Daily Beauty

Milani Rose Powder Blush in Coral Cove: Now That’s a Cute Pan

March 20th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Coral blush cuteness served on a pan of rosy cuteness with a side of cuteness on the side!

Talk about a cute pan. 🙂

That pretty much summarizes the way I felt about Milani’s gorgeous Rose Powder Blush in Coral Cove ($7.99) the first time I saw it. One word: cute.

One of four recently released limited edition matte Rose Powder Blushes from the brand (with the others being red Lady Rouge, dark rose Love Potion and light rose Tea Rose), it immediately caught my eye. I thought I’d be able to wear it with orange lips and give one of this spring’s trendy looks a try.

Buuuuut, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make it work…

It looks so intense in the pan, but it applies rather sheer, patchy and powdery on my cheeks.

The apples of my cheeks are always somewhat dry, and Coral Cove doesn’t really adhere to my skin unless I prep the area first with a rich moisturizer.

Which I’ll do, ya know, but it’s an extra step… If you have oilier skin than mine, it probably won’t be an issue.

For some reason, too, I don’t think the color looks very natural on my cheeks, perhaps because of the amount of red in it. Maybe I’ll like it more in a couple months when I (hopefully) have a tan and more reddish undertones in my skin.

Still cute, though… I think I’ll put it on a shelf to admire the pretty pan. 🙂

You’ll find Coral Cove and the other Rose Powder Blushes at drugstores and online now ($7.99 a pan).

Today Only, Get 30% Off Everything Site-Wide at nyxcosmetics.com

March 20th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

Friends, makeup fiends, bargain hunters, lend me your bunny ears! How does this sound: 30% off everything at nyxcosmetics.com?

It’s one day only, though (the rest of today), good on everything site-wide.

That’s everything, as in evvrthang.

Not sure where to start?

May I recommend the new Infinite Shadow Sticks?

Regularly $9 a pop, they’re only $6.30 each during the sale.

These convenient and oh-so-lovely sticks of waterproof, smudge-proof cream shadow goodness came out with the spring collection a couple months back. I think they’re wonderful all by themselves, or as bases for powder shadows.

Almond, the shimmery taupe, is my favorite one. I’ll grab it sometimes when I’m totally running behind for something, and apply it all over my lids, concentrating the color along my lash lines. Then, I blend out the edges, and pat MAC’s golden taupe Patina Eye Shadow on top.

Together, they’re taupe-rific! (Yes, I’m on a kick inventing words.)

Oh, I also like shimmery white Crystal. I use it as a base for brights — like greens, blues and purples — where it brightens and intensifies products layered on top.

One thing, though, you have to work quickly with these, as they dry in a minute or two.

Happy shopping! Let me know if you get yourself a treat.

NYX Infinite Shadow Sticks from the left: Sweet Pink, Crystal, Almond and Chocolate

NYX Infinite Shadow Stick Swatches from the left: Crystal, Sweet Pink, Almond and Chocolate — Ingredients

NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel Orders Brows Around, But Do They Listen?

March 19th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

This clear NYX eyebrow gel and I have a lot in common… Like, both of us enjoy long walks on the beach, drinking piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.

OK, that, and we’re both also Control Freaks. 🙂

Released a bit ago with the rest of the NYX spring collection, Control Freak works like most brow gels. Just brush the wand through your brows after you fill them in, and the clear gel is supposed to hold the hairs in place — you know, keep them under control?

Get it? Control?

It’s $6 and available now at drugstores, Ulta stores and nyxcosmetics.com.

Performance-wise, I think it’s OK. It doesn’t have the hold of my ride-or-die Anastasia Clear Brow Gel, but c’est la vie. After a few hours wearing Control Freak, the longer hairs at the tail end of my brows start moving, shifting and flappin’ in the breeze.

Not what I’m usually going for…

I guess my brows are just too much jelly for this, LOL! But if you only need light hold, it should do you just fine.

At least it’s only $6. Gotta love that.

$6 NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippies: For a Quick Hit of Hydrating Color That Won’t Break the Bank

March 18th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Sex on the Beach (red shade) and Happy Buddha (brown shade)

NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Sex on the Beach — Wearing NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippies in Sex on the Beach ($6)

Hey, you, buddy. Yeah, you, the person who invented these bunny stunna shades.

Thank you. 🙂

I can’t even begin to tell you much joy these things have brought me over the past few days. You couldn’t possibly understand, but then I am incredibly easily amused (it’s a lifestyle).

Like the stunna shades, these new NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippies are also packaged in plastic. They’re $6 a pop, new for spring, and come in 12 unscented, unflavored shades that are shiny, moisturizing and sheer, although adding more layers does ramp up the intensity.

Unfortunately, they only last about an hour for me…which isn’t great, but my lips are always dry, and I’ve got a thing for sheer pencil-type lipsticks, balms and glosses like these (that don’t require sharpening, as these are twist-ups. Gooooo laziness!), so right now I’ve got two of them in my purse, a reddish shade called Sex on the Beach and a brown nude named Happy Buddha.

Good for weekends and other casual lip looks.

They remind me of the Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks, but are slightly more pigmented and slightly less moisturizing (not that they aren’t hydrating; just not as much as Neutrogena’s).

Dry-lipped gals, first off, I feel ya pain! Second, with these, you might need a little extra help from a balm.

All 12 shades are sitting pretty at Ulta stores and online at nyxcosmetics.com.

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The Art of Perfume Delivery Reimagined With Library of Flowers

March 17th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Library of Flowers Field & Flowers Parfum Creme

Perfume in cream form.

How scent-sorily imaginative.

In all my years of perfume collecting/fragrance hoarding (seriously, I have a bottle of YSL Paris I’ve had since roughly 1991), I can’t remember ever encountering anything quite like this before.

It’s called Perfumed Creme by Library of Flowers, and instead of spraying a liquid or rubbing a solid on your skin, you work the mildly moisturizing creams into your skin like…mild moisturizers.

The fragrance is released slowly throughout the day, with the intensity based on the amount you use. Work a small dollop into your skin for a light aroma, or turn up the odiferous dial with another layer or two.

They come in a variety of scents, too. The one I’ve been wearing, Field and Flowers is a very light, clean and fresh fruity floral with apricot top notes, honey blossom middle notes wildflower bottom notes.

It smells like waking up to a beautiful sunlit spring morning… 🙂

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Current Hair Styling Product Obsessions From Oribe, Kerastase and Clarins

March 13th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

New hair obsessions from Kerastase, Clarins and Oribe

Hair are a few products that have been rocking my mop lately.

Get it…? Hair? 🙂

Oribe Foundation Mist ($24)

My stylist buddy Alis at Fox + Stone Salon has been raving about Oribe Foundation Mist for ages, but I decided I needed a bottle after I hair modeled (is that even a phrase? Hair modeled?) for that Oribe class at the salon a few weeks back.

Basically, it’s hair primer. Sprayed on wet or dry hair, it smooths the hair cuticle so that styling products apply more smooth and evenly. It also detangles, enhances shine and provides UV protection.

The effect is subtle…but it is noticeable and I dig it.

I mean, it’s not a dramatic, in-your-face difference that’s gonna make you go “WHOA!” when you see yourself in the mirror, but my hair is definitely shinier, less tangly and easier to style when I prep it with this. I also see a little more volume.

I’ve been using it daily, and I’ve already decided to get another bottle when this one runs out.

Kerastase Spray a Porter ($35)

Game changer!

Seriously, where has Kerastase Spray a Porter been all my life?? If you want big, messy bed head/beach hair, it’s right here.

It even passes the “El Hub Test.” He normally never notices when I do something different with my hair (seriously, it took the man TWO WEEKS to notice that I added pink streaks), but whenever I wear this, he usually says something like, “Babe, your hair looks hot.”

LOL!

It’s very similar to Bumble & Bumble’s Salt Spray but less drying and doesn’t leave my hair feeling crunchy. Sprayed on wet or dry hair, it adds texture, volume and light hold. Perfect for lightly lifted, bombshell Victoria’s Secret beachy waves.

I use this after the Oribe Foundation Mist. I just spray it on my roots, on the ends, in my bangs — basically all over the place. Really great for sulty, slightly messy hair that isn’t too messy.

Clarins Sunscreen Spray Oil-Free Lotion SPF30 ($35)

Clarins Sunscreen Spray Oil-Free Lotion SPF30 is really freaking cool. It’s a new dry oil sunscreen spray for body, hair and scalp! It’s like sun protection multitasking to the Nth degree.

It’s water resistant, sweat resistant, doesn’t leave my skin or hair feeling greasy, and it smells like a tropical vacation. For use on wet or dry skin or hair.

Bay Area Clarins fans, pop by Bloomingdale’s in SF to visit the new Clarins spa opening this Friday, March 14. Just Call (415) 856-5459 to book an appointment.

U Luxury Color Protectant Hair Perfume in Bianca ($35)

OK, U Luxury Color Protectant Hair Perfume in Bianca hasn’t officially made it on to my Hair Obsessions list yet because I just started using it, but I still think it’s worth mentioning because it’s kind of interesting and neat.

Hair perfume — just like the name says — but with UV protection. It has a citrusy grapefruit scent (you know I loves me some grapefruit), although I do have to say that when I first smelled it, the alcohol was very, very strong. It’s the first item listed on the ingredient list, so I hope it doesn’t dry out my mop.

These MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks Are Like Full-Coverage Fountains of Hydrating Happiness

March 12th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Ooh, ooh, ooh! Chair dance time. MAC recently added a handful of fun new shades (six to be exact) to their Mineralized Rich Lipstick line… [CUE APPLAUSE] Yea!

I fell in love with these $22 lipsticks last year.

Wait — let me rephrase that. My hella dry lips fell in love with these lipsticks last year.

Have you given these a try?

Full coverage and fabulously moisturizing, they’re great for dry, flaky lips (like mine). Only thing is, they don’t last a very long time… I end up having to reapply every 2-4 hours.

Here are four of the six new shades. All of them are available now at MAC counters and online.

The gears in my head and cranking… Got any ideas for lip combos I should try with these?

MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Be Fabulous, a washed out pastel pink — Be Fabulous, a washed-out pastel pink

MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Good Taste, a fuchsia pink — Good Taste, a fuchsia pink

MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Bold Spring, a deep bluish pink — Bold Spring, a deep bluish pink

MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Pure Pout, a dirty cool beige — Pure Pout, a dirty cool beige

The New MAC Studio Sculpt Lash Mascara’s Toothy Brush Yearns To Take a Bite Out of Criminally Short Lashes

March 11th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Open up and say, “Ah.”

“Ahhhh.”

Ha! This is a pretty accurate depiction of the way I look at the dentist’s office, sans the snot that’s usually running out of my nose, the black streaks of mascara-laden tears streaming down my cheeks and, let’s be real here, the glittery eye boogers that are usually up in the mix.

I’m sorry, was that TMI? 🙂

Anyway, teeth! I keep thinking about them, and not just because I’m supposed to go back to my freaking dentist’s office this or next week for round two of “The Tooth Scaling Chronicles,” but also because of the two sleek, toothy rows of bristles on the new MAC Studio Sculpt Lash mascara’s brush.

Don’t they look like really, really sharp teeth?

Or maybe I just read and watch too much sci-fi…

OK, so this mascara? I think it’s a lot like an eighth-grade dance.

Hear me out…

You know how when you danced with your lab partner but wanted to dance with the hot guy in varsity wrestling instead?

Like that, it’s OK. It’s nice enough. Adds some decent length, separation and lifts the curl a bit, but it won’t get you to walk the long way to math class for a slight chance at running into it in the halls, if you know what I mean.

It’s fine…but I’d rather hang out with MAC Extended Play Gigablack mascara, which has been my go-to MAC mascara for the past couple of months because of its better lengthening muscle and curl lift.

If you’re one of those lucky gals/dudes with built-in mega-fringe (JEALOUS!), or if you’re just looking for a little extra length and separation, MAC Studio Sculpt should do you fine.

I do think the thin, skinny bristles are totally precise. They do not mess around, and with them I feel like I have a lot of control over where I place the bristles.

Beware…because MAC Studio Sculpt Lash wants to sink its teeth into your lashes! You can find it now at MAC counters and online at maccosmetics.com ($16 a tube).