Makeup

What Sets Tarte emphasEYES Apart from Other Shadows and Liners?

June 30th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

tarte emphaseyes review swatches photos

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 Can we talk about clay? — as in Amazonian white clay (not Aiken)? Tarte’s new emphasEyes Shadow/Liners ($22), an entirely new product line released for summer, come in five shades — black, brown, indigo, plum and bronze — each made with something Tarte refers to as micronized Amazonian white clay.

Tarte claims it works wonders by moisturizing the skin while improving elasticity (among other things).

I just started wearing the Indigo one. It’s a deep shimmery blue with a rich, creamy texture (kinda reminds me of my beloved Benefit Creaseless Creams).

tarte emphaseyes review swatches photos box brush
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Benefit Scene Queen: A Tuesday Smokey Eye Tutorial

June 29th, 2010 by Karen 42 Comments

benefit scene queen tutorial

Brace yourself, young lady, because someone’s about to make a scene — and it’s you! Do you remember last week’s grayish blue smokey eye from our look at the Benefit Scene Queen The Annie Collection palette? Here’s a quick breakdown of it with pictures and a how-to. 🙂

The Benefit Scene Queen palette

When would I rock a look like this? Well, often! — specifically, whenever I’d want to look dressed up but not overdone, day or night. If it feels a little too dramatic for daytime wear to work/school, maybe give it a try out one night with friends or your boo.
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For an Easy Summery Flush, Consider Too Faced Papa Don’t Peach Blush

June 29th, 2010 by Karen 57 Comments

too faced papa dont peach review photos swatches top

Some questions and answers reveal more about us than others do, like, do you reach for peach blush BEFORE your first cup of coffee in the morning? Or, does the very thought of a day without peach cheeks make you break out in a cold sweat? If you answered “yes” to either inquiry, hello, friend — my name is Karen, and I’m a fellow peach blush ~~addict~~ enthusiast. 🙂

My newest peach blush crush, the cleverly named Papa Don’t Peach ($20), pays homage to Madge while paying attention to cheeks. It’s one of four powder Brightening Blushes from Too Faced.

Totally easy to use, it kisses cheeks with a soft and shimmery peachy warmth that looks particularly pretty on cheeks attached to half-awake zombie girls early in the morning…

Too Faced has a knack for balancing pigmentation and wearability, and Papa Don’t Peach contains just enough pigmentation to be visible on the cheeks, but not so much that it takes 10 minutes to blend away harsh edges.

Too Faced Papa Dont Peach
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Bargainistas: Keep an Eye Out for the $11 NYX Purple Smokey Look Kit

June 28th, 2010 by Karen 64 Comments

nyx purple smokey look kit review swatches photos

The times, they are a-changin’, edgy eyeshadow lovahs, and ground zero’s at a drugstore near you. Thanks to budget brands like NYX, colorful shadows have gotten a lot more accessible over the past few years. Case in point: NYX’s new NYX Purple Smokey Look Kit for summer, aka one of the best drugstore palettes I’ve seen in a really long time.

It’s a little hard to tell from these pictures because I forgot to take one with me holding it, but the case easily fits in the palm of my hand and looks built for easy travel. This particular palette, the Purple Smokey Look Kit, is one of three released from NYX for summer, and like the others it costs just $11! $11! This one comes with nine color coordinated powder shadows and two lipsticks.

If I’d known absolutely nothing about NYX before taking a look at this palette, I would’ve assumed the shadows, which come in various shades of purple, blue and black, were from a department store line like MAC. Like pricier products, they go on with vibrant pigmentation, wet or dry, blend easily and stay put all day long without fading.
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Should You Take a Shine to Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose Raspberry Lip Gloss?

June 28th, 2010 by Karen 26 Comments

bobbi brown raspberry lipgloss reviews photos swatches

If you catch yourself singing Prince’s Raspberry Beret (ya know, the kind you find at a second hand store) while wearing Bobbi Brown’s Raspberry Shimmer Lip Gloss ($20), maybe we could sing a duet! — because every time I apply this shimmery, non-sticky cutie, the sole lipgloss in Bobbi’s new Denim & Rose collection for fall, I feel like belting the song.

Thematically, the Denim & Rose collection combines the toughness of denim and the softness of rose with makeup (and cute packaging!) for rock n’ roll smokey eyes and romantic lips and cheeks.

For more on Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose, check out these previous posts…

Everything’s Coming Up Denim & Roses for Bobbi Brown’s Latest Fall Palette

Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose Fall 2010: Denim Sparkle Eye Shadow

Bobbi Brown Denim & Roses Extreme Party Mascara: A Haiku Review

Like a study in contrasts, Raspberry’s reddish pink feels innocent yet a little naughty at the same time. It taunts and teases onlookers without hastily giving up the goods.
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Bobbi Brown Denim & Roses Extreme Party Mascara: A Haiku Review

June 25th, 2010 by Karen 12 Comments

bobbi brown extreme party mascara denim

New from Bobbi Brown
Extreme Party Mascara
Denim is the shade

It’s part of the new
Denim & Roses release
Coming out next month

Twenty-two dollars
And limited edition
In dark, blackish blue

It’s a new color
There is also one in black
(Here is a review)

bobbi brown extreme party mascara denim
After three coats of Extreme Party Mascara in Denim

That one flaked so much
Left smudges beneath my eyes
I was not a fan

This new shade’s better
No flakes or smudges in sight
I like it a lot

The blackish blue shade
It shows up on my lashes
Subtle, but pretty

Lashes look longer
Defined and separated
But lash volume lags

bobbi brown extreme party mascara denim
After three coats of Extreme Party Mascara in Denim

bobbi brown extreme party mascara denim
Nekkid lashes!

Love how light this feels
Even after many coats
Soft and not crispy

A feathery fringe
Can be had with Denim’s help
Bobbi, ya done good

MBB Rating…
B+ 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Why It’s Natural to Like Korres Eyeliners

June 25th, 2010 by Karen 12 Comments

Written by Marina

Today the beautiful Marina of Makeup4All talks about Korres eyeliners and why they might be worth a try.

Korres eyeliners from Sephora I really like Korres and have quite a few products from the brand. That’s why I was so happy to find this value set of 3 pencils on sale at Sephora for only $10 a while ago (you may still be able to find it in some Sephora stores). I just had to get it!

The shades it came with:

Soft Eyeliner 3S Light Blue
Soft Eyeliner 5S Silver
Eyeliner 10 Blue Black

Why I like Korres pencils…

It’s a natural brand with products that are “environmentally friendly and skin compatible.” I like the way the company describes these pencils: “Vitamin E nourishes and provides antioxidant benefits and Jojoba Oil hydrates and ensures a soft application with a creamy finish.”

The liners are soft and easy to use in a variety of ways, from cat eyes to lining the water line, smudging for a creamy or smokey effect, as well as with, on or under eyeshadows.

They’re also very easy to remove; you don’t even have to rub your eyes.
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Chanel Les Contrastes de Chanel Fall 2010: Cassis Long-Lasting Eyeliner Equals Love

June 25th, 2010 by Karen 14 Comments

Chanel Cassis Long Lasting Eyeliner Review Swatches Photos

Coco doesn’t do anything halfway, and with Chanel Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Cassis ($28), she’s setting her sights on our eyes!

I always knew it would take something special to lure me away from my tried-and-true MAC Technakohl eyeliners. Cassis, a dark plummy black matte liner (cassis, aka blackcurrant), just barely outlasts the Techs (should be noted, though, that it costs considerably more), and it’s one of two eyeliners in the new Les Contrastes de Chanel fall collection, the second being Chanel’s $27 Intense Eye Pencil in Clair.
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