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Product Reviews

Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon Should Come With a Warning Label: “May Seduce CCLs”

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Attention, makeup companies and packaging designers: printing pics of sad, doe-eyed kittens on the cover of cosmetics compacts WORKS.

Hey, it worked for me. 🙂

I’m finicky about my face powders, and when I find a few I like, I tend stick with ’em. These days, I’ve been turning to the MAC Studio Careblends and Tarte Pressed Powders, but I physically couldn’t resist trying Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001.

This near-translucent $42 face powder padded on the scene with dainty little kitten paws. Part of the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, it’s become one of the more elusive kitties in the release, or so I’m hearing through the grapevine (apparently, I haven’t been the only makeup fiend to fall for this packaging). I adopted mine from beautyhabit.com, but when I checked back later, it was no longer listed there.

The feline fun doesn’t stop with the cute cat on the outside of the compact, either. There’s also a paw print powder puff in the compact and the silhouette of a kitty on the pan.

Tabs feels that he deserves some of the credit for the idea… After all, the model, as Tabs put it, has “some junk in da trunk” — an obvious indicator of Tabs’ influence in the world of plus-size kitty models.

paul & joe kitten collection matte pressed powder
Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001

paul & joe kitten collection matte pressed powder
Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001
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Is It a Gloss or a Stain? Actually, It’s Both! The New Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains

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Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (7)
Wearing Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in Fuchsia Dore as a gloss

Not that I really needed to fall for another $32 lip product, but I guess I wasn’t completely averse to the idea. 🙂

Even though my tongue twists saying their lengthy name, my lips love Yves Saint Laurent’s new Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains, and my grubby little paws want every single color.

Available in 20 profoundly pigmented shades, many of them exclusive to Sephora, these lycanthropic lippies start as intensely bright, pigmented glosses that transform into long-wearing lip stains as they fade.

You know I lurves me some flexible products, and these, like my favorite pair of Pajama Jeans J Brand skinny jeans, totally fit the bill. They’re easy to dress up or down. One layer lends lips a natural, softly radiant stain; two turns up the color and the glaze for lips that look glossy and bold.

Either way, one layer or two, doesn’t require using much of the product, which makes the $32 price tag a little easier to bear.

And the texture sure doesn’t hurt. Lightweight, non-sticky and not at all drying, the Rouge Pur Coutures are like a perfect pair of jeans (eminently comfortable).

Oh, but that’s not my favorite thing about these gems from YSL. I really love the way they fade throughout the day. I can only describe it as elegant, and not at all like other long-wearing lip products that start to look a little janky (i.e. thick and separated) after a few hours of wear.

These last between 6-8 hours on me, and I like the way they look the entire time. Both as a brighter gloss, and then as a stain as they fade, they manage to steer clear of lip lines and flakes.

I’ve been wearing Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview for the past few days, and I’m smitten with all three shades.

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (8)
From the left: Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (6)
Swatches from the top to bottom: Orange De Chine, Pourpre Preview and Fuchsia Dore
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There’s a Shimmery Bed of Roses Beneath the Gobs of Glitter That Greet Lancôme La Roseraie Illuminating Smooth Powder

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Lancome La Roseraie

“Look at you! Rockin’ the glitter.”

Ever notice how some makeup looks are reliable conversation starters? — like neon nails, bright red lips and almost anything with glitter. They’re almost guaranteed to get people chatting, no matter where you are.

I came across one the other day when I took Lancôme’s La Rosaire Illuminating Smooth Powder ($42) out for a spin.

El Hub was the first to notice when he kissed me bye before leaving for work. “Is that glitter on your cheeks?” he asked.

“Why, yes,” I replied, impressed and surprised. “It is. And now you have some on your shirt.” 🙂

Then, during a mid-morning Starbucks break, my favorite barista handed me a soy chai tea latte and said, “Ooh! You’re so sparkly today.”

I think Tabs even noticed because he shot me a look that said, “Disco tonight? We must be hitting the club after dinner because you’re workin’ that glitter.”

If there’s one thing the glitter in this limited edition face and cheek powder isn’t, it’s subtle.

At least initially.

La Rosaire (“Bed of Roses”) is one of 11 pieces in Lancôme’s Roseraie des Delices Spring 2012 collection for eyes, cheeks and lips. The collection features two eye palettes, two eyeliners, a face/cheek powder, three lipsticks and three lip glosses.

The light peachy pink star burst design behind the rose on the pan contains an overspray of concentrated conversation-starting glitter. Once you work through the overspray, the glitter subsides, revealing a sheer peachy pink powder with what I feel is a very pretty sheen.

The rose design decorating the lower half of the pan also has an overspray, this one a cool-toned rosy pink with a sheen; beneath it resides a slightly warmer peachy pink with a subtle shine.

lancome la roseraie (3)


Swatches of the overspray on the left; swatches of the powders beneath the overspray on the right
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Paul & Joe Waterproof Gel Eye Liner: Water Doesn’t Bother This Kitty Cat

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paul & joe waterproof gel eye liner

NOTE TO SELF: Next time Tabs insists on going for an impromptu walk in the rain (believe it or not, this has actually happened), grab Paul & Joe’s Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black ($25), because once this quick-drying matte black gel sets on my lash lines, it won’t even flinch in a downpour.

Part of the new eight-piece limited edition Kitten Collection, Gel Eye Liner feels thick, dense and kind of reminds me of a drier, grayer version of MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.

I don’t think it clings to water lines anywhere near as well, but on rainy, rushed days when all I want are quick cat eyes, Gel Eye Liner delivers. It dries in just about a minute, and after that, I get a good 12 hours out of it without any smudging or fading.

For more on the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, check out…

The liner also comes with a flat, tapered retractable brush that performs surprisingly well and draws thick and thin lines with ease. Using it to apply Gel Eye Liner creates lines that look a little bit blurred at the edges, for an effect that’s more soft than precise.

If you’re looking for lines with a crisper edge, you might want to apply this with something like the Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush instead.

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)
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My Dry Lips Love Moisture Rich L’Oreal Colour Riche Balm SPF 15

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Sheer lippies are sure having a moment right now, aren’t they? Drugstores have been downright brimming with ’em lately. Especially moisturizing ones like the Maybelline Baby Lips and Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters. I must spot a new sheer lipstick, gloss or balm at the drugstore every time I visit.

L’Oreal is even getting in on the game with a new line of unflavored, unscented, super sheer hydrating balms with SPF.

Available in eight non-sticky, barely there colors for $7.99 each, the new Colour Riche Balms deliver luminous lips with a tinge of tint and SPF 15.

And they are loaded with moisture. I mean gallons of it! According to L’Oreal, they’re supposed to keep lips quenched for a full eight hours.

Now, I don’t know about eight hours…but after switching back and forth between Caring Coral and Pink Satin both days last weekend, my lips feel great. They haven’t been this smooth and soft since the beginning of winter.

The Colour Riche Balms remind me of the Revlon Lip Butters, which I think pack a little more pigment, but I prefer the texture of these. They seem — I don’t know — more elegant? And slightly slicker and smoother, almost like Dior’s $28 Addict Lipsticks.


Caring Coral on the left and Pink Satin on the right
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Sometimes, Swipe-and-Go MAC Mineralize Concealer Is the Way to Go for Me

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Even when I’m just running a quick errand out to Target for dish soap or to Petco for takeout (Tabs usually orders the Fancy Feast Tuna or Turkey in gravy), I always try to remember to apply at least a smidgen of concealer before I leave the house.

Because you just never know… That friendly person in line at the Starbucks might hold the keys to your dream job; you might even cross paths with that dumb@ss turd-monkey who broke your heart in high school (FYI: you were always way too cute for him).

Because “you never know” is a mantra of mine, I like to keep a couple of different swipe-and-go concealers close. Lately, one of them has been MAC’s new liquid Mineralize Concealer ($19).

It’s perfect whenever I don’t have a lot of time to deal with brushes and buffing, like when I’m in a rush to make it to yoga class or to Starbucks for emergency tea/coffee — basically, times when all I really need/want is a little makeup to take the edge off, so to speak.

And MAC Mineralize is like concealer stretchy pants, and by that I mean it’s comfy. 🙂 It might not last as long, look as formal, or provide as much coverage as MAC Pro Longwear, so it’s not something I wear often to take pics, but I think it’s comfortable, lightweight and brightening, and there are times when those really hit the spot.

If you like MAC Select Moisturecover, that might be another reason to give Mineralize a try. I find them both to have similar formulas — moisturizing, with semi-opaque coverage — but Mineralize seems a tad more concentrated and pigmented to me. Because of that I think it offers a little more coverage and seems to latch on to my skin a bit better.

Just as another point of difference, Mineralize has a brush tip applicator, versus the doe foot that comes with Select Moisturecover.

A few other observations about MAC Mineralize Concealer…

  • I like that it steers clear of my fine lines and doesn’t stand out or appear heavy on my skin
  • I find that I have reapply about halfway through the day, but a little does goes a long way, so this particular tube should last me a few months (more or less)
  • Available in the following 15 shades: NW15, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW45, NW50, NC15, NC20, NC30, NC35, NC42, NC45 and NC5


MAC Mineralize Concealer swatches from the elft: NC20, NW25, NC35 and NC42
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The MAC Vera Collection Plushglasses Are Making Me Smile

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Wearing MAC Plushglass in Pretty Plush on my lips

I’m alive…ALIVE!!

The tingle from my MAC Plushglass reminds me that I’m alive. 🙂

I’ve always been more of a MAC Lipglass kinda girl, but I have been quite enjoying the Plushglasses from the new MAC Vera collection this week.

Like the Lipglasses, they have MAC’s signature vanilla flavor and scent, but in a thinner, less sticky formula.

They also have a little bite to ’em — a slight bee-sting sensation that’s supposed to plump your pout. Of course, I can’t see a difference in the size of my lips with them on, but when it comes to lip plumping products in general, I almost never can. Gimmick or not, the effect appears to be subtle, though, and the slight sting subsides on me after about 10 minutes.

I was a little busier than usual this week and felt like I was always running behind. But three of the five MAC Vera Plushglasses — Pretty Plush (a soft pink with white pearl), Fashion Fanatic (a creamy pale pink) and Confetti (an orange coral with pearl) — helped me get through it and were never far from my side. At least one of the three was either in my purse or a jacket pocket at all times.


MAC Plushglass in Fashion Fanatic


MAC Plushglass in Confetti


Plushglasses from the left: Confetti, Fashion Fanatic and Pretty Plush
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When Basic Just Won’t Do, There’s MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line

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That’s it! I’m drawing a line in the sand!

Oh…did I say sand? I meant, “on my lids and lash lines,” and I’m using MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line ($15) to do it. 🙂

OBSESSED!

That’s how I am about Black Line. It’s one of seven Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners in the new MAC Vera collection, and it’s my undisputed runaway favorite of the bunch.

Vera marks an encore performance for the Pearlglide clan. Their look-at-me-shimmer and rich, intense colors have played limited engagements in previous MAC collections before, but, much to my delight and the delight of many MAC fans, rumor has it they’re being added to the permanent line this time around.

Described as a deep black with golden pearl, I think Black Line is much more interesting and lively than that. Sometimes, when I catch myself in the mirror with it on, I see a blackened khaki with greenish golden glimmer and think, “Is that still Black Line on my eyes?”

Last night I wore it out to dinner with the girls in what I thought turned out to be a nice spin on a clean, classic eye. First, I applied a wash of neutral shadow all over my lids with MAC Soba, then a bronze liner along my lower lash and water lines with MAC Powersurge, and then used Black Line to line my upper lash lines.


Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners Industrial, Petrol Blue, Black Swan and Black Line
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