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

Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 2

May 26th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

I like kickin’ it at the drugstore because I can “ooh” and “ah” over eye palettes and shampoo without my wallet raising hell.

Here are some drugstore gems that caught my fancy this week, along with a few misses.

1. Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balms ($4.99 each)

If I were eight years old and spotted these Revlon Kiss Balms at CVS, I would BEG my mom to get me one or two or three. (“Pretty please, Mommy!”)

They’re so cute! These moderately moisturizing twist-up balms contain fab fruit oils and SPF 20, but they’re super sheer, so I can’t really tell the difference between them. Juicy Peach and Fresh Strawberry look pretty much the same, but that’s OK, because they’re just TOO CUTE.

They’re just basic balms, but oh, yeah — they taste and smell like gummy ? bears, too.

BOOM. 🙂

VERDICT: Need!

Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balms ingredients
Avobenzone 2.0%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 3.0%. Other Ingredients: Polybutene, Diisostearyl Malate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Polyethylene, Ozokerite, Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Cera Alba ((Beeswax) Cire D Abeille), Parfum (Fragrance), Flavor, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Cetyl Palmitate, Benzoic Acid, Oxidized Polyethylene, BHT, Silica, Sodium Saccharin, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Amyl Cinnamal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool

2. Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Volume Arabica Coffee Fruit Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99 each)

herbal essences volume arabica coffee fruit — Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Volume Arabica Coffee Fruit Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99 each)

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Urban Decay Liquid Aura Illuminating Mix-In Medium Looks Like Unicorn Tears…or a Runnier, Subtler Version of Strobe Cream

May 25th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

No worries! Allow me to allay your fears. No, you do not need to know the color of your aura in order to wear the new Urban Decay Liquid Aura Illuminating Mix-In Medium.

Incidentally, my aura is bright yellow and orange, but the only reason I know that is because a friendly mystic spontaneously read my aura in a restroom inside the Bellagio Casino in Last Vegas.

Lucky me!

Urban Decay Liquid Aura Illuminating Mix-In Medium is an opalescent liquid serum that you can mix with your foundation for a dewy, glowing finish.

The color is… Well, it’s… It isn’t easy to describe, but I’m gonna do my best here. It’s a sheer opalescent white with pink pearl particles that are so barely there that you have to squint to see them.

Basically, it looks like unicorn ? tears, or a runnier, subtler version of MAC Strobe Cream.

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Funky Bullets! A Quick Look at a Few Shades From the Estée Lauder Pure Color Love Lipstick Line

May 25th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

estee lauder pure color love lipstick — From the left: four of 30 Estée Lauder Pure Love Lipsticks ($22 each) in Shock & Awe, Blase Buff, Radical Chic and Raw Sugar

I can’t be the only person out there whose first thought when they saw these funky angled bullets was to use them as a whistle…

estee lauder pure color love lipstick k — Wearing and holding Radical Chic

I just can’t be!

For the record, you can apply the Estée Lauder Pure Love Lipsticks ($22 each) straight from the bullets, then rub your lips together to move the lipstick around, but the color concentrates in the middle and feathers out unevenly to where it ends up looking like you were trying to recreate something editorial, chic and Vogue-like but didn’t quite get there…

The angled tip does work well, especially for getting into the corners and around the edges of your lips, but it’s a tad awkward to wield at first.

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New Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter Travel Contouring and Highlighting Palettes

May 25th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

urban decay naked skin shapeshifter packaging — The new Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter palettes ($45 each), available now online and at Sephora Ulta

Hmm… Would I change my tune about contouring if the new Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter palettes had actual werewolves on the packaging? I dunno, maybe. You know how I get about vampires and werewolves.

Aren’t these pretty? And when you open them up, look at that — even more prettiness! There are four powders on one side, five creams on the others and, in the middle between them, a huge mirror.

urban decay naked skin shapeshifter light medium shift — Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter in Light Medium Shift ($45)

urban decay naked skin shapeshifter medium dark shift — Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter in Medium Dark Shift ($45)

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The MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. Collection: Sporty Fun That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

May 24th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

mac steve j yoni p packaging — The new MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. collection, coming June 1st

Doesn’t Steve J. & Yoni P. sound like the name of a singer-songwriter duo? Like, you’d turn on the radio to Alice@93.7 and hear a guitar ? and a mournful tambourine in a song about finding long lost millennial love on Tinder?

LOL! No, they aren’t a musical group. They’re actually Korean fashion designers, and even though my idea of cutting edge fashion is a new pair of black leggings, I think the packaging for the new limited edition MAC x Steve J. & Yoni P. collection says a lot about their sense of style.

mac steve j yoni p boxes — So cute and fun!

It tells me that they probably like yellow and pale pink! And it also makes me wonder who the cartoony lady with red lips and Cleopatra-style eye makeup is.

I like the style. It’s sporty and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The collection, which comes out June 1st and will be available wherever MAC is sold, includes four lipsticks, two powder blushes, a potted eye gloss, a black mascara, two powder eyeshadow duos, a six-pan lip and cheek cream palette, a makeup bag and two brushes.

mac steve j yoni p boxes lip cheek palette — MAC Lip & Cheek Palette X 6/ Yoni Attraction, $40

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The Summer of Skin Care: Son & Park Beauty Water

May 24th, 2017 by Karen 19 Comments

Wow, Beauty Water smells like the product of a mad genius mixologist who spent years crafting a special concoction made with the peel of an exotic, prehistoric citrus fruit found only in a secret valley lost to civilization eons ago.

If it were a beverage, I would pour it over ice on hot afternoons, sip it at my desk and call it “Mommy’s special sauce.” LOL! 🙂

The first stop on the Summer of Skin Care tour is Beauty Water by Son & Park ($30).

The way people rave about this Korean brand’s toner on the Sephora website makes it sound like a miracle in a bottle. It’s an exfoliator made for most skin types (normal, oily, combo, dry and sensitive), and it’s supposed to alleviate dullness, dryness and uneven texture.

The ingredient list is pretty long, but I see lots of plant extracts high on the list. The fourth item down, Hamamelis Virginiana water, is commonly known as witch hazel water, and here’s a fun fact about that: witch hazel is one of very few products that is both endorsed by real witches *and* FDA approved.

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The Lust List, Vol. 10: Stuff I Kinda Want

May 24th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

I told myself that if I run three times this week, I can reward myself with something from today’s Lust List…

Never have I been so motivated to lace up my sneakers.

See, that’s the secret to working out — straight-up bribery! 🙂

Here’s some of the stuff I’m currently lusting after…

Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow ($36) — These potted cream shadows are like Pokemon in that you gotta catch ’em all! I have a few of these, and I love them, so, of course, the next logical step would be to hoard the browns.
This one is 806 Terre Brulee, and it looks like Bambi’s coat.

I have dreams of owning every single color in the line.
Senita Athletics Swift Shorts in Black ($24, but currently on sale for $19) — Thank you, Abbey, for the heads up about this indie workout wear shop for women. These shorts are similar to the Athleta ones from last week’s list but more affordable. They’ve got a hidden compression layer underneath the actual shorts, so the person behind you in class won’t see your booty cheeks hanging out when you’re doing squats.
I’ve been combing through the reviews, and it sounds like the products are generally well made and affordable. Hello, promising!
Jetoy iPhone 7 Case ($24) — I wanna upgrade my phone just so I can roll around with this banana cat on my case. I LOVE HIM!!!
Jetoy Cat Face T-Shirt ($38) — Is there such a thing as too many cat-themed tees? I don’t think so!
I like the draping cut of this tee. It sure looks comfy.
Giorgio Armani Life is a Cruise Sunset Eye Palette ($88) — When I think of sunset eyes, I usually think an ombre effect with sunset colors like red, orange and yellow, so this approach by Armani is a surprise.
Generally, I find Armani’s eyeshadows to be lovely but overpriced… That dark green on the bottom, though, has me feeling something-something, and I dig the wave design on the pan.
Viseart Theory Highlighter, Blush & Bronzer in Enamored and Ablaze ($45 each) — I bought my first Viseart eye palette at the last VIB sale, and dang if it wasn’t my gateway product for the brand. Now I wanna try their new face palettes, which have a bronzer, blush and highlighter.
I’m all about Ablaze, which is the one with the coral blush in the middle.
First Aid Beauty FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% ($58) — Eventually, I plan to get a prescription retinoid up in my skin care mix, but I think I have to get my skin accustomed to the weaker retinol version first.
I’ve heard that this 0.25% serum works well for sensitive skin types, but I’m a little confused as to why it has vitamin C in it, because I’ve read that you want to avoid layering retinols and vitamin C together.

Eh, I might ask for a sample anyway at Sephora next time I go.
Clinique Pop Lip Shadow Cushion Matte Lip Powders ($19.50 each) — I’m so curious about these!
They look like shadows…and they have a powder formula, but they’re for your lips.

What!? Mind blown.

I’m dying to find out if these are good! Of course I want to try the bright colors first, and Fuchsia Pop is at the top of my list (well, it’s at the bottom of this list, but you know what I mean).

OK, girlfriend, sharing is caring. Now that you know what’s on my list this week, I need to know what’s on yours.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Toasty Twins From the Guerlain Summer 2017 Collection

May 23rd, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

guerlain sun tonic brunettes and orange peps — Wearing Guerlain Terracotta Sun Tonic Bronzing Powder ($53) on my cheeks and Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick in Orange Peps on my lips ($37), both of them limited edition from the summer 2017 collection.

I know it doesn’t officially turn summer until next month, but even unofficially, it doesn’t seem like summer until I get a Guerlain bronzer up in the mix.

There are so many good bronzers out there, but when I think of flawless, natural-looking, old-school, tried-and-true classic summer bronzing, Guerlain is the godmother of them all.

Oh! — speaking of good bronzers, though, the new bronzers from Hourglass are so dang beautiful, as are BECCA’s, and Marc Jacobs did one recently that’s perfection on light skin.

guerlain sun tonic brunettes — Guerlain Terracotta Sun Tonic Bronzing Powder

Every year Guerlain releases limited edition versions of their powder bronzers, and every year I await them with bated breath. This week I tried one from their new summer 2017 collection called Sun Tonic Brunettes.

Ah… Excuse me while I smoosh my nose into the pan. I’m getting a whiff of it right meow, and it smells SO good.

Guerlain usually gives their bronzers a tiare flower scent, but this one smells a little different. I still get strong tiare flower notes, but there’s also some jasmine up in there. I love it.

guerlain sun tonic brunettes and orange peps swatches — Swatches of Guerlain Sun Tonic Brunettes and Orange Peps

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