Product Reviews

Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balm

August 20th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

too cool for school artify max in pocket 1 — $12 Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

“Girl, you are lookin’ FLY today in those dope-@ss earrings.”

These are the new $12 Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms from Too Cool for School. They’re available in three shades, and the one I’m wearing is #2 Pink Pink.

too cool for school artify max in pocket k2 — HAAAAY

I wore these everywhere yesterday, and I got SO MANY compliments on my jewelry…

Haha, totally kidding. 🙂 But far be it from me to deny one’s inner diva urges to over-accessorize. I LIVE to over-accessorize.

Cute in a “DAMN, is that cat rockin’ a monobrow?!” sort of way, the Too Cool for School Artify Max In Pocket Lip Balms are actually lip glosses.

too cool for school artify max in pocket 2 — Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

[Continue reading…]

Dior Parisian Sky Eyeshadow Palette #506

August 19th, 2016 by Karen 17 Comments

Hair flips ? and air kisses ??? to reader Tatiana for pointing out to me that the design on the pans in the new Dior Parisian Sky Eyeshadow Palette look like the frame of the Eiffel Tower’s arches.

Seriously, how did I not see that??

Actually, wait — I know how. I’ve had a sh*t ton on my mind lately! And there’s only so much space up there between the makeup and the cats and the crawling, teething baby…

Hoh! But Dior’s attention to detail is a surefire recipe for lusty-lust.

First things first, feel free to call me whatever you want — whether it be “hoarder of all the brown shadows” or “neutrals, sucka!” or “last person on earth who needs another palette of earthy golden browns.” Seriously, call me whatever colorful nicknames you can come up with to describe someone who loves browns because…what can I say? I love browns. 🙂 And this palette doesn’t have just one or two of them. It has three, and they make me wanna do the Snake, and the Robot, and the Running Man. At the same time.

THEY ARE RESPLENDENT!

I mean, who gets emo about browns? THIS CHICK RIGHT HURR.

dior parisian sky swatches — Dior Parisian Sky swatches

Even though I like them both equally, I think I’ll get more use out of this palette than the purple-powered Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806 we looked at a few days ago.

There’s a dark warm reddish brown that looks like an eyeshadow version of MAC Teddy liner; a glossy, medium golden brown similar to a supercharged version of MAC Soba eyeshadow; and a light and juicy peachy gold brown.

All three glow with Dior’s signature finish that goes easy on the fine lines, and they feel smoother than the sound of LL Cool J whispering “I need love” in yo’ ear…

I mixed all three of them on my lids for a smoky brown eye fest today.

Oh, and FYI, that darkest brown shade? It’s SO not playin’.

[Continue reading…]

Get Glossy Gorgeousness AND a Creamy Finish With the NARS Velvet Lip Glides

August 17th, 2016 by Karen 32 Comments

You know what happens when you say to Siri, “Yo, Siri, take me to the nexus of liquid lipstick and gloss!” and you hop into your Honda Civic (that you lovingly refer to as “Murray”), and Siri keeps saying nonsensical things like, “Keep right, then keep right,” and even though you’re thinking, “Siri, you WACK, girl,” you listen to her anyway, because you have a feeling that you’ll still end up someplace good?

And then you roll up to this little slice of NARS heaven known as the NARS Velvet Lip Glides, and you think to yourself, THANK YOU, LAWD, FOR HOOP EARRINGS, PIZZA SLICES AND THE NEW NARS VELVET LIP GLIDES?

nars velvet lip glide doe foot — The NARS Velvet Lip Glide doe-foot

Yup, NARS did it again.

Just plunge an arrow — and don’t even bother with the bow — straight into my makeup-loving heart, because these liquid lipsticks (Or are they glosses? It’s hard to tell…) are true love. Like, I could dance with them at a wedding, and I’d see our entire future together.

nars velvet lip glide danceteria — Wearing NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Danceteria

Basically, these are… Honestly, I can’t figure out how to classify them. They feel like medium-weight, non-sticky glosses similar to the MAC Cremesheens, but they pack a lot of pigment and look like liquid lipsticks…except that they have a creamy finish, so they don’t dry up like liquid lipsticks, which means that your lips don’t end up looking like a cat butt. 🙂

They start off moderately shiny and stay that way for about an hour before wearing down to a soft matte finish. I find that I usually have to reapply them after about three hours.

nars velvet lip glide bound — Wearing NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound

[Continue reading…]

Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806

August 16th, 2016 by Karen 43 Comments

You can tell that your to-do list has exploded when you LOVE wearing smokey eyes — and it’s a love so massive that it makes stars collapse on themselves — but you can’t remember the last time you actually wore them.

Was it June? Wait, no — July?

I honestly can’t remember.

But I had to go there today when I opened the Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806.

THAT KHAKI THOUGH!

It’s from the new Dior Fall 2016 Skyline collection.

But before I get to that…how’s it going? I miss you. 🙁 What’s new in your neck of the woods?

I’ve still had my face buried in that secret project I mentioned last week (was it last week?), and it’s been taking up most of my non-Connor Claire time. But now it’s almost, almost done.

Almost.

I’m putting the finishing touches on it, and I’m very excited. I’ve never done anything like it before.

But it has been taking a lot of time, so I haven’t had a lot of time left to experiment with makeup.

Except for this limited edition Dior palette, of course. I found the time for this palette. 🙂

I’m wearing a mix of the khaki shade and the gold shade on my lids with the dark purple on my lash lines as liner. And I also dabbed a tiny touch of the beige in my inner corners.

As for the price, it’s Dior, so brace yourself… It’s $63 (it’s Dior), and if you can stop your hoop earrings from quivering due to the sticker shock right now, take a second to admire the flawless Dior shimmer. I think it’s one of things the brand always does well.

[Continue reading…]

Guerlain Terracotta Pause d’Eté for the Crème de la Crème of Bronzing Bad-@ssery

August 11th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

I don’t know which is more breathtaking — the intricate braided design on the Guerlain Terracotta Pause D’Ete Bronzing Powder Duo pan or its breathtaking price.

$86.

I KNOW.

Both are equally able to knock the wind out of you.

When I think of high-end, crème de la crème bronzing bad-@ssery, Guerlain is the first brand that comes to mind (Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder Duo in 03 Naturel Brunettes is always in my makeup bag). Whenever I wear their easy, effortless, beautifully buttery bronzers, I feel like I’ve been kissed by the sun…even when I haven’t spent any time in it.

Unfortunately, they’re also expensive.

This summer their Terracotta Pause d’Eté bronzer pan has three powder parts — a brown powder ring of Guerlain Terracotta shade in 03, and a golden braided overspray (which blends away after a few uses) surrounding a peachy blush center.

Mixing the three together creates a warm peachy brown with a hint of golden pearl that reminds me a little of MAC Gingerly Blush, which is probably why I’m into it. I’ve been into barely-there cheek color lately (it’s a phase), but you can build up the intensity.

[Continue reading…]

This Hair Towel Will Change Your Life: The Awesome Aquis Hair Towel Is Now at Sephora

August 10th, 2016 by Karen 30 Comments

I had to do the math — not once, but TWICE. Has it really been seven years since I discovered the amazing-ness that is the Aquis Hair Towel?

Holy yikes!

The one I got back in 2009 as a gift from my friend Jen is still going strong (I just used it last night, as a matter of fact), and to this day, I use it all the time.

I’m so devoted that it comes with me on trips, and if I forget to bring it, I freak-the-eff-out. It’s not just a hair towel… It’s a way of life!

Anyway, I’m excited because now my favorite hair towel is available at Sephora.

It used to be that I could only find them at Bed Bath & Beyond, but now when you roll up to replenish your favorite blush or grab a new liner, you can also drop one of these Aquis towels into your little basket and thus change your life. Ploop!

Once I started using it, I couldn’t go back. It’s a supernaturally absorbent hair towel made with a special microfiber fabric that sucks the living crap out of every water molecule in wet hair.

I have long hair, and at its longest, it takes — I’m not kidding — about three hours to dry if I let it air dry after using a regular cotton bath towel. But when I use the Aquis, it takes half as time. Plus, my hair looks less frizzy and even breaks less! The fabric is much smoother than a regular bath towel and doesn’t tug on or rough up my hair cuticles as much.

[Continue reading…]

What’s Nude From bareMinerals? The New Gen Nude Lipsticks, Lipglosses and Lip Liners

August 3rd, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

bareminerals gen nude — Some lusicous lip treats from the new bareMinerals Gen Nude collection

Unsolicited advice of the day
Next time someone asks you to send them some nudes…

Keep your clothes on (generally, this seems to be a good idea).
Send them a pic of the new bareMinerals Gen Nudes lipsticks, lipglosses and liners instead. It’ll be hilarious, I tell ya (well, at least you and I will be laughing, hahaha!).

This one’s a MASSIVE 60-piece lippie release of products bound for the bareMinerals permanent line, including 20 Matte Liquid Lipcolors ($18 each), 20 Radiant Lipsticks ($20 each), 15 Buttercream Lipglosses ($18 each) and 5 Under Over Lip Liners ($16 each) in a bashful-busting array of nude mauve, pink, peach and beige shades.

That’s A LOT of lip nudity, and even if you’ve never found your perfect nude pout before, you might find it here.

bareminerals gen nude buttercream lipgloss — bareMinerals Gen Nude Buttercream Lipglosses in Snarky, Popular and Far Out ($18 each)

The non-sticky, moderately moisturizing bareMinerals Buttercream Lipglosses feel heavenly on my lips, but I could have done without the Red Vines aroma (I’m not a licorice fan) or the faintly plastic flavor, which brings back major memories of the old-school NARS glosses, but both the fragrance and flavor fade quickly, so I can deal.

bareminerals gen nude lip liner on point — bareMinerals Gen Nude Under Over Lip Liner in On Point ($16)

[Continue reading…]

NARS, You’re a Peach for Introducing 6 New Shades of Radiant Creamy Concealer

August 3rd, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

I like eating peaches…and I like wearing peach-toned under-eye concealer.

What does this have to do with NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer?

Well, the whole “eating peaches” bit has absolutely nothing to do with it. I’m just super obsessed with peaches right now, and I got a huge box from Trader Joe’s last week, so I’ve been in peach heaven.

But the thing about peach-toned concealer is marginally related, because NARS just added six new Radiant Creamy Concealer shades to the line, and a couple of them have peachy undertones, woo-hoo!

Back when NARS first released their creamy, full-coverage Radiant Creamy Concealers, it shook up the makeup world. A lot of peeps fell in love (myself included), because of how good they were/are at doing so many things.

And they completely cover everything.

EVERY. FRICKIN’. THING.

Yet somehow still look natural.

nars radiant creamy concealer swatches 1 — From the left, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Vanilla, Creme Brulee (NEW) and Canelle (NEW)

[Continue reading…]