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

30 Days of NARS: Stella Lip Gloss, Day 9

April 18th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

You gotta do a yell like from A Streetcar Named Desire when you wear this shimmery raspberry gloss…

STELLA!

“Ever asked yourself why a woman like Stella stays with a man like Stanley? This’ll tell you why!!”

I like this one a lot. 🙂 It’s one of the more pigmented shades in the recently reformulated NARS Lip Gloss line, and it’s available now, along with the rest of the NARS Lip Gloss crew.

The 30 Days of NARS series features a different NARS Lip Gloss every day

Try Essence of Eye-Opening Energy for Sleepy Afternoons: Essence Crystal Eyeliner Is a Perfect Pick-Me-Up

April 18th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Some people use coffee or tea for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Me? I like glitter liner because 1) it doesn’t give me the shakes or keep me up at night, and 2) it works almost as well as caffeine.

A little glitter on my lids or along my lower lash lines is a fantastic pick-me-up.

After lunch this afternoon (homemade tuna salad on rice cakes, which, OK, may sound weird, but it’s actually really good), I started feeling run down. I was getting the afternoon sleepies, so I thought, “needs glitter.”

I busted out Gold Rush and Twinkly Starlight, two of the five new glitter liners by Essence.

They’re $2.99 each and new additions to the Essence line. They’re on the creamy side, too, because they have a gel base, so they’re a little easier to work with than your run-of-the-mill liquid glitter liner.

Because the flecks of glitter are different shapes and sizes, the formula looks bumpier and more textured on lids than, say, something like the Heavy Metal Glitter Liners by Urban Decay, which have tiny flecks of uniformly shaped glitter.

Twinkly Starlight (left) and Gold Rush (right)

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Party-Ready Eyes for Just $2.99: The Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadows

April 18th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

So much metallic, glittery, shimmery goodness for just $2.99! I almost can’t believe it’s true, because sometimes, when you add glitter, metallics and discount together, the formula equals “something sketchy.”

But in this case the formula equals fun.

You know how I feel about sci-fi… LOVE IT! And that might be one of the reasons I like these new $2.99 Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadows. Pressed metallic shadows with a glittery overspray, their shiny, shimmery metallic finish looks kinda like Terminator-esque liquid metal/chrome.

Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadow in Jewel Up the Ocean — Jewel Up the Ocean

You can wear them wet or dry, but I prefer wet because it turns up the intensity of the metallic effect (metallic-ness?). And I figure that if you’re going to wear metallics on your lids, you might as well go all out.

For me, they were a little tricky to apply at first, but once you get the hang of ’em, I think you get a lot of bang for your buck.

I mean, shoot, they’re only $2.99.

Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadow in Coffee to Glow — Coffee to Glow

The trick is figuring out how to keep the fallout under control. Use a fluffy brush like the MAC 217 or 224, and you could very well end up with sheer shimmer on your lids and glitter all over your cheeks.

Now, if that’s what you want, it’s all good.

Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadow in Frosted Apple — Frosted Apple

But I like to just use a clean wet finger. It gets the job done and eliminates fallout. Plus, because the finger’s wet, it cranks up the intensity of the pigments and shine.

I’ll wet a finger with MAC Fix+, swipe it across the pan a few times to pick up some product, and apply on my lids.

BOOM! — dramatic metal.

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Which Do You Prefer and Why: Cream, Powder or Liquid Highlighter?

April 18th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

The BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Illuminators from the top down in Pearl, Moonstone, Opal and Topaz

I have mad love for all of ’em — creams, powders and liquids — but lately I’ve been reaching for liquid and powder highlighters more often than creams.

I don’t dislike cream highlighters, though. I think it’s mostly just a phase… You know how it is.

It really depends on the situation and the look I’m going for. Like, some mornings when I get up and I feel like my skin looks kind of dull and blah, I’ll grab MAC Strobe Cream or BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector and apply that all over on my face first. Or, I’ll mix a bit in with my moisturizer or foundation for a dewy effect and some extra dimension.

The $41 BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Illuminators from the left in Moonstone (a pale gold), Pearl (a white pearl), Opal (a golden opal pearl) and Topaz (a golden bronzed pearl)

Again, it depends. I won’t necessarily do this when I know I’ll be taking pictures because of the way all-over shimmer shines when you add a flash up in the mix.

OH! And I’ve also recently realized that I like applying liquid highlighter to specific areas of the face using a flat foundation brush for a really pretty, casual, “I just got a facial at the spa” look.

Becca Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed 2 — Becca Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal

Highlighting powders — I love! Particularly for pics, because they make it easy to control where I place the shimmer on my face. When pictures are involved, I like my highlights to be more precise, since all-over shimmer makes me look like I’m running a marathon (i.e. sweaty).

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A Special Delivery: Anna Sui Rose Cheek Color N in 602

April 17th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Now THAT’s a beautiful bouquet. So delicate and girly. 🙂

The new Anna Sui Rose Cheek Color N in 602 ($36) has four flower-ful shades — apricot orange, tangerine, champagne gold and beige rose.

This one arrives in June to Anna Sui counters.

30 Days of NARS: Stolen Kisses Lip Gloss, Day 8

April 17th, 2014 by Karen 5 Comments

NARS Stolen Kisses Lip Gloss — another member of NARS Team #secretsparkle. 🙂

This one’s a caramel pink with subtle golden glitter, and it’s one of the 30 glosses in the newly relaunched NARS Lip Gloss line, available now.

Mmm… Caramel.

The 30 Days of NARS series features a different NARS Lip Gloss every day

Hey, Baby Doll, Let Me Holla at You for a Minute: YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush in 1 Fuchsia Desinvolte

April 17th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Yo, yo, yo, Baby Doll! Don’t walk away. Come here for a second. I just want to tell you something.

Damn, Baby Doll Kiss & Blush…you foine.

For real though! Must be that hot-@ss outfit you’re wearing. You kinda looked like a nail polish I know from over there. My bad. I’m sorry. I see you now. You’re a multitasking mousse lipstick and blush with a matte finish, all up in one sexy bottle.

Baby Doll Kiss & Blush in 1 Fuchsia Desinvolte is one of 12 shades available now at YSL counters and online at neimanmarcus.com[/caption]

You’re a little heavy, and I like that. Must be that glass bottle. Shoo’… And that flocked doe-foot applicator?! I love me some curves. I’d wear you on my lips and cheeks like a pair of skinny jeans!

YSL Baby Doll Kiss Blush Doe Foot Applicator — Doe-foot applicator

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Ingredients — Ingredients

You’re new around here, yeah? I can tell you’re different from the other multitasking lip and cheek products that strut their stuff down this block.

Let me caress you for a moment… It’s alright. Ooh, mousse texture. Fluffy. Kind of creamy, too. I bet you’re so smooth that you’d glide along my cheeks and my lips without any patchiness.

That’s classy, girl. Classy with “C,” not a “K.” 😉

You’re a keeper; I can tell. Not one of those fly-by-nights that just bounces after an hour or two. C’mon, let me take you out sometime. We could hang out on my cheeks for 6-8 hours, on top of foundation, bare cheeks or even atop powder. Or we could just kiss on the lips for 4-5.

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Clinique Black Honey All About Shadow Super Shimmer, and a Message From the Future…

April 17th, 2014 by Karen 27 Comments

1994 KAREN: Hello?

2014 KAREN: Hi, is this Karen?

1994 KAREN: Yes, it is.

2014 KAREN: This is going to sound totally weird, but, um…this is your future self, Karen. From 2014.

1994 KAREN: Shut the front door! What? Who is this? Jen, is that you?

2014 KAREN: No, really. It’s me, Karen. I mean, I’m also Karen. I’m calling you from 20 years in the future.

1994 KAREN: You sound… Dude, how’s that even possible? Who is this!? Someone’s pulling my leg. Are you that guy from the bus stop the other day? The Terminator one?

2014 KAREN: Nope, not that guy. Although I do remember him. Tall, in the green plaid shirt —

1994 KAREN: No way! How do you know that?

2014 KAREN: He was a physics major. Really cute and funny. I think he wanted to ask us out, now that I think about it.

Anyway, I only have a few minutes here, so that’s enough about boys. I have something very important to discuss with you.

1994 KAREN: Man, this is blowing my mind! If you’re really from 20 years in the future… I need more proof. Tell me something else only you — I mean we? — would know.

2014 KAREN: OK. Well, right now you’re probably wearing Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick.

1994 KAREN: NO WAY!!!

2014 KAREN: You’re struggling in chem and, truth be told, college has been a lot lonelier than you thought it would be. You also really miss Mom, Dad and Al, but you’d never admit that to them.

1994 KAREN: OK, I am officially freaked out right now. This is incredibly freaky…

Well, then I guess I should ask why you’re calling. Is it something bad? It’s something bad, isn’t it?

Clinique Black Honey Swatch — Black Honey Swatch

2014 KAREN: No, no, not at all. I just really wanted to say hi and — I know this sounds weird — remind you that you’re stronger than you think.

1994 was a hard year, but you’re gonna be OK. It might not seem like it now, but everything’s going to work out.

1994 KAREN: Really??

2014 KAREN: Yes, really.

I wish I could say more…but the contract I signed forbids me from disclosing anything specific that could alter the course of our life.

1994 KAREN: Gotta be vague… I get it. I totally get it. I’ve seen the Terminator —

2014 KAREN: — 500 times, haha!

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