Makeup

Get Ready for More Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Blushes and Bronzers This March

February 17th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

bareMinerals Ready Bronzer Next month Bare Escentuals bareMinerals, a line primarily known for their mineral eyeshadows, blushes and foundations in loose form, presses further ahead into the world of pressed makeup within pans and compacts.

It begs the question: are you ready?

Last fall the line leapt into pressed powders, introducing a new family of eyeshadow duos and quads called Ready, and they’re expanding the Ready brood this spring with 13 new blushes and bronzers.

Using only natural colorants and the brand’s proprietary blend of positively-charged sea minerals, antioxidants and other ingredients known to deliver anti-aging benefits for softer, smoother skin, the Ready Blushes ($22 each) and Ready Bronzers ($24 each) might look like a powder, but they feel like a cream.

bareMinerals says they devised a way to press these products into a solid while preserving benefits normally lost through conventional methods. Using cold-pressed carrot oil for the bronzers and cold-pressed camellia flower oil for the blushes, the solids retain their shape, and the process doesn’t require other binders, fillers, parabens or harsh chemicals.

I’ve yet to really explore these new blushes and bronzers, but the blushes are supposed to swirl on softly for a naturally tinted look and build easily into a brighter flush, and the bronzers are supposed to simulate the effortless glow of an afternoon spent soaking up the sun.

Yes, please. I like. 🙂

Here’s a brief look at three of the 10 new Ready blushes and two of the three bronzers. Full reviews coming soon.

Ready Blush in The Faux Pas

Ready Blush in The Indecent Proposal

Ready Blush in The Secret’s Out

Ready Bronzer in The High Dive
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I’m Hungry for More From L’Oreal Magic Smooth SoufflÃ© Blush

February 17th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Loreal Magic Smooth Souffle Blush

Depending on how ravenous I am at any given moment, I’m enjoying this trend of makeup that looks good enough to eat. Like the new L’Oreal Magic Smooth SoufflÃ© Blushes ($12.99 each). If I didn’t know better…I’d think they were dessert!

Available in four potted shades that look like mousse (the kind you order after dinner) in their serving platters/pots, they feel firm and dense when I tap them with a finger, and yet feel smooth, dry and something like silicone when I get them on my cheeks.

I’ve been wearing two of the four shades this week — Celestial, a cool matte pink, and Angelic, a light matte peach — and both produce a faint flush of very natural-looking cheek color, especially in pics.

loreal magic smooth souffle blush (1)
Celestial (left) and Angelic (right)

loreal magic smooth souffle blush (2)
Swatches of Angelic (left) and Celestial (right)
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Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon Should Come With a Warning Label: “May Seduce CCLs”

February 16th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

Attention, makeup companies and packaging designers: printing pics of sad, doe-eyed kittens on the cover of cosmetics compacts WORKS.

Hey, it worked for me. 🙂

I’m finicky about my face powders, and when I find a few I like, I tend stick with ’em. These days, I’ve been turning to the MAC Studio Careblends and Tarte Pressed Powders, but I physically couldn’t resist trying Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001.

This near-translucent $42 face powder padded on the scene with dainty little kitten paws. Part of the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, it’s become one of the more elusive kitties in the release, or so I’m hearing through the grapevine (apparently, I haven’t been the only makeup fiend to fall for this packaging). I adopted mine from beautyhabit.com, but when I checked back later, it was no longer listed there.

The feline fun doesn’t stop with the cute cat on the outside of the compact, either. There’s also a paw print powder puff in the compact and the silhouette of a kitty on the pan.

Tabs feels that he deserves some of the credit for the idea… After all, the model, as Tabs put it, has “some junk in da trunk” — an obvious indicator of Tabs’ influence in the world of plus-size kitty models.

paul & joe kitten collection matte pressed powder
Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001

paul & joe kitten collection matte pressed powder
Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001
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Is It a Gloss or a Stain? Actually, It’s Both! The New Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains

February 15th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

Wearing Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in Fuchsia Dore as a gloss

Not that I really needed to fall for another $32 lip product, but I guess I wasn’t completely averse to the idea. 🙂

Even though my tongue twists saying their lengthy name, my lips love Yves Saint Laurent’s new Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stains, and my grubby little paws want every single color.

Available in 20 profoundly pigmented shades, many of them exclusive to Sephora, these lycanthropic lippies start as intensely bright, pigmented glosses that transform into long-wearing lip stains as they fade.

You know I lurves me some flexible products, and these, like my favorite pair of ~~Pajama Jeans~~ J Brand skinny jeans, totally fit the bill. They’re easy to dress up or down. One layer lends lips a natural, softly radiant stain; two turns up the color and the glaze for lips that look glossy and bold.

Either way, one layer or two, doesn’t require using much of the product, which makes the $32 price tag a little easier to bear.

And the texture sure doesn’t hurt. Lightweight, non-sticky and not at all drying, the Rouge Pur Coutures are like a perfect pair of jeans (eminently comfortable).

Oh, but that’s not my favorite thing about these gems from YSL. I really love the way they fade throughout the day. I can only describe it as elegant, and not at all like other long-wearing lip products that start to look a little janky (i.e. thick and separated) after a few hours of wear.

These last between 6-8 hours on me, and I like the way they look the entire time. Both as a brighter gloss, and then as a stain as they fade, they manage to steer clear of lip lines and flakes.

I’ve been wearing Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview for the past few days, and I’m smitten with all three shades.

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (8)
From the left: Fuchsia Dore, Orange De Chine and Pourpre Preview

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain (6)
Swatches from the top to bottom: Orange De Chine, Pourpre Preview and Fuchsia Dore
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There’s a Shimmery Bed of Roses Beneath the Gobs of Glitter That Greet LancÃ´me La Roseraie Illuminating Smooth Powder

February 15th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Lancome La Roseraie

“Look at you! Rockin’ the glitter.”

Ever notice how some makeup looks are reliable conversation starters? — like neon nails, bright red lips and almost anything with glitter. They’re almost guaranteed to get people chatting, no matter where you are.

I came across one the other day when I took LancÃ´me’s La Rosaire Illuminating Smooth Powder ($42) out for a spin.

El Hub was the first to notice when he kissed me bye before leaving for work. “Is that glitter on your cheeks?” he asked.

“Why, yes,” I replied, impressed and surprised. “It is. And now you have some on your shirt.” 🙂

Then, during a mid-morning Starbucks break, my favorite barista handed me a soy chai tea latte and said, “Ooh! You’re so sparkly today.”

I think Tabs even noticed because he shot me a look that said, “Disco tonight? We must be hitting the club after dinner because you’re workin’ that glitter.”

If there’s one thing the glitter in this limited edition face and cheek powder isn’t, it’s subtle.

At least initially.

La Rosaire (“Bed of Roses”) is one of 11 pieces in LancÃ´me’s Roseraie des Delices Spring 2012 collection for eyes, cheeks and lips. The collection features two eye palettes, two eyeliners, a face/cheek powder, three lipsticks and three lip glosses.

The light peachy pink star burst design behind the rose on the pan contains an overspray of concentrated conversation-starting glitter. Once you work through the overspray, the glitter subsides, revealing a sheer peachy pink powder with what I feel is a very pretty sheen.

The rose design decorating the lower half of the pan also has an overspray, this one a cool-toned rosy pink with a sheen; beneath it resides a slightly warmer peachy pink with a subtle shine.

lancome la roseraie (3)

Swatches of the overspray on the left; swatches of the powders beneath the overspray on the right
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Paul & Joe Waterproof Gel Eye Liner: Water Doesn’t Bother This Kitty Cat

February 14th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

paul & joe waterproof gel eye liner

NOTE TO SELF: Next time Tabs insists on going for an impromptu walk in the rain (believe it or not, this has actually happened), grab Paul & Joe’s Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black ($25), because once this quick-drying matte black gel sets on my lash lines, it won’t even flinch in a downpour.

Part of the new eight-piece limited edition Kitten Collection, Gel Eye Liner feels thick, dense and kind of reminds me of a drier, grayer version of MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.

I don’t think it clings to water lines anywhere near as well, but on rainy, rushed days when all I want are quick cat eyes, Gel Eye Liner delivers. It dries in just about a minute, and after that, I get a good 12 hours out of it without any smudging or fading.

For more on the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, check out…

I’m Still Fawning Over the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, Today With a Twist on an OmbrÃ¨ Manicure

It Was Love at First Blush for These Kittens: The New Kitten Collection Blusher Sticks From Paul & Joe

The liner also comes with a flat, tapered retractable brush that performs surprisingly well and draws thick and thin lines with ease. Using it to apply Gel Eye Liner creates lines that look a little bit blurred at the edges, for an effect that’s more soft than precise.

If you’re looking for lines with a crisper edge, you might want to apply this with something like the Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush instead.

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)
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14 Pink Lips for Valentine’s Day: Which Is Your Favorite One?

February 14th, 2012 by Karen 62 Comments

Pink lips get a lot of from me 365 days a year, but on Valentine’s Day I usually pay them extra attention.

And that’s because I usually spend more time than I’d care to admit trying to figure out which particular pink to wear out to dinner with El Hub.

What do you think? Which of the following 14 pink lipsticks, balms and glosses do you like best? These are some of the shades that frequently catch my eye.

Yes, I busted a Tabs this morning and tried on every single one…

There’s a pretty wide range represented here, from splurge-worthy brands like Chanel and YSL, to budget-friendlier brands like Soap & Glory and L’Oreal.

Oh, and if your favorite pink lip isn’t listed here, let me know what it is in the comments. Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in Fuchsia Dore, $32

Soap and Glory A Great Kisser in Chocolate Cherry, about $8

MAC Kissable Lipcolour in Woo Me, $18

MAC Lipsticks from the left in Quick Sizzle, Innocence Beware and Naughty Saute, $14.50 each
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Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Makeup to Last Through Rain, Sleet or Snow

February 14th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

Makeup to Last Through Rain, Sleet or Snow

This post is part of a series sponsored by Walgreens.

Yesterday I wasn’t quite singin’ in the rain, but I did hum as I walked in it. 🙂

Yep, it’s been raining here in Northern California (Sunday night was even stormy!), and I’ve been doing my best to stay dry. I’ve been mostly successful at it, too, except for an incident yesterday…

I had to brave the elements to run a few errands, and when I walked under an awning outside, one of those streams of 33-degree almost-freezing water shot straight down the back of my top.

I could have screamed! And I almost did, but I talked myself down by thinking about some of my favorite makeup for inclement weather.

Products like…

1. Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara, $8.49

A friend of mine who works for a high-end makeup brand turned me on to this budget bad boy. We were commiserating one afternoon by email about our short, stumpy lashes when she confessed her love for Maybelline’s Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara.

It’s also become a flake-free, smudge-resistant favorite of mine, thanks to sweaty yoga workouts and rainy days. Not only does it plump and lengthen, it also keeps my curled lashes lifted all day long.

2. Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer, $7.49 each

Rimmel’s Eye Definers have superhuman strength, because once they latch on to my lash and water lines, they don’t let go!

Clockwise from the gold shade on the lower left: Precious Gold, Purple Shock, Deep Ocean and Emerald Sparkle

I love the fun, funky shades, but Rimmel also included a couple of conservative colors for good measure (like black and brown).

3. L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows, $7.99 each

Not quite a cream or a powder, these spongy new potted shadows feel soft to the touch. Waterproof, sweatproof and crease-resistant, too, the Infallible Eyeshadows are also easy to apply with a finger, which makes ’em prime candidates for rainy days when I’m in a rush.

From the left: Golden Sage, Perpetual Purple, Iced Latte, Continuous Cooca, Sultry Smoke and Eternal Black

4. Revlon Cream Blush in Rosy Glow, $9.99

I like to apply this sheer pink cream blush beneath my powder blushes when I know I’m heading out in the rain. Rosy Glow gives the staying power of other cheek products a boost.

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