Product Reviews

Like These Colors, I’m Cool and Warm on the Smashbox Softbox Eye Palette

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 24 Comments

smashbox softbox eye palette

I woke up this morning thinking I’d get a ton of stuff done today, but I’ve been feeling like a spazzy hyperactive chihuahua all afternoon and haven’t been able to focus at all, gah! Maybe this is the universe’s way of telling me to lay off the caffeinated tea…

The only thing that’s kept my attention for any length of time is the new Smashbox Softbox Eye Shadow Palette ($48).

smashbox softbox eye palette

Pretty, yeah?

I guess what they say is true — makeup really does soothe the savage beast. 🙂

The new eye palette, brimming with sweet neutrals, hails from Smashbox’s summer Softbox collection, and the products, like a real soft box a photographer might use, are designed to diffuse the light and soften any shadows falling on a subject’s face. With the palette, you get nine powder eyeshadows, two cream liners, a double-sided brush, a mini-Photo Finish Lid primer and a fold-out Get-the-Look Guide with step-by-step directions for three different looks.

smashbox softbox eye palette shadows
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The Barely There Sonia Kashuk Natural Nudes Lip Quad

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

Happy Friday, friend! Looks like we made it. 🙂 To kick off today’s pre-weekend festivities, what do you say we get nude, Sonia Kashuk style?

SK’s Lip Gloss Quad in Natural Nudes, the third of three new lip palettes for spring, feels just as comfy on my lips as the other two, Beautiful Berries and Bronzey Corals.

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The Sonia Kashuk Lip Quad in Bronzey Corals and I Are Drugstore BFF’s

March 24th, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

Happy almost-Friday! 🙂 Thought you might like to take a quick look at the new Sonia Kashuk Lip Quad in Bronzey Corals ($12.99), the second of three new SK lip quads launched for spring (Beautiful Berries is one of the others).

Bronzey Corals

Sonia Kashuk Lip Quads
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I Fell for Sonia Kashuk’s New Makeup Set in the Blink of an Eye

March 23rd, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

sonia kashuk blink of an eye

Sometimes it’s fun to go buck wild with an eye look — you know, the kind that take 30 minutes minimum, require six different shadows and five brushes to do. But most of the time when I finish one, I usually end up just sitting on the couch like a bedazzled bump on a log, waiting for my pumpkin to turn into a carriage.

When I don’t have an appetite for multi-step eye looks, I turn my menu of fast makeup treats — treats like Sonia Kashuk’s new Blink of an Eye Set ($12.99).

sonia kashuk blink of an eye pencils

The newly released three-piece pencil set comes with two chubby Shimmering Creme Shadows in gold and silver and a Metallic Eye Definer (haha! I almost typed “Metallica”) in shimmery bronze.

If you dug the Urban Decay Glide-On Shadow Pencils that came out earlier this spring, you might REALLY like these two Shimmering Creme Shadow sticks, which are kinda like metallic drugstore equivalents.

Apply them to lids or lash lines just like regular shadows, blending out the edges and waiting a minute or so to let them set. And once they’re set, they don’t budge for nothin’! I’ve rubbed at ’em, splashed water on them, licked the swatch on the back of my hand and then scratched at it with my gnarly chipped nail — basically, they don’t move until they’re introduced to a heavy duty makeup remover. I like. 🙂

sonia kashuk blink of an eye

sonia shimmering creme shadow
Shimmering Creme Shadows in Gold (left) and Silver (right)
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You’ll Marble at Milani’s Baked Eyeshadow Collection

March 23rd, 2011 by Karen 53 Comments

milani marbleized baked eyeshadow

Remember when the first baked eyeshadows emerged hot and fresh out the beauty ovens way, way back in 2008? The big department store lines were popping them out faster than you can say, “I’ll take two red velvet cupcakes with extra frosting on the side.”

Three years later, the trend lives on! Budget versions of these sturdy baked beauties, which tend to resist water a little better than traditional shadows, have now made their way into drugstore makeup aisles.

And some of them work just as well as their pricier department store cousins. Take Milani’s Marbleized Baked Eyeshadows ($7.49 each), for instance.

Milani Marbleized Baked Eyeshadow in Mix It Up

New for spring, these six pretty pans, which Milani baked on Italian terracotta tiles (fancy!), steal a page out of MAC’s book. Like the more expensive MAC Mineralize Eyeshadows ($19.50 vs. $7.49 for these), they’re infused with multiple powder shades, except that here, in Milani’s Marble line, the colors are stirred together (and not kept apart like in a duo).

They can be applied wet or dry, but in either case, I like to use an eyeshadow brush with a compact head and firm bristles to minimize shadow fallout.

And fallout does seem to be a minor concern with these. When I wear Mix It Up, a silvery black with teal glitter, I detect a light dusting of renegade shadow at the corners of my eyes and beneath my lower lash line, but it’s nothing compared to some baked shadows that leave freight trains of shimmer all over my clothes and cheeks.

I feel like they aren’t the easiest shadows to blend, especially around the edges, but the fact they last all day long without creasing offsets the issue for me.

Even though these cost less than $10 each, Milani wasn’t stingy with the pigment. The Milani Baked Eyeshadows deposit loads of color, probably enough for most hard core makeup enthusiasts, and two layers applied with a MAC 217 produces a sooty smokey look worthy of sky-high sexy heels and a tight black dress.

milani marbleized baked eyeshadow

milani marbleized baked eyeshadow
Swatches of Mix It Up applied dry (left) and wet (right)
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The Sonia Kashuk Beautiful Berries Lip Quad Is a Drugstore Myrrh-acle

March 23rd, 2011 by Karen 44 Comments

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad

G’morning and happy Wednesday, cutie. 🙂 We’re almost over the hump! If you’re in the mood for a mid-week drugstore splurge/reward, what do ya think of Sonia Kashuk’s new Beautiful Berries Lip Quad ($12.99)? It’s one of three in SK’s new spring collection, and it looks like a perfect pick-me-up to me.

The pigmented colors and sleek packaging first caught my eye — so cute, right? — but the interesting ingredients sealed the deal. Sonia added myrrh resin extract to supposedly reduce the signs of aging and the depth of wrinkles, and antioxidant-rich pomegranate fruit sterols to moisturize and protect against environmental damage (the juice has been shown to be good for the heart, so there may actually be some real benefits to its use here).

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad in hand

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad
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Suave Says Their $3 Dry Shampoo Works As Well As $24 Rene Furterer

March 22nd, 2011 by Karen 69 Comments

Hair model Tabs the Cat…

I’ve been wearing my normally wavy hair straight lately and waiting a few days between washes to extend the life of my blowouts. To prevent my scalp from getting too funky with excess oil, I’ve been reaching for Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, my fave dry shampoo, which also gives my roots a nice lift.

The problem: Naturia costs $24.

Ouch! Time to find a less expensive alternative…

And maybe I have. Suave Professional Dry Shampoo refreshes hair “as well as Rene Furterer” — at least that’s what it says on the side of the bottle. 🙂

Not even considering the fact that it only costs $3 (compared to $24?), the stuff is pretty good. Then when you DO consider the price, it’s downright amazing! First, there’s how fast it works. Some dry shampoos leave a white cast on my dark hair, particularly around the roots, and take forever to work in and brush out. Suave Pro deposits what looks like a bit of white powder on my roots when it’s applied, but after a few swipes with my brush the white powder disappears. Because it works so fast, the product has been saving me a a few minutes every time I use it instead of Naturia.

Suave says mineral clay helps the product absorb oil AND odor. Now, I wouldn’t want to wait so long between washes that I could smell my hair, but I guess it’s nice to know that Suave’s got my back.

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The Glitter in Make Up For Ever’s New Highlighters Makes Me Want to Stay Uplight

March 22nd, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

make up for ever uplight review

Rarely does my bizarre memory for cheesy pop music lyrics come in as handy as it did today. While marveling at the explosion of pigment and glitter on my cheeks from two of the eight new Make Up For Ever Uplight ($28) highlighters, I sang along to a MUFE version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.

“Uplight girl! She’s been living in her uplight world!”

Okay, so I’m way too easily amused. 🙂 But I do think these multitasking, oil-free illuminators are well worth singing about.

Make Up For Ever Uplight in #12 Dewy Golden Warm (left) and #32 Sparkling Golden Pink (right)

Maybe because they’re mostly water (70%), these gel highlighters feel almost weightless, and it’s like they melt right into my skin (I previously talked about them here).

How do they compare to the NARS Illuminators?

NARS released a similar product earlier this spring called the Illuminators. While I think both those and these are great, MUFE gave the Uplights a fluffier, airier texture that I find easier to blend. And from the colors I’ve seen so far, the Uplights also appear to pack much more pigment. For a subtle tint, I might opt for a NARS Illuminator, but I’d reach for an Uplight if I wanted bolder colors with intense glitter and shine.

The eight Uplights span a range of warm and cool shades. I tried #12 Dewy Golden Warm (a pearly, warm gold) and #32 Sparkling Golden Pink (a shimmery, peachy pink with golden glitter).

#32 Sparkling Golden Pink

What a fun shade! This bold baddie has HELLA golden glitter. With it on, I feel like 1,000 angels just left sweet, sparkly kisses on my cheeks.

Um, did I mention this has a lot of glitter?? Seriously, it packs enough to build two discos. I love it! — although I’m afraid I might be a little too ~~old~~ experienced 🙂 to wear it during the day. I think I may actually like it more on my lips and lids, but if you’re a little younger than I am or work in a creative environment, I bet you could rock this blush at noon. I have no qualms, however, about wearing it at night, and I’m definitely wearing it the next time I go clubbing or hit the Vegas strip.
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