Karen

Face of the Day (FOTD) and Product Reviews: Tarte Ready-to-Wear/Pret-a-Porter Palette, Part II – Paris Mon Amour

September 11th, 2007 by Karen 2 Comments

Bonjour! Today is part three of our Tarte Fall 2007 reviews, so we travel to Paris via Tarte’s Prêt-a-Porter Palette, a dual personality palette with shadows, cream blushes, and lipsticks for two different smoky eye looks. The other day we took a look at the green smoky eye from the I Love NY side, so today we’ll check out a gray/purple smoky eye from the Paris, Mon Amour side.

Oui, oui, grab your croissant
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Product: Tarte’s Ready-to-Wear/ Prêt-a-Porter Palette — Paris, Mon Amour side
Use: to create a gray/purple smoky eye look, comes with coordinating blush and lipstick
Price: $44.00
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+!

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I followed the instructions in the “How to Get the Look” booklet that comes with the palette, and used:

Tarte products:
– deep purple shadow from the upper lash line into the crease
– gray-purple over lid and up into crease
– pale pink on brow bone
– deep purple on lower lash line applied with wet eyeliner brush
– coral rose cream blush on cheeks
– burgundy rose lipstick on lips

This look also includes:
– two coats of L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black
– Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation, Translucent Powder and Secret Brightening Powder
– MAC Concrete in brows
– MAC Bare Canvas Paint as shadow base

What I liked about it

I lurves this smoky look. Usually I have a hard time with purples because I end up looking like a post-fight street thug, and when I started applying these shadows I initially thought it was not going to end well. There was purple, purple, everywhere and it was not a pretty sight. But after ditching the palette brushes and working quickly before the MAC Paint dried I ended up very pleased with the results.

Just for the hell of it on one eye I tried using the palettes’ small brushes (an eyeliner brush and shadow brush) to apply the shadows, which is what the booklet tells you to do, and let me tell ya it was so not crackin’. The shadows are sheer and the eyeliner brush is tiny so it took forever to apply it and to blend. It took forever to get the purple dark enough. The brush was fine for wetting and applying the purple shadow on the bottom lash line, though. And while the eye shadow brush was alright for applying color onto the brow bone it really wasn’t working in my crease because it was too big, so I ended up using my MAC 217 to get the gray-purple into the crease.

Sidenote: MAC lovers, I had a minor epiphany when doing the other eye. When working with MAC Paint it pays to apply shadows quickly before the paint dries. It makes blending easier.

The burgundy rose lipsticks also blend together well and have a slight sheen that’s very pretty. The coral rose cream blush has a little bit of sparkle to it but it’s subtle. I plan on pairing this with Nars Torrid, a coral blush with shimmer, in the future. I think it’s going to look crazy good.

What I didn’t like about it

Obvs there was the palette brush issue, but that’s minor if you own your own brushes. Another small point is the shadows are set close to the cream blush, so I have to be aware of which way I’m stroking my brush so I don’t get deep purple shadow all over blush.

The final word

This palette rocks. It has a few minor flaws: blah brushes, and no eye primer base to grab the shadows. Usually when I get palettes there’s one or two colors I can’t wear but everything in here works for me. You really do get a lot for your money in terms of usability. If you’re a makeup addict-in-training who already has a few basics brushes and a cream base or two then check it out, and get ready to explore the lovely world of green and purple smoky eyes.

Last night I went to dance class for the first time in a month and I’m hurting. My hip hop teacher, Jackie, busted out a song from a new R&B artist Ray Lavender, and it’s called “Donkey Kong.” HA HA HA! The lyrics are kind of lame – “she got that donkey kong bouncing in that blouse.” Um, what? Still, the beat is sick and I can’t stop dancing to it. The song hasn’t been officially released yet so there isn’t a video, but you can hear it via this youtube clip. I warn you though — once you hear it you won’t be able to get it out of your head.

Have a great day, and get some dancing in, even if it’s just in your kitchen while you’re making dinner.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Face of the Day (FOTD) and Product Reviews: More Tarte Fall 2007 – Natural Beauty Cheek Stain, Inside Out Lipstick, Rejuvalash Set

September 10th, 2007 by Karen 26 Comments

Tarte’s Health Couture 2007 fall collection continues to move me. While the ready-to-wear/prêt-a-porter palette appeals to the makeup addict in me, easy-to-use products like Cheek Stain in Natural Beauty really speak to my inner lazy bum.

Face of the Day with Tarte Products

Because there are some days when I barely have enough time to brush my teeth, I like to have makeup around that doesn’t take a lot of time to apply that still allows me to look put together. In this Face of the Day below, I’m barely wearing anything:

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Tarte products:
– Cheek Stain in Natural Beauty on cheeks
– Lashes curled with Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler, and then followed with 4-in-1 Mascara
– Inside Out lipstick in Sweet Dreams

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This lazy bum makeup look also includes:
– MAC Concrete shadow in brows
– Laura Mercier Translucent setting powder over entire face
– MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer mixed with MAC Fast Response Eye cream
– Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder underneath eyes

It looks natural, doesn’t feel heavy and took less than ten minutes. Viva la lazy, ya’ll.

What to bring home, and what to pass up

So what’s worth bringing home this fall from Tarte’s Health Couture 2007 releases? Don’t miss out on the Cheek Stain and the Inside Out Lipsticks!

No Skill Required – Natural Beauty Cheek Stain
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– Easy to work with (no brush required)
– Highly pigmented color

What I liked about it
This “no skill required” gel is what put Tarte on the makeup map, and has won awards from magazines like InStyle, Cosmo and Self. Natural Beauty indeed gives a natural looking flush! This red–toned blush has a dewy look on cheeks and has no glitter. I apply just a lil’ bit of it with my fingers and I look like I was just at the gym working on my fitness. Good consistency (not to thick or oily) and smell (oranges) too.

What I didn’t like about it
Although I like the color, I have to be a careful with the amount that I put on. The color is bright and has a lot of pigment for a gel blush, so if I accidentally put too much on I look like a crazy old lady who can’t lay off the rouge. Also, I wish the staying power was longer. I have oily skin, and after a few hours the blush seems to slide right off.

The final word
A lovely color that would be good for ladies or makeup loving gents who want an easy, natural cheek look. Apply sparingly or risk Bozo the Clown mega-status.

Inside Out Lipsticks are Easy and Pretty, but Skip the Juice

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Product: Inside Out Vitamin Infused Lipstick Powered by BORBA nutraceuticals
Use: As a matte lipstick. The BORBA powdered drink is supposed to clarify your skin.
Price: $22.00 for a tube and a package of BORBA Skin Balance Aqua-less Crystalline
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

– Semi-matte finish, highly pigmented colors
– Easy to apply
– Sweet Dreams shade is a dusty pink-rose, Zen is plum-berry
– Powdered BORBA nutraceutical drink tasted “interesting”
– Cute packaging

What I liked about it
At first glance, I though that the clear center in this lipstick would give it a sheer look. The colors, like the natural beauty gel blush, are also highly pigmented. Both colors have a semi-matte texture, and are easy to apply. I didn’t use a lip brush and just slapped a layer on directly from the tube with very little effort, yet the look was still relaxed but refined.

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What I didn’t like about it
The accompanying pack of “Skin Balance Aqua-less Crystalline” by BORBA is a clarifying pomegranate antioxiant powder drink that’s supposed to help control blemishes, surface oil and detoxify skin. Control blemishes? Sign me up.

I’ve got a hyper-sensitive sense of smell, and this drink smelled really “grassy” to me. It made my tummy churn. It’s got zero calories, which I suppose is good, and it tasted like a mystery drink with no distinct fruit flavor or sugar. I can’t say if it helped clear my skin. I’ll just stick to drinking obscene amounts of water, which has always helped me to keep the zits away.

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… okay, so it didn’t really taste like chicken, but it definitely tasted weird

The final word
I won’t be downing any BORBA powdered drinks anytime soon, but I’ll definitely be toting this lipstick on my days when I don’t want to put in a lot of makeup effort. Sweet Dreams was my favorite natural-looking color out of the two.

4-in-1 Lashes Equals 4 Coats of Mascara for www.makeupandbeautyblog.com

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Product: Rejuvelash Lash Sxhilarating set; includes Rejuvelash Declumping Lash Exhilarator; Lights, camera, lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara; Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler
Use: To curl and define lashes
Price: $40.00
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C+/B-

– lash curler with unique “ergonomic” design
– 4-in-1 mascara builds and thickens easily
– Rejvelash declumping very high gloss

What I liked about it
If you already have thick and abundant lashes then you’ll dig 4-in-1 mascara because it gives lash emphasis without looking too over-the-top, and holds a lash curl well. Rejuvelash is an interesting product that comes with this set. It’s a clear gloss that you put on later on in the day to revive your lashes. I liked that it was glossy and de-clumped my late-day lashes.

What I didn’t like about it
I really wanted to fall in love with this curler, just â€˜cause it has those cute “ergonomic” purple handles. However, I felt like the width of the lash curl area should be slightly bigger because it kept pinching me. Ouch! I compared it to my MAC curler, which is slightly longer by just a touch, but that little bit of room prevents me from getting pinched lashes.

After Four Coats of 4-in-1
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Even on my minimal makeup days I like my lashes to look big and flashy, and I had to use a lot of the 4-in-1 to get them to the thickness and length that I like. I used four coats in this picture, lol. That said, even though it built up nicely I wish I didn’t have to put in so much effort to get there.

The final word
Natural lash beauties will like 4-in-1 mascara. I will stick to my MAC curler, but if you’ve always hated having to put your fingers through the looks of your mascara curler, then Tarte’s version is worth at least a try. Rejuvelash is a neat gloss that busy makeup lovers will like to give late day lashes an instant lift.

BAH! It’s Monday. I’m still recovering from the weekend. I stayed up late last night to watch Transformers (more than meets the eye) and it totally brought me back to my childhood days at the babysitters, when there were no girls to play with and I was stuck hanging with a bunch of roughneck boys who always made me be Bumblebee and never ever, let me be Optimus Prime. BOO! I’m not bitter. Anyway, watcha doing this tonight? I’m looking forward to watching The Hills and getting my haterade on via Spencer Pratt (ultimate BLAH) and Justinbobby (semi-BLAH.)

Have a kickin’ day and I hope it goes by fast!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Review: tarte cosmetics’s ready-to-wear/pret-a-porter palette from the Fall 2007 Health Couture Collection

September 8th, 2007 by Karen 6 Comments

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Product: tarte cosmetics ready-to-wear/pret-a-porter palette
Use: to achieve two different types of smoky eye looks with just one palette
Price: $44.00 for a dual-look palette with six shadows, two cream blushes, four lipsticks, mascara, liner and brushes
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you may have noticed that this fall cosmetics companies have been going buck wild crazy with the smoky eye palettes. I love the smoky eye look, and have no objection to this trend!

When most women think of smoky eyes they probably immediately think of the typical black shadow and liner rimmed eye. But did you know that there are several different versions of the smoky eye? You can do a smoky eye with blues, greens, greys, browns –you are only limited by your imagination (and budget, which hello, is the story of my makeup loving life).

Here’s a green-based smokey eye look I did using tarte’s ready-to-wear/prêt-a-porter palette from their Health Couture 2007 fall collection.

tarte-fall-pret-a-porter-ready-to-wear-i-love-ny-fotd

This dual personality palette has two looks packed into one cute case. There’s both green (i love new york) and gray/plum (paris mi amour) smoky eye looks complete with blushes and lipsticks, too.

You also get two short handled travel brushes (one flat shadow brush and a eye liner push brush), a wee tube of 4-in-1 mascara, and a light, peachy colored eye liner called rest assured brightening pencil. I’m not a fan of short handled brushes so I used my own when applying the makeup. If this is your venture into smoky eyes and you don’t have your own brushes then try these first, but know that in order to look like Jessica Alba on the red carpet you will probably need to invest in a few more brushes in the future. If you can make them work for you more power to ya. I know that for me I need at least a brush for my brows, a blending brush for the shadows, and a small angled brush to do any eye detail work in addition to a shadow brush and eyeliner brush.

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What I liked about the i love ny side:
– Pretty, sheer green shadow colors that combine well
– Detailed “How to” booklet included with the palette
– Buildable honey peach cream blush
– Long staying power for the lipsticks, beige shade didn’t make me look questionably undead
– 4-in-1 mascara builds well for thicker, dramatic lashes

I love the bone highlighting shade; it’s shimmery but subtle. The moss and olive shadows are sheer, and while many seasoned shadow lovers might not like that I think that it’s great because it gives beginners a lot of leeway for mistakes.

The honey peach cream blush and the lipsticks were nice surprises. Because I have oily skin sometimes cream blushes slide right off but tarte’s formulation stayed on throughout the entire day. It’s also sheer but easily buildable, like the shadows. Both the beige and pink lipstick shades are pretty by themselves or mixed together, have good staying power, and don’t have a weird taste or smell.

I have lashes on the wimpy side so I really like to make them big and dramatic. I didn’t feel like one or two coats of 4-in-1 mascara was enough for me, so I ended up putting on four coats on. While this might seem like overkill, it actually turned out pretty well. The mascara builds up nicely without looking too spidery or truck stop hooker.

What I didn’t like about the i love ny side
I am a brush fiend and I’m very particular about brushes so I wasn’t crazy about the ones that came with the kit because of the short handles and the lack of weight.

I also wasn’t crazy about the rest assured brightening pencil. It’s this light, peach shade you apply to the inner rims of the lower lids to make you look more awake. Hmm. I ended up applying it along the lower lash line, and had to smudge it out so that it wouldn’t look to obvious. I’ll probably skip this step in the future.

I also wish that this came with a shadow primer or some kind of base to help “grab” the shadow. Beginners who use the palette without some sort of creamy shadow base might be disappointed with the results because of the sheerness of the shadows. I used MAC Paint in Bare Canvas and I think that helped the richness of the colors come through.

The final word
The i love new york side of the ready-to-wear palette gets a solid Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating of A. I was pleasantly surprised that all of the colors worked for my skin tone (which rarely ever happens for me with all-in-one kits), and I liked the quality of the products. If you’re new to the smoky eye and aren’t quite ready for a full on black raccoon eye then this is a good introduction. However, know that you’ll have to invest in some brushes in the future.

Stay tuned for the next installation of this palette review for the paris, mi amour colors in the next few days, along with rewiews for the rest of the Health Couture 2007 collection.

So, I’m still kinda cranky because the internet is still out in my house but the Comcast guy is coming at one to allegedly fix the problem. We’ll see if it actually happens. Later this afternoon I’m going to my friend’s house for lumpia rolling/cooking mini-party. If ya don’t know what lumpia is then grab your closest Filipino friend and have her/him take you to a Filipino lunch counter stat. (If you live in the East Bay or in Daly City I’m sure you’ll have no problem doing this, lol.) It’s basically a superior form of the typical egg roll, and it’ll take you into fried food ecstasy. Before I roll out though I gotta do some pre-lumpia cardio at the gym, so I’m off!

How has your weekend been so far? I hope you’re feeling good this Saturday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Just for Fun: Makeupandbeautyblog vs. the Law of Entropy

September 6th, 2007 by Karen 6 Comments

While there are very few things that I remember from my years as an undergraduate science student, one thing I clearly recall is sitting in chemistry class and learning about the law of entropy (aka the second law of thermodynamics), which in a nutshell says that systems in nature always move from order to disorder. I remember scribbling some formulas down along with the words, “Randomness and chaos rule in the end. Sucks.”

Anyway, the law of entropy has been working its magic here at www.makeupandbeautyblog.com. The internets have been out since 3:00 in the morning, and I am one cranky blogger. But we press on, and because entropy rules, let’s take this opportunity to celebrate minor points randomness during the last two days. Viva la entropy!

Face of the day
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September 5, 2007. 6:32 p.m.
I am at the gym on the elliptical machine. The US Open match between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer is on the T.V. I watch Andy Roddick warm up. I start to sweat. Whether it is from watching Andy work his shizz or from the elliptical machine is anybody’s guess. I make a mental note to watch more tennis. Andy loses, but I decide that anyone who can serve at 146 mph is a winner in my blog.

It’s okay, boo…Roger Federer would kick my ass on the court, too.
andy-roddick-rules

September 5, 2007. 11:38 p.m.
I hold the Nordstrom gift card that I found the other day in my hand. I go onto the Nordstrom site and put $200 of MAC Paint Pots in my shopping cart. I do not check out.

September 6, 2007. 3:02 a.m.
The sing-songy chime of the modem in the living room announces that the Internets are out. I wake up. I wander into the dark bathroom and proceed to place my bum on the toilet, and almost fall into the toilet because El Hub has left the seat up. As I wash my hands in the dark it occurs to me the next logical step here is that there’s somebody hiding behind the shower curtain because El Hub NEVER leaves the seat up. I get freaked out. Isn’t 3:00 a.m. the witching hour? I hurry back to bed. The modem continues to chime.

September 6, 2007. 7:45 a.m.
I eat a breakfast of peanut butter and bananas on toast. I drink my coffee but wish for a latte.
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September 6, 2007.10:13 a.m.
It’s time to get ready. I bust out tarte’s fall collection and decide to play. (More on this during the next few days…I’ll give ya this though, the palette is hot!) I put on four, yes four, layers of mascara in the attempt to achieve “Fashion Show Lashes.”
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September 6, 2007. 11:32 a.m.
I turn on Fergie’s “Glamorous” and start dancing around the house, and am almost late for work.

September 6, 2007. 5:15 p.m.
I catch up on the last two episodes of “The Hills,” which I have Tivo-ed. In between bites of Lifesavors gummies, I come to the conclusion that Lauren appears to be heading for rehab, and that Audrina needs to get a clue. El Hub offers a psychological breakdown of Spencer Pratt.

Team Whitney all the way
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September 6, 2007. 7:08 p.m.
I look at my rapidly growing makeup collection and get a little stressed out. I contemplate going to The Container Store. I walk out to the car but end up not going. Instead, the neighbor’s tabby cat comes by and we hang for 20 minutes. The tabby bites me a few times. I decide that I hate The Container Store. Why buy more shit to hold all of your existing shit? I go back upstairs and eat an ice cream bar.

This is just one third of the recent makeup explosion
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I hope you had a good day, ya’ll. Sweet dreams.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Face of the day (FOTD) — MAC Smoke Signals Gentle Fume Eyes, Part Deux; Makeup Tip – Get Dramatic Lashes with a L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara Combination

September 5th, 2007 by Karen 7 Comments

Gentle Fume Quad, Take Two

Despite our rocky start, the Smoke Signals Gentle Fume quad and I are starting to become fast friends. I’ve discovered that it really comes in handy when you want to look like a vampire (a cute one, of course). I wore Rondelle on the entire lid, Waft on the outer third and a teeny tiny bit o’ Carbon in the outer v. (Big ups to my blogging buddy temptalia.com for suggesting this look!) I wore this out yesterday and can safely report that I felt 100% non-drag queeny. That’s Burnin‘ on my lips along with Bazaarish Lipglass on top, and lil bit of Emote on the cheeks!

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Lol, I just realized that this looks like a high school senior pic with a messy kitchen as the background
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MASCARA REVELATION: L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black + Max Factor 2000 Calorie = BIG DRAMATIC LASHES!

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Whenever I have a rough day I like to head to the drugstore to grab an ice cream cone and look at makeup. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know it’s kind of eighth grade but it’s a nice pick me up and it keeps me from dropping serious stress cash at the MAC counter.

I’ve got straight, medium length lashes that aren’t full or thick, so I’m always looking for mascara. My favorite drugstore mascara lately has been L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black. It’s really glossy and dark and builds up my ho-hum, straight lashes nicely. Despite its great color and thickening power, I’ve noticed that it really doesn’t hold a curl from the lash curler. Within an hour or so I have stick straight lashes again. Boo!

Today just for fun I layered L’Oreal Voluminous over MAX Factor 2000 Calorie. 2000 Calorie has excellent curl hold, but the color isn’t as glossy or dark as Carbon Black. Layering the two mascaras makes a dramatic difference, and I loved the results: I got thick and glossy lashes that kept the curl throughout the day.

Before
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…and after
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From the earlier FOTD
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The only thing is I have to work quickly when applying this both mascaras. I used Waterproof 2000 Calorie, which dries really fast, so if I wait to long to apply the Carbon Black it starts to get flakey and hard to apply.

If you’ve got these two around then give it a go, and let me know if it works for you (I hope it does!)

How’s your Wednesday been so far? I hope that your coffee tastes perfect and that you’re feeling happy and pretty.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

News – Upcoming Beauty Events in San Francisco — Neiman Marcus Beauty Event September 6-17; Laura Mercier Beauty Bootcamp September 12-15; Juice Beauty Launch at Sephora September 6; Interview with Juice Beauty

September 4th, 2007 by Karen 2 Comments

Get Yer Spend on at the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event in San Francisco: September 6-17 from 10-5 p.m.

Bring your product lust and your wallet to Neiman Marcus for their fall beauty event! Spend $100 on cosmetics/beauty and you’ll get a tote full of beauty goodies (past bags included products from La Prairie and Jo Malone). In addition to the goody bag some beauty brands will also include a gift with purchase. I’m looking forward to hitting the BECCA counter — they’ll be giving away a free full size Glossy Lip Tint in Mamilla and a full size CrÃ¨me Eye Colour in Antique Gold (valued at $49).
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I Love Laura and So Can You at the Laura Mercier Beauty Bootcamp at Neiman Marcus: September 12-15

I’ve gushed on and on about Laura Mercier foundation on this blog, so if you’re curious about the line and want to go to the Neiman Marcus beauty event in San Francisco you might want to plan your visit around one of these four “beauty bootcamps” with with Katy Messer, a Laura Mercier National Artist. Register for a one-on-one lesson for any of these workshops:

Â·Wed, September 12- Fresh Fall Trends: Perfect Everyday Eye, Luscious Lips

Â·Thur, September 13- Achieving your own Flawless Face, 5 minutes to Flawless Skin

Â·Fri, September 14- Architecture of a Flawless Brow

Â·Sat, September 15- Your Best Evening Eye: Transitioning from Work to Wow!

Not only will you get a beauty lesson, you can also bring home some serious beauty loot.

Bringing home some serious beauty loot 101:
1. Spend enough bucks at the Laura Mercier counter and to snag get the Neiman Marcus goody bag.
2. In addition Laura Mercier will also be giving away a 6 piece gift-with-purchase available (but only for a limited time).
3. Call the counter at (415) 362-3900 or email kari dot mcmullin at lauramercier dot com to make your reservation. Mention that you saw the ad on Craigslist (which is where I found this info) to also receive a free CrÃ¨me Brulee body soufflÃ© and honey bath duo ($65.00 value)!

And girrrrlll…don’t leave the premises without snagging some Secret Brightening Powder! Seriously, it will change your life.

Juice Beauty Launch at the San Francisco Sephora on September 6th

Juice Beauty is doing a special launch for their new body products on Thursday, September 6th from 8:30-10:00 am at the San Francisco Sephora Store on Powell Street!

Get a sneak peek of their new Organic Green Apple Body Brilliance Collection, which includes Green Apple Mousse Body Cleanser, Green Apple Body Peel and Green Apple SPF 20 Antioxidant Body Moisturizer.

CEO/”Head Juicer” Karen Behnke will be there to give an organic beauty update. Oh, and the’ll have plenty of organic antioxidant-rich juices, snacks and hand treatments. YUM!

You can rsvp via email: Alyssa at juicebeauty dot com or by phone, (415) 457-4600 X 232.

Q&A with Juice Beauty CEO Karen Behnke

If you haven’t heard of Juice Beauty yet, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. This up-and-coming beauty company focuses on organic skin and body products, which are good for your skin and good for the planet, yay. The brand is quickly gaining a cult following among the Hollywood elite; Kate Hudson is a fan and gushed over Juice Beauty products recently in Harper’s magazine.

Makeupandbeautyblog.com recently sat down with Juice Beauty’s CEO and “head juicer” Karen Behnke to get the lowdown on her favorite Juice Beauty products and the company’s plans for the future.

Makepandbeautyblog.com: Juice Beauty is on its way to becoming a well-recognized brand in the beauty world. What do you think is the key to your continuing success?

Karen Behnke: I think the key to our continuing success is our products. We’ve just developed unbelievable formulations and I think people are really interested in products that work and are organic…Our goal is to provide the healthiest, most highest efficacy products for women and men. And at the same time we’re helping the planet because we’re support all of our organic farmers and we use recycled packaging.

We use 100% organic juice base, which is very expensive, and it’s jammed with antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals and all of the things that will really feed your face. To that we add over 60 organic ingredients and also high age-defying types of ingredients.

MBB: What’s your favorite product from the line?

KB: Oh! That’s hard for me to say, but I can give you a couple ties!

[One of my favorites] is the cleansing milk. It’s just so luxurious and rich. It takes off all of your makeup and I just love it.

And my favorite treatment product is our Green Apple Peel. It’s what we’re really known for. Our Green Apple Peel has powerful alpha and beta hydroxy acids and it’s an immediate result type of benefit. Immediate!

MBB: What’s so special about it?

KB: It’s a powerful exfoliator, and a peel that you do once a week.

MBB: Any other favorites from the line?

KB: My favorite moisturizer is our Green Apple Antioxidant Moisturizer. It’s rich, rich, and has all of the age defying ingredients. And I have to add my favorite [sunscreen] is the SPF 30 Mineral Light Moisturizer, and that’s what I put all over in the morning. Face, neck, hands, you name it. It’s a chemical-free, organic, full UVA-UVB sun protection, and it’s anti-oxidant rich pomegranate, and we tint it with minerals so it gives light coverage. You just put one moisturizer on in the morning and it provides full coverage, and offers a little bit of light foundation. I’ve never worn foundation in my life, but this makes you really glow.

MBB: Sounds pretty! Do you have one color for all skin tones or multiple shades?

KB: We have three different shades.

MBB: What products do you think are good intro products for people new to the line?

KB: Our best intro products are our kits. We have our Organics To Go kits, which a great sampling of a lot of our products, and for $29.00 you can sample 5 products. Our other great kit is our Organics To Clear Skin, and that’s our blemish regimen. It’s a step-by-step kit [which includes] our Cleansing Gel and Blemish Clearing Serum, one of our best sellers.

MBB: What’s the active ingredient?

KB: It’s gentle salicylic acid/willow bark …It really keeps your skin clear. [And our kit also includes] our Oil-Free Moisturizer and our Sensitive Green Apple Peel. That’s about a three month’s supply and that’s $39.00 for a sampler.

MBB: You guys are growing fast. Where would you like to see Juice Beauty in five years?

KB: Well, we are the organic prestige leader right now in the United States. And we want to certainly maintain that position, but we’re growing quickly internationally, so our goal is to become the worldwide organic prestige leader in skincare. And we’ve just branched into body care.

MBB: Do you have any plans to expand into makeup?

KB: We have some tints in our moisturizers, and we have some lip cover, but other than that we probably won’t go into makeup. We’ll probably just keep going into body and then probably next would be hair.

MBB: What on piece of advice would you give women entrepreneurs who are starting out in the beauty industry?

KB: I would say the most important thing is to follow your passion. And within the beauty aspect of that is to find out where your passion is within beauty and just really follow it. Our passion here is organic and in efficacy, and so we really work hard at trying to find pure organic ingredients that really work.

Interested in checking the products out? Head to your nearest Sephora store or visit their Web site, juicebeauty.com.

Can you believe our weekend is over? I didn’t really do much except work on some writing and watch a few movies, which is just how I wanted it. =) I could probably use at least two more days of relaxation though! Keep up the good fight and remember to look on the bright side – at least it’s a short week, right?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. MUCH LOVE to all the beauty bloggers heading to NY for the shows! I wish I could be there with you. =)

Face of the day (FOTD) — MAC Smoke Signals Gentle Fume Eyes with Rondelle, Waft, Gentle Fume and Carbon

September 3rd, 2007 by Karen 10 Comments

So here’s the Smoke Signals Gentle Fume quad. You might notice that it looks a little world weary, like it was in after school fight where the girls took off their earrings and busted out a jar of Vaseline. Damn if this quad wasn’t the bane of my existence this weekend! I love it and I hate it at the same time!
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The “Gentle Fume Incident” happened when I first tried it on Thursday night. I put a little swatch of Rondelle on my wrist. “OHHH!” I thought. “Love!” Unfortunately it was all down hill after that. For some unknown reason I was physically unable to stop myself from putting on layer after layer of Waft! It was like the ghost of Ru Paul (should s/he ever become a ghost) came and guided my brush further and further into the palette to turn my eye makeup into the uber-ist, fiercest Filipino drag queen eye makeup ever. And let me tell you, there are some fierce Filipino drag queens!

After recovering from to the trauma of El Hub asking if I was trying out for a job at Asia SF, I tried again on Saturday after getting some inspiration from the Chris Brown video, Wall to Wall. The video is all about Chris (what a cutie!) being lured into a life of the undead by some vampire hotties who just happen to be wearing lots of black vinyl and smokey eye/Smoke Signal-ish looks.

Here’s what I ended up with:

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I used:
Concrete on brows
Bare Canvas Paint on lid
Rondelle all over lid
Lithograph Fluidline on top and bottom lashline applied with soft, pointed concealer brush
Waft layered on top of fluidline
Waft and Gentle Fume brought barely into crease
The tiniest amount of Carbon in the outer v
Blacktrack fluidline on top and bottom waterline
Orpheus Kohl Power Pencil on top lash line
L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

Cheeks:
Ablaze and a touch of Emote. Ablaze shows up highly pigmented, so use this sparingly unless you want to look like Bozo the clown!
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Lips:
Barely Lit lipstick
Bare Truth Lipglass on top
Soft & Slow Lipglass applied on lower pout

After the “Gentle Fume Incident” I was wary of putting on too much color. And looking at these pics I almost feel like I should’ve put more on to increase my vampire-osity, but that could be my inner drag diva trying to find her way out again. I still love Rondelle, and will keep trying to find ways to make this pretty quad wearable.

It’s been a great weekend so far! My childhood friend and good buddy J-MONEY called me at the crack o dawn to announce her engagement. Her man, M-MONEY, popped the question this weekend. Maybe we’ll do some bridal makeup posts to celebrate. YAY, wedding!!!

J-money and K-love on the catwalk at SF Fashion Week
jmoney-and-klove

Hope ya’ll are having fun so far this weekend. Enjoy your Labor Day!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Reviews – MAC Smoke Signals and Cargo PlantLove Lipsticks; Dear Makeup and Beauty Blog, the Upper Lip Hair Edition; Weekend Beauty Round-up

August 31st, 2007 by Karen 9 Comments

When I was 14 my mom bought me my first tube of lipstick. I cherished that Clinique tube of silver sophistication, and whenever I put it on I felt like an elegant world traveler was staring back at me in the mirror. My actual reflection, of course, was of an awkward teenager with braces, big, unruly hair and weird clothing (it was hard to be haute couture in the East Bay in the early 90s, and try as I might I could never quite get it right.) But that tube made me feel like I was the person I was meant to be — put-together, sophisticated, beautiful.

There’s something special about a great tube of lipstick. Don’t get me wrong … I loves me some gloss. Gloss is sexy, youthful and fun. But lipstick always reminds me of different steps in my life that led me to become a woman: that first Clinique lipstick, countless tubes of MAC Paramount I wore throughout college, and the first Chanel lipstick I bought when I finally got a “real job” in the city.

And just like Justin brought sexy back, the beauty powers-that-be declared this the year of the return of lipstick. Huzzah, sound the trumpets! If you’re not ready for a full-on dark, pigmented mouth (and I’ll have to admit that I am not quite ready for it either), you don’t have to go all the way. These fall lipsticks from MAC’s Smoke Signals line and Cargo’s PlantLove line have enough gloss to make your Lipglasses jealous, but enough thickness and color punch for an air of sophistication.

Product Review — MAC Smoke Signals Lipsticks — Sparks Can Fly, Barely Lit, Mellow Flame, Burnin’

Smoke Signals madness continues! MAC released five different colors that are very natural and for the most part, user friendly. Yesterday I rocked the Brew, so let’s check out the other four!

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Barely Lit
Price: $14.00 for a tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
I am sucker for the MAC’s lustre formulas, because they give just enough color without feeling heavy. I also like that they feel very moisturizing on my lips. Barely Lit is a pink sand with a gold pearl. The color is pretty, natural and really warms up my skin. This picture shows it with two coats applied carefully with the 316 lip brush. However, it also looks great when you are in a hurry (story of my life) and need to apply it straight from the tube. I like this for an easy day look paired with curled lashes and filled in brows. It’s also very pretty for night, too, and for you single ladies (and lads) oh-so-very date friendly. Your crush will not fear giving you a big ole’ fatty of a kiss with this light beauty on your lips!

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Mellow Flame
Price: $14.00 for a tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Mellow flame is another lustre in the Smoke Signals lipstick series, a warm coral pink with red pearl. I love coral colors, and MAC really hit it out of the park with this one based on color alone. Even though the color is brighter in comparison to Barely Lit it is still natural-looking without being overwhelming. It’s warm and wearable, and if you wanted to really make it sexified you could pop a coat of Lipglass over it and woo-hoo-va-va-voom! Call the fire department cause there’s a hottie in the house!

mac-smoke-sparks-can-fly
Sparks Can Fly
Price: $14.00 for a tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: D
Um, sparks were so not flying. This creamy rose frost just does not work on me when I use it by itself. There’s something about the coloring that makes my lips look blue-grey, like a lovely zombie bride with frostbite. I’m so not kidding. I think I’ll have to pair it with a warmer Lipglass in order to make it work. Ugh. Don’t do it, ya’ll.

mac-smoke-signals-burning
Burnin’
Price: $14.00 for a tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
Talk about a kick back to the past. This dark, wine-colored lipstick takes me back to my formative years in East Bay (which coincidentally, is the word “beast” in pig latin). So when you grow up in the East Bay, you end up having so many types of friends because it’s such a melting pot of races and colors. Burnin’ reminds of my friend Monica from algebra class, who wore tight jeans, thick black liner, and was in a Latina gang. She wore dark, wine-colored lipstick like it was nobody’s business. Even though she was tough and could beat the beejebus out of anyone who crossed her, she was very sweet. We’d go on for hours and hours about the merits of Wet & Wild versus Cover Girl.

So my first reaction when I saw this color was “OHHHHHH. Monica would rock this, but could I?.”

I was surprisingly pleased with Burnin’. This was my first time using MAC’s amplified texture, which is slightly glossy and very color-rich. It’s dramatic yet surprisingly wearable, and I didn’t feel like a vampire when I had it on. The biggest drawback about Burnin’ is that applying the deep color takes time and patience, two things that I don’t always have. I also would not give this color to my 14-year old cousin. The color is too mature and too sexy.

If you’re in the mood for a dramatic change then this is worth a go. While not exactly kissable, it would be fab for a sophisticated night out in a little black dress.

Product Review — Cargo PlantLove Lipsticks — Muir Woods, Joshua Tree, Gamba

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Cargo PlantLove Lipsticks
Price: $20 for a tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Cargo’s line of eco-friendly lipsticks called PlantLove recently fell into my hot little hands. One look at the super cute packaging and I was hooked. And would you believe that the tube is made entirely out of corn?!?!

cargo-plant-love-cuties

Cute, yah?

cargo-plant-love-colors
PlantLove, Gamba
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PlantLove, Muir Woods
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PlantLove, Joshua Tree
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The lipstick comes in an outer carton made out of biodegrable paper with flower seeds embedded in it. You wet the carton, pop it in some dirt, and bam, purty flowers just for you. Satisfy your lipstick lust and your inner botanist in one fell swoop!

All three colors have a similar texture that feels halfway between a lipstick and a gloss. They’re sheer, easy to apply and build up nicely. If you are new to lipstick (or just hella lazy like yours truly) then Gamba is a good gateway product to the big guns, lol. Oh, and if you’re a mom looking for colors for your teenager you’ll like colors like Muir Woods and Joshua Tree, which are natural-looking, not too over the top and perfect for girls who are interested in exploring makeup.

And to top it off Cargo is donating two dollars from every sale of every shade to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, yay.

Lol, don’t you wish
c-bale-plant-love

Dear Makeup and Beauty Blog: the Upper Lip Hair Edition

dear-mbb
Friday means it’s time for your weekly dose of tough love from Dear Makeup and Beauty Blog. Got a beauty question but afraid to go there? Never fear. We’re hear to break it down for ya.

Dear Makeup and Beauty Blog,

I’ve got dark upper lip hair. I’m not the bearded lady or anything, but it’s pretty obvious. I am terrified of waxing it off because I’m afraid it will hurt. I’ve been thinking about buying some hair bleach at the drugstore to make it lighter. Do you think this is a good idea?

Cheers,

Hairy in Hartford

Dear Hairy,

Don’t go running off to join the circus to just yet. Many women deal with upper lip issues in different ways, but we don’t always like to talk about our â€˜stache hair in casual company (so not sexy). Not to fear. You’ve got many options.

There are so many people who either don’t like to wax or just can’t do it for various reasons. I had a roommate who always broke out in bumps after she got waxed so she eventually developed a method of bleaching first and then using small cuticle scissors to cut off the bleached hairs.

Before I started waxing, I would cut the hairs down as much as I could using curved cuticle tweezers. I’d then go to town on the remaining hairs with some fine-tipped tweezers. For me, tweezing isn’t painful, so I don’t mind. I eventually quit this method just because it takes forever and rarely did I ever get truly hair free.

I don’t recommend using the bleach alone â€˜cause girrrrrrl…you ain’t fooling nobody. Step away from the bleach unless you just want to look like you’ve got an orange caterpillar growing underneath your mose.

I know you mentioned that you are afraid of waxing — I used to be too – but I find that it is the most cost effective and best method of hair removal. I do my own waxing with an at home kit; it’s cheap, easy and fast.

I used a transition method to help me go from wax newbie to wax pro:

1. I first went to a professional salon and had my â€˜stache waxed about 4 times over a 12 week period. Where I live you can get an upper lip wax for 8-10 bucks, so it’s not too expensive. Think of it as a small investment in your hair-free future. If your budget is tight try to get it done at least once or twice. My reasoning behind this was to get me used to the sensation of how it feels to have the hair ripped out. I figured I’d then know what to expect once I started doing it myself.

2. After the four waxing sessions, I bought a wax strip kit at the drugstore called Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit for Face, Brows & Bikini. It’s about $8.00. I only use this for the upper lip. I’ve tried it for body hair and it just doesn’t work well for coarser, thicker hair. There are small, medium and large strip sizes. You can use the small strips for your upper lip, and when you run out of them you can just cut the medium and large strips down to size. One box lasts me at least 5 months, and I wax every three weeks. It averages out to a little over a $1.00 per wax, saving me lots of time and money.

3. Okay. Now to the hard part! First I warm the wax strips in my hands. Some people recommend giving the strip a quick shot with a blow dryer, but I never do that because I’m afraid of heating up the wax too much and burning myself. I then place the strip on half of my â€˜stache, pushing it down in the direction of the hair growth. I then take a deep breath (seriously, this is important), and with one hand, pull my skin in the direction of the hair growth, and then use my other hand to pull the wax strip in the opposite direction. I do this quickly! Right as I pull the wax strip off I exhale. It doesn’t really hurt, but the breathing helps to lesson the shock to my system. Right after I pull the strip off I place a finger on the area and gently apply pressure to reduce any sting.

4. The kit comes with azulene oil, which I then use to remove any remaining wax. Sometimes I use Jojoba oil too, which works just as well.

5. I found out that timing was important during those first few sessions. I would take two painkillers at least an hour before and I would never wax right before my period (which is when I become very sensitive to pain.)

6. Voila! No more bearded lady!

I hope this helps! Good luck. Stay smooth.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Weekend Beauty Roundup

Beauty Reading is Fundamental! To start your long weekend off right here’s a round up of the best posts from the lovely ladies at the Beauty Blog Network!

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic does a Bioelements Review Series
A Touch of Blusher wants to know if you’d like some samples
All Lacquered Up reviews the China Glaze X collection for fall
Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at Neutrogena lip products
Beauty and Personality Grooming gives natural remedies for undereye dark circles
Beautynomics unwrinkles your eyes with Venom
DivaShop reviews e.l.f. cosmetics
Elke Von Freudenberg checks out the newn ShopVogue.tv
Hello Dollface reviews SuperSmile Toothbrush
Kiss and Makeup reviews Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss
Lipstick, Powder n’ Paint shares a blast from the past on last year’s Tarte cosmetics
Life of a Ladybug shares her list of beauty bargains

And in case you missed it (oh no you didn’t!), www.makeupandbeautyblog.com’s The Best of San Francisco Fashion Week 2007: Super-secret makeup tricks from 5 backstage MAC artists, Runway Videos and MORE!

Can you believe that summer is over and that it’s Labor Day weekend already? Will you be going to few barbeques and doing fun outdoor stuff? I hope so! I’ll be busy this weekend writing a story on Hawaiian heirloom jewelry. Somehow, someway, I will squeeze in some time for some relaxing fun.

Have a fantastic weekend, wear your sunscreen and work that bikini, girl!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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