Makeup

Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Lipsticks: High Shine, Medium Coverage, Pure Chanel

September 22nd, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel rouge allure laque review

It’s sure been an exciting couple o’ days in Coco-ville…

As if the new Jade Collection nail polishes weren’t hot enough, Chanel junkies can also drool over the new Rouge Allure Laque Lipsticks ($32).

The eight new liquid lipstick colors offer medium color coverage and high shine, with shades including Santal (a nude), Ming (a nude rose), Phoenix (a candy pink), Mandarin (a coral), Dynastie (a rosy pink), Coromandel (a red), Dragon (a true red) and Imperial (a deep rose).

What do you think about Dynastie and Imperial? Good colors for fall?

chanel rouge allure laque swatches
Swatches from left to right: Dynastie, Imperial

I haven’t felt my prettiest lately due to the packing I’ve been doing, but these two cuties have certainly helped.

chanel rouge allure laque swatches 74
Chanel Allure Laque in Dynastie

chanel rouge allure laque review swaches 73
Chanel Allure Laque in Imperial

Both shades are taste-free but have a light rose scent. Texture wise, they feel smooth, thin and non-sticky on my lips — reminiscent of Dior’s Creme de Gloss.

I haven’t had enough time with them to offer a full review yet (I’m unsure about wear time and hydration), but I’ll followup with more details soon.

All this Chanel-ness invigorates me! It’s like the makeup equivalent of push-ups. 🙂

My sisters in the Church of the Double C’s, can I get an AMEN?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Oh, Philosophy — Your Duos Make Me Blush!

September 18th, 2009 by Karen 42 Comments

philosophy you make me blush review sunny bright 2

Smokey eyes? Check. Vampy lips? Check. Along with the return of boots, sweaters and new episodes of some of my favorite TV shows (counting down the days ’til The Mentalist premiere, holla!), fall also heralds the return of bold makeup colors for lips and eyes.

i-heart-the-mentalist

I’ll gladly climb aboard the drama-for-yo’-mama makeup train, but it’s not hard to overdose on bold color statements that take a look from chic to cheap.

So when I’m wearing a smokey eye or a dark lip, I’ll tend to go with sheer colors on my cheeks (for balance), colors like Philosophy’s new You Make Me Blush Duos ($25) powder blushes.

There are four available — Hugs/Kisses, Happy/Healthy, Honest/True and Happy/Healthy. I have the Happy/Healthy duo, which comes with two matte blushes, one a warm orangey brown and the other a blue-based pink.

philosophy you make me blush review sunny bright

I know, I know! 🙂 The colors look *crazy* bright in the pan, but both apply surprisingly sheer on my skin. Worn separately or together they add just a whisper of sun-kissed color.
[Continue reading…]

7 Reasons to Love NARS

September 18th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

NARS Modern Love Palette Rocks the Cradle of Eyeshadow Love
With a mix of shimmery neutrals; sexy, sparkling plum and a sprinkling of basic brown and black all together in the same place, this well-coordinated eye palette still packs some serious potential.

NARS Multiple Duo in Orgasm/South Beach: With a Name Like That, It Has To Be Good!
This Multiple Duo is one of five and comes with shimmery, peachy pink Orgasm and South Beach, its shimmery coral partner in crime. At $45, it’s a little on the expensive side, but considering how lovely the colors are, and that both shades purchased individually would set you back $74, it’s not a bad deal at all.

NARS Shrinagar Lipstick: Berry Sexy!
Shrinagar was the only lipstick color in Nars’ last spring release, but never mind when it arrived. It looks great any time of year! It’s a sheer wash of deep, glossy raspberry with microscopic flecks of silver — complex, even flashing purple at certain angles. Picture hot librarians in nerdy chic glasses! 🙂

NARS Says Aloha with the Hula Hula Eyeshadow Duo
This shimmery eyeshadow duo feels like poetry on my eyes… One of two eyeshadow duos from the NARS spring 2009 collection, Hula Hula comes with two cool-toned eyeshadows, the first in shimmery strawberry pink and the other in gold. For all my glitter girls, both colors in the duo have bangin’ flakes of glitter — HUGE chunks like the glitter in NARS’ Super Orgasm Blush, BAM!

NARS Mounia Blush: More Wearable Than It Looks
The first time I swatched this shimmery reddish brown coral with golden pearl, I was convinced it would cause crazy clown cheeks! It looked almost like bright orange paint in the pan and on the back of my hand. To my surprise, the shade doesn’t look anywhere near as bright on my cheeks. It delivers a bright yet natural, just-pinched flush — not at all what I expected!

Live Nude Gloss! NARS Supervixen Lipgloss
Movie moment! If I were starring in a blockbuster, this is how I’d want my lips to look in my closeups, with hair perfectly tousled, of course, and C. Bale feeding me croissants and coffee in bed (assuming he wasn’t being mean to his mum, oh, gawd).

NARS Mediteranee Face of the Day: Orange, Anyone?
Here’s a bright look I really like (despite my confused, far-off stare in the picture at the bottom) using the orange and gold shades from the NARS Mediteranee eyeshadow duo and products from MAC Cosmetics, Shu Uemura, Laura Mercier and Chanel.

TGIF, ladies! Looks like we made it through another workweek. I hope yours wasn’t bad, but if it was, I hope it gets better. 🙂

This morning I reminisced about some of my favorite NARS products of the past few months. Actually, since NARS is so good about maintaining the availability of their older products, one or two of these are from last year, but all are still available through their website.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Streamline Your Makeup Bag with NARS Powder Foundation

September 17th, 2009 by Karen 25 Comments

nars powder foundation review

The holidays coming! The holidays are coming!

I can hardly believe it’s mid-September already, and that means the holiday travel season isn’t far away.

One of my biggest travel challenges is packing light. I think I’m naturally predisposed to overpack, as if I biologically need 10 different shades of pink lipgloss; maybe it’s a primitive urge to gather?

But after a traumatic airport incident a few years back (a TSA agent almost confiscated a baggie filled with Chanel and MAC, NOOOO!), I’ve gotten better at streamlining what goes into my makeup bag.

Nowadays, I’m all about bringing products that multitask. When space is limited, the more steps and products I can eliminate, the better.

NARS Powder Foundation ($45), my latest foundation love, totally fits the multitasking bill.

Portable and flexible, with a natural finish

Forget hauling a separate liquid foundation, tinted moisturizer and powder. Housed in a sleek, portable case, this flexible pressed powder foundation does it all, evening out tone and wicking away shine from morning ’till night. It does it, too, without looking too thick or too much like a mask. Added bonus: It contains SPF 12.

I apply it in layers until I reach a level of opacity I’m happy with. If I know I’ll just be chillin’ with the fam, I’ll go with one to two layers applied with a kabuki brush, one like the MAC 182 Buffer ($45). It delivers natural, light-to-medium coverage. For a more opaque look, I’ll smooth it on with the included sponge.

mac cosmetics ny fashion week spring 2010 vena cava lip 5
Wearing two layers of NARS Powder Foundation applied with a Kabuki brush

Whatever the coverage, NARS Foundation Powder always feels lightweight on my skin. It’s so comfy that I sometimes forget I’m wearing it at all!

Tips on choosing a foundation color

With 18 shades to choose from, there should be something for almost everyone. I use Sahara, which the NARS website lists for “medium red-based complexions.”

When choosing a foundation color, I usually enlist the help of a sales associate or makeup artist — someone to serve as a second opinion. If you’re on your own, though, here are two tips to try:
[Continue reading…]

Cheap Thrills with C Me Shine Lip Gloss from Yes To Carrots

September 16th, 2009 by Karen 41 Comments

yes to carrots c me shine lip gloss review

CHEAP THRILL ALERT!

Hey, now, dirty birdies. Get that mind out of the gutter. I’m not talking ’bout that kind of nasty…

Or this kind for that matter…

spencer-pratty-says-haaaay-girl-1-2

I’m talking about the affordably awesome Yes to Carrots C Me Shine Lip Glosses ($6.50 each and available in six shades).

If it weren’t for their faint mint flavor and fragrance (which dissipates quickly), they’d almost be knockoffs of the MAC Lipgelles, which cost twice as much ($14). They have a similar smooth and shiny, non-stick texture and also broadcast seriously intense color.

And with six shades to choose from — Playful Nude, Rose Bliss, Flirty Pink, Carrot Kiss, Red Hot and Cocoa Loco — there’s a decent degree of variety within the line.

I’ve tried three of the colors:

yes to carrots c me shine lip gloss review red hot
Red Hot

yes to carrots c me shine lip gloss review cocoa loco
Cocoa Loco
[Continue reading…]

Lip Look: NARS Lip Gloss-Lip Stain Gloss Duo in Stolen Kisses and Pampa

September 16th, 2009 by Karen 36 Comments

nars cosmetics pampa stolen kisses

Poor El Hub… Homeboy just doesn’t get the relationship women have with their shoes.

Of particular difficulty for him: why I have so many pairs in black.

Over the years we’ve been together I’ve spent hours explaining the differences to him between finishes, heel types and shades (greenish black is so totally NOT brownish black), but it just doesn’t compute. He simply doesn’t get it. Having spent his formative fashion years at Miller’s Outpost and Mervyn’s, all he sees is a big ole’ pile of the same black shoes.

His grasp of makeup is a little better than his fashion sense, though, so when I sat down to explain nude lippies to him I think some of it got through.

“They’re like the black shoes of the lipstick world,” I said. “At first glance they look the same, but when you look more closely you see just how different they really are.”

I think he even gets my current may-jah NARS obsesh, NARS Lip Gloss-Lip Stain Gloss Duo in Stolen Kisses and Pampa ($28).

nars pampa lip stain gloss duo review
Lip Stain Gloss in Pampa beneath Lip Gloss in Stolen Kisses

It’s my double-sided secret weapon for brownish pink nude lips! On one side — Stolen Kisses Lip Gloss, a creamy brownish pink with a hint of silver shimmer. On the other — Pampa Lip Stain Gloss, a moisturizing, long-wear lip stain in a shimmery golden brown. Both colors look great paired together or used apart.

nars pampa review
Lip Gloss Stain in Pampa

This is one of the lip duos I turn to when I want warm smokey eyes. Stolen Kisses and Pampa play well together with shimmery black and gold looks (Stila Golden Girl) or shimmery brown/bronze ones.

nars pampa swatch
Lip Gloss Stain in Pampa

nars stolen kisses review
Lip Gloss in Stolen Kisses

nars pampa stolen kisses swatches
Swatches from left to right: Pampa, Stolen Kisses

A fool-proof way to inject some color into my life without drawing too much attention to my lips. 🙂 I’m crushing hard!
[Continue reading…]

Smile, You’re Glowing with Philosophy Lit From Within Cream Blush

September 15th, 2009 by Karen 93 Comments

philosophy supernatural lit from within review 0

Yes, my Fangtasia Barrinos, even though I lurves me a super bright blush (hello, NARS Mounia), there are times when I ~~need~~ prefer a more natural cheek look.

philosophy supernatural lit from within review 1

That’s why I’m fawning over Philosophy Lit From Within cream blush in Bare Your Soul ($23).

With just the faintest touch of shimmer, it’s like a smile on my cheeks. 🙂

Not only does it apply and blend like a dream (I use my fingers), it stays put for hours, too, on either bare skin or atop foundation.

philosophy supernatural lit from within review 2

And the color? Perfect! Like pinched cheeks, and probably one of the most natural-looking blush colors I’ve seen in a really long time.

Bare Your Soul joins two other creatively named shades in the Lit From Within line of cream blushes — Feel Warm All Over (a shimmery coral) and Look on the Bright Side (a sheer pink).

They’re part of Philosophy’s new Supernatural line of natural makeup in sheer colors for face, cheeks, eyes and lips. All are free of parabens, phthalates (plasticizers used in everything from children’s toys to eyeshadows and nail polish), mineral oil, talc, sulfates, propylene glycol and fragrance.

I’ll use it for low-maintenance looks or whenever I don’t want my cheeks to compete with any bright pops o’ color on my lips or eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Home sweet home

condo-entry-way
[Continue reading…]

Bold Pops of Color at New York Fashion Week: Would You Wear These Looks?

September 14th, 2009 by Karen 36 Comments

twinkle-final-looks
Orange lips at Twinkle by Wenlas

I love the artistry that goes into creating vibrant makeup looks, but the only place I feel truly comfortable rocking CRAAZAAAAY colored eyes and lips is in my living room.

That said, some of the eye-catching runway looks at New York Fashion Week this time around are making me feel adventurous.

Bold is in this season — the single, shocking pops of color decorating an almost-nude face.

It started off a few days ago at Vena Cava with some bad ass matte purple pouts.

Vena-Cava-Final-Looks

And then bold makeup showed up again at L.A.M.B., where their models repeatedly rocked brightly-lined electric blue and neon orange eyes.

L.A.M.B-final-looks

At Twinkle by Wenlas, the orange lips (done by MAC I believe) caught everyone’s attention… It’s kinda Mad Men retro, don’t you think?

twinkle-final-makeup-looks

I’m so totally digging the makeup at Fashion Week this time around — the bold pops of purple, blue and orange. I hope we see it as a trend at the consumer cosmetics level over the next few months.

I know the look’s not for everyone, though, especially the way it’s taken to extremes at Fashion Week.

What do you think about these looks?

Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup

Portable and flexible, with a natural finish

Tips on choosing a foundation color

Home sweet home

Would you wear any of these bold looks?