Karen

Get Mariah Carey’s Look with MAC Heatherette Beauty Powder

March 26th, 2008 by Karen 48 Comments

Mariah Carey’s makeup always looks fierce, especially when she wears a bronzed cheek like she did in her live Monday night performance on MTV’s The Hills.

Mariah totally works her wardrobes (no matter how questionable her taste in clothing) and flat-out owns that killer five octave voice. She mixes just enough ‘tude with a dash of crazy diva to always stand out in a crowd (and to really stand out in a crowd, try this other MAC look on for size).

Re-create Mimi’s signature look with two products: 1) MAC Heatherette’s Smooth Harmony Beauty Powder ($22) , and 2) your favorite cheek brush!

Shimerless Smooth Harmony, part of the Heatherette collection, is a medium-golden bronze compact powder. If you’d like to draw more attention to your cheeks but don’t want to wear pink, coral or plum blush, give Smooth Harmony a try. I think it would look hot with smokey eyes or paired with neutral shades [Continue reading…]

Can You Spot the MAC 217?

March 25th, 2008 by Karen 53 Comments

So, it’s official — I’m a MAC brush geek. Last night, watching the season premier episode of The Hills on MTV, my eagle eye peeped a brush that looked exactly like the MAC 217!

There it is, in all its brush glory, at the Teen Vogue shoot in Paris. A makeup artist uses it to prep a group of French debutantes before their big photo session…

Maybe I’m wrong, fellow brush geeks, but that sure looks like a MAC 217 to me.

In the scene, the makeup artist grabs color from the back of a hand before applying it to the lucky girl. [Continue reading…]

MAC Viva Glam Fans: You Know I Like Free…

March 25th, 2008 by Karen 14 Comments

Hey, MAC Viva Glam fans, if you’re on the prowl for a new dance remix featuring Fergie’s song, Glamorous, MAC launched a special site to help. It just launched today. The first 15,000 folks to download Fergie’s song will get it for free (and you know I like free!). The song, titled Viva Glam Remix, is bass-and-drum heavy, so make sure you’re ready for this jelly before you start bumping it at full blast. Also on the site are e-cards, along with a behind-the-scenes look at Fergie’s Viva Glam ad shoot.

Glamorous, oh, the flossy, flossy!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I Dream of Raspberry Iced Tea with Lacoste Dream of Pink

March 25th, 2008 by Karen 29 Comments

It’s Spring Fragrance Quest at Makeup and Beauty Blog!

Before reading I Dream of Raspberry Iced Tea with Lacoste Dream of Pink,Â check out a couple past installments…

I Dream of Raspberry Iced Tea with Lacoste Dream of Pink

I love raspberry iced tea. I do, but when it comes to perfumes, raspberry is a tough scent to get right. Berry infused or inspired fragrance have a tendency to go overboard with the sweet berry notes. When it comes to berry perfumes, there’s a fine line between just right and fragrance headache.

So, I wondered, would Lacoste’s new Dream of Pink get it right? Or would it be just another Strawberry Shortcake doll wrapped in sheep’s clothing?

I admit to having anti-berry bias. After spritzing Lacoste’s red berry-infused Dream of Pink ($52) on my wrist the other day, I had a bottle of Ibuprofen ready to help with the headache I was sure it would cause. Oh, but I was wrong. No headache. Instead, I was met with a nice surprise — the natural, subtle scent of raspberry iced tea!

Lacoste’s Dream of Pink is an updated version of one of their standby fragrances, Touch of Pink. Released in February, Dream of Pink falls into what I’d characterize as the fruity floral fragrance (say that fast five times) category. Lacoste claims that in addition to red berry, Dream of Pink contains [Continue reading…]

Moisturize in a Flash with Olay Quench Mousse

March 24th, 2008 by Karen 41 Comments

When I hear the word “mousse” I think of Bullwinkle, or maybe a creamy chocolate mousse (yum), or perhaps hair mousse, but I don’t think of moisturizing lotions — that is, until now. Introducing Olay Quench Mousse, Olay’s latest entry in the crowded field of body moisturizers.

I usually look for thick, rich body lotions and creams. My first impression of Olay Quench Mousse was that it felt light and fluffy, so I didn’t expect to like it. But ooh la la I did!

I gave it a try after my shower last night. I shook the bottle, squirted a few dots o’ mousse onto my arms and watched in fascination as the dots reacted with air, magically growing into[Continue reading…]

A Time for Renewal

March 23rd, 2008 by Karen 8 Comments

Happy Easter, ya’ll! I’m off to the East Bay to have Easter lunch with my parents but wanted to say a quick hello.

After lunch I’m going to work on a few posts for this week, including reviews of a couple of spring fragrances and drugstore blushes. I also plan to finally finish the tutorial for pastel pink and blue eyes.

I hope you’re having a wonderful day and that your heart is feeling light and hopeful!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Check out these great posts from the Beauty Blog Network and Splendicity. Each week the members of both networks submit some of their favorite posts from around the beauty blogosphere.
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MAC Heatherette’s Sock Hop, Style Minx Lipglasses Live Up to the Hype

March 22nd, 2008 by Karen 72 Comments

MAC’s highly anticipated Heatherette collection dropped this week, and two of the Lipglasses really caught my eye — Style Minx and Sock Hop.

Style Minx, a sparkling bright pink fuchsia, appeals to the pink lipgloss lover in me. After applying two coats, my lips turned a bold, can’t-miss-me bright pink. Girl, I looked so ready to hit the club!

Style Minx

It took some effort with Style Minx to get the results I wanted. In hindsight, I would recommend using it with a lip liner. On my first attempt, I skipped liner and ended up with pink everywhere! The shade is so bright that even the smallest traces of product are apt to stand out like sore, pink thumbs if any color extends beyond the natural lip line.

While playing with Style Minx, I was pleasantly surprised by how very pretty it is when toned down. As a test, I applied a single quick coat to my lips, blotting afterwards with a tissue. What remained was a rosy, deep pink stain perfect for more conservative daytime wear.

With the help of a lip liner and a lip brush (as opposed to the included Lipglass wand), I expect to have better luck on my next attempts with Style Minx. A liner should establish a crisp boundary to reign in some of the pink, and the use of a separate lip brush should provide a lot more control than the wand does. I’m not kidding, ya’ll — this stuff is pink!
[Continue reading…]

Estee Lauder has a Lil’ Something for Bronze (and Not so Bronze) Goddesses

March 21st, 2008 by Karen 30 Comments

Summer makeup collections usually feature golds, bronzes, bright corals or pinks — perfect colors to accompany a summertime tan. While it’s true that ladies with darker complexions (like your girl) scream a big ol’ “Woot-woot!” when companies release summery products in their preferred shades, light-skinned beauties may feel left out. Fear not, porcelain princesses, because this summer Estee Lauder’s got yo back. Their 2008 summer collection, “Bronze Goddess,” has three great products everyone can wear.

Bronze Goddess Sheer Lip Tint SPF 15 Lipstick

The limited edition Bronze Goddess Sheer Lip Tint SPF 15 lipstick ($25) looks dark in the tube, but don’t let that fool you. Applied, the color looks like a subtle watercolor bronze — just barely there at all — with a touch of shimmer. It should flatter most skin types, even if you’re on the lighter side.

estee-lauder-bronze-goddess-lip-tint

I had a lunch date with El Hub today (over his lunch break) and didn’t want wear too much makeup (aka, I was too lazy to put on a full face!), so I used Bronze Goddess on my lips, a tinted moisturizer on my face and cream blush on my cheeks. Tres casual without looking too sloppy.

I like the texture of Bronze Goddess. It isn’t sticky, goopy or heavy, and on my lips it faintly smells of peach Jolly Ranchers (LOL). The gold and tortoise shell case may look too mature for some, but I think it’s classy and cute.[Continue reading…]