Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Is the E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder a Dupe for the NARS Orgasm-Laguna Duo?

by 32 Comments

elf contouring blush and bronzing powder 1
‘
Two things I never expected…

  1. The Jess/Jason storyline in True Blood (Wait — what!? More on that in a few)
  2. How I’d feel about E.L.F. Studio’s $3 Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

E.L.F.’s bargain basement beauty comes up often in conversations about the fabulous $40 NARS Highlighting Bronzing Blush Duo in Orgasm/Laguna, a makeup masterpiece, if you ask me, and one of my favorite pieces of all time, because it’s seen by many as a major money-saving dupe.

What’s so special about the Orgasm/Laguna Duo, you might ask? Well, that depends. If you ask my cheeks, they’d say they love the way it brightens them up. I use the Laguna bronzer to contour my cheeks with a rich golden brown and the Orgasm blush to give the apples of my cheeks a golden, peachy pink flush.

I love the duo so much that I haven’t taken a trip without it in at least three years.

But at $40, it’s far from cheap, which leaves the door wide open for a drugstore dupe.

The question is, does this E.L.F. deliver? From outward appearances, it sure looks like it does…

elf contouring blush and bronzing powder closed
[Continue reading…]

Oh Goody! My Favorite Headwrap Is Also Available in Black!

by 30 Comments

Remember that glorious Goody $5 tortoiseshell headband I gushed about a while back? — almost as good as stretchy pants, for real. Well, while cruising Targhay over the weekend (allegedly, I was there to get grapes and dental floss), I found it in black! 🙂

One word (in all caps, spelled phonetically for emphasis): YAY!

I still have mad love for the tortoiseshell one, but black is just so versatile, I couldn’t resist. I’ll be able to wear it with outfits like my black ’80s off-the-shoulder T-shirt (complete with giant Mr. T chain necklace).

This one totally hits the spot, and it’s just as soft, flexible and comfortable (doesn’t squeeze the living daylights out of my noggin) as the other one. Same thing except it’s black.


[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: Sable Eyeshadow

by 57 Comments

American SableMAC Sable Eyeshadow ($15) and I go way back. I think it was maybe the fourth or fifth eyeshadow I brought home from the line, and I remember the day we met because of the hot guy in drag who helped me pick it out.

He looked fierce working behind the MAC counter, like straight off a runway, and I asked him what he was wearing on his eyes.

He said it was Sable, a bronzy golden plum with a frosty finish, and he considered it one of the most flexible MAC shadows, saying it went with just about everything. I’d already decided to get it when he said he thought it would really pop on my skin.

Since then Sable and I have been plummy partners in crime.


[Continue reading…]

Wallets and Pockets Won’t Protest These Two New Essence Mini Lipgloss Sets

by 50 Comments

essence mini lipgloss set

When you find a man who’ll carry your lipgloss for you in his pocket without protest, you best hold on to that boy! I’m dead serious.

Most of the dudes I dated before El Hub were pretty rigid about what they’d put in their pockets. Keys went here, wallet and phone went there — there was a system at work, and they didn’t like it when things disrupted the system.

The keepers, though, won’t mind holding your gloss for you, even if it messes up their routine.

Which brings me to these two new Essence Mini Lipgloss Sets ($2.99 each). I wouldn’t be surprised if the peeps at Essence had male/female pocket politics in mind when they dreamed up these tiny tubes of sheer, long-wearing lipgloss. Dudes might even appreciate how streamlined (and pocket friendly) they are.

Essence makes what I feel are some of the best drugstore lipglosses out there today (have you tried their Stay With Me Lipglosses? Fantastic!), and these non-sticky newcomers are right up there with the best of ’em in terms of value and quality.

Don’t let their diminutive stature deceive you. These tiny tubes are towering titans of hydrating, durable gloss. The six micro-glosses that come in the Devil’s Love & Kisses and Angel’s Kisses in Heaven Sets (three tubes per set) even last me through a meal.

essence mini lipgloss set boxes
Devil’s Love & Kisses Set on the left and Angel’s Kisses in Heaven Set on the right

essence mini lipgloss set boxes open
Devil’s Love & Kisses Set on the left and Angel’s Kisses in Heaven Set on the right
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, August 1

by 111 Comments

  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 179. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Steady. It’s not exactly a mood, but it’s just what I needed. I’ve been emotionally all over the place for the past few days (partly hormonal, partly introspective ever since the baby shower last weekend), but I woke up this morning feeling like I had a better foothold on reality, as dramatic as that probably sounds.

  2. Chanel No. 5 — love it or leave it?

    3. I love all things Coco, but I don’t feel mature enough for No. 5 yet. Maybe later down the road…

  3. How often do you exfoliate?

    4. My face — every other day using the Clarisonic Mia and La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser . It’s a non-foaming face wash for sensitive and/or dry skin.

    My bod, I exfoliate a little less often, maybe once or twice a week, using whichever body scrub I happen to have in my shower. Lately that’s been Pacifica Kona Coffee & Sugar Detox Whole Body Scrub.

    It really depends on my schedule. When I’m pressed for time, I’m willing to skip exfoliating my body to give myself more time for other things.

  4. Do you enjoy house cleaning?

    5. No, not at all, but I do enjoy how I feel when I’m done and the place looks better, and I know that it’s actually clean.

  5. One of your weird quirks?

    6. I get all Fast & Furious when I’m driving on the freeway and get stuck in a lane between two big rigs. Makes me super nervous, for some reason.

  6. One of your oldest pieces of jewelry?

    7. A coral and gold bracelet I’ve had since I was a kid. I wore it all the time in college, but I put it away some years after almost losing it once at work (I have a chronic problem with losing jewelry, which is why I prefer costume stuff). Now I have it stowed away in a safe place and rarely take it out. I’d be heartbroken if it ever disappeared, so I’d rather just know it exists somewhere safe, than actually wear and possibly lose it. Weird, I know.

  7. Are you a card shark?

    8. Nope. I’m terrible at card games, actually. I can never remember the rules; I can’t tell you how many times El Hub has tried to teach me poker.

    “Blackjack! Oh — that’s a different game?”

  8. Would you ever get a tattoo of your pet?

    9. That’s a tough one! I don’t have any tattoos, but that’s one I just might get to memorialize Tabs when the time comes for him to go meet his friends at the rainbow bridge (I can barely bring myself to think about it!).

    I’ve had many pets and have shared deep connections with them before, but none have been like the bond I have with Tabs. He’s a very, very special kitty — a once in a lifetime cat companion.

  9. Eyes/lips/cheeks?

    10. I’m wearing the same makeup I wore to my BFF’s shower on Saturday, which has been my go-to look as of late. Eyes: NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base; MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot; MAC Eyeshadows in Ricepaper, Soft Brown and Arena; MAC Eye Kohl in Feline; Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara topped with Buxom Amplified; and Benefit Instant Brow. Lips: MAC Lipstick in Impassioned. Cheeks: NARS Orgasm, Albatross and Laguna Blush/Bronzer Trio.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To make healthy food choices every day this week (I ate too much frozen crap, aka “bullsh*t food,” last week), to exercise at least 30 minutes each day, to find a good fitness app for my iPhone (got any recs?), and to read for at least two hours every day (a lot, I know, but it’s like mental exercise).

Geez, August, already? I know that technically we still have plenty of summer left, but I can’t even bear to think about it getting cold again. I’m not ready!

But one thing I am ready for is to hear from you. How ’bout we get this party started with the Monday Poll? 🙂

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. Chanel No. 5 — love it or leave it?
3. How often do you exfoliate?
4. Do you enjoy cleaning?
5. One of your weird quirks?
6. One of your oldest pieces of jewelry?
7. Are you a card shark?
8. Would you ever get a tattoo of your pet?
9. Eyes/lips/cheeks?
10. Weekly goals:

I think you and I are going to have a great week. I can feel it in my knees. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.