Even on the sunniest days there’s still fog! Can you see it behind the sailboats?
Welcome to Summer in Ess Eff
Make Homemade Cream Blushes with Benefit That Gal Face Primer and Powder
Summer stopped by this week, and my apartment’s been hotter than Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
It was so hot last night that I couldn’t even bear to cook a real meal for dinner, so I cooked with some Benefit makeup instead 🙂
Say hello to Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer ($28).
It’s a shimmery, light pink liquid face primer used to prep skin for foundation and to add a subtle glow.
But apparently that’s not all it does. A friend of mine at Benefit suggested using That Gal to turn powder blushes into creams.
Between bites of microwaved Lean Cuisine shrimp linguine, I gave it a try, mixing That Gal with Coralista and Dallas, two of my favorite Benefit boxed powder blushes.
It works!
That Gal + powder blush = pretty cream blush
First, I dabbed a dollop of That Gal on the back of my hand.
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What’s Your Favorite Highlighter?
G’morning, cuties!
The sunlight filling my apartment today got me thinking about face highlighters and this note in my email from Imelda:
Dear Karen,
I just wanted to ask you what your favorite face highlighter/luminizer is. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Imelda
Hi Imelda, 🙂
I tend to switch products/brands every so often, but right now I’m really loving Illamasqua Bronzing Duo in Glint & Burnish ($30), MAC Cheeky Bronze Mineralize Skinfinish ($27), Benefit High Beam ($24) and the NARS Multiple Duo in Orgasm/South Beach ($45).
Ladies, is there a highlighter you can’t live without? Please list your favorite along with a quick description of your skin tone (I’m a MAC NC35: medium brown with slightly warm but mostly neutral undertones). Let’s make this post a great recommendation resource for peeps of all skin colors!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Urban Decay Fall 2009 Purple Cat Eye Face of the Day
Earlier today I needed a little help getting over the hump day blues, so I pointed my browser in the direction of Urban Decay’s big friends and family sale.
From now through August 20, get 30% off online orders with coupon code FNFF1 at checkout.
I was looking at the online fall catalog when I felt a sudden urge to play.
This was my inspiration for the eyes…
…and then I tried a version of these nude lips here:
LOL, pardon the fan action. 🙂 I couldn’t resist.
I was actually sweating bullets in these pics because it was like hot soup in my apartment today.
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CoverGirl LashBlast Length Mascara: Coming Soon to a Lash Line Near You
Today the original CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara has a *major* reputation; millions of ladies love it with almost cult-like 
devotion!
I, unfortunately, am not one of them.
Not that I hate it (because I don’t). I’ve just always thought it was only okay (it clumps a little on me).
That said, I can appreciate die-hard beauty fanaticism, and with LashBlast’s reputation in mind, I was looking forward to trying CoverGirl’s new LashBlast Length Mascara ($7).
New for fall
The full-scale deployment begins in September, with the little yellow tubes invading stores by the truckload, but if you can’t wait that long, mark your calendar for August 17… That’s when CoverGirl will pre-sell a limited number of tubes through CoverGirl.com before the big September launch.
Some marketing background
CoverGirl is claiming their newest member of the LashBlast family lengthens lashes by up to 80%. Wow, right?
They say that’s made possible by nylon fibers in the mix and a new ultra-long brush with more than 450 bristles (for precise, clump-free application).
Colorwise, the product will be available in four shades — Very Black, Black, Brown Black and Brown — and I tried Black.
First, the good stuff
Staying power — it’s no joke. There’s absolutely no smudging or flaking (yay!) even after a full day with it on.
Bare lashes
Yet at the end of the day, it’s still easy to remove, thoroughly washing out with my regular cleanser and a few splashes of water to rinse.
One layer of LashBlast Length
Up to and including two layers, I like the way it makes my lashes look. I feel like they’re smoother, thicker and noticeably longer, too, but when I go beyond two layers, things get kinda sketchy, with my lashes beginning to look bumpy and fibrous, ew.
Two layers of LashBlast Length
How well does it lengthen?
Pretty well, in that it does appear to add some length to my lashes.
How much?
Not quite 80%. I’d say the difference is more like 40% on me, but that’s a 40% I’ll happily take. 🙂
Changes I’d like to see
If I could, I’d make a couple tweaks to the product.
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The Pink Ladies
Gangs of pink lilies pop up all over the Bay Area around this time of year.
Do Me, Baby
Do you do pink eyeshadow?
MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Fall 2009: What Would You Get?
Art by Richard Phillips
I love it when cosmetics companies embrace the contemporary art scene like MAC has with fall’s Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection (arriving Aug. 20).
It’s something MAC has done before — hitching their thematic wagon to an established or up-and-coming artist — and it always seems like such a brilliant concept to me. Isn’t makeup, after all, just one of many forms of art?
For past MAC fall collections like Cult of Cherry and Smoke Signals, smokey eyes and dark lips took center stage. The color palettes differed, but both collections still fell along what I consider traditional fall makeup lines, with the addition of MAC’s much-loved theatrical flair! 🙂
With the massive Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection, however, MAC created three completely different sets of products (as far as I can tell), each set designed by a different artist.
Art by Marilyn Minter
Painter Richard Phillips, illustrator Maira Kalman and photographer Marilyn Minter each created an interpretation of their artwork through MAC makeup.
Art by Maira Kalman
The concept excites me, but I’m not sure what to make of the colors…
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