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

Good morning, glory. 🙂 The other day I noticed a headline on a news site that said that Amazon.com now sells more e-books than printed ones. Isn’t that incredible? The times, young lady, they are a-changin’.

Considering the news, I’m almost a little embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve never read an e-book from start to finish. Not once. Sure, I’ve read some hella long emails on my phone before (LOL!), with word counts up in the short story/novella range, but no e-books in the stricter sense of the term.

I don’t know… I think I might be a little old fashioned when it comes to books. I can’t imagine not being able to flip through paper pages or feel the weight of a new hardcover in my hands. But then there’s also the space printed books take up, the stacks and stacks of them that with very few exceptions I rarely read more than once or twice.

I think I’d like to give e-books another try. Do you have any recommendations for e-book readers? What’s the Kindle like? I hear so many good things about that one.

So, what were the makeup and beauty (and fashion) highlights of your week? The very best things. Did you try any new looks, find any good deals or learn any new tips? Inquiring minds want to know.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

SHOULD YOU SLIDE FOR $8 OR GLIDE FOR $17?
THE CHOICE BETWEEN THE NYX SLIDE-ON EYE LINERS AND URBAN DECAY 24/7 GLIDE-ON EYE PENCILS

I used to get really grumpy back in school when kids would copy my style. It’s not that I thought of myself as a fashion visionary or anything, but I took pride in my penchant for offbeat things and fancied myself as different. So when Angela showed up to band one day wearing a baby poo green plaid vest eerily similar to the one I’d been rockin’ for most of that fall, carrying her sheet music in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles folder a lot like mine, I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.

I vented about it to my friend Cindy, expecting a sympathetic ear. “Just chill out and be flattered,” she said. It was only worth tripping about if things got creepy and Single White Female (which, thank goodness, they didn’t).

Cindy was right, of course. After all, I’d copied/borrowed a few ideas from other kids, too, and looking at it that way, I thought perhaps that old saying about imitation and flattery was true. Read more…

FLOWERCHILD, YOU’LL LOOK LIKE A FLY DAMSEL
IN THE NEW BECCA HALCYON DAYS MINERAL BLUSH

The more time I spend with the Becca Halcyon Days collection, the more I fall in love love. It’s fast becoming one of my favorite summer releases so far and OOH! — do you hear that? It sings sonnets — no, more like an epic volumes! — to my peach/coral/pink/gold-lovin’ heart.

If your skin turns a toasty brown over summer, or you’re just fond of the way you look in warm pinks, peaches and corals, don’t be surprised if you catch yourself making grabby motions in the air the first time you see the Halcyon Days Mineral Blushes ($32 each) up close, or when you open the sturdy compacts, with, what is that on the outside? A rubberized texture? How cool is that!? It keeps them from slipping out of my grubby little hands.

Flowerchild (a golden peachy pink) and Damselfly (a golden coral) deliver serious, hard-to-ignore pigmentation. One swirl around the pan from my powder blush brush grabs just enough color for one cheek — no layering necessary, unless I want a brighter look. Read more…

THE NEW BUXOM LIP TARNISH PLUMPING & MOISTURIZING LIP STAINS
WANT TO WOW YOU IN 4 DIFFERENT WAYS

I don’t remember much from my brief stint in community theater as Misc. Shark Girl #3 in West Side Story, but I do remember how during auditions people would whisper about the “triple threats,” and how it was, like, a big deal to be one.

Sounds thuggish, right? — a triple threat! In theater parlance, it’s what they call someone who can sing, dance and act. Of course, I was barely able to do one of the three (I could dance a little)…but I also had long black hair that from far away helped me pass for Puerto Rican. Score! 🙂

Like multi-talented stage stars, Buxom’s new Lip Tarnish Plumping & Moisturizing Lip Stains ($18) want to do it all. Blackmail (a blackberry truffle), Busted (a cherry red), Caught on Tape (a hot pink) and Wardrobe Malfunction (a candy pink) go on sale exclusively at Sephora this August, and they hope to lavish lips in not three but FOUR different ways, tinting like a lip stain, shining like a gloss, hydrating like a lip balm and plumping like…something that plumps. Read more…

NYC NEW YORK COLOR SMOOCH PROOF
16H LIP STAINS: DATE NIGHT APPROVED

They were just a blip on my drugstore radar screen a few months ago, but now I’m tracking NYC New York Color full time. Before I even knew about the company’s cruelty-free philosophy, I was impressed by their prices and interesting colors, and after their awesome Ultra Last Lipsticks and Liquid Lip Shines buzzed my tower, I assumed the Smooch Proof 16H Lip Stains ($4.99 each, available in 10 shades) would too.

These unflavored, lightly fruit punch scented liquid lip stains come in a tube with a stiff felt-tip applicator. The 16H in the name refers to 16 hours, which is how long they’re supposed to last. They apply wet but dry to a finish that resembles the way lips look after a Popsicle or a glass of Kool-Aid. I wouldn’t exactly call it matte because it isn’t full coverage or thick like a matte lipstick, but it’s not at all shiny either. One layer leaves a light stain; two or three, a brighter, richer color. Read more…

SHOULD YOU TAKE THE PLUNGE WITH
URBAN DECAY’S NEW CANNONBALL ULTRA WATERPROOF MASCARA

I wish I could say I field tested the new Urban Decay Cannonball Waterproof Mascara ($20) by leaping from the rock at Waimea Bay on Oahu, but the methodology I used was a little less glamorous than that.

To put the new lengthening, waterproof mascara to the test, I pit it against two super soaking challenges. First, I charged headlong into a downpour to run some errands without an umbrella-ella-ella. Then, I pushed a heavy vacuum around my house for more than an hour.

As soon as I applied two layers first thing last Saturday morning, I noticed a very cool doe-eyed effect. Not only does Cannonball dramatically lengthen and separate lashes, it also cures the curl from my Shu Uemura lash curler, locking it into place. It made my peepers look crazy big, like an anime puppy’s eyes when it begs for bacon. Read more…

EYE LOVE THE SUBTLE SHEEN OF THESE SATIN FINISHES
THE $3 NYC NEW YORK COLOR MONO EYESHADOWS

Thanks to NYC New York Color’s 10 new limited edition Mono Eye Shadows ($2.99 each), I’m a little less freaked out about my birthday next month (I’m turning 36, oy vey!). I’ve been on the market for eye makeup that doesn’t draw attention to my fine lines, so these comfort colors could not have come at a better time.

Most of them have this sophisticated, soft satin finish that’s one of the most attractive, forgiving satins I’ve ever seen from a drugstore line (there are also a couple of mattes and frosts).

In terms of shine, satiny shadows broadcast a subtle sheen that sits somewhere between shimmers (or frosts) and mattes, and unlike hi-shine shimmers, they don’t appear to actively seek out the tiny wrinkles on my lids.

I feel like NYC’s satin shades turn back the clock to a kinder, gentler time — let’s call it 26, LOL! — when my eyes looked all bright and glowy most of the time. Read more…

WILD ROSES COULDN’T KEEP ME AWAY FROM THE NEW
BURBERRY BEAUTY LIP MISTS

Burberry Beauty is making a move on the must-have category with a line of $30 luxury lipsticks that look almost like bargains in spite of the price.

As soon as I saw Burberry Beauty’s Lip Mists, I wondered if I was witnessing a case of corporate espionage aimed at Chanel. These nine shiny, hydrating lippies share more than a few characteristics in common with the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines ($32).

First, there’s the finish, which has a similar subtle shine — a dewy, creamy sheen that pairs perfectly with a summertime tan. The colors themselves are rich, lightweight, long-lasting and loaded with pigment, and like the Shines don’t look heavy like a matte. Both of these lippies tread a lovely line somewhere between slightly sheer and fully opaque, but Burberry bests Chanel here in a few key areas. Read more…

THE NEW BECCA HALCYON DAYS NAIL COLOURS
ARE ON LIKE DONKEY KONG, QUICK LIKE MARIO KART

Ten weeks. I’ve been salivating over the thought of the Becca Halcyon Days Nail Colours ($15 each) for roughly ten weeks.

From those first PR pics back in March — the warm, summery pink, peach and coral — I couldn’t wait to get these on my claws, and I’ve been drooling like Pavlov’s dog ever since.

As far as I know, this is Becca’s first foray into nails, but it seems like everything the boutique-y Aussie brand does is pretty much on like Donkey Kong, and, in this case, fast!

Manis and pedis with the three creamy shades take almost no time (well, very little) because the polishes apply and dry wicked fast. Not as fast as it takes to get my attention with shirtless pictures of Channing Tatum, but still. Fast. Read more…

KERASTASE CHROMA SENSITIVE CLEANSING BALM 3-MONTH FOLLOWUP
COLOR-TREATED GALS, THIS ONE’S A KEEPER

If I freak out a little when I realize I’m almost out of a product, it’s usually a pretty good indicator of how I feel about it. Yesterday in the shower when I reached for my hot pink bottle o’ Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm ($42 for a 6.8-oz. bottle) and noticed how light the bottle felt, I let out a sad little mewl. “Noooo.”

It was almost gone. 🙁

I started using the stuff, a silicone-free, low-foam and low-friction cleanser for color-treated hair, back in March. Unlike regular shampoos designed for color-treated hair, it adds special deep conditioners to the mix of mild cleansing agents. The blend is 1/4 cleansing agent, 3/4 deep conditioner, and Kerastase claims the brew gently washes hair while preventing pigments from escaping, thereby keeping your color intact. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen