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

Marc Jacobs Kiss Pop in Wham: Silver Space Pencil or Matte Coral Lipstick?

August 6th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

El Hub saw this packaging on my desk and started pawing at it like a monkey from Planet of the Apes. I had to explain to him that the tip of the crayon was fake, as in not real.

“Tip crayon. Not real. Ooh-ooh-eee-eee-eee!”

Wham, a matte coral, is one of nine Marc Jacobs Beauty Kiss Pop colors, and like the others, the color of the tube’s tip matches the color of the lipstick inside.

I was hoping these lipsticks would be more like the NARS Satin Lip Pencils, but they’re heavier, almost waxy. They don’t have that same sort of slip and glide, and the unscented/unflavored formula feels thicker than I thought it would be.

It’s also smoother than I expected and not as drying. In the comments when I mentioned these last week, a few gals said they had problems with patchiness and uneven application. So far, so good, though, for me. I wouldn’t call it perfect, because Wham does settle into my lip lines, but if I run my finger across my lips to pat it down, it’s tolerable.

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What’s Your Hair Texture (Relaxed, Straight, Wavy, Curly, Super-Curly), and What Products, Tools and Techniques Work Best for You?

August 6th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

My wavy hair used to be a chore until I got a haircut that worked for me. Now, I always have some level of layers. Sometimes, my friend who cuts my hair (Alis at Fox + Stone in Corte Madera, CA) will do different things to cut down on some of the bulk and weight but keep it voluminous (I have “vampire hair”).

In terms of products, I like moisturizing shampoos and conditioners because my hair tends to get very dry, partly because of the texture, I think, and partly because it’s colored (I have highlights, and it’s a few shades lighter than natural right now). I also use some sort of leave-in hair oil or conditioner on my ends, again, because of the whole dryness issue.

For techniques and tools, my biggest thing is that I use very little heat styling. I get split ends when I blow dry frequently or use flat irons or other heat styling tools on the regular, so I’ll blow dry maybe once or twice a month now at the most (back when I did it every day in the ’90s, my hair was so dry that it was like a bale of hay growing out of my head).

Usually about once a week, around the beginning of the week, after I wash my mane, I’ll let it air dry and use a large-barrel curling iron to add more curls and waves where I want. Then, I’ll spray a beachy waves spray on it, and let it do its thing.

After that, I usually won’t wash it for ~~as long as I can stand it~~ a few days, and will just use dry shampoo at the roots to absorb the oil and cover up any hair funk. I do that to 1) save time, 2) extend the life of my color job, and 3) because I think my hair just looks a little better when it’s more “lived in.” 🙂

Products I’m currently using for my wavy hair

Shampoo — Rene Furterer Acanthe Curl Enhancing Shampoo or Kerastase Bain Elixir Ultime
Conditioner — Oribe Conditioner for Beautiful Color or Intense Conditioner for Moisture & Control
Leave-in conditioner — Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil or Kerastase Touche Perfection Replenishing Balm for Dry Ends
Beach wavy spray — Kerastase Spray a Porter or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Texture Wave Dry Finishing Spray
Dry shampoo — Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo or TRESemme Fresh Start Renewing Dry Shampoo

How about you? What’s your hair texture (relaxed, straight, wavy, curly, super-curly), and what products, tools and techniques work best for you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Elegant With an Edge: The Kristin Perry Bear Claw Ear Cuff

August 6th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

For gals who like their earrings with a Thunderdome/Atlantean edge, there’s the Kristin Perry Bear Claw Ear Cuff ($28).

This is kind of different and cool… I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. It’s sold as a single piece, so not as a pair, and worn on your left ear.

You kind of just pop it into your piercing (it’s for pierced ears), and the cuff looks like it’s traveling up the side of your ear.

It’s about an inch long, 14K gold plated with glass crystals scattered throughout.

I dunno… It’s got like a dystopian/comic book avenging angel vibe that I like (very tough girl at a dinner party).

If you’re so inclined, you can find the Bear Claw Ear Cuff online now for $28.

The Kristin Perry Audrey Necklace, as Styled by Tabs

August 5th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Tabs wearing the Kristin Perry Audrey Necklace (1)

You know the old saying. “Another day, another excuse to dress up your nephew in statement jewelry.” 🙂

He wasn’t really in the mood to model today (I guess he’s feeling bloated. It might be sympathy PMS.), but I still think he wore it well.

This is the Kristin Perry Audrey Necklace (and here’s another look at it).

I love this necklace, as does Tabs.

The MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadows Sparkle Like a Tesla Coil

August 5th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Wearing MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadows in Coil, Gilded Thrill and Pure Flash — Wearing the MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadows from the MAC A Novel Romance fall 2014 collection, coming soon

Look ma, no…brushes!

Yes, girl. Put down that 217 and 224 ’cause you’re not going to need ’em with the MAC Electric Cool Eyeshadows ($21 US, $25 CAD).

Aptly named, these cream eyeshadows are, in fact, super cool — in a figurative sense. I don’t detect a cooling sensation on my lids when I wear them, but their marshmallowy formula is easy to apply and blend.

And that’s pretty cool. (*Does lazy girl makeup dance that bares a striking resemblance to the snake.*)

The Electric Cools are kinda like Chanel’s $36 Illusion D’Ombres at a lower price point ($21). Eight limited edition shades are on their way with the MAC A Novel Romance collection.

Not so much about precision, these shadows live for lived-in, (perhaps even) slightly messy eye looks, and they’re great if you want to create a quick, high-impact eye with a single product.

I think of these eight as two sides of the same family. On one side, there are what I like to call the glitter top coats — champagne Pure Flash, soft rose Love Power, light taupe Superwatt, gold Gilded Thrill, coppery bronze Coil and black Blacklit.

MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Pure Flash — Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Pure Flash

MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Love Power — Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Love Power

MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Superwatt — Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Superwatt

MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Coil — Electric Cool Eye Shadow in Coil

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Nails Are Barred From Being Boring With Dior Fall 2014 Vernis Nail Lacquer in Bar

August 5th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Dior Nail Vernis in Bar — The new Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in Bar 902; necklace is The Audrey Necklace by Kristin Perry

I wish there was a nail polish equivalent for Spanx.

I mean, I wouldn’t want it for making my nails look less muffin-toppy, because yeah, that would be kind of dumb. 🙂 More for smoothing everything out, so colors like Dior’s new Vernis Nail Lacquer in Bar ($25) wouldn’t have so many lumps and bumps.

While totally fierce, Bar, a jet-black with hints of blue and secret shimmer, emphasizes every imperfection on my nails, be they ridges, chipped tips or application mistakes. It’s just so, so dark.

Not dark as in a depressing Cure song, but dark in an elegant way, like something a modern Holly Golightly might wear while drinking Starbucks and gnawing on a chocolate croissant in front of the Tiffany’s windows one day.

I bet that Holly G. would dig Bar. Maybe she’d even want to stop by the Dior counter to check it out, along with the rest of the 5 Couleurs Fall 2014 collection.

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What Are Some of Your Favorite High-Impact Eyeshadows for Single Shadow Looks?

August 5th, 2014 by Karen 49 Comments

My “I’m stuck in traffic on the way to Napa” look. This was from a day trip last month. I was wearing a single eyeshadow, Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in New Moon

Summer 2014 will go down in the history books as the summer of lazy girl cream shadows for me.

What are lazy girl cream shadows?

They’re shadows that I can do a lot with. In other words, products that accomplish a lot in terms of creating interesting eye looks but require very little effort on my part (hence the lazy girl component). 🙂

They’re products where you get a high bang for your buck, so to speak, like the eye equivalent of a bright lip. They’re also fairly easy to use, and when you use them, you look like you actually tried…not like you’re showing up to the rodeo with stretchy pants and a t-shirt with holes.

Earlier this summer I was all about the Chanel Illusion D’Ombre eyeshadow in New Moon and Mirage, but now I’m more into the MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadows, which I like for basically the same reasons. They all have something interesting to offer. Either complex glitter, sparkly shimmer or an intriguing color — something to draw attention to my eyes and do the work of multiple shadows.

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Next Stop, Breakfast at Tiffany’s: The Audrey Necklace by Kristin Perry

August 4th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

You know Tabs will be serving up some major Holly Golightly fierceness when he wears his new Kristin Perry The Audrey Necklace ($58, available now at kristinperry.com) to Petco later this week…since he’s all about statement jewelry.

But seriously, I’m really looking forward to wearing this with the LBD I got from Kate Spade on sale a while back, holla!

Next project: the shoes.

THE SHOES!

Maybe something in hot pink?

I love that Kristin Perry does these bold statement necklaces that don’t cross the line into Mrs. Roper territory. They’re bold, but not gaudy, and they’re easy to dress up or down (I’ve worn this same necklace with a white tee and jeans).

If you haven’t heard of Kristin Perry, she’s a local designer out of LA. I’ve pretty much loved every one of her pieces I’ve seen. She’s kind of like Kate Spade with an edge.