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

Shedding Some Light on the New Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencils in Cult, Lure, Lush, Minx and Plushie

July 24th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Your kitty nephew is shedding like crazy!

This happens every summer. The hair — it’s everywhere! I can’t escape it. It’s on my clothes, on my face, in my nostrils, on my lips, and it may or may not be in my belly button.

Speaking of shedding…these new $20 Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencils shed a lot, too.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencils from the left: Cult, Lure, Lush, Minx and Plushie — From the left: Cult, Lure, Lush, Minx and Plushie

Within minutes of applying any of these five (there’s also a black shade, Black Velvet, previously released and not shown here) intensely pigmented liners on my lash and/or water lines, once they’ve dried down, little flecks and specks appear under my eyes, on my nose, on my cheeks, chin and upper lip.

That ish is all up in my grill!

New additions to UD’s famous 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil family, these Velvet cousins, which are waterproof and paraben-free, have a soft, powdery texture and a matte finish designed to create smokey, smudged out, super blended eye looks sans drama. #smokeyeyetillidie

You might recall the original smokey 24/7 Velvet shade, Black Velvet, which came out a while back. The five new shades here — Cult (a forest green), Lure (a gunmetal gray), Lush (a coffee brown), Minx (a sapphire blue) and Plushie (a deep eggplant) — are like her sassy sisters. They’re $20 each and new members of the permanent line.

Urban Decay 247 Velvet Glide On Eye Pencil Swatches clockwise from the purple shade in the lower left: Plushie, Cult, Lure, Lush and Minx — Swatches clockwise from the purple shade in the lower left: Plushie, Cult, Lure, Lush and Minx

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Aw, How Sweet: It’s The Legends Lip Gloss Set by NYX

July 24th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Some legends are sweet, like these bright candy-colored glosses in The Legends Lip Gloss Set ($15) by NYX.

Not only do they look like candy, but they taste like it, too (like the sugary outer layer on Sour Patch kids, yum!).

The kit comes with five lipglosses in Classic Pink, Classic Coral, Classic Red, Classic Fuchsia and Classic Violet, all of which start bright when you apply them but sheer down to about 50% intensity over the first 10 minutes or so.

The moderately thick, semi-sticky formula lasts about two hours for me.

I’m kinda bummed they aren’t as bright and I wanted them to be…but I still think they’ll be fun layering glosses, especially with bright lipsticks.

PRICE: $15 for a set of five glosses
AVAILABILITY: Available now at NYX counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

NYX The Legends Lip Gloss Set Swatches — From the left: Classic Pink, Classic Coral, Classic Red, Classic Fuchsia and Classic Violet

What Are You Into Makeup-Wise, Like, REALLY Into, Right Now?

July 24th, 2014 by Karen 50 Comments

Things That Make You Go Hmm — Deep thoughts…

I want to know what’s really lighting your fire right now and getting you excited about busting out those brushes and painting yo’ face, girl.

Here are some of the things currently lighting my fire…

Foundation that looks like real skin. Vacation skin, basically, and skin that looks slightly dewy. I’ve been using MAC Face & Body to get something like that all summer, but I’ve heard great things about Armani’s foundations, so I think a trip to one of their counters is in order very soon.
Anything brow related that keeps brows looking natural. I saw a pic of myself and a friend the other day from 2007, and HOLY WOW! My brows were so thin and blocked out that you couldn’t even see any of the individual hairs. Oh, well… I guess it was the style at the time.
Minimal makeup. I think you’re tired of me talking about this. 🙂
Haven’t been contouring much lately, whereas I was a lot last summer. See: the whole minimal makeup thing.
I’m into not washing my hair… LOL! Dry shampoo all the way.
I’m into finding the ultimate under-eye concealer. I’ve been using MAC Pro Longwear for a really long time and have been, for the most part, happy with it, but my under-eye situation has been more dry lately than it used to be, and Pro Longwear just looks dry on me now. (And I can’t stand the pump.)
I’m into eye makeup that doesn’t require, like, eight eyeshadows. I want to get the effect of a super complicated eye look but with three eyeshadows, max.
OK, maybe four.
I’m also into matte eyeshadows in the crease. I think it just looks more defined.
I’m into a brow bone highlight that isn’t too shimmery or frosty.
Just for something different, you know, changing of the times.
I’m into accent nails. That way I’m not forced to pick one single color to wear.
That would be too cruel.

How about you? What are you into makeup-wise, like, REALLY into, right now?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

theBalm Read My Lips Lip Gloss in Pow Packs a Wallop

July 23rd, 2014 by Karen 5 Comments

You’d expect a lipgloss named “Pow!” to pack a punch, and this opaque fuchsia gloss by theBalm does just that (it even contains ginseng!).

I like wearing this with black cat eye liner and lots o’ lashes on days when I can’t be bothered by eyeshadow (*flips hair*).

A word to the wise: wear lip liner with this one, as it’s pigmented and opaque, which is great, but it also has a lot of slip because it’s not very sticky, so it tends to scoot around outside the natural lip line, especially if you rub your lips throughout the day like yours truly.

Yeah, I wore this the other day, and my bottom lip ended up looking all sorts of Baby Jane cray…

A lip liner will keep it from wandering beyond where you want it to go, POW! 🙂

You can find Pow making a statement at theBalm counters and online. It’s $15 for a 0.219-ounce tube.

PRICE: $15
AVAILABILITY: Available now at theBalm counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A- (slightly high maintenance, needs lip liner)

The Marc Jacobs Beauty Love and Lust 2 Piece Lip Set Scored Major Points With Me

July 23rd, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Marc Jacobs Beauty Love and Lust 2 Piece Lip Set (1)

Most of the time when I get to the register at Sephora and the sales person asks, “Would you like to redeem your points for this set of glosses/hair products/knuckle hair remover?” my gut reaction is “No thank you,” since I am a “points hoarder.”

Yes, I’ve been officially diagnosed, and no, there is currently no cure in Western medicine. I will cling to my points until the apocalypse, honey. 🙂

Also, rarely do those kits ever move me.

Oh, but this one by Marc Jacobs certainly did, ooh la la! I gave up — gulp — 1,000 points for the Love and Lust 2 Piece Lip Set.

It has two new full-sized lip products, both limited edition shades. Love Marc Lip Gel in Cabaret 146 is a rich wine, and Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl in Shooting Stars is a warm shimmery plum.

I feel like I’m still too deeply invested in summer to wear either shade right now, but soon…

Soon…

How Far Does Tarte Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer Turn Back the Hands of Time?

July 23rd, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

Tarte Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer (2) — Tarte Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer

If Father Time got his contractor’s license, he might invent something like Tarte’s new Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer ($39). Designed to turn back the hands of time (that’s the idea at least), it works like makeup spackling paste.

A new addition to Tarte’s permanent line of cruelty-free cosmetics, it fills in pores and smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles, so skin looks a little blurred, and a little closer to flawless. It also preps the skin for foundation and other makeup layered on top.

I have to say, I like how lightweight it feels, and I dig the lemony scent, even though, yeah, I don’t feel like ’90s teenage Karen is staring back at me in the mirror when I wear it on my face.

Still, I think my skin does look smoother when I wear it, and my pores aren’t all up in my grill.

I guess in a way, maybe, it does turn back time a bit… Like perhaps six months to a year. 🙂

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Waterproof Wednesday: Tarte Amazonian Clay Dual Liner in Black/Bronze

July 23rd, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Tarte Amazonian Clay Dual Liner Black Bronze — The new Tarte Amazonian Clay Dual Liner in Black/Bronze ($28), available now exclusively at Sephora

I originally intended to test the waterproof-ness of Tarte’s new limited edition Amazonian Clay Dual Liner ($28) by doing cannonballs at the pool today, but check it — that is not happening.

It’s drizzling and overcast outside and kinda cold actually, which is very unusual for us this time of year.

Weird.

Even so, in the interest of science (goooooo, science!), I did perform an improv waterproof experiment this morning while I exercised instead.

I popped the shimmery bronze shade on one eye and the matte black on the other…and then ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes like I was chasing Ryan Gosling. 🙂

Interestingly, this liner has a cream formula of the kind I’d typically use for softer, more diffused lines, but because of how pigmented and smooth it is, the edges turn out extremely sharp, and about as defined as the crisp lines I’d expect from a liquid liner.

And the velvety finish, while not as shiny as most liquid liners, has more oomph than a flat matte. I like to wear it with a shimmery eyeshadow on my lids because I love the way the two contrast — the velvety finish of the liner and the shiny eyeshadow.

Just adds another interesting visual element to yo’ makeup. 🙂

As Tabs is fond of pointing out, Tarte is a cruelty-free line, and they have mad love for Amazonian clay. It’s often up in the mix with their products, as it is in this liner.

The purpose is twofold. First, they say it makes for richer pigments that are intense enough to draw an opaque line in a single pass. Second, it’s supposed to be good for your skin by absorbing oil and smoothing out the texture.

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On the Bathroom Shelf: Diptyque Paris Skin Care

July 23rd, 2014 by Karen 4 Comments

On the bathroom shelf, Diptyque Skin Care — Diptyque Paris skin care

Diptyque Paris, those purveyors of fancy-schmancy candles, now have a pricey new skin care line called L’Art du Soin, which le Google machine translates to “The Art of Care.”

And I totally get that. I’ve been giving a few of the items a try this month, and my mug does feel like it’s been properly cared for and nurtured. The gentle products haven’t aggravated my normally fussy, acne-prone combination skin at all, which is quite an accomplishment.

The heavily scented products contain some unusual sounding ingredients, too, like marble powder (Wha? As in statues and countertops?), and other things, like sweet almond oil, that are more usual for skin care.

The overall presentation is très posh. These are the kind of skin care goodies you find in those fancy bathrooms at five-star hotels frequented by movie stars and diplomats.

After using them for a while, I see these as great getaway products. Vacation products. But when the plane lands and it’s back to the real world grind, I think I’d want to resume my aggressive anti-aging, anti-acne agenda.

Gimme, gimme, gimme, the stuff that slows down time’s march across my face and prevents the zits, which left to their own devices would take over my chin (those @ssholes), from exacting their reign of terror.

For me, the standouts in the line include the Infused Facial Water ($55), which contains damask rose and geranium extracts and smells amazeballs — like someone (either Prince Charming or a stalker) left 10 dozen roses on my doorstep. Lightly hydrating, it doesn’t make my skin feel sticky, which is great.

The Moisturizing Protective Lotion ($72 OMG!) has SPF 15 and absorbs quickly into my skin. It also layers well with makeup and looks lovely in pics (none of that SPF flashback).

Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder — Radiance Boosting Powder, $58

Diptyque Infused Facial Water ($55) and Moisturizing Protective Lotion SPF 15 ($72)

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