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A Slice of Matte Lipstick Paradise Courtesy of the MAC Posh Paradise Mattenes

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mac posh paradise mattenes (1)

Dang, I’d forgotten just how much I love the MAC Mattenes. It had been a while since the last time I wore anything from the line of semi-matte lipsticks, but today three of the 10 shades from the delightful new Posh Paradise collection refreshed my memory.

mac posh paradise swatches mattenes
Mattene Lipsticks, $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN each, from the left: Deliciously Forbidden(a mid-tone berry), Legendary (a mid-tone brick red) and Naked Bliss (a neutral light pink)


Mattene Lipstick swatches from the left: Deliciously Forbidden, Legendary and Naked Bliss
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Going the Distance with the MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eye Shadows

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mac styledriven pro longwear eye shadows

Pigment. Like. Whoa.

I’m serious. These new MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadows ($20 U.S./$24 CDN each) from the MAC Styledriven collection, like the Pro Longwear lip products we looked at last week, are built to throw down.

With potent pigments, a downy soft texture and an easy-to-blend formula, these powder eyeshadows look and feel to me like muscled up MAC permanent shadows in the Veluxe Pearl finish (picture Woodwinked but even cooler).

I’ve been bouncing between six of the 16 colors from the line, and I’m still no closer to picking a favorite…

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadows
Pro Longwear Eye Shadows, $20 U.S./$24 CDN each

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadow hot paprika
Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Hot Paprika
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The MAC Fall Colour Collection Makes It Easy to Smile for the Camera

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mac fall colour collection

Photography geek alert! Everyone please remain calm, but this is kind of a big deal, especially if you’re a fellow photography geek and/or major MAC fan.

When I heard a while back that acclaimed New York photographer Cindy Sherman was going to be taking pics for the new MAC Fall Colour collection, I nearly dropped my DSLR!

Sherman’s probably best known for her self-portraits, where she gets into a specific character and does the whole kit and caboodle herself — everything from her own makeup, to styling, to modeling for the shoots and, of course, taking her own pics — and her work often tackles topics like women in society, media and art.

FUN FACT: Last May, Untitled $#96, a Cindy Sherman original, sold for $3.8 million, making it the world’s most valuable photograph.

Cindy’s pics for the collection look kinda kooky and fun, don’t ya think? A great fit for a brand like MAC.

Coming to counters, stores and online September 29 in North America and internationally this October, MAC Fall Colour features new and repromoted makeup and brushes for eyes, lips, cheeks and face. It’s a pretty hefty release, with 48 pieces spread out among three sub-collections — the first features dark, smoky colors; the second spotlights a bevy of brights; and the third directs our attention to soft neutrals.

I took a look at 8 of the 48 pieces yesterday afternoon — before the server took a nap — and so far I’m really loving the lipsticks and Mineralize Skinfinishes.

mac fall colour collection all
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Blondes Really Do Have More Fun with Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Purple

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“My mind’s telling me no, but my body, my body’s telling me yes…”
– Robert “R” Kelly

Truer words were never spoken — in reference to Chanel’s new Inimitable Intense Mascara in Purple ($30, part of the new Sophisticated Eye collection). The first time the wand graced the back of my hand and I got a good look at the swatch, I feared that the color of this brownish plum would be lost upon my dark fringe. But oh, how I wanted to believe!

The logical part of my brain said I shouldn’t expect much; it said I’d never be able to see the tint on my dark lashes, but the Coco-obsessed part of my brain kept telling me not to worry. “Trust in Coco, Karen. Everything will work out in the end.”

I wanted to believe — both that I’d see a rich purple on my lashes, and that I’d get the same lift and volume (at the base) that I get from the O.G. Inimitable Intense. I wanted my happily ever after, so to speak.
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Friday Night Fun with Urban Decay Holiday 2011 (Yup, Holiday)

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Hey, babe! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?

Okay, sorry… Not funny, but we do have some super new bits and bobs from Urban Decay to talk about, and some of these are actually part of UD’s upcoming holiday lineup.

Yup, you read that correctly: holiday (!). Pretty soon we really will be celebrating Christmas in July.

Just some pics for now while I track down official prices and availability. I’ll update this post when I find out more, but I couldn’t wait to show you pics and swatches.

The Nail Kit looks pretty fun, and I’m just about ready to try out the Midnight Emergency Palette. Gotta get gussied up for fro-yo. 🙂

Enjoy.

The Nail Kit


From the left: Barlust, Mars, Wrecked, Ziggy, Gunmetal and Hot Mess
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Amazing Things Happen When You Wear the Chanel Sophisticated Eye Collection’s Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites

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chanel vanites

When I wear the Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadows in Vanites ($57; part of the new Chanel Sophisticated Eye collection), unicorns shoot glittery rainbows from their horns, every cat within a 10-mile radius rolls on its back and flashes its tum, and Ryan Gosling materializes on my doorstep and offers to take me to Pinkberry for a salted caramel fro-yo.

Well, at least that’s how I feel when the colors in this divine eyeshadow quad are decorating my lids.

chanel vanites

I tried them on this afternoon, and the purple, pink and two duo chromes couldn’t have been much easier to blend; I barely had to flick my wrist. It was like swish, swish, DONE!

“Ooh, nice!” El Hub said when he got home from work, which loosely translated means, “Your eye makeup, while bold, doesn’t scare me like it does sometimes when you wear crazy-@ss purples.”

chanel vanites
Chanel Vanites on lids and lower lash line, Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Purple on lashes, and MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating on lower water line
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Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV: A Bit of Glam to Brighten a Bloated Day

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I was up before the chickens this morning, thanks to 18 pounds of tabby cat making biscuits on my butt.

Don’t get me wrong — I usually like my early morning kitty massages (I find them kind of charming), but at 4 in the morning, a good two hours before my alarm was set to go off, today’s wasn’t exactly what I’d call a good time. 🙂

This is probably TMI, but I’m going there because we’re friends: I’ve been feeling decidedly un-glamourous this week, and not even makeup has been cheering me up.

Hard to believe, but it’s true.

I’ve just been so beyond bloated, fussy and tired that I felt like Thelma and Louise there for a minute this morning when I realized that my stretchy clothes weren’t fitting the way they did/should.

I almost lost it. It was intervention time — that, or I was headed off a cliff.

And then it beckoned me, like a beauty beacon of light from above — Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows Vol. IV — and I answered the call.

urban decay book of shadows iv swatches iphone 2

YES. 🙂
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Fanciful Fall: The Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations Collection Would Like You to Save Room for Dessert

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Cocoa cravings got ya down? Why not save the See’s for later, and let the Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations collection feed your need (and you won’t even have to undo the top button of your skinny jeans)?

Delectable neutrals in cocoas and creams (YUM!) headline the dessert cart in the 11-piece release for eyes, lips, cheeks, face and nails, but they aren’t the only treats on the menu this fall. Chef D&G was kind enough to add sprinkles of orange, berry, pink, green and gold.

Resistance is futile for me when it comes to chocolate cravings and Dolce & Gabbana’s smooth textures, but it’s utterly ridiculous when you combine them with delicious names like Cocoa, Almond, Cinnamon and Praline.

Here’s a taste of what’s in store with a few swatches and pics. If anything causes your sweet tooth to throb, please let me know. 🙂

dolce gabbana sweet temptations collection fall 2011 cocoa quad
Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Cocoa 115

dolce gabbana sweet temptations collection fall 2011 cinnamon duo
Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Cinnamon 80
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