Daily Beauty

Pirate Karen on the New NARSskin Restorative Night Treatment…

September 11th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

“Yaaar!” screeched Pirate Karen. “Avast ye, matey, is that a gel? Shiver me timbers, it looks like a gel. If that thar be a lightweight face moisturizing gel, then make it walk the plank! Because it ain’t gonna do nothin’ for me thirsty skin.

“But blimey! I’m such a curious kitty. I’m thinkin’ I’ll be touchin’ it anyway, just to see how it feels…

“Well blow me down! It’s so rich and silky. It’s lightweight like a gel, but once I work it into me skin, it feels like an oil. My sea-battered pirate skin actually feels plump and moisturized!

“There be a booty of almond, plum and rice bran oils in it to feed me combo dry/oily skin with fatty acids and omegas, and ahoy! There’s seaweed (Alaria extract) in thar too, which is supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles…and ye knows I have me some fine lines and wrinkles, har-har.

“Son of a biscuit eater, I was wrong! This is beauty booty. It’s a treasure in a jar!”

Too bad it costs an actual treasure chest filled with pirate gold. A 0.96-oz. jar of NARSskin Restorative Night Treatment is $85 (yaaaar!). Good thing a small amount goes a long way. This rich gel-to-oil moisturizer is designed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and boost skin’s moisture levels. It’s also non-comedogenic and alcohol-free. Coming September 20 to NARS Boutiques and online to narscosmetics.com; October 1 to NARS counters at department and specialty stores.

Fare thee well, ye landlubber. 🙂

This Berry Blush Is Blissfully Grinding: Smashbox Halo Longwear Blush in Blissful

September 10th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

In a way, these Smashbox Halo Longwear Blushes ($24 each) are a lot like potato chips.

It’s really, really hard to have just one. 🙂

Smashbox calls this beauty Blissful. It’s a berry with a subtle golden sheen. A very fall-friendly shade.

I think it looks super pretty with berry and wine matte lips.

It’s available now at Smashbox counters and online.

The Look for Less: This $5 Covergirl Cheekers Blush Is Almost a Dupe for $28 Benefit Dallas Boxed Blush

September 9th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Werble, werble, bleep-bleep, boop!

Oh! That’s the beautiful sound of the Dupe Alert 3000, an advanced, cutting-edge alarm system I secretly acquired from Cyberdyne Systems this week.

Shh… Don’t tell anyone, but I keep it in my office right next to the cat treats, and it chimes whenever a drugstore product that could pass for a more expensive product is in its proximity.

Today it was Covergirl’s $5 Cheekers Blush in Soft Sable that set it off. Soft Sable is a peachy brown with shimmer that could easily stand in for Benefit’s $28 Boxed Blush in Dallas.

To the blush snobs, don’t knock it ’til you try it. Soft Sable buffs more easily than a bodybuilder and blends beautifully. When I wear it, I can usually go six or seven hours between touch-ups.

Plus, and this is my favorite part, it’s only $5.

Dispatch your personal robot assistant to the nearest drugstore or Ulta to find it. It’s also available online.

Werble, werble, bleep-bleep, boop! 🙂

Does She Have It? She Most Certainly Does When She’s Wearing It Cosmetics Hello Light Anti Aging Radiance Illuminating Powder

September 8th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

It Cosmetics Hello Light Anti Aging Radiance Illuminating Powder (1)

So I picked up Hello Light Anti Aging Radiance Illuminating Powder by It Cosmetics ($24) at Ulta on a whim a few months ago, set it on a shelf here at home, and then promptly forgot about it.

Whoops!

I re-found it last weekend while cleaning my office (no, I didn’t finish the job; I’ll never finish).

Better late than never, I suppose.

I wish I hadn’t forgotten about it, though, because I’ve been missing out this whole time. It’s really kind of awesome. A subtle peachy beige highlighting powder — even subtler than the Hourglass Ambients — it adds a soft, non-frosty, hazy highlight that looks like natural skin, only dewier. I apply it on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, in the middle of my forehead, on my chin and on my Cupid’s bow.

P.S. How was your Monday, boo? Sorry I’ve been kind of incommunicado today, but I just started a new project that I’m really excited about, and I’m still early in the process, so I don’t want to jinx anything by talking about it yet. Gotta get past the initial doubts and get a little further along, ya know?

In other news, Being Mary Jane. Have you seen it? Thoughts?

I marathon’d the first season on Netflix last week and got sucked right in.

September Update: My Current Skin Care Routine

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

Unlike Tabs, who wakes up preternaturally gorgeous without any assistance whatsoever because of his superior kitty modeling genetics, the rest of us need a little help.

In my case, I need a sh*t-ton of help from skin care, LOL!

Here’s my current routine of products I’ve been using on my combination oily/dry/acne-prone mug all summer long…

In the morning…

Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel Botanical Exfoliator (I’m on my third bottle)
Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion
Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate
Kate Somerville Anti Bac Acne Clearing Lotion (I swear by this stuff! Ride-or-die!)
Amore Pacific Future Response Dual Eye Cream for Day
Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream
Diptyque Protective Moisturizing Lotion for the Face SPF 15 (I like this well enough, but I’m probably not going to restock it. I’m mostly just trying to finish this one.)

In the evening…

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser (Another ride-or-die trooper!)
Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion
Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate
Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream (I know that this is technically not a night cream…but whatevs.)
Skinceuticals Resveratrol BE
Amore Pacific Future Response Age Defense Dual Eye Creme for Night

Also, once or twice a week, I’ll use Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask, depending on how dry my cheeks are feeling on any given day. 🙂

Does Guerlain Eyebrow Pencil in 1 Brun Ideal Give Good Brow?

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

As far as high end/highfalutin eyebrow pencils are concerned, I think the ones by Tom Ford and Hourglass are the ones to beat.

Today I thought Guerlain’s Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Ideal ($31) might join those two, and it probably would have if I’d been able to find more colors.

So far, I’ve only found one — 1 Brun Ideal — a light grayish brown, which, yeah, looks a little funky-town in my dark brows.

I think my skin tone brings out the purple in Brun Ideal, which makes the inner part of my brows look dark and the outer tail end look sort of grayish purple.

Hmm…

Things I like: the hard pencil texture. It definitely clings to my skin and the brow hairs, which is good, and it stays put 9-10 hours without breaking up or fading, even when it’s hot outside.

It also comes with a sharpener, and you can never have too many of those.

But there’s that whole one color thing… There must be more of them out there. This can’t be the only one. Right?

I just wish there were more shades… For now, I think I’ll stick to Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor, which comes in Blonde, Chestnut, Espresso and Taupe.

Saving Pretty Purses From Filthy Floors: The Pink Champagne Purse Holder

September 3rd, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Purse holders are pretty neat, especially if you’re kind of, like, OCD about where your purse goes when you’re out and about.

I hate when my purse touches the floor in a restaurant (or, god forbid, a bathroom), and I always make sure that wherever it is, it’s within my line of sight. I’m not about to get my purse stolen (knocks on wood) while eating fro-yo, ya know? That would ruin an otherwise awesome thing.

So why did I wait so long to get a purse holder?

Maybe I was waiting for the right one to come along…

Cheers! This pink champagne one definitely suits my style. 🙂

It’s by Chris’s Stuff, $9.95, and it’s also available in red, gold and white.

It comes with a black velvet carrying pouch, too.

The LORAC Pro Matte Lip Colors: When a Flat Matte Finish Won’t Do

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

LORAC Pro Matte Lip Colors from the left: Coral, Violet and Magenta

If you’re matte as hell, and you’re not gonna take it anymore! — and by “it,” I mean lipsticks with a flat matte finish, then check out LORAC’s line of long-wearing Pro Matte Lip Colors ($16 each).

Available in 12 shades that range from nude to vibrant, they’re super fancy-schmancy. They have a lovely, finessed matte finish that looks like a plush piece of expensive velvet, and a twist-up pencil tip that makes them easy to use for lining and filling in your lips.

The three I’ve tried — Coral, Violet and Magenta — easily last through drinks and snacks. Wear time is excellent.

Look for the Pro Matte Lip Colors now at LORAC counters and online.