Makeup

This Bronze Goddess Is a Star: The Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush

March 2nd, 2011 by Karen 51 Comments

HOTNESS! Can we please pass “Go” and skip directly to summer?

Please??

I can’t make it much longer… It’s imperative that I be poolside soon, and warm, wearing Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush ($34) on my cheeks.

Sea Star is a golden peachy pink blush, both pigmented and shimmery, from the new limited edition Bronze Goddess Soleil Summer 2011 collection, and I’m guessing it’ll look great on a wide range of skin tones. To use it, I mix the colors that comprise the pink sea star with the sandy peach background in the pan; to me, the combined shade looks like a slightly less shimmery version of the lovely NARS Orgasm.

If you’re lighter than I am and looking for a way to wear Sea Star, try using it as a gentle wash of color applied with a fan brush. I bet that would look great. 🙂

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Get Naked for Less with the NYX Nude on Nude Palette

March 1st, 2011 by Karen 68 Comments

nyx nude on nude palette

Remember a few years ago when it seemed like every other day a different celebrity would get caught accidentally flashing her goodies on camera? It usually happened while they were stepping out of a limo, falling from a barstool or slipping off of a couch in the club.

Now, I seriously doubt that L. Lo, Brit-Brit, or P. Hilt have had anything to do with the nude/neutral/naked eyeshadow palettes that have arrived on makeup counters lately, but it still makes me wonder: is this a case of life imitating art, or just another strange makeup coincidence? 🙂

Either way, I’m not complaining. I’ll gladly take another palette of good old-fashioned wearable nudes and neutrals any day of the week.

Buzz has been building for the latest one in the limelight, the NYX Nude on Nude Eyeshadow and Lip Palette for spring ($25). Some are calling it a dupe for Urban Decay’s more expensive Naked Palette ($48).

This isn’t the first skinny dip for NYX, aka their first naked rodeo (NOTE: I’ve waited my entire life to type the words, “naked rodeo”). NYX released a much smaller version of the Nude on Nude Palette last year with fewer shadows (nine versus 20) and lip colors (two versus 10), and I think that first palette, with its warm, rich bronzes and orangey browns, bore a stronger resemblance to Urban Decay’s Naked than this newer one does. It wasn’t an exact dupe, but it shared a similar vibe.

This year’s Nude On Nude is a naked beast! With 20 shadows (many of which lean cool) and 10 lip colors to choose from, it contains a much wider selection of colors than UD’s Naked at a much lower price.

NYX Nude on Nude: Product Pics

nyx nude on nude palette case

nyx nude on nude palette ingredients

nyx nude on nude palette open
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Bring on the Bronze! Guerlain Terracotta 2011

March 1st, 2011 by Karen 35 Comments

guerlain terracotta 2011

It all began on a Tuesday in 2007…

Well, I’m not sure about the day, but I know it was 2007. 🙂 A makeup artist buddy of mine had just introduced me to the magic that is NARS Laguna.

That day, I learned that no matter what your skin tone is, a bit o’ bronzer can make all the difference in the world. It gives skin the kind of sun-kissed glow that would otherwise require 10 days of lounging at the beach or pool (preferably beside a stack of gossip magazines…with a fruity drink).

I reach for bronzing products all year round (both drugstore and department store brands), but I’ve never tried one from Guerlain, the luxury line that declares itself “The Bronzing Authority.” On March 15 they launch a new line of summer bronzing products, and (WOW!) they certainly look luxe.

The Guerlain Terracotta Collection for 2011

The 12-piece Guerlain Terracotta collection comes with powder bronzers, a foundation, a temporary spray-on bronzing mist for legs (to wash off at the end of the day) and a skin serum designed to help extend the life of your tan.
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Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipgloss Gets It Almost Right

March 1st, 2011 by Karen 59 Comments

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipgloss in Pink Protect

Sweet holy hydration, Batman! According to the folks at Rimmel, their new Moisture Renew Lipglosses ($6 each; available in 14 shades) reduce dryness up to 95%. That’s a lotta hydration, and lawd knows my lips need it, but seriously, how do they come up with these numbers? Why not say 97%? And doesn’t “up to 95%” also include zero? But I digress…

Getting down to brass tacks, I do think Renew, which I’ve tried in Pink Protect, feels fantastic on my lips. Its light and smooth non-sticky texture certainly doesn’t dry out my lips, and that’s a definite plus.

Pink Protect

The new line launched earlier this spring on the heels of last year’s fantastic Moisture Renew Lipsticks. Like those lippies, these catch and reflect sunlight like my favorite pair of aviator sunglasses, and with the addition of SPF 15, they’re not a bad deal for $6 each (although I do think they have quite a bit of competition at that price point).
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Is the Tarte NeutralEYES Eye Shadow Palette Universally Flattering? Well, the Universe Is a BIG Place…

February 28th, 2011 by Karen 53 Comments

tarte neutraleyes

universally flattering |yÃ¼-nÉ™-ËˆvÉ™r-sÉ™l-lÄ“ Ëˆfla-tÉ™-riÅ‹|
adjectival phrase
1 A phrase which has come to mean “looks great on everyone,” but which more properly understood means “looks great on almost everyone” : I’m looking for a shade that’s universally flattering.

The idea of makeup designed to look great on everyone always gets me excited. What a cool idea, right? — products without boundaries or inhibitions; colors able to get along with everyone.

It reminds me of the time I walked in on a party to find a bunch of people in a huge drum circle. At first I thought, “Uh, oh. Not my scene,” but then I grabbed some bongos and started banging away. Before long I felt right at home. 🙂

Tarte must have had a world like that in mind (maybe?) when they developed the new Tarte NeutralEyes Eye Shadow Palette ($44). Like all of their products, it’s cruelty-free, which scores may-jah points in Tabs’ book. New for spring, the palette comes chock full of good stuff like…

10 shadows (eight mattes and two shimmers) with light-to-medium pigmentation in a cute, refillable case
A full-size EmphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner in Brown
A dual-ended eyeshadow brush
A tiny bottle of Lifted Eye Primer
Printed instructions for both a “Day Look” and “Night Look”

Tarte selected neutral colors they felt would work well on a wide range of skin tones, and I particularly like the darker shades — the matte deep teal, shimmering bronze, matte brown, matte plum and matte navy. I can can see them looking fab on pale and dark beauties alike.

The shadows apply smoothly, exhibit minimal fallout, blend like a dream and contain a healthy serving of pigment. They’re intense, but not so intense that I look overly made up with them on. The look has punch, but it’s still safe and work-friendly.

Now, I had a little trouble with the lighter shades… The matte beige, pink and taupe — the three shadow colors that come with special “Day Look” instructions — looked chalky on my tan skin, and at one point while using them I hit something I call the blending “point of no return.” That’s where the colors just start to run into each other and turn into a monochromatic mess. After my third attempt with them, I figured the beauty gods were trying to tell me something, so I scrapped the idea and tried a different look with the Shimmering Soft Peach and Matte Deep Teal colors instead…

Yup, if your skin tone is similar to mine (or darker), you may find the lighter colors in the palette a bit challenging to use.

tarte neutraleyes with phone

tarte neutraleyes closed

tarte neturaleyes
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These $7 Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms Are The Bee’s Knees

February 25th, 2011 by Karen 64 Comments

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom on lips

Burt sure keeps his bees busy! Their latest creation, a concoction of 100% natural ingredients, gives a soothing sheer tint to lips.

Available in six sheer shades ranging from pink to red to neutral, these Tinted Lip Balms ($7 each) moisturize and nourish lips with soft flower waxes, shea butter and added vitamin E.

What the Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms DON’T contain: phthalates, parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate

The ones I’ve been wearing lately are peachy Tiger Lily and Pink Blossom. Both feel smooth, light and non-sticky on my lips, and I dig their light, sweet raspberry flavor and scent.

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balms packaging

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balms tiger lily pink blossom
Pink Blossom (left) and Tiger Lily (right)
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It’s Time to Shine a Light on the New NARS Illuminators

February 23rd, 2011 by Karen 43 Comments

It’s time to shine a light on an illuminating development, ladies. 🙂 Last week NARS released three new shades in their Illuminator line. You may have seen the names Super Orgasm, Laguna and Copacabana ($29 each) before because all three are very familiar faces on NARS counters (have I ever mentioned how I can’t live if living is without Laguna Bronzer?). Now they’re just adding illumination to their repertoire.

I’ll share a detailed review soon, but for now here are some pictures and swatches. Let me know what ya think.

nars illuminator super orgasm laguna copacabana
NARS Illuminators from the left: Laguna, Super Orgasm and Copacabana
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The Bobbi Brown + Tibi Peony & Python Collection Puts the Squeeze on Purple and Pink

February 23rd, 2011 by Karen 34 Comments

Bobbi Brown Peony & Python Lilac Rich Lip Color SPF 12

One day last year during a trip to the Philippines my parents trekked deep into the heart of the jungle on a tour to see a massive python (their idea of a good time), but when they finally located the legendary beast, it turned out to be so desensitized to tourists that it practically posed for the cameras.

When they returned home to California and showed me the pictures, I still couldn’t bear to look at them without shivering. You see, I’m one of those girls averse to creepy crawly things…even tame ones that work in the tourism industry. 🙂

Needless to say, I was on the proverbial python fence about the theme of Bobbi Brown’s newest makeup collection, Peony & Python. A collaboration with clothing line Tibi, the spring collection slithers onto counters next month (but it’s already available online).

Snakes and flowers? — the pairing seemed a little out there to me, so I did some digging. Turns out that New York-based Tibi often incorporates contrasting elements into their clothing designs — masculine and feminine, bold and muted, youthful and sophisticated/mature.

After spending some time with Peony & Python, I think I see what Bobbi and Tibi were shooting for because the products are both sweet and sinister, ranging from sheer to opaque in pigmentation, with delicate colors dancing alongside harder-edged shades.

The seven-piece limited edition collection’s color palette blooms with purple, gray, plum, pink, taupe and mauve. It includes a printed makeup case (see the snake skin pattern?), an eyeshadow palette, a lip gloss, two mascaras, one lipstick and a kit for face, eyes and cheeks (exclusive to Neiman Marcus).
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