Daily Beauty

These 88 Singles Are Ready To Mingle: The NYX Hot Singles Eye Shadows Line

February 21st, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

She’s single and ready to mingle!

No, I am not referring to my personal mantra circa 2001. 🙂 I’m referring to NYX’s new monumental permanent line of Hot Singles Eye Shadows powder shadow singles.

Monumental as in 88 shades — wow! — and the pots are only $4.50 each.

Whether you’re looking for shimmers, mattes, brights or neutrals, there’s a very, very good chance you’ll find something interesting nestled among the seven dozen shades.

These hot singles are also highly pigmented, something I did not expect the first time I swatched them on my arm. The eight shades I’ve tried didn’t exactly “arm swatch” well.

Arm swatch… There I go inventing verbs.

In fact, they appeared downright patchy and sheer, and I had to build them up with 2-3 layers to reach the level of intensity in the pictures here.

Ah, but introduce them to an eye brush, and the story changes. When I use a flat eyeshadow brush and pat them on my lids, they’re surprisingly pigmented.

I should point out that some of the lighter beige and white mattes do appear slightly chalky on my skin, but for $4.50 each, I can deal.

Of the eight I’ve tried, shimmery golden pink Sex Kitten and matte beige Vixen are probably my definitely my faves. Lovely basics, the both of them.

Shimmery purple Maneater is right up there, too. Patted on the lids with black or plum liner on the lash and/or water lines, it’s mesmerizing. I can’t wait to see it on someone with green or hazel eyes (I love it on my eyes, which are brown).

Thanks to NYX, makeup lovers like us have 88 new reasons to visit the drugstore (they’re also available at Ulta and online at nyxcosmetics.com).

NYX Hot Singles Swatches from the left: Pink Lady, Lolita, Asphyxiation and Whipped Cream — Swatches from the left: Pink Lady, Lolita, Asphyxiation and Whipped Cream

NYX Hot Singles Swatches from the left: Vixen, STFU, Maneater and Sex Kitten — Swatches from the left: Vixen, STFU, Maneater and Sex Kitten

NARS Matte Multiple Collection Pics and Swatches

February 21st, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Prior to swatching the new NARS Matte Multiple collection this morning, this was my idea of a dream-come-true with multiples… 🙂

SUPER STOKED about this new line of matte cream blushes and bronzers! I’ll be putting them through their paces today and this weekend. For now, though, please partake of these pics and swatches.

All seven shades are available now at narscosmetics.com and coming to NARS counters next month.

NARS Matte Multiple Collection Swatches from the left: Anguilla, Exumas, Siam and Laos

NARS Matte Multiple Collection Swatches from the left: Cappadoce, Altai and Vientiane

Planting the Seeds of Makeup Inspiration

February 20th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

Why, yes! I am that lady who kneels down on the sidewalk at the mall and takes a billion pictures of floral arrangements and planters. 🙂

But, I assure you, there is a method to my madness.

I get some great makeup color combo ideas from the flowers in those planters.

Seriously! Like this one here that I saw at the mall this week…

Look at that purple, green, pink, yellow and brown. Wouldn’t that combination make a great makeup look?

I’m thinking about that lighter purplish pink on the lids, the darker purple in the outer corners, the golden yellow to highlight the inner corners and a deep, dark chocolate brown liner along my lash and water lines.

And maybe also a green along my lower lash line, too. Then a pop of hot pink on my lips…

OK, now I’m itching to give this a try!

Do you ever snap pics of flower planters on your phone when you’re out and about? They’re really great sources of makeup inspiration.

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Chanel

February 19th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

The Nordstrom over at the Village at Corte Madera mall recently revamped their beauty department, and by “recently,” I mean that it looks like they put the finishing touches on it in the last few days.

Now it’s set up with rows of shelves like a Sephora, which seems like a good idea to me. All of the products are easily accessible, and I saw several women trying things on while I was there.

The new Chanel section is HUGE! I swooned a li’l bit when I saw it because the testers were virtually untouched.

Imagine hundreds and hundreds of untouched, un-swatched pans…

‘Twas glorious! 🙂

Mantra of the Day, According to Bobbi Brown’s Pink Peony Illuminating Bronzing Powder

February 18th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Be bold!

Alright then, Bobbi. If you say so.

I will be the boldest cat lady I can! 🙂

This sheer rosy pink ALL-CAPS compact, which Bobbi calls a bronzer, is from the new Uber Pink collection.

Just dust it on your face wherever the sun naturally falls, like your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, for a natural-looking glow, thanks to its pearly finish.

I don’t really use this for heavy-duty contouring, obvs, because it’s pink, but I do use it for all-over warmth. I’ll swipe a little across my cheeks (by itself or atop a rosy pink blush) and across my forehead with a fluffy brush.

The pink is super subtle, so unless you build it up on purpose, you won’t end up walking around with a pink forehead, LOL!

Oh, and sometimes I also wear this as a basic blush.

It’s available now at Bobbi Brown counters and bobbibrowncosmetics.com for $38.

Bobbi Brown Pink Peony Swatch — Pink Peony built up on the left and sheered out on the right

Sonia Kashuk’s Yellow Alluriana Body Lotion Is Putting a Spring in My Step and Grapefruit on My Mind

February 17th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Oh, winter…

You saucy minx.

For a while there, you had me under your spell. You lured me in with those crisp December mornings and snuggle sessions with El Hub, me and Tabs on the couch, then kept me close with those cozy holiday evenings at home in front of the crackling yule log channel on TV.

Now though…? Now you’re just so damned cold, and I’m totally over you.

Spring can’t get here soon enough. I’ve even been trying to accelerate the process, primarily through the strategic use of bath and body products, particularly grapefruit scents, because, I don’t know why, but they just seem springy and fresh to me — like Sonia Kashuk’s grapefruit-scented Yellow Alluriana Body Lotion (has notes of grapefruit, lemon verbena and musk).

“An all-day moisture-replenishing wonder that helps restore skin’s suppleness, elasticity and tone with regenerative botanical oils and shea butter. Absorbs easily, leaving skin soft and smooth.”
— target.com

The fragrant, springy formula and mega moisturizing mojo temporarily erase my memories of winter and make me forget that I’m actually typing this sentence while wearing a down jacket, scarf and two pairs of socks.

Thankfully, Yellow Alluriana is available now for $8.99 exclusively at Target stores and target.com.

Random fun fact: “pamplemousse,” which is the word grapefruit in French, is my favorite word en Français!

Welcome to Tenoverten! Home of the Tenoverten Nail Polish Spring Collection

February 14th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Tenoverten.

Doesn’t that sound like the name of a fairytale town?

Tenoverten — where kisses are currency and everyone smiles! 🙂

These are just a few more things I’ll be testing this weekend, these new spring nail polishes by Tenoverten, a brand I’ve never tried.

Aren’t they cute?

The line’s based out of New York, and the polishes are available now at Sephora stores and online at sephora.com for $18 each.

The polishes are 5-free, meaning they don’t contain toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or campor, and they’re supposed to last and resist chips a good, long while.

We’ll see about that… You’ll be the first to know (after me and Tabs). I’ll be putting them through extensive gravy can-opening tests over the next few days.

Tenoverten Spring — Spring, a pink salmon

Tenoverten Prince — Prince, a pale lilac

2 Minutes of Under-Eye Concealer Chit-Chat, and Call Me a Beautyblender Believer

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 28 Comments

Can we talk under-eye concealer for a second?

Of course we can. That’s why we’re buds. 😀 You understand my obsession with the whole dark circle thang, and that’s one of the many reasons I heart ya.

So, I usually blend under-eye concealer with my fingers because I feel like my body temp warms up the product a tad, making it a little easier to work into my skin. Plus, I figure, why use another brush if I don’t have to and be left with yet another brush to clean?

Then I came across the Beautyblender…

Man, this thing is cool! Basically, it’s a non-latex sponge, so it’s not exactly a brush, that you can use to apply and blend concealer, foundation or any cream products you wear on your face or body.

Just wet it with water, and watch it magically expand (ooh!). Then use the dampened sponge to apply your makeup.

Ever since I started using it to blend my under-eye concealer, I’ve seen a huge difference in the final look.

All I do is mix a little MAC Pro Longwear Concealer with MAC Careblends Essential Oils on the back of my hand (a trick I learned from MAC Pro Artist Louise Z), dot the mix under my eyes, and blend it all in with a damp Beautyblender.

When I’m done, I swear the skin under my eyes looks smoother than it does when I just use my fingers. Call me a Beautyblender believer!

Have you tried them yet, and if so, what do you think? They’re available at Sephora stores and sephora.com for $20.

They also sell a Beautyblender cleanser for $18, but I’m not exactly sold on that yet… I’m still using my good ol’ Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Soap, and it seems to work fine.