Product Reviews

Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara Has Some Serious Curve Appeal

January 2nd, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Even icons, like Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mscara, like to brush up on their skills from time to time, with “brush” being the key word here.

What’s the biggest difference between the new Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara and the original Iconic Mascara first released in 2008? Two words: the brush.

The 2008 incarnation (which is still available) features a plasticky brush with short, stubby nubs, while its upstart offspring, codename Overcurl, has more traditional mascara bristles.

Overcurl’s new curve also helps it reach my lashes better at the roots, for thicker lashes around the base.

According to Dior, Overcurl, which is new for spring, delivers “spectacular volume and curl.” I’ve been putting that claim to the test for about two weeks now, and ya know, the darned thing does hold a curl really well (great for that doe-eyed effect). Plus, it doesn’t smudge, smear or flake, and it’s been a breeze to remove.

I like it, although maybe not as much as, say, the new Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara (which I’m still super obsessed with).

Because Overcurl doesn’t thicken or lengthen as much from root to tip, it’s good for a completely different, less dramatic kind of lash look than I get with Le Volume.

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I’ve Got a Brain Filled With Cheese Whiz and a Chanel Quad Filled With Plums: The New Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Raffinement

January 2nd, 2013 by Karen 48 Comments

chanel raffinement — Wearing the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quara Eye Shadow in Raffinement ($59) on my eyes, from the new Printemps PrÃ©cieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

Thanks to the 20-something hours (at least) of The Hills I watched on Netflix over the Christmas break, my brain is now cheese fondue.

Even though I could see my faculties deteriorating, could feel the brain cells evaporating, and even though I must have spent half of that time rolling my eyes and exclaiming, “OH, PUHH-LEASE!” whenever Spencer and Heidi were on screen, I simply could not look away.

And now, I feel like I’m in so deep (at the end of Season 4, right after Speidi got “married,” air quotes, in Mexico) that if I were to give up now, all of those 20-something hours would seem wasted…

Or, more wasted. More of a waste. LOL! 🙂

What does this have to do with the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Raffinement, you may ask? Well, pretty soon, at the rate I’m losing brain cells, I may not be able to handle any makeup looks that require the blending of more than two eyeshadows.

Good thing this spring collection quad, with its mix of plum, mauve, taupe and purple, is really great at two-color eye looks…

I actually brought it with me when I visited my family last week over the holidays and did a number of quick looks with one of its lighter colors on my lids and one of the darker colors along my lash lines. And that was it.

If you’re one of those gals (or guys) who likes a little color, as in looks with far fewer than 18 blended shadows, and plums and purples that don’t scream “PUNK ROCK, 4EVER!” take a closer look at Raffinement.

Normally, when it comes to punk rock colors, I think of brands like Urban Decay. They do vibrant, sparkly punk rock plums and purples really well, and it’s a very distinct, eye-catching look that I like. Sometimes.

Chanel, on the other hand, excels at things like this quad, where they execute colors like purples, blues and greens in ways that make them blend so beautifully into your overall outfit and look.

Like, when you’re watching The Hills, and you see LC carrying a classic black Chanel flap bag (SWOON!), and you can tell that it was meant to be a part of her outfit, but not the only part — that’s how I feel about the way Raffinement looks on the eyes.

When I’m wearing these colors and see myself in the mirror, I see the color there, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing two tons of eyeshadow.

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A Highlight in the New Printemps PrÃ©cieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection: The Limited Edition Chanel Poudre SignÃ©e de Chanel Illuminating Powder

December 28th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

A few things I firmly believe that all women should have:

Access to funny movies after a long, hard day (some of my favorites: Clueless, Blue Crush and The Wedding Singer)
A friend or family member who will always pick up the phone, even in the middle of the night, when you just need someone to talk to
At least one piece of makeup so breathtakingly beautiful that it comforts you every time you see it, and for this, might I suggest the new Poudre SignÃ©e de Chanel Illuminating Powder?

I know there are far, far less expensive comforting treats out there than a $68 highlighter, but let me tell ya, when I’m feeling extra agitated/orange alert/ready to shank strangers at the drop of a hat, there’s just something to be said for Chanel.

With Chanel’s seasonal collections, they typically release one really expensive signature piece, and it’s the piece that many collectors and die-hards look forward to the most.

Sometimes, I think these extra extravagances are way too overpriced, or just kind of “meh,” but in the case of this warm peachy beige powder, Coco and crew did us a solid.

Check out the design on that pan… I mean, really!? It’s like a work of art! See the camilla flowers (Mademoiselle’s favorite!) and the tiny little makeup tubes??

I love those little details…

Once you get over the heartbreak of disrupting the design for the first time, you’ll feel better about using this rare gem, and before you know it, you won’t even want to leave the house without the soft luminosity its satiny finish gives to your skin. 🙂

chanel poudre signee de chanel — Chanel Poudre SignÃ©e de Chanel Highlighting Powder ($68)

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Wearing the New Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Frivole Is More Satisfying Than a Box of Animal Crackers

December 28th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

chanel frivole — Wearing the new Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Frivole ($43) from the Printemps PrÃ©cieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

Oh, the sweet, sweet joy of the animal cookie/cracker…

I know it’s so 37-going-on-13, but I derive great pleasure from biting off their heads. 🙂

It’s just so satisfying!

Sometimes I’ll start by nibbling off their toes, tails or tums, but it never feels quite as right as a swift beheading.

Um…hold on a second while I add that to my list of “Sentences that inadvertently make me sound like a serial killer.”

You know what else is really satisfying? Chanel’s new Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Frivole ($43) from their spring collection.

My goodness, lovie! Wearing it has been almost as satisfying as the feeling I felt when I finished decapitating an entire tin of shortbread scottie dog cookies!

It’s the only blush in the new 22-piece Printemps PrÃ©cieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection, and granted, it is expensive, but if you’re 1) already tanned, 2) tan easily, or 3) love bronzer so much that if you were down to your last pan, b*tches would have to pry it out of your cold, dead hands before you’d ever give it up, you’ll love how this looks on your cheeks.

chanel joues contraste frivole — Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Frivole ($43)

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I Can’t Get Enough of EstÃ©e Lauder’s New $20 Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable

December 20th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Estee Lauder Insatiable Pure Color Nail Lacquer — EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable ($20)

She probably doesn’t remember this, but I have this memory of my friend Jen and I sitting at a bookstore one day looking at wedding magazines. We were in our early 20s at the time and had absolutely no husbandly prospects in sight.

You know those phases you go through where you’re like, “All boys suck”?! Well, we were both in one of those phases, but you know how it goes. One minute you’re reading Cat Fancy, but then you catch a glimpse of a gorgeous dress on the cover of a glossy wedding magazine, and all of a sudden you’re like Fox Mulder from the X-Files, and you really, REALLY want to believe.

So we sat there for hours, flipping through pics (“I like that dress,” “Pretty flowers!” “Do you think you might like a big train?”), until at one point in the conversation, we decided that bridesmaids’ dresses in periwinkle — kind of like the color of EstÃ©e Lauder’s new $20 Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Insatiable that I’m completely and totally mad about — were the way to go.

Of course, wouldn’t ya know it? — years later, both of us ended up with completely different bridesmaids’ dresses at our weddings. No periwinkle at all.

Jen went with bronze, and I chose a chocolate brown.

jck-4ever — With my childhood friends, Cindy (left) and Jen (right), on my wedding day in 2006

But if I had gone with periwinkle dresses, I hope they would have been as pretty as Insatiable.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting spectacular the first time I saw Insatiable in its bottle…

Then I applied a layer on one nail. And it was ON!

The only polish in the new Pretty Naughty spring collection, it’s a creamy deep violet gray, wonderfully moody, like the bad boys you know you should stay away from but can’t, or the color of angry storm clouds…

Gawd, I love this color.

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Who Wants to Get Pretty Naughty at Work? I Do, With the New Estee Lauder Pretty Naughty Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette

December 20th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

Before I dive into V.I.M.R.I. (Very Important Makeup-Related Information) — aka why you should make room in your work purse for the new $48 EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Five Color EyeShadow Palette in Pretty Naughty — first, a question.

Do you ever mess around with song lyrics to make weird cover songs about your pet?

Anyone? Bueller?

El Hub and I have been doing it lately with the words to Bell Biv DeVoe’s Poison…

One of us will start by singing, “Tabs drivin’ me out of my mind, that’s why it’s hard for me to find…” and then the other person jumps in, “Can’t get Tabs out of my head. Miss Tabs, kiss Tabs, love Tabs (wrong move you’re dead). My cat is poison… POISON!!”

I know. Waaaaay too cat obsessed. 🙂

So let’s talk palettes instead! You might be thinking, “Heck, no. I don’t do pastels,” but hear me out.

I’m not always into pastels, either. Sometimes I think they’re just too light and chalky for my tan skin, but the smooth pastels in the Pretty Naughty palette are surprisingly intense, and they should show up well on light and dark skin tones.

Sweet.

This limited edition quint comes with three pastel shades (a matte sky blue, a shimmery soft pink and a shimmery violet) and two neutrals (a shimmery taupe and a glittery charcoal), and if you’re looking for, like, a palette you can wear to work, but you also want to have a little fun with color — not necessarily a hot pants/disco glitter/rhinestones on a Wednesday morning kind of fun, but more like a long Friday lunch break to look at shoes we can’t afford at Neimans — Pretty Naughty is the palette you’ll want in your makeup bag this spring.

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Tease Me, Please Me: The New $40 Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease, From the Pretty Naughty Collection for Spring 2013

December 19th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

EstÃ©e Lauder's $40 Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e Blush in Tease — Wearing Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease ($40) from the new Pretty Naughty spring 2013 collection

Stress-free shimmer. That’s what I think of Estee Lauder’s $40 Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease (and why I’ve been loving it to pieces).

EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e Blush in Tease — A closeup of the pan

There are so many stressful things about our world right now, like practically every story on the nightly news, or that commercial for that new MTV show starring Snookie and J.Woww, but at least when it comes to makeup, that thing many of us turn to for fun and escape, there are still things as simple and beautiful as a great blush.

Every day we’re forced to make big, difficult decisions. At least blush doesn’t have to be one of them.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease, part of the new nine-piece Pretty Naughty collection, arrives with the rest of the release next month. In the collection, pastels feature prominently, but EL gave them a tough girl, street-chic vibe.

Picture the coolest city girl you know dressed in black from head to toe, plucked from her usual stomping grounds and plopped smack dab in the middle of the pastoral English countryside.

Basically, that’s this collection.

It includes products for eyes, lips, cheeks (Tease, what we’re looking at now, is the only cheek product) and a BEYOND gorgeous nail polish (review coming soon!).

estee lauder pretty naughty imagery — Pretty Naughty…

Tease, a semi-sheer, opalescent blush/highlighter/contour color shifts from a subtle rose to a pinkish peach, depending on the light.

Really pretty!

And I think it gives my cheeks a healthy, natural-looking glow that still has a cool girl kick to it.

With one layer, you get a soft wash of color (I like!), but you can also build it up for something brighter, KAPOW!

But before that, give this a try: run your finger across the pan…

Now that’s soft, right?

The formula — something Estee Lauder has been using for the past few seasons — combines some of the best things about gels, liquids and powders. They say that unlike conventional powders, something about it allows the pigments and shimmer pearl to float on top of the skin, creating a soft, subtle shimmer with a reflective finish.

“Subtle shimmer” — two words that make my 30-something-year-old ears perk up. 😀

When you’re a woman of a certain age (*cough* 37), shimmer products can be a little tougher to wear (well, at least for me sometimes) because the reflective particles can highlight pores and wrinkles.

Not Tease though. It has this beautiful, subtle glow that doesn’t highlight all of the other stuff going on around it…which I really, really appreciate.

You can apply it with a blush brush, but I’ve actually been liking the sponge applicator it comes with. I press a little on the apples of my cheeks, and blend out the edges with my fingers.

That’s it. And it lasts all day long.

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Get Red, Haute and Naughty: The Super Saturated EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Red Hautes Collection Gets Nails Ready for Anything

December 18th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

estee lauder pure red hautes — The EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Pure Red Hautes Collection, available now at counters and esteelauder.com

A valuable lesson learned from the EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Pure Red Hautes Collection and Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones: prepare, prepare, prepare.

Before Indy went looking for the Holy Grail, homeboy researched his cargo pants off! — filling his mind (and his man purse…so forward thinking!) with every bit of knowledge he needed for his quest.

You don’t just go running off, willy-nilly, looking for the Holy Grail based on the secondhand rumors of a friend of a friend of a friend, you know? You gotta prepare, and you gotta prepare the right way.

Proper preparation is also important when it comes to EstÃ©e Lauder’s Pure Red Hautes Collection, but not in the “let’s go chasing after ancient relics” sense. More in the “now I’ve got a perfect shade of red polish for every occasion, yay!” way.

Thanks to EstÃ©e Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux, if you’re on the market for red tips and toes, the collection’s five $20 crimson polishes have you covered.

With each one, Tom tried to channel red’s sophisticated, romantic side, while coaxing out their propensity for naughtiness and play. 🙂

estee lauder pure red hautes beautiful liar — Beautiful Liar

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