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
Hi, chicas! I woke up this morning to some Internetz trubs, so until my new friend from Comcast works it out, I’ll be improv blogging from my phone.
I know these pics of the new Sonia Kashuk Spring Treasures collection ($13-20) look kinda Blair Witchy, but I couldn’t wait. I’m testing these out today, and so far so good with the brushes. The heads feel super soft (like Tabs’s fur!).
Sometimes I like to take stock of the random things I dig…
Like, lately I’ve been hooked on wedding magazines, even though my wedding was three years ago.
And when I haven’t been pouring over cake designs and bridal flower trends (mini-cakes and lotus pods are “in”), I’ve also been into trying different stress relief teas (highly recommend Get Relaxed red tea by The Republic of Tea).
Speaking of stress relief, I’ve found that chewing gum helps me to relax and have been chewing vast quantities of Orbit Gum while reading about how to grow Heirloom tomatoes…
And on the makeup front, I’m loving Benefit’s new Velvet Eyeshadows ($18).
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To quote ’90s rap duo Kris Kross (aka the kids who pioneered the backwards clothing thing), “Warm it up, Kris! (I’m about to.) Warm it up, Kris! (’cause that’s what I was born to do.)”
Keeping with the theme, Chanel’s Plein Soleil ($56) eyeshadow quad from the 2009 Cote D’Azur collection is all about warmer shades.
It packs four warm, shimmery shades — a peachy bronze, light coral, dark orange-brown and a light peachy coral — that I dig using individually in light washes of color over the lid, particularly for understated and elegant glows in summertime looks, but beyond their use in simple washes, the colors in this quad aren’t setting my world on fire.
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Shiver me makeup timbers, mateys! I’d walk the plank to get me grubby makeup pirate hands on Sonia Kashuk’s new limited edition Spring Treasures collection!
Aye, methinks Captain Jack Sparrow (that eyeliner-wearing scallywag!) would go to great lengths for the treasures in this five-piece collection of beauty tools and sassy spring makeup.
After checking out the new MAC Dazzleglasses this morning, I swung by the Laura Mercier counter for a quick look at Bohemia, her new color collection for cheeks, eyes and lips.
It was rainy and gloomy outside, but Bohemia’s shimmery bronzes, blues and corals made my Thursday feel like a clear summer day.
The shades evoked memories of lazy days spent lounging on Waikiki Beach with El Hub. I could almost smell the salt water and suntan lotion in the air…
Laura Mercier Bohemia collection display
Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic
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Turns out my concerns about how DuWop Circle Block Concealer ($28) would actually work in practice were right. I’m glad I saved my receipt because it’s going right back to Sephora!
It’s really too bad ’cause I was so excited about this product. I’d never seen anything like Circle Block’s two-part concealer system before. The cute lil’ jar comes with both a creamy peach colored waterproof color corrector to block dark circles and a liquid under-eye concealer to cover them up. Sounds genius, right?
Circle Block in Medium
There are three shades (light, medium, dark) to choose from, and I decided to go with medium.
My eyes look pretty good when I have it on; the color corrector covers up the dark areas thoroughly, and the concealer lightens up the eye area — like it’s supposed to.
Unfortch the effect doesn’t last, and after just one hour of wear it all but disappears. Hello again, zombie girl![Continue reading…]
Estee Lauder must have heard how much I love cream eyeshadows (LOL!) because they just released a new line of 10 called Double Wear ShadowCremes ($17.50 each).
All of the Double Wear ShadowCreme swatches with flash
The 10 colors include…
The entire Double Wear ShadowCreme family without flash
When I checked them out today I had some serious MAC Paint Pot ($16.50) de ja vu/vu ja de.
If I were to close my eyes and touch a Double Wear shadow, I’d probably mistake it for a Paint Pot. They have a similar medium-weight feel to them, and they even look like Paint Pots, too, having a rich pigmentation that, like Paint Pots, lasts for hours without budging a bit. They’re like MAC Paint Pots in almost every way beyond the packaging and that they cost a buck more.
I was swatching the colors at a counter when a few of the shades reminded me of last year’s Paint Pots from the MAC Fafi collection.
I think Pink Blush looks like a lot like Perky, Sea Mist resembles Rollickin’ and Vintage Violate bears a striking resemblance to Nice Vice. If you missed the Fafi Paint Pots last year, this might be a great opportunity to score some near-dupes.
And this isn’t a Fafi dupe, but doesn’t Estee Lauder’s Precious Jade remind you of MAC Fluidline gel liner in Sweet Sage (a shimmery greenish gold)?
MAC Fluidline in Sweet Sage, MAC Paint Pot in Perky, MAC Paint Pot in Rollickin’, MAC Paint Pot in Nice Vice
Blue Velvet
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Even though I like to think of myself as youthful (hello, I like all things teenagery, a la The Hills and Us Weekly!), finding a scary white hair on my left eyebrow a few weeks ago gently reminded me of my age, EEK!
Now I’m on an anti-aging makeup kick, hence my new love affair with DuWop’s Foundation of Youth ($38), a liquid foundation I picked up on a recent trip to Sephora.
DuWop bills oil-free Foundation of Youth as an “anti-aging” product, one they claim will noticeably reduce the appearance of fine lines and help restore firmness to skin.
It comes in six shades, and the one I have is called Beige.
Unlike most foundations, it comes with an attached brush applicator. You squeeze the tube, which moistens the attached brush with foundation, and then sweep the brush over your face to distribute and blend.
Right off the bat I could see a difference in the texture of my skin. My pores looked smaller, and fine lines appeared softer.
You know how some foundations can actually appear to exaggerate imperfections in your skin as the day wears on? Not DuWop. It maintained a smooth, consistent texture even after a full day of wear.
Before DuWop
After DuWop
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