Eyes

Unsung Heroes: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold

November 23rd, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

On super busy days (ahem, like the first time you host Thanksgiving dinner at your house), getting an extra five minutes to put on some makeup in the morning can mean the difference between success and a nervous breakdown.

Those 300 critical seconds could end up saving someone from being shanked with a butter knife, and preventing me from spontaneously transforming into a brains-craving zombie.

To take absolute advantage of those vital minutes of life-saving meow time, there’s Laura Mercier’s $22 Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold, a shimmery cream shadow capable of overcoming a number of makeup and beauty challenges like…

Problem: Totally tired eyes.
Solution: Let’s not even go there about my insomnia issues and the 50 shades of purple I’ve been waking up with under my eyes. This cream shadow’s softly golden finish glows like a tropical vacation in a tube. Wearing it I feel like I look relaxed and well rested, almost like I just woke up from a three-day power nap (I WISH).

Problem: No time for brushes.
Solution: Gold’s as quick and easy to use as pecan pie is to love (my favorite, BTW — much more than pumpkin). I pat and blend a small amount on my lids with a finger. Takes all but 60 seconds.

Problem: Getting the look of effortless eyes.
Solution: Easy like Sunday morning, Gold highlights eyes with a whisper, versus a SHOUT. But you still look like you’re wearing something, making it a great choice for busy mornings, brunches and first dates (among other events).

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Lids Strike It Rich With Yves Saint Laurent Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 7 Gold Star

November 21st, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

Ever been cruising a beauty department and suddenly start daydreaming about leopard-print carpeting and YSL?

Really?! Me, too! 🙂

It happened the other day while I was playing with the new Yves Saint Laurent Northern Lights holiday collection.

The quads? Mmm-kay. The blushes? I thought they also were pretty cute, but the new $25 Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 07 Gold Star?

Love it!

Note to self: if I ever inherit a mansion from a mysterious billionaire benefactor (BTW, WHERE ARE YOU?!), I’m painting one of the rooms from floor to ceiling in this warm, bronzy gold (and installing leopard-print carpeting and red velvet curtains).

Can you picture Tabs in a room like that wearing his Hugh Hefner robe?

LOL! Here’s my point: this cream liner is opulent and rich.

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For Sheer Eyeshadow Fans, Temptation Is Here: The New MAC Taste Temptation Eyeshadow X 4 Quad

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Good news for half-asleep ladies who can barely muster a “Hrmph!” after crawling out of bed (hello, I’m there). The new MAC Taste Temptation Eye Shadow X 4 Quad ($40) makes morning makeup much easier on the brain.

The Taste Temptation quad is one of 16-pieces in the soon-to-be released MAC Taste Temptation collection, which graces Macy’s MAC counters (exclusively) for a Black Friday preview sale this Friday, November 23, from midnight to 4 a.m. But if you’d rather sleep during the witching hour (I completely understand), and you’re a U.S. shopper, the quad returns, online at maccosmetics.com, December 6, and then to stores December 23 through January 17.

The quad’s four sheer, cool-toned powder eyeshadows in shades of light violet, purple, blue and black appear dark in their pans, but quite sheer on my NC42 skin. The sheerness of these colors should make the quad a good candidate for hectic mornings when you’re rushing out the door.

One way to wear ’em — just pat the light violet shade, Look at the Eyes, all over your lids before lining your lash lines with one of the three darker colors in the quad.

mac taste temptation eye shadow — Shadows from the blue pan in the lower left: Naval (a navy blue veluxe pearl), Look at the Eyes (a light violet frost), Stay Sultry (a deep navy satin) and Carbon (an black matte)

mact taste temptation quad swatch — Swatches from the left: Look at the Eyes, Stay Sultry, Naval and Carbon

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With 14 Full-Size Pencil Liners, the $160 Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection Draws Beauty Lovers Into Its Pigmented Embrace

November 19th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

Ouch! I know I asked you to pinch me to see if I was dreaming, but dagnabbit! — did you have to pinch so hard?!

That’s alright… I forgive you. I’m sure you’re probably just excited about the new $160 Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection like I am and couldn’t control yourself. Heck, I might have done the same thing.

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection box open — Wowza! That’s a lotta liner…

The new limited edition release of pencil eye liners comes fully equipped with 14 full-size eyeliners in three different formulas to make holiday dreams come true (and to cover all of your liner bases). With seven long-wearing Aqua Eyes pencils, three smudgy Crayon Kohls and four vibrant liquid Aqua Liners, it really does try to live up to its name as the Ultimate Eye Liner Collection.

And the price also represents a hefty savings (even though $160 is still a ton of tacos).

If you were to buy all 14 of these liners separately, it would set you back $269, but in the kit, the liners work out to $11 each, which is a lot less than the $17-23 MUFE usually charges.

The colors in the kit should flatter a wide range of skin tones. MUFE thoughtfully covered most of the major color bases, sprinkling some fun greens, purples and a shimmery champagne into a mix of everyday basic black, brown and gray shades.

I would’ve loved to also see a bronze or a gold here, but that’s probably just my warm skin tone talking. 🙂

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection crayon khol product shot — Khol Pencils from the left: #1K Deep Black, #9K Matte Mocha Brown and #4 Intense Green

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection aqua liner — Aqua Liners from the left: #4 Diamond Lagoon Green, #7 Diamond Black Purple, #15 Iridescent Anthracite and #13 Mat Black

make up for ever ultimate eye liner collection aqua eyes liners — Aqua Eyes from the left: #23L Champagne, #11L Purple, #3L Iridescent Navy, #5L Bronze Green, #2L Pearly Brown and #0L Mat Black

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Professor Sonia Kashuk’s Class in Modern-Day Makeup Metallurgy Starts With the Four-Piece Precious Gems Lip, Liner & Nail Set for $12.99

November 16th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

Wearing the new Sonia Kashuk Precious Gems Lip, Liner & Nail Set ($12.99), available now at Target

QUESTION: What’s better than a fantabulous smokey eye look?

ANSWER: A fantabulous smokey eye look with a twist!

There are so many reasons to like Sonia Kashuk’s new four-piece Precious Gems Lip, Liner & Nail Set, like the price (just $12.99), and Sonia’s contemporary take on the mixed metal theme…

…but my top reason, by far, is the liquid eye liner that comes with the set. It’s a metallic, rosy golden taupe with a mirror-like shine that illuminates lash lines like Hollywood special effects.

Remember the gorgeous Chanel Rose Platine eyeliner from spring 2011? Well, this metallic meistro is like a liquid liner version of that.

I almost can’t believe the set is only $13, because it kinda looks like something Coco would do (and sell for considerably more!).

To take a pair of smokey eyes for a metallic walk on the wild side, just do your regular smokey eye look first (here I’m wearing MAC Patina Eyeshadow on top of a base of MAC Feline Eye Kohl). Then, line your upper lash lines with the liquid liner from the set.

The stuff is packed with metallic pigment, so one or two layers should do the trick.

Sonia Kashuk Precious Gems Lip Liner Nail Set swatches — Lipgloss on the left, and the Eyeliner on the right

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The Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection Delights Eyes With Three Layers of Long-Lasting Liner

November 14th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

Like tiramisu, onions and intricate and nefarious plots, there are many layers to the pencil liners in the new $36 Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection.

Three, to be exact. 🙂

That’s the number of layers MUFE suggests you apply along your water lines with each of the six silky smooth, waterproof liners that come with the set.

(Oh, they also work pretty well on lash lines, in case you were wondering.)

Just slick on a layer, wait for it dry (takes about a minute), and repeat two more times.

When I follow MUFE’s suggestion and apply three layers, these liners last 6-8 hours on my water lines, sans smudging, and they resist water every step of the way.

That’s not bad.

When I wear ’em on my lash lines, I feel like I can get away with fewer layers; one or two does the trick.

Like the All Eyes On You set we looked at earlier today, this one’s also a good value. Buying the two full-size liners separately would cost $36, but with the set, you also get four additional travel-sized colors for the same price.

MUFE was kind to include a nice mix of practical and fun colors here, and the kit even has a couple of MUFE shades I’ve previously worn down to stubs.

The shimmery, pearly peach, codenamed #23L Champagne, works almost as well as caffeine. When I wear it on my lower water lines, I don’t look half as tired, LOL! And on days when I just want a little soft definition, #21L Metallic Grey hits the spot.

make up for ever aqua eyes collection swatches — From the left: #0L Mat Black, #2L Pearly Brown, #21L Metallic Grey, #23L Champagne, #6L Black Purple and #12L Turquoise

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I Had a Hunch I’d Take a Shine to the New Cool-Toned Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition

November 13th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

chanel intuition quad — Wearing the new Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition

You know, it’s funny. A lot of people don’t know this, but M. Night made a sequel to The Sixth Sense.

Yes, it was called The Seventh Sense, and it actually went straight to video, but don’t let that fool you — it’s surprisingly good.

It stars Bruce Willis, back again as the helper/mentor character, and that same little boy, except now the boy’s an aspiring 20-something makeup artist.

In one revealing scene at a dark Nordstrom counter in a locked shopping center after regular store hours, the young man, his face as white as a sheet, turns to Bruce Willis and says, “I see glittery Chanel quads…”

Yeah…it doesn’t really work as well the second time around, but maybe that’s why the movie went straight to video. 🙂

Still, between you and me, I prefer the young man’s preternatural power in the sequel. Forget the ability to see dead people. I’d rather see Chanel.

It could be a little freaky, though, especially when I slip into one of my spells, because that’s when I have the premonitions, like the one I had the first time I saw the new $58 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition.

Sometimes I even speak in tongues…

chanel intuition — The $58 Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition, one of two new quads recently added to the permanent collection and released with the Les Expressions de Chanel collection

“Blurzzzzing murrrphhh gabbabababa boo…” which, roughly translated, means “The sheer and glittery cool-toned pink, gold, taupe and brown powder eyeshadows in this quad awaken eyes like an upbeat Hall & Oates song.”

“Fluurgig arrrghh shloooperbuer…” which is something else I might say, means “Your lids will glow like an apparition. Never mind the minor fallout from the tiny flecks of silver glitter.”

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This Peachy Cream Eyeshadow Creates Real Beauty From Something Abstract: Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Eyeshadow in Abstraction

November 12th, 2012 by Karen 47 Comments

chanel abstraction — Wearing the new Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Abstraction on my eyes

Yesterday I did an epically fast eye makeup look with the new Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Longwear Eyeshadow in Abstraction ($36) because I needed to rush outta the house for this:

These are fancy-schmancy, kinda hipster versions of char siu bao from a food truck called Chairman Bao at Off the Grid in Larkspur yesterday.

Bao, also known as manapua in Hawaiian pidgin English, are soft, hella good steamed dough buns (or sometimes wraps) filled with pork, beef, tofu and/or veggies.

They’re among the most delicious foods known to humankind…

Almost as delicious as Chanel’s Abstraction, the cream eyeshadow I wore all weekend long. 🙂 Mmm… Chanel. Delicious and, unlike bao, fat free.

Part of the new Les Expressions de Chanel collection, Abstraction is a peachy coral cream eyeshadow with purple flair and flecks of golden glitter. It’s very unique, and unlike anything else in my cream shadow stash.

I think it’s fab for soft washes of color and/or a sheer, shimmery glow. If you like wearing eyeshadow but prefer quiet, laid back looks, or if you have mature skin (because Abstraction kindly steers clear of my fine lines), Abstraction’s worthy of OM-NOM-NOM!

Oh, but no matter how loudly your hubby grumbles about how hungry he is, and how you’re gonna miss the food trucks if you don’t hurry up and get ready…don’t skip the primer with this bad boy.

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