Makeup

Cheeks, Lips and Nails Bask in Bronze, Coral and Pink Shades With Guerlain’s New Summer 2014 Collection

May 8th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Wearing the new Guerlain Summer 2014 collection

I know you’re not supposed to stare at the sun, but in the case of Guerlain’s new summer 2014 collection, it can’t be helped.

The sun symbol on the new Celebration Powder Compact and the bottle of Terracotta Le Parfum is so mesmerizing that I keep losing myself in its golden glow…

While daydreaming about the many eco-adventures I could have while wearing the bronzer and blush compact on my face (I’ve been flirting with the idea of a trip to Costa Rica or Belize), Tabs hopped in my lap! It gave me such a start that I accidentally dug my nails into the pan.

Shoot.

Oh, well. Whatcha gonna do, right? #makeuploverproblems #bronzeraddictissues

This succinct six-piece limited edition collection basks in bronzy, sunny, summery shades of brown, orange and coral for lips and cheeks…and there’s also a gorgeous bottle of perfume.

Not much going on in terms of eye makeup this year — just a single waterproof mascara in Guerlain’s fabulous Cils D’Enfer Maxi Lash formula, which, no joke, makes my lashes look like Zac Efron’s.

I like what I see, but it would’ve been nice to also get some cool metallics or eye kolhs this year.

A few thoughts on the new collection, which is available now at Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Bergdorf Goodman stores and online…

Guerlain Terracotta Sun Celebration Powder Compact ($76): Two shades of matte bronzer to sculpt, and matte pink and coral blushes to brighten cheeks and skin. There’s also a touch of gold (it’s an overspray) for shimmer.

The bronzers apply sheer when I swatch them with my finger, but deposit more color on my skin when I apply them with a brush. Same goes for the blushes. The powders appear effortless and natural on the skin, and blend sans drama.

Guerlain Terracotta Le Perfum — Terracotta Le Parfum EDT ($73)

Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum ($73): My new favorite “summer in a bottle” scent, it has notes of bergamot, tiare flower, ylang ylang and vanilla.

This soft, summery fragrance is like a forbidden kiss on a tropical beach at sunset… I like to reapply after about 5-6 hours to keep the scent going.

Guerlain 940 Nahema Stack Gloss DEnfer maxi Shine — Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 940 Nahema Stack ($30)

Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 940 Nahema Stack ($30): Non-sticky and smooth, this sheer bright orange gloss feels delightful on my lips, where it lasts about two hours. It tastes and smells a little like rose-flavored candy, too.

Mmm…

Guerlain 602 Tonka Imperiale Le Vernis Nail Lacquer — Le Vernis Nail Lacquer in 602 Tonka Imperiale ($25)

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Over-Blending and the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

May 6th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Over-blending…

The struggle is real!

I’m so not kidding either. If someone hands me a fluffy brush like the MAC 217, I will swipe, buff and swirl until the cows come home.

With some eye looks, it works in my favor, like for blown-out super blended smokey eyes with subtle gradients where all of the shadows smoothly transition into each other.

In looks like that, you almost can’t blend enough, ya know?

But then there are those other times… Those times when over-blending isn’t so cool, and while you think you’re doin’ your thang, and blending those subtle transitions between the colors, the eyeshadows all merge together into a muddy mess.

It happens a lot sometimes with certain palettes and eyeshadows.

It happened to me recently with Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess the Nudes Eyeshadow Palette, a $60 limited edition summer palette available now with the Bronze Goddess collection at Estee Lauder counters.

Estee lauder Bronze Goddess The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette packaging — Elegant tortoiseshell packaging…

Bedecked in tortoiseshell attire, it houses five nude matte eyeshadows in bone, beige, tan, brown and dark brown; and three metallics in white gold, bronze and plum.

First things first — these shades all being together in the same palette makes total sense to me, but figuring out the best way to work with the palette does not.

That’s because the nude mattes are all pretty close together in terms of color. There isn’t a ton of variation among the shades (lots o’ brown), and they’re kind of semi-sheer, so, like, when I pop them on my lids and start moving my brush around, they merge together into a blend of brown.

Same thing with the metallics… They appear quite dark in swatches but apply semi-sheer on the lids.

And, they also blend together a little too freely.

It’s not a big deal if I’m just going to be wearing one or two of these colors, but anything more than that can look muddy.

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Urban Decay’s New Clothing-Optional Naked Flushed Palettes in Native, Streak and Strip Make It Easy To Bring Your Highlighter, Bronzer and Blush With You

May 6th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

Wearing the new Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Native — Wearing the new Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Native

Coming at ‘cha! — riding on a wave of nakedness, three new ways to strip down for summer from Urban Decay.

Yup, I think it’s safe to say that UD is on something of a naked streak (get it, streak?) based on their three latest Naked Flushed Palettes ($30 each).

Native, Strip and Streak arrive to the party with a disrobed desire to enhance skin, diffuse light and give a fresh glow to yo’ face, baby cakes.

Each one comes with one powder bronzer, a highlighter and a blush.

The new Urban Decay Naked Flushed Bronzer/Highlighter/Blush Palettes, $30 each

UD bestowed a satiny bronze bronzer upon Native, the palette I’m wearing in these pics, as well as a frosty pinkish beige highlighter and a matte hot pink blush.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Native — Naked Flushed in Native

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Streak — Naked Flushed in Streak

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Strip — Naked Flushed in Strip

Swatches of Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Native — Naked Flushed in Native

The second palette, Streak, is ready for a warm roll in the haaay!. It comes with a warm, matte bronzer; a frosty peach highlighter; and a matte coral blush.

Swatches of Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Streak — Naked Flushed in Streak

And Strip, the third palette, glimmers with a frosty golden tan bronzer (so shiny!), a gold highlighter and a matte mauve blush.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Strip Swatches — Naked Flushed in Strip

The new Urban Decay Naked Flushed Bronzer/Highlighter/Blush Trios…

Micronized, jet-milled powder formula free of parabens, fragrances, alcohol and mineral oil
The bronzer, highlighter and blush are all full size
UD designed them to work with all skin tones
New to the UD permanent line for summer 2014

I wear bronzer, blush and highlighter on a pretty much daily basis, so I like the idea of these, especially late in the week, when my brain is usually so fried that small decisions like which bronzer/blush/highlighter to wear is more than I can take, haha.

I think all three color combinations are super flattering, but my favorites are probably Native and Streak. For uber-natural looks, I like those two the most.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Packaging — Packaging

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I’m Inspired by Muse: The New Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Muse

May 2nd, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Oh, happy day!

Hourglass Cosmetics recently added three new shades to their Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss line — coral Muse, dusty rose Canvas and vibrant pink Ballet. Muse in its lipstick form has been one of my favorite Hourglass products for a while, so yay! Happy dance. 🙂

I’ve been deeply enamored with the Extreme Sheens and their bomb-dot-com, hella moisturizing formula. Not only do they shine like diamonds, but they also smell like cupcakes!

That’s like a triple rainbow all the way across the sky.

Pink guava Origami and warm coral Nectar have been my go-to purse gloss jams this spring, but now they face serious competition from Muse…

A potently pigmented coral, Muse is essentially the glossy version of the brand’s Femme Rouge Lipstick and Opaque Liquid Lipstick of the same name.

BAM! — it jumps right out at you.

Muse in Extreme Sheen Lip Gloss form begins bright and bold, slowly fading to a matte reddish pink stain over the course of 2-3 hours.

Very pretty. 🙂

Because Muse packs a lot of pigment, keeping it inside my natural lip line can be a challenge when applying, especially if I’m rushing, so I like to prep my pout first with a lip liner to keep it corralled.

With a steady hand and some patience, though, you could probably skip the liner. Just know that it’ll take some time to apply, because the color’s REALLY INTENSE.

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The Waterproof Brow Collection by MAC Will Cure Brows of Aquaphobia and Whip Them Into Shape

May 2nd, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

MAC Waterproof Brow collection — The new MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set ($16 each), from the new MAC The Waterproof Brow collection

Sweating in the name of makeup love!

This morning, to see how the new $16 MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set and $16 Fluidline Brow Gelcremes would handle smudging and sweating, I slogged and panted through 30 grueling minutes on the treadmill (grueling because I just wasn’t feelin’ it).

Both are bound for the permanent line and hail from MAC’s new The Waterproof Brow collection, coming May 15 to maccosmetics.com and North American stores and counters May 22 (internationally, some time this month).

The MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcremes

You may recall the Fluidline Brow Gelcreme brow fillers in Redhead, Dirty Blonde and Deep Dark Brunette when they showed up for a limited time back in January 2013.

Like the Fluidline gel eyeliners, they come in a pot, but formula-wise feel slightly fluffier than the eyeliners do to me. I think the Gelcremes are also less intense, which makes them easy to manipulate when I run them through my brows.

First, I like to use the MAC 266 with Deep Dark Brunette to fill, lengthen and shape my brows, mostly just in the outer tail area to sharpen, define and lengthen at the ends, and then I’ll run the brush lightly along the entire length of the bottom of the brow for some soft definition.

As for the treadmill test this morning, Deep Dark Brunette passed. 🙂 I was sweating buckets by the end of my run, but the Gelcreme stayed put. Methinks it would be great for fitness fiends, cheerleaders, the tropics or gals/guys who perform under hot stage lights — pretty much anyone who needs waterproof makeup.

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set

Pigmented brow gels for tinting and holding brow hairs in place, the MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets ($16 each) have a fluffy, mousse-like formula and dry to a matte finish (don’t they kind of look like mascara wands?).

They’ll whip yo’ fuzzy little caterpillars into shape like brow drill sergeants! Use them to groom, define, shape and shade, and depending on how you work them, you can either go natural or dramatic.

MAC-Pro-Longwear Waterproof Brow Set from the left: Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette and Brown Ebony — Pro-Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets from the left in Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette and Brown Ebony ($16 each)

I use Quiet Brunette in the inner portion of my brows and Bold Brunette in the center ’cause I’m all about that ombre brow life! 🙂

To apply, I like to brush the wand directly through the hairs using an upward motion.

The Brow Sets leave my brows looking full (it’s a softer look than the Fluidline Brow Gelcremes) and groomed, with the brow hairs nicely combed, and they don’t feel crunchy.

They don’t have the hold of, say, Anastasia’s Brow Gel, but they have enough muscle to keep those bad boys from flapping in the wind.

Like the Fluidline Brow Gelcremes, the Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets handle the treadmill test like champs! They don’t get patchy or look weird, even when my brows are swimming in sweat.

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5 Japanese Brands You Should Try

April 30th, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Today Rowena of the delicious Cosmetic Candy Blog takes us Far East with five of her favorite Japanese makeup primers.

The moment I made the transition from makeup enthusiast to junkie was the moment I discovered affordable Japanese cosmetics.

I was already in love with Hello Kitty and friendly with Kerokerokeroppi, so buying Japanese makeup seemed like a natural thing to do.

And now, a few years in, I can say that around 75% of my cosmetics collection is of Japanese origin or of brands sold primarily in Japan.

For me personally, I love the scope, the variety, the efficiency and the sheer sparkly goodness of Japanese cosmetics. I can br-br-br-break it down like this:

The packaging

Japanese packaging for Maquillage, for example, can be cute or elegant or just gadget heaven. Some brands will keep their basic packaging permanent like many Western brands do, but others will play around with the cases and lipstick tubes every couple seasons or so, keeping a fresh look and concept (Kate and Lavshuca do this often).

And I am genuinely impressed when companies think of new ways for us to apply our lipgloss other than plain sponge applicators!

Efficiency

You know what they say about Japanese engineering and attention to detail, right? It’s the same for the makeup. Only when I started playing with Shu Uemura did I finally find a mascara that didn’t run (and it wouldn’t come off without a fight either — “doh!”); only when I tried Shiseido Hydro Powder cream eyeshadows did I find a base that didn’t budge; and only when kitty punched me with her paw (we don’t talk about that day anymore):

Textures

I love the variety of textures available from Japanese makeup brands, especially the lipsticks and cream/liquid-based eyeshadows.

I’ve reviewed a number of cream colors on my blog here and here. These aren’t just the same old creamy textures we’ve seen so many times before. Some are water based, or light creams, thick creams, mousses, firm jellies, soft jellies…Phew!

Prices

Although some Japanese brands are ridiculously, eye wateringly expensive, my favourite ones are mid-priced to affordable (equivalent to drugstore brands). Even the brands that are sold in drugstores are extremely high quality, and in my opinion match many of the high-end Western brands in terms of pigmentation and finish.

Finally… the finish!

I find the many of the Japanese brands go for quite a shimmery, but natural look overall. This doesn’t mean that the products aren’t pigmented, but that many of them do suit being worn in quite a natural-glow-I-didn’t-even-try-hard way.

Japanese lipsticks are the best when it comes to creating a water based glossy finish, full of iridescent sparkles and glow and are never drying.

So without further ado, here are 5 brands which I think are lovely and you should try!

Jill Stuart

Jill Stuart may be better known for her fashion line, but her makeup and skincare range (exclusive to Japan) is just as good. The range stands out because its drop-dead gorgeous princessy silver packaging wins me over all the time.

Unfortunately, it’s fairly pricey at around $65 for a powder foundation and $45 for an eyeshadow quad (prices can vary a little).

Must try items: Jelly Eye color, the quads, fruit lip balm and lip lusters.

Kate

Kate is a drugstore-level brand made by Kanebo. It’s a funky, punky but pretty look, and the packaging is black and fairly basic, although they always find nice ways to present the shadow pans in the palettes. They have plenty of eyeshadow palettes, normally with 5 colours in each to play with, as well as a set of Gel eyeshadows I think are fab because they really last.

Must try items: Glam Trick Eyes palettes, Gel Eyeshadows, Gel Mascara.

MAQUillage

MAQUillag is a medium-end makeup brand made by Shiseido, aimed at a slightly older market than Kate. MAQUillage for me oozes class and quality, and I’m very rarely disappointed by a product they make. You can buy separate pans of cream and powder eyeshadows too to put together your own palette extravaganza!

Must try items: All the lip sticks and glosses (yep, all of them!), the eye creator palette (contains 2 cream shadows and 3 powders), and I personally love the Climax Moisture Foundation Compact.

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$19 Buxom Full-On Lip Polish: These 100 Lovely Ladies Love High-Shine Lips

April 30th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

I’ve always had a weird fascination with those personalized name tchotckes — like the little license plates, key chains, bottle openers and refrigerator magnets you always see at the airport on display in front of the periodicles stores.

I don’t know why, but I just love those little things, and the spinning kiosks, too. You twirl them around, looking for your name, and then voila! — there it is! Hopefully.

I’ve always gotten a big kick out of that… 🙂

Imagine my delight when I came across this new line of Full-On Lip Polish lipglosses ($19 each) from Buxom on all its spinning display glory at Sephora yesterday.

Of course I had to stop.

“For kisses that’ll keep them coming back for more, try this sheer, high-shine lip polish. It creates the look of fuller, more voluptuous lips with a refreshing tingling sensation and gentle plumping effect. Vitamins A and E help keep lips soft, supple, and protected, ensuring your smoothest moves ever.”

— sephora.com

Each of the glosses has her own name, so you can walk up to the display, twirl it around, and look for the gloss that matches your name.

How cute is that?!

The sheer, shimmering, glistening $19 Buxom Full-On Lip Polishes have been around for a while, but the brand just recently expanded the collection up to 100 shades (!).

Yes, I did find one called Karen, and I may or may not have giggled fiendishly when I saw that she’s a sparkling pink.

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Sky High Glimmer for $49 With Tom Ford’s Two New Sultry Lip Shimmers in Solar Gold and Moonlight

April 28th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Tom Ford Lip Shimmers in Solar Gold (left) and Moonlight (right) — New from the Tom Ford Summer 2014 collection: Lip Shimmers in Solar Gold (left) and Moonlight (right), $49 each

To wear whilst yacht/mansion shopping, and/or counting your gold bars, two new lipsticks from Tom Ford.

These new Lip Shimmers might be best suited for the die-hard Tom Ford Beauty fans among us, and other lovers of super sheer, glimmering $49 lipsticks.

Both sultry shades are new for summer 2014 and limited edition (including the gorgeous packaging).

Warm, glimmering Solar Gold and cool-toned frosty white Moonlight are packed with Vitamins C and E, as well as shea butter, to nourish and moisturize yo’ dry pout.

In terms of texture, fragrance and wear time, I do detect the faintest hint of vanilla when I wear these lightweight, slick, non-sticky lipsticks, but the formula only lasts about an hour on my lips.

Tom Ford Moonlight and Solar Gold Swatches — Swatches of Moonlight (left) and Solar Gold (right)

Tom Ford Lip Shimmer in Moonlight — Lip Shimmer in Moonlight

Tom Ford Lip Shimmer in Solar Gold — Lip Shimmer in Solar Gold

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