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MAC Fix+ Lavender Setting Spray Makes Your Makeup Behave

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mac fix+ lavender

Since I like MAC Fix+ and the scent of lavender, falling for the new MAC Fix+ Lavender ($18, part of the upcoming MAC Cham Pale Collection) was sort of a given.

Or was it?

I use the original Fix+ almost daily with foundation, lightly misting my brush with it before blending to help products adhere to my skin, and I was hoping this latest scented version would smell just as light, refreshing and feminine as both the original and 2009’s limited edition Fix+ Rose.

A MAC Fix+ It Tip

This effect’s even better in the summer, but I like to store my bottle of Fix+ in the fridge; the mist feels gloriously refreshing chilled.

A colorless infusion of water, glycerin, vitamins and minerals, Fix+ Lavender seems to work just as well as the original, but the vanilla-ish lavender scent just doesn’t get along with my sensitive schnoz. Heavy and musky — almost like a men’s cologne — the scent makes my head pulse if I’m not careful about how much I use. Luckily, the fragrance dissipates in no time flat.

mac fix lavender in hand
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I’m Bubbly About the Neutrals in the MAC Cham Pale Collection

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mac champale on karen of makeup and beauty blog

I would like to propose a toast, friends — my very first serious toast ever — and I think there’s something fitting about it being dedicated to makeup. If you’ll bear with me for a moment, please raise your glass, be it filled with bubbly, wine, water, chai latte or anything else, to the MAC Cham Pale collection, one of the most inspiring neutral releases this lass has seen this year.

Launching right after Christmas (Dec. 26), the limited edition collection is a relatively small one for MAC, with just 26 pieces for the face, eyes, cheeks, lips, nails and skin in prices ranging from $14-36.

As much as I love neutral colors like gray, beige and and peach, collections dominated by them run the risk of venturing into snooze territory, especially when the finishes are mostly matte. They may be practical as all getout, but matte beige and gray don’t exactly set the world on fire, ya know?

Which is why I’m so surprised by MAC Cham Pale. The collection does for neutrals what Glee did for musicals on television. Like a mimosa on the beach, these finishes — which range from soft, pearly shimmers to high shine frosts — sparkle in the light. MAC made something practical into something inspiring, and I think it’s a refreshing take.

mac champale
Some items from Cham Pale, clockwise from the peach pan in the lower left: Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Rose Ole, Paint Pot in Dangerous Cuvee, Paint Pot in Vintage Selection, Eye Shadow x 4 in Caviar Dreams, Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Chez Chez Lame, Lipgelee in Luxure, Nail Lacquer in Soiree

The color palette almost looks like someone started by melting a gilded gold and silver jewelry box and siphoned the colors into makeup pans, tubes and pots. Quiet pink, cool gray, warm peach and inky onyx weave their way into the metallics, keeping the colors soft and wearable. Nothing’s either too warm or too cool, and I’m betting these shades are going to look fabulous on a wide range of skin tones.

I love everything in this release, but the eye makeup is exciting me most, especially the Paint Pots and the quad.
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Wishes Come True with Chanel Extrait de Gloss in Genie

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chanel genie on karen of makeup and beauty blog

A few days ago I made a wish, and this week it came true. I wished for a new purse gloss, and it appears a genie was listening.

What’s a purse gloss, you ask? It’s a gloss that’s worthy of permanent residence in your purse. You keep it close for touch-ups and other beauty emergencies…like when you randomly run into your ex and his new lady love at the mall (she’s cute, but you’re cuter), or when a TV crew asks you for an impromptu sidewalk interview about hot dog street vendors (yep, that really happened).

With a tube of Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Genie ($32) in your purse, you’ll be tough to catch off guard. One of two Rouge Allure glosses in Chanel’s limited edition Le Perles de Chanel collection for spring 2011, it’s a shiny but wearable coral with golden micro glitter and comes in Chanel’s trademark Extrait de Gloss formula. Non-sticky, luscious, hydrating, and lacking any potentially bothersome scents or flavors, it’s ready for drama AND flexibility. With a four-hour wear time, it’s also designed to laaaast.


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Burt’s Bees Naturally Happy Solid Perfume Always Puts a Smile on My Face

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burts bees naturally happy solid perfume

I like the idea of being able to bring along some extra happiness with me wherever I go, and that’s what I hoped for from Burt’s Bees Naturally Happy Solid Perfume ($10).

I’ve been toting the tiny tin around with me everywhere, pulling it out of my purse whenever I’ve needed a quick pick-me-up or a change in my mood. I rub it into my pulse points (on both sides of my neck, the insides of my elbows and on both wrists), and let the woody citrus scent propel me on my merry way.

And ya know, I think it has put an extra spring in my step. Made from a mix of natural oils, waxes and shea butter, it came out earlier this fall with three other travel-friendly solids from Burt — Naturally Beautiful, Naturally Fresh and Naturally Sensual.

Burt lists Naturally Happy’s official fragrance notes as Brazilian orange, Argentinian lemon, Florida grapefruit, raspberry, rose and cedarwood…but I’d characterize it more as a faintly spicy grapefruit.

It’s a very subtle scent, coy and mellow, and doesn’t hit you with a major burst of citrus. It also only lasts about two hours on my skin.

burts bees naturally happy solid perfume
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Two Ways to Win a Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige Lipstick

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mary Valleau! Congratulations, Mary! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

clarins barocco collection holiday 2010 review swatches photos barocco rouge prodige product shot

You may be asking yourself, what’s with all the rouge lately? The brands just love that word, don’t they? Rouge this and rouge that.

The word may not be all that original anymore, but it’s berry appropriate when it comes to Clarins’ Rouge Prodige limited edition lipstick.

Dressed to thrill in black and gold, it’s semi-matte, unflavored/unscented, and looks opaque on my lips with a single coat.

If you can see yourself slipping into this lovely lippie, then warm up your giveaway muscles, girl.

Here. We. Go! 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

  • One (1) tube of Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige lipstick (a $24 value).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like how you apply lipstick (Do you go straight from the tube or use a lip brush? Do your bottom lip first and then pressing your lips together? Do tell.), the name of the last movie you watched in a theater, the person you look up to the most, or tell me about one of your hidden talents — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige Lipstick (a $24 Value) http://bit.ly/fv9OgD

  • The deadline to enter is Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mary Valleau! Congratulations, Mary! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

I’m Dreaming of a Rouge Springtime with Chanel Rouge Coco in Peregrina

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Chanel Peregrina Rouge Coco on karen of makeup and beauty blog

I’m supposed to be battening down the hatches right now to brace us for a big storm, but I’d rather play with the new Chanel Rouge Coco in Peregrina ($30) and daydream about sunny skies (let’s hope I don’t regret that later tonight…).

Chanel Peregrina Rouge Coco

Forget dark clouds. I see myself wearing this warm and creamy peachy pink on a leisurely stroll through Golden Gate Park in the springtime. I’m wearing a shimmery bronze and khaki eye look, a peachy golden cheek and sheer, creamy peach nails (ya know, to match). At one point, just to complete the fantasy, Ryan Reynolds and I stop at a park bench to discuss the finer points of mens grooming. Oh, and I’m also about six inches taller. 🙂

For more on the Rouge Coco lipsticks (texture, wear time and all that good stuff), click here.

Chanel Peregrina Rouge Coco swatch

Chanel Peregrina Rouge Coco lip swatch
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