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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

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, July 2

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Petite Fashionista
I tower at exactly 5’2″ tall, and when you’re my height, clothing presents certain … challenges. Christa Jean at Petite Fashionista understands the plight of the vertically challenged. Her site gives shorter women everywhere the tools they need to dress in style.
petitefashionista

Nessasarymakeup.com
You can’t help but catch Vanessa’s exuberance for makeup when you pay a visit to her site. She does some really colorful looks, but beyond her skill with makeup she’s the cool cousin you wish you had, the really nice one you could go shopping with any time.
nessasarymakeup

The Daily Monster
Sometimes, inspiration comes in the form of an ink blot. Stefan Bucher creates art by dropping ink on a page and blowing it out with a straw until he sees the shape of a monster. Then, he fleshes out the creature with a pen. I know, it’s weird, but trust me; it’s also beautiful and cool. He records the entire process, too, and posts the videos on his blog.
thedailymonster-1

About.com: Beauty
Julyne Derrick has run the About.com Beauty Guide since 2005. The site maintains a huge library of how-to articles and general information about makeup and beauty. The easy-to-follow layout makes it a perfect resource for women testing the makeup waters.
beauty-about
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Play to Win with Lippmann Collection Fall Nail Colors

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lippmann-collection-nail-polish-fall-2008

Seeing these Lippmann Collection fall nail polish colors ($15 each) for the first time, I thought one thing: VEGAS, BABY! The red, black, white and black-purple colors remind me of playing cards.

Beyond the occasional slot machine (free drinks!), I’m not much of a gambler, but when it comes to nail colors, I will take chances. I’ll wear yellows, blues and even purples.

Some may feel these fall Lippmann colors are a bit tame, but I think there’s enough variety among the shades to keep things interesting.

lippmann-collection-stop-and-stare

Stop and Stare, a blue-based matte red, looks like a sure bet. Picture a lounge singer in a smokey bar. She’s wearing a slinky, black dress and Stop and Stare on her fingertips. It’s a beautiful, classic red that would look great at dressy daytime events (meet me at the polo match, dahling), formal evenings out or even a day at the office. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

lippmann-collection-rhapsody-in-white

Rhapsody in White takes me back. This frosty cool white looks exactly like a shade of Wet ‘n Wild I wore through most of the sixth grade. I wasn’t around for the 60s, but this reminds of that era, as in pale lips, bee hive bouffants and go go boots. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

lippmann-collection-fade-to-black

The inky Fade to Black is darker than night. I’m on the fence about black as a nail color because of how high maintenance the shade can be, but all of the Lippmann polishes I’ve used before have chipped less often than most other brands do. If this black matte is as durable as the rest, it could really make a name for itself. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

lippmann-collection-pump-up-the-jam

Pump Up the Jam, a dark purple shimmer, looks almost like another shade of black from afar, but it reveals its true color when seen up close. It’s the deepest shade of eggplant imaginable. I’ve always dreamt of owning a Chevy El Camino in this exact color (and ridin’ dirty in it, haaay!). Is that weird? Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Lippmann Collection polishes have a reputation in the beauty world. They’re known for their durability, and that’s not hype, either; early last month I got a mani/pedi at the Lippmann nail bar in Hawaii, and the coral color on my toes is STILL fresh and intact. I’ve been reapplying top coat every five days, but even that, with most other brands of polish, would not have been enough to make the color last as long as it has so far.
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Ditch Those Lightweight Lashes Once and For All

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I have several objectives in life, like stalking Christian Bale, watching as much bad reality TV as humanly possible and finding Nemo, but I’d give up all of those to find the perfect mascara, one that transforms my stick-straight eyelashes into dramatic uber-lashes. Here are a few of my recent mascara adventures. Welcome to the land of longer, thicker and more dramatic lashes!

  • Get Long, Dramatic Lashes with Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara
    “I’m the type of girl who doesn’t care for drama, but I’ll take dramatic lashes any day! If you crave long, can’t-miss-me lashes like I do, get thee a tube of Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara ($23), stat!”

  • 11 Luscious Lash Tips
    “For a soft, feathered look with great separation, use two brushes. After applying mascara with a regular mascara brush, run through your lashes again with a MAC 206 while your mascara is still wet.”

  • MAC Makeup Reviews, Cosmetics – Invisible Set Powder; Natural Flare Loose Beauty Powder; Indianwood and Groundwork Paintpot; Plushlash in Plushblack
    “I’m usually a big fan of drugstore (aka cheap!) mascaras and makeup, but MAC Plushlash is actually worth spending your hard earned cash on. And, baby, I know you work hard for that money. Plushlash’s awesomeness begins with the huge brush. It’s all puppies and rainbows from that point on, ladies.”

  • Clarins Wonder Mint Mascara: Rise of the Teal Terror
    “When I got home from work a few hours ago I applied a third coat, and that’s the one that took it from subtle-and-appropriate-for-work to you’re-totally-fired-you-crazy-green-lashed-lady. Stepping back several feet from the mirror, there was no missing the teal. I gotta admit, I liked the bolder color, but I’ll reserve the third coat for nights out dancing.”

  • Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Mascara Review
    “Another issue I have with my lashes is that they’re stick straight (BOO), so I need a mascara that holds the curl I get from my lash curler. Ceramide mascara holds the curl all day (and night) long, giving me a wide-eyed look ’til the wee hours.”

  • Stila Multi-Effect Mascara: A Brush with Destiny
    “I gotta hand it to Stila for the curved brush they packaged with Multi-Effect Mascara. The thing flat-out rocks, helping the product deliver amazing thickness. The arch fits perfectly into the curve of my lashes (and probably yours, too), better than any other curved brush I’ve used before. With it I can really get into the lashes and coat them from root to tip.”

  • Lancome High Definicils Mascara: What a Difference a Brush Makes
    “While the new brush doesn’t save the whales or feed the planet, I have to say it’s a pretty nifty piece of makeup technology. It makes Definicils a far more useful product than it had been.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Now You Can Go Goth with Bobbi Brown Mauve Collection Lipsticks and Glosses

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bobbi-brown-mauve-collection-lip-color-lipsticks

Bobbi Brown’s makeup doesn’t always do it for me. My homegirl once described the brand as “colors for people who are afraid of color,” and I think there’s some truth to that. A lot of Bobbi’s makeup has that jury duty feel to it, ya know? — the kind of makeup you’d wear to court.

But Bobbi threw me a curve ball with the lip colors in the Mauve Collection, her new fall makeup line.

I’d been searching high and low for edgy yet wearable lipsticks and glosses in shades of purple, and these colors are, dare I say, edgy yet wearable. They’re eye-catching without going over the top, and within the colors there’s enough variety to allow you to create lots of different looks. Go on with your bad self, Ms. Brown!

Lip Color

bobbi-brown-mauve-collection-pale-mauve-lip-color

At first I thought Pale Mauve ($22) was going to be too light for my skin tone, but once I got it on I actually really liked this light blue-purple shade. It’s light with a 60’s feel. I plan to pair it with light cheeks and a cat eye with a thick black liquid liner on my upper lash line (and a mini-dress and go-go boots, ha!).

Bobbi’s Lip Color lipsticks have a semi-matte formula that goes on a little thick, but at least it doesn’t peel away after a few hours. I don’t mind the light licorice fragrance, but I’m glad it has no taste/flavor. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

bobbi-brown-mauve-collection-heather-mauve-lip-color

Heather Mauve ($22) is a dark red-mauve, making it a great candidate for my easy-to-wear work lipstick stash. I like the texture and the color itself, but it closely matches my natural lip color, which sort of defeats the purpose of wearing lipstick. I guess it’d be useful as a base color layered beneath one of the other shades listed below. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Lip Color swatches: Heather Mauve (top), Pale Mauve (bottom)
bobbi-brown-mauve-colleciton-pale-heather-mauve-swatches

Lip Glosses

bobbi-brown-mauve-collection-lipglosses

Dig out your Cure mp3’s and your smudgy eyeliner! Bobbi’s Mauve Collection Lip Glosses ($19) look demure in their petite little tubes, but these colors are equal parts edgy and sophisticated — think goth chick in stunning black suit.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, June 30

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makeupandbeautyblog-monday-poll-063008

  1. Mood: Gung ho!

  2. Mascara: Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir

  3. Breakfast: Eggo waffles with syrup (no butter)

  4. I’m lovin’ it (makeup related): Nars Supervixen lipgloss

  5. I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related): My Bissell vacuum, LOL. Totally weird, I know, but I went on a cleaning frenzy yesterday and realized that if there weren’t such things as vacuums, my world would fall into the depths of grossness VERY quickly.

  6. Outfit: Wide-legged jeans, gold braided belt, a hot pink button-up shirt (with the sleeves rolled up) and gold chandelier earrings

  7. Fragrance: Laura Mercier Eau de Lune

  8. Quote of the day: “Attentiveness cannot be kept casually, or visited in season, like Venice. The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us.” (Mary Oliver, poet)

  9. Just another manic Monday? Yes

  10. Goals of the week: To stay organized, to lift weights and to figure out how to wear the burnt orange shade in the Nars Mediteranee eyeshadow duo (any ideas?).

Your turn! Just copy the list, insert your answers and leave ‘em for me in the comments. 🙂

Le List

Mood:
Mascara:
Breakfast:
I’m lovin’ it (makeup related):
I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related):
Outfit:
Fragrance:
Quote of the day:
Just another manic Monday?
Goals of the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Land Bargains and Sales

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sephora-store

*LAST UPDATED: 7/1/2008

So, tonight I’m on the hunt for beauty bargains and sales, trying to track down the mythical 50% off everything at MAC coupon code (lol, I wish!). I haven’t found any superb deals so far (Shu’s 20% off Friends & Family sale ends tonight, bummer), but a number of companies, like MAC and Sephora, are offering deep discounts on select summer products. Quite a few also do free shipping on purchases over a certain amount.

Here’s what I’ve got so far: these are ongoing sales and promotions at some of my favorite beauty and cosmetics companies. Most of them are only valid online (unless specified otherwise) and, unfortunately for ya’ll overseas, only apply to orders shipped in the continental US.

Ladies, if you find any cool makeup and beauty sales, coupon codes or promotions (international ones too) and leave them in the comments, I’ll update this post with the new info. 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Sales and Coupon Codes

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PureOlogy ColourMax Spray: Sunscreen for Your Hair

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pureology-colour-max

I usually spend a lot of time outside in the summer, running up and down hills and bumping Jay-Z on my iPod. When my knees are functioning (sigh!), it breaks down to an hour or two in the sun at least every other day.

While I’m consistent about applying sunscreen before leaving the house for a run, I haven’t been as mindful when it comes to protecting my hair from sun damage. That summer sun gets hot, ya’ll. It’ll fade highlights in no time, so I’ve been on the lookout for products to protect my long, highlighted hair.

I found PureOlogy ColourMax ($18), a spray that protects against UVA and UVB radiation and prevents color fading.

About a half an hour before going for a run, I’ll spray ColourMax onto the sun-exposed parts of my hair from roots to ends, brushing it through. It smells a little like roses.

According to PureOlogy, the spray works to prevent color fading by some kind of nano technology. Hmm… I don’t know about that, but it does help to keep my hair from getting tangled and adds a little extra shine. The company also claims the product is 100% vegan and not tested on animals (I guess nanites don’t count).

I’ve been using it on my runs for about two weeks now (since returning from Hawaii) and haven’t noticed any fading of my caramel highlights in that time. I wish I had brought it with me to the islands because, over the short time I was there, I did notice some fading.

The real test will come after I get my roots done next month. I’ll keep you updated.

More Hair Products with UV Protection

If you spend a lot of time in the sun, consider using a hair product with UV protection. In addition to bleaching the color out of your hair, UV chemically breaks down the keratin proteins in hair, drying it out and making it more likely to break.

Sun or no sun, there will be no running outside for yours truly today. My bum knee is feeling much better now (thanks to your well wishes and loads of ice), but it doesn’t feel strong enough to attempt a run. Looks like I’m forced to continue relaxing at home. 🙂

Last night I did a whole lotta nothing from the comfort of the couch and watched a random sample of late-night 90’s movie fair. First, I watched American Pie, which I hadn’t seen in years (since band camp), and the second was Rounders. I forgot how much I liked Rounders. You can’t really go wrong with Ed Norton, Matt Damon and John Malcovich all in the same movie.

How’s your weekend coming along? Do you have any plans for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen
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Fresh Gloss Absolute, Yay or Nay?

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Hi, ladies! I’m mo-blogging from the Pure Beauty store in my hood and just spied these lip glosses by Fresh called Gloss Absolute. Aren’t they cute?

The glosses come in four shades: Desire (cherry red), Bellini (peach), Rose Parfait (light pink) and Dahlia (wine).

The only thing holding me back is the price — each costs $24.50, about the same price as a Chanel Glossimer. Have you used Gloss Absolute before? What did you think? Is it worth the price?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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