Product Reviews

Chanel’s Peche Cuivre Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil Softly Brightens Lids and Lash Lines

May 14th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil

Thanks to Chanel, I’m turning peachy beige! First it was my nails. Then my cheeks and lips, and now my eyes!

This summer, Chanel die-hards with a weakness for uber-natural makeup eye looks and the Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil line won’t have to scrounge around for an eyeliner to light up their lash and water lines — not with the new Peche Cuivre waiting expectantly on counters.

Is your eyeliner makeup mojo more about subtle definition than crisp, sharp lines? If it is, feast your lids on this limited edition shimmery shade. It graces lids with a shy hint of shimmery, peachy beige — nothing fussy, frightening or overdone — and it even comes with a convenient pencil sharpener.

I guess that’s the least Chanel could do for asking $28 for it…

It’s also boldly emblazoned with that gorgeous logo, there to remind you of life’s luxuries while you sharpen it in the restroom at work (been there, done that!).

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil swatch
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Brushes, Be Gone! Dior’s New 1-Couleur Eye Glosses Have Application Covered

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

dior 1-couleur eye gloss

Behold! I’m a makeup magician, and my trademark trick involves making my eye brushes disappear, poof!

One minute they’re there, behaving on the bathroom sink. Next minute…

Have you seen my MAC 217? It was right here a minute ago…

Magic like this is unpredictable, and brushes disappear all the time, sometimes to reappear later in the unlikeliest of places, like the back seats of cars or the pockets of camp shirts.

My 224 was the latest to pull a disappearing act. It must have been swallowed up by the same insatiable accessories eater that consumed my Shu Uemura Lash Curler…

Thankfully, my magic can finally rest. With the new limited edition Dior 1-Couleur Eye Glosses, I may never need to reach for another eyeshadow brush again! — or at least not until fall.

The doe-foot applicator affixed to both of these two $28 sparkling gel shadows (like creamy eye glosses), which start out like a fluffy mousse but dry down to a powder, does wizardly work, precisely guiding the product where I want it on my lids. I just swipe, say “abracadabra!” and blend out the edges with a finger.

Done. 🙂

Um…just be sure to prime first, or you risk jaw-dropping creasing within an hour. With NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (the best!) layered beneath them, I get between 6-8 hours of wear.

Oh, and you might want to avoid applying too many layers. These shadows tingle on my lids (it’s supposed to be refreshing). One or two layers seem fine, but many more than that, and they start to sting a little, ouch!

dior 1-couleur eye gloss
The 1-Couleur Eye Glosses in 750 Sunset (top) on the left and 560 Tan (bottom)

dior 1-couleur eye gloss swatches
560 Tan on the left and 750 Sunset on the right
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Mascara Madness! Let’s Do a Haiku Review: Rimmel Scandal Eyes

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara

Long lashes sans clumps!
Thickening? Meh, just a’ight.
Yay! No flakes, smudges.

Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal Eyes in Black

What about the shades?
There are two, both permanent.
Black and Extreme Black.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara brush comparisons
Brush comparisons from the left: Rimmel Scandal Eyes, Illamasqua Masquara, Maybelline Full ‘N Soft, MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash, Hourglass Film NOir and Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes

Sculpts, lengthens and plumps.
The brush is larger than most,
And easy to use.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara
Bare lashes

Flexible bristles,
They squeeze into corners well.
They waste less product.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara
Front view after two layers: some thickness, but not nearly drag-queen worthy as I’d like

Curled lashes relax.
Boo! That’s the biggest bummer.
I can live with it. 🙂
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NARS Packed Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA+++ With Pigment to Spare

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 46 Comments

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer

I have a thing for tinted moisturizes, in particular ones that let me easily dial up or down my level of coverage.

Because really, who wants a totally inflexible tinted moisturizer? That would be like having to eat the same bland gruel for breakfast every single day, bluh. I guess that’s why I like NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA+++ ($42).

All nine oil-free shades in the line, which launched a few months back, contain copious amounts of pigment, and that spells flexibility. 🙂

Mixing equal parts of St. Moritz (a medium with neutral yellow undertones) and Cuba (a medium with a balance of neutral pink and yellow undertones) has been working pretty well for me since I got back from Kauai with a bit of a tan, but I think St. Moritz by itself is a pretty close match for my natural skin tone.

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer
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Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Empreinte: A Magical Medley of Pinkish Beige

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empreinte

Many run-of-the-mill pinkish beige lipsticks appear to loathe my lips. They feel heavy, look thick, apply unevenly in patches, and leave my pucker looking creepy and very, very unnatural (concealer lips, ugh!).

For the record, Chanel’s pinkish beige Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empreinte is not one of those lipsticks.

Instead, it’s one of those rare, magical pieces of makeup made from kitten kisses and fairy dust.

Okay, not really. The truth is, winged drag-queen fairy godmothers wearing Jimmy Choos and bedecked in dazzling sequined tutus made each one by hand, pouring the magic formula into each sleek Chanel tube. 🙂

chanel en vogue
Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte (right)

This limited edition $32.50 lip Lothario also has a dainty rose garden flavor and scent and tiny flecks of golden glitter that sparkle from time to time in the light. It glides effortlessly across my lips like a Pegasus soaring silently above the clouds.

It’s so slick and moisturizing that I was able to apply it without taking my eyes off of my iPhone while playing Bejeweled 2 this afternoon.

Chanel Empreinte swatch

So what if it bails after two fish tacos? At least it sticks around for the horchata. We can’t all be annoyingly perfect, like that bubbly varsity cheerleader who sat right behind you in honors chem with her perfect hair and straight A’s…

No, I’m not bitter.
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This Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Steals the Show When Moisturizing Lipsticks and Shine Are En Vogue

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel en vogue

Some products are fun to talk about, in part because of their names, like this new Rouge Coco Shine from Chanel. It’s sooo En Vogue. No I mean, that’s what it’s called. En Vogue. 🙂

It’s one of two new limited edition $32.50 Rouge Coco Shines released with the Summertime de Chanel collection, available now on Chanel counters and chanel.com.

chanel en vogue
Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte

Before my lips got En Vogue (okay, sorry — no more puns), just based on how it looked in the tube, I expected a brighter, warmer orange, but it applies more like a neutral pinkish coral.

I like it! And I also like the matte stain this lightweight, slick lippie leaves on my lips after it wears away (like the Laura Mercier Gel Lip Colours), which en Vogue’s case (was that a pun?) takes about three hours.

Well, the wear time varies… I get about three casual hours with it, or two if I’m just sipping coffee or tea. It usually won’t, however, make it through a meal.

Moisture and shine are two of the Rouge Coco Shine line’s shining achievements. All of the lipsticks I’ve tried from the line feel great, thanks to a hydrating formula (it has a light rose flavor and scent) that doesn’t dry out my lips.

chanel en vogue swatch
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The Chanel Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant: A Duo That Moonlights as a Quad

May 9th, 2012 by Karen 69 Comments

running thin
colloquial
1 My patience for eyeshadow looks involving more than two steps.

Okay, so maybe Chanel’s limited edition $42 Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant from the new Summertime de Chanel collection doesn’t beam with the boundless possibilities of, say, a mega makeup palette packed with 99 shadows in every color of the rainbow.

And maybe it’s not interested in dazzling stargazers with sparkly disco glitter or lighting up lids with summertime teals, greens or golds — heck, it doesn’t even have any extra accoutrements, like a small tube of primer or a tutorial booklet.

But all that aside, it’s still one hell of a great date.

If it asked you to the movies, it would suggest Casablanca over No Strings Attached and Fandango the tickets ahead of time so you could both skip the line. Then, it would get you a big bag of popcorn while you freshened up (no butter, please), and snag perfect seats smack dab in the middle of the theater. No muss, no fuss.

With Sable-Emouvant, Chanel created a duo so elegant and effortless that I instantly forgave the brand for not releasing a summer quad in the collection as soon as I slipped it on my lids.

Just like the Ombres Contrastes Duos first launched in 2010, Sable-Emouvant blends with the grace of a swan. One minute, one brush, and I’m done.

And without a trace of fallout. None.

Despite only containing two shadows, the duo has as much flexibility as a good quad (perhaps more).

The lighter shade looks like a pearly golden peachy beige on my NC42 skin, and it reminds me of a creamier, soft-focus MAC Arena.

The darker shade, a purplish brown sheen, has blackened undertones when applied dry (amazing for smokey eye looks!), but it transforms into a pearly bronzed purplish brown with reddish tones when applied with a wet brush.

And when both shadows are mixed together, the resulting peachy brownish taupe flashes more purple when the light hits it just right. Super sophisticated, understated, and so totally Chanel.

Chanel Sable-Emouvant swatches from the left: lighter shade, darker shade, darker shade applied wet and both shades mixed together

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Wild Sables Couldn’t Keep Me Away From the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powders in Sable Beige and Sable Rose

May 8th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powders
Wearing Sable Beige on my cheeks and Sable Rose as a contouring bronzer

I’m a card-carrying, unabashed, self-styled Chanel nut.

Even El Hub knows it, and it took him three days to notice that I dyed my hair pink. 🙂

Whenever I see those interlocking double Cs, I’m like a doe in headlights. I freeze in my tracks! Spittle dripping down my chin…

Hey, those beautiful black compacts are more than good looking. They’re also good listeners, and they’re always there for me when I’m feeling needy or craving affection.

Poor El Hub just doesn’t understand… When he came home yesterday, I was giving tiny kisses to the two Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powders ($60).

“Um, sweetie?” he asked, uncertainty heavy in his voice. “Are you kissing your Chanel…?”

“Mmm…” I answered, “Yes.”

“That’s so weird.”

“Mwah! They get kisses because they’re good! And I love them!”

“Okay, but what’s really strange,” he replied, “is that this is not the first time this has happened.”

“Wanna hear about these new bronzers? They’re pretty rad.”

“Is this a trick question?”

“Oh, fine. Party pooper. I’d rather talk about it with the gals on the blog anyway.”

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powders
Sable Beige (left) and Sable Rose (right)

Chanel designed Sable Beige, a golden bronzed beige with whispers of peach, and Sable Rose, a darker golden pinkish bronze, to impart a subtle warmth to the skin. Both are limited edition and part of the new Summertime de Chanel collection available now on counters and from chanel.com.

chanel sable beige
Sable Beige

See the strips of color up there in the pan? Chanel did something similar last summer with the $50 Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder, except that one had four strips of color, and these two have seven.

The strips are pretty narrow, but you can try to apply them separately, or swirl all of the colors together.

That’s what I’ve been doing, swirling and wearing them as both a blush and a bronzer.

chanel sable rose
Sable Rose
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