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Product Reviews

Is Cargo Triple Action Mascara an Eyelash Triple Threat?

October 5th, 2010 by Karen 30 Comments

cargo triple action mascara review

Cargo doesn’t get enough love… That’s what I’ve always thought. They’re like an actress who you KNOW deserves top billing in big blockbusters but keeps getting saddled with bit parts in movies that go straight to DVD.

And I swear to Tabs they have my house bugged! It’s like they’re watching me rush in the mornings because so many of their products are designed to save time, like their new Triple Action Mascara ($20, available in a single shade called Black).

New for fall, it’s supposed to do it all, a regular triple threat, able to thicken, lengthen AND curl. Yes, actually curl, or so they claim, like a lash curler.

Is that even possible??

Cargo says it is, thanks to “advanced pigment and styling polymer technology!” — and a special brush.

I’m the type of gal who’ll use multiple mascaras to get a great lash look, but I’m not married to the idea. If a single mascara really could do it all, I’d definitely prefer that (hallelujah!).

cargo triple action mascara review
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There are 30 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: cargo

Do You Know The Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules? This Palette Has Them Memorized

October 4th, 2010 by Karen 42 Comments

bobbi brown beauty rules palette

Last week a stranger, who was obviously one of the politest men in California and/or vision impaired, called me “a young girl” (I’m in my 30s, yo!), and I’m not gonna lie — it was awesome.

I remember being 14 and totally obsessed with makeup… My, how things change! 🙂 If I’d seen something like the Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules Palette ($45) back then, I would’ve been all over it in a hot second, assuming, of course, that I would’ve been able to talk my mom into buying it for me.

I mean, it’s sure not cheap, but talk about pretty starter palettes! The colors strike me as great ones for girls just getting into makeup (and for parents who don’t want to worry about their teenager looking like jail bait).

The palette itself looks like it was built for bookworms. Literally. It comes with 10 products for eyes, lips and cheeks, all wrapped up in a slim, trim ensemble that looks kinda like a book, and it was released to coincide with Bobbi’s new makeup book for teens, Beauty Rules, which I can’t wait to read.

Bobbi’s general approach to beauty is to subtly enhance one’s features (ala “the no makeup makeup look”), and the limited edition Beauty Rules palette fits her philosophy to a tee.

Still learning the ropes when it comes to blending? Try one of the four sheer, yet buildable powder shadows, or one of the two cream blushes; kiss your lips with one of the three included lippies, none of which go overboard on pigment.

I am a little surprised that Bobbi went with a black eyeliner here just based on the other products she selected. I love ’em, but I think they can make teens/tweens look a little older than their age… A brownish black, a gray or maybe even a dark plum might have been more appropriate, but maybe that’s just me acting like an overprotective crazy cat lady.

bobbi brown beauty rules palette review swatches

bobbi brown beauty rules palette review swatches
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There are 42 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: bobbi brown

I’ve Been Licked! Must Be New Urban Decay Honey Sparkling Lickable Body Powder’s Fault

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 28 Comments

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review top

I wonder what Willy Wonka would have to say about new Urban Decay Honey Sparkling Lickable Body Powder ($29 for 0.78oz). Based on the name, doesn’t it sound like something he’d like?

A loose powder with colored glitter for your bod, it’s part of Urban Decay’s new line of Sparkling Lickable Body Powders released for the holidays, and it couldn’t be a whole lot easier to use.

With the included puff, just apply to arms, legs or anywhere else, and because it’s Urban Decay, the glitter’s fairly obvious, in other words, BLING!

I like the glittery look it bestows to my skin, but glitter doesn’t make the product stand out; this one’s more a matter of taste, as in the fact that it’s edible.

If honey’s not your cup of tea (a shimmery golden glitter with — SURPRISE! — a honey flavor and scent), it also comes in Marshmallow (a shimmery white glitter that tastes/smells like marshmallow) and Cocoa (a shimmery bronze that tastes/smells like chocolate).

So, are they magically delicious?

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review open

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review puff
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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews, Skin Care Keywords: urban decay

Have You Met Davines Love Shampoo and Conditioner?

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 17 Comments


“Oh, Davines Shampoo! I’d love to love to LOVE YOU! I’d love to love to LOVE YOU! Oh, Davines Shampoo!”

Oh, come over, girl! Just for a second. There’s someone here you just HAVE to meet. Jane, this is Davines Love Shampoo. Love Shampoo, this is Jane. He’s visiting from Italy and staying at drugstores and salons here in the U.S.

I know! Isn’t he handsome?

But — sorry! — he’s attached, wouldn’t you know it? And here comes his better half now…

Love Conditioner, this is Jane. Jane, Love Conditioner.

Yeah, both of them are priced in the Bumble & Bumble range, and the entire line of products hover around $22 each.

Yikes! I know, right?

I’ve partied with their cousins, LOVE Shampoo and Conditioner for Wavy & Curly Hair ($22 each). Ah, the memories… They were totally into kinky stuff, you know, curly and wavy hair, shh! 🙂

I’ll never forget the way they smelled, too, like yummy oranges. OOH! And I loved how they made my waves so bouncy and defined. HAWT!

Unforch, my locks were still a touch frizzy afterward. Yeah, I don’t think the conditioner and I ever really hit it off. It refused to untangle my knots.

Tabs striking a pose with Davines Love Shampoo (left) and Love Conditioner (right)


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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Hair, Product Reviews

Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub: How Sweet It Is To Be Scrubbed by You

September 29th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

burts bees cranberry pomegranate sugar scrub

I find it both hilarious and totally fitting that Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub ($13 for an 8-oz. jar) has a warning on the label that reads, “do not consume.” Seriously, they have to tell you not to eat the product because it looks and smells THAT good — like a jar of berry-licious preserves or a sugary frozen treat.

burts bees do not consume

burts bees cranberry pomegranate sugar scrub closeup
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There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Product Reviews, Skin Care

$6 Goody Spin Pins: It’s a Goody Thing I Took These Pins for a Spin

September 29th, 2010 by Karen 82 Comments

goody spin pin review

Goody Spin Pins ($6), ohmahgawd, they’re awesome. I brought a pair with me on my trip last weekend based on your recommendations, so thank you — you were so right!

They’re basically these beefed up, coiled metal bobby pin-like doohickies (two per pack) for securing your hair into a bun; Goody says each one does the work of 20 bobbies (no, not the ones in law enforcement), and they come in two shades, one for lighter hair and one for darker. Each pack comes with two pins.

Most of the time my long hair’s a big pain in the @ss. In the time it takes me to do a bun, inserting the 30 or so bobby pins it takes, people all around the world are accomplishing epic things. They’re writing novels, learning how to drive a stick, circumnavigating the globe — seriously, bobby buns take me a really long time.

The prospect of putting my hair up with just two pins kinda boggled my mind, but these suckers really work! I don’t know how (well, I could probably figure it out), but they do.

First, you take your hair, pull it back, and wrap it into a really tight bun. Then, you tuck in the ends and screw in the first pin at the top. The second pin goes in through the bottom of the bun, locking it in place. That’s it! Through some miracle of magic or science, your bun’s done!

goody spin pin review
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There are 82 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews

MAC Blot Powder/Pressed: A Plot Against Oil and Shine!

September 29th, 2010 by Karen 82 Comments

What’s up, friend? This post is getting to you kinda late, I know, and I’m sorry. Long story short, but my flight was delayed out of Milan yesterday. Consequently, I almost missed the connecting flight out of Germany to get back home (NOTE: If you’re the person I steamrolled in the international terminal of the Frankfurt airport yesterday…my bad!).

I managed to make the flight (YEA!), but my luggage didn’t (BOO!). And, of course, it contained all of the makeup I was hoping to dish about today — stuff from Dolce & Gabbana Holiday, Kiko, Madina and a brand called Fred Farrugia.

Thankfully, the airline emailed to say they found the bag and put it on the first train plane home.

Oh, I have some important news to share! But you have to promise to keep it quiet because I haven’t told El Hub (pinky swear). You see, while I was on the road last weekend, I rekindled an old flame.

Yup, MAC Blot Powder/Pressed ($22) and I have been seeing each other off and on for the past six years (he absorbs the oil on my face in ways that El Hub just can’t!), but this trip convinced me to take our relationship to the next level.

Blot was the only powder I took with me, and it’s official: I’m (still) in love. love


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There are 82 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, MAC Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes Keywords: mac, unsungheroes

The $3 e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush Will Look Right at Home in Your Makeup Kit

September 25th, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

Katie of My Lips But Better

Written by Katie

Have you ever had a brush with elves? No? How about a brush by e.l.f.? Blogger Katie of My Lips But Better has, and today she shares the magic with a review of the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush.


The e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush and MAC 109 for comparison

I have a confession to make… even though I’m a beauty blogger and people expect me to look nice all the time, sometimes I’m just too lazy to apply foundation. This is especially true when I’m rushing to get ready for class in the morning. But then I discovered powder foundation and my life was complete… except that I didn’t have the right tool to apply it.

See, most powder foundations come with those sponges that I don’t like for two reasons — they’re hard to clean, and most people never wash them anyway. So I tried a kabuki brush, which can easily be washed, except that the short stubby handle meant I couldn’t put it in my brush organizer with the rest my brushes.

I was about to give up entirely when I stumbled onto the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush. I wasn’t expecting such great quality from a $3.00 brush but this one really proved me wrong! The dense brush head is perfect for picking up powder foundation and buffing it into the skin instead of just dusting it on top. It’s basically a kabuki brush with a long handle, which is exactly what I needed.


The e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush and MAC 109 (again for comparison)

I also love the way this “powder brush” applies my liquid foundation. It gives a smooth, flawless finish (similar to Sephora’s coveted #55 brush) when used with MAC Face & Body or NARS Sheer Glow.
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There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: elf, guest post

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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