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Late-Night Callers and the New NARS Unlawful Blush

July 7th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

**RING! RING!**

KAREN: Hello?

MYSTERY CALLER: Hey, girl.

KAREN: Hey… (?)

MYSTERY CALLER: What are you doing?

KAREN: Um…well, I have a wicked bout of insomnia right now, but what else is new?

MYSTERY CALLER: Damn, that sucks.

KAREN: And despite the fact that it’s closer to dawn than dusk, I’m playing with some new fall makeup from NARS.

MYSTERY CALLER: Fun!

KAREN: I know! I actually just applied a new blush of theirs called Unlawful — wait, who is this, and why are you calling me in the middle of the night?

MYSTERY CALLER: Well, that’s for me to know and for you to find out.

KAREN: OK, that was creepy…

MYSTERY CALLER: Wait, don’t hang up on me. Trust me, you’re a fan.

KAREN: Alright… OK, well, this is totally weird, though, but what the heck. It’s the middle of the night, and I’ve obviously got insomnia, so I might as well just go with it.

MYSTERY CALLER: Yes! Now, about that blush… I want to hear all about it.

KAREN: Uh, huh… Have I mentioned how TOTALLY WEIRD this is?

MYSTERY CALLER: You have.

KAREN: Right… But I’m not one to pass up an opportunity to talk about makeup, even if it is with a mystery caller in the middle of the night.

So, Unlawful. It’s a real showstopper — a warm-toned opalescent bronzed amber pink packed with tiny flecks of silver glitter, and it’s very pigmented, too.

That NARS decided to add silver glitter to it seems kind of unusual, because as warm as it is, I would have expected NARS to go with gold instead.

But the silver works. There’s just a lot of it.

OK, a ton.

You can’t really tell in pics, but you get up close and it’s a total glitter-fest.

I mean, the flecks are almost microscopic. They’re really tiny, which keeps the shade from delving into tacky territory, but it’s great. With this, you really don’t even need a highlighter.

Ultimately, it depends on how you feel about glitter. It’s all really subtle in pics, but it’s like, “Hey, how YOU doin’?” in real life.

MYSTERY CALLER: A friend of mine told me that Unlawful is from the new fall Night Caller collection? Is that right?

KAREN: It is. I always look forward to the NARS fall — wait, can you hold on a second? My cat just walked into the room, and if I don’t pick him up and show him some attention he’ll throw a fit.

Come here, Tabs.

MYSTERY CALLER: Take your time…

KAREN: Anyway, the fall collection is dope! Ten pieces. Along with the blush, there are a couple of eyeshadow duos, two Satin Lip Pencils, a new multiple and, oh! — a new line of glittery eyeliners based on the NARS Night Series eyeshadows.

Do you know those?

MYSTERY CALLER: Actually, no. Frankly, I know more about acting than I know about eyeshadow.

NARS Unlawful Blush Swatch — Unlawful Blush

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What a Difference a Brush Makes! The Recently Reformulated MAC Studio Nail Lacquers: Part 1

June 26th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

I love many, many things about MAC, but I have to say — I haven’t always been the biggest fan of their nail polishes.

That’s mostly been because of the brush — it’s the old-fashioned style, where the bristles often spread out, which makes applying the polishes kind of a chore.

I dunno… I just prefer the flatter-style of brushes from brands like OPI, where it’s easy to get that nice crisp edge I like. I’ve always found those kinds of brushes easier to use.

And then there’s the MAC formula. Some of the shades just seem to chip sooner than I’d like, and I don’t think I’m the only person who notices it. Whenever I mention a MAC polish to my girlfriends, they’re like, “Yeah. MAC? Nope. The chipping.”

The New MAC Studio Nail Lacquers: Reformulated and Redesigned With a Brand New Brush

Fast forward to now. 🙂

The brand reworked their entire nail line. The new Studio Nail Lacquer line ($12 each) now includes 36 shades spread out among four finishes in cream, frost, pearl and glitter.

They also introduced new base and top coats called Underlacquer and Matte Overlacquer, respectively.

Joining the Studio Nail Lacquer line is a new family of six top coats called the Nail Transformations (also $12 each), designed to change the look and feel of nail polishes worn with them.

Deets on those soon, as I’m still testing, but if you can’t wait, they’re available now online…

With the reformulation, MAC added conditioning ingredients like Vitamins C, E and B5 to the formula, along with a bunch of new colors (although they did carry over many of the O.G. ones too), and then there’s the aforementioned new brush…

Now it has the flat shape! 🙂 Aaaah! [THE CLOUDS PART]

With it, I notice that I can cover a lot more surface area per swipe, and it’s easier to create nice sharp edges.

So, Where Are They?

They’re almost here! They’re en route, you could say. The Studio Nail Lacquers arrive July 3 on the MAC website (in stores July 10, 2014), and are headed for the permanent line.

The Nail Transformations, however, are available online now, and coming to stores July 3 (also to the permanent line).

Swatches, Yo! Part 1

This first batch features some of the summery colors (corals, peaches, pinks), reds and darker creams, for those already in fall mode.

So far, so good, in terms of application. Most of the shades I’ve tried go on smoothly and appear pigmented on my nails. In some cases, I’m even able to get away with a single coat.

I’m still testing these for wear time. Will they last longer than the O.G. MAC lacquers before chipping? Stay tuned. Only time will tell…

Let me know which of these catches your eye. Check back a little later for the glitters, frosts and more of the darker shades.

Peaches, Warm Pinks and Corals

MAC Studio Nail Lacquers in Erogenous, Only in Florida, Impassioned and Instant Crush — From the left: Erogenous, Only in Florida, Impassioned and Instant Crush

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Only in Florida Swatch — Only in Florida, a mid-tone orange coral cream

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Erogenous Swatch — Erogenous, a light milky peach cream (two coats)

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Instant Crush Swatch — Instant Crush, a bright coral cream (two coats)

MAC Nail Lacquer in Impassioned Swatch — Impassioned, a bright warm pink (two coats, but I could’ve used one)

Reds and Plums

MAC Shirelle, Flaming Rose, Sour Cherry and Rebel — From the left: Shirelle, Flaming Rose, Sour Cherry and Rebel

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Shirelle Swatch — Shirelle, a classic bright red cream (two coats, but one would’ve been fine)

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The $36 Too Faced Country Nashville Nudes Eye Shadow Collection Palette Has Such a Cool Swagger

June 23rd, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Too Faced Country Palette — That, little darlin’, is the new Country Nashville Nudes Eye Shadow Palette by Too Faced Cosmetics on my eyes, yee-haw!

Giddyup, girl! Let’s get a move on! Go grab your cutest dress, and I’ll get your boots, because we’re double-dating in Music City tonight!

Well, I mean, figuratively… Not in the literal sense, although I wish, right?! I’m referring to the new Country Nashville Nudes Eye Shadow Collection ($36) of nine powder shadows by Too Faced Cosmetics, the brand’s latest palette for fall.

This one’s all about country charm and the glamour of Nashville.

Versatile, like a country song that crosses over into the pop genre

It’s a versatile mix of beige, gold and pinky nudes peppered with deeper blues, purples, brown and gray — mostly in neutral and cooler color temps — but not so cool that warmer-toned vixens won’t also be able to wear it.

Too Faced Country Palette swatches from the left: Cowboy Take Me Away (a matte neutral peach), Y'All (a neutral gold) and Dolly (a cool satin plummy brown) — Swatches from the left: Cowboy Take Me Away (a matte neutral peach), Y’All (a neutral gold) and Dolly (a cool satin plummy brown)

Eight of the nine shadows contain varying levels of shimmer and glitter, while the other shade, a sheer, cool-toned peachy matte, adds a touch of contrast.

Too Faced Country Palette swatches: Famous in a Small Town (a frosty white beige), Paper roses (a shimmery golden peachy coral) and Rhinestone (a dark purple with glitter) — Famous in a Small Town (a frosty white beige), Paper roses (a shimmery golden peachy coral) and Rhinestone (a dark purple with glitter)

Compared to Rock ‘n’ Roll, its counterpart palette also released this fall, Country seems sweeter and more delicate to me — perfect for everyday glam (see: wearing wedding makeup on a random Wednesday).

Too Faced Country Palette swatches: All American Girl (a cool frosty silver), Nashville (a shimmery cool purplish taupe) and Bluebird (a shimmery navy blue with glitter) — All American Girl (a cool frosty silver), Nashville (a shimmery cool purplish taupe) and Bluebird (a shimmery navy blue with glitter)

Like a soft country song

The nude shades here have a subtlety about them, and even with the darker blues, purples and brown, there’s nothing too hard-edged about this palette. The colors shouldn’t appear overly harsh, not even on the lightest lasses. That said, I think Country will rock hard on cooler toned cowgirls with light and medium skin tones.

Too cool for school, but not too cool

Perfect Pink — That’s purply taupe Nashville on my lids, matte peach Cowboy Take Me Away on my brow bones and inner corners, Bluebird on my upper lash lines and Dolly on my lower lash lines

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With Pen Packaging, These MAC Moody Blooms Collection Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints Do Some Things Write

June 12th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Blushing Berry, a mid-tone cool red — MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Blushing Berry, a cool mid-tone red

GURL, I’ve been Team MAC Lipglass since 1998! — ever since that first tube of Spite found its way into my purse.

That’s a lot of lipgloss lovin’. In fact, it’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had with a gloss.

And because we have all this history together, it’s easy for me to see the good points when it comes to the Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints ($20) from the Moody Blooms collection.

They have a few things in common with the O.G. Lipglasses, like a thick, non-drying formula and a mirror-like shine, but there are some differences. I’d say they’re more like cousins than sisters.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints from the lightest shade on the bottom to the top: Bubble Gum, Gwi-Yo-Mi, Blushing Berry, Glorious Intent and Simply Wow ($20 each)

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints Swatches from the left: Bubble Gum, Gwi-Yo-Mi, Blushing Berry, Glorious Intent and Simply Wow — Swatches from the left: Bubble Gum, Gwi-Yo-Mi, Blushing Berry, Glorious Intent and Simply Wow

First, there’s the packaging. The Sheen Supremes come in a pen with a brush tip (as opposed to a regular tube with a doe-foot)…

Fun to use! I feel like I’m in art class whenever I use these to paint my lips with gloss.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Simply Wow, a mid-tone cool mauve — Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Simply Wow, a mid-tone cool mauve

And then there’s the stickiness, and how these don’t feel quite as sticky as regular Lipglasses do to me. Perhaps as a result, they don’t last quite as long. I get about three hours of wear from them, which still isn’t bad.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Bubble Gum, a soft warm pink — Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Bubble Gum, a soft warm pink

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Beatiful Together and Apart: The MAC Moody Blooms Worldly Wealth and Bred For Beauty Blushes

June 11th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

MAC Worldly Wealth and Bred For Beauty Blush — Wearing the new MAC Moody Blooms collection Worldly Wealth and Bred For Beauty Powder Blushes together at the same time

Sometimes two is better than one. (NOTE: please don’t tell Tabs I said that. He insists that one plus-size tabby is more than enough.) 🙂

While you can certainly wear either of the hella pigmented Powder Blushes from the MAC Moody Blooms collection by themselves — I mean, Bred for Beauty and Worldly Wealth look stunning on their own (just don’t forget to blend, blend, blend) — layered together they create a downright bewitching combination blush!

I like to start with a layer of shimmery golden bronze Worldly Wealth first, and followup with pink Bred for Beauty dusted directly on top. Then I buff the two together with a clean powder brush.

Worldly Wealth’s shimmer peeks through bright pink Bred for Beauty, which has a flatter finish, creating a sweet sun-kissed and complement to warm coppery eye makeup like I’m wearing here.

Just add a pinkish coral lip, and you’re good to go! 🙂

MAC Powder Blush in Worldly Wealth, a shimmering peachy bronze — Powder Blush in Worldly Wealth, a shimmering peachy bronze ($21)

MAC Powder Blush in Bred for Beauty — Powder Blush in Bred for Beauty, a mid-tone bluish pink ($21)

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Worldly Wealth and Bred for Beauty, The Two New Blushes in the MAC Moody Blooms Collection, Plant Plenty of Pigment on Cheeks

June 10th, 2014 by Karen 6 Comments

Blueish pink Bred for Beauty and peachy bronze Worldly Wealth, the two powder blushes in the new MAC Moody Blooms collection, are making me a happy horticulturist/beauty botanist. 🙂

One word: pigment.

And lots of it.

Just as a random but potentially helpful warning, if you aren’t paying close attention while applying these blushes — like, if you happen to be watching Game of Thrones and dancing to I’m Every Woman while Daenerys Targaryen pets her dragons on screen — be advised that you may have to take the color down a notch or two or 12, so have an extra blush brush or foundation brush handy.

With these blushes, sh*t gets real, and it gets real in a hurry! It’s easy to go overboard with this much pigment, but you should be fine if you use a light touch (and don’t forget to blend out the edges!).

If you’re feeling creative, try layering a bit of bright pink Bred for Beauty on top of Worldly Wealth.

I’m a big fan. 🙂

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I Kudzu Not (Get It?): Make Room for the Eye Shadows From the MAC Moody Blooms Collection

June 10th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

What if stylish villainess du jour Maleficent had had a green thumb? I’ll tell you what — girlfriend would not have spent her days tending to tulips and tea roses. I know that much.

Like, if she called you up on her banana phone and invited you to afternoon tea, you’d be wise to brush up on your poisonous plant identification skills before heading over, and be careful not to touch anything with thorns on it; otherwise, you might not make it out of that garden party alive.

Five of the six MAC Moody Blooms Eye Shadows (not pictured: Green Room, a mid-tone teal), $15 each

Moody Blooms, MAC’s latest collection, is like an evil gardener’s dream come true — a dream about being lost in a dark, menacing forest filled with beautiful but deadly plants. As you enter the forest, every fiber of your being screams at you to “TURN BACK NOW!!!” but you don’t.

Because you can’t. 🙂

And before you know it, you’re surrounded by Moody Blooms…

MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Artistic License, a pinkish gold — Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Artistic License, a pinkish gold

Eyes get special treatment in the collection, and there’s plenty of new stuff here. Of the six powder Eye Shadows, I don’t think any of them are permanent collection re-promotes. Same goes for the three Fluidline gel liners.

Among the eye products in the release, False Lashes Mascara in False Black, 211 Pointed Liner and 239 Shader Brushes are re-promotes plucked from the permanent line.

MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Deep Fixation, a metallic brown — Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Deep Fixation, a metallic brown

At first the overall color palette — reddish copper, darkened plum, violet, golden pink, green and teal — sounded more like something from one of MAC’s straight-up artsy collections. I didn’t think I’d be able to figure it out. I just thought it didn’t make sense, but when I got the colors on my lids, the color story clicked.

MAC Frost Eye Shadow in Blooming Mad, a mid-tone ultra violet — Frost Eye Shadow in Blooming Mad, a mid-tone ultra violet

The five of six shadows shown here gleam with flattering finishes — Veluxe Pearl, Frost and Satin. There are no mattes, so if you like a flatter finish in your eye looks, you’ll have to incorporate other shades.

I’m thinking that some warm orangey and/or reddish brown mattes would contrast nicely with the copper, plum, green, brown, teal and golden pink shades, so consider incorporating MAC Soft Brown, Saddle or Texture when you sit down to play.

MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Hidden Motive, a deep aubergine — Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Hidden Motive, a deep aubergine

But with the shadows in Moody Blooms, you have a lot of room to experiment and explore.

You could go the natural-looking route with the gorgeous, easy-to-blend neutral shades in pinkish gold Artistic License and warm metallic brown Deep Fixation, or turn up the volume by smoking out violet Blooming Mad or deep aubergine Hidden Motive.

Or, surprise! — line your lower lash lines with dark yellow Lucky Green or teal Green Room for a splash of unexpected color.

MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Lucky Green, a dark yellow green — Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow in Lucky Green, a dark yellow green

The MAC Moody Blooms Eye Shadows: Some Thoughts on the Shades

Artistic License: This one reminds me of MAC Sushi Flower a little, but with golden shimmer, less coral and more pink. I think it’s super pretty and easy to blend.
Deep Fixation: Like a dream come true — a dream filmed in coppery warm brown. Pigmented and buttery, Deep Fixation buffs out like nobody’s business. Among the five of six shadows I’ve tried, I think it’s the must-have.
Blooming Mad: I bet Blooming Mad would make a very cool transition shade with copper Deep Fixation. Incidentally, this beauty is definitely channeling Stars N’ Rockets for me.
Hidden Motive: Take my breath away, why don’t you? This righteous reddish purple looks wicked lovely layered with Deep Fixation.
Lucky Green: More yellow than green to my eye, Lucky Green has an almost golden tone to it. I think it fits well with the warm reds and purples in the release — perhaps as a nice pop of bright color when worn on the inner part of the lower lash lines, as I’m doing here.

MAC Moody Blooms swatches Eye Shadows from the left: Artistic License, Deep Fixation, Blooming Mad, Hidden Motive and Lucky Green — Eye Shadows from the left: Artistic License, Deep Fixation, Blooming Mad, Hidden Motive and Lucky Green

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You Can Always Count on Cat Butts…and Something Casual and Summery From Clarins, Like Their New Lip Balm Crayons

May 30th, 2014 by Karen 28 Comments

The new Clarins Lip Balm Crayons, $20 each

There are some things we can always count on, like…

That cats will stick their kitty butts in our face, often at inopportune moments
That Clarins will knock out a new line of lovely lip products for summer

Clarins is just so good about the whole glossy, effortless lip look thing — the kind of makeup where it looks like you were summoned by the gods and washed up on a tropical shore solely for the purpose of looking seductively pouty, with your luxuriously wavy hair (seaweed artfully woven into it); bronzed, glistening skin and your lips that shine bright like a diamond (Shine bright like a diamond).

Clarins Lip Balm Crayons from the left: 01 My Pink, 02 Tender Pink, 03 Tender Coral, 04 Sweet Cherry, 05 Delicious Plum and 06 Soft Coffee — From the left: 01 My Pink, 02 Tender Pink, 03 Tender Coral, 04 Sweet Cherry, 05 Delicious Plum and 06 Soft Coffee

Their new line of limited edition moisturizing Lip Balm Crayons (which taste and smell like vanilla milkshake, OMG, YUM!) totally nails that summery lip look. Each retractable pencil lavishes lips with sheer color and glossy shine, while a moisturizing, lightweight mix of mango, apricot and shea butter hydrates your parched pout.

Clarins Lip Balm Crayon in My Pink — 01 My Pink

You might find yourself craving all six shades, but you may only need one (or two), because at some point, I think they all start to look the same, especially if your lips are quite pigmented like mine.

I suppose you could blank out the natural color of your lips first using something like OCC’s Tarred + Feathered Lip Balm Duo, and then layer a Clarins Crayon on top to coax out more of its color (you makeup overachiever, you!), but, you know, it’s a lip balm… I don’t think it’s supposed to be that complicated.

Clarins Lip Balm Crayon in Creamy Pink — 02 Creamy Pink

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