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

Unsung Makeup Heroes: The Dolce & Gabbana Desert Quad

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

It was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

That’s how how hot it gets in Davis, California, where I went to school. I can’t believe I’d go jogging in the middle of the day back then at the height of summer. It would be 110 degrees outside, with waves of heat rippling off the sidewalk and vultures circling high overhead, and there’d I’d be, jogging my steaming buns off between classes.

In parts of the California Central Valley, it gets hotter than Death Valley. I’m serious. A whole swath of the state basically turns into a desert every summer, which reminds me…

I’ve liked Dolce & Gabbana’s Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($60) ever since I started wearing it off and on in 2010, but I only recently fell Beyonce-crazy-in-love with it.

I noticed that I was bringing it with me on all of my trips this summer. I literally wasn’t leaving the house without it, and I think the mattes have everything to do with it.

Dolce & Gabbana Desert Eyeshadow Quad — The Dolce & Gabbana Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($60)

There are three of them in this quad — a beige, a golden brown and a dark chocolate brown, all of which are the freakin’ ish — as well as a hit-the-pan worthy golden shade, which we’ll get to in a minute.

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Reader Poll: What Are Your Top 3 Criteria When It Comes to Mascara?

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 27 Comments

Guerlain Summer 2014 — Long, lush lashes via Guerlain

Let’s get to the bottom of this. When it comes to mascara, what matters most?

What are your top three criteria when it comes to mascara (you can pick three things in the poll)?

It’s been a while since a mascara knocked my socks off, and I’m curious. I think the last one was Guerlain Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Waterproof Mascara, which came out in May. It’s still my go-to for now, but you know, I get bored… 🙂

My lashes are naturally stick straight like pine needles, and ridiculously thin, so my top three criteria are curl hold, length and volume.

Oh, I love me some big draggy lashes, yo! Resistance to smudging is also pretty high up there.

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Does Guerlain Eyebrow Pencil in 1 Brun Ideal Give Good Brow?

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

As far as high end/highfalutin eyebrow pencils are concerned, I think the ones by Tom Ford and Hourglass are the ones to beat.

Today I thought Guerlain’s Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Ideal ($31) might join those two, and it probably would have if I’d been able to find more colors.

So far, I’ve only found one — 1 Brun Ideal — a light grayish brown, which, yeah, looks a little funky-town in my dark brows.

I think my skin tone brings out the purple in Brun Ideal, which makes the inner part of my brows look dark and the outer tail end look sort of grayish purple.

Hmm…

Things I like: the hard pencil texture. It definitely clings to my skin and the brow hairs, which is good, and it stays put 9-10 hours without breaking up or fading, even when it’s hot outside.

It also comes with a sharpener, and you can never have too many of those.

But there’s that whole one color thing… There must be more of them out there. This can’t be the only one. Right?

I just wish there were more shades… For now, I think I’ll stick to Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor, which comes in Blonde, Chestnut, Espresso and Taupe.

You’re Just Purrfect!

September 4th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

I know it probably isn’t your birthday today, but maybe it is. Everyone has a birthday, after all. And sooner or later you’ll have one too, and when you do, this card is for you (it’s also available online at rockscissorpaper.com for $3.95). 🙂

That rockscissorpaper.com site is actually a goldmine of CCL-themed items.

How about this mug for the resident cat lady in your life? It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays…

Metallic Mauve in the Machine! MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick and Lipglass Through the Ocular Sensors of Robot Karen (BEEP!)

September 4th, 2014 by Karen 31 Comments

BEEP! BOOP! Identity: Robot Karen. BEEP! Program start. Execute command of beauty blog. BEEP! Temporarily commandeer MBB for afternoon. BOOP!

All rogue programs will be deleted from memory. BEEP! Escape is prohibited.

According to my programming — BEEP-BOOP-BOOP-BEE-BOOP! — there is a revival of ’90s makeup underway.

Should you require assistance in finding a new frosty, pigmented lipstick and/or lip gloss — BOOP! — focus your ocular sensors on the nearest MAC counter to your proximity. BEEP!

The new MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick ($16 U.S./$19 CDN) and Lipglass ($15 U.S./$18 CDN) are approved for use by robots and humans seeking bold metallic looks. BEEP!

My lipstick-o-meter detects a strong ’90s vibe from warm mauve Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick and its silvery frost. BEEP! BOOP!

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick closeup — Lipstick closeup

And my internal lipgloss spectrometer spikes when it analyzes the high glitter content in the cooler mauve Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipglass, with its reddish frost. BEEP!

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipglass closeup — Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipglass

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipglass — Another view of MAC Viva Glam Rihanna II

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Purple Plus Matte Equals Music to My Ears: The New Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Violines

September 4th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Guerlain Les Violines Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshasdows — Wearing the new Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Violines ($63)

It occurred to me while fiendishly gurgling on my third cup of coffee this morning and scouring every surface of my office (including the floor) for my missing, precious pan of MAC Soft Brown (I eventually found it) that on any given second of any given day, there are women, and makeup-loving men, around the world joining Team Matte Eyeshadow.

If you’ve already been drafted, congratulations, and welcome. 🙂 Now check it — Guerlain’s new Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Violines is like the Super Bowl for violet eyeshadow lovahs.

It’s $63, which, ya know, is business as usual at Guerlain, but if you’re open to the idea of paying that much and have a yearning, burning love for matte purples, I think these are pretty great.

Les Violines strums a tune about violet. Its three lightest shades are tonally near and dear to each other, making them ideal for blown-out matte purple looks with smooth transitions, like what I’m wearing on my lids in these pics. I paired Violines with contoured cheeks and a slightly shiny berry lip, for a look that I think has that meow-rrific ’90s thing going for it.

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Do You Now, or Have You Ever, Taken Any Vitamins or Supplements for Skin, Hair or Makeup Purposes?

September 4th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

You know, I don’t think I have. Not strictly for my hair or skin, which is weird because I like my vitamins!

The closest I’ve come was probably a few years back with fish oil capsules. I still take them every once in a while, but not consistently. When I was taking them regularly, though — and I can’t remember why I was doing it now; I think I read an article in O Magazine or something that fish oil was supposed to be good for your memory (see how well it worked, LOL!) — my hair started growing like CRAZY.

It grew strong, thick and quickly, too, like a weed. Pretty soon I had Wonder Woman hair!

The only reason I stopped taking the capsules was because I ran out of them and never got around to getting a new bottle.

Lame, I know.

Actually…I just checked our stash of amino acids and health supplements (El Hub is kind of into all that), and wouldn’t you know it? — there’s a huge bottle of fish oil, which is good timing because I’ve been itching to grow my hair long again.

Big sigh… The grass/hair situation is always greener/better on the other side, isn’t it? 🙂

OK, buddy. Let’s talk shop. Do you now, or have you ever, taken any vitamins or supplements for skin, hair or makeup purposes?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Illamasqua Fatale Palette Is a Fall Fatale of Purply, Brownish Taupe Terrific-Ness

September 3rd, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

I’ve been hesitant to embrace Illamasqua’s Fatale Palette while it was in the upper 80s and 90s here, but now that Labor Day is behind us, and it’s been a bit cooler outside, the shimmery bronze, berry, violet and purplish, brownish taupe (OMG, LOVE), are starting to feel right.

With Sephora no longer carrying the line, Illamasqua hasn’t been that easy to find here in the US these days, but the $55 Fatale palette is still available online at illamasqua.com, and at select Bloomingdales, Hudson’s Bay and Kryolan stores.

I’m tellin’ ya — that purply brown taupe will haunt your dreams! 🙂