Daily Beauty

Give a Makeup Memento With the MAC Keepsakes Eyes Palettes in Plum, Beige and Smoky

October 6th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Just in case you’ve started looking for pretty eyeshadow palettes to stuff into stockings. 🙂

Every year MAC gets into the seasonal holiday collection spirit by releasing a number of limited edition eye palettes, face palettes, makeup kits and sets, usually with an overarching theme and special packaging.

This year’s theme: keepsakes.

Each of the three Keepsakes Eyes palettes — Beige, Smoky and Plum — house eight powder eyeshadows in a mix of re-promoted and brand new shades, and they’re all coming to the MAC website starting October 19, then to North American MAC stores and counters October 23 through December 18, and to all international locations sometime in November.

Isn’t the packaging pretty? I like it, but I’m a little worried about the plastic pearl fringing around the edge… It has a little wiggle to it, and I’m afraid it might break.

Awfully pretty, though.

Beige Eyes, $39.50 US/$47.50 CAD

The Beige Eyes palette includes…

HER MISTRESS, a soft pastel egg with a Matte finish
SWEET SOVEREIGN, a frosty gold champagne with a Lustre finish
QUINTESSENTIAL, a dirty olive with a Frost finish
MYSTERY, a muted plum brown with a Satin finish
OMEGA, a soft muted beige taupe with a Matte finish
TEMPTING, a sinfully rich coco with a Lustre finish
FAIRE MAIDEN, a bright coppery gold with a Lustre finish
NIGHT WHISPER, a rich blackened brown with a Veluxe Pearl finish

Smoky Eyes, $39.50 US/$47.50 CAD

The Smoky Eyes palette includes…

FANCY DRESS, a chalky white beige with a Matte finish
KID, a soft beige with a Veluxe Pearl finish
SATIN TAUPE, a taupe with silver shimmer and a Frost finish
NOBLE SPIRIT, a warm blackened brown with a Satin finish
FORGERY, a sterling silver with a Lustre finish
HONEY LUST, a bronze dipped peach with a Lustre finish
DIVINE RULE, a frosty gray mauve with silver pearl and a Lustre finish
CARBON, an intense black with a Matte finish

Plum Eyes, $39.50 US/$47.50 CAD

The Plum Eyes palette includes…

SENSIBILITY, a pale frosty pink with a Frost finish
PLUM GRAND, a dirty frosty lavender with a Veluxe Pearl finish
TAUPELESS, an icy pink with silver sparkle and a Lustre finish
MAGIC MOOR, a rich blackened plum with pearl and a Veluxe Pearl finish
SUBTLY ELEGANT, a light grayish lilac with a Matte finish
FASHION BEAT, a dirty violet gray with a Lustre finish
NOCTURNELLE, a pinked-up chrome purple with a Frost finish
SHADOWY LADY, a blackened plum with a matte finish

Bahama Mama Bronzer by theBalm: A Golden Brown Without Orange Undertones

October 2nd, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Victory is ours! Power to the scrunchie!

I’ve been on the hunt for a matte golden brown bronzer without any orange undertones because I like to switch up my bronzer game every once in a while, and I finally found one — Bahama Mama Bronzer by theBalm ($20, available now at theBalm counters and online. ).

The golden brown color reminds me of a big pan of MAC Soba Eyeshadow, but with a matte finish instead of a sheen. Good for contouring cheeks, or as an eyeshadow, or for adding overall warmth to the face.

Even though I feel like the gal on the packaging is throwing me shade (“Karen, really? Another golden brown smokey eye look?”), I kind of love her side eye, haha!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting EyeShadow 5-Color Palette in Envious Orchid

October 1st, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

That purple, though!

Orchids aren’t the only ones envious of Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting EyeShadow 5-Color Palette in Envious Orchid ($50). Cat ladies covet it too. 🙂

Especially cat ladies with brown eyes, like yours truly…or cat ladies with green eyes or hazel eyes. Or pretty much any other eye colors.

You can find Envious Orchid now at Estee Lauder counters and also online.

Hello, Frat Boy Blush by theBalm

October 1st, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Whenever I like something a lot, I give it a nickname (El Hub, T-Money, RyGos — you know what I do).

So, I have a nickname for this blush by theBalm…

I call it Frat Boy Slim.

Get it? Frat Boy Slim? 🙂

Yeah, OK, I really need to get that “too easily amused” issue taken care of one of these days.

I adore this warm peachy pink matte powder blush to pieces. It blends out perfectly, and it lends that healthy, just-pinched look to my cheeks.

Think NARS Orgasm, but without the golden shimmer.

Oh, and bonus! — on the inside of the pan, it has the phrase, “Beaucoup d’hommes mais si peu de temps…” which I believe means something like, “So many men, so little time…”

Now, why didn’t they teach us cheeky phrases like that in high school French?!

Frat Boy ($21) is available now at theBalm counters and online.

Any Time of Year Is a Good Time to Play With These BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Soufflés

September 29th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Souffles from the left: Fig/Opal, Lychee/Opal, Guava/Moonstone, Raspberry/Opal and Watermelon/Moonstone

Busy day! I’ve been working on a secret squirrel project for a while (I’m not quite ready to talk about it yet)…so I haven’t pulled my head out of the sand today except for a few times. On one of them I thought about cream blushes and how much I like them…

Have I mentioned these BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Soufflés?

They’ve been out for a while, but I don’t know if I’ve really talked about them much before. I think they’re great any time of year because they’re so quick and easy to apply.

The makeup minimalist in me greatly appreciates that, especially on the weekends, when she loves to pat and blend these with her fingers on the apples of her cheeks…

OK, no more referring to myself in the third person. I’m done for now. 🙂

You can find the BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Soufflés now at BECCA counters, Sephora stores and sephora.com. They’re $27 each.

BECCA Beach Tint Shimmer Souffles swatches from the left: Fig/Opal, Lychee/Opal, Guava/Moonstone, Raspberry/Opal and Watermelon/Moonstone — Swatches from the left: Fig/Opal, Lychee/Opal, Guava/Moonstone, Raspberry/Opal and Watermelon/Moonstone

P.S. You having a good Monday so far?

Illamasqua Vintage Metallix Eye Shadows and Glamore Collection Lipsticks

September 27th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Illamasqua Vintage Metallix and Glamore Lipsticks

I’m pretty excited about tomorrow. I’m supposed to be going hiking with a friend in Muir Woods, which I haven’t done for years, and then to Cheesecake Factory for Avocado Egg Rolls.

I’ve been craving those things lately…

I’m also going to trying out some new items from Illamasqua. The Vintage Metallix Eye Shadows ($26 each) are from the new Once fall collection, and the lipsticks from the Glamore collection ($30 each).

It’s not as easy to find Illamasqua here in the US anymore, with Sephora no longer carrying the line, but you can still get your fix online at illamasqua.com.

Illamasqua Vintage Metallix Eye Shadows in Embellish and Bibelot, $26 each — Vintage Metallix Eye Shadows in Embellish (left) and Bibelot (right), $26 each

Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks from the left: Tease, Naked and Cherub — Glamore Lipsticks from the left in Tease, Naked and Cherub ($30 each)

What a Tweet Palette! Rouge Bunny Rouge Raw Garden Eye Shadow Palette in Chronos

September 25th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Maybe it’s because I spend waaaaaay too much time kickin’ it with my cat, but I get really, REALLY excited about bird-themed makeup. 🙂

My heart flutters like a hummingbird when I look at the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Raw Garden Eye Shadow Palette in Chronos ($59).

Eep! There’s a bird on the pans! So pretty…

Metallics take flight in this five-pan palette of shimmers, which includes a beige, taupe, khaki, plum and deep blue.

I can’t wait to try winged liner with the plum shade. Ooh, maybe with the khaki on the lid and the lighter beige on the inner corner? I see some smokey eye looks in my future.

Chronos is available now at Rouge Bunny Rouge counters and online for $59.

Jean Patou Joy Forever Eau De Parfum: Just Add Dress and Heels When You Want to Feel Dainty and Girly

September 24th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Like a black a-line dress that fits you so perfectly that Michael Kors himself would chase you down to get the name of the designer because Michael knows — HE KNOWS! — that you didn’t buy that off the “last chance” rack at T.J. Maxx, and that the gifted hands of a fashion phenom somewhere must have stitched it together specifically for you.

Anyway, yeah. That’s how Jean Patou’s Joy Forever Eau de Parfum makes me feel.

Fashionable. Feminine. A girl who turns heads.

Crisp floral Joy Forever, while un-joyously expensive ($110 for a 1.6-oz. bottle), starts with a splash. After a couple hours, bright top notes of bergamot, Mandarin orange and malbanum (an aromatic gum resin) fade to a lush floral middle of jasmine, rose, orris, marigold, orange flower and peach notes, before drying down to a warm, cozy base of cedarwood, sandalwood, white musk and amber.

Just add dress and heels when you want to feel dainty and girly. 🙂

The 1.6-oz. bottle shown here is $110, and you can find it now at Neiman Marcus stores and online.