Makeup

Benefit Coralista Blush Has Got Me Purring

December 4th, 2008 by Karen 39 Comments

MEOW! I’m a packaging ho, and Benefit Coralista ($28) blush’s jungly, cheetah print box (don’t you just love the font?) sucked me in immediately. It makes me feel like a cat woman on the prowl!

Arriving at Benefit counters in February, this shimmery coral powder has cult beauty fave written all over it.

Coralista’s soft, shimmery coral-pink looks neutral on my cheeks, and that’s weird because most coral blushes usually look warmer on my skin tone. I’m thinking it has something to do with the cooler pink tones, like they mellow out the warmer corals. Both warm and cool beauties ought to be able to work this blush with equal flava. 🙂
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Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Mini Gloss Collection: Good Things Come in Small Packages

December 4th, 2008 by Karen 27 Comments

Do good things come in small packages? I think so! Consider Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss ($15).

The set comes with four 0.3-oz mini-tubes of Burt’s Super Shiny Lip Gloss, each packed with hydrating sweet almond oil and made with 100% all natural ingredients. Even though they apply thin, they keep my lips moisturized and kissably soft. They’re not sticky at all, and I even like the light citrus flavor and scent, so I’m giving this set two (admittedly miniature) thumbs up. 🙂

Nectar Nude: sheer shimmery cool pink
Pucker Berry: sheer shimmery peach
Sweet Pink: sheer shimmery pink berry-brown
Zesty Red: sheer shimmery brick red

I think these are great weekend lip shades, very casual, with lots of shiny, sheer color.

From left to right: Nectar Nude, Pucker Berry, Sweet Pink, Zesty Red

The Mini Collection comes boxed and ready to be stuffed into stockings, maybe as a gift for your homegirl who always moans about perpetually dry lips (everyone has at least one of these friends, yah?). I’m thinking it might also make a good gift for my mum because she doesn’t really wear a lot of makeup but likes natural-looking lipglosses and lipsticks.

More Mini-Madness

In part of my ongoing transformation into a CCL (that’s Crazy Cat Lady, yo), I’ve been looking at random pictures and videos of cats online.

What do you think of these munchkin cats? Their legs are even shorter than mine, LOL!

I found a gazillion videos of them on youtube…

*SO CUTE!*

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel, I Need You! Retail Therapy, Part 6489

December 2nd, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

Hey, ladies. WOW, I’m having a rough day today. Sorry I haven’t posted a review yet, but I’m hoping that some quality time at the mall drooling over the two new limited edition Multi-Use Makeup Palettes ($85) from Chanel will get my creative juices flowing again. Each one comes with four eyeshadows, four lip colors and a blush in some of Chanel’s bestselling shades.

Chanel Multi-Use Makeup Palette in Romantique

Chanel Multi-Use Makeup Palette in Tendresse

I want to see the Romantique palette’s warm shades in person, but I bet I’ll like the cooler Tendresse shades, too.

Of course, both palettes cost an arm and a leg, but that’s Chanel for ya. Sure would be nice if they held a SALE from time to time (hint hint!).

I’ll BRB in a few… Please tell me you’re having a better day than I am!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

JK Jemma Kidd Plumping Gloss: Angelina, Where’s the Blue?

December 1st, 2008 by Karen 11 Comments

Years ago I read that wearing blue lipgloss could make your teeth look whiter, and ever since then I’ve been on the lookout for shades of blue…

…like Angelina, a shimmery blue from the JK Jemma Kidd Plumping Gloss line ($17).

First, the good news: Angelina doesn’t sting! Unlike so many of the other lip plumping formulas I’ve tried, Angelina doesn’t hurt. Some lip plumpers chemically burn the lips, causing them to swell, or “plump,” but that’s not the kind of plumping action I’m looking for, thank you very much.

I also like the lemony taste and fragrance and that the formula doesn’t feel too sticky or thick, despite the inclusion of subtle blue glitter in the mix.

Now, the not-so-good news: this isn’t much of a lip plumper. The formula didn’t make my lips look any fuller than usual (as far as I could tell), and the blue tint is barely noticeable (shoot!). Oh, and the teeth? No difference in whiteness. My fangs looked their normal shade (I drink coffee every day, yo).
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NARS The Multiple Duo and The Multiple Bronzer

December 1st, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments

The Multiple Duo in Portofino/Malibu

When Nars Cosmetics decided they wanted to release some new highlighting and contouring products, where did look for inspiration?

Answer: they looked to one of their most popular products ever, The Multiple, a beauty cult favorite.

I’d been looking forward to trying the new oil-free, cream-to-powder The Multiple Duo ($45) in Portofino/Malibu and The Multiple Bronzer ($37) in Malaysia since they debuted last month, but because I’d never used any of the original The Multiple products, I had no clue how and where to apply ’em!

Thank goodness for Nars National Trainer Janice Daoud. She was nice enough to offer a few of her favorite application tips and tricks

“Whether you’re a minimalist on the go or a makeup diva,” says Janice, “these two products are both beautiful on the skin and easy to use.”

The Multiple Duo ($45)

The Multiple Duo combines two complementary Nars The Multiple Shades in a single compact. The four limited-edition duos include:

Copacabana/St. Barts: Glistening pearl/taupe shimmer
Maldives/Riviera: Pink champagne with shimmer/pink
Portofino/Malibu: Shimmering coral/pinkish brown
Maui/Palm Beach: Dusty rose/rich bronze

The Multiple Duo Application Tips

Use your fingers (you’ll get better results than a brush) to apply and blend The Multiple Duo shades.
Use The Multiple shades to shade and define your cheeks. “To contour,” says Janice, “apply below the cheekbones and blend into the skin.”
For a glowy look, “highlight the complexion along the cheekbones, and lightly down the bridge of the nose for radiance.”
To really highlight the cheekbones and get that gorgeous glow, Janice recommends the Copacabana/St. Barts duo.

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Smashbox Enchantress Beauty Kit: Yes, We Can All Get Along

November 28th, 2008 by Karen 13 Comments

Okay, I’ll fess up — the pewter clutch and silver necklace that come with the Smashbox Enchantress Beauty Kit ($45) were the real reasons why this limited edition set first caught my eye, but, as it turns out, they were just icing on the cake.

Enchantress, one of eight limited edition holiday makeup sets from Smashbox this year, also comes with some highly wearable makeup — Lip Enhancing Gloss in Protege, That’s a Wrap Mascara in Black, Cream Eye Liner Duo in Caviar/Midnight Brown and Soft Lights Quad in Aglow.

Each of the items in the set play well together, and I used them for the makeup I wore to my parents’ house for dinner last night.

Lip Enhancing Gloss in Protege

The nude gloss is my favorite item the set. A shimmery warm pink with golden pearl, Protege looks good with smokey eyes, and the thin formula, which smells faintly of cinnamon, doesn’t feel overly sticky to the touch.

Like most glosses, Protege doesn’t last all day/night (about two hours per application), but by filling in my lips first with Chanel Nude Lip Liner, I managed to squeeze out an extra hour of wear time. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
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43 Things I’m Thankful For: The Makeup Edition

November 27th, 2008 by Karen 26 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving, ladies! Guess who’s back in the foggy Yea Area, aka home.

I hope you’re having a great day so far. Is there a turkey in your immediate future?

I was sitting here at my computer, daydreaming about food, when I remembered that last year I made a list of 43 makeup and beauty related things I was thankful for. It was a play on the website 43things.

I can’t believe that was a year ago… I swear — the older I get, the faster time flies!

For sure, there’s much more to life than makeup, but for now here are 43 more (makeup and beauty) things I’m thankful for, *raises glass*. 🙂

43 Things I’m Thankful For: The Makeup Edition, 2008

1. My favorite makeover of 2008.

2. Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia Perfume.

3. Trying out this crazy pastel eye in the Shu Uemura Rebirth Spring Collection Tutorial got me thinking outside the box.

4-9. My favorite Chanel of the year: Summer 2008 , Smokey Eye Quad, Aurora Blues Spring 2008, Les Tissages Blushes, Aqualumiere lipglosses and Leopard Lipstick.

10. The MAC Fafi collection made me realize that makeup stakeouts = fun.

11. Olay Quench Mousse, aka moisturization for lazy ladies.

12. MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl: a hidden gem.

13. Bobbi Brown’s Beach Shower Gel gave me my ocean fix.

14. I learned so much and had a lot of fun attending MAC and Chanel makeup classes.

15-16. Dior Eyeshadow Quints that really brought the hotness: Golds 569 and Earth Tones from the Impression Cuir collection.

17. The Essie Neon Collection made me fall in love with yellow nails (wait… that sounds bad).

18. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer.

19. So long, Chewbacca legs: Say howdy to the Gilette Venus Embrace.

20. Clinique Long Glass Glosswear SPF 15 protected my pucker from the hot summer sun.

21-24. The mascaras that rocked my year: Chanel Exceptionnel, Shu Uemura Precise Volume, Clarins Wonder Mint (aka the Teal Terror), Diorshow Iconic.

25. Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof in Noir stayed on my waterline through tears of joy at my brother’s graduation.

26. I fed my brush addiction with Sonia Kashuk’s fanstastic Synthetic Flat Top Blusher, Eye Shadow and Face Brushes.

27-32. The MAC releases that made my heart skip: Neo Sci Fi, Cremesheen, Cult of Cherry, Cool Heat, Beauty Powder Blushes, and Originals.

33. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows.

34. Drool-inducing palettes: Mika Shu, Cargo Vienna Palette, Clarins So Sublime, Laura Mercier Toolbox, Stila Front Cover Look No. 4, Beiges de Chanel, Lancome Couture Warms and Sonia Kashuk Blue Lagoon.

35. My easiest smokey eye, EVER.

36. Bag Balm: not just for udders anymore!

37. Poof! makes “dropping off the kids at school” (*ahem*) a more pleasurable experience.

38. Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Mist.

39. Clean & Clear Soft In-Shower Facial kicked my clogged pores to the curb.

40. Sally Hansen Fall Nail Lacquer Colors by Tracy Reese.

41. The bargain hunter in me loved The Cosmetics Company Store.

42. More bargain lovin’ with Aussie Opposites Attract hair products.

And holla! — Last, but not least…

43. Give the girl a hand with Miss Oops Mishap Tape!

What beauty products are you thankful for?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Nars Mounia Blush: More Wearable Than It Looks

November 25th, 2008 by Karen 29 Comments

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” says the English proverb. And why shouldn’t we? Answer: because looks can be deceiving, as they are for Nars Mounia powder blush ($25).

When I swatched this shimmery reddish brown coral with golden pearl before I left for Florida, I was convinced it was going to cause crazy clown cheeks. It looked almost like bright paint in the pan and on the back of my hand.

Undeterred, I busted out my Shu Uemura 7.5EX fan brush ($35). Because Mounia was so intense in the pan, I applied slowly, shooting for very thin, sheer layers.

To my surprise, the shade didn’t look anywhere near as bright on my cheeks. It delivers a bright yet natural, just-pinched flush — not at all what I expected.

That’s Mounia on my cheeks and colors from the JK Jemma Kidd Fashion Palette on my eyes and lips.

With bright red cheek colors like Nars Mounia, I like to wear neutral lips and eyes because if I don’t — if I wear too many bright colors at the same time — it looks like there’s a party on my face, LOL!
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