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Archives for April 2012

For $45, the Tom Ford Beauty Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust Should Be Worth Its Weight in Gold

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tom ford beauty gold dust ultra shine lip gloss

If I were a beauty pirate sailing the seven seas in search of pricey golden makeup booty, I’d say, “Aye, matey!” to Tom Ford’s Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust ($45). If I were an ancient Egyptian princess with the ability to time travel, I’d visit a Neimans in 2012 and return to the past with a tube to store in my sacred pyramid. It would go in a special burial chamber reserved for shimmery, sheer, high-end golden glosses, which would be next door to the chamber reserved for Tabs, because I know he’d insist on being buried as close as possible to the really, really expensive stuff. After all, he is a cat with a taste for the “finer things” (his words).

But if I were almost anyone else … I’d have serious reservations about this warm and shimmery golden lippie, the sole lip product in the new 13-piece limited edition Tom Ford Beauty collection for spring 2012.

Truth be told, the words “Lip Lacquer” on the tube initially confused me. I expected the product itself to be more intense, with bigger shine! — and the wherewithal to last from at least breakfast till lunch (something akin to a MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass).

Instead, Gold Dust is a breathy, barely-there whisper of shimmer and color that gives up after about 90 minutes on my lips.

Super sheer color and a limited wear time for almost $50?

Hmm…

Tom Ford Beauty Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust

  • Texture: A middleweight with a smooth, non-sticky texture.
  • Packaging: The long tube, with its angled plastic applicator, is practical, I guess, but I would have liked something fancier, considering the price.
  • Flavor and scent: My nose picks up a faint brown sugar flavor and scent (yum!)
  • Wear time: Not great. I get between 60-90 minutes.
  • Finish: Very soft, like a powder puff lens.

tom ford beauty gold dust ultra shine lip gloss

tom ford gold dust ultra shine lip gloss
Clockwise from the golden pot on the left: Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt ($35), Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust ($45) and Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit ($35)

tom ford spring 2012 swatches
Swatches from the left: Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit, Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt and Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust
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Nails Are Taking a Bright Turn at Urban Decay With the Urban Decay Summer 2012 Nail Kit

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Urban decay summer 2012 nail kit box

Just a quick hi and some swatches of the Urban Decay summer 2012 nail kit to hopefully brighten your Tuesday.

It’s raining here today, and the forecast calls for more rain this week, so brightness is certainly something I’m hungry for.

I’m wearing two coats in each of the swatches below. Still not sure about pricing, but I’m assuming the kit will cost about as much as last year’s, probably around $28.

urban decay woodstock nail swatch
Woodstock

urban decay showboat nail swatch
Showboat
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Becca Mineral Blush in Bolero Gets Better as the Day Wears On

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becca bolero blush

I was quite the Flowerchild back in my Becca Halcyon Days. Yup, they called me Damselfly…

When Flowerchild and Damselfly, two of Becca’s flawless Mineral Blushes from last spring’s Becca Halcyon Days collection, worked their way into my heart and my everyday makeup routine, it was just like the first time I tasted bubble tea. I wanted, needed, craved them 24/7 for weeks.

Mmmm, tapioca pearls…

With the Balearic Love collection, the compact Becca Mineral Blush clan grows by one member. Bolero ($32), a bronze with faint reddish tones and the sole blush in the release, is just as pigmented, easy to apply, long-lasting and resistant to fading as the other Mineral Blushes I’ve tried, but those pluses aren’t even my favorite things about it.

What makes Bolero really stand out to me is how it just seems to look better and better over the course of the day.

I’ve been trying to unravel its secret, and I keep coming back to one thing: the finish. Becca loves combining shimmers and mattes (like Cabrera liner, also from Balearic Love), and with Bolero and its semi/demi-matte finish, they’ve done it again.

Bolero rides into town on a mostly matte finish with a super subtle sheen, but as the day wears on and oil builds up on my skin, Bolero turns up the radiant shine (picture a gal holding her surfboard on the cover of Shape). I’ve been wearing it as both a blush and a bronzer for sun-kissed, sculpted looks.

I also love how Bolero caters to my lazy side looks when it’s worn with minimal makeup. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve tried it on top of bare skin, tinted moisturizer and full-coverage liquid foundation, and it seems like the less makeup I wear with it, the better Bolero looks.

becca bolero blush

becca bolero swatch
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Right Image Cremesheen Glass

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mac right image (3)

A sheer pink gloss to layer atop neutral pink lipsticks? — that shouldn’t be hard to find.

Right…?

Famous last words.

You’d think it would be easy peasy! — but quite a few sheer pink glosses have a milky quality to ’em and pigments that gather in the fine lines of my lips; the end result can look patchy and uneven.

Or how about sheer pink glosses that are just too sheer? Or too pigmented? Gah! In the first case, they don’t add much, if anything, to the lipsticks they’re supposed to enhance; in the second, they overwhelm the lipsticks they’re supposed to help.

With MAC Right Image Cremesheen Glass ($19.50), I can happily tick the box next to “None of the above.” 🙂

This sheer, pale mid-tone bluish pink packs just the right amount of pigment. It’s enough that when I wear it by itself, I can see the pink on my lips, but it’s not so bold or opaque that it overshadows lipsticks when it’s worn on top (oh! — I love how it looks on top of Modesty Cremesheen).

mac right image

mac right image (1)

mac right image (2)
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 214

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The Marin Headlands on the north side of the Golden Gate, California, April 8, 2012

  • 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:
    Excited! I’m heading into the city to have a late breakfast with two of my buddies this morning, Heather and Marisol. We’re all into beauty, so I’m looking forward to good grubbin’ and makeup chat. Can’t wait!
  2. Have you ever consulted with a psychic or palm reader?
    Just once. I used to work for a pretty big law firm, and on Fridays every summer they’d host these wacky events for the staff, like themed lunches and whatnot. One Friday they brought in a group of psychic readers, and I met with a gal who — I swear she either really did have “the gift,” or maybe she was just really good at reading body language, like that guy from The Mentalist…

    Anywho, I asked her what she saw in store for me over the next 10 years, and whether or not she saw law school in my future. She said no, and said I’d end up doing something creative and unusual, which I think sums up blogging pretty well.

  3. Do you ever buy lottery tickets?
    Oh, yeah. But I’m not as serious about it as my parents are. They’ve been playing the same numbers every week for the past 20 years!
  4. Have you ever been the victim of makeup theft?
    Not makeup, but I have had perfume stolen. I lived with a sticky-fingered roommate when I first moved out to San Francisco. Right before she moved out, she stole a bottle of Gucci Envy, a few sweaters and a bottle of Moet that my boss had given me for Christmas. I’m still pretty salty about it…
  5. What’s one of your go-to tricks for radiant skin?
    Wearing lotion with some pearl in it, or a highlighting lotion. I swear by MAC Strobe Cream and actually keep a couple tubes of it stockpiled in my beauty closet.
  6. I could be a contender for the title of Most Likely to _________________.
    Ah! Where to start?! Most likely to … have a cat watch her while she uses the bathroom. Most likely to be 10 minutes late. Most likely to fall asleep standing up. Most likely to shave her toes. Most likely to find popcorn in her bra. Most likely to turn into Liz Lemon from 30 Rock.

    The possibilities are endless…

  7. Do you have a friend who’s always up for anything?
    My friend Cindy. She has a taste for adventure, and she’s always up for trying something new.

    Well, with the exception of makeup. She’s not really into it, but dagnabbit! — I’m determined to get her to try on some blush one of these days.

  8. Time for our afternoon snack break! Where should we go?
    I’m taking you to Pinkberry for some kick-ass fro yo, ma!
  9. What’s one thing you were surprised to learn about yourself?
    That I have an artistic side. Because I grew up on a strict science track. I denied my creative interests all throughout my teens and early 20s because they really weren’t valued in my family. It’s only been over the past few years that I’ve started to think of myself as someone with a creative side.
  10. Weekly goals:
    Fill one page in my journal every day with a list of things I’m grateful for. Finish my taxes (they’re hanging over my head like a dark cloud!), and go to yoga class at least twice.

Hi, cutie. 🙂 Here we go again. It’s another Monday, and I’m feeling really good — not just about the day, but generally, overall.

Maybe it’s the weather. When it’s sunny outside like it is today and the songbirds are singing, I can’t help but feel … energized.

Can you stop by for a quick hello in the Monday poll? Missed ya over the weekend!

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



1. Mood:
2. Have you ever consulted with a psychic or palm reader?
3. Do you buy lottery tickets?
4. Have you ever been the victim of makeup theft?
5. What’s one of your go-to tricks for radiant skin?
6. I could be a contender for the title of Most Likely to _________________.
7. Do you have a friend who’s always up for anything?
8. Time for our afternoon snack break! Where should we go?
9. What’s one thing you were surprised to learn about yourself?
10. Weekly goals:

You have a wonderful week, okay?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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