spotted these wedges.

unisa kami wedge review (2)

I don’t know much about Unisa beyond the fact that they’ve been around for a while. The Kami, which is fashioned with faux leather straps and has a synthetic sole, comes in tan, white, black, dark brown and a neutral reptilian print.

As soon as I slipped on a tan pair and took a few steps around the store, I knew they were comfortable and a good height for me. The cork wedge measures about 3 inches tall, but because of the ½-inch platform, the heel feels more like a 2, or a 2½.

I love how stable I feel in these shoes, like there’s no chance I’m going to topple over, and I think it’s mostly because of the wedge, which is thicker than most of the other wedges I’ve worn.

The vintage-looking t-strap helps. It secures my heel better than slip-ons do, so that’s another nice plus.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 210

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  • 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 four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Just peachy.

  2. Milk, dark or white chocolate?

    3. How ’bout milk and dark, please? Milk when it comes to chocolate candies, and dark when it comes to brownies, cookies and cupcakes.

    Mmm… cupcakes.

  3. Peeta or Gale?

    4. Team Peeta all the way, ever since the first book.

  4. Have you ever rocked out to a Paula Abdul song?

    5. Three words: Forever Your Girl.

  5. Fingerless lace gloves: cute or tacky?

    6. If you’d asked me in 1988, I would have said, “cute!” I used to think they were awesome back when Madge wore ’em. Now? Not so much.

  6. The current state of your eyebrows?

    7. Long overdue for a trim and a session with my Tweezerman tweezers.

  7. Have you ever worn feather extensions in your hair?

    8. Nope, but Tabs has.

  8. Strapless dresses: yea or nay?

    9. Yea, but only if I’m wearing a gravity-defying bra.

  9. What’s the most surprising thing a stranger’s ever said to you?

    10. That I can remember? Well, it wasn’t directed at me, but maybe the time I overheard a flight attended describing me to a coworker as “the young girl sitting in the aisle seat.”

    I was 35 at the time (read: score!).

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Just one: keep smiling. 🙂

Hey, hey, happy Monday!

Got a sec for the Monday Poll? I sure hope so.

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



1. Mood:
2. Milk, dark or white chocolate?
3. Peeta or Gale?
4. Have you ever rocked out to a Paula Abdul song?
5. Fingerless lace gloves: cute or tacky?
6. The current state of your eyebrows?
7. Have you ever worn feather extensions in your hair?
8. Strapless dresses: yea or nay?
9. What’s the most surprising thing a stranger’s ever said to you?
10. Weekly goals:

Enjoy your week! I’ll try to do the same.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. The Walking Dead last night — what did you think? Can I suggest a couple of alternate titles for the episode? How about, “I would have killed for more zombies,” or, “The moral dilemmas are killing me quicker than this zombie bite”? 🙂

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