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Take a (Brief) Break from Dark Circles with DuWop Circle Block Concealer

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Turns out my concerns about how DuWop Circle Block Concealer ($28) would actually work in practice were right. I’m glad I saved my receipt because it’s going right back to Sephora!

It’s really too bad ’cause I was so excited about this product. I’d never seen anything like Circle Block’s two-part concealer system before. The cute lil’ jar comes with both a creamy peach colored waterproof color corrector to block dark circles and a liquid under-eye concealer to cover them up. Sounds genius, right?

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Circle Block in Medium

There are three shades (light, medium, dark) to choose from, and I decided to go with medium.

My eyes look pretty good when I have it on; the color corrector covers up the dark areas thoroughly, and the concealer lightens up the eye area — like it’s supposed to.

Unfortch the effect doesn’t last, and after just one hour of wear it all but disappears. Hello again, zombie girl![Continue reading…]

Website Wonkiness…

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Hi, homies!

Just a quick heads up — I’m sorry if the site’s taking hella years to load today or if you haven’t been able to get on at all. I’m having some technical trubs (argh!), but I’m working on getting them fixed right now.

Hopefully everything will be back to bid-ness as usual very soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Do You Use a Separate Neck Cream?

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For years I neglected the skin on my neck. I skipped using SPF and moisturizer on it for most of my life, and I think my neglect has started to show, boo!

Last year, hoping to make up for lost time, I started religiously using moisturizer and sunscreen on my neck, but lately I’ve been wondering if a special, targeted uber-neck cream would work better than regular ol’ moisturizer.

While hella expensive, Clarins makes one that sounds like it’s worth a try: Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream ($80).

From the Clarins website:

“The ultimate firming neck treatment that enhances skin’s youthful-looking appearance for women over 40. This targeted treatment helps firm and smooth away lines and wrinkles as it immediately lifts.”

I asked a Clarin’s makeup artist about the cream, and she was totally convinced it worked better than basic moisturizer. Hmm… Part of me wants to believe, but the other half can’t get past the $80 price.

At night, I’ve just been using whatever moisturizer I use on my face, and then during the day wear that same moisturizer beneath a layer of SPF.

What do you gals do to take care of the skin on your neck?

Do you just use your regular moisturizer, or do you think it’s worth investing in a separate neck cream?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCremes: Have We Met Before?

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Estee Lauder must have heard how much I love cream eyeshadows (LOL!) because they just released a new line of 10 called Double Wear ShadowCremes ($17.50 each).

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All of the Double Wear ShadowCreme swatches with flash

The 10 colors include…

  • Blue Velvet: A shimmery indigo-blue
  • Antique Gold: A shimmery bronze
  • Ivory Lace: A shimmery golden beige
  • Silver Leaf: A shimmery taupe
  • Vintage Violet: A shimmery deep purple
  • Sea Mist: A shimmery teal
  • Lilac Petals: A shimmery cool lilac
  • Golden Apricot: A shimmery golden orange
  • Pink Blush: A creamy, peachy pink
  • Precious Jade: A shimmery greenish gold

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The entire Double Wear ShadowCreme family without flash

When I checked them out today I had some serious MAC Paint Pot ($16.50) de ja vu/vu ja de.

If I were to close my eyes and touch a Double Wear shadow, I’d probably mistake it for a Paint Pot. They have a similar medium-weight feel to them, and they even look like Paint Pots, too, having a rich pigmentation that, like Paint Pots, lasts for hours without budging a bit. They’re like MAC Paint Pots in almost every way beyond the packaging and that they cost a buck more.

I was swatching the colors at a counter when a few of the shades reminded me of last year’s Paint Pots from the MAC Fafi collection.

I think Pink Blush looks like a lot like Perky, Sea Mist resembles Rollickin’ and Vintage Violate bears a striking resemblance to Nice Vice. If you missed the Fafi Paint Pots last year, this might be a great opportunity to score some near-dupes.

And this isn’t a Fafi dupe, but doesn’t Estee Lauder’s Precious Jade remind you of MAC Fluidline gel liner in Sweet Sage (a shimmery greenish gold)?

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MAC Fluidline in Sweet Sage, MAC Paint Pot in Perky, MAC Paint Pot in Rollickin’, MAC Paint Pot in Nice Vice

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Blue Velvet
[Continue reading…]

Look Younger — REALLY! — With DuWop Foundation of Youth

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Even though I like to think of myself as youthful (hello, I like all things teenagery, a la The Hills and Us Weekly!), finding a scary white hair on my left eyebrow a few weeks ago gently reminded me of my age, EEK!

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Now I’m on an anti-aging makeup kick, hence my new love affair with DuWop’s Foundation of Youth ($38), a liquid foundation I picked up on a recent trip to Sephora.

DuWop bills oil-free Foundation of Youth as an “anti-aging” product, one they claim will noticeably reduce the appearance of fine lines and help restore firmness to skin.

It comes in six shades, and the one I have is called Beige.

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Unlike most foundations, it comes with an attached brush applicator. You squeeze the tube, which moistens the attached brush with foundation, and then sweep the brush over your face to distribute and blend.

Right off the bat I could see a difference in the texture of my skin. My pores looked smaller, and fine lines appeared softer.

You know how some foundations can actually appear to exaggerate imperfections in your skin as the day wears on? Not DuWop. It maintained a smooth, consistent texture even after a full day of wear.

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Before DuWop

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After DuWop
[Continue reading…]

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