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I’m having NARS déjà vu left and right! — first with Urban Decay Troublemaker mascara (which is just like NARS Audacious) and now with the new Kevyn Aucoin The Etherealist Super Natural Concealer.
It’s a new permanent collection line available in 10 shades for $30 each. One of the 10 shades is a peachy apricot color corrector for dark circles, and the other nine range from having peach to gold to beige undertones.
Did someone say “sale?”
I’m there!
It’s moments like this when I realize that I am truly my mother’s daughter. 🙂
It’s that time of year again. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (I LOVE THE DANCING ON THEIR WEBSITE) is happening right now. You can score fab fall clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products, including some exclusive sets, at steep discounts.
This one, which is kind of weird in that it contains six Space NK bestsellers, but it’s exclusively available at Nordstrom (kind of like how some JCPenney stores have a Sephora inside them), is on sale for $159 (a $237 value). And it comes with a chic bag!
After August 6th, all of the sale prices at Nordy’s go back up again, so it’s a good time to stock up on things you know you’ll use (I bought a sh*t-ton of these Caslon tees and a couple of Zella High Waisted Leggings!). It’s also a good chance to grab a beauty set or two, because some brands will bundle items together and slash the price, like the Best of Space NK Set. It’s exclusive to the Anniversary Sale and comes with six items (seven including the bag), five which are full-size.
The only thing that isn’t full-size is the bottle of Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment, which is more of a deluxe sample-size. It’s about half the size of the regular bottle (which costs $105 all by itself), so it’s not that small.
Ooh! Sparkly. ? And dare I say it, borderline unicorn?
This new powder by Kevyn Aucoin looks like a highlighter, right?
Nope! It’s supposed to be a face setting powder, but it has a gradient of different finishes.
I know! Kind of crazy.
On the left side of the pan where the letter “K” is, the finish is more matte, but it gets progressively pearly as you move right. The idea is that you can pick your powder finish poison. Matte or dewy, or anywhere in between, it’s up to you.
It’s pretty darned innovative! — which is something I hardly ever find myself saying anymore about beauty products. I mean, let’s get real — a lot of things get recycled from season to season, but this idea seems pretty fresh for a face powder.
It also feels fab. I’ve never worn a Kevyn Aucoin face powder before, but this one feels like heaven in a pan, or what I imagine it must feel like to take a cat nap on fluffy clouds in heaven. It’s almost creamy soft, and I really wanted to fall in love with it just for that.
Unfortunately…it’s not workin’ well on my skin.
Drat.
First of all, the matte side isn’t very matte, at least not to my eye, and the shimmery side is a super shiny overspray with a slightly less shiny powder underneath.
Little bit strange.
On the matte side, I still see lots of golden pink pearl, and it intensifies as you move toward the shinier right side of the pan. I dunno… It just doesn’t look natural at all on my face.
I was thinking that I might be able to wear it as a golden pink highlighter, but even then it doesn’t work well for me because the powder has white undertones that don’t get along with my tan.
Imagine melting down a handful of pirate treasure gold coins (because who doesn’t have a few spare gold doubloons around the house?!), then finding a way to get that gloriously golden liquefied goodness on your lips without requiring a trip to the emergency room.
That’s what The Molten Lip Colors by Kevyn Aucoin look like on your pout.
There are six shades, and they’re $30 each in the permanent line.
They’re kinda pricey…but that’s normal for Kevyn Aucoin.
Lip colors. I don’t want to call these liquid lipsticks because they don’t have that liquid lipstick feel, where it’s like they’ve latched onto your lips and are sucking all of the moisture out of them.
But I don’t want to call them glosses either, because it’s more like they’re halfway between a shiny gloss and a liquid lipstick.
Have you ever tried the NARS Lip Glides before? These remind me of them.
One thing I really like is that they all look fairly different, unlike most metallic lip color lines where the individual shades look more or less like dupes of each other.
These are also full coverage and pretty darned pigmented. They really do look like their respective colors. If you’ve ever dreamed of titanium-tinted lips, girl, Kevyn’s got ‘chu covered.
In the technical department, the non-sticky, medium weight formula is unflavored and unscented, too, so there’s no funky fruity or floral business happening.
The pearly particles also don’t settle into my lip lines, so instead of hitting the fast-forward button on my lips 10 years (which a lot of metallic lip products do), these almost turn back the clock. Almost. Especially the lighter shades like Copper and Rose Gold, which is my fave.
As the colors wear down over the course of about three hours (give or take), they fade evenly while avoiding all of those little lip flakes that metallic lipsticks so often cling to.
If I could, though, I’d make the formula a little less drying (although starting with a layer of lip balm helps), and I’d revamp Carbon, the darkest color, because it takes a lot of wrangling to keep it in place.
Other than that, I really like these! Definitely take a look at Rose Gold and Copper, if you can. They seem to be the most wearable.
But Bronze is fun, too. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
If I were a makeup artist working on an artsy-fartsy magazine shoot, I wouldn’t think twice about putting Kevyn Aucoin’s $32 Matte Lip Color in Tenacious on a model because it’s one of those rare, otherworldly lipsticks that takes your breath away in pics.
I can see it now, maybe with a bright green or shimmery gold on the lids…
When Nicki Minaj’s Pink 4 Friday Lipstick came out in 2010, this is what I was hoping that was going to look like (instead, it looked pretty ghastly on me).
Thing is, as much as I love how Tenacious looks in pics, in real life, it’s kind of a bear. Being highly pigmented and matte makes finding its sweet spot — the right amount to wear — difficult. Too little and it looks uneven and streaky; too much and it settles into my fine lines, leaving me looking like a hot mess.
Eventually, I get there, but not before a lot of layering, blotting, and pat-pat-patting with a finger.
Tenacious is definitely not a color you can absentmindedly swipe on your lips and bop along your day. Even after it’s applied, it’s like a needy boyfriend who requires frequent check-ins.
