Dior

I’m Drawn to the New Dior Diorshow Art Pen

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

Dior Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black — Wearing the new Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black ($30), coming March to Dior counters and Dior.com

I guess you could spend the entire eight hours that Dior’s new quick-drying, long-wearing Diorshow Art Pen ($30) lasts on lids stomping on catwalks and smiling with your eyes. 🙂

Or, you could spend that same amount of time…

Watching the last three episodes of Homeland, Season 2, while wondering whether it’s too late and/or unrealistic to consider a career as a television writer (I’d love to work on something like 30 Rock).
Finishing four loads of laundry and shaking your fists in fury after you find your very furry, very misbehaved cat rolling around on top of a freshly washed load of light-colored laundry like it’s his job.
Writing several long lists, like “Things to do before my birthday,” “Where I want to be in 5 years,” and “Ways to make the world a better place.”
Watching the entire Super Bowl from start to finish, and then having a “Hallelujah!” moment when you realize that you were actually able to follow what was going on, thanks to your husband’s patient football tutelage.
Watching the Puppy Bowl, while mumbling about how cats always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to prime-time TV coverage…
Coming close to tears TWICE during the commercial breaks (the Clydesdale horse one and the gorgeous imagery in “God Made a Farmer”)… Freakin’ PMS!!

I really like this liner. It’s available in a single shade, Catwalk Black, a rich, true black without any blue tones that dries quickly to a high-gloss finish. One swipe delivers intense pigment, so I can quickly line my eyes without having to keep adding layers.

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Aerin Beauty’s Garden Bloom Face Palette

February 1st, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

Aerin Beauty’s new spring 2013 Garden Bloom Face Palette ($70). Available now at Bergdorf Goodman and bergdorfgoodman.com.

Dior Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow in Nude

February 1st, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Dior’s new Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow in Nude ($29). Available now at Dior counters and nordstrom.com.

Dior’s Mono Eyeshadow in Camouflage

January 30th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Dior’s new Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow in Camouflage ($29). Available now at Dior counters and nordstrom.com.

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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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.

New Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Gloss Puts Lips in the Mood

January 17th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

It’s a lipgloss!

Or is it? Ok, well, it’s a lip product based on an existing product from Dior called Color Reviver Balm, and like that Reviver, this one also channels mood rings.

Sort of.

New for spring 2013, $30 Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Gloss is supposed to be able to revive your natural lip color, whatever that means. Dior says it changes colors based on the chemistry of your lips. That’s the idea, but I think it has more to do with your actual lip temperature, as in, how hot are you? LOL!

Downsides? It’s expensive. $30 dollars expensive. That’s dinner and dessert (and maybe a glass of wine) for two! — or in Tabs terms, about 40 cans of gravy.

I guess you can imagine that it’s pretty easy to use… No special instructions. Application is pretty intuitive. You just whip out the wand, use the brush applicator to coat your lips, and wait. Seconds. Literally seconds. On me, it practically starts changing color on contact, going from a clear hot pink to a deeper, coral-like pink, almost like I’ve been kissing someone for a really long time.

At first I didn’t detect any fragrances or flavors, but then I turned my hound dog senses on high and smacked my lips together. I picked up the faintest eau de vanilla, barely there, both the scent and flavor.
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Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara Has Some Serious Curve Appeal

January 2nd, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Even icons, like Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mscara, like to brush up on their skills from time to time, with “brush” being the key word here.

What’s the biggest difference between the new Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara and the original Iconic Mascara first released in 2008? Two words: the brush.

The 2008 incarnation (which is still available) features a plasticky brush with short, stubby nubs, while its upstart offspring, codename Overcurl, has more traditional mascara bristles.

Overcurl’s new curve also helps it reach my lashes better at the roots, for thicker lashes around the base.

According to Dior, Overcurl, which is new for spring, delivers “spectacular volume and curl.” I’ve been putting that claim to the test for about two weeks now, and ya know, the darned thing does hold a curl really well (great for that doe-eyed effect). Plus, it doesn’t smudge, smear or flake, and it’s been a breeze to remove.

I like it, although maybe not as much as, say, the new Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara (which I’m still super obsessed with).

Because Overcurl doesn’t thicken or lengthen as much from root to tip, it’s good for a completely different, less dramatic kind of lash look than I get with Le Volume.

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