Dior

Dior Bird of Paradise Collection Peacock 5-Couleurs Eye Palette: A Friday Date Night Face of the Day

April 19th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Dior Peacock 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette — J’adore Dior…and showboating birds, like the new Peacock 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette from the Bird of Paradise collection for summer 2013]

Hey, babe. I just finished my makeup for date night with El Hub. 🙂

We’re gonna go see Oblivion, the new sci-fi flick with Tom Cruise. Looks pretty neat from the previews. We’ll see (sci-fi-wise, this is what I’m really looking forward to).

I wonder if El Hub will notice the blending I did on my lids with the new Dior Peacock 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette. Hmm… Survey says, probably not. LOL!

I’ll save some kettle corn for ya. Before I dart, some quick pics and swatches of Dior’s new bird…

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Like Birds of a Feather, the Golden Tan Bronzer and Coral Blush in the New Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow Look Great Together

April 18th, 2013 by Karen 35 Comments

Mario and Luigi, BeyoncÃ© and Jay-Z, Orgasm and Laguna… I love duos, both in my daily life and my makeup bag.

Take two awesome things and put them together, and sometimes you get awesomeness even greater than the sum of its parts!

My makeup bag is bursting with duos. They’re just so practical and convenient. Does this go with that? Oh, sure it does, because it’s a duo! They make me less likely to go orange alert/shank strangers and give me more time to tackle more important things, like whether to indulge Tabs by playing Ridin’ Dirty again.

Wait for the chirp at the end

When Dior’s $56 Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow flitted onto shelves with the summer 2013 Bird of Paradise collection, my heart fluttered.

With a warm, golden tan bronzer on one side and a bright coral blush on the other, it’s got the goods to create sun-kissed skin and radiant cheeks.

And since the bronzer and blush sides are further divided into lighter and darker shades (or “harmonies,” as Dior likes to call ’em), which can be worn separately or mixed together, you can adjust the effect depending on your skin tone or tan.

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Dior Returns to the Blue Lagoon and Finds the Blue Lagoon 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow, Blogger Karen Posts Pictures, Swatches and a Review

April 17th, 2013 by Karen 63 Comments

Dior Blue Lagoon Eyeshadow Palette — Dior’s new Blue Lagoon Eyeshadow Palette #374

Believe it or not, this is a tabby’s happy face…

Dior Blue Lagoon Eyeshadow Palette with Tabs — Happy tabby! No, really.

Tabs was thrilled for a number of reasons today.

First, he got to hear one of his very favorite songs, Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ Dirty, which I pumped on iTunes while doing this blue and green eye look with the new Dior $60 Blue Lagoon 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette.

He always stays in the room for Chamillionaire, unlike Maroon 5, of which he’s not a fan (don’t know why, but he always leaves the room when Adam Levine starts singing). I think he thinks of Ridin’ Dirty as his personal anthem.

Picture it, Tabs strutting his stuff while it plays in the background. 🙂 Totally works, right?

Second, Tabs is a snob, or as he likes to put it, has “a taste for the finer things,” like high end makeup, Dior being one of his favorite brands.

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Glitter Dust Glistens in These Dior Vernis Sparkling Shine Nail Polishes

March 1st, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Yes, my love, if you would like to spend the afternoon swatching nail polishes, listening to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (she’s like the Harper Lee of hip-hop, no?) and watching absolutely mind-numbing reality TV shows about SoCal real estate moguls on Bravo…by all means, GO FOR IT. I will not stop you.

In fact, I highly encourage this kind of behavior. Might I also suggest incorporating cookies and/or wine? Because one or both could take said afternoon to the next level. 🙂

The piercing pigments gracing my paws today hail from the House of Dior. Determined to spread sparkle and shine, the glitter-dusted Sparkling Shine Vernis polishes arrive this March, joining four color-coordinated glosses in the new revamped, revitalized Gloss Addict line.

Dior Diablotine Vernis Swatch — Diablotine, a reddish coral (I’m wearing two layers here, but I’m sure I could have gotten away with one)

Dior Delice Vernis Swatch — Delice, a warm orangey coral with flecks of gold and pink micro-glitter (two layers)

Dior Spring Ball Vernis Swatch — Spring Ball, a pinkish coral with flecks of purple, silver and gold micro-glitter (two layers)

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Dior Says Oui to Greenish Gold Micro Shimmer: The New Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit BorÃ©ale

February 25th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit Boreale Picture Swatch — Wearing the Dior’s new Addict Gloss in Nuit BorÃ©ale ($29.50) on my lips, one of 24 new Addict Gloss shades coming in March to Dior counters and dior.com

Channing Tatum says what now…? You’re telling me there’s another green lip gloss worthy of a spring obsession?

Unlike Illamasqua’s Shoot, and the audience’s loud shrieks when Chan-Tate starts dancing to Pony, this one is quiet. Very, very quiet… The shimmery greenish golden pearl in Dior’s new Addict Gloss in Nuit BorÃ©ale is so quiet that you have to look closely to even see it (so no Hulk lips here).

Nuit BorÃ©ale (“polar night” in French, according to Google Translate) is one of 24 shades in the recently revamped Dior Addict Gloss line, and like the other Addict Glosses, it’s all about shine.

Or rather, reflection. While most glosses refract light, bouncing it in different directions, Dior says the new Addict formula’s glass micro-beads and crystalline micro-particles line up to reflect light more evenly.

And they say that’s why it also makes lips appear so plump and shiny.

I do think my lips look a little plumper when I’m wearing Nuit BorÃ©ale… Not Angelina Jolie-levels of larger-than-life lusciousness, mind you. Just a tad.

And sure, the chrome shine grabs attention, but I think it’s the color that really sets this particular tube apart.

Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit Boreale Picture — Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit BorÃ©ale

Dior Addict Gloss Nuit Boreale Swatch — Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit BorÃ©ale swatch on NC42 skin

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Panama Is Hella Cool! The New Dior Diorshow Mono Wet & Dry Backstage Eyesahdow in Panama

February 22nd, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Dior Panama Diorshow Mono 1 — The Dior Panama Diorshow Mono, one of eight $29 shades available now on Dior counters and online

It’s like, BB creams are the new Naked palettes, and Naked palettes were the new vibrating mascaras, and vibrating mascaras were the new flashlight LED lip glosses/mascaras (remember those?!).

I feel like I can’t whip my hair around without my ponytail striking another new makeup/beauty must-have product.

But there are those things that withstand the test of time, ya know, like black liners, red lipsticks and brown eye shadows, to name a few.

And speaking of brown shadows, here’s one that may be worthy of your affections, especially if you like a little with your shadow.

It’s Dior’s cool, new $29 Diorshow Mono in Panama (haha, I almost typed “Panem,” Hunger Games moment!). 🙂

No, really, it’s cool, color temperature-wise. A satiny brown with microscopic flecks of secret shimmer that glimmer in direct sunlight, it’s also cool in that when you apply it and buff for a bit, the blackened base shows through.

I like the way it looks on its own. Great for chocolaty daytime smokey eyes, but add a soft pink, ladylike lipstick and blush, and it turns into pure perfection!

Dior Panama Diorshow Mono Picture — The Diorshow Monos are designed to be applied dry or with a wet brush for extra drama

Dior Diorshow Panama Swatch — Panama applied dry on the left and wet on the right (see how much more it shimmers when applied wet?)

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I’m Drawn to the New Dior Diorshow Art Pen

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

Dior Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black — Wearing the new Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black ($30), coming March to Dior counters and Dior.com

I guess you could spend the entire eight hours that Dior’s new quick-drying, long-wearing Diorshow Art Pen ($30) lasts on lids stomping on catwalks and smiling with your eyes. 🙂

Or, you could spend that same amount of time…

Watching the last three episodes of Homeland, Season 2, while wondering whether it’s too late and/or unrealistic to consider a career as a television writer (I’d love to work on something like 30 Rock).
Finishing four loads of laundry and shaking your fists in fury after you find your very furry, very misbehaved cat rolling around on top of a freshly washed load of light-colored laundry like it’s his job.
Writing several long lists, like “Things to do before my birthday,” “Where I want to be in 5 years,” and “Ways to make the world a better place.”
Watching the entire Super Bowl from start to finish, and then having a “Hallelujah!” moment when you realize that you were actually able to follow what was going on, thanks to your husband’s patient football tutelage.
Watching the Puppy Bowl, while mumbling about how cats always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to prime-time TV coverage…
Coming close to tears TWICE during the commercial breaks (the Clydesdale horse one and the gorgeous imagery in “God Made a Farmer”)… Freakin’ PMS!!

I really like this liner. It’s available in a single shade, Catwalk Black, a rich, true black without any blue tones that dries quickly to a high-gloss finish. One swipe delivers intense pigment, so I can quickly line my eyes without having to keep adding layers.

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Pink, and a Bit of Everything: Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Combines Skin Care With a Sheer Pink Tint

January 29th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

BB creams. Or is it cremes?

What are they, whom are they good for, and why is Dior getting in on the act?

BB creams are like the new vibrating mascaras. Remember how everyone was talking about those a few years back (myself included)? “I’ve got a vibrating mascara wand! BAM! Check it out.”

And now, it’s BB creams. They sure are having a moment, and it seems like everyone and their mother and their cat is coming out with a BB cream.

So what are they?

Great question. Take the sheerest tinted moisturizer to ever walk the earth, combine it with a sunscreen, maybe a primer, add a little something to hide fine lines and shrink pores, squirt it in a tube, and voila! — BB cream.

They combine the benefits of skin care with the beauty of makeup, and Dior’s new Diorskin Nude BB Creme wants to join the party. Available now in four lightweight shades — Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004 — they feel almost like I’m wearing nothing at all.

And get this: all four of them contain pink. All of them. Which surprised me.

Not that there’s anything wrong with pink. In fact, I love pink. It’s just that I think Dior may have left out girls with yellow skin tones this time around. If your skin has yellow undertones, you’re probably well aware of this: pinkish face products can look a little…weird (because all you see is the pink, and it can look like you’re wearing a mask).

With these, as long as I only use a small amount and apply it with my fingers to my cheeks, nose and my forehead between my brows, that isn’t a problem. Applied this way, I think the effect is very cool.

Dior added the pink on purpose, as these are supposed to give skin a rosy, pinkish glow, and I can see it when I wear my favorite shade, Medium #003.

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme Swatches — Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme swatches from the left: Light #001, Fair #002, Medium #003 and Dark #004

Dior also included mauve, hibiscus, SPF 10, and green, red and white tea extracts to create a moisturizing, smoothing formula that melts into my skin.

I think these are great if you don’t want to wear a full face of foundation and powder and the whole makeup shebang. If you just want a streamlined routine — or for weekend makeup looks, you know, when you’re out hiking or going to the movies, and you don’t want to get all dolled up — these will make you look like you tried.

It doesn’t cover as well as foundation or concealer — not by a long shot — but that’s the idea. I can still see my freckles and my post-acne dark spots, but I also see a pretty, pinkish glow.

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