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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

Wedding Palette Auditions: Laura Mercier Toolbox

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Hiya, ladies! So, my BFF’s wedding is this coming Saturday, and I have yet to figure out what makeup to wear with my bridesmaids dress. I leave for Florida on Thursday. It’s coming down to the wire, yikes!


My dress

I’m thinking about this purple and brown smokey eye paired with a shimmery pink lip using the Laura Mercier Master Toolbox ($68), one of six new holiday palettes by Laura Mercier.

I heart this palette so verrry much! It comes with five lipsticks, five eyeshadows, two mini-brushes and a kohl liner.

All of these colors are highly wearable, with just enough pizazz for either day or night smokey eye looks.

  • Black Violet Kohl Eye Pencil: matte dark purple-black
  • Morning Dew Eyeshadow: matte pinkish beige
  • Rose Eyeshadow: shimmery pinkish gold
  • Fresco Eyeshadow: matte peachy pink
  • Chocolate Eyeshadow: matte dark brown
  • Twilight Grey Eyeshadow: matte blue-purple grey
  • Tea Rose Lipstick: creamy nude pink
  • Pink Champagne Lipstick: creamy cool rose
  • Cinnamon Lipstick: creamy warm brown
  • Amaretto Lipstick: shimmery mauve pink-bronze
  • Garnet Lipstick: creamy purple-red


Top: Black Violet Eye Pencil, mini brush. Eyeshadows from left to right: Morning Dew, Rose, Fresco, Chocolate, Twilight Grey


Lipsticks from left to right: Tea Rose, Pink Champagne, Cinnamon, Amaretto, Garnet


Swatches from left to right: Black Violet, Morning Dew, Rose, Fresco, Chocolate, Twilight Grey


Swatches from left to right: Tea Rose, Pink Champagne, Cinnamon, Amaretto, Garnet


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Nars Canaille Lipstick: Wear It to Your Holiday Office Party

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This season, Nars released a lone lipstick with their holiday collection, a shimmery reddish brown shade named Canaille ($24). Unlike the bold reds, deep plums and sparkle-heavy lip looks we’ve been seeing from MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Givenchy and Dior, Canaille delivers a delicate whisper of color. While most of this year’s holiday lip shades take you to da club, Canaille takes you to the library. Shhh…

A Subtle Holiday Lip Color

In the tube, Canaille bears a strong resemblance to another reddish brown shade I’ve been wearing for years, MAC Paramount. But while MAC Paramount offers intense, full-color coverage and a matte finish, Canaille bestows a sheer layer of barely there, semi-glossy mahogany.

It’s a quiet look for the holidays, and I’m a bit surprised that NARS decided to go so low key. NARS is famous for their amazing colors, so I was hoping for a lipstick with a bit more oomph, ya know?

All the other elements of Canaille excite the lipstick lover in me: minimalist packaging, sheer coverage and a moisturizing formula free from taste or scent. But, ultimately, the color just doesn’t have enough *WOW*.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Nov. 17

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  1. Mood:

    2. Almost awake

  2. Mascara:

    3. MAC Dazzle Lash in Black Dazzle

  3. Last movie I watched:

    4. Baby Mama

  4. Lipgloss or Lipstick:

    5. Nothing yet, but I’m thinking about Nars Canaille for later

  5. Outfit:

    6. Pink plaid shorts, navy blue tank top, grey sweatshirt — yep, I’m still in my jammies. 🙂

  6. Shoes:

    7. Pink fuzzy slippers

  7. Blush:

    8. MAC Sunbasque, a shimmery peach powder blush

  8. Eyeliner:

    9. Pop Beauty Cat Eyes in Black Onyx

  9. Breakfast beverage:

    10. Coffee with Coffee-Mate (I ran out of milk this morning)

  10. Goals for the week:

    11. Research things to do in Key West, decide what makeup to wear with my bridesmaids dress, do cardio every day

Hey, hey, you know you wanna play! Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Mascara:
Last movie I watched:
Lipgloss or lipstick:
Outfit:
Shoes:
Blush:
Eyeliner:
Breakfast beverage:
Goals for the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Nov. 16

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I can’t believe some malls are decorated for Christmas already. I guess it makes business sense, but it’s still hard to get used to. Businesses are hurting, and since this is usually their busiest time of year, they need to make as much out of it as possible.

It doesn’t bother Tabs at all, though. He officially started his Christmas shopping this weekend. Can you spot him in this picture (click for a larger version)?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the beauty book giveaway by 11PM PST tonight (2AM EST on Monday)! As of this moment, your odds of winning are better than one in five! 🙂

Organic Beauty on the Rise

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The other day I blogged about the increasing use of some silly sounding marketing terms by beauty companies. Well, there’s another term that’s been showing up in a lot of makeup and beauty products lately: organic.

Worldwide, more than 15% of new beauty products launched this year either claimed to be organic, ethical or all natural, according to a new study by Mintel Beauty Innovation, a big marketing research firm. In 2007, that figure was 11%. And in the US, it’s even higher. Almost 30% (that’s one in three!) of US beauty products launched this year made some kind of organic or natural claims, up from 23% in 2007.

I think we all like the idea of companies using pure, natural ingredients in their products.

Do organic/natural claims influence your decisions when it comes to choosing makeup and beauty products?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,


Karen


P.S. El Hub got home safely last night, and Tabs (that user!) even showed up for a late dinner of Fancy Feast tuna in gravy at Chez Karen. Must be nice being a cat… when everything’s on your terms, and people serve your meals and give you free room and board and health care. Of course… they also snip your kitty balls, so I guess it’s a fair trade.

Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Hell-to-the-Yah List: Nov. 15

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Hell-to-the-Yah! #1: Blue and Green Eyeshadow

Why did it take me so long to get on the blue and green eyeshadow train? I can’t believe I lived through my 20s only wearing beige, brown and taupe on my lids. Although I still love those neutral shades, in the last few months I’ve become obsessed with blues and greens! They set my heart a-flutter. 🙂

Hell-to-the-Yah! #2: Indian Summer in the Ess Eff Bay Area


Fall sunset in Tiburon, California

‘Twas a balmy 70 degrees today in the San Francisco Bay Area. I went for a long run around my neighborhood wearing a t-shirt and shorts — no jacket required! The sun on my skin felt heavenly.

Hell-to-the-Yah! #3: Girl Power Workout Songs


During the toughest part of my run, I listened to a playlist on my iPod named “Girl Power Workout Songs,” LOL. Totally cheesy, I know, but the songs on that list always give me an extra boost. I blasted Nelly Furtado’s Maneater during that last grueling hill and charged up it like a woman on a mission. I guarantee that if you crank this song you’ll push through that last part of your workout with everything you’ve got left.

Hell-to-the-Yah! #4: Weird Holiday Catalogues


When the holidays roll around my mailbox gets flooded with a plethora of weird catalogues! I never buy anything from them, but I still like to look through them for fun.

Mars’ Cheese Castle in Wisconsin just sent me one featuring fascinating things I’ve never seen before, like spicy sausages shaped like beer bottles and cakes made with whiskey. SO WEIRD!

Hell-to-the-Yah! #5: Morris Chestnut


Last night I watched a movie called The Perfect Holiday. It’s a cute chick/family flick starring Gabrielle Union, Queen Latifah and cutie pie Morris Chestnut.

In the last 24 hours I’ve developed a massive crush on Maury C. If we’d been in the same chemistry class in college in the late 90s, I would have wanted him to be my lab partner so I could have stared at him while he did titrations all semester long. Le sigh!

In Other MBB News

So sorry for the late post, ladies. After my run I watched a few episodes of The Tudors and then talked to El Hub for a while on the phone. Next thing I knew it was 5!

Part of the reason why I’m in a good mood is because El Hub’s coming home from Hawaii today, but I’m mostly happy because his mom’s operation went smoothly. She’s now recovering at home. Hopefully El Hub and I will both be able to go back next month to see her during the holidays. It’ll all depend on how she’s feeling.

I wanted to thank you for your positive notes and well wishes. And thank you especially for sharing stories of how your families coped when illness struck. Your stories lent me so much hope.

Have a lovely Saturday night. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Attack of the Cosmetic Hybrids!

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Doesn’t it seem like there’s a new markety makeup catchphrase every week? — a new cosmetic hybrid we’re told will give us the best of two or more different worlds?

And you thought werewolves were bad…

The three classes of cosmetic hybrids most often seen in the wild may have silly names, but each of these is being aggressively promoted by the big cosmetics brands. Here’s a quick primer to help you keep your hybrids straight.

Cosmeceuticals

Merriam-Webster defines a cosmeceutical as “A preparation having both cosmetic and pharmaceutical properties.” Sounds like the backstory for a new superhero, LOL! But we should be so lucky.

According to the guy (big surprise) responsible for coining the term, Dr. Albert Kligman, professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the term applies to any topical preparation sold as a cosmetic but able to benefit the skin like a pharmaceutical. They’re cosmetic products with drug-like benefits, like anti-aging creams and moisturizers, and the “cosmeceutical” label applies only to products applied topically — aka creams, lotions and ointments.

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals weren’t initially conceived of as cosmetic hybrids, but they’ve become increasingly tied to the cosmetic industry since Dr. Stephen DeFelice (another dude… I’m just sayin’) coined the phrase in 1989. “A nutraceutical is any substance that is a food or a part of a food and provides medical or health benefits,” he described, “including the prevention and treatment of disease.” These are often extracts of foods claimed to have medicinal effects on human health, and they’re often packaged in capsule, tablet or powder form and marketed as if they’re drugs with a prescribed dose (in milligrams). The definition also covers bio-engineered vegetables and so-called SUPER FOODS!

Nutricosmetics

Nutricosmetics, also known as skingestibles, have been showing up everywhere lately as products marketed to aid weight loss, to combat sun exposure or to reverse the effects of aging. They’re taken orally as pills or beverages, unlike cosmeceuticals (which are used topically), and are usually jam packed with antioxidants.

Can we expect to see even sillier names for cosmetic hybrid products in the future? I think so, especially as the economy prompts companies to think outside the box.

Hmm… What do you think of veggie-ceuticals? Or cosmetifoodicals?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Sneak Peek at the New Barbie All Doll’d Up Makeup Line

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Barbie’s turning 50 this year! To celebrate her big 5-0, Mattel is rolling out a new line of cosmetics and skin care products in 2009, says WWD.

The beauty line is just one part of a huge marketing push by Mattel Inc. to market Barbie as a fashion brand and includes new partnerships with Bloomingdale’s, Vera Wang, Jeremy Scott, IMG and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

From the looks of these product pics the makeup appears targeted for grown ups, rather than kids or tweens. Somebody in marketing obvs has a sense of humor — the makeup line is called “All Doll’d Up,” and the skin care line is named “Plastic Smooth,” LOLZ. Both the cheeky product names and packaging remind me a little bit of Benefit Cosmetics.

I loves me some Barbie so I’m pretty stoked about this! I really hope the products perform well (and that Skipper gets at least a lipgloss shout out). I wonder if they plan to roll out a Ken line for men. 🙂

What do you think about the upcoming Barbie makeup and skin care collections?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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