Makeup

I’m Going Gaga Over Too Faced Born This Way Foundation

July 27th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

too faced born this way foundation 1 — Too Faced Born This Way Foundation ($39)

Would Lady Gaga wear Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, and if she would, would she belt out the chorus to Born This Way while she applied it?

I’d like to think she would because I TOTALLY DO THAT, and then Gaga and I could do a duet together, and Tabs could be our backup dancer, and the whole thing would be awesome to the Nth degree…

You know you can see it happening. 🙂

There’s lot of good things to sing/say about this latest liquid foundation from Too Faced, which I’ve been wearing off and on now for about a week. Its medium-to-full coverage demi-matte finish delightfully diffuses pores while disguising imperfections, and the lightweight formula looks almost undetectable on the skin.

It’s maybe not quite as inconspicuous and skin-like as Dior Nudeskin Air Serum, but it’s pretty darned great considering the opacity of the coverage. It’s not uncommon for medium-to-full coverage liquid foundations to look pretty obvious, but this one doesn’t, depending on how I apply it.

And I’ve tried a bunch of different methods. It seems to work best for me and look the most seamless when I use very little (literally, like a small drop or two at a time), pat it on with my fingers and build it up slowly in layers.

Applied any other way — with brushes, a BeautyBlender, etc. — it looks heavier, thicker and more obvious.

So that’s one thing. I wouldn’t call it a catch, but still…

too faced born this way foundation before — Before (not wearing any foundation)…

too faced born this way foundation after — After applying Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Honey

too faced born this way foundation k — And now wearing Too Faced Born This Way in Honey along with a full face of makeup

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These Limited Edition Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Cheek Color + Compacts Are Smoother Than the Fur on a Kitten’s Fluffy Tum

July 27th, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Why should baby cats be the only ones who get to freely roam about looking all smooth and cute and silky? It’s not fair! Blush wearers should also be able to flaunt colorful cheeks with the same silky smoothness as a kitten’s fur, because silky smoothness is a right, not a privilege!

Thankfully, Paul & Joe has addressed this important issue facing the makeup loving cat lady community with their new Limited Edition Fall 2015 Cheek Color + Compacts.

Their new blush duos, which were inspired by French sweet treats, apply color evenly and smoothly to cheeks, and dude! — they’re really good.

paul joe cafe calva — Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Cheek Color in Cafe Calva 003 with the 07 Compact

paul joe glace a la fraise — Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Cheek Color in Glace A La Fraise 002 with the 08 Compact

paul joe cinnamon roast — Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Cheek Color in Cinnamon Roast 001 with the 09 Compact

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Get Into Character With the OCC Cosplay Collection Lip Tars

July 24th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

occ cosplay swatches — The six new OCC Cosplay Collection Lip Tars ($18 each, available now)

I have yet to partake of the costumed creative greatness that is cosplay, but if/when I do, the character I play will HAVE to have crazy-@ss green lips — obviously — because if I’m going to go through the effort to dress up like a fantastical/comic book character, there is no way I’m wearing a soft mid-toned neutral pink on my lips or a hushed neutral beige.

LAME.

Green lips all the way! 🙂

And apparently Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (also known as OCC) feels me on this.

Their six new $18 Summer 2015 Cosplay Collection Matte Lip Tars (the collection also has six nail polishes) includes a bright, vibrant leafy green appropriately called Cosplay, and no, I haven’t worn it to Trader Joe’s…yet.

occ cosplay cosplay — OCC Cosplay Lip Tar/Matte in Cosplay

Like OCC’s other Lip Tars, these totally tubular liquid lipsticks have a peppermint flavor and scent. Just dab a drop of one on the back of your hand, and then use a lip brush to apply them from there.

occ cosplay belladonna — OCC Cosplay Lip Tar/Matte in Belladonna

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NARS Shows a Softer Side With the New NARS 413 BLKR Blush Duo

July 23rd, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Whenever I think of New York, I think of that majestic, awe-inspiring Manhattan skyline, busy sidewalks, edgy street fashion and a go-go-GO hustle and bustle (among other things), but every city also has a softer side, and that’s the side I see when I see the latest addition to the NARS 413 BLKR fam, the new 413 BLKR Blush Duo ($42).

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I’ll Take a Double Latte With an Extra Shot of Cute! The New Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Eye Color CS Shades Were Inspired by Frothy Coffee Shop Beverages

July 22nd, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

paul joe fall 2015 eye color cs 1 — Two of the new LE Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Eye Color CS shades ($28 each)

Paul & Joe: Hello, miss. Would you like an eyeshadow with your caffè latte?

Me: YES, PLEASE. And can you make that a decaf? (The latte, not the eyeshadow.) OOH! And could you please draw a swirl on top of the foam for me?

Paul & Joe: Sure. 🙂 We got’chu, boo.

These two new $28 Paul & Joe Eye Color CS powder eyeshadow singles are certainly kicking my coffee cravings into high gear (I’ve been trying to stick to decaf for the past few weeks…bluh). Inspired by creamy caffè latte colors and espresso shades, they have a soft sheen and a light, airy texture drool-inducingly like warm and frothy coffee shop beverages.

Mmm, coffee…

Even the packaging looks like a little latte cup. See the mini eyeshadow sponge applicator “spoon”? (AWW!)

paul joe fall 2015 eye color packaging — Two of the three Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Eye Color CS shades (LE shades added to P&J’s existing Eye Color CS line)

paul joe cafe macchiato 097 — Paul & Joe Eye Color CS in Cafe Macchiato 097

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Kitty Kisses From Paul & Joe: The Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Lipstick CS in Cafe Parisien, Coffee Cherry and Cafe Espresso

July 22nd, 2015 by Karen 42 Comments

To say that I’m sweet on these three new limited edition fall lipsticks and refillable lipstick cases from Paul & Joe would be both a grievous understatement of ridiculous proportions, and incredibly apt, because, hello! — TEH KITTEHS.

But also because the lipsticks are magically made/manufactured using an old Japanese candy-making technique called Kintarō-ame, which involves layers of candy (or makeup) rolled together. In this case, the innermost cylinder is shaped like a feline’s face.

Which is wondrous, delightful and incredibly amazing. 🙂

The candy-making process also means that the interior kitty tubes are still visible all the way down to the bottom of the bullets — a fact that greatly pleases my makeup-obsessed, cat-loving heart.

paul joe fall 2015 lipsticks — The three new $20 Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Lipsticks CS from the left in Cafe Parisien 093, Coffee Cherry 094, Cafe Espresso 095; and the $7 Lipstick Cases CS from the left in 030, 020 and 028

Lipstick CS ingredients and benefits

Cocoa Seed Butter — Emollient

Jojoba Seed Oil — Emollient

Lavender Oil — Emollient

Orange Flower Water — Moisturizer

White Lily Extract — Moisturizer and prevents irritation

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The Blame It On NARS Cheek Palette: I Daydreamed About Blush (and a Lot of Other Things Today), and I Blame It on NARS

July 21st, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

It was one of those days, ya know? Where you just stare out the window dumbfounded, like, everything was just sort of confusing me…

Ha! I’m serious, though. I felt like things weren’t quite computing correctly, if you know what I mean.

Oh, well… At least today I could conveniently Blame It On NARS (hello, easy transitions!). 🙂

Introducing the new $59 NARS Blame It On NARS Cheek Palette, one of this summer’s three limited edition gift sets from NARS (the others are the Ultimate NARS and True NARS lip sets).

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The “Ultimate NARS” Lip Pencil Set Shifts Lips Into Neutral

July 21st, 2015 by Karen 10 Comments

nars ultimate nars — The $49 “Ultimate NARS” lip pencil set

Yo, whose hoopty is this? Yes, the red ’95 Civic in the driveway. Will somebody please get this thing out of neutral and drive us to the Nordstrom NARS counter so we can play with the new “Ultimate NARS” lip pencil set ($49)?

Wait — what? What do you mean there’s nobody here who can drive a stick? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? NOT ONE PERSON HERE CAN DRIVE A STICK!?

OK…well, I can’t drive one either. 🙂 So I guess we’ll all just have to sit here and admire it on the interwebz.

LOL! You don’t actually have to know how to shift a hoopty out of neutral to roll with the three full-size pencils in the Ultimate NARS lip pencil set, but a healthy appreciation for neutral lips colors would probably help. This trio of pale, pink lip pencils is all about ze neutrals.
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