Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1655 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

Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad Swatches and First Impressions

by 19 Comments

dolce and gabbana makeup mediterraneo quad
Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Mediterraneo

Happy Saturday, homies. How was your night?

I got up with the chickens this morning (ba-gawk!) because of this post on Zen Habits. It inspired me to try transforming myself into a morning person.

I’m a total night owl by nature and one hellavu GRUMPY GOAT at the crack of dawn, but thank goodness for caffeine, blogging and makeup…

Makeup like these pretty eyeshadow quads by Dolce & Gabbana. 🙂

dolcegabbana nude eyeshadow quad
Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Nude

While I wait for my tea to brew, here are swatches of two of the eight new Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quads ($60).

The colors feel smooth and appear highly pigmented on my skin, which is nice to see amidst all of the sheer makeup I’ve run into lately.

dolce and gabbana the makeup mediterraneo swatches
Swatches of Mediterraneo

dolce and gabbana the eyeshadow nude swatches
Swatches of Nude

I’ll follow up with full reviews of the quads soon, but what do you think of these colors so far, and how much of a turnoff is the price?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. My hopes to see a movie last night were dashed when I looked up at the clock and saw 9PM staring back at me. I was playing with my camera at home, trying to figure out how to take sharper closeup pictures with it, and lost track of time.

Oh, well. We ended up skipping the movie and just went out for a quick bite instead. Did you do anything fun? I’m still dying to see 500 Days of Summer.

Armani Beauty Manta Ray Fall 2009: Like a Gray of Light

by 29 Comments

giorgio armani manta ray swatches reviews

Gray eyeshadows make up the bulk of Armani Beauty’s small new Manta Ray collection. The little eight-piece release of eyeshadow duos, liners and one lonely lipstick probably could have been called Manta Gray if it hadn’t been for the purple, beige and blue included to spice things up.

Gray’s all the rage this fall (Tabs is a big fan), but these desaturated devils aren’t cheap. They range from $25-38 each.

This morning I got to know two of the eight items from the release, Manta Ray Eye Duo No. 5 and Armani Silk Lipstick in 92.

Manta Ray Eye Duo No. 5, $38

giorgio armani manta ray swatches reviews eye shadow duo

What do you think of the pattern on the pan?

Pretty, yah? It practically hypnotized me into submission.

The two colors it comes with, a matte purplish gray and a matte violet powder shadow, apply easily and blend smoothly on the skin.

giorgio-armani-manta-ray-eye-duo-swatch-nc-35
Manta Ray Duo No. 5 on NC 35 skin
[Continue reading…]

Armani Beauty Eyes to Kill Mascara for Smoother, Longer, Lifted Lashes

by 26 Comments

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill

Giorgio Armani wants to woo you with smooth, but forget candlelit Jodeci jams and champagne — GA’s smooooveness comes via a new mascara, Eyes to Kill ($28).

GA built Eyes to Kill for length and volume, but they also called upon rocket science-y research into fluid Microfil technology, micro-waxes and fineness agents (think 007) to make it easy to apply.

I tested glossy Steel Black, one of four shades available now.

Smooth, long and lifted

Now, I think Eyes to Kill does some things very well. For starters, it creates exceptionally smooth, long and lifted lashes.

Many of the lengthening mascaras I’ve used (particularly ones containing visible fibers) are able to exaggerate lash length but at the expense of smooth texture. The tiny fibers end up making my lashes look like jumbled logjams.

Eyes to Kill, on the other hand, manages to make my lashes look longer without leaving them looking coarse.

Two coats make my lashes reach for the sky while staying smoooove from root to tip. 🙂

giorgio armani eyes to kill mascara review-2
My nekkid lashes

giorgio armani eyes to kill mascara review-3
With one coat of Steel Black

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-mascara-review-4a
Two coats of Steel Black

Feels weightless

Another thing I love about Eyes to Kill is how weightless (not heavy or crispy) it feels. I actually forgot I was wearing it at all.

giorgio armani eyes to kill mascara review 5

Just a couple things…

Eyes to Kill would be on its way to mascara greatness if not for two things:
[Continue reading…]

Anna Paquin: Her Best Hair?

by 9 Comments

anna-paquin-hair-poll

Hawt damn! Sookie Stackhouse and Vampire Bill Compton (VB!) are headed down the aisle.

I guess she really is his!

When Sookie, aka Anna Paquin (born Anna Helene Paquin on July 24, 1982), and True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer announced their engagement last Wednesday, the news brought fanged smiles to millions of True Blood fans (like me) around the world.

Congrats, Anna and Stephen!

Top five reasons to attend the Stackhouse/Compton wedding…

  1. It won’t be an early morning ceremony.
  2. Hosted bar at the reception, but all they serve is True Blood.
  3. Vampires love to party, so expect to dance from dusk till dawn to hits like You Shook Me All Night Long, Tonight’s the Night and Walking After Midnight.
  4. Experience the thrill of being both a guest AND a potential hors d’oeuvre.
  5. Trade makeup and beauty secrets with Lafayette!

Which of Anna's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bloggerati Spotlight

by 2 Comments

The Beauty Bloggerati

I’m being a regular multitasking monster right now… Not only am I browsing the web, but I’m doing it while watching the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance?

And they just showed a preview for the new Fame movie (I’m gonna live forever!).

“You gotta sweat, honey. You want fame, it costs. Right here is where you start paying, honey, in sweat.”

– Debbie Allen, actress/choreographer

I hope you’re having a spiffy evening. Onward to Friday! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.