Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1378 of 1879

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

Karen

I Flipped My Lid Over the New Benefit Bella Bamba Face Powder

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benefit bella bamba review swatches photos

Bus riding babes and y’all on-the-go lovelies, feast your eyes on this: the new Benefit Bella Bamba Face Powder ($28) promises to change the face of quick touchups this spring.

You know how Benefit’s boxed blushes have that unattached lid (see: Sugarbomb and Coralista)? Well, as much as I love the colors, I’m always afraid they’ll open in my bag. Once, while I was applying blush on the train to work, one of the lids got away from me and shot straight up in the air, OOPS! Luckily it landed in a cute boy’s lap, but I digress…

benefit bella bamba review swatches photos

Bella Bamba comes with new improved flip-top cap that uses a magnet to stay shut. And that’s not all. It even has a mirror inside, so you can stare at your sassy self while you’re sweeping on this shimmery golden pink.

Benefit’s old-school lids are going, going gone. They’re phasing them out, so the seven other shades in the Face Powder line will also be wearing the new flip-top packaging soon.

Benefit calls Bella Bamba a 3D, multi-dimensional pink face powder (what is this, Tron? LOL!), and it’s designed to brighten, sculpt and define.

I don’t know much about 3D, but I do like using this as a blush. 🙂
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The Chanel Collection Essentielle De Chanel Paris-L.A. Palette Goes Great Without a Tan

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Chanel Collection Essentielle De Chanel Paris-LA Palette top

Before my hair appointment yesterday (I’ll post pics soon. 🙂 But here’s a hint: Vanessa Hudgens!), I swung by the Chanel counter to check out the Chanel Collection Essentielle De Chanel Paris-L.A. Palette ($85) in person.

I saw it the other day on The Non-Blonde and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

With the limited edition holiday palette for eyes, cheeks and lips, Chanel says they were shooting for something hip like LA yet elegant like Paris. It comes with two lip glosses, one a shimmery plum and the other a shimmery reddish plum; one shimmery plum lipstick; three powder eyeshadows in matte beige, matte taupe and matte plum; a shimmery, peachy pink cream blush with a hint of gold; and two creamy yellow-based concealers. That’s nine bits ‘o Chanel for $85…which is just about as close to a fire sale on Chanel as we’re ever likely to see.
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The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil 15-Year Anniversary Set Is So Awesome It Should Come with a Warning

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urban decay 24 glide on eye pencils 15 year anniversary set review swatches photos
The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (counterclockwise from the brown one in the upper left):Bourbon, Midnight Cowboy, Baked, Stash, Mildew, Perversion, Electric, Binge, Ransom, Asphyxia, Rockstar, Zero, Uzi, Stray Dog and Corrupt

Girl, Urban Decay knows how to throw a party. They do it by releasing great stuff! Great stuff like the 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set ($92; 15 pigmented pencils; 15 heart palpitations, oy vey!).

Many makeup mavens consider these pigmented, long-wearing eyeliners, which also happen to be smoother than silk, some of the best and brightest in the biz, and seeing so many of them together in the same place is enough to drive me to drink…bourbon (my favorite one). 🙂

urban decay spring 2011 24/7 glide on eye pencil set 15 year anniversary collection

With the set, a limited edition release for spring, you get nine classic 24/7 colors in Baked, Binge, Bourbon, Electric, Mildew, Ransom, Rockstar, Stash and Zero, and six brand new shades — Asphyxia, Corrupt, Midnight Cow, Perversion, Stray Dog and Uzi. Purchased individually, the whole kit ‘n kaboodle would set you back a painful $255 (they’re regularly $17 apiece), but here they work out to just $6 each.

Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24 7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set review swatches photos
Swatches from left: Stray Dog, Corrupt, Bourbon, Midnight Cowboy and Baked…
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$8 NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover Is an Orange that Sings the Blues

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nyx eye and lip makeup remover review closeup

Um, why do I feel like rubbing orange slices all over myself? Oh, yeah — I remember. NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover ($8), one of the best smelling makeup removers I’ve EVER sniffed.

Fo’ reals! This dual-phase liquid (an oil and water emulsion; it turns a pale blue when shaken) smells fresh and sweet like a yummy (blue?) orange, and it digests le war paint almost as well as the much more expensive Lancome Bi-Facil, also a dual-phase formula.

They say the nose knows. Well, mine stopped paying attention as soon as it caught a whiff of this fragrant potion of orange and papaya extracts. As a matter of fact, I like the smell so much that I’m willing to overlook its few shortcomings, one of which has to do with mascara. It’s not that good at removing it as Bi-Facil (or any number of other eye makeup removers), but nothing’s perfect, right? Except perhaps the way NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover smells, LOL! 🙂

RANDOM SIDE NOTE: Wouldn’t it be freaky if our eyes could process scent?

Even though Bi-Facil whisks away mascara and waterproof products better than NYX’s remover, the later still manages to spirit away most of the non-waterproof lip and eye makeup I’ve thrown its way, doing so without irritating my sensitive eyes or clouding up my vision (I’m talking to YOU, Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover!).

nyx eye and lip makeup remover review

nyx eye and lip makeup remover review back of bottle

nyx eye and lip makeup remover review ingredients
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Was JK Jemma Kidd Eyeing MAC When They Created the Catwalk I-Kit?

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jk jemma kidd catwalk i-kit review swatches photos open 1

Like the Dom Pérignon of drugstore makeup palettes, the $26 JK Jemma Kidd Catwalk I-Kit will set your holiday budget back, but you may not mind if you’re a lover of sheer shadows and/or the classic neutral colors across the way at MAC.

The kit comes with a single creamy eye primer, a pair of dual-tipped mini-brushes and eight shadows (two of them, the highlight shadows, share a single large pan), quite a few of which look like sheerer versions of staple MAC neutrals to me.

At least they picked great products to use for inspiration, right? 🙂

Shimmery taupe Editor reminds me of MAC Satin Taupe, shimmery golden beige Vintage of MAC All That Glitters and matte brown Vanity Fair reminds me of MAC Cork.

jk jemma kidd catwalk i-kit review swatches photos
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5 Easy Steps to an Even Skin Tone

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5 easy steps to an even skin tone

Oh, to have perfect skin again… Wait, I’ve never had perfect skin. I’ve always wished I could just peel my head off the pillow in the morning, splash a little water on my face, tie my hair back into a ponytail and face the day with clear skin, bright eyes, my chubby cat and a smile.

I can handle the smile part by myself, but I need feline cooperation and makeup assistance for everything else.

Luckily, great looking natural skin tone doesn’t require hundreds of layers of foundation and every minute you can spare. Follow these five easy steps to an even skin tone.

1. Get Wet

Moisten a makeup sponge with water or a multi-purpose spray like MAC Fix+ ($19). It’ll thin out the liquid foundation we’re about to use it with and help it adhere evenly to your skin.

2. His/Her Name Is Pat

Place a dollop (about the size of a dime) of liquid foundation (I like DuWop Foundation of Youth; I’ve also heard great things about Chanel Pro Lumiere) on the back of your hand. Dab your wet sponge into the dollop, and pat around the face, starting with your nose and working your way out. Blend so the color fades as you move away from the middle of your face.

3. Give Yourself a Hand

Clean hands, that is. Make sure they’re dry too. Rub them all over your face with a soft touch, almost like you’re washing your face with imaginary cleanser. Friction will warm your foundation and smooth out any chunky bits of product.
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