Doesn’t Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla ($30) kinda remind you of a ballet dancer with her perfect posture? No? Is that just me?
Available now at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and also online.
Dolce & Gabbana Mandorla Lipstick
MAC Unsung Heroes: Impassioned Lipstick (and Watermelon)
It’s official: I am in food lust with watermelon. That one from the other day? Completely gone. And it was ginormous, too! — like bigger than Tabs, and I ate it all by myself in, like, two days. On the one hand (and I’m thrilled about this) I’m not having any, um, fiber issues, but on the other hand, I’m a little afraid I might be overdoing it.
So sweet, so juicy!
Gotta swing by Trader Joe’s to get another one ASAP.
I’m obsessed… I’ve got watermelon on the brain. It’s even creeping into my makeup. Just the other day, I was looking at Impassioned ($14.50), one of my favorite MAC Lipsticks, when it hit me…
No, not the watermelon (silly). 🙂 It occurred to me that Impassioned is a perfect watermelon pink.
MAC describes it as a full-throttle fuchsia, but on me it’s more of an intense, warmish hot pink. I’ve been wearing it a lot lately because, ya know, the whole watermelon thing, and also because I love the way it lights up my face. I think it looks fantabulous with summery gold, teal and bronze eye looks.
Impassioned and the other MAC Amplified lipsticks are famous for long-lasting, rich color (all day wear). That’s a lot longer than it takes to devour a plate of watermelon slices.
Watermelon…
Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain: Y’all Red-y for This?
Remember the True Blood episode last season when Pam busted out the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil? I turned to El Hub on the couch and was like, “ZOMG! Did you see Pam with her NARS!? AAAHHHH!”
He just stared at me like I’d lost my mind… 
Don’t you just love it when you recognize makeup on your favorite TV shows? I wonder if the new Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain ($30) will make an appearance on TV this year.
It’s an intensely pigmented red gel blush, recently launched with two other pieces in the new limited edition Tarte for True Blood collection, and it’s loaded with golden glitter.
I can see it now, gracing some of True Blood’s malevolent and benevolent characters like…
Lafayette, clad in a see-through mesh top and camo capri pants. He’s getting ready in the bathroom at Merlotte’s for a rollicking night with the wiccans. He applies a single layer directly onto the apples of his cheeks, then blends out the edges with his fingers. The sheer red stain hides on his dark skin, just barely showing through, but the gobs of golden glitter sparkle like vampire fangs in the moonlight.
Or pale, beautiful Jessica, with her everlasting red hair. She’s sprucing up before a dinner date with Hoyt, her human beau (and her favorite meal). On her porcelain skin, the stain looks much more intense than it does on Lafayette, but Jessica isn’t afraid to make a statement with her looks. As a matter of fact, she loves the attention.
Whether the stain was designed with supernatural beings in mind, mere mortals can rock ’em, too. A single layer gives me a deep red flush and enough golden glitter to last a few lifetimes.
Did I mention that it’s sparkly? Very, very sparkly? I loves me some glitter, but dayum — borderline obnoxious, y’all.
Outfit of the Day, Vol. 3: Call Me Cat Lady (and a Trick to Look Taller)
I’m pretty short at 5’1″, but in my mind I’m taller.
How much taller?
On a good day, at least 5’8″. Of course, the rest of the world disagrees.
Once, years ago when I worked in San Francisco, I was walking through China Town on my lunch break in four-inch heels when I found myself behind a group of middle school students on an historic tour of the neighborhood. I was heading to my favorite greasy spoon for lunch, a place in the same direction the group was heading, so I tagged along (hey, free tour!), listening to the group’s tour guide.
When I finally arrived at my lunch spot and broke away from the group, one of the volunteer moms started yelling.
“Get back with the group!” she barked, and I could hear her footsteps pounding behind me.
I slowly turned around, looking up at a much taller woman. “Dude…” I replied, more confused than amused, “I don’t go to school with these kids.”
She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow quizzically, probably thinking she had a troublemaker on her hands. “Where do you go to school?”
“Uh…” I saw an opportunity I couldn’t resist. “The school of life?”
I think that’s where she figured it out. 🙂
Over the years, I’ve picked up a few height-enhancing tricks. One of my favorites? — pairing nude heels (more accurately, heels in a color close to my natural skin tone) with an above-the-knee length dress.
When my shoes and leg color sort of blend together, I think it creates an illusion of height, and when the dress rests above the knee, it enhances the overall effect.
[Continue reading…]
Next Stop, Fangtasia
The limited edition Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain, $30. Available now at Sephora stores and also online.
Tame House Tabby or Jungle Cat? The Dolce & Gabbana Animalier Bronzer
Card carrying members of Team Cat Lady, whether you’re a a tame house tabby or a certified jungle cat, chances are you WILL meow when you see the leopard print on Dolce & Gabbana’s limited edition Animalier Bronzer ($50).
Isn’t it just the coolest thing since leopard-print heels? Too bad the pattern’s an overspray and not actually etched into the pan — or maybe that’s for the best. The first few times it’s used, as the colors in the overspray are mixed together, the product applies super dark (like a chocolate golden sheen), and it would probably make a fantastic eyeshadow totally perfect for sexy, smokey eyes.
But once the overspray gets worn away, out comes a sheer, orangey brown bronzer with tiny flecks of golden glitter. Mrow! It’s sheer, though. Too sheer for me as an NC42; on me it delivers a subtle warmth, yet while I sheer do like the glitter and how smooth it feels, there’s something a little off about how the color works with my skin, like some of the darker tones from the overspray are still milling about…
“Muddy” is the word that comes to mind, and I was actually hoping for sun-lit.
Bronzer (left) and overspray (right)
Why, Yes, I’m Having a Summer Romance with the Illusions D’Ombres De Chanel Collection for Fall 2011
Fall makeup always makes me think of doing fall-ish things, like sipping hot cider (or maybe a little eggnog) by the fireplace or the wood-burning stove, carving pumpkins (which I’ve only done once or twice), or skipping down suburban sidewalks past huge piles of orange and yellow leaves, and kicking ’em up (SWOOSH!) every once in a while with the tips of my thigh-high suede boots. 🙂
Since summer’s only just begun, however, I’ll have to wait a while before the eggnog shows up at Trader Joe’s, but I won’t have to wait to wear fall makeup, not with so many lines launching their limited edition fall stuff early. Seriously, next year we’ll be celebrating Christmas in July!
To blur the lines between the seasons, and to ease our transition from summer makeup to fall, a couple of the lines have been sprinkling fall pieces into their collections that also look great right now, like Chanel did with the new Illusions D’Ombres De Chanel.
The launch is ripe with fall-ish smokey shades and dark metallics (NOM!), but there’s also a handful of products I could easily see myself wearing with a slip dress and sandals, like, now.
Take these here, for example…
Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Fantasme
Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Fantasme ($36) I love how that silver glitter shimmers in direct sun, and could it be any easier to apply? One or two layers on my lids with a fingertip — that’s all there is to it. I swear it even makes me look less tired because of how it lightens up the dark area at the inner corners of my eyes. There’s been some chatter out there about fallout from the glitter, and I see some of it, too, right beneath my eyes and sometimes on my upper cheekbones. That’s probably the biggest mark against Fantasme, but I think it all depends on how you feel about glitter and where it does and doesn’t belong. This may sound strange, but I actually like the way this glitter gets around (to a point). It just seems to fall in all the right places — almost like I’ve also applied a shimmery highlighter.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in Khaki Platine
Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in Khaki Platine ($29) Remember Rose Platine, that killer taupey beige liner from Chanel Spring 2011? Khaki is like her golden green, taupey sister. Wait — hear me out! 🙂 I know it sounds unusual, but like Rose, this creamy pencil liner gives eyes a subtle glow. A dash along my upper and lower lash lines, a quick curl from a lash curler, maybe a little mascara for good luck, and I swear I look like all glowy and well rested. Paired with summery coral cheeks and lips, it’s perfection. No joke.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Guerlain Mirror Mirror Collection for Fall 2011
A few pieces from the new Guerlain Mirror Mirror Collection for Fall 2011. Review coming soon!