Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
There’s one Bobby Brown for recipes that call for cheese (as in cheesy ’90s R&B), and another Bobbi Brown for recipes that call for long lasting cream shadows.
Fellow fans of the later’s Long-Wear and Metallic Long-Wear shadows depend on their smooth, non-creasing formula when quick, elegant eye looks are on the menu. For this summer’s Beach collection, Chef Bobbi’s cooked up five new Long-Wear shadows, these with an ocean theme ($22 each).
I was out fashion hunting at the mall yesterday afternoon, rutting around for a respectable pair of jeans (more on that in a few), when I bumped into a gal with skin that looked smoother than a porcelain doll.
My curiosity got the better of me; I politely asked for her secret, to which she replied, “I don’t really do anything.”
B*tch…
Just kidding! 🙂 Kinda…
With the otherworldly size of the pores of my face, sometimes I forget that there really are (lucky) people out there who simply never have to worry about their skin — no big-@ss pores or annoying fine lines.
For the rest of us, there’s NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep ($30 for a .26-oz jar).
One of two new summer primers from NARS, it’s an invisible, lightweight product designed to be layered beneath foundation or patted on top of makeup for spot treatments (by reducing shine) and to smooth the appearance of fine lines, pores and rough patches on the face.
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Who says lips get to have all the summer fun? When Rimmel Eyeful Eye Glistener eye pencils ($7) smooth onto eyelids, they leave behind a colorful shine like lipgloss for your eyes. 🙂
Use ’em as either shadows/liners for 1) a transparent wash of glossy, creamy color on your lids; or 2) build them up for a punch of pigmented color like in these swatches here…
From the left on NC35 skin: Straight Laced, Stand Out, Girls Only! and Flaunt
And here on NW20 skin
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NARS Albatross Lipgloss ($24), one of five new limited edition shades inspired by a different iconic NARS blush of the same name, comes in for a landing at Sephora stores and Sephora.com on July 29. The color’s designed to enhance the natural beauty of lips with a hint of soft, sheer golden shine.
stay frosty |stÄ ËˆfrôstÄ“|
colloquial
1 A phrase which has come to mean “be cool,” but which more properly understood is an admonishment to stay alert and on one’s toes : stay frosty, and man the barricades!
2 What Urban Decay wants people who wear their new eyeshadow colors to do : Urban Decay wants us to stay frosty and look hawt.
So I’m kinda lovin’ on Urban Decay’s new eyeshadow colors, but WOW! — they sure are frosty.
Freelove, Woodstock, Psychedelic Sister, Haight, Dashiki and Aquarius launched exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com last month ($17 each), and they have everything UD lovers (like moi) adore about the line — smooth textures, playful pigments and insane color payoff — along with a whole lotta frost.
While I love a good frosty shadow, they aren’t always the easiest products to wear. Go even a tad overboard with them (been there, done that), and they can look heavy on the skin and highlight fine lines and wrinkles.
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June 9, 11:32 a.m. — El Hub is taking me to lunch in the city. Before we leave the house, I water the houseplants and check the cat grass seeds I planted last week.
I find signs of life. There are tiny sprouts breaking the surface, and I pause to marvel at how Mother Nature does her thang.
Tabs will have his salad soon
June 9, 12:40 p.m. — At the Rotunda, the restaurant on the top floor at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco, I order white bean soup and a scallop salad for lunch (El Hub’s birthday gift to me).
The waiter leaves a popover on the table…
…that resembles a Thanksgiving turkey.
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Oh, the scourge of dark circles… They plague me! No matter how much sleep I get, I just can’t seem to get rid of ’em.
And it turns out I’m not the only one (who knew?). Last week I put out a call for your favorite concealers to hide dark circles, and almost a hundred of you answered! Tabs tallied the votes, and here are the top five.
This creamy concealer has been my absolute personal favorite for a while, and the votes showed it’s one of your favorites, too. Able to (almost) completely cover my dark circles, it’s also able to work that magic without looking heavy or obvious, and it lasts throughout the day with nary a crease. $18, available in six shades. [Grab it…]
A friend of mine over at YSL once told me they sell a tube of this cult classic highlighter every six seconds. SIX SECONDS! That’s 14,400 per day… Not surprisingly, the product’s earned beauty awards up the wazoo. $40, available in four shades. [Grab it…]
Bobbi Brown Corrector is actually supposed to be layered beneath other concealers for a little extra oomph. It’s a helper product designed to treat uber-dark circles by adding extra coverage. $22, available in 12 colors. [Grab it…]
This concealer duo comes with two shades you can custom blend for best results. Fans love how well it blends, how smooth it feels and that it doesn’t settle into fine lines. $28, available in five shades. [Grab it…]
A creamy, all-in-one concealer AND brightener, Benefit Erase Paste is a peachy pink-toned concealer with a touch of shimmer. I’ve tried it before and didn’t feel like it had enough coverage for me, but die-hards absolutely swear by it. $26, available in three shades. [Grab it…]
Have you tried any or many of these top five? If you have a favorite that didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments.
Now it’s time to cast a vote for the best of the best. Which will take the dark circle-eliminating crown?
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The Problem: Your favorite pigmented lip products disappear faster than Coolio’s rap career (OMG, Gangsta’s Paradise!). Is there anything you can do about it?
Too Faced says sÃ, se puede! Worn beneath other lip products, their new Lip Insurance lip primer ($19, available at Sephora stores and online) is designed to prevent color fading, bleeding and creasing while simultaneously ramping up the richness of lipsticks and glosses. It’s also jam packed with ceramides and peptides to plump lips and help restore natural collagen.
Too Faced took out all the guesswork from choosing colors, too, because it’s only available in one, which they call Nude. Nude goes on clear with a matte finish and has a light, non-sticky texture that feels smooth like butter. Being a huge fan of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I couldn’t wait to give Lip Insurance a try
