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Put a Ring on It! Here Comes the Bobbi Brown Bride

April 11th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

I’d really appreciate it if we could just get all of the cheesy wedding puns out of the way now before we discuss the new Here Comes the Bobbi Brown Bride Luxe Collection; otherwise, they’ll distract me every minute of the way (like cat fur on my clothes).

So…

Hey! These new limited-edition Luxe pieces are walking down the aisle now at Nordstrom stores and online (ba-dum-bum!).

Ooh! With her new collection, Ms. Brown is lifting the veil (tee-hee!) on her new eye shadow palette, a travel brush set, a 6-pan palette and highlighter.

Wow! What do I have to say about the new Bobbi Brown Bride Luxe Collection? Two words: I do.

Ah… Much better. 🙂 Now I can concentrate on the collection itself, which I checked out the other day at Nordie’s.

First thing I thought of when I saw it? Cake.

Mmm… Cake.

k-wedding-cake — A flashback from the day after my wedding…

After swatching the collection, I have a feeling that the $60 Luxe Eye Palette would probably work best on brides-to-be with light and medium skin tones, so if you’re around my shade or darker (MAC NC 42/Bobbi Brown Honey), the colors may all look alike, or nearly so — all similarly sparkly and sheer.

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The Laura Mercier Folklore Summer 2013 Collection Is Equal Parts Boho and Bling

April 11th, 2013 by Karen 36 Comments

According to folklore…the Taylor Swift is a spellbinding creature that lives deep in the Hundred Acre Wood with a talking, foul-mouthed plush toy named Ted…

Wait — that’s not right.

Sorry! Got my stories confused. 🙂

This is a post about the new Laura Mercier Folklore Summer 2013 collection, available now at Laura Mercier counters and online.

In a way, though, Laura’s new collection is like all of those catchy/borderline annoying Taylor Swift songs I like in that I can’t get it out of my head.

Its warm, earthy bronze, copper, gold and tan shimmers splashed with coral, pink and blue? MAN! It just might be enough to sway me from my usual surfer chick-meets-Las Vegas showgirl summer motif toward a summer of boho and bling — flowing, flowery caftans, platform sandals, silk headscarves, big-@ss hoops and lots of gold.

When I contemplate the pieces in the Folklore collection, I almost feel the sun on my shoulders as a dry, desert wind whistles through my loose, wavy hair.

These are pieces I’d wear if I were trying to channel Nicole Richie and BeyoncÃ© (at the same time) while traipsing through the high desert with a guitar strapped to my back (on my way to a luxurious five-star resort with an infinity pool and a spa that offers a 120-minute massage).

Got a few reviews lined up, but here are swatches of the entire collection now…

Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Swatches From the left: Sun Glow, Fire Glow and Earth Glow ($24 each) — Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Eye Shadow Swatches from the left on my NC 42 skin: Sun Glow, Fire Glow and Earth Glow ($24 each)

Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Swatches From the left: Ritual Baked Blush Bronze ($36), Cobolt CrÃ¨me Eye Liner ($22) and Canard CrÃ¨me Eye Liner ($22)

Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Swatches From the left: Burnt Clay, Folklore and Mayan Sun ($22 each) — From the left: Burnt Clay, Folklore and Mayan Sun Lip Crayons ($22 each)

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The Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne Heat Summer 2013 Collection Sounds and Looks Hot

April 10th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

YSL Summer 2013 — The new Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne Heat Summer 2013 collection

One glimpse across a crowded Nordstrom store yesterday and it was ON!

That’s all it took to catch me — the new Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne Heat summer 2013 collection.

It flicked a primal switch, and I started run-walking toward the counter (probably making grabby hands in the air).

LOL! Alright, maybe I’m being a little dramatic…

No, the more I think about it, it was exactly like that. 🙂

I was moving so fast toward those purples, greens, corals and bronzes that I almost tripped in my Michael Kors birthday heels…which wouldn’t have been all bad as I would have fallen into the display.

Here are some pics and swatches of the quads and polishes.

YSL Summer 2013 Pure Chromatics Quad No 13 on the left and No 20 on the right, $55 each

YSL Summer 2013 Pure Chromatics Quad No 20 ($55)

Terre Saharienne Mat Bronzers in 10, 20 and 30 ($50 each)

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MAC Added a Pinch of Pastel, a Spoonful of Sparkle and a Dash of Cream to the MAC Baking Beauties Collection

April 5th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

Now where’d I put my KitchenAid…?

Don’t let me catch you dipping into the frosting again. 🙂 These products aren’t for tummies. They’re for eyes, lips, nails and cheeks.

The recipe calls for pastel colors and 24 cups of sugar. Definition: it’s sweet, sweet, sweet.

Step into the kitchen! Here’s a taste of 10 of the 24 pieces from the MAC Baking Beauties collection, which comes out of the oven April 18 in North American MAC kitchens, stores and online (and internationally this May).

Ya know, I’m lovin’ the idea of this release (because I’m a sugar fiend). Cupcakes and I — we roll deep! But I don’t know… From what I’ve seen so far, these pieces seem more Splenda than C&H.

I was expecting ecstasy with these — the same visceral, intense reaction I get when I bite into a real life red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting (yum!) — but I’m actually on the fence. A lot of these colors look similar on my NC42 skin.

MAC In For a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder, a champagne base with a matte coral flower and mint leaves on the pan ($29)

Like In For a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder and the pretty design (the white edges are an overspray, but I don’t think the design in the center of the pan is). It has all the makings of an award-winning dessert! Normally, I’d want seconds of something like this, but I find myself craving more oomph! Less frost and more coral.

MAC Pink Buttercream Pearlmatte Face Powder, a light silvery pink base with dark pink flowers and periwinkle leaves ($29)

MAC Pink Rebel Lustre Drops, a blueish pink with golden pearl ($21)

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick, a light cool lavender with a Cremesheen finish ($15)

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Vibrant Orange and Coral Storm the Stage in the MAC Hayley Williams Collection

April 5th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

I can’t guarantee you’ll go completely American Idol on that @ss when you wear the new MAC Hayley Williams collection and blast Paramore’s The Only Exception…but I think the chances of it happening are quite high, especially if you like orange and coral on your lips, tips and lids.

MAC has long loved collaborating with musicians, and the new four-piece online exclusive with Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams is their latest duet.

It’s also the most wearable one I’ve seen in a while.

I mean, well…Nicki Minaj Viva Glam 2 doesn’t exactly epitomize wearable. I know, like, one person who can pull off pale violet lips without looking totally and completely cray.

This collection sure seems more like music for the masses, and I like it. It sings with rock-n-roll brights, but still manages to stay chic.

And that coral eye shadow? Beautiful! It really surprised me when I got it on my lids.

Today I took the stage — also known as the hallway outside my office — with a sparkly fake microphone to put three of the four pieces to the test.

MAC Daydreaming Eye Shadow, a frosted mid-toned coral with a veluxe pearl finish ($15)

Daydreaming Eye Shadow ($15): Man, I thought this bright reddish coral had “zombie girl!” written all over it, but the red relinquishes the spotlight on my NC42 skin. I get more of an orangey pinkish coral from it, and the veluxe pearl finish hits all the right notes to keep things interesting. I’m not usually into colors like this, but I’m feeling this one, especially with thick cat eye liner. No fallout or patchiness, and it only takes one or two layers. Daydreaming is my favorite piece from this release.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

MAC Sounds Like Noise Lipstick, a bright true orange with a matte finish

Sounds Like Noise Lipstick ($15): Like a songstress belting out the blues at a gin joint, this bright orange matte has a story to tell. It’s trickier than I expected, but there’s pigment there. I have a tough time getting it to put down smooth color — apply, blot, then reapply — but a liner should help with that. I like the color, but I’d probably like it more if MAC remixed it into an Amplified Creme… Now that would top the charts!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish, a soft, candlelit beige with multidimensional shimmer ($29)

Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish ($34): A shimmering beige that whispers on my skin like a breathy intro to a naughty Maxwell slow jam. On me, I think its true potential gets kinda lost, but it should really sing on lighter and medium skin tones.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

MAC Hayley Williams swatches from the left: Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish, Daydreaming Eye Shadow and Sounds Like Noise Lipstick

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NARS Summer 2013 Collection Pictures and Swatches and Orders From a Demanding Cat

April 4th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

When I got home from the salon this afternoon (took off about 2 inches and got some layers), Tabs was meowing up a storm.

“Mrrroow!?” Where the heck have you been!?

“MRRRROWWW!” If you don’t preview the new NARS Summer 2013 collection for me, I WILL CUT YOU!

And I believed him (seriously, have you seen that cat’s claws? SHARP!).

Let me know if anything makes you purr… 🙂 Reviews and looks coming soon.

NARS Barrow Street Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, $24

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I Can’t Think of a Better Way to Mourn the Loss of the Chanel Aqualumieres Than With the New Guerlain Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shines

April 3rd, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

What’s a Chanel lip gloss lover to do when she still feels a throbbing hole in her heart where the Aqualumiere Glosses once lived?

The lightweight, shiny Aqualumieres have been gone for years, and yet I still shed sparkly tears whenever I think about them…

Oh, the sweet, sweet misery!

R.I.P., Candy Glow. *sniffs*

Next time I get all emo for an Aqualumiere and feel the urge to pour a 40 on the ground (or in my case 6 ounces of chai latte), I’ll just grab one of these new splurge-worthy Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shines from Guerlain.

For a polished chrome shine a mirror would envy, just whip out the flat flocked applicator (ergonomically shaped for easier application), and slick your lips with one of 20 available shades, which vary from shy girl quiet sheerness to HAAAY BOO! — we’re going full-on drag-caliber opacity tonight.

What’s more, these glosses look and feel exactly like the Aqualumieres!

Well, darned near. Same crystal ball-like finish, same smooth, non-sticky texture, lightweight formula and two-hour wear time.

Heck, they could almost pass for identical makeup twins.

Almost.

Guerlain’s Maxi Shines do have a rosy scent and flavor the Aqualumieres didn’t have, but I like it. It’s not overpowering. I think it’s quite elegant, in fact.

Guerlain Gloss D'Enfer Maxi Shine Swatches — Top row: 400 Gold Tchlack, 460 Rose Splatch, 402 Browny Clap, 463 La Petite Robe Noir and 468 Candy Stripe; bottom row: 467 Cherry Swing, 471 Prune Zip, 420 Rouge Schebam, 441 Tangerine Vlam and 421 Red Pow

Guerlain Gloss D'Enfer Maxi Shine in 421 Red Pow — Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 421 Red Pow

Guerlain Gloss D'Enfer Maxi Shine in 471 Prune Zip — Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 471 Prune Zip

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For a Plump Pout, Try These Creamy New Buxom Full-Bodied Lipsticks

April 2nd, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

I’ve been glued to glosses for at least the past decade (give or take a year or two). Yup, I’m a gloss girl — the gal in the group who’ll whip out her makeup bag to touch up after lunch at the table, and then spend five minutes sifting through handfuls of tubes to find the perfect shiny shade while everyone else sips coffee.

What can I say? I like gloss. I think it makes my lips look fuller, and I even feel a little younger when I wear it, too.

Ah, but Buxom’s new line of unscented, unflavored Full-Bodied Lipsticks is currently threatening to turn me into a full-time lipstick lady. When I wear one of these 10 creamy, satin-finish shades, each one of them loaded with hydrating hyaluronic spheres, my pout does appear a little plumper (no sting or tingling sensation, though) — like I’ve been locking lips with someone at work in the supply closet — and it stays that way from 4-5 hours (or until my next meal).

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick swatches from the left: Exhibitionist, Hooligan, Menace, Nudist, Rouge, Scoundrel and Two-Timer

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick in Exhibitionist

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