Product Reviews

Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

January 17th, 2017 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel codes subtils — Wearing the new limited edition Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, $61 and available now

If you would, please direct your attention away from my hair for a moment (I know, it’s CRAY, but I just couldn’t deal with it this morning), and kindly observe my lids.

Don’t they look glossy and glowing in the best possible way? I think so.

That’s Chanel for ya.

Yeah, their eyeshadow quads are crazy expensive ($61, HOLY CANNOLI), but nobody does glossy glow like Chanel.

Well…Tom Ford gets pretty close with Nude Dip and Honeymoon, but they’re $82! In comparison, $61 for Chanel is practically a steal (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Behold the new Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, and brace yourself for all the lusty eyeshadow thoughts.

ALL. OFF. THEM. 🙂

Limited edition… Why?

It’s really annoying that this quad is limited edition (it’s part of the Chanel 2017 Spring collection). I wish it was permanent, because all of the colors — the pale seashell pink, golden taupe, golden brown and khaki taupe — go SO WELL with the pink, nude and coral lip colors I love to wear in spring and summer.

A fabulous finish

All of the shades have varying levels of age-appropriate shimmer and almost look like wet gloss. And they’re absolutely perfect for mature lids. This kind of glow won’t age you.

chanel codes subtils swatches — Swatches of Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

Easy-to-blend, potent pigments

I don’t know how or why (it might be a miracle), but I don’t think you really even need to know what you’re doing with these because, despite them being highly pigmented, they also have a blurring effect that makes blending them drama-free. You can practically swipe your tapered eye brush back and forth a few times, and forget about it.

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The New Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos, Part 2: Yeah, I’m Lovin’ These Lighter Shades

January 16th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

hourglass creator — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Creator, one of 20 shades in the new $32 Girl Lip Stylo line

How far would you go for the perfect nude lipstick? What would (or wouldn’t) you do? To what ends would you traverse?? Girl, because I know I’d go far! I’d wake up from a dead sleep at the witching hour, and THEN walk several miles, uphill, both ways, IN THE SNOW, to find a perfect nude lipstick.

I’m dedicated to mah nudes! And the one thing I want from them more than any other? — that they play nicely with my lip lines and don’t settle in them.

Well, that and that they don’t make me look half dead… You know what I’m talking about. Those nude lipsticks that wash you out, and make you look like a throwback to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video?

hourglass girl lip stylo part 2 — Batch #2 of the new $32 Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos (here was batch #1)

I’m so happy that this second batch of 10 new Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos — the nudes, pinks, peaches corals and browns — is just as smooth and pigmented as the 10 bolder, brighter colors we looked at the other day. They’re fantastic!

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The New Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos, Part 1: Shiner and Creamier Than the Femme Nudes

January 14th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

Good morning, glory! I was thinking last night after reading your comments on the last post that I may not need a treadmill very soon, since I’ll just be chasing the coywolf around the house all day long.

After I put her down last night, I made these easy “healthy” cookies. “Healthy” in quotes. But they’re actually pretty healthy. You take a cup of oatmeal blended in a food processor, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, two (super ripe) mashed bananas and 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips. Then, cook on a baking sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. Yum! We had them for dessert while we watched Hidden Figures, which was really good. I won’t mind if Connor decides that she wants to be a mathematician for SpaceX or NASA. ?

In other news…lip crayons are having a moment this spring, right? Chanel came out with a line of them, Clinique has their new Crayola Chubby Sticks, and now Hourglass has these $32 Girl Lip Stylo Crayons.

This post is a look at 10 of the 20 available shades (second batch coming up soon).

Do you remember the Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylos?? They came out a while ago… Well, these new Girl Lip Stylos have the same style packaging — a pointy tip and a twist-up lipstick in crayon form. I’m sure you’ve seen the same idea before.

How are the Girl Lip Stylos different from the Femme Nude Lip Stylos?

First off, the Girl Lip Stylos have a wider range of colors (and more bold shades), and they’re shinier (I’d call it a luster finish), slicker and smoother. The Femme Nudes have more of a satin finish, so they aren’t quite as shiny.

The Girl Lip Stylos are also creamier than the Femme Nudes — more like a MAC Cremesheen or a Chanel Rouge Coco Shine — so they have that slippery, balm-like texture.

Color and formula

Every single one of the 10 faintly vanilla-scented shades here (there are 20 shades total; stay tuned for swatches of the second batch soon) applies smoothly, and I only need a couple swipes because of how pigmented they are. None of them — not even the brightest of the brights or the darkest of the dark — settle into my lip lines or get jammed up in my flakes.

hourglass girl lip stylo activist — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Activist

hourglass girl lip stylo inventor — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Inventor

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Maybelline Spring 2017 Master Strobing Liquid

January 12th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

maybelline master strobing liquid swatches — Two of the three new Maybelline Master Strobing Liquids in Light/Iridescent and Deep/Gold

Maybelline’s new $10 liquid highlighter is some seriously hardcore disco frost! — and it isn’t for the faint of heart. No, these big bits of glitter are probably better suited for a crew heading to da club than a gang going to a playgroup.

I’d belong to the latter group, although if somebody started bumping Murder She Wrote at the playground — not gonna lie — I’d bust out the Butterfly, no shame (but I’d have to stretch first!). 🙂

Throwback to my clubbing days

I’m going to leave this product to the ladies who don’t have to deal with pores/fine lines/being over 40. If you’re interested, they’re $9.99 each and available in three super shimmery shades.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How’s it going tonight? I’m over here trying to find something to watch on TV… Got any recs? 🙂

Just in Time for the Spring Festival, It’s the MAC Chinese New Year Collection

January 12th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

Here’s something I learned today: Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on the same date every year. It varies! — because it’s tied to the lunar calendar…but it does always fall between January 21st and February 20th. (I think.)

Interesting, isn’t it? This year’s date is January 28th.

So happy early Gung Hei Fat Choy! 🙂

Here’s something else you may find interesting: the MAC Chinese New Year collection arrives today, and the packaging is gorgeous! (The boxes also feel velvety). Minor quibble, but I wish that MAC had done something with the design on the product themselves.

Ooh! It’s the Year of the Rooster. Maybe they could have coupled it with that.

Remember Year of the Snake?? They did those incredible pans with the snake design?

mac chinese new year eye palette — Eye Shadow X 9 / Year of the Rooster swatches from top to bottom: Print, Copperplate, Idol Eyes, Shale, Girlie, Honey Lust, Mulch, Wedge and Sweet Lust

Lots of old faves here

Most of the items in the 10-piece collection are re-promotes, like Russian Red Lipstick ($17, a MAC classic!), Fleur Power Blush ($23 and SO PIGMENTED), Rapidblack Penultimate Eyeliner ($21, and not my fave; the tip feels too stiff).

The Eye Shadow Palette X 9/Year of the Rooster ($32) has some of my all-time favorites, including Wedge, Honey Lust, Shale and Mulch.

It doesn’t take anything away from how good they are, but if you’re a MAC die-hard fan, there’s a good chance you’ve seen these colors before. You may even have them in your collection already.

mac chinese new year blush — MAC Chinese New Year blushes: Fleur Power (top) and Dame (bottom)

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Maybelline Spring 2017: Dream Illuminating Brightening Creamy Concealer

January 11th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

maybelline brightening creamy concealer swatches — From Fair to Deep, the new $7.99 Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealers

[whisper] I’ll admit it, when it comes to drugstore concealers, I’ve always been kind of a snob.[/whisper]

I blame it on my teenage years… I started out wearing mostly drugstore products (back in the ’90s), and I had SUCH a hard time finding face products, like foundations and concealers, that matched my skin tone.

It was a ROUGH time for tan girls back then, lemme tell you! Thank goodness we didn’t have selfies and Instagram back in the day, because I already have way too many Polaroid pictures of myself from that era with my face and under-eye area a completely different color than my neck.

Oh, and the drugstore formulas didn’t work as well as the stuff I’d find at the mall, so I’d be wearing concealer for like two seconds before it disappeared.

When it comes to drugstore face makeup, those were not the good ol’ days…

Fast forward to today, and Maybelline’s new $7.99 Dream Illuminating Brightening Creamy Concealer, which coms in six shades designed for the under-eye area.

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The Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks for a Comfy, Pretty Pout

January 10th, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

clinique crayloa chubby stick — Two of eight new Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks, $17 each and available now

What are the odds of Connor Claire getting into mommy’s makeup someday and thinking that these Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks are, in fact, drawing implements like actual crayons?

I place the odds at about 96.543%, give or take, LOL! Mark my words, I’ll be Instagramming some crazy-@ss wall art.

Seriously, though, how cute are these? They’re basically your standard-issue Clinique Chubby Sticks for Lips — same mega moisturizing, non-sticky formula and sheer color — but in super special Crayola clothing.

clinique crayloa chubby stick swatches — Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks in Pink Sherbert (top) and Mango Tango (bottom)

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Maybelline Spring 2017 Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons

January 10th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

maybelline baby lips playful purple — $6.99 Maybelline Color Balm Crayon in 40 Playful Purple

Baby lips, as in the lips of wee babes, are FASCINATING. They’re so smooth and perfectly pigmented, and completely lacking vertical lip lines. I can’t believe that I had baby lips once upon a time…

Well, other than these new ones from Maybelline. 🙂 They’re called the Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons, and they’re $6.99 each and new for spring in eight shades.

Ingredients

Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Malate, Petrolatum, Polybutene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Polyethylene, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Alumina, Silica Silylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Aroma/Flavor, Limonene and Silica

Are they moisturizing?

These are fairly moisturizing oil-based balms, but I wouldn’t whip one out if my lips were severely chapped. They would get the job done most of the time, but I don’t think they’re as hydrating as hardcore balms like Hourglass Lip Oil or Nuxe Reve de Miel.

maybelline baby lips color balm crayon swatches — Five of the eight shades Maybelline Color Balm Crayons, from the top: 05 Toasted Taupe, 10 Blush Burst, 20 Creamy Coral, 25 Refreshing Red and 40 Playful Purple

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