Archives for February 2013

New Easy, Everyday NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Puts Purple Circles Out to Pasture

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

Remember when dark circles were something that only happened to other people? Back when you had no clue that you yourself would someday be visited by those evil purple half-moon monsters at the crack of dawn?

Yup. Good times…

If you get as nostalgic as I do for those days of yore, let me get straight to the point. Dark circles are a serious business, and we have no time to waste. The new NARS Radiant Cream Concealers ($28) will cover those bad boys brilliantly.

Like a knight’s vorpal sword, they’re designed to vanquish! — only in their case, they vanquish the darkest of dark circles, as opposed to more traditional enemies. 🙂

The new line of under-eye concealers has a thick mousse formula that dries to a satin finish, and NARS says these will disguise imperfections all day long, without creasing, by diffusing light and applying a soft focus filter to fine lines.

The shades from lightest to darkest, according to the official PR:

Chantilly: A true ivory for the fairest complexions

Vanilla: A slight pink cast for fair complexions

Honey: A warm peach tone for light and medium complexions

Ginger: A golden undertone for medium complexions

Biscuit: A medium dark shade with a natural balance of pink and yellow undertones

Caramel: A medium dark yellow with golden undertones

Amande: A medium dark shade with golden undertones

Cafe: A dark shade with warm red undertones

Cacao: A dark shade with deep golden brown undertones

One swipe — just one, because a little goes a long way — of Ginger with the doe-foot applicator, followed by some brief blending with a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush, and my under-eye area appears noticeably brighter, which in turn makes me feel considerably better/less grumpy.

Sh*t covers EVERYTHING! — yet still looks like real skin. Not heavy or cakey, even with multiple layers. Plus, it stays put and photographs well.

You can use it anywhere on your face, too, like for blemishes and skin discolorations, but it really excels under eyes.

Um…I think it’s kind of amazing, really, and when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror with it on, I’m like, “Who’s that!?” That girl looks almost like the 23-year-old Karen who stayed up all night before graduation and took pics the following day without any under-eye concealer.

Ah, those were the days…

Of course, there is one catch (isn’t there always?).

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Small — From the left: Chantilly, Vanilla, Honey, Custard, Ginger, Biscuit, Caramel, Amande, Cafe and Cacao

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Wands — From the left: Chantilly, Vanilla, Honey, Custard, Ginger, Biscuit, Caramel, Amande, Cafe and Cacao

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Unzipped, Aerin Beauty’s A Garden in Bloom Face Palette Calls to Upscale Makeup Lovers Longing for Watercolor Washes on Eyes and Cheeks

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Aerin Beauty A Garden in Bloom Face Palette ($70) on my eyes and cheeks

I think there’s something very cool, very “power to the people!” about products able to work well for a wide range of beauty lovers — different skin types and tones, young people and older folks — especially when those products aren’t too expensive.

At the same time, I also like products designed with a very specific girl (or guy) in mind, like Aerin Beauty’s new $70 A Garden in Bloom Palette, which focuses like a laser on beauty lovers with some extra spending money.

There’s a good chance A Garden in Bloom girl already carries a Chanel bag, and all of the sales associates at Neimans and Saks know her by her first name. One of her inspirations? Audrey Hepburn, and the classic eye look she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 🙂

She likes a very specific makeup look, too, with her eyes and cheeks defined by light washes of color, and only rarely ventures into bolder, brighter territory. Luckily, this limited edition spring palette, with its three cool-toned, moderately pigmented powder eye shadows — a pinkish beige with a satin finish, a matte taupe and a purplish gray — and matte rosy pink powder blush, offers exactly that.

Aerin Beauty A Garden in Bloom photos pictures packaging — The cloth-covered, zippered packaging looks pretty to me, but it sure isn’t easy to keep clean…

Aerin Beauty A Garden in Bloom Face Palette swatches — Blush on the far left; eyeshadows on the right

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These $24 Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks Look Cute, but the Ongoing In-Store Sale Is Expialidocious

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Kate Spade Supercalifragilipstick Photos, Pictures and Swatches — The Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks from the left ($24 each): Pop Art Pink, Bashful Blush, Red and Fuchsia Fete, available now at Kate Spade stores, counters and online

It’s the shoes!

It’s gotta be the shoes…

These Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks have been brightening KS counters for a while now, but every time I walk into the store to browse around, I get distracted by the shoes (I know)…

Yesterday, though, when I stopped by the store, a friendly sales associate broke me out of my shoe reverie/pattern when she mentioned an ongoing 20% off promotion on any one full-priced Kate Spade product (in store only) — actually all KS stores, according to the sales associate.

Kate Spade. 20% off. Sweet. 🙂

(To be safe, you might want to call ahead to your local store to confirm its participation.)

With the discount, these regularly priced $24 tubes cost $19.

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Early Blooms

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

The flowers are coming back. 🙂 Spring’s just around the corner, hooray!

The New NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Big

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Pictures Closeup — The new NARS Radiant Creamy Concealers ($28 each, available in 10 shades), coming February 20 to NARS flagship boutiques and online

I’m testing this today!

The shades, from lightest to darkest, according to the official PR:

Chantilly: True ivory for fairest complexions
Vanilla: Tiny cast of pink for the fair complexion
Honey: Warm peach tone for light to medium complexions
Ginger: Golden Undertone for medium complexions
Biscuit: Medium dark natural balance of pink and yellow undertones
Caramel: Medium dark yellow and golden undertones
Amande: Medium Dark with golden Undertones
Cafe: Dark shade with warm red undertones
Cacao: Dark shade with deep gold-brown undertones

A Desert Rose Is Blooming on Bare Cheeks This Spring: Palladio Herbal Mosaic Powder in Desert Rose

February 18th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Palladio Desert Rose Herbal Mosaic Powder Pictures, Swatches, Review — Wearing Palladio’s $8 Herbal Mosaic Powder in Desert Rose on my cheeks; available now online and at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply stores

Imagine strolling into a Santa Fe art gallery one sunny afternoon and finding a makeup mosaic for $8.

Yup, Palladio’s Herbal Mosaic Powder in Desert Rose is a little like that.

The pan has a mosaic pattern with five complementing powders you can wear individually, or swirled together, as a bronzer, blush, eyeshadow or highlighter.

Since the individual strips of color aren’t all that wide (the entire pan fits in my palm), I usually mix all of the shades together, and apply them to my cheeks with a fluffy blush brush.

On my NC 42 skin, a single layer delivers a rosy, peachy flush with golden pearl. Pretty! — especially for weekends or for casual makeup looks… Which reminds me, worn as a blush on bare skin or atop tinted moisturizer, I think Desert Rose looks a heck of a lot more expensive than $8. Shoot, it looks downright high end.

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Unsung Heroes: Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition

February 18th, 2013 by Karen 47 Comments

Hourgless Visionaire Duo in Exhibition — Wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition ($38) on my eyes; available now online, and at Hourglass counters and Sephora

I’m beginning to realize that despite falling in love with a new purple eye shadow single/duo/quad/palette approximately every 6.14 seconds (a side effect of undiagnosed makeup deficit disorder), I could probably function for days, weeks or maybe even months wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition.

It’s easily one of my favorite purple duos of all time, and I always feel at least a little better when I get it on my lids.

One side is a shimmery mauve, like a lighter, shinier MAC Shale; the other, a shimmery eggplant with subtle magenta undertones (I notice them more when I apply with a wet brush), which I think give the shade more depth.

Both sides are packed with pigment — enough to please even the most discriminating mulberry mavens, and perhaps hard-core MAC-aholics, too.

The silky, almost creamy rose petal formula makes it easy to build beautiful gradients, and best of the all, the powders completely refuse fallout, creasing and fading.

Wondering how close Exhibition comes to the NARS 413 BLKR duo?

Hmm… I’d say close, but they’re not exactly dupes. The Exhibition shades appear a little brighter and shinier to me, with a corresponding chipper effect on my mood.

I still heart 413 to bits, but I think of it as having a harder edge and more tough-girl zeal.

Hourglass Exhibition Visionaire Duo Picture NARS 213 BLKR — Hourglass Exhibition on the left and NARS 413 BLKR on the right

Hourglass Exhibition Visionaire Duo Swatch — Hourglass Exhibition

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 259

February 18th, 2013 by Karen 85 Comments

021813-monday-poll — This is Charlize, one of the neighborhood cats I bumped into yesterday…

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.

What’s one eyeshadow you’ve been loving lately?
NARS Cyprus. I rediscovered it last weekend, and now I’m thinking, “Where’ve you been all my life?”.

Can you walk and text at the same time?
Nope. Come to think of it, I can barely text under any circumstances, LOL!

Smokey or cat eyes?
Yes, please. 🙂 Cat eyes all day, and smokey eyes all night.

What’s your signature dance move?
The Snake! — although I also do a mean Sprinkler.

Two words: plaid pants?
Sure, if they’re pink.

A place where you spent a lot of time as a kid?
The front yard. I was always playing outside.

Have you ever made a toast at a wedding?
Not yet (but I want to)!

When was the last time you visited a desert?
Hmm… I think it was Las Vegas in 2009 for Blog World.

It’s been a hot minute! (Get it? Hot minute?)

If you had to have one or the other, would you rather have a bad haircut or a bad eyebrow wax?
I couldn’t deal with the brows, so I’ll take the bad haircut, and hide it under hats and up-do’s.

What’s something you’d like to do before you die?
Ride a horse.

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

Le List

1. What’s one eyeshadow you’ve been loving lately?
2. Can you walk and text at the same time?
3. Smokey or cat eyes?
4. What’s your signature dance move?
5. Two words: plaid pants?
6. A place where you spent a lot of time as a kid?
7. Have you ever made a toast at a wedding?
8. When was the last time you visited a desert?
9. A bad haircut or a bad eyebrow wax?
10. What’s something you’d like to do before you die?

To my fellow Americans, happy Presidents Day! 🙂

Got any plans? El Hub has the day off from work, so we might zip down to the mall for a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory this afternoon. Other than that, though, Tabs is keeping me on a short leash (as he often does).

Hope your week gets off to a great start.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen