Makeup

Whether You’re Couch Surfing or Man Hunting, the Latest NARS Lipstick Comes Dressed to Kill

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 30 Comments

Today my lipstick was dressed to kill, but I was not.

I wore the new NARS Dressed to Kill lipstick ($24, from the spring 2013 collection) on my lips to go with my hot pink capri sweatpants and black hoodie (heart you, Zella Galaxy!!).

So I guess that made me, “Dressed to sit on the couch and watch bad reality TV.” Or, “Dressed to pass out at any given moment.” Or, “Dressed to sit drooling on the couch while completely covered in cat hair.”

Clearly, I missed the memo, as this rich, plummy brick red, with its golden glitter sprinkles, deserves better than that. It deserved to strut down the street with skintight jeans, over-the-knee black boots and a sassy leather jacket.

It deserves man-eater clothes. And you deserve Dressed to Kill. 🙂

nars dressed to kill — Dressed to Kill Lipstick ($24)

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New Stila 10-in-1 Beauty Balms, Philosophy Field of Flowers Spray Fragrances and Good Ol’ Fashioned Friday Foolery

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

You know, I can’t say I’ve had the most productive Friday…

Good grief, lady! — I have not been able to concentrate for squat!

It’s called “Friday brain,” and symptoms include an inability to concentrate on important tasks, like bill paying, making phone calls for work and catering to your cat’s weird whims (such as carrying him up and down the stairs), and an enhanced ability to focus on frivolous, fun tasks, like looking up movie times, doing the robot to that catchy Bruno Mars song (Locked Out of Heaven) or going to Sephora.

DO THE ROBOT!!

Which reminds me, I ran into Sephora earlier this afternoon to grab a new bottle of Living Proof Restore Shampoo, because it keeps my hair from acting wonky, and I spotted a couple of new things while I was there.

Like these new Stila Beauty Balms…

I seem to recall Stila having another beauty balm, but I don’t think that one contains SPF. All three of these new ones do — broad-spectrum SPF 30 — which means they protect against UVA and UVB rays.

The one in the white tube on the far left, HD Beauty Balm — I think that one is supposed to work like a straight-up primer; Illuminating Beauty Balm, the one in the peachy tube, is supposed to give a brightening glow to the skin; and the Bronzing Beauty Balm, the third one, is supposed to impart a bronze tint.

All of them also claim to do a bunch of other cool things, like priming the skin for makeup, mellowing out imperfections and fortifying the skin with antioxidants…

I didn’t try them on my face in the store, but I did swatch, and based on the swatches, I liked the texture. They felt fairly light, not overly greasy or heavy (all three are oil-free), and when I rubbed them in, my skin had a slight sheen (but still looked pretty natural).

Should be good for girls who don’t like to wear a ton of foundation.

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Zombie Preparedness 101: In Case of Emergency, Grab Chanel’s Rouge Allure Lipsticks From the Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Chanel Rouge Allure Fantasque 112 — Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Fantasque ($34), one of six lipsticks from the Chanel Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

After much thought and deliberation about the inevitable zombie apocalypse — because we all know it’s only a matter of time — I’ve come to the realization that when the sh*t goes down, my zombie transformation will probably come sooner than later.

So, instead of wasting time honing skills like wilderness survival and close-quarters combat, and instead of squirreling away baseball bats and brain-slashing instruments under my bed, I’m going to stuff my “In Case of Zombie Emergency” kit, not with canned foods and medicine, but with Chanel.

Lots and lots of Chanel. 🙂

First thing to add? The four Rouge Allure lipsticks ($34 each) and two Rouge Allure Velvets ($34) from the Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 collection.

Chanel Printempts Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 — From the left: Captivante, Envoutante, Fantasque, Precieuse, La Favorite and L’Eclatante

chanel printemps precieux de chanel lip swatchesa — Swatches from the left: L’Eclatant, La Favorite, Fantasque, Precieuse, Envoutante and Captivante

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in L'Eclatante 42 — Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Eclatante 42

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For Spring 2013, NARS Is Putting Peppy Pigments on a Pedestal

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 42 Comments

nars spring 2013 makeup collection — A gander at the new NARS Spring 2013 collection…

3 things that brightened my day…

1. The realization that I’m finally, again (since I watched the show once before), on the last season of The Hills.

I KNOW! Allegedly, Kristin and Brody have decided to get back together…

Whatev. I haven’t really been paying attention since LC left (and I also remember what happened from watching it the first time), but I feel like I’m in so deep that I can’t stop now.

2. Tabs has been so totally into me all day long! 🙂

He had been ignoring me most of the week but for some weird reason today decided I was worthy of his presence, so he’s been following me around the house and sleeping on my lap.

Yeah, I knew Tabs was big…but he looks ginormous in this picture (they say the camera adds 10 pounds). I don’t know, maybe it’s the angle? That, or he’s just a frickin’ huge-@ss cat.

3. And lastly, the NARS Spring 2013 collection! 🙂

No, literally, it brightened my day. See the blue eyeshadow there in the Mad Mad World Duo…?

That’s bright. Like Katy Perry’s blue wig bright.

And that green is no joke, either. After I swatched and photographed it, I cleaned up, and then a few minutes later noticed that my finger had a green stain!

This collection has some serious Roy Gee Biv action happening — red, orange, yellow, green, blue and — not exactly a violet, but more of a purplish pink.

I have a feeling this one’s gonna drive the color-lovers wild, and because of the amount of pigment these pieces pack, I bet they’ll rock the house on darker divas.

Eyes, nails, lips and faces (there are two face powders in the release, both called Translucent Crystal, one pressed and one loose) have something to look forward to here.

nars mad mad world — Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars bouthan — Bouthan Duo Eyeshadow ($34)

nars persia — Persia Single Eyeshadow ($24)

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A Tasty Trio Tempts Too Faced Fans Who Flush at the Thought of a Perfect Blush: The New Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

too faced perfect flush blush — Wearing the new Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow ($29)

I can’t stop thinking about that slumber party on Saturday…

I know, I know — what’s a 30-something-year-old woman doing talking about slumber parties? Well, it was probably the most fun I’ve had in months.

Sorry! I keep re-living it over and over in my mind. Please bear with me a little longer before we get to the new $29 Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush from Too Faced…

That night, Jen and I had a conversation about babies. She has a son, Nico, who’s a little over a year old now. Jen says he has a sixth sense where he’s able to detect whenever she’s nearby.

Even if she’s hidden from view (like behind a wall), he’ll shoot his arms out in her direction, like he’s sending out invisible baby radar waves to pinpoint her exact location, and I’ve been wondering if a sense like that might exist for makeup.

Here’s my theory: beauty gals/guys give off a signal that alerts all makeup artists within a 2-mile radius to their presence, letting them known that “easy prey” is approaching.

It’s like, I walk up to a beauty counter, and a silent alarm goes off — beep, beep, beep! “She’s coming! Hurry, everyone! Get ready!”

When I’m vulnerable like that, all I have to do is see something cute at a counter, like the Too Faced Sweetheart Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow, a tasty trio of pink, coral and peach colors all striped together like Neapolitan ice cream, and I’m like, “Sold, bitches!” 🙂

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The YSL Spring 2013 Makeup Collection: Satisfy Lemmings for Light Green Lacquers by Layering Jade Imperial on Your Nails

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 36 Comments

Doop-da-dooo… Just sitting here in my car in the rain, swatching and thinking about the new Yves Saint Laurent Spring 2013 makeup collection.

Yesterday, on the way back home from lunch in the city with my friend Kate, I stopped by the mallÂ for, ya know, “educational purposes.” While there, I fell under a brief trance in front of a YSL display…

GURL, ever since Chanel’s Jade polish rocked my world, I’ve had weak knees for light green nail polishes, like this limited edition one (Jade Imperial) from YSL.

It’s creamy, and just bright enough to steer it safely out of baby poo khaki territory. 🙂

I even love its name: Jade Imperial. I walked out of Nordstrom without it, but then in my car in the parking lot, looking at it on my nail (notice how I said, “nail”? LOL!), I came this close to going back in for it, but it was getting late in the day, and I wanted to beat traffic, so I drove away empty-handed (except for the one nail…).

BAY AREA FUN FACT: here in Marin county where I live, the one main highway is called the 101. It runs north-south from Washington State down to Southern California, about 1,550 miles, along what was once the old trail which linked the Spanish missions, pueblos and presidios along the U.S. West Coast.

Oh, and if you’re on it between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., you’re probably not moving faster than 20 miles per hour.

The kinda bright, pastel-ish quad in the display pic also caught my eye. I tried to track it down, but it wasn’t on display yet for some reason.

Among the things I did spy from the collection while I was there were two $55 quads — Pure Chromatics No. 5 and No. 19. Both reminded me of the Smashbox eye palettes I swatched the other day from the new Love Me collection, because, like those, these were super creamy, soft and shimmery.

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Flaky Lips Don’t Stand a Chance Against Magically Moisturizing MAC Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm in Slightly Nude

January 9th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

mac slightly nude tinted lip balm — Wearing the new MAC Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm in Slightly Nude ($19.50), one of five shades from the new AprÃ¨s Chic collection

Dude, if your lips flake at the mere mention of the word, “dry,” take a look at MAC’s new $19.50 Mineralize Tinted Lip Balms (available in five shades).

Granted, they’re $19.50 each…which is kind of expensive for a lip balm. True that. But Slightly Nude, the color I’ve been wearing lately, isn’t your average balm.

As a connoisseur of lip balms, and as someone who suffers from dry, flaky lips every winter, I almost always have at least a few balmy lippies around, like in my desk, my purse…

Heck, if I could, um, I’d put a little pack on Tabs and fill it with lip balms. 🙂

This one, Slightly Nude, lavishes my lips with moisture. The second I slick it on, I can almost hear my lips sigh, “ahhh…” And just like that, no more flakes, and my lips feel smoother and softer.

Plus, I think the color looks cute, too.

A nude coral with a hint of pink pearl (like a clear tint of peachy coral), Slightly Nude only pretends to be completely sheer. It actually has a noticeable amount of pigment and even a little shimmer, although the shimmer keeps a very low profile. I can’t really see it once it’s applied.

I love how natural Slightly Nude looks on my lips, and I think it’s a nice break from the heavier, full-coverage lipsticks I wore a lot over the holidays.

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Look Like You Tried Without Looking Overdone by Treating Your Cheeks to Laura Mercier CrÃ¨me Cheek Colour in Oleander and Praline

January 9th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

laura mercier arabesque collection creme cheek colour — Wearing Laura Mercier’s new CrÃ¨me Cheek Colour in Oleander ($24) from the new Arabesque collection for spring 2013

In the comments this week, quite a few folks have asked, “What blush are you wearing?” which I take as a testament to Laura Mercier’s fabulousness.

You know something’s going well when after almost every pic you post of yourself, someone wants to know what you’re wearing on your cheeks. 🙂

I’ve been wearing the two $24 CrÃ¨me Cheek Colours, Oleander and Praline, from Laura’s new Arabesque collection for spring, and both of them love mugging for the camera.

They photograph really well and do a bang-up job of brightening, both in front of and behind the camera. Both of them give a nice flush to cheeks without looking overdone, or like you’re wearing too much makeup (perfect for a first date).

The colors aren’t new, but their packaging is, and thank gawd! — because the old packaging used to be a bear to close. Technically, both are re-promotes from the permanent collection.

I’ve actually worn the pink blush from this release, Oleander, off and on since 2007.

laura mercier oleander praline swatches — Swatches of Oleander on the left and Praline on the right

laura mercier arabesque lipstick — Praline

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