Kits and Sets

The “Ultimate NARS” Lip Pencil Set Shifts Lips Into Neutral

July 21st, 2015 by Karen 10 Comments

nars ultimate nars — The $49 “Ultimate NARS” lip pencil set

Yo, whose hoopty is this? Yes, the red ’95 Civic in the driveway. Will somebody please get this thing out of neutral and drive us to the Nordstrom NARS counter so we can play with the new “Ultimate NARS” lip pencil set ($49)?

Wait — what? What do you mean there’s nobody here who can drive a stick? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? NOT ONE PERSON HERE CAN DRIVE A STICK!?

OK…well, I can’t drive one either. 🙂 So I guess we’ll all just have to sit here and admire it on the interwebz.

LOL! You don’t actually have to know how to shift a hoopty out of neutral to roll with the three full-size pencils in the Ultimate NARS lip pencil set, but a healthy appreciation for neutral lips colors would probably help. This trio of pale, pink lip pencils is all about ze neutrals.
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Peek-a-Boo! I See Yu Wearing the New NARS True NARS Lip Pencil Set This Summer

July 20th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Oh, Yu!

Yu! You know I’ve got nothing but mad love for Yu. I’m so happy to see Yu again! 🙂

Yaaaas, queen, Yu is one of my favorite NARS Satin Lip Pencils of all freakin’ time, and it just so happens to be one of the three full-size pencils in the new $49 NARS True NARS summer gift set.

This year there are three limited edition NARS summer gift sets — two lip sets and one blush palette — and True NARS is the boldest of the two summer lip sets.

Do you feel like the world is a kinder, gentler place when you’re wearing bronzer? Or is the pursuit of toasty, tanned skin one of your ongoing life goals? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then True NARS is the lip set for you, because its vivid pink Satin Lip Pencil in Yu, vivid watermelon Satin Lip Pencil in Luxembourg and matte berry red Velvet Matte Li pencil in Provocative Red were picked and put together for the way they pop when worn with bronzed skin. Wear any of them separately like I’m doing in the swatches here, or combine them to create your own custom splash of spectacular sorry-not-sorry color.

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Mirror, Mirror on…These Eyeshadow Palettes: The NARS Fall 2015 NARSissist Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette and Hardwired Eye Kit

July 3rd, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the most beautiful NARSissist of them all?!

I think you already know Tabby’s answer. 🙂

The new limited edition NARSissist fall 2015 eye palettes have mirrors on the packaging so that you may admire yo’ fine self, or so that your kitty cat can admire his floof.

I think it’s pretty convenient and cool, even though it makes these things pick up a sh*t-ton of paw prints whenever I open them.

nars narsissist matte shimmer eyeshadow palette — NARS Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette

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7 Things You Should Know About the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

June 15th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

nicky hilton smashbox cosmetics-2 — Wearing the new Nicky Hilton + Smashbox NY Classic Cat Eye Kit ($54), available now exclusively online at smashbox.com

7 Things You Should Know About the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

You don’t have to be a cat lady to appreciate it (although you may appreciate it more if you like the look of classic black cat eyeliner)
Wearing all of your cat lady accoutrements (your shirts, jewelry, cat ears, etc.) with the kit’s eyeshadow, liner and mascara qualifies as a strong “do”
When you open the bag that comes with the kit, you may catch a whiff of something that smells like fish-flavored cat treats (I do with mine, which is weird!).
I, myself, am unsure if this is a good thing, but Tabs seems perfectly OK with it.
Cat eyes aren’t the only thing you can do with the kit’s eyeshadow trio, gel pen liner and mascara (although they are the obvious choice, right?). You could also use ’em for smokey eyes.
Be prepared. Due to this kit, your cat may experience severe jealousy when he sees you rocking thick, fatty-bo-batty cat eye liner, meow!
While wearing these pieces, you may find yourself spontaneously purring.
While carrying this kit, you may also start carrying cat treats in your purse. (Oh, wait. I already do that.)

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On June 8, It’s All About You (and It Cosmetics), Thanks to QVC

June 7th, 2015 by Karen 10 Comments

it cosmetics its all about you — The four-piece It’s All About You Customer Favorites Collection, by It Cosmetics ($59.95, a $72.50 value)

Who is it all about? That’s the question.

It’s not about Kanye (although he’d probably beg to differ), and it’s not about ewes, either.

Right now, at this very moment, it’s all about you. And It Cosmetics. And QVC.

Fans of It Cosmetics and/or limited edition fiends, guide your mouse over to QVC.com because there’s a limited edition, limited time four-piece makeup collection available now with not one, but two brand new (!) It Cosmetics products and two additional fan faves.

The collection is available for one day only, June 8, 2015, starting at midnight Eastern Time (also known as 9 p.m. Pacific on June 7).

The $59.95 It’s All About You Customer Favorites Collection includes…

The new Celebration Foundation SPF 50 powder foundation. Medium to full coverage, with UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection. My two cents? It has a major matte finish, so if you like matte skin, this could be your jam.
The new Naturally Pretty Face Palette. This palette has a few customer faves, like Hello Light Creme highlighter, Vitality Matte Bronzer, Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder and the brand new Bye Bye Pores Pressed Blush.
I was pretty impressed by how long the blush and bronzer lasted when I wore them yesterday.
Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer. This is a crazy creamy full-coverage under-eye concealer, and it will cover dark circles…but it also really needs to be set with a powder.
Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush. I quite like this dual-ended face brush. It’s super soft and evenly lays down powder.

If you’re interested, the set is available now for $59.95, and you can find it exclusively one day only at QVC.com.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Three Full-Size Lip Products for $32 Makes the Make Up For Ever Tease Me Lip Trios a Tempting Tease

February 13th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Wearing the new $32 Make Up For Ever Tease Me Nude Lip Trio

Every time I see this guy’s face on the two Make Up For Ever Tease Me lip trios I want to tell him to FREAKING RELAX, MAN. Why you so stressed out?? Aren’t you, like, a billionaire playboy or something?

Or maybe that’s Bruce Wayne… OK, whatever.

This series though. Who knew it was so controversial? And here I was thinking it was just a frothy, pulpy schmexy-time romance novel.

However you feel about it, I bet there’s one thing we can all agree on: the makeup inspired by the movie is kind of rocking.

Like MUFE’s two new lip trios, one based on nudes and one built around berries. Each one comes with a lip liner, a waterproof liquid lipstick and a lip gloss, all of them full-size.

Maybe Mr. Grey likes to wear lipstick sometimes, and he’s stressed out about his lip situation. “Which lipstick should I wear, and how will I know what lip liner and gloss to wear with it!?”

Make Up For Ever Tease Me Berry Lip Trio — Tease Me Berry Lip Trio

No worries, Mr. Grey. Make Up For Ever has made it easy for ya. For each of the two trios, they picked a matching lip liner, liquid lipstick and gloss, freeing you up to make the tough decisions, like how many cats is too many cats? Do I appear intense enough in this photo? What should our safety word be? Is my hair too flat? And how’s the lighting in my secret back room?

The Innocent Nude Lip Trio is my favorite of the two because of its flexibility, which is to say that while I don’t intend to wear the trio with thigh-high leather boots and a naughty outfit, I suppose I could. The shades are neutral enough to work with a variety of looks and outfits. It comes with a nude beige lip liner, a soft rosy pink liquid lipstick and a sparkling beige gloss (thankfully, the glitter isn’t gritty).

I do also like the Passionate Berry Lip Trio, but with my lips being so dry and flaky right now, I’m a little reluctant to embrace the darker colors. The deep berry plum lip liner, raspberry liquid lipstick and sparkling deep fuchsia gloss are very wearable, though, and right in the middle of the road in terms of color temperature.

Make Up For Ever Tease Me Nude Lip Trio Swatches from the left: Aqua Lip Pencil in 3C, Aqua Rouge Waterproof Lip Color in 3, Aqua Rouge Clear, Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lip Gloss in D16 — Nude Lip Trio Swatches from the left: Aqua Lip Pencil in 3C, Aqua Rouge Waterproof Lip Color in 3, Aqua Rouge Clear, Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lip Gloss in D16

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The Make Up For Ever Give In To Me Makeup Kit: Inspired by the Movie, Fifty Shades of Grey

February 11th, 2015 by Karen 60 Comments

With the new Make Up For Ever 50 Shades of Grey set, one does not need to have read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy to get the gist of the story.

I haven’t read the books, but this set is like the Cliff’s Notes version. There’s a little how-to booklet in it that walks you through a progression of Ana’s looks, starting young and fresh-faced with barely-there makeup, then moving into a sultrier look with black liner and glossy lips, before going full-on fierce with intense smokey eyes.

OK, I think I get it… Homegirl goes into, like, the mansion’s naughty secret room and discovers that she’s totally into it. A good time was had by all. 🙂

I am so far behind on my reading (have you heard that Harper Lee is releasing a SECOND novel?), but I’m tempted to move Fifty Shades up to the front of the line.

My friend Jen read the books, and I asked her what she thought. She said, “I could feel the mind-numbing getting progressively worse…but I couldn’t stop.”

I have to ask, do I really need to read these books?? What say you?

Either way, there’s always the movie, and the makeup in this set, which comes with five pieces for eyes and lips (no cheek love?), all built around three different looks.

Make Up For Ever Fifty Shades of Grey Give In To Me Eye Palette — The eyeshadow quad…

The centerpiece? The eyeshadow quad. It houses a shimmery beige (shade I-514), a warm shimmery copper (ME-612), a cool-toned matte taupe (S-556) and a neutral, shimmery golden brownish taupe (I-628).

The quad is joined by a tube of Smoky Extravagant Mascara in black, a black Graphic Liner liquid pen; pinkish beige Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N4; and warm, shimmering golden pink Lab Shine Gloss in D14.

Make Up For Ever Fifty Shades of Grey Give In To Me Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N4 — Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N4

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The Jouer Holiday 2014 Collection: Chic and Polished Makeup Sets On Sale Right Meow!

December 11th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Jouer Fete Fabulous — Wearing pieces from the new limited edition Fete Fabulous 5-piece holiday color collection by Jouer

Oh, Jouer, you’re so fun!

Get it…? Jouer? Means “play” in French?

Sorry.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, their limited edition holiday sets are a Fete Fabulous way to break the ice.

The 5-piece Fete Fabulous kit for eyes, cheeks and lips (regularly $112, on sale now for $54) comes with a warm honey matte bronzer and a sheer rosy pink cream blush for cheeks, a shimmery gold cream eyeshadow stick and a powder eyeshadow duo containing a matte beige and an espresso brown for eyes, and a sheer berry pink gloss for lips.

I wore the kit a lot last weekend while visiting my in-laws in Redding, and it was juuust enough makeup to satisfy my appetite.

Jouer is an upscale, boutiquey line out of So Cal with a chic, understated, effortless vibe. I love their style and like to wear their stuff on weekends, or whenever I crave easy definition.

The sheer glosses in the Bisou Bisou and French Kiss lipgloss kits are fine, if not fun, especially if you like to layer sheer gloss on top of your lipstick.

If, however, your lips get dry and cracked this time of year, you may want to start with a layer of lip balm, because the glosses aren’t incredibly moisturizing.

As for the Le Petite Brush Set, on sale now for $35 (regularly $70), the bristles feel nice and soft, but brush heads themselves feel a bit stiff. They don’t have as much give as I usually like.

Because of that, these brushes do a decent job controlling cream products, but when it comes to pushing powder products around, I wish the brush heads had more give.

The Jouer Fete Fabulous 5-Piece Color Collection, originally $112, on sale online now for $54

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