Palettes

Wrap It Up in a Pretty Bow, Dior, ‘Cause I’ll Take It: The New Dior Cherie Bow Palette

December 11th, 2012 by Karen 44 Comments

Wearing the new Dior Cherie Bow in Rose Poudre #001 ($80)

Officially, Dior’s new spring 2013 collection is called “Cherie Bow,” but I’ve taken to calling it “Bow Cherie” for a very practical reason.

You see, when I’m wearing the new Cherie Bow Palette in Poudre #001 ($80) while singing and dancing around the house, “Bow Cherie” is easier to work into the lyrics of Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour.

“Bow Cherie amour,
Pretty little palette I adore,
You’re the only one my heart beats for…
How I wish that you were miiiiiine.”

“Thank you! Thank you! No, no, that’s not necessary… Please, no more roses. I’ll be performing here at the MBB Lounge all week… Don’t forget to tip your waitress.”

Kidding!

But you know what I’m not kidding about? This awesome palette. 🙂 It really does make me want to sing its praises. The shimmery pink, gray and dark gray shadows thoughtfully avoid my fine lines; the creamy black liner practically draws cat flicks without my help; and the sheer pink lipgloss packs more moisture than a waterfall. Oh, and then there’s the gorgeous packaging, which turns the whole thing into a little work of art!

First time I saw the colors, I thought this was going to be one of those palettes that only cool-toned chicas would be able to wear, but I’m so glad I was wrong. The moment I swept these powder shadows — which, by the way, don’t leave behind a fleck of fallout — on my lids, I knew we’d get along.

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Dolce & Gabbana’s $67 Desert Is a Hot Eyeshadow Quad With Leopard-Print Packaging That’s Driving Me Wild

December 5th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

dolce gabbana desert eyeshadow quad from the animalier collection — Wearing the Dolce & Gabbana Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($67), from the new Animalier collection

It’s a jungle out there. Thank goodness for makeup…and cats (what, you couldn’t tell I was a cat lady?).

And whenever my two favorite interests collide, let’s just say, I have a moment.

Like a straggler gazelle on the African savanna in the crosshairs of a hungry lion, I fell prey to the new Dolce & Gabbana Animalier holiday collection… It was inevitable — the cycle of life as it pertains to the new Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($67).

Leopard-print packaging, golden neutrals and flawless performance? Yes, this is the quad I’m bringing with me when J.Renn and I get stranded on that deserted island (that incidentally also has modern conveniences like plumbing, air conditioning, a Sephora store and Internet access).

Granted, the $67 price tag is like a deep, painful cat scratch for wallets, but that’s Dolce & Gabbana for ya. They may charge borderline redonkulous prices, but when they get a product right, they knock it out of the park…

…and all the way to the Dolce & Gabbana Eyeshadow Quad in Desert. 🙂

The leopard-print packaging

Even if I wasn’t a cat lady, I’d love this limited edition quad’s packaging. Not only do I like the way it looks on the outside, but the colors inside it are based on the print! How cool is that?

The colors

Three of the quad’s four neutrals — the matte beige, shimmery gold and matte light brown — have golden, mid-color temperature tones, which should make them flatter a wide range of skin tones.

The darkest shade, the plummy reddish brown, is a touch warmer than the other colors, and because it’s the darkest, I use to smoke out the other shades and as a liner (works well on lash and water lines).

If you have very cool-toned skin (quick tip: if the veins in your arm appear blue, you’re probably cooler toned; if they’re greenish, more warm), the darker shade might be a little tough to pull off, but it could still come in handy as a fallback liner.

The performance

Man, these eyeshadows should get Hollywood agents because they’re superstars! They’re everything I could ever hope for and expect from a high-end makeup line (that charges $67 for a quad).

I have no idea how D&G managed to make them this pigmented and yet keep them so easy to blend. And the fallout? — what fallout? Zero, nada, zilch. And they last all day long for me without creasing or fading.

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For $15, Sephora Brings the Bling: The New Sephora Blinged Palette Squeezes Some Great Pieces Into a Bedazzling Product

December 4th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

sephora blinged palette review — Wearing the products in Sephora’s new $15 Blinged Palette on my eyes, cheeks and lips

“Bling it.”

“Oh, it’s already been blough-it.”

Sorry… Made myself laugh. 🙂

So, what’s better than getting a great deal on a face palette with eight pigmented shadows, a perky pink powder blush and five flattering lipsticks?

How ’bout this: getting it all with a side of bling.

No need to bust out your BeDazzler to bejewel the new limited edition Sephora Blinged Palette, because it already comes complete with sparkly rhinestones. It’s also pretty affordable at $15.

Oh, how do I love thee, Sephora Blinged Palette? Let me count the ways…

The shadows

Fallout? What’s that? I hardly see any at all from these eight powder eyeshadows. Worn with my beloved NARS primer. With the primer’s help, they’re a breeze to blend and last all day long on my lids.

I love the mix of matte and shimmer finishes and the brown, gold, peach, beige and green shades, which are nicely balanced between cool and warm tones.

Only thing is, the high-shine shimmery shades have an appetite for fine lines — meaning they like to highlight ’em.

The blush

What a nice surprise! It’s so smooth and natural looking.

The lipsticks

I wish these five unscented, unflavored lipsticks weren’t seated so close to the blush (such a pain), but I think the colors work so well with the palette that I’m willing to let it go.

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Benefit’s The Bronze of Champions Kit Goes for the Glory of Sun-Kissed Eyes, Lips and Cheeks

November 30th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

benefit the bronze of champtions — Wearing the new Benefit Bronze of Champions Kit ($32)

Weee are the cham-pions…my frrriend.

And weee’ll keep on bronnnzing…till the ennnnd.

Weee are the cham-pions. WEEE are the cham-pions!!

SWWWIPE on some Hooola…’cause weee are the cham-pions……OF THE BRONNNZE!!

— “We Are the Champions” (1977), by Queen, lost recording

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A Face of the Day With the New Benefit World Famous Neutrals Most Glamorous Nudes Ever Kit

November 30th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

This is the face you make when your parents try to FaceTime you from across the Pacific Ocean for the very first time, LOL!

Both my mom and dad are retired, in their mid-60s and not the most technologically savvy people. Example: Even though I’ve explained it to them a bunch of times over the last six years, they still don’t understand what a blog is (“Why do you post so many pictures of makeup and Tabs on the internet?”).

But bless their hearts for trying and for keeping an open mind to new gadgets and gizmos.

They’re on Oahu right now, and it’s been a couple days since I’ve seen them, so they FaceTime’d me (is that even a verb?) this morning to say hello and to show me the ocean. How sweet!

Because they’re my parents, I spent 10 minutes looking at my dad’s left ear before they figured out how to hold the iPhone. When they finally worked it out, my mom grabbed the phone to chat…

ME: “Hi, Mom. Whatcha up to?”

MOM: “Oh, I went to a country line dancing class this morning. It was a lot of fun. Dad says he went to the gym to walk on the treadmill, but I think he went to the buffet instead. You know. Retired people stuff.”

ME: “That’s cool.”

MOM: “Where’s my tabby?”

ME: “He’s sleeping at the top of his cat tower. I’d wake him, but I’m not in the mood to get scratched.”

MOM: “You know, if I had a grandchild, I’d take her on vacation with us.”

ME: “You know, you already have a grand-cat.”

MOM: “I know! But I can’t take Tabs with me to Hawaii. If I had a granddaughter, I could bring her to the pool, the beach and all that fun stuff.”

ME: “Are you asking for a grandchild so you can have something to do on vacation?”

MOM: “I’m just saying. If you had a baby, it would keep me busy. Ideally a girl. Hint, hint.”

ME: “Ummm…”

MOM: “Just something to think about!

Oh, I like your eye makeup today. What are you wearing?”

ME: “It’s a new kit from Benefit called the Most Glamorous Nudes Ever.”

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Benefit Set Out to Make This Christmas One of the Best Ever With Their New World Famous Neutrals Kits

November 29th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

The brand-spankin’ new Benefit World Famous Neutrals kits

If you decide to add one of Benefit’s new World Famous Neutrals kits to your holiday wish list, there’s a good chance (at least 93.5%) that your sis, mom, BFF or Secret Santa will find it hard to resist keeping it for herself.

(Because that’s totally what I’d be tempted to do.)

These three new $30 Sephora exclusive kits are some of the most exciting neutrals I’ve seen since Naked2, and I’m going bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S) over the colors, almost all of which are new.

Just when I thought the whole neutral palette craze was completely played out, along comes Benefit to put their signature spin on it.

First, they created “Eyenessa,” the magical, mystical makeup maven/character who graces the covers of all three World Famous Neutral kits, and judging by her giant hoop earrings and affinity for gold jewelry, she’s a girl after my own accessories-lovin’ heart. 🙂

Second, there’s the Creaseless Creams! — which are my favorite things about these. Each kit comes with two of them in tiny pots, along with four Longwear Powder Shadows.

Now, it seems like every brand has a nude/neutral palette of powder eyeshadows, but not many of them come with cream shadows. By including two Creaseless Creams with each of these, Benefit takes these kits to the next level. I think the Creams give Bene-babes much more power to layer and create their own custom combos.

What do ya say we take a closer look now at each of the kits? 🙂

KIT #1: Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Abracadabra! This spellbinding kit’s combination of rich, warm neutrals is prompting me to put my obsession with Skinny Jeans on pause (BTW, have you tried Skinny Jeans yet?? It’s one of my favorite cream eyeshadow colors of all time!). The kit features two enchanting Creaseless Creams of its own, the shimmery champagne Birthday Suit and My Two Cents, a shimmery warm golden copper.

The kit also comes with Longwear Powder Shadows in Call My Buff (a pearly, peachy beige), Kiss Me I’m Tipsy (a warm reddish brown with a hint of plum), It’s Complicated (a shimmery pinkish gold) and Gilt-y Pleasure (a shimmery peachy gold) to add even more glow to your eye looks.

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Last-Minute Bargain Alert! For a Few More Hours Tonight, Breaking Up Isn’t Hard to Do With the New Three-Piece Tarte Treat Yourself to Gorgeous Gifts From the Amazon Collection

November 28th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

I love the smell of a good bargain in the morning…

It smells like…victory!

LOL! I’m pretty sure that’s not how that actual line goes, seeing as how Apocalypse Now is one of my top five favorite films of all time, but it is how I feel about Tarte’s new Treat Yourself to Gorgeous Gifts From the Amazon Collection kit.

Talk about great stocking stuffer material. I love breaking apart holiday kits to use as stocking stuffers, and this $49.98 one (a $496 value) looks perfect for that.

But it’s a qvc.com exclusive, and the sale only lasts a few more hours (sale ends tonight, November 28, 2012)!

It’s conveniently divided into three separate, easily giftable sets, the first with four Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liners, the second with four Maracuja Divine Shine Lipglosses and the third with 20 Amazonian Clay Eye Shadows.

As gifts, the sets work out to about $16 each, and would ya look at that? — they already look gift-wrapped! 🙂

tarte-treat-yourself-to-gorgeous-shadows — The Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows

tarte treat yourself to gorgeous — Another look at the Eye Shadow set

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Sonia Kashuk’s Hosting a Formal Affair in a Posh, New Holiday Palette

November 27th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

sonia kashuk formal affair — Wearing the new $19.99 Sonia Kashuk Formal Affair Palette on my eyes and cheeks

Wait — are you kidding me?! You two haven’t met yet? Well, we need to fix that immediately.

Babe, this is Sonia Kashuk’s new Formal Affair Palette; Formal Affair, this is one of my beauty besties.

I think you two will hit it off. Formal Affair here is quite a bargain at $19.99. She may spend her days in drugstores, but at heart, she’s 100% department store-caliber makeup.

It’s as if Sonia said, “I’m going to make the perfect powder palette, and it’s going to contain two blushes, one bronzer and four eyeshadows for girls who want to look like they’re wearing NARS, Bobbi Brown and Urban Decay but don’t want to spend that much.”

Is that the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo??

Don’t the golden brown powder bronzer and shimmery, golden peachy pink blush on Formal Affair’s far right look inspired by the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo? Except that Sonia’s bronzer is sheerer than NARS Laguna, with slightlier grittier grains of golden glitter, and the golden pearl within the blush looks less pronounced to me than NARS Orgasm (maybe they’re just kissing cousins).

Look who’s getting Naked2

Okay, although I feel kinda lame getting excited about a brown eyeshadow (with so many great flashy colors out there and all!), Formal Affair’s brown is just so chocolaty…so shimmery…and so Mmmm! — buttery smooth.

It reminds me of Snakebite from the Urban Decay Naked2 palette.

It’s just so blendable, and I love how easy it is to wear sheer or build up in layers.

Sparkle like Bobbi Brown’ Sparkle Eyeshadows

The tan and black glittery shadows in Formal Affair would fit right in with Bobbi Brown’s Sparkle Eyeshadows. Like those shadows from Bobbi, they’re loaded with gobs of medium-sized glitter, but Sonia takes things a step further by using an intensely pigmented base. Patting either shade on the brown shade from Formal Affair is a quick way to dress up a look. I do have to be mindful, though, of the fallout, which is slight, but still. At least it’s easy enough to clean up, especially if I do my eyes first.

sonia kashuk formal affair swatches — Sonia Kashuk Formal Affair Swatches from the left: pink blush, bronzer, peachy pink blush, shimmery white eyeshadow, glittery tan eyeshadow, shimmery brown eyeshadow and glittery black eyeshadow

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