Archives for 2013

Pink, and a Bit of Everything: Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Combines Skin Care With a Sheer Pink Tint

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

BB creams. Or is it cremes?

What are they, whom are they good for, and why is Dior getting in on the act?

BB creams are like the new vibrating mascaras. Remember how everyone was talking about those a few years back (myself included)? “I’ve got a vibrating mascara wand! BAM! Check it out.”

And now, it’s BB creams. They sure are having a moment, and it seems like everyone and their mother and their cat is coming out with a BB cream.

So what are they?

Great question. Take the sheerest tinted moisturizer to ever walk the earth, combine it with a sunscreen, maybe a primer, add a little something to hide fine lines and shrink pores, squirt it in a tube, and voila! — BB cream.

They combine the benefits of skin care with the beauty of makeup, and Dior’s new Diorskin Nude BB Creme wants to join the party. Available now in four lightweight shades — Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004 — they feel almost like I’m wearing nothing at all.

And get this: all four of them contain pink. All of them. Which surprised me.

Not that there’s anything wrong with pink. In fact, I love pink. It’s just that I think Dior may have left out girls with yellow skin tones this time around. If your skin has yellow undertones, you’re probably well aware of this: pinkish face products can look a little…weird (because all you see is the pink, and it can look like you’re wearing a mask).

With these, as long as I only use a small amount and apply it with my fingers to my cheeks, nose and my forehead between my brows, that isn’t a problem. Applied this way, I think the effect is very cool.

Dior added the pink on purpose, as these are supposed to give skin a rosy, pinkish glow, and I can see it when I wear my favorite shade, Medium #003.

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Swatches — Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme swatches from the left: Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004

Dior also included mauve, hibiscus, SPF 10, and green, red and white tea extracts to create a moisturizing, smoothing formula that melts into my skin.

I think these are great if you don’t want to wear a full face of foundation and powder and the whole makeup shebang. If you just want a streamlined routine — or for weekend makeup looks, you know, when you’re out hiking or going to the movies, and you don’t want to get all dolled up — these will make you look like you tried.

It doesn’t cover as well as foundation or concealer — not by a long shot — but that’s the idea. I can still see my freckles and my post-acne dark spots, but I also see a pretty, pinkish glow.

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McFly, Take Me to 1998! Like a Lipstick-Powered, Time-Traveling DeLorean, Clarins Rouge Ã‰clat Turns Back the Clock

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Clarins Tropical Pink Rouge Eclat — Wearing the new Clarins Rouge Ã‰clat Lipstick in Tropical Pink ($26), one of 15 new shades for spring 2013

Whatever you do, don’t lose your flux capacitor!!

Because when you slip one of Clarins’ new Rouge Ã‰clat Lipsticks on your lips, and blast back to the past in your time-traveling makeup DeLorean…

…you’ll probably want to return to the present at some point to check your iPhone texts and watch cat videos on YouTube.

With these, Clarins aims to turn back time! — on the lip aging process, making them appear more youthful.

So do they work? Do they flip the flux capacitor and send lips back to the kinder, gentler land of ingenue lips? A time when folks clipped pagers to their right front pockets and strangers addressed me as “miss” instead of “ma’am”?

Well, maybe… In a way.

But, in case you were wondering, they aren’t powered by a flux capacitor. Nope, these are actually plant wax powered.

Clarins combined mimosa, jojoba and sunflower waxes to create a formula designed to boost collagen synthesis and fight the appearance of fine lines.

Whether my collagen’s been boosted, I couldn’t tell, but I do feel a little more like my 20-something self than my 30-something self when I wear one of the three shades I’ve tried (there are 15 available) — Tropical Pink, Coral Pink or Rosewood.

But I think that’s more because of the colors Clarins created, playful shades that remind me of the blissful, carefree days when my biggest concern was worrying about the stoner who lived downstairs returning my Beastie Boys tape…

One layer dresses my lips in a slow-jam of opaque coverage, and the smooth finish refuses to cross into the Evil Forbidden Land of Flakes and Fine Lip Lines!

Clarins Rosewood Coral Pink Tropical Pink Rouge Eclat — From the left: Tropical Pink, Coral Pink and Rosewood; All three have a light violet flavor and scent that lasts disappears after a minute or two…

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This Spring, Get the Look of Love at LancÃ´me With Sheer Shades of Pink and Peach: LancÃ´me’s New Blush in Love in Pommettes D’Amour and Baume In Love in Urban Ballet

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

Lancome Blush in Love in Pommettes D'Amour — Lancome’s $49 Blush in Love in Pommettes D’Amour from the new In Love spring 2013 makeup collection

Remember back when you’d ask your friend if she liked a boy, or if she liked the boy? LOL!

Don’t laugh! There was a big difference. 🙂

I get that same idea from LancÃ´me’s two new $49 Blush in Love Powders. Why didn’t they call ’em Blush in Lust, or Blush in Like? Would the products have been different?

Semantics aside, with these, I get the feeling LancÃ´me had hot cheeks in mind — the heat that surges to the surface of your skin when he leans in close, exhaling loudly, and peers into your eyes, flashing that cocky half-smile. Suddenly, you realize that your seemingly innocent drink after work isn’t just brews with a bud.

LancÃ´me created two versions of Blush in Love, a light coral for paler pretties and a bright rose for darker damsels. A floral design and Blush in Love logo blooms on them both, and each one contains two shades designed to caress cheeks with spring color.

I’ve been wearing the bright rose, which is called 20 Pommettes D’Amour. In it, a sheer hot pink with a matte finish encircles a square of matte peach in the center, and while it radiates like a neon sign in its pan, 20 Pommettes D’Amour applies more like a misty morning drizzle…

For a peachy pink cheek flush like I sprinted to my car through a warm spring rain, I swirl my blush brush in the pan, mixing both colors in the pan, and blend 2-3 layers on my cheeks.

Then, in a step I wish I could skip considering the price (almost $50!), to dispense with the larger grains of powder the product leaves behind, I buff them down with a kabuki brush.

Even with that little annoyance, I have to say — I think this stuff looks pretty phenomenal in pics, all luminous and sunny, like an unexpected warm spell in the middle of winter.

Lancome Baume in Love in Urban Ballet small — LancÃ´me Baume in Love in Urban Ballet ($26)

If you happened to wonder what I was wearing on my cheeks in this week’s Laura Mercier Creme Liner review, yup, it was Pommette D’Amour. 🙂

I do wish the limited edition packaging felt sturdier… I mean, I dig the design, and I think the paper gives it a certain Paul & Joe-ish charm, but again, for almost $50? I want champagne in a fancy fluted glass, ya know (versus boxed wine in a clear plastic cup)?

Oh, do you remember that sheer neon pink tinted lip balm we looked at, $26 Baume in Love in Urban Ballet? It hails from the very same collection.

Lancome Baume in Love in Urban Ballet and Blush in Love in Pommettes D'Amour — LancÃ´me’s Baume in Love in Urban Ballet ($26) on the left and Blush in Love in Pommettes D’Amour ($49) on the right

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Dior’s Diorshow Mono Eyeshadows

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Well hello, gorgeous! The Diorshow Mono Eyeshadows ($29.50 each), a brand spankin’ new line of eyeshadow singles, are new for spring 2013.

Don’t tell Tabs, but I think they’re even hotter than the spicy spread he did for Playcat Magazine.

Holy Smokes, Is That Strut? Benefit’s New Creaseless Cream Shadow in Holy Smokes Plays Dale to Strut’s Brennan

January 28th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

The new Benefit Holy Smokes Creaseless Cream Shadow ($19)

For the Bene-babes dabbing daintily at glittery tears while clutching embroidered hankies and waiving a slow, sad farewell as their favorite Creaseless Creme Shadows sail away to the Island of Dr. Moreaus’s Discontinued Beauty Favorites, I have some potentially good news. 🙂

At least one of the colors, Strut, will live on in the newly repackaged Creaseless Cream Shadow line launching this spring.

Remember Strut? The dark shimmery gray has long been a perfect partner in crime for smokey eyes, and it’s not going anywhere, although it has been slightly tweaked with a blink of taupe and given a new moniker: Holy Smokes.

A few days ago, I wore Holy Smokes on one eye and Strut on the other, with Laura Mercier’s Stormy Grey along my water lines (they go together like peanut butter and jelly), and really, I couldn’t tell the difference between them on my lids (unless I looked really close).

Benefit Swatches of Holy Smokes, Strut and Skinny Jeans — Swatches from the left: Holy Smokes, Strut and Skinny Jeans

Benefit Holy Smokes — Wearing Holy Smokes on the eye on the right of the screen and Strut on the eye on the left

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Try Laura Mercier’s New Long-Wearing, Waterproof Creme Eye Liners for Cat Eyes That Last

January 28th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

The New Laura Mercier Creme Eye Liners — Wearing Laura Mercier’s new $22 Creme Eye Liner in Violet, applied with the new Angled Eye Liner Brush ($20)

Remember when you tossed those jeans with the word, “Poison,” airbrushed on them and shouted, “I wish I had a pair of skinnies that said, ‘I Laura Mercier Stormy Grey!!’ on the butt”?

No…?

Oops! Sorry, my bad. That was me.

If you love Laura’s liners so much that you quote The Notebook whenever you clutch Antique Jade or Black Gold in your hands (“…everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours.”), then 1) no judgment, and 2) you may want to check out Laura’s new $22 Creme Eye Liners.

This spring Laura unveils them in six long-wearing, waterproof cream liner shades designed to accent eyes with smooth, precise color and a semi-matte finish.

They’re designed for quick, easy application, especially when applied with a single swipe from Laura’s new $20 Angled Eye Liner Brush.

Laura Mercier Creme Eye Liner Jars — From the left: Indigo, Violet and Noir ($22 each), three of the six new Creme Liners

Yesterday, while snarfing a post-treadmill workout banana and texting my friend Jen about going out dancing for the first time in years, I swiped Noir along my right lash line and Violet along my left. I used the new brush, too (like a fancy version of Sonia’s Bent Brush; ideal for delivering smooth, crisp edges and flawless flicks).

I was in a frantic rush to get ready and out the door to meet my little brother, who was on his way across the Bay from the city on the Larkspur Ferry, and even though I was rushed and distracted, I still managed a cat eye liner look that Tabs himself could not find fault with. 🙂

As for how waterproof they are, I’m not sure… I’m waiting for Ryan Gosling to declare his unrequited love for me while standing in the rain (in other words, I’ll let you know).

I can already attest to their durability, though. Both Noir and Violet lasted me through a leisurely lunch Off the Grid with my bro, where we spotted a man I’m 99.9% sure was Sammy Hagar…

…through a long hike in the hills of Novato’s Indian Valley nature preserve…

…through a two-hour movie…

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 256

January 28th, 2013 by Karen 52 Comments

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.

How do you feel right now?
I have that fuzzy feeling in the back of my eyeballs from not getting enough sleep last night. (Dear Insomnia, I apologize for the formal tone of this letter, but I fear that our relationship is not working out.)

Where does your hair part?
Almost always to the left, or sometimes the middle. For a brief six months after a stylist completely jacked up my ‘do, it parted to the right , but that’s another story for another time…

Something you said to yourself this morning?
“You’re doing alright, baby girl. Just gotta get to that happy place.”

Gloves or mittens?
Mittens! Fire engine red. I also like it when you can unfasten a button, zipper or Velcro and BAM! — fingerless gloves!

We’re at the ice cream shop. What can I get ya?
Depends on the shop, but if we’re up here in Marin County at the Three Twins in Larkspur, I’d get a cup with half Salted Caramel and half Earl Grey (they have a lot of funky flavors like Rice Milk Horchata and Chai Tea to go with old standbys like Vanilla).

Duuuuude…put your Kate Spade wallet away! I got this.

Last movie you went to with someone?
Last night my brother and I went to see The Impossible, staring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor (thought it was aw-ite).

Someone with whom you used to be close but have since fallen out of touch?
Elizabeth, a gal I met when I was in my mid-20s and living in San Francisco. She took me under her wing back when we worked at different law firms together. She would always listen with a kind ear whenever I talked about roommate, rent, career or boy problems, and always had a comforting story to share. She was like an older sister to me, but we lost touch there somewhere along the way… I miss her.

Last time you washed your makeup brushes?
Um…Thursday or Friday. I think.

What purse are you carrying today?
My Zella gathered tote, which, FYI, now doubles as a cat bed (see pic below)!

What are your weekly goals?
To do lots of reading, eat a truckload of fresh veggies (I feel so much better when I’m fiber-full) and not take myself so damn seriously, LOL!

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

Le List

1. How do you feel right now?
2. Where does your hair part?
3. Something you said to yourself this morning?
4. Gloves or mittens?
5. We’re at the ice cream shop. What can I get ya?
6. Last movie you went to see with someone?
7. Someone you used to be close to but have since fallen out of touch?
8. Last time you washed your makeup brushes?
9. What purse are you carrying today?
10. What are your weekly goals?

Cheeseball moment! Today I feel like my heart’s wrapped in a comfy quilt, and I’m slowly rocking back and forth in a rocking chair on a beautiful porch.

Why?

Because I had a great weekend! Saturday, I did basically nothing (YAY!), and then I spent most of Sunday with my brother (food trucks, a hike, the movies, grocery shopping).

He spent the night at our house, and when I finally, FINALLY fell asleep last night, I remember thinking, “Right now, there are three boys under my roof (El Hub, my bro and Tabs) whom I love very much.”

Non-cheeseball moment! Remember The Ballad of Tabs the Cat? Well, as I was saying earlier, Tabs has claimed my Zella tote as his new favorite fainting coach.