Product Reviews

Boots No7 Poppy King Lipgloss Reminds Me of a $10 MAC Cremesheen Glass

December 30th, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments

Let’s see how well I can type this with a 20-pound tabby draped across my right foreamr…

Oops! There’s a typo.

I thought I’d gotten used to touch typing beneath mounds of fur, but today Tabs is also head butting, which I think is his way of saying “you’re awesome,” but it’s getting in the way of my Boots No7 Poppy King Lipgloss ($9.99).

Maybe the headbutts are Tabs’ way of getting in on the Poppy King action. These glosses are good stuff, so I can’t really blame him.

Boots collaborated with Poppy King (the Lipstick Queen) to create these seven shiny, non-sticky glosses, which debuted at Target last month with an accompanying line of lipsticks, and each of the glosses has a lipstick counterpart of the same name.

Now, you know how much I love MAC’s Cremesheen Glasses, right? Well, I like these for many of the same reasons.

The thin, non-stick formula feels slick, smooth and oh-so-comfortable on my lips. I also dig their faintly orange flavor and scent, and that they don’t dehydrate my kisser, which is something many other glosses do.

I’ve been ~~making out with~~ testing six of the seven available colors, which deliver about two hours of wear time each.

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From the left: Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure. Not pictured: History

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Swatches from the left: Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure
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These Boots No7 Poppy King Lipsticks Are All About History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure

December 29th, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

Wearing Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick in Allure on my lips

Wow, okay, December 29? And we’re still kicking? Shoot, we need to reward ourselves for making it through the holidays.

Yes, I’m totally serious! Perhaps some small token for artfully dodging the family drama (which takes tremendous skill), for enduring that undercover sibling rivalry that never quite goes away, or for cooking that monster meal that catered to everyone’s preferences and food allergies (SIDE NOTE: Does anyone else out there still like cilantro?). Whatever the justification, I think we’re all due a small “Woo-hoo, we made it!” kind of prize, and I can’t think of a better one than Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick ($9.99).

The new line of seven limited edition lipsticks launched last month at Target, and there’s a lot to like about it beyond the price.

Boots enlisted the help of Poppy King, of Lipstick Queen fame, to craft the range of creamy nudes, pinks, berries and reds. With their smooth, silky texture (reminds me of the Clinique Almost Lipsticks), and unscented, unflavored formula, these lippies look and feel more expensive than they are.

Each one has a one-word name chosen to reflect the color in its tube — History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure.

All top-tier words, to be sure. 🙂 And I like the idea of reaching for a tube of lipstick that conveys how I want to feel.

History — A sheer neutral red
Power — A rosy brown
Glamour — A yellowish pink
Seduction — A sheer blackberry
Intrigue — A pinkish brown nude
Confidence — A nude beige-brown
Allure — A peachy pink

Swatches from the left: 1) History, 2) Power, 3) Glamour, 4) Seduction, 5) Intrigue, 6) Confidence and 7) Allure

History

Power
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Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 Keeps Makeup Going On and On Till the Break of Dawn

December 28th, 2011 by Karen 25 Comments

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5 things you might not need but are really nice to have around…

Green tea candies

A bag of delicious Bali’s Best Green Tea Latte Candies. I sucked on six of these, which are like green tea-flavored Werther’s Originals hard candies, while doing this post!
A surfboard (because it’s a reminder of summer)
Boys
Fresh-cut flowers
An excellent makeup primer

Regarding No. 5, have you met my new primer crush, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 ($52)? It’s an oil-free liquid primer from Hourglass’s permanent line, and let me tell ya — it’s quite the charmer!

While it’s not a brand new product, Veil is new to me. I only recently got to know it well while visiting and staying with family over the past few days, when I was doing my makeup early in the mornings and needed something to help my looks last from dawn till dusk. This month, that something was Veil.

Before I settled on Veil, though, I tried a number of other primers from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Smashbox and Cover FX over the month or so since Thanksgiving. Veil’s been my favorite so far.

A lot of primers feel thick and heavy to me, like they’re smothering my combination dry/oily/acne-prone skin, but lightweight Veil quickly absorbs and doesn’t feel like it’s just sitting on the top layers of skin like a lake of pore-suffocating product. It also hasn’t caused any breakouts, near as I can tell, and I’ve heard from other girls who love it specifically for this reason.

Hourglass designed Veil to do more than increase the wear time of makeup. It also absorbs excess oil, softens the appearance of fine lines and pores, and provides some protection from sun damage through the addition of naturally-derived zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. And the company managed to do all that without the use of parabens, synthetic fragrances or dyes, sulfates or phthalates.

Bravo. 🙂

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Agent Beauty Bourne Reporting for Duty with the Sonia Kashuk Luxe Agent Provocateur Train Case

December 23rd, 2011 by Karen 31 Comments

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Hotness!

When I spotted it online, I had a feeling the Sonia Kashuk Luxe Agent Provocateur Train Case ($34.99) would be all that and a bag of chips…

It is! But it’s even more than that.

It takes the bag of chips and adds a dozen cupcakes on the side.

Despite its slim profile, it holds a ton of stuff! We’re talking mountains of makeup and a tidy sum of tools. By changing the arrangement of the interior dividers, you’re able to adjust the size of the different compartments to fit your needs.

There’s also a large pocket and pouch under the lid for brushes and, perhaps, cans of Fancy Feast.

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The JK Jemma Kidd Fashionista Palette Will Make Sheer Your Eye Makeup Doesn’t Overpower Your Look

December 23rd, 2011 by Karen 6 Comments

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Look at those duds! 🙂

The JK Jemma Kidd Fashionista Palette looks awfully cute from here. The clear plastic top, complete with pink floral line art, makes it easy to see the nine powder shadows, two blushes (one cream and one powder), eye/lip primer, and bronzer tucked away inside.

Ladies who like their neutrals with a dash of color might find a lot to like about this limited edition palette. It’s $27 (available exclusively from Urban Outfitters), which works out to about a little more than $2 per color, and it’s sturdier than it looks.

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First row of eyeshadows (the three small pans at the top in the middle)

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Second row of eyeshadows
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I Can’t Imagine Falling Out of Love with Laura Mercier’s New Baked Eye Colour Palette

December 22nd, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

Are they macarons, or are they eyeshadows? Well, that depends. The baked beauties in Laura Mercier’s new Baked Eye Colour Palette ($48) just might be a bit of both.

Like macarons, they make me smile. 🙂 All five of the shimmery shadows in brown, bronze, beige, pink and purple deposit very little fallout on my cheeks, and I love the glowing, wide-awake look their punchy pigments bestow upon my eyes.

The palette, a holiday release, also comes with a time-saving surprise — a dual-tipped brush with a flat eyeshadow brush on one end and a dense, pointed cream shadow brush on the other. I’ve tried the shades both wet and dry with the flat shadow brush and got some fast, fresh looks, and because the shadows adhere to my lids so well, I didn’t have to spend any extra time cleaning up fallout on my cheeks.

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The Laura Mercier Travel Brush Kit Successfully Tries to Sweep Sticker Shock Under the Rug

December 22nd, 2011 by Karen 11 Comments

Okay, now I want you to brace yourself, and take a deep breath.

Good? Okay, now when you’re ready, slowly read the following line…

$85.

Now that feeling there? — that split second when you felt the air forced out your lungs and could barely draw a breath? That’s called sticker shock, and the $85 Laura Mercier Travel Brush Set causes it a lot.

Thankfully, it subsides (somewhat) after a bit of number crunching and quality play time with these super soft brushes.

The kit, one of several of Laura’s holiday 2011 offerings, includes four travel size dual-ended eye brushes, a full size skunk brush and a faux snakeskin pouch with a removable insert.

Now, if this were just an $85 kit containing four travel eye brushes, a face brush and a cute, zippered pouch, I’d probably feel disappointed and a little upset, but the dual-tipped brushes serve to justify the price. With brush heads on both ends of four of the brushes, it’s like getting nine brushes for $9.44 each — practically a steal for Laura Mercier brushes, which usually sell for $30 a pop.

As for the quality of these travel brushes, color me impressed. I haven’t observed any shedding, loose ferrules or construction mistakes, and their performance seems to be on par with Laura’s more expensive full-size eye brushes.

Better yet, and why I really like this set, it covers all of the most important bases for my eye looks, with brushes for brows, concealer, liner, and for applying and blending eyeshadow.

And the full-size skunk brush? Amazing! I can’t believe I went without it for so long. It buffs powders, blushes and bronzers with a very light, natural touch. Great for getting that flawless, airbrushed look.
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Are You a Tocca Graciella Girl?

December 21st, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

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It’s her hair you notice first — long, loose and wavy, and still a little damp from this morning’s shower. Today she’s riding her rickety bicycle, the one with the worn wicker basket on the front, along the cobblestone streets of the small Italian village you both call home.

“Hello, Graciella!” you call to her. She sees you, smiles and waves a hand high in reply.

Clackity-clack-clack, goes the bicycle, as it moves along the cobblestones. She’s wearing a flowery, flowing dress today, and all of a suddenly the air is filled with the scent of oranges, you assume from her shampoo. Fresh from a visit to the early morning market, her basket is brimming with white lilies and a brown paper bag filled with pears. Hungry (she’s always hungry), she nibbles on one of them as she cruises along, and when she passes you, there’s a whiff of soft musk from her skin, but it slowly drifts away…

Just like that, she’s gone, floating off toward the day’s adventure. 🙂

Graciella ($68), Tocca’s newest eau de parfum, is a fleeting, simple beauty on the corner of a cobblestone street. Sweet, feminine and innocent, it starts quietly, with notes of pear and bitter orange, moving from there into a slow song of white lilies, before winding down into a lush, creamy musk.

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