Product Reviews

Dior Creme de Gloss: Making Me Feel Like a Natural Woman

November 5th, 2008 by Karen 35 Comments

Only two words can describe Dior Creme de Gloss: Hawt Daym!

Released this fall, these babies have the look of a medium coverage lipstick with the feel of a non-stick gloss. They’re fragrance- and flavor-free and kinda remind me of Laura Mercier Lip Velvets from fall’s Cherries Noir collection.

A Natural (yet Sexy!) Lip Look

I tried two of the 14 Creme de Gloss colors, Delicious Plum (a shimmery cool berry) and Coral Elixir (a shimmery golden coral), and one layer of each was all it took…

Some glosses look goopy and thick on lips. They’re obvious and the opposite of natural, but not Creme de Gloss. It looks almost like something applied inside the lips, or blended into them. The result is a natural, yet still shiny and kissable pout.

Use Sparingly

For me, I think the secret to using these is to use them sparingly. I had to be careful I didn’t apply too much because of how highly pigmented they are. A little goes a long way. In these pictures I’m wearing a single thin coat applied with the doe foot applicator that comes with the tube.

Just for kicks, I tried applying two really thick layers and the results were a HOT MESS! I wanted to post the pictures, but to subject you to that horror would have constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

Suffice it to say, both shades looked scary thick and flat-out gross on my lips. I went to do some work at the computer, and within a few minutes gloss had started migrating and smearing outside of my natural lip lines. ‘Twas reminiscent of paparazzi photos of Amy Winehouse shopping shoeless at a 24-hour grocery store. Not good.
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Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond and Party: Bobbi vs. Bobby

November 4th, 2008 by Karen 30 Comments

If there’s a season to go crazy for shimmery glitter-full makeup, then this has got to be it. Even reserved, conservative lines like Bobbi Brown get in on the action. This month Bobbi debuts two glitzy new collections — Copper Diamond and Party, and both are high on shimmer, glitter and metallic finishes.

I wore glitter to the grocery store yesterday thanks to some shtuff from Bobbi’s two new collections. Hey, life is short, and I really wanted spaghetti and salad for dinner!

But my look wasn’t as crazy as it sounds… Although the four products I used do contain shimmer and glitter, they’re still pretty tame, so I didn’t look out of place as I manhandled butter lettuce heads in the produce section, LOL!

Shimmer Brick Compact in Copper Diamond, ($40, limited edition)

I was stoked to try this all-over highlighter. The pan contains five shimmery shades (candlelight, gold, copper, beige and sand) that literally glow on my skin. Bobbi claims that the combination of colors delivers a warm, golden, coppery glow, but on my cheeks I’d call it a transparent golden shimmer. If you’re lighter than I am, you might see more of the actual color than I do, but what I really get is shimmer — and LOTS of it.

Because the Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick packs so much shimmer, I use it with a light touch… Too much shimmer makes my skin look oily, so that’s my one big concern. For the picture above I brushed a MAC 187 duo fiber brush across the entire pan, picking up the combined color, and applied the mixed shade onto my cheeks. Another option would be to use a smaller eyeshadow brush to grab the shades individually and to maybe use them on the eyes as well. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Bobbi Brown versus Bobby Brown — Battle of the Bobbies

The Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick Compact looks a little like gold jewelry to me, and back in the ’90s, singer Bobby Brown had a penchant for wearing gold jewelry on stage. Coincidence? I think not.

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Prescriptives Aglow Holiday 2008: Glow Forth and Shimmer

November 3rd, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

This morning I woke up to gloomy, overcast weather and felt like I needed to fight back! I dove straight into three of the new items from Aglow Holiday 2008, the new color collection from Prescriptives: Winter Reflections Cool Eye Color Quad, Winter Reflections All-Over Color and Colorscope Lip Gloss in Twinkling.

Winter Reflections Cool Eye Color Quad ($42, limited edition)

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Shine on with Stila’s $28 Gift of Glaze Lipgloss Set

November 2nd, 2008 by Karen 31 Comments

With Halloween behind us (shoot!), it’s a straight shot from here to the holidays. For me that spells two things: 1) stretchy pants and 2) cute makeup mini-gift sets at Sephora. 🙂

I’d always wanted to try Stila Lip Glaze lipglosses before but never got around to it. Then, I saw the six colors featured in Stila’s new Shine On Gift of Glaze (special to Sephora, $28).

A regular, full-sized Stila Lip Glaze regularly sells for about $22, but the smaller mini-tubes that come with this six-piece set average out to $4.67 apiece — not a bad deal. Four of the shades are some of Stila’s currently best selling Lip Glaze colors; the other two are newbies, Raisin and Gumdrop.

Grapefruit: a shimmery pink
Apricot: a shimmery pastel peach
Vanilla: a shimmery beige
Brown Sugar: a shimmery golden brown
Raisin: a shimmery golden plum
Gumdrop: a creamy coral pink

Stila Lip Glaze in Grapefruit

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Hangin’ Tough with Clinique Party Red

October 30th, 2008 by Karen 18 Comments

When I’m feeling great, I think of myself as a strong and tough girl, but my inner warrior’s been MIA for weeks. I’ve felt kinda beaten down. This morning I wanted — correction — I needed a pick-me-up, and I turned to Clinique Party Red. Every time I looked at myself in the mirror today, this red lip reminded me of the fighter I know I can be.

To get the look, a classic red lip and neutral eye, I used a few items from the Clinique Party Red holiday makeup collection (available soon).

Butter Shine Lipstick in Parisian Red, $14 (limited edition)

A warm and creamy brick red, Parisian Red belongs to Clinique’s line of Butter Shine Lipsticks. Its soft, buttery texture feels moisturizing, and it’s easy to apply (even straight from the tube).

With a glossy finish, this shade of red has visible pizazz but isn’t “too sexy” for work (although it might be too sexy for church, LOL!). Makeup and Beauty Blot Rating: A

Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Sparkling Nude and Lucky Penny, $14.50 each

From top to bottom: Sparkling Nude, Lucky Penny

Sparkling Nude

Lucky Penny

For my look today I wore Lucky Penny (a shimmery light tan) on the lid and Sparkling Nude (a shimmery beige) on the brow bone.

Both shades applied without a hitch, blended easily and lasting all day long without noticeable creasing or fading. If you haven’t tried any of the Quick Eyes Cream Shadows, try to find one of these neutral shades, stat, because not only are they cute and long lasting, but they even work well as a base for powder eyeshadows. Makeup and Beauty Blot Rating: A+
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MAC Fascinating Ruby 3 Plum Lips: Is that Ruby Big Enough for Ya?

October 27th, 2008 by Karen 28 Comments

Stare deeply into the ginormous gem on the top of MAC’s Fascinating Ruby: 3 Plum Lips ($22.50) palette… IF YOU DARE!

Concentrate hard enough, and the gem will imbue you with mystical makeup powers and reveal the deepest secrets of the universe.

Okay, not really… This gem doesn’t do anything cool like that, but it does contain some pretty cool makeup.

From left to right: Mutual Attraction, Insinuate, Marvel

MAC likes to push the envelope with the packaging of their holiday stuff, and they’re at it again.

Part of the MAC Passions of Red holiday 2008 collection, Fascinating Ruby doesn’t work for me the way that the elegant and edgy packaging of last year’s Royal Assets holiday collection did. Matter of fact, I think it’s a little corny, but who cares, right? I’m here for the makeup more than anything else.

And speaking of that, I like each one of Fascinating Ruby’s three plum lip shades. The set comes with two lipsticks, a gloss and a teeny, tiny lip brush.

I ended up ditching the brush because using it to apply product was like trying to paint with a needle, so I opted for my trusty MAC 316 covered lip brush instead.

Mutual Attraction gloss: A shimmery, reddish plum gloss. The silver glitter turns up the drama factor, but I think I’d like it more if the glitter were gold.
Insinuate lipstick: I love this cool pink-plum with subtle golden pearl and can’t wait to wear it with purple smokey eyes!
Marvel lipstick: A shimmery, deep magenta plum. My lip color really brings out the red in this lipstick. I bet it’ll be a nice option for when I want to wear red with a conservative look.

From left to right: Mutual Attraction, Insinuate, Marvel
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MAC Adoring Carmine 3 Rose Lips: A Pink Lipstick Double Play

October 26th, 2008 by Karen 40 Comments

The 3 Rose Lips set ($35.50) from the MAC Adoring Carmine holiday collection makes my pink lipstick-obsessed heart flutter.

Yeah, you might think the red patent bag looks a bit cheesy — it’s more dominatrix than happy holidays — but if you can overlook that, then this lip set is totes worth your attention.

What You Get: Pink-a-licious Goodness

To Swoon For: A creamy mauve pink lipstick in the MAC Glaze finish — thin and light on the lips and delivers light to medium coverage. Expect a natural pink lip flush.
Romancin’: A creamy magenta lipstick in the MAC Lustre finish. With medium coverage and a slightly thicker feel on the lips than the Glaze finish, Romancin’ reminds me of a perfect pink rose petal.
Delicate Crush Lipglass: A shimmery cool mauve pink. Delicate Crush was my least favorite of the three products in the set. By itself it looks milky and kinda sickly on my pucker; I think pairing it with a pink liner like MAC Pink Treat Cremestick Liner would make it much more wearable.

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MAC Little Darlings Sneak Peek!

October 25th, 2008 by Karen 27 Comments

For the holidays last year, MAC must have had Tootsie Rolls and time capsules in mind for the packaging of their Curiositease collection — six sets of mini lipglosses, eye pencils and pigments housed in elegant white cylinders with gold and silver accents.

This year, MAC revisits the giant Tootsie Roll with Little Darlings ($29.50 per set), scheduled to arrive November 16 as part of MAC Holiday 2008.

This capsule is hard to miss. Ya’ll know I love red, but the packaging feels a little cold to me. It’s modern — I’ll give it that.

Today I checked out two of the sets from the new collection: 5 Neutral Lipglass/Lustreglass (strange name for a set) and 5 Warm Pigments/Glitter.