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

Dolce & Gabbana The Illuminator in Eva From the Holiday 2014 Collection

December 5th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Illuminator in Eva — Wearing Dolce & Gabbana’s The Illuminator in Eva on my upper cheekbones, and MAC Satin Lipstick in Toxic Tale from the MAC Red, Red, Red Collection on my lips

To think that once upon a time, many, many moons ago, gorgeously glowing skin was just something that happened sometimes on one of Mother Nature’s whims.

“Ooh! My cheeks are a little oilier than usual today? Woot! That means my skin will glow like Sheila’s, the cave-girl who lives down the way.”

Well, OK, that’s probably not exactly how it went down back in prehistoric days…but throw a girl a bone here please! I had awful insomnia last night (stayed up too late watching TV), so it’s the best I can do under the circumstances.

I did have a point though…

Now that we’re modern women living in modern times, we have access to a much wider range of illuminators than ever before, from frosty highlighters that leave your cheekbones lookin’ like Rihanna’s in a video (shine bright like a diamond!), to shimmers so soft that you can barely see their candlelit glow on your skin, and everything in between.

Dolce & Gabbana’s new six-piece holiday 2014 collection has a very interesting illuminator named Eva ($51, called The Illuminator in Eva; there’s also a bronzer in the collection called Desert), a creamy beige face powder blended with tiny flecks of gold glitter. It has a soft, sheen-like finish that reminds me of the Hourglass Ambient Powders, only the sparkly flecks seem finer…

They create a slightly different effect that’s flat-out gorgeous.

Available now in a limited edition holiday version with a pretty design on the pan (but also available in the permanent line) online and at Dolce & Gabbana counters.

Dolce & Gabbana Holiday 2014 — Three of six pieces in the Dolce & Gabbana holiday 2014 makeup collection

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A MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Cardinal Concoction of Cosmetological Creativity (aka Face of the Day)

December 5th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Like the hulking, crazy-eyed dog next door that barks and pulls at its leash when it crosses your path, or the mean girl bully in second grade who corners you in the girl’s bathroom at recess, red eyeshadow can sense your fear…

Today I fully intended to put MAC’s Strike While Haute matte red eyeshadow from the Red Red Red collection to good use, but then I chickened out…

It’s just so dang red, homie!

Eventually, I think I’ll be able to psych myself up to try it. I just need a couple more days to build up the courage. I keep hearing that it can look amazing on lids when done right…

Of course, it’s that last part — “when done right” — that has me a little nervous, LOL!

Instead, for my makeup today, I ended up using some other pieces from MAC’s new crimson collection — pearlescent pink champagne Lustre Eye Shadow in Give Me Fire (watch out for the fallout with this one ’cause it’s kinda fluffy) and reddish copper Red Alert (beautifully pigmented and looks great with warmer browns like MAC Texture). Then, I added a flashy pair of falsies with longer lashes at the outer corners for extra lift. Eyelure’s No. 121s.

For cheeks and lips, I went with soft pink tones — soft rose Casual Color in Red Obsessed, which I stippled on the apples of my cheeks with a skunk brush, and grapefruit pink Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer, topped with Cremesheen Glass in Meteoric. Both are also from the Red Red Red collection, which is available now in-stores and online (through January 15).

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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

December 5th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers — The new MAC Red, Red, Red collection Nail Lacquers ($10 each)

I’m undecided at the moment…but I think I’ve narrowed it down to one of the three shades in the new MAC Red, Red, Red collection (available now at Nordstrom for $10 each).

Down below on my nails that’s Rouge Combustion (#1 – the sparkly pinkish red); Red, Red, Red (#2 – the creamy orangey red); and Impassioned (#3 – the warm bright pink).

What do you think?

MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquer Swatches from the left: 1) Rouge Combustion; 2) Red, Red, Red; 3) Impassioned — My “trying to decide what to wear” swatches from my pointer finger down: 1) Rouge Combustion; 2) Red, Red, Red; and 3) Impassioned

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MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers in Rouge Combustion; Red, Red, Red; and Impassioned — MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers from my pointer finger down in Rouge Combustion; Red, Red, Red; and Impassioned

How ’bout you, babe? What are you wearing on your nails on this (most likely) cold and wintry morning?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!

The $39 Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Set Comes With Nine Nubbly Novelties/Diminutive Darlings

December 4th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

The nine little lipsticks in the $39 Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Set make me feel like Shrek, man! They’re just so precious and tiny in my paws.

Suddenly, it’s ogre time, which is like Hammer time, except without the backup dancers and shiny parachute pants.

OK, yeah, I’ve got that whole long-fingered E.T. hands thing happening, but really, my hands aren’t that big, and yet they seem like ginormous beast hands when I see myself holding one of these little lipsticks.

I’m starting to develop a complex. 🙂

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The $59.50 Make Up For Ever Studio Case Looks Like Something for Pros, But It Has a Lot of Help for Beginners Inside

December 4th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

The intimidation factor with Make Up For Ever’s Studio Case ($59.50) is high…

If I were unable to tell the difference between a domed brush and a shader brush, or the words “lid” and “crease” made me immediately think of mason jars and those ubiquitous pressed khaki pants worn by tech dudes, I may have just cruised right by the sleek black Studio Case and thought, “That is some scary sh*t.”

But not “scary” as in The Taking of Deborah Logan, which scared the living bejeezus out of me, but scary as in daunting as all hell — as in, you can only be allowed in its presence if you wear a brush belt around your hips at work.

The question is, does one require an advanced certificate from the Tabs the Cat School of Makeup Artistry (est. 2007) to beat major face with this kit?

No, I don’t think so… Not after seeing it up close.

In fact, the products in the case are surprisingly user-friendly, thanks, in part, to the way MUFE organized the 12 shadows (you can also pop the palette out of the case if you want).

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The Two New Limited Edition Le Metier de Beaute Obsidian Odyssey Kaleidoscope Palettes Deliver Fun, Form and Function at an Extravagant Price

December 4th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

The new limited edition Le Metier de Beaute Obsidian Odyssey Kaleidoscopes Palettes

Layers. They’re not just for onions, cakes and Godfather movies anymore. (No kidding! It took me years to figure out what was really going on with the Tattaglias and Barzinis.)

Layers are also for makeup — which are sometimes on your face, and sometimes in the construction of your palettes, like what Le Metier de Beaute does with their signature stacked Kaleidoscope pans.

So fun! I love how they float in and out of their compacts like silent kitty cat paws/covert makeup ninjas…

The brand’s two latest layered limited edition Kaleidoscope holiday palettes are a trip. For warm, smoldering gold, copper, pink and/or blue eyes and shiny pink and red lips, there’s the Obsidian Odyssey Lip and Cheek Kaleidoscope Palette ($125) and Obsidian Odyssey Eye Shadow Kaleidoscope Palette ($95).

Le Metier de Beaute Obsidian Odyssey Eye Shadow Kaleidoscope — Wearing the Obsidian Odyssey Eye Shadow Kaleidoscope Palette on my eyes…

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Give Your Hair a Hand Fighting Frizz in High Humidity With Kerastase Discipline Bain Fluidealiste

December 3rd, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Try to ignore for a second the bright lips in this pic (it’s Kat Von D Bachelorette), and focus instead on the hair.

The hurr!

Note how well-behaved it is…like a previously unruly child who gets suddenly very still and quiet when you mention taking her to Baskin-Robbins if she stops misbehaving.

It’s been raining more or less non-stop here for more than a week, and that means high humidity, which in turn usually means horrendous frizz.

But a few products from Kerastase’s new Discipline Bain Fluidealiste anti-frizz line are helping to keep my hair from throwing any wild fits.

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The Curvy, Creamy, Dreamy MAC Ultimate Lipsticks

December 3rd, 2014 by Karen 39 Comments

What’s gray, curvy and totally luxurious?

Um…good guess! But not quite. 🙂

Yeah, the new MAC Ultimate Lipsticks ($23) and Tabs definitely have a few things in common; both are gorgeous, and curvaceous, and look like they were sculpted by Michelangelo.

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What should I wear on mah nails?