Palettes

The MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Palette Is a Dignified Diva Strengthened by Neutrals

October 2nd, 2014 by Karen 29 Comments

I can say with the utmost sincerity that I have never been this excited to wear MAC Soft Brown.

And I love Soft Brown! It’s one of my all-time greatest hits, most loved staples, and I’ve been wearing it for years. I’m always happy to see Soft Brown staring back at me as I get ready in the morning.

Now, though? Next to so many other dope-@ss neutral eyeshadows in the $85 MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas palette? The impossible has happened: I like Soft Brown even more.

“But,” you might be thinking, “slow your roll, sweet thang.” We’re talking about an $85 palette. An $85 neutral palette. Another neutral palette.

I know, you’re right. More neutrals, and $85 is a lot, but it’s half what MAC usually charges for their 15-pan palettes (those are $160).

Here’s the thing, though: if Gravitas were a gymnast, it would have perfect poise and balance. It would easily win a gold medal.

And to attempt an even stranger metaphor, if there were such a thing as an eyeshadow palette soulmate, Brook Shields would be mine, because I love almost everything about Gravitas. I feel like, eyeshadow-wise, it has everything I need.

Well…almost everything, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Definitely, Gravitas contains great everyday basic shades, like Soft Brown, Shroom, Carbon and Satin Taupe, but that’s far from everything it has to offer. It also has an interesting combination of warm- and cool-toned khaki, plum, gold and pink shades, which together with the basics, open up a world of elegant eye look possibilities that don’t necessarily involve me looking like I’m wearing a sh*t-ton of makeup at lunch on a Tuesday.

MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Swatches 2MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Swatches, Top Row: Pretty, Soft Brown, Expensive PInk, Clove and Satin Taupe — Top Row: Pretty, Soft Brown, Expensive PInk, Clove and Satin Taupe

MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Swatches 2MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Swatches, Middle Row: Canter, Luscious, Antiqued, Psyche and Carbon — Middle Row: Canter, Luscious, Antiqued, Psyche and Carbon

MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Swatches, Bottom Row: Shroom, Persuade, Plummed, Lofty and Pepper — Bottom Row: Shroom, Persuade, Plummed, Lofty and Pepper

And the addition of the darker gray, black and purple eyeshadows gives Gravitas even more flexibility. When I want to dress up like a sparkly disco roller diva and ride my glittery unicorn Giselle, I can apply one these colors in the crease, the outer corner and on my lower lash line. Then just add a pair of falsies and go. 🙂

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There Isn’t Any Room Left in This New Holiday Set Because It Already Includes Everything Nice: The New $56 Too Faced Cosmetics Everything Nice Set, a Holiday Sephora Exclusive

September 25th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Question: What do you get when you mix a dash of sugar, a pinch of spice and heaping handfuls of everything nice?

Answer: The new $56 Everything Nice Set by Too Faced Cosmetics.

From under the glittery pink Christmas tree at Too Faced headquarters comes this limited edition holiday Sephora exclusive — the big blockbuster kit from the Too Faced Christmas collection — and it sparkles with a hot pink makeup bag, three tiny Cruelty-Free Teddy Bear Hair brushes (two eye brushes and one for bronzing/blush), a step-by-step Glamour Guide with directions for a number of looks, a deluxe sample-sized tube (translation: slightly bigger than a regular sample size) of Better Than Sex Mascara, and a festive, feminine palette filled with 20 eyeshadows, two blushes, a bronzer and highlighter.

In total, a $450 value.

Too Faced Everything Nice Set Eyeshadows — The Too Faced Everything Nice Set eyeshadows…

Too Faced Everything Nice Set blushes, bronzer, highlighter, brushes and mascara — Blushes, bronzer, highlighter, brushes and mascara…

Everything to me, from the hand-drawn artwork on the palette’s cover, to the disco glam pink makeup bag, to the makeup color choices, seems true to the Too Faced brand. Girly, glam and totally wearable…with a little extra sass thrown in for good measure (because one never knows when one will get the urge to start trouble).

The 20 eyeshadows? Dude, you could do so many different eye looks with this palette! Roughly three quarters of them are neutrals…but not the kind of neutrals that make me want to hit the snooze button. Among them are mattes, metallics and glitters in a range of warm and cool tones.

And just to keep things interesting, there are also splashes of pink, mauve, taupe and gold.

Too Faced Everything Nice Set Swatches from the left: Turtle Dove, Dream On, After Hours, Fawned of You and Knockout — Swatches from the left: Turtle Dove, Dream On, After Hours, Fawned of You and Knockout

Too Faced Everything Nice Set swatches from the left: Paper Roses, Kindness Is Free, Mauvelous, Be You and Secret Lovers — Paper Roses, Kindness Is Free, Mauvelous, Be You and Secret Lovers

Too Faced Everything Nice Set swatches from the left: Heaven, Shiny Happy, Honey Pot, Don't Settle and Girly — Heaven, Shiny Happy, Honey Pot, Don’t Settle and Girly

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Public Nakedness Epidemic Continues With the New $65 Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Palette

September 23rd, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

NOVATO, California — Police, weary after years of higher than normal public nakedness, are bracing for another surge. Tabs the cat, kitty supermodel and current Makeup and Beauty Blog mascot, feels that it’s Urban Decay’s fault.

“Meow!” says Tabs.

Whatever the cause, all signs point to even more public nudity, and the trend shows no sign of stopping. In fact, a new palette by Bobbi Brown could make things worse.

“Mrow!” says Tabs of the new Nude on Nude Palette.

The $65 palette comes with 12 powder eyeshadows in a mix of neutral mattes, shimmers (metallics) and glitters (sparkles).

The palette contains…

5 x 0.05 oz. matte eyeshadows in Ivory, Naked, Birch, Truffle and Espresso

4 x 0.05 oz. metallic eyeshadows in Golden Pink, Bare, Smoky Topaz and Golden Bronze

3 x 0.06 oz. sparkle eyeshadows in Chiffon, Graphite and Gold

While many makeup lovers still appear hungry for more neutral eye makeup palettes, some are ready for a change. “I love me some practical browns and beiges,” says one woman, speaking on condition of anonymity, “but I wouldn’t mind if something fresh and new came along to blow my high ponytail back, ya know?”

“Meow!” says Tabs, and police agree.
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Like Actual Shadowboxing Is for Boxers, Urban Decay Shadow Box Is Great for Beauty Beginners (and More Experienced Makeup Mavens)

September 16th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Urban Decay’s new $34 Shadow Box Eyeshadow Palette has better balance than an advanced yoga class! — and that gives me So. Much. Hope.

I may never be able to achieve perfect balance in my day-to-day life, but with my makeup? Haaay! Girl can get close. 🙂

With this palette, I’ll be able to push what my makeup-averse friend Cindy calls “my makeup agenda,” and next time I see her and my friend Jen (my two best childhood gal pals), you better believe I’m going to do that.

This is a great one for beginners (makeup-averse friends) and people new to the brand.

Jen and Cindy aren’t exactly makeup obsessed, but it’s been my life’s mission to change that. One day, I will be victorious!

Here’s my plan: first, I’ll lure them in with Shadow Box’s stylin’ black and purple case, which houses 12 powder shadows — nine of UD’s bestselling shades and three brand new ones (Indo, Moonshadow and Baked Cowboy).

Next, I’ll hook ’em with the neutrals, and the browns, black, golds and bronzes. Yup, half of this palette is comprised of everyday shades, which makes it gloriously practical.

Urban Decay Shadow Box Swatches from the left: Sin, Indo (new), Bordello and Tornado — Swatches from the left: Sin, Indo (new), Bordello and Tornado

Urban Decay Shadow Box swatches from the left: Smog, Blackout, Flash and Mushroom — Smog, Blackout, Flash and Mushroom

Urban Decay Shadow Box Swatches from the left: Lost, Freelove, Moonshadow (new) and Baked Cowboy (new) — Urban Decay Shadow Box swatches from the left: Lost, Freelove, Moonshadow (new) and Baked Cowboy (new)

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In Vice3, Urban Decay Clutches to Its Vices With 20 New Eyeshadows

September 12th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Vice, thrice. Nice!

I enjoy humming the Miami Vice theme song to myself when I use the new Urban Decay Vice3 Palette ($60).

Duun-dah-dun, dah-dahdun dah-dah-dahda-dun.

Dahdun-dahdun-dun-dun-dun, dahda-dun-dahdun-dahdun-dun-dun-dun…

Why?

Because I can. 🙂

But that’s just one of many reasons to break into song while using this palette, with another being the included cute matchy-matchy clutch.

(In some circles, I go by the nickname “Clutch Collector,” or “Hoarder of Bags,” or “Lover of Anything She Can Stuff Gel Pens and Cat Treats Into…That Still Zips Up.”)

Urban Decay Vice3 packaging — The latest in Vice from Urban Decay…

The new case is one of several tweaks Urban Decay made to Vice3, the new followup to their popular Vice and Vice2 palettes. The brand also trimmed it down, making it slimmer and easier to travel with (this Vice is goin’ places!); raised the price by a taco (that’s $1 in layman’s terms); changed the layout; and included 20 new eyeshadow shades.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: The Dolce & Gabbana Desert Quad

September 5th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

It was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

That’s how how hot it gets in Davis, California, where I went to school. I can’t believe I’d go jogging in the middle of the day back then at the height of summer. It would be 110 degrees outside, with waves of heat rippling off the sidewalk and vultures circling high overhead, and there’d I’d be, jogging my steaming buns off between classes.

In parts of the California Central Valley, it gets hotter than Death Valley. I’m serious. A whole swath of the state basically turns into a desert every summer, which reminds me…

I’ve liked Dolce & Gabbana’s Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($60) ever since I started wearing it off and on in 2010, but I only recently fell Beyonce-crazy-in-love with it.

I noticed that I was bringing it with me on all of my trips this summer. I literally wasn’t leaving the house without it, and I think the mattes have everything to do with it.

Dolce & Gabbana Desert Eyeshadow Quad — The Dolce & Gabbana Eyeshadow Quad in Desert ($60)

There are three of them in this quad — a beige, a golden brown and a dark chocolate brown, all of which are the freakin’ ish — as well as a hit-the-pan worthy golden shade, which we’ll get to in a minute.

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Purple Plus Matte Equals Music to My Ears: The New Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Violines

September 4th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Guerlain Les Violines Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshasdows — Wearing the new Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Violines ($63)

It occurred to me while fiendishly gurgling on my third cup of coffee this morning and scouring every surface of my office (including the floor) for my missing, precious pan of MAC Soft Brown (I eventually found it) that on any given second of any given day, there are women, and makeup-loving men, around the world joining Team Matte Eyeshadow.

If you’ve already been drafted, congratulations, and welcome. 🙂 Now check it — Guerlain’s new Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Violines is like the Super Bowl for violet eyeshadow lovahs.

It’s $63, which, ya know, is business as usual at Guerlain, but if you’re open to the idea of paying that much and have a yearning, burning love for matte purples, I think these are pretty great.

Les Violines strums a tune about violet. Its three lightest shades are tonally near and dear to each other, making them ideal for blown-out matte purple looks with smooth transitions, like what I’m wearing on my lids in these pics. I paired Violines with contoured cheeks and a slightly shiny berry lip, for a look that I think has that meow-rrific ’90s thing going for it.

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Turn on Your Eye High Beams With the Giorgio Armani Beauty Fall 2014 Fade to Grey Eyeshadow Palette

August 20th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Wearing the new Giorgio Armani Fall 2014 Fade to Grey Eyeshadow Palette, $88 (!)

Words one does not expect to hear at a Giorgio Armani Beauty counter: “Where’s, like, the dollar menu?”

Because everything is pricey! — like this new $88 eye palette from Giorgio Armani’s Fade to Grey fall 2014 collection.

That’s a lot of glow, yo.

The sleek, stylish black packaging houses two absolutely beautiful eye luminous shimmer shadows, side by side — one, a warm, shimmery golden peach, and the other a purply taupe-ish grey.

On lids, these shadows are like Buzz Lightyear, reflecting light to infinity and beyond. The super shiny finish makes my eyes look BIG, doe-eyed and bright, and the effect is even more pronounced when I incorporate a dramatic mascara, like Armani’s new Black Ecstasy, which I’m wearing here.

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