Makeup

Cool and Casual, MAC’s Bright Peach Royal Sunset Powder Blush Begs To Be Worn Beachside

June 6th, 2013 by Karen 36 Comments

That’s MAC Royal Sunset Blush ($21) on my cheeks…

Judging by its name, MAC’s Royal Sunset blush could have gone the route of princess tiaras/tiny sandwiches/stuffy tweed, but instead it took a detour on High Tea Street toward Beach Boho Babe Avenue.

Introducing Her Royal Highness, MAC Royal Sunset Powder Blush ($21)…

Bright on cheeks and surprisingly playful, Royal Sunset builds to an intensely cool coral flush. Of the three blushes in the MAC All About Orange collection, I think it’s the brightest, smoothest (in terms of texture) and the coolest in terms of tone.

It’s the kind of blush I’d wear to a low-key beach wedding, one where the guests and wedding party are barefoot and dogs are running around in bow ties (yippee!). 🙂

Casual and fun, know what I mean?

MAC Royal Sunset Blush Swatch — Royal Sunset Blush on my NC 42 skin

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Run Six Miles in a Minute (Or Just Look Like You Did) With MAC’s Immortal Flower Blush

June 5th, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

That’s me wearing MAC Immortal Flower Blush ($21)

Prior to today, if I’d heard the phrase, “immortal flowers,” I would have thought, “plastic plants,” like the kind my eccentric aunt hoards.

Now, though, I’m still thinking that…but I’m also thinking about a blush from MAC’s new All About Orange collection.

MAC Immortal Flower Powder Blush — Immortal Flower Powder Blush, $21

Bright peach MAC Immortal Flower Blush is such a dainty delight. It’s almost the exact same color as my cheeks after I finish a six-mile run…sans the icky perspiration and treadmill karaoke, which is when you silently mouth the words to whatever you’re listening to while you’re running and occasionally fist pump in the air (so help me gawd, when Beyonce is belting in my ear about claiming my diva status, it cannot be helped).

MAC Immortal Flower Blush Swatch — Immortal Flower on my NC 42 skin

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Orange You Going Nude This Summer? The MAC All About Orange Cremesheen Glasses Think You Should

June 5th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

MAC Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass, $20

Everyday nudes…

A phrase like that could mean a few different things. It could refer to the billboard down the street from my brother’s apartment in SF that reads, “Touch Our Junk.”

(I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean junk of the discarded/reused/recycled variety.)

It could also refer to eminently wearable nude glosses — the kind you’ll happily wear over and over.

I nude gloss…

This time of year, I love it even more than usual because it’s just swipe and go. You can’t get much lower maintenance than that.

MAC Double Happiness, Imperial Light and Rising Sun Cremesheen Glasses — Double Happiness, Imperial Light and Rising Sun Cremesheen Glasses

If your boo comes home from work early one random afternoon and says, “Eff this workaday crap, babe! Let’s go be beach bums in Hawaii,” nude glosses are good for times like that… Matte red lips just don’t go with that scenario.

Christina Aguilera could probably pull off matte red lips, a retro tankini and water wings, but me? Not so much. I’d look like the main event in an underwater circus.

MAC Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass, $20 — Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass

Yet another of the many benefits of nude glosses…

A few days ago while rifling through my bag for the chocolate I keep stashed “for emergencies” (don’t front, I you know you do this too), the only nude glosses in my purse were the new Cremesheen Glasses ($20 each) from MAC All About Orange.

MAC Imperial Light Cremesheen Glass — Imperial Light Cremesheen Glass, $20

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I’ll Take a Grande Honey Jasmine To Go, Please: The New MAC Honey Jasmine Blush, That Is

June 4th, 2013 by Karen 29 Comments

Got a new tea tonight from Trader Joe’s. Honey Jasmine. I’m really looking forward to having a cup tonight.

Mmm… Honey Jasmine.

Kidding! It’s not a tea, or at least I don’t think so, although it does sound delish, doesn’t it?

It’s a new blush from MAC — a fresh squeezed coral cutie from the MAC All About Orange Collection, and it’s making me think of tea.

And Honey Boo Boo.

Yeah…I really need to stop watching reality TV (she says, while programming her Tivo to record Million Dollar Listing: New York).

Swear to gawd, I just did that. 🙂

MAC Honey Jasmine Powder Blush — Hello, Honey! — Honey Jasmine Powder Blush

Oh, and if you have a tan, babe, Honey Jasmine sure looks sweet on bronzed cheeks.

I picked up a little more color on my quick SoCal jaunt last week, and I’ve been wearing Honey Jasmine every day since.

MAC Honey Jasmine Blush swatch — MAC Honey Jasmine

chanel frivole swatch — And for comparison, Chanel Frivole

I gauged the wear time last weekend during a very important business meeting… Okay, it wasn’t a meeting. It was a Law & Order: SVU marathon. 🙂

When I peeled myself off the couch after four hours, I took a look in the mirror, and my blush seemed a touch darker than it did earlier in the day. In my mind, I heard the SVU “Dun-DUUN!!” and wondered if Benson or Stabler would be able to solve this mystery…

Probably. They’re talented like that.

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Hot Summer Makeup Trends From Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s New National Makeup Artist

May 31st, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch — Dolce & Gabbana’s Christian McCulloch with the new True Monica summer collection, available now at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and online

I like Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist, and not just because he’s charming and tall, or has a really cool Australian accent, or because he complimented me on my brows.

CHRISTIAN MCCULLOCH: Did you do these yourself? — or do you go somewhere to get them done?

ME: I do them myself because I have weird control issues… [SIDE NOTE: I really need to stop telling this to strangers.]

CM: They’re perfect!

ME: For real??

When a fun, handsome guy who clearly loves makeup and (is also kind of a ham) whom celebrities like Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel have on speed dial tells you that your brows aren’t a total train wreck, yeah, it tends to make your day. 🙂

While we talked about summer and summer makeup trends today at the Dolce & Gabbana makeup counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, Christian often stopped mid-sentence to grab a quad, lipstick or pencil, swatch it on the back of his hand, and start talking so fast about it that I almost couldn’t keep up!

A few of Christian’s top summer trends…

1. Pale, shimmery eyes

This summer, Christian loves the look of nude, shimmery shadows on lids — shades like champagne, and shimmery pinks like the pale pink from the Fabulous Smooth Colour Quad ($59).

Then, to balance the nude eye and round out the look, he likes to add mascara, liquid liner, bronzer, blush and a bright lip. “It’s easy and fresh,” he says.

2. Plum lips

If you’re considering bold colors this year but want something other than the usual summer suspects like coral and pink, try plum lips.

“Plum lips pump up your look,” says Christian, “and when the color wears off, it looks like a stain.”

His go-to plum from the Dolce & Gabbana line? Shine Lipstick in Precious ($32).

“I love to use color, and I see it as an accessory. It’s like wearing a great pair of earrings or a great scarf. It depends on what you’re wearing and how you put it all together.”
— Christian McCulloch

3. Flawless skin

Flawless-looking skin is in this summer, and to get the look without a lot of work, Christian recommends Dolce & Gabbana’s new Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation ($66), an oil-control liquid formula with a velvety finish that’s neither too shiny nor matte.

“I don’t necessarily feel like the makeup needs to be the first thing you notice about a woman. It’s just one element of the whole package.”
— Christian McCulloch

“It’s a one-step product,” Christian says of Perfect Matte, “and you don’t need to layer powder on top of it.” He only applies it where you need a little extra coverage.

And because it contains SPF 20, it’s great for this time of year.

What does Christian recommend every woman have in her makeup bag?

Dolce & Gabbana’s Secret Eyes Mascara ($30): “This is what I use on photo shoots because I can fan out each lash from root to tip. It’s a detail mascara.”

Dolce & Gabbana’s Smokey and Contrast Quads ($59 each): “These are look-good-on-everyone colors and my go-to’s for neutral, defined eyes.”

Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Chocolate ($30): “It’s halfway between brown and black. Great for smokey eyes.”

Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Cheek Color in Peach ($45): “The perfect peachy pink blush.”

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Bronzed and Fabulous! A Too Faced Bronzer for Every Occasion

May 30th, 2013 by Karen 44 Comments

Too Faced Cosmetics bronzer — A Too Faced bronzer for every occasion

How many bronzers belong in your wardrobe?

Wait — wardrobe?

Yup, a bronzer wardrobe, because it can be nice to have a selection of different bronzers to choose from for different events.

Like a bronzer for date nights, maybe one for brunch, one for big meetings at work, and another one for epic events and fantastical days, like winning the lottery and collecting one of those gigantic checks, or visiting a Petco on kitten adoption day, sweeping your arms wide open and roaring, “OPEN ALL THE CAGES! I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!”

Too Faced Cosmetics is determined to change the way beauty babes look at bronzer.

Too Faced Bronzer Boxes — Too Faced Bronzers, $30 each

They’re hoping that instead of relying on just one bronzer to wear year round, bronzer-loving babes (and guys) will see the benefits of wearing different bronzers on different days — much like how we think of lipsticks.

Too Faced Bronzers — Yee-haw! It’s a bronzer jamboree!

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The Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Palette Spreads Enlightenment One Shadow at a Time

May 29th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

Wearing the new $12 Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow on my eyes

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

Sometimes when I think of Tabs taking that long walk across the rainbow bridge one day in the hopefully distant, distant future and my lower lip starts trembling, that’s what I say to myself.

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

It’s also what I said the first time I wore Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette.

It sucked me in ever before I tried it, with a $12 price tag and promises to brighten my eyes (oh, hellz yeah!).

The fun and summery coral, gold, beige and purple shades come in a mix of satin and iridescent finishes. All of them seem pretty neutral to me, with the exception of the golden child, which warms my NC 42 skin.

What else?

The coverage varies from sheer-to-medium when applied dry, to fully opaque when applied wet
The mineral-based formula is infused with coconut water for a cream-like finish
Made without sulfates, petroleum products, parabens, SLS or phthalates
Vegan and cruelty-free

So, MEGA points for wear time. I’ve worn these shadows both wet and dry, on top of bare, and also atop primed lids, and they just barely crease and fade over the course of an eight-hour day.

That’s good.

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 3 — Skinnydip (left) and Coral Sand (right)

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San Francisco Bay Area Beauty Lovers, Meet New Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch at the Union Square Saks Fifth Avenue on Saturday, June 1

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 2 Comments

Some of Christian McCulloch’s favorite Dolce & Gabbana’s must-have pieces for summer, clockwise from the quad: the Eyeshadow Quad in Fabulous, Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick in Feminine, Eyeliner in Acqua, Nail Lacquer in Lilac and Lipgloss in Vibrant

Bay Area beauty lovers, do you have plans this Saturday?

If you’re free from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and in the mood for makeup, swing by the Saks Fifth Avenue store at Union Square in San Francisco, and meet Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist.

He’ll be creating custom summer makeup looks by appointment, free with purchase (no minimum, holla!).

To book your 30-minute appointment, just call (415) 438-5225, and then set Siri to remind you on Saturday morning. “Siri, remind me about my awesome makeover.” 🙂

Who is Christian McCulloch?
Fascinated by the power of makeup’s transformative qualities, McCulloch began his career as a makeup artist in Sydney, Australia in his teenage years. His first major project came shortly after with his work gracing the pages of Australian Vogue before the age of twenty-two.

From there he continued to establish himself as an industry trendsetter and has worked with global publications, including Vogue (US, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Turkey editions), Allure, Interview, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle (French, German, UK and US editions), V Magazine, W Magazine (US and Korea editions).

Throughout his career, MuCulloch has become known for his fine attention to the quality of skin, his bold experimentation with color and his precision with contour; as well as his strong smoky eye, which has made him a favorite of many beauty editors and celebrities.

Outside of fashion, McCulloch is one of the most sought after makeup artists for top Hollywood actors including: Rachel Weisz, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, Selma Blair, Rachel McAdams, Joy Bryant, Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Watts, Hilary Swank, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Richie, Kanye West, Milla Jovovich, Rachel Zoe, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel.

— Dolce & Gabbana

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen