Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Urgh! Why do so many pre-packaged makeup kits contain at least thing I just don’t want? I call ’em bad beauty eggs, because it only takes one of them to throw a kit’s bargain/value ratio completely out of whack.
I expected it to happen again when I took my first look at the Cargo Pro Picks Collection ($39), a tiny kit of four items for face and lips.
I just remembered that Mother’s Day is right around the corner (May 9), and even though my mom always says, “Oh, honey, please don’t get me anything,” I know that’s a form of code for, “You better not show up empty handed, yo.” To head off any potential problems, I’m trying to find an early gift.
Mom’s not a big time makeup junkie, but I think she’d really like these new Dolce & Gabbana brushes, products of a collaboration between D&G and world-renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath.
How’s it going out there, ladies? I’m sorry about the late post, but I wanted to make sure it made scents before I clicked the big button to publish. 🙂
You see, three days ago I started using the Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Wash ($18) and Body Butter ($15) from Pacifica, a brand known for the light, refreshing scents and good-for-your ingredients of their natural body washes, moisturizers, perfumes and soy candles.
The line also doesn’t use parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, phthalates or artificial colors, and both of the products I’m covering today are vegan and Tabs-approved, which means, much to Tabs’ delight, that neither of them was tested on animals.
I’ve had my eye on the brand for a while and decided to treat myself on a recent trip to Sephora.
What do ya think of the packaging? It’s what first caught my eye. I think it’s elegant yet casual, and definitely cheerful. It reminds me of the beach, aka one of my favorite places to chill.
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Here’s what may be a strange observation, but doesn’t it seem like mascaras are more expensive than they used to be? Around the time DiorShow turned up, I started seeing more and more costing $30+, and now they even top $10 at the drugstore all the time.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I heard about Wet ‘N’ Wild’s new $3 Mega Length… THREE BONES, PEOPLE! Of course I had to give it a try. 🙂
At the risk of sounding like a cranky old lady — wait, I *am* a cranky old lady — these days, you can’t buy much for $3!
The brand’s always been affordable, but now they can add their sophisticated new packaging to the list of things that makes them tempting.
Mega Length is billed as a lengthening/lifting mascara and comes in a single, simply-named shade called Very Black. My wimpy lashes and I took it for a spin last weekend, hoping to find the “Three Buck Chuck” of the mascara world.
Nekkid lashes
First things first — Mega Length gets extra gold 
stars for pigment, imparting a deep, glossy, rich look to lashes that takes it well beyond the meager price.
And it also resists smudging and flaking like a champ, while remaining surprisingly easy to remove.
But how does it do as far as length and lift?
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Luckily for St. Tropez, their new bronzing powder pellets really do rock, and not just in the ’80s power ballad kinda way.
Shimmering Bronzing Rocks ($40) actually look like little rocks. Well, they go from looking like rocks to looking like delicious chocolate truffles, but that could just be me! 🙂
Luxurious St. Tropez specializes in thinking outside the box when it comes to their self-tanners and bronzers. These Bronzing Rocks complement skin that’s already been kissed by the sun, taking it all the way to the Bronze Age by adding a shimmery, golden glow to shoulders, decollete, cheeks, face, lips and eyes. To ladies of lighter skin tones, Bronzing Rocks deliver a beautiful but subtle glow that’s safer than a regular tan; darker skin tones get a lovely golden shimmer.
To apply, swirl a brush on the rocks (hold the olive!) and apply directly to the skin. Or, wield one of the rocks like a piece of chalk, drawing on the eyelids or lips, fun!
One of the best power ballads, evah!
St. Tropez feels like a casual bronzer to me, one I’d wear to a beach bar barefoot in a slinky summer dress. I used it today to contour my face and cheeks and really like the fine glitter because it doesn’t make my skin look oily.
As for the color? — worthy of a good headbang. 🙂 It’s a golden, peachy brown about the shade of late afternoon sunlight, and it’s not muddy or orange at all on my skin.
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Wearing some things from Dolce & Gabbana’s Midnight Bloom summer collection: Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Laguna (eyes), Crayon Intense in Blue (eyes), Luminous Cheek Colour in Tan (cheeks) and Classic Cream Lipstick in Delicate (lips)
I had a dream once where I was wandering through a beautiful tropical garden at night. It was just me by myself, exploring under the light of a full moon, and had I stumbled across it in the dream,Dolce & Gabbana’s Midnight Bloom summer makeup collection would have fit right in.
Clockwise, from upper left: Luminous Cheek Colour in Tan, Smooth Eye Colour Duo in Laguna, Crayon Intense in Blue, Classic Cream Lipstick in Delicate
The greens, corals, pinks and solitary electric blue look like the colors from a nighttime scene — soft, romantic and almost pastel — but while the colors befit a fantasy, the prices aren’t so dreamy. Ranging from $20-59 apiece, they’re definitely not as affordable as drugstore brands.
This week I took a look at four things from the collection.
This powder eyeshadow duo comes with two shimmery shades, a forest and a seafoam green, that blend soooo crazy good. The soft, fine texture just melts right into your skin. And paired with a good base like Urban Decay’s Eden Primer Potion, they last all day long with very little fading or creasing. Who’s it for? Girls who love greens and don’t mind a splurge. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
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Deep thoughts from the males of Casa MBB:
There are soooo many things dudes don’t get — like why women need 10 pairs of black shoes (HELLO!), or why it’s completely rational to wear mascara during a workout.
What can I say? I feel less Uncle Fester if I’m huffing and puffing with a lil’ bit of eye makeup on. 🙂
For today’s treadmill sesh I wore Estee Lauder’s new Sumptuous Bold Waterproof Mascara ($18.50, available in brown and black).
Aboard the treadmill
Sumptuous Waterproof (I have it in black) totally kills when it comes to lifting the lashes and keeping a curl; eyes look w i d e and awake with it on.
More reasons to like Estee Lauder Sumptuous Waterproof Bold Volume…
- Deep, rich color
- Smooth, non-clumping formula
- Lashes feel soft and light, not crispy or heavy (dontcha hate that?), with it on
- With a good eye makeup remover like Bliss Lid + Lash Wash, removal is a cinch; no scrubbing neccessary
And I gotta give props to Sumptuous Waterproof for resisting smudging and flaking.
To see how well it performs in the waterproof department, I put it to the test today, popping on three layers before I went running on the treadmill.
Nekkid lashes
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A friend of mine used to have an apartment in please-don’t-call-it-‘Frisco with the most amazing, magical flower garden. Hidden from the street, it was in the center of the building on the ground floor, and all of the apartments overlooked it. Each time she’d open a window, a rainbow of beautiful floral fragrances would waft up from the garden and blow right into her living room.
Chloe’s floral Eau de Parfum ($85) reminds me a lot of that apartment, to that time in my life when my heart pumped to the beat of the city, and I’ve been wearing it practically nonstop for days!
As a matter of fact, I’m even wearing it to bed. 🙂
