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Archives for April 2012

I’m in the Mood For Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Bronzer & Blush

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physicians formula happy booster glow mood bronzer & blush

Things that boost my happiness, aka happy boosters

  • Purr machines. Sometimes Tabs takes pity on me and actually behaves like a nice kitty. I love when he climbs onto my lap while I’m blogging. He drapes his girth across my right arm, tucks his nose into the crook and purrs himself to sleep. It’s so sweet.
  • Lens flares. Ridiculous? I think not! One can never have too many lens flares.
  • Pizza crust. Some folks skip it, but it’s my favorite pizza part.
  • Inspired running. Gotta love those rare kick-@ss running days when everything goes right. No muscle cramps, nothing aches, my iPod’s shuffling in all the right ways, and I feel like I’m flying. Best part is when I ask myself, “Can I keep going?” and the answer is an enthusiastic “Yes!”
  • Free fro-yo. Filling up my “frequent flyer” rewards card at Tuttimelon and getting a free frozen yogurt.
  • Dance movies. Nothin’ like watching a cheesy dance movie after a long day — you know, where the main character, against all odds, lives out his/her dreams using the power of the pirouette! There’s always that big finale scene with the ensemble cast and a freeze frame shot right at the end. See: Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Honey, and Step Up (the first one, with Channing Tatum).
  • Bronzer/blush combos. Extra points when there are hearts love on the pan, like the new Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush ($13.95; available in two shades, Bronze/Natural and Bronze/Rose).

Happy Booster Glow, a new bronzer/blush combo from Physicians Formula, was actually designed to foster feelings of joy, and since regular blushes already make me happy (swirling a little bit of color on my cheeks always boosts my mood), I half expected to explode! 🙂

So how, exactly, is it supposed to bring the joy? Well, the ingredients. According to Physicians Formula, that is. They gave it arctic rose, which they claim mimics the effects of endorphins, as well as a supposed mood elevator called euphoryl. The violet and citrus fragrance is also supposed to promote feelings of positivity.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush 1
Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush in Bronze/Natural, $13.95; also available in Bronze/Rose

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush 2
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It’s a 6-Hour Trip Into a Dimension of Shine With the MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadows

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mac extra dimension eye shadows in lunar and blue orbit

Truth: when I take out the new MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadows ($20; available now in 10 shades), I hum the Twilight Zone theme song to myself, because these new cream/powder/liquid hybrids take me on a journey through space and time. A journey to another dimension. One filled with blinding shine. And pigment for days! And blending that even lazy people can handle, LOL!

MAC says they used a new technology on this new line of shadows that combines the best of three worlds — cream, liquid and powder. The shadows are designed to deliver the smoothness of a cream, the blend-ability of a liquid and the wear and ease of a powder.

I like ’em. They’re really pigmented and super shimmery, and best of all, so easy to blend.

If you’ve been wanting to try more complicated eye looks with multiple shades but get tripped up by blending, the Extra Dimensions can make creating those transitions in colors a whole lot easier. There’s almost a wetness to the colors, and for me, they seem much quicker and easier to blend than traditional eyeshadows.

The other day I wore Modern Pewter all over my lids, Young Venus in the inner corners and Dark Dare along my upper lash lines, and I hardly had to exert any effort at all! — just a few swipes to blend the colors together seamlessly. Plus, because the shadows latch on to lids (well, initially at least, but more on that in a few), I didn’t observe any fallout.

If I were starring on some weird reality TV show with a challenge in which I had to wake up at 3 in the morning and execute a perfectly blended, vibrant eye with six eyeshadows in less than 10 minutes, I’d grab the Extra Dimension Eye Shadows (my only hope of escaping elimination!). If after that they asked me to operate heavy machinery, THEN I’d be screwed. Because who doesn’t belong behind the wheel at the witching hour?

This girl. 🙂

mac extra dimension eye shadows in Modern Pewter, Young Venus and Dark Dare
Wearing Young Venus, Modern Pewter and Dark Dare

mac extra dimension eye shadows in Modern Pewter, Young Venus and Dark Dare

mac extra dimension eye shadows
Extra Dimension Eye Shadows
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Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics Is Having a Blast With Nails

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Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics

How saucy is this line!? I’m getting a big kick out of Canada’s own Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. They’re an indie nail polish line bristling with fun colors and personality.

My typographical side adores the bottles, which are decorated with each polish’s name in different type styles and fonts, and I’m happy to report that I haven’t seen one that uses Comic Sans (I can hear you sighing with relief, LOL!).

And I love the creativity. Some of them have names as eye-catching as their colors (NOTE: some are very naughty), and all of them have quirky color stories on the website, like this one here for the shade called Nail Me.

“If there was ever a time that I wanted to be nailed by a hot guy on the spot it was this moment while vacationing in Honolulu.

Having read, and looked at many, many model magazines while waiting at the grocery check out, I became familiar with a lot if not all of the hot men within the covers.

One morning after I got my Starbucks, and treat from the ABC store on the corner, I casually crossed the road and made my way towards the beach. A nice fresh breeze of ocean air and Plumeria was filling my nose and lungs. Feeling much like one should in paradise, I was in a trance…”

— cheekymonkeycosmetics.com

Yowza! You are a cheeky monkey! 🙂

Some of the names are cracking me up! — even though I probably won’t be gifting a bottle of Brazen Hussy or Hot Slut anytime soon.

There are currently 50 shades listed online at $14 apiece, all of them with a three-free formula made without formaldehyde, toluene or DBP.

I’ve tried five of the colors so far — BFF (a creamy pinkish coral), Free Love (a creamy bright orange), Vixen (a creamy purple), Get Wet (a creamy baby blue) and Man Chaser (a shimmery pink) — and I’m wearing two coats for all but one of these, Get Wet, which required a third coat to wipe out the streaks.

cheeky monkey cosmetics get wet
Get Wet

cheeky monkey cosmetics bff
BFF

cheeky monkey cosmetics free love
Free Love
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For Cheeks That Turn Heads: MAC Très Cheek

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mac modern mandarin
Wearing MAC Modern Mandarin Blush on my cheeks

Hello, mellow. 🙂 Compared to a couple of the MAC collections launching tomorrow, the six-piece Très Cheek seems really mellow to me. Reel Sexy has all those bold colors bursting with pigment, and Extra Dimension has that hard-to-miss mirror shine.

Très Cheek may not look like much in comparison, but don’t let that stop you from looking a little closer at these blushing beauties. I think there are some fan-frickin’-tastic blushes in this limited edition launch.

Here’s a look at three of the collection’s six shades. Altogether, they remind me of something MAC does so well…

Blush!

Modern Mandarin: When I apply this satiny reddish orange with my Shu Uemura Fan Brush — WOW! — I barely have to move an inch. The color practically leaps from the brush to my cheeks, bringing with it the slightest hint of shine. Mandarin is generous with pigment and might be a little too bold for some, but it should rock the beach on darker skin tones. I can’t wait to bust this baby out after I’ve gotten a little sun. Oh, and I thought this was neat: when I applied a swatch on the back of my hand today, Mandarin actually withstood a hand washing — with soap!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Lovecloud: This beautiful bright pink has a sheen that says, “You should totally cheek me out.” It’s like a combination blush and highlighter rolled into one, and on my NC42 skin, I think I also see a hint of peach. I absolutely love, love, love Lovecloud. It has the makings of a perfectly pretty spring color just waiting to be worn with peach, pink and coral lips.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

Peony Petal: The faint sheen illuminating this bright bluish pink flower petal subdued compared to Modern Mandarin and Lovecloud; it’s almost (but not quite) a matte. One layer produces a soft semi-matte flush, so delicate and sweet, like the flush you get running barefoot through a field of wildflowers (or chasing after your rugrat/dog/cat). Of the three blushes here, I think it’s the one that looks the most natural. A little tinted moisturizer, one or two layers of mascara, and MAC Modesty or Right Image on your lips, and you’ll be all kinds of fierce.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

mac pink peony
Peony Petal

mac lovecloud
Lovecloud
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The MAC Reel Sexy Cremesheen Glasses Whisper AND Shout

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mac cinestyle
Wearing MAC Cremesheen Glass in Cinestyle

There must be something in the air, because Tabs has been acting strange all day long.

Well…stranger than usual. He’s been grumbling to himself, staring at me for bizarrely long amounts of time, clawing at the carpeting on the stairs (BAD TABBY!) and suddenly taking off like a firecracker in random directions.

And he hasn’t been mugging for camera like he usually does. I got him all set for a few shots with the four new Cremesheen Glasses from the MAC Reel Sexy collection ($19.50 each), but he was like, “Not in the mood for it. Come back later.”

mac reel sexy cremesheen glass
Cremesheen Glasses from the bottom to the top: Private Screening, Cinestyle, Star Quality and Color Saturation ($19.50 US; $22.50 CDN each)

I don’t know… Maybe it’s spring fever. I know he hates being cooped up in the house. I’m sure he would have preferred to shoot on location today, maybe in the city because it’s sunny. Last week he even asked if we could do a photo spread this month (and have lunch) down at Fisherman’s Wharf. Maybe also swing by the Embarcadero.

I didn’t think much of it at the time because it was raining, but I like the idea of a kitty modeling session somewhere on location. Maybe I could bring along one (or maybe all four) of the limited edition Cremesheen Glasses. My lips have been feeling a little dry lately, and MAC’s moisturizing Cremesheens usually hit the spot.

As luck would have it, Reel Sexy includes some good ones. Colorful lips play a big part in Reel Sexy, and some of that color carries over into the Cremesheen Glasses from the release.

But there are also a couple of sheerer shades in the mix, which I like because it offsets the saturated colors. Without them, the lineup would have been like listening to a song in which the singer SHOUTS THE ENTIRE TIME!

Sometimes, it’s the quiet moments that make me appreciate the louder ones even more.

Here are some thoughts on each of the four colors…

Star Quality: And it has it, too. This one’s my favorite of the bunch. When I wear this intensely pigmented bright orange coral, I want to bust out the blender, make frozen pineapple drinks and salsa dance on the lanai. It’s bright, fun and easy to wear, and I think it looks great on its own or layered on top of Watch Me Simmer. LOVE! love
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

Colour Saturation: I was really surprised by this dark and creamy cool-toned wine (in a good way). I feared it would feel too fall-ish before I tried it on and was ready to pooh-pooh it, but it’s fresher than I expected it to be. Color traditionalists might still find it too dark for their tastes, but I hope they (and you) give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Private Screening: This almost transparent milky mid-toned peach does for lips what Essie Ballet Slippers did for nails. Take care not to over-apply. When I did, it settled into the fine lines on my lips, and the coverage didn’t look uniform. I like the color for quick hits of shine, but I would have liked to see a little more pigment — not much, just a tad. As it stands, it’s great for adding shimmer to lippies like Watch Me Simmer and Reel Sexy Lipstick.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Cinestyle: MAC describes it as mid-toned blueish gray-violet, but I don’t really see any of the gray on me, and truth be told, I’m relieved; the thought of gray lips was freaking me out! This shade, like Private Screening, applies sheer and milky, and because my lips are rather pigmented, both shades look quite alike. On its own, I think it’s just okay, but I bet it would great atop Pink Popcorn Lipstick (to enhance the shine and bring out the purple tones).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

mac star quality
Star Quality

mac colour saturation
Colour Saturation
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Becca Balearic Love’s Violet and Bronze Line and Define Pencil in Cabrera Beckons Brown, Green and Hazel Eyes

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becca cabrera

“Becca invites you — ”

Me?

“Excuse me?”

I just want to make sure I understand you correctly.

“Yes, you. Becca invites you to dream of distant — ”

Just me?

“Really now? Come on, we’re talking about everyone. It’s just a marketing thing.”

Oh, okay… Sorry. I get it now. Please, continue.

“Right. Fine. Becca invites you to dream of distant shores and unguarded temptation with — ”

What you do mean, ‘unguarded’?

“What…?”

You said ‘unguarded’.

“Yes. And?”

What do you mean? Do you mean like no lifeguard on duty?

“…”

Do you have a lifeguard?

“You can’t be serious… Is this some kind of joke? Am I on Punk’d right now?”

* * *

I can almost feel the sun on my face when I gaze at the promo poster for the Becca Balearic Love Collection… That smokey eye, those rich layers of violet, bronze and plum, and that shimmer in the middle of the lid? Gorgeous! It’s one of the most intriguing collections I’ve seen this season so far.

Becca Cosmetics Balearic Love

Named after the Balearic Islands, a Mediterranean archipelago off the Eastern coast of Spain, the eight-piece collection for eyes, lips, cheeks and nails evokes a more grownup beachy vibe to me, a little bit naughty and mysterious, and not the well-trodden beach theme often characterized by lighthearted surfer girls chasing waves.

Balearic Love’s smokey eyes, bronzed, sculpted cheeks and nude pink lips would look right at home on you at that beachside café at sunset, where, instead of reading your Ibiza guidebook and sending your fiancée a text to tell him that you miss him, you’re stealing glances at the handsome stranger sitting across the way.

I just started exploring the collection last weekend, but I’ve already fallen for the dual-ended Line and Define Pencil in Cabrera ($23).

becca cabrera

It’s a super soft, smooth liner with a metallic bronze pencil on one end and a deep violet brown on the other, and I love how messy and undone both shades look smudged along my lash lines.

One of the things I love about Becca is their nuanced approach to color. Take Cabrera’s darker tip, for instance. On my skin, it subtly flashes from deep brown to purple, which gives it a little kick that boring old brown liners lack.

And the finish? From some angles, the shimmer’s unmistakable, but from others, I swear it looks like a matte.

Honestly, if it were available as a single liner, I’d stockpile enough sticks to last me through the next few lifetimes. I love the mix of purple, brown and gold, and I think it really pops on brown, hazel and green eyes.

becca cabrera
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