Lips

The Five MAC Magnetic Nude Lipglasses Are Quarter Quell Approved

December 24th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

MAC Steel Kiss Lipglass from the Magnetic Nude collection — Steel Kiss Lipglass, a dirty mauve with green pearl

I really hate to sound so dramatic (insert El Hub disagreeing with that statement [HERE]), but if I were forced to enter a Hunger Games Quarter Quell with nothing save the contents of my purse, you better believe that among the survival gear, sharp cutlery and cans of cat food (never know when you’ll meet a feline friend in the arena), you’d also find a MAC Lipglass or two. Or 12. Because there is NO WAY I’m going into a nationally televised fight not wearing any makeup.

No. Way.

MAC Magnetic Nude Lipglasses $15 each US and $18 CAN — The five Magnetic Nude Lipglasses, $15 each US and $18 CAN

Any (or all) of the five new Lipglasses from the new MAC Magnetic Nude collection would do. I could use brick red Hell Bound for serious @ss-kicking, and wear any of the other nudes in the launch for lurking, plotting, or during the tender moments and on-camera contemplation…

Remember the real enemy!!

MAC Overspiced Lipglass from the Magnetic Nude collection — Overspiced Lipglass, a dirty muted coral

MAC A Quiet Roar Lipglass from the Magnetic Nude collection — A Quiet Roar Lipglass, a creamy off-white

MAC Hell Bound Lipglass from the Magnetic Nude collection — Hell Bound Lipglass, a brick red with golden pearl

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Keep Lips Covered Up While Nude With the Potently Pigmented MAC Magnetic Nude Lipsticks

December 24th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

MAC Carnal Instinct Lipstick from the Magnetic Nude Collection — Carnal Instinct, a deep brick red with golden pearl and a Frost finish

Despite it officially being winter (Merry Christmas Eve, BTW), I’ve been spending a lot of time with nudists lately…

Don’t laugh. 🙂 They’re actually really fun to hang out with!

The ones I met don’t even insist that we take off our clothes in public, which is great because — hello! It’s winter, and it’s cold here (well, California cold).

I’m talking about the four new lipsticks in the MAC Magnetic Nude collection, of course, and they’ve quickly become my jam (overtaking the Hawaiian Sun Lilikoi in the fridge). They go with practically everything.

The four MAC Magnetic Nude Lipsticks, $15 each US and $18 CAN — The four Magnetic Nude Lipsticks, $15 each US and $18 CAN

The deepest shade, brick red Carnal Instinct — the one at the top — looks dramatic on medium and lighter skin tones and more neutral on darker damsels.

I bet it’ll look gorgeous paired with warm brown or copper eye looks.

MAC Sensual Sparks Lipstick from the Magnetic Nude Collection — Sensual Sparks, a dirty cool caramel with an Amplified finish

Sensual Sparks, the creamy caramel nude, is a dead ringer for Tom Ford’s $49 Sable Smoke, and it’s so beyond pigmented that it’s almost insane (gotta love the full coverage of MAC’s Amplified finish)! If your lips are naturally very rosy or red, and you have a hard time finding nudes that can actually cover up your natural lip color, this is the tube you’ll want to swatch first.

Same thing goes for Close Contact, the creamy peach, which shares the Amplified finish. I don’t think it’s as warm as Sensual Sparks, which might make it a better fit for you if your skin tone is cooler.

MAC Close Contact Lipstick from the Magnetic Nude Collection — Close Contact, a creamy peach with an Amplified finish

Speaking o’ cool…Morning Rose, the last of these shades, is a soft cool rose with a Cremesheen finish — also pigmented, but not as pigmented as the other lipsticks in the launch. A very delicate, pretty pink, I think it’s lovely on its own or layered with pink glosses that have cool blue tones.

MAC Carnal Instinct Lipstick, a deep brick red with golden pearl and a frost finish — Carnal Instinct Lipstick, a deep brick red with golden pearl and a Frost finish

MAC Sensual Sparks Lipstick, a dirty cool caramel with an Amplified finish — Sensual Sparks Lipstick, a dirty cool caramel with an Amplified finish

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The New Hydrating MAC Huggable Lipcolour Collection Gives Dry Lips a Big Hug

December 18th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Well, I love hugging smug thugs who snuggle pugs that play on rugs, BOOM!

And you wonder why my rap career never took off…

Hardy-har-har. 🙂

Ah, the things that pop into your head when you’re trying to think of clever ways to work the word “hug” into your blog posts…

You know, hug? As in the brand-spankin new MAC Huggable Lipcolour collection?

Interestingly, MAC didn’t call these lipsticks, which makes sense to me, as they don’t seem much like lipsticks at all. Rather, they remind me of intensely pigmented, hella moisturizing lip balms.

Dry lips say what now…?

Yup, the 12 Huggable Lipcolours have a completely new gel-based formula, and they make their big debut January 2nd at all North American MAC locations and internationally the same month (in all countries outside Asia).

MAC claims the formula makes them mega moisturizing and capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound!

Wait — no, that’s not right. It’s supposed to help the shiny finish last up to six hours.

Lots of colors here to choose from. I see some wearable nudes, pinks, corals and a sprinkling of richer wines, plums and deep reds.

These are, like, the ultimate purse lip balms. The moisturizing formula totally kicks dry lip flakes to the curb, and applying them couldn’t be easier. We’re talking so soft and buttery that they practically melt when you run them across your lips.

In fact, I’d say they border on being a little too soft, so don’t go dropping one on a hard surface, you cute clumsy-pants, lest you be S.O.L. like yours truly (notice that a few of them have chips on their sides, le sigh…).

As for the hugging, yeah, they really do hug the surface of my lips. No weird patchiness or propensities to settle into my fine lip lines. Just a smooth block of semi-transparent coverage with megawatts of shine.

MAC Touche Huggable Lipcolour, a light beige with a cream finish — Touche Huggable Lipcolour, a light beige with a cream finish

MAC Fresh & Frisky Huggable Lipcolour, a soft neutral peach with a cream finish — Fresh & Frisky Huggable Lipcolour, a soft neutral peach with a cream finish

MAC Cherry Glaze Huggable Lipcolour, an orangey red with a cream finish — Cherry Glaze Huggable Lipcolour, an orangey red with a cream finish

MAC Out for Passion Huggable Lipcolour, a soft warm rose with a cream finish — Out for Passion Huggable Lipcolour, a soft warm rose with a cream finish

MAC Fashion Force Huggable Lipcolour, a cool coral with a cream finish — Fashion Force Huggable Lipcolour, a cool coral with a cream finish

MAC Love Beam Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone warm pink with a cream finish — Love Beam Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone warm pink with a cream finish

MAC What a Feeling Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone cool pink with a cream finish — What a Feeling Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone cool pink with a cream finish

MAC Feeling Amorous Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone fuchsia with a cream finish — Feeling Amorous Huggable Lipcolour, a mid-tone fuchsia with a cream finish

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Get Your Lips Red-y for the Mistletoe With Kissable Cola-Flavored Lush Santa Baby Lip Tint

December 13th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Like a cola-flavored Icee, this new red Lip Tint by Lush is super chill…

Chill, as in relaxed. It’s not cold or anything, although I think it does taste and smell kinda like a cold Coca-Cola Icee, probably on account of the cola flavoring derived from cherry and date extracts.

I think of Santa Baby less as a lip tint and more as a sheer matte lipstick in pot packaging. Like a matte lipstick, the finish is flat, and there’s a good amount of pigment in it, ensuring that you can actually (hopefully) see the red color on your lips. I can, and I can still also see my natural lip color peeking through.

It’s all very casually cool…like a sweet pair of distressed jeans or a broken-in leather jacket.

I apply it with my fingers and skip the lip liner, and then have to reapply about every 3-4 hours after that.

In an emergency (uh…a makeup emergency?), it’ll even double as a cream blush.

And the lightweight, non-sticky formula feels like next-to-nothing on my lips, which I like.

Lush Santa Baby Lip Swatch — Santa Baby Lip Swatch

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Honey, These Bees Like To Party: Burt’s Bees’ Two New Massively Moisturizing Party Lips Gloss Sets in Neutral and Pink

December 6th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Burt's Bees Party Lips Set — Wearing Burt’s Bees Spring Splendor Lip Gloss from the new Pink Party Lips set

Two sets. Four lip glosses. One big reason to get buzzed!

Hey now, it’s not that kind of party. You won’t have to worry about the sting of a hangover (says the lightweight who can’t handle more than two glasses of wine in an evening), because this holiday pretty party’s themes are moisture and shine. 🙂

Burt's Bees Party Lips in Neutral on the left and Pink on the right, $14.99 each — Party Lips in Neutral on the left and Pink on the right ($14.99 each)

Honey, I’m buzzin’ over Burt’s new Party Lips lip gloss sets ($14.99 each). Both two-piece duos/sets — one called Neutral and the other called Pink — come with two full-sized tubes of Burt’s 100% Natural Lip Glosses (BTW, they have doe-foot applicators).

Burt’s benevolent bees loaded these with hydrating ingredients like sunflower and olive oil, and my lips are lovin’ the moisture. It’s been dropping into the low 30s this week, and between the chill in the air and the heater kicking on throughout the day, my lips have been dry, dry, dry!

I really like the way these feel. The texture’s a lot like the texture of MAC’s Lipglasses — thick and kinda sticky — and they last from 3-4 hours on me.

Now, these may not be ideal if your cat (and/or pooch) jumps in your lap and gets all up in your grill. Just an FYI, as your fabulous friend’s fur will stick to yo’ pout.

Both limited edition kits contain never-before-seen colors created for the sets. Pick the Pink set if you like wearing glosses with a fair amount of color (but not too much), or grab Neutral if you want more of a nude lip look. Either way, brace yourself for some seriously shiny, sheer, natural-looking color and gallons of moisture.

Burts Bees Party Lips Set Swatches — From the left: the Neutral set glosses in Autumn Haze and Sweet Sunset; and the Pink set glosses in Ocean Sunrise and Spring Splendor

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Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color Is So Flawless That It’s Almost Criminal

December 4th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal — Wearing Tom Ford’s Rouge Fatal Lipstick on my lips

There’s something very villainess about Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color…

It’s almost criminally hot in a naughty, awesome way — like something you’d see on a bad-@ss Bond girl wearing a floor-length sequined cocktail dress in an exclusive underground casino as she blows a slo-mo kiss across a crowded room to her handsome nemesis shortly before she hands a beat-down to some numb-nuts who tries to prevent her from entering a secure area.

BOOM! And then you see that flash of red again right as she smiles before delivering the fatal blow — a kick from her three-inch spiked heels directly in the poor guy’s groin.

Ouch.

Not gonna lie, I totally want to be that chick. 🙂 Mostly because the bad gals get to have more fun with their makeup. They get to go bold, just like this lipstick.

Creamy crimson Rouge Fatal hails from Tom Ford’s new four-piece Jasmin Rouge 2013 color collection of powerful red lips and nails, and wearing it makes me feel like a decadently daring (crazy cat lady) glamorous gangster.

While the $49 price Tom asks for his lipsticks makes me go, “blergh!” I have to say that despite this not being the most unique red in the criminal universe, it does make red lips really, really easy.

I was so excited to try it on that I skipped the usual prep work I do before putting on a powerful red lip like this (exfoliating with an olive oil and sugar scrub, moisturizing with a rich lip balm and lining with a coordinating lip liner). I just threw it on, and hello! — it looked really, really good. 🙂

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal swatch — Swatch o’ Rouge Fatal

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Benefit’s New Lavender Pink Lollitint Cheek and Lip Tint Is Pretty Sweet!

November 27th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

I’ve been wearing Benefit’s cheek and lip stains off and on for the better part of, oh, the past 13 years (give or take).

In my early 20s, Benetint was TOTALLY my jam, and I wore it all the time. In fact, I traveled the country spreading the gospel of its wonders to the makeup masses!

OK, not really. 🙂 But I do remember driving across Washington state with my ex-boyfriend and his two teenage nieces in 1999 to see a concert at The Gorge.

It was the first time I saw Beyonce in concert (*tears*), and as I was putting on my makeup in the car, one of the girls asked me about the bottle of Benetint in my makeup bag. I was thrilled by her interest and did two impromptu makeovers right there.

Part of me wishes I’d taken that as a sign to pursue a job in beauty, but alas, it was a hint I totally ignored at the time. I mean, when you feel compelled to help two teens discover the wonders of lip and cheek stains in a cramped Subaru, it’s gotta be a sign.

Anywho, even though we all had vastly different skin tones, Benetint looked great on all of us, and I think that’s one of the reasons Benefit’s tints are so appealing — the colors seem to work well on everyone!

I’m hoping (and betting) that’ll also be the case with Lollitint, the newest member of the Benefit tint family.

Benefit Lollitint — Sweet tooth says what now??

Worn sheer on me, Lollitint looks like a very sweet lavender pink, but build it up with multiple layers, and you get a brighter, intensely purple-pink fuchsia.

Very cool.

Now, I know that the thought of wearing violet on your face might seem a little scary at first, especially if you’ve always stuck to traditional pinks and peaches, but please give it a chance. This one’s surprisingly wearable — shockingly so on cheeks.

Like Benefit’s other tints, Lollitint works best on me when I apply it on bare skin. For some reason, the liquid formula lasts longer when there aren’t a lot of other face products up in the mix. If it’s just Lollitint on top of bare cheeks, I get a good 8-9 hours of wear.

That said, Lollitint does do pretty well on top of BB creams and tinted moisturizes, as long as I only use very little. Too much of either, and Lollitint starts acting difficult, refusing to absorb as evenly as it does when I wear it by itself.

How about wearing it with liquid foundations? Well, I think I’ve found a way…

If I swipe a few strokes of Lollitint on the back of my hand first, and then take a dense synthetic foundation brush (I’m using one from last year’s Sephora Collection IZAK Brush Set), press and swirl the brush head into the liquid to help the bristles pick up as much of the product as possible, and then press the brush on the apples of my cheeks using a tapping motion and a moderate amount of pressure, it works well! — and I get the blush on there nice and even without messing up the foundation underneath.

Benefit Lollitint Swatch — Swatches of Lollitint unblended (left) and blended (right)

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A Black Lipstick for Black Friday: MAC Hautecore Friday Lipstick Goes on Sale for One Day Only, November 29

November 22nd, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Take heed, shopaholics! If you plan to dive headlong into the Black Friday fray next week (November 29), steer clear of anyone roaming retail halls with a ravenous twinkle in their eye…

Case in point:

I know this because it’s a lesson I learned the hard way (of course). Years ago, on a dark and stormy November night…

OK, not really, it was daytime, and the weather was fine. 🙂 But it was during a particularly vicious Bebe sample sale in South San Francisco. A woman with this exact same look on her face walked up to me and pulled a skirt I was holding from my hands.

Shocked, I stood there with my mouth agape for about five silent seconds before my cavewoman instincts kicked in. I was about to run her down and stab her with one of my knitting needles (I’d been standing in front of the store for hours to get into the sale, during which time I finished knitting not one, but two, scarves). Thank goodness I came to my senses and refrained.

So yeah. Watch out for those hard-core shoppers, man! They don’t mess around…

Hopefully, online shopping won’t be that traumatic this year. If you plan to do any cyber-shopping on November 29, swing by the MAC website, because that’s when and where the new MAC Hautecore Friday Lipstick goes live.

MAC Hautecore Lipstick — Hautecore all up in yer grill

The brand-spankin’ new matte black lipstick will be available exclusively online that one day only.

MAC Hautecore Friday Lipstick Swatch — A swatch of Hautecore Friday on my NC42 skin

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