Face

Urban Decay Followed the Yellow Brick Road All the Way to Two New Limited Edition Palettes Inspired by Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful

January 23rd, 2013 by Karen 40 Comments

Urban Decay Oz Palette — Urban Decay’s new $49 limited edition palettes were inspired by Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful

If you’re wearing one of Urban Decay’s two new limited edition $49 palettes inspired by the upcoming Disney flick, Oz the Great and Powerful, and someone shouts, “Witch!” DO NOT bust out your Tae Bo moves.

I repeat: no Tae Bo, Jiu-jitsu or Aikido moves, and absolutely DO NOT remove your hoop earrings.

Throw no blows! — because they’re just complimenting you on your makeup. 🙂

The two colorful palettes, Glinda and Theodora, recently materialized online — POOF! — just like witchcraft, tying in with the new Oz film with makeup to recreate the looks worn by the witches played by Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams.

And this time, Urban Decay went all out!

These aren’t just some of their existing products in fancy packaging (not that I don’t like some of those palettes too). They created all-new colors here, and even included tutorials.

Nothing half-@ssed or cheesy. I feel like UD put a lot of thought into both products.

Each one comes with eight completely new eyeshadow shades…even though there are only six pans (two of the pans in each palette are duos), and the pans contain 0.05 ounces of product, making them the same size as Urban Decay’s interchangeable full-size shadow pans.

Urban Decay also included a gloss and liner with each palette, considerately completing the look.

First, Theodora — the richer, moodier magician who excels at conjuring up fab looks for brown smokey eyes.

The Theodora Palette

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Hey, BB! Tarte’s BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer SPF 30 Joins a Bunch of Other BBs on Counters This Spring

January 18th, 2013 by Karen 32 Comments

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12 Hour Primer SPF 30 — The new Tarte BB Tinted Treatments in Fair, Light, Medium and Tan ($34 each)

BB creams have been around for years, but it seems like they’re having a moment.

The Sephora by my house even has a special section for ’em, an area dedicated to BB creams, among them the new Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm, the latest batch of 10-in-1 Beauty Balms from Stila and some older creams from Too Faced and Smashbox.

I perused shelf after shelf crowded with tubes standing at attention, each one promising some combo of sheer coverage and skin care, like anti-aging benefits, priming, moisturizing — you name it.

Tarte’s new BB Tinted Treatment 12 Hour Primer SPF 30 and its white packaging caught my eye (is that “BB” font Helvetica Neue Ultra Light?).

Most of the tubes were smeared with makeup, and dirty, and not in a dirrrrrty Christina Aguilera kind of way. Without thinking, I tried to wipe them clean with my fingers (it was one of those, “holy crap, I’m REALLY my mother’s daughter” moments), but no luck. Apparently, it was going to take a cleanser more powerful than my thumbs.

Just as a heads up, if you decide to bring one of these home, you might not be able to keep the tubes pristine for long.

The product comes in four oil-free shades with broad-spectrum SPF 30 (protects against UVA and UVB rays) — Fair, Light, Medium and Tan — each of which are $34 and can be worn as a primer beneath your regular makeup or all by themselves for light or medium coverage.

Tarte claims all of them will last 12 hours and offer a bunch of skin benefits. First, they’re supposed to be moisturizing, supposed to have anti-aging properties, supposed to diffuse the look of fine lines, and bolster skin’s elasticity.

Of the four, Tan probably comes closest to matching my NC42 skin.

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What’s the Secret to the No-Makeup Makeup Look? Too Faced Thinks You’ll Find It in Their New Fresh & Flawless Face Palette

January 17th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup — What’s “The Secret to No Makeup Makeup”? Why, it’s a $39 palette from Too Faced, and I’m wearing it here!

What’s the secret to no-makeup makeup? I’ll tell ya, it is NOT not wearing makeup.

Oh, gosh. Was that a double negative? I should probably strike that from the record…

Here’s the deal: for me, the no-makeup makeup look usually (as in almost always) involves the wearing of makeup.

Yes, I realize how that sounds. 🙂 I mean, if you don’t want to look like you’re wearing any makeup, why not just skip the makeup, right?

Well, because if I do that, I resemble these guys…

cart-zomb — We no wear makeup!! Want brains!!

Researchers at the prestigious (fictitious) Too Faced Institute of Technology believe they’ve identified and isolated the secret to the no-makeup look, and they’ve added it to their new $39 The Secret to No Makeup Makeup Fresh & Flawless Face Palette.

Everything in this six-piece kit is designed to help you achieve a fresh, flawless look.

A bright under-eye area, bronzed and shimmery skin, flushed cheeks — that’s the idea.

Beginning from the left, that huge pan of peachy, golden tan goodness is called Bronzing Veil, and it’s something of a contouring powder, perfect for defining your cheeks.

As I think it’s a little light for me (I’m an NC42), I like to use it more as a highlighter.

Two blushes occupy center court. One, a cool-toned rosy pink called Creme Blush, and a matte, cool-toned pink powder blush with tiny flecks of golden glitter.

And on the right side of the palette, three creams — from the upper right, a light, peachy beige concealer (thought it looked kinda funky on me, too light and beige, so I didn’t use it for these pictures); a shimmery, cool-toned highlighter in the Luminize pan; and the Brighten pan in the lower right houses a cool-toned pinkish beige for highlighting beneath the arch of each brow and the under-eye area.

Too Faced also thoughtfully included a fold-out card with three different tutorials on it, and each one shows the proper products to use and placement.

The Wake Up Makeup Look: simple and natural-looking
Nude Radiance: color on the cheeks
Red Carpet Contour: a full-on, dramatic look

I tried the Red Carpet Contour look for these pics…

Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup swatches — Swatches from the left: Bronzing Veil, Creme Blush, Powder Blush, Concealer, Luminize and Brighten

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BECCA Dragonfruit Beach Tint Feeds Dragons, Tints Lips and Cheeks

January 17th, 2013 by Karen 50 Comments

It’s what I feed my dragon, and he lurves it. 🙂

Dragonfruit. I don’t even know what that is. It sounds vaguely Asian and familiar, like something my friend Cindy’s grandmother tried to feed us back in the day.

I do know what a BECCA Beach Tint is, though, because I’ve been wearing them for years. Dragonfruit ($25) is a relatively new one from BECCA. Came out in the fall, and it’s made its way into their permanent line.

A multi-purpose poppy pink lip and cheek product (say that five times fast!), part blush, part lip stain, pure convenience, and it’s water-resistant, too.

Becca Dragonfruit Beach Tint swatch — Dragonfruit unblended on the left and blended on the right

The only downside I can see: you might not want to wear any other blush.

I love this color! It’s brightening, goes great with warm and cool eye makeup shades, and it doesn’t even require a brush to apply. Lazy girl love , to infinity and beyond!!

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NARS Blush and the Look of Seduction: Bold, Vivid and Vaguely Reminiscent of an Early ’90s Girl Group

January 14th, 2013 by Karen 45 Comments

NARS Blush in Seduction — NARS Seduction Blush and Tabby-san the karate cat…

Tabby-san, your training is almost complete. You have learned to wax on, wax off, and to refrain from sweeping the leg (so not kosher!).

But by far the most important lesson you have learned under my tutelage is your extensive knowledge of useless fun facts, including the names of long-forgotten R&B girl groups and how they relate to makeup.

I sleep soundly at night knowing that you are now prepared to answer crucial questions like, “Which early ’90s trio shares names with the new NARS spring 2013 blush?”

“Meow!”

Yes, Tabby-san! You are correct. The answer is Seduction…

Released with the new Spring 2013 collection, Seduction is not only one of the most intensely pigmented blushes I’ve ever worn, it’s also the name of the girl group trio behind hits like Heartbeat and It Takes Two.

Does Seduction the band have anything to do with Seduction the blush? Well, no…although both of them do make me want to do The Snake.

The blush, a rich, brick red berry with a satiny finish, officially launches tomorrow.

The color’s also a perfect match for Dressed to Kill lipstick, also from the spring collection…just in case you were already thinking about bringing the later home. Hint-hint. 😉

If you fancy yourself as savvy when it comes to vivid blushes like NARS Mounia and MAC Frankly Scarlet, prepare to be seduced by Seduction.

It’s the kind of color that says, “Hey, look at me. JAZZ HANDS!!” But if you decide to take the plunge, keep your fan brush and a tissue handy…

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New Stila 10-in-1 Beauty Balms, Philosophy Field of Flowers Spray Fragrances and Good Ol’ Fashioned Friday Foolery

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

You know, I can’t say I’ve had the most productive Friday…

Good grief, lady! — I have not been able to concentrate for squat!

It’s called “Friday brain,” and symptoms include an inability to concentrate on important tasks, like bill paying, making phone calls for work and catering to your cat’s weird whims (such as carrying him up and down the stairs), and an enhanced ability to focus on frivolous, fun tasks, like looking up movie times, doing the robot to that catchy Bruno Mars song (Locked Out of Heaven) or going to Sephora.

DO THE ROBOT!!

Which reminds me, I ran into Sephora earlier this afternoon to grab a new bottle of Living Proof Restore Shampoo, because it keeps my hair from acting wonky, and I spotted a couple of new things while I was there.

Like these new Stila Beauty Balms…

I seem to recall Stila having another beauty balm, but I don’t think that one contains SPF. All three of these new ones do — broad-spectrum SPF 30 — which means they protect against UVA and UVB rays.

The one in the white tube on the far left, HD Beauty Balm — I think that one is supposed to work like a straight-up primer; Illuminating Beauty Balm, the one in the peachy tube, is supposed to give a brightening glow to the skin; and the Bronzing Beauty Balm, the third one, is supposed to impart a bronze tint.

All of them also claim to do a bunch of other cool things, like priming the skin for makeup, mellowing out imperfections and fortifying the skin with antioxidants…

I didn’t try them on my face in the store, but I did swatch, and based on the swatches, I liked the texture. They felt fairly light, not overly greasy or heavy (all three are oil-free), and when I rubbed them in, my skin had a slight sheen (but still looked pretty natural).

Should be good for girls who don’t like to wear a ton of foundation.

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A Tasty Trio Tempts Too Faced Fans Who Flush at the Thought of a Perfect Blush: The New Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow

January 10th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

too faced perfect flush blush — Wearing the new Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow ($29)

I can’t stop thinking about that slumber party on Saturday…

I know, I know — what’s a 30-something-year-old woman doing talking about slumber parties? Well, it was probably the most fun I’ve had in months.

Sorry! I keep re-living it over and over in my mind. Please bear with me a little longer before we get to the new $29 Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush from Too Faced…

That night, Jen and I had a conversation about babies. She has a son, Nico, who’s a little over a year old now. Jen says he has a sixth sense where he’s able to detect whenever she’s nearby.

Even if she’s hidden from view (like behind a wall), he’ll shoot his arms out in her direction, like he’s sending out invisible baby radar waves to pinpoint her exact location, and I’ve been wondering if a sense like that might exist for makeup.

Here’s my theory: beauty gals/guys give off a signal that alerts all makeup artists within a 2-mile radius to their presence, letting them known that “easy prey” is approaching.

It’s like, I walk up to a beauty counter, and a silent alarm goes off — beep, beep, beep! “She’s coming! Hurry, everyone! Get ready!”

When I’m vulnerable like that, all I have to do is see something cute at a counter, like the Too Faced Sweetheart Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow, a tasty trio of pink, coral and peach colors all striped together like Neapolitan ice cream, and I’m like, “Sold, bitches!” 🙂

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Look Like You Tried Without Looking Overdone by Treating Your Cheeks to Laura Mercier CrÃ¨me Cheek Colour in Oleander and Praline

January 9th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

laura mercier arabesque collection creme cheek colour — Wearing Laura Mercier’s new CrÃ¨me Cheek Colour in Oleander ($24) from the new Arabesque collection for spring 2013

In the comments this week, quite a few folks have asked, “What blush are you wearing?” which I take as a testament to Laura Mercier’s fabulousness.

You know something’s going well when after almost every pic you post of yourself, someone wants to know what you’re wearing on your cheeks. 🙂

I’ve been wearing the two $24 CrÃ¨me Cheek Colours, Oleander and Praline, from Laura’s new Arabesque collection for spring, and both of them love mugging for the camera.

They photograph really well and do a bang-up job of brightening, both in front of and behind the camera. Both of them give a nice flush to cheeks without looking overdone, or like you’re wearing too much makeup (perfect for a first date).

The colors aren’t new, but their packaging is, and thank gawd! — because the old packaging used to be a bear to close. Technically, both are re-promotes from the permanent collection.

I’ve actually worn the pink blush from this release, Oleander, off and on since 2007.

laura mercier oleander praline swatches — Swatches of Oleander on the left and Praline on the right

laura mercier arabesque lipstick — Praline

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