Product Reviews

For Acts of Impromptu Eye, Lip and Cheek Nudity: The $54 Urban Decay Naked On the Run Palette

November 17th, 2014 by Karen 58 Comments

I’ve seen naked runners before…although I kind of wish I hadn’t, because one of the guys had the word “slut” tattooed on his butt in American Typewriter, and now I’ll never be able to see American Typewriter the same way, but that’s what happens when you run the Bay to Breakers…

This is only marginally related to the new Naked On the Run palette by Urban Decay. 🙂

UD pretty much covers everything here with the exception of your base makeup and brows. There’s something for eyes, lips, cheeks and lashes, and most of the colors are brand new.

This look here actually didn’t take long at all, and I used five of the six shadows. I’d already put on foundation and filled in my brows, but I sprinted through the eyes, cheeks, lips and lashes.

Wearing Eyeshadows in 5050, Fix, Resist, Dare and Stun; Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stag and Perversion Mascara on my eyes; the Blush and Bronzer on my cheeks; and Naked Lipgloss in Sesson on my lips — Wearing Eyeshadows in 5050, Fix, Resist, Dare and Stun; Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stag and Perversion Mascara on my eyes; the Blush and Bronzer on my cheeks; and Naked Lipgloss in Sesso on my lips

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A Warning to All Crazy Cat Ladies Considering the New Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection…

November 14th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Take heed, crazy cat ladies. Rubbing the brushes in Laura Mercier’s $125 Luxe Travel Brush Collection across your face may induce irresistible urges to adopt additional cats.

WARNING: If you have already acquired a “gateway cat,” exercise extreme caution, especially around the Cheek Colour Brush, because it feels exactly like the softest, plushest, most downy delicious belly meat.

Makeup lovers have reported that it made them contemplate kitty crime. “I’m considering kidnapping an adorable tortie girl who lives down the street,” said one woman, “even though I know better…” 🙁

Gate-way cat
noun
Among members of the crazy cat lady community, the third cat is commonly referred to as “the gateway cat,” since it opens the door to adopting even more cats and posits the question, at this point, why stop at just three?

All eight of the brushes in this set feel kitten soft, from the fluffy Pony Tail Brush (fabulous for erasing hard edges, applying highlighter to those upper cheekbones, or for blending under-eye concealer), to the Angled Eye Liner Brush (great for thin lines and flicks, and it also doubles as a spot applicator for concealer). The set also comes with a travel case and a removable mesh cosmetic bag insert.

The $125 Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection includes…

Cheek Color Brush

Secret Camouflage Brush

Pony Tail Brush

Creme Eye Colour Brush

Eye Crease Brush

Smudge Brush

Flat Eye Liner Brush

Angled Eye Liner Brush

Travel Case with removable mesh cosmetic bag

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I Raise My Glass to BECCA’s $38 Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Gold

November 13th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Just FYI, keep your BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Gold ($38) away from any flocks of wild canaries, because they could potentially mistake it for one of their own.

BECCA Champagne Gold — BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Gold, $38

Don’t worry, this highlighter isn’t for the birds. Yeah, it looks jarringly yellow in swatches and the pan (at least I thought so at first), but it’s a totally different story on skin.

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The $59 Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Set Gives Lips All the Pigment They Can Take

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Whenever I go shopping at Sephora, there’s a rule I steadfastly adhere to. I tell myself that I can only walk out of the store with what I’m able to carry in my two hands.

No baskets, ever, because the minute a basket gets up in the mix, my credit card starts throbbing with a white hot heat.

Buuuut, you know what they say: where there’s a will, there’s a way. 🙂

With products like the new Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Ultimate Lip Sampler Set ($59), I’m able to maximize my self-imposed system of budgetary beauty tyranny. #imjustsayin

The glorious new holiday kit includes 17 (!) sample-sized lip products from 14 makeup brands.

KA-BOOM!

That’s a ton of variety. What’s more, the pieces span a wide range of finishes, textures and coverage levels.

Sephora sorted the products by color family — nudes, berries, pinks and reds — which gives the kit a cohesiveness you don’t always find in limited edition sets.

Sephora Give Me More Lip swatches from the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip LIner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino — From the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip Liner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino

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So Long, Horse, Because Jouer Just Made This the Year of the Mousse: The New Jouer Long-Wear Creme Mousse Eyeshadows Make Lids Shine Without Highlighting Fine Lines

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Jouer Long-Wear Creme Mousse Eyeshadow Swatches from the left: Dusk, Galaxy, Moonlight, Night Sky, Starlight and Twilight — The new Jouer Long-Wear Creme Mousse Eyeshadows, $30 each

What can I say? Sparkly things give me grabby hands. 🙂

Unfortunately, I also feel like some flashy finishes look straight-up criminal on my eyelids… I’m all for wearing what you want, when you want, but I’m kind of at that stage in my makeup journey when super shimmery frosts, tempting as they are, highlight my fine lines a little more than I’d like.

That said, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to say, “So long forever, sparkle and gloss! I’m living a full-time matte life.” I think I’ll always like a little glitz.

Enter the Jouer Long-Wear Creme Mousse Eyeshadows ($30 each), which came out a little earlier this fall. If you have fine lines like I do, and you crave shimmer like the Gilmore Girls crave coffee, these easy-to-use cream shadows got your back.

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Get a Luminous Look in a Jiffy With the New Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Color Collection

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

As simple as it sounds, a little shimmer and shine can go a long way when you want to look fresh-faced and radiant in a flash.

I had this “Aha!” moment last weekend when I was getting ready to meet friends in the city for brunch.

I woke up late (purr usual) that morning, even with the extra hour from Daylight Savings (apparently, I need more sleep than a fairytale character), and I had less than 10 minutes to put on ye olde warpaint.

I grabbed Josie Maran’s new Winter Dreams Argan Color Collection ($34).

Every nifty nibble in this five-piece set contains Argan oil, the moisturizing magic ingredient in Josie’s makeup that’s supposed to make lines and wrinkles look less obvious.

The set includes…

A 0.17-oz. tube of Argan Black Oil Mascara

A 0.16-oz. tube of Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Limitless Pink

A 0.16-oz. bottle of Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow in Rio de Rose Gold

A 0.15-oz. bottle of Argan Illuminizer

A 0.5-oz. bottle of 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

I hadn’t washed my makeup brushes since the last time I’d used them, so I ended up doing everything from start to finish using just my fingers. By the time I was done, I felt like I still looked like myself (I don’t like to wear a ton of makeup to Sunday brunch), but perkier…and more luminous, LOL! In other words, less likely to scowl at strangers on the street before I’ve had any coffee. 🙂
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Diamond in the Rough or Hidden Gem? The New Smashbox on the Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette Is Both!

October 31st, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Basically, if a beauty burglar raided a fortified diamond emporium that also stocked jewel-toned eyeshadows and then crammed her beauty booty into a single palette, that palette might look like the new 28-pan Smashbox On the Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe.

Clearly designed to entice with endless eyeshadow possibilities and pics of holographic cushion- and emerald-cut bling, this limited edition palette is filled with a nice selection of surprisingly complex jewel-toned shades that are almost as dazzling as a diamond-encrusted tiara.

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Sailors With Brown, Green and Hazel Eyes May Want to Enlist in This Navy: LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Navy

October 30th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

LORAC Front of the Line Pro Navy — Meow, cat eyeliner! Wearing the new LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Navy, $23

If LORAC had a Navy (they do), and it was recruiting (they are), I’d tell the ladies in charge that this sailor is going to need a steady supply of Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner if you want her to sign up.

Because I am not about to get stuck at sea without the proper tools to do cat eyes.

Huh-uh.

I’d also add that I absolutely, positively don’t do boats.

Sorry. Just one of my stipulations. 🙂

Ulgh, all the bobbing up and down… Makes me a little nauseous, which is kind of funny, seeing as how I come from Navy stock (my dad was in the service), and I love the ocean.

Weird.

New LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in dark blue Navy ($23) is the latest shade in the brand’s fabulous line of liquid liners.

I’ve been a fan of the original black version for years. I like it because it’s relatively inexpensive, I can get really crisp lines with it, and the long, flexible tip makes it easy to draw those little flicks at the ends of my cat eyeliner.

A dark bluish black (no green in it), Navy has a gorgeous satiny finish that loves lash lines, and it’s strong as iron! It easily lasts all day.

I think it really does a lot for brown, green and hazel eyes (and other eye colors too).

The tube I’ve been using, though, might be a little wonky, and I’m actually hoping it’s a manufacturing error. For reasons unknown, this particular pen is nowhere near as easy to wield as the other Front of the Lines I’ve used, and I’ve gone through three or four of them over the past few years.

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