Lips

The MAC Velvetease Lip Pencils: Video Review & Swatches

December 15th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Just a quick video review and swatches of the new MAC Velvetease Lip Pencils. They’re available now online ($20 each, 12 shades) and coming to stores and counters December 17 into the permanent line.

The MAC Velvetease Lip Pencils

Anything Goes, a matte rosy fuchsia

Temper Tantrum, a matte bright orange coral

Lover’s Lane, a matte deep orange

Frolic, a matte mid-tone peachy pink

Oh Honey, a matte warm chocolate

Aim to Please, a matte dirty mauvey brown

Just My Type, a matte clean blue fuchsia

Just Add Romance, a matte deep red

Tease Me, a matte light pink

Promise Me, a matte soft beige nude

Velvet Teen, a matte deep blackened plum

Reddy to Go, a matte deep brick red

Have you gotten your lips on these yet? What do you think?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Do You Know About Buxom Bold & Sexy Gel Lipstick? Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

December 8th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

Bold & Sexy… Sounds like Buxom named their latest lipstick after Tabs. 🙂

Yeah, “bold” and “sexy” are two words that in no way describe me at the moment. It’s more like tired and bloated (LOL!) from hauling Baby Girl around, my li’l basketball, and not getting enough sleep, but maybe if I wear Buxom Bold & Sexy Lipstick ($22), some of its bold and sexy energy will rub off on me.

Maybe…

I bumped into this the other day at Sephora. I went to distract myself/recharge my batteries after having to do some medical test that took three hours and involved three (four?) needle pokes. It was for this thing called a three-hour glucose screening to figure out if you have gestational diabetes, which — WAH! — I hope I don’t have, because I love carbs and sugar SO much.

I’m still waiting on the results…

Anywho, after the test, I needed to erase the needle trauma and go look at makeup, so I headed to Sephora, which was where I spotted these…

Have you used them before? I like the way they sound. They’re gel lipsticks, which in most cases means a super lightweight formula, and these are, indeed, billed as lightweight.

They come in matte and satin finishes and a bunch of really pretty colors. I saw reds, corals, purples, pinks and a few nudes.

I’m so curious! If you’ve used them before, let me know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: High Tea Lipstick

December 4th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

There ain’t no party like a high tea party ’cause a high tea party don’t stop!

This occurs to me not only because I’m currently craving tea and those tiny sandwiches from The Rotunda again (OH, MAH GOSH! So good…), but also because of the recently launched frosty beige MAC Mariah Carey Lipstick.

Even though I can totally picture Mimi rocking a frosty beige lipstick, it’s the kind of color that isn’t always easy to wear, which got me wondering about other MAC lipsticks with a kinda-sorta similar vibe.

After combing my mental MAC files, I remembered High Tea. It’s a $17 pearly beige pink in the MAC Lustre Lipstick line, and it has just enough frostiness to hit those high notes without being so frosty that it becomes difficult to wear.

mac high tea closeup — Wearing MAC High Tea on my lips

There was a time when I was regularly wearing tubes of High Tea down to the nub (you know I love me some nude lips). It’s one of those “it goes with everything” nude lipsticks, and I think it looks great by itself for a quickie nude lip.

Maybe because of the subtle frosty, shiny finish, it also makes my lips look a little fuller (I think). Yup, being a MAC Lustre, High Tea has a glossy, holiday-hoppin’ finish, but it isn’t sticky like a gloss, which means that I can wear it without worrying about my hair whipping around when it’s windy and getting stuck to my pout.
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MAC Mariah Carey Frost Lipstick in All I Want

November 18th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

There should be a video in this post, but if you can’t see it, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

mac mariah carey all i want lipstick — MAC Mariah Carey Frost Lipstick in All I Want ($17, coming exclusively to the MAC website Dec. 3)

I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a frosty pale lipstick since the late ’90s. Seriously, all I need now is a plummy black lip liner, and then it’s “Hello, 1997!”

Say “seasons greetings” to new MAC Mariah Carey Frost Lipstick in All I Want ($17).

I have to admit that Mimi was the main reason I took an early interest in this color.

Did I mention I’m a fan?? I think I may have mentioned it once or twice… 🙂 I’ve been a fan of hers since the very beginning, and by “very beginning,” I’m talking about the Vision of Love days.

I mean, I don’t bid on locks of her hair on eBay or anything, but I did take my mom to a Mariah Carey concert once (I think she enjoyed it), and I did make my brother watch Glitter with me on opening day (I know FOR SURE that he did not enjoy it, haha!).

And I know almost all of the words to all of Mariah Carey’s songs…

mac mariah carey all i want closeup — MAC Mariah Carey Frost Lipstick in All I Want ($17)

So, yeah. Needless to say, I was pretty psyched when I heard about MAC All I Want Lipstick (it’s an online exclusive coming Dec. 3 to the MAC website).

On my lips, it’s a frosty, shimmery champagne with little bits of silver glitter in it for an extra element of cuteness, and coverage-wise, I can still see a bit of my natural lip color peeking through when I wear it.

Now, I’ve seen Mariah wear colors like this before, so it makes complete sense to me that it’s the product of a MAC/Mariah collaboration.

mac mariah carey all i want swatch — Wearing MAC Mariah Carey All I Want Frost Lipstick

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The 20-Piece $75 LORAC 20th Anniversary Collection Is a Cyber Monday Steal

November 17th, 2015 by Karen 39 Comments

There should be a video in this post, but if you can’t see it, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

lorac 20th anniversary collection — The 20-piece $75 LORAC 20th Anniversary Collection set

It takes a doozy of a bodacious Black Friday deal to lure me away from leftover Thanksgiving pie.

Dude, seriously, nine times out of 10, I’d rather stay home in the comfort of my living room in a pair of flannel jammies than contend with the Black Friday shopping crowds.

You feel me?

Join me, and let’s stand together! — or, rather, lie horizontally — in our pajama-clad solidarity.

That said, if we choose to stay home cocooned on our couches on Black Friday this year, it doesn’t mean we still can’t take advantage of great beauty deals, like this one here. It’s one of the best Black Friday-ish deals I’ve ever seen in my life.

Black Friday-ish because it’s actually a Cyber Monday deal. It’s the 20-piece $75 LORAC 20th Anniversary Collection set, and it’ll only be available online, starting Cyber Monday, November 30, at loraccosmetics.com while supplies last.

This is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon kind of things, and it literally made my jaw drop.

It comes with a staggering 20 full-size LORAC lippies for what works out to $3.75 each (!), which is INCREDIBLE for LORAC. There are 10 Alter Ego Lipsticks (which usually go for $16 each) and 10 Alter Ego Lip Glosses (which sell for $15). Considering the quality you get with LORAC, that’s a steal.

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MAC Berry Black Friday Patentpolish Lip Pencil

November 12th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

For me Black Friday means sitting in my pajamas and eating leftover Thanksgiving pecan pie for breakfast.

And maybe also for lunch…

And perhaps dinner…

Aaand it also means playing Fill the Online Shopping Cart, which is a game I like to play where I see how much I can put into various online shopping e-carts with no intention of actually completing the checkout, and going “WOW!” as the tally grows into the thousands of dollars. 🙂

LOL!

For MAC, Black Friday means another limited edition makeup launch on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

This year, they’re putting the focus on lips with a new shade of Patentpolish Lip Pencil called Berry Black Friday. It’s a blackened plum with a shiny finish, and it’ll be $20, available exclusively on the MAC website (I believe it’s a one-day limited edition product available only on Black Friday).

If you like sheer-to-medium coverage dark lip shades, it’s a beauty.

mac berry black friday — MAC Berry Black Friday Patentpolish Lip Pencil

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MAC Dita Von Teese | Von Teese Matte Lipstick

November 10th, 2015 by Karen 36 Comments

There should be a video right here, but if not, you can also watch it on YouTube.

mac dita von teese — MAC Dita Von Teese Matte Lipstick in Von Teese ($28)

You know you’re a little obsessed with typography and fonts when you notice things like how the swoosh on the lower case “t” slides under the dot above the “i” on MAC’s new Dita Von Teese Lipstick, and your first thought is “Dang! I wish I’d thought of that.”

It’s those little touches, man!

Limited edition MAC Matte Lipstick in Von Teese ($18) is an online exclusive arriving on the MAC website ~~December 7~~ December 9, and as you’ve probably already guessed, it’s a collaboration with burlesque beauty/dancer/author Dita Von Teese.

Yup, she’s also an author. Her new book, Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour, arrives in bookstores December 1.

The lipstick, on the other hand, isn’t very eccentric. It’s a pretty classic take on matte tomato red, and it’s very, very Dita. Her love for matte red lips is well known.

On me, it’s an opaque warm red with a hint of yellow, and the hint doesn’t take it into MAC Lady Danger Land, so there aren’t any orange undertones.
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5 Great Gothy Glam Lipsticks for Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

5 gothy glam lipsticks — You can’t go wrong with one of these gorgeously gothy glam lipsticks this fall

“Luke, I am your father!”

Wha!? Who you talkin’ to? Ain’t no Luke here, buddy. My name is Karen, and this is my cat Tabs.

“JOIN THE DARK SIDE, LUKE!”

Man, you are cray, but OK. Sure, I’ll join the dark side…of lipstick! BOOM! What!? Surprise attack! Get him, Tabs! Attack his ankles!!

–END–

Yes, fellow fierce force users, dark, vampy plums and wines are giving me So. Much. Life. There are so many great gothy glam lip colors out there, and here are five fabulous ones for fall.

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Liv ($22)

Oh! I love Liv’s deep, satiny aubergine finish and rich, creamy formula. It livs (get it?) online and at NARS counters, where you can find it now for $22.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Matte Lipstick in Dolce Inferno ($37)

dolce gabbana dolce inferno — Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Inferno

I am burning up with love for $37 Dolce Inferno. It’s hands down one of my favorite deep, dark lippies around. A moody matte plum, it has the faintest essence of pearl that gives it a little kick.

For a dark lipstick, it’s also easy to apply. The smooth, opaque formula feels fairly thick, and it doesn’t slip and slide all over my lips when I apply it, which I do with a lip brush. You’ll find this hot ticket heating up Dolce & Gabbana counters now.

3. MAC Satin Lipstick in Cyber ($17)

My dry lips love MAC Cyber’s comfy, creamy formula. This dark, satiny plum is so creamy that it tends to scoot beyond my natural lip line, so I like to wear it with MAC Cyber World Lip Liner, because 1) the two products are like peas in a pod (the colors match very closely), and 2) the liner totally keeps Cyber under control.

Skynet approved! Look for it passing Turing tests now at MAC counters and online.
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