Lips

Like a Great Deal on Airfare, the Six Ultra Plush Lip Glosses Aboard Benefit’s High Flyin’ Glosses Kit Are Sheer a Good Price

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

Forget Red Bull. Benefit’s latest high-flying lip kit will give you wings! 🙂

Why risk losing that borderline big bottle of liquid foundation in your carry-on to the TSA when you can fly the friendly skies without ever stepping foot on a plane?

Air Benefit’s latest route flies aboard the brand-new $26 High Flyin’ Glosses kit, and it makes the trip from WHEREVER YOU ARE to THE LAND WHERE MINI-LIP GLOSS RULES in however long it takes you to get to your closest Benefit counter.

This adorable limited edition kit contains tiny versions of six of Benefit’s Ultra Plush Glosses — sheer coral Coralista, dusty rose Dallas, bright watermelon Bella Bamba, shimmering nude Hoola, pinkish nude Sugarbomb and soft, pearly pink Dandelion.

The sheer colors should flatter a wide range of skin tones, and considering the regular price of Benefit’s full-size 0.5-ounce Ultra Plushes ($16), $26 for a set of six of them (even though they’re smaller at 0.22 ounces each) seems like a pretty good deal.

benefit high flyin glosses — With a full-size Dandelion gloss for comparison

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Elmer, Meet Marilyn: Like the Glue That Keeps Lips Together, the New MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection Dazzleglasses Are Super Stuck on You

October 2nd, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

mac marilyn monroe little rock dazzleglass — Wearing the MAC Marilyn collection Dazzeglass in Little Rock

Some days, I feel like I need a shot of glitter even before I crawl out of bed. Something to distract me from the tabby lying next to me and staring with those disapproving eyes that say, “Why do you look like such a train wreck first thing in the morning?”

MAC’s new limited edition Marilyn Monroe Dazzleglasses in Phiff! (exclamation mark included) and Little Rock were made for days like that.

Sprinkled with large pearl particles, the two sheer, glittery $21.50 glosses shimmer and shine like a Disney princess (or a diva kitty supermodel’s eyes). 🙂

While pretty and sparkly on their own (and pretty sparkly), I think Phiff! and Little Rock look even better layered on top of lipsticks. Both of them are super sheer, and consequently, leave the color of underlying lipsticks alone. They’re content just adding oodles of sparkle and shine.

I like popping either one on top of a rich red, like MAC Marilyn Monroe’s Scarlet Ibis, or a nude like Pure Zen.

MAC Marilyn Monroe Phiff Little Rock Dazzleglass — Dazzleglass in Phiff! (left) and Little Rock (right)

mac marilyn monroe phiff dazzleglass — Wearing MAC Marilyn Monroe collection Dazzleglass in Phiff!

MAC Marilyn Monroe Swatches in Lipstick in Pure Zen, Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis, Dazzleglass in Little Rock and Dazzleglass in Phiff — Lipstick in Pure Zen, Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis, Dazzleglass in Little Rock and Dazzleglass in Phiff!

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Lips Like Marilyn’s Are One Swipe Away: Pigment Abounds in the New MAC Marilyn Monroe Lipsticks

October 1st, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

mac marilyn monroe scarlet ibis lipstick — Wearing the new MAC Marilyn Monroe collection lipstick in Scarlet Ibis

Some say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

My chapped lips and I have to politely disagree. I mean, sure, diamonds have some cool things going for ’em. They’re all sparkly, and allegedly you can use them to cut mirrors and glass (I’ve always wanted to try that!), but what good are sparkly, shiny baubles when your lips are all flaky and you want to wear a bright orangey red lipstick like the new matte Scarlet Ibis or a frosty nude like Pure Zen ($16.50 each; both part of the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection)?

I’ve been so jazzed about these colors and their three siblings since I got wind of the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection earlier this year. I imagined re-creating MM’s signature sultry lips while happily stepping over a subway vent and having my skirt fly up for the whole world to see my Spanx…

Okay, maybe not. But I’d still love hot makeup like Marilyn’s, and it’s easier to get with these lipsticks. Both lay down loads of opaque, solid color, and a single swipe takes me from lowly pet assistant to polished screen siren.

Or thereabouts. 🙂

MAC Marilyn Monroe Pure Zen Lipstick Scarlet Ibis — Lipsticks in Pure Zen (left) and Scarlet Ibis (right)

mac marilyn monroe pure zen lipstick — Lipstick in Pure Zen

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I Spy a Vampy Lipstick That’s Easy to Apply! The New Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Impatiente

September 26th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

chanel l'impatiente rouge allure velvet — Wearing the new Chanel L’Impatiente Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick

Every super spy gal needs a secret weapon. Sydney Bristow’s (loved me some Alias!) were arguably her crazy-@ss wigs — perfect for fooling bad guys into thinking she was someone other than the lethal agent she was.

But say Sydney had a thing for Chanel lipsticks. If she had, she would’ve fallen hard for Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Impatiente ($32.50), the sole lippie from the Eclats du Soir de Chanel makeup collection for holiday 2012. A deep reddish black with a matte finish, it’s drizzled with a semblance of shine.

A twist of the tube reveals a dark wine bullet the color of a rich cabernet sauvignon. Before I tried it on, I expected L’Impatiente to be a tough cookie, both in terms of getting it to look good on my lips, and in the sense that I wanted to wear it with black leather pants, studded bracelets and spikes.

Before it ever touched my lips, I made a mental note to look for my lip brush. I also sought out a matching lip liner and dusted off my pair of black platforms with chains (my “tough girl” shoes).

And then, when I applied my first layer, TWIST!

chanel l'impatiente rouge allure — Rouge Allure in L’Impatiente

chanel holiday 2012 eclats du soir de chanel swatches — Swatches from the left: Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Star Dust, Illusion D’Ombre Lonog Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Apparence, Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Impatiente and Glossimer in Mystery

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How Wearable Is New Chanel Glossimer in Mystery? There’s Only One Way to Find Out

September 25th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

chanel mystery glossimer — Chanel Glossimer in Mystery

Life is a mystery, and no matter what we learn about the world around us, it seems as if every answer leads to more questions.

Questions like…

Why is it physically impossible to eat just one spoonful of HÃ¤agen-Dazs ice cream?

Is Dillon Panther tailback Tim Riggins really a misunderstood genius?

What is Tabs thinking in his little kitty brain when he rushes into the loo to watch me, um, handle my business (swear to you, I don’t think I’ve had one minute of potty privacy since this cat came into my life)?

tabs-stare — What’s goin’ on over there, woman?

And then there are also makeup mysteries, like the new Chanel Glossimer in — yup, you guessed it! — Mystery ($29.50).

Yes, my fellow Chanel lovers, once again, Coco and Co. are doing nude, glossy lips in their latest limited edition launch, Eclats du Soir de Chanel.

Mystery, a medium pigmented creamy pinkish brown, guest stars as one of three Glossimers in the holiday release, and I can’t deny the chemistry it shares with the smokier, darker eyeshadows in the collection’s Nuit-Claire duo and Harmonie quad.

Nude lips and smokey eyes are like the peanut butter and jelly combo of my makeup world. I’ve been loving them for years because they’re just so blasted wearable (um…the look, not the sandwich), and Mystery has “wearable nude gloss” written all over it.

I guess the $64,000 question comes down to this: is Mystery a must-have?

chanel mystery 357 glossimer — Glossimer in Mystery

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The Weirdly Wearable Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Opulent Shines in Person (But Not So Much in Pics)

September 21st, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

I can’t decide if I like the new Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Opulent ($20) more because it’s weird, or because it’s wearable. A bit of both, I suppose.

In its tube, this blend of beige, gray and taupe could have fooled me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed it was an eyeshadow. The complex color, the undercurrent of golden pearl, and the way it flashes purple and pink when the light hits it just right remind me more of traits I’d find in an eye product than something I’d slick on my lips.

Not that I’m complaining (at all).

I like it, but weird colors are always a risk… Some tend to sit unused at the bottom of my makeup bag like shipwrecks lost at sea (hear what I’m sayin’, Apocalips?).

But this time — hallelujah! — Illamasqua figured out how to combine weird and easy to wear.

The trick: they made it surprisingly sheer. When I’m standing in the shade, it’s a clear pinky beige on my lips, and not at all like the storm cloud of color it resembles in the tube. But then, when I step into full sunlight? — that’s when the real fun begins.

Wearing Opulent’s flecks of pink, gold and purple glitter, my kisser sparkles like Vampire Edward’s lips!

I tried to capture the effect in these pics, but I think it’s a little too subtle, except for some of the arm swatches, perhaps. In person, though, BAM!

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Need an Afternoon Pick-Me-Up? Tom Ford’s Beauty Lip Colors Are Ready to Give Your Lips a Lift

September 19th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

Note to self: next time you hit a late afternoon slump, skip the snack drawer, and grab a flamingo instead.

Flamingo — one of the Tom Ford Beauty Lip Colors ($48). 🙂

More pigmented than popcorn or potato chips, Tom’s Beauty Lip Colors are also a lot lower in calories (as in, they haven’t any).

Tom Ford Beauty Lip Colors in Casablanca, True Coral, Wild Ginger and Flamingo

tom ford beauty lipstick swatches — Swatches from the left: Flamingo, Wild Ginger, Casablanca and True Coral

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Fulfilled Plushglass

September 17th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

I’m a strong advocate for trying new makeup trends, but I totally get that sometimes, despite how much fun it can be to start piling on the lip and eye makeup this time of year (says the girl who buys bananas wearing silver and black winged eyeshadow), it can also be easy (at least for me) to go overboard.

I may leave the house feeling like I just stepped off the pages of Vogue, but then I catch my reflection in a mirrored surface by the bags of salad at Safeway and think, hawt damn! — that’s a lotta look for groceries.

That’s why, to protect myself from…myself, I try to keep my purses and bags fully stocked with my-lips-but-better products like the MAC Plushglass glosses.

Last month I was all about Big Baby. This month, I’m feeling much more Fulfilled, as in MAC Plushglass in Fulfilled ($19.50).

By swapping this creamy pinkish peach for the rich reds, berries and burgundy lip colors I regularly reach for in fall, I feel much more appropriately made up for everyday tasks.

Unlike Big Baby, Fulfilled doesn’t showcase any pearl or shimmer. Instead, it gets the job done with a creamy finish and a soft kiss of pinkish peach color. And while I love the way it quietly complements pretty much any bold look, it’s like Buzz Lightyear with brown, bronze and plum smokey eyes (taking them to infinity…and beyond!).

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