Makeup

The New Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks Answer the Question, “What Are Legends Made Of?”

January 2nd, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Wearing Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Chai

Ugh. Projectile sports. You know, the ones that involve airborne objects like baseballs? I’m just so bad at them. Whenever I see something flying at me at high speed my first instinct is to run away, but if there were a projectile sport involving lipsticks and perhaps cute uniforms, well, that I might play. 🙂

Especially if the lippies were as pigmented as the new Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks ($19 each).

The new line of 20 bold lipsticks in matte and creamy finishes recently launched at Sephora stores, on Smashbox counters and also online, and I’ve been wearing three of the creamy shades for about a week — Chai (a caramel nude), Fig (a red grape) and Vivid Violet (a bold berry).

So far, I am totally impressed; I think they’re great!

How great? — well, how about Oreo cookies dipped in milk? Yeah, that great.

smashbox be legendary lipsticks in fig, chai and vivid violet
From the left: Fig, Chai and Vivid Violet

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Swatches from the left: Chai, Fig and Vivid Violet
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Like Summer for Spring in the Middle of Winter, the EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Topaz Collection Is Ahead of Its Time

January 2nd, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

It’s just a little out of whack, like wearing a turtleneck to the beach in summer or a bikini in a snowstorm. Ever since I started following seasonal beauty launches, my internal beauty clock has been months ahead of the actual present season.

You know that one cousin who always wears fall-ish matte red lips to the Fourth of July family picnic or spring pastels in December? That’s me now. Guilty as charged.

I’ve gotten so used to wearing colors targeted to seasons other than the current one that when a spring collection that looks like a summer launch comes along in the middle of winter, it doesn’t seem that bat sh*t cray-cray at all!

See, technically, EstÃ©e Lauder’s new Pure Color Topaz collection is a spring 2012 release, but the color palette of bronze, teal, taupe, sand and citron seems more like summer in Saint-Tropez to me than Easter Sunday brunch.

I wore the teal eyeliner, gold gloss and bronze blush from the launch last weekend and very felt poolside polished (very “Calgon, take me away…”). Granted, the whole summer siren thing doesn’t really work when you’re just parked in front of the computer in knee-high socks, uncombed hair and sweats, but as soon as I win the lottery and take my first vacation to the South of France, I’ll be able to conduct a more proper field test. 🙂

Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e in Topaz Chameleon, $40

Estee Lauder calls this a “tribrid” compact with a liquid, powder and gel. Basically, it looks and behaves like a shimmery and pigmented rosy bronze powder blush. I think it might be too intense for many offices but would look right at home on a casual, ocean-view dinner date. Super pretty, but with its brief, two-hour wear time, it’ll probably fade by the time you’ve finished that last bite of mango sorbet.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss, $22.50

Yellowish in its tube, Citron Kiss applies more like a sheer gold with micro flecks of silver sparkle. Great if you like your lip looks on the quiet side, or if you’re on the market for a golden gloss to layer.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal, $22

I like this pencil’s smooth texture and intense color. I think it produces really pretty smudgy eyes, but the long tip terrifies me! I keep coming this close to poking out an eye (it comes with a sharpener).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz products from top to bottom: Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e in Topaz Chameleon, Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal and Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss
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The Year in Review: 20 of My Favorite Makeup and Beauty Blog Posts of the Year

December 31st, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments

Some of my favorite posts of 2011

According to my blogging software, I clicked the “Publish” button on exactly 1,770 blog posts in 2011, and at an average of about 300 words each, that’s about half a million words!

I wish I could say that I remember writing most of those posts, but yeah, no way. A few of them do stand out, though, like these 20, which were some of my favorite posts of the year.

Are You a MAC Wonder Woman?

A Tour Through the Urban Decay Offices in Newport Beach

I Love MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass

12 Ways to Wear MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass

The Bobbi Brown 1991 Lip Palette

Saying Hi to The Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Lessons learned from going away to college

NYX Slide-On Eye Liners or Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils?

The Essie French Affair Collection

Benefit Watts Up Face Highlighter

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The EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Topaz Collection for Spring 2012 Will Be Channeling Summer Soon

December 30th, 2011 by Karen 12 Comments

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How do you feel about EstÃ©e Lauder? Their new Pure Color Topaz spring collection is on its way to counters (and online) very, very soon.

Its 10 pieces for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails encompass a color palette of bronze, taupe, sand, citron yellow and teal, and judging by the few items I’ve seen (here are three of them below), it looks pretty summery to me.

Heck, though, I’m not complaining. I could always use a little summer this time of year, and bronze and teal might as well be my middle names (hyphenated, of course). 🙂

Reviews forthwith — as soon as I’ve spent some time playing with the pieces.

The Smashbox Be Discovered Spring 2012 Collection Is Ready for Its Closeup in These Pics and Swatches

December 30th, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

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One, two, three — cheese!

Um…no, not gouda, although I am a big fan of stinky cheeses (especially the blue veiny ones, yum!). I’m referring to the new Smashbox Be Discovered collection, available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com.

Since I’m a shutterbug, I love Camera themes, so I was pretty eager to point my lens at this new eight-piece collection for eyes, lips and cheeks.

Today I talked four of the pieces into sitting still long enough for me to capture them on film. Have a quick look, and let me know what you think (reviews coming soon).

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Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette, $44

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Boots No7 Poppy King Lipgloss Reminds Me of a $10 MAC Cremesheen Glass

December 30th, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments

Let’s see how well I can type this with a 20-pound tabby draped across my right foreamr…

Oops! There’s a typo.

I thought I’d gotten used to touch typing beneath mounds of fur, but today Tabs is also head butting, which I think is his way of saying “you’re awesome,” but it’s getting in the way of my Boots No7 Poppy King Lipgloss ($9.99).

Maybe the headbutts are Tabs’ way of getting in on the Poppy King action. These glosses are good stuff, so I can’t really blame him.

Boots collaborated with Poppy King (the Lipstick Queen) to create these seven shiny, non-sticky glosses, which debuted at Target last month with an accompanying line of lipsticks, and each of the glosses has a lipstick counterpart of the same name.

Now, you know how much I love MAC’s Cremesheen Glasses, right? Well, I like these for many of the same reasons.

The thin, non-stick formula feels slick, smooth and oh-so-comfortable on my lips. I also dig their faintly orange flavor and scent, and that they don’t dehydrate my kisser, which is something many other glosses do.

I’ve been ~~making out with~~ testing six of the seven available colors, which deliver about two hours of wear time each.

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From the left: Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure. Not pictured: History

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Swatches from the left: Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure
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These Boots No7 Poppy King Lipsticks Are All About History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure

December 29th, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

Wearing Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick in Allure on my lips

Wow, okay, December 29? And we’re still kicking? Shoot, we need to reward ourselves for making it through the holidays.

Yes, I’m totally serious! Perhaps some small token for artfully dodging the family drama (which takes tremendous skill), for enduring that undercover sibling rivalry that never quite goes away, or for cooking that monster meal that catered to everyone’s preferences and food allergies (SIDE NOTE: Does anyone else out there still like cilantro?). Whatever the justification, I think we’re all due a small “Woo-hoo, we made it!” kind of prize, and I can’t think of a better one than Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick ($9.99).

The new line of seven limited edition lipsticks launched last month at Target, and there’s a lot to like about it beyond the price.

Boots enlisted the help of Poppy King, of Lipstick Queen fame, to craft the range of creamy nudes, pinks, berries and reds. With their smooth, silky texture (reminds me of the Clinique Almost Lipsticks), and unscented, unflavored formula, these lippies look and feel more expensive than they are.

Each one has a one-word name chosen to reflect the color in its tube — History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure.

All top-tier words, to be sure. 🙂 And I like the idea of reaching for a tube of lipstick that conveys how I want to feel.

History — A sheer neutral red
Power — A rosy brown
Glamour — A yellowish pink
Seduction — A sheer blackberry
Intrigue — A pinkish brown nude
Confidence — A nude beige-brown
Allure — A peachy pink

Swatches from the left: 1) History, 2) Power, 3) Glamour, 4) Seduction, 5) Intrigue, 6) Confidence and 7) Allure

History

Power
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NARS Unsung Heroes: Indian Summer Eyeshadow Duo

December 29th, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

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NARS has a knack for neutral eyeshadows but likes ’em with a twist, like Star Sailor, which accompanied me on my quick holiday trip last weekend. Keeping us company on the open road was another dynamic neutral duo from NARS, the $33 Indian Summer Duo Eyeshadow, which happens to be the subject of today’s Unsung Heroes post.

Like both of the colors in Star Sailor, Indian Summer’s shadows keep a low profile until they get out of their pans; that’s when their powder shadows sing. In the official PR, the shades are described as a frosted champagne and a mustard seed, but I think they’re much more exciting than that.

How about this? — a shimmery golden beige that flashes silvery taupe, and a buttery golden brown satin?

Right? 🙂 Both shadows bring a subtle brightening effect to lids — not too much. Just enough that you can tell there’s something there.

Since these powders lean toward the warm end of the color temperature spectrum, I think they look particularly fetching on tans and olive-toned skin.

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