Makeup

For Chic Burgundy Cheeks, Try the New NARS 413 BLKR Multiple

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

The question is, would I wear the new sheer burgundy cream stick Mutiple in NARS 413 BLKR on my eyes?

Hmm… Probably not, unless I were planning to attend an apocalypse party or wanted to celebrate the mid-season return of The Walking Dead this Sunday night with an undead chic look.

Burgundy eyeshadow plus Karen’s eyelids equals zombie time! But if burgundy’s your jam, you could wear it on your eyes, because NARS designed their (The?) Multiples to work pretty much everywhere — eyes, cheeks, lips, and even your bod, where you could use it to contour.

Dark, imposing and almost Medieval in stick form, 413 BLKR manifests into a much more approachable sheer matte burgundy on cheeks, where it gives a tint like I just spent an hour outside on a sunny hillside, looking up at the clouds and daydreaming…

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I’m Drawn to the New Dior Diorshow Art Pen

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

Dior Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black — Wearing the new Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black ($30), coming March to Dior counters and Dior.com

I guess you could spend the entire eight hours that Dior’s new quick-drying, long-wearing Diorshow Art Pen ($30) lasts on lids stomping on catwalks and smiling with your eyes. 🙂

Or, you could spend that same amount of time…

Watching the last three episodes of Homeland, Season 2, while wondering whether it’s too late and/or unrealistic to consider a career as a television writer (I’d love to work on something like 30 Rock).
Finishing four loads of laundry and shaking your fists in fury after you find your very furry, very misbehaved cat rolling around on top of a freshly washed load of light-colored laundry like it’s his job.
Writing several long lists, like “Things to do before my birthday,” “Where I want to be in 5 years,” and “Ways to make the world a better place.”
Watching the entire Super Bowl from start to finish, and then having a “Hallelujah!” moment when you realize that you were actually able to follow what was going on, thanks to your husband’s patient football tutelage.
Watching the Puppy Bowl, while mumbling about how cats always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to prime-time TV coverage…
Coming close to tears TWICE during the commercial breaks (the Clydesdale horse one and the gorgeous imagery in “God Made a Farmer”)… Freakin’ PMS!!

I really like this liner. It’s available in a single shade, Catwalk Black, a rich, true black without any blue tones that dries quickly to a high-gloss finish. One swipe delivers intense pigment, so I can quickly line my eyes without having to keep adding layers.

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What a Bold Statement! Milani’s Affordably Bold Color Statement Lipsticks

February 1st, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Milani Orange-Gina Color Statement Lipstick Swatch — Wearing the new Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Orange-Gina ($5.49), one of 30 new shades available now at drugstores and online at milani.com

Milani’s making one heck of a statement with their new Bold Color Statement Lipsticks, and that statement reads, “Get a great deal on pigment!”

Wow, this much pigment for $5.49? Quite a deal, but I’ll kindly pass on the cloying bubblegum scent…

Milani Color Statement Lipsticks — From the left: Sweet Nectar, Orange-Gina, High Voltage, Red Label, Cherry Crave, Best Red and Ruby Valentine

Milani Color Statement Lipstick Swatches — From the left: Sweet Nectar, Orange-Gina, High Voltage, Red Label, Cherry Crave, Best Red and Ruby Valentine

Milani Best Red Color Statement Lipstick Swatch — Best Red

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The New Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders Light the Way to a Flawless Face, Casting Their Spell on Complexions This Spring

January 31st, 2013 by Karen 79 Comments

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Dim Light — Wearing the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light ($45)

I tell El Hub all the time that if we ever win the lottery, I’m hiring Heidi Klum’s Project Runway lighting crew to follow me around wherever I go (ever notice how they light her compared to how they light the other judges and contestants?).

He thinks I’m kidding, but I’m COMPLETELY SERIOUS.

I don’t know, though. Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore, now that I’ve found these Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. 🙂

You know how skin looks so warm and buttery and beautiful at sunset? Or the way it looks by candlelight? You’re having dinner at a nice restaurant, they’ve got the lights turned down low, and you reach into your purse for your compact, check your gloss and think, “Wow! Where did my smile lines go?”

The right lighting makes a big difference. This, Hourglass knows, which is why they designed their six $45 Ambient Lighting Powders to make skin appear as if it’s bathed in flattering light.

No need for a film crew or an expensive studio setup. Just pick your powder by its illuminating effect — Diffused Light, Ethereal Light, Radiant Light, Mood Light, Dim Light or Luminous Light.

The secret, Hourglass says, isn’t lumens or wattage. It’s the transparent, color-correcting particles in the powders that filter and manipulate light.

Never mind that I’m thinking that same answer would probably also apply to other products from other brands. I’m more concerned about one thing: how well does it work?

Here in my own little photo studio, also known as the hallway outside of my office, I’ve been testing three of the six — Dim Light, Luminous Light and Radiant Light — I have to say, I’m impressed. What Hourglass does by varying the finishes, shimmer, sheen and pigment does seem to emulate different kinds of light.

No, I doubt Heidi Klum is going to give up her zillion-dollar studio setup for one or two of these, but still — pretty neat!

I love all three. Both for their fancy finishes, and for the way the almost imperceptible grains of powder disappear on my skin.

Dim light

I’d swear that Dim Light, hands down my favorite of the three, takes 10 years off my face. A neutral, peachy beige, it has a soft sheen and a lovely satin finish. With it on, I feel like my pores and fine lines look a little less obvious, and my skin has this certain quiet radiance to it that I remember being there when I was in my 20s and teens (lately, not so much, LOL!). “Siri, remind me to stockpile this before the zombie apocalypse.”

Luminous Light

With Luminous Light, the champagne pearl, Hourglass turned up the shimmer to re-create a soft, candlelit glow. Think angel halos…or a MAC Shell Pearl Beauty Powder with a softer, finer pearl sheen. This is the one I’d wear when I want to draw attention to my skin. I’d apply it just over the center of my face to highlight and lift my look.

Radiant Light

Radiant Light, a super sheer, semi-matte golden beige/bronze with flecks of golden glitter, is probably the flashiest of these three. Where this one lives, it’s always summer in Las Vegas. Picture the desert sun falling on the faces of Las Vegas Ladies Who Lunch.

Hourglass Ambient Powders closeup — The new Hourglass Ambient Powders ($45 each) and Ambient Powder Brush ($35)

Hourglass Dim Light Ambient Powder — Dim Light, a neutral peach beige ($45)

Hourglass Radiant Light Ambient Powde — Radiant Light, a golden beige ($45)

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Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colours Have Me Singing Easy Eye Makeup’s Praises

January 31st, 2013 by Karen 30 Comments

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour Sand Glow — Here I’m wearing Laura Mercier’s $24 Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Sand Glow, one of 18 available shades

Cream shadow sticks! Now, if you’re thinkin’, “Been there, done that (*snaps*),” and wondering why you should spend a hot second contemplating another cream shadow stick, well, GURL, when I walked up on Laura Mercier’s new $24 Caviar Stick Eye Colours at Sephora a couple weeks ago, I suddenly heard this Lionel Richie song…

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour seashell swatch — Laura’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Seashell

Okay, not really, but I did achieve makeup nirvana…

I love these things so much that I just got a great idea! — you, me, all of us, mojitos (and Shirley Temples) and a HUGE karaoke bar.

And criss-cut fries. 🙂

We’ll all wear different shades of Laura’s Caviar Sticks on our eyes and take the stage by storm!

For the record, these sticks aren’t new, but Laura’s adding six spring shades to go with the 12 shades currently in her permanent collection (here are swatches).

I wish I knew why it took me so long to notice these, and now I’m kicking myself in the butt for that…

It’s not that we haven’t seen shadow sticks before. At one point in time, MAC had something similar, the Shadesticks, that are now discontinued, and Bobbi Brown recently released something very similar for spring.

So, shadow sticks, what are they, exactly? Generally, they’re cream eyeshadows that come in twist-up packaging.

You take one, draw directly on your skin, blend out the edges, and BAM! — you’re wearing eyeshadow.

Simple, and really, really easy.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour closeup — From the left: Seashell, Grey Pearl and Sand Glow

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour swatches — Swatches from the left: Seashell, Grey Pearl and Sand Glow

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What’s Your Favorite Kind of Lipgloss Applicator?

January 31st, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Clarins Gloss Prodige Intense Colour & Shine Lip Glosses in Water Lily and Vibrant Rose — The new $22 Clarins Gloss Prodige Intense Colour & Shine Lip Glosses in Vibrant Rose (on the left) and Water Lily (on the right), both from the new Clarins Rouge Ã‰clat collection for spring 2013; available now at Clarins counters, Nordstrom and nordstrom.com

I’ve always been a doe-foot gal, myself. Especially the flat ones. Flat doe feet, so to speak, like the long, skinny, flat ones that come with the new Gloss Prodiges from Clarins.

Why? The reason’s not very scientific, I’m afraid. 🙂 I just like the way they work.

So I take the foot and stick it in my mouth…

Wait — let me try that again.

I take the doe foot, and place it between my kisser, point first, so that the flat sides cover the surface of both my top and bottom lips. Then, I slide it back and forth.

Pretty basic…

Clarins Gloss Prodige Intense Colour & Shine Lip Gloss in Water Lily

By the way, since we’re on the subject of these Gloss Prodiges, I like that I don’t need a mirror to apply the lighter shades like Water Lily. They’re just that sheer. But for the darker shades like Vibrant Rose, I do like to check that I’m at least close on the application, LOL! The reflective surface on my iPhone’s screen will usually suffice. 🙂

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Even Though It Doesn’t Scream or Shout, the New Clarins Rouge Ã‰clat Make-Up Collection Face Palette Knows What It’s All About: Soft, Almost Bare Spring Cheeks

January 30th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

Getting cheeky with the new Clarins Rouge Ã‰clat Spring Make-Up Collection Face Palette ($35)…

Eyewitnesses report seeing double rainbows all the way across the sky at the Clarins counter this spring, as a new line of “so intense” lipsticks in bright, fun shades arrived, much to the delight of color lovers (and guys/gals who like rainbows).

If you haven’t tried the new Rouge Ã‰clat lipsticks yet, hint-hint, swing by your nearest Clarins counter when you can, and try Tropical Pink, because in a word (a fake word), ah-MAY-zer-ing!

It and the other opaque, smooth, moisturizing colors in the line do for lips what puppies, kittens and rainbows do for my heart (good things).

And perhaps to offset some of that lipstick intensity, Clarins couples the look this spring with soft, almost bare cheeks, courtesy of the new limited edition $35 Rouge Ã‰clat Face & Blush Palette.

Isn’t it cute? At first I thought the design on the pan was a hibiscus, but now I think it’s an iris flower, which would make sense, as irises feature either prominently or thematically throughout the spring collection (have you seen the Iris Blossom Eye Quarted Mineral Palette?).

Um…doesn’t the Face & Blush Palette look a lot like a bronzer?

Ooh, gurl! — you know how I am about bronzer! 🙂

FAKE ANNOUNCEMENT: Meet other like-minded bronzer lovers (feline and human), discuss the pans you’ve hit, and snack on chocolate-chip cookies and lemonade (gravy available) at the MBB Bronzers Anonymous Club. Meetings every Wednesday night at the Tabs the Cat Community Center, 6-10 p.m. Cats and human walk-ins welcome.

You can wear the Face & Blush Palette as a blush, bronzer, highlighter or as an all-over face powder, depending on your skin tone and the effect you’re looking for. Clarins gave it a matte finish and designed the semi-sheer, pinkish tan powder for skin tones from light to dark.

For the most part, I wear it as a blush, buffing one or two layers on my cheeks. I particularly love the way it looks on bare skin, but I’ll also wear it atop a small amount of BB cream or tinted moisturizer, where it creates a great, girl-next-door vibe that I like for minimal makeup looks.

I do feel like my cheeks look brighter and more refreshed with it on, but that’s not even my favorite thing about it.

I love the subtle effect, and how the look is soft, but doesn’t fade into the background. This is a face powder that shakes its fist at the sky and says, “Universe, I might not be the brightest or boldest thing in the solar system, but I’m here, dammit, and I’m effing fabulous!”

Try it as a bronzer (doesn’t appear to have heavy orange tones) or blush if you’re a very fair feline, a blush or face powder if you have medium skin tone, and if you’re a darker damsel, see if you can swatch it first, as I suspect it could go a little ashy on darker skin…

If it does, no sweat. Wear it as a soft, non-shimmery highlighter, ala the MAC Beauty Powders, but with the sheen turned way, way down.

Oh, and the formula melts like butter on hot mashed potatoes…

(Guess who didn’t have enough for lunch.)

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Pink, and a Bit of Everything: Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Combines Skin Care With a Sheer Pink Tint

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

BB creams. Or is it cremes?

What are they, whom are they good for, and why is Dior getting in on the act?

BB creams are like the new vibrating mascaras. Remember how everyone was talking about those a few years back (myself included)? “I’ve got a vibrating mascara wand! BAM! Check it out.”

And now, it’s BB creams. They sure are having a moment, and it seems like everyone and their mother and their cat is coming out with a BB cream.

So what are they?

Great question. Take the sheerest tinted moisturizer to ever walk the earth, combine it with a sunscreen, maybe a primer, add a little something to hide fine lines and shrink pores, squirt it in a tube, and voila! — BB cream.

They combine the benefits of skin care with the beauty of makeup, and Dior’s new Diorskin Nude BB Creme wants to join the party. Available now in four lightweight shades — Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004 — they feel almost like I’m wearing nothing at all.

And get this: all four of them contain pink. All of them. Which surprised me.

Not that there’s anything wrong with pink. In fact, I love pink. It’s just that I think Dior may have left out girls with yellow skin tones this time around. If your skin has yellow undertones, you’re probably well aware of this: pinkish face products can look a little…weird (because all you see is the pink, and it can look like you’re wearing a mask).

With these, as long as I only use a small amount and apply it with my fingers to my cheeks, nose and my forehead between my brows, that isn’t a problem. Applied this way, I think the effect is very cool.

Dior added the pink on purpose, as these are supposed to give skin a rosy, pinkish glow, and I can see it when I wear my favorite shade, Medium #003.

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Swatches — Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme swatches from the left: Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004

Dior also included mauve, hibiscus, SPF 10, and green, red and white tea extracts to create a moisturizing, smoothing formula that melts into my skin.

I think these are great if you don’t want to wear a full face of foundation and powder and the whole makeup shebang. If you just want a streamlined routine — or for weekend makeup looks, you know, when you’re out hiking or going to the movies, and you don’t want to get all dolled up — these will make you look like you tried.

It doesn’t cover as well as foundation or concealer — not by a long shot — but that’s the idea. I can still see my freckles and my post-acne dark spots, but I also see a pretty, pinkish glow.

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Makeup

Dim light

Luminous Light

Radiant Light

What kind of lipgloss applicator do you prefer?