Makeup

Four Mallards Walk Into a Bar… Wait, I Mean, Behold the MAC Bare My Soul Eye Shadow X 4 Quad!

May 1st, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Because I generally try to avoid bubbling vats brimming with bacteria, I’m not the type to spend my summer nights hot tubbing (unless it’s with RyGos or J-Ren). But if I were, my dream scene would look something like this:

So totally feeling this makeup!

I was so excited about the MAC Temperature Rising collection’s highlighted skin, metallic, glossy lips and strong focus on smoldering eyes that toe a slightly menacing line between seductive and spooky that I tried to paint a picture of it over the phone to my mom (who never wants to talk about makeup), and the best I could come up with was, “The girl in the promo pic looks like Nelly Furtado sitting in a hot tub at night under a heat lamp wearing Mrs. Roper’s jewelry. Oh, and she’s sandwiched between two dudes from Magic Mike.”

With three neutral powder eye shadows and a single smokey green pan, Bare My Soul ($44) must be a hit among cool, stylish mallards… It has a brown, a taupe, a gold and a coppery green.

Quack! See, Mallard duck colors. The slightly shiny finish even says, “I’m a mallard duck, yo.”

What do hot mallards have to do with MAC Temperature Rising, the release to which Bare My Soul belongs?

Absolutely nothing, far as I can tell. 🙂 Well, the mallard part doesn’t, but the colors sure seem conducive to summery smokey eyes with copper, gold, bronze and brown.

I’ll use the taupe and gold for dusting all over my lids (and/or highlighting) and the chocolatey bronze and coppery green for deepening and smoking out my look.

MAC Bare My Soul swatches from the left: Romantico (a light taupe bronze with a Veluxe Pearl finish), Bare My Soul (a frosted gold with a Lustre finish), Friendly (a deep bronzy chocolate with a Veluxe Pearl finish) and When in Rio (a deep green with a copper pearl and a Frost finish) — Swatches from the left: Romantico (a light taupe bronze with a Veluxe Pearl finish), Bare My Soul (a frosted gold with a Lustre finish), Friendly (a deep bronzy chocolate with a Veluxe Pearl finish) and When in Rio (a deep green with a copper pearl and a Frost finish)

The coppery green, also known as When in Rio — jinx! You owe me a Coke if you thought, “That’s a Club dupe.” It reminds me a lot of MAC Club on my NC 42 skin, except a little more brown and less red.

I swear these powders feel softer than the powders in the past few limited edition quads, but I’m not totally sure why… Sure do like it though.

PRICE: $44
AVAILABILITY: Coming May 16 to maccosmetics.com and May 23 to MAC counters and stores
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saluting Summer With Six Splashy New Stick Shimmer Shadows: The Refreshingly Cool Chanel Stylo Eyeshadows

April 30th, 2013 by Karen 44 Comments

The six new $34 limited edition Chanel Stylo Eyeshadows in Moon River, Cool Gold, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore, Blue Bay and Black Stream

When an effortless, ethereal cream shadow collided with a twist-up stick to form Chanel’s first Stylo Eyeshadow, I wager it was like when Karl Lagerfeld met Choupette the cat — a match made in crazy cat lady (and dude!) heaven.

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadows from the left: Moon River, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore, Blue Bay, Black Stream, Cool Gold — From the left: Moon River, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore, Blue Bay, Black Stream, Cool Gold

Then, when some intrepid soul at Chanel added shimmer and glitter, it was like waltzing into the ritziest, fanciest Petco ever and finding an entire aisle dedicated to diamond-encrusted cat collars.

In other words, pretty freakin’ neat.

Add to that a bad-@ss cooling effect, and things get even better — like a battalion of drag queens with purple feather boas parachuting down into that same Petco carrying bedazzled cans of Gravy Lovers Fancy Feast while Haddaway’s What Is Love (Baby Don’t Hurt Me) blares over the store’s speakers.

Like I said — pretty freakin’ neat!

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The Four Glittery New MAC Temperature Rising Lipglasses Turn Up the Heat on Summer Eye Looks

April 30th, 2013 by Karen 28 Comments

MAC Soft Serenade Lipglass — Soft Serenade Lipglass

“It was a steamy night — hot like Manila in July — and I was feeling naughty.”

That could either be the beginning of a bad piece of pulp fiction or a commercial for MAC’s new 28-piece summer collection, Temperature Rising. Either way, it sounds hot, right?

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglasses from the left: Liquid Passion, Soft Serenade, Underdressed and Rhythm — From the left: Liquid Passion, Soft Serenade, Underdressed and Rhythm

If last year’s dimpled, cheerful Hey Sailor was a celebration of pin-up girl fun in the sun, this year’s Temperature Rising is like meeting a boy at a dubstep club and dancing your @ss off past curfew.

Steamy neutrals, feverish flecks of gold and copper and sizzling taupe, peach, magenta and charcoal set this new 28-piece collection ablaze.

It’s hot stuff! — and I want to watch it burn all day and night…

Stay hydrated, because the four Lipglasses ($16.50 each) in this launch can cause overheating, especially if you like wearing neutral lips with bold summer eyes.

Together, creamy nude Liquid Passion (like a peachier version of Spite); pearly, neutral pink Soft Serenade; pearly, plummy bronze Underdressed and pearly magenta-violet Rhythm complete an entire wardrobe of neutral summer lips, covering you for everything from bronze smokey eyes to eye looks with shimmery blues and greens.

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass Swatches from the left: Liquid Passion, Soft Serenade, Underdressed and Rhythm — Swatches from the left: Liquid Passion, Soft Serenade, Underdressed and Rhythm

MAC Liquid Passion Lipglass — Liquid Passion Lipglass

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For Zesty Lashes, Try Chanel Zest Inimitable Mascara, Which Just Might Be the Weirdest Mascara I Never Thought I’d Like

April 30th, 2013 by Karen 47 Comments

Oh, Chanel Zest Inimitable Mascara, you fabulous, adorable weirdo… Why on earth would anyone want to wear yellowish orange mascara, I mean, unless they had a coffee date with a handsome actor/spaceship captain at a comic book convention?

It’s just so…strange, and not at all what I imagine emerging from the sacred, hallowed halls of La Maison de Chanel, where I picture everyone wearing tweed jacket uniforms and strands of pearls, and stilettos click and clack down dystopian halls.

And yet here it is — Zest.

Waterproof, and designed for volume, length, curl and lash separation, Zest only looks like a blinking yellow streetlight. It’s actually one of four kooky, colorful limited edition Inimitable mascaras in the new L’Ã‰tÃ© Papillon de Chanel summer collection on counters now.

I look at Zest and think that someone in Chanel’s eye makeup department went bat sh*t cray! — but in the best possible way. Like, Karl locked up all the creatives in a room with some hella good vino and The Hunger Games looping on a big screen TV and wouldn’t let them out until they came up with something totally weird, crazy and cool that still captured the Chanel vibe.

Chanel Summer 2013 — A Capitol-approved makeup look

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On This Nude Beach, the Clothing May Be Optional, But Moisturizing, Shiny Lip Color Is Required: The Bobbi Brown Tube Tints From the Nude Beach Collection

April 29th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

My makeup mantra this summer: all roads lead to surfer chicks and Las Vegas showgirls.

But there’s a problem with this — and you might not think it would be an issue, but it is! It’s hard to find beachy nude glosses that I can actually see on my lips.

They’re either so milky and opaque that I look like a third-tier backup dancer in a Nicki Minaj video, or so completely sheer that I look like I just gave up and used that crusty jar of Carmex that’s been sitting at the bottom of my bag since the mid-2000s.

I’m looking for that perfect blend of laid back beach babe, rhinestones, feather boas and glam, and I think I found it over at Bobbi Brown.

Bobbi Brown Tube Tint Swatches — Swatches from the left: Naked, Bronzed Pink, Pink Cloud and Air Kiss

Bobbi Brown Pink Cloud Tube Tint — Pink Cloud Tube Tint

Bobbi Brown Bronzed Pink Tube Tint — Bronzed Pink Tube Tint

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NARS Hearts New York City, and So Do I

April 29th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

I have this workout playlist called “Power Boost” that I keep in my back pocket to get me through the last (usually painful) mile of my runs, when all I feel like doing is stopping, plopping down on the ground, and passing out in a puddle of sweat.

One of the songs on it is Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind, and sometimes when I’m running on the treadmill at home I’ll sing the chorus — “New Yooooooork!” — at the top of my burning lungs, between panting and gasping for air.

Sometimes I also sing this…

I sing it with so much verve that someone who didn’t know me might even think I’m from New York.

Which wouldn’t be a problem for me. I’ve only been there once, but I mean, it’s New York. Once was enough to fall in love. We spent a few days sightseeing over Thanksgiving back in 2004, and it was so much fun. We got bagels and coffee and watched the Macy’s parade from the sidewalk by the park.

The Bay Area, though, has always had my heart…

My family lives here, and it’s where I grew up, so I’ll just have to be content admiring NYC from afar and getting my fixes in other ways, like with the new NARS Hearts New York City set ($75).

Complete with an Eye & Cheek Palette and a full-sized lip gloss and nail polish, the limited edition set pulses with top-selling NARS shades from New York.

NARS Hearts New York City all open — Clockwise from the nail polish: Chinatown Nail Polish, Dolce Vita Lip Gloss and the Eye & Cheek Palette

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Satin Breathes Life Into These MAC Nudes From the New MAC Nudes & Metallics Collection

April 24th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Wholesome Lipstick — Wearing the Nude shades from the new MAC Nudes & Metallics collection

First things first: I have accidentally typed the words, “MAC Nudes & Metallica,” one too many times this afternoon.

Second thing: get your butt back in that chair! I know, I know… Another neutral collection for eyes, lips and cheeks?!

But check it. There’s an Olivia Pope-esque elegance to the nine pieces in the MAC Nudes sub-collection, so don’t whip your ponytail just yet. These are the kinds of neutrals I’d wear to a corner office gig if I had a Prada and Gucci budget.

Nudes, the quieter neutral half of the new MAC Nudes & ~~Metallica~~ Metallics collection, is available now exclusively at MAC Pro stores.

The blush and the four splendid, expensive-looking eye shadows feel soft, like tracing fingers across silk sheets, and the satin finish breathes life into the sheer pink and tan shadow shades, each of which comes in a warm and cool tone.

As for the four creamy Lipsticks, MAC’s Amplified finish gives them a slight sheen that’s sure to garner some attention (although if your lips are very pigmented like mine, you might want to blank them out first with concealer to accentuate the nuances among the colors).

Are you ready? Let’s get Nude…

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Bare Minimum Eye Shadow — Bare Minimum Eye Shadow, a soft and sheer pinkish nude with pearl and a satin finish ($15)

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Body Conscious Eye Shadow — Body Conscious Eye Shadow, a warm and sheer mid-toned nude with a satin finish ($15)

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Exposed Eye Shadow — Exposed Eye Shadow, a sheer, neutral, mid-toned warm nude with a satin finish ($15)

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Sink Your Fangs Into the Metallics From the New MAC Nudes & Metallics Collection

April 24th, 2013 by Karen 29 Comments

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Subverted Lipstick — MAC Subverted Lipstick…

Late last night, outside in a field under the light of the full moon (or was it the lamp on the nightstand by my bed?), I brought a frosted, deep plum lipstick from the MAC Nudes & Metallics collection up to my lips and thought, “On my list of favorite supernatural things…turning into a vampire ranks way down near the bottom.”

There’s the whole blood thing, the vampire politics, the aversions to garlic and ultraviolet light, the blood…

It just seems so very, very depressing.

But I guess if I weren’t given a choice in the matter and suddenly found myself turned into a vampire, I wouldn’t be taking my style cues from the squeaky clean Cullens up in Forks. Hell, no! I’d go the Underworld route (mostly because of the interesting makeup potential).

Picture it: dark eyes, dark lips and chiseled cheeks. Frosted deep reds, browns, berries and purples.

Seductive meets sumptuous meets scary, like the nine pieces from the MAC Metallics collection, one of two sub-collections from the limited edition Nudes & Metallics release, available now exclusively at MAC Pro stores.

Clad in any mix of Metallic’s four lipsticks, four eye shadows and its solitary blush, you’ll be so ready to pursue your prey. As you confronted him/her/them (whatevs, you’re hungry!) in a dark alley, they wouldn’t know whether they should attempt to run away, try to make out with you, or ask you what you’re wearing on your eyes, cheeks and lips.

Here’s a quick look at eight of the nine pieces…

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Brazenly Eye Shadow — Brazenly Eye Shadow, a deep metallic purple with a Veluxe Pearl finish ($15)

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Crimson Tryst Eye Shadow — Crimson Tryst Eye Shadow, a deep metallic dirty berry with a Veluxe Pearl Finish ($15)

MAC Nudes & Metallics: Deep Fixation Eye Shadow — Deep Fixation Eye Shadow, a metallic brown with a Veluxe Pearl finish ($15)

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