Search Results for: chanel glossimer

Heavens to Murgatroyd! It sounds like dueling sneezes up in here. Both Tabs and El Hub have bad allergies, and Zyrtec is the only thing keeping me in the game.

Good morning, young lady. 🙂 How are you doing today? Have you had breakfast yet? I’m in the mood for something good. Maybe pancakes and eggs.

Oh, you might be interested in this. Last night I read a few reviews of a new-ish camera that looks pretty interesting. It’s the Canon PowerShot S95 (about $400). It’s very expensive, but it boasts an unusual combination of features you don’t see often on little point-and-shoots, like a very fast f/2.0-4.9 lens, which basically means it’s equipped to take pics in fairly low light. The lens also opens up to 28mm at the widest, which means it sees more of the scene than most little cameras at 35mm do. Makes it a little better for shooting in cramped spaces and for panoramic landscape and architectural pics. The wider angle means you don’t have to step back quite as far to get the entire subject in the frame. In this particular camera’s case it’s only slightly significant (the difference between 28mm and 35mm).

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here are the cameras I use right now…

• Canon T2i — a DSLR that supports interchangeable lenses; my main workhorse; the newer T3i model adds a very useful flip-out LCD (with it I’d be able to check myself in the LCD when the camera is mounted on a tripod in front of me)
• Canon G11 (the newer G12 is nearly the same) — a mix between a little point-and-shoot camera and a bulky DSLR; has a flip-out LCD but doesn’t support interchangeable lenses; does give you manual control over aperture, shutter speed and exposure
• Canon SD950IS — a basic little Canon point-and-shoot that takes unbelievably crisp, vibrant pictures; most of Canon’s point-and-shoot cameras take fantastic pictures

I think these are all great cameras for swatches, closeups and portraits. Where the DSLR takes the clear lead is with taking pictures of moving subjects (like Tabs) because it supports very fast lenses like the 50mm f/1.4 that are able to freeze action better than a point-and-shoot. Fast lenses are also better in low-light situations. The camera also supports wider-angle lenses than the lenses that come with the little ones.

Every so often I’m asked about the cameras and lenses I use, and I always try to explain how the best pieces of camera equipment I own are the manuals that come with each camera. Even the least expensive point-and-shoot cameras can usually take pictures that look just about as good as the pics the most expensive cameras can take when they’re used correctly.

I try to keep these two things in mind when I’m taking pics…

• Light, light, light! The more the merrier. Natural sunlight produces more accurate colors than yellowish soft-white indoor light bulbs do (although stores do sell daylight bulbs as well). Bright light also means not having to use a flash, and flashes can alter colors.
• Camera shake. Even when you try to hold a camera perfectly still, there’s still a slight movement when you press the shutter button, and that movement can make pictures blurry. That’s why I use tripods so often and/or the camera’s self-timer. Light is a cure for camera shake because it allows the camera’s shutter to open and close quicker (because it doesn’t have to be open for as much time to capture the light it needs). So, if your pics are coming out blurry, open more windows, step outside in daylight, or bring another bright lamp into the room.

I’m always looking for new photography tips, so please share if you have any.

Before you jet, here’s a quick look back at some of the things we talked about in makeup and beauty this week. Hope you have a great day. 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

BE BOLD ON A BUDGET WITH THESE
$7 MILANI LIP FLASH PENCILS

Hey, cutie. Before driving out to the East Bay this afternoon, I didn’t intend to spend a lot of time on my makeup, but then one thing led to another, etc., etc. Before I knew it, I’d swatched the entire line of Milani Lip Flash Pencils ($6.99).

Remember these? We talked about a shimmery bronze one a while back called Lip Flash.

Not bad for $7, right? Have a look at these, and let me know what you think. These party girl glosses are bold, shimmery and in yo’ face. I’ve been pairing bronzy brown Lip Flash, probably the tamest one of the batch, with brown, gold or bronze smokey eyes. The other seven come in various shades of pink, red, magenta and purple and should be a blast to wear with crazy false eyelashes, glitter and a pair of dangerously sky-high heels. Read more…

NARS SUMMER 2011, SWEET RELIEF
AND RANDOM ACTS OF BEAUTY

Most mornings I’m awakened by a chubby tabby cat set to go off about a minute before the regular alarm on my phone. It’s a very unusual alarm in that I’m actually the source of the sound, which is like a painful yelp. It works like this: Tabs, who usually sleeps in his kitty bed on the floor, climbs up onto my bladder and launches from it into the air, “Whee!”

And it even has something like a snooze button because after he does it the first time, I usually drift back to sleep, so he does it again about 10 minutes later. This repeats over and over until I finally get out of bed.

But this morning the tabby alarm clock malfunctioned in a glorious way! Instead of using my bladder as a springboard, Tabs climbed up onto the bed and gently snuggled his way into my arms like a present. Of course, I soaked it up as long as I could (cat ladies, you know what I’m talking about), listening to him purr and feeling the curve of his warm kitty body against mine as rays of sunlight filtered in through the windows onto his fur. It was so peaceful and calm that I almost couldn’t get out of bed! Read more…

HERE COMES THE URBAN BRIDE!
WILL YOU SAY “I DO” TO URBAN DECAY’S NEW URBAN BRIDE?

Places, everyone. It’s time!

Maestro, queue the Wedding March.

Here she comes! Urban Decay’s new $42 Urban Bride gift box is coming down the aisle. And just in time for wedding season to Ulta, select Macy’s stores and also online.

Isn’t her dress beautiful (I hear it’s an exclusive Urban Decay)? Urban Decay timed the limited edition wedding-themed set to coincide with the release of Bridesmaids next month (May 13), a new comedy starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne. In the story, Annie is her BFF’s Maid of Honor, whose life unravels as she tries to get the bridesmaids all set for the big day. I’m a fiend for chick flicks, so it sounds like my cup of tea.

The set (how adorable is that box?) comes with six long-wearing Urban Decay products for face, eyes, lips and body. Read more…

HOW TO GET THE MOST BOUNCE FOR YOUR BUCK
FROM THE NEW MAC BIG BOUNCE SHADOWS

Do you remember flubber? It was a rubber-like, super bouncy substance created by an absent-minded professor in 1961. Actually, by THE Absent-Minded Professor in the Disney movie of the same name. I suspect MAC might have lured the professor out of retirement to help them develop the upcoming MAC Big Bounce Shadows ($16.50 each) because, like flubber, they’re also quite bouncy and unusual.

The rich colors don’t feel like anything I’ve ever felt before. Think dense whipped cream, if that makes any sense, and when I tap the pans with a finger, I can actually feel them bouncing back in a very cool, weird way.

Hopefully these 16 shadows with metallic and/or pearl finishes are easier to corral than flubber was. Getting that stuff to stay put was almost impossible, but these shadows are supposed to bounce onto counters May 5 as part of the new MAC Flighty collection.

For help getting the most bounce from these beauties, I turned to one of my favorite MAC senior artists, Romero Jennings (are you following him on Twitter?). Read more…

SOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL MOISTURIZING
BRONZING POWDER IN BRONZE ROSE IS LIKE SUMMER IN A PAN

Lately, I’ve been super obsessed with the idea of the South of France and the Cannes Film Festival taking place there next month. Plus, you know how much I like surfing, and apparently, Cannes has some really great surf spots, too. Who knew?

Chanel’s new Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder in Bronze Rose ($50) is fueling this obsession. It launched a couple weeks ago with the new Chanel Les Fleurs D’Ete Summer Collection.

Doesn’t it make your heart flutter? love It’s like summer in a pan, ah…

If it seems like you’ve seen this film before, you have a good eye, my friend. A similar four-color powder bronzer premiered with Chanel’s Cote D’Azur Summer Collection back in 2009, except that story starred four shimmery golden browns instead of a shimmery pinkish gold; a peachy pink; a warm, golden orangey brown; and a light baby pink. Read more…

MAC STUDIO FIX BOLDBLACK LASH
FEELS AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER, STIFF AS A BOARD

When I was a kid, every slumber party I went to started with 16 Candles, progressed to crank calling cute boys from class, and ended with us playing light as a feather, stiff as a board.

For the game, one of us would lie down on the floor. Then, a bunch of us girls would lift her, using just two fingers on each hand, while chanting, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” over and over again. I have no idea why this was considered fun, but we got the biggest kick out of it and did it all the time.

Ah, to be young and easily amused… 🙂

MAC’s new Studio Fix Boldblack Lash mascara ($14) reminds me of that old game. Launching April 28 on counters with the new Fashion Flower Collection (NOTE: it’s available now online), Boldblack will join the MAC permanent line. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
NAKED LUNCH EYESHADOW

What I wouldn’t give to learn the story behind the name of today’s MAC Unsung Hero, Naked Lunch ($14.50).

Was there really a lunch in which the attendees were naked (eww!)? If so, I wonder what was on the menu… I assume that soups and other hot foods were absent, as well as beans and cheeses that encourage, um, bloat.

I’m all for culinary adventures, but when it comes to my lunches, I think I’ll stick to wearing clothes and this powder shadow from MAC’s permanent line.

When I need something foolproof to wear with my favorite browns, I often reach for Naked Lunch. It casts a candlelit glow on my skin that ignores my fine lines, and it blends like a makeup dream. Read more…

I’M JUICED ABOUT THESE CHANEL
LES FLEURES D’ÉTÉ DE CHANEL GLOSSIMERS

Mango overload! Mango overload! Help! I have no idea what to do with the four ripe mangoes that have been sitting in my kitchen since Easter, all delicious-looking and filled with juice. Salsa? Marinade? A smoothie, perhaps?

Around this time every year, I get a craving for two things: 1) mangoes and 2) shimmery, sheer glosses like Pensée (a shimmery coral) and Pink Peony (a shimmer pink). And what do they all have in common? One word: juice.

The luscious, juicy glosses are two of the three Glossimers from this summer’s Les Fleurs D’Été de Chanel collection, and I think they look delicious on tanned skin. Delicious, yes, but not altogether surprising, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I, on the other hand, am a little surprised that Chanel chose to go such a traditional route with these when they repeatedly broke so much ground last year with products like the Khakis, Riva and this spring’s Ombres Perlees Palette. Read more…

A MANIC MANGO THURSDAY AND
MY NEW FOUNDATION ROUTINE

As a devoted fan of Laura Mercier Oil-Free Liquid Foundation for years, I was heartbroken to find that Laura changed the color of my go-to shade (NOOOO!). Or, rather, I’m fairly sure she did. I bought a bottle recently that seemed dramatically darker and pinker (is that a word?) than it always had before, so I checked other bottles at several counters just to be sure, and, yup, they were different too.

What a disappointment… It always covered everything, never caused breakouts, and has always been so easy to apply.

I drifted like that, crushed, in foundation no-man’s land for a while and returned to using my trusty Chanel Mat Lumiere, which I love for everyday wear, but I don’t feel like it photographs very well on me (I think it looks a little flat).

I also tried Make Up For Ever HD, which I think looks fantastic and photographs well, but hello, pimples!; and MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation (great coverage, but it smothers my skin) but wasn’t really wowed by either. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Typical Sunday Morning…

TABS: “Meow, meow, meow, meow!”
KAREN: “I’m up, I’m up!”
TABS: “Mrrrrrrow…”
KAREN: “But if it’s morning, why’s it still so dark outside?”
TABS: “Mrow.”
KAREN: “Well that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
TABS: “…”
KAREN: “Okay, sorry. I take it back.”
TABS: [Purrrrr]
KAREN: “Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky you’re so dang cute.”

Heya, ladies. Good morning. How long have you been up? It’s just after 7 here and so foggy outside that I can’t even tell if the sun has come up.

What did you do yesterday? El Hub and I drove up to a town called Yountville for lunch. It’s one of the little places along Highway 29 in wine country about an hour north of here. We were sort of chasing the sun, but it was just as cold and overcast up there as it was down here. Still, it was nice to get out of dodge for a few hours.

Other than that, my Saturday was blissfully uneventful. 🙂 A trip to Target (nothing beauty related jumped out at me), I cleaned the kitchen, watched Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School on Netflix (not bad, stars Marisa Tomei, whom I like; picked it because I liked the name), and went to bed around midnight.

So did you have any beauty highlights this week or try any new looks you’d like to share? Mine was probably this one here, although it’s not really new for me. I like how summery it felt despite the weather outside.

In case you missed anything, here’s one last look at some of the things we talked about this week on the blog. Whatever you’ve got going on today, I hope there’s room for fun.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

THE DIOR MONTAIGNE SPRING 2011
SOFT PINK DESIGN QUINT

Expect a downpour at Dior this spring when the new Montaigne Collection comes to town, but you won’t need your umbrella for this storm. That’s because it’ll be pouring pearls when the 13-piece release for eyes, lips, cheeks and drips on Dior counters, in Dior stores and at Sephora in the next few weeks.

Named after the Paris address where the first Dior boutique opened back in 1946, the palette of pearly grays and baby pinks suggests spring soirees in the City of Lights, and to these soirees you’re wearing pearls. It’s a soft, sophisticated, natural look, and passersby won’t be able to miss your subtly shimmering glow.

To my eye, the Soft Pink Design Quint ($58), one of two for eyes in the release, characterizes the collection’s vibe with its nuanced pinks and grays. It comes with (almost) everything a girl would need to live the eye portion of the look — an eyeshadow base, a liner, two shimmer shadows and one glitter shadow. The only thing missing: mascara. Read more…

THE DIOR MONTAIGNE SOFT
PINK DESIGN ALL IN ONE ARTISTRY PALETTE

Today I took the brand spankin’ new Dior Soft Pink Design All-In-One Artistry Palette ($58) from the Dior Montaigne spring 2011 collection out for a spin using the little tutorial that comes with the palette as a guide.

I love it when products come with those things (sending positive reinforcement to all the companies out there) because they make looks as easy as 1-2-3.

It’s too blasted expensive, so it loses big points for that, but I find this quint extremely easy to work with. I love the textures and didn’t expect there to be as much pigment as I found. If you can get past the price and want to get an early start on spring with an eye palette in soft pink, gray and mauve, consider Dior’s sassy Soft Pink Design. Read more…

TARTE EMPHASEYES AQUA GEL
EYELINER IN SHIMMERING INDIGO

This may sound a little selfish, but I sure hope Tarte adds their new emphasEYES Aqua Gel Eyeliner in Shimmering Indigo to their permanent line, because I love the way it looks with brown eyes.

The pigmented purplish blue gel liner, a QVC exclusive shade (you get not one, but TWO for $25), comes in a twist-up pencil, making it more convenient than most gel liners.

According to Tarte, half of the product consists of water — with minerals, as well as vitamin E, cucumber and aloe suspended within it — and judging by how creamy and moist the liner feels along my lash line, I believe it.

It also shimmers on my eyes in a way that makes it look to me like late afternoon light reflecting on the surface of a pond, ah… Read more…

TARTE SMOOTH OPERATOR
AMAZONIAN CLAY EYE BASE

To quote (and then paraphrase) the great Sade, “No need to ask, he’s [she’s] a smooth operator.” Except her charms aren’t working on me. 🙁

The new Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Eye Base ($22) may be a touch too light for this brown girl, but lighter lasses, listen up. This pretty pink primer just might shine for you.

The warm yellow undertones in my skin don’t agree with Smooth Operator (it turns gray on me), but that shouldn’t happen if you like the way you look in shades of cool-toned pink.

Released as a QVC (yep, that QVC) exclusive last December, Smooth Operator Eye Base looks to me like a hybrid of two other products, Benefit Eye Bright Pencils and Urban Decay Primer Potion. It combines the light pink color of Eye Bright with UDPP’s fluffy, smooth texture. Read more…

IS CHINA GLAZE SEA SPRAY
A $5 DUPE FOR CHANEL RIVA?

If price made your pretty nails pass on Chanel’s breathtaking but budget busting resort collection Riva ($27, ouch!), Anchors Away!

One of 12 nautical shades in the new China Glaze Anchors Away Collection for spring goes by the name of Sea Spray (about $5).

With a familiar marine-like blue vibe and similarly subtle micro glitter, both could be cousins, judging by the way they look in their bottles.

But how do they look beside each other on nails? Well, they aren’t twins, but they come fairly close. Sea Spray looks a little darker than Riva does and isn’t as creamy. And its micro glitter is silver, while Chanel’s is teal. Read more…

IS MAC DELFT A DUPE FOR
MAC SIAHI FLUIDLINE?

Oh, Delft is one of my all-time favorite MAC Paint Pots! I picked it up a few years ago when it was part of the permanent collection, but it seems to have gone MIA since then (at least online).

It’s a shimmery teal with a hint of gold, and it, like the rest of the Paint Pots, feels softer and slightly fluffier than the Fluidlines do to me.

I usually wear the Paint Pots as cream shadows and/or eyeshadow bases, although they’ll double as liners, too.

About Delft, it’s like Siahi’s lighter, greener cousin; however, they both have very different shimmers. Siahi’s looks rather teal to me, while Delft’s is more of a straight up gold.

While I was rutting around in my stash for Delft, I also noticed that teal blue Korres Eyeliner Pencil in Blue Petrol looks a little like Siahi as well, except that it’s darker, with a matte finish. Read more…

THE DOLCE & GABBANA SECRET
GARDEN COLLECTION FOR SPRING 2011

I wonder what Lewis Carroll would have thought about the secret garden of pink Post-It notes that decorate my desk and my notebook. Of course, the note are totally unnecessary, because there’s no way I’m going to forget about the new 12-piece Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden collection for eyes, nails, face and lips. When it hops into town this spring, I’ll need a fainting couch to catch me when I fall (in love). 🙂

The colors look so bright and authentically springy that I can almost smell fresh-cut grass and sunshine when I look at them (I swear I can smell the sunshine).

But the story behind the collection, according to Dolce, is one of mystery. Read more…

IS CHANEL ARAGONITE A DUPE OF
NARS MOON FLEET?

Yesterday I almost judged a book by its cover. After reader Mahnaz asked how Aragonite, one of the new Glossimers from the Chanel Les Perles de Chanel spring collection, compared to NARS Moon Fleet, my initial reaction was, “Uh oh! Chanel must have copied NARS.”

But then I pulled out both colors and gave the question more thought. Both shades are related, but NARS Moon Fleet, a permanent color from the line, is a sheer and shimmery yellow gold, and I think it looks much darker and yellower than Aragonite does.

What about other possible Aragonite dupes? Hmm… How about Chanel Glossimer in Galactic (circa 2007)? Read more…

THE CHINA GLAZE ANCHORS
AWAY COLLECTION

Ahoy, matey! The new China Glaze Anchors Away Collection for spring 2011 just docked onto my doorstep, so I thought you’d want to see some swatches.

Do these colors make you wanna hoist your sails or walk the plank?

The limited edition polishes, each around $5, will be available at select beauty stores this spring. Read more…

THE NARS SPRING 2011
COLLECTION

Since I have a weak spot for NARS blushes that’s right up there with my weak spot for Häagen-Dazs dulce de leche ice cream, I was shocked, and a wee bit disappointed, to hear that Francois left the blushes out of his collection for fall.

But I wiped away my tears today when I saw these pics for the small 11-piece collection for eyes, lips and nails. The shimmery earth tones with metallic finishes; the sheer, sparkly cool purples and pinks; and even a couple of unexpected greens and blues? NARS started with safe neutrals but sprinkled them with just enough brights to keep a girl on her toes, and what he came up with looks to be a lot of fun.

Plus, almost all of the colors are new (two of the lip glosses are repromotes). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s shakin’, bacon? Happy Sunday! I’m taking it a little easy today because I was out late last night with some friends down in San Jose. Of course I got lost, because that’s what people do in San Jose. We went to a cozy wine bar called Chin Chin and did some catching up. Now I’m watching Tabs tear the sh*zz out of his cat tower while I eat pumpkin buttered toast for breakfast, yum.

Oh, have you seen Catfish? It’s a documentary about a photographer who falls in love with a girl on Facebook. He decides to meet her in real life but begins to suspect she doesn’t really exist when he tries to track her down and can’t. It’s a mystery of sorts and pretty interesting. Well worth checking out.

Have you had a good weekend? What’s the weather like out there? It’s storming like crazy here! I feel like we went from summer to winter without much of a fall. I hope we get a break from the rain soon, because if we don’t, Tabs may tear the roof off this mother.

Here’s a look back at some of the makeup and beauty stuff we talked about this week. MAC A Tartan Tale got a lot of attention in Beauty Land, as does almost everything from MAC. How do you feel about the collection? Are you stoked about it or not impressed?

GUERLAIN ROUGE
BRILLIANT BEE LIPSTICK

This Bee is a creamy, full-coverage (yes!) deep violet with tiny flecks of golden glitter, and it feels like a feather on the lips, ahh…

I’d heard the Rouge G Le Brilliant lippies were long wearing, and this one lives up to the hype. It wears off slowly over about five hours, which usually includes a snack or a meal.

Oh, and the bomb @ss tube! I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it’s also really functional. Guerlain squeezed a mirror in the cap (I LOVE the logo!), and the tube has some heft to it too. Should I ever find myself an unwilling member of a Jersey Shore club brawl, it could double as a weapon.

Kids, violence is NEVER the answer…but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Read more…

LUSH GOTH JUICE
HAIR STYLING GEL

Goth Juice?

Before you answer that, I’m referring to Lush’s Goth Juice ($16), a medium-hold non-sticky styling gel, and not a new energy drink for fans of The Cure.

Seems like noses either love or loathe Lush products, and even though they don’t always agree with my nose (I’m more of a fruity florals kinda girl than a hippy/pot brownie babe), some of their stuff just works.

Like Goth Juice. Sure, it’s got that eau de lemon and Pine-Sol thing going, but for fast, effortless, undone styles, Goth Juice gets it done.

Lush credits a mix of botanical oils (hemp and flaxseed), fresh lemon infusion, olibanum (a resin from the boswellia tree; also goes by the name frankincense) and oakmoss for making the magic happen.

I busted out a full on elle-oh-elle when I read the product’s description on the company’s website:

“Olibanum and oakmoss leave your hair smelling like the deep, dark pine forest where Robert Smith goes to be alone.” Read more…

DOLCE & GABBANA
EVOCATIVE COLLECTION

While I was cruising down (Saks) Fifth Avenue today, otherwise known as surfing their site (they’re having a Friends & Family Sale; I didn’t come across the new Ethereal Holiday Collection, but I did window shop almost everything from the Evocative Collection for fall.

I’m not sure how Evocative’s vampiric berries, wines and pinks go with her springy blues and that one totally random coral, but being confused has never stopped me before, ha!

I’ll just try to wrap my head around something tangible…like the ultra pigmented, creamy coral Classic Cream Lipstick in Cosmopolitan and Shine Lipstick in Orchid. They should help me focus, but if I’m still out of sorts after that, the buttery soft and sheer beige, pink, taupe and purple shadows in the quad should help. Read more…

MAC A TARTAN TALE
SWATCH PREVIEW

Heya, ladies. Here’s a smattering of products from the massive MAC A Tartan Tale holiday collection launching on October 28 (that’s next week!). I thought you might like to see a few swatches. Tabs is demanding lip and face shots soon. Read more…

NYX SPECIAL
EFFECTS LASHES

Wow, how fun are these NYX Special Effects Lashes ($10; available in 40 styles)? I’m building up the courage to wear the brown spotted Leopard ones out in public, and I’m almost there. I’m thinking mall date, perhaps?

Electric blue Midnight Walts is another story… I’m reserving that one for private, in-home displays of cray-cray. I feel très Looney Tunes with ‘em on, not gonna lie.

I love how many there are to choose from (40 in all), and at $10, they’re $5 cheaper than the freakiest $15 Urban Decay Urban Lashes and half the cost of falsies from Shu Uemura (which are great, I might add).

I’m not sure about the other styles, but Leopard and Midnight Walts didn’t come with lash glue. Luckily I had a spare tube on hand.

As you might expect, some pairs are easier to apply than others. Leopard was a cinch (took about five minutes); Midnight Walts, on the other hand, wasn’t (took about 15 minutes). NOTE: I’m incompetent when it comes to applying false lashes, so your results may vary. That I was able to apply either of these without losing an eye was a minor makeup miracle. Read more…

DIOR ENDLESS
SHINE QUINT, HOLIDAY 2010

What up, buttercup? How was your week? Mine was pretty peachy, thank you very much, and I owe it all to Dior Endless Shine.

We spent Wednesday afternoon together, you know, just frolicking like cherubs with cameras. Turns out the holiday quint, one of two in Dior’s Holiday 2010 Collection, is quite the budding photographer.

With the quint’s peach shade demanding so much of my attention, it only seemed right to build a look around it, so I picked out some complementary bits o’ holiday makeup from Chanel, NARS, MAC and Dolce & Gabbana and put together this here face of the day.

That’s Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense in 10 and 12 and Dior 5-Colour Iridescent in Endless Shine #529 on my eyes, NARS Blush in Sex Appeal on my cheeks, and Chanel Glossimer in Pleasing atop Chanel Rouge Coco in Patchouli on my lips.

What do ya think? Are the eyes too frosty? They’re smokey but not loud. Now I just wish I had somewhere to go.

Hmm, I wonder what time Tuttimelon opens. Read more…

MAC A TARTAN TALE
EYE SWATCHES

Once upon a Tartan’s Tale, I peeped eye colors I would regale, but not so many, I’m sad to say, as I had hoped earlier today.

The Pearlglides are, without a doubt, my favorites from the tale no doubt, but I await, so patiently, the final act, let’s call it three.

From what I’ve seen of the collection’s eye products so far, and I’ve only seen about a quarter of it, nothing’s completely stolen my heart (but the Pearlglides have it on layaway).

A lot of what I’ve seen has been surprisingly sheer, which I guess would be cool if we were talking about Clinique, but this is MAC. In other words, where’s the beef pigment? Read more…

H2O PLUS
HAND AND NAIL CREAM TRIO

Quick, name one hip hop song in which Timbaland does NOT appear as a guest artist.

Takes a minute, doesn’t it? The guy is everywhere! He’s like a hip hop virus. I had my iTunes on random yesterday, and I swear the man was uttering nonsense in every other song. “Uh huh, uh uh,” “freaky-freaky-freaky!”

But no matter how many times he’s been featured in songs — and I’m fairly sure it’s in the hundreds — I bet I have him beat hands down in one area: hand washing. Because I like to wash my hands. A lot.

This also means my hands get dry. A lot (often?).

It’s worse in the colder months, which means hand creams? — totally my BFFs. Lately I’ve been getting my moisture on with these travel-friendly 2-oz. tubes of Hand and Nail Cream from H2O Plus. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There’s nothing like a big fashion show except maybe a shot of adrenalin in the heart, LOL! The show’s over, and I’m back at the hotel now, cleaning up and prepping a post (it’s about 9:30PM here). It’s fascinating how effortless the makeup looked amidst the chaos surrounding the runway.

Speaking of intense situations, funny story — well, potentially helpful story if you decide to take an international trip but don’t have a passport. The reason I had to drive into the city to renew my passport last Monday was because I let it expire and needed a new one right away. Most local post offices can issue new passports and renew existing ones, but doing it that way takes weeks. They snap your picture, usually in a little room off the main lobby, you fill out some forms, show proof of citizenship, pay a fee of around $100, and then four to six weeks later you get a brand new passport in the mail good for 10 whole years.

When you only have a few days before an unplanned trip, you can visit one of the U.S. State Department’s main passport offices, which are scattered throughout the country in mostly major metropolitan areas. There they can do the whole process in a day, but it costs extra ($70 more for the rush), and you have to make a somewhat challenging appointment over the phone. Challenging because of the State Department’s labyrinthine phone system and limited hours of operation.

The moral of the story: don’t do what I did. Apply online ahead of time if you think you might like to take a trip within the next few years, and if you already have your passport, renew it online before it expires.

I’m not entirely sure why that occurred to me right now, haha! I think I’m going loony…

While I jot down my thoughts on the show, here’s a quick look back at some of the products we talked about earlier this week.

Hope you’re having a good weekend. You better be enjoying yourself, or by Jove I’ll sick Tabs on ya!

BENEFIT LIPSTICK IN
SUGAR COOKIE

Do me a quick favor and check your blush stash, boo. If you find enough peaches to bake a cobbler, then I’d like you to meet my new go-to girl, Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick in Sugar Cookie ($18).

The color — a warm, shiny peach with flecks of gorgeous gold — has been around for a while as a permanent member of Benefit’s Silky Finish Lipstick line. Like the other Silky Finish gals, she’s got a thin, creamy texture (very hydrating, to boot) that glides on slick and smooth, and I think she looks GREAT paired with peach blushes like Benefit Georgia, NARS Orgasm, MAC Sunbasque, MAC Margin and MAC Peaches.

Do you remember the sparkly glitter from last week’s look with MAC Lipgelee in Resort Life (part of the Venomous Villains release)? — how it ended up all over the place? Well, Sugar Cookie isn’t messy like that at all. Her golden glitter stays put, but all is not peaches in the garden of golden glitter. Read more…

URBAN DECAY
URBANGLOW CREAM HIGHLIGHTER

I suppose if I really wanted an authentic candlelit glow I could walk around with a candle up next to my face, but talk about a big pain in the @ss, right? 🙂 And dangerous too!

No problem. The new Urban Decay Urbanglow Cream Highlighters ($24 each) are safer than open flames but just as illuminating.

UD packed these four cute compacts in Wicked, Sin, Brown Sugar and Moonshine with pearly glows and pigment to spare.

They kinda work like spotlights for the skin. Just pat on cheeks, at your temples, down the bridge of your nose or at the inner corners of your eyes for an instantly brighter outlook and a luminescent glow. They apply smoothly to bare skin, or on top of liquid foundations or tinted moisturizer, but I don’t recommend them for use atop powder foundations. When I tried, they looked kinda cakey.

I’ve been wearing Wicked (the shimmery pink) and Sin (the shimmery champagne) on particularly rough days when I haven’t gotten enough sleep the night before because they’re pretty good at quickly faking wide-awake eyes. Read more…

MAC PRO
LONGWEAR CONCEALER

I’ve been a big supporter of timeBalm concealer ($18), but MAC’s new line of medium-to-full coverage matte liquid concealers just might sway my vote. 🙂

MAC created them to conceal dark circles, spots and discolorations with a long-wearing, flawless, natural-looking finish.

The 16 available shades ($16.50 each), which come in a small glass bottle with a pump applicator top, dropped on counters last week with two other products, the Pro Longwear Lipcreme Lipsticks ($16) and Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundations ($29.50).

In a nutshell, this stuff works like a liquid version of timeBalm (I like it more than the actual liquid version of timeBalm). I’ve been wearing it in NW 30 lately (for reference, I’m an NC 35), to cover up my under-eye circles, and like timeBalm it thoroughly blocks out the dark areas without creasing, feathering, fading or settling into my fine lines. Read more…

CHANEL SOHO
GLOSSIMER IN STAR

A glittery pinkish purple lipgloss? Yes, please!

And the fact that this one’s also a Chanel Glossimer doesn’t hurt — well, except for the $27 price. That part hurts, but overlooking the way in which that makes my tummy churn, yippee!

She’s called Star, and like her namesake she’s all about the sparkle (with a very light tint). We’re talking good glitter here, very fine, and it doesn’t migrate around my lips.

Star feels thick and slightly sticky to me with a wear time around 90 minutes (mediocre for a gloss), and I’m glad that Chanel kept her scent- and flavor-free. Read more…

CHANEL SOHO
NAIL POLISHES

Well, it’s official. Elvis and summer have left the building. They walked out the back door, the one by the loading dock, and met for brewskies down at the Harvest Moon, you know, that little pub where all the classic fall nail colors hang out after work.

Every fall I pack up my warm weather must-haves — my neon nail polishes, fuchsia glosses, booty shorts with “I heart the Jersey Shore” written across the back (kidding!) to make room for autumn’s awesome goodies. This year, I’m clearing space for a couple of real workin’ stiffs called Steel (a shimmery gunmetal gray) and Strong (a shimmery blackened plum), Chanel’s two new SoHo Le Vernis nail polishes for fall ($23 each).

Why do autumn leaves make me want to paint mah talons with darker colors? Is it a cavewoman thing? Who knows, but if you like the look of dark fall nails, feast your Bette Davis eyes on these. Read more…

URBAN DECAY
LITTLE SINS PRIMER POTION SET

Er, I’m not talking sins of the “seven deadly” variety, one of which, lust, I have for Ryan Reynolds.

These kinder, gentler sins live in the Urban Decay Little Sins Eyeshadow Primer Potion Set ($29), a brand spankin’ new Sephora exclusive with four travel-sized bottles of Urban Decay’s famous Primer Potion in four different shades.

Stop unsightly shadow creasing and fading with the three classic shades in Original, Sin and Eden, or get a little selfish with the newest shade, shimmery golden Greed.

Greed, a cool-toned lemony gold on my NC35 skin, brightens lids with a noticeable glow, and I can really see it being a hit with girls who like the way they look in coolish yellowish golds.

If you like these Little Sins, the limited edition kit’s available now at Sephora and online at sephora.com. Read more…

SHISEIDO LUMINIZING
SATIN EYE COLOR TRIOS

Shiseido is not a word that springs to mind when I think “bright eyeshadow,” but their new Luminzing Satin Eye Color Trios ($33 each) sure got my attention.

I stumbled on these in the city the other day. The seven powder shadow trios, inspired by Shiseido Makeup Artistic Director Dick Page’s world travels, are completely new to the line, and bright is their modus operandi (they also feel silky smooth).

Take a look, and let me know if you see anything you like. I’m all over a pink, yellow and green trio called YE406 Tropicalia, not that I can think of a way to work all three of the colors into the same look.

Any ideas? Come on, there’s gotta be a way! 🙂 Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen