Makeup

Laura Mercier’s Creme Eye Duo: Pink Has a New Friend

March 16th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

For many, Sunday is a day of rest. Let me just say that those people are lucky bastards. Except for a few brief beauty breaks, my booty has been planted in the chair at my computer desk all afternoon.

On one of my breaks I snuck away from the keyboard to play with yesterday’s Laura Mercier loot. I took a few snapshots of a shimmery eye done using Laura Mercier’s Fairytale Creme Eye Duo, a combination of two cream eyeshadows, one pink and one violet. Both produce a near-transparent wash of color.

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Lip Look: Flirt! Glamourazzi Extreme Lip Lacquer in 07 Spotlight

March 12th, 2008 by Karen 46 Comments

No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. For once, I’m not wearing pink lipstick, LOL!

Spotlight is one of three lip colors ($12 each) in Flirt’s Glamourazzi Extreme Lip Lacquer line. A peachy bronze with a touch o’ sparkle, Spotlight has staying power and lots of shine. I applied it before leaving for work this morning and didn’t have to reapply for four hours! It even lasted through the turkey wrap I had for lunch. The brush pen tip makes it easy to apply in a rush, even when I’ve got one sandal out the door.

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New Shop-A-Matic Lets You Browse Through 109 Lipsticks: New York Magazine

March 10th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

New York Magazine online has posted a spiffy feature in which you can browse through a huge assortment of pretty lipsticks. You can compare by thumbnail image or view them as a slide show with swatches, prices and availability. Both drugstore and department store brands appear in the lineup. I spotted Maybelline, Clarins and Clinique and couldn’t help but notice the MAC presence, holla!

New York Magazine Shop-A-Matic

“We tested over 400 [lipsticks] to make sure they looked, smelled and rocked the lips hot,” says Sharon Clott, online assistant market editor at New York Magazine.

For each lipstick there’s a product shot, swatches and the colors on the lips of NY Magazine staffers. (Side note: do you suppose lipstick tester/model was in their job description? I’d so apply for that gig in a hot second.)

I’d like to see them add swatches done on real skin to the swatches they’ve provided on white backgrounds, but the lip pics still give you a good idea of each color.

Earlier today on the site I found quite a few lippies to add to my to-try list, including Haute Face Matte Lipstick in Star Power (#66) and Clarins Joli Rouge in Hot Pink (#79). Have fun!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Accessible Luxury: Shu Uemura Knows Lashes Inside and Out

March 6th, 2008 by Karen 92 Comments

Genetics bestowed upon me wimpy, ho-hum lashes… and then made me so clumsy that I couldn’t apply false ones to save my life. Oh, the sweet eyelash irony!

Enter the Shu Uemura lash bar, aka false eyelash nirvana, where the lashes are affordable and the appointment booking process couldn’t be easier.

Whether you’re looking for a little lash extension, or you’re aching for crazy, over-the-top-lashes to overcompensate for many years of eyelash inadequacy (*ahem*), Shu’s got you covered.

Case in point:

Notice how fabulously non-wimpy these are. I done died and went to eyelash heaven, ladies!

Would you believe a trip to eyelash heaven is actually pretty darn affordable? From a Shu lash bar, all you do is purchase any pair of their false lashes, which run from $16 to about $50 a pair, and a Shu makeup artist will apply your new lashes (and answer any questions you might have about them) for free!

Gratis rules, but I know you work hard for your money, so to stretch those dolla-dolla-bills a wee bit further, here’s a great money saving tip I got from Jeccica, a Shu Uemura makeup artist and manager (and all around rad girl) at the San Francisco Fillmore store: buy a pair like False Eyelashes Luxe ($20) and ask the makeup artist to cut one of the lashes in half.

Ask the artist to apply each of the cut halves to your outer lashes only. It’s a simple way to get a sexy, yet natural-looking eyelash boost. Save that uncut lash for future use. Cut that bad boy in half and you’re good to go with a new pair. It’s like getting two sets of lashes for the price of one, yah?

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Lip Look: Three Custom Color Specialists Dahlia Gloss

March 4th, 2008 by Karen 31 Comments

I’ve still got the fever!

Pink fever continues with Three Custom Color Specialists Dahlia Gloss. How do I love this blue based hot pink gloss?? Let me count the ways.

Color: Blue based tones work well with my coloring, and I love this pink’s vivid brightness. The glitter-free shade is highly pigmented and looks very, very, very pink on my lips… and I like it! It’s definitely not for the pink shy.

Product: Three Custom Color Specialists Dahlia Gloss
Price: $18.50
Use: As a lipgloss
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Shine: Typically, lipgloss formulas radiate a high shine when applied. Unlike MAC Lipglass’ high shine formulas, Three Custom Color Specialists Gloss has a subdued shine that’s less reflective than usual for a lipgloss, resulting in a finish more like a lipstick than a gloss.

I like its subtle shine because of how suitable it is for day wear. And if I want a sassier look for evenings out, I’ll just add a layer of MAC Clear Lipglass and then bam! Ready for a night out at the club with the girls.

Texture: As much as I loves me some gloss, I can’t stand it when my hair sticks to my lips. That doesn’t happen with Dahlia. It’s nonstick, light and long-lasting.

I’m really impressed with this gloss and intend to snag a few more shades. The Three Custom Color Specialists Web site breaks down the gloss colors into three families — warm, cool and neutral — to help you find the right shade. You can purchase your gloss online or from a store near you .

Ya’ll gotta bear with me as I work through this pink lip phase… Maybe one of these days I’ll be healed!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Take Me to Hawaii with Lancome’s Pixel Pink

February 28th, 2008 by Karen 26 Comments

Lancome’s got a video on Youtube celebrating Pixel Pink Color Fever Shine lipstick, the limited edition shade created for fashion designer Thankoon Panichgul’s Spring 2008 runway show. While the entire video is an interesting insight into the inspiration behind the lipstick and the backstage goings-on at NY Fashion Week, my favorite parts are the animated sequences of “moving paintings” by experimental filmmaker Jeff Scher.

Still shots of Jeff’s moving paintings

There’s a segment at the beginning when Thankoon talks about what inspired the Pixel Pink shade (it starts at the 00:52 mark and runs through about 01:12) where you see the first animated series of Jeff’s paintings. They’re brightly colored, with vivid blues, greens and reds, and tell the story behind Thankoon’s muse, a carefree girl who ditches her job and moves to Hawaii to hang out, surf and to wear pink lipstick. Um, hello, Thankoon — that’s like, my life dream.

(Note: This video is only about 3 minutes long, not the 9 minutes reflected in the player.)

I love the video sequence in which the paintings change in rapid succession and the one with the Jeep (complete with surf boards in the back) driving over the Haleiwa Bridge on the North Shore of the island of Oahu:

… and here’s the real life Haleiwa bridge!

The bridge shots lead into a sequence in which Thankoon’s muse goes surfing. I so want to be this girl!

lancome-pixel-pink-thankoon-jeff-scher-haleiwa-surf-girl-2

I’m purchasing my tube of Pixel Pink online from the Lancome Web site, but if you can’t wait for online delivery, you can also get it from Lancome counters at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus department stores, or at one of the five Lancome boutiques nationwide. And then there’s also ordering by telephone. To do it you’ll need to provide your credit card number and address over the phone. Here are numbers to the five U.S. Lancome Boutiques:

Manhattan, New York: (212) 362-4858
The Mall at Short Hills, New Jersey: (973) 258-0790
Northpark Mall in Dallas, Texas: (214) 750-9364
Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, California: (408) 244-8334
Brea Mall in Brea, California: (714) 671-0267

Let’s just drop everything and head to Hawaii next week. Come on, the warm tropical breezes, the white, sandy beaches, the hot surfer dudes… YES!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Mania Strikes Neiman Marcus Beauty Event

February 22nd, 2008 by Karen 35 Comments

Today I suffered a debilitating case of makeup buying indecision at the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event, a national event (in-store and online) in which visitors to Neiman Marcus stores who purchase $100 in beauty or fragrance products through March 2 receive a batch of six sample products along with their choice of tote bags in hot pink, teal or neon green.

Cute bag, yah? I entered the San Francisco Union Square store on a mission. I cruised the beauty department with my homegirl Jo-money, scoping out spring products from both Nars and Laura Mercier, but I couldn’t decide what to get.

I love both lines, but today I was caught between NARS Shanghi Lily and Laura Mercier Seduction. I knew I couldn’t get everything I wanted, but instead of actually getting anything, I ended up snapping pictures, assuming that as the day wore on I’d choose from one collection or the other.

I went to lunch thinking food might help (hey, it always does) and took a long walk down Market Street in SF, but the answer never came to me. I couldn’t decide between the two collections and went home empty handed. 🙁

Yeah, I know I should have just chosen a few products from each line, but I have until March 2 to make up my mind. Laura? Nars? BOTH? *Wallet throbs* HELP! What should I do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Paint it Pink, Paint it Black: Lancome Stylish Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette

February 13th, 2008 by Karen 31 Comments

No matter how hard I try, I am physically unable to pack light for trips. My main weakness: makeup. I always bring way more than I should.

If I were forced to pick just one eyeshadow palette to bring with me on, say, a three-day trip to Las Vegas, that palette would have to be the new Lancome Stylish Neutrals Color Design Artist Palette.

This Friday morning El Hub and I catch a flight to Las Vegas (4:00 a.m., OUCH!) to hang out with my in laws, who are flying over from where they live in Hawaii to meet us there. We haven’t seen them in a while. It’s just a short three-day trip, so I don’t want to bring my entire makeup collection (actually, I do). Lancome’s Stylish Neutrals Palette has everything I should need.

It would be an understatement to say I’m a lil’ obsessed with this palette. I’ve been rocking the colors for a week. Here’s a super easy tutorial of a pink and light purple eye using four of the shadows.

This map shows where the shadow placement should go:

First, prep your eyelids. Apply a few dots of your favorite concealer and blend it thoroughly with a concealer brush. I used Dior Long-Wearing Moisturizing Concealer and Billy B’s Paintbrush #5.

Next, apply MAC Shadestick in Pink Couture to your lids and barely into your crease.

Use warm fingers to gently smooth out the edges.

Now, grab a fluffy rounded edge brush, like the MAC 252 or Sephora Shader brush, and apply Lancome’s Optic eyeshadow (#1), a cool grey shimmer, to the brow bone.

With the same brush, apply Off the Rack eyeshadow (#2), a metallic light pink, to your lids on top of the MAC Pink Couture Shadestick. Concentrating most of the color on your lid, bring the eyeshadow color up into the crease, fading it as you move upward.

Next, still with the same brush, apply a shimmery mauve like Exhibition eyeshadow (#3) into the outer V. It’s a light but highly pigmented color. Go easy on it if you plan to wear the look to work. Be sure to dilute it first by tapping the brush against the side of the sink, or swipe the brush head against a piece of tissue or the back of your hand. Apply the color slowly, one layer at time. It’s always easier to add color than to take it away.

Now, using a stiff angled brush like the MAC 266 (yay!), apply Backstage Pass eyeshadow (#4), a dark matte burgundy, beneath the lash line. I prefer soft lines, so I applied the shadow dry. If you prefer more intense color and defined lines, wet your brush before using it.

Next, grab a small fluff brush like the MAC 228, and blend a little more Optic eyeshadow (#1) just beneath the line you created with Backstage Pass (#4).

To finish the look, fill in your brows, curl your lashes and add two coats of mascara.

For my brows I used a MAC 266 brush with Concrete Eyeshadow, and on the lashes I used the Shu Uemura curler and Shu’s Precise Volume Waterproof Mascara.

Don’t forget your blush and your gloss! Here, on my cheeks I went with MAC Mocha blush, and on the lips that’s MAC Spice lipliner and Chanel Pink Crystal Glossimer lipgloss.

I like this look’s lil’ color punch. It’s not over-the-top and takes my laziness to new and glorious heights. All six shadows and the Shadestick work so well together and in so many different combinations that I can create any of several different eye looks in 10 minutes from start to finish.

I hope you had a mellow Wednesday. Keep on truckin’, girlfriend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen