Product Reviews

You Can’t Go Wrong With the Classics: The Artdeco Dita Von Teese Classics Collection

August 28th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

artdeco dita von teese classics collection

What makeup does Dita wear?

Well, that’s an excellent question. 🙂 We could try to track down the answer online and let our fingers do the walking. Google might even turn up an interview in which the burlesque dancer/diva/costume designer dishes the deets on her signature pinup girl look (here’s a hint: sometimes it involves lots of MAC), but why stop there when Artdeco has an entire makeup collection designed by the glamorous gal herself?

The new limited edition Artdeco Dita Von Teese Classics Collection of fall makeup for faces, eyes, lips, cheeks and nails was designed by Dita and inspired by her classic approach to cat eyes, matte cheeks, and rich, colorful lips and nails.

artdeco dita von teese classics collection
Clockwise from the lipstick in the lower left: Art Couture Lipstick in Parlez-Vous 620, Lip Liner in Dame 10, Nail Lacquer in Dragon Lady Red, Magnetic Beauty Box with Eyeshadows in 200, 582, 578, 371 and 369, and the Blusher in Ivresse 20; and Gel Eyeliner in Nocturnelle

While sold around the world, the Artdeco brand can be a little tough to find in stores here in the States, but that’s what the Internet is for. 🙂 tenderlovingskincare.co.uk (among other places online) currently carries the entire collection and ships pretty much worldwide.

I started dancing with the collection last weekend, and boy does it cut a rug! Granted, I’ve seen similar colors from other lines, but here you also get great presentation. The beautiful black packaging is decorated with fine details, like pinstripes and a silhouette of Dita, complete with her signature mole.

Even though the holidays are still months away (but approaching fast), I’m making a note to remind myself to come back to these when I start looking for gifts for the Dita fans in my life.

Here’s a look at a few eye-catching pieces from the collection…

Art Couture Lipstick in 620 Parlez-Vous (Â£18.5, or about $29 USD)

So, how many layers of lipstick does it take to get Dita’s classic lip look? Answer: with 620 Parlez-Vous, just one! This creamy, pigmented neutral red has a satiny finish that delivers Dita’s lip look quicker than you can say “burlesque.” It’s far and away my favorite piece in the collection!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Blusher in Ivresse 20 (Â£10.25, or $16 USD)

Like a lighter, pinker, softer version of the beautiful MAC Blushbaby with a name much more difficult to pronounce, Ivresse’s soft texture kinda reminds me of Shu Uemura blush. It takes three layers to really see it on my skin.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Lip Liner in Dame 10 (Â£9.75, or $15.40 USD)

A long-wearing, highly pigmented reddish magenta pencil loaded with antioxidants and vitamine E, Dame goes on smoothly, despite its hard texture. The sheen finish? Super pretty! And it even lasts through a meal.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Gel Eyeliner in Nocturnelle (Â£19.50, or $30 USD)

Nocturnelle reminds me of MAC Blacktrack but has more gray in it, and a slightly fluffier texture. Great for oily lids, and really easy to use. Plus, it’s waterproof, too!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Eyeliner Brush (Â£9.50, or $15 USD)

The Eyeliner Brush isn’t in the pictures here, but it’s not my favorite piece. Skinny, with soft, synthetic bristles, it’s lightweight, which I like, but it’s slightly bent/angled in a way that makes it a little difficult for me to use… I wager it’s a matter of personal preference. I do like the quality of the brush, but for some reason the shape makes it easier for me to do my right eye, but harder to do my left. Weird.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

Nail Lacquer in Dragon Lady Red (Â£10, or $15.60 USD)

I only need one layer of Dragon Lady Red for full opacity — awesome! Unfortunately, the chubby wand feels a little awkward in my paws…
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Magnetic Beauty Box (Â£14, or $22 USD)

How cute is that Beauty Box up top?! Since it comes empty (boo!), you build your own palette by filling the case with Artdeco eyeshadows or blushes (yay!). As a design lover/nerd, I dig the details on the cover, but I wish the case was a little easier to open. I really need to press down on the latch to get it to open, gah!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Glamour Eyeshadows (Â£6, or $9.50 USD each)

Super soft and easy to blend, the Glamour Eyeshadows do exhibit quite a bit of fallout, so be sure to tap your brush before applying.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

artdeco dita von teese classics collection lipstick

artdeco dita von teese classics collection liner
[Continue reading…]

Rouge Bunny Rouge Blush Wand in Titian: This Barely-There Bunny Hops Away Like a Hare

August 27th, 2012 by Karen 35 Comments

rouge bunny rouge titian blush wand review

Have you ever tried explaining the idea of no-makeup makeup to your significant other? Did he (or she), like El Hub, drift off into space as you broke it down, bullet-point style? Did their eyes glaze over as you described, in painstaking detail, your quest to find a perfect barely-there blush in a no-makeup makeup color?

If so, I may have found something to help.

Rabbits.

In a manner of speaking.

Or singing. 🙂

Here comes Peter Tabbytail, hoppin’ down the bunny trail, and he’s carrying RBR’s Blush Wand in Titiaaaaan.

Rouge Bunny Rouge’s $34 Blush Wand in Titian isn’t exactly drugstore magic, but it’s capable of casting a spell or two.

The pricey, albeit perfectly natural-looking, peachy cream stick blush hopped on the scene eariler this summer with its cotton-tailed cousins in the Rouge Bunny Rouge Mistral Collection.

I swipe it straight from the stick on bare skin, or atop foundation and/or powder, and then blend out any visible edges with a finger.

Unfortunately, this bunny is also kinda skittish and disappears after about four hours…

Yup, it doesn’t last very long, at least not on my combination dry/oily skin, which means that it’s a good thing the packaging is so doggone cute and convenient.

rouge bunny rouge titian

rouge bunny rouge titian blush wand

rouge bunny rouge titian swatch
[Continue reading…]

BLL Cases Rising, Authorities Suspect LORAC Couture Shine in Sheer Luxe to Blame

August 24th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

lorac sheer luxe couture shine

There’s no known cure. That’s what we know so far.

The CDC confirms that the rate of infection has climbed recently, as it usually does this time of year.

The clinical term is labium lignum unum labium adjectio, but it’s commonly known as BLL, or Bold Lip Lust, and it’s spreading like wildfire, especially among members of the makeup community.

People at highest risk of infection often 1) spend too much time at Sephora under the guise of “research” or 2) have been exposed to LORAC’s Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in Sheer Luxe ($22, and part of LORAC’s permanent line).

Spreadable without a lip liner or lip brush, symptoms of this moisturizing burgundy wine include…

A glossy finish
Hydrated, full lips (due to the presence of hyaluronic acid)
Smooth, nourished lips (due to the presence of jojoba and sweet almond oils)

Authorities advise people to risk exposure. 🙂

lorac sheer luxe couture shine swatch

lorac sheer luxe couture shine
[Continue reading…]

The Long-Lasting LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains Lay Down Loads of Color

August 23rd, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

lorac pro powder cheek stain rosy glow
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Rosy Glow

I call ’em “The One Swipers,” the five new, awesomely pigmented LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stains I mentioned yesterday but didn’t really describe, because they rarely have to be swiped twice. One swipe with one of these on my blush brush delivers natural-looking, flushed cheeks.

The $20 powder blushes, which just landed on LORAC counters, are also surprisingly easy to blend, considering how much pigment they pack, and last a whopping eight hours on me.

The only thing I’d add? Dilute, dilute, dilute — since these blushes lay down so much color. Wipe or tap your brush to remove the excess powder before applying.

With these, if you feel like your cheeks still look a little too bright even after diluting, try applying them with a fan brush instead. Fan brushes aren’t afraid of high pigment products and excel at laying down sheer layers of color.

LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain open
All five of the new LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains clockwise from the lower left: Coral Crush, Petal Pink, Plum Passion, Rosy Glow and Ruby Rouge

lorac pro powder cheek stain petal pink
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Petal Pink

lorac pro powder cheek stain plum passion
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Plum Passion
[Continue reading…]

Songbirds Sing, Gypsies Dance and Moonstones Shimmer on Becca Counters This Fall

August 23rd, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

becca songbird mineral blush
Wearing Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone and Blush in Songbird

Why? Because it was the early 90s.

That’s what I say now when I think about some of the things I did back in my late teens and early 20s.

Matte makeup was all the rage, and I’d slip on my plaid, button-down shirt over a floral print dress and black leggings, blast my worn out Nevermind tape in the car on the way to school, slick MAC Paramount on my lips and attack the day!

My little makeup bag was filled with matte goodies, like eyeliner, eyeshadow and face powder (I hadn’t yet discovered blush), and almost all of it was in shades of brown, oy vey!

When makeup shelves and counters started twinkling with shimmery makeup later in the decade, it was a revelation! — like the first time I had a salad with blueberries in it from Panera Bread (so tasty!). Suddenly, the makeup universe opened up before me, revealing new looks and ideas I never knew existed.

becca gypsy songbird shimmering skin perfector in moonstone
Clockwise from the bottle on the left: Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone ($41), Mineral Blush in Gypsy ($32) and Mineral Blush in Songbird ($32)

There’s just something about shimmery makeup that always puts a spring in my step. No doubt, I still lurves me my mattes, but sometimes I need the lift I get from shimmers, like when I feel like my skin looks a little blah, like when I have a cold or bad allergies, or when I’m just having a really rough day.

Sooner or later, though, there always comes a time when I have to get serious again, and out come the matte lipsticks.

This fall, Becca is introducing three new shimmery pieces built to add a little bounce to your step. 🙂

Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone ($41)

This water-based pearly golden beige behaves as both a sheer liquid highlighter and a moisturizer, illuminating while moisturizing and diffusing uneven skin tone.

Becca also incorporated antioxidants, and broad-spectrum SPF 20+ to protect against 96% of UVA/UBD rays. Plus and plus.

But the shimmer is my favorite thing about it. The mica particles are almost imperceptibly fine, so the product doesn’t spotlight my pores as much as many other highlighters can.

Kinda pricey, but I love the results. When I layer it under NARS tinted moisturizer, I feel like I look 10 years younger! And so far it hasn’t broken me out (knock on wood).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Mineral Blush in Gypsy ($32)

I’m a sucker for Becca’s baffling Mineral Blushes. How can they be so easy to blend and yet so pigmented at the same time?? Awesome!

And I love their approach to shimmer. It’s never too obvious. Just right.

Gypsy, a delicate neutral pink with golden pearl, gives a soft, natural glow to cheeks.

It may be a little too light for some darker damsels, but light-to-medium skin tones might just fall in love.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Mineral Blush in Songbird ($32)

With a name like Songbird, it had to be great. 🙂 A new addition to Becca’s Mineral Blush line, Songbird is a warm, heavily pigmented peach pink with golden pearl, and seeing as how I love warm, peachy pink blushes, I was hoping Becca would hit this one out of the park…

They did!

Brighter and more intense than Gypsy, I think it still finds a way to look natural. Nothing clownish here, and if you crave even more color from Songbird, it’s also buildable.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

becca gypsy mineral blush
Gypsy

becca songbird mineral blush
Songbird
[Continue reading…]

No Brush? No Problem! Introducing the Long-Lasting LORAC PRO Cream Eyeliner + Brush

August 22nd, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush

The culmination of a new LORAC/NASA collaboration, the brush attached to the cap of LORAC’s new Pro Cream Eyeliner + Brush will be sending Earth’s next unmanned spacecraft to Mars!

Just kidding. NASA had nothing to do with this product…but I still think the brush is pretty dope. 🙂

Unscrewing the end of the cap reveals the tiny brush tucked away inside. Hello, convenience.

I usually reach for gels or pencils to line my eyes, but I’ve been enjoying these long-wearing cream liners lately, which come in Dark Brown, Plum, Navy and Black ($19 each). Pretty great for softly lined eye looks and/or smudgy eyes.

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush product shot

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush
[Continue reading…]

Judging by These New Rouge Bunny Rouge Glassy Gloss Shades, Some Bunny Loves Smokey Eyes

August 22nd, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sweet Excesses Glassy Gloss in 078 Rhubarb Custard

You know what always cheers me up?

Hugs. And dessert. 🙂

And makeup. Most of the time. Right now, though, I’d really like a hug…

Can Tabs and I get a hug?

Thank you, and thank you for your nice words in the comments earlier today. You’re the Blanche, Rose and Dorothy to my Sophia (Golden Girls 4 life!).

Okay, lock it down, K. No more tears today…

So, I mentioned dessert (and my mouth is watering, of course) — you know what would really hit the spot right now? Something sweet, like these new sweet treat-themed Rouge Glassy Glosses from Rouge Bunny Rouge.

rouge bunny rouge sweet excesses glassy gloss
From the left: 078 Rhubarb Custard, 079 Rahat Lokum, 080 Raspberry Meringue, 081 Cherry Clafoutis and 082 Mousse Fandango

The five sheer, new shades are part of RBR’s Summer 2012 Mistral Collection. If you like super sheer (almost transparent), non-sticky, lightly tinted glosses with a mirror-like shine, you might get a kick out of these.

While technically part of a summer release, they’re destined to be worn with a pair of smokey eyes this fall.

Looking at them and seeing their names, I keep craving pink hard candies…but maybe that’s just me.

The new Rouge Bunny Rouge Glassy Gloss shades

078 Rhubarb Custard: a semi-sheer, milky nude rosewood
079 Rahat Lokum: a pale, shimmery, milky pink with a moderately pearly finish
080 Raspberry Meringue: a pale pink with soft mother of pearl micro-shimmer (Rouge Bunny Rouge says this shade doesn’t have a strong color but makes lips look naturally pretty)
81 Cherry Clafoutis: a sheer, blue-based, cool pink with warm golden opalescence
082 Mousse Fandango: a dark, milky pink with a whisper of grayish mauve, and a touch of silver micro pearl

rouge bunny rouge sweet excesses glassy gloss 2

rouge bunny rouge sweet excesses glassy gloss swatches
From the left: 078 Rhubarb Custard, 079 Rahat Lokum, 080 Raspberry Meringue, 081 Cherry Clafoutis and 082 Mousse Fandango
[Continue reading…]

Laura Mercier’s Lightly Luminous CrÃ¨me Smooth Lip Colours Will Last Through Lunch

August 21st, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

laura mercier spiced rose
Laura Mercier CrÃ¨me Smooth Lip Colour in Spiced Rose

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Laura Mercier CrÃ¨me Smooth Lip Colour Okay, so it wasn’t that long ago. More like last year. But nevertheless, last year at this place I’m talking about there lived a lipstick lover who, despite her best efforts, couldn’t find a long-wearing, moisturizing lipstick to save her life.

Every time she came close, she would fall into despair, with the contender leaving her parched pout just as dry and cracked as before.

Not one to give up easily, our lipstick lover looked and looked for the elusive creature, only to come up empty handed. Disappointed, she began to doubt that such a creature existed at all, and then one fall (this fall, actually), a field of moisturizing lip products sprouted up on shelves!

She saw Make Up For Ever’s glossy new Aqua Rouge Liquid Lip Colors and the Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks from Hourglass, which covered her matte bases, but she still needed something in between…

Her heart longed for a shiny, long-wearing lipstick — but not too shiny — packed with pigment and comfortable to wear.

Just then, something caught her eye over at the Laura Mercier counter…

laura mercier creme smooth lip colour
From the left: CrÃ¨me Coral (a tawny peach), Rosewood (a warm dusty rose) and Spiced Rose (a rose beige)

It was Laura’s new $26 CrÃ¨me Smooth Lip Colours, available in 18 shades.

I’ve been getting to know a few of them this week — tawny peach CrÃ¨me Coral, warm Rosewood and rosy beige Spiced Rose — and they make a pretty good first impression.

Effortlessly lightweight, natural-looking and oh-so-moisturizing, they also have a semi-luminous finish with a light shine.

One rich layer of the unscented, unflavored formula, which Laura loaded with olive oil and vitamin E, completely covers my lips with color and eradicates any flakes.

laura mercier creme smooth lip colour swatches
From the left: CrÃ¨me Coral (a tawny peach), Rosewood (a warm dusty rose) and Spiced Rose (a rosy beige)

laura mercier coral crush
CrÃ¨me Coral
[Continue reading…]