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Product Reviews

The Essie Summer 2012 Bikini So Teeny Collection and Life Lesson No. 389

June 13th, 2012 by Karen 48 Comments

essie summer 2012

Life lesson No. 389, or “When not to wear a teeny bikini”

Dear Self,

Please note that wearing a teeny bikini is perfectly fine when you’re posting up in a beach chair or chilling on a towel on the sand, and for such occasions, Tabs also offers the following advice: 1) suck in your tum when the paparazzi stop by, and 2) always apply sunscreen liberally to your bum.

essie bikini so teeny
WERK!

Also, it should be noted that teeny bikinis aren’t great apparel choices if you plan to go surfing.

Should your tiny triangle top get knocked off as you try to catch that six-foot wave you/I foolishly thought you could handle (FYI: you are so NOT ready for that jelly), hilarity will almost definitely ensue. 🙂

It takes great skill to keep a long board from floating away while simultaneously searching for a missing bikini top in the surf, without flashing everyone on the beach.

You may consider yourself a fairly coordinated person, but few among us are coordinated enough for this.

Perhaps this summer, if/when you get the urge to go surfing in a teeny bikini, reach for Essie’s Bikini So Teeny Summer 2012 nail polishes instead ($8 each; available now at select salons and beauty supply stores).

essie bikini so teeny

That way, while you’re bobbing on your board in your sporty two-piece, waiting for the next set of waves to come in, you’ll be able to admire sky blue Bikini So Teeny, shimmery carnation pink Cascade Cool, molten bronze All Tied Up, creamy hot pink Off the Shoulder, creamy orange Fear or Desire, or creamy Mojito Madness on your fingers and toes, basking in the knowledge that no one will accidentally see your boobies today.

Two coats of these juicy, sumptuous colors should do ya just fine…

essie off the shoulder
Off the Shoulder
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There are 48 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Nails, Product Reviews Keywords: essie

Long Lasting Luxury By Terry: By Terry Blush Veloute Sheer Cream Blush in Ginger Glaze Goes the Distance

June 12th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

by terry blush veloute in ginger glaze

If/when French makeup artist Terry de Gunzburg’s friends ever kid around with her, she can always reply, “Oh, yeah? Well I invented Touche Éclat.”

Wow. Touché.

By Terry Blush Veloute Sheer Cream BlushThat was for Yves Saint Laurent, but Terry also has her own makeup line called By Terry, and I think at least one of its products, the $46 cream-to-powder Blush Veloute Sheer Cream Blush, deserves a cult following of its own.

What is it exactly?

It’s expensive, for starters, only available in three shades — Peach Nude, Ginger Glaze and Apple Glow — and not widely carried (I’ve only seen it online and at Barneys in SF).

But I think if it were more widely available, many makeup lovers would consider it a department store star.

Not only does this luxuriously silky cream blush have an incredibly natural-looking matte finish, but it also goes the distance with remarkable wear time.

How remarkable?

Well, it could outlast a parental lecture on responsibility (Zzzz…), an awkward family function, the director’s cut of Apocalypse Now, that painful community theater version of Hair that your BFF dragged you to (“holy sh*t…everybody’s naked!”), and STILL end the day with wear time to spare.

by terry ginger glaze
By Terry Blush Veloute in Ginger Glaze

by terry blush veloute swatch
[Continue reading…]

There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

Clark’s Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint in Carlotta Pink, and Hello From Jury Duty!

June 11th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

clarks botanicals ultra rich lip tint

Greetings and salutations from the courthouse in the Marin County Civic Center! I’m writing this from a folding chair in a waiting room filled with other citizens awaiting the chance to do our civic duty, a.k.a jury duty, and for the record, the natives are getting restless…

Jeopardy Fun Fact

The Marin County Civic Center, a futuristic spaceship-looking structure with beige walls, a sky-blue roof and a 172-foot-tall golden tower, was the last building commission by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

If the picture makes you feel a little woozy, you might need a doctor — Dr. Dre, that is. The building makes an appearance at the very beginning of Dr. Dre’s video, I Need a Doctor.

The room is hot, stuffy, and we’ve been here for hours, just waiting to see if the court will need us today.

Judging by the grumbling around me, which is steadily increasing in volume, it’s about to get Lord of the Flies up in here!

If we get cut off…assume one of two things: 1) either I got picked to serve on a jury, or 2) the thin veil of decorum that feebly keeps society from collapsing has fallen, and I’m dodging staplers and paperback copies of 50 Shades of Grey being hurled through the air.

If it’s scenario No. 2, hopefully I’ve managed to escape with my laptop and lipgloss!

Today, that lipgloss is Clark’s Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint in Carlotta Pink ($19; one of six shades), and it’s probably the only court-appropriate thing I’m wearing…

But before we get to that, first, some background about the brand. 🙂

Like this: they love their skin-balancing botanicals. Products in the small NY-based niche skin care and makeup line are mostly carried at fancy schmancy stores like Fred Segal and Saks Fifth Avenue, and every product in the line contains jasmine absolute, an essential oil with, they claim, “immuno-stimulating and antibacterial properties.”

Carlotta Pink, a sheer, shimmery rose, is one of six Rich Lip Tint shades in the line, and today it’s the only thing keeping me from looking like a waitress in a tiki bar.

I was running late this morning (and low on caffeine) and trying to beat the traffic, so I left the house wearing a sleeveless tropical print romper and knee-high green boots, an outfit that doesn’t exactly scream, “jury duty.”

clarks botanicals ultra rich lip tint tube

At least I had the good sense to grab Carlotta Pink…

clarks botanicals ultra rich lip tint swatch
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There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews

Sheer, These Benefit Ultra Plush Glosses Are Ultra Easy to Apply

June 8th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

benefit ultra plush gloss bella bamba
Wearing Benefit Bella Bamba Boxed Blush and Bella Bamba Ultra Plush Gloss

Ever get a hankerin’ for easy-to-apply sheer glosses in shades that match your favorite Benefit boxes blushes?

If you do, Benefit’s latest launch might be of interest.

Why? Because it’s Ultra Plush. 🙂

The six $16 shades that comprise the Benefit Ultra Plush Glosses match some of the lines bestselling boxed blushes.

The Benefit Ultra Plush Glosses

  • Bella Bamba: a sheer, bright watermelon
  • Dandelion: a soft pearly pink
  • Coralista: a sheer coral
  • Hoola: a shimmering golden nude
  • Dallas: a dusty rose
  • Sugarbomb: a shimmering pinkish nude

Officially, they arrive at Benefit counters, stores and Sephora next month, but I’ve heard whispers about it being stocked at some Sephora stores early.

Here’s a brief look at three of the upcoming shades…

benefit ultra plush gloss boxes

benefit ultra plush gloss bella bamba
Bella Bamba

benefit ultra plush gloss hoola
Hoola
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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Benefit, Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: benefit

Cheeks Shine, Naturally, Wearing Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson

June 6th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

korres cheek butter chara crimson
Wearing Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson

Flaky at breakfast, equal parts dry and oily by lunch, and then it’s “Welcome to Shine Central” by dinner.

My cheeks are so fickle! (How fickle are they?)

They’re fickle like a teenage girl (been there, done that). Thankfully, unlike parents who just don’t understand, my pot of Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson ($25) totally gets my moody skin.

We hit it off when we met for swatches at Sephora a couple weeks back. It was just me, Chara and the other two available shades. They were so thick and creamy, and packed with pigment to spare, that it didn’t take long to tell there was something special about these.

We even started hanging out. 🙂

Berry pink Chara Crimson, the darkest of the three shades, really appeals to my lazy side. All it takes is a couple swipes to apply and blend it on my cheeks, but that’s not even the coolest part. I also love how it latches on to my skin and won’t let go for nothin’, lasting all day long without emphasizing any dry patches, flakes, pores or fine lines.

Whether I wear it by itself on bare skin or atop tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation, Chara Crimson always pinches my cheeks, so to speak, but in a way that still looks natural (no clown cheeks here).

It’s gotta be the shine.

Maybe that’s the secret sauce. It’s super subtle — just the quietest hint of a glow — but I think it’s why the finish looks so natural.

korres cheek butter chara crimson
Chara Crimson

korres cheek butter swatches
Korres swatches from the left: Cheek Butters in Philia Rose, Eros Coral and Chara Crimson; Magic Light Contouring Trios in Mykonos and Santorini

korres cheek butter chara crimson
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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Korres, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: korres

On the Road Again With the Bobbi Brown Rose Shimmer Brick, a Traveling Semi-Exclusive

June 6th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick

It’s a feeling I know all too well…

That gut-busting moment that usually happens to me at airports, when I’m totally stoked about an upcoming trip. I’m through the security check, got my shoes back on, walked all the way down to the gate, and then, as I’m rifling through my makeup bag, I realize, “Crap! I don’t have my [INSERT YOUR CAN’T-LIVE-WITHOUT-IT MAKEUP ITEM HERE].”

Thankfully, if that ever happens to you, and the product happens to be Bobbi Brown’s Rose Gold Shimmer Brick, you might be able to grab a replacement right then and there.

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick

You may remember it from Bobbi’s Rose Gold collection earlier this year — the multipurpose shimmery compact for cheeks and eyes?

In it, five shimmery strips in various shades of peach, pink, gold and bronze sit side by side. You can wear ’em separately as eyeshadows or mixed together with a big fluffy brush and worn as a pinkish peach blush or highlighter, like I’m doing here in these pics.

Still available online (and probably also at many counters, although you may have to ask), it’s just being re-promoted as a travel exclusive (or non-exclusive, as the case may be) and pushed out to select airports and duty-free shops.

Could come in handy if you’re ever stuck at the airport and need a quick hit of shimmery golden pinkish peach…

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick swatches

When it comes to application, I find that using a light touch seems to help. If I go overboard, with either the individual shades or the mix, the powders appear to exaggerate the size of my pores and emphasize my fine lines (boo).

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick
[Continue reading…]

There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Bobbi Brown, Face, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: bobbi brown

It’s Good to Get It Twisted With the MAC Beth Ditto Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liners

June 5th, 2012 by Karen 35 Comments

mac beth ditto shade & smoke shadow liner in drag strip
Wearing MAC Beth Ditto Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liner in “Drag, Strip”

Dual-ended eye makeup brushes, cream shadows that double as primers, twist-up eyeliners that never, ever need sharpening — what’s the key word here?

That would be convenience. 🙂

If it makes my life easier, I’m generally a fan. Like, if it’s something I can apply in the back of a cab on the way to meet the cast of Magic Mike for drinks at the Tonga Room, I’ll probably say, “Yes, please!”

Speaking of that, “Siri, remind me to Fandango tickets to see Magic Mike…”

Oops! — back to convenience. If we also happen to be talking about convenient eye makeup, my resistance is futile. Anything that saves space in my makeup bag and shaves a few steps off my eye makeup routine, like the new dual-ended Beth Ditto Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liners ($22 each), can be characterized as one of my weak spots.

On one end, a slanted eyeliner; on the other, a creamy, intensely pigmented coordinating eyeshadow with a rounded tip. And both ends laugh in the face of sharpeners! With their twist-up tips, they just don’t need ’em.

When you get the urge to go bigger with your eye look or just feel like skipping your brushes, just twist up the eyeshadow tip, apply the product directly to your lids, and smooth out the edges with a finger. Then, follow up with the liner, but only if you feel like it (I usually do).

The four limited edition pencils include Little Miss Moffett, which pairs a true black shadow with a true white liner; “Drag, Strip,” which pairs a smokey navy shadow with a pale blue liner; Beth Mask, which pairs a reddish brown bronze shadow with a golden peachy pink liner; and Beth or Glory, which puts a deep brown shadow together with a bright blue liner.

Application tips from MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair

“The tapered end is the ‘liner,’ so it’s better for more detailing and defining (I don’t recommend it for the water line). The slanted tip makes it easy to apply to eyelids or the inner corners of the eyes. Use it to pop the lid, and with a flick of your wrist, you can use the rounded side to smoke out the outer and inner corners of the eyes.

The rounded side is great for smudging and ‘smoking’ out the eye. You can blend with your finger or a brush, but work quickly because the long-wearing, water-resistant formula dries fast! My best advice is to work one eye at a time to achieve a perfectly smokey, smudgy look.”

mac beth ditto shade shadow liner 0
Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liner

mac beth ditto shade smoke shadow liner
From bottom to top: Little Miss Moffet, Beth or Glory, Beth Mask and Drag, Strip

mac beth ditto swatches
Swatches from the left, Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liners in #1 Beth Mask, #2 Beth or Glory, #3 “Drag, Strip” and #4 Little Miss Moffett; Zoom Lash Mascara in #5 Plum Reserve, #6 Blue Charge and #7 New Hue; Pro Longwear Lipcremes in #8 BOOYAH!!, Dear Diary and Heart Hangover
[Continue reading…]

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: mac

Bobbi’s Eye Wardrobe Is a Trip! The New Cool-Toned Bobbi Brown Travel Exclusive Palette

June 5th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

bobbis eye wardrobe

It’s hard to believe there was a time in my life when the only wardrobe I needed was the fictional one I found nestled between the pages of a C.S. Lewis book.

But then I found makeup. 🙂

I soon discovered that lip products, perfumes, powders and palettes opened similar doorways to distant worlds, and it was quite a rush.

In The Chronicles of Narnia books (some of my faves!), that doorway is an old wooden wardrobe. With Bobbi Brown’s new Eye Wardrobe palette, it’s a small rectangular box.

When I pop open this palette, I think, “Ah, the looks I’ll do… The places I’ll go!”

The new limited edition travel exclusive (price TBA, but based on Bobbi’s other eye palettes, expect around $45) contains six mostly cool-toned powder shadows in White (a sheer white matte), Star (sheer glittery beige), Iced Blue (a metallic pale blue), Opal (a pearly off white), Lavender (a metallic pale purple) and Black Cocoa (a shimmery blackish brown with golden glitter), as well as four tiny tools — miniature versions of Bobbi’s eyeshadow, angle, smudge and liner brushes.

I’m not often impressed by travel brushes, but the four here have been surprisingly useful, even with their itty-bitty brush heads. The soft bristles deposit a considerable amount of color and make quick work of blending.

The whole kit should be great for jet-setters looking to lighten their makeup load, or for anyone just trying to streamline.

bobbis eye wardrobe

bobbis eye wardrobe

bobbis eye wardrobe swatches
Swatches from the left: White, Star, Iced Blue, Opal, Lavender and Black Cocoa
[Continue reading…]

There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Bobbi Brown, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews Keywords: bobbi brown

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