Makeup

Glow On With Yo’ Bad Self! Bobbi Brown Heralds 2014 With the Nude Glow Collection

December 17th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Six of the 10 pieces in the new Bobbi Brown Nude Glow Collection, coming January 2014

So, last night El Hub and I were having dinner at this Puerto Rican place we like called Sol Food in San Rafael (YUM! Any Bay Area girls been there?) when he asked what I wanted to do for New Year’s.

“Hmm…” I said. To be honest, I hadn’t given it any thought. I forgot that we’re barely two weeks from the end of the year.

Can you believe it? 2014 already?

So, I have no clue what to do for NYE, but even if we end up staying home and just watching the ball drop on TV, there will be sparkly makeup up in the mix. Of that, you can be sure. 🙂

Bobbi Brown may be able to help, too. She says that her new Nude Glow makeup collection is like sparkly jewelry for your everyday wardrobe.

Yeah…I can get behind that.

The release hits counters in January with 10 pieces, including eyeshadow quads, sheer lipsticks, nail polishes and new shimmer bricks (aka, Brightening Finishing Powders) — all limited edition.

The theme, like we’ve been seeing a lot lately, is look brightening. The pieces are designed to instantly, easily enhance your skin tone and brighten your look, and get you gorgeously glowing for early 2014.

The Bobbi Brown Nude Glow collection includes…

Limited Edition Eye Palette in Nude (Shades: Dove Grey Eye Shadow, Ballet Pink Sparkle Eye Shadow, Nude Eye Shadow and Cement Sparkle Eye Shadow), $44

Limited Edition Eye Palette in Crystal (Shades: Porcelain Eye Shadow, Opal Sparkle Eye Shadow, Mica Sparkle Eye Shadow and Angel Pink Eye Shadow), $44

Limited Edition Eye Palette in Bronze (Shades: Gold Bar Sparkle Eye Shadow, Amber Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow, Toast Eye Shadow and Rich Bronze Eye Shadow), $44

Limited Edition Sheer Lip Colors in Pink Rose, Pink Flush and Pink Gold, $28 each

Limited Edition Nail Polishes in Pale, Ballet Pink Glitter and Bronze Shimmer, $15 each

Limited Edition Brightening Finishing Powder (Shades: Brightening Nudes, Porcelain Pearl and Bronze Glow), $50

Let’s see… “Luminous” is the best word I can think of to describe these pieces. The eyeshadow quads and sheer lipsticks all have that radiant, glowing quality that Bobbi does so well. Sparkle features prominently, but it’s not, like, club glitter, if ya know what I mean. Everything here, even the silver packaging (LOVE IT, but it’s a paint to keep clean), looks luxe and expensive to me.

Here’s a quick peek at six of the 10 pieces. Let me know if something here catches your eye…

Bobbi Brown Nude Glow Collection Sheer Lip Color — Sheer Lip Colors from the left: Pink Flush, Pink Gold and Pink Rose, $28 each

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Get Your Lips Red-y for the Mistletoe With Kissable Cola-Flavored Lush Santa Baby Lip Tint

December 13th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Like a cola-flavored Icee, this new red Lip Tint by Lush is super chill…

Chill, as in relaxed. It’s not cold or anything, although I think it does taste and smell kinda like a cold Coca-Cola Icee, probably on account of the cola flavoring derived from cherry and date extracts.

I think of Santa Baby less as a lip tint and more as a sheer matte lipstick in pot packaging. Like a matte lipstick, the finish is flat, and there’s a good amount of pigment in it, ensuring that you can actually (hopefully) see the red color on your lips. I can, and I can still also see my natural lip color peeking through.

It’s all very casually cool…like a sweet pair of distressed jeans or a broken-in leather jacket.

I apply it with my fingers and skip the lip liner, and then have to reapply about every 3-4 hours after that.

In an emergency (uh…a makeup emergency?), it’ll even double as a cream blush.

And the lightweight, non-sticky formula feels like next-to-nothing on my lips, which I like.

Lush Santa Baby Lip Swatch — Santa Baby Lip Swatch

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Lifting Brows One Swipe at a Time, the New Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift

December 11th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Hey, lady, can I give you a lift?

Well…I never say yes to strangers trying to pick me up, but since you’re a pencil, and you’re offering to lift my brows, why not? 🙂

Please excuse my weird expression at the top of this post. I figure, life is too short to not laugh at yourself while applying $20 Instant Attitude Brow Lift by Too Faced, LOL!

Trust me, though, it gets better after the buffing…

A new addition to the Too Faced line, Instant Attitude launches with the rest of the spring 2014 collection tomorrow (Dec. 12). It’s a chubby eye pencil that comes in a matte vanilla shade designed to create the illusion of higher arches.

Apply it beneath your brow bone, or along the entire length of each brow like I’m doing here, and then buff down with a finger or brush (I used Too Faced’s Lid Brush from the fab Shadow Brushes Essential 3-Piece Set).

The result? Instantly lifted brows! Oh, yeah…

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift before — Before…

I actually do this trick all the time for pics and video. How does it work? Well, generally, applying lighter colors makes that part of the face look as if it’s closer to the viewer (think highlighting). Lighter colors beneath the brow, like with this pencil, bump up that area visually, giving it a bit of a lift.

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift after — And after…

You can do this with a bunch of different products, too, like concealers, eyeliners — anything, really — as long as it’s several shades lighter than your skin tone.

This new pencil from Too Faced is ideal for this on account of how easy it is to buff into the skin. I usually do this trick with a MAC Chromographic Pencil in NW25/NC30, which I have to swipe more than a few times to soften and remove any harsh lines.

Instant Attitude, by comparison, blends quicker. Swish, swish and done.

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift Box — Packaging

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Bulletproof Brows By Too Faced Cosmetics Blazes Through Building Sweat-Proof Brows

December 11th, 2013 by Karen 32 Comments

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows — Wearing the new Bulletproof Brows by Too Faced

Chocolate: 1. Treadmill: 0.

In the Battle of Sweets Vs. Sweat, I can usually bribe myself into working out (“bribe” being the key word here), but I just couldn’t do it last night.

I’d planned to test the sweat-proof-ness of long-lasting new Bulletproof Brows by Too Faced, which I’d been wearing all day, but the Dark Chocolate Stars won in the end…

They always win… (*shakes fist!*)

Trader Joe's Mini Dark Chocolate Stars — Oh, my gawd, Becky… TOTES AMAZE-BALLS!

I actually did wind up testing Bulletproof on the treadmill later in the day, but we’ll get to that in a few. 🙂

A new Too Faced brow product recently launched with the spring Haute Chocolate collection, Bulletproof comes in just two colors — Universal Brown and Universal Taupe — and with the product, which comes in a round compact with a mirror, you also get a dual-ended tool with an angled brow brush on one end and a spoolie on the other.

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows Universal Brunette — $30 Bulletproof Brows in Universal Brunette (one of two shades; the other’s called Universal Taupe)

Too Faced says that Bulletproof Brows has a “cashmere clay formula” that works like a powder, gel, pencil and setting wax in one, and that’s supposed to translate to waterproof, smudge-proof and budge-proof brows in 60 seconds.

It works like Benefit’s brow zings but waaaaay better.

The drier formula might take a little getting used to, but once you figure out how much to apply (at first, I thought it was easy to go overboard with) and find the sweet spot, it looks effortlessly natural.

Good stuff. 🙂

I wore Universal Brunette in my brows yesterday for at least nine hours, and my brows looked full and fresh — no patchiness — the entire time. Even my brow bald spot (EFF YOU, RAUL!) stayed hidden.

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows before — Before Bulletproof…

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The New Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette & iPhone Case, and the Life and Times of an International Kitty Supermodel’s Harried Pet Assistant

December 10th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing (and holding!) the new Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette and iPhone Case ($25)

KAREN: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Lagerfeld, but I have to briefly place you on hold. Tabs’ emergency line is ringing, and I need to answer it.

(Picks up phone.) “Hello, Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC, Office of the President. This is a secure line. How may I assist you?”

TABS: “Meow.” (“It took you long enough.”)

KAREN: “Oh, hello, sir. Did you mean to call me on the emergency line? I have Karl on hold, and he’s kind of in a cranky mood…”

TABS: “Meeeeowww. Mrow.” (“No time for pleasantries, woman. What’s the status on the Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette report I asked you to prepare?”)

KAREN: “Well, I was just about to type up the final draft and email it to you, but I can relay the highlights to you over the phone. Do you have a moment? I don’t want to interrupt your vacay on Kauai…”

TABS: “Mrow. Mrrow-mrow-mrow!” (“You know I’m always on the job, even on vacation! Give me the abridged version; I have two minutes before the limo gets here, and I don’t want to be late for my deep-tissue kitty massage at the Four Seasons.”)

KAREN: “Understood, sir. Well, let’s see, the essentials — it’s $25, limited edition, new for spring, and it comes with 11 powder eyeshadows, a matte bronzer and a matte blush. You can also pop out the palette and use the case as a cover for your phone, but it only works with the iPhone 5 (and possibly the 5s).

“I experienced some minor fallout from the shadows. As for blending, the mattes blended pretty well, as did the shimmers, although the lighter shimmers could use a little more pigment. The darker shades, however — in particular the purple and blue — made my eyes a little teary.

“Regarding the packaging, it’s cute, but the pans are rather small. I couldn’t help but accidentally cross-pollinate the colors.”

Too Faced Candy Bar Palette — The Candy Bar Palette in its case

TABS: “Mrrrwow?” (“The bronzer and blush?”)

KAREN: “I really like them both. Very pigmented, smooth, easy to blend. Again, the smaller pan sizes are kind of a pain because they don’t quite fit my bronzer and blush brushes easily.”

Too Faced Candy Bar Pop Out Makeup Palette Swatches — Swatches…

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For Spring, Too Faced Went Cocoa for Cosmetics! The New 11-Piece Too Faced Haute Chocolate Spring 2014 Collection Is Here

December 10th, 2013 by Karen 39 Comments

Baby, it’s cold outside. How ’bout some Haute Chocolate? The new 11-piece cocoa-crazy Too Faced Haute Chocolate collection should satisfy that sweet tooth. 🙂

All of the pieces are new. We’re talkin’ two cocoa-themed palettes, five sweet shades of lipstick, two frosted blushes and two brow defining products to keep your look sweet come spring, and in classic Too Faced fashion, the feminine, wearable collection also features a perfect pinch of sass.

Eyes and brows stay relatively neutral, while brighter pops of pink, peach, coral and berry brighten lips and cheeks.

As for timing, you won’t have to wait long to get your chocolate fix because all of these pieces, except for the Chocolate Bar Palette, arrive online December 12. The Chocolate Bar, a Sephora exclusive, goes on sale a week later on December 19.

Here are pics and swatches of the entire release! More detailed reviews to follow…

Too Faced Something About Berry Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush — Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Something About Berry, $30

Too Faced Peach Beach Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush — Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach, $30

Too Faced La Creme Lipsticks Haute Chocolate Spring 2014 — La Creme Lipsticks from the left: Bon Bon, Jelly Bean, Lollipop, Pink Chocolate and Taffy, $22 each

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette — Chocolate Bar Palette, $49

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See Jane Line and Shine With Jane’s $8 Water Resistant Liquid Eye Liners

December 9th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

Wearing Jane Water Resistant Eye Liner in Metallic Lilac on my lash lines

Cat eyeliner-lovin’ cat ladies cannot line on gels and pencils alone. The cosmetics-loving cat enthusiast community is completely united on this point.

It simply can’t be done. I, for one, have liquid liner coursing through my veins. That’s how much I love the stuff.

The last liquid liner I had a lecherous liaison with with was Tom Ford’s flawless Eye Defining Pen in Deeper, but good grief, Charlie Brown! — that $55 price tag is totally insane.

Since then, I’ve had my sights set on more affordable liquid liners…

Jane Water Resistant Eye Liner in hand — With human paw for scale…

I wondered if Jane’s $8 Water-Resistant Liquid Eye Liners were worth their drugstore price, and well — for $8, it’s pretty hard to go wrong. Perfect, they’re not, but they are available in a wide range of colors (13, to be exact); have a high-gloss, waterproof finish; and you can get a similarly shiny look to MAC’s $19.50 Superslicks Liquid Liners if you don’t mind putting in a little work.

What do I mean?

Two words: the brush.

I don’t know what it is with me and thin, flexible brushes, but we just don’t get along. And these are like Olympic gymnasts (read: very flexible), so drawing really sharp edges, like at the wing, is no easy feat. With these I definitely have to (or at least should) run a Q-tip dipped in makeup remover along the edges to clean up any mistakes.

If you’re an experienced liquid liner wearer, you’ll probably be fine, but beginners might need some time to really get the hang of it.

Even considering the brush, though, I do think these have major potential, and I’d even go so far as to call them respectable dupes for the MAC Superslicks.

Sure, I find myself needing several layers of Jane’s liners (as opposed to just one or two of MAC’s) to achieve that signature Superslick look, so that’s also something to consider. That, and I have to remember to keep my hands off my eyes when I wear them, because any rubbing at all and they flake, flake, flake.

I’ve tried three of the 13 colors so far (a dark metallic navy blue, a metallic purple and a pale pink with silver glitter), and I’m partial to the darker colors. Seems like I don’t have to layer them as much to get a good amount of color.

Jane Water Resistant Eye Liner swatches from the left: Metallic Pink, Metallic Lilac and Bleu Marine — Swatches from the left: Metallic Pink, Metallic Lilac and Bleu Marine

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A Gold and Warm Brown Face of the Day With MAC and Rouge Bunny Rouge (and a Tip for Doe-Eyed Looks)

December 9th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Rouge Bunny Rouge Embrace of Cashmere — Today felt like a gold and warm browns kind of day…

You might think that my down-filled winter coat gets all the credit for keeping me warm right now, but nope — that’s not why I feel downright toasty today (although the coat is helping, because DUUUDE, it’s cold outside!).

I’ve been going through a gold phase, and when I woke up this morning, the first thing I wanted to do — well, after putting on thermals, two pairs of socks and the aforementioned coat — was bust out the warm browns to wear with some shimmery gold shadows.

Ah… So warm and toasty. 🙂 I used one of my favorite easy eye makeup tricks, too. It’s a good way to add extra kick to metallic looks, and make your peepers appear rounder (think “more doe-eyed”).

Rouge Bunny Rouge Embrace of Cashmere, MAC Woodwinked, MAC Bamboo, MAC Soft Brown, MAC Ricepaper — MAC Ricepaper along my brow bone, MAC Bamboo in the crease, MAC Soft Brown in the crease and lower lash line, MAC Woodwinked on the lid and Rouge Bunny Rouge Pigment in Embrace of Cashmere in the center of the lid

For the gold effect here, all you need are two golden shimmery eyeshadows — one lighter than the other. Today I chose two shades that aren’t too far from each other because I wanted to keep my blending to a minimum. I went with MAC Woodwinked for the darker gold and Rouge Bunny Rouge’s new Loose Glitter Pigment in Embrace of Cashmere ($26) as the lighter shade.

I started by sweeping a warm matte brown in the crease, then patted the darker gold on the lid, blended the two together to erase any harsh lines and patted the lighter gold in the center of the lid, just above my iris.

MAC Teddy, MAC Powersurge, MAC Blacktrack and MAC Carbon — MAC Blacktrack and MAC Carbon Eye Shadow on my upper lash line, MAC Teddy Eye Kohl on my upper water line, MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl on my lower lash line and MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara on my lashes

The lighter color in the center completes the gradient that goes from the darker gold in the outer corner of the lid (the side closer to your ear), to the lighter color in the center, to the darker gold again in the inner corner.

And the gradient makes the magic happen. 🙂 It’s what makes the eyes look slightly rounder, while the lighter metallic color flashes in the light to give a little extra something to the overall look.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Embrace of Cashmere with MAC Woodwinked — MAC Woodwinked with Rouge Bunny Rouge Embrace of Cashmere in the center

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