Product Reviews

Dolce Vita Takes Center Stage in the NARS Splendor in the Grass Cheek Palette

October 29th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

It’s hard to say what’s more splendid about the new NARS Splendor in the Grass Cheek Palette ($49) — the fact that it comes with one of my favorite NARS Blushes, Dolce Vita…

…or the fact that it doesn’t come with Orgasm.

Don’t get me wrong — I love NARS Orgasm, but sometimes it’s like the Kardashian sister of the NARS Blush family. It’s everywhere! And you just can’t escape it no matter how hard you try. (SIDE NOTE: anyone else out there convinced that Kris Jenner is a Svengali marketing genius?)

As the largest pan in the palette, dark rosy pink Dolce Vita takes Orgasm’s place on center stage, but truth be told, I can see how it might look a little dark and scary at first glance.

Give it a chance, though, ’cause it’s all kinds of awesome. When my default blush, MAC Blushbaby, is out of reach, I’ll often grab Dolce Vita.

It’s easy to blend, I barely have to use any of it at all, and it works with almost every eye and lip color combination.

And I think the other two blushes in the palette — Sex Appeal, a subtle, appealing peach matte and Angelika, a sheer pink with golden glitter — are just as fab.

Oh, and psst! You can blend them with each other and Dolce Vita to create custom cheek colors.

Last (but not least), the highlighter, golden Albatross. If you’ve ever felt like you’re just not a prime candidate to wear highlighter because of how shimmery they are, sweep this one on your upper cheekbones and down the bridge of your nose. It just might change your mind.

NARS Splendor in the Grass swatches from the left: Sex Appeal, Angelika, Dolce Vita and Albatross — From the left: Sex Appeal, Angelika, Dolce Vita and Albatross

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Bene-Babes Who Like Stripped Down Looks Will Luv It Up! Benefit’s New Holiday Kit Flaunts Nude Colors for Eyes and Lips

October 29th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Benefit Luv It Up Holiday Kit — Wearing Benefit’s new Luv It Up kit on my lips and eyes

It’s been a minute since I was a teen (give or take, oh, 25 years), but I’m pretty sure 14-year-old Karen would have flipped out over Benefit’s new Luv It Up eye and lip kit.

For starters, it’s only $25, which means I might have been able to afford it on my meager paycheck, which consisted of what I earned giving piano lessons to the neighborhood kids for $5 a pop.

Second, the sheer nude shades — totally appropriate for a young lady — would have been (and are) infinitely easy to wear (just swish a single shade on your lids and go).

I may even have been able to talk my parents into getting it for me as a Christmas gift, but that conversation would have gone down a little something like this…

14-YEAR-OLD KAREN: Mom, could you get me this kit for Christmas? I really like nude makeup.

MOM: What do you mean you’re going to be a nudist!?

14-YEAR-OLD KAREN: No… I… It’s nude makeup. Not nudist. Nude.

MOM: No daughter of mine is going to be a nudist!

And that pretty much sums up my teenage years.

But enough about that. 🙂 Let’s get back to the kit!

It contains five pieces of soft, flattering makeup for subtle eyes and lips.

You get three Longwear Powder Eyeshadows in shimmery beige Call My Buff, shimmery pink Nude Swings and shimmery golden taupe Thanks a Latte; one Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in shimmery pink R.S.V.P.; and one Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in sheer pink Dandelion.

All of them are travel-sized, and the entire kit, which comes in a cute tin, almost fits in the palm of my paw.

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For the Lipstick Commitment-Phobes, Introducing the New NARS Guy Bourdin Promiscuous Lip Pencil Holiday Set

October 25th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

When it comes to lip products, “I’m not a player, I just crush a lot,” she said, quoting Big Pun as she poured her 40 on the ground (RIP).

This does not, however, apply to other aspects of my life, although it briefly did when I was in my early 20s. That’s when I had my YOLO moment and tried being a player. The results were…disastrous. (This was around the time I dated that boy I met dancing in the cage. Oh, gawd!)

I quickly learned that I’m built for long-term monogamy when it comes to real relationships, but I’m kind of a ho as it pertains to lip products. 🙂 I’ve been known to have a new crush every day!

Enter the cheeky new $45 NARS Guy Bourdin Promiscuous Lip Pencil set, which kisses lips this holiday season with five NARS Lip Pencil mini faves (all existing colors).

No need to commit to just one color when you have…

Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover, a golden strawberry pink
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never, a pink lilac
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Sex Machine, a pink mauve
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita, a dusty rose
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, a scarlet red

And the minis come in their very own black zippered makeup pouch, complete with shiny blue lips.

Um…weird! They look like my lips do after I have a blue raspberry Icee (I was craving one today).

I kind of wish the lips were red, though, like the box in the Fling set, but maybe that seemed too matchy-matchy to the peeps at NARS.

Whatevs, I think the set’s still more fun than Fling. It has more intense brights, like Cruella and Never Say Never.

The bulk of the set is comprised of colors from the Velvet Matte collection and ooh! — I love the textures. The pencils feel smooth on my lips, not heavy at all, and they aren’t the least bit drying. We’re talking very comfy mattes, and they last from 4-5 hours.

The Velvet Lip Gloss in the set, New Lover, has a shorter wear time of 2-3 hours, but I’m cool with that because I really like how it looks. It sure is shiny, and it’s nowhere near as thick or heavy as some glosses. It’s one of those great neutrals you can just throw on when you have to get up early for work but didn’t sleep well the night before.

But here’s a brief warning from one cat lady to another: if you’re wearing this, kitty fur will definitely cling to your lips. Yes, it’s kind of sticky.

I really like this set and can see myself wearing these glosses down to nubs, but since there are no new colors here, you may already have some of these shades in your kit.

I recommend it more for NARS newbies who want a grand tour of some of the brand’s greatest Lip Pencil hits. All in all, it’s full of win, even with the weird blue lips.

PRICE: $45
AVAILABILITY: Coming November 1 exclusively to Sephora and sephora.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

In the High Court of Holiday Makeup, What’s the Verdict on the New NARS Guy Bourdin Crime of Passion Palette?

October 25th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

THE SCENE: A crowded courtroom.

PARTIES PRESENT: The Honorable Judge Karen presiding, with Attorney-at-Law Tabs the Cat representing his client, the new NARS Guy Bourdin Crime of Passion palette.

NARS Guy Bourdin Crimes of Passion — Limited edition packaging

Judge Karen pounds her gavel (which incidentally looks like a lint roller) repeatedly.

JUDGE KAREN: “Order! Order in the court!

“Counselor Tabs, your client, the limited edition NARS Guy Bourdin Crime of Passion Palette for eyes, lips and cheeks, stands before the High Court of Holiday Makeup today to be judged on its shopping worthiness this holiday season.

“On the count of eyeshadow fallout in the first degree, how does your client plead?”

COUNSELOR TABS: Mrrrow. (“Not guilty, Your Honor.”)

JUDGE KAREN: “And on the count of weird color combinations in the first degree, how does your client plead?”

COUNSELOR TABS: Mrrrow. (“Not guilty, Your Honor.”)

JUDGE KAREN: “And on the count of brief wear time in the first degree, how does your client plead?”

COUNSELOR TABS: Mrrrow. (“Not guilty, Your Honor.”)

JUDGE KAREN: “Lastly, on the count of difficulty blending eyeshadows, how does your client plead?”

COUNSELOR TABS: Meeee-ow. (“Guilty, Your Honor.”)

The crowd collectively gasps…

JUDGE KAREN: “Order! Order! I will have order in my courtroom!

“Thank you for your service to the court, Counselor. You may now approach the bench, so that I may feed you turkey-flavored Temptations.” 🙂

What’s the verdict?

I’m this close to saying that the only crime the new Crime of Passion palette commits is AWESOMENESS because it has so many great things going for it, like excellent wear time (all day for the eyeshadows, bronzer and blush, and 4-5 hours for the lipgloss), super wearable colors that should suit most skin tones, and eyeshadows that stick like electromagnets to my lids.

I’m talking zero fallout — zilch — even when I packed it on, and not one grain of powder appeared beneath my eyes, not even when I used the dark black shade.

The $59 palette, which arrives at NARS counters, boutiques and online next month, comes with useful basics you can easily dress up or down.

The palette includes…

Larger Than Life Lipgloss in Deep Throat, a new shade in a shimmering sheer peach
Eyeshadow in Jezebel, a new shimmery reddish brown
Eyeshadow in Naiade, a new metallic light rose
Eyeshadow in Pandora, a re-promoted matte black
Blush in Deep Throat, a re-promoted sheer peach
Bronzing Powder in Laguna, a re-promoted brown bronzer with golden shimmer

But there’s one big catch (at least for my right wrist), and that’s blending these eyeshadows together.

I guess that’s the tradeoff (sigh). These latch on to skin so well that, yes, there’s no fallout, and they stay put a solid 10-12 hour with very little creasing or fading, but they also take near Herculean effort to blend into smooth gradients.

I definitely feel like I have to swoosh with my blending brush back and forth more than I do with other NARS eyeshadows.

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Giving Lips the Royale Treatment: Dior’s Diorific Lipstick in Royale, From the New Golden Winter Holiday Collection

October 24th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

Dior Diorific Lipstick in Royale from the new Golden Winter Collection — Dior Diorific Lipstick in Royale, from the new Golden Winter Collection

Never you mind that I’m 3,678 degrees of separation away from royalty. Even in glasses, my tow-up jeans with the hole in the left butt cheek, and my over-sized cat lady leopard sweater (yo, I’m stylin’ and profilin’ every day of my life!), I feel hella regal wearing Dior’s new $36 Diorific Lipstick in Royale. 🙂

Royale, a member of the House of Dior’s new Golden Winter holiday collection, pulls up to Dior counters in its royal carriage next month. A creamy neutral pink with little bits of golden glitter (visible to anyone who gets up in your grill, but not so much from an arm’s length away), it shimmers with secret lipstick sparkle.

Somebody hand me my scepter, and CHOP-CHOP! — make it snappy. I don’t remember where I left it, but it looks like this lipstick’s limited edition packaging. I know it’s around here somewhere… Like the lipstick, it’s gold, curvy and aristocratic.

Dior Royale Lipstick Golden Winter Collection — If I had a scepter, it would look like this…only longer

By proclamation, as the ruler of the Empire of Messyofficia, I name Royale the Official Pink Lipstick of the Royal Court for the following three reasons…

The lovely light rose flavor and scent, which linger as long as I wear it
The lightweight, yet full-coverage formula
The potent moisturizing power and wear time of 3-4 hours

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Ready, Set, Contour! The Nifty $19 NP Set Contour & Highlight Palette

October 18th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

OK, I know it’s almost $20, which puts NP Set’s new Contour & Highlight Palette firmly on the high end of the budget/drugstore makeup spectrum, but please don’t let that sway you from giving it some thought, because it’s a close cousin of one of my favorite products from the Hourglass Cosmetics line.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette closeup — From the left: a golden beige highlighter, bronzer, peach blush and a pink highlighter

It has it all! — almost. Everything you need to sculpt and brighten your skin, like a warm, golden coppery bronzer similar to NARS Laguna, but with a satin finish; a peach blush with a sheen finish; and two highlighters, one, a neutral light pink, and the other, a warm golden beige.

If you’re angling for sun-kissed California girl skin, the bronzer and blush do it to it, babe. I’d probably use the bronzer more to add overall warmth, though, than to do any heavy-duty cheek chiseling, but overall warmth is exactly what I want when I’m rushing to get out the door.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette in hand for size — With paw for scale…

So that’s the bronzer — a solid performer — but it’s not my favorite thing about this palette…

That distinction goes to the highlighters. 🙂

Are you familiar with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders? Well, these are like those, but they cost less than half as much ($22 versus $45, unless we’re talking about this holiday set).

Similar sheen, buttery texture and gentle brightening effect. The lighter shade on the far left of the palette resembles Dim Light, while the pink shade on the opposite end channels Mood Light.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette swatches — Swatches from the left: the golden beige highlighter, bronzer, blush and pink highlighter

I wouldn’t say they’re exact dupes, though, as I think the NP Set highlighters create a more muted glow than the slightly more radiant effect created by the Hourglass Ambients.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette packaging — Even the packaging’s got a cool Cali vibe

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Laura Mercier’s Luxe Stickgloss Holiday Collection Sticks It to Dry Lips

October 18th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Laura Mercier Baby Lips Stickgloss — Baby Lips

To all my dry-lipped ladies, throw yo’ hands up! Throw yo’ hands up! Throw yo’ hands up!

If I were a platinum record-selling rap superstar, and not just a husky tabby’s professional pet assistant, that would be my on-stage audience response chant.

I seriously doubt that it would catch on pop culture fire like “Who let the dogs out” did, which reminds me, remember when people were using that in casual conversation, like “How’s it going, Jane?” “Oh, it’s going great. Who let the dogs out!? Who, who, who, who — who let the dogs out!?”

So annoying…

Whatevs, I live for excitement! I want everyone to throw their hands up like I did when I tried the four lippies in Laura Mercier’s new $48 Luxe Stickgloss Collection holiday set.

Sheer and slick, like a cross between a lipstick and a balm, they hydrate like ca-ray-zaaaay! — and look great, too. Rosy pink Brown Sugar, warm pink Baby Lips, coppery Courtisane and plummy Peony glow with a soft, sophisticated shine, and they also make my lips look a little fuller, methinks.