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

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

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Seeing $6 Goody Spin Pins in Action: Bobby Pins Beware!

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goody spin pin review

G’mornin’ and happy Thursday, ladies! Following up last week’s thought provoking and in-depth examination (haha!) of Goody Spin Pins ($6 for a pack of two), here are some pictures of these marvelous little pins in action.

Two of these can take the place of 15-20 bobby pins! Here’s what I’ve been doing when I wear them:

First, I spray Bumble & Bumble Styling Lotion ($23) on my dry hair to give it some hold (any similar styling product would work). Then, I twist the hair into a bun and screw one Goody Spin Pin through the top and another up from the bottom of the bun.

goody spin pin review
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I’m Holding on to Calvin Klein Beauty Eau de Parfum

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This is probably gonna sound strange (what else is new?), but I like to just hold this bottle of Calvin Klein’s new Beauty ($65 for a 1.7-oz. spray) in my hands while I go about my day. It’s oddly comforting, in a gigantic glass talisman or Magic 8 Ball sort of way.

Beauty’s a warm, spicy floral with notes of lily, jasmine, ambrette (a musky plant from India) and cedar. I think the lily gives it a crisp, invigorating edge that keeps the spicier cedar and musk from taking the scent straight to the boudoir.
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Fred Farrugia Makeup Is Driving Me Matte!

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Wearing Fred Farrugia Semi Matte Lipstick/Matte Lip Powder Duo in 06 in lips and Pearlized Creme Eyeshadow/Twinkle Cream Eyeshadow Duo in 02 on eyes

Heya, princess of power. Who needs a He-Man when we’ve got Fred Farrugia? Here’s a closer look at a few of his products, including the modular makeup we talked about the other day.

Shout it with me now, “I HAVE THE POWER!!!”

SEMI MATTE LIPSTICK/MATTE LIP POWDER DUOS

The Semi Matte Lipstick/Matte Lip Powder Duos in 04 (a matte red) and 06 (a matte hot pink) are really rocking my world. This probably won’t come as a surprise, but each one comes with a creamy semi-matte lipstick and a pigmented lip powder. 🙂 Fred designed them to be used together. Using either fingers or a lip brush, apply a layer of the cream lipstick first, patting the matching lip powder directly on top. The result? A vibrant, highly pigmented, long-wearing matte lip look.

I can’t believe how easy these are to apply (I used my fingers in these pics). They’re non-drying and hang around all day long, even withstanding She-Ra sized meals! I just wish they weren’t so blasted tough to remove (not a big problem, though)… Good ol’ Kirkland wipes can’t take ’em down, but Clinique Take the Day Off Balm can.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

POWDER BLUSH IN 07

Another standout: Powder Blush in 07. It’s like a darker, more intense NARS Orgasm (a shimmery golden peach). The pigment in this peach does NOT mess around. The color leaps onto brushes that get anywhere near it, and even a small amount delivers a pretty flush. Skin also agrees with it, lapping it up like a sponge. But a word of caution: it’s so intense, SO VIVID, that it can be a little tough to control. My mantra’s been dilute, dilute, dilute!
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-

PEARLIZED CREAM EYESHADOW/TWINKLE CREAM EYESHADOW DUO IN 02

If you like the way you look wearing glossy eye creams, you might really dig the Pearlized Creme Eyeshadow/Twinkle Cream Eyeshadow Duo in 02. It comes with a shimmery purple and a glittery gray, both of which deposit lots of pigment and shine. I must say, I love how easy they are to blend and apply, but neither one lasts very long on my skin. And they move around A LOT, making their way into creases almost as soon as they’re applied. I see them probably working better as bases for powder shadows than as standalone eyeshadows. I guess they just like having company. 🙂
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

fred farrugia makeup review lip pink closeup
Semi Matte Lipstick/Matte Lip Powder Duo in 06
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I Can See Right Through the Too Faced Leopard Love Complexion Perfection Kit (And I Like What I See)

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too faced leopard love palette review

I swear, this is just the coolest thing ever. As people, we get a lot of great makeup released specifically for us, so it’s refreshing to finally see a major cosmetics company like Too Faced release a palette designed specifically for cats! — BIG cats no less.

Okay, not really. To clarify, you do not have to be a leopard or even a cat lady who loves leopards to love the Too Faced Leopard Love Complexion Perfection Palette ($30). You do, however, probably have to be a girl who likes super sheer color.

Too Faced released it a while back with some other goodies for fall, but I only recently started wearing it out.

It comes with three different powder products — a bronzer, a blush and a brightener — and one of them’s already a star. The brightener, which goes by the name Pink Leopard, happens to be a big bestseller from the brand as a member of the permanent line, but the other two products are new — otherwise known as “previously undiscovered species of cats.”

Pink Leopard: a shimmery golden brown with the faintest hint of pink
Candy Leopard: a shimmery pink
Peach Leopard: a semi-matte peachy brown

The palette’s designed to be a one-stop color/contouring/highlighting shop for girl cats of all skin tones.

too faced leopard love palette review back

too faced leopard love palette review box
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What Are Your Favorite Imperfections?

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‘Cause a face without freckles is like a sky without the stars…

Last night I was listening to this song by Natasha Bedingfield called Freckles, and it got me thinking about all of the little imperfections that make each of us unique.

Some of mine actually bothered me growing up, but I’ve grown to love them now, like the little dent in the middle of my forehead (a chickenpox scar), and how my left leg is about half an inch shorter than my right.

Hey, don’t laugh! It’s a great conversation starter. 🙂

What are your favorite imperfections?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This BETTER Work

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I picked this Eyestick Express Solution Fatigue Eraser thing-a-ma-bobber last week on a whim while I was at the Sephora store in Milan.

The product deets:

“The FATIGUE ERASER stick instantly refreshes and rejuvenates the contour of your eyes at any time of day. It is also enriced with light-reflecting pigments, giving you rested and shining eyes in a single action!”

I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna take a lot more than a stick balm to revive my tired @ss, but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed!

These New Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liners Live Exclusively at Sephora

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benefit creaseless cream shadow swatches review purple snap tidal wave silver spoon

I feel like I’ve been robbed of a Tuesday afternoon. Seriously, where’d it go? One minute I’m playing with a few of the new Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liners ($19 each; exclusive to Sephora), and the next minute it’s dark and I hear crickets outside!

benefit creaseless cream shadow swatches review purple snap tidal wave silver spoon back

Maybe I was just having so much fun finger painting my lids that time got away from me.

I know I’ve gushed over Benefit’s Creaseless Creams many times before. I’m like a broken record with them, “Benefit Creaseless Creams! Benefit Creaseless Creams!” Sorry. It’s just that I like ’em that much.

More on the Benefit Creaseless Creams…

And now with Purple Snap, Tidal Rave, Silver Spoon and Icy White showing up at Sephora, I better warn you — I’m going to do it again!
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