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

Hottest Red Lips for the Holidays?

December 19th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

nars greek holiday gloss forbidden red velvet matte lip pencil

When you think of traditional holiday makeup, what comes to mind? For me it’s rich red lips. I picture them at dreamy candlelit Christmas parties with lots of little black dresses and crystal glasses filled with bubbly champagne.

I think there’s just something right about the look. A red lip demands attention, but at the same time still looks sophisticated enough for semi-formal holiday party attire.

So will any red suffice? This year I’ve been all about glossy tomato red lips, and my current holiday combo features NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Foridden Red beneath NARS Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday.

nars forbidden red velvet matte lip pencil greek holiday gloss top

I’d love to hear if a red lipstick, gloss or red lip combo has been rocking your holiday this year. Cast a vote (typing VOTE: followed by your vote) for your favorite red holiday lip in the comments…

VOTE: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Forbidden Red topped with NARS Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday

Effortless yet hard to ignore, this glossy red tomato lip look takes the fruit cake as my current favorite holiday red lip. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing

December 19th, 2009 by Karen 5 Comments

121909-saturday-surfing

I’m practicing avoidance right now. 🙂

I should be packing for my trip on Monday, but I’m browsing the web instead. Why? Because it’s more fun than packing, yay!

Okay, just a few more minutes… Then I’ll pack.

Question: What makeup do you like to bring when you travel?

4-step flawless foundation – Bella Sugar
Been partying too much? Try these 10 post-party tips — Daily Makeover
ALERT! ALERT! Christine has MAC Love Lace swatches! — Temptalia
5 fabulously inexpensive gifts for mom and baby — Raging Rouge
Let’s go NARS Night Clubbing! — Cosmetosaur
This lovely letter couldn’t have come at a better time 🙂 — Icing
Is it time to go gray? — Times Online
Everything but the harem pants… — A Cat of Impossible Colour
50 quotes on living a life of adventure — Abundance Blog
Would you trust a friend to do your wedding makeup? — Sugar Social
How to make a music player for your blog or site — Leg Blog de Sushi
Smokey the Bear probably would not have approved of old school Christmas tree lighting — Old Christmas Lights
Santa, please bring me these Moleskin Diaries for Christmas — Kitty’s Drawings
I’m a little obsessed with Ragdolls — Of Cats

Sing it, Tom!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Unsung Hero: Dolce Vita Lipstick

December 19th, 2009 by Karen 40 Comments

nars dolce vita review

NARS Dolce Vita lipstick and I… MAN, we go back.

Years ago, it was *the FIRST red lipstick* I really fell in love with. Before it I was more of a brown, peach and nude lipstick kinda girl. Dolce Vita ($24) was like a game changer for me. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s totally true.

I still remember the day we met… It was four years ago. I’d wandered into a Sephora and asked a makeup artist to suggest a friendly red.

Homeboy scooted me over to the NARS display, opened a tube of a mysterious-looking red lipstick and said, “All you need in life is NARS Dolce Vita,” to which I think angels may have started singing in the background.

nars dolce vita swatch

What I like so much about Dolce Vita is its flexibility. It makes it a great starter red — a creamy, dusty rose sheer enough to wear with subtle looks (when I want to go casual, I can slick one layer on my lips and call it a day), yet buildable enough to use for dramatic looks too.

nars dolce vita review swatch
One layer of NARS Dolce Vita!
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Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Primer for Eyeshadow and Concealer

December 18th, 2009 by Karen 44 Comments

benefit stay don't stray

Benefit has been on frickin’ fire this spring, ladies. Their upcoming “360-degree” eye makeup primer, Stay Don’t Stray ($24), works beneath eyeshadows AND concealers to lock both of them in place.

The “360-degree” part applies to where it’s designed to be used — from the eyelid to the under-eye area, and all the way around. Cool, yah?

benefit stay don't stray box

A couple of notes and first impressions…

Color: Just one, a neutral medium beige with a hint of yellow. Because it doesn’t have strong peach pink or tones, however, it should work well with a wide range of skin tones. And while it shines in liquid form, it dries on my skin to a matte finish.
Texture: Thin, like a liquid lotion that feels super light and smooth to the touch. Also, a little really goes a long way.
Packaging: I was expecting a wand (like Urban Decay’s Potion Primer) but like the so-called “custom airless pump.” That’s Benefit’s phrase for it. I’m not sure what it means, but I do know that it’s touchy. Push down a little too hard, and out comes a ton of product!

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Eyeko Mixes Makeup and Manga: Say Kon’nichiwa to Their Six New Nail Polishes

December 18th, 2009 by Karen 53 Comments

eyeko nail polish

Eyekosuki desu ka? Do you like Eyeko? 🙂 If you like cheeky manga (Japanese comics) and makeup, you’re in luck. That’s Eyeko’s specialty! The UK brand has just released a new line of $5 nail polishes.

After taking a quick look at them this morning, I’m really liking the Indigo Polish, a shimmery blackish blue (kinda reminds me of Lancome’s Declaring Indigo), and Cosmic Polish, also a shimmery black, but with flecks of black, green and orange glitter.

Now, the Nude Polish caught me by surprise… I’m picky about my nude nail polishes, but unlike most of the ones I’ve tried before, Eyeko’s didn’t streak at all. Two coats deliver creamy, opaque coverage.

As for the other three shades — a little too bubbly and streaky for me.

I like the $5 price, but that’s assuming you can find them in a store. They haven’t been the easiest polishes to find in my area. The company does ship from across the pond, but shipping can be expensive and take up to 21 days, ouch!

Let me know what you think from these swatches and if you’d like to see more. 🙂

Eyeko Indigo Polish

Eyeko Cosmic Polish for Space Age Nails
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Snowflake

December 18th, 2009 by Karen 7 Comments

Stretchy Tabby

December 18th, 2009 by Karen 16 Comments

Retro Roundup: One Year Ago on Makeup and Beauty Blog

December 18th, 2009 by Karen 11 Comments

121809-one-year-ago-on-makeup-and-beauty-blog

YES! Friday, at last. 🙂 What a challenging week, ladies, but it’s winding down.

Did you do anything fun last night? I can’t remember what I did… I think there was some chasing involved — Tabs chasing. My new thing is walking around the house, saying “Gravy,” which is his new nickname. He’s a fiend for gravy — tuna in gravy, seafood feast in gravy, salmon in gravy.

To start our Friday, here’s a quick look back at some of the things we were talking about on the blog this time last year. 🙂

How to Cover Up Dark Circles for a Wedding, Prom or Party with MAC Cosmetics Studio Finish Concealer: I suffered through a really bad bought of insomnia a few weeks ago, and my dark circles were extra terrible. My regular concealer, MAC Select Moisturecover, just wasn’t gettin’ it done. My friend Jen’s wedding was right around the corner, and I didn’t want to show up looking like death warmed over. I needed serious coverage, and I needed it fast.
MAC Makeup for Work: Club and Woodwinked Eyeshadows: I’m sporting two of my very first MAC eyeshadow purchases, Club and Woodwinked (both part of the permanent collection). I could write sonnets on both of these colors, as they’ve seen me through a lot over the past few years. Club, a shimmery duochorome, flashes from green to brown, and Woodwinked is a warm, shimmery gold. Today I paired â€˜em for this easy, breezy, work-friendly daytime eye.
5 Plum Posts: An Ode to Purple Makeup: Stila Convertible Eye Color in Violet made quick work of this smokey purple eye. The Violet shade’s pencil is a shimmery, dark plum; the coordinating shadow is a shimmery lavender.
A Smokey Eye Tutorial with MAC Cosmetics Metal Urge Gilded Ash Cream Shadow and Cocomotion Pigment: I don’t know if I’ll ever tire of doing smokey eyes. There are just so many different ways to work the look, like this spin on a daytime eye for work. It’s a method I learned from my favorite MAC artist, Jen, using products from the MAC Metal Urge and Red She Said collections.
Japanese Beauty Product or After-School Snack? Put on yo’ thinking cap and try to guess what this mystery product is!
With Pop Beauty Cat Eyes Liners It’s Good to Be Catty: OBSESSION ALERT! Pop Beauty Cat Eyes Liners ($16) make applying eyeliner easy and, well, kinda fun.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen