Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Does the New Kerastase Paris Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm Prevent Hair Color from Fading?

March 9th, 2011 by Karen 42 Comments

Good morning and happy hump day, babe. 🙂 Just a quick heads up for the cuties with color-treated hair and the silicone-free product enthusiasts out there.

Luxury line Kerastase Paris has come out with a pricey yet promising new shampoo. It’s called Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm ($42 for a 6.8-oz. bottle), a low-foam cleanser designed to gently clean without washing away hair color.

Kerastase claims, among other things, that their low-foam, low-friction “Color Protect System,” a mix of a mild cleansing agent (1/4 of the recipe) and a deep conditioning agent (the other 3/4), smoothes the surface of each hair, preventing color pigments from escaping.

They suggest using it for the first three shampoos following a color service, and then alternating every other wash with your regular shampoo.

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Benefit Introduces 3 New Hello Flawless Powder Shades

March 8th, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

Benefit Hello Flawless

Thanks to Benefit, flawless skin is about to get easier for gorgeous gals with medium and dark skin tones. The line is expanding the shade range of their Hello Flawless SPF 15 Powders ($34 each; arriving on counters this May) with the addition of three new colors.

If the line is new to you, these pressed powders are designed to be layered. What I Crave (a toasted beige for medium skin tones), I’m Haute For Sure (an amber for dark skin tones) and Too Fierce to Beg (a nutmeg, also for dark skin tones) are perfect for everything from light veils of color dusted on with a brush, to heavier applications pressed on with a sponge (like, to disguise imperfections and blotchiness — hey, we’ve all been there). And they make it easy to get as much, or as little, coverage as you need.

Benefit Hello Flawless three new shades
New Hello Flawless shades from the left: Amber, Nutmeg and Toasted Beige

Benefit Hello Flawless swatches
Swatches from left: Amber, Toasted Beige and Nutmeg
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Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

March 8th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Tabs napping/snuggling with a few of his favorite MAC products.

Vera Wang Preppy Princess

March 8th, 2011 by Karen 2 Comments

Not gonna lie — I fell in love with the new Vera Wang Preppy Princess scent because of the cute bottle ($60 for a 1.7 oz eau de toilette).

The official fragrance notes sound almost good enough to eat: tangerine, red apple, crushed berries, honeysuckle, jasmine, sensual woods and coconut water.

Nom, right?

Next Stop: NARS 413 Bleecker Street

March 8th, 2011 by Karen 31 Comments

nars 413 bleeker pure matte lipstick on karen of makeup and beauty blog

Well get my plaid shirt, hoop earrings and clunky Timberland boots, because the second I slipped on the new NARS 413 Bleecker Street Pure Matte Lipstick ($25), I felt like I’d just stepped out of a hot tub time machine set for 1995.

It was the Clueless decade, when Alicia Silverstone, Sugar Ray and little black backpacks were En Vogue (just like the group!). Colors like this matte rosy brown were all the rage. I remember wearing a similar shade to countless (boring) college lectures on organic chemistry and physics.

nars 413 bleecker pure matte lipstick closeup product photo

This new NARS shade (I’m trying to find out if it’s permanent or limited edition) was created exclusively for the recent opening of the company’s first flagship store in the West Village at 413 Bleecker Street in New York City, and, at least for now, the store is the only place you can get it.

But if you’re nowhere near the Big Apple, you can still get your paws on a tube without having to haul your cookies to NYC. One of the store’s makeup artists (Hey, Marco!) tells me they can take credit card orders over the phone. U.S. shipping will set you back $8 and takes between 5-7 business days. The store also ships internationally, but those fees will vary. Marco suggests stocking up on other products while you’re at it, you know, to get more bang out of the cost of shipping.

If you’re interested, the number to call is (646) 459-2323.
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Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow Swatches and Remarkable Self-Restraint

March 8th, 2011 by Karen 86 Comments

G’morning and happy Tuesday, friend. I was feeling kinda blah yesterday afternoon (been cold and rainy here), so I stopped by Sephora for a little pick-me-up.

In a somewhat shocking display of self-restraint, I managed to make it out of the store with just one thing — Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Strut ($19), a shimmery charcoal gray.

I’ve been meaning to bring it home for a while but just never got around to it. I bet she’ll look cute (and we’ll know soon enough) worn with a couple of my favorite Creaseless Cream go-to girls, Skinny Jeans (a shimmery pewter) and Birthday Suit (a shimmery chrome).

And since I was already at the store, I figured, “Why not swatch all of the Creaseless Creams?” 🙂

benefit creaseless cream shadow swatches in tattle tale, rsvp, birthday suit and get figgy
Swatches from the left: Tattle Tale, RSVP, Birthday Suit and Get Figgy
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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

March 7th, 2011 by Karen 76 Comments

Oui, oui, cherie, I’m wearing colors from the Essie French Affair collection — shimmery blue Coat Azure on my fingers and creamy purple Nice is Nice on my toes. 🙂

Essie French Affair
Coat Azure and Nice is Nice

Coat Azure

essie nice is nice swatch
Swatch of Nice is Nice

How about you — what are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick in Candide Tangerine: A Modern Twist on Retro Orange

March 7th, 2011 by Karen 73 Comments

givenchy rouge inderdit in candide tangerine on karen of makeup and beauty blog

Um, did I really just spend 20 minutes dancing around my living room to Biggie’s Juicy?

Yes, I did (I suspect you aren’t surprised). 🙂

And why did I do it?

Givenchy! Candide Tangerine, their newest lipstick color, makes me REALLY wish I could rap. If I could, I’d spit a few bars about how downright juicy it is.

givenchy rouge inderdit lipstick in candide tangerine
You know very well who you are…

Imagine pieces of peeled tangerine dipped in concentrated Hawaiian Punch. THAT’s how intensely pigmented Candide Tangerine is.

I’m wearing two layers for opaque coverage in these pics; a single layer produces more of a stained look.

Reddish orange Mad Men lips have been popping up like Technicolor prairie dogs lately, but for this Givenchy went a different route. Instead of making it an old-school matte a la MAC Neon Orange, which I’m wearing in these pics here (from the Stylishly Yours Collection), Givenchy gave it a glossy, shiny finish. I like it both ways, but I think the shine makes Candide Tangerine look a little more modern.

givenchy rouge inderdit in candide tangerine swatch
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