Kits and Sets

The $42 Dolly’s High Roller Collection by Buxom Is a Winning Hand

November 5th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Buxom Dolly's High Roller Collection — Wearing the new limited edition $42 Buxom Dolly’s High Roller Collection, new for holiday 2014 and available now exclusively at Sephora stores and sephora.com

Get ready to look like you spend all of your time at the VIP high-limit tables (as opposed to playing the OMG! Kittens penny slots). Each element in the new $42 Dolly’s High Roller Collection by Buxom evokes livin’ large, cards and casinos.

The nine-piece set comes with chocolate, plum, platinum and pink eyeshadows (and no fallout from any of them, yay!); a cheek trio with a matte plum blush, a shimmery golden beige highlighter and a peachy golden bronzer; and a dual-ended gloss.

Last, but not least, is the waterproof black pencil eyeliner — handy for that glorious moment when I/you/we hit the jackpot and start crying tears of sweet joy.

Just be sure you work quickly with the liner if you plan to do any smudging, because it sets in under a minute.

Added bonus: the set also includes an insert with two step-by-step tutorials (not shown), one for a daytime look, and one for night.

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Soap & Glory’s New $15 Body Butter Set Has All the Right Smoothes

November 5th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Oh, noes!

My bathroom shelf is buckling under the weight of a mountain of body lotion. What should I do?

I know! I’ll ADD EVEN MORE BODY LOTION TO THE SHELF.

El Hub would probably attempt to counter this logic, but whatevs. I’m a fickle girl who likes multiple moisturizing options. 🙂 Soap & Glory’s new super affordable $15 All The Right Smoothes Set provides three.

How could I not like this set when one of the three moisturizers in it smells a little (OK, a lot) like Coco Mademoiselle, my all-time favorite fragrance by Chanel? It’s called The Righteous Butter, and that’s a perfect name for it. The stuff layers so well with Coco that I plan to get a full-size tub after I finish the set’s 1.69-oz. sampler.

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The $59 Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Set Gives Lips All the Pigment They Can Take

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Whenever I go shopping at Sephora, there’s a rule I steadfastly adhere to. I tell myself that I can only walk out of the store with what I’m able to carry in my two hands.

No baskets, ever, because the minute a basket gets up in the mix, my credit card starts throbbing with a white hot heat.

Buuuut, you know what they say: where there’s a will, there’s a way. 🙂

With products like the new Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Ultimate Lip Sampler Set ($59), I’m able to maximize my self-imposed system of budgetary beauty tyranny. #imjustsayin

The glorious new holiday kit includes 17 (!) sample-sized lip products from 14 makeup brands.

KA-BOOM!

That’s a ton of variety. What’s more, the pieces span a wide range of finishes, textures and coverage levels.

Sephora sorted the products by color family — nudes, berries, pinks and reds — which gives the kit a cohesiveness you don’t always find in limited edition sets.

Sephora Give Me More Lip swatches from the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip LIner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino — From the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip Liner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino

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Get a Luminous Look in a Jiffy With the New Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Color Collection

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

As simple as it sounds, a little shimmer and shine can go a long way when you want to look fresh-faced and radiant in a flash.

I had this “Aha!” moment last weekend when I was getting ready to meet friends in the city for brunch.

I woke up late (purr usual) that morning, even with the extra hour from Daylight Savings (apparently, I need more sleep than a fairytale character), and I had less than 10 minutes to put on ye olde warpaint.

I grabbed Josie Maran’s new Winter Dreams Argan Color Collection ($34).

Every nifty nibble in this five-piece set contains Argan oil, the moisturizing magic ingredient in Josie’s makeup that’s supposed to make lines and wrinkles look less obvious.

The set includes…

A 0.17-oz. tube of Argan Black Oil Mascara

A 0.16-oz. tube of Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Limitless Pink

A 0.16-oz. bottle of Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow in Rio de Rose Gold

A 0.15-oz. bottle of Argan Illuminizer

A 0.5-oz. bottle of 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

I hadn’t washed my makeup brushes since the last time I’d used them, so I ended up doing everything from start to finish using just my fingers. By the time I was done, I felt like I still looked like myself (I don’t like to wear a ton of makeup to Sunday brunch), but perkier…and more luminous, LOL! In other words, less likely to scowl at strangers on the street before I’ve had any coffee. 🙂
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The $59 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pro’s Pics Portables Lip Tar Test Tube X 12 Set Is a Cornucopia of Color

November 3rd, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

We are fam-i-ly!

I’ve got all my Lip Tars with me!

We are fam-i-ly!

Get up everybody and sing!!

As I’m sitting here contemplating the 12 tiny Lip Tars in the new Pro’s Picks Portables Lip Tar: Test Tube X 12 Set by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics ($59), I’m singing Sister Sledge and imagining that the little tubes are all siblings in one big, happy family. They never fight, talk back to their parents, tattle on each other, plot to steal each other’s boyfriends, or say anything snarky about one another, like “so-and-so’s skinny jeans have been looking extra snug lately.” They’re always happy to hang out together, and they never, ever complain about having to share a room.

This new holiday set is a lot of fun. Despite their diminutive size (just 0.08 ounces each), these tiny tubes are bursting with pigment, and a nice number of them are mattes, which are very trendy right meow.

The 12 shades in the set range from tame neutrals to technicolor brights, and they were hand picked by OCC’s Pro Makeup Artists.

If you’re familiar with OCC’s Lip Tars, then you know about their bulletproof coverage and wear time. I usually get six or seven hours out of them.

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The New MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets in Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

It’s Christmas morning.

You tear open an oddly shaped present with shiny reindeer wrapping paper and find a plastic banana holder.

You consider this for a moment…

Do you jump up and down with enthusiasm, so happy to finally have a place to store a banana?

No, you do not, and I can say this with certainty because I actually did receive a plastic banana holder last year as a gift, and I did not jump up and down with enthusiasm.

Now, had I opened the same present and found one of the three new MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets instead ($35 each, $42 CAD), things would have been different. I would have leaped and kicked and danced in my flannel pajamas because unlike MAC’s regular holiday eyeshadow palettes and brush sets, which can be hit or miss, their gloss sets tend to consistently delight me.

In my experience, the glosses in their holiday sets are right up their with the glosses in MAC’s permanent line in terms of quality, making them good bets for gift giving.

I’ve gifted past MAC holiday gloss sets to beauty gals of all ages over the years, from my teenage cousins to my 80-something-year-old glam granny, and they’ve always been hits. Even my BFF Cindy, who’s aggressively anti-makeup, hasn’t groaned when I’ve given her one of them. That has to tell you something.

This year, there are three lip gloss sets in the MAC holiday collection — Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral. Each one comes with three mini Cremesheen Glasses and a mini Dazzleglass.

I love these two formulas, especially during the cooler months. Unlike the Lipglasses, they aren’t sticky, so my hair doesn’t get stuck to my lips when it’s windy. They’re also moisturizing and shiny, to boot.

I don’t mind having to reapply them every two to three hours because of how good they feel on my lips, like Zella hoodies in gloss form.

The three MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets: Overview

If you’re looking for variety, grab the Nude and Coral set. It has a good mix of sheer and fully pigmented shades.
If you want glosses for layering, go for Pink and Plum. Its three sheerest shades really come into their own when layered on top of lipsticks. There’s also a more intensely pigmented bright blue pink in the set for a fun pop of color.
If you go gaga for classic makeup looks, don’t miss Nude and Red. Its three neutral nudes and bright raspberry red go well with makeup standards like cat eyeliner and smokey eyes.

The Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer — Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer

MAC Fashion Whim Cremesheen Glass — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Whim

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun — Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Courtley Coral — Dazzleglass in Courtley Coral

MAC Objects of Affection Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral — Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral

The Pink and Plum Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda — Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda

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A Friday Face of the Day With the New NARS Laser Cut Holiday Palette: Hazy Khaki Eyes, and Rosy Cheeks and Lips

October 17th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Now we shall dance like children of the night!

Or not. 🙂

We can dance around my kitchen though, but only if it’s low impact because I’m still resting up for the race.

What are you doing tonight? I have a feeling El Hub is going to coerce me into watching Fury, that new WWII tank movie with Brad Pitt and the guy who played Shane in The Walking Dead.

Sounds like a hoot!

Oh, well. I’ll get him back in November when the new Hunger Games comes out.

I’m just gonna wear the smokey-light khaki eye look I wore today with the new $59 limited edition NARS Laser Cut holiday palette (available now).

Not that I’m gonna do it, because I feel lazy, but it would be really easy to turn this into an evening/party look by just swapping out the rosy gloss for a more dramatic lip color, like this glossy plum number perhaps…

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Here’s a Tip for Working With the New MAC Objects of Affection Pigments and Glitter Sets

October 16th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

MAC Objects of Affection Pigments and Glitter Set in Gold and Beige — Butterfingers tested and approved!

The mini jars of MAC Pigment and Glitter in the new MAC Objects of Affection holiday sets are so small (0.09 ounces) that I can barely fit a brush into them. They’re tiny! Butterfingers that I am, I feel like the Abominable Snowman trying to hug Bugs Bunny when I hold these jars, so when I use them, to keep accidental drops and messes to a minimum, I have a little workflow I follow…

First, I place a paper towel down on my work surface. Then, I pour a small amount of whichever product I’m using on the towel, and pick up the product directly from there with my brushes.

Much less mess, and it’s easier to load just the right amount of product on the brushes. 🙂

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