Archives for November 2012

The New MAC Taste Temptation Mattene Lipsticks Roll Out a Vibrant, Velvety Welcome Matte for Lips

November 21st, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

mac night blooming mattene lipstick from the new taste temptation collection — Wearing the new MAC Night Blooming Mattene Lipstick from the new Taste Temptation collection

Just how beguiling are the Night Blooming and Seductive Intent Mattenes from the new MAC Taste Temptation collection? Well, that depends on how fired up you get about opaque, vibrant lipsticks with an oh-so-smooooove texture.

I cannot get enough of these two tubes. For $15 a pop ($18 for my gals up there in Canada), they do it to it! You could pretty much be wearing anything else — a ‘tow-up terry cloth tracksuit, a pair of men’s over-sized camo capris, gnarly jean shorts — whatevs. Just throw on one layer of either of these two lipsticks, and you’d be like, “Yeah, I’m totally rocking these hella big camo capris on purpose…” 🙂

Just one layer is all it takes (side note: there’s one more shade, a mid-toned grayish lavender called Nocturnal Instincts, in the Taste Temptation collection not shown here).

Both the mid-toned blueish pink Night Blooming and vivid purple Seductive Intent have that great MAC Mattene formula right in the middle of the makeup Goldilocks Zone. They’re neither too slippery nor too thick, which makes them super easy to apply. No liner required.

mac seductive intent and night blooming mattenes from the new taste temptation collection — The Mattenes in Seductive Intent on the left and Night Blooming on the right ($15 US, $18 CDN)

mac night blooming and seductive intent swatches — Swatches of Night Blooming on the left and Seductive Intent on the right

[Continue reading…]

Cool Skin Tones May Find These Two MAC Taste Temptations Blushes Tempting

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

mac passionately tempted blush from the taste temptation collection — Wearing the new MAC Passionately Tempted Powder Blush from the new Taste Temptation collection

Um, yeah. Thanksgiving sides? They’re my fave part of the meal. I’ll take a heaping scoop of garlic mashed potatoes, some of that delicioso green bean casserole, the corn pudding, lots of stuffing (don’t be shy with the stuffing!), and those two pigmented powder blushes from the new MAC Taste Temptations collection.

Thanks! 🙂

Granted, the blushes aren’t traditional Thanksgiving sides, but this is 2012, right? We should broaden our horizons.

Plus, if a ton of people show up, cool-toned Unconventional and Passionately Tempted ($20 each, or $24 CDN) pack enough pigment to appease a makeup-hungry crowd.

Unconventional moonlights as a highlighter

Okay, here’s my game plan: I think I’ll start with a serving of shimmery Unconventional. The light lavender may look tailor made for pale pretties, but I think it also looks great on darker skin tones. I’m an NC 42, and I feel like I only need one layer (!), which I might add, doesn’t appear ashy at all.

Oh, and the shimmer? So, so fine. Almost like a MAC Beauty Powder. I just see a soft glow on my face when I’m wearing it.

It’s also going straight into my regular highlighter rotation; I’m looking forward to having another choice other than my regular gold, peach and silver shimmers.

Passionately Tempted seeks fan brush for makeup date

The other blush in this Tantalizing release, Passionately Tempted, is the deeper of the two. It’s a mid-toned magenta and applies with just as much gusto as its Unconventional cousin.

You might want to take a fan brush to it, though, as it’s a little on the darker side and pretty easy to overdo.

But if you ever do happen to apply too much of it, try this: grab a foundation brush (it’s okay if it’s one you used a little earlier, and it’s still wet with product), and gently run it all over your cheeks and along the edges to tone down the color.

mac unconventional blush from the taste temptation collection — Powder Blush in Unconventional, a pale shimmery lavender with a frost finish ($20, $24 CDN)

mac taste temptation swatches blush — Swatches of Unconventional on the left and Passionately Tempted on the right

[Continue reading…]

For Sheer Eyeshadow Fans, Temptation Is Here: The New MAC Taste Temptation Eyeshadow X 4 Quad

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Good news for half-asleep ladies who can barely muster a “Hrmph!” after crawling out of bed (hello, I’m there). The new MAC Taste Temptation Eye Shadow X 4 Quad ($40) makes morning makeup much easier on the brain.

The Taste Temptation quad is one of 16-pieces in the soon-to-be released MAC Taste Temptation collection, which graces Macy’s MAC counters (exclusively) for a Black Friday preview sale this Friday, November 23, from midnight to 4 a.m. But if you’d rather sleep during the witching hour (I completely understand), and you’re a U.S. shopper, the quad returns, online at maccosmetics.com, December 6, and then to stores December 23 through January 17.

The quad’s four sheer, cool-toned powder eyeshadows in shades of light violet, purple, blue and black appear dark in their pans, but quite sheer on my NC42 skin. The sheerness of these colors should make the quad a good candidate for hectic mornings when you’re rushing out the door.

One way to wear ’em — just pat the light violet shade, Look at the Eyes, all over your lids before lining your lash lines with one of the three darker colors in the quad.

mac taste temptation eye shadow — Shadows from the blue pan in the lower left: Naval (a navy blue veluxe pearl), Look at the Eyes (a light violet frost), Stay Sultry (a deep navy satin) and Carbon (an black matte)

mact taste temptation quad swatch — Swatches from the left: Look at the Eyes, Stay Sultry, Naval and Carbon

[Continue reading…]

MAC Grey Friday

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Super quick peek at the new MAC Grey Friday Lipstick, available on maccosmetics.com for US shoppers and at the MAC Times Square store in New York on Friday, November 23.

MAC will also release a Grey Friday Nail Lacquer ($16) on the 23rd as well.

MAC Taste Temptation

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Tabs was really hoping this collection would include cat treats, LOL!

The 16-piece collection of mostly cool-toned hues lands exclusively at MAC Macy’s counters this Friday, November 23d, from midnight to 4 a.m. as a Black Friday preview.

After Friday, US shoppers can find it online at maccosmetics.com December 6 and in stores December 23 through January 17.

Just a quick glimpse at a handful of the pieces…

Share a Tip Tuesdays: Lost Your Gel or Cream Liner Brush? No Problem. Pencil in This Tip to Try

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Share your best makeup or beauty tips in the comments! — The new YSL Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 7 Gold Star ($25), and MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl ($15)

My house is like the Bermuda Triangle for makeup brushes.

In other words, lots of unexplained disappearances. Especially for brushes I use to apply gel and cream eyeliners. It’s like they get sucked into that same alternate universe where all the missing socks and earrings go…

But now I have a trick that’s been saving my booty when I want to wear a potted gel or cream liner but can’t find the perfect brush. I just use a pencil liner as a brush.

Dip the pencil into the cream or gel liner you want to use, and run it along your lash or water lines, as if it’s a brush! 🙂

You can either use a pencil in a color similar to the cream or gel liner you’d like to wear, or use a pencil in a different shade to spice things up.

The color of the pencil in the pic up top, MAC Powersurge, is similar to the shimmery, bronzy gold YSL Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 7 Gold Star (available now at YSL counters and bloomingdales.com) behind it.

That’s an example of the matchy-matchy approach…

But to take a varsity-level dive into the world of eye-lining improvisation instead, use a pencil liner in a completely different shade. I’ve tried that same YSL gold liner above with pencils in black, plum and green and created some really neat duochrome effects. Every one puts its own unique twist on the gel or cream.

Be careful not to overload the pencil if you use it this way (took me a few tries to figure that out), and don’t forget to clean the tip when your done to keep it from getting all icky. I wipe mine down with a clean paper towel or a Wet Ones Wipe.

Oh, and sometimes, when my water lines feel extra sensitive — too sensitive for brush bristles — I find that a pencil feels a little gentler against my skin.

Welcome to another exciting installment of Share a Tip Tuesdays! 🙂 Thanks to you, this series is really turning into a great beauty resource. Last week’s edition received more than three dozen tips! Here are a few…

I have mild rosacea, and so I find it really hard to create the flawless base I like to start with, because no matter what, the red always shows through. I think I’ve actually figured it out now, though. I’ve got a killer combo that ALWAYS gives me perfect ivory flawless skin that I can then layer blush or bronzer on top of. I start with MUFE’s green primer on just the areas of rosacea, and use a different non-colored primer for the rest of my face and an oil-control primer for my nose. I picked up Physician’s Formula green concealer, and I spread that in a thin layer over my rosacea areas. Prior to putting on my foundation, I look pretty weird, but once I use MAC NC 15 (which has a yellow base that helps counteract the red) on top of the primer/concealer combo, it’s perfectly even and gorgeous. Great tip for anyone with extra redness.
— MARY

I have hooded eyes, so I usually favor smudgy eyeliner on my lids and top lash line. It also helps to wear a lipstick that brings out the best in my skin tone. Blue reds and peachy pinks tend to work well for me.
— MEIMEI

Water lining is quicker than trying to do a neat eyeliner. I water line my eyes, quickly smudge a little cream or gel eye liner on my lids and have a killer smoky eye in very little time. Also, tinted lip balms or sheer lipsticks are more forgiving when you only have time for a quick swipe. And grab a pretty berry-colored one to add brightness.
— ABHIPSA

Not using white on the water line. I watched Lisa Eldridge’s video about the makeup for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and she mentions that they sometimes used a light blue on both George Peppard and Audrey. I picked up a few different very light blues to try it out, and I love the effect! You don’t see blue waterlines. It’s more that it cancels out the pink, but isn’t stark like white. My favourites are Gosh’s light blue liners.
— BRENDA

Best thing ever? Primer + BB Cream + Blush. If you have an extra minute, curl and apply mascara. And extra two minutes? Creamy concealer (for the eyes) + Highlight for the inner corners + cupids bow of your lip. Wakes the face right up! I already have glosses in my purse so I slap those on in a pinch. Gorgeous for little effort!
— MAI

Pagyamanan! 🙂

So, let’s get to it. As usual, any and all of your makeup/beauty/hair/skin tips are welcome, but here are a few conversation starters…

Do you have any suggestions for ways to remove your makeup quickly?

If you’re a busy mom, do you have a streamlined beauty routine?

For the single ladies, any tried-and-true date-night makeup (hair or fashion) tips?

Best waterproof products for rain, sleet and snow?

What’s your routine (if you have one) for flawless red lips?

Leave your tips/tricks/suggestions here in the comments, or tweet ’em to me on Twitter @karenmbb using the hashtag #shareatiptuesday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This Pearl Is My Jam

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

So moody! Love it. Bobbi Brown Black Pearl Shimmer Nail Polish ($19), from the Caviar & Oyster collection.

The Laura Mercier Art Deco Muse Collection Artfully Channels 1920s Paris in Its Intense Reds and Gilded Eye Colours

November 19th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

I dunno what was going on at the dentist’s office today — maybe the staff felt like starting the Thanksgiving holiday early — but they were playing some crazy-@ss samba music over the speakers! If someone hadn’t been rutting around inside my mouth at the time with a very sharp hook, I totally would’ve been down to shake my maracas.

But since the tunes didn’t have any lyrics that I could mentally sing along to (they usually play oldies), I kept hearing things in the other rooms… Scary things, like the whine of a very loud drill, and snippets of a convo with the words, “probe” and “bleeding,” being thrown around repeatedly.

Oh, gawd!

Somehow, I managed not to lose my sh*z. No tears or passing out, so yay for small victories!

After my visit, though, I felt like I needed a treat, so I sought solace at the closest peaceful refuge — the makeup counter at Nordie’s. 🙂

I’m almost ashamed to admit that I nearly pushed through a gang of older ladies clad in Burberry from head to toe to get to the new Art Deco Muse display at the Laura Mercier counter.

It caught my eye from across the store… So much shimmer, so much red and gold and OM NOM NOM!

I’d seen the collection online a few weeks ago and, truth be told, didn’t think much of it at the time. Hrmph! Looks like pretty standard holiday fare with red lips and gold eyes.

But, GURL! I must say it’s much more compelling in person.

Inspired by mid-1920s Parisian Art Deco, the limited edition holiday launch features metallic shades like gold and bronze, and rich reds, burgundy and black.

The quilted Illuminating Eye Colours ($24 each) spoke to me. I love shiny metallics, and I almost swooned right there in the store after swatching the four shades on the back of my hand.

Laura did not hold back on the pigment with these powder shadows, and they’re so downy soft that they practically melt into my skin…

I hope I dream tonight, and in my dream I’m wearing Gilded Bronze. 🙂 On my NC 42 skin, it’s a beautifully warm (at least I think so) grayish taupe.