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
How do you feel about chocolate mousse? — err, I mean Too Faced’s Aqua Bunny Bronzer ($28)? 🙂
Too Faced created this water-resistant, cream-to-powder bronzer to get a handle on shine while adding a sun-kissed glow to the skin. Despite how dark it looks in the pan, it goes on fairly sheer, almost like a semi-translucent, slightly shimmery golden bronze (sans orange undertones).
Do you ever wish you could just drop everything, hand over your responsibilities to someone trustworthy and take a long, relaxing trip to some idyllic hidden getaway?
Givenchy knows what it’s like; one of the things they do well is create collections that take the heart and mind on a journey.
When I look at the evocative packaging and dynamic colors of their summer 2010 collection, I feel like today’s rotten weather and my ever-present to-do list are miles and miles away.
Fleur de Frangipanier Powder in Island Tan
The blues, bronzes, pinks and peaches transport me to a tropical resort, where I’m lounging lazily beside the pool, reading some book (probably teen lit) under a stand of palm trees rustling overhead. Of course, in this fantasy I’m rocking killer abs in a Burberry bikini, and Ryan Reynolds just offered to buy me a margarita, but that’s another story for another time. 😉
Le Prisme Mono in Island Lagoon Eyeshadow
The seven-piece collection for lips, eyes and cheeks lives up to Givenchy’s reputation for eye-catching limited edition packaging. Check out the flower in the Fleur de Frangipanier Powder and the delicate floral designs on the compacts… I DIE!!
Pop Gloss Crystal SUN in Island Guava
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I’ve had my share of flings with purple glosses 🙂 (still lovin’ ya, MAC Lavender Whip!), but I’ve never found the right blush to go with ’em.
(until now)
Shimmery golden berry NARS Blush in Sin ($26) just may be the perfect partner for purple gloss. It’s been part of the NARS family (permanent) for some time now, but I just recently gave it a try.
Speaking of purple, has anyone else been crushing hard on purple lipgloss lately? I’ve been working my way through a phase triggered by the new purple glosses from Benefit and Too Faced (but I digress…).
Experience with BeDazzler must be a requirement to work in the makeup biz because faux gems have been gracing more and more products every day.
I keep wishing they’d pull a Hanson and just quietly disappear (see: MAC’s Passions of Red and Lancome’s Deluxe Brush Set), but that’s probably not a wish this girl’s ever going to get. 🙂
In the case of the new Glamour Glosses by Too Faced ($19), I better find a way to “let it go.”
You can’t miss the GIANT fake jewel on the cap (or how it looks like it’s mocking me).
Lucky for Too Faced, the coverage on this gloss? — HELLO! Off the hizzy.
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Goodness, fellow dancing queens, today turned out to be a fantastic day for pigmented makeup. First the Benefit Ultra Shines and now Yves Saint Laurent’s new Eye Pencils ($28)? Fo’ serious, all of this pigment is making me want to shake my groove thing, shake me groove thing, yeah, yeah!
The 12 new pencils are reformulated versions of YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils. I never tried the original ones, but these new ones overflow with color. It’s almost enough to make someone forget about the $28 price.
YSL says that a wax adhesive they use in the formula makes the pigments more intense and helps them stay put for hours on skin.
They aren’t kidding. Each of the three colors I tried — Turquoise, Leather Brown and Velvet Black — won’t let go for nothing! They grab on those lash and water lines like they’re holding on for dear life, lasting the entire day with minimal fading.
From left: Turquoise, Leather Brown, Velvet Black
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Remember when Benefit discontinued their line of OG glosses last year? Man, that made me grumpy… Creamy purple Kiss Me was a staple o’ mine for years (I always wore it on first dates, heh!). The shade, pigment and non-sticky texture made it the stuff of lipgloss legend, and I’ve been mourning the loss ever since.
But Benefit didn’t leave us hanging for long. They promptly replaced the OG line with a new collection of super sheer glosses that I thought were a’ight, but they didn’t really make my heart flutter in that “I NEEDS IT!!” kinda way.
Question: What’s your philosophy on color? If you like sheer neutrals, you might REALLY like Philosophy’s new Coloring Book palette for spring.
Products mentioned in the video…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Okay, so I *totally* get the glam 1930’s/’40s Shanghai thing Chanel says they were going for with the new Noir et Or (“Black and Gold”) collection, but oooh, gurrl, I’m getting some strong MC Hammer vibes too!
If Hammer had seen this collection way back when he was scooting across stages, he might have asked, “Can I touch this?”
Why? Because it’s so hot, and so timeless.
Was the Chanel crew intentionally referencing questionable late ’80s hip-hop fashion and style when they thought up the four-piece collection for eyes and nails? Probably not … but wouldn’t it have been awesome if they had? 🙂
Chanel Global Creative Director Peter Philips brought Noir et Or into being for the Chanel Metier D’Art fashion show in Shanghai, drawing upon the spirit of Ms. Coco herself (as he often does)!
That’s a good question. Get ready for a beauty hunt of sorts, Chanelophiles, because it might take some effort to track down. The three polishes and eye duo are available now, but they aren’t being carried at regular Chanel counters (huh?).
You can, however, find them at Chanel boutiques, Makeup Studios and online at chanel.com.
I guess Chanel was aiming to create an extra sense of exclusivity this time around.
Of the four pieces in the collection, I’m digging the polishes the most ($25 each). Black Velvet, Gold Lame and Illusion d’or all have that classic Chanel polish texture you know and love — thick (but not too thick) and smooth, with a gorgeous, glossy finish that just says, “Chanel.”
The gold and purple shimmer bits swimming gleefully through this clear polish are just as beautiful on nails as they are in the bottle, yet despite the bits, the polish dries to a smooth finish. Yup, ain’t no grit in this game.
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