Makeup

Fame Awaits Eyes and Lips With Smashbox Shades of Fame: Pictures and Swatches

May 3rd, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

smashbox shades of fame

Smashbox has a thing for celebrity. Over the past year or so, they’ve featured film, photography and now straight-up fame, with the Smashbox Shades of Fame collection for summer 2012.

For eyes, there’s the $48 warm-toned Shades of Fame Eye Palette & Brush, with its nine powder shadows, two cream liners, a tiny tube of Photo Finish Lid Primer, dual-tipped eye brush and a tutorial booklet with step-by-step instructions to create three different looks.

And lips get love, too, with the $28 Shades of Fame Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss Set and its five frisky travel-size glosses in Candy, Buff, Hibiscus, Papaya and Star.

Star… Candy, a movie buff, wore a hibiscus in her hair when she accepted the Academy Award for her performance in Papaya Star.

LOL! Everyone wants to be a star. 🙂

Both sets are available now at Sephora stores and also online.

Here’s a closer look at spring’s Shades of Fame…

smashbox shades of fame eye palette 1

smashbox shades of fame eye palette 2

smashbox shades of fame eye palette 3

smashbox shades of fame eye palette 4
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The Bobbi Brown Miami Collection Beckons Beach Loving Babes

May 3rd, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

bobbi brown miami collection all

I think I still have sand in my ears and the tropics on my mind, because when I close my eyes, I can hear waves crashing, leaves rustling and chickens cock-a-doodle-doo’ing…

Wait — should I still be hearing chickens? That’s weird, isn’t it?

I guess part of me never left the island… It’s still back at Tunnels Beach on the North Shore of Kauai, lying on my straw beach mat in the shade, and looking up at the sky through a break in the jungle canopy and thinking, “This trip is gonna end way too soon.”

kauai tunnels beach

Oh, sure, I’m glad to be sleeping in my own bed again and glad to be back at home with my tubby Tabby/feline employer/plus-size kitty supermodel (right now he’s making county fair-sized biscuits on my tum!), but I haven’t completely let go of the tropics yet. Real or imagined, I can still feel sand sticking to the backs of my thighs and smell saltwater and sunscreen in my hair…

kauai tunnels beach

Bobbi Brown’s recently released beachy keen Miami Collection couldn’t have come at a better time. With the 12-piece, sand- and surf-inspired release of limited edition and permanent collection products, Bobbi is shoring up makeup and fragrance counters far and wide.

Shimmery shades of summery copper, pink, nude, gold, bronze and coral bedeck Bobbi’s Long-Wear Cream Shadows ($24 each), Treatment Lip Shines ($23 each) and Shimmery Cheek Glows ($39 each), while the Beach Eau de Parfum ($67.50) and Shimmering Fragrance Oil ($34) fill the air with the scent of liquid sunshine.

Come on over, have a seat here on the towel, and let’s watch the waves crash while we check out eight of the 12 pieces from the release… 🙂

bobbi brown miami collection long wearing eyeshadows
Long-Wear Cream Shadows from the left: Candlelight, Nude Beach and Copper
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I Have Mixed Emotions About the CK One Color Cream + Powder Blush Duo in Happiness

May 3rd, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

ck one happiness blush

I will never be able to hear the words, “Calvin Klein,” without immediately picturing Michael J. Fox’s purple underwear in Back to the Future, despite millions of dollars in marketing and hundreds of products released over more than four decades! Now that movie? That movie was happiness. 🙂

But not today — not according to CK One Color. Today, Happiness is a $25 blush duo, one of five in the new CK One Color makeup line.

The CK One Color Cream + Powder Blush Duo in Happiness pairs a hard-packed powder blush together with a softer cream blush. On my NC42 skin, the powder appears matte and peachy pink, while the cream looks like a peachy beige.

I think both are pretty — very pretty, in fact — but I’m still having a hard time falling in love with these colors… Hard, because that’s exactly how these colors have been to use (hard).

I usually like soft powder blushes, but this one here feels very hard. Like bedrock! It’s one of those powders that looks super sheer in swatches, but a little more pigmented when applied with a blush brush. Even using a brush, though, I think it’s still pretty sheer, and I find myself having to apply at least five layers to reach a level of pigment I’m happy with on my cheeks.

As for the cream half of the duo, it has a dry, silky, silicone-like texture that reminds me of solid balm primers like Benefit’s Dr. Feelgood. I like how it scoots across my cheeks, but I wish it stuck around a little longer, especially when I wear it by itself.

Worn alone, the cream side starts looking patchy on my skin after about three hours. Even so, that’s not my biggest concern about the product. That honor goes to the pores on my cheeks, which look BIG when I wear this. We’re talkin’ HUGE, as in super-sized.

Normally, I don’t feel like the pores on my cheeks are particularly large, but they certainly seem larger to me when I wear the cream half of Happiness. Just something to consider.

CK One says you can wear the cream and powder products separately or together, by layering the powder blush on top of the cream.

I get the best results when I layer them together, with the cream blush appearing less patchy, and the powder blush appearing a bit more pigmented and intense.

The wear time also improves. When I wear them together, I get about five hours, tops.

CK One Color Happiness Cream Powder Blush Duo

CK One Color Happiness Cream Powder Blush Duo 1
Powder blush on left and cream blush on right
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This Summer, Tarte Comes Bearing Gifts From the Lipstick Tree

May 2nd, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

tarte gifts from the lipstick tree
Wearing Tarte Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote on my lips

Even though I spent much of the past few days disheveled in some pretty remote places, makeup was never far from my mind.

Like on Monday, while trudging through tall grasses and traversing streams along the banks of the Wailua River, El Hub pointed out some of the fruit trees he recognized from his childhood (he grew up on the neighboring island of Oahu). “There’s a breadfruit tree, mango, papaya, guava…”

I kept hoping I’d also hear him say, “And there’s a lipstick tree,” as in Tarte’s new limited edition Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Color Collection ($42).

Leave it to Tarte to distract me in the middle of the jungle, LOL!

The limited edition set, part of Tarte’s 2012 summer collection, comes with three full-size lip and cheek products in a warm, shimmery golden pink called Achiote, after the name of the small tropical tree from which Tarte obtained the pigment.

The bright red seeds of the achiote tree’s spiny fruit are used to color all kinds of things, from food to body paint and even lipstick. Hence its nickname, “the lipstick tree.”

I’m pretty sure we didn’t pass any achiote trees on our hike, but I did snap this picture of a rare related plant that had Tarte’s Lip Luster, Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush and a Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss hanging from its branches…

Yeah, right! Now that would have been an awesome jungle find. 🙂

On my dry cheeks and lips, the blush lasts about six hours, while both of the lip products (which have a faint peppermint flavor and scent) last about three.

tarte gifts from the lipstick tree
Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection from bottom to top: LipSurgence Lip Luster in Achiote, Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote and Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Achiote

tarte summer 2012 swatches
From the left: Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush, LipSurgence Lip Luster in Achiote and Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Pink Poodle Lipglass

May 2nd, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

mac pink poodle lipglass

MAC obviously wants us to picture something very specific when we think of Pink Poodle Lipglass. Hmm… I wonder what that something could be. 🙂

If you turned up the dial on MAC Loud & Lovely Cremesheen, you’d create a Pink Poodle! Pink Poodle Lipglass, that is, a $14.50 pink with blue undertones.

mac pink poodle

mac pink poodle lipglass swatch
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Tango With Tangerine: Simple Ways to Wear Pantone’s Color of the Year

April 30th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

About the Author
This guest post was written by Radhika of Weekend Ramblings. You can also find Radhika on Twitter and Facebook.

The Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango Collection

Back when we were kids, my cousins and I spent a good deal of each summer vacationing at our grandma’s place. I don’t really remember how we spent our time (stealing mangoes, yes), but one thing I do remember clearly is the ice cream man.

Well, it wasn’t actually ice cream… More like frozen sticks of bright orange juice that prompted animated discussions about whose tongue was the most stained.

Sigh… Good times. 😀

Anyhow, that’s what I thought of when I saw Pantone’s Color of the Year, a bright reddish orange quite aptly named Tangerine Tango.

While I can see a bright tangerine pump making all the difference between drab and chic, I’ve always found it difficult to embrace bright orange makeup. Then, this year, it starts up popping up everywhere! — most notably perhaps in the much hyped Sephora + Pantone Tangerine Tango Collection.

Truth be told, I’m a little shy about venturing beyond beiges and browns, and it took me a while to build up the courage to try the colour. When I did, though, I caved and bought the set.

If you’re wondering how you can add a splash of tangerine to your look while staying firmly on the safer side of the colour spectrum, here are some options:

Tangerine eyes

Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango on the eyes
Sephora + Pantone eyeshadow quad and Tangerine Tango Twist eyeliner

The easiest way I’ve found to add the colour to my eyes is by using a tangerine eyeliner close to my lash line, which I usually smudge with some brown eyeshadow.

Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango on the eyes

MAC Coppering The Sephora palette comes with a tangerine eyeliner and an eye shadow quad, which is probably enough tangerine to last someone a lifetime!

If you’re looking for a drugstore option instead, try Maybelline Colour Tattoo eye shadow in Fierce & Tangy, or for a colour bound to outlast the current tangerine trend, try orangey copper MAC Coppering.

MAC Coppering and Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow Fierce and Tangy
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5 Wearable Orange Lipsticks for $13 or Less

April 28th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

About the Author
This guest post was written by NadÃ¨ge of Atomic BeautÃ©. You can also find NadÃ¨ge on Twitter and Facebook.

5 wearable orange lipsticks
Wearing Victoria’s Secret Lipstick in Cabana

The whole world’s obsessed with orange these days! — and by “world,” I mean the fashion and beauty industries. Since Pantone named Tangerine Tango the “Color of the Year,” I haven’t gone two seconds without seeing orange strut down a red carpet somewhere, or grace the pages of a magazine, or pose on a store shelf. Orange is an underrated, bold color, and many people don’t believe they can pull it off.

But they can! Here are five (non-limited edition) wearable orange lipsticks under $13 that are sure to work on any skin tone.

(In all of these pics, I’m wearing Sephora + Pantone Universe’s Apricot Brandy blush.)

Orange, orange everywhere

1. Victoria’s Secret Lipstick in Cabana ($13)

Victoria's Secret Lipstick in Cabana

Cabana is a sheer, coral-orange lipstick with gorgeous specks of gold and staying power of about two hours. It just gives lips a subtle pop of color.

2. Milani Lipstick in Bonfire ($5.49)

Wearing Milani Lipstick in Bonfire
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3 Easy Makeup Looks to Streamline Your Summer

April 27th, 2012 by Karen 45 Comments

About the Author
This guest post was written by Radhika of Weekend Ramblings. You can also find Radhika on Twitter and Facebook.

Makeup competes with other treats when summer rolls around

Having spent a good part of my life in South India, summers really aren’t my favorite time of year, and then there were those days in college walking around a campus without trees! Back then, my summer makeup routine consisted of a shaky line with a black eyeliner, and it hasn’t changed much over the years.

Sure, I take a little extra care with the moisturizer now, and try not to forget my sunscreen, but the last thing I want to do on a glorious (or sweltering!) summer day is spend time in front of the mirror on an elaborate makeup look. In summer, my priorities lie elsewhere, like in the frozen food aisle. 😀

The sooner I get out of the house, the better, and with that in mind, here are 3 quick makeup looks that I depend on each summer.

1. Fresh-faced and natural

This look has always been a favorite with my husband, and for a while I walked around with the mistaken belief that it had something to do with the way I look! Turns out, it has more to do with how fast I can be ready to head out the door.

Much as I hate accepting that he’s right about anything, the lazy side of me has to agree with him on this one. 😛 It’s not every day that I have passably clear skin, but on days that I do, this is my go-to makeup.

A fresh-faced natural summer makeup look

First, I dab some corrector/concealer on my dark circles to make them a little less scary. Then, I use a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen in it, and apply foundation only to my problem areas. I wait a few minutes for that to set, and then blot with a tissue to remove any excess. I finish with a powder to set — only on the shiny areas that need it the most, like around my nose and chin.

My summer makeup essentials

Next, I dust on a matte brown eyeshadow, a black liner for tightlining (I lift the upper eyelid slightly to help with the lining), and a dark mascara to brighten the eyes.

That’s it! All done — well, almost. Rather than using a bronzer, I prefer peach-coral blushes that give a natural flush of colour with a hint of summer tan. And a dab of coral or pink lipgloss.

A dab of coral or pink lipgloss
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