Product Reviews

This Diva’s a Lightweight: Michael Kors Lip Lacquer in Diva

September 20th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

In the time it takes to grill a cheese sandwich and watch the new episode of Project Runway, a layer of lovely Lip Lacquer in Diva by Michael Kors comes and goes…

That’s about 90 minutes, give or take.

Diva — a sheer, golden rosy pink with a slick, glossy texture — is part of the new Michael Kors Beauty line available now exclusively at Macy’s.

The line is comprised of three sub collections — Sexy, Sporty and Glam — which, um, kinda remind me Spice Girls names. I guess the ’90s really are making a comeback. 🙂

In each, you’ll find lipsticks, glosses, fragrances, nail polishes and bronzing powders in shades based on the mood of the sub collection. Prices are around the Chanel/Dior range, with $18 for a bottle of nail polish, $24 for a lipstick/gloss and $50 for a bronzing powder. Fragrances are between $50-$95.

But back to Diva…
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Look in This Forest and What do You See? Gold, Khaki and Taupe! The New Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Forest

September 19th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Keep looking up! (BTW, that’s the Clarins Forest Eye Quartet on my eyes.)

I was conducting “research” at a Nordie’s MAC counter a few weeks ago, playing with lipsticks and chatting with the gals who work there (They’re all so nice at the Corte Madera counter!), when I overheard a woman discussing her philosophy on makeup.

Ohhhh-kay. So maybe I was eavesdropping. 😉

The woman was looking for false lashes, and one of the makeup artists asked if she wanted a bold look or something more natural. Her response was something along the lines of, “If I’m gonna wear fall lashes, I want people to notice!” She wanted to go bold all the way! Otherwise, why bother?

“Hell, yeah,” I thought to myself, nodding in silent approval as I secretly swatched berry-colored lippies on the back of my hand. “I hear that!”

Having been in a smokey eye phase for a while, her take on makeup really resonated with me.

Of course, there’s a time and place to tone it down, too. Not every hallway is a catwalk, after all, and runway makeup isn’t always appropriate. Plus, some makeup lovers just don’t do bold.

When you don’t have a runway to strut, or you’re just looking to wear something noticeable, but not overwhelming, on your eyes, there’s the new Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Forest ($42).

Recently released for fall, the four-pan palette of powdered eyeshadows has a shimmmery golden khaki, a satiny taupe, a blackened khaki with the faintest flecks of golden glitter (SO CUTE) and a sheer, pale gold, any of which can be applied wet or dry, and still look great. Whatever suits yo’ fancy!

All four shadows, which range from sheer to medium coverage, have a lovely, soft reflective shimmer that catches the light juuust enough, so that you’re compelled to take a closer look.

It’s perfect for that watercolor effect — subtle, but you can definitely tell you’re wearing makeup.

Clarins Forest swatches — Swatches from the left: Khaki, gold, blackened khaki and taupe

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Dark, Like Midnight at the Center of the Earth, Is Tom Ford Beauty’s Eye Defining Pen in Deeper

September 17th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Tom Ford Defining Pen in Deeper — I don’t want to get too deep on you here, since it’s still early and we’re just talking about makeup, but I’m wearing the new Tom Ford Beauty Eye Defining Pen in Deeper on my upper lash lines…

Consider Tom Ford’s Eye Defining Pen in Deeper if…

You regularly hang out with Jay-Z, Bey and their entourage and frequently say things like, “This round of Cristal is on me, guys!”
You have yet to find your end-all, be-all perfect liquid liner, and money is no object in your ongoing quest.

At $55, this bad boy requires serious beauty budget wiggle room.

Yep, you read that right — $55 for a black liquid liner.

Deep breaths. I know, it’s effing outrageous, but it’s typical of Tom “Too Expensive” Ford.

For that many tacos, it better perform.

So does it? Will it blow your highlighted ombre hair back?

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Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald and Topaz: A Jeweler’s Inventory, or the New Classic Cream Lipsticks in the Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Jewels Collection

September 16th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

The four new Classic Cream Lipsticks from the Dolce Gabbana Sicilian Jewels Collection, available in November — The four new Classic Cream Lipsticks from the Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Jewels Collection, coming this November. From the left: Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald and Topaz.

In the event you were wondering how it feels to wear green lipstick late on a Monday afternoon…

Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Emerald — Straaaange!

Emerald, one of four new Classic Cream Lipsticks in the eight-piece Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Jewels holiday collection, is one of those colors that can look edgy and cute if you’re a teen or in your early 20s…but fast-forward a decade or two and it’s “Hello, Helena Bonham Crazy!”

The four jewel-toned lipsticks in the release ($35 each) are joined by four matching nail polishes, so yeah, while you’re sporting your funky green lip, you can also rock green claws/paws.

I think Emerald’s the most fashion-forward lippie in the collection by far (I’ve yet to see the nail polishes up close and personal), and to truly pull it off, you either have to be a villain from the Harry Potter movies or a 6-foot-tall model stomping down a runway in Milan.

Or something like that.

Who cares though? It’s still fun. 🙂

The other lipsticks seem pretty tame by comparison. Red Ruby, purple Amethyst and amber Topaz take a more classic route.

Dolce Gabbana Sicilian Jewels Collection Lipsticks — Elegant golden packaging…

Dolce Gabbana Sicilian Jewels Collection Lipstick Caps — Cute caps!

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Beauty Bribe Yourself With Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Energy Body Bath & Shower Gel, or Refreshing Body Cream

September 13th, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

Beauty bribery, babe. It’s the key to getting sh*t done, I kid you not.

If I find myself dragging my feet or otherwise struggling to finish a task, I dangle the idea of getting a little beauty treat if/when I finish, like a carrot in front of a horse’s eyes, and 99.9% of the time, it works.

Of course, you have to be strict with yourself here. I mean, if you don’t finish the task, you don’t get the treat.

The trick works particularly well on household chores (like one lipstick for cleaning two toilets), tasks that require standing in long lines (go to the DMV, get a new nail polish) or any activity tied to sweating (30 minutes of exercise for a new body care product).

And the treat doesn’t have to be a brand new product. It can be a special treatment, like a relaxing bath or manicure, with something you already own.

Like this week, the only reason I exercised at all was Dolce & Gabbana!

I tell myself that I only get to take a shower with Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Energy Body Bath & Shower Gel ($35) after I go for a run.

Seems to be working.

And after I dry myself off, I follow up with Light Blue Refreshing Body Cream (a $51 splurge, albeit a wonderful one).

Both have the same crisp, fruity floral scent as the regular Light Blue fragrance, one of my staple perfumes.

On me, Light Blue is refreshing like a resort vacation, with jasmine, apple, orange and musk notes. If you like light, summery scents like MAC Turquatic and Bobbi Brown Beach, you might lurve Light Blue.

There’s also a Light Blue deodorant, by the way, and sometimes I wear that, too.

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Three Cheers for the Three Tiered Sonia Kashuk Floral Print Triple Train Case!

September 13th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Foral Triple Train Case — Sonia Kashuk’s ferociously fabulous Floral Print Triple Train Case (and my new snow leopard sweater from Target)

The new Sonia Kashuk Roll Up Valet bag might be better at keeping makeup and brushes separated and organized…but sometimes you don’t care about organization and just want to bring along a sh*tload of stuff!

Well at least I do. 🙂

I have a confession — packing light does not come naturally to me (unlike my knack for tracking down new Kevin Federline-esque fedoras).

It’s actually really hard. Whenever I fly somewhere, I pare down because I have to, but dangnabbit! — those carry-on luggage restrictions sure cramp my style.

Now, when traveling by car, since I can bring however much I want and don’t have to haul my cookies around an airport, I tend to go a little cray-cray in the makeup packing department.

Let me put it this way: I’m the girl with five different face powders and six bronzers at any given time, and oh — what’s that? You want to borrow a glittery nail polish? Can do. I’m sure I have at least two or three of them with me…

It’s time like those, when I can bring however much I want and indulge in my makeup hoarding tendencies, that Sonia Kashuk’s Floral Print Triple Train Case ($19.99) is mah jam.

New for fall, the three-tiered zippered travel case has become my go-to bag whenever I want to bring along hella blushes, powders and/or eyeshadows.

Bulkier products like face powders fit nicely into the bottom tier, which is the deepest level of the bag, and when I stand them up in two rows, the bag fits about 20…

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Everything’s a Little Brighter With New Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body

September 12th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

When I picture no-makeup makeup, as in makeup that looks “au naturale,” Urban Decay isn’t the first brand that springs to mind. I mean…the have an entire sparkly rainbow of glitter eyeliners living in their permanent collection (and they’re great!).

Lately, though, with new additions to UD’s Naked Skin product line, they seem bound and determined to get makeup lovahs thinking about them in that way.

But based on my first swatch of the new Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body ($29) on the back of my hand, I did not expect subtle. In the swatch I saw a silvery beige powder so frosty, so sparkly, that I pictured roller skating rinks and knee-high socks.

We’re talking disco ball territory.

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This Desert Rose Comes in Pink: The Marvelously Moisturizing, Long-Lasting Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick in Fiji

September 10th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Friggin’ flakes and dry lips! You’re always messing with my lipstick master plans. Like last week, what was up with that? You knew I wanted to wear MAC Vegas Volt all week long — when in Rome, right? — so what happened? Why you go and do me like that?

The heavy-duty casino air conditioning and parched Nevada desert wreaked havoc on my lips. To make matters worse, I wasn’t drinking nearly enough water.

My lips were flakier than that roommate I had in sophomore year who never paid her share of the telephone bill, and yes, I’m showing my age. Back before everyone had cell phones, people actually used to share a land line.

I know, crazy stuff. 🙂

Much as I love Vegas Volt and wanted to wear it nonstop last week in the desert, MAC’s Amplified Creme lipstick formula isn’t exactly hydrating. I knew I’d need a lippie with more moisture. Much more, like Le Metier de Beaute’s Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Fiji ($32).

Le Metier de Beaute Fiji Lipstick — Le MÃ©tier de BeautÃ© Colour Core Lipstick in Fiji ($32)

Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Fiji

An opaque warm pink with a cream finish, Fiji is one of 26 permanent shades in Le MÃ©tier’s Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick line.

Wear time like whoa!

This was my first rodeo with this particular family of lippies, and based on Fiji, it won’t be my last. Because I love it. It lasts a whopping 4-5 hours and delivers more moisture than a raging river.

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