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

The Affordable Bath and Body Works Liplicious Collection

October 17th, 2008 by Karen 19 Comments

Bath and Body Works wants us to ring in the holidays with pretty lips, courtesy of their new line of lipglosses, Liplicious. Starring more than thirty scented and flavored glosses, moisturizing lip colors, scrubs and lip gloss tubes all for an economical $7-8 apiece. The glosses and lip colors are double-sided, and after you throw in the buy two, get one free deal available on their website, that knocks the final price of these products down to less than $5.50 each ($2.25 per side on the double-sided ones)! HUGE BARGAIN POTENTIAL!

I tested three of the double-sided glosses: Platinum Glow/Gold Dust, Brown Sugar/Dulce de Leche and Mango/Peach.

Platinum Glow/Gold Dust

Platinum Glow

Gold Dust
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5 Makeup Storage Idea Starters

October 17th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

Sometimes I feel like a disorganized mess, especially when it comes to my makeup. I think some of it has to do with the process I like to use when I plan my looks in the mornings, how I like to set products out on the bathroom counter, contemplate each one, feel around through different eyeshadows and lipglosses until a combination strikes my fancy.

But some of it has to do with makeup storage choices. If you’re like me and struggle to stay organized, here are a few simple makeup storage ideas.

More Makeup Storage Solution Ideas
“The quest to rein in my makeup continues. At some point, I fear I’ll end up like those peeps you see on 60 Minutes who’ve trapped themselves in their homes behind stacks of boxes and crap. They end up living like sardines in a tin can. I’ve told myself I can’t get my Christmas tree until I clear out the corner where most of the makeup is sitting, boo hoo.”

Take Back Your Sanity! Lipstick Storage Only $1.79 Away
“Try as I might, I can’t avoid the siren call of The Container Store. Sure, it irks me that a store can survive on the premise of selling you new crap to store all your present crap, but desperate times call for desperate measures!”

Looking for Cheap, Stylish Ways to Organize Your Makeup?
“Your local art store may have just the thing you need to keep your growing makeup stash organized. Most arts and crafts stores stock unvarnished wooden boxes in assorted shapes and sizes. They make perfect (and affordable) makeup storage containers. I spied these boxes, each ranging from a whopping $1.50 to a staggering $3, at my local Ben Franklin Craft Store this afternoon. They’re perfect for storing eye shadows, blushes, glosses or whatever your makeup-lurving heart desires.”

Makeup Storage Solution Idea #1, Sears Craftsman
“For the past few months I’ve been storing stuff in Sterilite plastic craft drawers located in different rooms at home. I like that the drawers are cheap and easy to clean, but I’d still like to be able to keep it all in one central place. I was cruising Sears a few weeks ago, ’cause I had to buy some vacuum bags, and found a possible solution to the ever-increasing makeup madness: a Craftsman rolling tool chest! It’s tall, has several long, shallow drawers (perfect for eye shadow pans and palettes) and has enough storage room to hold everything.”

Makeup Storage for Traveling and Vacation; Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Travel Makeup List
“Ziplocs aren’t sexy, I know. I go on trips a few times a year, and at the airport I always see at least one cute girl hauling a sleek, heavy-looking train case full of makeup to her gate — and I’m always glad it’s not me.”

How do you store your makeup? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂

Face of the Day: Pink and Brown Smokey Eye with MAC Emanuel Ungaro, Suite Array and Sheer Minerals

October 16th, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments

I knew I’d be working closely with the new girl at work today, training her on our filing system and some billing stuff, so I wanted to look as polished and semi-reliable (ha!) as possible. I decided to wear this soft, smokey pink and brown eye. It has just the teeniest touch of sparkle and draws heavily on a few of MAC’s recent collections, including Emanuel Ungaro, Suite Array and Sheer Minerals.

The look was actually my second choice this morning. At first I’d wanted to wear blue, perhaps coupled with high heels, a feather boa and something with sequins, but I didn’t want to end the day thought of as the crazy chick at work, so I went with the upstanding and responsible citizen look instead. 🙂

First, I primed my lids with a layer of Benefit Birthday Suit cream shadow applied with a fingertip.

Next, I layered the light pink shade from the MAC Rose Suites Eye Shadow Duo directly on top of Birthday Suit using a Sonia Kashuk Large Eye Shadow Brush.

With the same brush, I swept MAC Mineral Eye Shadow onto the lid and just barely into the crease, concentrating most of the color on the outer third of the lid (the side closer to the ear).

Then, with a MAC 239 eye shadow brush, I applied the dark pink shade from the MAC Rose Suites Eye Shadow Duo in the outer third of the crease and, softly sweeping with a MAC 217 blending brush, soften away any harsh lines.

Using MAC Rave Pearlglide liner, I lined my upper lash line…

… and lined my lower lash line with Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof in Noir. Sweeping with the Le Stylo’s sponge tip end, I diffused the color until all that remained was a very faint line.

To finish the look, I curled my lashes with my trusty Shu Uemura lash curler and added two coats of Chanel Exceptionnel mascara in Smoky Noir.

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Lippmann Collection Party Like a Rockstar: Encore! Encore!

October 16th, 2008 by Karen 20 Comments

It’s true — Lippmann Collection’s limited edition Party Like a Rockstar nail kit ($24) won’t get you on the VIP guest list for the MTV VMA after party, but who cares? Your nails will look hot!

The kit comes with three .6-oz. mini bottles of Lippmann Collection polish in a cute plastic carrying pouch of shiny faux snakeskin. It’s very disco ball and should make a really eye-catching gift.

Devil in a Blue Dress: a creamy midnight blue

This creamy, inky blue looks almost black in some lighting. I didn’t expect to like Devil in a Blue Dress, but once I put her on she became my favorite of the three shades. I don’t have anything else like it in my nail polish stash. Love this!

Good Girl Gone Bad: a shimmery dark plum

Good Girl Gone Bad wields lots of silver and shimmery plum, but despite the shimmer it’s not gritty at all. The plum reminds me of some of the deep purple shades released earlier this year, like Sally Hansen’s Alchemy and Dior’s Vernis Nail Enamel in Liquorice, but the shimmery silver is what really sets it apart.

Addicted to Speed: a clear, quick drying top coat

I’ve used Addicted to Speed in the past and remember liking it then. It was released before this kit. She’s a shiny, long wearing, durable top coat comparable to — the mother of all nail polish top coats — Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.
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Halloween for Beauty Addicts: Choose Your Makeup Treat

October 15th, 2008 by Karen 32 Comments

How cool would it be if we went trick or treating but got makeup instead of candy? Out of some of these recent collections, which makeup treat would you choose?

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10 Recent Makeup Collections

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Palettes and Sets
Lancome’s C’est Magnifique Holiday Color Collection
Estee Lauder’s Vintage Jewels Holiday Color Collection
MAC Red She Said
MAC Manish Arora
Shu Uemura Mika Collection
Chanel Holiday 2008
Benefit Holiday 2008
Smashbox Rapture Holiday 2008
Nars Holiday 2008

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Philosophy’s The Haunted House Shower Gels Are Scary Good!

October 15th, 2008 by Karen 31 Comments

True confession: when I visit other people’s homes I peek inside their showers to see what shampoos and body washes they use.

Of course, if someone were to peek into my shower, they’d probably think I have shower gel ADD. It’s jam packed with products, like the shampoo aisle at Rite Aid, LOL! I’ve covered every single square inch of usable surface area. It drives El Hub crazy. I listen when he’s in there and hear thud after thud as bottles and jars fall from the shower ledge and into the tub, followed almost immediately by something like “Damnit!” or “Argh!” or “Karen!”

Well, this week the ledge inside my shower has also been home to Philosophy’s The Haunted House ($30) shower gel set.

It comes with three 6-oz. bottles of Halloween-inspired scented shower gels. Each doubles as a shampoo or bubble bath, and all three come in a cute lil’ haunted house box.

Pumpkin Spice Muffin smells just like homemade pumpkin muffins (with plenty of brown sugar and cinnamon!) baking in the oven.

Caramel Apple has a sweeter scent, like caramel, with just a hint of crisp juicy Granny Smith Apple.

Black Licorice reminds me of the licorice plants that grew all over my neighborhood in the East Bay. I have great memories of the smell but don’t really like the taste of licorice, so this was my least favorite of the three.

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Get Smudgy with Stila Kajal Eye Liners

October 14th, 2008 by Karen 42 Comments

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which eye liner’s the smoothest of all?

Stila’s Kajal Eye Liner ($18) lays smooth smack down on pencil liners that tug and skip along lash lines. Available in eight shades, it literally glides across the skin, creating solid, intensely colored lines — no muss, no fuss.

Available in 8 Shades

I tried two of them, Emerald and Amethyst. Both performed admirably when used on my upper and lower lash lines, creating both soft and sharp lines with a single swipe. The tip texture feels unusually soft and creamy, and it was a cinch to smudge out lines for smokey looks.

Similar to MAC Kohl in Smolder

Smudginess — is that even a word? I don’t know if it is, but either way I think it accurately describes the texture and feel of this formula. Kajal reminds me of MAC Kohl Eye Liner in Smolder, a pencil I often use in my smokey eye looks.

The MAC Kohls cost a few dollars less ($14.50 vs. $18) and come in a wider selection of colors (15 vs. 8), but I think Stila Kajals perform just slightly better. Both brands have enough muscle to last the day and deliver seriously intense color, but the Kajals are just a wee bit easier to apply and to smudge. Now, do they perform 24% better than the Kohls? — because that’s the difference in price. Of that, I’m not so sure.
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L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes: BHA Me

October 14th, 2008 by Karen 28 Comments

I think there’s something therapeutic about watching bad reality TV from the couch while I remove my makeup with a cleansing wipe. Last night I grabbed L’Oreal’s new Skin Genesis Micro-Smoothing Wet Cleansing Towelettes, which I’ve been itching to try for a while, and wiped away my makeup (and my cares) while LC, Spencer, Heidi, Audrina and Justin-Bobby (that dumb ass) battled it out on The Hills.

Why I love BHA Products

L’Oreals Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes are the first wipes I’ve used that contain BHA, or beta hydroxy acid (aka salicylic acid). I have mild adult acne, and past BHA products have helped relieve my acne without drying out my skin. I seem to respond well to BHAs, so I was looking forward to putting Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes to the test.

BHAs are widely reported to decrease the appearance of wrinkles, roughness and mottled pigmentation caused by sun-damage. Dermatologists often recommend BHAs over AHAs because they’re generally less irritating, but here’s a previous post with more detailed information on BHAs and AHAs.

What Sets These Towelettes Apart?

I gotta say… these are the softest wipes I’ve ever used. The embossed fabric looks fluffier and feels much softer against the skin than MAC Wipes do. Plus, they give a little, like cotton, and have a pleasant (albeit intense) honeysuckle/rose fragrance, which I like.
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