Face

5 Things MAC’s Ripe For Love Powder Blush Would Say if It Could Talk

May 2nd, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

MAC Ripe for Love Blush — Wearing the new, limited edition $23 MAC Ripe for Love Powder Blush on my cheeks from the Temperature Rising summer 2013 collection

5 things MAC’s Ripe For Love Powder Blush would say if it could talk

1. Ditch your boyfriend.

Boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever. Your tanned skin and I, we belong together, just the two of us, you and I.

I don’t care where we go. I don’t care what we do. I don’t care, pretty baby, just take me with you. Let’s hit that beach we talked about, sip umbrella drinks, and nap all day long because I’m from MAC’s Temperature Rising collection. And I’m hot like that.

At night, you can put on that look I like with the chocolate smokey eyes and glossy copper lips, and then dust me on top of some bronzer on your cheeks before we head out.

Oh, the trouble we’ll find…

2. I’m officially called a mid-tone peach but…

…I think of myself as a papaya.

A juicy, ripe papaya begging to be devoured. Don’t even bother with a spoon. No shame! Just bite into that thing, and let the juices dribble down the side of your chin in slow mo.

3. I hate your shoes.

Blergh! Especially the flat Life Stride pair that you ~~borrowed from the cafeteria lady~~ wear when your feet ache.

Screw that. My name is Ripe for Love, hello! — so I’m all about, pardon my French, the fracking pumps. One layer of me on your cheeks (that’s all you’ll need because I’m pigmented like whoa!) and you’ll be glowing like Halley’s Comet.

Why? Because I’m THAT good, if I do say so myself.

4. I have a softer side…

It’s true. My scene, like my friends in Temperature Rising, is more about sultry summer nightlife, where molten metallics throb and glittery glosses throw air kisses with shimmering bronzed skin.

But look, I’m not all about seduction. I also have a softer side.

I can go from Do Me Baby to Let’s Wait A While in the flick of a wrist. All it takes is the gentlest caress of my feather-light powder on your cheeks, so we can do all kinds of things together, like go to the ice cream shoppe, your next book club meeting, work — heck, even that froo-froo yarn store where you fondle all the skeins but never actually buy anything.

I promise, I’ll behave.
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These Meteors Shower Skin With Iridescent Pink and Gold: Guerlain’s MÃ©tÃ©orites Perles Les Ors Primer

April 24th, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

Guerlain Meteorites Perles Les Ors Primer Review — The new limited edition Guerlain MÃ©tÃ©orites Perles Les Ors Primer ($71)

Snow globes.

You know snow globes?

That’s what Guerlain’s new $71 MÃ©tÃ©orites Perles Les Ors Primer reminds me of — a snow globe. And meteoric pearls.

Sometimes I just tip the bottle up and down, back and forth, to watch the shimmery pink, white and gold highlighting beads slink through the clear gel…

Fascinating.

Guerlain’s good about sumptuous details and design, aren’t they? I think it’s just neat, like makeup eye candy. Amazingly to me, the fragile little beads don’t break down in the gel. I guess they’re just waiting to be loved.

The limited edition face primer bursts through Earth’s atmosphere with the Terra Ora collection next month. They’re designed to extend the wear time of face makeup when worn underneath it (handy in hot weather!), or to be worn alone on bare skin to impart a pinkish golden iridescence while making pores appear to softly fade away into the background…

The bottle comes with a pump. Pressing it magically mixes the pearls with the clear base, and out comes an oil-controlling shimmery pinkish golden gel.

I think it works okay as a primer — maybe as a “diet primer” or “primer light.” It feels nice and light on my skin, which I like, but it is awfully expensive.

You can definitely find other primers that soften the appearance of your pores and control oil more effectively for less, and I feel like it’s almost a shame to cover its iridescent pink and gold with foundation…

I prefer to use MÃ©tÃ©orites Perles Les Ors more to spotlight bare skin. The primer smooths and softens my pores and fine lines just enough — just shy of mannequin skin — and the pink and golden tones look breathtaking with just the faintest bit of bronzer dusted on top.

Guerlain Meteorites Perles Les Ors Primer Swatch — Guerlain Meteorites Perles Les Ors Primer unblended on the left and blended on the right (see the luminous hint of pink, yellow and gold?)

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Guerlain’s New Terra Nerolia Face and Body Bronzer Stuns with Striking Design and Tantalizing Tiare Flower Scent

April 23rd, 2013 by Karen 51 Comments

And the ref counts, “…seven…eight…nine…10!” Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

That’s it, folks. It’s over. The new $69 Guerlain Terra Nerolia is a knockout!

But seriously, in what world is $69 reasonable for a bronzer? My accountant mother certainly wouldn’t approve. She likes to walk places because of the stray coins she finds along the way (love you, Mom!).

Of course, she isn’t obsessed with bronzer, either, so there’s also that…

To even consider Guerlain’s new Terra Nerolia, you should probably love bronzer (like, you wear it every single day and feel naked without it) and have a debilitating weakness for luxe brands.

Because sh*t’s really, really expensive…so you’re going to want to love it on every single level.

And that’s exactly what Guerlain wants.

They started with the presentation and Terra Nerolia’s sunburst pattern. The first time I opened the over-sized 0.67-ounce pan and saw that gold, peach and bronze, I thought two words: Ancient Mayans.

Guerlain Terra Nerolia swatch — Guerlain Terra Nerolia from the left: both shades blended and applied with a blush brush, the tan powder, and then the peach powder on the right

Then I caught a whiff of the tiare flower scent and thought, “Hawaiian vacation.” 🙂

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Now You See It, Now You Don’t: The Peek-a-Boo Shimmer in Guerlain’s $72 Terra Ora Could Make This Face and Body Bronzer Worthy of a Splurge

April 23rd, 2013 by Karen 46 Comments

What they don’t tell you — and they should! — at the makeup counter the day you pick up that first burnished pan is that bronzer will ruin you for life.

They could post a sign or offer a quick verbal warning, at least. A quick aside before they let you swipe that deliciously sun-kissed powder on your skin, something akin to, “I must warn you now, and this is a federal regulation, from this day forward, you won’t feel quite right unless you’re wearing bronzer.”

Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time I left the house without bronzer.

And what about options?? Imagine only having one bronzer to choose from…

Banish the thought.

I want options, options, options! — like the new $72 (GASP!) limited edition Terra Ora face and body bronzer from Guerlain.

As you can probably tell, I’ve got a thang for bronzer, and if you do too, you probably already know about Guerlain’s reputation for producing pricey, well-regarded luxury bronzers.

There’s no getting around it: their stuff costs an arm and a leg. Good thing it’s usually great.

Every single Guerlain bronzer I’ve ever tried has melted into my skin like butter on warm popcorn and never, ever looks heavy, muddy or forced.

Guerlain Terra Ora Bronzer Swatches — Guerlain Terra Ora Bronzer from the left: Matte tan beige, pearly white gold and a mix of both shades

Terra Ora follows the lead set by its bronzed Guerlain predecessors. When I swirl its mix of matte tan beige and pearly white gold together and dust that on my face, neck and decollete, I think I definitely do look more like the girl next door than the housemates on the Jersey Shore.

Most of all, I love this bronzer’s “secret shimmer.”

You know how some Chanel polishes look like basic creams, but then when you get them in direct sunlight, they sparkle, seemingly out of nowhere? Terra Ora does that, too.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick

April 22nd, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick Review — Dear Bobbi Brown, your Foundation Stick totally rocks. Heart you! -Karen

A girl’s gotta have options, ya know?

Well, I do. I like having ’em — that’s for sure.

I’m the gal who shows up for a flight at the airport with a suitcase dedicated to black shoes (and yet when it comes to purses, why do I try to fit everything into one?).

Guess I like being prepared…

And when I find single products that provide me with options, they’re like beauty gold! — or beauty pirate treasure, as in the case of Bobbi Brown’s Foundation Sticks.

When it comes to foundation, I also like options. The more the merrier. Options for different occasions, like tinted moisturizer for casual days, medium-coverage liquid foundations for weekdays, full-coverage stuff for pictures — and don’t even get me started about finishes and textures; we’ll be here ’til the next season of The Walking Dead.

Since I found Bobbi Brown’s $43 Foundation Stick in Honey (my shade, and one of 20 available now in Bobbi’s permanent line on counters and online), I haven’t wanted to use anything else.

I’ve worn it every day this month because, in a nutshell, it rocks. 🙂

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey (a good equivalent to MAC NC42)

One of Bobbi’s top makeup artists, Marc Reagan, introduced me to it at the Saks Fifth Avenue Bobbi Brown Master class a few weeks back, referring to it as “one thing every woman needs in her makeup bag.”

Homeboy was SO RIGHT! I’m this close to sending him a fruit basket with a note that reads, “Thank you for changing my life!”

First of all, it’s like Mr. Fantastic (read: flexible). Because it’s able to go from sheer to full coverage in the blink of an eye, it’s basically like getting a bunch of different face products in a single creamy stick.

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey, $42

Say I want a sheer look like a tinted moisturizer — very light coverage. I’ll just load a fan brush with product directly from the stick. And when I want a more polished look for pics or events — medium to full coverage — I’ll use a flat foundation brush instead.

Oh, and it even doubles as concealer! To disguise the little darkened, post-acne spots I have on my chin, I swipe a synthetic sponge across the tip, which I then pat wherever I need extra coverage. If I need a touch-up later in the day, I just reapply on top of whatever else I happen to be wearing, since it layers like a boss on top of cream and powder products.

I almost can’t trick the stuff. No matter how I wear it, I think it looks like real, skin because it has one of those matte finishes with a bit life to it. It’s not completely flat.

It also never, ever feels heavy or like it’s suffocating my pores, and it doesn’t oxidize. It lasts on my combination dry/oily skin all day long, but I’m not sure how it would fare on super oily skin types… I have a feeling the creamy formula might scoot away.

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick Honey Swatch — Swatch out! It’s Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey…

Seriously, I have no idea how I made it through my days without this (well, I do, but you know what I mean). I love it.

Cat lady things, part 3,623

Thought you might appreciate this book my cat lady friend Heidi gave me as a gift last week.

(I started reading it to Tabs, but he wasn’t amused…) 🙂

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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

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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Like a Good Pair of Heels, These New Pierre Hardy for NARS Blushes Kick Butt

April 15th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

I’m dreaming of shoes… and the new NARS Pierre Hardy Rotonde Blush ($41)

I am a shoe girl…but of course you already knew this. 🙂

Whenever a new shoe-related beauty collaboration comes along, I’m always eager to try it on for size (haha!), even when the link between said footwear and whatever new perfume (Jimmy Choo) or palette (Seychelles for Smashbox) we’re talking about seems about as random as, I dunno, Ryan Gosling releasing his own line of Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, or BeyoncÃ© launching a limited edition Mrs. Carter Dyson vacuum (as a side, I would totally want both of those things if they were real).

Generally, whenever makeup and shoes are involved, you can count me in, which is why I’m deeply fascinated with the new Pierre Hardy for NARS collection that strutted its stuff online today at narscosmetics.com with six nail polish duos and two powder blushes.

I didn’t know much about Pierre Hardy before this launch. I’d thought, “Is that Ed Hardy’s cousin?” (Kidding) But then I looked him up…

A French shoe designer originally trained in fine arts and dance, Hardy’s fashion career took off in 1988 when he designed his first shoe collection for Christian Dior. His heels and high tops often incorporate geometric elements, which I like. His aesthetic seems very chic to me, and yet it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.

Thematically, NARS borrows heavily from Pierre Hardy’s summer 2013 collection here, with a mix of orange, nude, blue, purple and gray, which weave their way into the polishes, while a pattern lifted from a bold cuff repeats itself within the two pans of over-sized blush.

NARS Pierre Hardy blushes in Rotonde (left) and Boys Don't Cry (right) — NARS Pierre Hardy blushes in Rotonde (left) and Boys Don’t Cry (right), $41 each

Last weekend I strapped on some leopard heels and took the blushes out for a walk.
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Wear Time Isn’t a Problem for Sonia Kashuk’s Multitasking Chic Luminosity Stick in Persian Sunset

April 12th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Persian Sunset — She made her way through the marketplace with the Persian Sunset on her upper cheekbones and the scent of saffron in the air… Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in Persian Sunset ($10.99)

I like when cream makeup comes in sticks and pencils (see: Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Mushroom) 1) because they’re easy to use (especially the ones I can blend with a finger), and 2) because they make me feel like I’m back in eighth grade art class, where my biggest concerns were whether my breath smelled like the BBQ Corn Nuts I had at lunch, or whether I’m going to finish my drawing of ceramic bowls by the bell (my teacher was obsessed with us drawing bowls).

Of course, not all cream products are created equal, and some of them just don’t last.

I’m a busy woman with “important” (air quotes) things to do, like figuring out how to dress like Olivia Pope from Scandal without having to throw down the cash for all that Prada, and looking for a monocle for my cat (you know that would be awesome, right?). Having to stop whatever I’m doing every two hours to refresh a product on my lids or cheeks gets really old fast.

Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in Persian Sunset ($10.99) will show those weak-willed, disappearing creams how it’s supposed to be done.

Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in Persian Sunset ($10.99)

Sonia Kashuk Persian Sunset swatch — A swatch on my NC 42 skin

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