Product Reviews

Bejeweled or Banging? Glamour Glosses by Too Faced

April 20th, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

Experience with BeDazzler must be a requirement to work in the makeup biz because faux gems have been gracing more and more products every day.

I keep wishing they’d pull a Hanson and just quietly disappear (see: MAC’s Passions of Red and Lancome’s Deluxe Brush Set), but that’s probably not a wish this girl’s ever going to get. 🙂

In the case of the new Glamour Glosses by Too Faced ($19), I better find a way to “let it go.”

You can’t miss the GIANT fake jewel on the cap (or how it looks like it’s mocking me).

Lucky for Too Faced, the coverage on this gloss? — HELLO! Off the hizzy.
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Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter: A Different Kind of Herbal Essence

April 20th, 2010 by Karen 35 Comments

I smell like parsley.

From head to toe, armpits to booty dimples: parsley. 🙂

Had it been my intention to smell like the herb, I might be looking at this jug of Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter ($15) differently.

I ordered it online with my 15% off Sephora VIB coupon sight un-smelled, assuming I’d like it as much as I liked Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom last month.

Unfortch, my body chemistry just doesn’t jive with it well. I like the way it starts — a lightly tropical mix of gardenias and baby powder like the fresh leis my mum-in-law gives when we visit her in Hawaii — but within half an hour it changes from tropic to tossed, as in tossed salad, with parsley.
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It Wasn’t Hard to Fall for YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils

April 19th, 2010 by Karen 57 Comments

Goodness, fellow dancing queens, today turned out to be a fantastic day for pigmented makeup. First the Benefit Ultra Shines and now Yves Saint Laurent’s new Eye Pencils ($28)? Fo’ serious, all of this pigment is making me want to shake my groove thing, shake me groove thing, yeah, yeah!

The 12 new pencils are reformulated versions of YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils. I never tried the original ones, but these new ones overflow with color. It’s almost enough to make someone forget about the $28 price.

YSL says that a wax adhesive they use in the formula makes the pigments more intense and helps them stay put for hours on skin.

They aren’t kidding. Each of the three colors I tried — Turquoise, Leather Brown and Velvet Black — won’t let go for nothing! They grab on those lash and water lines like they’re holding on for dear life, lasting the entire day with minimal fading.

Turquoise: like the name implies
Leather Brown a cool grayish brown with a matte finish; the color reminds me of MAC Concrete shadow
Velvet Black: a true black without any blue or green undertones

From left: Turquoise, Leather Brown, Velvet Black
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I Could Kiss Benefit for Bringing the Ultra Shines Lip Shine Glosses into the World

April 19th, 2010 by Karen 31 Comments

Remember when Benefit discontinued their line of OG glosses last year? Man, that made me grumpy… Creamy purple Kiss Me was a staple o’ mine for years (I always wore it on first dates, heh!). The shade, pigment and non-sticky texture made it the stuff of lipgloss legend, and I’ve been mourning the loss ever since.

But Benefit didn’t leave us hanging for long. They promptly replaced the OG line with a new collection of super sheer glosses that I thought were a’ight, but they didn’t really make my heart flutter in that “I NEEDS IT!!” kinda way.

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From Notting Hill to La-La Land: The Story of Royal Apothic’s 2010 Summer Scents

April 16th, 2010 by Karen 14 Comments

Long, long ago — 10 years, I should say — on an island far, far away — Great Britain, if you really must know — our hero, young Sean O’Mara, was on holiday in the bustling village of London when something wondrous happened. 🙂

Sean, now the creative director for Los Angeles-based Royal Apothic, was browsing a Notting Hill antique stall when he saw the most amazing thing. It was squirreled up high upon a shelf, an Eighteenth Century apothecary manual filled with recipes for scents and other concoctions, many of which had long ago been made for great monarchs of Europe.

“Jackpot!” he must have thought.

Seriously? Dude, the only things I ever get on vacay are tchotchkes and food poisoning.

When Sean returned home to the US, he set to work conjuring the long lost recipes. Et voilÃ , Royal Apothic was born.
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Is Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer Drugstore Duping Laura Mercier?

April 16th, 2010 by Karen 41 Comments

Well, you made it to Friday, love. 🙂 Isn’t it grand? Now all we have to do is hold on for a few more hours before … FREEDOM!

This morning I’d like to start with a quick look at Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50 ($15, available in four shades). Since I had such a good experience with their Healthy Wear Bronzer last week, I was hoping for more of that same luck this time around.

Sometimes I just want a product to work out so badly that I’ll overlook almost any flaw. This could have been one of those times. I mean, look at that cheery tube. So cute, right? With packaging this hawt, Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer sure gets off to a good start.
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Physicians Formula Custom Eye Enhancing GelCream Liner, A Haiku Review

April 15th, 2010 by Karen 53 Comments

Oh, GelCream Liner
By Physicians Formula
Colors for your eyes

In shades made to match
Brown, blue, green and hazel eyes
Or mix them for fun

Blue Eyes

A great bargain too
Eleven dollars for three
My wallet says, “Yay!”

Brown Eyes

Three stackable pots
Take ’em with you anywhere
They’re great for travel
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It’s No Secret: MAC Hush Cream Colour Base Is the Bomb Diggity

April 14th, 2010 by Karen 64 Comments

Shhh… did you hear that? I think it’s the sound of a new MAC obsession being born (aww!). 🙂

MAC’s Cream Colour Base in Hush ($16.50) isn’t a new product (it’s part of the permanent line), but it was new to me when our paths crossed a couple weeks ago.

Like the rest of the Cream Colour Bases, shimmery Hush feels like a creamy blush to the touch. I’ve been using it all sorts of different ways, but my favorite way? — using it as a highlighter.

It adds a really pretty subtle glow to peach and pink blushes, in particular, like when it’s layered with a Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Blusher Brush on the tops of my cheeks bones, at my temples or down the bridge of my nose after foundation, powder and blush.

I’m not always up for doing a full face of makeup, and that’s where Hush REALLY shines.

For a fresh and dewy look, sometimes I’ll start with a little tinted moisturizer, then add some Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush on the apples of my cheeks and finish with Hush applied to my upper cheek bones.
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