Estee Lauder

Four Beauty Pick-Me-Ups From RenÃ© Furterer, Repêchage, Dolce & Gabbana and EstÃ©e Lauder

March 4th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Kicking off the week with a beautiful start! Well, trying to at least. 🙂

Last weekend, ugh! — totally floored me. That two-day migraine felt like a symphony of jackhammers in my head, and it was rough. It’s gone now, thank goodness, and I’m feeling more like myself again.

So, earlier today, just as I was about to jump back into the pet assisting grind, I thought, “Ya know what? What I need right now is to do something that makes me feel really, REALLY great, even if it’s just for a half an hour.”

I needed a beauty pick-me-up, so I made a cup of chamomile tea, grabbed a few new fave beauty products from RenÃ© Furterer, Repêchage, Dolce & Gabbana and EstÃ©e Lauder, and told Tabs that I’d back to work in a few.

RenÃ© Furterer KaritÃ© Intense Nourishing Mask

First order of business: a hot shower and RenÃ© Furterer’s KaritÃ© Intense Nourishing Mask ($46 for a 6.93-ounce jar), a five-minute deep conditioning treatment for dry hair that smoothes and hydrates with a mix of fair-trade shea butter and plant oils.

I just started using it last week, and I think it’s the reason why I had a series of near-epic hair days — like, the best I’ve had in months. KaritÃ© adds body, shine and leaves my hair smelling like lilies. I love it!

Repêchage Hydra Dew Illuminating Cream Mask

Have I mentioned that I’ve been on a face mask kick? I don’t know, but there’s something about a good face mask that gives me…hope, LOL! I’m also a big fan of sitting on my butt and doing absolutely nothing while I wait for a mask to work its magic.

My skin’s been a little dry lately (you know, ’cause winter) so after I jumped out of the shower, I applied a layer of Illuminating Cream Mask for Normal to Dry Skin ($38 for a 2-ounce tube) by Repêchage, an under-the-radar brand actually carried in spas all over the world. Their whole line contains products with “nutrient-rich seaweed” harvested off the Brittany Coast of France.

After 10 minutes, I tissued off the mask and could almost hear my skin sighing with relief. Ahh…

Dolce & Gabbana Desire

If I could, I’d hug every single one of the perfumers over at Dolce & Gabbana. I feel like they get me, ya know (says the girl who wore Light Blue on her wedding day)?

Desire’s, a de-lovely fruity floral, is their newest scent ($93 for a 1.6-ounce bottle). It lasts all day long for me and brings to mind overseas adventures, exploring foreign cities at night with a new love.

The official fragrance notes include…

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The Bronze Goddess Is Back! The New Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection for Summer 2013

February 28th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection Summer 2013 — Wearing Estée Lauder’s new Bronze Goddess Summer 2013 collection

If you’re soooo over winter, Estée Lauder’s 17-piece Bronze Goddess summer collection launches on counters and online this March (um, that’s tomorrow!).

Yes, GURL, summer! I know, I can’t believe it’s already that time.

Swatches and pics of 7 of the 17 pieces below… Let me know if you see something you like.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection 2013 — A closeup of a few items from the new Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Summer 2013 collection

Estée Lauder Heat Wave Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee — Estée Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Heat Wave ($40)

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I Can’t Get Enough of EstÃ©e Lauder’s New $20 Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable

December 20th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Estee Lauder Insatiable Pure Color Nail Lacquer — EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable ($20)

She probably doesn’t remember this, but I have this memory of my friend Jen and I sitting at a bookstore one day looking at wedding magazines. We were in our early 20s at the time and had absolutely no husbandly prospects in sight.

You know those phases you go through where you’re like, “All boys suck”?! Well, we were both in one of those phases, but you know how it goes. One minute you’re reading Cat Fancy, but then you catch a glimpse of a gorgeous dress on the cover of a glossy wedding magazine, and all of a sudden you’re like Fox Mulder from the X-Files, and you really, REALLY want to believe.

So we sat there for hours, flipping through pics (“I like that dress,” “Pretty flowers!” “Do you think you might like a big train?”), until at one point in the conversation, we decided that bridesmaids’ dresses in periwinkle — kind of like the color of EstÃ©e Lauder’s new $20 Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable that I’m completely and totally mad about — were the way to go.

Of course, wouldn’t ya know it? — years later, both of us ended up with completely different bridesmaids’ dresses at our weddings. No periwinkle at all.

Jen went with bronze, and I chose a chocolate brown.

jck-4ever — With my childhood friends, Cindy (left) and Jen (right), on my wedding day in 2006

But if I had gone with periwinkle dresses, I hope they would have been as pretty as Insatiable.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting spectacular the first time I saw Insatiable in its bottle…

Then I applied a layer on one nail. And it was ON!

The only polish in the new Pretty Naughty spring collection, it’s a creamy deep violet gray, wonderfully moody, like the bad boys you know you should stay away from but can’t, or the color of angry storm clouds…

Gawd, I love this color.

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Who Wants to Get Pretty Naughty at Work? I Do, With the New Estee Lauder Pretty Naughty Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette

December 20th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

Before I dive into V.I.M.R.I. (Very Important Makeup-Related Information) — aka why you should make room in your work purse for the new $48 EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Five Color EyeShadow Palette in Pretty Naughty — first, a question.

Do you ever mess around with song lyrics to make weird cover songs about your pet?

Anyone? Bueller?

El Hub and I have been doing it lately with the words to Bell Biv DeVoe’s Poison…

One of us will start by singing, “Tabs drivin’ me out of my mind, that’s why it’s hard for me to find…” and then the other person jumps in, “Can’t get Tabs out of my head. Miss Tabs, kiss Tabs, love Tabs (wrong move you’re dead). My cat is poison… POISON!!”

I know. Waaaaay too cat obsessed. 🙂

So let’s talk palettes instead! You might be thinking, “Heck, no. I don’t do pastels,” but hear me out.

I’m not always into pastels, either. Sometimes I think they’re just too light and chalky for my tan skin, but the smooth pastels in the Pretty Naughty palette are surprisingly intense, and they should show up well on light and dark skin tones.

Sweet.

This limited edition quint comes with three pastel shades (a matte sky blue, a shimmery soft pink and a shimmery violet) and two neutrals (a shimmery taupe and a glittery charcoal), and if you’re looking for, like, a palette you can wear to work, but you also want to have a little fun with color — not necessarily a hot pants/disco glitter/rhinestones on a Wednesday morning kind of fun, but more like a long Friday lunch break to look at shoes we can’t afford at Neimans — Pretty Naughty is the palette you’ll want in your makeup bag this spring.

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Tease Me, Please Me: The New $40 Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease, From the Pretty Naughty Collection for Spring 2013

December 19th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

EstÃ©e Lauder's $40 Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e Blush in Tease — Wearing Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease ($40) from the new Pretty Naughty spring 2013 collection

Stress-free shimmer. That’s what I think of Estee Lauder’s $40 Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease (and why I’ve been loving it to pieces).

EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e Blush in Tease — A closeup of the pan

There are so many stressful things about our world right now, like practically every story on the nightly news, or that commercial for that new MTV show starring Snookie and J.Woww, but at least when it comes to makeup, that thing many of us turn to for fun and escape, there are still things as simple and beautiful as a great blush.

Every day we’re forced to make big, difficult decisions. At least blush doesn’t have to be one of them.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease, part of the new nine-piece Pretty Naughty collection, arrives with the rest of the release next month. In the collection, pastels feature prominently, but EL gave them a tough girl, street-chic vibe.

Picture the coolest city girl you know dressed in black from head to toe, plucked from her usual stomping grounds and plopped smack dab in the middle of the pastoral English countryside.

Basically, that’s this collection.

It includes products for eyes, lips, cheeks (Tease, what we’re looking at now, is the only cheek product) and a BEYOND gorgeous nail polish (review coming soon!).

estee lauder pretty naughty imagery — Pretty Naughty…

Tease, a semi-sheer, opalescent blush/highlighter/contour color shifts from a subtle rose to a pinkish peach, depending on the light.

Really pretty!

And I think it gives my cheeks a healthy, natural-looking glow that still has a cool girl kick to it.

With one layer, you get a soft wash of color (I like!), but you can also build it up for something brighter, KAPOW!

But before that, give this a try: run your finger across the pan…

Now that’s soft, right?

The formula — something Estee Lauder has been using for the past few seasons — combines some of the best things about gels, liquids and powders. They say that unlike conventional powders, something about it allows the pigments and shimmer pearl to float on top of the skin, creating a soft, subtle shimmer with a reflective finish.

“Subtle shimmer” — two words that make my 30-something-year-old ears perk up. 😀

When you’re a woman of a certain age (*cough* 37), shimmer products can be a little tougher to wear (well, at least for me sometimes) because the reflective particles can highlight pores and wrinkles.

Not Tease though. It has this beautiful, subtle glow that doesn’t highlight all of the other stuff going on around it…which I really, really appreciate.

You can apply it with a blush brush, but I’ve actually been liking the sponge applicator it comes with. I press a little on the apples of my cheeks, and blend out the edges with my fingers.

That’s it. And it lasts all day long.

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Get Red, Haute and Naughty: The Super Saturated EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Red Hautes Collection Gets Nails Ready for Anything

December 18th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

estee lauder pure red hautes — The EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Pure Red Hautes Collection, available now at counters and esteelauder.com

A valuable lesson learned from the EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Pure Red Hautes Collection and Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones: prepare, prepare, prepare.

Before Indy went looking for the Holy Grail, homeboy researched his cargo pants off! — filling his mind (and his man purse…so forward thinking!) with every bit of knowledge he needed for his quest.

You don’t just go running off, willy-nilly, looking for the Holy Grail based on the secondhand rumors of a friend of a friend of a friend, you know? You gotta prepare, and you gotta prepare the right way.

Proper preparation is also important when it comes to EstÃ©e Lauder’s Pure Red Hautes Collection, but not in the “let’s go chasing after ancient relics” sense. More in the “now I’ve got a perfect shade of red polish for every occasion, yay!” way.

Thanks to EstÃ©e Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux, if you’re on the market for red tips and toes, the collection’s five $20 crimson polishes have you covered.

With each one, Tom tried to channel red’s sophisticated, romantic side, while coaxing out their propensity for naughtiness and play. 🙂

estee lauder pure red hautes beautiful liar — Beautiful Liar

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June 15th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

estee lauder brasil dream

Do you ever dream in black and white? Apparently, some of us do. My dreams are always in color, usually vivid color, but I think a black-and-white dream in a film noir style would be hella cool.

Methinks someone over at EstÃ©e Lauder was definitely dreaming in color when they brought the Brasil Dream collection to life (available now exclusively at Macy’s). My Brazil dreams usually involve beans and rice (Mmm…), but hey, I’m down with the bright blushes, glosses, lipsticks and nail polishes in this collection, too.

How about fragrances in your dreams? Do you ever wake up breathing in the scent of fresh baked bread, your partner’s perfume/cologne or the salty sea? The collection also features a fragrance called Brasil Dream, which I haven’t seen or sniffed since Milan in 2010.

If you haven’t tried the Pure Color Blushes yet, give ’em a swipe when you can. I think they’re great! Super pigmented, and the pans are HUGE.

estee lauder brasil dream

estee lauder brasil dream
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Luscious Lips and Wide Eyes Characterize the EstÃ¨e Lauder Pure Color Gloss Sequins Finish Collection and Two Tone Collection for Eyes

April 12th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

estee lauder fuchsia vibes
Wearing EstÃ¨e Lauder Pure Color Gloss Sequins Finish in Fuchsia Vibes on my lips

It looks like I got home just in time because a storm’s a brewin’! I had to make a quick trip into the city, which is why I’ve been MIA, but I’m back in Novato now, much to Tabs’ chagrin.

The air is thick and humid … like it’s about to downpour.

First thing I did when I got home — well, the second thing I did, after giving Tabs some treats (he was all, “Woman! Where were you?! I’ve been STARVING!”) — was check out two new collections coming to EstÃ¨e Lauder counters next month, the limited edition Pure Color Gloss Sequins Finish Collection and Two Tone Collection for eyes.

One can never have too many sequins, I always say (well…). 🙂 Incidentally, that’s the release I’m looking forward to the most. It features six powerfully pigmented, shimmery glosses in berry, coral, red, plum and nude ($22.50 each).

Oh, fig! — which is how the glosses taste and smell. They also have the thin, smooth consistency of a lip cream yet the shine of a gloss. They remind me of MAC Kissable Lipcolours with a side order of shimmer.

As for the 10-piece Two Tone Collection for eyes, it includes the basics for creating a wide-eyed look — not necessarily flashy, but pretty and practical nevertheless.

It features three new Sumptuous Two Tone Eye-Opening Mascaras ($28 each) — each one has a black shade on one side for top lashes and a colorful shade on the other for bottoms — three Double Wear Stay-in-Place Dual-Ended Eye Pencil Duos ($25 each), and four Pure Colour Eyeshadow singles ($20 each).

Here’s a close look at four of the glosses, two of the pencils and one of the mascaras…

estee lauder pure color sequins
From bottom to top: Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencil Duo in Onyx/Coffee, Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencil Duo in Onyx/Garnet, Sumptuous Two Tone Eye-Opening Mascara in Bold Black and Rich Plum, Pure Color Gloss Sequins Finish in Purple Passion, Fuchsia Vibes, Cosmic Pink and Violet Rain