Product Reviews

Like a Great Deal on Airfare, the Six Ultra Plush Lip Glosses Aboard Benefit’s High Flyin’ Glosses Kit Are Sheer a Good Price

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

Forget Red Bull. Benefit’s latest high-flying lip kit will give you wings! 🙂

Why risk losing that borderline big bottle of liquid foundation in your carry-on to the TSA when you can fly the friendly skies without ever stepping foot on a plane?

Air Benefit’s latest route flies aboard the brand-new $26 High Flyin’ Glosses kit, and it makes the trip from WHEREVER YOU ARE to THE LAND WHERE MINI-LIP GLOSS RULES in however long it takes you to get to your closest Benefit counter.

This adorable limited edition kit contains tiny versions of six of Benefit’s Ultra Plush Glosses — sheer coral Coralista, dusty rose Dallas, bright watermelon Bella Bamba, shimmering nude Hoola, pinkish nude Sugarbomb and soft, pearly pink Dandelion.

The sheer colors should flatter a wide range of skin tones, and considering the regular price of Benefit’s full-size 0.5-ounce Ultra Plushes ($16), $26 for a set of six of them (even though they’re smaller at 0.22 ounces each) seems like a pretty good deal.

benefit high flyin glosses — With a full-size Dandelion gloss for comparison

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Why Wait for the Holidays to Have a Holiday Dessert? The $22 Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette Is Quite a Treat

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Too Faced Cosmetics Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition palette

Truth? I’d rather be busy than bored, but at the same time, I don’t ever want to be so swamped that I’m totally deprived of any glam time. â€˜cause girlfriend desperately needs her glam time! (…she says as she types the previous sentence wearing an old karate workout t-shirt, a pair of shorts that are missing a button and different eyeshadow colors on each eye.)

But who knows? Maybe Tabs will decide to take me on the road with him one of these days… Help him work the fashion week circuit. I’d have to be prepared to go from tow up to “Faaaabulous, dahhhling!” at the drop of a paw.

When/if that day comes, I know I’ll be ready with the Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette ($22).

This travel-friendly limited edition cutie comes dressed to impress in a dainty gold compact. Inside you’ll find two tiers of festive, holiday party-perfect gold and silver makeup for eyes, cheeks and lips.

Because the powders are quite pigmented, it wouldn’t take long to get ready for a party. You could start by patting either a gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow on your lids, smudge one of the darker eyeshadow colors along your lash lines, and follow with a few quick swipes of bronzer and blush on your cheeks.

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Some Distractions Are Too Cute, Like the Too Faced Love Sweet Love Holiday Set

October 3rd, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

I sure had a hard time concentrating this afternoon… You know how it goes sometimes. You’ve got your to-do list scribbled on a Post-It note, but your mind keeps wandering.

You check your e-mail, Twitter, open a new browser tab to anthropologie.com, spend a few minutes looking at pretty dresses, check your e-mail again, open another tab to Google News, see an article about jogging and wonder, “Hmm…do I still have that baby blue velour tracksuit?”

Then you glance down at your to-do list again, check the clock and vow to tackle your next task at the top of the hour. While you wait, of course, you pull up Glamour’s website in your browser and read an article on relationships titled, Who REALLY wrote the book of love?

That was pretty much me this afternoon, and to make matters worse, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the new Too Faced Love Sweet Love Set ($46).

The seven-piece limited edition kit includes a Book of Love Palette with six powder eyeshadows, two separate powder blushes, two lip glosses, a full-size tube of Lashgasm Mascara, a sample sized Shadow Insurance, a sample sized Perfect Eyes Eye Liner in Perfect Black, a half-ounce tube of Primed & Poreless Face Primer, a multipurpose face brush and a gold embroidered makeup bag.

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Now Boarding Rows Light, Medium and Dark: Jet-Setters of All Skin Tones Might Like Benefit’s New She’s So Jetset Holiday Makeup Kit

October 3rd, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

Paris, London, New York, Novato…

Oh, that last one? Yeah, Novato, population 49,000, give or take. It’s quickly becoming one of the top destinations for beauty jet-setters.

No kidding, it’s a HUGE draw. Some people still don’t know this about Novato, but it has a Target, a Costco, a Bath & Body Works and even a Sephora, all in the same strip mall.

It’s really quite impressive to behold. 🙂

All kidding aside, even if your home base is out in the sticks like mine, you can still live the life of a jet-setter with the new $36 Benefit She’s So Jetset holiday kit.

Up here in my office, surrounded by 200-year-old oak trees and roving gangs of big-@ss turkeys, I feel like a first-class passenger on my way to a stylish beauty destination when I put on the pieces in this limited edition, travel-friendly kit.

Benefit filled it with neutral colors to suit a wide range of skin tones. It comes with four shimmery shadows, a satiny peach First-Class Face powder, a sample-sized tube of They’re Real mascara (a pretty good lash thickener) and a creamy nude-ish pink Life on the A List gloss.

In more detail…

The Eyeshadow Palette: I like all four of these shimmery, shiny shades, although they’re on the borderline between just right and a little too frosty for me (just something to think about if you’re worried about fine lines). I like that Benefit included colors here that could work well for skin tones from light to medium and dark, and even though I detect a small amount of fallout with these, it’s not enough to get on my nerves.
First-Class Face Powder and Brush: Okay, so the brush is kinda silly; it hardly picks up any product at all, but I like the powder, which gives my skin a soft, peachy glow…that smells really good! Like roses!
They’re Real Mascara: As long as I only apply one layer, I’m a big fan of They’re Real. If I apply any more than that, my lashes start getting clumpy and crunchy.
Life on the A-List Gloss: This super sheer, non-sticky milky pink looks kinda light on my pigmented lips, but I still think it’s great. You can’t go wrong with a lightly tinted, easy-to-wear nude gloss.

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I’ve Got Bon Bons on My Eyes, But It’s Not a Problem: The Perfectly Priced Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Kit Is Sweet on Neutral Looks and Purple Smokey Eyes

October 3rd, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

My sweet tooth is absolutely thrilled with all the action it’s seen lately!

What started innocently enough with a batch of Toll House cookies but then rapidly progressed to a box of custom made MBB cupcakes has mutated, yet again, into makeup. My maniacal sweet tooth is so…maniacal that it can no longer tell the difference between real bonbons and the new Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons eye palette ($42).

If I don’t get a handle on this soon, I’m either going to end up in the emergency room with a doctor asking me, “So why were you eating makeup?” or replace my entire wardrobe with stretchy pants.

Blast you, Too Faced!

Scrumptiously sweet, this indulgent holiday kit of 12 powder eyeshadows, one full-size Lashgasm Mascara and one sample-sized tube of Candlelight Shadow Insurance is not just low-cal (no cal?). It’s also convenient as heck. It gives you the option of going subtle with neutrals like brown, beige and peach, or going buck wild with purple, pink and black smokey sass.

More often now that it’s fall, I’ve been getting the urge to ~~eat my feelings~~ wear purple smokey looks, and a lot of the time when it happens, I reach for Bon Bons.

Here, let me give you the recipe. 🙂

Just pat Candlelight primer all over your lids, sprinkle one (or two or three) of Bon Bon’s yummy chocolate or caramel browns on your lids and in the crease, add a dash of purple directly on top of your neutrals and a dollop of mascara on your upper and lower lashes.

Chill before serving…

Okay, not really. It’s ready to go right there! — and the look lasts all day long with barely any fading or creasing.

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If You Can Get This to Work Well With My Skin Tone, I’ll Love You Forever, Marilyn: MAC Marilyn Monroe Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn

October 2nd, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

mac forever marilyn beauty powder — MAC Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn

If the red lipsticks in the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection make you do grabby hands in the air (grabby, grabby, grabby!), you’re not the only one! 🙂

But don’t let those lovely lippies monopolize your affections, especially if you like pressed highlighting powders and sweet nothings whispered in your ear.

With a soft shine that whispers, “happy birthday, Mr. President,” MAC’s new pale peach Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn ($28) seeks to play up skin tones this fall without looking obvious or highlighting pores…

Pale and medium skin tones, that is. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to wear Forever Marilyn with my darker NC42 skin tone that doesn’t result in it looking ashy on me. I tried it as a highlighter, but that didn’t work, nor did wearing it as an all-over face powder.

Sorry, Tim Gunn. I tried.

MAC Marilyn Monroe Swatches from the left: Blush in Legendary, Blush in The Perfect Cheek, Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn, Eyeshadow in How to Marry and Eyeshadow in Showgirl — From the left: Blush in Legendary, Blush in The Perfect Cheek, Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn, Eyeshadow in How to Marry and Eyeshadow in Showgirl

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Seeking The Perfect Cheek? The Legendary MAC Marilyn Monroe Powder Blushes Tint Cheeks in Silky Shades of Pink and Coral

October 2nd, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

mac marilyn monroe legendary blush — Wearing MAC Marilyn Monroe Powder Blush in Legendary

Quick! Picture something that goes really well with strong fall eye and lip looks (but don’t tell me what it is).

Okay, now let me guess… Is it cats?

No? It’s not cats?

Alright, how ’bout false lashes? Is it false lashes?

It is?! Yay! 🙂 But wait — you say there’s more than that?

Okay, let’s say we’re looking for something easier than false lashes — something that we can wear to tone down bold eyes and lips.

Any ideas?

How about a natural-looking blush? Perhaps a MAC Powder Blush like The Perfect Cheek or Legendary ($16.50 each)?

Softer than powdered sugar but just as sweet, both of these velvety Powder Blushes take center stage with the new MAC Marilyn Monroe collection on counters this week. The launch flaunts rich red lip colors and dramatic cat eyes inspired by Marilyn’s signature makeup style, and both of these blushes — matte pinkish beige The Perfect Cheek and soft coral Legendary — promise to complement the look well.

When I met them, I thought, “Wow! Gals with milky skin tones like Marilyn’s are gonna think these are great,” but I wasn’t sure about gals with darker skin tones like mine. Then, I tried them on my NC42 cheeks…

Sweet! 🙂 For sure, they don’t appear as intense on me as I think they would on lighter lasses, but I still like the effect. Even if you’re in the NC or NW 42-44 range, I think you could still pull these off. You just might have to layer.

Babes beyond NC or NW 44, however, may want to brace themselves. These blushes are probably still worth a try, but I suspect they might appear ashy on darker damsels.

Some quick thoughts on both shades…

The Perfect Cheek

Like a paler version of MAC’s classic Blushbaby Blush, The Perfect Cheek is a true matte without any hint of shimmer or shine. If you’re hankerin’ for some color on your cheeks but don’t want to draw attention to your pores, look no further than right here! The Perfect Cheek should be neutral enough for guys/gals with warm or cool skin tones, which only adds to its awesomeness. Pair it with a true red or a reddish pink lipstick for a makeup look equal parts timeless and classic.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Legendary

One word: effortless. Lazy gals, rejoice! You won’t want to miss trying this soft coral color. When I swirl it on my cheeks (on either bare skin or atop foundation), I barely have to move to blend away any lines or edges. It’s like a dressier, grown-up version of a casual summer coral, and I’m drooling over the idea of wearing it with bold, orangey red lippies like MAC Lady Danger.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

MAC Marilyn Monroe The Perfect Cheek Blush — Blush in The Perfect Cheek

MAC Marilyn Monroe The Perfect Cheek Blush Closeup

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Elmer, Meet Marilyn: Like the Glue That Keeps Lips Together, the New MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection Dazzleglasses Are Super Stuck on You

October 2nd, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

mac marilyn monroe little rock dazzleglass — Wearing the MAC Marilyn collection Dazzeglass in Little Rock

Some days, I feel like I need a shot of glitter even before I crawl out of bed. Something to distract me from the tabby lying next to me and staring with those disapproving eyes that say, “Why do you look like such a train wreck first thing in the morning?”

MAC’s new limited edition Marilyn Monroe Dazzleglasses in Phiff! (exclamation mark included) and Little Rock were made for days like that.

Sprinkled with large pearl particles, the two sheer, glittery $21.50 glosses shimmer and shine like a Disney princess (or a diva kitty supermodel’s eyes). 🙂

While pretty and sparkly on their own (and pretty sparkly), I think Phiff! and Little Rock look even better layered on top of lipsticks. Both of them are super sheer, and consequently, leave the color of underlying lipsticks alone. They’re content just adding oodles of sparkle and shine.

I like popping either one on top of a rich red, like MAC Marilyn Monroe’s Scarlet Ibis, or a nude like Pure Zen.

MAC Marilyn Monroe Phiff Little Rock Dazzleglass — Dazzleglass in Phiff! (left) and Little Rock (right)

mac marilyn monroe phiff dazzleglass — Wearing MAC Marilyn Monroe collection Dazzleglass in Phiff!

MAC Marilyn Monroe Swatches in Lipstick in Pure Zen, Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis, Dazzleglass in Little Rock and Dazzleglass in Phiff — Lipstick in Pure Zen, Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis, Dazzleglass in Little Rock and Dazzleglass in Phiff!

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