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Product Reviews

Guess by Marciano Perfume: For the Maneater in You

April 13th, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

Guess by Marciano perfume
I haven’t lived the single life in a while, but dangit if I were on the prowl I’d so rock Guess by Marciano. Maneater aptly describes the way I feel wearing this scent.

I usually think of myself as the girl next door — ya know, the quirky one in t-shirt and jeans who drinks beer, watches reality TV and writes lists — but when I wear Guess by Marciano I feel transformed, like a cougar on the prowl! Rrraaooowww! Ft! Ft! 

Just what makes this spicy floral so darn sexy? I suspect the fruity top notes (the first blast of fragrance) mellow out the musky base notes (the finale). The resulting fragrance is neither cloying nor overly sweet. 

Top notes — star fruit, grapefruit, orange curacao (an orange-flavored liquour) and cardamom (an herb belonging to the ginger family)
Middle notes –pink honeysuckle, peony and jasmine
Base notes — wood, vanilla, musk and dulce de leche (caramel)

I don’t have many spicy fragrances (piquant or pungent scents like clove oil, cinnamon or thyme) in my perfume collection because, for some reason, they make me sneeze! But my nose agrees with Guess by Marciano. No sneezing whatsoever.

It also has enough endurance to last all day long. I sprayed it on in the morning, and as I sniffed at my wrist throughout the day, there it was. The scent does change, though — a whiff of jasmine at lunch, and then vanilla and musk appeared later in the afternoon.
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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Fragrance, Product Reviews

MD Skincare All-Over Blemish Solution: A Pricey but Awesome Acne Fighter

April 13th, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments

md skincare all over blemish solution
At $84 it isn’t exactly budget friendly, but MD Skincare’s All-Over Blemish Solution got me saying “Awwwwww yeeeeeah!”

Women have been going crazy over beta hydroxy (aka salicyclic) acids lately, and after a month of using MD Skincare’s product I’m ready to climb aboard the bandwagon. Scoot over, ladies! Make room! There’s really no comparison between my old standby benzoyl peroxide creams and All-Over Blemish Solution in terms of their ability to treat pimples. I saw a dramatic difference in my skin within days. 

Even the cosmetics industry itself is going ga-ga over this stuff. Each year, members of CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc.) recognize the most innovative beauty products of the year as voted on by CEW members, industry professionals and beauty experts. The award is considered one of the beauty industry’s highest honors. All-Over Blemish Solution won the award in 2007.

Shoot, I’d give this bad boy an award if I could … the Makeup and Beauty Blog Zit Destroyer Award. First off, the most welcome thing I noticed after using All-Over Blemish Solution was in how my skin felt. Benzoyl peroxide products have a tendency (at least on me) to tighten and dry sensitive skin, making it peel and itch. Not so with this stuff. All-Over Blemish is considerably less drying than any benzoyl peroxide I’ve ever used, even Proactiv. With All-Over Blemish Solution I noticed that my forehead and cheeks — my worst breakout zones — stayed almost zit-free and considerably smoother than they are when I’m using benzoyl peroxide. 

Beyond the startling $84 price tag, there’s another price to pay if you intend to try this product — beta hydroxy acids increase skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. Be extra mindful to wear sunscreen on your face because most experts cite the beta-hydroxy acid-sun sensitivity issue as the most common side effect. My favorite facial sunscreen is Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Face Cream SPF 55.

makeup and beauty blog md skincare screen shot
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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews

Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10: Primer Time with This Mini-Mousse in a Can

April 11th, 2008 by Karen 48 Comments

shu uemura uv under base spf 10
Small can, big mousse — Shu Uemura’s new UV Under Base with SPF 10 packs a wallop, but $32 is a lot to ask for a 2.2 oz can.

Have you ever used a mousse foundation primer before? — because I haven’t, until now. It’s kinda neat, all airy, fluffy and foamy. Because Shu’s UV Under Base is a mousse and not a runny liquid or gel like most foundation primers are, my skin soaks it up like a sponge. This baby does double duty as a skin protectant with the addition of SPF 10, which isn’t necessarily the ideal level of SPF to wear to the beach, but if you work in a black hole of an office building (like I did for years) and only see the sun on your breaks, SPF 10 should suffice.

But I wonder… The $32 can is barely 5 inches tall, and when I press the mousse trigger a ginormous strawberry-sized blob of product shoots out. I think I have poor thumb-to-mousse control. I get the feeling the can won’t last very long.

When I wore it under Becca Stick Foundation the other day, my skin looked really smooth. The pores on my face all but disappeared (although I still knew they were there, ha!), and the foundation I was wearing lasted all day long. Shu calls the product color Beige 01. I think it looks like dolce de leche ice cream. The very first time I used it, I got mousse happy and applied too much. With my skin tone (neutral, not yellow or pink dominant), it actually left a slight pink tint, so the second time around I used a lot less product — viola! No pink tint.

Can you see the Thanksgiving turkey in this clump o’ mousse?
shu uemura uv under base spf 10-product shot

Foundation primers are an optional makeup step, used to smooth the skin and to create an even surface on which to apply foundation. I’ll use one a few times a week when I have a little extra time. As a foundation primer, Shu’s Under Base works great and has a light scent that reminds me of baby powder and cinnamon. I wore it the other day under Becca Stick Foundation. Normally, I use Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Foundation Primer, and Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer has a lot of fans. Shu’s UV Under Base compares well to Laura’s primer, but I haven’t used Smashbox’s before.

Product: Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10
Price: $32
Use: As a foundation primer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Shu claims you can use UV Under Base by itself (en lieu of foundation) to even out your skin color. Maybe for lighter-skinned cuties, but with my skin tone I’d need something a bit more pigmented to wear it like that.

I had a blast in San Francisco today! My friend and I sat on a sunny bench in the middle of Union Square, drinking iced tea and catching up. After we said our goodbyes, I checked my Crackberry/Blackberry for your makeup suggestions and headed straight to Macy’s cosmetics department. 😉
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There are 48 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15: Pretty New Shades, Long-Lasting Lip Protection

April 9th, 2008 by Karen 49 Comments

Clinique long last glosswear spf 15 1

“Ohhhh, so purty!” I said when I first laid eyes on Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 ($14), Clinique’s latest lipgloss offering. “They’ve got SPF 15? I’ll take ’em all!”

I fall victim to any beautiful lipgloss colors with combined SPF protection. Check out these little lovelies:
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There are 49 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

Lip Look: Crushing on Three Custom Colors Papaya Crush!

April 8th, 2008 by Karen 28 Comments

three custom color specialists papaya crush lipgloss wand
three custom color specialists papaya crush lipgloss wand product shot

“How did you know, ’cause I never told. You found out, I’ve got a crush on you.”

–The Jets, Crush on You

From the second I awoke on this gloomy, overcast morning, the song Crush on You (by The Jets) was stuck in my head. “What did it mean?” I wondered.

Low and behold, after applying my face and eye makeup, what was the first lipgloss to catch my eye? — Three Custom Colors Papaya Crush ($18.50), a sheer, coral-red liploss with just a touch of gold shimmer. Crush indeed.

Papaya Crush is less pigmented than Three Custom Colors’ Dahlia but shares the same thin texture.

In the picture above I’m wearing two coats, which was just enough to achieve a subtle pop of coral color without going over-the-top. If you’re color shy but have been wanting to try a cute coral lipgloss, Papaya Crush should be a good way to get your feet (lips?) wet.
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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews

L’Oreal Cosmetics Fun Facts

April 7th, 2008 by Karen 46 Comments

loreal cosmetics hip

When you think of L’Oreal, do visions of candy bars dance through your head? Don’t be alarmed if they do. As a matter of fact, after this post, you may never again be able to look at a tube of Voluminous Mascara without picturing a Nestle Crunch bar.

Swiss food giant Nestle owns a 28 percent stake in L’Oreal. Today Nestle, which owns bits and pieces of dozens of different companies, sold an $11 billion chunk of contact lens maker Alcon. What does this have to do with L’Oreal? Well, rumor has it that Nestle intends to use the proceeds from the Alcon sale to stage a full takeover of L’Oreal. Yes, Nestle is sweet on makeup.

This afternoon, in the pursuit of “makeup knowledge,” your girl 1) ate a Nestle Crunch bar and 2) uncovered a few fun facts about L’Oreal.

makeup and beauty blog l

Did you know…

  • L’Oreal’s largest single shareholder is 85-year-old French heiress Lilian Bettencourt, daughter of L’Oreal’s founder. Worth an estimated $22 billion, Bettencourt is also the world’s richest woman.
  • Swiss food company Nestle owns 1/4 of the company.
  • L’Oreal is the world’s largest cosmetics company.
  • L’Oreal is also the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.
  • L’Oreal was founded in 1907 by Eugene Schueller, a young French chemist who developed an innovative hair-color formula. He named his improved hair dye Auréole. With that, the history of L’Oreal began.
  • L’Oreal employs 50,500 people (only 24 percent work in France) in over 130 countries.
  • Spokespeople for L’Oreal have included Aishwarya Rai, Matthew Fox, Ben Affleck and the Spice Girls.
  • L’Oreal consists of over a dozen global brands split into five groups: consumer products, professional products, luxury products, active cosmetics and The Body Shop.
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There are 46 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews

Bobbi Brown Quick Face Collection: Long-Wear Cream Shadow Swatches

April 7th, 2008 by Karen 29 Comments

bobbi brown cosmetics quick face long wear cream shadow final final
For most of us, Monday means having to go back to work (drat!), but it doesn’t also have to mean forsaking cute makeup. Take a gander at the Long-Wear Cream Shadows from Quick Face, Bobbi Brown’s (le queen of the neutral makeup) latest collection. What do ya think?

Matte and shimmerless, these bad boys apply easily by finger or brush (I used the MAC 252). I felt they did an admirable job adding subtle definition to my eyes. Wear each color by itself or beneath layers of other powdered shadows.

There are five colors in the collection:

  • Cement – grey beige
  • Malted – mocha beige
  • Navajo – creamy pinkish white
  • Slate – medium grey
  • Stone – beige brown

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There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze Perfume: Fresh, Citrus and Floral

April 6th, 2008 by Karen 22 Comments

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze

Spring Fragrance Quest continues this weekend with Elizabeth Arden’s new Mediterranean Breeze perfume.

I spent most of last night with my nose buried in my forearm, breathing in its fresh, citrusy, floral scent. I was watching Wesley Snipes slay vampires in the cinematic masterpiece that is Blade II (LOL), periodically sniffing my arm like a crazy person. Seriously, this stuff is fragrance ecstasy and made me lose control of my vocal chords a few times, causing me to scream at the TV: “Oh gawd!” “It’s just too good!” “Soo frickin’ good!” etc., etc.

Mediterranean Breeze is a lighter, more citrusy followup to Elizabeth Arden’s original Mediterranean perfume and evokes a similar beach-y, vacation-in-a-bottle feeling. The scent opens with a burst of white nectarine, bergamot and grapefruit. Then come the floral notes: Corsican violet, wild jasmine petals and sweet almond flower. Finally, it dries down to warmer cedarwood, sandalwood and musk.

The citrus here really takes Mediterranean Breeze to the next level. In general, I’m not the biggest fan of sweet fruit fragrances, but the bergamot and grapefruit add sophistication to Mediterranean Breeze. They’re citrusy, but not overly sweet.

Something about the fragrance reminds me of fresh, clean water (similar to Aqua di Gio Women and Cool Water Woman), like I’m sipping lemonade on the verandah of a fabulous Spanish villa overlooking the sea.

MBB field trip! (I wish!)
elizabeth Arden
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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Fragrance, Product Reviews

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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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