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Makeup

BECCA Dragonfruit Beach Tint Feeds Dragons, Tints Lips and Cheeks

January 17th, 2013 by Karen 50 Comments

Becca Dragonfruit Beach Tint
Wearing Becca Dragonfruit Beach Tint ($25)

It’s what I feed my dragon, and he lurves it. 🙂

Dragonfruit. I don’t even know what that is. It sounds vaguely Asian and familiar, like something my friend Cindy’s grandmother tried to feed us back in the day.

I do know what a BECCA Beach Tint is, though, because I’ve been wearing them for years. Dragonfruit ($25) is a relatively new one from BECCA. Came out in the fall, and it’s made its way into their permanent line.

A multi-purpose poppy pink lip and cheek product (say that five times fast!), part blush, part lip stain, pure convenience, and it’s water-resistant, too.

Becca Dragonfruit Beach Tint swatch
Dragonfruit unblended on the left and blended on the right

The only downside I can see: you might not want to wear any other blush.

I love this color! It’s brightening, goes great with warm and cool eye makeup shades, and it doesn’t even require a brush to apply. Lazy girl love , to infinity and beyond!!

Becca Dragonfruit Beach Tint
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There are 50 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Becca, Face, Makeup, Product Reviews

The Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection Takes Eyes From Bedroom to Boardroom

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 60 Comments

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eyeshadow Collection
Wearing the new $36 Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection for spring 2013

Double entendre much? Too Faced obviously had something in mind with this palette. What do you suppose that was, hmm…

Something naughty! Um, naughty like, it’s the holidays, right after Thanksgiving dinner, and the supposedly family-friendly movie you rented to watch on TV with your in-laws has a steamy scene in it, and you want to cover your eyes and run out of the room screaming, or just disappear into the couch cushions and perhaps never return…

That kind of naughty. 🙂

The names are naughty! Fuzzy handcuffs, hello? Sugar Walls? Um, you have to be a child of the ’80s to truly understand the naughtiness of that one, LOL!

Too Faced calls it the Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection. That’s where they were going, and that’s where they got. Sultry eyes, smokey eyes, lots of smudgy, “come hither” eyes. Those are the looks you’ll be rocking with these shadows.

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eyeshadow Collection

The larger pans on the left are the designated lid shades. Like most Too Faced palettes, this one comes with a little booklet with ideas for ways to work it.

Too Faced divided the colors into three rows. The top one for Day looks, the middle for Classic looks (like from the office to an after-work party), and the last row for Fashion looks, otherwise known as your more adventurous side (note: the darkest color in the palette lives here).

I actually mix and match the colors together because I’m crazy like that. 🙂 Rules are meant to be broken, right? (Although I’ve never cut off the tags from a mattress.)

too faced boudoir eyes swatches
Swatches from the left: In The Buff, Fuzzy Handcuffs, Voulez-Vous, Satin Sheets, Sugar Walls, Garter Belt, Birthday Suit, Lap Dance and French Tickler

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There are 60 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews, Too Faced

Guerlain’s New Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara Gets Lashes One Step Closer to Zac Efron

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 30 Comments

Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara
Wearing the new $30 Guerlain Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara…

How would I characterize my current mascara philosophy? Three words: Zac Efron’s lashes.

Allow me to explain… 🙂

Last weekend I watched a (SUPER cheesy) movie starring Zac that I thoroughly enjoyed called The Lucky One.

In it, Zac plays a marine who falls in love with a woman whose picture he finds one fateful day on the battlefield.

There it is, on the ground among the rubble.

He has no idea who she is or where she’s from, but he promises himself that day to find her if he survives.

Zac's lurvely lashesAnywho, I spent the entire movie dazzled by this boy’s long and luscious, curly lashes.

They are, simply put, perfection, and really, really glossy!

Homeboy hit the genetic jackpot in the lash department, and it’s so not fair.

Like, if Zac’s sad face was in a tight closeup shot on the screen, and a tear was slowly rolling down his left cheek, I wouldn’t even notice the tear because I’d be too busy staring at his long, wet, glossy lashes.

So to make a short story long…those are the kind of lashes I’m obsessed with at the moment, and I’ve been on a mission this week to find a mascara able to give me that Zac Efron lash look.

As luck would have it, I think I may have found it (or, I’m getting close to finding it) in Guerlain’s new Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara.

It’s $30, new for spring and currently available on counters now (it launched earlier this month), and it’s designed to deliver full lash looks by doing a bit of everything — lengthening, thickening, holding the curl and separating each of your lovely lashes.

It comes in two shades, Violet and Black — whoops! I meant, Violet and Noir.

Noir…

That reminds me of high school French. My parents would always say, “Why are you taking French? You’re never going to need it!”

Oh yeah, Mom? Well, look at that! BAM! Now I can translate the French words used by beauty brands. 🙂

Sorry, where was I…?

Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara Brush

Ah, yes! — Guerlain’s new mascara. It’s designed to do a bit of everything, and it’s supposed to do it all quickly, without any clumps.

Perfect, because that’s what I want from a mascara. I haven’t been wanting to deal with any lash drama lately. I just want things to be easy.

So, does Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara deliver?

You know what? I think it does. If nothing else, it gets me a lot closer to Zac’s lashes in a number of ways.

First, it really is easy to use, which I love. I find that I don’t have to follow it up with a lash comb, thanks to the smooth, non-clumping formula.

And I don’t have to pull off any trickery with the brush, either. The bristles just naturally deposit the right amount of product.

Occasionally, it will overload, which leaves me with some slight smudging along my lower lash line, but that’s pretty rare.

It lengthens like a champ, keeps the curl curly and separates well, too (especially at the roots).

Oh, and get this! When you pull out the wand, it smells like roses. 🙂

Nice touch.

Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara before and after
Before (left) and after one coat (after)

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There are 30 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Guerlain, Makeup, Product Reviews

The NARS Mad Mad World Eyeshadow Duo Dials Up the Blue and Green Pigment

January 16th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

NARS Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow
Wearing the new $34 NARS Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow from the spring 2013 collection

Sure, brown and beige eyeshadows are always there when you need ’em. They’re dependable, like Ford trucks. But sometimes, ya know, I just wanna play with color. 🙂

And if my experiments with color don’t work out, so what? It’s only makeup, right? I can always wash it off (unlike that tattoo of Tabs’ face on my arm…kidding).

Following that train of thought, there’s the new NARS Mad Mad World Eyeshadow Duo ($34).

It’s that eye-catching blue and green beauty from the new spring 2013 collection…

Pigment much?

With that much color at your disposal, you could go all out by loading one (or both) of the shades on your lids for an intense look, or do something much subtler, like a faint blue whisper similar to what NARS did with model Stella Tennant for the spring 2013 campaign.

NARS Spring 2013 and model Stella Tennant

Check out her lower lash line. See that blue smudged softly into the black liner? That’s how I’ve been wearing Mad Mad World (minus the pink on my lids…which is a little much for me, but if you can pull if off, more power to ya!).

I think it’s an easy, rock ‘n’ roll-ish spring twist on a basic black liner look.

nars mad mad world
Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

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There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

Princely Persia Eyeshadow Takes Lids for a Walk on the Orange Side: NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow
NARS Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

Oh, NARS Persia…why do you make me think of goofy Jake Gyllenhaal running around the desert half-naked with greasy hair? Or remind me of the kitty who hawks boxes of grilled Fancy Feast?

(Ever notice how Persian cats get most of the best gigs for wet food ads?)

Tabs and his box of Fancy Feast

Now, I know why you remind me of MAC Brown Script, a matte, super soft and pigmented reddish, orangey brown.

Brown Script is one of my favorite eyeshadow colors, evah! I love wearing it in the crease, and Persia, a single from the new NARS spring 2013 collection, is like an orangey version.

Hella intense, like several of its siblings from the launch, Persia first struck me as a crease contouring color best for warm-toned gals (and guys), and yes, I think it’s awesome in that capacity, but it also exhibits brightening powers!

Wait — what?

Yup, like the new Bouthan Duo, even though Persia isn’t what I’d normally think of when I think of “eye-opening colors.”

When I apply it on my lids, draw a small amount up into the crease, and finish with a couple coats of mascara (followed by, perhaps, black eyeliner, if I’m feelin’ it), wow. Not bad. 🙂

I think I do look wider awake…

nars persia
Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

Turning Eyeshadow Lovers Into Pink Ladies, One Brush Stroke at a Time: The New NARS Bouthan Eyeshadow Duo

January 15th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow
Wearing the new NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34), from the new spring 2013 collection

On a scale of pink eyeshadow zombie-ness, with one being 100% human and 10 being 100% zombie, the NARS Bouthan Eyeshadow Duo gets a solid ONE. Human all the way!

First, it’s pink eyeshadow, and pink isn’t always the easiest color for me to wear on my eyes, especially bright pinks.

I always approach pink eyeshadows cautiously, because some of them can look a little sketchy (i.e., like I’ve been crying, or have been turned into zombie…a crying zombie).

Sometimes, though, when I find the right pink, everything just clicks.

And here’s a duo that falls into that category. 🙂

Maybe it’s because neither of these shades contains a lot of red, and reddish pinks, at least on my lids, enhance the zombie effect. The shadows in Bouthan are further from red and closer to purple on the color wheel.

Oh, and both of them sparkle! The darker purplish pink shade, especially, which looks very striking loaded with so much dense golden glitter.

nars bouthan
Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars spring 2013 swatches
Swatches from the left: Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow, Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, Persia Single Eyeshadow and Corcovado Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

NARS Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow
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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

The New NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Is Like a Kiss From a Golden Rose

January 14th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
Wearing the new $24 NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil from the spring 2013 collection

Greek isle or metallurgical experiment? How about both? Or neither…?

With NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, it’s as if NARS melted down a rose gold bracelet and poured the molten metal into a mould the shape of a gloss.

Neat! And like the two most recent products I’ve tried from the spring 2013 collection so far — Dressed to Kill Lipstick and Seduction Blush — Cythere is intense, and yet it’s probably the springier, more wearable of the two lip products from the launch.

nars cythere
Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil ($24)
nars spring 2013 swatches
Seduction Blush, Dressed to Kill Lipstick and Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

NARS Blush and the Look of Seduction: Bold, Vivid and Vaguely Reminiscent of an Early ’90s Girl Group

January 14th, 2013 by Karen 45 Comments

NARS Blush in Seduction
NARS Seduction Blush and Tabby-san the karate cat…

Tabby-san, your training is almost complete. You have learned to wax on, wax off, and to refrain from sweeping the leg (so not kosher!).

But by far the most important lesson you have learned under my tutelage is your extensive knowledge of useless fun facts, including the names of long-forgotten R&B girl groups and how they relate to makeup.

I sleep soundly at night knowing that you are now prepared to answer crucial questions like, “Which early ’90s trio shares names with the new NARS spring 2013 blush?”

“Meow!”

Yes, Tabby-san! You are correct. The answer is Seduction…

Released with the new Spring 2013 collection, Seduction is not only one of the most intensely pigmented blushes I’ve ever worn, it’s also the name of the girl group trio behind hits like Heartbeat and It Takes Two.

Does Seduction the band have anything to do with Seduction the blush? Well, no…although both of them do make me want to do The Snake.

The blush, a rich, brick red berry with a satiny finish, officially launches tomorrow.

The color’s also a perfect match for Dressed to Kill lipstick, also from the spring collection…just in case you were already thinking about bringing the later home. Hint-hint. 😉

If you fancy yourself as savvy when it comes to vivid blushes like NARS Mounia and MAC Frankly Scarlet, prepare to be seduced by Seduction.

It’s the kind of color that says, “Hey, look at me. JAZZ HANDS!!” But if you decide to take the plunge, keep your fan brush and a tissue handy…

nars seduction
Seduction Blush ($28)

NARS Seduction Blush Swatch on NC 42 Skin
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There are 45 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

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