Makeup

Les Naturels De Chanel Glossimers: A New Formula?

June 8th, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

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This afternoon, around the time I started feeling like I’d kicked my cold, I paid a visit to my dentist for my next round of deep cleaning, KAPOW!

That’s where I spent most of this afternoon, daydreaming about the new Les Naturels De Chanel Glossimers ($27 each).

I needed something to kill the pain…

From what I’ve seen so far, the three Glossimers are my favorite items from the 10-piece collection of neutral eye, lip and cheek shades.

Testing the colors tonight, I temporarily forgot that the left side of my face felt like Naomi Campbell’s punching bag, and I even eked out half a smile. 🙂

les naturels de chanel bel air glossimer
Bel Air

les naturels de chanel unity glossimer
Unity

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Waterlily

Like other Chanel Glossimers, the three Les Naturels De Chanel shades are taste- and fragrance-free, but I wonder if Chanel changed the Glossimer formula.

All three shades feel less sticky than the Glossimers I’ve tried in the past, despite having the same medium-weight consistency, and they feel more hydrating on my lips.

Either the differences are all in my imagination, or Chanel chose to mix things up. No complaints from me, though. I like the end result.

Bel Air: Bel Air didn’t catch my eye in the tube, but once I tried it on my half-numb lips I had a “Come to mama!” moment. It’s a creamy, surprisingly pigmented peachy pink, and it’s the most opaque of the three shades. It delivers a warmth that avoids the dreaded undead look I tend to get with most other creamy pink lipglosses, and the color looks natural. I bet it would look great with brown, black or bronze smokey eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Unity: Unity’s a shimmery, soft brownish pink with a hint of bronzed pearl. Like Bel Air, it applies with rich pigmentation but still looks natural on my lips. I can see myself wearing it with neutral, gold or pink eyeshadow. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Waterlily: I loved this shade in the tube but not so much on my lips. It’s a shimmery pink with golden pearl, and it’s the sheerest of the three colors; I felt like I had to really pack it on to get it to show. MAC makes a similar shade called Nymphette, which packs a little more pigmentation and costs half the price. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B-

Many Chanel junkies weren’t wowed by this collection’s neutral colors, but I think the Glossimers deserve some love, especially if you wear a lot of bolder smokey eyes, or if you just want something elegant and neutral to wear to work.

Hope your Monday went well. I’m just chillin’ at home now, petting Tabs and watching The Closer on TNT.

Tabs says hi!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Vintage 2009 Nail Polishes, Makeup Tips and Francois Nars Himself

June 7th, 2009 by Karen 45 Comments

nars vintage 2009 nail polishes all

Sometimes it’s GOOD to be bad, or wrong in this case. 🙂

I’d first thought the recently released limited edition NARS Vintage 2009 Nail Polishes ($16 each) were only available through the NARS website, but it turns out Nordstrom has them as well (check your local store for availability).

I got a look at the collection yesterday at the NARS event I attended in the city (more on that in a few).

One of the shades that I’d really wanted to see in person was Tallulah, the deep purple.

It sure looks different up close and personal than it did in the promotional pics…

nars vintage 2009 nail polishes zizi
Zizi

nars vintage 2009 nail polishes cha cha cha
Cha cha cha

nars vintage 2009 nail polish hunger
Hunger

nars vintange 2009 nail polish blue lagoon
Blue Lagoon

nars vintage 2009 nail polishes tallulah
Tallulah

A few quick notes on the shades…

Zizi: I’m not a major glitter gal, but I like how the blue, green, gold and purple glitter in this sheer peach apply without looking too blinged out. I’d totally wear Zizi, either by itself or layered on top of something else.
Cha Cha Cha: This shimmery, golden orange looks intriguing in the bottle but not so much on my nails. It applies thick and streaky, with lots of bubbles.
Hunger: On the Nordstrom site, Hunger looks like a deep red, but in person it’s more like a creamy orange/reddish coral. It applies with consistent rich, non-streaky color, though, and of these shades it’s my favorite!
Blue Lagoon: A shimmery cool blue, this polish was a little too sheer for my taste, but if you like sheer colors, it could be a real winner.
Tallulah: I couldn’t wait to see Tallulah in person. It looked like a creamy purple in the promotional pictures, but on my nails it looked more like a creamy wine, and the streaks — THE STREAKS! Way more than I expected.

After the nail polishes, I took a closer look at the limited edition NARS Loves San Francisco Makeup Set ($75).

If these four eye, cheek and nail shades aren’t like others in your collection now, it’s a pretty great deal for the price.

One huge reason why I was so excited about the NARS event was that I’d heard that Francois Nars HIMSELF was going to be there.

With a copy of his fantastic book, Makeup Your Mind ($26.37), under my arm, I’d hoped to meet the man behind the makeup.
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The Guerlain Terracotta 2009 Collection: Holy Smoke!

June 6th, 2009 by Karen 9 Comments

Today MBB reader Amy Lynne takes a look at how Guerlain’s taupe tiger known as Holy Smoke stands up to other products in similar shades.

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HOLY TAUPE!

Guerlain’s Terracotta 2009 Collection included a beautiful multi-faceted taupe called Holy Smoke ($35). Like many Guerlain products, the color is both rich and sophisticated, with multicolored micro-shimmers that give it depth and richness in a remarkably fine-milled powder. In other words, it doesn’t take much to get a huge taupe bang.

The question is — how does Holy Smoke compare to the other stars in the Taupe Galaxy?

As a pigment, Holy Smoke delivers much richer color than pressed shadows like Chanel Vega or Safari. One reason why comparatively messy pigments are as popular as they are is because the format gives amazing coverage without having to dig in your brush too hard, thanks to the soft, loose nature of the product.

I was shocked to find that Shu Uemura’s legendary (but, alas, now discontinued) pressed ME Silver 934 held its own beautifully against Guerlain’s Holy Smoke…

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I swatched Holy Smoke next to my other favorite taupe pigments — MAC’s Coco and Subtle (both limited editions from years past), as well as Bare Escentual’s Queen Tiffany.

I think the Guerlain offers a more subtle, sophisticated look compared to the others. Coco seems to almost match the color but has larger particles of shimmer compared to the small, micro-shimmer particles in Guerlain’s Holy Smoke.

If you love taupes, don’t miss Guerlain’s Holy Smoke. Like legendary taupes from the past, it’s limited edition.

This post was written by Amy Lynne, MBB reader and lover of all things Chanel and Shu Uemura. She lives with her hubby, three kids and a labradoodle puppy named Sherman and believes makeup shouldn’t be about following rules — rather, it should be about having fun and how it makes you feel. 🙂

Les Naturels De Chanel Swatches and First Impressions

June 4th, 2009 by Karen 54 Comments

les naturels de chanel

Flashy it ain’t, but if you love neutrals like Lady Gaga loves cards, Chanel’s latest collection deserves a closer peek.

The 10-piece Les Naturels De Chanel contains goodies for eyes, lips and cheeks ($27-40) and features cream, brown, gray, pink and peach shades in finishes ranging from soft shimmer to matte.

I popped by the Chanel counter this afternoon to do my due diligence. 🙂

Like most neutrals, these didn’t scream “LOOK HERE!” from across the room, and they may be too quiet for some, but their elegance still captured my attention. They remind me of something Bobbi Brown (aka Queen of the Neutral Look) would create.

Product shots

les naturels de chanel orchid rose
Orchid Rose Joues Contraste Powder Blush, $42

les naturels de chanel lily and slate eyeshadow
Lily and Slate Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, $29 each

les naturels de chanel lotus and mahogany eyeshadows
Lotus and Mahogany Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, $29 each

les naturels de chanel bel air unity waterlily glossimer
From top to bottom: Bel Air, Unity and Waterlily Lesvres Scintillantes Glossimers, $27 each

The release also includes two lipsticks, both of which are repromotes from the summer 2008 collection, but I spaced out at the counter and forgot to take pictures, oops! The two shades are called Naive (a creamy pink) and Curious (a creamy brown) and will go for $30 each.

Swatches

les naturels de chanel swatches lily slate lotus mahogany ombre essentielle
From left to right: Lily, Lotus, Mahogany and Slate Ombre Essentielle Eyeshadows
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New from NARS: What Would You Get?

June 3rd, 2009 by Karen 80 Comments

nars-loves-san-francisco-top
Ladies, do ya ever go through makeup phases? Right now I’m having a serious NARS moment!

It’s like I physically can’t stop myself from reaching for Supervixen lip gloss, The Multiple Orgasm (ha!) and the Modern Love palette every morning. Call me crazy, but I’ve been hearting all three so much I might as well attach ’em to my body. 🙂

I guess that it’s no surprise today’s sesh of WHAT WOULD YOU GET, which features new limited edition NARS items, killed me a little softly. It was so hard to decide!

WHAT WOULD YOU GET works like this — you check out the pictures, read through the product descriptions and then tell me in the comments what you’d like to take home for your virtual haul.

Option one: a smokin’ hawt set of vintage NARS nail polishes

nars-vintage-nail-polishes

To celebrate their 15th anniversary this year, NARS recently resurrected five old school NARS Nail Polish favorites ($16 each).

Cha Cha: a semi-sheer tangerine with golden shimmer
Hunger: a creamy orangey red
Zizi: a clear peach with golden glitter
Tallulah: a creamy dark plum
Blue Lagoon: a shimmery powder blue

Isn’t that purple to die for?

NARS nail polishes are thin and apply with rich, non-streaky color. The polish resists chipping well and lasts a long time, too.

Option two: The NARS Loves San Francisco Set

nars-loves-san-francisco-set

NARS plus my favorite city (*please* don’t call it Frisco) equals makeup nirvana. This extremely limited edition set features four previously released NARS products re-christened with names inspired by San Francisco ($75).

Angel Island Single Eye Shadow: a sparkly lavender
Golden Gate Bridge Highlighter/Cheek Color: a bright, yellowish gold
Haight Ashbury Eye Shadow Duo: a light matte gray and a shimmery pale green
Alamo Nail Polish: a shimmery, bronzey cream

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Smashbox Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss: Make Way for Sheer Shine

June 3rd, 2009 by Karen 29 Comments

smashbox limitless long wear lip gloss final

You gals gave some awesome recommendations the other day when I asked about your favorite pigmented lip glosses, and they’ll be preserved for blog eternity in the archives! 🙂

I think we all appreciate highly pigmented products, but what about sheer, shiny glosses?

A couple of sheer lip glosses I reach for a lot are the Chanel Aqualumieres and MAC Cremesheen Glass. They’ve become standby products for me, but they might have company on my dresser soon; a new lip gloss line from Smashbox looks intriguing.

They’re called Limitless Long Wear Lip Glosses, and they run $21 each.

Smashbox loaded ’em up with SPF 15 and says the new line of six, sheer glosses lasts for up to six hours on the lips.

They’re both taste- and fragrance-free and feel thick without feeling sticky, which means my hair won’t cling to my lips every time a strong wind blows.
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It’s All About the Glitter!

June 2nd, 2009 by Karen 15 Comments

Today Jessica of Little Thoughts and Lovely Things gives the 411 on ways to wear glitter.

All about the glitter

My name is Jessica, and I’m your guest beauty blogger this afternoon. 🙂

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MBB guest mascot Kitty and I (yes, I do have a kitty named Kitty) are easy to please. As long as Kitty gets her naps and can shed all over the house, and I have my makeup — particularly glitter — we’re great!

NOTE: Make sure you’re careful with glitter around your eyes, and only use glitter products approved for use with makeup (no craft store glitter!).

Glitter adds that extra “pop” to any look. Apply a lot to, say, the entire lid, and people will definitely look your way. Or, play it safe for school or work with a lighter application for a subtle shimmer.

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The first time I tried using a loose glitter shadow, I skipped the base and applied it directly to my eyelid. By the end of the day… well, you know how that went. I got it everywhere but my eyes! — on my hands, my clothes, my desk and all over my cheeks.

No problem. You can definitely apply glitter in a way that won’t leave your coworkers wondering why you looked dressed to hit the disco, or why there are bits of glitter in their sandwich.

Loose glitter

What it is
The most concentrated form of glitter you can get. Unless you don’t mind getting glitter all over the place, you’re either going to want to mix it with a base or something else.

Bases
You could use something creamy like a MAC Paint Pot ($16) as a base for loose glitter, but you’ll probably end up with more fallout than if you actually mixed it with something like Mixing Medium.

Ask about Mixing Medium at your nearby MAC Pro Store (the water-based kind, about $15), or you can make a base yourself by mixing 2/3rds water with 1/3rd glycerine (bought from a drugstore).

The glycerine just makes everything sticky, so in this case the glitter adheres to your skin.

Consider also trying MAC Fix+ ($17), which combines glycerine with a couple of other ingredients like cucumber extract.

Just drizzle a few drops onto your brush, dip your brush into your loose glitter, and then pat it on your eye.

If you’d prefer a more liquid consistency, you can actually mix your MAC Fix+ and glitter together in a container or in a palette and can even make your own glittery shadow or liner.

A makeup sealant like Benefit’s SheLaq ($30) also helps make glitter stick to skin, but it’ll cost you a lot more than either MAC Fix+ or its drugstore equivalent.

Application

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There are many different ways to apply glitter. One way is to apply it to the entire lid. In this pic I’m wearing NYX Glitter Powder in Silver (about $2).

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Or, in the center of your lid above the iris, for a little understated sparkle (MAC Glitter in Reflects Antique Gold over MAC Amber Lights shadow, about $20, but much cheaper if you get it with a holiday pigment set).

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Glitter also works added to your lipgloss. Here’s some NYX Glitter in Clear over NYX Round Lipgloss in Doll Pink…

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Or perhaps above your blush as a highlighter for your cheekbone, though I don’t apply glitter on my face on a regular basis. Above shows some NARS Orgasm Blush and NYX Glitter in Clear over Revlon CrÃ¨me Shadow in White…
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Crowd Favorite Makeup Primers

May 31st, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

Some of your favorite makeup primers

A few days ago I asked for makeup primer recommendations, and you replied with some *doozies*.

The crowd favorites were by Smashbox (Photo Finish Foundation Primer, $36-49), MAC (Prep + Prime, $19-28), Laura Geller (Spackle, $23) and Philosophy (The Present, $25).

A few of the others that were also mentioned more than once…

Bare Escentuals Prime Time, $21 — “…really good for keeping my makeup long-lasting … but keeping oil at bay? nah, it didn’t do anything with the slick factor…” – noi
Monistat Anti-Chafing Gel, $8 — “…chafing cream all over my face. Super cheap and works like a high end primer, has the same ingredients too. Google it. All the cool kids are doing it.” – Martha
Tarte Clean Slate, $27 — “…a lightweight, clear gel primer that feels slightly thicker than Laura’s. After it absorbs, it feels drier and a touch smoother, too.” – Yours truly 🙂

One time, at WordCamp…

So WordCamp SF was pretty cool.

They hold them in cities all over the place, but this one was in my neck of the woods.

WordPress is the software that I and about 15 million other folks use to blog. When I’m writing a post, the screen I see looks like this:

Wordpress admin tool

If you have a WordPress blog or think you might like to start one, check here for dates of WordCamps in your area. Each all-day conference costs about $20 in the local currency and covers blog writing, video production, plugins (mini-programs to enhance blog functionality by adding the ability to do polls and stuff like that), mobile blogging and upcoming features. And they even throw in a buffet lunch. 🙂

I expected to see mostly dudes in the audience, but there were plenty of women, too (yay!).

I kept my eyes peeled for gals in blinged-out makeup but no luck.

My favorite part was listening to a presentation by Cali Lewis of Geek Brief TV. She talked about video podcasting (with iTunes), which is something I’m interested in trying. If you’ve done any online video production before, shoot me an e-mail.

I was beat by the end of the conference and just ended up chillin’ with a bean and cheese burrito, a bucket of dulce de leche Haagen Daaz and hella episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Totally exciting Saturday night, I know! 🙂

Are you having a good weekend? What did you do last night?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen