Lips

Unsung Heroes: BECCA Papaya Beach Tint

February 20th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Just added to my list of “Things I’d Like to Do Someday”: eat a papaya (one of my favorite fruits) at the beach (one of my favorite places).

I got the idea from BECCA’s $25 Beach Tint in Papaya, which of course I’ll be wearing when I eat said papaya at said beach. 🙂

This water-resistant lip and cheek tint is one of the newer batch of Beach Tints launched last fall. Described as a “hot red” by BECCA, I call it a “hot reddish, orangey/coral.” With bad-@ss pigment. Can’t forget that.

I’ve been loving it lately, and not just because of the pigment. It’s also a cinch to apply on cheeks and lips, and all it takes are fingers.

With spring approaching, I’ve been crushing harder than usual on corals in general, and I think Papaya worn as a blush on cheeks pairs purrfectly with bold coral lip colors like Tom Ford’s True Coral and Hourglass Muse.

[Continue reading…]

These $24 Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks Look Cute, but the Ongoing In-Store Sale Is Expialidocious

February 19th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Kate Spade Supercalifragilipstick Photos, Pictures and Swatches — The Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks from the left ($24 each): Pop Art Pink, Bashful Blush, Red and Fuchsia Fete, available now at Kate Spade stores, counters and online

It’s the shoes!

It’s gotta be the shoes…

These Kate Spade Supercalifragilipsticks have been brightening KS counters for a while now, but every time I walk into the store to browse around, I get distracted by the shoes (I know)…

Yesterday, though, when I stopped by the store, a friendly sales associate broke me out of my shoe reverie/pattern when she mentioned an ongoing 20% off promotion on any one full-priced Kate Spade product (in store only) — actually all KS stores, according to the sales associate.

Kate Spade. 20% off. Sweet. 🙂

(To be safe, you might want to call ahead to your local store to confirm its participation.)

With the discount, these regularly priced $24 tubes cost $19.

[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39

February 15th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense 39 1 — Here I’m wearing orangey coral Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39, an Unsung Makeup Hero

I’m thinking about having the words, “It’s Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39,” printed on a t-shirt, and I’ll tell you why.

Because whenever I wear it, I must get asked 10 times a day what I’m wearing on my lips.

It’s almost as flattering as the lipstick itself. 🙂

If I had that shirt, I could just smile, open my jacket and BAM! — point at the shirt.

Once you start wearing this satiny, orangey coral ($19, available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and counters, Sephora stores and also online), you’ll see what I mean.

It’s one of those colors you can’t miss when it walks into a room, so be prepared to answer questions about it as you go about your day.

I think it has something to do with the opacity, for one. The bright block of solid color really showcases your lips. That, and the orangey tones, which are just so…bright.

[Continue reading…]

New Aerin Beauty Lip and Cheek Color in Sweet Pea Maximizes Space in Makeup Bags

February 14th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Wearing the new Aerin Beauty Sweet Pea Lip & Cheek Color ($42), new for spring 2013

Why, yes, I am carrying eight tubes of gloss on my person at the moment. How ever did you know?

Oh, you say that my bulging makeup bag gave it away?

Well that explains it. 🙂

Part of me wants to believe that one day I’ll transform from a chronic makeup over-packing caterpillar into a streamlined beauty butterfly with a tiny makeup bag.

I mean, if a street cat like Tabs can rise to the top of the plus-size kitty modeling game, why can’t I get by with my makeup essentials in a tiny makeup bag? Crazier things have happened.

Should my transformation ever transpire, I’ll probably rely on multipurpose products, like Aerin Beauty’s new Sweet Pea Lip & Cheek Color, a satiny, cool-toned pink cream blush that also doubles as a lipstick.

Aerin Beauty, a pretty pricey high-end makeup line that only launched a few months back, carries products that appeal to my fussy-free side — products like Sweet Pea, designed for elegant, natural makeup looks that are also easy.

Blend in one layer with your fingers for cheeks that look like you just finished a brisk walk. Add a second layer, like I’m wearing in these pics, for a brighter flush.

[Continue reading…]

Like Butter, These Bargain Glosses Make Everything Better: The $5 NYX Butter Glosses

February 13th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

NYX Butter Gloss Peaches and Cream — Wearing NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream ($5), one of 12 new Butter Glosses for spring 2013

Just in case you were wondering, if you wear one of the new $5 NYX Butter Glosses while eating cinnamon walnut French toast with a heaping scoop of butter, you will not — I REPEAT! — will not experience butter overload.

(As if there were such a thing.)

On my lips, each of these 12 new moisturizing, non-sticky lip glosses feel all smooth and slick like little sticks of butter…but they don’t taste or smell like butter (whew!)

Nope, more like brown sugar and vanilla, yum!

Yes, yum. 🙂

I’ve had mixed luck with NYX lip product flavors and scents in the past, know what I mean?

Not these though. As far as my nose and palate are concerned, NYX nailed these. On a sensory level, these Butter Glosses represent probably the best experience I’ve ever had from the line. Both the brown sugar and vanilla notes are faint, too, just barely there, and dissipate quickly after 1-2 minutes.

One swipe from the doe-foot applicator leaves behind a sheer layer of color and satiny shine, while a second layer ups the coverage to medium.

Either way, these don’t last all that long on my lips. Most of the time I get about an hour.

NYX Butter Gloss Product Shot — From the left: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brulee, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheese Cake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie

NYX Butter Gloss Swatches — Swatches from the left: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brulee, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheese Cake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie

NYX Butter Gloss Strawberry Parfait — Strawberry Parfait

[Continue reading…]

Sneaking Chic Into Your Day, Guerlain’s Spring 2013 Automatique Lipsticks in Flirt and Ballarde Unleash Your Inner Lipstick Ninja

February 11th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Guerlain Rouge Automatique 600 Ballarde — Here I’m wearing Guerlain’s $35 Rouge Automatique in 600 Ballarde, one of four Automatique Lipsticks from Guerlain for spring 2013

Did I have to try very hard to feel fancy with shimmery pink Rouge Automatique in Ballarde and creamy berry Shine Automatique in Flirt, two of four $35 full-coverage Guerlain Automatique Lipsticks for spring 2013, in my makeup bag last weekend?

Nope, not at all. Actually, it was Automatique. 🙂

Good thing, too, because $35 is a lot for a single tube! Heck, for $35, these better be like little lipstick versions of extra tall, diamond-studded tiaras.

So, just how do these elevate your day (and your lipstick game) to make you feel fancy? Let me count the ways…

1. The Transformers-style gold tube

Whenever I slide the little “G” button on side of the tube, and the lipstick emerges from the trapdoor top like a rabbit from a magician’s hat, wow! — that’s makeup magic.

From top to bottom, these are dressed to the nines, and I also love the little details, like the scripty Guerlain font at the top of the cap and the base of the bullet.

2. The tea rose flavor and scent

Light and fresh, like fragrant petals strewn across a satin pillow, the fragrance and flavor are just little touches, but they enhance the whole, “You’re being pampered,” experience.

3. The moisturizing, long-lasting formula

I’m hesitant to use these in a sentence with “stretchy pants,” since Guerlain positions itself several steps above that, but dang if these don’t feel that comfortable to me. My dry winter lips love the moisturizing formula.

And I almost can’t believe that non-matte lipsticks as slick, smooth and lightweight as these can last as long as they do — from 3-5 hours. That’s kind of epic.

4. They make me feel like a straight-up lipstick ninja!

I’ve been sneaking around with two of these Automatiques for days, stealthily slicking my lips on the sly, and no one’s been the wiser.

You know how sometimes when you go out to dinner and want a touch-up after the meal but don’t want to make a big production out of it? I’ll pull one of these from my purse, flick the switch on the side with my thumb to engage the lipstick bullet, slide a single layer on my bottom lip, rub my lips together, and check my reflection in the reflection on the side of the golden tube. Ninja style. Takes all of about five seconds.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique 600 Ballarde Product Shot — Rouge Automatique in 600 Ballarde ($35)

Guerlain Shine Automatique 761 Flirt Product Shot — Shine Automatique in 761 Flirt ($35)

Guerlain Rouge Automatique 600 Ballarde Guerlain Rouge Automatique 600 Ballarde Swatches — Swatches of Rouge Automatique in 600 Ballarde on the left and Shine Automatique in 761 Flirt on the right

[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: Ravishing Lipstick

February 8th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick ($15), available now at MAC counters, stores and maccosmetics.com

When I slip into MAC’s creamy coral Ravishing Lipstick, winter disappears, and I’m suddenly back at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park on a sunny spring day, watching cherry blossom petals flutter in the breeze…

Ravishing is the kind of fresh and flirty full-coverage coral I like to start wearing around this time of year, right when the weather just barely starts to turn (freak storms notwithstanding), and the sun rises a little earlier in the day.

There’s something carefree, but still a little semi-formal, about the plush, velvety Cremesheen finish that feels so totally right to me.

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick swatch — What a MAC Ravishing swatch!

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick product shot

[Continue reading…]

Milani Spiked the Punch Bowl With Pigment! Introducing New Milani Color Statement Lipsticks

February 8th, 2013 by Karen 37 Comments

Milani Rose Amour Color Statement Lipstick — Here I’m wearing the new $5.49 Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Rose Amour, one of 30 new shades available now at drugstores and online at milani.com

I can hardly believe that Milani’s new line of lightweight, creamy, pigmented Color Statement Lipsticks clock in at a cool $5.49 per tube. If you dressed these up a little, maybe gave ’em a packaging makeover, no joke — they could probably pass for Tom Ford lippies!

Oh, but we might want to do something about that fruit punch fragrance… Wow! Talk about strong.

If fruity fragrances in your lip products aren’t a big issue for you, climb in, because these are like the Lamborghinis of drugstore lipsticks.

Here’s a quick peek at the pink and coral shades from the line…