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The Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014: Feathers and Diamonds to Tickle Fancies and Make Hearts Flutter

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix — Makeup by the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection. Eyes: Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit. Upper cheekbones: Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder. Lips: Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante. Nails: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix.

Feathers and diamonds, the inspirations for the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection, are two things that Tabs and I love in almost equal measure (well, I’m more partial to the diamonds, but he goes buck wild for the feathers!).

The nine-piece holiday release has just started to alight and sparkle on Chanel counters (it’s also available online), and it’s steeped in classic colors. Red and gold enliven lips and nails, while luminescent peach and platinum gold highlight cheeks, and subtle, sophisticated gray, black, beige and gold luxuriously glimmer on lids.

Can I just say that I think the marketing visuals for this collection are off the hook gorgeous??

I LOVE those eyes! — and how the gold wraps around the inner corners to merge with the smokey black lower lash lines, and the shimmery gray goes all the way up to the brows.

The velvet matte red lips and glossy red nails? Also killer. The whole ensemble combines bold and sophisticated in a way I’d happily wear every day, if I thought I could get away with it.

Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014 — LOVE. IT.

All of the pieces are limited edition, so if you see something you love or like, better to grab it sooner than later.

Here are the items aggressively tickling my fancy…

Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder, $72

Chanel Camelia de Plumes — Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder in Platine, a soft platinum sheen, $72

If I could bathe in a claw-foot tub filled with this stuff, I would, and with as much as that would probably cost (according to my calculations and based on an 80-gallon tub, about $2.6 million), people would wonder if I made a deal with the devil. Looking at the otherworldly glow of my skin from the platinum gold sheen, they might also assume I was doing an extreme wheatgrass juice cleanse, but I digress…

When light catches the high points on my face while I’m wearing this, it looks like there are creamy streams of starlight on my cheeks.

Seriously. Lovin’ on this.

Chanel Camelia de Plumes Swatch — Camelia de Plumes

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit, $80

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit — Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette ($80) in Oiseaux de Nuit, with a luminous white, a soft grayish lavender, an intense dark gray, an intense black and an antique gold

If you like your eye looks bold, you probably won’t have lusty dreams about this palette. Its shadows are closer to moderately pigmented than high, and I see it more for ladies and gents looking for softly defined, luminous lids.

The shadows blend like buttah and behave well, with very little fallout (even the black shade), but be careful if you tend to over-blend, because these are so buttery that things can turn muddy fast. I repeat: keep control of your blending brush.

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit Swatch — Oiseaux de Nuit

Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, $35

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35 — Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35

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If Your Pets Could Talk, What Would They Say About Your Sense of Style?

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 38 Comments

A talking Tabs would have plenty to say about this subject.

First, he’d voice his strong displeasure about my penchant for stretchy pants, and then call Karl Lagerfeld on his iPhone to vent. “The leggings in her closet are multiplying exponentially! Something must be done!”

I’m sorry, Tabs, it’s not my fault that the Zella Live-In Leggings are, in fact, so comfortable that I really do want to live in them. 🙂

Next, he’d give me grief about my footwear choices. In particular, these boots, which he attacks every time I wear them (I think that he thinks they’re cats making a move on his territory).

Then, after listing all of the many fashion faux pas I commit on a daily basis, he would hopefully give me a little props for the kitty-themed clothing in my closet.

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The New Chanel Rouge Allure Glosses: For Full-Coverage Chanel Firepower When You Need a Little Chanel

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

If I’m going to have a stranger stick me with a sharp object, you better believe I’ll be wearing a little Chanel, because Chanel makes everything better (even flu shots).

At least that’s what I told myself when I applied the new Rouge Allure Gloss in 15 Sensible (one of 10 shades, $34 each, available now at Chanel counters and online) before I went to get my flu shot today.

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss wands from the left: 13 Affriolant, 15 Sensible, 17 Supreme, 18 Seduction and 19 Pirate — From the left: 13 Affriolant, 15 Sensible, 17 Supreme, 18 Seduction and 19 Pirate

Every year when I walk into the flu shot clinic and catch that first glimpse of the needle, the panic sets in… I start mumbling and sweating profusely, and my eyes expand to double their normal size.

I had hoped that 15 Sensible would make me look less, I dunno, frightened? Rabid? Ready to rumble? I’d always reckoned that full-coverage lip glosses like the Rouge Allures tended to convey the appearance of serenity and properly aligned chakras.

But that could just be the crazy beauty logic talking. 🙂

Today, as I bared my left shoulder, concentrated on kittens, and waited for the nurse to jam the needle into my arm (“This won’t hurt at all,” she said. “Just a little pinch.”), I set my mouth into a stylishly glossy Chanel smile, even though I really wanted to scream, “THAT SH*T STINGS, MA!”

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in 15 Sensible — 15 Sensible

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in 13 Affriolant — 13 Affriolant

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Whether Seated in a Balcony or on a Bus, You’ll Look Elegant in Guerlain’s Night at the Opera Holiday Collection

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Unlike me at karaoke, Guerlain’s new Night at the Opera holiday collection hits all the right notes, tra-la-la-la-laaaaaaaa!

Please pardon my need to insert a vibrato on that last laaaaaaaa! It’s leftover trauma from living with a slightly overbearing opera singer in college. She regularly criticized my breathing technique when I sang around the house (Really, dude? It was just a little Alanis Morissette while I did my chem lab homework.) and held notes out for a beat too long when she covered pop songs.

I still can’t listen to I Still Believe by Brenda K. Starr without thinking of her take on the chorus…

The 10-piece limited edition Guerlain Night at the Opera collection

At any rate, one does not have to enjoy opera, or to have lived with an overbearing opera singer, to derive great joy from the classic holiday reds and golds in this 10-piece limited edition collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails.

But an appreciation for opera may translate into a greater appreciation for the release’s finer details, like the bows on the packaging, which are supposed to represent the bows worn by men at big galas, or the bows worn by the ballerinas in their hair.

Me likes. I’m a sucker for strong themes and collections that tell a story. 🙂

Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, $60 — Meteorites Perles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, $60

Guerlain Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks — Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

I also like that when I’ve worn pieces from this collection over the past couple weeks, I’ve gotten pretty good feedback — both from El Hub, also known as “the man who never notices anything,” and from you guys, too.

I was wearing pieces from A Night at the Opera on my eyes, lips and cheeks in the Mia Bun Ease post last week and received a number of positive inquiries about the makeup I was wearing.

Guerlain Gloss d'Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in 901 L'Oiseau de Feau — Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in 901 L’Oiseau de Feau on my lips, and the Petrouchka Palette on my eyes and cheeks

The fresh, glowing peachy golden cheeks, shimmery beige and copper eyes, and glossy golden lips — those are pure Guerlain, man. What I affectionately refer to as (in air quotes) “that magical Guerlain holiday glow.” It’s makeup that catches your eye but doesn’t SCREAM IN YOUR FACE.

In that way I think Guerlain totally got this collection right. Yes, it’s a holiday release, and it’s made to feel glamorous and indulgent, but the pieces are also versatile enough to wear during the workweek leading up to the big gala.

Typical for Guerlain, the products are hella expensive. Thankfully, they also exude quality. The eyeshadows, powders and blushes blend effortlessly, and everything — from the lipsticks to the glosses to the nail polishes and that to-die-for jar of golden pinkish peach highlighter (SWOON!) — looks high-end.

If you’re going to take a closer look at the collection on counter, don’t miss the Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks, the Meteorites Pereles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in L’Oiseau de Feau, or the nail polishes, especially if you like subtly radiant golds, beiges and coppers.

Le sigh! I could happily wear these pieces every day for a year. With these colors and finishes, warmer skin tones will make out like bandits.

Meteorites Perles d'Etoiles Illuminating Pearls — Meteorites Perles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls

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With These Nudes, You’re Fully Covered: The Full-Coverage Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks in Tease, Cherub and Naked

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Naked — Glamore Lipstick in Naked

When Sephora stopped carrying Illamasqua (bummer), it made the brand a little harder to find here in the U.S. for those of us who don’t happen to live within driving distance of the Kryolan City stores in Chicago or Toronto.

But if you do live within day-trip distance, and/or you don’t mind paying extra for shipping to order online, you might want to check out Glamore, Illamasqua’s line of full-coverage lipsticks released earlier this fall, because talk about pigment up the wazoo!

Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks from the left: Tease, Naked and Cherub — Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks from the left in Tease, Naked and Cherub ($30.02 each)

Ilamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Tease — Glamore Lipstick in Tease

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When Halloween Spirits and Team Spirit Collide: The Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Colors in Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost, Night Fright and Scaredy Matte

October 27th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colors from the left: Night Fright, Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost and Scaredy Matte, $5 each — The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colors from the left in Night Fright, Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost and Scaredy Matte ($5 each)

In line at Target last Sunday afternoon…

GIANTS SUPER FAN LADY WEARING HEAD-TO-TOE ORANGE AND BLACK GIANTS GEAR: “I like your Giants nails!”

ME: “Oh! Thanks!”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): I probably shouldn’t tell her that I know nothing about baseball…or that this is actually a Halloween-inspired mani.

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “That offense in game four…”

ME: “…nothing short of amazing.”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): What the hell am I doing?

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “How about that Sandoval?”

ME: “Right!? Amazing!”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject…

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “I hope he gets over that stomach bug soon.”

ME: “Me too. Tummy troubles are the worst!”

Awkward pause…

ME: “You should totally do a Giants mani to match your Giants gear.”

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Pumpkin Queen — Clockwise from my thumb: Night Fright (glossy black), Pumpkin Queen (glossy orange) and Scaredy Matte (matte black)

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “I’d love that! But geez, I don’t have time to paint my nails.”

ME: “These Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Colors would be perfect for you then. They only take five minutes to dry.”
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 344

October 27th, 2014 by Karen 54 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for October 27, 2014

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Do you like being the center of attention?
In casual settings, not really. I leave that up to charming experts like Tabs. 🙂

But in work-related situations, I generally don’t mind it, like if I’m leading a group or giving a presentation…as long as I’m prepared and haven’t had so much coffee that I’m jittery.

The recipe for a perfect Sunday autumn afternoon includes…
A snuggly blanket, a hot cup of herbal tea, an autumnal scented candle (I lighted a new Nest Pumpkin Chai Candle today… So good!) and a big stack of books and magazines.

Under my bed, you’ll find…
Dust bunnies, the packaging for various electronic doodads (El Hub’s doing), random bottles of lotion and pieces of makeup, a machete (again, El Hub’s doing), and about half of my young adult book collection, because you never know when you’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a strong urge to reread The Hunger Games.

I could drink __________ by the pitcher.
Vitamin Water Zero in Glow, which I haven’t been able to find in any stores lately… I hope they haven’t discontinued it.

It has to be cold though; otherwise, what’s the point?
Do you sleep with a nightlight now (or have you ever)?
I did from the time I was a kid all the way up through high school. I felt comforted going to sleep seeing my favorite things, like my books, my desk and all of my knick-knacks, but when I left for college, I lived in the dorms for my first year with a roommate, and she liked to sleep with all of the lights off (understandably).

It was weird for me at first, but our room was near a street lamp, and some of the light would still come in through the closed curtains…so I could still see my room. 🙂

Over time I guess I’ve just gotten used to sleeping in the dark.

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Do you like being the center of attention?
2. The recipe for a perfect Sunday autumn afternoon includes…
3. Under my bed, you’ll find…
4. I could drink __________ by the pitcher.
5. Do you sleep with a nightlight now (or have you ever)?

Of all the crazy Karl Lagerfeld quotes I’ve read, this has to be one of my favorites:

“I’m very severe with myself and sometimes I miss French cheese…”

-Karl Lagerfeld (source: cnn.com)

OK, to put this in context, Karl was talking about his diet in an interview, but the very notion of not eating cheese is just INSANE to me.

Because I. Love. It.

I love cheese.

Even though I’ve slowly weaned myself off of dairy over the past couple years (I swear, less dairy equals clearer skin for me), that does not include cheese…which I know is dairy, but never mind.

I’ve been going through a Babybel cheese phase lately. I like to have one with a sliced apple for my afternoon snack.

Mmm, Babybel cheese and an apple… It’s a legit addiction.

Anyway, this is all to say that I bought a new kitchen contraption yesterday, the Progressive Wedge & Pop, and it has completely rocked my cheese-and-apple-eating world.

It cores and slices in one fell swoop!

In my best infomercial voice, “Why handle dangerous knives when the Progressive Wedge & Pop cuts and slices evenly while removing the core?”

Haha! Just push, flip and pop, and it’s easy to clean too.

I got mine at a HomeGoods store for $6.

On that note, have an apple-solutely awesome Monday! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood apple, beauty and cheese addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 319

October 26th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Crab cakes, tuna tacos and sweet turkey crisps, cat intrigue and politicking, tons of tail twitching and furtive glances — I tell ya, there’s nothing quite like a Tabs the Cat Halloween Masquerade Ball. 🙂

Don’t forget to check your mailbox this week because the invites have gone out, and if this year’s gala is anything like last year’s, it’ll be one of the hottest parties of the year.

As you might recall, last year’s ball was the scene of a foiled plot to push Vladimir Puss ‘N’ Mau off the banister directly on top of Tabs, and the culprit cat was never caught. He fled the scene wearing a teddy bear mask and disappeared into the night…

But that wasn’t the only shocking development. We also found some vandalism in Tabs’ study, the words “CL was here” scratched into an antique desk.

This year, we really beefed up security, though, so we’re hoping that nothing nefarious happens. It would be a shame to have something overshadow the costumes.

Speaking of that, here’s a new Halloween cat makeup tutorial by Tabs… Hope you like. 🙂
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