Dior

End of Summer Shimmery Mermaid Makeup Tutorial

August 27th, 2015 by Karen 40 Comments

There is absolutely no freakin’ way that matte-heavy eyeshadow looks are even remotely acceptable among members of the makeup-loving mermaid community, and I know this for a fact.

Actually, I don’t really know that for a fact, since I haven’t kicked it with any of my mermaid friends lately, but if I had, they would DEFINITELY be rollin’ with shimmer.

So…why am I talking about mermaids??

Excellent question.

Well, because it’s late August, and even though I’m excited about fall, I’m still sad to see summer go. *sad tabby face* 🙁

I was thinking about the beach this morning (I haven’t been once this year!), and that led me to think about mermaids, and about mermaid water babies basking on the rocks with their shimmery tails swishing in the crystal clear waters and their subtle blue and green eye makeup sparkling in the sun…

So that’s what I was going for here.

For the record, this look is also appropriate for landlubbers, so you don’t need to have a mermaid tail to wear it, although that would be pretty rad.

I think this is a good look for late summer parties and barbecues, or maybe a back-to-school party where everyone gets kinda dressed up. Or, if you’re heading someplace fabulous that just so happens to have lively nightlife and be located near a warm body of water. Or, if you just want something shimmery to wear while you walk your cat around your neighborhood.

It’s a good look for multiple occasions. 🙂

Now, honey, if you just scrolled down, I know this look might seem impossible based on the number of steps, but you can do it! — even if you’re a straight-up beginner.

If you’ve never attempted anything like this before, though, cut yourself some slack. It’s OK and perfectly normal if it looks like shimmery poo the first few times, and it probably will, unless you’re a makeup wunderkind. But so what? Rome wasn’t built in a day.

OK, enough gabbing… Let’s do this.

1. Apply foundation, concealer and powder

Get yo’ base on that face, because we’re not about to leave the house without a little something-something. For this shimmery mermaid look, I like a full-coverage base because I think it balances out the bold eyes and false lashes.

Go with your fullest coverage foundation, concealer and powder, if you need to. Doing a goofy face while you do this is completely optional but highly encouraged. 🙂
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Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Brush-On Brow Gel Has a Brush for Bushy Brows

July 16th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

dior brow styler gel review — The new Dior Brow Styler Gel in #003 Brown ($29)

Check out the tapered tip at the end of the brush on Dior’s new Diorshow Brow Styler Gel ($29). I’ve never seen a brow gel like this before.

The whole design is very futuristic. It has a click brush applicator, and when you twist the bottom of the pen, the brow gel comes out from the sides. Then you just run the brush through your brows to shape, tame and polish them.

It’s so very Bladerunner! Of course, in the not-too-distant future when we have robots for mundane tasks like filling in our brows, things like this will be rendered irrelevant…so we must get our brow thrills while we can. 🙂

So I was thrilled to try this doohickey on Raul (also known as “the bald spot in my left brow”).

dior brow styler gel — Wearing Dior Brow Styler Gel in #003 Brown

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Dior’s New Diorshow Pro Liner Waterproof Pencil Is Angling for Your Liquid Liner Love

July 7th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Dior Diorshow Pro Liner Waterproof in Backstage Black #092 ($32)

I like to think of myself as a somewhat creative person who also happens to put necklaces on her cat, so I totally appreciate it when makeup brands think outside the box and approach everyday products from different angles.

Take Dior’s new Diorshow Pro Liner Waterproof eyeliner ($32), for example. It quite literally takes a different angle!

LOL! I made myself laugh…

Dior calls this new eyeliner a “hybrid” because it comes in pencil form but has the glide and color intensity of a liquid liner. Instead of having a regular pointy pencil tip, it has a beveled, angled edge, so that you can draw lines of different widths.

Hold the liner perpendicular to your lids, and you’ll draw a thin line. Place it parallel to your skin, and the line will be thicker.

It comes in six $32 shades — Backstage Black #092, Backstage Brown #582, Backstage Blue #272, Backstage Grey #042, Backstage Khaki #472 and Backstage Purple #182 — now available in the Dior permanent collection.

I struggled a bit the first few times I tried to use it. The shade was Backstage Black #092. I dunno… Maybe I have a funky tube, but the pencil felt very stiff, and it wasn’t that pigmented. It clearly did not want to glide across my skin, at all.

Then I accidentally broke the tip — twice! — which was probably my bad, because I twisted the pencil tip up too far and, apparently, this liner doesn’t want you to do that.

Oops.

dior diorshow pro liner waterproof 2 — Wearing Dior Diorshow Pro Liner Waterproof in Backstage Black #092 on my upper lash lines

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Dior’s Newly Reformulated Diorshow Mascara and Its Connection With Toothbrushes

July 7th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

dior diorshow mascara — The newly reformulated and relaunched Diorshow Mascara in Pro Black #090 ($27.50), and yes…a toothbrush

Toothbrushes!

That’s what this new tube of Diorshow Mascara reminds me of, which I know is a weird connection to make, but back in 2002 when Diorshow first launched, it had an oversized brush head inspired by the toothbrushes that makeup artists would use backstage to create long, dramatic lash looks on runway models. Dior hacked the idea and turned it into Diorshow’s XXL brush (your fun fact of the day).

Well, when Dior recently revamped and relaunched Diorshow Mascara, you can rest assured that they did not forget to give it an oversized brush, because without it, it wouldn’t have been Diorshow! 🙂

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Dior Summer 2015 Contraste Horizon (556) 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette: A Traditional Summer Eye Palette With a Twist

May 29th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

dior contraste horizon — Dior Summer 2015 Limited Edition 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 556 Contraste Horizon ($62)

I see torrents of teal, bunches of brown, gobs of gold and a deluge of Dior on the horizon!

The new $62 Dior Summer 2015 Limited Edition 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 556 Contraste Horizon, one of two limited edition powder eyeshadow palettes in the recently released Dior Summer 2015 Tie Dye Collection, is available now online and at Dior counters, where it patiently awaits makeup lovers hoping to take it home. 🙂

Dior Contraste Horizon contains a shimmery medium warm brown, a shimmery deep teal, a shimmery warm yellow gold, a shimmery mint and an iridescent pale violet, and yes, it’s $62.

YIKES!

Dior is a high-end brand, after all, and with their prices, it seems they aren’t afraid to show it.

This is what I’d call a traditional summer eye palette…with a twist. If you live for classic summer eye colors, you may freak out over the shimmery gold, brown and teal shades in this palette.

Granted, the whole brown/teal/gold combo idea isn’t exactly revolutionary — I mean, it’s no Ryan Gosling body pillow — but because Dior is freaking Dior, these shadows do everything they’re supposed to do, and they do it well.

Take the teal, brown and gold eyeshadows in this eye look I’m wearing. Seriously, it only took one layer with these to reach maximum color. The highly pigmented powders are downright indulgent, and yay! — no fallout. Plus, an eight-hour wear time.

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Dior Summer 2015: The Dior Addict Lipsticks in 001 Red Bliss and 005 Fuchsia Utopia Are Perfect in Every Way But Price

May 28th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

dior summer 2015 fuschia utopia top — From Dior Summer 2015, Dior Addict Lipstick in 005 Fuchsia Utopia ($33)

The Dior Summer 2015 Collection Dior Addict Lipsticks ($33 each, available in four shades) are aptly named.

Because they are deliciously addictive. 🙂

I usually like to swap out the lip products I keep in my purse every few days (’cause I crave variety), but the two Dior Addicts I’m wearing here are the only two lipsticks I’ve carried around consistently this past month.

Two of four Dior Addict Lipsticks in the Dior Summer 2015 Tie Dye Collection, they’re available now at Dior counters and online. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between 001 Red Bliss and 005 Fuchsia Utopia (the others are 002 Coral Trip and 006 Nude Fever).

dior summer 2015 red bliss — From Dior Summer 2015, Dior Addict Lipstick in 001 Red Bliss ($33)

“Dior Addict is back this summer with a brand new two-tone version: four fresh and bright shades featuring the emblematic Dior logo in a contrasting colour at the center. In a single sweep, shades and textures intertwine to recreate a subtle tie dye effect on the lips.”

— dior.com

Like Tootsie Pops, each of these lipsticks has a surprise inside. There are two colors within each bullet, and they mix together as you slick one across your lips.

Why am I addicted to Dior Addict? Let me count the ways…

The fantastic formula… It’s remarkable just how moisturizing these are considering the lightweight formula. Within a couple hours of applying either of these shades my normally dry lips feel less like cheese graters. Like the Zella sweatpants of sheer lipsticks, they feel fantastic! The smooth, virtually weightless formula feels almost like a silky lip balm or a luxurious lip butter.
Extremely user-friendly… I usually apply them directly from the tube without a mirror. You have a lot of leeway with these because they’re sheer, and if you take one a little beyond the edge of your lips, no big deal. I usually reapply after meals, or every two hours, and I actually look forward to the feel of these gliding across my lips. The light vanilla flavor and scent is yummy, too.
Sheer, but not too sheer… Sometimes with sheer lipsticks, if you have pigmented lips like I do, your natural lip color overpowers the pigment, and it can look like you aren’t wearing anything at all. That’s totally not the case with these Dior Addict Lipsticks. They contain a healthy serving of pigment, and the colors apply evenly and smoothly. I’d call them medium coverage.

For me, these are right up there with the top performers in the medium-coverage lipstick category alongside the fantastic $20 MAC Huggable Lip Colours, which look similar but have a slightly thicker formula, and the fabulous $50 Tom Ford Lip Color Sheers, which are a smidgen more pigmented but waaay more expensive.

dior summer 2015 001 red bliss — From Dior Summer 2015, Dior Addict Lipstick in 001 Red Bliss ($33)

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Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony 001 Pink Sunrise Is Pretty Like a Postcard

May 21st, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

dior diorskin nude tan pink — $57 Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition in 001 Pink Sunrise

Have you ever seen a real life pink sunrise? Like, with your very own eyes and not in the movies or anything?

Aren’t they glorious? We get them out here sometimes in the fall, and whenever we get a really good one, where it’s like a postcard in the sky, I’m that one weirdo neighbor in her pajamas taking pictures in the front yard at the behind crack of dawn.

Like a real life pink sunrise, Dior’s Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony in 001 Pink Sunrise is pretty glorious, too. One of two $57 Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony powder blushes in the Dior Summer 2015 Tie Dye Collection, it’s the lighter, pinker, cooler-toned option. The other one, 002 Coral Sunset, is warmer, deeper and coral.

There are four colors infused in these pans. Pink Sunrise has a cool-toned light pink, a cool-toned medium pink, a soft white and a cool-toned plum, and you know how this story goes… Mix all the colors together with the included kabuki brush (or a separate blush brush) by swirling it in the pan, and then dust that on your cheeks for blush.

Following this, rejoice. 🙂

I think I might be too warm-toned and tan to really pull this one off, because I feel like it kinda washes me out, but I don’t know… Maybe that’s more because I think the other Dior Tie Dye Edition blush in the collection, 002 Coral Sunset, is a tan girl’s jam.
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Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony in 002 Coral Sunset Will Help Cheeks and Sunsets Make Beautiful Music Together

May 20th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Do you need to fall in love with a $57 blush?

If you’re like me, probably not. But just in case you do, and you’re looking for a new blush with which to have a summer love affair, Dior 002 Coral Sunset is a heartbreaker. It’s all that and a bag of Trader Joe’s Cheddar Puffs.

What is Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony in 002 Coral Sunset?

Like an actual tropical sunset, Coral Sunset has multiple shades. It’s a warm powder blush with four different colors in the same pan (orange, coral, rose and golden beige) that are designed to be mixed together and applied to cheeks. It’s one of two limited edition $57 Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmonies released with the Dior Tie Dye Summer 2015 Collection and comes with a blush pouch and a kabuki brush for application.

It adds a natural-looking orangey coral warmth to cheeks and skin, and the finish is key to the “natural-looking” part. It looks shimmery in the pan, but on the skin reads more like a matte-on-the-verge-of-a-sheen. If you look closely, though, you can see tiny flecks of glitter…but they’re small. No need to worry about any glitter bomb situations.

How do you use it?

Just take the kabuki brush that comes with the blush, swirl it in the pan, and then tap off the excess. Apply what remains to the apples of your cheeks.

There you go. 🙂

You can also lightly dust on parts of the face where the sun naturally falls for added warmth, like across the forehead and down the nose.

You don’t have to use the included kabuki brush, of course, and I think this one works pretty well, but I prefer to use a fluffy wide blush brush instead. Because this blush is quite pigmented, I find that it’s easier to blend and feather out the edges with a wider, fluffy face brush.

Is it worth the price?

So…this is crazy expensive for a blush. It’s $57! But if you can get over that hump (and it’s a BIG hump), you’ll find that it’s an absolutely beautiful blush.

It’s so pigmented that I only have to use one layer, and that single layer lasts six or seven hours between touchups. I’m betting that a pan of this could possibly last years, even with daily use, because you hardly have to use.

I also really love how it rests on the skin. It’s very finely milled, so the grains of powder don’t attract attention, and the application is perfection. A quick sweep of my wide blush brush, a bit of blending action at the edges, and I’m properly blushed in less than a minute, literally.

In trying to think of comparable high-end blushes, the closest I can come up with is Chanel Malice. The two aren’t identical, as Dior’s has more of a rosy tone, which I think makes it every-so-slightly more flattering on bronzed skin with reddish undertones because the rose shades play off the red tones that typically come with a tan. I also think that the addition of that warm rosy shade is why this blush is something other than your standard issue coral.

Yes, it’s cray expensive, but it’s absolutely on point. Recommended for gals/guys who live for high-end makeup and want a warm-toned blush that goes great with a tan. Also recommended for mature skin.
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