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Chantecaille Lip Chic in Tea Rose, YOU Can Give Me Lip

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Aloha nui loa

Beautiful Girls, by Kat Reeder
Beautiful Girls, by Kat Reeder, $595

Howzit, girl? Aloha from Hawaii’ne. Our flight got in a few hours ago. We’re at my in-laws place now in Kaneohe, just catching up and watching Entertainment Tonight, LOL!

So sleepy… I’m exhausted. What are you up to right now? Did you watch the Dancing with the Stars grand finale? It hasn’t aired yet here, but I couldn’t wait and looked up the winner online. All I can say is YES! Don’t worry. No spoilers (except in the comments!). 🙂

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled this week for any interesting makeup and beauty products (and any other cool stuff), taking pics of everything to share. Also while I’m here, some very awesome guest bloggers and friends will be helping out, so stay tuned for reviews this week from Sam, Olga, Audrey and more.

Aloha from Waikiki

Pretty bird

Sweet dreams. It’s time for this tired girl to hit the haaaaay!

But before I go, how about a little look at Chantecaille?

karen of makeup and beauty blog reviews chantecaille lip chic in tea rose
Chantecaille Lip Chic in Tea Rose on lips

Before you write off Chantecaille Lip Chic in Tea Rose because of its $30 price tag, take a moment to scroll…down. 🙂

Okay, yes, it’s very expensive, and, yes, the whole gloss/lipstick hybrid thing’s been totally done to death (see: Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Glossticks, Avon Glazewears, MAC Slimshines, the Prescriptives LipShines, etc.), but OH, NELLY! It sure feels great on my cold-burned lips.

Tea Rose is one of 14 permanent shades in Chantecaille’s Lip Chics line of lipsticks designed to smooth, firm and plump puckers.


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These Pretty Becca Jewel Dust Eyeshadows Are Priced Like Pirate Treasure

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karen of makeup and beauty blog reviews becca jewel dust 2

Becca longs to light up your lids for the holidays, babe! 🙂 Just say “Seasons Greetings” to their Jewel Dust loose powders ($24).

I’ve been wearing two of the 16 shimmery powders (they’re like business casual MAC Pigments) — Mazikeen (a rich royal purple with subtle, multi-colored glitter) and Asral (an opalescent pinkish purple with silver glitter) — and I can’t wait to give the rest of them a try.

Like the MAC piggies, these come loaded with full of pigment, but the finish is a touch different.

Neither of them are as frosty as MAC Pigments, which is cool in this case because I think they end up looking more natural on the eyes.

Just gives you another option. 🙂

Becca loves products that multitask (hello, Beach Tints!), and, while most of these 16 shades were designed with eyes in mind, a few of the colors — Titania, Astra and Nissa — also play well on lips and cheeks (they’re marked as lip and cheek-safe).

All of them can be worn alone, wet or dry, or layered atop other products like powder/cream shadows and cream blushes on the eyes, or lipglosses for the lip-friendly ones I mentioned above.

For awesome all-day wear, layer Jewel Dusts on top of an eye primer like NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base or Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion.

becca jewel dust review swatches photos
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A $10 Makeup Look: Smokey Taupe, Brown and Violet Eyes with Lilac Lips

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Here’s a full face — eyes and lips — for $8.91

How low can you go? (Sing it!) How lo-oh can you go? Okay, so I had a lot of fun last week trying to put together a makeup look for less than $10, and I think I did an okay job. The whole shebang came to a whopping $9.85, but I think I can do better. 🙂

I gave it another go, this time shooting for something 1) cheaper and 2) more dramatic. I paired smokey taupe/brown/violet eyes with lilac lips. Again, the products are all from N.Y.C New York Color because, obvs, they’re really inexpensive, cruelty-free, and altogether not half bad.


NYC New York Color products from bottom to top: Ultra Last Lipstick in Lilac Dream ($1.89), Brow/Eye Liner Pencil in Jet Black ($1.14), Metro Quartet Eye Shadow in Chelsea Chic ($3.99). Also used in this look but not pictured: NYC New York Color Lengthening Mascara in Jet Black ($1.89)

Since the eyes AND lips are pretty colorful in this look, I kept the cheeks bare (don’t want to overwhelm passers by, LOL!), but a nice blush probably wouldn’t have hurt.

If you decide to give something like this a try but feel that the lilac lips are way too much, you could swap ’em out for something a little quieter, like perhaps a light peach gloss (maybe the $6 Sally Hansen Diamond 12-Hour Lip Treatment in Flawless?).
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All Aboard the Jouer Train Case Makeup Essentials Kit: Departing for Warm Bronze, Peach and Pink Shades Now

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karen of makeup and beauty blog wearing the jouer train case
Jouer Powder Eyeshadow in Caramel and Eye Definer in Chocolat on eyes; Powder Blush in Rose and Highlighter in Champagne on cheeks; Lipstick in Kiki, Lipgloss in Glisten and Lip Definer in Rose Pale on lips

Can’t get enough of NARS Orgasm? Do MAC Nymphette Lipglass and Power Surge Eye Kohl give you heart palpitations? If so, you may suffer from warm shade lust-alaria.

Don’t worry. It’s a treatable, albeit sometimes expensive condition, and one possible cure could be the new Jouer Train Case Makeup Essentials Kit ($200).

Jouer, an indie makeup line known for natural colors and their chic girl-about-town packaging, leans more toward the Clinique/Bobbi Brown end of the spectrum than the MAC/Illamasqua side, and it’s a very pretty place to be.

This adorable pink zip-up train case comes with makeup for your eyes, lips and cheeks, and a mini- blush brush.

In addition to the case and the brush you get…

  • Powder Eyeshadow in Caramel: a shimmery warm peachy gold
  • Eye Definer in Chocolat: a shimmery golden bronze
  • Powder Blush in Rose: a matte warm pink
  • Highlighter in Champagne: a shimmery peachy gold
  • Lipstick in Kiki: a shimmery peachy pink
  • Lipgloss in Glisten: a sheer, shimmery light peach with multi-colored glitter
  • Lip Definer in Rose Pale: a matte peachy pink
  • Lip Enhancer in Conditioning Lip Treatment: a colorless lip moisturizer
  • Luminizing Moisture Tints in Bronzed, Deep Bronze, Glow, Golden and Pearl: sheer, shimmery tinted moisturizers with SPF 20

…and a big $200 bill (ouch).

jouer train case review swatches photos 1

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Sheers to You, JK Jemma Kidd: The Signature Shadow Palette and Air Kiss Duo Sure Are Sheer

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karen of makeup and beauty blog reviews jk jemma signature shadows and air kiss lipgloss duo for holiday 2010
JK Jemma Kidd Signature Shadows on eyes and Air Kiss Duo Lipgloss in Rendezvous on lips

Don’t you love a bargain? JK Jemma Kidd cranks out a lot of ’em, but if the brand’s new $9.99 JK Signature Shadows and JK Air Kiss Duo had the word “bargain” stamped across the front of their packaging, it would be in very, very sheer ink.

I spotted these a couple weeks ago and was immediately reminded of MAC.

At first glance, don’t the powdered eyeshadows in the Signature Shadow palette look kinda like the colors in the MAC Royal Assets Warm Eyes Palette (Antiquitease Collection)? And Sassy, the pink Air Kiss gloss, looks a little like MAC Nymphette Lipglass, while Rendezvous, a shimmery plummy taupe, looks like it could be MAC Spite’s sparkly cousin.

I thought, “$10 dupes for MAC!?” But, alas, Jemma was just Kidd-ing with these colors. I definitely think these are lovely in their own softly understated way, but if you’re on the market for MAC-like pigments, these may not be what you’re looking for.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Nov. 22

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This cracks me up. Note: I can totally do the dance move the girl hamsters do at the 48 second mark, haha!

  1. Mood:

    2. A little frazzled but otherwise good. I have about a million things to do before we leave and not enough time in the day. This third (!) cup of coffee should help power me through it nicely.

  2. What are you thankful for this year?

    3. My health, my family’s health (Tabs included), you (I don’t say this nearly enough, but thanks for reading the site!) and the opportunities that popped up this year to cover neat stories (namely this and that).

  3. Do you have a pet?

    4. I live with a furry boarder who resides in the condo rent-free. He hogs the bed and the couch and insists on premium gravy. I don’t think he considers himself a “pet,” but rather a master of the humans who surround him. 😉

  4. How many hours do you sleep each night?

    5. Depends. On my best nights, eight to 10. During the bad insomnia phases (like now, ugh!), about five or six.

  5. What beauty invention do you wish someone would invent?

    6. If somebody could invent a cream to remove the dark circles beneath my eyes, erase the wrinkles on my neck and lift my rapidly falling bum, that would be GREAT!

  6. Your most embarrassing moment?

    7. While there are many gems to choose from, the time I had really bad gas and accidentally let one rrrrrrip in a quiet room full of sixth graders watching a National Geographic special on Mayan culture really stands out.

  7. Your all-time favorite TV show?

    8. Probably Sex and the City, but a new show I’ve been watching, The League, is starting to gain ground.

  8. Lipgloss applicators — brush or doe foot?

    9. I don’t mind a brush if it’s soft and precise (a la the Chanel Aqualumieres), but if given a choice I’d go for doe foot.

  9. Pajama pants in public: fashion forward or faux pas?

    10. When did this become socially acceptable? Please refrain from wearing your flannel Curious George pajama bottoms outside the home.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Manage my time wisely today and tomorrow, run at least five times this week, find a good spa on Oahu to visit (got any recs?) and relax!

‘Twas the Monday before Thanksgiving, and all through the house not a tabby was stirring… well, not really. Tabs is going cray-cray right now. I know he’s gonna have a great time with his pet sitter, but it’s still not the same as spending time with his mom and dad human subordinates. I miss him already!

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



1. Mood:
2. What are you thankful for this year?
3. Do you have a pet?
4. How many hours do you sleep at night?
5. What beauty invention do you wish someone would invent?
6. Your most embarrassing moment?
7. Your all-time favorite TV show?
8. Lipgloss applicators — brush or doe foot?
9. Pajama pants in public: fashion forward or faux pas?
10. Weekly goals:

Are ya all stocked up for Thursday? I see some carb-laden leftovers in my future, and it’s a glorious sight! 😀

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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