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

Ooh La La! Paint the Town Red With One of These Two New Jouer Holiday It Bags

November 27th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

Of course you’re going to need a cute makeup bag to tool around town with over the holidays.

At least that’s what my inner accessories addict keeps telling me. 🙂

Oh, these new leather Jouer It Bags feel so soft and luxurious… And they hold a ton of makeup, too. They’ll fit one Jouer Tinted Bronzer, three blushes, five eye shadows, six lipsticks, six glosses, three liquid liners and one jar of highlighting powder, with (a little) room to spare.

You’ll want to treat them with TLC, though, because for starters, they’re kind of expensive ($65 apiece). They’re also buttery soft and delicate, so they pick up nicks and cuts easily.

Still, they’re super pretty and so, so luxurious…

The pale pink Ooh La La and bright crimson Paint the Town Red It Bags are available now for a limited time at Henri Bendel stores, select Nordstroms and jouercosmetics.com.

All of this makeup here fits in the bag on the left…

Benefit’s New Lavender Pink Lollitint Cheek and Lip Tint Is Pretty Sweet!

November 27th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

I’ve been wearing Benefit’s cheek and lip stains off and on for the better part of, oh, the past 13 years (give or take).

In my early 20s, Benetint was TOTALLY my jam, and I wore it all the time. In fact, I traveled the country spreading the gospel of its wonders to the makeup masses!

OK, not really. 🙂 But I do remember driving across Washington state with my ex-boyfriend and his two teenage nieces in 1999 to see a concert at The Gorge.

It was the first time I saw Beyonce in concert (*tears*), and as I was putting on my makeup in the car, one of the girls asked me about the bottle of Benetint in my makeup bag. I was thrilled by her interest and did two impromptu makeovers right there.

Part of me wishes I’d taken that as a sign to pursue a job in beauty, but alas, it was a hint I totally ignored at the time. I mean, when you feel compelled to help two teens discover the wonders of lip and cheek stains in a cramped Subaru, it’s gotta be a sign.

Anywho, even though we all had vastly different skin tones, Benetint looked great on all of us, and I think that’s one of the reasons Benefit’s tints are so appealing — the colors seem to work well on everyone!

I’m hoping (and betting) that’ll also be the case with Lollitint, the newest member of the Benefit tint family.

Benefit Lollitint — Sweet tooth says what now??

Worn sheer on me, Lollitint looks like a very sweet lavender pink, but build it up with multiple layers, and you get a brighter, intensely purple-pink fuchsia.

Very cool.

Now, I know that the thought of wearing violet on your face might seem a little scary at first, especially if you’ve always stuck to traditional pinks and peaches, but please give it a chance. This one’s surprisingly wearable — shockingly so on cheeks.

Like Benefit’s other tints, Lollitint works best on me when I apply it on bare skin. For some reason, the liquid formula lasts longer when there aren’t a lot of other face products up in the mix. If it’s just Lollitint on top of bare cheeks, I get a good 8-9 hours of wear.

That said, Lollitint does do pretty well on top of BB creams and tinted moisturizes, as long as I only use very little. Too much of either, and Lollitint starts acting difficult, refusing to absorb as evenly as it does when I wear it by itself.

How about wearing it with liquid foundations? Well, I think I’ve found a way…

If I swipe a few strokes of Lollitint on the back of my hand first, and then take a dense synthetic foundation brush (I’m using one from last year’s Sephora Collection IZAK Brush Set), press and swirl the brush head into the liquid to help the bristles pick up as much of the product as possible, and then press the brush on the apples of my cheeks using a tapping motion and a moderate amount of pressure, it works well! — and I get the blush on there nice and even without messing up the foundation underneath.

Benefit Lollitint Swatch — Swatches of Lollitint unblended (left) and blended (right)

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Do You Ever Turn to Hair or Makeup to Cheer Yourself Up When You’re Feeling Stressed Out or Down?

November 27th, 2013 by Karen 29 Comments

Things that make you go hmm... — Things that make you go hmm…

Do I ever turn to hair or makeup to cheer myself up when I’m feeling stressed or down?

Uh…definitely (BIG surprise). Mostly makeup.

Never underestimate the positivity-spreading power of a good under-eye concealer or a bright, bold lipstick. They’re pretty much guaranteed to boost my mood — maybe not all the way to “happy” from “sad” or “so angry that I could stab someone right now,” but sometimes any improvement is better than none.

And when I’m feeling really down, I like to go ~~stress~~ window shopping, and my favorite haunts are Sephora, the beauty counters at Nordstrom and the makeup aisles at Target or Rite Aid and CVS.

It just helps to get lost among beautiful things. Sometimes you just need a distraction, ya know? Anything to unwind and chill-the-eff-out, LOL! An hour spent leisurely strolling through any beauty department, and I almost always feel better.

What about you? Do you ever turn to hair or makeup to cheer yourself up when you’re feeling stressed out or down? What’s your favorite beauty haunt (Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, Target, someplace online)? Or is it a ritual of some kind, like doing your nails?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The New Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Palette: A Sweet-Smelling Set of 16 Neutrals for Spring 2014

November 26th, 2013 by Karen 45 Comments

Honestly, the folks at Too Faced Cosmetics really, REALLY should’ve put a warning label on their new Chocolate Bar Eye Palette ($49) (“Do not bite!”), because among their fans, it would have saved the chocolate lovers gazillions of dollars in dental repair bills.

Even before and after pics on the box would have been helpful (this is Karen before biting the palette, and this is Karen after).

For instance, for the before picture, they could have used something like this pic of a smiling cat lady just chillin’ with the cute chocolate-bar shaped case moments before she opened it…

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette — Oh, hello! I’m just holding a chocolate bar.

Then, for the after pic, they could have used something like this to illustrate what happened moments after that same cat lady opened the tin for the first time and caught a whiff of the scented eyeshadows inside it.

OMG! All 16 powder eyeshadows smell EXACTLY LIKE CHOCOLATE…which I guess makes sense, seeing as how they’re all made with cocoa powder, which is supposed to help protect and smooth your skin.

Man, I was hella hungry this afternoon, too, and after that first sniff of cocoa deliciousness I scoured the house for anything chocolate (found a can of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, score!). I bit down on the edge of the tin like I was one of the bad children from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (I’d want to be Veruca Salt, of course). So, yeah. Watch out for your teeth.

This Chocolate Bar is a brand-spankin’-new eye palette for spring 2014, and technically, it’s not available yet, but you can put in a request to be emailed when it’s available. I’ve yet to hear word on the official release date, but I’m guessing it’ll be soon (probably within the next two weeks).

“Too Faced Co-founder and Creative Director Jerrod Blandino learned of the healing properties of cocoa while getting a chocolate facial in Maui. With Chocolate Bar he created a first-of-its-kind palette that combines the healing benefits of chocolate with richly pigmented, velvety smooth shadows. Chocolate has been used for centuries for its soothing properties and to protect, condition, and heal skin that has been damaged by sun and wind. Studies have shown that the scent of cocoa powder can increase memory and brain power.”

— Sephora.com

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How To Use the MAC Masterclass Brushes: Tips From MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin

November 26th, 2013 by Karen 45 Comments

There’s been a lot of mystery surrounding the new MAC Masterclass Brushes. Heck, even Tabs didn’t know what to make of them the first time he laid eyes on the funky black handles (which kind of look like toothbrushes).

I was curious, too, so yesterday I went to the source — the MAC Pro Store in San Francisco — and got some great tips from MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin.

Karen with Senior MAC Artist Victor Cembellin — With Senior MAC Artist Victor Cembellin (I’m wearing three-inch heels here, and I still look short, LOL!)

If you like makeup and you’re not already following Victor online, get on that! He’s really nice, and he posts lots of fun and interesting behind-the-scenes MAC tweets and pics on his Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Anywho, Victor walked me through the different ways you can use the new Oval No. 6, Oval No. 3 and Linear 1 MAC Masterclass Brushes.

So far there are just three brushes in the new line, but as you can probably tell by the numbered names…it’s a safe bet we’ll see more. Hopefully, because I think they’re great.

The video has a lot more detail, but in a nutshell…

One big difference — I mean, other than their unusual appearance — between these new brushes and traditional makeup brushes is how they’re used. They’re designed for less tapping and stippling, and more gliding, skimming, pushing and pulling across the skin. Think of your brush as a figure skater gliding along your skin.
Each of the brushes can be used in different ways, and you can even use them to go from cream products to powders.
The largest brush in the three-piece collection, Oval 6 ($42), can be used to apply foundation, tinted moisturizer, face powder, blush, highlighter and contour colors (probably among other things).
Oval 3 ($32), the medium-sized one, works great for applying concealer to the under-eye area, eye cream all over the eyes and eyeshadows in the contour.
The smallest brush, Liner 1 ($25), can be used for blending out eyeliner pencils (for a smudgy look) and applying eyeshadow, especially along the lash lines. In a pinch, you could even use it to fill in your brows.
But what if you’re new to makeup? Can beginners use these brushes? Absolutely! Victor thinks so, too, and he talks about that in the video.

There’s way more tips and product recommendations from Victor in the vid, and here all links to all of the products mentioned.

MAC Masterclass Brush video products — The MAC products used in the video

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A Grape Escape for Dry Hands: The Fragrant Caudalie Hand Cream Trio Gets a Big Hand From Grapes

November 26th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

If there is such a thing as a Caudalie Hand Cream intervention, I WILL NOT HAVE ANY PART OF IT.

I’ve been unknowingly toting around not one, but two full-size tubes of the original version in my Poverty Flats purse for the past couple of months and only realized it last weekend. But you know what? Instead of taking out one of the tubes, I left them both in there, because you just never know when Z-Day will go down, and it would be such a travesty to not have a really, really great hand cream available. 🙂

Caudalie Hand Cream Trio Box — Please note: the $25 sticker in the upper right on the box is a big ol’ pain to remove!

Those two tubes in my purse may be joined shortly by Caudalie’s new trio of holiday Hand Creams, because I can’t get enough of the three wine grape-themed scents (each one comes in a 1-ounce travel-sized mini tube) in this limited edition set.

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Length for Days! The New L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

November 25th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Tonight I find myself pondering imponderable things…

Like, does the flapping of a butterfly’s wings affect the sway of a husky tabby’s tum halfway around the world?

Or, if I were to wear L’oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara and bat my lashes at the guy making my hot cocoa at Starbucks (being generous with the whipped cream earns you good karma points!), does that alter the sway of tabby tums everywhere?

These are the profound profundities (not really) that passed through one cat lady’s mind as she wore the new L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara today ($8.99). 🙂

It’s all about the (asymmetrical) brush, man!

It’s pretty neat… It looks a little like a comb, doesn’t it? With the longer bristles on one side and shorter ones on the other?

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The Two New Chanel Nuit Magique Le Vernis Nail Colours Will Cast Their Cosmic Magic Online Soon

November 25th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Chanel Cosmic Le Vernis Nail Colour — Chanel’s Cosmic Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27), one of two new online exclusive shades in the Nuit Magique collection

My last magical night was the final night of my trip to Kauai with El Hub last August. After dinner, we walked down to the beach by our hotel on Kalapaki Bay and took a long, leisurely stroll on the sand under the moonlight.

The moon was so full and round that night. I felt like it was just above my head, like I could reach right out grab it. We walked and talked from one end of the beach to the other while listening to a band playing somewhere in the distance. The music mixed with the sound of the waves gently lapping at our feet.

We talked about all kinds of things as we walked and watched the moonlight reflect on the water — the fun things we did on our trip, the other places we still hoped to travel, and where we saw our little family in the next few years.

It was a magical night, and I wished it would never end. I remember looking down at my feet at one point and watching the water wash over my toes…

Incidentally, I was wearing Chanel Taboo! 🙂

I love Taboo… It’s one of my all-time Chanel faves (right up there with Jade), but if I’m ever lucky enough to have a another magical night like that one, I hope I’m wearing one of the two Chanel nail polishes in the Nuit Magique collection (magical night, en Français) — ya know, to go with the whole magical theme of the night.

The two-piece limited edition collection of dark and moody colors goes on sale December 2, exclusive to chanel.com.

Both of them seem like perfect colors for a big night out. Or a big day (if you’re into deeper shades like I am).

Chanel Magic Swatch — Two coats of Magic

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Here are prices and links…