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

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

yves saint laurent

Tempting Tuesday Cat Treats, and Swatches of Yves Saint Laurent and Laura Mercier Summer 2012

by 56 Comments

feline greenies

No, I’m not eating cat treats. 🙂 I may be a crazy cat lady, but I’m not quite there yet.

Tabs ran out of his favorite treats last week, Turkey Temptations, so I thought we’d try something new.

He’s very picky when it come to his treats (I’m sure you’re overwhelmed with surprise, haha), but he really likes these Feline Greenies Dental Treats I found at Pet Food Express.

Feline Greenies Dental Treats

He even follows me around the house when I walk around with the bag…

annies cocoa vanilla

That’s how I am about these Gluten Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies from Annie’s.

When Annie says, “You can’t eat just two!” she is NOT kidding around. They’ve got that addictive crunch, the taste of vanilla and cocoa, and a single serving is just 120 calories, which is about 24 of the tiny cookies.

I don’t really go out of my way to eat gluten free, but the lack of gluten sure isn’t hurting these. YUM!

Tasty or not, however, they can’t satisfy my appetite for makeup…

Neither can the 15-piece YSL Summer 2012 collection, but it’s giving it the old college try!

ysl summer 2012

Now that Majorelle Blue mascara and I are like *this*, I’m tempted to pick up the purple version, Signature Violet.

I swung by the YSL counter over at Nordie’s this afternoon to take a closer look and get some swatches…

yves saint laurent summer 2012 swatches 4
The Terre Saharienne Poudre de Soleil Bronzing Powder SPF 12 in #1 Sun-Kissed Touch and #2 Healthy Glow ($50 each); Golden Gloss in #3 Golden Shell, #4 Golden Pebble, #5 Golden Pearl and #6 Golden Sand ($30 each); Dessin du Regard Waterproof Eye Pencils in #7 Luminescent Gold and #8 Azure Blue ($28 each); Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof Mascara in #9 Charcoal Black, #10 Burnt Brown, #11 Signature Violet and #12 Majorelle Blue ($30 each)

yves saint laurent summer 2012 swatches
Pure Chromatics Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Palette in Shell, $52
[Continue reading…]

Yves Saint Laurent Majorelle Blue Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof Mascara Makes Sad Lashes Happy About Blue

by 29 Comments

yves saint laurent majorelle blue

Some things are just made to be together, ya know, like chubby cats and costume jewelry, pink feather boas and plastic tiaras, stretchy pants and pints of ice cream (again, the whole no-dairy thing = not happening), blue mascara and naked butt cheeks…

Wait — what was that last one again?

Oh, yeah. Blue mascara and bare bottoms. 🙂 So about that, I wore the new Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effect Faux Cils Waterproof Mascara in Majorelle Blue ($30) to the Bay to Breakers yesterday, and over every inch of the 7.25-mile course and after many, many bare booty sightings, Majorelle Blue held the curl from my lash curler and refused to flake or smudge.

More importantly, the color, a bright electric blue, and the formula’s fringe-fattening powers, fit right in with all of the funny faces I made during the race. 😯

It began at the starting line…

My friend Marisol’s workout buddies asked me to take a picture of them. “Sure!” I yelled over the crowd, which was steadily growing around us.

Time was of the essence once the tortillas started flying through the air! (It’s a tradition; folks throw them like Frisbees.) One second, I’m composing the camera and telling the girls to “Say ‘cheese’ in 3-2-1…” The next, a guy wearing nothing but body glitter (and running shoes) is brushing past me down the street, whoosh!

The camera shutter clicked.

I’m thinking, Uh oh… Did I get the right shot? And the girls started cracking up. “Your eyes got SO BIG!”

This happened several times during the race. One or more naked butt cheeks would cross my path, I’d make a funny face, and my eyes would double in size! One might conclude that this wide-eyed effect was due to good old fashioned shock, but I say it was Majorelle Blue.

Yeah, it was mostly shock. But I do think Majorelle’s intense bright blue contrasts with my brown eyes in a way that makes my peepers look just plain HUGE!

yves saint laurent majorelle blue

yves saint laurent majorelle blue eye

yves saint laurent majorelle blue
[Continue reading…]

Is It a Gloss or a Stain? Actually, It’s Both! The New Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains

by 33 Comments

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (7)
Wearing Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in Fuchsia Dore as a gloss

Not that I really needed to fall for another $32 lip product, but I guess I wasn’t completely averse to the idea. 🙂

Even though my tongue twists saying their lengthy name, my lips love Yves Saint Laurent’s new Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains, and my grubby little paws want every single color.

Available in 20 profoundly pigmented shades, many of them exclusive to Sephora, these lycanthropic lippies start as intensely bright, pigmented glosses that transform into long-wearing lip stains as they fade.

You know I lurves me some flexible products, and these, like my favorite pair of Pajama Jeans J Brand skinny jeans, totally fit the bill. They’re easy to dress up or down. One layer lends lips a natural, softly radiant stain; two turns up the color and the glaze for lips that look glossy and bold.

Either way, one layer or two, doesn’t require using much of the product, which makes the $32 price tag a little easier to bear.

And the texture sure doesn’t hurt. Lightweight, non-sticky and not at all drying, the Rouge Pur Coutures are like a perfect pair of jeans (eminently comfortable).

Oh, but that’s not my favorite thing about these gems from YSL. I really love the way they fade throughout the day. I can only describe it as elegant, and not at all like other long-wearing lip products that start to look a little janky (i.e. thick and separated) after a few hours of wear.

These last between 6-8 hours on me, and I like the way they look the entire time. Both as a brighter gloss, and then as a stain as they fade, they manage to steer clear of lip lines and flakes.

I’ve been wearing Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview for the past few days, and I’m smitten with all three shades.

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (8)
From the left: Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (6)
Swatches from the top to bottom: Orange De Chine, Pourpre Preview and Fuchsia Dore
[Continue reading…]

14 Pink Lips for Valentine’s Day: Which Is Your Favorite One?

by 62 Comments

Pink lips get a lot of love from me 365 days a year, but on Valentine’s Day I usually pay them extra attention.

And that’s because I usually spend more time than I’d care to admit trying to figure out which particular pink to wear out to dinner with El Hub.

What do you think? Which of the following 14 pink lipsticks, balms and glosses do you like best? These are some of the shades that frequently catch my eye.

Yes, I busted a Tabs this morning and tried on every single one…

There’s a pretty wide range represented here, from splurge-worthy brands like Chanel and YSL, to budget-friendlier brands like Soap & Glory and L’Oreal.

Oh, and if your favorite pink lip isn’t listed here, let me know what it is in the comments. Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂


Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in Fuchsia Dore, $32


Soap and Glory A Great Kisser in Chocolate Cherry, about $8


MAC Kissable Lipcolour in Woo Me, $18


MAC Lipsticks from the left in Quick Sizzle, Innocence Beware and Naughty Saute, $14.50 each
[Continue reading…]

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

by 71 Comments


Essie Power Clutch

Fall danced onto my mani/pedi this week, with Essie Power Clutch on my fingers ($8; from the Brand New Bag collection) and YSL La Laque Nail Laquer in 43 Wintergreen on my toes ($20; from Midnight Garden).

What about you? What are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Who Gardens at Midnight? YSL, Of Course, with the YSL Midnight Garden Collection for Fall 2011

by 35 Comments

ysl midnight garden fall 2011

Evenin’, gorgeous. What are you up to tonight? I’ve basically been laying low here at home, painting my nails, reading some magazines and just chilling with the boys.

I was fiending for sushi earlier tonight but didn’t want to drive the 20 minutes to the Japanese place I really like, so I just picked up one of those packages of pre-made sushi rolls (shrimp tempura) from Whole Foods.

Eh, it was aw-ite. 🙂

Oh, Lloyd Christmas got a trim at the salon this afternoon, so he’s back to his old self again. And then afterward he and I stopped by Nordie’s for a quick look around.

There were TONS of new fall products out on counters in the beauty department, but the purples, greens, pinks and reds from the new YSL Midnight Garden Collection kept me occupied. They’re available now in stores and online.

ysl midnight garden fall 2011

The 12-piece collection of stuff for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails feels pretty summery to me, which is great because I’m nowhere even remotely near ready for summer to end. Tropical flowers, exotic birds and fantasy midnight gardens (fo’ reals!) are supposed to have inspired the release, and I can see it, too, in the rich jewel-toned shades and the pale pink, peach and lavender pastels that pop against them.
[Continue reading…]

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.