Product Reviews

Lovechild and Apocalypse Walked Into a Bar… No, It’s Not a Joke. They’re Urban Decay’s Newest Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors

January 6th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

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Wearing Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild

I get amped every Friday afternoon because it means we made it to the weekend, and I get both of my boys all to myself for two whole days. Usually breakfast out on Saturday or Sunday morning, a movie or two (or three), maybe dinner, the mall, and of course, staying up late to watch TV.

That right there’d be plenty exciting, but then I also find out that Urban Decay just added two new shades to their fab Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color line?

Now it’s cause for celebration! 🙂

C’mon, chair dance with me! This is excellent news. Think of all the ~~trouble we’ll get into~~ fun we’ll have wearing these new shades.

Lovechild (a pale pink) and Apocalypse (a deep berry) are just as much fun as their older sisters. Shortly after the line of long-wearing pencils drew down on Urban Decay counters last fall, they became staples in my makeup bag. Their bright colors and glossy, moisturizing formula (unscented and unflavored) made them favorites of mine.

Pale pink Lovechild’s the mellower of the two newcomers, and at first swatch, I was afraid it might be too pale and cool-toned for me.

Thankfully, it’s not! The sweet, delicate pink should suit most skin tones, but interestingly, it does seem to fade quicker than the brighter Super-Saturated shades I’ve tried; you might have to reapply after sipping tea and/or eating crumpets.

As for drama lovers, there’s always Apocalypse. Wearing it with my new pink streaks, I feel like a rockstar! — and, oddly, have the urge to don a pair of brass knuckles and break sh*t.

Which might be too much information…

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Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild on the left (a pale pink) and Apocalypse on the right (a deep berry), $19 each

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Swatches of the three 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (far left): Demolition, Perversion and Woodstock; Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color (far right): Lovechild and Apocalypse
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Bounce with Me and the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes

January 4th, 2012 by Karen 51 Comments

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It started with pics of the new Dream Bouncy Blushes and my ’90s hip-hop playlist.

Next thing I knew, Jay-Z was bumping on iTunes, and I was bouncing with Hov, directly in front of my office window. I was on my feet, waving one of Maybelline’s new $8 blushes to the beat when I glanced outside and saw my neighbor staring up at me from his front door with a look like “she’s crazy.”

Haha! Hella moded…

Oh, don’t even pretend like you’re too cool for school. 🙂 I bet you’d be bopping right along with me, having just as much fun with these sheer cream blushes as I do.

Wearing Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale and giving props to Jay-Z…

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Clockwise from the bright pink pan in the lower left hand corner: 05 Fresh Pink, 10 Pink Frosting, 15 Rose Petal, 20 Peach Satin and 30 Candy Coral
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Picture Sheer Pastels, and You Get a Snapshot of the Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette

January 4th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

Lipgloss, keys, cat food, camera — I never leave home without ’em! They’re my essentials, especially the camera.

Oops! And my phone. Can’t forget that…

Gotta be ready to go paparazzi at a moment’s notice, because you never know when you’ll cross paths with a 1-pound tub of neon orange cheese balls or when you’ll find a cute kitty stowaway in the back of your car.

I’ve gotten so used to feeling the weight of a camera strap around my neck that I feel totally and completely weird without it (well, weirder than usual), and I’ll catch myself reaching for it from time to time, my fingers fooled by a phantom photography limb.

When I spotted the lights and photography umbrellas gracing the new photography-themed Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette ($44), my first thought was, “This was made for me!” The umbrellas are used to direct and diffuse light, hopefully, I assumed, like the palette’s colors.

Now that I’ve spent some time with these shadows, I see how they resemble photography in at least a couple of ways. First, they require time and effort, just like learning how to use a new camera or lens.

Over the past few seasons, I’ve felt like Smashbox’s eye palettes have moved toward sheerer and sheerer levels of pigment, and the Be Discovered palette continues that trend. Lighter lovelies who like less intense shadows, holla! This palette’s eight pastel and brown powder shadows were made for you.

If, on the other hand, you’re a darker diva and/or prefer bolder eyes, brace yourself for a workout; I find I have to apply a lot of layers with these (a minimum of five!).

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A Good Zombie Survival Kit Should Include the New Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios

January 3rd, 2012 by Karen 50 Comments

Wearing Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio in Show Biz

To someone with survival training, including the Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios ($29 each) in my zombie apocalypse survival kit probably makes about as much sense as a Shake Weight, but believe you me, if the dead one day rise, I will not go down without a fight, and I won’t evacuate without bringing at least a little bit of makeup.

El Hub laughs, but it’s the truth. (SIDE NOTE: I used to work with a woman who wore false lashes every single day, even once when she had to go in for surgery! Now that’s what I’m talking about.)

The two new trios are part of the Smashbox Be Discovered collection for spring 2012, and since they fit in the palm of a hand, it’s not like they’d take up much space in a typical survival kit. There’d still be plenty of room left for peanut butter, toilet paper and various kinds of weaponry.

Tabs might even let me stash them in his cat carrier (along with his Fancy Feast in gravy, of course). 🙂

Zombie survival kit

Both trios come with two cream blushes and a cream highlighter. The first, In Lights, leans warm, while the second one, Show Biz, leans cool.

If I happen to run out of room to pack brushes, no problem. With these, I could always rely on my fingers to apply and blend. Not only would it be easier, but it would also keep my hands free to wield a machete for zombie self-defense.

I’ve had trouble with some cream blushes sliding off my skin, but not these. They latch on like zombie teeth and don’t let go for nothin’!

Wearing Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio in Show Biz
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I’m Feeling Catty About the New Smashbox Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner & Brush

January 3rd, 2012 by Karen 47 Comments

Ooh, Tuesday morning cat drama! Guess who just sauntered across the front yard with a twitchy tail and her little kitty nose raised up in the air? — the Russian Blue from next door, exuding tons of cattitude.

It’s been a while since the last time she visited, and when Tabs caught a glimpse of her through the window in my office upstairs, he hissed like a fiery cobra!

The window overlooks a row of overgrown rosemary bushes and what’s left of a large catnip plant, the same plant that Tabs caught her snacking on before their last altercation.

Judging by Tabs’ reaction this morning, tensions are still running high. I actually think he might be a little jealous, too, which is understandable, since I’m always gushing about the other cat’s dreamy grayish blue coat.

It’s just so gorgeous… I’ve been trying to build a collection of eyeliners in the exact same shade, or as close to it as possible (sorry, Tabs).

For the longest time, Laura Mercier’s Stormy Grey was the closest I could find, but now there’s a new contender in town, Smashbox Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner & Brush in Intrigue ($22).

It’s a gel liner, one of two shades in the new Smashbox Be Discovered Collection for spring 2012, and in kitty terms, it’s great like a Costco-sized case of gravy.

If you go gaga for gray liners, or if you’re just looking for a softer alternative to good ol’ black, you might just fall in love.

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The New Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks Answer the Question, “What Are Legends Made Of?”

January 2nd, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Wearing Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Chai

Ugh. Projectile sports. You know, the ones that involve airborne objects like baseballs? I’m just so bad at them. Whenever I see something flying at me at high speed my first instinct is to run away, but if there were a projectile sport involving lipsticks and perhaps cute uniforms, well, that I might play. 🙂

Especially if the lippies were as pigmented as the new Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks ($19 each).

The new line of 20 bold lipsticks in matte and creamy finishes recently launched at Sephora stores, on Smashbox counters and also online, and I’ve been wearing three of the creamy shades for about a week — Chai (a caramel nude), Fig (a red grape) and Vivid Violet (a bold berry).

So far, I am totally impressed; I think they’re great!

How great? — well, how about Oreo cookies dipped in milk? Yeah, that great.

smashbox be legendary lipsticks in fig, chai and vivid violet
From the left: Fig, Chai and Vivid Violet

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Swatches from the left: Chai, Fig and Vivid Violet
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January 2nd, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

It’s just a little out of whack, like wearing a turtleneck to the beach in summer or a bikini in a snowstorm. Ever since I started following seasonal beauty launches, my internal beauty clock has been months ahead of the actual present season.

You know that one cousin who always wears fall-ish matte red lips to the Fourth of July family picnic or spring pastels in December? That’s me now. Guilty as charged.

I’ve gotten so used to wearing colors targeted to seasons other than the current one that when a spring collection that looks like a summer launch comes along in the middle of winter, it doesn’t seem that bat sh*t cray-cray at all!

See, technically, EstÃ©e Lauder’s new Pure Color Topaz collection is a spring 2012 release, but the color palette of bronze, teal, taupe, sand and citron seems more like summer in Saint-Tropez to me than Easter Sunday brunch.

I wore the teal eyeliner, gold gloss and bronze blush from the launch last weekend and very felt poolside polished (very “Calgon, take me away…”). Granted, the whole summer siren thing doesn’t really work when you’re just parked in front of the computer in knee-high socks, uncombed hair and sweats, but as soon as I win the lottery and take my first vacation to the South of France, I’ll be able to conduct a more proper field test. 🙂

Estee Lauder calls this a “tribrid” compact with a liquid, powder and gel. Basically, it looks and behaves like a shimmery and pigmented rosy bronze powder blush. I think it might be too intense for many offices but would look right at home on a casual, ocean-view dinner date. Super pretty, but with its brief, two-hour wear time, it’ll probably fade by the time you’ve finished that last bite of mango sorbet.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss, $22.50

Yellowish in its tube, Citron Kiss applies more like a sheer gold with micro flecks of silver sparkle. Great if you like your lip looks on the quiet side, or if you’re on the market for a golden gloss to layer.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal, $22

I like this pencil’s smooth texture and intense color. I think it produces really pretty smudgy eyes, but the long tip terrifies me! I keep coming this close to poking out an eye (it comes with a sharpener).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz products from top to bottom: Pure Color Illuminating Powder GelÃ©e in Topaz Chameleon, Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal and Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss
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A Fan Brush to Apply Liquid Foundation? Sure, and Here Are 62 Reasons Why It Works

January 1st, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Trish McEvoy 62 Fan Brush

What do you usually use to apply foundation? Sometimes I get the best results when I use my fingers, but I go through phases. One week I’ll use fingers, the next week a skunk brush, and then maybe even a kabuki brush the week after that.

I guess I’m a bit of a wild child when it comes to tools. It really just depends. 🙂

Lately I have been rather enamored with fan brushes, though, like the lovely Trish McEvoy 62 ($36), which I’ve been using to apply MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation.

That’s right — a fan brush to apply a liquid foundation.

Weird, I know, but hear me out. I actually got the idea from MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair, who uses it in this video to apply MAC Mineralize Foundation. Her results just looked so flawless and natural that I figured, heck, why not give it a try?

The first fan brush I thought to try it with was the Shu Uemura 7.5EX, a brush I’ve loved for years (as a side, I think it paints scary pigmented blushes like MAC Frankly Scarlet with aplomb).

With Studio Sculpt, I thought it was just a’ight. I liked the thin, light level of coverage, but I also got some streaks.

Hmm…

Not yet ready to give up on the idea, I tried a few other fan brushes, all of them with mediocre results until I came to Trish’s 62.

It was love!

The 62 was designed to deliver thin layers of powder products for faces and cheeks, but I think it does a bang up job with liquid foundations, too. The dense, wide brush head lays down just the right amount of product to cover what I’m trying to cover without leaving a bunch of annoying streaks behind.
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