Daily Beauty

Perfect for Princess Fiona’s Purse, $3 Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Balm in Minty Sheer

August 11th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Maybelline Baby Lips Minty Sheer 2 — Uh…the new Maybelline Baby Lips Minty Sheer ($3)

Ya know, I had a feeling Maybelline’s Baby Lips Electro Balm in Minty Sheer would be, well, minty and sheer.

But I guess I also secretly hoped it would turn my lips a cray-cray green, like Illamasqua’s Shoot. 🙂

Part of the six-piece Electro Balm collection (which all look very colorful in their tubes), Minty Sheer is available now at drugstores, in She-Hulk’s makeup collection and online.

Heck, it’s not bad for three bucks!

Shiny, sheer color in a moderately moisturizing (but not incredibly so) mint lip balm with a gimmicky twist — a way to freak people out as you touch up yo’ pout in public.

I Could Kiss This Cafe: Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Cafe

August 9th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Laura Mercier Cafe Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour

If you have pigmented lips like mine and have trubs finding “my lips but better” colors, first, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

Second, you gotta get Laura Mercier’s new Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Cafe on your pout, ASAP. A pigmented rosy nude with a creamy finish, it looks notably natural on lips with plenty o’ pigment.

As fall is coming round the mountain, you’re gonna need something to wear with those smokey eyes. 🙂 #justsayin

Look for Cafe now on Laura Mercier counters, at Neiman Marcus stores and online.

Laura Mercier Cafe Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour swatch — Goofy face…

A Berry With SPF? Yes, Miracle Skin Transformer Lip Rewind Advanced Peptide Lip Treatment in Berry

August 8th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

Miracle Skin Transformer Lip Rewind in Berry

A lightly tinted lip treatment poised to plump, moisturize and protect lips against the potent power of the sun…!

The formula contains broad-spectrum SPF 20, but does not contain parabens, sulfates or phthalates.

I’ve been testing Berry, one of the five $24 shades available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com.

“Plump your pout and take care of your lip needs in one comfortable, tinted formula. White rose moss and powerful peptides inject your lips with hyaluronic acid, boosting collagen and helping eliminate the appearance of lip lines. Antioxidant-rich butters condition and soothe for maximum moisture, and broad-spectrum sun protection helps prevent premature aging. The silky, gel texture smooths, softens, and evens the appearance of the skintone for a gorgeous, healthy finish.”

— Sephora.com

What you should know…

It feels tingly upon application — not painfully — but the feeling only lasts about a minute or so.
Despite the tingly feeling, I don’t really see a big difference in the size/plumpness of my lips. Maybe a little… It’s hard to tell.
The color is super sheer, almost like wearing a clear shade.
The formula smells and tastes like mint, which in this case I like, and both fade within a few minutes.
It does seem fairly moisturizing. My lips haven’t complained, but I wouldn’t say it’s as moisturizing as a balm.

So, is Miracle Skin Transformer’s Lip Rewind more of an Autobot or a Decepticon?

Well, I like the inclusion of SPF 20, but I wish the formula conveyed more color. I can see this being more of a last-minute “why not?” shade you grab before bolting out the door than the sole reason for making a trip to Sehora.

Ingredients and marketing fancy talk…

Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide: Beneficial blend that injects double the amount of hyaluronic acid into skin, stimulating the dermal matrix.

Hyaluronic Acid Filling Spheres: Deeply penetrate, absorb moisture, rehydrate, and plump skin to minimize lip lines, refine, define, and smooth your smile.

Soybean Extract, Ceramide-3: Smooths, softens, evens skintone, and stimulates collagen production.

Vitamin E Acetate: Moisturizes and prevents free radical damage; prevents premature aging.

Polybutene, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Silica Silylate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyethylene, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Butter, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Ceramide 3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sucrose Cocoate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Menthol, Vanillin, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Water, Alcohol, Red 7 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Yellow 5 Lake, Iron Oxides.

Laura Mercier Mod Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour: A Mod-ern Twist on Retro Red Lips

August 7th, 2013 by Karen 5 Comments

A girl can never have too many kickin’ matte red lipsticks in her purse.

Can I get an amen?!

Laura Mercier’s coral-ish red Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Mod has a lightweight formula, a smooth feel and a velvety matte finish that reminds me of the MAC Mattenes (remember those?).

If you liked the Mattenes, you just might like this, too.

It has a vintage vibe, don’t ya think? Purrfect for cat eyes. 🙂

Mod is available now online and at Laura Mercier counters as part of the fab new Rouge Nouveau Lip Colours line.

Laura Mercier Mod swatch — Mod on my NC42 skin

NARS Soulshine Cheek Palette — Wearing NARS Soulshine on my cheeks and Laura Mercier Mod on my lips

Laura Mercier Chic Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour: Pigmented, Lightweight, Hydrating and Oh, So Smooth

August 6th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

These new Laura Mercier Chic Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colours are smoother than Ryan Gosling’s rendition of Let’s Get It On at a karaoke bar.

Even if you’ve sworn allegiance to Team Lipgloss 4-eva (a phase I think every gal goes through…like wanting a pony), Laura Mercier’s Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colours ($24 each) could convert you to Team Lipstick.

Pigmented, lightweight, hydrating and oh, so smooth, it’s probably one of the most comfy new lipsticks I’ve tried this year.

The deets

Has a wax-free formula designed to deliver long-lasting, breathe-able color
Available in 15 shades and three different finishes (matte, sheer and creme)
The first letter of each color corresponds to the finish (this berry shade is named Chic, and it’s a creme)

The NARS Soulshine Cheek Palette: Perfect Vacation Partner

August 5th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Oooh, GURL. This NARS Soulshine Cheek Palette ($41) is totally coming with me to Kauai later this month (El Hub and I are going for vacation). The bright peachy pink, golden apricot and soft rose look like they’ll be perfect partners for a tan. Ideal for doing nothing but sitting by the pool, eating fries, drinking margaritas (on the rocks with salt) and reading.

Grghghh… I just drooled a little. 🙂

This palette is the more intense of the two new limited edition NARS Cheek Palettes available now exclusively at Sephora stores and sephora.com, so if bright blushes are your thang, you might want to check it out.

The Soulshine palette features a peachy pink with gold shimmer, a sheer golden apricot and a soft rose with golden shimmer.

NARS Soulshine Swatches — Soulshine swatches

Enter a Realm of Shimmer and Shiny Cheeks With the New NARS Realm of the Senses Cheek Palette

August 2nd, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Ooh, artsy!

I really like how NARS handled their logo on the new Realm of the Senses Blush Palette pan ($41).

Tilted and oversized, nice. It’s totally something I would do if I ever had the chance to decorate a fancy-schmancy blush pan with a logo. 🙂

Realm of the Senses is a limited edition blush palette with sheer peach, bronzed rose and sparkling golden powders for sculpting, highlighting and defining cheeks and faces, and it’s available now exclusively at Sephora and sephora.com.

This palette’s powders are much more shimmery than those in the Adult Content and Killing Me Softly Blush Palettes, so if it’s bold highlights and shiny cheeks you’re looking for, step right up!

NARS Realm of the Senses Cheek Palette Swatch — From the left: sheer peach, bronzed rose and sparkling golden sand

Orgasm Makes an Appearance in the NARS Killing Me Softly Palette

August 1st, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

In case you were worried that NARS wasn’t going to release a blush palette that didn’t include Orgasm, you can now wipe the sweat from your brow.

Wait — was that a double negative? I kind of confused myself there…

Killing Me Softy, one of two new blush palettes for fall, does include the cult classic peachy gold blush, along with three other shades for highlighting and contouring. There’s Gilda (a coral with a hint of red), Albatross (a luminous gold) and Outlaw (a soft rose with golden shimmer).

Overall, the palette leans quite warm, so if you wear toasty peaches, golds, corals and red shades well, you might want to take a closer look.

It arrives at NARS counters, boutiques and online September 1.