Makeup

Eye Love You Too, Palette. Now Let’s Tell Josie Maran!

February 22nd, 2011 by Karen 30 Comments

Josie maran eye love you too palette

Bad beauty habits. You know I’ve had my share, like nail nibbling, pimple popping and rubbing at my eyes, and I’ve successfully kicked most of them to the goldarn curb. But there’s one beauty habit I don’t ever plan to break…

I hoard neutral eyeshadow palettes, and I don’t ever plan to stop! 🙂

I think of them as timeless and always in style, like ocular trench coats, and they’re wearable any time of year. And, baby girl, when the colors are cruelty-free, gorgeous shades of green, brown, peach and beige, like the eight shimmery shadows gracing the new Josie Maran Eye Love You Too Palette ($42), it’s ON!

josie maran eye love you too palette

JM recently launched this new palette of powder shadows at Sephora stores and online. Soft like velvet and smooth against the skin, the textures feel similar to the powder shadows in Josie’s Wonder Powder Palette, and I the way they look. The levels of pigment vary from sheer to medium across the line, with multi-dimensional finishes that appear shimmery, yet not overly frosty.

Argan Eyes Are Smiling

The eyeshadows in the Eye Love You Too palette are infused with Argan oil, an antioxidant-rich oil believed to calm and soothe troubled skin. And, like all of Josie’s makeup, it’s free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and phthalates, too.

Unfortunately, at $42, it’s a little on the expensive side, but that breaks down to about $5.25 per shadow, which isn’t all that bad if you look at it that way.
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Haute Stuff Coming Through! The New Givenchy Naivement Couture Collection for Spring/Summer 2011

February 21st, 2011 by Karen 50 Comments

givenchy naivement couture swatches

Merci beaucoup, Givenchy. Today your 10-piece Naivement Couture Collection for spring/summer 2011 let me momentarily forget about winter and the aching chill in my booty bones.

I may have even developed a fever in Sephora while swatching Naivement’s palette of sun-kissed pink, orange and gold, because I had a hallucination, fo’ reals!

At one point an eye palette in my hand turned into a tube of sunscreen right before my eyes (wha!?). When I looked up, I was standing on a warm beach at sunset. There was a bucket of beer at my feet and a man standing beside it. The man was James Franco. “Where’d you run off to, babe?” he said, and I answered, “Sephora?” I turned my head to see where I’d come from, but when I turned it back, James and the beach were gone…

Wait — where was I?

Oh, yeah, Givenchy. 🙂 I know it’s early to be fantasizing about summer, but if you 1) anticipate finding yourself at the beach with a hot actor/graduate student/novelist (you never know) or 2) living in a place that start to heat up around June, consider stocking up on the long-wearing gel blush and felt-tip lip markers. I’m crushing hard on the matte pink Blush Gelee in Candide Pink ($33), which blends easily and creates a light, cooling sensation when applied (so refreshing!), and both of the Printed Lips markers ($30 each). All three of them offer sturdy, water-resistant color that should last through a day at the pool.

For more details on the Naivement Couture Collection, check out Naive Is Haute When It Comes to the Givenchy Naivement Couture Collection.

Lighter lasses, take a close look at the eye quad and powder blush. All four of the powder eyeshadows in Le Prisme Eyes in Candide Garden ($56) apply super sheer on my tan skin (I had to use four layers for these swatches), but the colors should sing louder on pale beauties. And the matte purplish pink Le Prisme Blush in It-Girl Purple ($44), which looked a little chalky on me, should behave better on fairer skin tones.
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You Don’t Have to Be Clairvoyant to Read These Hourglass Auras: Hourglass Aura Collection Swatches

February 19th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments

hourglass aura collection

Do you remember the pen-style Hourglass Aura Collection cheek and lip stain we looked at back in January? It was called Flush? I kid you not, I’ve been stalking the Sephora by my house to spot the other colors in the line every week since.

That’s why I had to stifle a scream (“Eureka!”) in Sephora the other day when I stumbled upon the Hourglass display at the top. I’d just sniffed the new Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, which is fab, by the way, so I was already thrilled.

About the Hourglass Aura Collection Cheek and Lip Stains…

It’s like the brand has their fingers on the pulse of lazy girls like moi. The Aura Sheer Cheek Stains ($45 each) and Sheer Lip Stains ($26 each) are designed for ease of use. No brushes are required with Aura’s portable, pen-style applicators. Twisting the bottom of each one dispenses product through the sponge tip applicator at the other end, and it makes these sheer, buildable liquid stains practically foolproof to use.

Knowing it was my beauty duty to share this discovery, I quickly liberated swatches of the full collection (just three colors each of the stains for cheeks/lips). 🙂 Let me know what you think.

Swatches of the Hourglass Aura Sheer Lip Stains from left to right: Scarlet, Flush and Petal
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Because Three Bad Gals Are Better than One, Benefit BADgal Waterproof Liner Is Now Available in Two New Shades

February 18th, 2011 by Karen 23 Comments

Benefit BADgal Liner Waterproof (that’s what they call it) in Charcoal on my eyes… oh, and new slightly shorter hair with highlights!

Sometimes it’s good to be bad, especially when you’re a Benefit BADGal Waterproof Liner.

Don’t worry, these BADgals won’t steal your boyfriend or trash talk behind your back. They’re actually really nice. 🙂

The first time I tried the original BADgal liner, I wore it to dance class, and we became fast friends because it wasn’t afraid to sweat. SWEAT!

This spring, two new shades are joining the BADgal Liner Waterproof gang, matte brown Espresso and matte gray Charcoal ($20 each).

Benefit BADgal Liner Waterproof charcoal espresso boxes

Benefit BADgal Liner Waterproof charcoal espresso pencils
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L’Oreal Aims for Infallible with Their New Le Rouge Lipsticks

February 18th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing L’Oreal Infallible Le Rouge Lipstick in 812 Opulent Organza

Ironically, L’Oreal claims their new Infallible Le Rouge Lipsticks last up to 10 hours on the lips. I’ve only been getting about 6, but I think that’s still pretty great. After all, no one’s infallible. 🙂 Not even L’Oreal.

Whenever I hear about a new long-wearing lipstick, I think, “Geez, I hope it’s not too thick.” It seems like a lot of them sacrifice comfort for longevity, but this time L’Oreal managed to achieve both. Not only does the lightweight, non-drying formula feel wonderful (almost like a good pair of pajama jeans!), but it doesn’t have that cloying floral fragrance the company frequently adds (they’re also unflavored).

As for how they look, I’d say it’s like a satiny matte. The colors are rich and pigmented, not flat or heavy, and they look rather polished on the lips.

Unfortunately, packaging isn’t one of their strong points. I find them awkward to use and hard to open. I actually knocked over a cup of tea trying to pry the cap from the tube yesterday, but at least the plastic feels sturdy…

From left to right: 812 Opulent Organza, 421 Charismatic Coral and 130 Enduring Berry
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With These Swatches, You’re Entering Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Country

February 18th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

tarte amazonian clay blush swatches

Oh, Tarte, now you’re making me blush! Let’s start this last day of the workweek with a look at the entire line of Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes ($25 each), available now at Sephora stores and online.

I reviewed these a while back, and (long story short) I think they’re AWESOME!

tarte amazonian clay blush swatches
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes: first row, Blushing Bride (left) and Amused (right); second row, Natural Beauty (left) and Blissful (right); third row, Flush (left) and Exposed (right); fourth row, Tipsy (left) and Dollface (right)

tarte amazonian clay blush swatches
Swatches from the left to the right: Blushing Bride, Amused, Natural Beauty and Blissful

Introducing another super Amazonian…

And this one goes by the name of Wonder Woman! According to MTV, actress Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, Legion, Lone Star) has been cast as Wonder Woman in David E. Kelley’s new TV pilot for NBC. At 5-foot-11, the 27-year-old must have towered over her competition for the role!

tarte amazonian clay blush swatches
Flushed, Exposed, Tipsy and Dollface
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I’m Having a Maritime with These $5 Rimmel Glam’Eyes Trio Eye Shadows

February 17th, 2011 by Karen 60 Comments

Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog wearing Rimmel Glam Eyes Trio Eye Shadow in Maritime

It’s Maritime, young lady. 🙂 Get ready to set sail on a Trio hour tour aboard the USS Glam’Eyes. The ship is bound for the The Land of Cheap Makeup Thrills, and Captain Rimmel’s at the helm.

I absolutely love Rimmel’s Glam’Eyes Mono shadow singles, so I’ve really been looking forward to trying their new Glam’Eyes line of trios ($5 each). Maritime, one of four trios in the line, is a sea of blues designed to bring out the best in brown eyes.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Trio Eye Shadow in Maritime

Rimmel Glam Eyes Trio Eye Shadow in Maritime
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These New LipSurgence Natural Lip Lusters Are Giving Me a Tarte Attack

February 16th, 2011 by Karen 35 Comments

tarte lip surgence natural lip luster adored
Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in Adored on lips

You know how they say that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings? Well, every time I take out a Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster, a drag queen cheers and whips out two snaps in a circle. 🙂

The six new moisturizing lusters ($24 each) are souped-up versions of Tarte’s best-selling LipSurgence Lip Tints with punchier pigmentation and a finish so shiny (I gotta wear shades).

In the plus column, I really like that these pencil tips are twisties, because I don’t like having to tote around a sharpener (ahem, I’m talkin’ to you, NARS Velvet Gloss).

I also tip my hat to Tarte for keeping a lot of the common lip gunk out of these, like formaldehyde-based preservatives. They’re also gluten, oil, talc and MEA/DEA/TEA-free. And because they’re also cruelty-free, Tabs gives his husky-pawed kitty stamp of approval.

I’ve been wearing shimmery red Fever, shimmery light pink Adored and shimmery nude Buff on and off for about a week so far, and they have an almost lip balmy, non-sticky texture that feels thick and smooth. I like it, and I also dig their light peppermint flavor and scent, which, for the record, fades pretty quickly. That’s something the colors themselves don’t do, however; they last about three hours on my lips.

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Lusters in Fever, Adored and Buff

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Lusters in Fever, Adored and Buff
From left to right: Fever, Adored and Buff

Swatches from left to right, top row: Fever, Frisky and Buff; bottom row: Adored, Glisten and Pouty
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