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Eyes

MAC Unsung Heroes: Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer

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mac vibrancy eye primer

MAC Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye PrimerFor real though! I could spend hours at the MAC counter if left unchecked. Allegedly, when I went to the mall the other day, it was “just to browse” (yeah, right!), but next thing ya know, I’m chatting with the MAC artists about concealers, and WHOOPS! Would ya look at that? It’s 30 minutes later. 🙂

We talked about our faves, and we each had different ones, but one thing all us agreed on (and gushed about) was the awesomeness of today’s unsung makeup hero, MAC Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer ($30).

An under-eye makeup primer of heroic proportions, this puff-reducing powerhouse deserves a key to the city. It brightens dark areas with a hint of glowing pink shimmer, and preps the skin for concealer by creating a smooth, perfect surface upon which it can be applied.

mac prep prime vibrancy eye primer
Vibrancy unblended (left) and blended (right)
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Shimmery Champagne and Olive Make This Dune a Visionaire of Love: The Hourglass Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Dune

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hourglass dune

Next time you happen to find yourself by the Hourglass display at Sephora, have a look at my new favorite duo, the Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Dune ($38).

Oh, it’s so gorgeous… One side, a shimmery champagne; the other a deep, shimmery olive with a whisper of smokey black, but this duo’s good looks are just the icing on the cake. Both shades also blend like coffee and cream. Super silky, highly pigmented, and best of all? — when they’re layered on top of a good primer, they DO NOT MOVE.

Paired with NARS Pro-Prime, they don’t crease or fade for…I don’t know, 14 hours? It really does seem that long. Heck, I even wore them on bare eyelids for fun the other day and still only noticed a couple creases hours later.

hourglass dune

hourglass dune swatch

hourglass dune
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Luscious Lips and Wide Eyes Characterize the Estèe Lauder Pure Color Gloss Sequins Finish Collection and Two Tone Collection for Eyes

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estee lauder fuchsia vibes
Wearing Estèe 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 Estèe 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

estee lauder pure color sequins
From bottom to top: Violet Rain, Cosmic Pink, Fuchsia Vibes and Purple Passion

estee lauder pure color sequins

estee lauder pure color sequins wands
Wands from left to right: Violet Rain, Purple Passion, Fuchsia Vibes and Cosmic Pink
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Mauve Over, Heavy Makeup, and Make Room for Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism

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becca eye tint in romanticism

Lately, like a good love song, Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism ($24) has been my weekend jam! Since I haven’t been in the mood to wear a full eye look on Saturdays and Sundays, I’ve been turning to this creamy eye tint in a tube.

A lightly tinted mauve with silver shimmer and a finish with a glint of gloss, this cream-to-powder eyeshadow from Becca’s Balearic Love collection may not be flashy, but I sure do like how it looks. I love that when I stand a few feet away from a mirror, I can tell that I’m wearing a little color on my lids, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing a ton of makeup.

For more on the Becca Balearic Love collection, check out…

It’s one of those products that doesn’t broadcast itself over the loudspeakers, if you catch my drift. People will think to themselves, “Pretty! She did something different with her look today, but I’m not sure exactly what…” Like getting highlights a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural hair color, Romanticism might not be obvious at first, but it’s easy to spot upon closer inspection.

With a dewy finish, it looks a little bit wet to me, like a raven-haired mermaid’s lids when she pokes her head above the water.

And speaking of water, that’s something Romanticism was designed to resist. It does a decent job, too, holding up fine to rainy days and light workouts. Now, I wouldn’t wear it to spend the day at the beach or pool, but it can stand a little water (for a full day of frolicking in the surf, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams might be a better bet).

becca romanticism

becca romanticism swatch
Romanticism unblended (left) and blended (right)
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It’s a 6-Hour Trip Into a Dimension of Shine With the MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadows

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mac extra dimension eye shadows in lunar and blue orbit

Truth: when I take out the new MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadows ($20; available now in 10 shades), I hum the Twilight Zone theme song to myself, because these new cream/powder/liquid hybrids take me on a journey through space and time. A journey to another dimension. One filled with blinding shine. And pigment for days! And blending that even lazy people can handle, LOL!

MAC says they used a new technology on this new line of shadows that combines the best of three worlds — cream, liquid and powder. The shadows are designed to deliver the smoothness of a cream, the blend-ability of a liquid and the wear and ease of a powder.

I like ’em. They’re really pigmented and super shimmery, and best of all, so easy to blend.

If you’ve been wanting to try more complicated eye looks with multiple shades but get tripped up by blending, the Extra Dimensions can make creating those transitions in colors a whole lot easier. There’s almost a wetness to the colors, and for me, they seem much quicker and easier to blend than traditional eyeshadows.

The other day I wore Modern Pewter all over my lids, Young Venus in the inner corners and Dark Dare along my upper lash lines, and I hardly had to exert any effort at all! — just a few swipes to blend the colors together seamlessly. Plus, because the shadows latch on to lids (well, initially at least, but more on that in a few), I didn’t observe any fallout.

If I were starring on some weird reality TV show with a challenge in which I had to wake up at 3 in the morning and execute a perfectly blended, vibrant eye with six eyeshadows in less than 10 minutes, I’d grab the Extra Dimension Eye Shadows (my only hope of escaping elimination!). If after that they asked me to operate heavy machinery, THEN I’d be screwed. Because who doesn’t belong behind the wheel at the witching hour?

This girl. 🙂

mac extra dimension eye shadows in Modern Pewter, Young Venus and Dark Dare
Wearing Young Venus, Modern Pewter and Dark Dare

mac extra dimension eye shadows in Modern Pewter, Young Venus and Dark Dare

mac extra dimension eye shadows
Extra Dimension Eye Shadows
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Becca Balearic Love’s Violet and Bronze Line and Define Pencil in Cabrera Beckons Brown, Green and Hazel Eyes

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becca cabrera

“Becca invites you — ”

Me?

“Excuse me?”

I just want to make sure I understand you correctly.

“Yes, you. Becca invites you to dream of distant — ”

Just me?

“Really now? Come on, we’re talking about everyone. It’s just a marketing thing.”

Oh, okay… Sorry. I get it now. Please, continue.

“Right. Fine. Becca invites you to dream of distant shores and unguarded temptation with — ”

What you do mean, ‘unguarded’?

“What…?”

You said ‘unguarded’.

“Yes. And?”

What do you mean? Do you mean like no lifeguard on duty?

“…”

Do you have a lifeguard?

“You can’t be serious… Is this some kind of joke? Am I on Punk’d right now?”

* * *

I can almost feel the sun on my face when I gaze at the promo poster for the Becca Balearic Love Collection… That smokey eye, those rich layers of violet, bronze and plum, and that shimmer in the middle of the lid? Gorgeous! It’s one of the most intriguing collections I’ve seen this season so far.

Becca Cosmetics Balearic Love

Named after the Balearic Islands, a Mediterranean archipelago off the Eastern coast of Spain, the eight-piece collection for eyes, lips, cheeks and nails evokes a more grownup beachy vibe to me, a little bit naughty and mysterious, and not the well-trodden beach theme often characterized by lighthearted surfer girls chasing waves.

Balearic Love’s smokey eyes, bronzed, sculpted cheeks and nude pink lips would look right at home on you at that beachside café at sunset, where, instead of reading your Ibiza guidebook and sending your fiancée a text to tell him that you miss him, you’re stealing glances at the handsome stranger sitting across the way.

I just started exploring the collection last weekend, but I’ve already fallen for the dual-ended Line and Define Pencil in Cabrera ($23).

becca cabrera

It’s a super soft, smooth liner with a metallic bronze pencil on one end and a deep violet brown on the other, and I love how messy and undone both shades look smudged along my lash lines.

One of the things I love about Becca is their nuanced approach to color. Take Cabrera’s darker tip, for instance. On my skin, it subtly flashes from deep brown to purple, which gives it a little kick that boring old brown liners lack.

And the finish? From some angles, the shimmer’s unmistakable, but from others, I swear it looks like a matte.

Honestly, if it were available as a single liner, I’d stockpile enough sticks to last me through the next few lifetimes. I love the mix of purple, brown and gold, and I think it really pops on brown, hazel and green eyes.

becca cabrera
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Who Else Is Ready for the New Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Eyeshadow Duos and Quads?

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bareminerals ready eyeshadow alter ego
Wearing Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in Alter Ego

I was having one of those “Oh, no, you did not just put me on hold again, Tabs!?” afternoons today. You know, the kind where your cat employer calls you at the office and then puts you on hold, and you repeat to yourself, “Breath in, breath out. Breathe in, breathe out,” and your shoulders are so tense and flexed that they practically touch your ears?

But after a few minutes with the new Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 duos and 4.0 quads, I started to feel a whole lot better. Calm and centered; cool and collected.

It’s true what they say. Luscious colors and soft textures really do soothe the savage beast. 🙂

This May, seven new Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 duos ($20 each) and two Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 quads ($30 each) join the bareMinerals clan, touching down on Bare Escentuals counters, boutiques and at Sephora stores.

Here are pics of five of the duos and one of the quads. If you take a look, I’d be curious to hear what you think.

For the record, I noticed a wee bit of fallout when I tried on The Alter Ego duo, but it wasn’t much. Just a few crumbs. And with as pigmented as the colors are, I can live with it.

bareminerals the phenomenon
Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Phenomenon: Azure Iris (left) and Golden Iris (right)

bareminerals the last call
The Last Call: On the Rocks and Shaken Not Stirred

bareminerals the hidden agenda
The Hidden Agenda: Stealth and Undercover
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Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigment in Caress of Mink Is a Shimmery, Streamlined Bunny

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rouge bunny rouge caress of mink

If there was an award for “Most Likely to Spill a Loose Eyeshadow All Over the Freaking Place,” I’d be a frontrunner to win it, for sure.

How many spills are we talking about here? According to my eighth-grade self, “2many2say4u.” LOL!

Oh, my poor counters, carpet and cat…

I don’t even get too worked up about it anymore. At one point I guess I just decided to embrace it as my destiny and accept the inevitability of making a mess whenever loose pigments or glitters are involved. Whenever it happens, I just chalk it up as inevitable, shrug my shoulders and say, “Oops. Oh, well.”

But that was until I met Caress of Mink, a Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigment ($38).

One of seven shades, this shimmery loose taupe comes in a long, streamlined tube with a wand and a pointy sponge applicator tip. First time I saw it, the tip reminded me of applicators I’d seen before, and I remembered making a mess with those…

Luckily, beyond its similar appearance, I think this one performs much better than those.

But I don’t really know why. It must have something to do with the pigments, which seem a little stickier to me than most, so they adhere to my lids without any fallout, and exhibit very little fading throughout the day.

As for the wand itself? The thing just feels good in my hands.

rouge bunny rouge caress of mink tube

rouge bunny rouge caress of mink wand
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