Lancome

I Bet LancÃ´me’s Rouge in Love Lipsticks Would Even Look Bold in Black and White

March 7th, 2012 by Karen 38 Comments

lancome rouge in love lipstick 181 Rouge Saint Honore
Wearing LancÃ´me Rouge in Love Lipstick in 181 Rouge Saint Honore on my lips

If one were to poke a nose into my refrigerator right now, they would see a sorry sight. Except for three sad jalapeÃ±o peppers and a package of spinach ravioli, the shelves are mostly bare, and that’s because El Hub and I blew off grocery shopping last night to go and see The Artist instead. 🙂

What a great film! I loved every minute, but I went into it with some doubts — not because it’s black and white, but because it’s a kind of silent movie and very light on dialogue.

Glued to my seat! I can totally see why it won Best Picture.

And the lips. THE LIPS! Good thing there were only a few other people in the theater because I kept ooh-ing and ah-ing at the screen. Peppy Miller — she’s the leading lady — was rockin’ the bold, crisp lipstick, and you could clearly tell even in black and white.

So what did this particular beauty junkie do when she got home later that night? Put on a layer of the most pigmented lipstick she could find, of course, in this case the $25 LancÃ´me Rouge in Love, which, I might add, she wore with her black and pink pajamas.

I’ve been wearing 278 Divine Seduction (a warm raisin) and 181 Rouge Saint Honore (a bold red) a lot lately, whenever I’ve been in the mood for a bold lip.

Both of these beauties tap danced onto LancÃ´me counters last month, along with the rest of the 21 lipsticks in the new Rouge in Love Lipstick line and the 17 nail polishes in Vernis in Love.

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278 Divine Seduction on the left and 181 Rouge Saint Honore on the right

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Wearing 278 Divine Seduction
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A Veritable Verdigris of Viridian Shimmers in LancÃ´me’s Color Design Eye Palette in Vert Tendresse

February 22nd, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

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I’m not sure when or why it happened, but somewhere along the way, someone out there decided that it was quite the faux pas to appear overly color coordinated.

Seriously, what’s up with that? — because I think it’s actually harder and MORE exhausting (at least for me) to try to avoid looking too matchy-matchy/color coordinated than it is to just go ahead and match.

And, truth be told, I like wearing things that match because it gives me one less thing to think about. I’ll take color coordination over chaos any old day, like matching shoes and bags, cats and nail polishes, foods and eyeshadows…

Okay, that last one was a little weird. 🙂

But it’s true! Right now I’m actually contemplating sneaking off to Baskin-Robbins to get a scoop of their green pistachio ice cream to go with the green shadows I’m wearing on my lids, thanks to LancÃ´me’s Color Design Eye Palette in Vert Tendresse ($49), one of the brand’s new eye palettes for spring.

The five-color palette recently launched with La Roseraie Illuminating Smooth Powder and Color Fever Gloss in Green Petal in the 11-piece Roseraie des Delices collection.

With four shadows and a powder liner in shades of warm mint and forest green, Vert Tendresse feels lush and verdant to me, like Dior’s 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette on Miracle-Gro, and I’ve been wearing it lately whenever I’ve felt like wearing something fresh and shimmery in traditional spring shades.

I also love the dark powder liner LancÃ´me included here. It’s a grayish glittery green with a tough girl edge, and if LancÃ´me ever decides to release it as a pencil, I’ll be all over that.

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You Look a Little Green, and That’s Good! LancÃ´me Color Fever Gloss in Green Petal

February 18th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

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Green lipgloss? Sure, why not?

Part of me wishes that the new limited edition LancÃ´me Color Fever Gloss in Green Petal ($26) was, well, even greener than it is, but more on that in a few.

One of three Color Fever Glosses in LancÃ´me’s Roseraie des Delices collection for spring 2012, this sheer, sparkly gloss surprised me. Before I tried it on, I thought, “Really, it’s green. How wearable can it be?”

Quite wearable, it turns out.

Thick, but non-sticky, with a light lavender flavor and scent that I like, it glides across my lips, where it lasts about 90 minutes.

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There’s a Shimmery Bed of Roses Beneath the Gobs of Glitter That Greet LancÃ´me La Roseraie Illuminating Smooth Powder

February 15th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Lancome La Roseraie

“Look at you! Rockin’ the glitter.”

Ever notice how some makeup looks are reliable conversation starters? — like neon nails, bright red lips and almost anything with glitter. They’re almost guaranteed to get people chatting, no matter where you are.

I came across one the other day when I took LancÃ´me’s La Rosaire Illuminating Smooth Powder ($42) out for a spin.

El Hub was the first to notice when he kissed me bye before leaving for work. “Is that glitter on your cheeks?” he asked.

“Why, yes,” I replied, impressed and surprised. “It is. And now you have some on your shirt.” 🙂

Then, during a mid-morning Starbucks break, my favorite barista handed me a soy chai tea latte and said, “Ooh! You’re so sparkly today.”

I think Tabs even noticed because he shot me a look that said, “Disco tonight? We must be hitting the club after dinner because you’re workin’ that glitter.”

If there’s one thing the glitter in this limited edition face and cheek powder isn’t, it’s subtle.

At least initially.

La Rosaire (“Bed of Roses”) is one of 11 pieces in LancÃ´me’s Roseraie des Delices Spring 2012 collection for eyes, cheeks and lips. The collection features two eye palettes, two eyeliners, a face/cheek powder, three lipsticks and three lip glosses.

The light peachy pink star burst design behind the rose on the pan contains an overspray of concentrated conversation-starting glitter. Once you work through the overspray, the glitter subsides, revealing a sheer peachy pink powder with what I feel is a very pretty sheen.

The rose design decorating the lower half of the pan also has an overspray, this one a cool-toned rosy pink with a sheen; beneath it resides a slightly warmer peachy pink with a subtle shine.

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Swatches of the overspray on the left; swatches of the powders beneath the overspray on the right
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