Makeup

Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Strikes Again! It’s Coming Back This Month!

March 17th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

victoria beckham estee lauder march 2017 — A few items from the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder collection, which will be re-released again this month. From the left: Modern Mercury Highlighter, Eye Foil in Blonde Gold and Eye Metal in Bitter Clove

Damn, V-Becks! Why you gotta do me like that? Why you gotta make my makeup dreams come true? Just kidding. 🙂 Thank you!

VB is back with new makeup! Her Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder makeup collection is being re-released this month (you can sign up here to get alerted when it goes live) with the same products from her collection last fall, along with a new bronzer called Saffron Sun and a new nude lipstick called Nude Spice.

One of the items is available meow, the $95 Morning Aura Illuminating Cream, which is supposed to be an amazing change-yo’-life makeup primer.

Um…I may or may not have it in my cart right now. I’m contemplating whether I should pull the trigger.

Anywho, I tried a few things from the collection when it first launched last fall and lost my damn mind. I tried a few more of them this week, and, not surprisingly, they’re fab.

victoria beckham bitter clove — Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Eye Metal in Bitter Clove ($45)

Oh, and before we get into it, can I just say that my hair is making me insane in these pics? I can’t take my bangs anymore.

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Tom Ford 2017 Summer Soleil Collection Sheer Cheek Duo in Paradise Lust and Sheer Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt

March 16th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

tom ford paradise lust reflects gilt — The Tom Ford Sheer Cheek Duo in Paradise Lust ($78) and Sheer Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt

“Sheer and Sparkly Cheek Duo” doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Sheer Cheek Duo,” does it? Yeah, it doesn’t sound as Tom Ford-y, but these two new duos from the Tom Ford 2017 Summer Soleil collection are A LOT sparklier than I thought they’d be, and more pigmented too.

tom ford sheer cheek duo paradise lust — Tom Ford Sheer Cheek Duo in Paradise Lust ($78)

They may look chill on my face in these pics, but the Sheer Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt and Sheer Cheek Duo in Paradise Lust, which are — you’ll wanna site down for this! — $78 each (I KNOW), are much more pigmented than their names imply. I spent a lot of time buffing down my cheeks and cheekbones after applying the Cheek Duo and Highlighting Duo the first time because I was expecting to have to pack on layer upon layer. But that wasn’t the case.

tom ford sheer highlighting duo reflects gilt — Tom Ford Sheer Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt ($78)

Both Reflects Gilt and Paradise Lust feel like the $45 NARS Dual Intensity Blushes, and they look like a couple of them too. Reflects Gilt looks a little like NARS Jubilation, and Paradise Lust is similar to NARS Adoration.

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Tom Ford Summer Soleil 2017 Clutch-Size Lip Balms in Neotropic, Fathom, Pure Shores and La Piscine

March 16th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

tom ford lip balm neotropic fathom pure shores la piscine — Four of six new Tom Ford Clutch-Size Lip Balms from the left in Neotropic, Fathom, Pure Shores and La Piscine ($36 each); not pictured: L’Odissea and Cruising

The fanciest itty-bitty lip balm that I ever did see! If I were walking on the beach and saw one of Tom Ford’s Clutch-Size 2017 Soleil Summer Collection Lip Balms glinting on the sand, I’d think it was a piece of lost jewelry, and I’d snatch it up with a quickness!

tom ford lip balm neotropic fathom pure shores la piscine 1 — Tom Ford Clutch-Size Lip Balms from the left Neotropic, Fathom, Pure Shores and La Piscine

Hey, if you’re gonna release a $36 luxury lip balm, it might as well be marvelous. Like Tom’s summer lipsticks, these tiny tubes have gold trim and white packaging, but they’re also petite, which I think makes them extra cute.

tom ford lip balm full size for scale — With a full-size Tom Ford Lipstick towering over them for scale

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Today’s Mini Sephora Haul

March 15th, 2017 by Karen 14 Comments

I think I’m at the point where I should just stop pretending that I can go into Sephora and leave with just one thing.

Like really Karen? Who do you think you’re foolin’?

I went in there today to grab a new bottle of Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch-Up Spray, which is THE BEST tinted spray I’ve ever found to temporarily hide gray roots between coloring sessions.

It’s $25, so it’s a little expensive, but it’s the only one of these sprays that hasn’t made my scalp itchy and make my hair feel stiff or look too matte.

Basically, it’s epic, and if I did the math on how many of these bottles I’ve bought over the past few years… Well, I don’t want to do the math because I’d probably pass out on the spot.

So, yeah, I went into the store for this. That’s all I wanted, but of course I also walked out with a bottle of Sephora Perfect Mist Airbrush Foundation in Medium, which has like a billion great reviews on the Sephora website and gets 4 1/2 stars. It’s comes in 13 colors for $28 each.

I was just about to head over to the register to pay for the bottle of Rita Hazan when I saw it and thought, “I’ll swatch a couple, just for fun,” and I probably would’ve walked away if I hadn’t seen it in Medium, which was practically the same color as my skin…but I did see it in Medium.

Oh, well!

My skin has slightly warm undertones (warmer in the summer), and I can’t always find matching foundation shades that aren’t too pink or peach for me.

I’m stoked to try it because I’ve heard it’s like Dior Airflash… which is like $62 BIG ONES. I used Dior Airflash once a long time ago during a makeover, and I remember liking the feel but not the color (too pink).

Hopefully Perfect Mist is a better match.

Have you ever tried Sephora Airbrush? If you have, lemme know. I’m curious.

Oh! I almost forgot. Today for the first time ever I asked a lady if I could take a picture of her tattoo. I can’t post it because I told her that I’d only share it with my brother (he’s got tons of tattoos), but it was so cool! It looked like one of those little Leggo people wearing a black ninja outfit, and it had cat ears. Or it was a Leggo cat woman. Not sure.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Almost forgot… I also left with a sample of Sunday Riley Good Genes, which I actually needed because I’m running low. 🙂

Tom Ford 2017 Summer Soleil Collection Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust

March 14th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

tom ford fire lust — Here I’m wearing Tom Ford Fire Lust Skin Illuminator (a.k.a. liquid highlighter) all over my face (my forehead, cheeks, nose, chin and jaw).

There’s a time in every woman’s life when she realizes, ya know, that she’s a grown-@ss woman. In my case, I don’t need to be walking around with my underwear hanging out my jeans, and I don’t need to be walking around with big ol’ chunks of rave/festival season glitter all over my face.

I mean, though, if gigantor glitter is your M.O., sh*t girl, don’t even listen to me. 🙂 You do you you. But for me and glitter, I like it to be fine (FOINE), and if it’s going anywhere other than my eyelids and lower lash lines, I like it to be subtle, which is why I love Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust ($50).

Get that “vacation skin”

Part of the Tom Ford 2017 Summer Soleil Collection available now, Fire Lust is a warm peach with golden pearl and the subtlest of subtle golden glitter pieces.

I’m talking the micro-ist of micro glitter, so that when you apply and blend it in, you get a very subtle, warm peachy, pearly glow with tiny glitter flecks scattered all over your skin, which, when glimpsed from various angles, gives a beautiful subtle glow, a.k.a. “vacation skin,” a.k.a. what my ideal skin situation would look like if I spent four weeks chillin’ on the Riviera.

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The Beauty of BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder in Golden Hour

March 14th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

becca golden hour soft light blurring powder 1 — BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder in Golden Hour, $38

I read about this guy somewhere a while back who said that he fell in love with SO MANY ladies on Instagram because of the Valencia filter…

You know, I can’t blame him, because that Valencia filter? Damn. Wow. It’s like the most glamorous, flattering light ever.

I can haz my own Valencia personal filter??

That’s sort of the idea behind the new $38 BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder in Golden Hour — that’s it’s a portable, personal 24/7 photo filter.

Is it really transparent?

It’s part of BECCA’s spring collection, and the effect is supposed to be like basking in buttery, perfect twilight (but not the kind starring Edward and Bella). The 0.35-oz. jar is available now in BECCA’s permanent collection.

It’s a luminous loose powder with a satin finish that blurs pores and scatters light. BECCA calls the color transparent, but some folks say that they can see a peachy tint on very light and very deep skin. I like the way it works on my NC42 tan, but that’s something to keep in mind.

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Two New Ways to Hoola! Benefit Hoola Lite Bronzing Powder and Hoola Quickie Contour Stick

March 10th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

benefit hoola lite quickie contour stick 1 — The new Benefit Hoola Quickie Contour Stick and Hoola Lite Bronzing Powder

A true-life conversation between me and contouring…

ME: Will you please go away?

CONTOURING: No.

ME: *sigh*

I mean…I’m pretty sure that contouring has to fall out of favor and fade into the shadows someday, but it’s still going strong for now, especially at Benefit, and I’ve got the evidence for ya: the new Hoola Quickie Contour Stick ($28) and Hoola Lite Bronzing Powder ($29).

I think I mention this every 15 minutes, but I’m not a big contouring person (highlights for life, yo!). I gave it the old college try once again, though, with these new products because, well, you just never know, right?

benefit hoola lite quickie contour stick swatch — Swatches of the Benefit Hoola Quickie Contour Stick (top) and Hoola Lite Bronzing Powder (bottow)

I started with the Quickie Contour Stick…

Benefit Quickie Contour Stick

It’s a matte warm bronzed brown cream-to-powder contouring stick, and Benefit recommends that you can apply it down the sides of your nose, under your cheekbones and around the edge of your face, then blend it in with your fingers or a brush.

After a few go-rounds with it, well, let’s just say that I won’t be flipping over to #TeamContour anytime soon…

It’s kinda difficult to use, because the stick is wide and feels awkward when I run it under my cheekbones and down sides of my nose.

I always end up with waaay too much of it on my face, and then after I blend it in, I can’t really see any contouring effect at all.

I think there are few things going on…

benefit hoola lite quickie contour stick before — Before applying Hoola Quickie Contour Stick and and Hoola Lite

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Twinkle, Twinkle, You’re a Star! It’s Benefit Dandelion Twinkle Powder Highlighter

March 10th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

Has Benefit been hanging out with Hourglass lately?? Because their new pink highlighter totally looks like it belongs in the Hourglass Ambient Powder collection. It has a domed pan, a buttery/velvety texture, and I think it looks EXACTLY like an Ambient Powder on my skin.

benefit dandelion twinkle swatch — Twinkle, twinkle, little star…

It’s called Dandelion Twinkle, and it’s $29 and available now.

This pearl is fine!

Dandelion Twinkle has Ambient-esque fine pearl that softly glows. It’s subtle, which is kind of surprising to see from Benefit, because they like the bells and whistles, ya know? (But sometimes their products can go OTT IMO with the frost and glitter.)

I think Dandelion Twinkle is a nice surprise.

benefit dandelion twinkle k — I’m wearing Benefit Dandelion Twinkle on my upper cheekbones, on my temples and down the bridge of my nose

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