Product Reviews

3 Chic New Reasons to Bring Your Cheeks to Physicians Formula This Spring

February 20th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

1. Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Bronzer ($14.95)

Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush — $14.95 Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Bronzer, new for spring

Ooh! Fancy pan and fancy bronzer formula. The latter contains argan oil, and it’s supposed to brighten, smooth and tone.

That’s great and all, but they had me at the color. It’s a medium warm brown with a golden sheen, almost like someone down there are at Physicians Formula HQ poured liquid sunshine on the pan.

If you notice any big flecks of gold glitter the first few times you swirl your brush in it, not to worry. The design on the top is an overspray.

Just to note, this one has a strong white floral scent. Luckily, I like it.

For a natural-looking golden glow, I like to dust this just below my cheekbones using a big fluffy brush, and sometimes I also use it as a transition color in my crease.

2. Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush ($12.95)

Confession: every single time I open this blush I give it a sniff because, my goodness! — it smells delish. Like wild jasmine on a warm summer night…or wild jasmine on a freezing winter night, but the first one sounds better. 🙂

Like the design on the pan of the new bronzer up above, the pattern on this pan is also an overspray (so you might see some big-honkin’ chunks of gold glitter the first few times you use it).

When the overspray’s gone, what’s left is a neutral, mid-toned pink with light reflecting particles. This one creates a lovely youthful glow, and it gets extra credit because it seems to go with everything I wear on my cheeks or lips. This blush easily holds its own with the department store big boys.

I’ve started blending it on the apples of my cheeks after applying the Argan Bronzer. I love that combo so much that I wish the two of them came together in a duo!
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Let Dolce & Gabbana Bouganville Lipgloss Lure Your Lips to the Pink Party

February 19th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Now I know what to wear when I finally bite the bullet on that pair of hot pink skinny jeans — Dolce & Gabbana’s new Lipgloss in Bouganville ($30.50).

Pink, pink, pink, PINK!

From the new spring collection, it ticks off all the little checkboxes on my list (no, I don’t really have a list) of Things a Smokin’ Hot Pink Lipgloss Absolutely Needs, like wicked pigment, eye-catching shine and vibrant, bodacious color.

It gives my eyeballs kisses every time I see it on my lips. 🙂

Bouganville also seems to have both warm and cool undertones, or some other such magic. I bet just about everyone will be able to pull it off.
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You Don’t Have to Be a Nimbus to Wear the Guerlain Les Tendres Écrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Nuées

February 18th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Guerlain Les Tendres Écrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Nuees — Wearing the new $65 Guerlain Les Tendres Écrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Nuées

“En Français,” as my high school French teacher used to say! The name of Guerlain’s new spring eyeshadow palette, Les Nuées, means “The Clouds,” and when I wear it I feel like I’m floating in a blue sky surrounded by puffs of white cotton candy clouds…

Les Nuées is what I like to call a “glisten-y” eye palette, because when I buff any of the three lightest shades — the frosty white, the pale pink or the baby blue, which, truth be told, all look pretty similar on my NC42 skin — on my lids with a fluffy eye brush, I end up with glowing, almost glossy, lids.

Then I line my lash lines with the fourth shade, a deep blue, and pat it in the outer corner for depth before cleaning up any fallout (because there is a little) and finishing with mascara.

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5 Springy New Reasons to Stop by Make Up For Ever

February 18th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Make Up For Ever Spring 2015 — Wearing new spring 2015 makeup from Make Up For Ever

Rouge Artist Intense 53, $20

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense 53, a pearly pinky copper — Rouge Artist Intense lipstick in 53, a pearly, pinkish copper

I’m picking up Chanel vibes from this warm pearlescent pink lipstick. The long-lasting, highly pigmented formula feels a little thick and reminds me of Coco’s Rouge Allures.

The pearlescent copper sprinkled through the pink base? That could easily pass for something Chanel might do for spring.

Super pretty!

If your lips happen to be chapped or otherwise textured, try layering a pink gloss on top to tone down the pearl, lest it emphasize any flakes or lip lines.

Coming March 2015 to Make Up For Ever Boutiques, counters and Sephora.

Rouge Artist Intense 54, $20

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense 54, a pearly golden pink — Rouge Artist Intense lipstick in 54, a pearly golden pink

Like Rouge Artist Intense 53, warm pearly golden pink 54 has very little patience for imperfect lips.

Oh, but the color… Breathtaking. It’s almost like a lipstick version of MAC Nymphette Lipglass.

I like to layer a gloss like shimmery beige MUFE’s Lab Shine Lip Gloss in D16 on top of this one to slightly downplay and soften the impact of the pink and pearl and create a pretty pinkish nude.

Coming March 2015 to Make Up For Ever Boutiques, counters, and Sephora.

Ink Liner, $23

Make Up For Ever Ink Liner — MUFE’s Ink Liner

Decidedly dark and marvelously matte, this pigmented liquid liner has high-fashion runway look written all over it.

Super stark and super cool, especially if you’re banging out a bold ’60s-style liner.

The firm tip stays stiff when I run it across my lash lines, which makes drawing crisp edges a bit of a challenge for (I’m more of a flexible felt tip gal), so I keep an angled brush and a pot of black gel liner close to smooth out any jagged areas.

Available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques, counters and Sephora.

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High-End Heat Styling for High-End Hair With the ghd Curve Soft Curl Curling Iron

February 17th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

The new ghd Curve Soft Curl Iron, $245, available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online at neimanmarcus.com

Oh, heavens…

Is it a curling iron or a high-performance race car? It’s hard to tell based on the specs for the new ghd Curve Soft Curl curling iron.

Check it:

1 ^1/4” large ceramic barrel for volume and soft, smooth tumbling waves
Six quick-thinking sensors set in three zones of the barrel ensure an even internal curling temperature of 365 °F for fast, long-lasting curls
A thermo-protective tip at the end of the barrel provides a safe, cool place to hold the iron
A built-in safety stand keeps the iron secure so it won’t be rollin’, hatin’, patrolling or otherwise riding dirty when you set it down
A swiveling professional-length cord prevents tangling
Convenient illuminated power button
Makes a sound when powering on (it sounds like a chorus of hair angles singing, “Ahh!”)
Automatic sleep mode powers off the iron after 30 minutes of inactivity
Universal voltage regulator allows it to be used all over the world
Quickly heats up after powering on; ready to use in about 30 seconds

Seriously, that’s some fancy sh*t! 🙂 It might even be able to do your taxes.

Soft Curl comes with all the bells and whistles…as it should, considering that it costs $245!

Yes, that’s right. All of the curling irons in the new Curve line by ghd are priced like that.

And all of them are designed for specialized jobs, like this one, the Soft Curl model, is the one you want if you have long hair and want big curls and big volume.

So is it worth the price?

Yes, it just might be if you curl your hair often (at least a few times a week) and have some very specific hair-curling pet peeves or needs (like an extra long swiveling cord and a quick heat-up time).

If not, you’re probably better off getting something for $20 from Ulta.

Wow, though. This bad boy works fast! I have what my friend/stylist Alis jokingly calls “vampire hair,” meaning that I have a good amount of it, and it usually takes me anywhere from 20-40 minutes to use a curling iron, depending on the style I’m going for, but curling with the Soft Curl takes half the time.
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Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm: Like 10 Hours of Sleep Followed by a Trip to a Day Spa (You Know, Sort Of)

February 17th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Well, this new product by Bobbi Brown is aptly named, ’cause what you see is what you get: an illuminating (yup!), moisturizing (check!) balm.

Technically, this should not be exciting…

But it may be if your skin is dry like mine.

Yeah, I know. Another moisturizer sounds about as interesting as clearing out the leftover pieces of popcorn from your bra after getting home from the movies, but before you step away from the computer to go hug your plus-size tabby cat, you should know that this moisturizer is significantly more interesting than it appears.

Picture this: 10 hours of sleep followed by a trip to a day spa. 🙂

Yeah, that’s right. Rested, radiant skin. Like MAC Strobe Cream, Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm ($63) has a rich formula with opalescent particles to make skin look more alive, perkier and basically less dull.

It’s a new addition to Bobbi Brown’s Extra line for extremely thirsty skin, and it’s available right meow.

You’ll probably want to sniff it first before slathering it all over your face, because it’s also scented. I think it smells kind of, I dunno, herbal? — like I spent the morning squeezing lemons and chopping basil with Giada or something. But I like it. It’s refreshing, but it’s probably worth noting because the fragrance is rather strong, although it does seem to fade quickly.

Massage it on bare skin for a little extra lift and glow, or wear it under foundation or BB cream for upgraded opalescence, and if you want a slightly more intense effect, pat it on top of your foundation with your fingers or a flat foundation brush.

You could probably also mix it with your foundation, too, if you were feeling creative, although I haven’t tried that yet.

It doesn’t make a big Broadway-caliber dramatic difference, really. You may not even be able to tell at first, because it’s very chill, but you’ll see it up close — more luminous, energized skin.
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Warm Up Your Skin and Add Color to Your Cheeks With the New Bobbi Brown Brightening Bricks

February 13th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

I wish my house was made out of Bobbi Brown Brightening Bricks.

Never mind that they aren’t adequate building materials (Lego would probably be sturdier), but at least when the homies rolled up I’d have a great conversation starter.

“Um…what kind of walls you got there?”

“Bricks.”

“Those don’t look like bricks…”

“They are bricks. They’re Bobbi Brown Brightening Bricks.”

“OK. So, basically, your house is made out of makeup?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

The housing situation would be precarious at best. Cold nights would force me to snuggle closer to Ryan Gosling (darn), but I’d always have access to a good-looking blush.

Sweet! 🙂

Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Coral — Brightening Brick in Coral

Recently released with Bobbi’s spring collection, the Brightening Bricks are like toned down Shimmer Bricks, but instead of containing strips of highlighting powder, they’re part blush, part warm bronzer. And they’re $46 each (which seems a little steep for Bobbi Brown, or is that just me?).

Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Cranberry — Brightening Brick in Cranberry

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Three Full-Size Lip Products for $32 Makes the Make Up For Ever Tease Me Lip Trios a Tempting Tease

February 13th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Wearing the new $32 Make Up For Ever Tease Me Nude Lip Trio

Every time I see this guy’s face on the two Make Up For Ever Tease Me lip trios I want to tell him to FREAKING RELAX, MAN. Why you so stressed out?? Aren’t you, like, a billionaire playboy or something?

Or maybe that’s Bruce Wayne… OK, whatever.

This series though. Who knew it was so controversial? And here I was thinking it was just a frothy, pulpy schmexy-time romance novel.

However you feel about it, I bet there’s one thing we can all agree on: the makeup inspired by the movie is kind of rocking.

Like MUFE’s two new lip trios, one based on nudes and one built around berries. Each one comes with a lip liner, a waterproof liquid lipstick and a lip gloss, all of them full-size.

Maybe Mr. Grey likes to wear lipstick sometimes, and he’s stressed out about his lip situation. “Which lipstick should I wear, and how will I know what lip liner and gloss to wear with it!?”

Make Up For Ever Tease Me Berry Lip Trio — Tease Me Berry Lip Trio

No worries, Mr. Grey. Make Up For Ever has made it easy for ya. For each of the two trios, they picked a matching lip liner, liquid lipstick and gloss, freeing you up to make the tough decisions, like how many cats is too many cats? Do I appear intense enough in this photo? What should our safety word be? Is my hair too flat? And how’s the lighting in my secret back room?

The Innocent Nude Lip Trio is my favorite of the two because of its flexibility, which is to say that while I don’t intend to wear the trio with thigh-high leather boots and a naughty outfit, I suppose I could. The shades are neutral enough to work with a variety of looks and outfits. It comes with a nude beige lip liner, a soft rosy pink liquid lipstick and a sparkling beige gloss (thankfully, the glitter isn’t gritty).

I do also like the Passionate Berry Lip Trio, but with my lips being so dry and flaky right now, I’m a little reluctant to embrace the darker colors. The deep berry plum lip liner, raspberry liquid lipstick and sparkling deep fuchsia gloss are very wearable, though, and right in the middle of the road in terms of color temperature.

Make Up For Ever Tease Me Nude Lip Trio Swatches from the left: Aqua Lip Pencil in 3C, Aqua Rouge Waterproof Lip Color in 3, Aqua Rouge Clear, Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lip Gloss in D16 — Nude Lip Trio Swatches from the left: Aqua Lip Pencil in 3C, Aqua Rouge Waterproof Lip Color in 3, Aqua Rouge Clear, Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lip Gloss in D16

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