Daily Beauty

Take the Leap With Dive In, One of Sally Hansen’s New Triple Shine Nail Polishes

December 3rd, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

I felt like I needed a break from the mostly dark, moody colors I’ve been wearing so much on my nails lately (my last mani was Urban Decay’s glittery dark green stunner, Zodiac), so this morning I painted my paws with a bright greenish blue from the new Triple Shine line by Sally Hansen.

The Triple Shines are billed as uber-glossy, and that’s definitely the vibe I’m getting from Dive In, one of 29 shades in the line.

It’s probably more of a summery color than winter (wintry?), but I couldn’t resist. I’ll just call it Christmas peppermint. 🙂

The brush it comes with is nice and wide, so it covers a lot of surface area on my nails. I also how relatively quickly it dries. By no means is it quick-dry, but it was in pretty good shape after about 30 minutes. Not bad.

With Dive In, I need three coats to get a nice, solid block of color because it’s a touch streakier than I would’ve liked. Still, it’s pretty darned cute for five bucks!

If you, too, want to take the leap and Dive In, it’s available now with the rest of the Triple Shine Line for $4.59 at drugstores, grocery stores, Target and online.

Three coats of Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Polish in Dive In

Holy Familiar Fragrances, Batman! It’s Tom Ford’s Sahara Noir Eau de Parfum

December 2nd, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

Another one it took me a while to figure out! I couldn’t place where I’d sniffed Tom Ford’s new Sahara Noir Eau de Parfum before, but then my Basset hound-ian sense of smell kicked in…

Catholic midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (The first time I wore it, El Hub said, “You smell like church.”)

Fo’ reals!

Frankincense (hello, of three gifts fame), a desert resin, dominates the scent, and during midnight mass, there’s a part of the service where they burn an incense with the exact. same. note.

I was curious about the fragrance from the start, but I wasn’t sure I liked it. It’s quite heavy and spicy (I also detect strong notes of clove). In fact, although it’s billed as a women’s fragrance, I think it could easily be worn by a dude.

But the more time I’ve spent with it, the deeper I’ve fallen in love. It’s kind of warm and comforting, and I can’t recall ever wearing anything quite like it before.

“Tom Ford presents his new fragrance inspired by the mystery and luxury of the Middle East. Evoking the untamed beauty of the land, Sahara Noir is Tom Ford’s ode to the enchanting power of one of that land’s most treasured ingredients: frankincense, a precious desert resin.”

— neimanmarcus.com

Best of all, it doesn’t give me a headache, which happens sometimes with other heavy, spicy scents.

If you swear by light, feminine, floral fragrances, this probably isn’t going to light your fire (but it’s worth a sniff to satisfy your curiosity). Of course, if you like a lot of deep, rich unisex scents with heavy resin and spice notes, check it out.

A 1.7-ounce bottle of Sahara Noir costs a whopping $150. It’s available now at Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com.

It’s a Neutral Open House: The New Napoleon Perdis Limited Edition Chateau Collection Welcomes Neutral Lovers With a Pop of Color

November 29th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Napoleon Perdis Prismatic Eye Shadow Quad Chateau Swatches

Neutrals in da hiz-ouse!!

Yes, I went there, but it’s OK because this three-piece holiday set by Napoleon Perdis is called “Chateau,” which is French for “castle,” or a large, stately house (three years of high school French, merci!)

First, I have to apologize for misplacing the coral red cream nail polish from this set. I’m sure it’s floating around here somewhere, but I haven’t been able to find it (I REALLY need to clean my office)… The eyeshadow quad and lip quad do convey the theme, though — neutral browns, beige and gold on the eyes with a pop of warm, glossy color on the lips.

I won’t be staying up late obsessing over the lip quad, as it’s pretty standard, but the eye quad? — that’s another story.

I love, LOVE the finish these neutral eyeshadows have. They look like mattes in the pans, but they actually have a faint sheen once you get them on skin; I think that’s what helps make them so easy to blend.

So, in effect, you get the look of a matte eyeshadow — which is always great to have around if you plan to have your picture taken or if you want to wear a conservative eyeshadow look — without the hassle that often comes with blending them out.

If that sounds interesting, the set’s available now for a limited time at Neiman Marcus stores and online for $59.

Love Pigmented Nail Polishes? Say “I Do” to Tom Ford’s New Trophy Wife Nail Lacquer

November 28th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

The name of this nail polish cracks me up. I can see Tom at home in his bathrobe watching Real Housewives and thinking, “trophy wife, hmm… Now that’s a good name for my next nail polish.”

Trophy Wife is the second of two nail polishes in the new Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge collection (Shameless is the other).

It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? It looks kind of like a metallic reddish purple in the bottle, but applies like a creamy bluish red on my nails.

Like Shameless, one coat’s enough for opaque coverage…but I used two for these swatches ’cause old habits die hard. 🙂

You can find it now at Tom Ford counters and online for $32.

P.S. So. Much. Pecan. Pie… I’m having my second huge slice right now and trying to figure out if I want to watch Legally Blonde now or more Walking Dead. Hmm… Decisions, decisions. 🙂

Ooh La La! Paint the Town Red With One of These Two New Jouer Holiday It Bags

November 27th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

Of course you’re going to need a cute makeup bag to tool around town with over the holidays.

At least that’s what my inner accessories addict keeps telling me. 🙂

Oh, these new leather Jouer It Bags feel so soft and luxurious… And they hold a ton of makeup, too. They’ll fit one Jouer Tinted Bronzer, three blushes, five eye shadows, six lipsticks, six glosses, three liquid liners and one jar of highlighting powder, with (a little) room to spare.

You’ll want to treat them with TLC, though, because for starters, they’re kind of expensive ($65 apiece). They’re also buttery soft and delicate, so they pick up nicks and cuts easily.

Still, they’re super pretty and so, so luxurious…

The pale pink Ooh La La and bright crimson Paint the Town Red It Bags are available now for a limited time at Henri Bendel stores, select Nordstroms and jouercosmetics.com.

All of this makeup here fits in the bag on the left…

Oui, Cargo, I Would Love To Meet You in France! Introducing the New Cargo Let’s Meet in Paris Holiday Kit

November 25th, 2013 by Karen 10 Comments

I’ve always wanted to spend at least one Christmas abroad in a beautiful place like Paris…

It only took one visit there some years ago for me to fall deeply in love (most beautiful municipal parks I’ve ever seen), even though I spent the whole time wishing I’d paid closer attention in high school French class. (Try buying an umbrella from a street vendor during a downpour in Paris. Yeah! Not the easiest task.)

If I do ever spend a Christmas in Paris, I’m making room in my luggage for Cargo’s Let’s Meet in Paris holiday kit.

The chic set’s rich red and black shades for lips and eyes also sparkle.

I can see it now… Exploring the City of Lights wearing these lush lashes, shimmery black liner and bold red lips.

So sophisticated, are oui! 🙂

The $36 kit (an $85 value) comes with a combination of five new and repromoted full-size and travel-sized products…

1 Red Essential Lip Color (new)
1 Travel-size HD Lip Primer (new)
1 Swimmables Eye Pencil in Black Sea (new)
1 Travel-size Reverse Lip Liner (repromote)
1 TexasLash Mascara (repromote)

You can meet the Let’s Meet in Paris holiday kit now at Ulta stores and ulta.com.

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris: Red Essential Lip Color — Red Essential Lip Color

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris: Reverse Lip Liner — Reverse Lip Liner

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris: Swimmables Eye Pencil in Black Sea — Swimmables Eye Pencil in Black Sea

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris: TexasLash Mascara — TexasLash Mascara

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris: HD Lip Primer — HD Lip Primer

Cargo Let's Meet in Paris swatches — From the left: Red Essential Lip Color, Reverse Lip Liner, Swimmables Eye Pencil in Black Sea, TexasLash Mascara and HD Lip Primer

Fit for a Queen: The New Napoleon Perdis Empress Eye Palette

November 22nd, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

My pulse quickens when I open the new Empress Eye Palette by Napoleon Perdis. 🙂

Now, it doesn’t beat as fast as it did during the exciting parts of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (just got home from watching it, and now I’m weirdly emotional… I get attached to the characters, you know?), but it definitely flutters, especially when I see the green, purple and blue shades tucked between the mellower brown, beige, pink and peach.

Methinks it strikes a perfect balance between colorful and wearable shades.

The kit’s available now at Neiman Marcus and neimanmarcus.com for $59.

P.S. SEE IT!!!

If You’re Blue and You Don’t Know Where To Go To Why Don’t You Go Where Fashion Sits…Puttin’ on the Glitz! (Jouer’s $25 Holiday Gift Set)

November 22nd, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

I might like my tabby cats super-sized (fun fact: Tabs is 20 pounds of brute-force love!), but when it comes to my makeup, I have a major soft spot for minis — mini perfumes, mini soaps, mini lipsticks, mini everything — like these adorable glosses in the Jouer Puttin’ on the Glitz holiday set.

A trio of tiny Moisturizing Lip Glosses, each with a doe-foot applicator, brightens up this holiday set. Choose from sheer, sparkling pink Glisten; creamy cool pink Peony or sheer red Riviera.

There’s also a very Kate Spade-esque mini faux leather “it” bag, which is perfectly sized to store an I.D., your glosses and a handful of Temptations cat treats, if you’re so inclined (and Tabs hopes you are).

The Puttin’ on the Glitz set is available now for a limited time at select Nordstrom stores, Henri Bendel New York and online at jouercosmetics.com. It’s $25, and it even comes in a cute box, so it’s ready to be stuffed in a stocking.

Just add the bow. 🙂