Eyes

The New NARS NARSissist Eye Palette Plays Like a Compilation of NARS No. 1 Hits

January 13th, 2014 by Karen 42 Comments

I think of two things when I hold the new NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette in my paw…

The first one is awesomeness, as in the state of being awesome.

The second one is Greek mythology.

Remember Narcissus? He was the guy so enamored with his reflection in a pool of water that he couldn’t leave it, and eventually, um, he died.

Seriously, dude? You couldn’t even take a break from admiring yourself to at least eat some fruit??

Anyway, I remember reading that story for the first time in fourth grade, which was during the height of my Greek mythology phase, and thinking, “Wow…Narcissus must’ve been really, REALLY cute. I bet he looked like Michael J. Fox.” LOL!

Oh, NARS…

Not gonna lie, I could spend hours cooing at this palette like I’m Narcissus at that pond. “Oh, sweet palette… You’re such a gorgeous palette. Yes you are! I lurve you sooo much.”

Essentially, it’s the brand’s version of a neutral/Naked palette, and holla! — it’s kind of amazing.

NARSissist (NARS∙is∙sist) (n.) – lives by her own rules, not afraid to express herself in every look, mood or attitude. Effortlessly captivating with a bottomless makeup bag.

NARS Cosmetics introduces the NARSissist Eye Palette, named for and inspired by the brand’s devoted fans and cult followers, this inaugural palette will set the stage for future NARSissist products to come.

— NARS PR

The limited edition palette plays like a compilation of NARS No. 1 hits. Most of its 15 powder eyeshadows hail from the NARS single eyeshadows permanent line, while a handful of them appear in NARS permanent eyeshadow duos.

There is also one formerly limited edition shade, Bad Behavior, a deep pewter from the Guy Bourdin holiday 2013 collection.

The whole enchilada: 15 shades

All About Eve I: a flesh-toned neutral (permanent)
Ashes to Ashes: a shimmery violet-based brown (permanent)
Fez: a velvety cocoa (permanent)
Bad Behavior: a deep pewter (limited edition; this is the one from the Guy Bourdin holiday collection)
Bali: a neutral matte brown (permanent)
Brousse II: a shimmery blackened violet (permanent)
Coconut Grove: a deep brown infused with reflective particles (permanent)
Dogon II: a charcoal black (permanent)
Madrague I: a matte cream (permanent)
Madrague II: a matte caramel (permanent)
Belissima I: a shimmering beige with subtle glitter (permanent)
Mekong: an espresso infused with gold (permanent)
Lhasa: a lavender grey (permanent)
Pandora II: a matte black (permanent)
Nepal: a soft, sheer rose (permanent)

Nepal! Lhasa! Coconut Grove! The darker shade from the Dogon duo! OMG! I can’t even…

If I were ever to make a list of my end-all, be-all, must-have NARS eyeshadows, so many of these colors would make the cut. It is literally (OK, figuratively) my NARS eyeshadow palette dream come true.

[Continue reading…]

The Fab 5, Vol. 2: Eye Makeup Brushes

January 7th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

These five are my workhorse faves, and I use them almost every. Single. Day.

Do you have any of the same faves I do? Which are your five?

Products mentioned in the video

MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush ($25)
MAC 217 Blending Brush ($24)
MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush ($32)
Burberry No. 10 Definition Liner ($32)
Too Faced Liner/Smudger Brush ($39; it’s one of three brushes in the Shadow Brushes Essential Set)

Reviews of the products on MBB

Thank you as always for watching, my friend. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What’s for dinner, babe? I’m starved!

P.P.S. How was your day? Mine felt loooong.

Our Destination: An Extra Dimension of Easy, Shimmery Eye Makeup With the MAC Magnetic Nude Collection Extra Dimension Eye Shadows

December 20th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

That’s the new MAC Magnetic Nude Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Amorous Alloy on my lids, a Natural Flirt on my brow bones and Sweet Heat in the inner corners

It’s cool, I’ll drive. I want you and your blending brush to relax. 🙂

Where are we going, you ask?

Well, it’s quite a journey. We’re going to a different dimension — an Extra Dimension, if you will — where easy shimmer and smokey eyes rule.

No, it’s in our timezone, and we’re not even leaving Earth’s orbit (or going into cryo sleep). We can actually get there in my Mazda. All we have to do is meet at a MAC counter on December 26, because the inter-dimensional highway opens when the five Extra Dimension Eye Shadows from the new MAC Magnetic Nudes collection debut that day.

MAC Magnetic Nude Extra Dimension Eye Shadow — The five new Magnetic Nude Extra Dimension Eye Shadows, $19.50 each US and $22.50 CAN

Sorry in advance if my car is dirty… I don’t have plans to clean it. Also, please ignore the turntables in the backseat (it’s a long story).

MAC Magnetic Nude Swatches, Extra Dimension Eye Shadows from the left: A Natural Flirt, Sweet Heat, Platinum Love, Amorous Alloy and Silver Dawn — Extra Dimension Eye Shadows from the left: A Natural Flirt, Sweet Heat, Platinum Love, Amorous Alloy and Silver Dawn

You might remember first seeing the Extra Dimension Eye Shadows for spring 2012. The relatively new formula combines a cream, liquid and powder shadow in a single pan.

MAC Magnetic Nude Extra Dimension Eye Shadow Review — Additional eye makeup in this look: MAC Bamboo Eye Shadow (lids), MAC Swiss Chocolate Eye Shadow (crease), MAC Teddy Eye Kohl (water lines and lower lash lines), Chanel Inimitable Mascara (lashes) and Covergirl Bombshell Intensity Liner (upper lash lines)

[Continue reading…]

I Can’t Deny My Attraction to the New MAC Magnetic Nude Collection Fluidlines in It’s Physical, Our Secret and Chilled

December 18th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

MAC Fluidline in It's Physical on my lids, Our Secret along the lower lash lines and Chilled in the inner corners — Wearing MAC Fluidline in It’s Physical on my lids, Our Secret along my lower lash lines and Chilled in the inner corners

I honestly did not intend for this post to turn into a novel about the three Magnetic Nude Fluidlines, but the more time I spend with them, the more I think they’re just about the most exciting Fluidlines I’ve seen in a really long time.

The three new MAC Magnetic Nude Fluidlines, $16 each US and $19 CAN — The three Magnetic Nude Fluidlines, $16 each US and $19 CAN

My friend Courtney (hey, Court!) summed it up well in a text she sent me today. “I’m drooling over that Magnetic Nudes Collection! And I’m not a nudes kind of girl!”

There’s just something special about these three Fluidlines that drew me to them right away. The attraction was straight. Up. Magnetic.

Let’s start with It’s Physical.

I swear, pics do not do this shade justice.

MAC It's Physical Fluidline, a brown with purple pearl and a Pearl finish — It’s Physical Fluidline, a brown with purple pearl and a Pearl finish

Officially, MAC describes It’s Physical as a brown with purple pearl, but on me it’s more of a purplish brown duochrome with hot pink and gold glitter — elements that can border on cray but work in the BEST possible way in this case.

I tried to capture the fine glitter flecks as well as I could, but in real life, this color is much livelier, more sparkly and more dynamic. I don’t know why the camera missed most of the pink glitter, but you can see a little flash of it in the left eye up in the pic up top, right in the middle of my lid. But when you see this color in person, it’s much more obvious.

The Fluidlines are usually used as gel liners, like for cat eyes, but they can also double as cream shadows and eyeshadow bases. It’s Physical works in all those ways, but I like it best worn as a cream shadow.

Here’s what I like to do: pat it on my lids with a 239, and then, right away, buff out the edges, drawing the shadow up toward my brow bone. Buffing brings out the brown tones and adds some smoke to the look. I think it also coaxes out more of the pink glitter.

It’s important to work quickly with this color and all of the Fluidlines if you plan to wear them as eyeshadows, because they dry really fast.

After buffing, I pat 2-3 additional layers along my lower lash line and in the outer corner to create a gradient. Whack a little Smolder along my water lines and bam! — a glittery, smokey purplish brown eye that takes very little effort. LOVE IT!

It’s Physical is the star of this show, for sure, but I think the two other colors are just as beautiful and totally worthy of your makeup bag. Like It’s Physical, they work great as liners, eyeshadow bases and standalone cream shadows.

Metallic reddish brown Our Secret, the only Fluidline in this launch without flecks of glitter, is my second fave shade.

MAC Our Secret Fluidline, a metallic brown with reddish pearl and a Pearl finish — Our Secret Fluidline, a metallic brown with reddish pearl and a Pearl finish

It’s basically like a gel liner version of MAC’s must-have Teddy Eye Kohl…

I know, right?! Beautiful on its own patted and buffed on the lids, maybe with some Teddy on the water lines.

Oh, and if you like reddish brown eyeshadows like Swiss Chocolate, and coppery colors like Amorous Alloy Extra Dimension Eye Shadow, also from the Magnetic Nude collection, you could get tons of use out of it.

MAC Chilled Fluidline, a frosted white gold with a Pearl finish — Chilled Fluidline, a frosted white gold with a Pearl finish

Chilled, the third shade, is a frosty white gold with golden glitter — also super pretty, particularly as an inner corner highlight or patted and buffed on the lids. I bet you could also wear it on the brow bone, or maybe even the upper cheekbones.

Fluidlines from the left: Chilled, It's Physical and Our Secret — Fluidlines from the left: Chilled, It’s Physical and Our Secret

[Continue reading…]

How To Fill in Your Eyebrows With Eyeshadow

December 12th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

I have to say — OOH! Filling in brows is exciting stuff for me. Isn’t it for you?! 🙂

Kidding. You don’t have to answer that. If it isn’t exciting for you, I totally understand, but I get fired up when mine are filled. I feel like I sit a little straighter and stand a little taller (which isn’t really too hard when you’re only 5’1″).

Call me CRAZY BROW LADY!

With so many different brow fillers bursting on the beauty scene over the past couple years, gals (and dudes) have so many options. In this video, I go back to an old-school favorite of mine — filling in my eyebrows with eyeshadow.

I think I always end up coming back to this method because it’s so easy to do. You can dial it up to diva or keep it natural-looking — whatever suits your mood. And once you get the hang of it, you can do it pretty quickly, too. No muss or fuss.

Products mentioned in the video…

MAC Eye Shadow in Brun ($15)
The Laura Mercier dual-ended angled brush with the spoolie I used in this vid is from a holiday kit a few years back. Here’s a similar brush from her line, the Double Ended Eye Brow Brush ($34)
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($22)
MAC Chromographic Pencil in NW25/NC30 ($16)
MAC 214 Short Shader Brush ($25)

I tried to relax a little more in this video (“tried” being the key word here), but what’s funny is what you actually can’t see in the shot. I had my asthma inhaler on the table next to me because sometimes when I get really anxious, I have a hard time breathing. So I had it there just in case…like a security blanket.

Oh, and the candle burning behind me is supposed to promote relaxation. It’s the Rest Candle by Marie Todd, and it has a lavender, vanilla and peach scent. I dunno if it actually worked…but hey, at least the room smelled good. 🙂

Anywho! Onward to our brows…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Thank you for watching!

Lifting Brows One Swipe at a Time, the New Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift

December 11th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Hey, lady, can I give you a lift?

Well…I never say yes to strangers trying to pick me up, but since you’re a pencil, and you’re offering to lift my brows, why not? 🙂

Please excuse my weird expression at the top of this post. I figure, life is too short to not laugh at yourself while applying $20 Instant Attitude Brow Lift by Too Faced, LOL!

Trust me, though, it gets better after the buffing…

A new addition to the Too Faced line, Instant Attitude launches with the rest of the spring 2014 collection tomorrow (Dec. 12). It’s a chubby eye pencil that comes in a matte vanilla shade designed to create the illusion of higher arches.

Apply it beneath your brow bone, or along the entire length of each brow like I’m doing here, and then buff down with a finger or brush (I used Too Faced’s Lid Brush from the fab Shadow Brushes Essential 3-Piece Set).

The result? Instantly lifted brows! Oh, yeah…

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift before — Before…

I actually do this trick all the time for pics and video. How does it work? Well, generally, applying lighter colors makes that part of the face look as if it’s closer to the viewer (think highlighting). Lighter colors beneath the brow, like with this pencil, bump up that area visually, giving it a bit of a lift.

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift after — And after…

You can do this with a bunch of different products, too, like concealers, eyeliners — anything, really — as long as it’s several shades lighter than your skin tone.

This new pencil from Too Faced is ideal for this on account of how easy it is to buff into the skin. I usually do this trick with a MAC Chromographic Pencil in NW25/NC30, which I have to swipe more than a few times to soften and remove any harsh lines.

Instant Attitude, by comparison, blends quicker. Swish, swish and done.

Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift Box — Packaging

[Continue reading…]

Bulletproof Brows By Too Faced Cosmetics Blazes Through Building Sweat-Proof Brows

December 11th, 2013 by Karen 32 Comments

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows — Wearing the new Bulletproof Brows by Too Faced

Chocolate: 1. Treadmill: 0.

In the Battle of Sweets Vs. Sweat, I can usually bribe myself into working out (“bribe” being the key word here), but I just couldn’t do it last night.

I’d planned to test the sweat-proof-ness of long-lasting new Bulletproof Brows by Too Faced, which I’d been wearing all day, but the Dark Chocolate Stars won in the end…

They always win… (*shakes fist!*)

Trader Joe's Mini Dark Chocolate Stars — Oh, my gawd, Becky… TOTES AMAZE-BALLS!

I actually did wind up testing Bulletproof on the treadmill later in the day, but we’ll get to that in a few. 🙂

A new Too Faced brow product recently launched with the spring Haute Chocolate collection, Bulletproof comes in just two colors — Universal Brown and Universal Taupe — and with the product, which comes in a round compact with a mirror, you also get a dual-ended tool with an angled brow brush on one end and a spoolie on the other.

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows Universal Brunette — $30 Bulletproof Brows in Universal Brunette (one of two shades; the other’s called Universal Taupe)

Too Faced says that Bulletproof Brows has a “cashmere clay formula” that works like a powder, gel, pencil and setting wax in one, and that’s supposed to translate to waterproof, smudge-proof and budge-proof brows in 60 seconds.

It works like Benefit’s brow zings but waaaaay better.

The drier formula might take a little getting used to, but once you figure out how much to apply (at first, I thought it was easy to go overboard with) and find the sweet spot, it looks effortlessly natural.

Good stuff. 🙂

I wore Universal Brunette in my brows yesterday for at least nine hours, and my brows looked full and fresh — no patchiness — the entire time. Even my brow bald spot (EFF YOU, RAUL!) stayed hidden.

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows before — Before Bulletproof…

[Continue reading…]

The New Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette & iPhone Case, and the Life and Times of an International Kitty Supermodel’s Harried Pet Assistant

December 10th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing (and holding!) the new Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette and iPhone Case ($25)

KAREN: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Lagerfeld, but I have to briefly place you on hold. Tabs’ emergency line is ringing, and I need to answer it.

(Picks up phone.) “Hello, Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC, Office of the President. This is a secure line. How may I assist you?”

TABS: “Meow.” (“It took you long enough.”)

KAREN: “Oh, hello, sir. Did you mean to call me on the emergency line? I have Karl on hold, and he’s kind of in a cranky mood…”

TABS: “Meeeeowww. Mrow.” (“No time for pleasantries, woman. What’s the status on the Too Faced Candy Bar Pop-Out Makeup Palette report I asked you to prepare?”)

KAREN: “Well, I was just about to type up the final draft and email it to you, but I can relay the highlights to you over the phone. Do you have a moment? I don’t want to interrupt your vacay on Kauai…”

TABS: “Mrow. Mrrow-mrow-mrow!” (“You know I’m always on the job, even on vacation! Give me the abridged version; I have two minutes before the limo gets here, and I don’t want to be late for my deep-tissue kitty massage at the Four Seasons.”)

KAREN: “Understood, sir. Well, let’s see, the essentials — it’s $25, limited edition, new for spring, and it comes with 11 powder eyeshadows, a matte bronzer and a matte blush. You can also pop out the palette and use the case as a cover for your phone, but it only works with the iPhone 5 (and possibly the 5s).

“I experienced some minor fallout from the shadows. As for blending, the mattes blended pretty well, as did the shimmers, although the lighter shimmers could use a little more pigment. The darker shades, however — in particular the purple and blue — made my eyes a little teary.

“Regarding the packaging, it’s cute, but the pans are rather small. I couldn’t help but accidentally cross-pollinate the colors.”

Too Faced Candy Bar Palette — The Candy Bar Palette in its case

TABS: “Mrrrwow?” (“The bronzer and blush?”)

KAREN: “I really like them both. Very pigmented, smooth, easy to blend. Again, the smaller pan sizes are kind of a pain because they don’t quite fit my bronzer and blush brushes easily.”

Too Faced Candy Bar Pop Out Makeup Palette Swatches — Swatches…

[Continue reading…]