Face

Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color in Venice Beach Bronze Borrows a Thing or Two From the NARS Multiples

May 13th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

Cream products.

Have you ever noticed how popular they get around this time of year? Especially cream highlighters and blushes? The one pictured here is the new $29 Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Colors in Venice Beach Bronze.

It’s gotta have something to do with summer…because with summer makeup, trends always come and go, but one trend that never completely disappears is the whole minimalist makeup angle. Cream blushes and highlighter sort of evoke that idea of casual, minimal makeup. Just swipe a little on bare skin, or in this case, maybe even on top of tinted moisturizer, and bam! — you’re ready to go hunting for surfer dudes on the boardwalk.

Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Colors: What are they, exactly?

These $29 cream blushes from Smashbox — technically, they’re combination cheek colors/lip products — are multitaskers in the vein of the NARS Multiples. This one, shimmery bronze Venice Beach Bronze, is one of five, and it’s made to cast a warm sunset-like glow on skin like it’s “The Magic Hour” (the brief windows of time just before sunrise and sunset).

The other shades are Hollywood & Highlight (a sheer pinkish pearl), Beverly Hills Blush (a peachy pink with golden shimmer), Silver Lake Sunset (a warm coral) and Malibu Berry (a rich berry).

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MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation: The Best Liquid Foundation I’ve Seen From MAC in Years

May 12th, 2015 by Karen 62 Comments

MAC has a new waterproof foundation, and I know that it’s waterproof because I had a meltdown in the middle of Target a couple weeks ago while wearing it, and this stuff did not move.

AT. ALL.

I mean, who hasn’t had a meltdown in the middle of Target at least once (well, other than three-year-old children)?

I’d been waiting in a long checkout line when some busy fancy-pants dude in Spandex bicycle shorts totally cut in front of me.

The fact that he didn’t bother to make eye contact with me or even acknowledge the existence of my cart — which was full of ladies’ accoutrements for a visit from “Aunt Flo,” mind you — sent me into Rage Mode. El Hub saw the look in my eye and knew something big was about to go down, so he did his best to calm/soothe me.

I guess it worked… Instead of doing what I really wanted to do, which was yell obscenities at the rude guy while foaming at the mouth, I just burst into tears, and that’s when the new MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation had its first boss moment.

Instead of being the girl who had the meltdown in the middle of Target, with her makeup streaming down the side of her face onto her pink pineapple sweatshirt, I was just the girl crying her eyes out like the protagonist in a Nicholas Sparks film.

Like, it was the most beautiful public display of sobbing I’ve ever had. The tears poured down my cheeks, but my foundation looked fine, so if you anticipate doing any public crying, seriously, grab yourself a tube of MAC Pro Longwear Nourshing Waterproof, and cry with class.

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation: Briefly, what is it?

It’s MAC’s latest long-wearing (24 hours, holy crap!) foundation. It’s $32, comes in a 0.84-oz. tube, and has an oil-free liquid formula with medium-to-full coverage and a satin finish.

Oh! — and you can also use it as concealer.

It’s available now in 16 shades — NC15, NC20, NC25, NC30, NC35, NC42 (here’s mine), NC45, NC50, NW15, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW45 and NW50 — and designed for all skin types, including oily, dry and combination.

Don’t be discouraged by the smallish size of the tube/bottle. While a bottle of MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation costs the same $32 but nets you 1.3 ounces of product, this gets you a little more than half that much (0.84 ounces) for the same price.

But you only have to use a little. A small pea-sized drop of the shade I use, NC 42, which I blend out with a BeautyBlender, is enough for my entire face. I usually like coverage right on the border between medium and full, and with this, one drop is enough.

Does it work well?

Does Tabs like gravy?

That’s a HUGE yes. 🙂 I think this stuff is brilliant. It’s one of the best liquid foundations I’ve seen from MAC in years. It performs as well as the much more expensive Dior Nudeskin does and does many of the same things — it’s lightweight, blurs pores and evens out my skin without appearing heavy or fake. It also lasts longer when you wear it without powder (Nudeskin needs powder to last me a full day), and I think the satin finish looks a little more natural than Dior’s flat matte.

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What’s the Buzz on The Body Shop’s New Honey Bronze Highlighting Domes?

May 11th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

body shop honey bronze highlighting dome — The Body Shop’s Honey Bronze Highlighting Domes ($16 each, available in three shades)

What up, queen bee? Haaay! What’s the buzz on The Body Shop’s new Honey Bronze Highlighting Domes? Are they sweet?

Honey, I’ll tell ya.

LOL! OK, that’s enough with the bee puns. 🙂 I’ll stop.

Uh…what they heck are these things?

These three $16 shimmery cream highlighters are new from The Body Shop as part of the Honey Bronze summer collection. I’m not sure if they’re limited or permanent edition, but I’ve got my honey bee feelers out… My beauty antennae. I should know soon.
Of the three shades, 01 is a shimmering champagne (good one for pale princesses), 02 is a shimmery peachy pink with golden glitter (good for all skin tones), and 03 is a warm, shimmery golden bronze (probably the best one for darker divas).
They all have a very light honey fragrance, which I can’t really even smell unless I get my nose up in there…and yes, if you do this, you may end up accidentally highlighting the tip of your nose, LOL!
Silky… They feel like a thinner, slightly wetter NARS Multiple to me.
They’re available now online and at The Body Shop.

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MAC Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF 30 With Radiance Booster: Before and After

May 6th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

You’ve got to “C” MAC’s new de-Lightful tinted moisturizer.

Get it…? C? As in “see”?

OK, that pun was bad. 🙂 Sorry, but the product’s called Lightful C! Come on, you know I had to go there.

MAC Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF 30 With Radiance Booster: What’s it all about?

Yes, MAC has a new tinted cream/moisturizer. Officially, it’s called Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF 30 With Radiance Booster and, um…could that name be any longer and more awkward? Maybe? Probably not.

Essentially, it’s a sheer coverage tinted moisturizer with skin care benefits. It’s designed to even out your skin tone without completely covering your natural skin color, which I think is really cool, and it does so while also blurring pores, controlling oil, protecting you from sun damage, and cranking up your natural radiance factor with a barely-there, subtle sheen.

It’s also supposed to reduce the appearance of dark spots over time. So, basically, it’s everything and the kitchen sink squeezed into a 1.3-oz. tube. Available in nine shades, including Extra light (a pale alabaster), Light (a pale ivory), Light Plus (a light beige), Medium (a warm beige), Medium Plus (a tan beige), Medium Deep (a caramel beige), Dark (a deep caramel), Dark Plus (a neutral tan beige) and Dark Deep (a rich golden bronze).

Ascorbyl glucoside power!

Lightful C Tinted Cream is the latest addition to MAC’s Lightful C product line, their skin care category dedicated to subtle brightening with the antioxidant power of “C,” as in vitamin C. It contains ascorbyl glucoside, a modified version of vitamin C that combines C with glucose, which supposedly makes it more stable in skin care formulas and cosmetic products, and it’s listed up high among the ingredients.

It’s always a bummer to me when the star compound is listed down at the bottom of the ingredients, so at least in this case, there’s presumably a significant amount of it in Lightful C Tinted Cream.

About vitamin C’s skin care benefits in general…

“It has been shown to increase collagen production (including dermal collagen, which is significant for wrinkle reduction), reduce the appearance of skin discolorations, strengthen skin’s barrier response, enhance skin’s repair process, reduce inflammation, and help skin better withstand exposure to sunlight, whether protected by sunscreen or not.”

-paulaschoice.com

‘Tis the season for sheerer coverage

I’m still madly in love my full-coverage foundations (see: Dior), but as summer approaches, I unconsciously transition to wearing sheerer coverage more, and Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF hits that spot. I like how it evens out my skin tone without covering everything up, so my skin still looks like mine, and not like someone/something else.

Also much appreciated…

The slight pore-blurring effect
How it doesn’t break up or settle into my fine lines as the day wears on
How it’s so lightweight that I forget I’m wearing it sometimes
How it layers well on its own, and with other products. I can build it up to to medium coverage when I wear it by itself, and where I need even more coverage, I’ll just spot blend a full-coverage foundation on top, and then dust powder on top of that.
The faintly floral fragrance that, despite the formula containing SPF, doesn’t smell like sunscreen
How it blends easily and doesn’t streak
That it hasn’t triggered any breakouts (knocks on wood)

Before Lightful C Tinted Cream

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The MAC Wash and Dry Collection Brushes, Makeup Bag, Bronzers and Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets

May 5th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Hmm… Just five quarters left!

That should be enough for this last load of MAC Wash and Dry collection products. We have two brushes, a makeup bag, four bronzers and some bits for brows.

Beginning with the brushes and bag…

MAC Wash and Dry Collection: Brushes and Bag

THE BRUSHES

How many are there in the release? There are two brushes in the collection — the 125 Split Fibre Dense Face Brush ($38.50) and 126 Split Fibre Large Face Brush ($46)
Uh…what’s a Split Fibre Brush? Good question. The brush heads are like two sides of a coin and have natural fibers on one side, and synthetic fibers on the other, so it’s designed to work with both cream (the synthetic fibers) and powder products (the natural fibers).
They’re surprisingly handy. Mostly, I’ve been using these for applying products and blending them out, and I’ll apply whatever I’m working with — bronzer or blush, for instance — with one side of one of the brushes, and then I’ll flip the brush over and blend out the edges with the other side. It’s akin to having two different brushes in one.

Both sides feel soft, with the synthetic bristles being slightly stiffer, which makes them ideal for picking up lots of product (like with the Studio Sculpt Bronzing Powders).
How well do they work overall? I think the 126 Split Fibre Large Face Brush ($46) is probably the better value. I like the size of the brush head. It’s big, so it covers a lot of surface area and is good for quickly erasing and diffusing edges. I’ve used it with bronzer, powder and blush, and it works well for them all. It’s a true multitasking tool — yes, on the expensive side, as it’s almost $50 (!), but it’s well-made and versatile.
As for the 125 Split Fibre Dense Face Brush ($38.50), it’s an adequate contouring brush, and it looks cool…but unless you plan to contour every day, you may not get as much use out of it as the Face Brush.
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The MAC Wash & Dry Collection Powder Blushes in Crisp Whites and Hipness

May 4th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

I’m keepin’ it quick this time with a brief breakdown of both Powder Blushes in the soon-to-arrive MAC Wash and Dry collection (May 14 online, May 21 in stores and counters).

First, let’s say “Hi!” to Hipness (then we’ll look at Crisp Whites).

MAC Hipness Powder Blush

The succinct two-sentence summary? Hipness is a warm, peachy coral-ish powder blush with a barely-there satin finish that could almost pass for matte. In fact, it fooled me at first glance, but then I took a closer look at it and saw petite pearlescent particles.

The tech specs? I’m fine with one layer of this highly pigmented powder, which lasts seven or eight hours on my sometimes/places dry, sometimes/places oily combination cheeks. Great on its own, it’s hot dayum! — phenomenal blended with a bronzer (and more on that in a sec).

Have we met before? Why, yes, we have. 🙂 Double-check your MAC collection, because Hipness has performed at this venue before. You may recall it from (2008’s Fafi or 2010’s MAC to the Beach.

For whom would it work well? Bronzed beauties (and barons) are in extra luck. Hipness looks bright, but not excessively bold, on my NC42 skin. If you’re a lighter lass, however, you can still have fun with Hipness. Try mixing a little with bronzer, and then applying that powder potion to your cheeks. The bronzer will tone down the brightness a bit and, bonus! — could save you a little time, because then you wouldn’t have to apply blush and bronzer separately (assuming you would).

This is one of my all-time favorite gotta-get-out-the-door-now tricks, and I actually think that it takes this particular blush to the next level of effortless-ness, no matter what your skin tone.

How do I feel about Hipness? I feel good. I feel good about Hipness. 🙂 I think it’s very flattering and natural-looking, especially when layered or mixed with bronzer. I’m happy to see it making an encore performance in MAC Wash and Dry.

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MAC Wash and Dry Collection High-Light Powder in Freshen Up: Before and After

April 30th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

In less time than it takes to throw a load of delicates in the wash (read: very little time; i.e. super fast), you can “freshen up” your cheekbones with MAC Freshen Up, the brand’s newest highlighting powder, coming soon as part of the Wash and Dry collection.

So, what’s the 411 on Freshen Up?

It’s a limited edition warm-toned highlighter housing three satiny shades in one pan — a deep pinkish coral, a peachy coral and a yellow gold. Bust it out to add shimmer and shine to your skin. Interestingly, the shimmery golden overspray that coats the entire pan sticks around for a surprisingly long time — this, compared to other oversprays that seem to vanish into thin air after a couple swipes. The shimmer dust here settles into the little holes and crevices in the pan’s design, so even after it looks like it’s all gone, my brush continues to pick up some of the shimmer.

How do you use it?

I sweep the powder on the high points of my face — my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, on my Cupid’s bow and just above my brow bone — where I want to catch the light. Wear the shades individually, like by loading a small tapered eye brush (like the MAC 266), and then applying, or use a fluffier blush or a highlighting brush to swirl all three colors together. In this pic, I’m wearing all of them swirled together.

(Note: if you’re a lighter lovely, you’ll probably also be able to use Freshen Up as a blush, too.)

How well does it work?

Here’s the deal: with more of a satiny sheen than the high-shine finish that many traditional highlighters have, these powders remind me of the Hourglass Ambients. It takes a second to realize, “Oh! Homegirl is wearing highlighter,” so they don’t reach out and slap ya silly, in other words.

It’s more like a gentle tap. LOL!
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Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush by theBalm: In This Desert, It Rains Bronzer and Blush

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

thebalm balm desert — thebalm Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush $21

Wha!?

Is it a bronzer? Wait — no. Is it a blush?

Actualmente, Balm Desert ($21) is both. It’s a new reddish tan face powder by theBalm that you can use as both. It works as a bronzer and/or a straight-up blush.

You could probably also use it as a contouring shade, since it leans neutral/cool…

If you already scrolled down and saw the swatch, your pores may be freaking out right now because of what looks like a slight sheen, but tell them to chill out. Balm Desert looks more matte in real life.

I’ve noticed that theBalm’s powders have a light and fluffy quality to ’em that makes them really easy to blend. It also makes them challenging (also known as “messy”) to work with at times, and Balm Desert’s the same way. Running a brush across the pan lifts a lot of product, and messiness may ensue, but you can head it off by tapping your brush against something to unload the excess.

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