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

Cool-Toned Grays Signal a Smoky Black Friday at MAC: Available for One Day Only, the $25 MAC Smoky Black Friday Veluxe Pearl Fusion Shadow Trio

November 26th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Ya know…we should really figure out some sort of long-range communication system that doesn’t involve technology, just in case the sh*t ever hits the fan, and the Internet goes dark, and we need a way to ask each other important questions like, “Girl, are you doing any Black Friday shopping?” or, “What do you think of the new MAC Smoky Black Friday Velux Pearlfusion Shadow Trio?”

My first thought was carrier pigeons, but then many of us have cats…

So now I’m thinking smoke signals, but I haven’t figured out the vocabulary yet.

Like, how would you say, “I think the three Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows in this online exclusive are just OK,” with a small fire and smoke?

I don’t know…

I’d also want to say, “I probably wouldn’t take off my hoop earrings and throw down if there was a shortage of these trios and I was forced to fight for the last one, but I might reach for one on a Friday night if I wanted to do a fast and shimmery smokey eye that didn’t require a ton of work.”

But that seems like a lot to say with puffs of smoke…

MAC Smoky Black Friday swatches — Wearing Smoky Black Friday on my lids and MAC Matte Lipstick in Nouvelle Vogue on my lips

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Tonight, I’m Livin’ in a Fantasy (My Own Little Nasty World), With the New MAC Nasty Gal Collection Lipsticks

November 26th, 2014 by Karen 34 Comments

MAC Nasty Gal Matte Lipsticks from the left: Runner, Stunner and Gunner ($16 US each, $19 CAD)

“Psst! Look at that girl.”

“Which girl…?”

“That one!”

“Which one? That one right there?”

“Yeah, that one you’re rudely pointing at in broad daylight right there, LOL! The one wearing the dark matte lipstick.”

“Yeah, I see her… She’s nasty.”

“What!? What are you talking about, ‘she’s nasty’? That’s a terrible thing to say!”

“No, doofus. Not like that. I mean she is literally a nasty gal.”

“You lost me…”

“I mean she’s wearing one of the three lipsticks in the new MAC Nasty Gal collection.”

Another fab collab, this one between MAC and Nasty Gal owner/founder Sophia Amoruso, the four-piece MAC Nasty Gal collection is coming to select MAC stores and the MAC website December 4 (through January 1, 2015) with three lipsticks in Stunner (a matte red), Runner (a matte burgundy) and Gunner (a deep matte purple) for $16 US/$19 CAD, as well as a true red Studio Nail Lacquer with a creme finish called Flaming Rose ($12 US/$14 CAD; not shown in this post).

MAC Nasty Gal Swatches from the left: Stunner, Runner and Gunner — Swatches from the left: Stunner, Runner and Gunner

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Matte Madness: MAC Matte Lipstick in Pander Me + MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera

November 26th, 2014 by Karen 34 Comments

I wonder how many times I’ve typed “matte” over the past two days…

A lot, methinks. 🙂

Here’s a matte neutral combo I’ve been crushing on: peachy mocha brown MAC Matte Lipstick in Pander Me ($16), with creamy beige MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera ($20).

MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera — Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera ($20)

MAC Matte Lipstick in Pander Me (left) and Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera

Yes, I’m in the midst of a pretty serious matte kick right meow…

The Matte Madness series features some of my favorite matte products as of late

Kerastase Carre Lissant Hairstyle Touch-Up Sheets for Hair Do the Dryer Sheet Dance to Fight Frizz

November 26th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Tonight, in Urban Legends of the Beauty World…

Long, long ago in a town, far, far away, a girl did something unfathomable!

It was the night of the big winter semi-formal, and she was getting ready at home. Her date — a cutie, of course — was on his way to pick her up, but her hair was a frizzy mess.

Ding-dong! The doorbell rang downstairs.

In a moment of random panic/fortuitous kismet, the girl grabbed an old dryer sheet from the trash and ran it over the top layers of her hair.

Miraculously, her wild, wayward strands were smoothed! Huzzah!

Or so the story goes…

Well, Kerastase is taking that idea and making it less MacGyver-ish, and more hair-friendly, with their new fancy-schmancy Carre Lissant Hairstyle Touch-Up Sheets ($28.50 for a box of 50).

They’re basically the same idea. Each sheet contains a waxy-feeling, smoothing product to fix fly-aways and frizz, but instead of scenting your mop with Eau de Snuggle Bear, they leave behind a soothing lavender fragrance.

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Tantalizing Trios Await! With the Transformative bareMinerals Ready Convertible Eyeshadow Palette, You Can Take It With You

November 25th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

This new $39 Ready Convertible Eyeshadow Palette by bareminerals is a lot like the last Transformers movie…except without the fast-twitch camera cuts, ear-splitting explosions and, ya know, robots.

OK, so now that I’ve thought about it more…it’s actually nothing at all like the last Transformers movie.

But it is like the slogan. 🙂 “More than meets the eye.”

With 12 full-size shimmery eyeshadows that you can pop in and out, this holiday set is something of a quick-change artist. The idea is to place three colors into the smaller mini-palette in the middle of the bigger palette, which you can then slide out and take along with you — you know, for touchups, booty calls, impromptu acts of makeup artistry in airport bathrooms, etc.

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Tag, You’re It, Girl! Go Cremesheen Crazy for Less With the $39.50 The It Girl Trio by It Cosmetics

November 25th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

It Cosmetics The It Girl Set Under the Mistletoe — Wearing Under the Mistletoe gloss from the new $39.50 The It Girl Set by It Cosmetics

And here I was, thinking that in order to be an “it girl,” I was going to have to travel to a parallel universe, one where it’s hip to have spinach stuck in your teeth (And it’s always the teeth on the upper left side… Why?!), wear clothes covered in three pounds of cat hair and have an overabundance of hair roots in desperate need of a dye job.

Not so. If the new $39.50 The It Girl Set by cruelty-free It Cosmetics has any say in the matter, all of us can be it girls (or boys!) together.

It Cosmetics The It Girl, $39.50 — The It Girl, by It Cosmetics ($39.50)

“Power to the it girls!” she shouted, before reading the names of the limited edition shades in the three-piece set aloud.

Her feline sidekick appeared disinterested.

“Listen, Tabs,” the girl continued. “There’s pale pink Snow Bunny, pinkish brown Joy to the World and berry Under the Mistletoe. Which of these my-lips-but-better colors do you like best on me?”

The cat sneezed, then spontaneously licked his paw.

“Anyone? Bueller?”

Tabs may not have an opinion on these three sheer, creamy glosses (he’s partial to bling, after all, and none of them are vibrant or sparkly), but I bet RyGos would. 🙂 Because he’s fabulous like that, obvs.

It Cosmetics The It Girl Set glosses from the left: Snow Bunny, Joy to the World and Under the Mistletoe — From the left: Snow Bunny, Joy to the World, and Under the Mistletoe

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[SPONSORED] Comment to Win $188 in Fragrances From i smell great and the Maker of CLEAN Perfume

November 25th, 2014 by Karen 232 Comments

The following post is sponsored by i smell great. From the creator of CLEAN perfume, the scents you love, extracted, encapsulated, bottled. Isn’t that great? Learn more at ismellgreat.com.

Too bad mixing and matching things isn’t always as easy as it is with the new i smell great fragrance line.

Like when it comes to mixing and matching prints… I start out trying to create a cool-girl outfit but usually end up looking like I created my wardrobe in the dark.

Or cooking! Note to self: randomly throwing things from the fridge into a pot, and then praying that it turns into something edible, is not a legit food philosophy. I can tell you first hand that it works less than half the time.

But when I mix and match and layer any of the four gentle fragrances in the new i smell great line, totally different story. Every concoction I try turns out fantastic.

New from the creator of CLEAN, i smell great currently has five products and four fragrances. I’ve just started using them and like every one.

Beach Babe, Candy Crush, Angel Cake and Wild Honey — the four scents — are gentle, surprisingly long-lasting and very light, so they aren’t overpowering, and they’re designed to be mixed and layered together to create unique scents (of course you can also wear them individually).

i smell great: the four fragrances

beach babe: Ah, take me away to a land of tropical breezes, coconut cream and golden suntan oil…

candy crush: Mouthwatering candied flower petals, rose syrup, icing sugar and candy hearts to tempt and tease you.

angel cake: A comfy, cozy scent with notes of pink icing, powdered sugar and candied almonds…with a touch of sweetness.

wild honey: A soothing synthesis of honey, brown sugar, Tahitian vanilla and sweet nectar make this intoxicating aroma irresistible.

Which brings me to this…

It’s giveaway time!

Want to explore i smell great for yourself? You, my friend, have clicked on the right blog. 🙂 Enter now to win an aromatic prize package worth $188, featuring all four scents in the line. In no time you’ll be mixing and matching like a graduate of Givaudan!

The prize

One (1) lucky lady or gent will win a prize package valued at $188, including…

Eau de Parfum in Wild Honey ($68)
Wellness Water Mist in Angel Cake ($32)
Soft Body Whip in Candy Crush ($28)
Hair Fragrance in Beach Babe ($32)
Reactive Lush Lip in Candy Crush ($28)

To enter, leave a comment below, and your comment can be about anything at all. Tell me about your favorite scents from real life (fresh laundry dried with fabric softener, baby powder or the inside of a Starbucks at the crack of dawn perhaps?), if you plan to go shopping on Black Friday and what you plan to get, or what you’re preparing for your feast on Thanksgiving.

Seriously, any topic you want.

Terms & Conditions
Enter by leaving a comment below about anything at all.

Deadline to enter is Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Entrants must enter using a valid email address to win.

The giveaway is open to individuals in the United States who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).

Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries left in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Void where prohibited by law.

Sending you my most fragrant wishes of good luck. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Instead of Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat, The Magic Act Eye and Cheek Palette by bareMinerals Creates Compliments Out of Thin Air

November 24th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Huzzah! Good news, friend! As it turns out, you will not have to promise your first born child, sell your soul or slice your arm open and drip blood into a boiling cauldron in order to experience The Magic Act ($39), the new holiday neutral eye and cheek palette by bareMinerals.

Seriously, thank goodness, because the last thing I want to do on a Monday afternoon is barter with a warlock. Generally, I’m much better equipped for things related to the dark arts later in the week…like around Wednesday or Thursday, after I’ve warmed up. 🙂

The Magic Act comes with six powder eyeshadows (three mattes and three shimmers), three blushes (two satins and a shimmer) and a highlighter, all in neutral shades, and with pigment levels that range from sheer to medium.

It’s weird, but whenever I wear this palette, I usually wear it with a bright lip and sometimes a bold liner, and when I do, someone will invariably ask about my lids or cheeks…even though those are the parts of my look that aren’t bold or flashy.

The palette’s neutral browns, beiges, taupes, pinks and peaches are mysteriously attention-getting…

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