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

Karen

Benefit Introduces 3 New Hello Flawless Powder Shades

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Benefit Hello Flawless

Thanks to Benefit, flawless skin is about to get easier for gorgeous gals with medium and dark skin tones. The line is expanding the shade range of their Hello Flawless SPF 15 Powders ($34 each; arriving on counters this May) with the addition of three new colors.

If the line is new to you, these pressed powders are designed to be layered. What I Crave (a toasted beige for medium skin tones), I’m Haute For Sure (an amber for dark skin tones) and Too Fierce to Beg (a nutmeg, also for dark skin tones) are perfect for everything from light veils of color dusted on with a brush, to heavier applications pressed on with a sponge (like, to disguise imperfections and blotchiness — hey, we’ve all been there). And they make it easy to get as much, or as little, coverage as you need.

Benefit Hello Flawless three new shades
New Hello Flawless shades from the left: Amber, Nutmeg and Toasted Beige

Benefit Hello Flawless swatches
Swatches from left: Amber, Toasted Beige and Nutmeg
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Next Stop: NARS 413 Bleecker Street

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nars 413 bleeker pure matte lipstick on karen of makeup and beauty blog

Well get my plaid shirt, hoop earrings and clunky Timberland boots, because the second I slipped on the new NARS 413 Bleecker Street Pure Matte Lipstick ($25), I felt like I’d just stepped out of a hot tub time machine set for 1995.

It was the Clueless decade, when Alicia Silverstone, Sugar Ray and little black backpacks were En Vogue (just like the group!). Colors like this matte rosy brown were all the rage. I remember wearing a similar shade to countless (boring) college lectures on organic chemistry and physics.

nars 413 bleecker pure matte lipstick closeup product photo

This new NARS shade (I’m trying to find out if it’s permanent or limited edition) was created exclusively for the recent opening of the company’s first flagship store in the West Village at 413 Bleecker Street in New York City, and, at least for now, the store is the only place you can get it.

But if you’re nowhere near the Big Apple, you can still get your paws on a tube without having to haul your cookies to NYC. One of the store’s makeup artists (Hey, Marco!) tells me they can take credit card orders over the phone. U.S. shipping will set you back $8 and takes between 5-7 business days. The store also ships internationally, but those fees will vary. Marco suggests stocking up on other products while you’re at it, you know, to get more bang out of the cost of shipping.

If you’re interested, the number to call is (646) 459-2323.
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Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow Swatches and Remarkable Self-Restraint

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G’morning and happy Tuesday, friend. I was feeling kinda blah yesterday afternoon (been cold and rainy here), so I stopped by Sephora for a little pick-me-up.

In a somewhat shocking display of self-restraint, I managed to make it out of the store with just one thing — Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Strut ($19), a shimmery charcoal gray.

I’ve been meaning to bring it home for a while but just never got around to it. I bet she’ll look cute (and we’ll know soon enough) worn with a couple of my favorite Creaseless Cream go-to girls, Skinny Jeans (a shimmery pewter) and Birthday Suit (a shimmery chrome).

And since I was already at the store, I figured, “Why not swatch all of the Creaseless Creams?” 🙂

benefit creaseless cream shadow swatches in tattle tale, rsvp, birthday suit and get figgy
Swatches from the left: Tattle Tale, RSVP, Birthday Suit and Get Figgy
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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

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Oui, oui, cherie, I’m wearing colors from the Essie French Affair collection — shimmery blue Coat Azure on my fingers and creamy purple Nice is Nice on my toes. 🙂

Essie French Affair
Coat Azure and Nice is Nice


Coat Azure

essie nice is nice swatch
Swatch of Nice is Nice

How about you — what are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick in Candide Tangerine: A Modern Twist on Retro Orange

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givenchy rouge inderdit in candide tangerine on karen of makeup and beauty blog

Um, did I really just spend 20 minutes dancing around my living room to Biggie’s Juicy?

Yes, I did (I suspect you aren’t surprised). 🙂

And why did I do it?

Givenchy! Candide Tangerine, their newest lipstick color, makes me REALLY wish I could rap. If I could, I’d spit a few bars about how downright juicy it is.

givenchy rouge inderdit lipstick in candide tangerine
You know very well who you are…

Imagine pieces of peeled tangerine dipped in concentrated Hawaiian Punch. THAT’s how intensely pigmented Candide Tangerine is.

I’m wearing two layers for opaque coverage in these pics; a single layer produces more of a stained look.

Reddish orange Mad Men lips have been popping up like Technicolor prairie dogs lately, but for this Givenchy went a different route. Instead of making it an old-school matte a la MAC Neon Orange, which I’m wearing in these pics here (from the Stylishly Yours Collection), Givenchy gave it a glossy, shiny finish. I like it both ways, but I think the shine makes Candide Tangerine look a little more modern.

givenchy rouge inderdit in candide tangerine swatch
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