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News

Dolce & Gabbana, Milan Fashion Week, Summer 2011: Show Review, Interview with Pat McGrath

September 26th, 2010 by Karen 65 Comments


The look at the Dolce & Gabbana runway show; All backstage photo credits: Delphine Achard and Ludovic Belmonte

You know how sometimes you see a look come down the runway and you’re like, “Whoa! Where the heck did that beam down from? Enterprise, do you read me?”

Take the orange eyeshadow makeup artists sent Tom Cruisin’ down the catwalk in New York not long ago. Don’t get me wrong — I lurves me some brights, and I’m all for artistic expression when it comes to le war paint, but it’s also nice to see runway looks I might actually wear in real life.

Staring up at the massively tall models backstage before the Dolce & Gabbana Summer 2011 Fashion Week show in Milan today, two thoughts kept coming to mind: 1) I am extremely short, and 2) I’d wear that makeup in a *hawt* second.

While multitasking makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath worked her magic backstage, wielding her brushes like wands, I tried to stay out of everyone’s way. As she zipped around from girl to girl, dabbing a bit more blush here, reapplying a pair of false lashes there, she also gave feedback to the army of makeup artists assembled for the show.

The look — a sensual yet natural face brushed with nude, pink and brown — was created to complement the ethereal fabrics ruling the show.


That’s Pat on the right!


[Continue reading…]

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Categories: Makeup, News Keywords: dolce & gabbana, milan

Dolce & Gabbana, Milan Fashion Week, Summer 2011: Ultra Wearable Makeup Hits the Runway!

September 26th, 2010 by Karen 11 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Lace Fall 2010 swatches review nude quad open
The $59 Dolce & Gabbana Nude quad (#110)

Heya, ladies! The show doesn’t start for a couple of hours, but the air is already buzzing with makeup and beauty. Minutes ago, artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath described the look we’ll be seeing on the runway today as “…ultra natural makeup with beautiful design; [we want] the face to look sensual [and] beautiful.”

She describes it as a big departure from the styles of the last few Dolce & Gabbana runway looks. In effect, today’s models will be rocking less makeup.

Do you remember the Dolce & Gabbana Nude quad from the permanent line? Expect to see it featured this afternoon along with a new lipstick compact called Lip Jewel (contains four shades — Nude, Dahlia, Ultra and Devil).


Nude quad from left on NC35 skin: shimmery plum, shimmery golden peach, matte beige, matte tan

Key elements of today’s makeup look:

  • Sensuality, and an overal natural look
  • Dolce & Gabbana’s Chocolate eyeliner smudged close to the lashes
  • The brown shadow from the Nude quad applied wet and very thinly along the lash line
  • Natural-looking foundation to match the skin tone of the body
  • Dolce & Gabbana Caramel blush
  • The beige and tan shades from the Nude quad applied around the eyes
  • Mascara on the upper lashes only
  • Dolce & Gabbana’s beige eyeliner (Nude eyeliner) at the inner corners of the eyes
  • Lips with a natural-looking stain using colors from the new Jewel lip compact

More deets and pics coming soon! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: News Keywords: dolce & gabbana, milan

Hi From the Dolce & Gabbana Show!

September 26th, 2010 by Karen 10 Comments

Hi, ladies. I’m here waiting in front of the Metropol building to go backstage for the Dolce & Gabbana show. Just wanted to say hello! I’ll try to send updates!


Lots of stylish ladies wearing black


Someone rockin’ her Chucks at the D&G show

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: News Keywords: milan

Reporting from Milan Fashion Week, aka We’re Not in Kansas Anymore!

September 23rd, 2010 by Karen 81 Comments

What it do, homeskillet? Are you ready for a few days of gelato-fueled fun!?

Remember how I spent most of Monday stuck in San Francisco working out the kinks with my passport? Well, tomorrow morning my cameras and I are off to Italy to cover Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan Fashion Week show.

I’ll be knee-deep in makeup backstage at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2011 show on Sunday, digging up deets on the runway looks and bringing you insider beauty tips from the incomparable Pat McGrath (she collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana on their makeup and brush collection).
[Continue reading…]

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Categories: News Keywords: dolce & gabbana, milan

Saturday Surfing

September 11th, 2010 by Karen 8 Comments

Afternoon, Saturday surfer. How’s the water?

(dips toe in to check)

OOH! It’s perfect. 🙂 I have enough time to catch a couple waves, but them I’m off to the mall to do some window shopping. I’m in SUCH a mall mood right now.

In other news, I re-watched the last Project Runway again, and you know what? That Michael C. is a class act. The way he treated Mondo after being treated poorly himself — that’s class. He may not be the world’s greatest tailor, but I like his design aesthetic and how well he works with others.

Random Bright Spots

  • Can you guess the Japanese beauty invention? — Bellasugar
  • FUN BLOG! This gal’s done a new nail polish color and/or design every single day for a year (and some of them are really cool!) — The Daily Nail
  • Mad Men fans, get ready to LOL! (thanks, @joeyglowybunny) — Sad Don Draper
  • RAD or BAD: What do you make of these unusual lipstick colors? — Refinery 29
  • Haha! I read quite a few of these books in school; some of these one-minute summaries are spot on (and hella funny!) — Book-a-Minute Classics
  • Mrrow! All aboard the cat lady train with these 5 ways to wear leopard print — College Fashion
  • I was shopping for new over-the-shoulder-bolder-holders when I came across these 5 bra-sizing myths — Knickers
  • How to forge habits that stick — Freestyle Mind
  • Is your hometown on the list of the top 10 best cities for bloggers? — Simply Optimal
  • Seriously? J. Crew’s selling $1,000 ponchos? — Styleite

New in Beauty

  • Please hand me a napkin so I can wipe the drool from my chin. These Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palettes ($84) look GORGE!
  • The Benefit Her Name Was Glowla kit ($36) comes with some tried-and-true Benefit goodies like Coralista (one of my faves)
  • Be a vision to behold this fall with the five vibrant liners in the Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes Kit ($36)
  • Sounds almost good enough to eat: these Tocca Bagno Profumato bath gels ($19 each) gently clean and hydrate with olive oil, calendula flower extract and honey
  • Benefit has four new Creaseless Cream Shadow shades ($19 each), WOOT!
  • Bobbi Brown’s Beauty Rules Palette ($45) looks fun!
  • Clarins claims their new Rouge Prodige lipsticks ($24) last and last and last (while delivering moisturizing color and shine)
  • Define those cheekbones, girl, with the Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit ($45)
  • OOH! I can’t wait to sniff Philosophy Be Somebody Water Lily Shower Gel ($16)


Ever wonder what would happen if you unleashed 100 cats on Ikea?


I whip mah hair back and forth, I whip mah hair back and forth!🙂

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, News

Saturday Surfing

August 28th, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

OMG, ladies! I’d hoped to spend a relaxing evening last night painting my toenails while watching the latest ep of Project Runway, but that was before Parsons changed from a design school to Off-Broadway theater! I mean, I might have to stop watching the show before bed! Seriously, that’s how intense it got. Did you watch it? It went from Casanova having a breakdown during the challenge (“I should just design for old lady slut flamenco dancers!”) to the routinely refined Tim Gunn putting the humiliating smack down on the Lord of the Flies losing team for letting Gretchen “manipulate” them. I literally leapt off the couch and raised the roof: “Tim, yer the man!”

I was so wound up after watching it that I couldn’t get to sleep until well past midnight. Consequently, I slept in a little later than usual even for a Saturday; hence the late Saturday Surfing. 🙂

As for the rest of my day, other than some cleaning around the house, it’s w i d e open. I might try to go see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this afternoon… Have you seen it? I wonder if it’s any good.

It’s a little late in the day for surfing (the tide’s out), but would you like to catch some e-waves with me?

Random Bright Spots

  • 5 ways to wear silver eyeliner — Bellasugar
  • For the insomniacs among us: 3 beauty products to help you sleep better at night — College Fashion
  • LUST! The Chanel SoHo collection polishes and face palette — Refinery29
  • How to love love your life (even if you hate your job) — Amanda Lee
  • Have you heard of the Black Phoenix nail polish line? — Magic Maid
  • Some very cool vintage Vogue photographs from the ’50s — Style Through Her Eyes
  • Will Hard Candy’s baked shadow make our daydreams come true? — The Notice
  • For my fellow TJ’s grocery store fans: An inside look at the secret world of Trader Joes — Fortune.com
  • Ha! 6 types of crappy hugs — The Oatmeal
  • Seeing these old dresses get reinvented in interesting new ways makes me wish I could sew — New Dress a Day

New in Beauty

  • The Stila Color Wheel Eye Shadow Palette ($38) comes with a whopping 37 shades
  • Cute! I’d commit highway robbery for these new Tokidoiki Makeup Bags ($20-42)
  • Temptu says they infused their Under Eye Concealer ($28) with reflective diamond dust (wha?) to diffuse the appearance of lines, dark circles and discoloration
  • What do you think of the Kooba for Laura Mercier Color Palette Wallet ($85)?
  • Gucci’s Guilty Eau de Toilette ($74) has notes of amber and lilac (I love lilac)
  • Estee Lauder’s Sensuous Noir Eau de Parfum ($48-60) has notes of patchouli, lily, purple rose and “night-blooming florals” (wha?)
  • I wanna try Butter London’s Silk Stockings Finishing Gel ($25), Stiletto Stick Hydrating Heel Balm ($30) and Powder FInish Foot Creme ($28) mostly for the packaging
  • Wow! I mean…WOW! Kanebo’s Sensai Collection Radiant Mask costs a whopping $165!
  • Interesting… Chanel’s Bleu de Chanel Eau de Toilette Spray for men ($59) makes dudes smell like a blend of citrus and the woods
  • The Urban Decay Box of Potions set ($59) looks primed and ready for makeup
  • My parched skin would probably love the moisturizers in Bobbi Brown’s new Hydrating Skincare line ($26-58)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! Keep smilin’!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, News

Could EZface Kiosks Change the Face of Drugstore Beauty?

August 27th, 2010 by Karen 46 Comments

EZFace

Whenever I come across a new drugstore makeup morsel, I follow a familiar routine.

With the prospective product in hand, I’ll track down a reflective surface in the store (like the edge of a nearby shelf), and hold the item up to my face to gauge how the color might look on my skin.

Admittedly, it’s a rather unscientific approach…

Since most drugstores don’t provide open testers for products, beauty shoppers are often left to guess based on how products appear through their unopened packages.

But the times, beauty lovers, are a-changin’! Drugstore retailers like Wal-Mart have begun testing new technology that could help.

The new EZface Inc. “virtual mirror” lets ladies (and gents) see how beauty products might look on their skin without actually having to try them on (kinda like Daily Makeover’s Makeover Studio in a box).
[Continue reading…]

There are 46 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, News

Saturday Surfing

August 21st, 2010 by Karen 8 Comments

How’s it going, ladies? Happy Saturday. 🙂 Today’s Saturday Surfing begins with a PG-13 story about a very naughty tabby cat. His name is Tabs, and he’s been on my sh*t list since last night.

In a brazen attempt to eat Sushi for dinner (our pet betta fish), Tabs used the air mattress I’ve been sleeping on since my in-laws arrived last week as a springboard, leaping from it to the top of the hutch upon which sits Sushi’s bowl.

Within seconds, Tabs was poised to strike, his claw raised above the bowl, the poor fish likely trembling next to his plastic water lily.

I was quick enough to save Sushi’s life, but the air mattress wasn’t so lucky. Poor thing was punctured by kitty claws… I tried to patch them with duct tape, but when I awoke this morning it was totally flat, with me basically sleeping on the ground. Yup, good times…

Hopefully today’s Saturday Surfing helps me work the kinks out of my back. Grab your board, and keep me company, okay?

Random Bright Spots

  • 15 eco-friendly back-to-school accessories under $50 — College Fashion
  • A sneak peek at MAC Fabulous Felines — We Heart This
  • Three words: cats in costumes — Refinery 29
  • MEOW! A DIY leopard print manicure — The Irish Beauty Blog
  • Becca’s Prairie Moon Fall 2010 collection looks gorge! — Product Girl
  • Bobbi Brown’s Holiday 2010 collection has super BRIGHT pops of color — British Beauty Blogger
  • Benefit caters to cat ladies with their latest product, Prrrowl — Makeup4all
  • Seriously, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks is modeling scarves on Etsy?! — Stylelist
  • How to keep your makeup from rubbing off — The Girls in the Beauty Department
  • A simple, sexy ponytail — Allure
  • CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer seems pretty cool, doesn’t it? — Beauty Addict
  • Three great alternatives to MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow — Bellasugar

New in Beauty

  • Shiseido says their new Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trios ($33) pack intense color and deliver smooth blendability (that’s my word, LOL!)
  • Would you pay $150 for Kate Somerville’s Neck Tissue Repair Cream?
  • Interesting… Bliss has a new Eau de Toilette ($18-54)
  • The Josie Maran Argan Eye Love You Shadow Palette ($42) contains eight argan-infused eyeshadows
  • What do ya think of the Giorgio Armani Eye ($59), Blush ($49) and Eyes to Kill Palettes ($59) for fall?
  • Annick Goutal jumps on the rollerball bandwagon with this travel friendly bottle of Petite Cherie ($39)
  • SUPER CUTE! The Clarisonic Mia is now available in Lavender ($149)
  • Laura Mercier says she created the new Creme Smooth Foundation ($50) to float over skin without settling into fine lines
  • Great for summer thunderstorms: the Cargo Liquid Shadow Collection ($22) can be used wet or dry


More MAC Venomous Villains!


A very cute look at NYX’s Nude on Nude palette, a UD Naked palette dupe


Been listening to this song for about 24 hours straight…

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, News

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