Lips

Dreaming of Jell-O and Summer With Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm

March 28th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

Wearing Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in Crystal Coral

I’ve been trying (“trying” being the key word here) to get into fighting shape by summer, and part of that has meant “trying” to refrain from eating so many sweets. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of willpower when it comes to skipping my ritual aprÃ¨s dinner rendezvous with [INSERT SWEET TREAT DU JOUR], so we’ll see how long this lasts.

I haven’t been at it long. Only about a week, but already, everywhere I turn, I see things that remind me of sweets, like these tubes of Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms ($24.50 each), which kindasorta look like Jell-O pops, don’t they? Or fruit-flavored Gummi bears?

Or, be still my beating heart, Jell-O-covered Gummi bears!? 🙂

Shoot, if I didn’t know better, I’d probably try to eat one of these hybrid lipstick/gloss/lip balms. But I do, and note: they’re not edible. Luckily for everyone involved, they’re also unflavored (whew!), but they do have a very faint fruity scent.

clarins instant smooth crystal lip balm

Look for the new Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms on Clarins counters this May, where they’ll be striking poses alongside the rest of the new 13-piece Clarins Enchanted Summer 2012 collection, which was inspired by classic Indian colors. The four Crystal Lip Balms join three bronzers, two lipglosses, a quad, two eye kohls and a waterproof mascara.

In the look, exotic, sultry eyes smolder above bronzed, sculpted cheeks and lightly pigmented lips that shine…

Fo’ reals, doesn’t that sound delicious? 🙂

[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: Double Dare Cremesheen Lipglass

March 26th, 2012 by Karen 43 Comments

mac double dare

I usually have a pretty good memory. Like, I can normally recall the things you’ve told me about yourself — how many cats you assist or the name of your favorite perfume — even if you mentioned them months or years ago, but for some reason, today I can’t remember the last time I played Truth or Dare.

And it’s bugging me! — because I wanted to tie it into this post about MAC Cremesheen Glass in Double Dare ($19.50), today’s MAC Unsung Hero.

I’ve been sitting here racking my brain, but the best I’ve come up with is one hazy memory of my roommates back in sophomore year daring me to knock on the door of the guy who lived in the apartment across from ours to tell him that we thought he was hot (“Hi, uh… My name is Karen and I live across the way and my roommates and I just wanted you to know that we think you’re cute okay bye!”), but I don’t think that was the last time.

Maybe the last time was so traumatizing that I blanked it out. Or perhaps I’m just running out of free space in my mental storage area, so my brain is deleting some of the useless stuff to make room for more important things, like makeup. 🙂

Oh, well… I’m sure I get more value out of remembering to bring this creamy reddish coral lipgloss with me than I’m likely to get from any of the stupid stuff I did back in the day, LOL!

Now, coral glosses? I happily rock ’em all year round, but during spring and summer, when bright lips rule the school, I could wear them 24/7. Double Dare happens to be one of the glosses that rarely leaves my purse, and it’s the shade I usually recommend to friends who say they like the idea of wearing a bright coral gloss like MAC Lychee Luxe or Viva Glam Cyndi, but don’t want to deal with a sticky Lipglass.

It’s just so darn easy! I can wear it without a lip liner, and even apply it without a mirror, like when I’m walking through a parking lot, which I actually did last night when I stopped by Target.

mac double dare

mac double dare swatch

mac double dare
[Continue reading…]

Based on the New Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks, Make Up For Ever Must Have Known: Nothing Says “Wake Up!” Like a Shot of Glossy Color on Your Lips

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Wearing Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in Soft Fuchsia

Although I’m running on fumes right now, I feel surprisingly perky for having only gotten three hours of sleep.

Those must have been three spectacular hours… Or maybe I should credit these new $19 Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks from Make Up For Ever, which are packed with so much vibrant pigment that they’re lifting me up like shots of espresso today, BAM!

Dropping next month at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and Sephora stores in a massive array of 50 creamy, moisturizing shades, they’re also spread out across three different finishes in satin, iridescent and diamond. All 50 colors are coming to MUFE boutiques, but Sephora stores and sephora.com will only be getting 18 of the shades (I’m not sure which ones).

make up for ever rouge artist natural

make up for ever rouge artist natural
From the left: N31 Soft Fuchsia, N45 Red and N4 Pink Beige

make up for ever rouge artist natural
[Continue reading…]

Springing Up on Dolce & Gabbana Counters Now: The Sheer and Pretty Bouquet Collection Lipglosses

March 22nd, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

dolce gabbana raspberry
Wearing Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Lipgloss in Raspberry on my lips

I have a confession to make… I had a blast wearing that crazy blue lipstick around the house yesterday, but I didn’t have the guts to wear it out in public.

I know! Me — the gal who’s always bugging you to try new colors and break out of your comfort zone. Well, I tried to take my own advice, but I only made it as far as the garage.

Yep, there I was, sitting in the car with the engine warming up, and me in my blue lips, when I succumbed to the urge to check myself in the rear-view mirror.

“Holy crap, Karen!” I said to my cerulean self. “You look bat sh*t cray.”

It was bad enough that the errand I intended to run already involved me having to do something of potential embarrassment in rush-hour traffic (stay tuned for tonight’s post!), but the blue lips just took it to a whole new level.

I mean, I’m all for trying new things when it comes to makeup — why not, right? It washes off — but sometimes the desire to feel pretty trumps my cosmetics curiosity.

Good thing I always keep makeup wipes in the car (you never know when you’ll get the urge to swatch).

After I wiped my blue lips clean, I went rutting around in my purse for something else to wear, and the new Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Lipglosses were the first things to catch my eye.

I’ve been wearing these sheer, softly shiny glosses ($29 each) a lot lately to balance out looks with bold/smokey eyes.

dolce gabbana bouquet collection lipgloss
Lipglosses from the top to bottom: Acqua (repromote), Raspberry (new), Innocence (repromote), Shimmer (repromote) and Pink Diamond (repromote), $29 each

dolce gabbana bouquet collection swatches
Swatches from the left: Innocence, Raspberry, Shimmer, Pink Diamond and Acqua

dolce gabbana pink diamond
Pink Diamond
[Continue reading…]

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss: When Literature and Lipgloss Collide

March 19th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

Wearing bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Spark Plug

Please note that if The Hunger Games movie ends up being a dud, you will find me holding a pitchfork and torch and leading an angry mob in the movie theater parking lot.

(I just got tickets for Friday’s midnight show!)

I can still remember when the only people talking about this series were 12 years old. Wait — except for me. 🙂 Young adult science fiction with a bad@ss heroine? Totally my thing.

I’ll be rocking the China Glaze Capitol Colours to the show, of course, but I haven’t decided on the rest of my makeup for the night. Maybe just a simple, Cinna-inspired gold liner along my upper lash line (LOVE YOU, CINNA!).

Photo credit: seattlepi.com

For my lips? Hmm… I’d love to make a statement, but for this, the purple pout I wore for the Sex and the City midnight show doesn’t feel quite right.

And I see myself having more in common with the residents of the Seam than the green-skinned, gold-tattooed girls of the Capitol. Purple lips don’t exactly scream “District 12.”

No. I should go bare, or almost bare. Maybe with something sheer and shiny, like one of the 10 new Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipglosses ($18 each).

I like how the colors in this line of lightly mint-flavored and scented long-wearing glosses have such powerful names. They remind me of many of my favorite Hunger Games characters, like Risk Taker (a chocolate shimmer), Trail Blazer (a nude gold) and Maverick (a rosewood shimmer) to describe Katniss. Smooth Talker (a golden pink) — now that could describe Peeta; and Rebel (a pink mauve) — perhaps Gale?

Gotta love any collision of literature and lipgloss, even when they’re (probably) unintentional.

Here’s a closer look at four of the 10 shades, all of which lightly tingle and are supposed to have a subtle plumping effect. Per usual, I don’t really see a difference in the size of my lips with ’em on, but I rarely do with products that allegedly plump.

At least I know these glosses will shine through the movie. I’ve been getting about four hours from them, and they should withstand a big bucket of popcorn (I know this because I wore Spark Plug to see 21 Jump Street last Friday).

From the left: Risk Taker, Party Starter, Spark Plug and Show Off

bareminerals marvelous moxie lipgloss party starter
Risk Taker
[Continue reading…]

Will Your Lips Take a Shine to Dior’s Addict Extreme Lipsticks?

March 13th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

dior addict extreme incognito
Wearing Dior Addict Extreme in Incognito

Like a pretty beach bikini, Dior’s shiny new $30 Addict Extreme Lipsticks are saucy and bold, but still leave a little something to the imagination. Lightweight and glassy, they provide just enough pigment and coverage to stand out without overpowering the sheer blushes and eyeshadows we’ve been seeing so much this spring.

Available in 17 moderately moisturizing shades, they’re just the kind of lippies I like to wear around this time every year, when I grow a little weary of fall and winter’s heavy mattes and full-coverage products.

Designed to go the distance with a long-wearing formula, they’re also supposed to have a lip-plumping effect, but per usual, my lips must be immune…

dior addict extreme lipsticks
From the left: Incognito, Lucky and Black Tie

dior addict extreme swatches
Swatches from the left: Incognito, Lucky and Black Tie

One thing I do notice about these is how great they feel. I love the texture! They’re so smooth that I almost forgot about the $30 price, and they’re pretty hydrating, too, although I do like to layer a little lip balm underneath.

If I had to compare them to something, maybe the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, except I think those are a little more moisturizing.

dior addict extreme black tie
Black Tie
[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: Sandy B Lipstick

March 8th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

T-minus 961,218 seconds to spring and counting! 217…216…215…

That’s just a little more than 11 days from now, love! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring begins on March 20, but before I ask you to hand me that bottle of Zyrtec on my desk (ah-choo!), could I trouble you to pass me that perky, peachy pink tube of lipstick there instead?

mac sandy b

That, my friend, is someone I’d like you to meet. Her name is MAC Sandy B, and I think she, with her peachy pink pigment and golden shimmer, sure looks lovely worn with spring and summer shades like bronze, teal, gold, peach and brown.

Sandy B is just one of those shades that makes everything better. Seeing it on my lips always fills me with a little more hope and puts an extra spring in my step (I think it might even give my ponytails more bounce).

mac sandy b

[Continue reading…]

There’s a Pixi in My Lip Tint! $16 Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm

March 8th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm Magnific in Mauve
Wearing Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in No. 2 Magnific Mauve

There’s a pixi in my lip tint!

Huzzah!

Did you ever try the Tarte Lip Surgence Lip Tints? I fell in love with those things and their shimmery, non-sticky, lip-tinty goodness…

If you did, too, check out Pixi’s new Tinted Brilliance Balms ($16 each). Smooth, and a little shiny, just like Tarte’s tints, they last about an hour on my lips.

That’s not long, granted, but I think it’s fine for what they are.

Here’s a quick look at four of the seven available shades. Have a look, and let me know what you think. 🙂

pixi brilliance balm
From the left: No. 2 Magnific Mauve, No. 5 Radiant Rose, No.7 Rosy Red and No. 8 Bitten Berry