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Sally Hansen Diamond Lip Treatment Gloss Is on Sale at Rite Aid

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Hey, chicas! I stopped by Rite Aid to grab a snack before dance class. *Somehow* I ended up in the makeup section, LOL. Check out this sweet sale on my favorite drugstore gloss, Sally Hansen Diamond Lip Treatment. Regularly $4.95, it’s currently buy one, get the second one half off.

It’s a highly moisturizing, super shiny gloss and comes in 17 different shades. I keep Antique Bronze (a tan-bronze shimmer) in my stash at home for easy nude lips. Yep, the rhinestone on the case is a bit cheesy, but I pretend that I can see the future if I gaze into it.

How was your day today? I’m glad we’re over the hump!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Simulate Sleep with Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadows

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Yippee! Let’s hear it for sleep deprivation! I stayed up late again reading Breaking Dawn. Now I’m a little bleary eyed and loopy. In my altered state I realized a few things:

  1. Did you know there’s a difference between the words “ya’ll” and “y’all”?
  2. I Must. Have. More. Coffee. When I’m tired my coffee consumption increases, which consequently makes me even more tired when the caffeine wears off. Shoot!
  3. Shimmery pastel eye shadow colors aren’t a substitute for a good night’s sleep, but light shades of purple, green, pink and beige shimmer eye shadows do help to conceal tired eyes. Huzzah!

My eye look of choice for the past few days has been a light purple and beige eye with a touch of green. I’ve been using the three pastel shades in Bobbi Brown’s new Metallic Eye Shadow collection ($20).

A Look for Tired Eyes

Bobbi Brown’s Pastel Metallic Eye Shadows

The three pastel colors from Bobbi’s Metallic Collection make it easy to fake a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed look.

  • Mint – light green shimmer
  • Lavender – light purple shimmer
  • Navajo – beige shimmer

All three colors are highly pigmented with excellent color payoff. They’re also easy to blend and apply, lasting all day long with nary a crease.


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Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow: A Quick Look

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The Benefit brand sorta slipped under my radar for a couple years, but I used to be a big fan.

Back when I worked in downtown SF and every other person worked for a dot com (*rolls eyes*), I remember wearing Benetint and Dr. Feelgood. I’m not sure why I stopped following the line. I guess it fell into the same black hole that swallowed my Hello Kitty lunch box and black jelly bracelets.

I decided to take a new look at Benefit recently and noticed a few things, like their Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner ($19), lil’ pots of cream shadow similar to MAC Paint Pots. Bellasugar wrote about them in a recent post, and so far I dig ’em too.

I went to see all 15 shades in person at a freestanding store, and three of them really stood out:

  • Birthday Suit: light tan shimmer
  • Skinny Jeans: khaki-grey shimmer
  • Strut: grey-black shimmer

Birthday Suit

Skinny Jeans

Strut

A Smokey Eye with Benefit’s Cream Shadows

Try a quick and easy smokey eye using Skinny Jeans on the lid. After applying Skinny Jeans, add Strut to the outer corner of the eye, finishing with a swipe of Birthday Suit on the brow bone.


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Clinique Fall 2008: Game, Set, Matte

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They’re baaaaaack. No, I’m not talking about poltergeists, Carol Anne. I’m referring to a resurgence of matte makeup products. Shine and shimmer have dominated makeup for the last several years, but more and more matte lipsticks, eye shadows and blushes appear each day.

MAC heralded the trend with last fall’s Matte2 collection, but since then a number of lines have re-embraced the look.

Just this month Clinique released the Modern Matte collection with its Colour Surge Eye Shadow Stay Matte ($17.50, available in nine different shades).

If you don’t have much experience with matte eye shadows, the Stay Matte shades may be worth a try because the colors are less intense than those in the MAC Matte2 line. I think that makes them a little easier to use.

Stay Matte’s slightly translucent colors result in sheer, soft looks that are very forgiving — fantastic for makeup newbies still working on their brush and application skills — yet the shades themselves are easily buildable if you’re looking for more intense color. I have two of the darker shades, Chocolate Chip (cool brown) and Midnight (soft black), which I like to pair with something neutral for easy work looks. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

In addition to the Stay Matte eye shadows, the Clinique Modern Matte collection features a few other choice makeup pickings:

For Cheeks

Many cream blushes don’t last very long on cheeks, but Clinique’s Blushwear Cream Stick ($18.50) in Very Blush stays put for hours. This limited edition cream-to-powder shade is super easy to use and produces lovely, natural cheeks, even when I’m in a rush. I just dot the stick directly onto the apples of my cheeks, blend and voila — a natural, plum-colored flush. Oh, yeah, and it’s oil-free, to boot. Loving this! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

For Lips

Clinique consistently does one thing really well when it comes to lip products: they make ’em moisturize like a mofo. Just like their Glosswear and Superbalm formulas, their new High Impact Lip Colour lipsticks ($14) will keep your lips feeling soft and supple, and each of the available shades contains SPF 15. The shade I have, Red-y to Wear, is a shiny, highly pigmented tomato red. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+


Defining Lip Liner ($14) delivers definition and color with Clinique’s trademark moisturization. It’s a creamy texture and glides without tugging. I like pairing Pomegranate (a dusty rose pink) with Clinique’s Bamboo Pink Glosswear. I also like Red-y or Not, which works perfectly with Red-y to Wear. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+
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Bobbi Brown Pretty Pink Metallic Lip Color: Yeah, It’s Good

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When it comes to pink lipsticks, I am a one-woman army. I’ve been hoarding them since high school. My arsenal is such that if hostile aliens landed and the fate of the world hinged on our ability to scare them away with tubes of pink lipstick, the Earth would prevail! I’d whip out one of my new favorite pink shades for fall, Bobbi Brown’s Pretty Pink Metallic Lip Color ($22), and wave it above my head like a light saber.

“Check out the shimmery gold and warm pink color,” I’d call to the trembling alien army. “The metallic shine reminds me of Chanel’s Aqualumiere lipsticks, but the formula feels thicker on the lips.”

One by one, they’d beam away to their mothership, far, far away from the scent- and taste-free tube.


Pretty Pink is one of 15 new Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Colors arriving this October for fall.

Moments before the alien mothership left orbit, the trembling invaders would hear my defiant voice rip through the heavens one final time: “The formula lasts at least three hours!”

On Earth, I’d be hailed a hero, a pink lipstick-wielding champion. Perhaps I’d even get a cool medal, and never again would folks ask, “Dude, what’s up with all the pink lipstick?”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen
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Lancome’s Greatest Hits

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Did you take advantage of the one-day product preview sale last Thursday to snag a tube of Lancome’s Oscillation mascara? I passed for now, opting instead to hear from women brave enough to apply mascara with a power tool.

I’m willing to wait until Oscillation’s full-scale release this November, but the hype surrounding the product still got me thinking about some of Lancome’s greatest hits, like their Waterproof Eyeliner (RUN to your nearest Lancome counter to get this liner, ladies) and lipsticks.

  • Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner
    “Le Stylo Waterproof reminds me a lot of my beloved MAC Technakohl liner. Like Technakohl, it has a twist-up tip and a creamy formula that glides on without tugging or pulling. Le Stylo outlasts Technakohl, though, when applied to the waterline, which is why I’m using it today. It also sports a sponge smudger on one end — handy for diffusing harsh edges and lines.”
  • Lancome High Definicils Mascara
    “High Definicils, Lancome’s new release of their legendary glossy black Definicils mascara, features an improved soft rubber brush that makes Definicils much easier to apply.”
  • Lancome Star Bronzer
    “Lancome obviously had fun with this compact. Within the image in the pan are three different bronzing colors. I love the golden brown matte from the cherub’s bum.”

  • Lancome Pixel Pink
    “Lancome’s got a video on Youtube celebrating Pixel Pink Color Fever Shine lipstick, the limited edition shade created for fashion designer Thankoon Panichgul’s Spring 2008 runway show. While the entire video is an interesting insight into the inspiration behind the lipstick and the backstage goings-on at NY Fashion Week, my favorite parts are the animated sequences of ‘moving paintings’ by experimental filmmaker Jeff Scher.”
  • Lancome Color Fever Lipstick
    “Pink Fever, a new malady afflicting makeup junkies worldwide, has beauty enthusiasts worried. Seasonally, the spread of Pink Fever coincides with pink lipstick lust and causes one to obsess over pink, cherry-blossom-esque lip colors like the three below from Lancome’s Color Fever Lipstick ($25 each) collection.”
  • Lancome Stylish Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette
    “If I were forced to pick just one eyeshadow palette to bring with me on, say, a three-day trip to Las Vegas, that palette would have to be the new Lancome Stylish Neutrals Color Design Artist Palette.”
  • Lancome Colour Focus Palette in Black Tie Affair
    “If you’ve followed this blog for a while you know I sometimes feel too purple to function when working the shades o’ eggplant. But, alas, all four colors in Black Tie Affair are so creamy and buildable that even the clumsy (ahem, like yours truly) can easily use them to do a purple smoky eye.”
  • Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover
    “I’m not one who usually falls for product hype but damn, Lancome Bi-Facil is good. I’m talking fresh brownies, extra sleep and Christian Bale in a tuxedo good. So good that peasants gotta bow down and shake before the mighty baby blue bottle! So good that … okay, okay. You get the picture.”
  • Lancome Miracle Forever Eau De Parfum Spray
    “Miracle Forever is one of those universal scents every woman will love, with notes of black currant, star anis (a fruit grown in Southern China, who knew?) and almond cream. It’s definitely not stuffy, too ‘old lady’ or too in your face and will appeal to lots of different fragrance personalities.”
  • Makeup Tutorial: A Peach, Brown and Green Eye for Summer
    “Lancome knocked it out of the park with Couture Warms, ladies!”

What are your favorite Lancome products?
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Easy Eye Makeup Look for Lazies

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Evening, hotties! Just when I thought I couldn’t get any lazier, I did. I had a major makeup revelation this week. A neutral shimmer shadow plus a lil’ bit of matte in the outer V led to my easiest day eye EVER. A whole new world of 10-minute looks has opened up before me, fo’ reals.

The combo I’ve worn for the past few days combines a champagne shimmer shade with a matte black. It feels breezy and work-friendly. To get the look I used makeup from Chanel, Dior, Laura Mercier and Lacome, as well as three just-released products from Clinique.

Clinique Me

All are fun and easy to use. I’ll post detailed reviews soon, but for now let’s just say *me likey*.

The Products

Eyes

Lips

Face

Doing The Eyes

I like to prime my lids before applying eye shadow, so I started by dabbing MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer onto my lids with a concealer brush. Then, I swiped the shimmery champagne shadow from the Dior Iridescent Palette onto the entire lid with a flat eye shadow brush like the MAC 252 to create a neutral canvas upon which to work.

With a fine, pencil-tipped MAC 219 brush, I applied Clinique Midnight eye shadow on the outer third of the lid. In this step, I concentrated more color on the outer eye, which after blending helps with the smokey effect.
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Coming Soon: MAC Cult of Cherry

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It’s gonna be on like Donkey Kong when MAC’s Cult of Cherry collection arrives this fall. I’m gonna be all over those rich chocolates, purples and reds.

I think everything in the collection looks sophisticated and very wearable, and I’m FREAKING OUT over the beautiful color combos possible with each of the three quads.

MAC Cult of Cherry Quads

Spiced Chocolate Quad ($36)

  • Nanogold: Sheer yellow pink with pink pearl (frost)
  • Brash: Frosty reddish copper (veluxe pearl)
  • Spiced Chocolate: Dirty deep reddish brown (matte)
  • Sweet Chestnut: Frosted cranberry (frost)

Tempting Quad ($36)

  • Next to Nothing: Sheer yellow beige with pink pearl (frost)
  • Sharp: Frosty bright yellow gold (satin)
  • Dark Edge: Dirty chocolate brown (satin)
  • Tempting: Rich coco (lustre)

Shadowy Lady Quad ($36)

  • Light Fall: Dirty light pink (satin)
  • Smudge Violet: Frosty blackened lavender with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
  • Deep Truth: Very dark blue (frost)
  • Shadowy Lady: Darkly veiled plum (matte)

MAC Cult of Cherry Lipsticks

And it doesn’t stop there. Don’t the lipsticks look divine?

  • Crème Cerise: Sheer yellow taupe (lustre)
  • Lightly Ripe: Sheer mid-tone pink (lustre)
  • Russian Red: Intense bluish red (matte)
  • “O”: Intense purplish red with metallic gold (frost)
  • So Scarlet: Clean grape burgundy (amplified)

MAC rarely does wrong in my book. I love almost everything they release, but I’ve thought that several of their recent collections have been more geared toward a younger, teen audience. While releases like Naughty Nauticals, Fafi and Dazzleglass were colorful and cheeky … hot pinks, glittery glosses and teal blue eye shadows may be a bit too TRL for some.

Don’t get me wrong — I lurve fun makeup colors, but I’ve been eager for MAC to release another collection with a slightly more polished, sophisticated feel.
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