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

The Uber-Luxe NARS Pro Brush Collection

May 11th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

I don’t even know where to start with the NARS Pro Brush Collection. The face brush is $95… I mean, I can’t. I just can’t. Almost $100 for a single brush is craziness to me. I thought a $38 Chanel eye brush was stressful!

I received these brushes as press samples, so I didn’t purchase them on my own. Because if I had, I would be the type of person who drives to Petco to buy Tabby’s gravy in a tricked-out Mercedes with those automatic side mirrors that collapse down like Transformers.

I am not that person… I drive a six-year-old Mazda.

If I were that type of person, though, I would consider getting one, or maybe two, of the uber-luxe, shockingly soft brushes in this collection. (Note: I was so shocked by how soft these were that I couldn’t keep it to myself. I had to have El Hub try them.)

Would I get all eight, though? No, not unless Tabs scores a big kitty modeling contract.

Again, the #1 Finisher powder brush is $95. The most “affordable” brush (air quotes) in the collection is a small angled eye brush called the #8 Small Sculptor, and it’s still $45.

There are eight brushes in all, most of them face brushes, with a couple of eye brushes in there as well.

The NARS Pro Brush Collection breakdown

#1 The Finisher ($95) — A large and fluffy brush ideal for buffing and blending powder formulas.

#2 The Brightener ($95) — A large, teardrop-shaped brush that specializes in highlighting and all-over blending with a weightless touch.

#3 The Intensifier ($85) — A medium-sized brush designed for creating defined cheek looks.

#4 The Sculptor ($85) — A medium-sized, angled brush ideal for sculpting, diffusing and dispersing fluid formulas.

#5 The Small Brightener ($55) — A small, teardrop-shaped brush with a weightless touch, ideal for highlighting eyes and other small areas on the face, like the bridge of the nose, Cupid’s bow and cheekbones.

#6 The Small Intensifier ($55) — A small, domed-shaped brush ideal for targeted contouring on the nose, in the crease, and on other small areas of the face.

#7 The Flat Intensifier ($55) — A small, flat makeup brush ideal for focused effects on the eyes and brows with powder formulas, and also for eyeshadow artistry, defining brows and setting under-eye concealer.

#8 The Small Sculptor ($45) — A small angled makeup brush ideal for adding dimension — with liquid and cream formulas — to small areas around the eyes and lips.

— Paraphrased from NARS PR

nars pro brush collection 1 4 — From the top: NARS #1 The Finisher ($95), #2 The brightener ($95), #3 The Intensifier ($85) and #4 The Sculptor ($85)

According to NARS, the brushes are made in Japan and bound by hand. They’re certainly fancy-looking, right? And the brush heads feel supernaturally soft, which I’d expect for brushes in this price range. I don’t feel a trace of scratchiness. None. These are like rolling around naked on fancy silk sheets. So luxurious!

When I hold the handles in my paw, they also feel sturdy and perfectly balanced. Neither too heavy, nor too light. They feel like they could be heirloom pieces you could pass down from one generation of makeup lover to the next.

What? Am I the only one who’d do that? I’d totally do that!

nars pro brush collection 4 8 — NARS #5 The Small Brightener ($55), #6 The Small Intensifier ($55), #7 The Flat Intensifier ($55) and #8 The Small Sculptor ($45)

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The NARS Orgasm Collection: A New Three-Piece Release Arriving May 15th

May 11th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

nars orgasm collection may 2017 — The new three-piece NARS Orgasm Collection, arriving May 15th at NARS boutiques and the NARS website

Question: Is it possible to have multiple orgasms when you’re putting on your makeup in the morning?

Answer: Um…yeah?! It’s too easy to go there and do prepubescent boy jokes with NARS Orgasm. I’m sorry! Color me adolescent.

nars orgasm collection blush lipstick — NARS Collection products from the left: Orgasm Liquid Blush ($30), Orgasm Lipstick ($28) and Limited Edition Orgasm Blush ($30)

NARS has a new Orgasm collection. Shocker. But this one’s actually pretty exciting because there are two new versions of Orgasm — a liquid blush and a lipstick — neither of which I think I’ve ever seen from NARS before.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a respectable re-issue of Orgasm if the original Orgasm powder blush wasn’t up in the mix, and this one has new LE packaging.

When/where

The collection comes out on May 15th, and it’ll be at NARS boutiques and the NARS website. I know for sure that the powder blush is LE, but I’m not sure about the liquid blush and the lipstick. Will have to get back to you on that.

NARS Orgasm Liquid Blush ($30)

Obviously, one of the exciting things here is Orgasm Liquid Blush, and girl…FRAK, it’s good!

For comparison, it’s thicker than Benefit Benetint. Actually, have you ever worn the Veil Primer by Hourglass? I think it feels a lot like that. Almost like a runny lotion, and it’s slippery and kinda silicone-y.

nars orgasm collection swatches — From the top: Orgasm Blush, Orgasm Liquid Blush and Orgasm Lipstick

You know the gold shimmer in the original Orgasm? I dunno…but it borders on obnoxious for me sometimes because I’ve got this whole pore situation happening. There’s still gold shimmer in Liquid Orgasm, too, but it’s waaay toned down. It looks like a satiny peach pink with micro flecks of gold in it that peek out here and there.

You can use it on top of or underneath powder products, and it does well in both situations.

Yeah, it’s $30, and the glass bottle is pretty tiny, but the pump is easy to control, and if you pump one drop and spread it around with a brush or your finger, that drop will just keep spreading and spreading and spreading… It’s so concentrated!

nars orgasm liquid blush — I’m wearing NARS Orgasm Liquid Blush on my cheeks and Orgasm Lipstick on my lips

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What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 12: Sparkly Purple Liner, and Fun With Matte and Dewy Finishes

May 10th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

I know I’ve asked this before (oh, 10 or 12 times), but do you like to wear colorful eye makeup? Like, lately? I’ve been pretty adventurous with color lately. More than I’ve been in years. At least two or three. I dunno… I went through a loooong period when all I wanted to wear on my eyes was brown shadow, and that was fun in its own way…but I’ve been liking playing with color again. It’s time.

(I’m wondering, does everyone go through a brown shadow phase at least once in their life?? Hmm…).

Anyway, for the last couple of “What I Wore Wednesdays,” I went full-on colorful, but today… Girl, I just wasn’t in the mood to blend very much (it happens), so I kinda cheated a little with a sparkly purple liner on my lash lines and taupe/bronze/brown lids.

Purple liner, especially bright and sparkly ones like the one I’m wearing (it’s MAC Designer Purple, an amazingly bright and sparkly purple liner that lasts FOREVER on lash lines), gives you a lot of bang for your back in terms of effort. You’ll look like you tried really hard, but ya know, it’s just a purple eyeliner. 🙂

I went “stash shopping” for this look, which is always exciting because it’s like digging for secret beauty booty/pirate treasure for things that haven’t seen the light of day in a while.

I had this picture in my mind of matte lids with sparkly purple liner, dewy skin and matte neutral lips, because I wanted to play with finishes and color, so I grabbed MAC Constructivist Paint Pot (which I used as an eyeshadow base) and the Hourglass Infinity Eyeshadow Palette, which I’ve always considered underrated, and Chanel Malice Blush, because LK and I were talking about it in the comments last week, and I got a hankering to wear it.

Oh, Malice… Reunited and it feels so good!

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The Lust List, Vol. 8: Stuff I Kinda Want

May 10th, 2017 by Karen 31 Comments

What is it about pricey makeup palettes — or me, for that matter, haha! — that makes me wish I could give them all a happy home? Especially the warm ones with a golden brown, a taupe, golden beige and/or peach?

I want to tell them all, “Come live with me, little lovelies, and we shall skip and prance under the light of the full moon.”

On that note…please try to ignore the crazy lady typing on her keyboard, and proceed ahead to this week’s Lust List. 🙂

Charlotte Tilbury Seductive Instant Look in a Palette ($75) — Thanks, gals, for telling me that the Charlotte Tilbury Seductive palette looks great on medium and darker skin tones! Now it’s on mah wish list.
MZ WALLACE Mia Bedford Nylon Crossbody Bag ($325) — This is a straight-up mom bag, and yes, I want it. I’ve been carrying around the same brown Kipling nylon bag FOR YEARS, and it’s starting to look a little long in the tooth… This one’s much more stylish. I like the gold hardware and the red accents. Classy. PLUS, LOOK AT ALL THOSE POCKETS. They’ll come in handy for Connor’s binkies and all the Ziploc plastic bags I seem to need at all times.
Tom Ford Nude Dip Palette ($83) — I have one of Tom’s quads with this same powder shadow formula (it’s even silkier than TF’s other quads, and the shimmer looks almost glossy), and this version? [INSERT DROOL HERE] I’m all about neutral taupe, browns, peach and beige.
Been wanting this FOREVER but have yet to add it to my collection. One could probably wear it along with the Charlotte Tilbury Seductive palette, yes?
BECCA X Chrissy Teigan Glow Face Palette ($46) — I’ve put this in my cart — no joke — at least five times, and when I finish writing this post, I’ll probably do it again. This palette is a collab with model and cookbook author Chrissy Tiegan, and it sold out on the Sephora website in about two seconds.
It’s still on the BECCA site, though! There’s a bronzer, two highlighters and a blush in it, and everything’s warm toned, which is so my jam. My rationale for getting it is that if I also get one for my mom (despite the fact that she hardly ever wears makeup, so this makes NO SENSE AT ALL), I should also be able to get one for myself. Right? RIIIIIIIGHT!
Chanel Contour Eyeshadow Brush #20 ($38) — I’m doing a terrible job of convincing myself that I don’t need any more Chanel eyeshadow brushes…
Why do they have to be SO SOFT?? I keep picturing a whole slew of them in a dainty jar on my desk, and now I can’t un-see that image.

Hit me with what you got on your lust list. I can take it! (And I just might add to mine, haha!)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

BECCA Sunchaser Palette: Those Warm Colors Look Lovely on Toasty Skin

May 9th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

Girl, you know how BECCA is kind of informally known as, like, the HBIC of beachy-lookin’ makeup? Anyway, I tried wearing beachy wave hair today to go with the BECCA Sunchaser Palette ($34) on my cheeks, and I can’t decide whether my mane looks more artfully tousled or just plain messy.

Eh, I’m gonna go with messy.

Sunchaser is an LE cheek palette that came out earlier this spring, and it’s still available. It’s a wonderful warm-toned blush, bronzer and highlighter, and if you bring it home, you’ll pretty much be covered through the end of summer.

becca sunchaser swatches — From the top: Ipanema Sunset Bronzer, Apricot Blossom Blush and Opal Highlighter

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Required Reading for May: The New Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer

May 9th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

So, laugh if you will. That’s fine by me! But I love when a new Fearless Flyer comes in the mail. Last night I had to chose between the new Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, Real Simple, Allure and Nylon for bedtime reading, and I chose the Fearless Flyer (of course!).

Um…best bedtime reading ever?! Because when was the last time you dreamed about pre-made Gyro meat? Fo’ reals, the Fearless Flyer will do that to ya.

Oh, and also, Trader Joe’s is the place to go now for low-key, affordable beauty products. Believe it. They have a new Organic Argan Oil, and it’s only $6.99 for a 1.7-oz. bottle (a bottle of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil at Sephora is $48 for the same size).

Incidentally, did you know that we get argan oil by extracting it from the kernels inside the fruit of the argan tree? And that to get to the kernals, the fruit is usually peeled and cracked by hand?

Yeah, because apparently they couldn’t get the Terminators to do it. 🙂

The things you learn from the Fearless Flyer!

In other news, TJs also has a new citrus-scented body wash that was made by “a very well-respected maker of high quality beauty care products, whose products sell for much higher prices at other retailers”?

Hello, mysterious! Color me intrigued…

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Makeup Shortcuts: Metallic Lipstick Doubles as a Cream Highlighter

May 8th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

You’ve probably heard of the lipstick-as-blush trick, but did ya know that you can use a metallic lipstick as a cream highlighter?

Yeah! You totes can. And since metallic lips are having a moment, you might have a tube of metallic lipstick sitting around. If you do, you can apply a little to your upper cheekbones, or anywhere on your face that you want to highlight, and blend the edges with a brush, sponge or finger.

Sometimes I’ll run a finger across the top of my metallic lippie a few times, then gently dab that on my upper cheekbones (gently so I don’t disrupt my bronzer/blush/foundation).

Or sometimes I’ll g-e-n-t-l-y dab the tube directly on my skin, but when I do that…no matter how careful I am, there’s still a higher chance of accidentally shifting whatever makeup I’m wearing under it.

This shortcut works particularly well with gold, rose gold and silver metallics! Try it sometime when you’re in the mood for a glossy cheek highlight.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hope you had a fantabulous Monday. What was the highlight?

Haha! Get it?? Highlight? I know, so dumb. 🙂

MAC Unsung Heroes: Minted Eye Kohl

May 8th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

Before I get into why I love MAC Minted Eye Kohl so much, first, a fun fact for my fellow cat ladies. ?

Next time you’re feeling extra feline, have a cup of catnip tea (ideally, in your favorite teacup, which, obvs, is decorated with cats!), and share some of the leaves with your kitty BFF, because catnip is in the mint family.

Hmm… That may or may not have been one of the most cat lady things I’ve ever said, haha!

So, MAC Minted Eye Kohl. This vibrant, luscious leafy green has playful pearly shimmer, and it’s one of the those liners you only have to run across your lash or water lines once or twice because of how potent and pigmented it is.

OK…green liner might sound nuts if you don’t venture out of the neutral zone often (trust me, I know, because there was a time when I would’ve been freaked out about wearing an eyeliner that wasn’t black or brown), but it’s one of those things that you just have to try, and once you do, you might not want to go back.

The thing is, Minted isn’t just any ol’ green liner. It’s got a special sauce. It’s like a Jedi mind trick! It captivates and captures attention (“You will notice me…”), and once it gets you, you’re got.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

This is the time of year I start wearing it more, because this is when blue, green and/or gold eye looks are my BFFS4EVA, and Minted goes well with those shades.

It’s a liner…but it’s also a good eyeshadow base.

Yeah, man! You can sweep the creamy kohl formula around with your brush when it’s on your lids and play with it. I really like to use it as a base for green and blue powder eyeshadows.

Just the other day, I layered it underneath the green/blue palette from MAC Fruity Juicy. Then I tried it with the bright palette from the UD Jean-Michel Basquiat.

It worked so well with both of them and kicked everything up a notch. If you’re thinking about either of those palettes, Minted would be a great extra something to add to the mix.

Ah, and it isn’t only good for gals and guys who love the cray-cray colors. Even if you mostly stick to neutrals, Minted is great for looks like that, too. Seriously!

Wear it with any warm browns or golden browns on your lids, like MAC Soft Brown, Saddle or Soba. I love it with all of them.

Here’s what you can do: sweep the neutral shade on your lids, then line your lower lash and water lines with Minted.

You can smudge it out with a pencil brush, or load your brush with the neutral shade you used on your lids (it’ll mellow out the edges of the green a tad). Or, if you want to go full-on ham, layer a shimmery green shadow right on top (I like MAC Steamy for this). Then, when you’re done with your eyes, add a few coats of mascara, and you’ve just had a makeup adventure with something more than basic brown! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen