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The MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. Collection: Sporty Fun That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

May 24th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

mac steve j yoni p packaging — The new MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. collection, coming June 1st

Doesn’t Steve J. & Yoni P. sound like the name of a singer-songwriter duo? Like, you’d turn on the radio to Alice@93.7 and hear a guitar ? and a mournful tambourine in a song about finding long lost millennial love on Tinder?

LOL! No, they aren’t a musical group. They’re actually Korean fashion designers, and even though my idea of cutting edge fashion is a new pair of black leggings, I think the packaging for the new limited edition MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. collection says a lot about their sense of style.

mac steve j yoni p boxes — So cute and fun!

It tells me that they probably like yellow and pale pink! And it also makes me wonder who the cartoony lady with red lips and Cleopatra-style eye makeup is.

I like the style. It’s sporty and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The collection, which comes out June 1st and will be available wherever MAC is sold, includes four lipsticks, two powder blushes, a potted eye gloss, a black mascara, two powder eyeshadow duos, a six-pan lip and cheek cream palette, a makeup bag and two brushes.

mac steve j yoni p boxes lip cheek palette — MAC Lip & Cheek Palette X 6/ Yoni Attraction, $40

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The NARS Orgasm Collection: A New Three-Piece Release Arriving May 15th

May 11th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

nars orgasm collection may 2017 — The new three-piece NARS Orgasm Collection, arriving May 15th at NARS boutiques and the NARS website

Question: Is it possible to have multiple orgasms when you’re putting on your makeup in the morning?

Answer: Um…yeah?! It’s too easy to go there and do prepubescent boy jokes with NARS Orgasm. I’m sorry! Color me adolescent.

nars orgasm collection blush lipstick — NARS Collection products from the left: Orgasm Liquid Blush ($30), Orgasm Lipstick ($28) and Limited Edition Orgasm Blush ($30)

NARS has a new Orgasm collection. Shocker. But this one’s actually pretty exciting because there are two new versions of Orgasm — a liquid blush and a lipstick — neither of which I think I’ve ever seen from NARS before.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a respectable re-issue of Orgasm if the original Orgasm powder blush wasn’t up in the mix, and this one has new LE packaging.

When/where

The collection comes out on May 15th, and it’ll be at NARS boutiques and the NARS website. I know for sure that the powder blush is LE, but I’m not sure about the liquid blush and the lipstick. Will have to get back to you on that.

NARS Orgasm Liquid Blush ($30)

Obviously, one of the exciting things here is Orgasm Liquid Blush, and girl…FRAK, it’s good!

For comparison, it’s thicker than Benefit Benetint. Actually, have you ever worn the Veil Primer by Hourglass? I think it feels a lot like that. Almost like a runny lotion, and it’s slippery and kinda silicone-y.

nars orgasm collection swatches — From the top: Orgasm Blush, Orgasm Liquid Blush and Orgasm Lipstick

You know the gold shimmer in the original Orgasm? I dunno…but it borders on obnoxious for me sometimes because I’ve got this whole pore situation happening. There’s still gold shimmer in Liquid Orgasm, too, but it’s waaay toned down. It looks like a satiny peach pink with micro flecks of gold in it that peek out here and there.

You can use it on top of or underneath powder products, and it does well in both situations.

Yeah, it’s $30, and the glass bottle is pretty tiny, but the pump is easy to control, and if you pump one drop and spread it around with a brush or your finger, that drop will just keep spreading and spreading and spreading… It’s so concentrated!

nars orgasm liquid blush — I’m wearing NARS Orgasm Liquid Blush on my cheeks and Orgasm Lipstick on my lips

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The Urban Decay Basquiat Collection: UD’s Best Collection Ever

May 1st, 2017 by Karen 28 Comments

urban decay basquiat exhibition lipstick — Urban Decay UD Jean-Michel Basquiat. I’m wearing the Gold Griot Eye Palette on my lids, Gallery Blush Palette on my cheeks and Exhibition Lipstick on my lips.

If you’ve ever been stuck in a makeup rut, I’m telling you, the new Urban Decay UD Jean-Michel Basquiat collection will kick you outta that funk like that. *snaps*

“Art as makeup. Makeup as art.”

That’s the tagline for the collection, which is available now (sort of, but more on that in a minute). And the collection is a work of art. I think it’s incredible. This is some of the best — THE BEST — makeup Urban Decay has ever done. Like, every single thing in this collection makes me want to paint my face in a myriad of different ways.

But let me back up juuust a bit…

Urban Decay Gold Griot Eyeshadow Palette

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The MAC Fruity Juicy Collection Is a Fiesta of Fruit for Bronzed Babes

April 27th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

mac fruity juicy collection top pic — The MAC Fruity Juicy collection, coming May 28th to MAC counters and online (available through June 29th)

Hey, have you ever noticed that when someone cuts up some fruit ? for you, even if it’s, like, the stringiest, most mediocre mango or the blandest apple ever, it tastes better?

What’s up with that? I don’t even know.

mac fruity juicy packaging — Frooooooot!

Like, if someone walked up right now with a tray of all the fruit on the packaging for the new MAC Fruity Juicy collection and said, “Hey! Here’s some coconut and banana slices for you. And half a nice papaya. Mmm… And we’ve got some tasty pineapple cubes!” I would not be hating life.

It’s a warm-toned color collection

Summer, summer, summertime! I know! It’s almost here. I can hardly contain myself [INSERT CONNOR CLAIRE’S HIP WIGGLY DANCE]. 🙂

That’s one of the things I always look forward to — MAC summer collections. Most of the time they’re warm and colorful to go with whatever summery bronzed bodaciousness you’re wearing, and Fruity Juicy is too.

mac fruity juicy collection open — The yum-inducing MAC Fruity Juicy collection

A focus on face and cheek products

A tropical fruit salad o’ makeup, Fruity Juicy goes all out with face and cheek products, which makes sense to me, seeing as how MAC tends to focus on bronzed, beautiful skin in their summer collections.

There are four bronzers (I’ve tried the two $27 Bronzing Powders but haven’t tried the $33 Studio Sculpt Bronzers yet), two liquid highlighters (Lustre Drops in Sun Rush and Bronze Hero, both $21), a beautiful $33 bronzer/blush/highlighting Pearlmatte Face Powder called Oh My Passion, and a bottle of Prep+Prime Coconut Fix+, which I need to spray on my face RIGHT NOW. *spray*

Ah… That smells so good. We’ll get to that one in a second.

mac fruity juicy boxes — Now I want a smoothie…

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Too Faced Sweet Peach Collection Review | Spring 2017 (Video)

December 20th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

I haven’t had a peach Gummi in years, but now I kinda want one… The Too Faced Sweet Peach Spring 2017 Collection is practically an ode to peach Gummies (the round ones that look like doughnuts).

I’m wearing the collection in this video. I’m wearing the eye palette on my eyes, the standalone blush on my cheeks, the face palette with the bronzer, highlighter and blush on top of the other blush on my cheeks (there’s a lot happening on my cheeks), and Peach Tease gloss on my lips.

too faced sweet peach palette — Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Collection ($49)

too faced sweet peach glow — Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow ($42)

too faced papa dont peach blush — Too Faced Papa Don’t Peach Blush ($30)

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MAC Mariah Carey Collection! – Holiday 2016 – First Look & Swatches

November 19th, 2016 by Karen 23 Comments

I think I may have told you this before, so if I have, please bear with me…but if I haven’t, well, welcome to the crazy! 🙂

I like to change the lyrics to songs and sing them to Tabs, and one of those songs is Mariah Carey’s Touch My Body.

Love me some Mimi!

Anyway, I can’t sing it anymore without picturing Tabs rolling around on his back showing off his tummy in slow-mo (I know you can see it too), because Touch My Body is his theme song. When I sing it to him, it goes, “Touch Tabs’ body, give him some food… Give him food and love!”

Honestly, I don’t even know what the real lyrics are at this point…

These are the things that cray-cray cat ladies do.

It wouldn’t be a Mimi makeup collection without glamour, glitter and sparkle, and there’s plenty of it in the MAC Mariah Carey collection.

This one’s a beauty, babe. Easily one of my holiday faves this year. I guess MAC saved the best for last!

Here’s a first look with thoughts and swatches. I’m wearing the collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips in this video, too (the items I’m wearing are listed below), so if you have any Qs, let me know in the comments.

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The Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Face and Eye Palette Set

November 16th, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

estee edit gritty glow magnetic eye face palette — Wearing both the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette and Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palette on my eyes, cheeks and my face

Hey, so I was just standing in front of my fridge in the kitchen, but I wasn’t there to make you a sheet of brownies, because…how would you even get the brownies? I wish I could send them through the screen. That would be cool if somebody could figure that out.

No, I was in the kitchen to see if these two new Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palettes would stick to my fridge because they’re magnetic, and yes, they do — so you can use them as both makeup and refrigerator magnets to hold whatever delicious recipe you’re working on at the moment.

The palettes are part of a $58 set in the Estée Edit holiday 2016 collection. One is just a straight-up eye shadow palette, and the other is for face and eyes.

When I opened the Eye Palette the first time, I immediately thought of the almost orgasmic but also laughably expensive $95 Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Collection palette released last month.

It’s amaze! — but it’s also crazy expensive, so I hoped that this might be a more affordable dupe.

It’s not, but it comes close. The colors are similar, but the Victoria Beckham shadows are slightly cooler toned and more neutral. The Estée Edit Eye Palette shadows are also shinier, and the pearl particles are less refined.

But…the Victoria palette is a staggering $95.

Yeah, wow.

It’s clearly aimed at a very posh (haha, get it?) clientele, whereas the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette aims to please a possibly younger crowd that craves something flashier with mega shimmer.

I like shimmer, but I’m really picky about it. I like it when the pearl particles are small because, you know, whatever, I’m in my 40s, and big shimmer particles make my lines look more…line-y. And I’m not into that.

Thankfully, the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette shadows don’t have that kind of shimmer, which is great.

And about that name — the Gritty Eye Palette — that’s kind of an unfortunate name, isn’t it? Because in makeup parlance, “gritty” isn’t typically used to describe something good, but I think it refers to grungy and smoky eye looks here. That’s probably the deal.

I do see some fallout with the eye palette — more than the Victoria Beckham shadows — but it’s not a big deal. I just do my eyes first and clean up afterward. Also, the shadows blend easily.

The Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palette Set
Limited edition, available now at Sephora and sephora.com ($58 for a set with both palettes)

The set comes with…

One Gritty Eye Palette with 6 Pearlized eyeshadows in Swerve (golden copper), Riff (champagne rose gold), Burn (burgundy bronze), Wavy (dark emerald), Mood (midnight black with multicolored sparkle), Trip (deep iridescent blue)

One Glow Face + Eye Palette with six multi-use powders in Snowlit (platinum), 14K Glow (champagne), 1st Light (soft pink), Gleam (peachy pink), Ray (golden bronze), Beachy (burnished copper)

estee edit gritty eye palette — The Gritty Eye Palette

estee edit glow face eye palette — The Glow Face + Eye Palette

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MAC Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton Collection

October 26th, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

mac limited edition photographs helmut newton — A few pieces from the MAC Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton collection

Generally, I like to shoot with my big, scary camera, because there’s something about being a small girl carrying a big, scary camera. Nobody ever questions you. Like, I could go anywhere with that big, scary camera, and nobody messes with me. It’s true. It’s absolutely true.

But there are times when I don’t want to carry a big, scary camera with me, and that’s when I carry my little Sony point-and-shoot.

I bring this bad boy with me everywhere — I love this glorious camera and bring this bad boy with me everywhere…

The Sony DSC-RX100 is one of my favorite cameras of all time. I’ve shot with several, and this one is my ride-or-die. It’s small, sturdy and portable. Mine is the first generation model from four years ago, so it’s been through quite a lot. There are newer models with more bells and whistles on them (here’s the brand new version), but I’m still very happy with this one.

I can take it anywhere, so if I need to go incognito, it’ll fit it in the palm of my hand. And it takes GREAT pictures — almost as great as my big, scary camera — and that’s because it has a 1-inch sensor, which in non-photography talk means that it lets in more light and captures more detail than the small sensor on an iPhone.

MBB Fun Fact: I use it for all of the swatches on the blog because it’s easy to handle, and I like the way it captures color.

Anyway, I’m talking about this right now in a longwinded way because of the new MAC Point ‘N’ Shoot Eye Shadow X 4 palette from the Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton collection.

It has four cool-toned mattes, which I would normally be ecstatic about, but they seem kinda patchy and sheer…

MAC Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton
Available online October 27, 2016
Available in-store November 3 through December 15, 2016
#MACLimitedEdition

Point ‘N’ Shoot Eye Shadow X 4 ($32) — Real Fantasy (Matte), Hard Currency (Matte), Influential (Satin), Point ‘N’ Shoot (Matte)

Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour ($21 each) — High Heels, Chateau M, Self Portrait

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer ($13 each) — Monte Carlo (Creme), Call Time (Creme), Berlin (Creme)

Liquid Eye Liner in Boot Black ($21)

Upward Lash in Upward Black ($23)

mac limited edition photographs helmut newton retro matte liquid lipcolour — MAC Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours from the left: Self Portrait, High Heels an dChateau M ($21 each)

mac limited edition photographs helmut newton eye shadow — MAC Limited Edition Photographs by Helmut Newton Point ‘N’ Shoot Eye Shadow X 4 ($32)

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