Outtakes from one of Tabs’ recent modeling jobs for Dior.
Dior Lace Versus Tabs
Dior Lace Collection Swatches and Thoughts on the Dentelle Palette in Pearl Glow
Today I finally had a chance to dig into the Dior Dentalle Eyeshadow Palette (from the Dior Lace collection) that’s been teasing me for the last few days.
Normally, wild horses can’t keep me from tearing into a Dior quint, but the dainty lace patterns in Pearl Glow’s pan ($58) were keeping me at bay.
They reminded me of why I love Dior shadows… how they glide along like skates on fresh ice.
If you like the way you look in cool-toned blues and grays, you might really like Pearl Glow. The silver, grayish purple, pink, taupe and bluish gray definitely lean toward the cooler end of the eyeshadow spectrum.
Cool-toned cuties with light to medium skin, bust out your happy dance. This palette will make your eyes POP! I think pale skin really reflects the nuanced silver, pink and taupe.
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Is There an App for That? Branded Makeup and Beauty Apps for Smartphones Are Few and Far Between
The fashion industry has a big head start on beauty brands when it comes to branded smartphone apps
Peer into a woman’s handbag, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a smartphone looking back at you. It’ll be zipping and whirring along with her lipstick, powder and perfume. Whichever your e-weapon of choice — BlackBerry, iPhone or Google’s latest Nexus One — smartphones are a new “it” accessory.
Mine’s like crack to me! I got hooked on smartphones with a Blackberry Pearl a few years back; now I’m using an iPhone, and I never leave home without it. It keeps me on schedule (most of the time), in the loop (with email) and helps me locate important landmarks and lifesaving locales like the nearest MAC counter.
With Apple’s App Store for the iPhone crossing the three billion download mark, apps are everywhere, mostly. More and more companies are coming out with apps to showcase their products, among them leading fashion lines, but the beauty industry? Not so much.
Fashion world embraces smartphone apps with open arms!
Fashionistas rejoice! Almost daily new apps from fashion shops, designers and magazines are coming online in the App Store. Fashion enthusiasts can now shop directly from their phones, anywhere, anytime. Some apps also feature style advice, interactive games, videos, previews and reviews.
A few cool fashion apps…
- Chanel: It’s hard to go wrong with anything that looks like Chanel. I LOVE the design of this app. You get news on Chanel fashion, accessories and a a handy-dandy store locator. No way to shop with it yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Karl and company added the feature soon. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
- Style.com: Amazing coverage of the catwalk during fashion week — you can watch the shows just hours after they hit the runway. FROM YOUR PHONE! So awesome. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
- Net-a-Porter: Get fashion and accessories updates and see products with 360-degree views; there’s also editor’s picks and a wish-list function. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
Beauty industry slow to jump on the app bandwagon
I searched Google and my iPhone today for apps from some of the bigger beauty brands like MAC, Estee Lauder, Dior, Shu Uemura and Urban Decay.
Didn’t find a whole lot, only two from big beauty brands — the first from Lancome (click here to open in iTunes) and the other from NARS (click here to open in iTunes). The Lancome looks pretty, but it’s kinda weak on functionality. There’s some news and makeup tips, but no updates since fall ’09’s Declaring Indigo.
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What Lipgloss Are You Wearing?
Rise and shine, morning glories! I hope you slept well. 🙂 Today I think I’m in the mood for something girly and fun. What do ya think about Bobbi Brown’s Brightening Lipgloss in Popsicle ($20)? Does it fit the bill?
It’s from her Makeup Face Lift collection for spring. Err, it may belong to a spring release… but this shimmery, rosy pink sure reminds me of summer (SIDE NOTE: Can we fast forward to June already? I’m so OVER having to wear socks). Chromatic glitter, um, hello?
What gloss are you wearing today?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. In Bobbi Brown news, have you heard about the Pretty Powerful beauty campaign? Bobbi asked her some of her friends — people who aren’t professional models — to pose for the pics. I think it’s kinda cool… Fantastic imagery on the website. It says there’s also going to be a contest of sorts that starts on January 19. I haven’t figured out what it’s about yet, but I’ll definitely keep you posted. 🙂
The Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows: A Closer Look
How was your Tuesday? Hopefully smooth and sans any serious drama-for-your-mama. 🙂
My day was filled with website wrangling (YEEHAW!). I was trading emails with the blog’s new web hosting company (servint), but that crew really knows their stuff. It shouldn’t be long before the blog’s loading much faster, and I can’t wait!
So, earlier today I sneaked away to rendezvous with my new secret crushes, the Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows ($20). Remember them? You guys met the other day.
I think I REALLY hit it off with 54, the sheer purple (with purple AND hot pink glitter), but Moon Spoon (the sheer grayish taupe with silver glitter) and Space Cowboy (the almost transparent beige with the peachy golden glitter) weren’t too hard on the eyes either.
What I noticed about ’em…
- Sheer-to-transparent color. We’re talking very light pigmentation — no explosions of intense color. Space Cowboy’s the sheerest one; 54 the least.
- Fine glitter. Hooray for fine glitter! The glitter is a dainty bling, kinda like bling-lite (read: the opposite of Degrassi Junior High), small and low in the chunk factor, too. I love it!
- Bad-arse hold. They reached out and grabbed hold of my lids, and I thought they’d never let go! Fantastic wear time here — SO good, in fact, that they were actually a little tough to remove.
- Fallout? Just a tad. In their PR about these, UD claims you won’t see any glitter fallout with Stardust. Well, any’s a tough word to live up to, but I think UD’s mostly right. I think I saw a few sparkles beneath my eyes and around my cheeks, but no big deal at all. It was nothing compared to most of the glittery shadows I’ve used. Really, I feel like I have a lot of control over Stardust, which is a HUGE plus for me.
- Smooth… You know how glittery products can feel rough, like, um, glitter? — all gritty and grainy? Stardust not so much. I think it feels quite smooth for what it is. Another plus. 🙂
Stardust application
I tried it both wet and then dry using my fingers, Urban Decay’s application tool o’ choice for the Stardust shadows.
The dry fingers created a sheer wash of color…
54
Moon Spoon
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New in Beauty, Jan. 12: Shu Uemura Egerie, Laura Mercier Polished Collections for Spring 2010
Just a quick look around the worlds of makeup and beauty today…
- Nordstrom’s got the new Shu Uemura Egerie Spring 2010 collection online! Right off the bat I can say that I REALLY like the way Shu’s packaging the Satin Glow Radiant Stick Blush, Radiant Stick Highlighter, Eye Shimmer Duo, Black Leather falsies and Black Leather Nail Enamel. That’s just hawt!
- Yup, and it’s brown for spring with Laura Mercier’s Polished collection…
- The new Gentle Beauty Soap by Clarins clocks in at 99% natural.
- Free shipping on all purchases at Lancome.com through January 17.
- I’m diggin’ the neutrals in Giorgio Armani’s Nude Contrasts Palette for eyes.
- J’adore me some Dior… and I have a feeling I’m going to love the new J’adore eau de toilette.
- CUTE! Check out everything you get in Senna Cosmetics’ new Contouring Colorbook.
- Vera Wang’s latest scent, codenamed Glam Princess, with guava, pear, honey, orchid, marshmallow and cedarwood, belongs on some kind of tropical camping trip, LOL!
- Zoya Spring 2010 goes all Terminator metallic with the Reverie collection.
- T3 has a new dry shampoo; fellow lazy women of the world, rejoice!
- OOH! Lottsa golds, greens and bronzes for warm-toned lovelies with the Korres Golden Goddess collection!
- The CLARO Acne Clearing Device treats acne with *intense* pulses of light.
- Kenzo went all Hollywood to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Flower by Kenzo.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows: Squeeze, Please
The new Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadows have some funky packaging! Squeeze the sides and the lids pop right open. So very sci-fi!
Side note: if you say the word “squeeze” over and over again it starts to sound funny…
Dior Lace Collection Spring 2010: Pearl Glow Eyeshadow Palette
Dentelle Eyeshadow Palette in Pearl Glow ($57) from Dior’s Spring 2010 Lace collection.
Can you say LOVE?