Eyes

From A-Z With UD: 11 Alphabetical Ideas to Build Your Own Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palette

March 27th, 2012 by Karen 56 Comments

Urban Decay Build-Your-Own Eyeshadow Palette
An almost empty Urban Decay Build Your Own Eyeshadow Palette

One of the first gigs I got after college was working in the filing room at a law firm, where I spent hours and hours alphabetizing case files.

Two years of that left me 1) bored out of my gourd and 2) with a chronic compulsion to put things in alphabetical order.

The condition even manifested itself earlier today, as I started sifting through Urban Decay’s newly revamped $18 Eyeshadow Singles (available in a whopping 68 shades).

Naturally, it just made perfect sense to me to place them in alphabetical order — ABC Gum with Asphyxia, Baked and Bender, and so on like that. And then I thought, what if I put them in alphabetical sets using the Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette ($18; includes a six-pan palette, the exclusive shade Walk of Shame and a shadow brush)?

Wouldn’t ya know it? Organized alphabetically like this, I think some of these palettes actually turned out pretty darn cool! Another win for the alphabet. 🙂

Before we dive in, here’s some background on the shadows:

They represent the next generation in Urban Decay Eyeshadows, replacing the old shadows with a new formula and packaging
Among the 68 shades (there are 64 in the pics below), there are some totally new colors, some former bestsellers, and some fan faves previously only available in UD palettes
The shades are spread out among five different finishes in satin, shimmer, sparkle, duochrome and matte
Urban Decay says the new shadows are softer than the generation they replace, with richer pigments, a longer wear time and colors that distribute more evenly
Each of the shadows pops out of its packaging and can be placed into Urban Decay’s Build Your Own Palette ($18; includes a six-pan palette, a pan of Walk of Shame and a brush)
I felt that UD’s original eyeshadows were pretty soft and pigmented, but these new versions seem even more pigmented and buttery than before, yum!
If you don’t feel like building your own palette, right now on urbandecay.com, you can also find five palettes pre-filled with colors selected by bloggers and v-loggers

A-B:
ABC Gum, Asphyxia, Baked, Bender, Blackout, and Blunt

urban decay abc gum blunt box

urban decay abc gum blunt palette
From the left, top row: Baked, Asphyxia and ABC Gum; Bottom row: Bender, Blackout and Blunt

From the left: ABC Gum, Asphyxia, Baked, Bender, Blackout and Blunt
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Some Bunny Loves Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-Lasting Matte Eyeshadow in Sweet Dust Seriema

March 26th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

rouge bunny rouge sweet dust seriema

Dear Easter Bunny,

Please disregard my previous Easter basket request for Cadbury Mini Eggs, Marshallow Peeps, Jordan Almonds, Sour Patch Kids and Mini Snickers. Instead, I’d like to revise my previous note to only request a Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-lasting Matte Eye Shadow ($35 each).

Yup, you read that correctly. No candy whatsoever. Just eyeshadow.

I realize that this unorthodox request breaks our 36-year sugar-fueled tradition — and you know how much I love Easter candy, yummo! — but my muffin top has threatened to advance its plans to expand if I don’t lay off the sweets. To that end, the Rouge Bunny Rouge Eye Shadows are just so wonderful and calorie-free.

I wore Sweet Dust Seriema, a cool-toned mauve taupe, pretty much all weekend long. It’s one of six shades in the line, and my goodness! — smoother and softer than the downy feathers of a newborn chick.

After running five miles yesterday (on my muffin top’s advice) and cleaning up, I applied a few layers of this semi-opaque shadow on my lids for a sophisticated, classic red carpet look with a smidgen of sultry.

Or at least that’s the way I like to think it looks. 🙂

And the best part? It was so darn simple — one color, one brush, no fallout, BAM! I just concentrated the color along my lash lines and faded it toward the brow bone.

rouge bunny rouge sweet dust seriema
Long-lasting Matt Eye Shadow in Sweet Dust Seriema; one of six shades, $35 each

rouge bunny rouge sweet dust seriema
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The Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Color Quad in Bouquet: Brights Worthy of the Capitol?

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

dolce gabbana bouquet quad

Don’t be surprised if you come home from The Hunger Games movie with the sudden urge to wear hella bright eyeshadow. Seeing all the crazy makeup on Effie and the citizens of the Capitol will do that to ya!

Today I worked out my makeup demons, so to speak, with the blue, green, purple and pink eyeshadows from the new Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Color Quad in Bouquet ($59).

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeshadow quad
Smooth Eye Color Quad in Bouquet 152 (new), $59

dolce gabbana bouquet quad swatches

dolce gabbana bouquet quad

dolce gabbana bouquet quad
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These LancÃ´me Liner Design Long Wear Calligraphy Eyeliners and I Just Don’t Gel

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

lancome liner design

Dude! The Hunger Games movie was so good! I’d read in a few reviews that the critics thought it dragged in parts, but I didn’t feel that way at all. My eyes were glued the entire time. I thought it moved at a quick clip from start to finish, and with a few exceptions, stays true to the spirit of the books.

I do think director Gary Ross had to sacrifice some character development to move the story along, so I think it helps in this case to have read the first book beforehand, or at least it might make it more enjoyable to have some of that back story going in.

Oh! And Lenny Kravitz rocked Cinna’s gold eyeliner out! Believe you me, I had my torch and pitchfork with me, and I was ready to use ’em if that detail had been cut.

My own golden eyeliner held up like a champ, yay! I was afraid I’d lose it there for a second when I got teary-eyed in the scene with Rue, but lo, it even lasted through that. 🙂

Totally different than what I experienced with LancÃ´me’s new liners earlier this week…

lancome liner design

I think it was Tuesday; I remember because I’d woken up early that morning feeling emotional and moody.

I call those my “orange alert” days, and I tend to reach for waterproof makeup at those times, especially when the tricks I usually use to soothe my inner savage beast don’t work.

So, I was getting ready in front of my bathroom mirror and thought I’d give a couple of LancÃ´me’s Liner Design Long Wear Calligraphy Gel Liners a try.

lancome liner design swatches
Swatches of Indigo Darling (left) and Violet Stylista (right)
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Urban Decay’s New and Improved Big Fatty Mascara

March 20th, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

urban decay big fatty mascara

Contrary to the rumors circulating in the kitty modeling world, the new Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20) was NOT named after Tabs. 🙂

Although I can see why some would believe that to be true…

“I’m too husky for this box.”

If the Big Fatty Mascara name rings a bell, you’ve probably seen it before. It’s been a part of the Urban Decay line for years (in the psychedelic red and yellow tube). UD just revamped it and gave it a new outfit.

BFM promises a bit of everything — volume, length, definition, curl hold and jet-black color in a lightweight formula.

Urban Decay also traded the original Big Fatty’s over-sized Diorshow-esque bristle brush for a minimalist approach. The sleek new brush head is designed to fan out lashes.

urban decay big fatty mascara brush

And those little nubs really get in there! When I used this today, my fringe looked s u p e r s t r e t c h e d out.

By the way, if you love the original Big Fatty, you still have time to stockpile. It’s still available on urbandecay.com.

I never gave the original Big Fatty a try, but I like what I’ve seen from this new version so far, especially the thickness I get from it at the base of my lashes.

urban decay big fatty mascara before and after
Before (top pic) and after two coats of Big Fatty Mascara (bottom pic)
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Mambo Italiano! The Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Eyeliners

March 20th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

dolce gabbana acqua
Wearing Dolce & Gabbana Eyeliner in Acqua

Happy vernal equinox, fellow weather watcher! It’s official. Spring is in the air. 🙂 Bring on the flowers, the pollen, the unbidden allergies. Zyrtec, my trusty steed, come hither! Winter hath ended, and it’s time to…

…update my makeup and wardrobe for spring. It being that time and all, I’ve been contemplating ways to incorporate different springy themes into the mix, and this outfit in Nordstrom’s February catalog got me thinking about florals:

HEART! The pants, especially. The muted tones say to me, “Yes, Karen, I’m dressing for spring, but I’m also a grownup.” They’re flowery, but not in a bunny rabbits and Cadbury Creme Eggs kind of way, ya know? And I think the denim jacket and white top give the outfit a vintage feel.

I bet it’ll look lovely with makeup from the new Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet collection, which, by the way, makes me feel like this:

Sophia Loren = the hotness!

Have you seen this spring/summer launch yet? It’s still pretty new (just recently arrived at Saks), and has some eyeliners, a quad, some lipglosses and six rainbow polishes.

Since I started playing with it last week, I’ve grown quite attached; it could be one of my favorite Dolce & Gabbana launches to date.

The collection combines floral, Italian and 1950s themes for a retro vibe that’s flirty and fun. The color palette picks from lilacs, roses, some vivid shades of fruit, and the concept of summers in Southern Italy.

Yeah, that’s some pretty great sources of inspiration right there. 🙂

I can really see the different themes play out among the six Eyeliners ($29 each) in the collection as I’ve worn them over the past few days.

Man, talk about soft! When Dolce & Gabanna first launched their liners, the pencils felt stiff to me, but these? — these feel great! I don’t know if they changed the formula, but these sure seem to glide better than the earlier versions.

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeliner
Crayon Intense Eyeliners in Shimmer (repromote), Lilac (repromote), Agave (repromote), Lemon (new), Acqua (new) and Mint (new), $29 each
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Bamboo Eyeshadow

March 19th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

mac bamboo

What do we want? BAM-BOO!

When do we want it? NOW!

What do we want? BAM-BOO!

When do we want it? NOW!

Weirdo that I am, I’ve been chanting this to the windows and walls all morning long. FYI: This is what happens when you’re a stay-at-home professional pet assistant starved for human contact (no offense, Tabs).

I’ve also been marching up and down the halls, one fist raised in defiance, the other clutching a pan of MAC Eye Shadow in Bamboo ($14.50), to protest against the lack of love this often overlooked warm brown matte receives. RAGE AGAINST THE MAKEUP MACHINE, YOU UNSUNG MAKEUP HERO!

LOL! Seriously, though, MAC rock star browns like Soft Brown and Soba always get a lot of love, while Bamboo scoots under the radar.

I know it might sound strange to refer to matte browns as flashy, but for me, as far as staple shadows go, Soft Brown is a rock star. A lot of people, and I’m one of ’em, love it for contouring and as an anchor shade for more complicated eye looks.

Basically, Bamboo is like the light rock version of Soft Brown. Instead of those intense orange tones, I get more of a subdued apricot on my NC42 skin, which I think is just as pretty in its own quiet way.

And Bamboo fits a niche that Soft Brown sometimes fails to fill. On some skin tones, Soft Brown can look really…orange. If you feel too much like an Oompa Loompa in Soft Brown, take a swipe at Bamboo on your next trip to a MAC counter.

I love it in the crease for subtle contouring, and all over the lid when I want a really simple neutral eye; I think it looks great patted on the brow bone, too.

mac bamboo swatch

mac bamboo eyeshadow
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I’ll Wear These Sunday Riley Eyeshadows Any Day of the Week: The New Prismasilk Eye Colors From Sunday Riley

March 13th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

sunday riley little black dress
Sunday Riley Eyeshadows in Siberian Sable, French Press and Little Black Dress

I keep meaning to ask you about Sunday Riley! They’re a relatively new beauty brand, pretty high end (prices ranging from $26 for an eyeshadow single to $295 for a skin care serum), and available at Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman stores.

That name is all kinds of awesome, isn’t it? Sunday Riley… Sounds like one of Katniss Everdeen’s friends/adversaries. 🙂

(SIDE NOTE: I’m so excited about that movie! I started re-reading the first book last night.)

sunday riley eyeshadows

There really is a Sunday Riley behind the brand, and she’s from the Lone Star State. Sunday started the line back in 2009 with a handful of anti-aging products containing plant extracts believed by Native Americans to possess medicinal properties.

Being from Texas (her family traces its roots to before it was part of the United States), she spent summers with her grandma learning about some of the most useful plants.

Years later she took that knowledge and created the NV-5 Ageless Complex, a blend of five botanicals that, according to the company, detoxify, heal and recharge the skin. Now, it’s the secret ingredient in her skin care products.

Sunday recently expanded the line to include color cosmetics, and I spent some time with a few of her Prismasilk Eye Color eyeshadows last weekend.

If what they say is true — that variety is the spice of life — these eyeshadows are hot! They’re available in 28 shades spanning matte, satin and iridescent finishes, cost $26 each and can be worn either wet or dry.