Product Reviews

It’s Prime Time for Bright Eyes With Make Up For Ever Eye Prime

June 19th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

make up for ever eye prime

I was lying awake in bed the other night, nestled like the insomnia meat in the middle of an epic El Hub/Tabs snoring sandwich, when I thought, “It’s bad enough that El Hub snores, but when did Tabs start?”

As I lay there, wide awake, I wondered a great many things…like are there Breathe Right strips for cats? And if there are, I bet they look pretty funny.

It occurred to me that maybe that’s what I could do when I grow up, be the inventor of Kitty Breathe Right Strips, because I still don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Purr right strips I started ticking off a list of things I know to be true. 1. Tabs loves gravy, 2. Nutella and asparagus taste terrible together, 3. the world really didn’t need a sequel to Honey…

I must have dozed off somewhere around 3-4 in the morning, only to wake up a few hours later, more than a little cranky and with zombie-fied eyes.

Some serious eye-brightening action was in order.

I grabbed my iPhone (“Siri, remind me to research cures for insomnia!”) and peered into my makeup bag…

That’s when I saw it — Make Up For Ever’s new nude brightening Eye Prime ($22), the brand’s very first eye primer.

A magical brew of waxes and fixing polymers that, according to MUFE, creates a smooth, long-lasting base upon which to apply other eye makeup products. The supposedly universally flattering nude shade (for every skin tone) is also supposed to brighten while amplifying eye makeup colors and reducing creasing, and it’s designed to work with everything, from powder eyeshadows, to cream eyeshadows, liners, and basically the whole gamut of eye makeup deliciousness.

Well, hello, bright eyes. 🙂

Turn around, bright eyes… Every now and then I fall apart! And I need you more tonight! And I need you more than evuh!

(Sorry. Spontaneous ’80s sing-a-long moment.)

make up for ever eye prime in hand

make up for ever eye prime swatch
Unblended (left) and blended (right)
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Even Ruffians Like Long Nails: The New MAC Ruffian Manicures in Spectator, Demoiselle and Demilune

June 18th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

mac ruffian manicure

Press on, fellow lacquer lover! Press on…these new beige, red and black temporary press-on nails from MAC.

Leave it to MAC to make press-on nails neat again… They took something I enjoy doing — painting my nails — and said, “Yeah, but check this out.”

The 24 nails in each of the three new MAC Ruffian Manicure sets come in a variety of nail shapes and sizes, and they aren’t just pre-painted in solid colors. They’re like straight up nail art!

In the first set, Demilune, a black matte sits atop a golden chrome strip along the base; Spectator, the second set, bookends a glossy cream-colored center with glossy black stripes; and the third set, Demoiselle, paints thin white and black arches at the very tip and base of a gorgeous, glossy red.

mac ruffian demilune

All three sets are available online now in North America ($25 US, $30 CDN) and coming in September to select international locations.

They’re designed to be applied to bare, natural nails, and they’re pretty easy to apply…except for one potential sticking point, but more on that in a sec.

It’s nice that the sets come with 24 nails each, so you stand a good chance of finding 10 among them to fit the shape and size of each of your fingernails (MAC, what about mah toes?!).

When you go to put these on, be careful lining them up along the base of your cuticles before pressing them down, because that adhesive? — that stuff is no joke. Way stronger than Lee Press-On Nails from back in the day.

Granted, the adhesive is probably not strong enough to keep your nails from moving while you play an epically long piano sonata or type out a novel…but it should be sticky enough for a night on the town.

And despite the uber-glue, the nails are still relatively easy to remove. Just ease each one off by peeling slowly from the side. If you’re careful, you should be able to get in another 3-4 uses before the adhesive loses its mojo.

I think it’s also cool that they don’t leave behind any sticky residue once they’re removed.

mac ruffian manicure spectator
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For Lips to Go With a Hip Victoriana Aesthetic: The MAC Ruffian Collection Lipsticks

June 18th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

Wearing MAC Ruffian Gold Lipstick, $14.50

Slowly but surely, one Marshall’s visit at a time, I’m moving away from my natural tendency to dress like a 13-year-old skater boy from The Valley and toward a hopefully more fashionable future as a 30-something-year-old woman with killer shoes and a quirky Cali girl sense of style…

…she wrote, sitting at her desk in an over-sized O’Neil surf tee and a pair of board shorts with cargo pockets.

LOL! Okay, it’s a process. A really, really slow process. 🙂

But one of the best parts of this slow-going effort to take my wardrobe more seriously has been figuring out what makeup to wear with different looks.

Like for my current fashion phase, beachy summer dresses, I’ve been gravitating toward neons and brights.

How long the phase will last, however, is hard to say…especially now that I’ve seen the new MAC Ruffian collection.

mac ruffian lipsticks

Looking for a lipstick to wear with a streetwise Victorian style? Something to go with that tweed jacket and that top with the bell-sleeves and ruffles, perhaps?

If so, it’s MAC Ruffian time.

The six-piece online exclusive is a collaboration between MAC and Ruffian, the NYC-based design duo of Brian Wolk and Claude Morais. Their clothes have an upscale, vintage vibe, with ready-to-wear (but hard to afford) pieces ranging from $800 for a shirt to $1,800 (!) for a jacket, and fans include edgy actresses Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst.

For the MAC Ruffian collection (available online now in North America, and coming to select international MAC locations this September), Brian and Claude directed their design aesthetic into three Lipsticks ($14.50 US and $17.50 CDN) and three Ruffian Manicure sets ($25 US and $30 CDN) in classic, timeless shades of red, gold, beige and peach.

mac ruffian gold red naked
From the left: Ruffian Gold, Ruffian Red and Ruffian Naked Lipsticks

I took a break from summer brights and neons today to try the three lipsticks, and the first thing that came to mind: Chanel. And then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle… Or something he might have written, had Sherlock Holmes investigated a crime against Chanel (NO!). “It has long been an axiom of mine that Chanel should influence more things.”

True dat. 🙂

The red and gold are reminding me of 2010’s Shanghai-inspired Chanel Noir’ Et Or.
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I Kinda Feel Like Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Gloss Is Playing Tricks on Me

June 16th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806

I’m all smiles now, but I wasn’t the first time I brushed Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806 on my lips. A pale golden pink, it’s one of six $18.50 Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Glosses.

At first swipe, I looked more like this…

simply vera vera wang smooth shine lip gloss

I saw a sheer golden glow, a soft shine, and thought, “Cool!” But my smile quickly soured. Truth be told, this gloss turned out to be tricky.

Finding the perfect amount to apply is like divining water. A tad too much, and it looks milky, patchy and uneven.

I like it best when I apply it using a very specific method — using a tiny amount, just barely enough to cover my lips, which I then carefully blot.

Oh, and the consistency? Thick. Really thick. Almost too thick, and while it doesn’t feel sticky when I press my lips together, it’s still weirdly a magnet for fur.

Tabs was not impressed…

Vera does include some nice flourishes, like the honeysuckle scent and vanilla flavor, and the paddle-shaped applicator, which really gets into the corners of my lips and works great for shaping the point above my cupid’s bow.

It also holds up pretty well for a gloss, lasting on my lips for about three hours.

simply vera vera wang cosmetics gloss
Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806, $18.50
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I Blush So Easily With Simply Vera Vera Wang Cosmetics Illuminating Powder Blush

June 16th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

simply vera vera wang cosmetics illuminating powder blush

With so many starring roles in big budget blockbuster movies coming out this summer, Tabs has practically been living on the red carpets for weeks, which has meant that I’ve barely had 10 minutes to breathe, eat or blend out my blush.

Problem is, someone’s gotta field the phone calls from reporters inquiring about Tabs. “Is he seeing anyone?” “How much fur does he show in Magic Mike, and did he waive his nudity clause?”

Good grief…

Still, busy or not, even though I’ve been totally swamped doing tasks for Tabs, I will not leave the house without at least a little blush on my cheeks. No way, no how. That, my dear Tabs, is non-negotiable.

When I’m having one of those completely cray days, I like sheer blushes that are easy to apply, like the pinkish beige Simply Vera Vera Wang Illuminating Powder Blush in 315 ($19.50). It’s one of six Powder Blushes in Vera’s new makeup line now available at Kohl’s.

No need to pinch my cheeks when I’ve got 315 around. I just pop a little on my cheeks using the “bounce technique” and a blush brush. Very little blending required. I can be out the door at a moment’s meow. 🙂

simply vera vera wang cosmetics blush
Illuminating Powder Blush in 315, $19.50

simply vera vera wang cosmetics illuminating powder blush
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Easing Your Way Into Color Is Simple With Simply Vera Vera Wang Cosmetics’ Smoothing Lip Color

June 15th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

simply vera vera wang cosmetics smoothig lip color 709
Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Color in 709

If bright, bold lipsticks like MAC’s Dear Diary are the lipstick equivalent of a towering feathered headdress and a bedazzled rhinestone bikini, then the new Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Colors ($18.50 each, and available in five shimmery and matte shades) are like a sleeveless LBD that skims your curves — elegant, classic and feminine, yet not overly schmexy.

With a thick consistency and fully opaque coverage, these unscented, unflavored lippies remind me of the Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colors. All it takes is a single layer for sophisticated color that lasts through a cup of coffee (but not a meal!) and lips that whisper, “I’m more hottie librarian than flashy Vegas showgirl.”

I’ve been getting cozy with two of them this week, shimmery brownish pink 702 and shimmery rose 709. Both apply smoothly without feathering or catching on to those annoying wayward flakes on my sometimes dry lips, and I think they deliver just enough color to balance well with the neutral eyeshadows from Vera’s Transforming Shadow Duos.

simply vera vera wang cosmetics smoothig lip color 702
Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Color in 702

simply vera vera wang cosmetics lipsticks
Smoothing Lip Colors in 702 (left) and 709 (right), $18.50 each
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Here Comes the Bride! Say “I Do” to Sophisticated Shades and Soft Textures With the Simply Vera Vera Wang Transforming Shadow Duos

June 14th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

simply very vera wang transforming shadow duos

Most of the time when I put on my wedding gown to watch Law & Order: SVU reruns in the living room, I’m bare faced with my hair up in a scrunchie.

Now, though, when I’m feeling extra bridal (like “bust out my veil” bridal!), I’ll know where to turn.

“Vera!”

I’ll turn to one of the 14 new and natural-looking Simply Vera Vera Wang Transforming Shadow Duos ($19.50 each).

Do I really like these buttery soft powder eyeshadows?

Ya know, “I do.” 🙂

Each compact contains a matte and a shimmer, and I think they’re very easy to use. A few pats and swipes from my eye brushes, and I’m transformed from curmudgeonly cat-lover in stretchy pants to belle of the ball (or, of my living room).

Vera’s Shadow Duos prove that fallout-free formulas aren’t exclusive to ultra-expensive department store brands; I love that the grains of these finely-milled powders don’t just look like they’re sitting on top of my skin.

At the same time sophisticated and demure, they practically ooze je ne sais quoi. These are eyeshadows I’d wear when I want to highlight my features but don’t want to draw attention to the fact that I’m wearing any makeup at all.

The two shades I’m wearing in these pics just might be neutral enough for most skin tones. The first, 402, reminds me of a sleepy MAC Satin Taupe. It houses a purplish sheer matte beige and a shimmery taupe; the second, 404, reveals a brownish beige and a nutty brown with flecks of golden glitter.

simply very vera wang transforming shadow duos

simply vera vera wang cosmetics eyeshadows
Transforming Shadow Duos in 402 (left) and 404 (right), $19.50 each
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The Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Glosses in Coralista, Dallas and Sugarbomb Are Making Makeup Dreams Come True

June 13th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

benefit dallas ultra plush lip gloss
Wearing Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Dallas on my lips and Dallas Boxed Blush on my cheeks

Sometimes, it’s good to match…

Like with your shoes when you go to class.

There’s nothing like that moment one morning when you glance down at your feet in the middle of your botany final and see a pink shoe on your left foot and a blue shoe on your right.

“What the what?!”

FCS, or Falsus Calceatus Syndrome (Wrong Shoe Syndrome), strikes thousands of young adults each year, many of them after all-nighters spent studying C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis.

Sometimes, it’s not good to match…

Like last night, when I dreamed that Tabs had an identical kitty twin.

In theory, one might think, “OOH! Matching bookend tabbies would be so awesome!”

Except it wasn’t.

The twin tabbies did everything together. They whined for gravy together, launched off my tum at 3 in the morning together, and collectively draped across my right shoulder while I tried to blog (that’s 40 pounds of cat, yo!).

They also demanded that I push them around town in a tricked-out Louis Vuitton kitty carriage, complete with spinning chrome rims, and I’m pretty sure they were also plotting to crush me. To death.

So which of these two cat-egories do the new $16 Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Glosses fall into?

I’d say the first one. When it’s good to match.

Benefit designed this new line of six sheer glosses to match their bestselling Benefit Boxed Blushes, and color my lips thrilled! 🙂

Most of the time when it comes to lip products, I think I’m pretty easy to please. Gimme a tube of Benefit Sugar Cookie Lipstick, and we’ll call it a day.

But I’ll never say never (Bieber-style) to a gorgeous gloss, especially one I openly wished for back in 2008, when I wished for a lipgloss that matched Benefit Coralista blush (or Dallas, or Sugarbomb).

With these Ultra Plush Glosses, Benefit delivers exactly that.

benefit dallas coralista sugarbomb ultra plush lip gloss tubes

benefit dallas coralista sugarbomb ultra plush lip gloss swatches
Swatches from the left: Dallas, Sugarbomb and Coralista
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