Product Reviews

New From Hourglass for Summer 2017: The Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes and Two New Shades of Ambient Lighting Bronzer

April 19th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

hourglass ambient strobe lighting blush bronzer — There’s a new line of Hourglass single pan blushes for summer and two new shades of Hourglass bronzer (available now online and coming soon to stores)

I think we should start a petition to promote ice cream ? as a legitimate dinner option. Because why not? It’s got protein and…calcium. It’s totally real food.

Thanks, Hourglass, for giving me an ice cream ? craving. All I can see when I look at these new bronzers and blushes from Hourglass is ribbons of caramel in rich chocolate. Mmm…

A new line of Hourglass blushes and two new shades of bronzer

Hourglass has some new things for summer, yay! This is epic news for me because they’re one of my all-time favorite high-end brands. Their products are pricey, but they work amazingly well, and they’re BEAUTIFUL. The brand carries things that you just can’t find anywhere else (like the Ambient Lighting Blushes and their Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks).

Now there’s a new line of super shimmery blushes (although we have seen them in a palette before) called the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which are $38 each and available in four shades, and two new $50 shades of Ambient Lighting Bronzer, bringing the new total up to four.

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (left) and Euphoric Fusion (right)

hourglass iridescent flash brilliant nude strobe lighting blush — Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes in Iridescent Flash (left) and Brilliant Nude (right)

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Guerlain Happy Glow Pearls of Powder

April 14th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

Picture it: a crisp Easter morning. The windows are open, the finches are chirping, and the bees are buzzing. The sun is up and bright in the sky.

How cool would it be to wake up on Easter morning and find a jar of Guerlain Meteorites Happy Glow Pearls of Powder ($74) in your basket beside the jelly beans and Cadbury Mini Eggs (yum!)? I’d be like, thank you, Easter Bunny!

(Side note: you can have the marshmallow ? Peeps. Frankly, I don’t want anything to do with ’em.)

You gotta admit, there is something a little Easter Eggy about this packaging…

These happy pink, peach and purple pearls are actually a color-correcting face powder. All you do is you swirl your brush in the jar, then apply all over your face to even out any redness.

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#MACxLarLarLee and #MACxGabrielZamora Lipsticks: Online Exclusives Coming April 20th

April 14th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

mac larlarlee — #MACxLarLarLee Matte Lipstick, an online exclusive coming April 20th

MAC is back in the #collab #influencer game, and this time they’ve partnered with 10 YouTube and Instagram influencers on a new line of 10 limited edition online exclusive international lipsticks launching in different countries over the next few months for $17 each. If you want to track them all down, you might have to make friends in the UK, Canada, Brazil, the Middle East, France, Germany and Australia.

Here in North America, the two Lipsticks launching are Matte LarLarLee and Satin Gabriel Zamora, collabs made with YouTubers Laura Lee and Gabriel Zamora.

They arrive online April 20th.

Laura and Gabriel both have full-on glam makeup styles, but I really like that they created lipsticks that can work well with dressed down (more my style lately) or super glam looks.

Laura Lee

Gabriel Zamora

Matte Lipstick in #MACxLarLarLee

Warm palish nude beige #MACxLarLarLee Matte Lipstick is the matte-est of the mattes on my lips. It reflects absolutely NO light, which gives it a very high fashion/editorial Vogue-ish look, I think.

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The New MAC Extra Dimension Blushes in Telling Glow and Faux Sure

April 13th, 2017 by Karen 24 Comments

mac telling glow faux sure — MAC Extra Dimension Blushes in Telling Glow and Faux Sure

UPDATE!

Well, more like a part deux…or an addendum, if you will, to last week’s Extra Dimension post. You might remember that there’s a new line of blushes and highlighters in the exquisitely soft and long-lasting Extra Dimension formula now at MAC counters and online, and these two blushes, Telling Glow and Faux Sure, are the ones I was waiting to swatch.

Ooh! So worth the wait. Aren’t they beautiful?

mac telling glow faux sure swatches — Telling Glow (top) and Faux Sure (bottom)

Bright coral Telling Glow (which also has golden pearl in it) and pinkish mauve Faux Sure (haha, love that name) both have warm, subtle terra cotta undertones, and I think they flatter the heck outta toasty caramel-colored cheeks. My fellow tan babes, you’re gonna want to get these ASAP!

mac telling glow — Telling Glow, a bright coral

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The New MAC Min Liu Pearlmatte Powder…and Thoughts on the Min Liu for MAC Makeup Bag and Brush Bag

April 13th, 2017 by Karen 19 Comments

mac min liu first waves closeup — MAC Min Liu for MAC First Waves Pearlmatte Face Powder ($40)

I’ve been staring at this pan for 10 minutes, and now all I can see is a red crescent moon with a milk mustache…

Clearly, someone here needs more ?? sleep.

This pretty pan is MAC Pearlmatte Face Powder in First Waves from the new MAC Min Liu collection.

mac min liu first waves — MAC Min Liu for MAC First Waves Pearlmatte Face Powder ($40)

You probably know how face powders like this work. You mix all of the colors together, brush the blend on cheeks, and go about way, gleefully taking names and kicking butt.

This pan, though, has an unexpected melange of shades. There’s a pearly red, a pink and a grayish beige.

Wait — did she say “grayish beige”?

Yes, yes she did.

Question for you: would you put a grayish beige on your cheeks?? I tell ya, I didn’t think I would, but then I mixed the shades together, and put it on anyway.

To test.

mac first waves — First Waves (I’m an NC42)

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Tarte Make Believe In Yourself Collection for Spring 2017

April 13th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

tarte make believe in yourself spring 2017 collection — Time to unicorn yourself…with Tarte

Unicorns at Coachella!?

Yes, unicorns. ?

If you and I were wandering around Coachella — and, in this scenario, I would be completely clean and devoid of all mud/dirt, because I ain’t got time for dirty feet — and we happened upon a secret set where Katy Perry was performing acoustic versions of all of her songs for an audience of unicorns, I would hope that we’d be wearing the new Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Spring 2017 Collection.

tarte fairytale — The Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Fairytale, Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette and Tarteist Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter in Sparkler

Why?

Because it was made for unicorns. And festival life. At least that’s the impression I get based on the preponderance of shimmer, rainbows and glitter. And the bright green matte lip that whispers “fairy forest.”

As I think we’ve touched on before (LOL), unicorns are having a moment in makeup right now. Yes, lots of second grade Lisa Frank dreams are coming true (including mine, haha), and I think it’s unicorn-credibly fun.

Highlighter heavy

This is a highlighter heavy collection, for sure. In terms of highlighting, there are three $29 liquid highlighters (Tartiest Pro Glow Liquid Highlighters in Exposed, Stunner and Sparkler) and a $30 powder highlighter (Spellbound Glow Rainbow Highlighter) with four mixable pastel shades in the same pan (combined they create a cool-toned white gold).

There’s also a duochrome powder highlighter in the $40 Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette that flashes from pink to gold.

These are the kind of highlighters that will make your cheeks beam with more shimmer than color, since all of them are subtle variations of beige or gold.

tarte make believe in yourself eye cheek palette packaging — That’s a big palette

Love the Rose Gold Glitter Liner

Surprisingly, the thing I ? love the most in this entire collection is actually the Rose Gold Glitter Liner ($24). One end has a metallic rose gold liquid liner, and the other has a rose gold liquid glitter liner, and when I swipe either end along my lash lines, my eyes look outrageously open and wide awake. It goes really well with warm matte browns like the matte brown in the Make Believe in Yourself Cheek & Eye Palette, which is super soft and easy to blend.

Wearing the Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Festival, Rainbow Highlighter in Spellbound, Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette and Tarteist Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter in Sparkler

tarte make believe in yourself swatches 1 — Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette

tarte make believe in yourself swatches 2 — From the top: the Rainbow Highlighter in Spellbound Glow; Tarteist Pro Glow Liquid Highlighters in Exposed, Sparkler and Stunner; Glitter Liner in Rose Gold; and Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Festival and Fairytale

Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette, Matte Lip Paints and the Magic Wands Brush Set

I feel that the metallics in the Eye & Cheek Palette are chunky and difficult to feather. The shimmers are easier to blend, but I do have to put on a few layers to build up the color.

It’s a fun palette…but I don’t think it’s as earth-shattering as the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Vol. 2 palette, which, I kid you not, shook me to my core…

The $20 Tarteist Quick Matte Lip Paints are super opaque (yes!), but they make my lips look dry (bah!). And I was surprised by how much I like the green shade, Festival. It’s definitely more fun than I thought it would be.

tarte make believe in yourself quick try matte lip paint — Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Festival (left) and Fairytale (right)

Lastly, I think the brushes in the $39 Magic Wands Brush Set are so cute AND functional. I like the soft brush heads, but the long unicorn horn handles are a tad tough to maneuver.

Watch your eyes around those pointy ends…

tarte magic wands brush set — Magic Wands Brush Set

tarte make believe in yourself quick try matte lip paint ingredients — Tarteist Quick Dry Lip Paint ingredients

tarte make believe in yourself glitter liner rose gold ingredients — Tarteist Pro Glitter Liner in Rose Gold ingredients

tarte pro glow liquid highlighter ingredients — Tarteist Pro Glow Liquic Highlighter ingredients

tarte spellbound glow rainbow highlighter ingredients — Rainbow Highlighter in Spellbound ingredients

tarte make believe in yourself eye cheek palette ingredients — Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette ingredients

The verdict

What a fun collection! There’s lots of shimmer, though, and light-catching finishes, so you have to be fine with that. If you have an interest at all, definitely don’t miss the Rose Gold Liner, and, if you can, try on that green liquid lipstick. 🙂 I think you might be surprised by how much you like it.

tarte make believe in yourself spring 2017 collection boxes — Packaging fit for a unicorn

The collection is available now on Tarte counters (and wherever ? unicorns are found) for a limited time.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

These NYX Faux Whites White Eyeliners Have a Hint of Exquisite Color

April 12th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

White eyeliner is not your foe; it’s your friend!

Well…in the case of NYX’s Faux Whites tinted eyeliners, it is your faux, but it’s spelled f-a-u-x, not f-o-e, as in your sworn mortal mean girl enemy.

Semantics. 🙂

These soft $7.99 pencil liners are available now in eight lightly tinted pastel shades made for brightening your eyes. You can line your lids with them, or wear them along your lower water line or in the inner corners (or all three ways if you’re feeling sassy).

nyx faux whites swatches — From the top: Mintcream, Vanilla and Honeydew

The colors aren’t incredibly distinct, and they aren’t immediately easy to tell apart. Like, I can’t even tell if I’m wearing the mint, baby blue or the yellow liner unless I look very closely, but the hint of tint does make them a little little less stark than a pure white liner.

And their primary purpose, after all, is brightening, not adding color.

Ingredients
(Linen)

Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Silica, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Alumina, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate / Polyhydroxystearate / Sebacate. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140)

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These Bite Beauty Lip Pencils Have Bite!

April 11th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

bite beauty the lip pencil 1 — MWAH! Kisses!

Dang, these Bite Beauty Lip Pencils ($18 each) have serious swag! Shoot, I haven’t been a lip pencil person since on/around ’97, back when I rocked dark purple liner on the daily (unblended, of course), but I guess I’m finally over that trauma, because these pencils? They’re doing things to me! 🙂

Where do I start?? They feel light and glorious, glide across my lips and don’t tug at all. Plus, they last all day long and, unlike so many other lip pencils out there, they don’t dry out my lips. I’d almost call them borderline hydrating.

They just might be the most comfortable lip pencils I’ve ever worn.

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