Product Reviews

These $12 Blushes From the Sigma Beauty Enlight Collection Will Leave You Feeling Serene, Mellow and Peaceful

November 21st, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

Sigma Peaceful Blush — Wearing the new Sigma Beauty Blushes in Serene on the apples of my cheeks and Peaceful on my upper cheekbones ($12 each)

So you know when you’re just driving along and flipping through the radio stations and every song that comes on sounds like an obnoxious video game or, like, somebody is shouting at you because they’re either in love, falling out of love or about to get cray-cray in da club with Grey Goose and strippers?

Then, when you can’t take it anymore, you turn to the easy listening station and ah… Everything is peaceful, mellow and serene again. 🙂

That’s how I feel about these three blushes from the Sigma Enlight collection — the cheek color equivalents of a sleepy Norah Jones ballad.

And that is not a bad thing. Nope, not at all.

I mean, sure, when I see a bold, bright red pan, assuming I’m in the right mood, BRING IT. But I don’t always like being challenged by my blushes, and on those days, these neutrals should do the trick.

This is my first time wearing Sigma’s blushes, and I like ’em. Like MAC’s, they go on with very little patchiness, and they barely need a flick of the wrist to blend.

All three are supposed to warm and calm your hectic makeup routine…

OK, I can get down with that. Like “Ommmmm” for my cheeks!

Sigma Blush - Peaceful, $12 — Blush — Peaceful ($12)

Peaceful, a shimmery, peachy beige, is the lightest of the three and looks more like a highlighter on me, so I wear it on my upper cheekbones. I think this one could look really pretty on pale skin.

Sigma Blush - Mellow, $12 — Blush — Mellow ($12)

And I have a feeling that Mellow, a medium pinkish beige with a sheen finish, will be the most universally flattering.

Sigma Blush - Serene, $12 — Blush — Serene ($12)

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With Three Products and a Leopard-Print Bag, Jouer’s Party Perfect Holiday Set Has Hard-Working Pet Assistants Saying Meow

November 19th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Jouer Party Perfect — With the leopard-print canvas bag that comes with the set

Does anyone ever have fun at work holiday parties? I envy you if you do, because when I worked in the city, I did not.

It was a stuffy office bloated with big egos and rife with corporate intrigue!

OK, not really. 🙂 But it was very hard to unwind around my bosses, and when I absolutely, positively couldn’t wiggle my way out of it, I’d show up to make an appearance, say “Hi!” to whoever might notice my absence, and peace out quietly as soon as I could sneak out the door…

The parties are better now at my current gig as assistant to the CEO of Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC.

Tabs usually invites all of his kitty modeling peers and industry heavyweights (like Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s feline associate), and of course there’s always an open bar where the catnip cocktails flow freely…

I don’t really get to par-tay like a rockstar because of my admin duties, like making sure the guests get home safely and that no one steals anything (don’t get me started on the time a Ragdoll pilfered Tabs’ fine art collection).

Long story short, these occasions are usually quite entertaining, and they give me an excuse to wear party makeup.

Thing is, I can’t go really over the top since these are technically work gigs. I still have to look somewhat responsible, which is why Jouer’s Party Perfect holiday kit might work perfectly.

When I showed this three-piece set to our CEO, he promptly sent this memo: “Mrrroow. Meeeeow. *Purr*”

That’s corporate shorthand for “Chic and sophisticated. I approve.” 🙂

The limited edition release comes with three Jouer makeup essentials for classically simple party looks, and it comes with a roomy zippered leopard-print canvas bag, inside which you’ll find…

Jouer’s Hydrating Lipstick in Meg, a creamy, moisturizing honey pale pink with Brazilian Cupuacu Butter. Perfect for a classic nude lip.

Because my lips are so pigmented, I like to bump it up with a lip liner, and top it off with a sheer pink gloss for extra shine.

Jouer Leopard Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner — Leopard Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner

The set also comes with Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner in Leopard, a bronzed chocolate liquid liner that softly shimmers to take your cat eyes up a notch from basic black.

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Outside Neon, Inside Red: The New $24 Topshop Lipstick and Blush Set in Red

November 15th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

In case you ever need to spot your makeup from a mile away…

Yeah…the pouch that comes with Topshop’s $24 Lipstick and Blush Set is bright.

Yellow highlighter bright. Bright like a beacon of makeup hope to guide you through troubled waters…

I want to stamp “FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY” across the front and keep it in my go bag under the bed, along with El Hub’s machete and SAS Survival Handbook.

I’m pretty sure El Hub will say that the makeup is extraneous, but he’ll have to adjust. He doesn’t know it yet, but you better believe we’re making room for blush and lipstick.

The tiny two-piece kit comes with one neutral pink cream blush and an orangey red lipstick. Classic colors that don’t appear to belong in such cray-cray packaging, but whatevs. There’s some good stuff here.

The $24 Topshop Lipstick and Blush Set in Red

There isn’t anything I don’t like about Morning Dew, the cream blush in the kit, and I’m finicky about cream blushes. On bare skin, foundation, layered on top of powder — it handles any face makeup I throw at it, and it always looks smooth, never patchy. It even manages to last all day long, too.

Topshop Lipstick and Blush Set Morning Dew Blush — Morning Dew Blush

Two more thumbs up for Rio Rio, the red lipstick. Smooth and pigmented, it fades slowly over 4-5 hours to a super pretty matte stain.

You may want to pair it with a lipliner, though, to keep it from straying outside of your natural lip line, because it is very creamy. If you can, try the Pro Longwear Lip Pencils by MAC. They’re long-lasting and comfortable, and if you’re looking for a shade rec, I really like Rio Rio with Kiss Me Quick.

Topshop Lipstick and Blush Set: Rio Rio Lipstick — Rio Rio Lipstick

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Triangulating a Little Drugstore Gem Geometry With the New $10 e.l.f. Studio 18-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette

November 15th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

I’ve been trying to focus on this palette’s awesome $5 price (regularly $10, but it’s on sale now online for $5) and 18 fallout-free, easy-to-blend powder eyeshadows today, but instead I keep thinking of frickin’ cyclohexane…

Can you see it? Those two shapes on both sides of the middle? C6H12.

What do you mean, “That’s so weird, Karen”?

Is it? I don’t know… I guess those chemistry classes scarred my psyche worse than I thought.

Duuuuude, it’s like one those posters that looks like a bunch of random dots, but if you stare at it long enough a picture appears. Everyone and their brother had one of those in their room when I lived in the dorms. It was usually hanging next to a Bob Marley or Pulp Fiction poster…or a print of something by Monet.

I hated those things (the dot posters). No matter how long I stared, I could never see the pictures. My friend would be all, “Do you see it, Karen? It’s the Statue of Liberty,” and I’d say, “Uh…yeah! There it is! I see it now!” When in reality all I saw were the dots. 🙂

The Studio 18-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette is a little like those dot posters because it has some crazy shapes, but it’s way cooler than that. It also has a lot of high quality makeup and a fantastic price. I can wear the rich, pigmented shadows either alone or atop pencils or cream shadows, and with the help of a primer, they last all day long.

I don’t think these swatches truly convey just how bad-@ss these are. I know they look kind of weak, but that’s more the fault of the packaging than the shadows themselves.

Hear me out…

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I Only Have Cat Eyes for…Jouer’s New Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners in Lynx, Leopard and Panther

November 13th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Jouer Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner in Jouer Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners in Leopard, Panther and Lynx — Big cat love! The new Jouer Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners in Leopard, Panther and Lynx ($22 each), three new shades just added to the permanent line…I’m wearing Panther

Meow-za! I’ve been having a good ol’ time today with these three new Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners from Jouer — bronzy brown Leopard, glittering gunmetal gray Panther and golden khaki Lynx.

Of course, you can’t go wrong in my book with big cat names, but that’s not the only reason I like ’em. I also think they’re really easy to apply, as far as liquid liners go.

Jouer Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners from top to bottom Leopard, Panther and Lynx — From top to bottom, that’s Leopard, Panther and Lynx

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The New $125 Laura Mercier Colour Wardrobe Dual Decker Colour Palette for Eyes & Cheeks Is Filled With Flattery for Warm and Cool Skin Tones

November 13th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Laura Mercier Colour Wardrobe Dual Decker Colour for Eyes & Cheeks — Wearing Laura Mercier’s new $125 (!) limited edition holiday palette, the Colour Wardrobe Dual Decker Colour for Eyes & Cheeks

Since a picture’s worth a thousand words, here’s how I feel about Laura Mercier’s new Colour Wardrobe Dual Decker Colour for Eyes & Cheeks…

The thing is, it’s $125.

Uh… Yeah. Ouch.

And it’s not like there aren’t any other holiday sets out there now that cost a lot less. There are, but if you want something comprehensive for your eyes and cheeks that you could use every single day, don’t overlook this two-tiered kit outright, despite its price.

It’s brimming with rich purples and chocolaty browns, and sprinkled with pink, taupe and navy. Plus, the included travel brushes are actually worth keeping! They’re surprisingly soft. I almost always ditch the brushes that come with holiday kits because they’re usually scratchy and…just not up to par, but I think the eye brushes that come with this apply and blend just as well as Laura’s full-sized brushes.

WOOT! Bomb-@ss brushes to go with some bomb-@ss makeup. Who’d a thunk it?

Starting with the eye colors in the first tier…it’s African Violet, huzzah!

LOL! OK, you’re probably about as sick of seeing African Violet as I am (I swear, it must be in half of Laura’s kits). I love ya, L-Boogie, but please, can we take a break from African Violet already? At least for a few months? 🙂

Aside from that little quibble, I think the eyeshadows are tops. Every one has the brand’s signature smooth, easy-to-blend formula, where you literally swipe your blending brush once or twice, and the colors melt together. As with Laura’s Artist’s Palette, I actually have to resist the urge to over-blend these.

And I barely notice any fallout at all — a smidgen, but it’s not enough to annoy me.

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For a Fussy-Free Date Night Look, Try the New $30 Bobbi Brown Date Night Lip & Eye Palette

November 12th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Maybe I’ve passed the point of no makeup return, but when I think of date night, my first thoughts are usually something like, “Oooh, let’s pop two different colors in the crease,” or “I wanna layer these three liners for a smokey cat eye gradient, yeah!”

Then again, I do have a tendency to over-complicate things (says the woman who just mixed three different concealers to customize a color for her cheeks).

Bobbi Brown’s new $30 Date Night Lip & Eye Palette tries to keep things easy and streamlined, and even though I don’t usually equate paring down my makeup with date nights, I appreciate its simplicity, because sometimes those holiday palettes with, like, 25 different eyeshadows and 10 different lipsticks are just straight-up overwhelming.

Sometimes it’s easier to make a decision when you limit your options, ya know? And I think that’s one of this palette’s strengths. It comes with just enough to put together a pretty date night look, and you can always incorporate other products if you feel like it.

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With Aromatic Coconut Milk, Pistachio, Fig, Amber and Vanilla, Laura Mercier’s $60 Soufflé Body Crème Sampler Collection Smells Like the Baking Challenge on a Cooking Show

November 11th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

The delicious-sounding (although inedible) new $60 Laura Mercier Soufflé Body Crème Sampler Collection

Today I thought, “Why don’t I review this new holiday body care collection from Laura Mercier?” not because it immediately struck me as one of the most eye-catching sets I’ve ever seen, but because, yeah, I’m wearing some crazy-@ss makeup right now (I look like a brown Baby Jane!) for testing purposes (one eye is darker than the other…), and I wasn’t ready to take pics yet. 🙂

Enter Laura Mercier’s new $60 Soufflé Body Crème Sampler Collection! — which is actually my favorite thing in my bathroom right now.

Interestingly, my bathroom has been smelling a lot like my kitchen lately…

Wait — that sentence is just not going anywhere good, LOL!

Ha! But seriously, I think that Pumpkin Body Butter from Trader Joe’s set off a food-scented chain reaction in my bathroom, because lately I haven’t wanted anything to do with any moisturizers or body products that don’t smell abso-frickin’-lutey delicious.

The set includes four scents, which I’ve been calling “flavors,” even though they’re inedible, because dayum, Gina! — if they were, I’d be spreading them on toast.

I don’t know about you, but I like smelling like a walking bakery. I want people who pass me on the street to think, “Why do I want to bite that girl’s arm?!”

(Yes, I admit it. I’ve been watching and reading too many zombie stories…)

Really, though, what I want are lotions that make me feel warm and cozy, like I’ve been baking magically delicious treats in the kitchen.

Someone else’s kitchen, I mean, because mine hasn’t seen a lot of baking lately. Just meals of questionable nutritional content. But imagine a cozy kitchen where someone’s baking holiday cookies. Like, hella cookies. So many cookies that all of your splurge points from here till next Tuesday are completely obliterated.

With the collection, you get four 4-ounce body creams, each one with a different scent, and if you’re going to get into these, you should like food fragrances with warmer notes like vanilla and amber.

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