Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, June 24

June 24th, 2008 by Karen 15 Comments

DailyCandy
DailyCandy sends out a free daily e-mail from the front lines of fashion, food and fun. Hip and edgy, their coverage of accessories (shoes and bags) helps me satisfy my inner Carrie Bradshaw. I subscribe to the San Francisco edition, but they produce versions for a number of other cities as well. I totally dig that they feature up and coming designers.
dailycandy

Iâ™¥Makeup
I have a thing for Bollywood, especially the beautifully glamorous stars, and Iâ™¥Makeup gives the scoop on the looks worn by famous stars like Aishwarya Rai (love her!). It’s a great blog, and Iâ™¥Makeup is a sweetheart, too. When you stop by, tell her congrats because she just got engaged.
iheartmake-up.blogspot.com

MakeupAlley
You don’t even know how many hours I spent browsing Makeup Alley at my previous job. They would have fired my ass if they ever found out! One of the most extensive makeup review sites on the Web, it also has an active forum of members who are very passionate about makeup. I regard it as an instrumental learning tool for any girl (or boy) interested in cosmetics.
makeupalley
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Brighten Your Day With Clarins Sun Lip Balms

June 24th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

clarins-summer-fever-sun-lip-balm-bikini-pink

Who knew Clarins makeup was so fabulous? Up until a few weeks ago, I thought of the brand solely as a skin care line, but discovering Wonder Mint teal mascara a few weeks ago changed all that. It prompted me to do some additional “research” (aka playing with makeup!) into their Summer Fever line, and I uncovered other hidden gems.

The Sun Lip Balms ($19 each) are shimmery, limited edition glosses available in two shades — Rose Bikini (the hot pink pictured above) and a neon orange called Orange Delight (shown below).

The marketing…

Shea, wild mango and rice oil extracts in the product moisturize, nourish and soothe lips

Olive oil provides the moisture

Vitamin A and vitamin E repair and protect lips against free radicals

SPF 6 protects against UVB rays responsible for premature skin aging and dry lips

clarins-summer-fever-sun-lip-balm-orange-delight

The two Sun Balm colors are bold, yet still have a subtle duochrome quality to them, flashing from orange to blue, or from pink to purple, depending on the light and angle of view. Both shades contain the tiniest flecks of blue, green, and purple glitter, making the colors both playful and interesting. That’s also how I feel about the look I get with Wonder Mint — playful and interesting.

These are colors I’d wear with a Burberry bikini, sipping champagne on a yacht in the Mediterranean, *not* colors I’d wear with big hair while guzzling a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon on the Jersey shore. Ya dig?

Orange Delight on the left, Bikini Pink on the right
clarins-summer-fever-sun-lip-balm-orange-delight-bikini-pink-swatch

I will definitely include these in my ever-growing makeup kit this summer, with one big caveat: the texture is thin (and tastes like fruit punch, go figure), and the product doesn’t have great staying power. It’s all but gone from my lips after a couple hours of wear or a single meal.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, June 23

June 23rd, 2008 by Karen 124 Comments

makeup-and-beauty-blog-saturday-poll-june-21

Mood: Groggy but happy

Lips: Chanel Astral Glossimer

Fragrance: Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia

Food craving: Vegetable pad Thai

Makeup craving: The NARS Bridal Palette, which I saw on Bella Sugar the other day

Theme song: Whatever U Like, by Nicole Scherzinger

Nail polish: My fingertips are bare with the exception of the nail on my left pointer finger, which is painted with two layers of Dior Liquorice nail enamel. My toes are still rockin’ It’s Delovely, the coral shade from my visit to the Lippmann nail bar a couple weeks ago.

Hair: I’m wearing it down, with loose waves a la Jennifer Aniston.

Shoes: Hot pink Havaianas flip flops

Goal of the day: To start a new journal, to survive work and to eat a ton of ice cream.

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

Le list

Mood:
Lips:
Fragrance:
Food craving:
Makeup craving:
Theme song:
Nail polish:
Hair:
Shoes:
Goal of the day:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unwind with Tela Beauty Organics Hair Care Products

June 23rd, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

tela-beauty-organics-healer-encore

Tela Beauty Organics, where have you been all my wavy-haired life? Both your Healer product (leave-in conditioner) and Encore (styling creme) work wonders. Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Anniston — step aside, girls (lol)! Here comes Karen’s hair!

If you have naturally curly or wavy hair and, like me, can’t or won’t use hair products that contain silicone, you probably struggle to find silicone-free leave-in conditioners and de-frizzing products in which dimethicone or amodimethicone aren’t listed near the top of the list of ingredients. In the hair care industry, it seems like silicone is everywhere you turn.

What’s so bad about silicone? Well, nothing according to the cosmetics industry, but theirs isn’t the only opinion. Silicone coats hair, protecting it from heat damage, and makes hair shiny and smooth.

But others warn that overuse of silicone-containing hair products forces the hair cuticle out of position, potentially killing it and leading to hair thinning and loss.

Most experts agree that occasional use of quality brands shouldn’t lead to long term problems with hair.

With Healer and Encore, Tela Beauty Organics has solved the silicone dilemma in a novel way. They don’t use it. Neither Healer nor Encore contain silicones, and both products create smooth, silky hair. The catch (there’s always one)? Price. Available exclusively at Barneys New York, Healer costs a whopping $48 for a 1.6-oz. bottle, and Encore will set you back $45 for a 1-oz jar. All together now: “OUCH!”

Both products are expensive, but they also work very well.

Healer is a leave-in treatment that repairs hair and damaged ends. I have really thick hair and found that I had to use about a silver dollar-sized amount, massaging it throughout my hair after getting out of the shower. Then, using my fingertips and a wide-toothed comb, I worked a pea-sized amount of Encore’s styling paste in, particularly at the ends to reduce frizz, and air dried.
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Review: Shu Uemura Fleur de Rose Eau de Toilette

June 22nd, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments

shu-uemura-fleur-de-rose

Shu Uemura’s Pricey Rose Fragrance Smells Pretty But Fades Fast

Each June, Shu Uemura releases a limited edition collection of various beauty products to commemorate the opening of their first beauty boutique in June of 1983. This year’s collection, called Hana-Bi, includes, among other things, three pricey eau de toilette fragrances. How pricey?

Are you sitting down?

Each of the scents will set you back a whopping $85 for a 1.6-oz. bottle. The company sent me one of the three, Fleur de Rose, to review for the blog. I was really looking forward to trying it out, knowing full well that it had better be good for $85.

Eau de toilettes are usually less concentrated and less expensive than regular perfumes (sometimes referred to as eau de parfums). I could see myself shelling out $85 for a truly breathtaking eau de parfum, but paying almost $100 for an eau de toilette is a lot to ask of anyone.

I’ve been wearing Fleur de Rose off and on now for a few days. It’s a very light, simple, rosy scent that reminds me of crushed rose petals and wild licorice on a crisp spring morning.

I like Fleur de Rose, but I don’t love it. The fragrance simply is what it is and doesn’t evolve or change over time. And it fades quickly, too. When I dab it on my wrists in the morning, the scent is gone by lunchtime.

Shu Uemura Fleur de Rose Eau de Toilette

Price: $85 for a 1.6-oz. bottle
Use: A light, rosy fragrance
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C

I have a special place in my heart for Shu Uemura products, especially their eyeshadows, but Fleur de Rose is simply too expensive. I haven’t tried the other two scents in the collection — Fleur de Terre, a fresh woody floral; and Fleur de Source, a spicy floral — but they’d really have to smell amazing and last far longer than Fleur de Rose does to justify the price.
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Most Popular Posts of the Week: June 16-22

June 22nd, 2008 by Karen 3 Comments

swirl-summer-vector

Happy Sunday, girls! I hope your day is going well. I’m on my way to a quick brunch (Mmm… French toast).

Brunch.

What is it about that word? — brunch? I love it. Not quite breakfast; not quite lunch.

Most Popular Posts of the Week: June 16-22

Chanel Fall 2008: Early Reviews and Swatches
“The entire gold-themed collection lands at Chanel counters this July, but here are three members of the fall collection. I’ve yet to see the items I’m *really* lusting after — the Gold Fever Highlighter and the Gold Light Glossimer — in person, but these should tide me over for now.”

Review: Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco Masque
“The texture of Creme de Coco Masque is just slightly thicker than Bumble and Bumble’s Deeep [with three Eees] Conditioner, which is quite thick, but it was still easy to apply from roots to ends. Coconut is either a love it or hate it scent, so be warned: this smells like coconut.”

Dior Fall 2008: Impression Cuir Fall Pics and Full Product List
“Due for release this August, the collection features rich, romantic colors like burgundy, plum and copper and embossed animal-inspired textures — think crocodile and python. The makeup gods say dark lipstick will be big this fall, and I’m looking forward to Fantastic Plum Rouge Dior. I think it’ll look great with my warm winter coat and knee-high boots.”

MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye
“Begin by blending an even layer of Dior concealer onto the entire surface of your eyelid. This gives the eye products we’re about to use something to latch onto and intensifies the color of the eyeshadows.”

MAC Cosmetics Neo Sci Fi Face of the Day
“I’ve had sun on my mind lately and felt inspired this morning to reach for a few brighter-than-bright items from MAC’s Neo Sci Fi collection. I didn’t really feel like going buck wild with a lot of blending or a wide variety of products with my look today, and I limited myself to just two (!) eyeshadows.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale on Now, Island Infusion Body Mists $3.50

June 21st, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

victorias-secret-island-infusion-body-mists

I’m taking advantage of the air conditioning at the mall right now and stumbled upon a semi-annual sale at Victoria’s Secret. Lots of VS beauty products are marked down in-store from 50-75% (also good online, but only on bras and panties). I’m not sure how long the sale lasts, but check out these really cute Island Infusion body mists, a mere $3.50 each after the sale discount, wowza! They come in four scents: Moorea Passion Fruit, Tahitian Vanilla Flower, Bali Orchid and Capri Peach Blossom. I think I’m going to get Bali Orchid, a light, white floral that smells like soap and clean skin. [Continue reading…]

Get Ashy: MAC Cosmetics Volcanic Ash Exfoliator

June 21st, 2008 by Karen 23 Comments

mac-cosmetics-volcanic-ash-exfoliator-final

All soaps, shower gels and exfoliating scrubs have one glorious thing in common: they make us feel clean and pretty. And most of the time, cleansers and scrubs — true to form — look and smell clean and pretty, too.

Oh, but not so with MAC’s Volcanic Ash Exfoliator ($19). To be blunt, it looks like dirt — magical dirt.

As you might expect, it’s the jet black volcanic ash in the product that makes it look the way that it does. The feeling I got looking at my arms and legs in the shower after I worked the fine, scrubbing grains onto my freshly rinsed skin was one of impressed confusion. I was impressed because the product felt effective (like a good, deep cleanser) and confused because my skin looked covered in soot. COOL!
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