Loreal

The Day in Beauty, Vol. 11: Tabby Tea Time, the L’Oreal Cleansing Balms, and Gooooo Science!

February 17th, 2016 by Karen 48 Comments

Let’s hear it for the boyyyys! I gotta hand it to El Hub and Tabs for always keeping me on my toes. Those two… I never know what to expect from them, even after all this time.

Like today — today I learned that Tabs likes tea.

Who knew?

Because this morning I made a cup of decaf Irish breakfast tea (it’s super tasty! — the one from Trader Joe’s), put a hearty splash of milk in it, and set the cup down on my desk when I sat down to write.

Shortly thereafter, Tabs jumped up on the desk, and I just assumed that he was going to do what he usually does, which is to walk across the desk toward the window, where he likes to look outside.

I wasn’t really paying attention because I had my eyes on the screen, but then I heard a little tabby tongue lapping something up and realized, OH, CRAP! He’s drinking my tea.

LOL! #smdh

Oh, don’t even get me started on traumatic tea events… Seems like my desk is a magnet for them (remind me to tell you about the “Onion Tea Incident” someday, but I can’t talk about it right now because the thought of it just triggered my gag reflex).

So, yeah, watch your cat around your morning beverages… Sneaky kittehs…

L’Oreal Cleansing Balms

This next one isn’t tea related, but I’ve also been into these new cleansing balms by L’Oreal lately.

WOW! Years ago, back when I started MBB, I never would have thought we’d be seeing affordable sulfate-, silicone- and paraben-free hair products at stores like CVS, Rite Aid and Target, but these cleansing balms are exactly that. They’re about $12 for a big 16.9-oz. bottle.

These would have been the kinds of products I would have had to get at a specialty beauty store or salon, and they would have been a lot more than $12… Drugstores have come a loooong way.

So, these non-lathering cleansers? I think they’re great. You use them in place of your regular shampoo and conditioner, where they clean and condition in one fell swoop, and they do it without stripping color or moisture from your hair or weighing it down.

The overall idea has been around for years (google “conditioner washing” or “co-washing”), so these aren’t revolutionary, but I like that the idea is more mainstream now.
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L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte and La Lacque Lip Pens

September 30th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

loreal le matte le lacque lip pens — Starting from the top, that’s L’Oreal Le Matte Lip Pencil in 100 Matte For Me, 102 She’s So Matte, 104 Game Set & Matte, 106 Mad for Matte and 198 Matter-R of Fact; and La Lacque in 201 Lacque-y Charm, 203 Lacquerizied, 205 Lacque and Roll, 207 Lacque-y You and 209 Choco-Lacque

Oh! Nice to see you again, L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte. And you, too, La Lacque. You two Lip Pens are only $9.99 each, and I remember you from last fall. You were released as limited edition lippies, weren’t you? And now you’re back.

From the outside, these twist-up full-coverage lipsticks (no sharpener needed) look pretty much the same as they did last year, and they still don’t twist all the way down, so sometimes the caps scrunch the tips (Grr… Why?!). Other than that minor hiccup, I think they’re great. They have the same smooth, pigmented formula, excellent coverage and respectable five-hour wear time.

Pretty good deals for $10.

If at all possible, though, try to sniff one in the car before you bring it all the way home, because the rosy scent is VERY strong. Thankfully, it fades after about 10 minutes, but still.

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How to Do Perfect Red Lips

September 18th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Some things are really hard — climbing Mount Everest, saying no to the last French fry, learning how to breakdance when you’re over 30 and completely inflexible (particularly in the hamstrings) — but other things, like achieving a perfect red lip, aren’t that hard at all.

Smooth, symmetrical red lips with crisp, yet not harsh, edges are easy with the right tools, a few tips and a little practice. By the end of this post, you will NOT look like a demented clown about to go on a rampage at a children’s birthday party (although this happens sometimes when I try to do lip liner on bare lips). Pretty soon you’ll be doing ’em like a seasoned pro.

So, let’s start at the very beginning, which is a very good place to start. 🙂

Um…I think I may or may not have just quoted Sound of Music, but whatever!

1. Apply lipstick to the center area of your lips

Begin by applying (directly from the bullet) the red lipstick you’d like to wear around the center area of your lips. The key here: don’t take the lipstick all the way out to the edges.

At this point, as is the case so often with makeup, if you’re doing it right, it’ll look kinda weird…

2. Now drag the lipstick out to your natural lip line

Using a lip brush loaded with the same red lipstick, fill in the edges around the area you applied from the bullet a moment ago, dragging some of the existing lipstick out while also painting all the way to the edge of your lip line. We’re doing this because the brush is more detailed than the lipstick bullet.

Try to get that lip line smooth and even, but it doesn’t have to be perfect at this point.

3. Line your lips with a lip liner in a complementary color

Now set aside the lip brush, and grab a sharpened red lip liner (sharpen it first, because we want the point to be nice and sharp) in a color that complements your lipstick.

Take that lip liner, and start drawing a line right around the edge of your lip, following your natural lip line, and we have two reasons for this. First, we’re creating a boundary for our red lipstick outside of which we won’t go, and second, we’re also using this as an opportunity to tweak the shape of our lips, if need be, to make them look perfectly symmetrical. Like, one side of my lips is thinner than the other, so I slightly overdraw that side at this step to make my lips look even and full.

Next, with the same lip brush you used earlier, although this time without any extra product on it, gently merge the line you created with your lip pencil into the lipstick to soften the appearance of the lip liner.
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I’m Lovin’ the Rad Reds in the L’oreal Colour Riche Exclusive Red Lipcolor Collection

September 17th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

L'Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Red Lipcolor from the left: 401 Julianne's Red, 402 Blake's Red, 403 Eva's Red, 405 Freida's Red, 406 Zoe's Red and 407 Liya's Red — L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Red Lipcolor from the left: 401 Julianne’s Red, 402 Blake’s Red, 403 Eva’s Red, 405 Freida’s Red, 406 Zoe’s Red and 407 Liya’s Red

These six reds are rad!

It’s hard to pick a favorite from among the six $8.99 red lipsticks in the new L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Red Lipcolor line, but if you said, “Karen, you have to pick one!” first I would say, “Curses! Why you gotta be so cruel?” then I’d say 402 Blake’s Red, which you may remember from the 5 Fabulously Affordable Fall Lipstick post earlier this week. It’s neutral, so I could wear it with warm and cool looks (and I bet it would look great on most skin tones).

From the left: 401 Julianne's Red, 402 Blake's Red, 403 Eva's Red, 405 Freida's Red, 406 Zoe's Red and 407 Liya's Red — From the left: 401 Julianne’s Red, 402 Blake’s Red, 403 Eva’s Red, 405 Freida’s Red, 406 Zoe’s Red and 407 Liya’s Red

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5 Fabulously Affordable Fall Lipsticks

September 14th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

I have a tabby by my side (as opposed to on my lap — what’s up with that?), and I’m wearing a snuggly long-sleeved sweater and long pants to keep away the unseasonably fall-like chill outside.

I’m also wearing layers, as weird as that sounds, but it’s brisk and overcast outside. The leaves have even started to fall, and I’m seriously contemplating socks (toe oppression!).

Technically, it may not be “that time of year” yet, but I’m definitely getting a fall vibe.

There’s no way I’m ready for El Niño or the cold weather fall entails, but I do feel full-on ready for fall makeup, like these five fabulously affordable fall lipsticks that are all less than $10 each.

1. L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive in Blake’s Red ($8.99)

Blake, as in Lively, the lucky lady with the long, luscious blonde hair (and, um, Ryan — oh, what’s his name? Not Gosling! Ryan Reynolds, how dare I?! — Ryan Reynolds’ baby mama). L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive in Blake’s Red is her red addition to the L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive line.

Blake’s Red is a beauty of a neutral red, neither too warm nor cool, with an opaque demi-matte finish, and it won’t just work through fall. This one will also carry you through the holidays.

I love this lippie with classic fall looks, and it suits a wide range of skin tones. Wear it with a simple cat eye for something vintage, or a black or gray smoky eye (a la Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love video), or metallic golden lids.

SO PRETTY!

Because it’s by L’Oreal, it has their very strong floral flavor and scent (both fade quickly), which folks seem to either love or hate. I don’t mind it at all.

It’s available now online for $8.99 and at drugstores and Ulta.

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipcolor in Toast of New York ($7.99)

This is so old-school, you guys! I wore this color back in the day, and it’s making a comeback again.

I feel like there have been an overabundance of dark browns with almost grayish undertones lately, and I like that look on some people, but I feel like it looks a little macabre on me. THIS kind of brown has a little yellow in it, and I think it makes it more wearable. The matte finish also has a hint of a shine to it.

It’s available now online for $7.99 and at drugstores and Ulta.

3. COVERGIRL Star Wars Limited Edition Colorlicious Lipstick in Dark Purple 50 ($6.99)

Do you think this lipstick is on the dark side or the light…? Ooh, Star Wars reference! Where’s my light saber, Tabs?! 🙂

This dark purple berry is a classic fall color. It’s from the new limited edition COVERGIRL Star Wars collection, and it has a creamy finish.

It’s also flexible. You can wear it as a stain by applying one layer, then blotting, or build it up like I’ve done here. I’m wearing three layers, so it looks a little vampy.

It’s available now online for $6.99 and at drugstores.
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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

August 21st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

1. Tocca Cleopatra Candela Luxe ($54)

Kind of a sucker over here! Yep, I’m a sucker for fancy candles, and this one is from Tocca, the makers of Bianca, which is one of my premiere most perfect perfumes of all time. Candela Luxe is a new collection of luxury candles inspired by their fragrances, and each one comes in a gorgeous glass you can repurpose. They’re also rated to burn for 60 hours (!).

The one I have is the Cleopatra, which fills my immediate vicinity with the aromas of clean, crisp cucumber and sweet grapefruit.

Ahh… 🙂

2. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Nailcolor ($9.99)

These dynamic nail polish duos have twin tips! One end has a colorful base shade, and the other end has a (very lightly) tinted top coat. The idea is that you can skip an additional base coat, and just use one of these with its accompanying top coat.

They come in a variety of colors (I’ve been wearing them a lot in videos). I’ve tested a creamy light blue shade called Endless Sky and a creamy taupe called Timeless Taupe, and Endless Sky chipped on me pretty quickly (like within a day!), but Timeless Taupe made it about five days before the first chips appeared at the edges, which isn’t bad for me, considering the heck I put my nails through every day, all day.

I’m going to try Always A Lady next, which is a dark reddish brown… I guess I’m in the mood for fall!

3. Trader Joe’s Sour Gummies ($1.99)

ERHMAHGOSH! There’s a key lime sour gummy!

I think I may have mentioned that I’ve been all about sour flavors lately (especially lime), and that’s why I put this in my shopping cart the other day.

Man, oh, man! — I’m so glad I did. They’re delicious. They’re gummier and firmer (furmier? LOL!) than regular sour gummies… They also stick to my teeth worse/more, which isn’t ideal, but I can overlook that on account of them being so tasty.

The flavors are lemon, grapefruit (YUM), lime and tangerine, and they’re all in little “T” or “J” shapes.

I WILL be getting another bag on my next trip to Trader Joe’s.
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L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray: Is This $17 Spray Infallible?

July 20th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

You know how when you finish your makeup, and you lightly mist your face with a makeup setting spray, it feels like the confirmation of a job well done?

Like spritz! Thank you! Reward. 🙂

I like that whole experiential angle to makeup setting sprays. The refreshing fragrances and enhanced wear time are just bonuses.

My current favorites are Urban Decay’s $30 All Nighter and MAC Fix+ ($22), but they’re both pretty pricey. I’d love a good drugstore option, which is why I decided to try L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray. It’s only $16.99, which is still expensive for drugstore, but less than All Nighter and Fix+.

loreal infallible setting spray — L’Oreal Infallible Setting Spray ($16)

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Does $20 L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1 Give $54 Urban Decay Naked a Run for Its Money?

May 22nd, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

loreal la palette nude 1 — Wearing L’Oréal’s $20 La Palette Nude 1

Knowing that L’Oréal owns Urban Decay, I wondered just how closely L’Oréal’s much less expensive $19.99 10-pan La Palette Nude 1 palette of neutral powder shadows would imitate its $54 Naked superstar cousin. Would La Palette’s three mattes be as easy to blend as UD Naked’s matte shadows, and what about pigment, shimmer and fallout? How would they compare? And what would I miss with only 10, instead of 12 shades?

I decided to find out.

The $19.99 L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1 vs. the $54 Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette

Briefly, what’s the idea behind L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1?
Well, it’s basically the Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette with 10 neutral powder shadows instead of 12. Seven of them are shimmers — a warm beige, a peach, gold, bronze, chocolate brown, silvery taupe and a cool-toned white — and three are matte browns — a medium taupe-brown, medium tan brown and a dark neutral brown. La Palette Nude 1 is one of two eyeshadow palettes that were added to the L’Oréal permanent line this spring, and it comes with a dual-ended brush with a sponge-tip applicator on one end and a small flat eyeshadow brush on the other. There are also four simple how-to tutorials for four different eye looks on the bottom/back. It’s available now online and at drugstores and Ulta.

What makes it interesting?
First, for me, the price. It’s $34 less than Urban Decay Naked.

The 10 shadows work out to $2 each, versus Naked with its 12 shadows, which work out to $4.50 each. So it’s less than half the price.

Yes, I can see your big saucer eyes from across the keyboard, ’cause that’s tempting stuff. 🙂 Seriously, I’m the last person in the world who needs another neutral palette of brown and beige shades, but when I saw La Palette Nude 1 at Ulta last week, I had to go there. I couldn’t stop myself.

What is this compulsion I have to try all of the brown eyeshadows…? It must come from the same place that makes me want all of teh kittehs. The struggle is real, my friend.

So, is La Palette Nude 1 as good as Urban Decay Naked?
In some ways, yes, I think it is. Like Naked, it has a good variety of matte transition shades (which are also highly pigmented! *thumbs up*), and a perfect balance between warm and cool color-temp shades.

The shadows also feel silky and soft like Urban Decay’s, which I guess isn’t a big surprise, considering that L’Oréal owns Urban Decay. Maybe there’s some crossover between the formulas, or maybe not and it just worked out that way. La Palette’s shadows also last seven to eight hours for me.

But there a couple of ways in which I think UD Naked trumps L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1…

Nude 1’s mattes, while fabulously pigmented, take longer to blend.
This first time I wore the Nude 1 palette, I used my trusty NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I layered the shadows on top of it, and I felt like I had to work pretty hard to buff out the edges and transition shades into each other. The overall look turned out a little choppy. Then I tried the mattes on top of a creamier base (MAC’s Paint Pot in Soft Ochre), which I hoped would give the shadows a more slippery surface. It seemed to help a bit, but things were still a tad choppy. It required more passes with my fluffy blending brush to get my gradients worked out than I could count, so if you’re going to invest in this palette and plan to give these mattes a daily workout, I highly recommend also having a cream shadow on hand to use as a base, along with a healthy dose of patience.

Nude 1’s shimmers aren’t all that shiny.
Compared to the shimmery shadows in UD Naked, Nude 1’s pearlescent shadows don’t shimmer as brightly, so I get more of a soft shine than a mirror. The shimmer also doesn’t seem anywhere near as pigmented or refined. In fact, I feel like it looks pretty chunky on my lids. It reminds me of the shimmers in the Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette.

I don’t know if it’s something that companies do on purpose to cater to the drugstore makeup crowd, or if it’s just a consequence of a lower price, but it is still possible to reach the point where Nude 1’s shimmery eyeshadows shine bright like diamonds. You may just have to wet your brush first and do a lot of layering.

It’ll take some effort, not gonna lie.
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