Makeup

Provocative Pinks and Purples Play Atop Lips and Tips in Guerlain’s Crazy Paris Holiday Collection

October 2nd, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Guerlain Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative — Crazy for Guerlain’s Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative ($49.50)

The “crazy” in Guerlain’s latest limited edition expedition, Crazy Paris, really seems to come through in the lipsticks and nail polishes, and to that I say, HAWT DAMN, PEOPLE! Bring on the crazy!

Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative ($49.50)

With its crazy long name, Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative is 50 cents shy of 50 bucks, and that hurts, but if you’ve fallen in love with the idea of this creamy opaque hot pink but aren’t ready to throw down $49.50 for it, perhaps MAC Impassioned could (at least temporarily) quell that urge.

Buuuuut if you are ready to trade in that Camry for a BMW, Guerlain’s Rouge Gs are like the luxury cars of the lipstick world…and if that makes any sense at all (it doesn’t), 863 is the model that makes your boy toy jealous. We’re talking moonroof, heated leather seats and satellite navigation.

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Guerlain Goes Pink, Peach and Glitter To Commune With the New Crazy Paris Holiday Collection

October 2nd, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Wearing the new Guerlain Crazy Paris Collection’s Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls and Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer

Normally, I’d worry about this much glitter, peach and pink turning completely loco (together, in quantities this large, they could easily go the children’s playtime makeup territory route, ya know?!), but with Guerlain, I feel like I’m in good hands.

The elegant way they handle the finishes and textures of their face and body products always just werks, and this year, with their new limited edition Crazy Paris holiday collection, they even manage to make body glitter luxurious (yup, body glitter).

Buckle up, babe, ’cause we’re headed to Crazy Paris… 🙂

Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls ($58)

Guerlain Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls

These colorful, shimmery highlighting powdered pearls look like little candies (note: but they’re not). To use ’em, just take your brush (I usually use a skunk or blush brush), poke it in the jar, and swirl (like highlighter jambalaya), picking up a mixture of the colors.

Guerlain usually releases a different limited edition version of these pearls with their seasonal collections, tweaking them slightly to suite each release.

This time around the pearls come in a combination of beige, purplish white, gold, light pink and hot pink that when mixed together create a pinkish golden sheen with flecks of silver glitter.

Pretty! The color plays well with the lip and eye colors in the Crazy Paris collection.

You may love these if you like highlighters that don’t shout from the rooftops, because the overall effect is very sheer. I’d say it’s more like a subtle brightening effect — one that casual passers by may not even notice — than a five-alarm fire.

A makeup artist/enthusiast pal, however, would surely catch the flecks of glitter shining on the high points of your cheeks, and how the soft sheen looks like powder puff lighting.

It’s a gentle, luminous effect that should look absolutely lovely on light and medium skin tones.

Might get a little lost on darker divas, though…

MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer ($69)

Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer packaging — Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer

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The New Guerlain Crazy Paris Eye Palette: It’s Easy To Go Cuckoo for Crazy Paris and Its Wearable Pink

October 1st, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

That pink shadow trying to steal the spotlight in Guerlain’s new Crazy Paris Eye Palette? — yep, I’m a believer. It’s surprisingly wearable.

That’s one of the things I think Guerlain does really well — make eye-catching colors wearable. They can take kinda kooky, crazy eye colors and transform them into colors I actually feel comfortable wearing around town.

It’s a rare form of makeup magic.

The re-opening of Guerlain’s flagship boutique at 68 Champs-Ã‰lysÃ©es in the dazzling City of Lights inspired the $86 Crazy Paris Eye Palette and the rest of the 10-piece Crazy Paris Holiday collection.

I won’t claim to understand how they do it (because it’s obviously magic), but in the case of the pink shadow here, one of four shimmery shadows in the palette, they dialed down the opacity a bit, leaving just enough pigment to maintain its power, but not so much that it overwhelms.

And then there’s the bodacious, buttery blending. I barely have to flick my wrist, and the pink practically melts into the other eyeshadows — a shimmery copper, shimmery golden beige, and shimmery white gold.

One word: wow.

Be sure to tap off your brush first, though, as I’ve observed some minor fallout (a little annoying, considering the price)…

Guerlain Crazy Paris Eye Palette swatch — Swatches from the left: copper eyeshadow, golden beige eyeshadow, white gold eyeshadow, pink eyeshadow, black powder eyeliner, grayish taupe powder eyeliner

In addition to the shadows, the kit contains two wet/dry powder eyeliners in matte black and matte grayish taupe and, yup, they’re just as buttery.

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Tom Ford’s Lipsticks Better Look Out Because L’Oreal’s La Laque and Le Matte Colour Riche Lipsticks Have It Out for Them

October 1st, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

L'oreal Lacquer-ized La Laque — That’s L’Oreal’s new La Laque Colour Riche Lipstick in Lacquer-ized, a shiny purple

Question: When does one part lipstick plus one part lip liner equal 100% pure awesome (or close to it)? Answer: When we’re talking about one of L’Oreal’s new Colour Riche La Laque and Le Matte Lipsticks.

To me, the La Laque and Le Mattes are among the most exciting drugstore lippie launches this fall, mainly because of how much crazypants pigment they pack.

That and — holy cannoli! — they’re only $8 a pop.

L'Oreal La Laque in Lacquer-ized on the left and Le Matte in She's So Matte on the right — La Laque in Lacquer-ized on the left and Le Matte in She’s So Matte on the right

I snagged two of them at Rite Aid last weekend on BOGO sale (buy one, get one 50% off) and now wish I’d gotten more.

L'Oreal Le Matte in She's So Matte on the left and La Laque in Lacquer-ized on the right — Le Matte in She’s So Matte on the left and La Laque in Lacquer-ized on the right

They actually remind me of Tom Ford lipsticks…which is freaky, considering the difference in price. Similar texture, smooth formula and uber-high levels of pigment.

Sure, you might not get the same thrill holding one of these that you get from holding one of Tom’s lipsticks in your paw, but then there’s the savings.

WOW!

Loreal La Laque and Le Matte Colour Riche Lipsticks — If you see this display at the drugstore, stop, drop and roll, ’cause these new lipsticks are hot!

L’Oreal divides the line into two different finishes — the shiny La Laques and the matte Le Mattes — and bills them as all-in-one lipsticks and liners.

They’re opaque enough to completely cover my lips in a single, intensely colorful layer, and apply without caking or feathering.

Just so, so smooth…

The texture’s on the thicker side, which I like, because it seems to lock the color to my lips for a good 4-5 hours, and as far as flavors and scents, they have both. It’s a faint light rose that fades over about 10 minutes.

L'Oreal La Laque Colour Riche Lipstick in Lacquer-ized — La Laque Colour Riche Lipstick in Lacquer-ized

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Vivid Enough to Tussle With a MAC Lipglass, EstÃ©e Lauder’s Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquers Flaunt Powerhouse Pigment

September 30th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer — Wearing EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer in Peach Glass

I think that over the course of almost every MAC-aholic’s time as a semi-professional MAC makeup hoarder/enthusiast, there’s a period during which Lipglasses are, like, the end all, be all pinnacles of lip glossy-ness, and everything else might as well be a sub-par knockoff sitting on a folding card table on a sketchy street corner sidewalk being sold by some guy named Zipper, know what I mean?

For me, that period was the late ’90s, when if I couldn’t have MAC Spite or Nymphette, I didn’t want anything at all.

But times change. Eventually, my eyes (and makeup bag) opened to new possibilities, with the possibilities in this case being different glosses.

Thank goodness, too, because I would have kicked myself for missing these new potently pigmented Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquers from EstÃ©e Lauder ($25 each), a new line of 12 long-wearing glosses available now.

Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer Swatches — Swatches from the left: Amber Glow, Peach Glass, Liquid Petals, Wet Plum, Melting Sun and Ruby Glow

Basically, they’re like MAC Lipglasses raised on a high-pigment diet and taught to wield a flocked applicator instead of MAC’s doe foot. They’re also unscented and unflavored.

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The New $10 Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow Palette in Desert Fantasy: When YSL Makeup Fantasies and Bangin’ Budget Drugstore Palettes Collide

September 30th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Maybelline Eye Studio in Desert Fantasy — It’s not a fantasy all. It’s real — the limited edition $9.99 Maybelline Eye Studio Plush Silk palette in Desert Fantasy…

For a penny less than $10 (and sometimes less than that on sale), these Maybelline Eye Studio Plush Silk palettes are some of the best drugstore palettes around.

I’d been so really impressed by the couple I picked up earlier this year in Sapphire Sire and Give Me Gold (both permanent, so you should still be able to find them in stores) that I recently went back for more.

They’re packed with pigment and therefore easy to build up in layers (read: I don’t have to spend hella time buildnig up the colors), and it only takes a few swipes from my brush to blend the colors together, which makes them great for gradients and looks involving multiple shadows.

Plus, I can totally swoosh these on my lids in the morning, do my cat’s bidding all day long, and know that my eyeshadow will look just as fresh at gravy time 8-10 hours later.

Until today, though, it never occurred to me just how similar these are to YSL’s (much more expensive) eyeshadows. In the case of Desert Fantasy, the tabby tum-like texture, seamless blending and creative combination of colors remind me of something you might find basking on a Yves Saint Laurent counter.

If you’ve got YSL dreams on a Pop Tart budget, it’s dream time, babe! Catwalk down to your favorite drugstore, and check out these palettes.

There are a number of potentially winning palettes in the permanent line, but don’t miss the four limited edition “Fall 2013 On the Runway” palettes ($9.99 each).

Ohmigosh! — they’re seriously beautiful.

Maybelline Fall 2013 On the Runway — The entire Maybelline “Fall 2013 On the Runway” collection…

They feature brown, gold, black and khaki neutrals; and dreamy jewel-toned teal, blue and purple. When I bumped into them the other day at Rite Aid (I wanted a Vitamin Water), I was like, “Oooh, this one needs a nice lady to adopt her… And this one. AND MAYBE THAT ONE TOO!” 🙂

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Try $22 Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel for Fuller-Looking Brows

September 26th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium — Wearing Benefit’s Gimme Brow in Light/Medium in my brows

Gimme brows.

Gimme brows, I said!

That’s like a beauty lover’s battle cry… “Gimme brows, dagnabbit!” 🙂

Mine have grown out quite a bit since last spring, which is when I decided to leave them to their natural tendencies.

Well, mostly natural. I still tweeze a stray hair every now and then, just to keep myself from looking like a tiny Sasquatch, but for the most part, I let them go wild.

I want my brows so lush, full and bold that passersby do double-takes and say to themselves, “Damn! That girl’s got BROWS!”

Benefit’s new Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel ($22) got my attention because of that word, “Volumizing”

I actually don’t know if volumizing is a real word outside of haircare and mascara circles, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?

Vol-yume-eye-zing.

Cute little tube too, yeah? And that mini brush? It’s designed to be very precise.

The brush-on waterproof gel formula adheres to both hair and skin and comes in two build-able, natural-looking shades — Light/Medium and Medium/Deep — and you can apply them in multiple layers to strengthen the look.

With brow fillers, I typically go a few shades lighter than my natural brow color because I think that looks less stark and obvious. That’s why I thought Light/Medium would be better for my fuzzy little caterpillars…

Unfortunately, I think it turned out to be a tad too light for me, but I still found a lot to like.

Benefit Gimme Brow swatch in Light/Medium — Swatch of Light/Medium…

The gel formula is highly pigmented and really adheres to hair and skin with firm hold. In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could build a bold brow with just this alone, and it would last all day.

None of that funky crunchiness, either, that accompanies some brow gels. This formula holds firm but doesn’t get crunchy.

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Post-Dental Beauty Bribery Featuring Yves Saint Laurent and Bobbi Brown Fall 2013 Swatches

September 25th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

K in the mirror — Who’s that cat lady at the mall?!

Okay, so I know I always hem and haw whenever I have to go to the dentist (I can’t help it. I’m a crybaby.), but I had some seriously traumatic dental experiences as a child.

I’m way better now, though. Now I only slightly freak out before my appointments. 🙂

Today my plan of attack was pretty simple: just don’t cry. So I took a ton of deep breaths, tried not to clench my fists in the chair, said comforting things to myself like, “You’re doing great. Everything’s going to be fine. This isn’t bad at all.” And, of course, I exercised beauty bribery.

I gotta admit, that stuff really works. I told myself that if I didn’t cry at the dentist’s office today, I could pop by the mall on my way home, and wouldn’t ya know it? I didn’t shed a tear, which goes to show ya — that’s the healing power of shopping centers right there.

Of course, the mall doesn’t get all the credit. It also helped that the gal who did my cleaning, Kim, happened to be a beauty junkie and fellow MAC fan (Hey, Kim!), so we had a lot to talk about.

When Kim finished and I left the office with my new toothbrush, some floss, a freshly cleaned night mouth guard (SEXY) and one of those pointy rubber thing-a-ma-bobbers to clean my gums, I made a b-line for Nordstrom’s Yves Saint Laurent and Bobbi Brown counters.

Sigh… I could’ve stayed there all night long, but then I thought, Who would do my tubby tabby’s bidding?

Must hurry up and get swatches.

YSL Fall Look 2013 Swatches

Starting with the four swatches in the top row from the left: the City Drive Classy Palette ($55)
Top row, three swatches on the right: the Top Secrets BB Cream Skintone Perfector in Light, Medium and Dark ($50 each)
Middle row: the City Drive Arty Palette ($55)
Bottom row, the two swatches on the left: Blush Radiance in 09 and 10 ($45 each)
Bottom row, the three swatches on the right: Rouge Pur Couture Lip Color in 1, 51 and 54 ($34 each)

Bobbi Brown Katie Palette, $68 — The Bobbi Brown Katie Palette ($68)

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