Drugstore Beauty Finds

I’m Spellbound by the Natural Flush and Light Sheen These Pixi All-Over Magic Powders Deliver

September 27th, 2011 by Karen 39 Comments

pixi all over magic
Wearing Pixi All-Over Magic Powder in No. 2 Rose Radiance on the apples of my cheeks and No. 3 Brightening Radiance on my upper cheekbones

These new Pixi All-Over Magic Powders ($24 each) take me back to my teens, and those kinder, gentler days when I’d wake up every morning with a built-in youthful glow.

Subtlety and sheen characterize the three brightening blushes and highlighters (one isn’t shown here), each of which contain five colors designed to be swirled together when applied.

pixi all over magic rose radiance
No. 2 Rose Radiance (applies as a warm pink with shimmer)

pixi all over magic brightening radiance
No. 3 Brightening Radiance (applies as a light pinkish peach with shimmer)
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It’s About Time with JK Jemma Kidd I-Sculpt Shadow and Liner Duo

September 22nd, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

jk jemma kidd i sculpt

As a busy woman with about a bazillion bits and bobs on her to-do list, I greatly appreciate products that help me save time when I’m getting ready in the morning. Products like the three new dual-tipped I-Sculpt Shadow and Liner sticks ($17 each) from JK Jemma Kidd.

Convenient! Just line with the slanted side, flip, and pat some shadow on your lids with the sponge tip applicator on the other end.

BAM! Ready in a flash, like a covert cosmetics ninja with a secret beauty weapon.

Thanks to the purple Shadow and Liner duo, codename Kings Rd (pretty!), I actually had a few extra minutes of free time this morning to spend on other things…

jk jemma kidd i sculpt

Like practicing jazz hands…

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JK Jemma Kidd Is Roller Balling Out the Red Carpet with Her Newest Lip/Cheek Tint & Gloss

September 20th, 2011 by Karen 35 Comments

jk jemma kidd red carpet lip cheek tint & gloss
Wearing JK Jemma Kidd Red Carpet Lip/Cheek Tint & Gloss in 02 Dress Up

My friend, please note.

Should you ever find yourself feeling like this:

jk jemma kidd red carpet lip cheek tint & gloss
Fussy face

Or like this, completely unable to focus:

jk jemma kidd red carpet lip cheek tint & gloss

Or, should you ever just want that nagging voice in your head that causes you to doubt yourself to simply shut the f*ck up, listen to this:

Or eat a bowl of this:

Love Yourself Soup

Or laugh at this:

Or, if you’re so inclined, slip on a little bit of this: the new JK Jemma Kidd Red Carpet Lip/Cheek Tint & Gloss, available in Dress Up and Glam Up ($18 each).

jk jemma kidd red carpet lip cheek tint & gloss
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The New Fall 2011 JK Jemma Kidd Eyeshadows and a Helping of Love Yourself Soup

September 20th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

jk jemma kidd fall 2011 eyeshadows

Hey, boo. You having a good Tuesday? I hope so. Before we take a look at the new JK Jemma Kidd eyeshadows for fall ($16 each), grab a spoon, and pull up a chair. I’m gonna fix you a bowl of my world famous Love Yourself Soup. 🙂

Yup, Love Yourself Soup. I know it sounds silly, but I’m convinced that after you have a bowl, you’ll feel that much better. And really, doesn’t “Love Yourself Soup” sound cooler than “Corn Soup with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil”?

Oh, what’s that, you say? You’d like to help me in the kitchen? That’s so sweet!

Okay, let’s start by chopping some tomatoes (about a cup will do).

Mini-heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joe’s

While I work on the tomatoes, you can smash and mince a few cloves of garlic for us. I lurves me some garlic, but we can use a little less if you’d like. From one to three cloves should do.

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Subtly Sweetened with Pixi Beauty Blush

September 19th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

With a name like Pixi, it’s gotta be sweet. Take these three new Beauty Blushes ($16 each). It’s like the mint green cases (complete with fairy logo), and the eminently agreeable pink and peach powders inside them, were specifically designed for that part of me that still, and always will, love girly things.

Sure, the price is a king’s ransom for a drugstore brand, but that’s not a big surprise. Pixi’s one of the “highest end” beauty lines available at Target. Still, $16 is getting close to a standard MAC blush.

At least Pixi wasn’t chintzy with the product. With these I feel like you do get more for your doubloons than usual for a drugstore brand blush, both in terms of quantity and quality. The packaging feels sturdier than most, and the blush itself is so soft that based on texture at least, I’d bet these could even pass for a pricier line like Shu.

My cheeks haven’t minded the nuanced effect I get with Healthiest Honey (the matte peachy brown), Purest Peach (the peachy pink with golden shimmer) and Perkiest Pink (the matte dainty pink), but ladies who long for lots of color might not be satisfied. These are all about pigment that’s faint and barely there.

Pixi Beauty Blushes from the left: Healthiest Honey, Perkiest Pink and Purest Peach

Swatches from the left: 1. Healthiest Honey, 2. Purest Peach and 3. Perkiest Pink
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MC K-Dawg on the Mic: Sonia Kashuk Fall 2011 Nail Colour

September 16th, 2011 by Karen 20 Comments

sonia kashuk fall 2011

Here’s a shout-out to Sonia K.,
Her new Nail Colours, I just gotta say,
Might be some of my fave fall colors, haaay!

sonia kashuk fall 2011

At $4.99, they don’t cost too much.
Two coats will do you if you’re in a rush.

The brush? So precise.
Formula? Smoove as ice.
The colors? TrÃ¨s glam, and ooh! — look at that price.

Sugar Rush, well, hey, yes, she’s a baby pink.
Chocoholic is a dark reddish brown (so distinct!).

sonia kashuk sugar rush
Sugar Rush

sonia kashuk chocoholic
Chocoholic
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I’d Be Lost Without Shu, But Sonia Kashuk’s Curl Up Lash Curler Would Ease My Pain

September 15th, 2011 by Karen 44 Comments

I still have no proof that Tabs was involved in the disappearance of my Shu Uemura lash curler earlier this year, but he’s still the number one suspect.

Every time I ask him about it, he gets all evasive, all nonchalant like, “doopdadoo. Weather’s nice.”

Yeah…well I’m on to you, Tabs. I’ll figure it out.

The day it disappeared, I nearly lost my mind. I was crushed. It took me 20 years and probably a dozen different brands to find a curler as great as Shu, and no device had ever curled my lashes that well.

That is, no device until now. 🙂

Ever since Shu Uemura pulled out of U.S. stores, the line has gotten tougher to find. Sure, there’s still their website, but if/when the replacement Shu lash curler I picked up after its predecessor’s disappearance ever mysteriously vanishes, too (I know it was you, Tabs!), at least I now know of a worthy replacement.

And it lives at Target stores.

New for fall, the $12.99 limited edition Sonia Kashuk Curl Up Eyelash Curler has a few great traits in common with my beloved $19 Shu.

Like Shu’s curler, Sonia’s fits the shape of my eye like a glove, and it doesn’t pinch the outer edges of my fringe (something that many other lash curlers do).

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Last Days of Summer: Drugstore Beauty to Ring in the Fall

September 4th, 2011 by Karen 8 Comments

Written by Sam

We’re on the cusp of fall, watching summer sail off toward the horizon, but the sun hasn’t abandoned us yet. With the help of these sunny weather drugstore stars, soak up the last few weeks of sunshine safely, and look great without breaking the bank.

Last Days of Summer: Drugstore Beauty

As summer fades into the ethereal fog and smoky incense of autumn, we still have a few weeks of warm weather left (hopefully!). Check out these fantastic, cheap drugstore finds that work a treat for sunbathing on the beach or strolling down city sidewalks under the midday sun.

1. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock ($9.49 for a 3-oz. tube in SPF 55)

You’ve been hearing it for years, so I won’t belabor the point — wear your sunscreen (even when it’s overcast)! There, it’s as simple as that. But it’s understandable why you might not want to with so many bad sunscreens on the market. Most are thick, viscous, and greasy, leaving behind a slick, shiny film that neither feels nor looks good.

Not the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch line. These emollient, creamy lotions (they’re available in a range of SPFs) sink into skin almost immediately, providing ample moisture for all but the driest among us, without that oily residue previously synonymous with “sunscreen.” Its chemical sunscreen provides broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, and because it’s a chemical — rather than a physical — sunscreen, you won’t have to worry about looking ghostly in flash photography (like those impromptu shots at the beach bar after dark).

2. Yes to Carrots Conditioning Lip Butter with SPF 15 Pomegranate ($3.47)

Hands down one of my favorite lip balms ever! Unlike many inexpensive lip balms, this one’s neither slick nor waxy. It’s exactly what I think of when I think of good balms. It leaves lips with a satin finish (looks good on both men and women) that lasts for about four hours on me if I don’t eat or drink heavily over that time.

It may not smell exactly like pomegranates, but the faint, unobstrusive berry scent fades quickly, while still making the product taste pretty appealing to me. Most importantly, it contains SPF 15 to keep your lips soft and smooth even after hours in the sun.

3. Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunblock Spray ($10.99 for a 5-oz. bottle in SPF 50)

Neutrogena has this whole sunscreen game down. This one’s for bodies and comes in an aerosol spray can. Just hold it about six inches away from the skin, and depress the tab. The super fine mist leaves a slight sheen on the skin that dries within minutes.

Keep the can moving in tight circles while applying to be sure you don’t miss a spot. You shouldn’t have to retrace your steps or worry about getting sand on your hands (LOVE those accidental exfoliating sand rubs).

And when it comes to reapplying after a couple of hours in the sun or surf, Wet Skin Sunblock makes it a cinch, even while swimming, as it cuts through water and still applies evenly on wet skin. You won’t even have to dry off completely after hopping out of the water to reapply.
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