Makeup

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 931 Noir Pétrole

January 20th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

chanel noir petrole — Yay for Chanel Noir Pétrole Waterproof Eye Liner! I’m also wearing the Chanel Codes Élégants quad on my eyes, Chanel Élégance Powder Blush on my cheeks and Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Peacemaker

Why, though?

WHY? Why are so many of the best things limited edition? It’s lunacy, and it’s REALLY annoying. Chanel Noir Pétrole Eyeliner ($33) deserves a permanent position — like the Codes Subtils quad — because if you have brown eyes (and even if you don’t), it’s magic.

Glossy, smoky perfection

I recognize that it’s OTT to get this excited about eyeliners, seeing as there are so many flashier products out there in Makeupville, but I love a schmexy liner, and this one is schmexy.

The color is a little hard to describe, but I’m gonna try. It’s a super dark, hella pigmented khaki black with an essence of golden shimmer for an otherworldly finish that begs the question, “How in the Milky Way did Chanel squeeze so much complexity into one little stick?” It boggles the mind. This beauty is glossy liner perfection.

Chanel Noir Pétrole — Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 931 Noir Pétrole, $33

Manna from heaven for brown-eyed babes (and boys!)

Sometimes when I wear this liner, it’ll look brown. Other times, more khaki. Other times still, more of a glossy blackish brown. Then I’ll catch a glance of myself in the mirror and see the shimmery gold winking at me, and I’ll be like totally feelin’ myself, LOL! “Who’s that girl in the mirror? Oh, ME?” 🙂 This liner will have you doing that. It looks amazing on brown eyes.

But it’s not just for brown eyes

I have a strong suspicion that Noir Pétrole will also enchant hazel eyes as well… I wish El Hub would let me play and put it on his lids. I’d ask, but he won’t even let me curl his luscious lashes (rude!).

Anyway, if you have hazel eyes and have a moment with this, you have to let me know.

chanel noir petrole eye closeup — I’m wearing Noir Pétrole on my lash lines and water lines; the eyeshadow is the Chanel Codes Élégants quad

[Continue reading…]

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in 370 Élégance

January 20th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

chanel elegance blush — That’s Chanel Élégance blush on my cheeks, Chanel Codes Élégants quad and Noir Petrole liner on my lashes, and Hourglass Peacemaker Girl Lip Stylo on my lips

Isn’t it just so typical? Right when you’re ready to drive down to the neighborhood tattoo parlor to get a tattoo of your favorite Chanel blush, because you love it that much (ahem, Malice!), another one comes along and steals your heart away.

Just goes to show ya…getting a tattoo of your true love blush? Not a good idea.

OK, that sounded really dumb, but that’s OK. We’re just gonna roll with it. 🙂

That glimmer, tho!!

For me with Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in 370 Élégance, it was love at first brush. The second this peachy golden bronzed brown glimmered on my cheek, I was like, what?! Come here, baby. You and me — we’re gonna ride or die together.

And it wasn’t just because of the color and how it goes with all 20 of the pink and peach lipsticks and glosses that occupy my purse at any given time, or because of the level of pigment (one or two layers and I’m good), how long it lasts, or how easily it blends. It was also the dainty, demure glimmer…

You guys, the glimmer. THE GLIMMER. The glow is a small step up from a satin — similar to the awesomesauce Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes, and you know I’m a fan of those.

Consider this: wonderful wear time

Élégance is available now for $45, which I know… I. Know. But consider this: This blush lasts an incredibly long time. I put it on right after breakfast the other day (Oatmeal with a handful of chocolate chips… OMG, try it sometime! It’s life changing.), and after a full day and dinner, I still saw it on my cheeks. It was at least nine hours later!

Similar Chanel shades?

For the gals who’ve been hoarding/collecting Joues Contraste blushes for years, Élégance is like 58 Fresque’s and 84 Accent’s sister shade. It’s darker than Fresque and more shimmery and peachier than Accent, but they’re all in the same fam and look related.

[Continue reading…]

Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 274 Codes Élégants

January 19th, 2017 by Karen 19 Comments

chanel codes elegants — Getting my glow on with the Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 274 Codes Élégants ($61, new for spring)

Between the new Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, and this one I’m wearing now, 274 Codes Élégants, both of which are $61 each and new for spring, I’m convinced that Chanel is at the front of the pack when it comes to shimmery shades for ladies 30 and up.

Codes Élégants, like Codes Subtils, is $61, but unlike Codes Subtils, Élégants is permanent. And I kinda wish it was the other way around!

Not that this quad doesn’t have a lot going for it. It does! — like that glow, for one, and a silky, easy-to-blend formula. And the finish on that brown shade? SO GORGEOUS! Can I just get that on its own with the special sauce on the side? Please? The satiny finish shines on the down low. You can barely tell it’s there, but it’s there, and you know I live for that subtle sh*t, LOL! I’m so predictable… Yes, workhorse, everyday satins. I love ’em.

The thing is…the other three shadows in the quad — the two golden shades and the platinum — all look like slightly different versions of the same highlighter on my skin. They look very similar on me, so I don’t think I’ll be able to do as many different looks with this quad as I could with Codes Subtils, which has a more classic combo of one darker shade, two mid-toned shades and a highlighter.

I know that four shadows doesn’t seem like a lot in this world of 12-pan and 24-pan eye palettes, but you can really do a lot with four shadows if they’re the right four shadows, and if two of them are mid-tones. The mid-tones are totally key.

chanel elegants quad swatches — Swatches of Codes Élégants

[Continue reading…]

New Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick (Part 1): The Red and Orange Shades

January 18th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

urban decay tryst liquid lipstick — Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in Tryst, $18, and one of 30 Vice Liquid Lipsticks in a completely new line from UD

Apparently, I have been remiss in keeping up with my gossip/pop culture blog reading, because I had no idea what a trap queen was.

Do you? Because when I saw this new Vice Liquid Lipstick from Urban Decay, I was like, “What the hell is a trap queen??” Is she the queen of setting traps? Does she hunt? What’s the deal?

Well, apparently, it’s a song, and it’s about a bad-@ss chick.

So there you go. It’s just a glimpse into my future. I can see it now… Connor Claire will throw out pop culture references, and I won’t get them.

The new Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks

Trap Queen is one of 30 brand new $18 Vice Liquid Lipsticks, a new line coming soon from Urban Decay. (To find out exactly when they arrive, you can sign up on the Urban Decay website, and they’ll let you know.)

urban decay liquid lipstick — 25 of 30 new Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks, $18 each

urban decay trap queen liquid lipstick — Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in Trap Queen

Most of the 30 shades are mattes, and there are also a few metallics. Not all of the shades will be available everywhere, either. Some of them will only be available on the Urban Decay website and at freestanding UD stores (there’s a list below).

I hope you don’t mind if I break these up into a couple of posts, because Baby Girl is due for lunch (a chicken-apple-sweet potato puree), and she can’t wait for mommy to finish swatching two dozen liquid lipsticks for hours (she’s actually “talking” about it right now, a.k.a. “baby talking really loudly,” and I can’t hear myself think).

The oranges and reds

She did, however, allow me to swatch the reds, and I can already tell this much about this line: they look breathtaking in pics! Like, if I just slept in a chaise lounge all day long while people snapped pictures of me, and I didn’t have to eat or drink or interact with anyone ever, my matte lip game would be SO on point.

Of this first batch here, Flame (has a metallic finish) looks like a hot mess up close, with vertical lip lines galore, but somehow it still looks AMAZING in pics.

urban decay liquid lipstick reds — Six of the seven red shades in the Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick line from the top: Crimson, Trap Queen, 714, Tryst, Tilt and Flame

[Continue reading…]

Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

January 17th, 2017 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel codes subtils — Wearing the new limited edition Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, $61 and available now

If you would, please direct your attention away from my hair for a moment (I know, it’s CRAY, but I just couldn’t deal with it this morning), and kindly observe my lids.

Don’t they look glossy and glowing in the best possible way? I think so.

That’s Chanel for ya.

Yeah, their eyeshadow quads are crazy expensive ($61, HOLY CANNOLI), but nobody does glossy glow like Chanel.

Well…Tom Ford gets pretty close with Nude Dip and Honeymoon, but they’re $82! In comparison, $61 for Chanel is practically a steal (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Behold the new Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, and brace yourself for all the lusty eyeshadow thoughts.

ALL. OFF. THEM. 🙂

Limited edition… Why?

It’s really annoying that this quad is limited edition (it’s part of the Chanel 2017 Spring collection). I wish it was permanent, because all of the colors — the pale seashell pink, golden taupe, golden brown and khaki taupe — go SO WELL with the pink, nude and coral lip colors I love to wear in spring and summer.

A fabulous finish

All of the shades have varying levels of age-appropriate shimmer and almost look like wet gloss. And they’re absolutely perfect for mature lids. This kind of glow won’t age you.

chanel codes subtils swatches — Swatches of Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

Easy-to-blend, potent pigments

I don’t know how or why (it might be a miracle), but I don’t think you really even need to know what you’re doing with these because, despite them being highly pigmented, they also have a blurring effect that makes blending them drama-free. You can practically swipe your tapered eye brush back and forth a few times, and forget about it.

[Continue reading…]

January #mbbinstachallenge Look 2 (Week of Jan. 16-22): Kitten Flicks and Glitter Lips

January 17th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

Just an FYI: If you ever want to take yourself seriously, don’t combine a headband with cat ears and pink glitter lips.

It’s just too hard. You’ll just be laughing at yourself all day long! 🙂

The cat headband is from Etude House, and it’s $5.20. Mine was a gift from a friend, but I love it so much that I’m ordering a backup (side note: Do you want me to review it? LOL!).

Without further ado, it’s #mbbinstachallenge time!

It’s week two, and this week’s theme is kitten flicks and glitter lips.

kitten flick liner rose gold glitter lips — Here was my inspiration for this week’s look…

I chose to stick closely to the O.G. inspiration pic this time, so I drew sharp black kitten liner all the way into the inner corners but kept that center area on my lower lash line bare, for negative space.

I suppose I could have done something like a bronze or a gold liner in that area instead…

Ooh! That could be super cool. I might try that next.

I used Tom Ford’s absurdly expensive liquid liner, which is SO bomb (despite being absurdly expensive. I was reminded why I love it so much as I was trying to place it into the inner corners and needed to be super duper precise. It’s amazeballs.

And for my glittery pink lips, I used sticky pink MAC Big Baby Plushglass, then patted a multicolored pink glitter on top, concentrating it in the center of my lips.

I wanted big, chunky, flashy glitter, so I went with MAC 3D Pink Glitter.

Here’s something I learned while doing this look: If you pop glitter on top of gloss, don’t rub your lips together right afterward, because the gloss will mix with the glitter and bring down the sparkle and shine several notches.

As a bonafide lip rubber…I struggled with this.

[Continue reading…]

The New Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos, Part 2: Yeah, I’m Lovin’ These Lighter Shades

January 16th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

hourglass creator — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Creator, one of 20 shades in the new $32 Girl Lip Stylo line

How far would you go for the perfect nude lipstick? What would (or wouldn’t) you do? To what ends would you traverse?? Girl, because I know I’d go far! I’d wake up from a dead sleep at the witching hour, and THEN walk several miles, uphill, both ways, IN THE SNOW, to find a perfect nude lipstick.

I’m dedicated to mah nudes! And the one thing I want from them more than any other? — that they play nicely with my lip lines and don’t settle in them.

Well, that and that they don’t make me look half dead… You know what I’m talking about. Those nude lipsticks that wash you out, and make you look like a throwback to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video?

hourglass girl lip stylo part 2 — Batch #2 of the new $32 Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos (here was batch #1)

I’m so happy that this second batch of 10 new Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos — the nudes, pinks, peaches corals and browns — is just as smooth and pigmented as the 10 bolder, brighter colors we looked at the other day. They’re fantastic!

[Continue reading…]

The New Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos, Part 1: Shiner and Creamier Than the Femme Nudes

January 14th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

Good morning, glory! I was thinking last night after reading your comments on the last post that I may not need a treadmill very soon, since I’ll just be chasing the coywolf around the house all day long.

After I put her down last night, I made these easy “healthy” cookies. “Healthy” in quotes. But they’re actually pretty healthy. You take a cup of oatmeal blended in a food processor, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, two (super ripe) mashed bananas and 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips. Then, cook on a baking sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. Yum! We had them for dessert while we watched Hidden Figures, which was really good. I won’t mind if Connor decides that she wants to be a mathematician for SpaceX or NASA. ?

In other news…lip crayons are having a moment this spring, right? Chanel came out with a line of them, Clinique has their new Crayola Chubby Sticks, and now Hourglass has these $32 Girl Lip Stylo Crayons.

This post is a look at 10 of the 20 available shades (second batch coming up soon).

Do you remember the Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylos?? They came out a while ago… Well, these new Girl Lip Stylos have the same style packaging — a pointy tip and a twist-up lipstick in crayon form. I’m sure you’ve seen the same idea before.

How are the Girl Lip Stylos different from the Femme Nude Lip Stylos?

First off, the Girl Lip Stylos have a wider range of colors (and more bold shades), and they’re shinier (I’d call it a luster finish), slicker and smoother. The Femme Nudes have more of a satin finish, so they aren’t quite as shiny.

The Girl Lip Stylos are also creamier than the Femme Nudes — more like a MAC Cremesheen or a Chanel Rouge Coco Shine — so they have that slippery, balm-like texture.

Color and formula

Every single one of the 10 faintly vanilla-scented shades here (there are 20 shades total; stay tuned for swatches of the second batch soon) applies smoothly, and I only need a couple swipes because of how pigmented they are. None of them — not even the brightest of the brights or the darkest of the dark — settle into my lip lines or get jammed up in my flakes.

hourglass girl lip stylo activist — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Activist

hourglass girl lip stylo inventor — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Inventor

[Continue reading…]