Product Reviews

MAC Jade Jagger Collection: A First Look

December 8th, 2017 by Karen 22 Comments

If your name is Jade and you become a jewelry designer, it’s kind of like destiny telling you, “HA! I told you so!”

British jewelry designer Jade Jagger, daughter of Bianca and Mick Jagger, a.k.a. daughter of rock royalty, has a limited edition MAC collaboration launching December 14th, and you guys…IT’S GORGEOUS.

mac jade jagger collection — Everything in the collection is from the MAC Mineralize family.

MAC Mineralize eyeshadows, face powder, blushes and lipsticks

There are three Mineralize Rich Lipsticks ($25 each), two Mineralize Eye Shadow X 4 quads ($46 each), a Mineralize Skinfinish powder ($33) and two Mineralize Blushes ($28 each), all with something called “Multi-Mineral Complex,” which is MAC-speak for “something that adds color to the face without looking heavy or powdery.”

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Keep Calm and Centered With the Relaxing, Redolent Aveda Shampure Line

December 7th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

There are so many redolent reasons to wander into Aveda, like the teas…

Oh, my gosh! — every time I walk in there and someone’s like, “Would you care for some tea?” I’m like Billy the Kid with how fast my had whips out for that cup. YUM!

But one of the best reasons to visit Aveda is their Shampure line. If you like lavender, peppermint and basically anything that smells herbal and earthly, I think you’ll love it. I know I do.

It’s a line of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body oil, and they also have a body mist now, all in the same scent, which is a potion of 25 pure plant and flower essences to soothe your senses.

The strongest notes to me are lavender, peppermint and ylang-ylang, which is a white, tropical flower from the Philippines (woo!), and they smell so cozy, calming and wintry together.

This is a great time of year for it. I love it.

aveda shampure composition oil — I really like this real-deal body oil for uber-dry legs.

The Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner ($14 each for decent-sized 8.5-oz. bottles) are my favorite things in the line. I use them once every other week as a clarifying set for my roots and my strands because they completely — like, I’m not kidding — get my hair squeaky clean.

Shampoo Ingredients:

Aqueous (Water\Aqua\Eau) Extracts\Extraits Aqueux:Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract , Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate , Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate , Lauramidopropyl Betaine , PEG-6 Cocamide , Dimethicone PEG-7 Isostearate , Babassuamidopropyl Betaine , Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Hydrolyzed Brazil Nut Protein , Wheat Amino Acids , Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil , Glycerin , Tocopheryl Acetate , Ascorbyl Palmitate , Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , PEG-30 Castor Oil , Polyquaternium-7 , Sodium Sulfate , Fragrance (Parfum) , Geraniol , Linalool , Citronellol , Limonene , Sodium Chloride , Polysorbate 80 , Sodium Gluconate , Maltodextrin , Potassium Sorbate , Sodium Benzoate , Phenoxyethanol , Annatto (CI 75120)

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Brilliant Nude Blush

December 6th, 2017 by Karen 40 Comments

When some people think of brilliant nudes, they might think of Venus de Milo or the statue of David… I think of a blush from Hourglass, LOL! Brilliant Nude Strobe Lighting Blush by Hourglass, you guys, is so, SO good, especially if you love a fresh-faced look where your cheeks glow without looking overdone.

Can’t-miss fresh-faced color that isn’t obnoxiously obvious

It’s the same effect you get from NARS Madly Blush or the Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Trio, you know, where you have a hint of color, a whisper of shine, and your face and skin look livelier and peppier, like you just took a brisk walk or somebody sneaked up and started tickling your ribs.

Your cheeks will have that beautiful flush! That’s what you get from Brilliant Nude.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Peachy amber mixed with a shimmery highlighter

Brilliant Nude is a peachy amber blush mixed with a gorgeous golden shimmery highlighter. It’s one of the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which is the blush family in the Hourglass permanent collection that has a more obvious and visible highlight (there’s also the Ambient Lighting Blushes, like the shade Diffused Heat, which are great, too, but they have a quieter highlighting effect).

Not to say that the Ambient Strobe Blushes like Brilliant Nude have an obnoxious highlight. Ya know, it’s Hourglass, they handle their finishes with a very refined touch. It’s softly reflective and luminous, but it isn’t metallic or garish or harsh, so women of all ages (and pore sizes!) can wear it.

A healthy glow on all shades of skin

When you mix the highlighter and blush together you have that perfect combination of color and shine that’s just a little something but not too much. I’m a tan gal, an NC42 in MAC, but I’ve seen this on both lighter and darker ladies, and it’s beautiful across the board. On lighter skin, you get more of the blush effect. On darker skin, it functions more as a highlighter, but in either case cheeks have a healthy flush and glow.

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Getting to Know Kat Burki: The Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream and Retin-C Treatment Complex

December 6th, 2017 by Karen 21 Comments

kat burki vitamin c intensive face cream — Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream ($60, 1-oz.)

Everything I’ve ever smelled from Kat Burki makes me crave green juice like right NOW. I’m smelling the Vitamin C Face Cream and Retin-C Complex at the moment, and… Hold on. Must make self something in blender now…

BRB.

Spinach + cucumber + apple + lemon + pineapple

Cold processing

Ah! I’m back. I don’t know what it is about these products.

Actually, I think I do know what it is…. They smell so effing fantastic and fresh. They’re manufactured using something called “cold processing,” where the ingredients are heated to no more than 120 degrees, which is supposed to keep the nutrients intact. It’s like raw food skin care.

No synthetic fragrances, fillers, silicone, parabens, sulfates or petrolatum

Does it actually make the products more effective? Hard to say, but after using two of them for a few weeks, my face feels fab. It’s happily hydrated, and I think my skin tone looks slightly more even. Also, every time I rub one of the products into my skin, I really do get a hankering for a green smoothie, but I digress… The products smell fresh and raw, almost like someone whipped up a bunch of skin care in my kitchen and poured it into a jar.

High-end natural

I’ve been using the Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream, which is $60 for a 1-oz. jar, and the Retin-C Treatment Complex, which is $165 for a 1-oz. bottle with a pump.

Cray expensive, right?! Kat Burki products are pretty pricey for green and natural, similar to Sunday Riley, Tata Harper and Kristine Holey + Marie Veronique.

So what is the $165 Retin-C Treatment Complex?

Let’s start by talking about this, just because I can’t believe it hasn’t irritated my skin at all in three weeks.

See, that’s amazing to me because I’ve started and stopped quite a few retinol treatments because they were too aggressive for my combo skin. My skin would hurt, so I’d get discouraged and quit using them, but this one is so gentle.

Ingredients

KB5 Complex (Arnica Montana (Arnica), Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender), Calendula Officinalis (Calendula), Matricaria Recutita (Chamomile)), Hamamelis Virginiana Water (Witch Hazel), Cassia Angustifolia Seed Extract (Botanical Hyaluronic Acid), Dimethyl Sulfone (MSM), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (Borage), Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil (Tamanu Oil), Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil (Flax Seed Oil), Oenothera Biennis Oil (Evening Primrose Oil), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba Oil), Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil (Grapeseed Oil), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe), Rovisome Retinol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Propolis Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract (Horsetail), Geranium Maculatum Extract (Geranium), Taraxacum Officinale Extract (Dandelion), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol (Preservative, less than 1%), Ethylhexylglycerin (Preservative, less than 1%), Natural Fragrance, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene

kat burki retin c treatment complex — Kat Burki Retin-C Treatment Complex

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10 Things You Need to Know About the MAC Patrick Starrr Collection

December 5th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

10 Things you need to know about the new MAC Patrick Starrr collection

It’s a 12-piece MAC makeup collab with makeup maestro and fab YouTube phenom Patrick Starrr.
Patrick Starrr used to work for MAC as a makeup artist and a sales associate in Orlando, Florida. Now he’s a social media ?.
He’s known for his ultra glam, more-is-more makeup looks and his “makeup is one size fits all” philosophy.
Lippies $17.50 each, Lipglasses $17 each, Lip Pencils $17.50 each, Eye Shadow X 4 $32, Set Powder $35
Limited edition and coming to all MAC locations and online starting December 14th, 2017
The Patrickstarrr Glam AF quad has one new shade (frosty soft peachy pink Omigaud) and three re-promotes from the permanent line (satin creamy beige Brule, matte golden orange-brown Saddle, and matte reddish brown Embark)
Same goes for the Patrickstarrr Goalgetter quad! Old-school faves/repromotes: frosty peachy brown Amber Lights, matte golden peachy brown Soft Brown, and matte reddish brown Swiss Chocolate. ~~New shade:~~ I’m Into It (a matte dark reddish brown) [UPDATE: Thanks to reader Tasha for letting me know that this is a repromote].
Patrick’s Powder (the loose powder) is like a 50/50 blend of MAC Set Powder in Invisible and MAC Set Powder in Peach, and the finish is matte and completely flat.
The Patrick Woo Lipstick is warmer and more yellow than O.G. MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick.
Every time I typed the word “Starrr” in this post, I had to stop and count the number of R’s. One, two, three! STARRR!

?Note to younger self… Dear Patrick, You are so special. Please stop crying and being hard on yourself. Don't worry about your weight and what others think. Keep your friends close and your family closer. Your family loves you very much, they're only trying to protect you from the bullies and hate in this world. You will make a mark one day and you will be so very happy. One day you will live in LA, travel the world and make your dreams come true… dream big and work hard, I promise. Remember, life opens up when you do. I love you.❤️ Xoxo, PatrickStarrr #MACPATRICKSTARRR ps. Why you dressed like a pastor tho…

A post shared by patrickstarrr (@patrickstarrr) on Nov 10, 2017 at 6:38pm PST

mac patrick starrr eye shadow packaging — So glam!

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A Quick Intro to the Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Collection

December 5th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

Shitaki, portabello, crimini — GIRL, can we just talk about my favorite mushrooms for a minute? (My favorite ones to eat.) I’ve got a small box of organic criminis waiting to be added to an omelet for lunch, yum!

None of these mushrooms have anything to do with the Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief line…but maybe that’s a good thing, because if they did we’d be here talking about truffles (mmm, truffle mac and cheese) for days.

The Mega-Mushroom line

The Origins Mega-Mushroom line is a collection of cleansers ($31 each), a toner ($34), serums ($48-73) and moisturizers ($66 each) for sensitive, dry and red, irritated skin, and, if you’re curious, no, they do not smell like mushrooms.

Essential oils

The three products I tried (the Face Cleanser, Micellar Cleanser and Soothing Treatment Lotion, which is basically a toner) smell lightly of lavender, which I guess isn’t a surprise, since lavender oil is one of the ingredients, along with other essential oils, like orange and patchouli (FYI, I’ve listed the ingredients of the products I’ve tested at the bottom of this post).

Reishi mushroom

The star ingredient, though, is a mushroom called reishi, or lingzhi mushroom, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine for healing and longevity, and it’s supposed to soothe red, sensitive skin.

I know this because Origins has this kick-@ss plant finder for all of the botanical ingredients in their products on their website.

The last time they revamped their packaging, they also revamped their entire approach to the line. Now they place plant-based ingredients front and center, kinda like Aveda does, and they list all of their ingredient on the website, which is SO helpful. It lets you get to know their products on a deeper, more practical level.

So, who’s this Dr. Weil dude, anyway?
He’s an author and celebrity doctor known for championing a healthy lifestyle and alternative medicine, and he donates the profits from the line to the non-profit Weil Foundation, which promotes integrative medicine, or the combination of alternative medical treatments alongside conventional medicine.

Moisturizing

I haven’t had any sensitive, red patches lately (knock on wood), so I can’t assess how well these work to reduce redness and sensitivity, but after steadily using them for three weeks, I can say that my combo dry/oily face is content with the high level of hydration, and the products haven’t triggered any breakouts yet.

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The Kevyn Aucoin Neo Trio Palette

December 5th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

kevyn aucoin electropop — Fresh, effortless cheek color and dimension from the Kevyn Aucoin Neo Trio Palette

There’s something about magnets, man. I like stuff that sticks together, like the Fenty Beauty sticks and these Kevyn Aucoin powders in the $58 limited edition Neo Trio Palette on counters meow.

You can stick them together and take them apart like puzzle pieces, which is totally my thing (El Hub is not into puzzles at all, which is crazy to me)!

kevyn aucoin neo trio — Each of the three pans in the Neo Trio Palette contain 0.25 ounces of product; one full-size pan from KA’s permanent line is 0.75 ounces, so you get a good amount of product.

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The NUDESTIX Nude(art)ist Creator’s Palette Has a Few Stories to Tell

December 4th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

I could happily spend an entire day (or night!) with a good book on my couch, just reading and reading for hours on end, and maybe that’s one of the reasons I love things that have a good story behind them, even makeup, whether it’s an entire collection like Chanel’s Travel Diary, or individual items with catchy backstories, like the pencils in the NUDESTIX Nude(art)ist Creator’s Palette ($59).

nudestix creators palette — Six new nude limited edition shades in the long-lasting Magnetic Matte Lip Color formula

It’s a little funny to me that this is called a palette, because the cute tin actually contains a set of six new full-sized LE shades of NUDESTIX Magnetic Matte Lip Color, the brand’s line of creamy, smooth long-wearing waterproof — I wanna call them liquid lipsticks — lip crayons.

The Magnetic Mattes are three-in-one liquid lipsticks/lip pencils/lip stains, and they last me anywhere from six to nine hours.

Each of the colors in the Creator’s Palette was developed by a different social media influencer, and every one has a story behind it, like matte dark chocolate brown Joyce, which was created by Instagram artist @cydbee, whose first memories of makeup are of her mom putting on her favorite chocolate brown lipstick.

I think that’s so sweet!

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