Palettes

What’s the Matte-er With Public Nudity? According to Urban Decay, Absolutely Nothing, Thanks to the Mattes in the New Naked Basics Palette

November 26th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

urban naked basics palette — Wearing the new $27 Urban Decay Naked Basics palette on my eyes, with Crave on my lids and lash lines, Faint in the crease and Venus along my brow bone

NOVATO (MBB) — Makeup mavens predict a dramatic rise in public nakedness over the holidays this year as legions of Urban Decay fans don the all-matte shades in the new $27 Naked Basics Palette.

Many plan to go to work naked, spend time naked in their living rooms, at clubs, and even at local eateries and shopping centers.

“Yesterday I got naked at Trader Joe’s,” said Karen, editor and co-founder of Makeup and Beauty Blog, “and with these six neutral shades, none of which are too cool nor warm, just about anyone can get naked anywhere they please.”

urban decay naked basics palette — Swatches from the left: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked2, Faint and Crave

Honk if you love mattes! I think it’s always a great idea to have some mattes around for adding contrast, depth and dimension to eye makeup looks, and Naked Basics comes complete with six useful shades — four beiges, one medium brown and a dark brownish black.

Urban Decay, the brand that sparked a neutral eyeshadow resurgence/revolution with their Naked and Naked2 palettes, imagined that the mattes in Naked Basics could work as companion colors to the company’s other neutral shades.

Stay tuned, because Naked Basics bares all on Sephora and Ulta counters, and in select Macy’s stores soon, and online at urbandecay.com November 29.
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The Cute Laura Mercier Colour-to-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Warm Neutrals Is Such a Fun Size

November 2nd, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

laura mercier colour to go warm neutrals — Wearing the new Laura Mercier Colour-to-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Warm Neutrals, $48

A couple of unimportant fun facts for your Friday night…

1. Laura Mercier’s new Colour-to-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Warm Neutrals ($48) is roughly the size of three Fun Size Snickers candybars lying side by side.

2. Having eaten the last of the leftover Fun Size Snickers from Halloween, I am now unable to post a picture of the palette with the candies for scale.

LOL! I had that bowl on my lap last night while watching Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and sipping a glass of Riesling…

Klassy. 🙂

I thought the movie was a’ight (neat concept and effects), but those little Snickers bars were great! In fact, I think I had about four of them.

They’re maybe just a morsel more tempting than this two-tiered, limited edition holiday palette from Laura…

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I’m Getting a Pretty Big Thrill From the Blushes in Tarte’s Big Thrill Palette

October 23rd, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

Pics of the new $48 Tarte The Big Thrill Palette, available now at Ulta.

The palette — which is more like a set — includes 16 of Tarte’s signature square eyeshadows infused with Amazonian clay, three of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blushes in three brand new shades, one Bronzer, and three Vitamin Lip Glosses neatly tucked away inside a tiny drawer.

Hmm… $48 for 23 pieces? That’s not bad. Not bad at all.

I’m looking forward to getting my cheeks on those blushes…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Do You Think of These Pieces From the New Aerin Beauty Line?

October 17th, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

Have you seen the new Aerin Beauty line?

It’s a new luxury lifestyle brand that debuted earlier this year, and these are some of their first forays into makeup. I’m pretty sure these pieces are from the new holiday collection (I’m trying to confirm that with the company).

There are also categories for skincare, fragrance, home products, footwear and jewelry in the new brand.

If these pieces here look at all familiar, it might be on account of Aerin — last name Lauder, as in the late EstÃ©e Lauder, the founder of the global empire/beauty brand. Aerin is her granddaughter and the founder of this new line.

The hush-hush colors and luxurious packaging look ultra chic to me, and very true to the original spirit of the EstÃ©e Lauder brand, which I guess shouldn’t come as a big surprise.

This is my first experience with Aerin Beauty, and I’m liking the subtle colors, finishes and textures so far. There are a couple of brights here, but for the most part, the color palette is pretty subdued.

Here’s a quick peek at some of the new pieces. Have a look, and let me know what you think. 🙂

aerin beauty makeup holiday 2012 holiday style palette 1 — Holiday Style Palette

aerin beauty makeup holiday 2012 lipticks — Mini Lipsticks from the left: Winter Rose, Lolabird, Love and Dahlia

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Treat Your Lids and Lashes to Luxury With the Dior Celebration Collection Makeup Palette For the Eyes

October 17th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

Played out.

That was my first reaction when I heard about Dior’s new brown-themed eye palette, the $65 Celebration Collection Makeup Palette for the Eyes.

For real though, doesn’t it seem like everyone and their mama has done a brown-themed eye palette by now?? Ever since UD Naked took the world by storm?

Considering the colors and the price, I was about to dismiss this new one from Dior, but I’m so glad I didn’t, because I think it takes well-trodden territory to elegant new heights.

The Celebration Collection Makeup Palette For the Eyes won’t win the Oscar for Flashiest Palette From Dior, at least not this holiday season, but dagnabbit if it’s not classy with a capital C.

Who’s that girl with the quilted velvet pouch? My, isn’t she fancy? 🙂

Oh, look! The pouch houses a sleek navy compact with buttery, easy-to-blend powder eyeshadows and a midnight black New Look Mascara for long, separated lashes, le wow!

Yes, Dior, you’re hitting all the right notes, and if this palette were comprised of just these pieces alone, with the price dropped accordingly, I’d be seriously tempted to gift it to my girlfriends.

But (isn’t there always a but?)…

dior celebration collection makeup palette for the eyes swatches — Swatches from the left: Serum Primer, Brow Liner, matte brown eyeshadow, shimmery brown eyeshadow, shimmer beige eyeshadow Mini Crayon Eyeliner and New Look Mascara

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The $29 Ulta Exclusive Too Faced Color Confections Kit Is All Smiles About Eyes, Lips and Cheeks

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 8 Comments

I’ve stumbled on to what may be the only holiday palette this year (or ever?) that’s secretly a sci-fi nerd’s dream come true — the new Too Faced Color Confections kit ($29), a montage of warm and cool eye, cheek and lip makeup packaged in a girly pink case that opens up to reveal what kindasorta looks like a smiling robot.

The powder eyeshadows are its eyes, the three lip colors are its nose, and the two bronzers and blushes are like its teeth… Beep boop beep! 🙂

Not to worry, though. This limited edition Ulta exclusive won’t leave you looking like a robot. I feel like these matte and shimmer finishes give my mug a lot of texture and life.

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Why Wait for the Holidays to Have a Holiday Dessert? The $22 Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette Is Quite a Treat

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Too Faced Cosmetics Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition palette

Truth? I’d rather be busy than bored, but at the same time, I don’t ever want to be so swamped that I’m totally deprived of any glam time. â€˜cause girlfriend desperately needs her glam time! (…she says as she types the previous sentence wearing an old karate workout t-shirt, a pair of shorts that are missing a button and different eyeshadow colors on each eye.)

But who knows? Maybe Tabs will decide to take me on the road with him one of these days… Help him work the fashion week circuit. I’d have to be prepared to go from tow up to “Faaaabulous, dahhhling!” at the drop of a paw.

When/if that day comes, I know I’ll be ready with the Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette ($22).

This travel-friendly limited edition cutie comes dressed to impress in a dainty gold compact. Inside you’ll find two tiers of festive, holiday party-perfect gold and silver makeup for eyes, cheeks and lips.

Because the powders are quite pigmented, it wouldn’t take long to get ready for a party. You could start by patting either a gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow on your lids, smudge one of the darker eyeshadow colors along your lash lines, and follow with a few quick swipes of bronzer and blush on your cheeks.

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Some Distractions Are Too Cute, Like the Too Faced Love Sweet Love Holiday Set

October 3rd, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

I sure had a hard time concentrating this afternoon… You know how it goes sometimes. You’ve got your to-do list scribbled on a Post-It note, but your mind keeps wandering.

You check your e-mail, Twitter, open a new browser tab to anthropologie.com, spend a few minutes looking at pretty dresses, check your e-mail again, open another tab to Google News, see an article about jogging and wonder, “Hmm…do I still have that baby blue velour tracksuit?”

Then you glance down at your to-do list again, check the clock and vow to tackle your next task at the top of the hour. While you wait, of course, you pull up Glamour’s website in your browser and read an article on relationships titled, Who REALLY wrote the book of love?

That was pretty much me this afternoon, and to make matters worse, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the new Too Faced Love Sweet Love Set ($46).

The seven-piece limited edition kit includes a Book of Love Palette with six powder eyeshadows, two separate powder blushes, two lip glosses, a full-size tube of Lashgasm Mascara, a sample sized Shadow Insurance, a sample sized Perfect Eyes Eye Liner in Perfect Black, a half-ounce tube of Primed & Poreless Face Primer, a multipurpose face brush and a gold embroidered makeup bag.

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