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Palettes

Three Different Finishes Howl in Tom Ford’s Ombre Eye Color in She Wolf

September 16th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Tom Ford She Wolf
Hungry like the (she) wolllllf! That’s Duran Duran’s — err, I mean Tom Ford’s new She Wolf eyeshadow palette on my eyes, by the way.

Heart pounding in her chest, she moved silently, low to the ground, her predatory senses extending out around her in search of her prey…

The alpha female had dreamt of this moment for days while she tracked her target, visualizing the attack and playing it over and over in her mind. Closing her eyes, she could almost feel her fangs crunching down in that first intoxicating bite…

As she rounded a corner, the hair on the back of her neck bristled. It was time. She locked eyes with a lanky, Bieber-haired teen behind the counter and growled, “One medium popcorn, please. Hold the butter.”

Wait — what?

Oh, yeah! I wore Tom Ford’s Ombre Eye Color in She Wolf ($60) to the movies last Friday (saw Riddick), and yes, I felt like a predator on the prowl… Never mind that I was hunting popcorn. 🙂

I can’t be sure if it was due to the delicious, salty popcorn or the grayish taupe on my eyes, but in the middle of the movie theater, the urge to stand up and howl was strong.

Thankfully, I resisted.

Wassup, ombre?

This new trio from Tom’s fall collection takes the idea of “three” in an interesting direction, with three powder shadows in three similar shades and three different finishes. Worn together, the shadows create a complex ombre effect that transitions from one shade to the next.

Tom Ford She Wolf
Tom Ford She Wolf ($60)

A big surprise

I wasn’t sure what to expect from these shadows or how they’d work with my warm skin tone. The trio includes a matte grayish brown (the darkest color), a grayish taupe with a light sheen (the middle shade) and a sheer, glittery silvery gray (the lightest of the three).

Gorgeous! There isn’t a throwaway in the bunch, and while the colors really do look like a gray wolf’s fur, I think they’re probably best suited to light-skinned lady humanoids and cool skin tones.

Not that they shouldn’t also work well on warm skin tones. They actually do, which I didn’t expect at all. She Wolf just might be one of those rare wolves that gets along well with almost everyone.

Kind of makes up a little for the $60 price tag (that’s Tom Ford for ya!)…

Tom Ford She Wolf

How to wear it

Each of this palette’s shadows can stand on its own, but She Wolf’s true power comes to bear when you wear all three of them together to create that awesome ombre effect. By themselves, the colors are cubs, but together they’re a wolf pack. 🙂

I like patting the darkest color in the outer corners of my eyes, the mid-toned one in the center of my lids and the glitter on the inner side for a gradient that moves from dark to light, and from matte to sheen to sparkling glitter.

Tré cool.

Another thing? The palette loves layering. Try applying the glitter first as a base all over your lids, and then pat either the medium or darkest shade (or a mix of both) right on top. The glitter will peek through the other colors, but slightly toned down.

Just another fun way to wear it.

Tom Ford She Wolf
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There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Palettes, Tom Ford Beauty

A Face of the Day With the New Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case, and a Not-So-Rebellious Yell

September 11th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case
Wearing the new $44 Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case on my eyes, cheeks and lips, from the new Holiday collection

After delving into Anarchy, one of Urban Decay’s two new Face Cases, I kind of expected to feel the urge to kick garbage cans over, growl at strangers and swing chains over my head…

Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case 3
The Urban Decay Face Case in Anarchy

Ooh! — or a mace, like from Game of Thrones, but only if I were in the mood to really do some damage.

Alas, no. I didn’t feel that rebellious at all after applying the eye, lip and cheek colors from UD’s latest holiday palette. Instead, I had a fruit salad and took a nap.

But it was a glorious nap fit for a king! 🙂

Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case

I look at Anarchy as the more bad-@ss of the two new Face Cases. Where Shattered is sweet, Anarchy is sassy, with sparklier eye colors, more vibrant blushes (so vibrant that I had to buff my cheeks down after my first try because I looked totally crazypants) and a more man-eater-esque lip color.

If you want a palette that parties, call Anarchy.

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There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), Makeup, Palettes, Urban Decay

A Face of the Day with the Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

September 10th, 2013 by Karen 35 Comments

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case
Wearing the new Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

Today was the first day in a really long time that I wore a sweater and long pants…

Bluh.

On the one hand, I’m gonna miss the hell out of summer. On the other hand, it’s nice when your office isn’t hotter than a sweat lodge.

I kid you not, yesterday it was so hot in hurrrrr that I had hallucinations! — including one with Tabs meowing to the tune of R. Kelly’s Ignition.

One of the coolest things about the cooling weather, though, is that it means holiday makeup isn’t too far away.

Yeah, boo. H-O-L-I-D-A-Y.

If you’re the type to pre-plan your Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s makeup months ahead of time, 1) you’re much more organized than I am, and 2) you might really dig the new $44 Urban Decay Shattered Face Case.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case 3

It’s one of a dynamic duo of recently released Face Cases from Urban Decay (now available on urbandecay.com and coming soon to stores and counters), with a mix of wearable cool-toned beige, gray and purple eyeshadows, and slightly warmer peaches and pinks for cheeks and lips.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

When my neighborhood Fed Ex guy, who likes to joke around with me, noticed my makeup today, he said he’s seen me look “much crazier.”

I’m pretty sure it was a compliment. 🙂

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

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There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), Makeup, Palettes, Urban Decay

Bright Lips Are the Big Draw in the Illustrative MAC Antonio Lopez Lip Palettes

August 28th, 2013 by Karen 28 Comments

MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips/Fuchsia in Candy Yum Yum
Wearing the new MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips/Fuchsia palette lipstick in Candy Yum Yum

Bold lip lovers say what?! In your dreams, are your lips ever super saturated shades of red, pink or purple?

Heck, even if they aren’t, draw a big red Sharpie heart around September 12 on your calendar (or ask Siri to remind you), because that’s when the MAC Antonio Lopez collection lip palettes arrive.

MAC Antonio Lopez product packaging
Wants that hat!

MAC Antonio Lopez 3 Lips Nude Fuchsia Red Boxes
Oh! The boxes have the same design…

I’m pretty stoked about two of ’em — 3 Lips/Fuchsia and 3 Lips/Red. At least for me and my bold lip-lurving heart, they steal the limelight away from the 3 Lips/Nude palette.

If you like powerful pouts, watch out for 3 Lips/Fuchsia and 3 Lips/Red. Their smooth, super saturated colors do NOT mess around. Both palettes get mad love from me.

As for the Nude palette…

MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips clockwise from the reds on the left: Red, Nude and Fuchsia
MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips clockwise from the left: Red, Nude and Fuchsia

MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips/Fuchsia
MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips/Fuchsia shades from the left: Candy Yum Yum (a matte neon pink) and Moxie (a matte mid-toned bluish pink) and Violetta (a violet/purple with an amplified finish)

MAC Antonio Lopez 3 Lips Red
MAC Antonio Lopez: 3 Lips/Red shades from the left: Scarlet Ibis (a bright matte orangey red), MAC Red (a bright bluish red with a satin finish) and Deeply Adored (a matte deep scarlet)

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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews

Keep Your Eyes on Neutral Shimmer With Sonia Kashuk’s New “Eye on Neutral Shimmer” Eye Couture Palette

August 28th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Shimmer
The Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture palette in Eye on Neutral Shimmer

Should you ever wake from a moment of reverie with your eyes closed and a big grin on your face as you cradle the new $19.99 Eye Couture palette in Eye on Neutral Shimmer to your bosom in the Sonia Kashuk section of your favorite Target store, I completely understand.

You see, I too have a weakness for shimmery taupes, grays, golds and browns.

Sonia Kashuk Eye Coutre in Eye on Neutral Shimmer
It’s easy to keep your eyes on a palette this sharp…

Sure, duochrome pink-to-purple shadow singles with rainbow glitter seem more exciting at first, but they’re like quick sugar fixes (the novelty wears off fast). Unlike Luna Bars and the Eye on Neutral Shimmer palette, they aren’t really designed for long-term sustenance.

That’s why I hold neutral palettes like this near and dear to my heart.

New for fall with 12 pans of powder shadow in shimmery neutral shades, these color temps are just right — neither too cool nor warm, and should flatter a wide range of skin tones from light to dark.

Sonia Kashuk Eye Coutre in Eye on Neutral Shimmer
A closer look at the pans…

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There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Palettes, Product Reviews

The Fabulously Disco Divalicious MAC Antonio Lopez Collection’s Eye and Face Palettes Will Draw You In

August 27th, 2013 by Karen 42 Comments

MAC Antonio Lopez: 6 Eyes/Bronze and Face/Coral
Wearing the new MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes palette in Teal on my eyes and Face palette in Coral on my cheeks

I am a girl. I am a girl with dreams.

Makeup dreams.

BIG, BOLD makeup dreams. Dreams of getting all dolled up exactly like the gal on this new MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes palette, and then going to Petco to buy kitty litter.

MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes
Haaay, gurl, haaay!

SO FABULOUSLY DISCO DIVALICIOUS.

Let’s see… I think I have a blue scarf around here somewhere, and some black earrings, and I’m thinking I could probably imitate the hair. Maybe.

Oh, but that crazy-@ss earring?! I’ll definitely have to improv that, since something tells me I probably wouldn’t be able to find it (easily) at Claire’s.

The makeup, though, I’ve got that covered, boo-boo, thanks to the MAC Antonio Lopez collection’s mix of eye, lip and cheek palettes.

The MAC Antonio Lopez collection

The MAC Antonio Lopez collection
A bevy of pretty palettes

The new collection struts into North American MAC stores, onto counters and online September 12, and arrives at international locales the same month (international babes, you might want to swing by your local counter to ask your fave MAC artist for a firm date).

Soooo…who IS this dude?

Fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez
From left: Eija Vehka Aho, Juan Ramos, Jacques de Bascher, Karl Lagerfeld and Antonio Lopez. Photo credit: The estate of Antonio Lopez & Juan Ramos, via Rizzoli, nytimes.com

First thing I thought when I saw these palettes was, “Oh, hell yes!” The second thing was, “Who is Antonio Lopez?”

Antonio Lopez (February 11, 1943 — March 17, 1987) was a world-renowned fashion illustrator who’s work appeared in many top-tier glossies like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, as well as the style pages of papers like The New York Times. In addition to his artwork, he’s known for discovering many famous models, too, including Grace Jones and Jerry Hall.

The new MAC Antonio Lopez collection features some of his drawings, with each of the palettes decorated with one of his muses (MAC calls the ladies “Antonio’s Girls”).

MAC Antonio Lopez collection
Hello, ladies!

An afternoon with Antonio

This afternoon I told Tabs that I could only work a half day because I had a prior engagement with three eyeshadow palettes and the two face palettes. He grumbled and bit my nose. 🙂

Then, I crossed my fingers, did a disco dance (the Hustle, IF you must know), and hoped to find just as much beauty inside these palettes as out.

MAC Antonio Lopez: 6 Eyes Palettes in Bronze, Violet and Teal ($43.50 each US and $52 CDN)

The MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes Palettes clockwise from the left: Violet, Teal and Bronze
The 6 Eyes Palettes clockwise from the left: Violet, Teal and Bronze

What did I find?

Well, the one eye palette I felt kind of “eh” about at first, Teal, turned out to be much more interesting than I thought.

MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes/Teal Palette
6 Eyes/Teal Palette

The first time I saw its colors, they didn’t quite make sense to me, but after I started buffing and blending, the mix of bright blue and green played well with the smokier olive, black, gray and light violet shades.

Now if I could only get rid of the fallout… Thank goodness, there’s only a little. If I were forced, cruelly, to choose just one of these three eye palettes to get down with, I’d choose Teal quicker than you could say “boogie-oogie-oogie.”
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-

As for fallout issues with the other two eye palettes, Violet and Bronze, nope. None.

MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes/Bronze Palette
6 Eyes/Violet Palette

Violet’s pink and purple give it a foxy ’80s vibe, and I think that bottom row of gray, silver and black should satisfy my lust for smokey eyes (kind of reminds me of Prism by Hourglass). The cream shade in the upper right-hand corner, though? Not that inspiring, but I appreciate the contrast.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC Antonio Lopez 6 Eyes/Bronze Palette
6 Eyes/Bronze Palette

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There are 42 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Eyes, Face, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews

12 Pans of Shimmer Shine in the Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition “Jewel of an Eye” Eye Couture Palette

August 27th, 2013 by Karen 55 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye
The current apple o’ my eye: the $19.99 Eye Couture Palette in Jewel of an Eye from Sonia Kashuk

With autumn about to make its big debut, what’s one way to stay on trend without breaking the bank?

The Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition “Jewel of an Eye” Eye Couture Palette

Perhaps you’ve already stocked up on fall staples over the summer — a chic red lipstick, a black liquid liner, a deep plum (and) or berry gloss — and are saying to yourself, “Whee!” and asking, “What else can we put in there?”

Throw some jewel-toned shadows into the mix

Ya know, for emerald, amber, amethyst and sapphire smokey eyes. All are so, SO apropos with knee-high boots, tweed blazers and snuggly, chunky knits.

Ah… I can almost hear the leaves crunching beneath my feet and Tabs whining because of how chilly it is outside (too chilly to go for his daily walk). Maybe we should get matching turtlenecks — my cat and I — because that’s what I really need — to give my neighbors another reason to think I’m a crazy cat lady. 🙂

As far as fall makeup, I suppose we could hunt and peck for jewel-toned duos and trios, or spend an arm and a leg searching for “the perfect combo,” but who has time for all that?

Try this: tell your hubby/honey/Ryan Gosling that you’ll be back in 10 minutes, because we’re going to Target to check out Sonia Kashuk’s new “Jewel of an Eye” Eye Couture Palette ($19.99).

Okay…make that 30 minutes. We both know that Target is a time warp. We’ll never get out of there in less than 15.

12 pans of shimmer

This 12-pan palette of intense, shimmery shadows pulsates with possibilities for trendy jewel-toned looks, and it’s RAD.

Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye
12 jewel-toned colors await you in the new Jewel of an Eye palette…

Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye
A closer look at the shades…

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There are 55 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Palettes, Product Reviews, Sonia Kashuk

Christmas Comes Early in California With the New NARS Loves Los Angeles Gift Set

August 26th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

NARS Loves Los Angeles
It’s true! — NARS Loves Los Angeles. They even made a new set named after the city, and it arrives on select counters September 1.

Please tell me I’m not the one of us who has imaginary conversations with her makeup, ’cause I can hear my tinted moisturizer practically scream with joy whenever I take out the new limited edition NARS Loves Los Angeles Gift Set ($75).

NARS Loves Los Angeles
The three-piece set, clockwise from the left: Trouville Nail Polish (a creamy seashell pink), Eye and Cheek palette, and Turkish Delight Lip Gloss (a sheer pink)

When I hold one of the three pieces up to my ear like a conch, instead of the sound of the sea, I hear a voice say, “Guuuurl, YES. NARS is a frickin’ genius! You’ve need something like this for all those LA rooftop pool parties you never go to, when you only have, like, five minutes to do your makeup. Now all we need is that maxi dress and those Tory Burch knockoff slippers we saw the other day, and we’ll be good to go. Hurry up! Time’s a-waistin’!”

NARS Loves Los Angeles
A look inside the Eye and Cheek Palette…

This is what happens when you spend hours talking to a cat and your makeup collection every day…

NARS Loves Los Angeles
Products clockwise from the pink pan on the left: Deep Throat Blush, Abyssinia Single Eye Shadow, Etrusque Single Eyeshadow, Laguna Bronzing Powder, Bali Eyeshadow and Outremer Eyeshadow

Anyhizzle, the new $75 three-piece limited edition gift set is coming to select NARS counters September 1, with a palette containing four eyeshadows, a powder blush and a bronzer; a full-size lipgloss and a nail polish — all in some of the brand’s bestselling shades in Los Angeles.

NARS Loves Los Angeles
Turkish Delight Lip Gloss and Trouville Nail Polish

[Continue reading…]

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, NARS, Palettes, Product Reviews

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