Sick of winter? Let’s just fast forward to summer with some Urban Decay. Here’s a video heads up on what to expect from the line.
Are we there yet?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
News
Why Aren’t You Buying Organic Beauty Products?
A new study seems to say that we Americans haven’t bought into the hype over organic beauty products.
Despite the attention from the media and manufacturers, organic beauty care items still haven’t caught on, according to the TABS Group (no joke; that’s really the name), a leading marketing research and consulting firm. “There is a significant gap between the hype and reality of consumer purchase behavior with regards to Organic products,” states TABS Group President and Founder, Dr. Kurt Jetta.
In the study, only 5% of respondents claimed to have purchased at least one organic skin care product within the past six months. Only 4% claimed to have purchased organic hair care, and just 3% purchased organic cosmetics.
By contrast, well over 70% of respondents claimed to have purchased non-organic beauty care products over the same period.
Are you buying organic beauty on a regular basis? If not, what’s holding you back?
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
FDA OKs 1st Eyelash Drug Latisse
If you could get substantially longer, thicker, darker lashes, but the process risked permanently darkening your irises, would you still do it?
Earlier this month, the FDA approved the very first drug for use promoting eyelash growth, according to Allergan, the company that makes the drug.
Latisse, available by prescription early in 2009, contains the same active ingredient in the glaucoma drug Lumigan, which is also made by Allergan.
Eyelash growth has long been a known side effect of Lumigan, so Allergan figured they’d take advantage of the side effect, repurposing Lumigan as Latisse.
While Lumigan is an eyedrop, Latisse gets dabbed along the lash line on the upper eyelids, where it goes to work promoting longer, thicker, darker lashes.
How well does it work?
Allergan claims that Latisse users can expect longer, fuller and darker eyelashes in as little as eight weeks, with full results in 16 weeks, and one clinical study involving 278 adult patients (here’s the product information PDF) backs up the claim.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Vs. Random Acts of Nature
Hey, ladies! I’m writing this post from my phone at the airport. I was supposed to leave Oahu last night on a red eye, but there was a massive power outage all over the island. The airport was shut down and all the outbound flights were cancelled. I managed to get on a flight this morning, though, so it’s all good. Because of these unexpected events, I won’t be able to blog until I get home later on tonight, but I’ll check in again after landing.
I just wanted to pop by to wish you a good day. Have a lovely Saturday, and I’ll talk to you soon.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Sephora Big Beauty Sale, Save Up to 75%
Sephora’s running a huge blowout sale with select holiday items marked down up to 75% off (and free shipping)! There’s lots of good pickings, too, including products from Vincent Longo, Too Faced and Pop Beauty.
If you decide to get a little something for yourself, I promise I won’t tell Santa. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
2008 in Review: Makeup and Beauty Blog’s 20 Most Popular Posts
Hi, ladies. As 2008 draws to a close, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the most popular posts of the year. These aren’t necessarily my favorite products or posts, but they’re the ones that got the most attention from readers.
Without further ado, here are 20 of the most-read items of 2008! 🙂
MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye
“I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.”
18 MAC to School Makeup Tips
“If you love makeup, brand-sponsored classes like these are a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I found out about the MAC Studio Talk class through the Bloomingdale’s website. Ask in the stores, as well (check with the counter staff), because other brands offer similar classes.”
A Kryolan Makeover, aka Adventures in Theater Makeup
“Every girl deserves a makeover from time to time. My last one was ages ago. I’d been itching to try a new look, so yesterday I made the short trip into San Francisco hoping to find inspiration. I hit my usual haunts — MAC, Dior and Chanel — but I was in the mood for something, well, kinda different, so I kept looking. I was almost ready to throw in the towel when a sign on a building caught my eye: Kryolan Professional Makeup. Curious as ever and not wanting to head home defeated, I decided to check it out.”
Dior Goldrush Summer 2008 Collection: Swatches and Pics
“Who loves gold, khaki and coral? I do! I do! How ’bout Dior? Do you love Dior? Because I sure do. I got my paws on a few items from Goldrush, Dior’s new summer collection. It’s a limited edition being delivered to your nearby Dior counter as we speak. Dior has given us some new eyeshadows, lipsticks, lipglosses, a blush, a highlighter and nail polishes in coordinating tan, coral, khaki and gold.”
Chanel Fall, Holiday 2008 Makeup Collections by Chanel’s New Golden Boy
“In less than three years, the value of gold has more than doubled, now selling for more than $900 an ounce. Chanel must have noticed how much people have been lovin’ on gold lately because both of their upcoming fall and holiday makeup collections go after gold in a mad, crazy way.”
10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials
“One of my favorite things about makeup is that there’s always room to step up your game. I love to imagine all the tips and tricks that I’ve yet to learn. I’m always looking to get better at doing smokey eyes. I’ve come across hundreds of smokey eye tutorials, and I think these 10 are some of the most helpful ones. I hope you find them useful, too!”
MAC Makeup Tutorial: Russian Red, an Ode to Madge
“I’m not shy about my obsessions — Christian Bale (marry me!), the MAC 266 brush and the Terminator series (more on this later) — but by far the deepest of my frivolous obsessions is for our Madge-esty almighty, Madonna, an obsession I’ve harbored since the tender age of eight.”
Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers Fragrances: September 2008
“I ain’t no holla back girl, but I’ll follow the legions of Gwen Stefani fans to the Macy’s perfume counter this September to check out Harajuku Lovers, Gwen’s latest line of fragrances. I get fired up for everything Gwen does, so I’m looking forward to this release.”
Essie Fall 2008 Nail Polish Collection Keeps in Character for Fall
“Good morning, friends. I hope you’re having a good weekend so far. I’m sitting here at my desk, playing with nail polish and surfing the Net for beauty news. Check out Essie’s fall polish line ($8 each). Keeping in character for fall, the collection features deep plum, berry and cherry shades that look good enough to eat (I’m always hungry, LOL!).”
Chanel Summer 2008 Color Collection Now Available at Nordstrom!
“Pink, coral, khaki, bronze — Chanel’s summer 2008 color collection has arrived at Nordstrom stores nationwide, so yesterday I hustled my booty on down to my fave Nordstrom Chanel counter to take a look. Behold!”
Beauty in Time: 9 Things I Would Say to My Younger Self
“Last week’s What’s in Your Purse post was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? I get a kick out of making strange lists, and I take it a lot of other people do too. I was thinking last night about an article I read a few months ago where people talked about what they’d tell their younger selves, so I made a list of the things I’d tell my 22-year-old self (yikes! that was 10 years ago?!) if given the chance.”
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Who Should Be The New Face of D&G Cosmetics?
Designer duo Dolce & Gabbana are keeping tight-lipped about the identity of the first spokesmodel for their new line of color cosmetics. The line drops in less than a month, and rumors are making the rounds that Scarlett Johansson will get the job. Some are saying she’s already done photo shoots for new ads (although I couldn’t find the pics online).
The new line will be the first big cosmetics offering from Dolce & Gabbana, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, but Scarlett has worked with P&G before, having lent her image to ads for Eternity Moment, a scent by Calvin Klein in 2004. She’s also represented products by L’Oreal.
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
CoverGirl-Olay Partnership Leads to New Simply Ageless Foundation
Some partnerships just feel right from the start — bread and butter, sugar and spice, mornings and coffee — and, starting early next year, CoverGirl and Olay. Yup, with the help of comedienne and talk show hostess Ellen Degeneres, CoverGirl’s newest spokesperson, the two big brands are rolling out a new anti-aging makeup together.
Simply Ageless Foundation, $13.99 per shade (15 shades), debuted on Ellen’s TV show a couple weeks ago, and then showed up at select stores shortly thereafter.
Ellen cracks me up. She had this to say about the new line: “Inner beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty. That’s why I use CoverGirl Simply Ageless makeup with Olay Regenerist serum.” LOL!
Combining CoverGirl’s color cosmetics with Olay’s battle-tested Regenerist serum, the formulation boasts a new solid emulsion technology that reportedly suspends foundation over skin’s imperfections, meaning it’s designed to cover imperfections without gathering in wrinkles and making skin look older.
Time will tell how well it works. 🙂
Look for it to start appearing in stores nationwide early next year.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen