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Product Reviews

It’s Cool to Be Warm: The NARS Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow Is Both Cool and Warm

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NARS ramatuelle

The new NARS Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow ($45) reminds me of the time my neighbor brought jalapeño ice cream to the annual Memorial Day potluck on our street.

At first, all I could say was, “uh…” I mean, spicy and sweet? I pictured those big green peppers…

It just didn’t compute, but then I gave it a try. It was sweet, but it also had a kick that took my breath away. It took a few bites, but I started to like it. Eventually, I even went back for seconds. 🙂

Ramatuelle had a similar effect on me. Like jalapeño ice cream, it features an unexpected combination, except in this case, it’s not a sweet treat and a spicy pepper, but a combination of cool and warm shades.

A limited edition eyeshadow trio released with the new nine-piece NARS Summer 2012 collection, Ramatuelle contains three powder shadows — a warm, matte apricot; a warm, shimmery beige; and a cool, shimmery silver. It’s now the sixth eyeshadow trio available from NARS.

Ready for an Easter Egg? NARS included one to make it easier to keep the color temps straight. If you look closely at the patterns on the pans, the lines in the cool-toned silver shadow run vertically, while the lines in the two warm-toned pans are horizontal.

Isn’t that neat? Just a small touch, but I’m a nerd about details. I love it!

As for the silver shadow, it did seem a little out of place to me at first, but then I remembered the jalapeño ice cream…

One thing I like about NARS is their flair for the unexpected. After I patted a mix of the apricot and beige shadows along my lids and swept the silver along my lower lash lines and at the inner corners of my eyes, the trio made sense! The combination of the cool silver and warmer colors — surprise! — totally works.

nars ramatuelle

nars summer 2012 swatches
From the left: Calabria Soft Touch Shadow Pencil, Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow, Marie-Galante Duo Eyeshadow and Liberté Blush
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My Nose Thinks Molton Brown Broke the Mold on Pepperpods With Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower Body Wash

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I’m usually more of a citrus and floral fragrance lover when it comes to bath scents, so I wasn’t expecting to hear the herald angels singing the first time I sniffed Molton Brown’s budget-busting $30 Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower Body Wash.

And I didn’t (well, not immediately).

The wash, which starts as a gel and builds up into a nice sudsy foam (gotta love those big bubbles!), contains notes I don’t normally look for in a fragrance, like patchouli and warm, pink pepper, but there’s something different about the way they go together here.

Molton Brown went aaaaall the way out to the Gulf of Guinea on the West Coast of Africa for these pepper pods, and it was worth the trip. While they were there, they also added African ginger.

It’s weird — the more I’ve been using this wash, the more I like the scent. It’s invigorating! And unusual. Definitely not your typical Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret fruity floral.

It’s warm and spicy, but still a little dainty and feminine at the same time. I really look forward to using it now after my early morning run because it keeps the endorphin rush rushing longer throughout the day. The scent also lingers on my skin and fills the bathroom for hours, ahh…
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Shimmery Champagne and Olive Make This Dune a Visionaire of Love: The Hourglass Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Dune

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hourglass dune

Next time you happen to find yourself by the Hourglass display at Sephora, have a look at my new favorite duo, the Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Dune ($38).

Oh, it’s so gorgeous… One side, a shimmery champagne; the other a deep, shimmery olive with a whisper of smokey black, but this duo’s good looks are just the icing on the cake. Both shades also blend like coffee and cream. Super silky, highly pigmented, and best of all? — when they’re layered on top of a good primer, they DO NOT MOVE.

Paired with NARS Pro-Prime, they don’t crease or fade for…I don’t know, 14 hours? It really does seem that long. Heck, I even wore them on bare eyelids for fun the other day and still only noticed a couple creases hours later.

hourglass dune

hourglass dune swatch

hourglass dune
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Doctor, Do My Cheeks Look Pink to You? The New Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powered Blush in Rose

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physicians formula ph matchmaker ph powered blush

When it comes to makeup, patience is not a virtue I have in great supply, which is why the instant gratification I get from seeing the new Physicians Formula pH Powered Lip Gloss change color on my lips suits me just fine.

Thing is, the doc’s new pH Powered Blush ($12.95; available in two shades, Natural and Rose) doesn’t work the same way.

Physicians Formula says they’re supposed to, but I dunno. Like the glosses, they’re supposed to react to your body chemistry — your pH level — and transform within 60 seconds into a custom color personalized for you, but I must have swept the glittery hot pink shade called Rose on my cheeks half a dozen times this week, and I’ve yet to see it change color.

It could be the effect is just too subtle for me to see, but even if Rose isn’t changing color at all, I’m still diggin’ it. I love how super saturated it is, and I think the packaging’s just adorable.

Rose is so bright and potent — the most intense of all the new Physicians Formula blushes I’ve tried — that a little goes a long way. Finally! A shade that darker damsels can easily wear, too, without having to go overboard on layers.

Physicians Formula pH pH Matchamker Powdered Blush 2

I’m always a little leery of blushes that claim to last longer than 8 hours, but this one really does. Physicians Formula claims it’ll go 14 hours, and it’ll do that much and more. Yesterday, in fact, I applied it before 8 in the morning, and when I went to remove my makeup a little after 10 last night, I could still see it cheering up my cheeks.

Physicians Formula pH pH Matchamker Powdered Blush 1

Physicians Formula spring 2012 swatches 2
pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush, Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Blush in Pink, Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush in Bronze/Natural, Cashmere Wear Ultra Smoothing Blush in Natural and pH Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss in Light Pink
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Mauve Over, Heavy Makeup, and Make Room for Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism

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becca eye tint in romanticism

Lately, like a good love song, Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism ($24) has been my weekend jam! Since I haven’t been in the mood to wear a full eye look on Saturdays and Sundays, I’ve been turning to this creamy eye tint in a tube.

A lightly tinted mauve with silver shimmer and a finish with a glint of gloss, this cream-to-powder eyeshadow from Becca’s Balearic Love collection may not be flashy, but I sure do like how it looks. I love that when I stand a few feet away from a mirror, I can tell that I’m wearing a little color on my lids, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing a ton of makeup.

For more on the Becca Balearic Love collection, check out…

It’s one of those products that doesn’t broadcast itself over the loudspeakers, if you catch my drift. People will think to themselves, “Pretty! She did something different with her look today, but I’m not sure exactly what…” Like getting highlights a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural hair color, Romanticism might not be obvious at first, but it’s easy to spot upon closer inspection.

With a dewy finish, it looks a little bit wet to me, like a raven-haired mermaid’s lids when she pokes her head above the water.

And speaking of water, that’s something Romanticism was designed to resist. It does a decent job, too, holding up fine to rainy days and light workouts. Now, I wouldn’t wear it to spend the day at the beach or pool, but it can stand a little water (for a full day of frolicking in the surf, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams might be a better bet).

becca romanticism

becca romanticism swatch
Romanticism unblended (left) and blended (right)
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For $45, the Tom Ford Beauty Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust Should Be Worth Its Weight in Gold

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tom ford beauty gold dust ultra shine lip gloss

If I were a beauty pirate sailing the seven seas in search of pricey golden makeup booty, I’d say, “Aye, matey!” to Tom Ford’s Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust ($45). If I were an ancient Egyptian princess with the ability to time travel, I’d visit a Neimans in 2012 and return to the past with a tube to store in my sacred pyramid. It would go in a special burial chamber reserved for shimmery, sheer, high-end golden glosses, which would be next door to the chamber reserved for Tabs, because I know he’d insist on being buried as close as possible to the really, really expensive stuff. After all, he is a cat with a taste for the “finer things” (his words).

But if I were almost anyone else … I’d have serious reservations about this warm and shimmery golden lippie, the sole lip product in the new 13-piece limited edition Tom Ford Beauty collection for spring 2012.

Truth be told, the words “Lip Lacquer” on the tube initially confused me. I expected the product itself to be more intense, with bigger shine! — and the wherewithal to last from at least breakfast till lunch (something akin to a MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass).

Instead, Gold Dust is a breathy, barely-there whisper of shimmer and color that gives up after about 90 minutes on my lips.

Super sheer color and a limited wear time for almost $50?

Hmm…

Tom Ford Beauty Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust

  • Texture: A middleweight with a smooth, non-sticky texture.
  • Packaging: The long tube, with its angled plastic applicator, is practical, I guess, but I would have liked something fancier, considering the price.
  • Flavor and scent: My nose picks up a faint brown sugar flavor and scent (yum!)
  • Wear time: Not great. I get between 60-90 minutes.
  • Finish: Very soft, like a powder puff lens.

tom ford beauty gold dust ultra shine lip gloss

tom ford gold dust ultra shine lip gloss
Clockwise from the golden pot on the left: Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt ($35), Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust ($45) and Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit ($35)

tom ford spring 2012 swatches
Swatches from the left: Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit, Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt and Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust
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Becca Mineral Blush in Bolero Gets Better as the Day Wears On

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becca bolero blush

I was quite the Flowerchild back in my Becca Halcyon Days. Yup, they called me Damselfly…

When Flowerchild and Damselfly, two of Becca’s flawless Mineral Blushes from last spring’s Becca Halcyon Days collection, worked their way into my heart and my everyday makeup routine, it was just like the first time I tasted bubble tea. I wanted, needed, craved them 24/7 for weeks.

Mmmm, tapioca pearls…

With the Balearic Love collection, the compact Becca Mineral Blush clan grows by one member. Bolero ($32), a bronze with faint reddish tones and the sole blush in the release, is just as pigmented, easy to apply, long-lasting and resistant to fading as the other Mineral Blushes I’ve tried, but those pluses aren’t even my favorite things about it.

What makes Bolero really stand out to me is how it just seems to look better and better over the course of the day.

I’ve been trying to unravel its secret, and I keep coming back to one thing: the finish. Becca loves combining shimmers and mattes (like Cabrera liner, also from Balearic Love), and with Bolero and its semi/demi-matte finish, they’ve done it again.

Bolero rides into town on a mostly matte finish with a super subtle sheen, but as the day wears on and oil builds up on my skin, Bolero turns up the radiant shine (picture a gal holding her surfboard on the cover of Shape). I’ve been wearing it as both a blush and a bronzer for sun-kissed, sculpted looks.

I also love how Bolero caters to my lazy side looks when it’s worn with minimal makeup. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve tried it on top of bare skin, tinted moisturizer and full-coverage liquid foundation, and it seems like the less makeup I wear with it, the better Bolero looks.

becca bolero blush

becca bolero swatch
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Roses Are Red Before They’re Pink With Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Valentina

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becca valentina

Quite frankly, Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Valentina ($24), the sole lip product in the new Balearic Love collection, surprised the heck out of me when I saw it in person for the first time. From the look of it on the model in the Balearic Love campaign, I expected a lighter pink, but on me, it begins as an intense rose.

What I love most about this lipstick is how it changes on my lips over time. What starts as an almost opaque rosy red (at least on my lips), slowly fades and wears down to a softer rosy pink. One layer provides medium coverage that then fades to a quiet pink stain.

The basics…

  • Flavor and scent: Both are like faint brown sugar
  • Wear time: About three hours on me
  • Formula: It’s pretty moisturizing, but in the dead of winter I would probably wear it on top of an even more moisturizing lip balm
  • Finish: A soft shine that fades to a matte pink stain

becca valentina

becca valentina swatch

becca valentina lip closeup
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