Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
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Swatches of eight of the nine pieces from the NARS Spring 2012 collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails. Reviews coming soon!
Trio Eyeshadow in Douce France, a shimmery icy pink, a rose petal pink and a matte deep rose ($45; limited edition)
Duo Eyeshadow in Paramaribo, a metallic brass and bronze ($34; limited edition)
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NARS Spring 2012 just hit my desk, and I couldn’t wait to give you a looksy. Reviews to follow in the next few days, but for now, peep these product pics of eight items from the nine-piece collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails. 🙂
Trio Eyeshadow in Douce France, a shimmery icy pink, a rose petal pink and a matte deep rose ($45; limited edition)
Duo Eyeshadow in Paramaribo, a metallic brass and bronze ($34; limited edition)
Single Eyeshadow in Lhasa, a lavander gray ($24)
Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Dark Rite ($24)
Blush in Gaiety, a bright candy pink ($28)
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One of the reasons why Dolce & Gabbana rules: they dangle tiny charms from their makeup JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN.
Never you mind that the charms enchanting the eight-piece limited edition Charm Pencil collection don’t really serve a purpose beyond looking cute as they swing from their respective lip and eye liners. If we have the right to accessorize, so should our makeup! Viva la cuteness for us all! 🙂
Every time I catch a glimpse of the dainty golden envelopes, high heels, hearts and horns hanging from these pencils, which arrive next month (just in time for Valentine’s Day!), while I attend to my lips or eyes, I’m transported back to the kinder, gentler days of my youth, when a trip to the Hello Kitty store to buy a $4 mechanical pencil with a charm swinging on the end was one of the highlights of my week.
Of course, because these pencils are from Dolce & Gabbana, they cost somewhat more than that — like $29 more, to be exact.
Eye Pencils from the left: Stromboli, Coffee, Black and Platinum
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In the time it takes me to coax thin, smooth lines from Bobbi Brown’s new Ink Liner in Really Black ($24), fashion trends could come and go, and then come back again.
As far as I can tell, ease of use is not this liner’s strongest attribute. Drawing cat eye flicks with its stiff tip are just a tad tougher than training a petulant tabby to speak, and I don’t believe the color quite lives up to its name. I’ve seen darker, glossier liquid liners before, and I’m thinking that a name like “Really Black…But Only After You’ve Applied Three Layers” might have been more apt.
I do gotta give Bobbi big props for one thing, though — Ink Liner in Really Black has the stamina of a thoroughbred.
You know how I’m always looking for my next hit of lash crack, right? For a lash lengthening, volumizing velociraptor capable of fast-tracking me to drag queen lash nirvana? Well, when I heard tell of a new “illegal” mascara from Maybelline — that’s actually its name, Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara ($8.95) — I desperately wanted to give it a whirl.
It’s new for spring 2012 and just arrived this month in drugstores. It comes in three non-waterproof shades (Blackest Black, Very Black and Brownish Black) and two waterproof ones (Blackest Black and Very Black). All of them utilize some fancy talk Maybelline calls “fiber-extension technology” to promise longer-looking, extended lashes that aren’t supposed to flake.
Before (top) and after two coats of Illegal Length Mascara (bottom)
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Wearing UD’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Woodstock
Pink hair, pink gloss, pink eyeliner… Needless to say, I’m feeling rather pink right now. 🙂 That pink liner, by the way, is Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Woodstock, and it’s one of three new full-size Glide-On Pencils eyeliners just launched for spring 2012.
But this isn’t the first we’ve seen of Woodstock, Demolition (a matte dark brown) and Perversion (a matte black). All three were previously released with Urban Decay gift sets, but they’re back by popular demand, this time available individually.
I’m thrilled to see Demolition and Perversion giving an encore because both of them apply with dense, saturated color that does not mess around. One layer of either and I’m good all day long, both along my lash and water lines.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Woodstock, however, is a different story, and one with many layers. Like six! That’s how many layers I have to apply to get the shade to look as pigmented as I like. Don’t get me wrong — I do like the color, but it’s one of those I have to be in the mood to apply. Plus, my skin tone doesn’t always play well with pinks like this, and sometimes they can make me look like I’ve been crying. If that’s not an issue for you, and you don’t mind lots of layering, Woodstock’s an awfully pretty pink on the eyes.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion
24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Demolition
24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils from the left: Woodstock (a bright fuchsia pink shimmer with silver micro glitter), Perversion (a matte carbon black) and Demolition (a matte dark brown), $19 each
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I’m a makeup-obsessive from way back, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about makeup, it’s that you can make almost anything work. Colour should never hold you back, and you shouldn’t be afraid to rock a bold lip if you feel like it.
Bold lips, huh? Well…they don’t come much bolder than Violent Lips. If you haven’t heard of them before, they’re vitamin-enhanced, vegan-friendly lip appliqués tested on celebrities, not animals, and above all, they’re temporary!
Kim Kardashian and her sisters Khloe and Kylie recently posted twitpics wearing them. I’d already sourced some myself and figured it was about time to figure out if the company’s tutorial was as easy to follow as it looked.
Firs, make sure you start with dry, un-moisturised lips, and you don’t want to be wearing any other products. That’s important, because if you already have something on your lips, your Violent Lips won’t stick.
Wearing Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild
I get amped every Friday afternoon because it means we made it to the weekend, and I get both of my boys all to myself for two whole days. Usually breakfast out on Saturday or Sunday morning, a movie or two (or three), maybe dinner, the mall, and of course, staying up late to watch TV.
That right there’d be plenty exciting, but then I also find out that Urban Decay just added two new shades to their fab Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color line?
Now it’s cause for celebration! 🙂
C’mon, chair dance with me! This is excellent news. Think of all the trouble we’ll get into fun we’ll have wearing these new shades.
Lovechild (a pale pink) and Apocalypse (a deep berry) are just as much fun as their older sisters. Shortly after the line of long-wearing pencils drew down on Urban Decay counters last fall, they became staples in my makeup bag. Their bright colors and glossy, moisturizing formula (unscented and unflavored) made them favorites of mine.
Pale pink Lovechild’s the mellower of the two newcomers, and at first swatch, I was afraid it might be too pale and cool-toned for me.
Thankfully, it’s not! The sweet, delicate pink should suit most skin tones, but interestingly, it does seem to fade quicker than the brighter Super-Saturated shades I’ve tried; you might have to reapply after sipping tea and/or eating crumpets.
As for drama lovers, there’s always Apocalypse. Wearing it with my new pink streaks, I feel like a rockstar! — and, oddly, have the urge to don a pair of brass knuckles and break sh*t.
Which might be too much information…
Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild on the left (a pale pink) and Apocalypse on the right (a deep berry), $19 each
Swatches of the three 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (far left): Demolition, Perversion and Woodstock; Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color (far right): Lovechild and Apocalypse
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