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The Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows: A Closer Look

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Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadow Review

How was your Tuesday? Hopefully smooth and sans any serious drama-for-your-mama. 🙂

My day was filled with website wrangling (YEEHAW!). I was trading emails with the blog’s new web hosting company (servint), but that crew really knows their stuff. It shouldn’t be long before the blog’s loading much faster, and I can’t wait!

So, earlier today I sneaked away to rendezvous with my new secret crushes, the Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows ($20). Remember them? You guys met the other day.

I think I REALLY hit it off with 54, the sheer purple (with purple AND hot pink glitter), but Moon Spoon (the sheer grayish taupe with silver glitter) and Space Cowboy (the almost transparent beige with the peachy golden glitter) weren’t too hard on the eyes either.

What I noticed about ’em…

  • Sheer-to-transparent color. We’re talking very light pigmentation — no explosions of intense color. Space Cowboy’s the sheerest one; 54 the least.
  • Fine glitter. Hooray for fine glitter! The glitter is a dainty bling, kinda like bling-lite (read: the opposite of Degrassi Junior High), small and low in the chunk factor, too. I love it!
  • Bad-arse hold. They reached out and grabbed hold of my lids, and I thought they’d never let go! Fantastic wear time here — SO good, in fact, that they were actually a little tough to remove.
  • Fallout? Just a tad. In their PR about these, UD claims you won’t see any glitter fallout with Stardust. Well, any’s a tough word to live up to, but I think UD’s mostly right. I think I saw a few sparkles beneath my eyes and around my cheeks, but no big deal at all. It was nothing compared to most of the glittery shadows I’ve used. Really, I feel like I have a lot of control over Stardust, which is a HUGE plus for me.
  • Smooth… You know how glittery products can feel rough, like, um, glitter? — all gritty and grainy? Stardust not so much. I think it feels quite smooth for what it is. Another plus. 🙂

Stardust application

I tried it both wet and then dry using my fingers, Urban Decay’s application tool o’ choice for the Stardust shadows.

The dry fingers created a sheer wash of color…

Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadow Review 54
54

Urban Decay Stardust Review Moon Spoon
Moon Spoon
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Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Color: An Ode to Mademoiselle

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For more fun with Chanel Rouge Coco ($30 each; avail. Feb. 25)…

Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour

Just a quick heads up for my Chanel fiends and lip lovahs! 🙂 Brace those lurvely lips for Coco’s upcoming Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour line of hydrating lipsticks.

Okay, are your lips sufficiently braced?

These couple pics from the European print ad campaign show it in action on French actress/singer Vanessa Paradis, aka Johnny Depp’s baby mama.

OOH! Don’t the colors look rich?

More deets…

  • Based on a lipstick design dating back to 1952… The team responsible for the new line tried to create lipsticks that Coco would’ve worn herself
  • Each lippie’s named after an influential period in Coco’s life, with names like Camelia (a deep rose), Mademoiselle (a soft pink) and Paris (a bright red)
  • The line will feature 30 different shades across four color families: roses-pink (nine shades), reds-corals (eight shades), violets-berries (four shades) and neturals-brown (nine shades)
  • Rouge Coco will replace the existing Rouge Hydrabase line
  • The formula includes a compound Chanel calls “Hydratendre Complex” to sooth and soften lips

source, source and source

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Peep the Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour line at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s stores, as well as Chanel.com, this March.

I’m counting down the days! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Yet another French beauty tidbit: Kerastase Paris is launching a new line of hair products on January 19 called Age Premium, a four-piece collection of shampoos, conditioners and treatments to address hair probs like thinning, dry scalp and uneven texture. I have some crispy-noodle white hairs (so NOT cute) buried up in my mane that are eager to give the new products a try…

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Look for ’em at salons and Kerastase.com.

Chanel Spring 2010 Les Impressions de Chanel Collection: A Friday Lip Look

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The weekend’s officially ON! 🙂
WOOT!
Tabs and I kicked ours off early. He spent the afternoon at the spa (aka the bathroom sink), while I clocked out early to take pictures of spring’s Les Impressions de Chanel collection.

MUSICAL SIDE NOTE: Hall and Oats, the song One on One — It’s about basketball, right?

I’ll have more swatches up soon, but I wanted to show you the plummy brown lip look I did for Tabs.

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Just fooling around I decided to add a layer of Rouge Double Intensite Ultra Wear Lip Colour in Rose Agate (a plummy brown cream, $34) on top of Glossimer in Maline (a shimmery gold, $27).

I kinda like how it turned out!

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From left to right: Rose Agate, Maline

Speaking of one on one, I bet this would play nicely with Benefit Sugarbomb (a sheer, plummy peach with golden shimmer) or the neutral blushes from MAC Ages, All Races, All Sexes…

Try to stay warm

Is it cold where you are? I am freezin’ my bum off right now, ladies. It’s colder than Häagen-Dazs up in here!
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50% off LORAC Front of the Line Liquid Eyeliner

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Lorac Front of the Line

Hi, gals. 🙂 Happy Friday!

Ahh, do you smell that? It’s the scent of you snagging LORAC’s Front of the Line eyeliner on d e e p discount.

I got an email from the company this morning announcing the sale. These water-resistant, felt-tip liners normally sell for $20 apiece, but you can get ’em now for $10 at Lorac.com (while supplies last).

Front of the Line comes in three shades — Black, Brown and Green. I haven’t used these exact ones before, but I am a big fan of LORAC’s Front of the Line Pro (which I love more than flip-flops, stinky cheeses AND Jersey Shore). I’m hoping the non-pro version, which looks and sounds very similar from the pictures and reviews I’ve found online, wears just as long and goes on just as smoove.

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Guess who just shaved her toes?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Bobbi Brown fans! Mark your calendars. Tuesday, January 12 at 12:30 p.m. EST, Ms. Brown (if ya nasty!) will host a live Twitter Q&A. For two hours, she’ll answer questions and provide personalized advice, FUN! I’ll definitely be there. 🙂

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Smashbox Heartbreaker: Breaking Hearts at a Makeup Counter Near You

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Smashbox Heartbreaker Collection

We’re in a booty-freezing cold snap right now, ladies! If you’re hunkered down in front of your computer screen wearing mittens, five layers of fleece and your puffy “Jenny from the block” jacket, then you’re ready to feel the heat of Smashbox’s new Heartbreaker collection for spring.

It might even be hotter than Paul Walker’s abs. 🙂

dear-paul-walker

The first time I spotted the limited edition, 10-piece collection’s shiny white packaging — check out the lil’ kiss, aww! — I felt my temperature rise!

Smashbox-Heartbreaker-Collection-packaging

All the artists were buzzing about it at Sephora today, about the packaging, bright colors and girly vibe. With its corals, hot pinks, teals, purples and easy-to-wear neutrals (for balance), I think it just feels right.

Smashbox Heartbreaker Collection Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starlight
Heartbreaker Baked Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starlight, $30

Smashbox Heartbreaker Collection Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starlight

Oh, and if you’re a fan of MAC’s discontinued LipGelee in Lu-Be-Lu, then you’re in luck. Smashbox’s Berry Hot Lip Shine sure looks like a dupe to me.

Smashbox Heartbreaker Collection Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starlight Smashbox Heartbreaker Collection Lip Shine Melon Drama Berry Hot
From left to right: Heartbreaker Lip Shines in Melon-Drama and Berry Hot, each$19
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Tarina Tarantino Beauty: New Makeup Line Launching Soon!

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tarino-tarnatino-beauty

Good morning, ladies! How’d you sleep? 🙂

Here’s a little something to tickle your brain a bit this morning… Quirky jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino (remember those chunky beaded Hello Kitty necklaces celebs were rocking a few years back?) is launching a new makeup line called Tarina Tarantino Beauty later this month.

The makeup product shots I’ve found online are teeny tiny (here and here). From this image and video, it looks like the line will have a range of vibrant, sparkly lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, blushes and brushes (three words: HOT PINK HANDLES!) in Tarina’s signature style — a blending of skull-and-crossbones toughness, bright colors and feminine floral arrangements.

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Expect to find the new line at US Sephora stores beginning January 30.

What do you think about a Tarina Tarantino makeup line?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Are you looking forward to any other upcoming makeup lines? What should I have on my radar screen? 🙂

Benefit Sugarbomb: The Zero-Calorie, Super Sheer Blush

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benefit-sugarbomb-review
Holmes, Benefit just blasted your last reason to fear blush. Their newest boxed beauty, Sugarbomb ($28), is so sheer, so subtle, that even the most ‘fraidy cat blush newbie can safely climb aboard.

When swirled together, the four shimmery powders — two shades of peach, a plum and a rose — blend to create a sweetly subtle flush for cheeks.

Before and after

Like the sheerer lovechild of Benefit’s Coralista (a bright, shimmery, cool coral) and Dallas (a warm, matte peachy brown) but with touches of plum and golden shimmer, Sugarbomb scores.

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Chanel Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow Quad: An Unsung Makeup Hero

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chanel-sparkling-satins-unsung-makeup-hero

Sometimes, when I rifle through my makeup, I feel like a deep-sea explorer — like the Jacques Cousteau of cosmetics 🙂 — discovering new species of lipgloss and learning more about the many products that inhabit my personal makeup world, LOL!

I get a big kick out of rediscovering great products that I haven’t worn in months, like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad from Chanel ($56).

You see, I have a chronic case of makeup ADD. It’s almost debilitating, and Chanel’s stunning limited edition quads always make it worse.

When I recently reconnected with the cool-toned Sparkling Satins quad (comes with four powder shadows; I’d picked it up a few months ago at a Chanel master class), part of Chanel’s permanent line, I suddenly realized how lost I’d been without her.

Each of the four shades — a buttery gold, a light blueish gray, a silvery pink and a gunmetal gray with silver glitter — can do for eyes what only a two-week tropical getaway with a shirtless Ryan Reynolds could do. In other words, they do a lot.

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When I’m in the mood for more color than something like the NARS Kalahari can give me (big on the neutral shades), I’ll reach for something like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad.

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How to fake REM sleep

Here’s my favorite way to wear Sparkling Satins…
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