Illamasqua’s 4-Colour Liquid Metal Palette (from the Body Electrics collection for spring/summer 2010).
What say you? Yay or nay?
Illamasqua Body Electrics
It’s No Secret: MAC Hush Cream Colour Base Is the Bomb Diggity
Shhh… did you hear that? I think it’s the sound of a new MAC obsession being born (aww!). 🙂
MAC’s Cream Colour Base in Hush ($16.50) isn’t a new product (it’s part of the permanent line), but it was new to me when our paths crossed a couple weeks ago.
Like the rest of the Cream Colour Bases, shimmery Hush feels like a creamy blush to the touch. I’ve been using it all sorts of different ways, but my favorite way? — using it as a highlighter.
It adds a really pretty subtle glow to peach and pink blushes, in particular, like when it’s layered with a Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Blusher Brush on the tops of my cheeks bones, at my temples or down the bridge of my nose after foundation, powder and blush.
I’m not always up for doing a full face of makeup, and that’s where Hush REALLY shines.
For a fresh and dewy look, sometimes I’ll start with a little tinted moisturizer, then add some Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush on the apples of my cheeks and finish with Hush applied to my upper cheek bones.
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With Straight From Nature, Sonia Kashuk Goes After Dark Circles Everywhere
Every morning lately I’ve been waking up with two things: 1) a 16-pound tabby on my chest (complete with janky tuna breath) and 2) dark circles.
One is cute; the other is not. 🙂
I’ve come to terms with the tabby, but I sought out Sonia Kashuk’s Straight From Nature Foundation Brush ($17, part of the Straight From Nature Brush line for spring) to help with the circles.
How’d it work?
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New in Beauty, April 14: Paul and Joe Sahara Sparkles and Urban Decay’s Face Case
New in Beauty
- Ready for Burning Man (LOL!), Paul and Joe head to the desert this summer with their Sahara Sparkles collection
- Not bad for $14! Urban Decay’s Face Case palette comes with a blush, three bestselling shadows and three glosses tucked away in a cute purple compact
- Sans parabens, sulfates or synthetic dyes, the new Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer ($19) puts glosses and lipsticks on lockdown!
- A big Meow for multi-tasking! Stila’s One Step PrimeColor in Kitten ($22) primes the lips, eyes *and* cheeks
- Too Faced Aqua Bunny Creme to Powder Splash Proof Bronzer ($28) offers streak,
heat and humidity resistance, and extended wear time, too - NuFace asks, “Would you spend $325 for a system that claims to improve your appearance through
gentle electrical stimulation?” - Pre-order MAC’s new Opulash Mascara ($14) at Nordies
- More from Too Faced: a line of sheer Glamour Glosses ($19 each) to plump and moisturize lips
- The Tweezerman for Benefit line is now also available on Benefit.com
- Smashbox’s Lustrous Lip Gloss Kit ($39) features six of their most popular gloss shades in pink, plum, coral and nude
- Origins will plant a tree for each person who attends their free Origins Rocks Earth Month Concert on April 19 in NYC (singer Macy Gray will be there!)
- Napoleon Perdis mouths Mum’s the Word ($35) with a beautifully packaged palette for eyes and cheeks
- For the girl who can’t commit: Ulta’s Latin Spirt ($8) and Gimme More Sugar ($8) Mini Mail Kits
- Shu Uemura’s Gem Glam collection is now available online
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Can You Guess These Essie Polishes?
C’mon, I know you can!
First Light
Daybreak in my ‘hood. That’s my garage on the left.
Physicans Formula Healthy Wear Bronzer: A Trifecta of Skin Lurving Benefits?
Well bake me biscuits, and cover me in gravy!
[Sorry, I’ve been re-watching True Blood: Season 1]
Now here I go being all wrong about bronzers… I always thought they were for adding a warm, almost-tanned look to skin. Not true, says Physicians Formula, or rather, that’s not all they can do.
New Healthy Wear Bronzer gives a sun-kissed glow but couples it with healthful skin benefits.
The new line of powdered bronzers includes four $15 shades — pricey for drugstore makeup — but PF claims that’s because you get a bunch of bells and whistles with ’em too:
- SPF 50: As in non-greasy, mineral-based (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide) SPF 50 sunscreen to keep you aging gracefully
- Antioxidants: To help repair UV damage
- Skin brighteners: Namely licorice extract and tomato derivatives, to brighten skin and diminish the appearance of sun/age spots
So, how do they do ya?
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CORRECTION: You CAN Touch Chanel Noir Et Or
Okay, so I *totally* get the glam 1930’s/’40s Shanghai thing Chanel says they were going for with the new Noir et Or (“Black and Gold”) collection, but oooh, gurrl, I’m getting some strong MC Hammer vibes too!
If Hammer had seen this collection way back when he was scooting across stages, he might have asked, “Can I touch this?”
Why? Because it’s so hot, and so timeless.
Was the Chanel crew intentionally referencing questionable late ’80s hip-hop fashion and style when they thought up the four-piece collection for eyes and nails? Probably not … but wouldn’t it have been awesome if they had? 🙂
Inspiration for the collection
Chanel Global Creative Director Peter Philips brought Noir et Or into being for the Chanel Metier D’Art fashion show in Shanghai, drawing upon the spirit of Ms. Coco herself (as he often does)!
Where can I find it?
That’s a good question. Get ready for a beauty hunt of sorts, Chanelophiles, because it might take some effort to track down. The three polishes and eye duo are available now, but they aren’t being carried at regular Chanel counters (huh?).
You can, however, find them at Chanel boutiques, Makeup Studios and online at chanel.com.
I guess Chanel was aiming to create an extra sense of exclusivity this time around.
A closer look…
Of the four pieces in the collection, I’m digging the polishes the most ($25 each). Black Velvet, Gold Lame and Illusion d’or all have that classic Chanel polish texture you know and love — thick (but not too thick) and smooth, with a gorgeous, glossy finish that just says, “Chanel.”
Le Vernis Nail Colour in Illusion d’or
The gold and purple shimmer bits swimming gleefully through this clear polish are just as beautiful on nails as they are in the bottle, yet despite the bits, the polish dries to a smooth finish. Yup, ain’t no grit in this game.
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