Product Reviews

Are You Glistening? The Bobbi Brown Beach Shimmer Brick Has Something to Say

June 16th, 2010 by Karen 29 Comments

bobbi brown beach shimmer brick review

Glistening like the stars of MTV’s Jersey Shore — wait, did I just write that?? For a post about a product from Bobbi Brown?

Sorry, let me try this again. 🙂

Glistening like glittery Waikiki Beach (that’s better), the Bobbi Brown Beach Club Shimmer Brick ($38) comes with a combo of five warm-toned highlighter bricks in shades from brown to beige to peach and gold.

Released earlier this month with the Long-Wearing Eyeshadows in Bobbi’s Beach Club collection, this brick is full of surprises.

Swirl ’em together for an easy shimmer pop, or apply each shade separately for five different looks.
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NARS Multiple Tint: Invading a Makeup Dream Near You

June 15th, 2010 by Karen 54 Comments

nars multiple tint review

Last night I had a makeup dream, except that in this dream there was an ice cream truck, and instead of ice cream it sold the new NARS Multiple Tints ($38 each). 🙂

Okay, now here’s where it gets REALLY weird. Instead of applying the sheer, buildable tints to my cheeks and lips, I gobbled ’em up like they were sweet, creamy treats!

Available in three eye-popping shades — Beverly Hills (a bright red tint), Cadaques (a bright fuchsia tint) and Turks & Caicos (a bright orange tint) — these do look a lot like desserts, don’t they? Kinda like Push Up Pops, yum!

But don’t be fooled by their vibrant shades. Each adds just a whisper of highly wearable color.

I’ve been playing with Beverly Hills, the red shade, on my cheeks (NOTE: I also tried it on my lips but didn’t like the flavor…like an odd mix of concentrated Hawaiian Punch and Sour Patch Kids) this week, and, impressively, it lasts for a good 6-8 hours! — even without a primer.
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Bobbi Brown Beach Club: These Long-Wearing Eyeshadows Aren’t for Members Only

June 14th, 2010 by Karen 37 Comments

bobbi brown beach cream shadows

There’s one Bobby Brown for recipes that call for cheese (as in cheesy ’90s R&B), and another Bobbi Brown for recipes that call for long lasting cream shadows.

Fellow fans of the later’s Long-Wear and Metallic Long-Wear shadows depend on their smooth, non-creasing formula when quick, elegant eye looks are on the menu. For this summer’s Beach collection, Chef Bobbi’s cooked up five new Long-Wear shadows, these with an ocean theme ($22 each).

bobbi brown beach cream shadows
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Watch Out Pores: Here Comes NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep

June 14th, 2010 by Karen 56 Comments

NARS pro prime review

I was out fashion hunting at the mall yesterday afternoon, rutting around for a respectable pair of jeans (more on that in a few), when I bumped into a gal with skin that looked smoother than a porcelain doll.

My curiosity got the better of me; I politely asked for her secret, to which she replied, “I don’t really do anything.”

B*tch…

Just kidding! 🙂 Kinda…

With the otherworldly size of the pores of my face, sometimes I forget that there really are (lucky) people out there who simply never have to worry about their skin — no big-@ss pores or annoying fine lines.

For the rest of us, there’s NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep ($30 for a .26-oz jar).

One of two new summer primers from NARS, it’s an invisible, lightweight product designed to be layered beneath foundation or patted on top of makeup for spot treatments (by reducing shine) and to smooth the appearance of fine lines, pores and rough patches on the face.
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Jouer Bath & Body Oil and Butter: A Dependable Floral Fragrance Bursting with Hydration

June 13th, 2010 by Karen 6 Comments

jouer bath and body

Jouer Body Butter ($32) and Bath & Body Oil ($28) are like a leisurely stroll through a garden bursting with fragrant summer blooms.

The light infusion of gardenia, jasmine and honeysuckle flowers won’t abandon you midway through your day. Like good friends, both products are there when and where you need them, moisturizing your driest bits with a blend of sweet almond, apricot kernal and jojoba oils that leave skin soft, but not greasy.

I like to mix a few drops of the oil with the cream for what amounts to pure hydration heaven.

As for the packaging, this elegant duo (I love glass bottles with a little heft to ’em) could look classy on almost any dresser.
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T3 Twirl 1.25-Inch Curling Iron: Curl and Twirl in Record Time, Girl!

June 10th, 2010 by Karen 45 Comments

t3 twirl review

Big, bouncy curls aren’t Victoria’s Secret anymore. Word got out, and now it’s easy to get runway ready hair at home with the T3 Twirl 1.25-Inch Curling Iron ($119).

Those V.S. chicks get help from a dedicated team of stylists who tease their locks into perfectly tousled submission; the T3 Twirl gets help from its 1.25-inch diameter barrel.

The unit joined T3’s stable of styling tools earlier this year. To improve upon the design of old school curling irons that delivered inconsistent heat, the company implemented some very scientific-sounding technology. Straight up, they make it sound like the Kublai Khan of curling irons!

2007 FLASHBACK: See how the T3 Featherweight hair dryer changed my world.

T3’s Single Pass digital heating insures that the iron gets hot f a s t. It also helps it maintain consistent heat through the length of the barrel.

T3’s Tourmaline technology (tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone/gem) is even hotter than that! The tourmaline in the barrel emits negative ions that cancel out static electricity and close the hair cuticle for sleek and springy, frizz-free curls.

As Flava Flav so often said, “Yeah, boyeeeee!”
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Essie Summer 2010 Makes This Booty Want to Dance

June 9th, 2010 by Karen 58 Comments

essie summer 2010

Not all summer nail polishes inspire spontaneous boogie down sessions, but the moment I peeped the creamy colors in the Essie Summer 2010 collection, my booty wanted to hit the dance floor!

Essie founder and head honcho (honchette?) Essie Weingarten said she based the six-piece collection — bright with splashes of summery greens, pinks, corals and reds — on the floral prints she’d seen on the runways at New York Fashion Week. If you like what she came up with, you can find the six shades for $48 at beauty stores, salons and also online.

Pretty Edgy: a creamy kelly green
Knockout Pout: a creamy bright pink
Vermillionaire: a creamy (you get the idea here) reddish orange
Miss Matched: a sheer (surprise!) and creamy (ha!) purplish pink
Haute as Hello: a creamy coral
Demure Vixen: a creamy light purple

I used two coats for these swatches, and every color applied smoothly, with the exception of Miss Matched, which was a tad streaky. All of them exhibit that classic Essie texture (very creamy) and shine.

essie summer 2010
Pretty Edgy

essie summer 2010
Knockout Pout

essie summer 2010
Vermillionaire

essie summer 2010
Miss Matched
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Just How Well Does MAC Dazzle Lash Do Lashes?

June 9th, 2010 by Karen 29 Comments

mac dazzle lash review

I awoke this morning to a dazzling development! No, not my birthday; I saw that coming from miles/weeks away. This dazzling development was a tube of MAC Dazzle Lash resting on my nightstand. I set it there before bed last night so I’d see it first thing this morning.

Why?

To remind myself to tell you about it first thing this morning. 🙂

MAC Dazzle Lash isn’t new, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before. It’s one of the many MAC mascaras in the company’s permanent collection. With a velvety, non-clumping formula that adds subtle thickness and lash length, it’s designed to deliver a seemingly natural lash look with extreme curl hold.

And that it does. Two or three coats is like BAM! — but not BAM! like Fergie or Lady Gaga lashes; more like BAM! — the lashes I wish I’d been born with. They hold their curl all day long and glow with mad glossy shine. My fringe feels wonderfully light and soft.

I’m guessing the shine has to do with copernicia cerifera, aka carnauba palm wax.

RANDOM FUN FACT: Carnauba is also the main ingredient in surfboard wax.

mac dazzle lash review
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