Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
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MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipglass ($14.50), available now at maccosmetics.com.
Top: MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipstick; Bottom: MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipglass
For full face shots and lipstick swatches check out MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2: Swatches and Pictures.
Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in Adored on lips
You know how they say that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings? Well, every time I take out a Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster, a drag queen cheers and whips out two snaps in a circle. 🙂
The six new moisturizing lusters ($24 each) are souped-up versions of Tarte’s best-selling LipSurgence Lip Tints with punchier pigmentation and a finish so shiny (I gotta wear shades).
In the plus column, I really like that these pencil tips are twisties, because I don’t like having to tote around a sharpener (ahem, I’m talkin’ to you, NARS Velvet Gloss).
I also tip my hat to Tarte for keeping a lot of the common lip gunk out of these, like formaldehyde-based preservatives. They’re also gluten, oil, talc and MEA/DEA/TEA-free. And because they’re also cruelty-free, Tabs gives his husky-pawed kitty stamp of approval. 
I’ve been wearing shimmery red Fever, shimmery light pink Adored and shimmery nude Buff on and off for about a week so far, and they have an almost lip balmy, non-sticky texture that feels thick and smooth. I like it, and I also dig their light peppermint flavor and scent, which, for the record, fades pretty quickly. That’s something the colors themselves don’t do, however; they last about three hours on my lips.
From left to right: Fever, Adored and Buff
Swatches from left to right, top row: Fever, Frisky and Buff; bottom row: Adored, Glisten and Pouty
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Haaay, boo! How ’bout a mid-day makeup break? 🙂
Question for ya: How do you feel about looks with taupe, purple, pink and black? That’s the direction I went in today when I based my eye look on the MAC Packed to Go: 6 Cool Smoky Eye Shadows palette from MAC’s new line of spring travel exclusives (Packed to Go).
What are MAC travel exclusives?
Well, MAC isn’t the only brand with them, but travel exclusives are individual products (and sometimes entire collections) sold primarily through domestic and international travel hubs like airports and duty free stores. Prices and availability can vary widely, but tracking ’em down can be a lot of fun!
How about you? What did you do for your eye makeup today?
Say hi to a few members of L’Oreal’s newest long-wearing lipstick line, Infallible Le Rouge. From the left to the right: 812 Opulent Organza, 421 Charismatic Coral and 130 Enduring Berry ($10 each).
L’Oreal says these new lippies offer 10 hours of color and feel comfortable on the lips. Find them in 30 shades now at drugstores, grocery stores and lorealparis.com.
I was cleaning my makeup brushes yesterday when I remembered a recent email exchange across the Northern border. Canadian reader Siobhan asked…
Hi Karen,
Family members are in the States right now and have offered to bring me back a little present. 🙂
I’m thinking about asking for some makeup brushes, and you have stores there that we don’t have here in Canada (Target and CVS come to mind). What kinds of drugstore brushes do you recommend? Thanks!
–Siobhan
Heya Siobhan,
Smart thinking! Makeup brushes are lightweight, easy to pack, and make fantastic little travel gifts. Both of the chains you mentioned, Target and CVS, carry several affordable, high quality brushes like the…
This cruelty-free brush has a dense head (there’s a pun in there somewhere) and super soft bristles. It’s designed to be used with bronzer, but I prefer to use it to buff loose powder on top of my foundation for an airbrushed look. $12
An affordable, all-purpose eyeliner brush with an angled barrel, a long handle and a pointed brush head made with soft, yet firm, synthetic fibers. I think it’s a star with gel liners like MAC Fluidline and makes winged cat eye flicks super easy to do. $6
My local Target has a tough time keeping this brush in stock; it’s usually sold out! Forged in the fires of Mt. Kashuk by the mighty SK to apply cream blush, this multitasking tool also tackles liquid foundation, cream/liquid highlighters and powder products, too. It’s totally worth the hunt. $15
The case that comes with the MAC 5 Shape & Perfect Brushes kit is in one way like a Mini Cooper — small on the outside, but surprisingly roomy on the inside (Beep! Beep!).
For kicks today I tried to see just how much stuff I could squeeze into it. In addition to the five miniature makeup brushes it comes with, I managed to also find room inside for two full-size MAC pressed powder compacts, three full-size tubes of Cremesheen Glass and three eyeshadow singles.
Hot damn, that’s a lot! My inner makeup hobo approves. 🙂
Frankly, I wish MAC sold the bag separately (it’s zippered and made of some kind of canvas/fabric), because the five travel brushes it comes with really aren’t all that…
I should say right off the bat that I’m not a big fan of MAC’s travel brushes. The ones I’ve tried haven’t performed as well as the brushes in their permanent line, but I tried to keep an open mind today while testing the five in this set — the 168SE Angled Contour Brush, 187SE Duo Fibre Brush, 212SE Flat Definer Brush, 219SE Pencil Brush and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush.
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Lush R&B Revive & Balance Hair Moisturizer ($18.95) is so damn good that whenever I use it, I burst into song.
Whoever invented Lush R&B, homeboy was such a whiz! 
Now my waves, soft and shiny, hardly ever frizz.
It hydrates my hair while it soothes my scalp.
(It really has been a great deal of help.)
With a touch of hold, I’m totally sold
On Lush R&B!
Okay, so maybe this won’t be my year to win a Grammy, but really, this stuff rocks. I’ve been using it lately to get what I’ve referred to on the blog as “brunch hair” and “vacation hair” — touchable, cooperative hair with a bit of hold and definition.
Lush markets R&B as a hair moisturizer, a kind of rich, hydrating leave-in conditioner designed for dry scalps and hair. It’s a frizz-smoothing, shine-enhancing hair hero recommended for hair types that often benefit from extra hydration, and they mention African American, curly, wavy and generally dry hair.
With organic avocado and extra virgin coconut oil for moisture, soothing oat milk, and jojoba oil for shine, it addresses many of the issues I have with my hair.
It also addresses one of the biggest issues Tabs has with many hair products by not containing any animal products at all. 🙂
After shampooing, conditioning and towel drying my hair, I take an amount about the size of a penny into my hand. The product’s a thick, rich balm, and I’ve found that a little goes a really long way. Rubbing both hands together warms it up, thins it out and seems to make it more pliable and easier to work with.
Working in sections, I coat my hair with it, sliding each section between my palms from root to end. I also gently scrunch the ends to enhance my waves, and let my hair air dry when I’m done.
Once it dries, my hair has a look like my favorite pair of broken-in jeans. It’s shiny, with lightly defined waves that feel soft to the touch. It’s a casual look, unconstructed and completely unfussy. Seriously, if a cute boy (let’s call him El Hub) were to ask me out on a picnic date in the park, this is the hair look I’d want.
