Product Reviews

Too Faced Stardust by Vegas Nay

September 3rd, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

Vegas, baby!

Famous last words. 🙂 But we’re not actually gonna get in the car and drive nine hours to Vegas, no! We’re gonna teleport and get there instantaneously with the new $45 Stardust by Vegas Nay kit from Too Faced and glam Instagram makeup artist mega star @vegas_nay, also known as Naomi Giannopoulos.

I don’t know if you follow her yet on Instagram, but you should! She does beautiful makeup, and I learn a lot from her feed in terms of getting ideas for doing big glamorous makeup. And that theme — big glamorous makeup — and the makeup she likes to do and feature, translates into the Stardust by Vegas Nay kit.

You get a ton of stuff with it for $45, including a palette of 12 powder eyeshadows in shimmer and matte shades.

You also get a deluxe-sized Better Than Sex Mascara, a Shadow Insurance Primer, a cute, little loose glitter pigment AND, because it’s helpful to get roadmaps sometimes, there are also these little cards with helpful pictorials, so you get steps to follow for six different looks. They’re very handy.
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Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick: New Shades!

September 2nd, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

urban decay lipstick online exclusives — From the left: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Sheer Beso, Sheer Bittersweet, Gash, Protest, Speedball and Strip ($22 each, available now exclusively on urbandecay.com)

The Urban Decay Naked palettes, as much as I love ’em, are total attention hogs, aren’t they? Between them and all that neutral eyeshadow action, and Urban Decay’s famous (infamous?) bright eyeshadow palettes, there isn’t much room left in the spotlight for other great products, like UD’s awesome Revolution Lipsticks.

And that’s a shame because the Revolutions are some of my favorite pieces in the entire line. I mean, where do I start?? The creaminess, the moisture, or how they hug your lips like they’re all up on ’em doing the nasty on the dance floor?

There’s so much to take in, and so much to love… 🙂 When you’re ready, click “Play” on the video.

urban decay lipsticks — 1) Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Beso, 2) Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Bittersweet, 3) Revolution Lipstick in Speedball, 4) Revolution Lipstick in Protest, 5) Revolution Lipstick in Strip, 6) Revolution Lipstick in Gash

As of right meow there are eight new shades of $22 Revolution Lipstick available exclusively on their website. Some are bright, like bad-@ss purple Speedball (Of course there’s a purple; it’s UD! That’s they’re signature color.), and some other interesting shades, too, like brownish mauve Strip, a nod to the ’90s — seriously, all you’d need is super skinny brows and a black velvet choker, and you’d look like you just stepped out of a hot tub time machine circa 1995!

I talk about six of the new shades in this video.
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Urban Decay Holiday 2015 First Impressions

September 1st, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

I was so confused today because I thought this was Urban Decay’s fall collection, and not the holiday collection, which is what it is.

I know that sounds really dumb…but in my defense, it’s 80 degrees outside! I’m wearing shorts and a tank top. I guess my mind just couldn’t make the leap to snowmen, Christmas trees and wearing mittens.

Heck, I don’t even have shoes on!

Be that as it may, it is holiday time in Urban Decay Land (ho-ho-ho!), so let’s don our mittens, our earmuffs and our J. Lo “Jenny from the Block” coat, and take a look. 🙂

urban decay vice4 — Urban Decay Vice4 ($60)

There are a couple of palettes in the release, some new liners (which I’m not crazy about, but I’ll get into that in the video) and a highlighter.

I have no idea how any of it fits with the holidays because, you know, there’s a lot of black in it and references to oil slicks, and nothing that seems particularly holiday-esque, but we’re just gonna go with it. 🙂
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Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer

August 31st, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Technology… It’s fascinating, really. Not only does it allow mere mortals to soar across the sky in what are essentially huge hunks of metal machinery; it also allows us to simultaneously prime and protect the delicate skin on our lids.

Next stop: Skynet. 🙂

I think it’s kind of funny that the box new Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer comes in says that it helps “defend against environmental stress,” when really, what I need help with is internal stress.

Haha, just kidding. Sort of…

Benefit’s new yellowy beige hybrid BB cream/eyeshadow primer comes in a click pen and contains moisturizing shea butter and broad-spectrum SPF 20, which makes it kind of interesting. It’s one of those kitchen sink products in that it does a little bit of everything that primers sometimes do — smoothing lids for makeup, locking products into place and evening out discolorations.

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Neat and New to Me: Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Quad

August 30th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

The girl crawled along the hot sand as the relentless Novato sun beat down on her. “Water…” she croaked into the dry air, pulling herself forward by her fingertips, “or chocolate… Either one.”

Then she saw it, something in the distance — no, not a shimmering, but something…matte?

What was it, she wondered, sitting up to get a better look.

She squinted and focussed on the distant object. “Is that a…mirage?”

It was!

A Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage. 🙂

–END–
Well, look at you, eagle eye! Yes, this is the same quad I wore in my last couple of makeup tutorials. It’s the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Eye Color Quad, and it’s…

Well, it’s redonkulously expensive (it’s $80).

I know! That’s redonkulous to the max, but please don’t start throwing rotten fruit at me, or if you do, please try to avoid my head, because I’m having a decent hair day, and my eyeshadow’s off the chain because, well, Cocoa Mirage.

There are no ifs ands or buts about it. Tom Ford is an expensive brand, and for the price of this quad you could probably buy a gold grill for your cat (shoot, maybe even one with diamonds), but hot damn! — if this isn’t THE BEST neutral matte eyeshadow quad I’ve ever worn, and yes, I’m stating that for the official makeup record.

At first, it seems hella basic and uninspired when you open it. There’s a matte warm beige, a matte neutral golden tan, a matte neutral dark chocolate brown and a warm, mid-toned reddish brown with extremely subtle shimmer. It’s also a very safe bet that you’ve seen these colors in some form or fashion before (I know I have), but the thing is, they’re executed so remarkably well here that I can’t find a single thing I don’t like about them. I think they’re the most perfect mattes to have ever graced my lids.
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Hourglass Fall 2015 Arch Brow Sculpting Pencils

August 21st, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

I’m not ready for the return of skinny, practically nonexistent ’90s-style brows (when I practically plucked mine into oblivion) because I’m enjoying the current big, bushy brow trend too much.

I JUST CAN’T, HOMIE! I hope the bushy brow trend lasts another two or three decades, but just in case it doesn’t, I’m going to “live in the now!” as they say, and embrace the current state of the brow-o-sphere. Hopefully the newly expanded Arch Brow Sculpting range by Hourglass is a sign that bold brows aren’t going anywhere soon.

Hourglass just added six new $32 permanent collection shades for fall 2015, bringing the total up to nine. There are colors for blondes, brunettes, gingers (I’m lookin’ at you, Chelsea!) and black-haired babes, and you can find them all now at Hourglass counters and online.

Products mentioned

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencils in Platinum Blonde (new), Blonde, Warm Blonde (new), Auburn (new), Soft Brunette, Warm Brunette (new), Dark Brunette, Ash (new) and Natural Black (new), $32 each

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Best of Benefit Sephora Exclusive Kits

August 17th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

If YouTube could figure out a way to transmit a glass of lemonade and a plate of cookies while people were watching videos like this one about the new Best of Benefit Sephora exclusive kits, they could take over this whole freakin’ planet, NO JOKE.

One cool thing about these kits, which are all exclusively available at Sephora, is that two of them contain adorable mini versions of completely brand new products.

Here’s a look at all three of them. If you have any questions about anything in the video, holla at me in the comments.

sephora best of benefit — The Sephora Best of Benefit Kits

benefit do the hoola — Benefit Do the Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit ($34)

benefit operation pore proof — Benefit Operation Pore-Proof Kit ($34)

benefit theyre real sexy run — Benefit They’re Real!: Sexy on the Run ($32)

Products mentioned…

Benefit Do the Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit ($34)
Benefit Operation Pore-Proof Kit ($34)
Benefit They’re Real!: Sexy on the Run ($32)

As always, thank you for watching. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Estée Lauder Fall 2015 Collection: A Quick Look

August 11th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

I see you making grabby hands at these new liquid lipsticks!

Girl, I did the same thing. 🙂 Gimme those brights!

I know, when did Estée Lauder start doing such — how shall I put this? — hip stuff? I used to think of them as a fragrance brand mostly (I wore Pleasures and Private Collection for years!) or, like, the makeup that my aunties wore (it’s true), but they’ve been doing some interesting things lately, especially in the realm of color.

Their fall 2015 collection is huge, with lots of new things, including these liquid lipsticks, a new line eyeshadow singles, shadow sticks and a contouring kit for yo’ eyes.

Press play for a look at a few pieces from the launch. The collection is available right meow online and at Estée Lauder counters.

Products mentioned: