Product Reviews

A Blast from the Past, L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Beauty Cream Blooms Like a Retro Rose

June 13th, 2011 by Karen 39 Comments

Even though the scent of L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Beauty Cream ($36) reminds me of my ninang (the Tagalog word for godmother), I’m gonna assume the folks at L’Occitane weren’t shooting for eau de high maintenance Filipino godmother divas when they developed it. 🙂

I love the scent, which smells more to me like a mix of old school Oil of Olay (the one that came in the pink bottle), floral soaps and roses than the peonies it contains. I can picture something similar sitting on the dressing table of a young woman in the ’50s, or see it sitting on a shelf today in the home of an older woman who still remembers being that girl. While I think it suits girls of all ages, those who prefer scents on the mature side may like it more than, say, the fruity bubblegum body sprays that sparkle in most drugstores.

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The Lululemon Athletica 50 Rep Bra: The Best Damn Sports Bra I’ve Ever Worn

June 13th, 2011 by Karen 85 Comments

Seeing as how I spent last weekend in Vancouver, the city where Lululemon Athletica was born, I figured I should give a shout-out to my favorite over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, the 50 Rep Bra ($42).

I’ve tried gaggles of different sports bras over the years from more brands than I can remember — Champion, Nike, Adidas and Moving Comfort are a few that spring to mind — and by far my favorite so far has been the 50 Rep. It’s the most comfortable sports bra I’ve ever worn, for sure.

It comes in several prints (like the one I’m wearing here) and solid colors, from classic, sporty shades like black, white and gray, to spunkier shades like red and mint green.

The support this bra offers? Off. The. Chain. It easily tames my size 34D ta-tas, and this one (I wear a size 4), holds everything in place without that restrictive, binding, boob-squishing feel.

It’s actually so comfortable that I can even wear it to bed. The material, a fabric Lululemon created called Luon (a stretchy, durable, breathable fabric that feels like brushed cotton), never chafes my skin, not even after six miles on the treadmill. It also wicks, which comes in handy since I sweat buckets when I run.

I think the cut’s super cute, too. The neckline and arm holes are high enough to cover everything without showing too much cleavage/skin. Plus, the straps don’t dig into my shoulders, and I’m really pleased with the length from the top of my shoulders to my ribs.

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Color Me Intrigued by the New Elizabeth Arden Bronze in Bloom Eyeshadow Quads

June 8th, 2011 by Karen 25 Comments

Oh, fudge! Where’d I put my white gloves? They’re the only things that go with my Chanel tweed suit. What’s that, you say? They’re on the bureau by my Elizabeth Arden makeup? If I show up to lunch at the country club without my white gloves, Bunny MacDougal will throw a fit!

I don’t know, but I’ve always kind of thought of Elizabeth Arden as a line for mature ladies who lunch. I never would have expected some of the edgier products and colors I’ve been seeing in their new Bronze in Bloom Collection. First the Smokey Eyes Powder Pencil in Black Violet, and now this? With the Color Intrigue Eyeshadow Quads in Golden Lilac and Bronze in Bloom ($30 each), it’s almost like EA is trying to channel her inner MAC or NARS.

Inside each of the palettes live four coordinating colors in shades I typically expect to see in fall, not summer. And a couple of the shadows have a bit of an edge, which I like.

Take the yellowish beige pan in the Golden Lilac Quad. Looks like just another boring beige, right? Not even. It’s actually a duochrome with tiny bits of golden glitter, and it flashes from pink to purple. Then there’s the shimmery navy blue in the Blue Breeze Quad. It has a hint of sultry, smokey black.
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This MAC Sized To Go Eye Makeup Remover Is a Pro

June 7th, 2011 by Karen 41 Comments

When it comes to skincare products, I have commitment issues, and it’s probably one of the many reasons I like the little bottles and jars in MAC Sized to Go.

By shrinking nine products down to 1-oz. in size and setting their prices (almost) accordingly, MAC made the products easier to travel with and try.

Like the $10 Sized to Go Pro Eye Makeup Remover, one of the gentlest, most soothing (it contains cucumber extract) and hydrating eye makeup removers my eyes have ever seen. Unlike many other removers, it neither stings my peepers nor makes me see clouds. And even when I use it to remove makeup along my waterlines, I don’t shed a single tear (a rare thing).

A few drops on a cotton ball take care of everything from light powders to heavy duty stuff like Fluidline and Prolongwear Concealer, all without leaving an oily residue behind. I don’t even have to rinse if off with water, as if it wasn’t awesome enough, and after using it my skin feels clean, hydrated and fresh.

I have a feeling I’ll be reaching for it often, since it’s small enough to hide in a pocket or a small purse.

But like Achilles, every hero has a weakness.
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Get in Touch with Your Inner Bride (or Shoe Addict) with the Zoya Touch Collection

June 7th, 2011 by Karen 38 Comments

zoya touch

My mum called the other day and asked what I wanted for my birthday. I said I wanted a pair of nude shoes, to which she replied, “Why would you wear shoes while you’re naked?”

[INSERT LONG PAUSE]

As much as I love her, the woman is not a fashionista. After I explained how I’d been looking for a perfect pair of pink, beige or nude ballet sandals for summer, the conversation resumed on a slightly less awkward path, LOL! 🙂

NOMS!

I blame my most recent bout of nude shoe lust on the new Zoya Touch Collection Sampler Trio ($24) and its three dainty pink, peach and beige polishes. The very sight of it sends my mind racing with pedi possibilities.

Although Zoya didn’t market this as a bridal collection, they probably could have. I think Touch’s Pandora (a pinkish mauve with silver pearl), Shay (a peachy pink with silver pearl) and Minka (a beige with silver pearl) would look right at home against a backdrop of Here Comes the Bride…or Huey Lewis and the News.

Do you believe in love?

Sheer pastel creams (remember Essie’s Wedding Collection?) get lavish love from brides, but ladies looking for similar, albeit less sheer, mani/pedi shades might also consider Touch. I think it delivers a similarly pretty, pastel bridal look, but with noticeably fuller coverage.

zoya touch swatches
From left: Pandora, Shay and Minka
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Dior Harmonie de Blush in Coral Riviera Is Ringing My Belle

June 7th, 2011 by Karen 51 Comments

“May I be excused?” Karen asked, trying to hide the fact that her coral blush fetish was spiraling out of control. Gingerly, she set her silverware and cotton napkin down and coyly tilted her head. “I won’t be but a minute.”

“Why, sure, dear,” said a woman in a tall chair at the head of the table. The words dripped from her tongue like honey, and the other girls grew silent as she spoke. She was older than the others but, like the younger girls, impeccably dressed. She wore a creamy, satin two-piece gown and a bolero jacket with 3/4 sleeves (rhinestone accents, of course) over an A-line skirt. Not a single hair fell out of place on her almost sculpted, dark strawberry blonde crown. She sat bolt upright with darn near perfect posture, much as someone accustomed to formal gatherings of this kind regularly would.

“You take your time,” the woman said, seeming to understand Karen’s reasons. It was as if the woman had read her blush-crazed mind.

Karen fluttered (as best she could) out into the hallway and pulled Dior’s Harmonie de Blush in Coral Riviera 002 from her clutch. At $44 it was pricey, but damn if it didn’t make her feel like her cheeks had been kissed by the sun.

Under the dim lights in the hall, Karen marveled, as she had many times before, at the different shades in the pan. “So pretty…” she whispered to the pan as much as to herself. Dior designed the colors to be worn separately to highlight different parts of the face, or swirled together and worn as a blush or bronzer.

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The NYX EyeBrow Kit Hopes You’ll Make Time to Stencil It In

June 6th, 2011 by Karen 41 Comments

While it won’t be breaking any speed records for brow filling, the NYX Eyebrow Kit With Stencil ($13.50) gets mad props from me for looking like it belongs in an art store.

The kit comes in three color families — For Blondes, For Brunettes and For Everyone — and each one packs four brow powders, an angled brush, a brow comb and three plastic stencils cut to fit different brow shapes. Just hold one of the stencils up to your brow, and fill it in using the powders and brushes that come with the kit.

Tada! 🙂

Well, that’s the idea.

I usually fill in my brows “freehand” using something like Benefit Instant Brow because, especially in Instant Brow’s case, it’s quick as a bunny. And when I’m not pressed for time, I might reach for a pan of MAC Concrete and a MAC 266 Small Angle Brush instead.

But what could be quicker than using a stencil, right? If they’re good enough for art class, they’re good enough for me.

NYX Eyebrow Kit with Stencil

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The Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tints Are Office AND Tabby Approved

June 6th, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope

If these Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tints ($24) had been around back when I spent my weekdays preparing pleadings as a legal secretary in the city, I would have kept a tube in my pocket for emotional support. It could have kept me company in the restroom stall where I frequently retreated to secretly cry away my frustrations at work (’twas NOT my all-time favorite job).

The line of six matte lip stains, basically matte-ish versions of Tarte’s LipSurgence Lip Stains, has been around for about a year. Like their shinier cousins they have a twist-top and utilize the same “High-Performance Natural LipSurgence Technology,” which, Tarte claims, is “clinically proven to increase moisture content by an astonishing 6,000% after 28 days.”

LOL! I feel like that sentence needed a bunch of exclamation marks at the end: “…6,000% after 28 days!!!”

I’m not sure how anyone would ever measure something like that, but I sure do love the work-friendly finish and barely-there, whispery sheen.

The barely perceptible shine loosens ’em up a little, giving them a slightly more casual vibe…but not casual like ripped jeans, tank tops and flip-flops. More like a white shirt over tan jodhpurs and knee-high riding boots.

They deposit a gentle nudge of color that encourages a quick glance, as opposed to shouting, “HEY, LOOK AT ME!” I think they’d be perfect for an office with a strict dress code.

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint
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