Collections

A MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Cardinal Concoction of Cosmetological Creativity (aka Face of the Day)

December 5th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Like the hulking, crazy-eyed dog next door that barks and pulls at its leash when it crosses your path, or the mean girl bully in second grade who corners you in the girl’s bathroom at recess, red eyeshadow can sense your fear…

Today I fully intended to put MAC’s Strike While Haute matte red eyeshadow from the Red Red Red collection to good use, but then I chickened out…

It’s just so dang red, homie!

Eventually, I think I’ll be able to psych myself up to try it. I just need a couple more days to build up the courage. I keep hearing that it can look amazing on lids when done right…

Of course, it’s that last part — “when done right” — that has me a little nervous, LOL!

Instead, for my makeup today, I ended up using some other pieces from MAC’s new crimson collection — pearlescent pink champagne Lustre Eye Shadow in Give Me Fire (watch out for the fallout with this one ’cause it’s kinda fluffy) and reddish copper Red Alert (beautifully pigmented and looks great with warmer browns like MAC Texture). Then, I added a flashy pair of falsies with longer lashes at the outer corners for extra lift. Eyelure’s No. 121s.

For cheeks and lips, I went with soft pink tones — soft rose Casual Color in Red Obsessed, which I stippled on the apples of my cheeks with a skunk brush, and grapefruit pink Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer, topped with Cremesheen Glass in Meteoric. Both are also from the Red Red Red collection, which is available now in-stores and online (through January 15).

[Continue reading…]

The Curvy, Creamy, Dreamy MAC Ultimate Lipsticks

December 3rd, 2014 by Karen 39 Comments

What’s gray, curvy and totally luxurious?

Um…good guess! But not quite. 🙂

Yeah, the new MAC Ultimate Lipsticks ($23) and Tabs definitely have a few things in common; both are gorgeous, and curvaceous, and look like they were sculpted by Michelangelo.

[Continue reading…]

The Sonia Kashuk Holiday 2014 Collection Proves It’s the Golden Age of Luxurious, Affordable Makeup

November 19th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Sonia Kashuk’s Art Deco-inspired holiday 2014 collection might give you ideas…

…ideas like, “Whee! Look at me! I’m a flapper in The Great Gatsby, and I’m doing the Charleston!” Then you start dancing around your office, but you pull an inner thigh muscle when you kick a little higher than you should have, and from that day forward, you rue the day you danced the Charleston in your office without properly stretching beforehand.

The Sonia Kashuk Eye Palette in Deco Starlet ($19.99)

Just an FYI! 🙂

Sonia’s latest limited edition collection does make me want to kick up my heels, it’s true. The seven pieces look totally expensive, but all but one of them are less than $20 each.

Sonia Kashuk Nude Lip Palette in Jazzed Up Nudes — The Nude Lip Palette in Jazzed Up Nudes ($19.99)

[Continue reading…]

The Golden Givers of Gorgeousness in the MAC Prabal Gurung Collection Are Priced Like Precious Metals

November 11th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

The gold that graces each product in MAC’s new 14-piece Prabal Gurung collection doesn’t just make the packaging gorgeous. It fashions a world! It creates an experience! These pieces look so fancy that they could pass for pendants hanging from a famous rapper’s gold chains.

They could also probably pass for real gold bars.

No, seriously. These little bricks are heavy! — so heavy, in fact, that if I were to drop one on my foot, I’d probably need stitches.

Or, to put it another way, if I were to put all of them in a purse and swing it around, it would make one hell of a fine medieval weapon.

MAC Prabal Gurung Light English Red Lipstick — Wearing Lustre Lipstick in Light English Red on my lips

That the pieces could potentially double as weaponry is just one of many things I like about this new collaboration between MAC and fashion designer Prabal Gurung…who, I should say, was probably aiming more for elegance, sophistication and grace than hip-hop jewelry.

MAC Coral Lumineux Cream Colour Base — Cream Colour Base in Coral Lumineux

[Continue reading…]

Tom Ford Lays Out the Welcome Matte With the Holiday 2014 Color Collection

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 38 Comments

Tom Ford Lip Color Matte — The new Tom Ford Holiday 2014 Color Collection

Tom Ford must moonlight as a matte scientist…because his new 13-piece holiday Color Collection is all about matte!

[crickets]

Get it…? Matte scientist? Sorry, I know that was a totally substandard pun.

Let me try again…

This year, Tom Ford is channeling Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of matte lipsticks to make sure we’re all living in a matte, matte, matte, matte world!

Get it? Spencer Tracy? Because there was a movie…

Never mind.

Last try…

I am so matte right now.

(How matte are you?)

I am so matte right now that Tom Ford could hire me to be one his eight new Lip Color Matte lipsticks, badum-tish!

Good enough! 🙂

Lips take center stage in the new 13-piece Tom Ford Holiday 2014 Color Collection (Tom also released some other holiday sets and perfumes), with a new line of eight Lip Color Mattes.

Sadly, they’re a double take-inducing $50 each, but day-um! — Tom did some serious work on these because I think every one is absolutely freakin’ beautiful.

Tom Ford Spice Tom Ford Lip Color Mattes from the bottom left: Black Dahlia, First Time, Velvet Cherry, Ruby Rush, Flame, Plum Lush, Pussycat and Pink Tease — The Tom Ford Lip Color Mattes from the bottom left in Black Dahlia, First Time, Velvet Cherry, Ruby Rush, Flame, Plum Lush, Pussycat and Pink Tease

Crazy pigmented, they lay down color like Tabs lays down for a nap — smoothly — and without any patchiness in sight.

As if that wasn’t enough, the lightweight formula lasts a good, long time. I haven’t had them on long enough to clock them down to the minute, but I’m going to say six or seven hours (they remind me of a thicker, longer-lasting version of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Intense Long-Wear Lip Colours).

Tom Ford Lip Color Matte Swatches, Top row: First Time (left) and Pink Tease, (right); second row: Pussycat and Plum Lush; third row: Flame and Ruby Rush; bottom row: Sweet Cherry and Black Dahlia — Top row: First Time (left) and Pink Tease, (right); second row: Pussycat and Plum Lush; third row: Flame and Ruby Rush; bottom row: Sweet Cherry and Black Dahlia

I’m crushing Hulk-caliber hard on the nude shades in First Time, Pink Tease and Pussycat. Oh! — but that bright orangey red (Flame) is also a stunner.

For eyes, Tom included two glossy, neutral cream shadows as spicy counterparts to the matte lipsticks.

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum — Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Spice — Cream Color for Eyes in Spice

[Continue reading…]

The Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014: Feathers and Diamonds to Tickle Fancies and Make Hearts Flutter

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix — Makeup by the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection. Eyes: Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit. Upper cheekbones: Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder. Lips: Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante. Nails: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix.

Feathers and diamonds, the inspirations for the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection, are two things that Tabs and I love in almost equal measure (well, I’m more partial to the diamonds, but he goes buck wild for the feathers!).

The nine-piece holiday release has just started to alight and sparkle on Chanel counters (it’s also available online), and it’s steeped in classic colors. Red and gold enliven lips and nails, while luminescent peach and platinum gold highlight cheeks, and subtle, sophisticated gray, black, beige and gold luxuriously glimmer on lids.

Can I just say that I think the marketing visuals for this collection are off the hook gorgeous??

I LOVE those eyes! — and how the gold wraps around the inner corners to merge with the smokey black lower lash lines, and the shimmery gray goes all the way up to the brows.

The velvet matte red lips and glossy red nails? Also killer. The whole ensemble combines bold and sophisticated in a way I’d happily wear every day, if I thought I could get away with it.

Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014 — LOVE. IT.

All of the pieces are limited edition, so if you see something you love or like, better to grab it sooner than later.

Here are the items aggressively tickling my fancy…

Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder, $72

Chanel Camelia de Plumes — Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder in Platine, a soft platinum sheen, $72

If I could bathe in a claw-foot tub filled with this stuff, I would, and with as much as that would probably cost (according to my calculations and based on an 80-gallon tub, about $2.6 million), people would wonder if I made a deal with the devil. Looking at the otherworldly glow of my skin from the platinum gold sheen, they might also assume I was doing an extreme wheatgrass juice cleanse, but I digress…

When light catches the high points on my face while I’m wearing this, it looks like there are creamy streams of starlight on my cheeks.

Seriously. Lovin’ on this.

Chanel Camelia de Plumes Swatch — Camelia de Plumes

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit, $80

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit — Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette ($80) in Oiseaux de Nuit, with a luminous white, a soft grayish lavender, an intense dark gray, an intense black and an antique gold

If you like your eye looks bold, you probably won’t have lusty dreams about this palette. Its shadows are closer to moderately pigmented than high, and I see it more for ladies and gents looking for softly defined, luminous lids.

The shadows blend like buttah and behave well, with very little fallout (even the black shade), but be careful if you tend to over-blend, because these are so buttery that things can turn muddy fast. I repeat: keep control of your blending brush.

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit Swatch — Oiseaux de Nuit

Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, $35

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35 — Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35

[Continue reading…]

Whether Seated in a Balcony or on a Bus, You’ll Look Elegant in Guerlain’s Night at the Opera Holiday Collection

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Unlike me at karaoke, Guerlain’s new Night at the Opera holiday collection hits all the right notes, tra-la-la-la-laaaaaaaa!

Please pardon my need to insert a vibrato on that last laaaaaaaa! It’s leftover trauma from living with a slightly overbearing opera singer in college. She regularly criticized my breathing technique when I sang around the house (Really, dude? It was just a little Alanis Morissette while I did my chem lab homework.) and held notes out for a beat too long when she covered pop songs.

I still can’t listen to I Still Believe by Brenda K. Starr without thinking of her take on the chorus…

The 10-piece limited edition Guerlain Night at the Opera collection

At any rate, one does not have to enjoy opera, or to have lived with an overbearing opera singer, to derive great joy from the classic holiday reds and golds in this 10-piece limited edition collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails.

But an appreciation for opera may translate into a greater appreciation for the release’s finer details, like the bows on the packaging, which are supposed to represent the bows worn by men at big galas, or the bows worn by the ballerinas in their hair.

Me likes. I’m a sucker for strong themes and collections that tell a story. 🙂

Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, $60 — Meteorites Perles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, $60

Guerlain Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks — Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

I also like that when I’ve worn pieces from this collection over the past couple weeks, I’ve gotten pretty good feedback — both from El Hub, also known as “the man who never notices anything,” and from you guys, too.

I was wearing pieces from A Night at the Opera on my eyes, lips and cheeks in the Mia Bun Ease post last week and received a number of positive inquiries about the makeup I was wearing.

Guerlain Gloss d'Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in 901 L'Oiseau de Feau — Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in 901 L’Oiseau de Feau on my lips, and the Petrouchka Palette on my eyes and cheeks

The fresh, glowing peachy golden cheeks, shimmery beige and copper eyes, and glossy golden lips — those are pure Guerlain, man. What I affectionately refer to as (in air quotes) “that magical Guerlain holiday glow.” It’s makeup that catches your eye but doesn’t SCREAM IN YOUR FACE.

In that way I think Guerlain totally got this collection right. Yes, it’s a holiday release, and it’s made to feel glamorous and indulgent, but the pieces are also versatile enough to wear during the workweek leading up to the big gala.

Typical for Guerlain, the products are hella expensive. Thankfully, they also exude quality. The eyeshadows, powders and blushes blend effortlessly, and everything — from the lipsticks to the glosses to the nail polishes and that to-die-for jar of golden pinkish peach highlighter (SWOON!) — looks high-end.

If you’re going to take a closer look at the collection on counter, don’t miss the Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks, the Meteorites Pereles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls, Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine Lipgloss in L’Oiseau de Feau, or the nail polishes, especially if you like subtly radiant golds, beiges and coppers.

Le sigh! I could happily wear these pieces every day for a year. With these colors and finishes, warmer skin tones will make out like bandits.

Meteorites Perles d'Etoiles Illuminating Pearls — Meteorites Perles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls

[Continue reading…]

The Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Holiday Collection: First Look and Giveaway!

October 20th, 2014 by Karen 164 Comments

There’s no doubt about it. Choupette Lagerfeld (as in Karl Lagerfeld’s fashionable feline) has the whole cute kitty thing down. Even Tabs, as much as he would like to, can’t deny it. Those bright blue eyes, that plush, snowy white coat, and those killer ear tufts…

THOSE EAR TUFTS, THO.

Every time I see a Choupette pic, I want to reach into my computer screen and eat that delicious belly meat! Or, en lieu of that, I want to accessorize her.

(I’m thinking a diamond tiara or bejeweled bib necklace…but please don’t tell my boss!)

Now, if my cat lady barometer is correct, which it often is when it comes to pressing matters involving makeup and felines, then tails will be a-twitching when the new Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura holiday collection sashays onto Shu Uemura counters this month (however, it’s available online right meow!).

To receive an exclusive Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld Tote bag and free shipping on any purchase of $25 or more on shuuemura-usa.com, use the promo code SHUBLOG.

How freakin’ cute is this collection!? When I see Choupette’s sweet face on the packaging, I’m compelled to squeal, “SHU-PETTE!” much to my kitty overlord’s chagrin.

The collection purrs with pieces for eyes, cheeks, face, lips and nails, as well as a smattering of other Choupette-themed beauty accessories, like flirty false lashes, a lash curler, a brush set and a luxe makeup trunk (not shown in these pics).

It’s catnip for cat ladies!

To my cat-loving eye, the star of the collection is the Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip Palette, with its mix of cool-toned blue, gray, pink and berry on the left, and its warm gold, bronze, pink, orange and coral on the right. I feel like there’s something for everyone in this palette, and to top it off, you also get a fuzzy white makeup bag.

I’m actually wearing the Has-It-All Palette in the pics below. 🙂 For a shimmering, smokey blue cat eye, I blended the blue, gray and black shades on my lids, then lined my lash lines with Eye-Need-Shu Liner in Midnight Black (a deep black with blue pearl), before adding a dash of glitter from the My Precious Glitter Set in the inner corners.

To finish the look, I dabbed the Silk Cushion Cheek Palette in Orange on my cheeks and brushed the Has-It-All Palette’s bright pink lipstick on my lips.

A look behind the scenes…

Oh, hai, Karl! A behind-the-scenes video of the Shupette collection

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter to win a Shupette Has-It-All Palette (an $89 value)

Would you like a Shupette Palette of your very own? Let’s make that happen! 🙂 Tabs and I have teamed up with Shu Uemura this week to give one away. Enter using the widget below. Giveaway open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only (please see the widget for complete rules).

But wait, there’s more! A SECOND giveaway. Enter to win the entire Shupette collection…

Meow-za! You can also enter to win the entire collection (a $1,500 value). Just hop, skip or jump on over to the Shu Uemura Facebook page to enter: Enter to win the entire Shupette collection!

Shu Uemura Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld collection — MEOW!

Shupette Has-It-All Eye Lip Palette — Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip Palette

From the Shupette collection, Clockwise from the left: Eye-Need-Shu Trio in Tokyo Kawaii, Parisienne Chic and Rouge Bonbon Fantasy Trio in Parisienne Chic — Clockwise from the left: Eye-Need-Shu Trio in 02 Tokyo Kawaii, 01 Parisienne Chic and Rouge Bonbon Fantasy Trio in 01 Parisienne Chic

Shupette Eye-Need-Shu Liners in Gala Brown (left) and Midnight Black (right) — Eye-Need-Shu Liners in Gala Brown (left) and Midnight Black (right)

Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek Pink (left) and Orange (right) — Silk Cushion Cheek Pink (left) and Orange (right)

Shupette My Precious Glitter Set — My Precious Glitter Set

Shupette My Precious Glitter Set open — My Precious Glitter Set

[Continue reading…]