Makeup

Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows Reads Just Like a Fairy Tale

January 20th, 2010 by Karen 47 Comments

Unless you’ve been living in a rabbit hole with your Cheshire Cat , you may have heard the surrounding Urban Decay’s new Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows ($52), a limited-edition palette created for Disney to coincide with the upcoming Tim Burton version of the film.

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows, $52

Fifty-two bones gets ya 16 shimmery shadows, two eyeliners and a mini-Urban Decay Primer Potion in a fantastical pop-up box that shows Alice walking through a field of giant ‘shrooms.

Alice fans have been snatching it up (it’s already sold out on UrbanDecay.com)! But never fear. 🙂 You can sign up to be notified as soon as the next round of palettes goes on sale, or wait and find it at Sephora, Ulta and Macy’s beginning early next month.

Now, there’s been some beauty chatter about how similar this palette is to previous ones from Urban Decay, and whether or not they re-named and re-packaged some existing colors. I did take a quick look at Book of Shadows Volume II (from last fall) and did notice some overlapping shades.

A few of the neutrals in Vol. II, like Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again and YDK, do look similar to Alice’s Muchness, Mushroom, Midnight Tea Party and Mad Hatter. And among the brights, Vol. II’s Ecstasy (the shimmery purple) sure reminds me of Underland, while Jinx (the shimmery blue) kinda looks like Alice.

UPDATE, 1/21/2010: Readers Mel, HC and Jen commented to say that all of the new shades are, in fact, repromotes of existing colors from Urban Decay’s previous collections and permanent line, and the company announced some of the equivalent shades on Twitter: “Shades in the upcoming Alice in Wonderland Palette: Underland (Flash), Chessur (Chopper), Muchness (X), Absolem (Homegrown), Jabberwock (Oil Slick), Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin), Alice (Painkiller), Mad Hatter (Twice Baked), Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again), Vorpal (S&M), Queen (Last Call) and White Rabbit (Polyester Bride)” (click here for a full list)

If you already own a fully stacked stash of Urban Decay shadows, it’s just something to consider. Of course, if you’re a rabid Alice fan or hard-core UD aficionado, a few overlapping colors may not matter to you at all, and if they didn’t, I’d completely understand. 🙂

I should say that the colors, no matter what, are up to typical standards for UD — vibrant, with shimmer that’s out of this world! I like what I’ve seen so far and appreciate the number of neutral shades, especially considering they’re from Urban Decay.

Take a look around, and let me know what you think!

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Spring into Action with Josie Maran’s Natural Wonder Powder Palette

January 20th, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

DANG that Josie Maran! Whoever handles the packaging of this eco-friendly line deserves a Prius, a wheatgrass shot and a pat on the back.

A quick glance today at the Monarch flutterbyes on her new Natural Wonder Powder Palette ($35) was all it took to put a spring in my step.

Talk about practical, environmentally conscious design (also friendly and feminine) that *hella* works!

It gets even better when you open the palette. 🙂 BOOM! It holds five eyeshadows, two blushes and a bronzer in a mix of neutrals and brights. I’ve seen a few spring makeup releases so far, and this one’s been one of the most exciting to me so far.

The eyeshadows, blushes and bronzer in the Natural Wonder palette are infused with Argan oil, an antioxidant-rich oil from Morocco known to calm and soothe troubled skin. And, like all Josie Maran makeup, the palette’s free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and phthalates.

First, there’s the variety. The shades feel fresh and youthful, and I can easily see myself doing looks with them from subtle/sweet to bold/bright.

Then, there’s the shadows, about which I noted a few things (DROOL!)…
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What Are You Wearing on Your Lips Today?

January 20th, 2010 by Karen 65 Comments

It gusted and rained all night long and now, frankly, I’m ready to shine! This morning I’m wearing raspberry Smashbox Lip Shine in Berry Hot ($19), a semi-sheer gloss from the Heartbreaker collection.

It’s unscented and flavor-free, with a medium weight, non-sticky texture; I chose it more for the color than anything else. 🙂

Have you decided what you’re wearing on your lips today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Les Impressions de Chanel and Productivity Problems

January 19th, 2010 by Karen 52 Comments

For the life of me, I couldn’t concentrate at all this afternoon. I was hoping to get ahead on some things, but I guess my mind had other plans. I kept thinking about the movie I saw last night, It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep (woman has GAME!), Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

It would’ve been perfect — authentic, complex characters and a funny, touching story — had Alec Baldwin kept his clothes on!

There are simply too many scenes with him (still lovin’ ya, Alec!) in various states of undress, and now I have these images, hopefully temporary, of his rotund, furry tummy burned onto my retinas. 🙂

I did all sorts of fooling around this afternoon to get my mind back on track… Some involved a handsome tabby cat.

Others involved Photoshop and random pictures of pretty things on my desk…

Clarins Gentle Beauty Soap, $15

Kate Spade Beauty Shop Small Manuela cosmetics case, $95

Which leads me to Chanel: What do ya think about Chanel’s Les Impressions collection for spring? I think it looks pretty good in a collage. 🙂
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The Benefits of Benefit’s Confessions of a Concealaholic Kit

January 19th, 2010 by Karen 51 Comments

Are you a practitioner in the ancient Art of Concealing? Are your hands considered concealed weapons? If so, you may be interested in Confessions of a Concealaholic, a new concealing kit from Benefit ($38, arriving in February).

The nine-piece kit’s a prime example of something Benefit does well — putting together perfectly packaged, affordable makeup kits that feature all-star products from their permanent line.

It comes with generous mini-versions of Benefit concealers, brighteners and brushes, as well as a primer and how-to booklet.

That Gal: I adore the subtle glow I get when I wear this shimmery pink makeup primer beneath foundation or powder.

That Gal

Erase Paste in No. 2 Medium: A light-coverage, peachy pink concealer to cover and brighten the area under your eyes. NOTE: If your dark circles are more purple than Prince, Erase Paste may not pack enough punch to cover ’em up. You may have to use a second concealer on top.

Erase Paste in No. 2 Medium
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I’m Sweet on Benefit’s New Spring 2010 Velvet Eyeshadows

January 18th, 2010 by Karen 50 Comments

Ugh, my sweet tooth is throbbing! It must be the six new Velvet Eyeshadows ($18) the Benefit babes made for makeup desert.

The limited edition shades remind me of Valentine’s day candy hearts! 🙂

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New in Beauty, Jan. 17: Stila Can Couture and Estee Lauder Love Your Lips

January 17th, 2010 by Karen 16 Comments

Greetings from cold and wet Northern California, ladies. 🙂 What are you up to? I was a little beat from my afternoon in San Francisco yesterday, so I kinda slept in. It’s amazing what a few extra hours of sleep will do, though… I *almost* feel like a real girl, LOL!

Lunch with the girls yesterday in the city was fun. We met at La Mar, a Peruvian restaurant near the Ferry Building with LOTS of great seafood and fancy presentation.

I’d never had Peruvian food before and didn’t know what to expect. I went in thinking it would be hotter but was glad it wasn’t (I’m a wuss when it comes to hot food). They had this Peruvian corn which I’ll never forget. It tasted like regular corn but with GIGANTIC kernels the size of grapes!

The restaurant’s a little shoo-shoo/foo-foo ($$$$), and El Hub definitely would have complained about the smallish portions, but if you’re ever in the area it might be worth it to try something new.

Speaking of new things, here’s a look around the worlds of makeup and beauty:

Stila’s Can Couture Instant Glam Can will help you get dolled up in a hot minute with a Major Lash mascara in black, a mini-Pomegranate Crush lip stain, mini-Convertible eyecolor in Peony and a pan of Kitten (meow!) eyeshadow.
Give your pucker Valentine’s Day lurvies with Estee Lauder Love Your Lips.
I drooled a little when I saw the Yves Saint Laurent Spring Look Palette.
What do ya think of Givenchy New Impressions? Have you seen the Must-Have Blue quad?
Luxe lips from the Guerlain Cherry Blossom collection
Brightening Blushes from Too Faced — yes or no?
A new limited-edition version of Clinique’s Happy: Happy in Bloom
Tarte’s Flower Child Natural Eyeshadow Palette is refillable, yay!
Will The Balm’s For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stains rock or not?
Boscia’s MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil looks neat; I just hope it isn’t drying!
Neutral-lovin’ babes, check out the Hourglass Cashmere and Zodiac Face Palettes.
New at the House of Tar-ghay — Bella B body products
Refresh thirsty winter skin with Kate Somerville’s Quench Hydrating Mask.
What’s your take on Sephora’s Sparkle Strands? Trendy or tacky?
I betcha Lewis Carroll would have worn the Alice in Wonderland OPI polishes.🙂
If you have an extra $998 sitting around…
Jo Malone’s Red Roses Fragrance Chronicle Set might be better than a dozen roses!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win a Popsicle (Gloss) from Bobbi Brown

January 16th, 2010 by Karen 244 Comments

UPDATE: Jan. 18, 2010. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner will be contacted soon. Good luck! 🙂

You know how much I love Popsicles, right? — in particular, Bobbi Brown’s new Popsicle gloss? Well, I think the universe loves Popsicles, too, and it wants me to give one away.

Are you ready? 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will win a tube of Bobbi Brown’s new shimmery pink Popsicle gloss.

How to enter…

2ways2enter Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all!

With every fiber of my being, I deeply wish I didn’t know all the words to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”, but I do.

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win Bobbi Brown Popsicle Gloss (a $20 Value) http://bit.ly/5aXaD2

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win Bobbi Brown Popsicle Gloss (a $20 Value) http://bit.ly/5aXaD2

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, January 17.

Ke o lakaletsa mohlohonolo!!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

UPDATE: Jan. 18, 2010. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner will be contacted soon. Good luck! 🙂