Lips

Sometimes, Colors Are More Vivid After Dark, Like When They’re Part of the New $20 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube x 4 Set

November 7th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics After Dark Stained Gloss Jealous — Wearing OCC’s Stained Gloss in Jealous, from the new $20 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube x 4 Set

A lot can happen after dark…

Vampires can rise, cats can prowl and raccoons can subvert!

Sometimes, vivid, colorful stained glosses can thrill…

That’s right. Vivid, colorful stained glosses After Dark, which is the name of OCC’s new holiday set.

Strange name for such bright colors? Perhaps. But don’t let it stop you from rocking these glossy finishes during daylight hours, or for gifting the set to your favorite makeup-lovin’ vampire.

The Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube x 4 Set ($20)

Yes, vampires, because with two moody, vampiric shades in the set (the sheer glossy black and the reddish orange), you know I had to go there. It was low-hanging fruit.

[Continue reading…]

The $59 Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Set Gives Lips All the Pigment They Can Take

November 4th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Whenever I go shopping at Sephora, there’s a rule I steadfastly adhere to. I tell myself that I can only walk out of the store with what I’m able to carry in my two hands.

No baskets, ever, because the minute a basket gets up in the mix, my credit card starts throbbing with a white hot heat.

Buuuut, you know what they say: where there’s a will, there’s a way. 🙂

With products like the new Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Ultimate Lip Sampler Set ($59), I’m able to maximize my self-imposed system of budgetary beauty tyranny. #imjustsayin

The glorious new holiday kit includes 17 (!) sample-sized lip products from 14 makeup brands.

KA-BOOM!

That’s a ton of variety. What’s more, the pieces span a wide range of finishes, textures and coverage levels.

Sephora sorted the products by color family — nudes, berries, pinks and reds — which gives the kit a cohesiveness you don’t always find in limited edition sets.

Sephora Give Me More Lip swatches from the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip LIner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino — From the left: Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush, Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tint, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly, Make Up For Ever Lip Liner in 3C, Tarte LipSurgence in Flush, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia, Benefit Posie Balm and Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino

[Continue reading…]

The $59 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pro’s Pics Portables Lip Tar Test Tube X 12 Set Is a Cornucopia of Color

November 3rd, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

We are fam-i-ly!

I’ve got all my Lip Tars with me!

We are fam-i-ly!

Get up everybody and sing!!

As I’m sitting here contemplating the 12 tiny Lip Tars in the new Pro’s Picks Portables Lip Tar: Test Tube X 12 Set by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics ($59), I’m singing Sister Sledge and imagining that the little tubes are all siblings in one big, happy family. They never fight, talk back to their parents, tattle on each other, plot to steal each other’s boyfriends, or say anything snarky about one another, like “so-and-so’s skinny jeans have been looking extra snug lately.” They’re always happy to hang out together, and they never, ever complain about having to share a room.

This new holiday set is a lot of fun. Despite their diminutive size (just 0.08 ounces each), these tiny tubes are bursting with pigment, and a nice number of them are mattes, which are very trendy right meow.

The 12 shades in the set range from tame neutrals to technicolor brights, and they were hand picked by OCC’s Pro Makeup Artists.

If you’re familiar with OCC’s Lip Tars, then you know about their bulletproof coverage and wear time. I usually get six or seven hours out of them.

[Continue reading…]

The New Chanel Rouge Allure Glosses: For Full-Coverage Chanel Firepower When You Need a Little Chanel

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

If I’m going to have a stranger stick me with a sharp object, you better believe I’ll be wearing a little Chanel, because Chanel makes everything better (even flu shots).

At least that’s what I told myself when I applied the new Rouge Allure Gloss in 15 Sensible (one of 10 shades, $34 each, available now at Chanel counters and online) before I went to get my flu shot today.

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss wands from the left: 13 Affriolant, 15 Sensible, 17 Supreme, 18 Seduction and 19 Pirate — From the left: 13 Affriolant, 15 Sensible, 17 Supreme, 18 Seduction and 19 Pirate

Every year when I walk into the flu shot clinic and catch that first glimpse of the needle, the panic sets in… I start mumbling and sweating profusely, and my eyes expand to double their normal size.

I had hoped that 15 Sensible would make me look less, I dunno, frightened? Rabid? Ready to rumble? I’d always reckoned that full-coverage lip glosses like the Rouge Allures tended to convey the appearance of serenity and properly aligned chakras.

But that could just be the crazy beauty logic talking. 🙂

Today, as I bared my left shoulder, concentrated on kittens, and waited for the nurse to jam the needle into my arm (“This won’t hurt at all,” she said. “Just a little pinch.”), I set my mouth into a stylishly glossy Chanel smile, even though I really wanted to scream, “THAT SH*T STINGS, MA!”

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in 15 Sensible — 15 Sensible

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in 13 Affriolant — 13 Affriolant

[Continue reading…]

With These Nudes, You’re Fully Covered: The Full-Coverage Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks in Tease, Cherub and Naked

October 28th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Naked — Glamore Lipstick in Naked

When Sephora stopped carrying Illamasqua (bummer), it made the brand a little harder to find here in the U.S. for those of us who don’t happen to live within driving distance of the Kryolan City stores in Chicago or Toronto.

But if you do live within day-trip distance, and/or you don’t mind paying extra for shipping to order online, you might want to check out Glamore, Illamasqua’s line of full-coverage lipsticks released earlier this fall, because talk about pigment up the wazoo!

Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks from the left: Tease, Naked and Cherub — Illamasqua Glamore Lipsticks from the left in Tease, Naked and Cherub ($30.02 each)

Ilamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Tease — Glamore Lipstick in Tease

[Continue reading…]

The New MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets in Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

It’s Christmas morning.

You tear open an oddly shaped present with shiny reindeer wrapping paper and find a plastic banana holder.

You consider this for a moment…

Do you jump up and down with enthusiasm, so happy to finally have a place to store a banana?

No, you do not, and I can say this with certainty because I actually did receive a plastic banana holder last year as a gift, and I did not jump up and down with enthusiasm.

Now, had I opened the same present and found one of the three new MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets instead ($35 each, $42 CAD), things would have been different. I would have leaped and kicked and danced in my flannel pajamas because unlike MAC’s regular holiday eyeshadow palettes and brush sets, which can be hit or miss, their gloss sets tend to consistently delight me.

In my experience, the glosses in their holiday sets are right up their with the glosses in MAC’s permanent line in terms of quality, making them good bets for gift giving.

I’ve gifted past MAC holiday gloss sets to beauty gals of all ages over the years, from my teenage cousins to my 80-something-year-old glam granny, and they’ve always been hits. Even my BFF Cindy, who’s aggressively anti-makeup, hasn’t groaned when I’ve given her one of them. That has to tell you something.

This year, there are three lip gloss sets in the MAC holiday collection — Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral. Each one comes with three mini Cremesheen Glasses and a mini Dazzleglass.

I love these two formulas, especially during the cooler months. Unlike the Lipglasses, they aren’t sticky, so my hair doesn’t get stuck to my lips when it’s windy. They’re also moisturizing and shiny, to boot.

I don’t mind having to reapply them every two to three hours because of how good they feel on my lips, like Zella hoodies in gloss form.

The three MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets: Overview

If you’re looking for variety, grab the Nude and Coral set. It has a good mix of sheer and fully pigmented shades.
If you want glosses for layering, go for Pink and Plum. Its three sheerest shades really come into their own when layered on top of lipsticks. There’s also a more intensely pigmented bright blue pink in the set for a fun pop of color.
If you go gaga for classic makeup looks, don’t miss Nude and Red. Its three neutral nudes and bright raspberry red go well with makeup standards like cat eyeliner and smokey eyes.

The Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer — Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer

MAC Fashion Whim Cremesheen Glass — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Whim

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun — Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Courtley Coral — Dazzleglass in Courtley Coral

MAC Objects of Affection Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral — Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral

The Pink and Plum Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda — Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda

[Continue reading…]

For Your Viewing Pleasure, the New MAC Keepsakes Nude Lip Bag and Kristin Perry Jewel Saturation Necklace

October 14th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

First, for your viewing pleasure, Tabs in a rhinestone necklace…

“Day. Officially. Made.” says the woman who lives for chunky kitties in statement jewelry. 🙂

The bling, by the way, is the $68 Jewel Saturation Necklace by Kristin Perry, which Tabs likes because the Art Deco-ness of it makes him feel like he’s in The Great Gatsby.

Next, also for your viewing pleasure, there’s the new limited edition Keepsakes Nude Lip Bag from the MAC Keepsakes holiday collection ($39.50 US, $47.50 CAD).

[Continue reading…]

This Hot Pink C.P. Yu From the $49 NARS Digital World Set Made Me Feel a Million Megabytes Better

October 9th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

I'm Wearing NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu from the Digital World Kit — Wearing NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu, from the $49 Digital World set

Memory is a funny thing, isn’t it? So many times I read the same tips over and over again — tips that have helped me before, but then I forget that they exist until I read them again, and it’s like, “Well I’ll be damned. That would totally work!”

Here’s one I know I’ve heard before, but I recently read it again: sometimes when you aren’t feeling great first thing in the morning, it can help to spend a little extra time getting ready.

Like, say goodbye to the sweats, and put something on that makes you feel cute. You know, fix your hair, do your makeup — that kind of thing — even if you totally aren’t in the mood.

To the first person who figured that out, wherever you are, thank you. You saved my butt this morning.

I woke up exhausted after an orange alert meltdown last night. It’s my fault, because I haven’t been taking my breaks throughout the day, which slowly turns me into a crazy person.

On top of that, I’ve been riding a PMS-fueled hormonal tidal wave, and everything has been getting on my last nerve. I’m serious, that one nerve is RAW.

Ha! OK, but seriously, I turned into a rabid cat in my office yesterday, and my poor computer chair… I kicked the living crap out of that thing, and then I cried non-stop for 45 minutes.

I felt much better this morning, but nowhere near my usual self. Without really thinking about it, I grabbed a pair of stretchy pants and a wrinkled tee shirt and planned to put my hair up in a bun and skip my makeup.

But then I remembered that tip about spending a little extra time getting ready when you feel blue…

After a long shower, during which I did a hair mask, a body scrub and even shaved my toes (yay!), I put on one of my favorite dresses, spritzed some Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Perfume, and slicked a hot pink lipstick on my lips.

Never underestimate the power of hot pink lipstick, my friend. It’s even better than chicken soup.

Today I haven’t once felt the urge to punch any office furniture. 🙂 Cupcakes for everyone!

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu, the hot pink I’m wearing in these pics, couldn’t be easier to apply (unless it applied itself…which would be scary and weird). It’s from the new Digital World holiday set. One of the things I like about it, in addition to the color, is that I can line and fill in my lips with the same pencil.

Yu is one of five Lip Pencils in the $49 Digital World set (coming November 1 exclusively to Sephora), which also includes the Satin Lip Pencils in tea rose Descanso and peachy coral Torres Del Paine, and the Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in scarlet Cruella and warm orange Iberico.

NARS Digital World Lip Pencils from the left: Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Iberico, Satin Lip Pencil in Descanso and Satin Lip Pencil in Torres Del Paine — From the left: Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Iberico, Satin Lip Pencil in Descanso and Satin Lip Pencil in Torres Del Paine

[Continue reading…]