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Product Reviews

It Would Be a Crime to Keep Hourglass Film Noir Mascara Away from Your Fringe

September 1st, 2010 by Karen 18 Comments

Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara

The alley grew darker the deeper she went, but she knew he came this way, the cat with the tabby fur.

She sped around a corner and almost tripped on something metal and loud, a trash can maybe. She didn’t stop. It was dark, so dark. Out of breath, her heart racing, she barely made out the silhouettes of two dogs playing cards under a fire escape before she passed them.

“Which way’d he go?” she barked, pivoting on three-inch heels.

No answer. Damn scamps. She didn’t stop, couldn’t stop, just kept running, arms flailing wildly in the dark.

“Hello!” she cried out, to nowhere, to everywhere, to him. “Please, wait!”

Still nothing. So she kept running, deeper into the night. He was here. She knew it, somewhere, the cat with the tabby fur…

At $28 the new Hourglass Film Noir Mascara is priced more like a big budget Hollywood blockbuster than art house film noir.

Available in a single shade, Onyx, a deep, dark jet black, it borrows a page (or two) from Chanel’s new $30 Inimitable Intense Mascara — sleek, sophisticated packaging, similar lash lengthening prowess and volume plumping powers; all that, and it lifts curls, keeps them lifted all day long and resists smudging, too.

What Hourglass says about Film Noir…

  • That it conditions and hydrates lashes with pro-vitamin B5
  • That polymers in the formula help it adhere to lashes while also resisting smudging and fading
  • The triple-cut, hourglass-shaped brush distributes the product across lashes while creating volume, lift and length
  • It’s free of parabens, sulfates and pthalates

While similar, Inimitable’s spiky lash look limits its flexibility. It’s also not the easiest product to layer (gets clumpy and messy after one layer).

Film Noir has the smoother formula (how smooth is it?). It’s smoother than that sweet talking ex-boyfriend who kept making excuses for not returning your Notorious B.I.G. CDs…

I’m not bitter. 🙂

And it doesn’t clump at all, not even after three (or more!) layers, delivering beautiful definition.


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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: hourglass, mascara

The LORAC Evening Out Complexion Kit Isn’t Just for Evenings Out

August 31st, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

lorac evening out review

I didn’t have a cubic inch of extra room in my bag when I packed for that trip to Reno a couple weeks ago, so instead of bringing my usual brigade of face products (tinted moisturizer, stick foundation, liquid foundation… Um, have I ever mentioned that I tend to overpack?), I lightened my load with LORAC’s new Evening Out Complexion Kit ($38).

lorac evening out review The sleek gunmetal compact must have been made with on-the-go girl secret agents in mind because concealment is the name of this game.

The kit comes with a powder foundation, two cream concealers, a sponge applicator and a tiny Jane Bond-ian concealer brush. 🙂

Available in Light, Medium or Tan (the one I have), it covered all of my bases (and most of my skin imperfections) on the trip, working well no matter what outfits I wore, from ripped jeans to my favorite black cocktail dress.

When I wanted light, natural looking coverage during the day, I applied the powder foundation with a brush. Then at night I’d apply the finely-milled powder (has a medium opacity) with the included sponge. Because the powder layers well, it never looked like a heavy makeup mask.

lorac evening out review swatches
Swatches of Tan on NC35 skin from left: Powder Foundation, Light Concealer, Dark Concealer
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There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

I’m Becoming Fast Friends with Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara

August 30th, 2010 by Karen 34 Comments

chanel inimitable intense mascara review

Sometimes “quick” describes something bad…

Like the blind date I went on some years ago with the Beatles-hating dude who confessed to listening to nothing but techno music 24/7. I grew up on a steady diet of John, Paul, George and Ringo, so when he dissed Blackbird five minutes into the evening, something inside me went, “OH, HELL NO!” I faked a headache halfway through my beer and hightailed it home.

And sometimes “quick” describes something good…

Like the new Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara ($30, available in four shades), a new take on Chanel’s original Inimitable (a lengthening, curling, volumizing star!).

The O.G. version was born back in 2006. This new version 2.0 extends its predecessor’s double rainbow “all the way across the sky!” — with MORE lash drama on all fronts. Plus, because it works well even with a single layer, it’s also quick. 🙂

Can I get an “AMEN!” from my perpetually late/lazy makeup friends/fiends?

Whenever I’m in a hurry, deep, dark Noir hits the spot. A true black, it delivers the dramatic, spiky lash look I love.

The smooth consistency and shape of the brush head make it easy to build volume beginning at the base of the lash. A single layer delivers noticeably longer, smudge-resistant lashes with all-day curl hold.

chanel inimitable intense mascara review
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There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: chanel, mascara

Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Becca Creme Eye Colour in Ametrine

August 28th, 2010 by Karen 12 Comments

As much as I love how glossy Becca’s Creme Eye Colour in Ametrine looks on my lids ($28, one of eight shades), dagnabbit if it doesn’t disappear quicker than pints of Häagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream in my freezer.

Shimmery golden brown Ametrine has lots of good stuff going for it — great pigment, shimmer and a blendable texture (I’ll use it with my fingers). It bestows a dewy finish that looks youthful and fresh, too, which is no easy feat on this 30-something girl.
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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: becca

Don’t Gloss Over Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick

August 28th, 2010 by Karen 26 Comments

Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick review

Is it a liquid lipstick or a gloss? Since Korres bills Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick ($22) as — you guessed it — a lipstick, why does it look (and feel) so much like a gloss?

Not that I’m complaining.

At. All.

Ultra smooth and non-sticky, these vibrant, long-lasting lippies have a smooth, slick texture and shiny finish, no matter what they’re called.

Are these really liquid lipsticks, or are they more like gloss? It’s a mystery, like Speidi (are they or aren’t they together?), or why McDonald’s Happy Meals never decompose.

Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick reviewOne way they’ve got typical liquid lipsticks beat HANDS DOWN is in the way they feel on my lips — comfortable, moist and light.

Launched exclusively at Sephora earlier this summer, all five colors contain antioxidant-rich raspberry and pomegranate, but they don’t contain parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, pthalates or GMOs.

Today I went with a layer of Natural on my lips. It’s a warm rose with a glossy finish, and I like how lightweight, thin and slick it feels.

After putting it on around noon, I puttered around the house and ran a few miles on the treadmill. Three hours after applying it, Natural was still going strong. Pretty darn good for a product with such a thin consistency.

Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick review
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There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: korres

I Like NARS Pure Matte Lipstick, as a Matte-er of Fact

August 27th, 2010 by Karen 47 Comments

nars pure matte review

You know what they say, right? You can take the girl out of the ’90s, but you can’t take the ’90s out of the girl.

Well, I’ve never actually heard that before…but wouldn’t it make an awesome fortune cookie?

Back in the day matte lipstick was my BFF, and I always had at least one in my little black backpack (gawd, remember those?). I loved the look, but dangnabbit those old school matte formulas made my lips dry and flaky!

After all these years, I still love matte lips, and now with uber-moisturizing formulas like the one in new NARS Pure Matte Lipstick ($25), matte lips can be comfy, too (think spaghetti strap dress/baby-T combo, circa 1995).

Available in six shades with spectacular geographic names — Volga (a deep aubergine), Bangkok (a soft rose), Tonkin (a plum), Tere De Feue (a blackish cherry), Tashkent (a nude beige) and Vesuvio (a bold red) — the unscented, unflavored line conditions lips with hydrating vitamin E, wild mango butter and acai oil.

All four of the ones I’ve kissed so far feel smooth and soft on my lips. The texture’s considerably thicker than the similarly packaged MAC Mattenes (which I happen to like a lot), but isn’t as slick/slippery.

Lipstick Tips from Francois Nars

  • For a modern matte look, choose a lip color close to your natural skin tone, or pair a darker lip color with simple face makeup
  • For full, hard-to-miss lips, go with an audacious color spruced up with a dab of gloss or shimmer applied in the middle
  • Use lip liner to fill the shape of your lips, but make sure you blend out any obvious edges
  • Avoid over-applying your lipstick; the more you wearing, the heavier it looks (and, interestingly, the quicker it wears off)

nars pure matte lipstick swatches review tonkin
Tonkin
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There are 47 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: nars

Say Hi, Shine, with the Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Glossticks

August 25th, 2010 by Karen 23 Comments

jemma kidd hi-shine glosstick review

Some cats possess talent; others are possessed by it. When that happens, as the great Rod Serling once said, “a talent becomes a curse.”

Imagine, if you would, a cat with sharp claws resting on an air mattress (the same one you’ve been sleeping on since your in-laws arrived).

This cat has a talent for destruction…

…and for keeping me awake at night.

As sleep deprived as I’ve been these past two weeks, I’d be a heck of a lot grumpier if it weren’t for Jemma Kidd’s new Hi-Shine Glossticks ($25 each, available in five shades).

Inspired by the beautiful colors of beachy Barbados, these hydrating lipstick/gloss hybrids contain nifty light reflective particles to go with their SPF 15. The particles create the illusion of fuller lips, making them great for gals looking for a little lip boost.

Do you remember the MAC Slimshines (now discontinued)? If you liked those, I think you might also like these. They have a similarly thin, sheer, slick texture — unflavored and unscented — and both last about the same 60-90 minutes on my lips.

I’ve been wearing shimmery peach Sugar Cane off and on for a few days…

jemma kidd hi-shine glosstick review swatch
Swatch of Sugar Cane on NC35 skin

jemma kidd hi-shine glosstick review lip swatch
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There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

Here Kitty, Kitty: Would You Like Some MAC Fabulous Felines?

August 25th, 2010 by Karen 37 Comments

mac fabulous felines

Yo, as if I needed yet ANOTHER reason to go all crazy cat lady on your @ss, the MAC Fabulous Felines collection claws its way onto makeup counters tomorrow, and from what I’ve seen so far, it might be one of MAC’s most purrr-fect releases to date.

NOTE: If you can’t wait till Thursday, don’t (it’s already available online). 🙂

Here are some pics to help you wrap your tail around everything. It’s a hefty release, with 52 pieces for eyes, cheeks and lips distributed among three different color stories…

  1. Palace Pedigreed — regal blues, grays and silvers
  2. Burmese Beauty — rich olives and teak
  3. Leopard Luxe — tawny creams and golds (Tabs likes these A LOT)

mac fabulous felines
Tabs auditioned for the Leopard Luxe modeling campaign but never got a call back…

Keep your cool kitten eyes peeled for the Superslick Liquid Eye Liners ($17.50). Available in nine shades, these innovate long-wearing, water-resistant liners actually look wet when they’re dry, and Tabs thinks they’re the cat’s meow.
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There are 37 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: mac

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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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