Product Reviews

I Gotta Hand It to the Tocca Crema Mani Cream Viaggio Set

November 18th, 2010 by Karen 25 Comments

tocca hand cream viaggio review

Ladies, as you know, I Tocca pretty product packaging very seriously. Remember the cute-as-all-heck minis in the Tocca Eau de Parfum Viaggio Set ($45)? Well, Tocca’s back, this time with an adorable trio of matching hand creams in the very same scents (for more on the scents, click here).

The 2-fl. oz. tubes are a perfect travel size and fit snugly in my tiniest purse. The one called Cleopatra is scented with notes of grapefurit and cucumber, Stella with blood orange, and Florence with English Rose. All of them contain moisturizing compounds and extracts like coconut oil, shea butter and aloe.

tocca hand cream viaggio review

tocca hand cream viaggio review
[Continue reading…]

Chanel Riva Le Vernis Nail Colour: Like the Ocean in a Bottle

November 17th, 2010 by Karen 108 Comments

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos with necklace

Um, can you say swoon? I’ve been dying — DYING! — to see the new Chanel Nail Lacquer in Riva ($27) ever since it popped up on the runway at the Chanel Cruise fashion show last May. I’ve lusted over Riva more than I’ve lusted over the abs of the official “Sexiest Man Alive,” aka Ryan Reynolds.

Needless to say, that’s, um, a lot of lust.

The limited edition shade just launched online and in select Chanel stores as part of the five-piece Chanel Cote D’Azur resort collection. Also included in the release are four Rouge Coco lipsticks in Sari Dore, Perle, Taffetas Rose and Chintz ($30 each).

Have you ever seen the sun reflect off a tropical sea on a hot day? Yeah, Riva’s like that! 🙂 It’s a mesmerizing pastel blue, and when the light hits it just so, a hint of azure iridescence peeks through.

When I have it on my nails I feel like I’m sitting on my surfboard, waiting for the next wave, watching my hands as they caress the crystal blue water surrounding me. *DROOL!* It’s like the ocean in a bottle.

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos nails 2

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos nails 1
[Continue reading…]

Ready, Set, Save! The $2 N.Y.C. New York Color Ultra Last Lipsticks

November 17th, 2010 by Karen 43 Comments

karen from makeup and beauty blog reviews nyc new york color ultra last lipstick in sugar plum
Wearing N.Y.C. New York Color Ultra Last Lipstick in Sugar Plum

I seriously cannot believe these NYC New York Color Ultra Last LipWear lipsticks are just $2. TWO DOLLARS!

Like Trader Joe’s Two-Buck Chuck, (I think) these are worth way more than their price implies. I’m talkin’ hidden drugstore gems.

I didn’t expect much from the three tubes I bought on a whim last weekend, but what a pleasant surprise. Opaque, pretty colors, a smooth texture, a hydrating formula and a high-shine finish? WOW!

Wear time’s been pretty good (about five hours), and they’ve been able to withstand ~~gin-n-juice~~ sips of water, but they don’t really tolerate meals.

Tabs gives ’em two paws way up for being both drugstore AND cruelty-free, and I give them two thumbs up for not having an (ob)noxious taste or scent (I’m talking to YOU, NYX Beautiful).

To top it all off, they come in 20 shades! The perfectly named Berry Rich is my favorite of the three I got. It makes lips sing sonnets paired with purple eye looks.

But here’s the thing…the bullet’s gotta go. It doesn’t screw all the way down, so the sticks jut out of the tubes; consequently, I keep nicking the sides of the bullets when I put the caps back on, grrr…
[Continue reading…]

Cover Yourself in MUD with the Make-Up Designory All That Sparkles Holiday Collection

November 16th, 2010 by Karen 38 Comments

Sometimes I don’t feel like going all out with my makeup. I don’t want to do anything with it — blend, shade, nada. I just want a look that’s simple and easy, and preferably still pretty.

That’s where the new MUD Make-Up Designory All That Sparkles Holiday Collection ($55) comes in.

MUD Make Up Designory All That Sparkles Holiday 2010 Collection review swatches photos with bag

MUD Make Up Designory All That Sparkles Holiday 2010 Collection review swatches photos open all
Clockwise from left: Lip Glaze in Cupid; 4-Hole Eye Color Palette with Eye Colors in Cashmere (a shimmery pink), Tinsel (a shimmery silver), Onyx (a jet black matte) and Voodoo (a shimmery violet); Cheek Color in Rose Beige and Eye Pencil in Vintage.
[Continue reading…]

Does the New NYX Eyebrow Marker Score High Marks?

November 16th, 2010 by Karen 35 Comments

karen of makeup and beauty blog reviews the nyx eyebrow marker
Wearing NYX Eyebrow Marker in Deep

“NYX wants to mark their territory on your eyebrows…”

Wait, did I really just write that? 🙂

Ouch! Okay, let’s try that again. How about, “Does NYX deserve high marks for their new Eyebrow Marker ($9.75)”?

Available in two shades — Medium (a light brown) and Deep (a medium brown) — the new felt-tip pen lives to fill in sparse eyebrows with a liquid/ink that dries to a matte finish.

Since I have dark hair, I went with the Deep shade, but after the first time I brought it to my brows, I almost set it right back down. Why? Because it’s so sheer — like surprisingly sheer.

Thankfully, it layers well, getting progressively darker with each one. For me, four layers results in a shade that pretty closely matches the color of my hair.

NYX bills Eyebrow Marker as a long-wearing product, and I’ll go along with that, although I wouldn’t wear it to a spinning class. Overall, I think it holds up fairly well under normal conditions and very light sweating (NOTE: it turns slightly gray as it fades), especially if multiple layers are used.

Once it’s dry, it doesn’t smear at all, and I rubbed at it pretty well to test. When it comes time to remove, a little soap and water does the trick.

Now that Eyebrow Marker and I have gotten to know each other, we probably won’t hang out every day. Don’t laugh :), but for the life of me I can’t evenly fill in my left eyebrow with it. Doing my right brow is easy enough (maybe because I’m right handed), but the left is a different story — and it’s an awkward, uncomfortable tale. If you’re more coordinated than I am, and there’s a good chance you are, you’ll probably have better luck with it than I did. Or perhaps if you have better penmanship, LOL!

nyx eyebrow marker review pens
NYX Eyebrow Maker in Medium (top) and Deep (bottom)

nyx eyebrow marker review felt tip
Deep (left) and Medium (right)
[Continue reading…]

The MUD Cares Palette Is Making a Difference One Quad at a Time

November 16th, 2010 by Karen 41 Comments

Would you like to give a gift this year that really makes a difference in someone’s life? How about one that also happens to look as pretty as the new limited-edition MUD Cares Palette ($25)?

Every last cent (that’s 100%) from the sale of the new powder eyeshadow quad goes to the NextAid organization, a nonprofit assisting children in Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS.

Make-up Designory (MUD) stocked the palette with four warm, summery shades from their permanent line — Spanish Gold (a rich golden bronze), Dulce de Leche (an iridescent beige), Cashmere (a sparkling rosy beige) and Moss (a shimmery khaki green with golden undertones). Individually, the pans usually retail for $10 each, making $25 a great deal for the quad.

The shadows themselves are all highly pigmented, soft and silky to the touch and apply with hardly any fallout.

MUD Cares Palette review swatches photos front of box

MUD Cares Palette review swatches photos open palette
Shades clockwise from lower right: Spanish Gold, Cashmere, Dulce de Leche and Moss
[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: The Marvelous Multitasking MAC 217 Blending Brush

November 15th, 2010 by Karen 45 Comments

I was having coffee with my makeup artist friend, Melissa, last week, and in between bites of pumpkin pie we got into brushes. She brought up the marvelous multitasking MAC 217 Blending Brush ($22.50), one of my go-to faves.

With a goat hair fiber brush head, it applies and blends powder and cream products with much aplomb. I use it for everything from powder and cream shadows, to loose pigments, to under-eye concealer.

[Continue reading…]

Ultraflesh Panthera Mascara Makes Lashes Roar Like a Jungle Cat!

November 15th, 2010 by Karen 53 Comments

karen from makeup and beauty blog reviews panthera mascara before after

Take your seats, everyone, so we can call to order tonight’s meeting of the Feline Enthusiasts Club. 🙂

Okay, I won’t deny that the real reason I wanted to try the new Ultraflesh Panthera Mascara ($26) is because of tube. I don’t know if Ultraflesh designed it with cat ladies in mind, but it sure as heck worked on me.

panthera mascara review

The product is currently Ultraflesh’s (seriously, what’s up with that name?) one and only item, which I guess we could say recently “pounced” on the makeup scene, LOL! For now it’s available exclusively at Sephora.

Have you seen the company’s website? Pretty creative, huh? But what’s up with that lady in the leotard, and why is she stretching?

It doesn’t have anything to do with mascara, but neither do panthers, so whatever, right?

It’s must be a color thing (panthers = black, like the mascara). That, or maybe someone at Ultraflesh really liked Thundercats.

The company claims, although not in feline terms, that Panthera is a cat of all trades, addressing most of the major mascara desirables like length, volume, definition and…

ultra flesh panthera mascara review
[Continue reading…]