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
Heads up, bargain hunters. There’s a huge sale on Cargo cosmetics over at Sephora.com, with products discounted up to 50 percent. A friend of mine who works there told me they’re phasing the line out of stores, so stock up! Pick up the Tahiti Color Eyeshadow Palette, on sale for $14, before it’s going, going, gone (see it in action here and here).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Heya, girls. If you’re in the middle of planning your spring makeup wardrobe, you might want to squirrel a penny or two (or 10,000) away for Dolce and Gabbana‘s newest makeup range, The Intimate Sensuality Collection.
If you like roses, flowers and all things femme, this line of luxury makeup could put a dent in your pocketbook. Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana drew the color palette’s inspiration from Sicily’s wild roses and the lush, floral prints in their spring 2010 runway collection. Expect to see the 14-piece release for eyes, lips, face and nails at Dolce and Gabbana makeup counters in March.
Take a look at the pictures below, check out the full collection list and let me know if anything catches your eye. 🙂
Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Petal 145, $59
Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Mystery 106, $36
Eyes
Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Petal 145, $59
Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Stromboli 130 (repromote), $59
Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Mystery 106, $36
Volumized Lashes in Black 1 (repromote), $28
Crayon Intense in Nude 9, $29
Lips
Classic Cream Lipstick in Petal 145, $30
Classic Cream Lipstick in Glam 115, $30
Shine Lipstick in Precious 125, $30
Precision Lipliner in Ultra 7, $30
Ultra Shine Lipgloss in Innocence 78, $29
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Ladies, can I get a big…
TGIF!
We’re rounding the bend, on the home stretch, with the finish line in sight. Do you think you have enough left in you for a sprint to the end? Come on, girl, you can do it. 🙂
Today I feel like starting our adventure with a list of recent and upcoming makeup and beauty bits like…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
New Mascara from
Dior — I don’t know how to
Pronounce your name, oy.
Ex-tazz? Ex-tazz-ay?
Charge that to my credit card.
Twenty-eight bucks, please.
Lengthening — oh, yes.
The curl hold? Most excellent.
Volume is just … eh.
Smudges just a tad;
Swipe the brush against tissue
And then it’s gone, yay!
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Benefit’s moisturizing Bathina body balm (lucky girl that she is) just got a spring makeover.
Hey, now, don’t stare! Just “Take a Picture… It Lasts Longer…” — that’s actually the product’s name. And for $28 she flaunts updated packaging and a shimmery new color (a light golden pink).
I think it’s part of a beauty conspiracy… Have you heard the news? Benefit recently marked down the original Bathina (Body So Fine) from $30 to $22.50, an obvious ploy to prep us for the arrival of Bathina 2.0.
Speaking of the prequel, Body So Fine and I go waaay back. We have history, yo! My bestie, Jen, gifted me a tin for my 26th birthday, and I’ve been a fan ever since — the light floral fragrance and super softening balm adds a touch of sexy pink shimmer to legs and arms (great for date nights with the boy).
Luckily, the updated version’s just as fab as before (if not better). Benefit kept the same formula and fragrance but tweaked the shimmer. Instead of a silvery pink, the new Bathina gives skin a golden pink glow, one I wager more girls will be able to wear well.
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Today I finally had a chance to dig into the Dior Dentalle Eyeshadow Palette (from the Dior Lace collection) that’s been teasing me for the last few days.
Normally, wild horses can’t keep me from tearing into a Dior quint, but the dainty lace patterns in Pearl Glow’s pan ($58) were keeping me at bay.
They reminded me of why I love Dior shadows… how they glide along like skates on fresh ice.
If you like the way you look in cool-toned blues and grays, you might really like Pearl Glow. The silver, grayish purple, pink, taupe and bluish gray definitely lean toward the cooler end of the eyeshadow spectrum.
Cool-toned cuties with light to medium skin, bust out your happy dance. This palette will make your eyes POP! I think pale skin really reflects the nuanced silver, pink and taupe.
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Peer into a woman’s handbag, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a smartphone looking back at you. It’ll be zipping and whirring along with her lipstick, powder and perfume. Whichever your e-weapon of choice — BlackBerry, iPhone or Google’s latest Nexus One — smartphones are a new “it” accessory.
Mine’s like crack to me! I got hooked on smartphones with a Blackberry Pearl a few years back; now I’m using an iPhone, and I never leave home without it. It keeps me on schedule (most of the time), in the loop (with email) and helps me locate important landmarks and lifesaving locales like the nearest MAC counter.
With Apple’s App Store for the iPhone crossing the three billion download mark, apps are everywhere, mostly. More and more companies are coming out with apps to showcase their products, among them leading fashion lines, but the beauty industry? Not so much.
Fashionistas rejoice! Almost daily new apps from fashion shops, designers and magazines are coming online in the App Store. Fashion enthusiasts can now shop directly from their phones, anywhere, anytime. Some apps also feature style advice, interactive games, videos, previews and reviews.
A few cool fashion apps…
- Chanel: It’s hard to go wrong with anything that looks like Chanel. I LOVE the design of this app. You get news on Chanel fashion, accessories and a a handy-dandy store locator. No way to shop with it yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Karl and company added the feature soon. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
- Style.com: Amazing coverage of the catwalk during fashion week — you can watch the shows just hours after they hit the runway. FROM YOUR PHONE! So awesome. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
- Net-a-Porter: Get fashion and accessories updates and see products with 360-degree views; there’s also editor’s picks and a wish-list function. Free for iPhone (click here to open in iTunes).
I searched Google and my iPhone today for apps from some of the bigger beauty brands like MAC, Estee Lauder, Dior, Shu Uemura and Urban Decay.
Didn’t find a whole lot, only two from big beauty brands — the first from Lancome (click here to open in iTunes) and the other from NARS (click here to open in iTunes). The Lancome looks pretty, but it’s kinda weak on functionality. There’s some news and makeup tips, but no updates since fall ’09’s Declaring Indigo.
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Rise and shine, morning glories! I hope you slept well. 🙂 Today I think I’m in the mood for something girly and fun. What do ya think about Bobbi Brown’s Brightening Lipgloss in Popsicle ($20)? Does it fit the bill?
It’s from her Makeup Face Lift collection for spring. Err, it may belong to a spring release… but this shimmery, rosy pink sure reminds me of summer (SIDE NOTE: Can we fast forward to June already? I’m so OVER having to wear socks). Chromatic glitter, um, hello?
What gloss are you wearing today?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. In Bobbi Brown news, have you heard about the Pretty Powerful beauty campaign? Bobbi asked her some of her friends — people who aren’t professional models — to pose for the pics. I think it’s kinda cool… Fantastic imagery on the website. It says there’s also going to be a contest of sorts that starts on January 19. I haven’t figured out what it’s about yet, but I’ll definitely keep you posted. 🙂
