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

Don’t Gloss Over Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick

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Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick review

Is it a liquid lipstick or a gloss? Since Korres bills Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick ($22) as — you guessed it — a lipstick, why does it look (and feel) so much like a gloss?

Not that I’m complaining.

At. All.

Ultra smooth and non-sticky, these vibrant, long-lasting lippies have a smooth, slick texture and shiny finish, no matter what they’re called.

Are these really liquid lipsticks, or are they more like gloss? It’s a mystery, like Speidi (are they or aren’t they together?), or why McDonald’s Happy Meals never decompose.

Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick reviewOne way they’ve got typical liquid lipsticks beat HANDS DOWN is in the way they feel on my lips — comfortable, moist and light.

Launched exclusively at Sephora earlier this summer, all five colors contain antioxidant-rich raspberry and pomegranate, but they don’t contain parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, pthalates or GMOs.

Today I went with a layer of Natural on my lips. It’s a warm rose with a glossy finish, and I like how lightweight, thin and slick it feels.

After putting it on around noon, I puttered around the house and ran a few miles on the treadmill. Three hours after applying it, Natural was still going strong. Pretty darn good for a product with such a thin consistency.

Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick review
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Saturday Surfing

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OMG, ladies! I’d hoped to spend a relaxing evening last night painting my toenails while watching the latest ep of Project Runway, but that was before Parsons changed from a design school to Off-Broadway theater! I mean, I might have to stop watching the show before bed! Seriously, that’s how intense it got. Did you watch it? It went from Casanova having a breakdown during the challenge (“I should just design for old lady slut flamenco dancers!”) to the routinely refined Tim Gunn putting the humiliating smack down on the Lord of the Flies losing team for letting Gretchen “manipulate” them. I literally leapt off the couch and raised the roof: “Tim, yer the man!”

I was so wound up after watching it that I couldn’t get to sleep until well past midnight. Consequently, I slept in a little later than usual even for a Saturday; hence the late Saturday Surfing. 🙂

As for the rest of my day, other than some cleaning around the house, it’s w i d e open. I might try to go see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this afternoon… Have you seen it? I wonder if it’s any good.

It’s a little late in the day for surfing (the tide’s out), but would you like to catch some e-waves with me?

Random Bright Spots

New in Beauty

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! Keep smilin’!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Milani Bare It All and My Friday Night Pedicure

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Milani Bare It All Swatches
Milani Bare It All Polishes clockwise from bottom: Teddy-Bare, Bare With Me, Bare In Mind, Bare To Wear, Bare Necessity, Truth or Bare

Aloha nui loa (new ee low ah), ladies. pink hibiscus

Translation: Very much love.

My in-laws left to return to Hawaii early this morning, and Tabs, El Hub and I were so sad to see them go.

I can’t lie, though… I’m exhausted. After two exciting weeks filled with good conversation, I’m looking forward to just quietly going to bed early (after watching the latest Project Runway while I paint my nails, of course).

What were your Friday plans? Did you live la vida loca tonight?

After the past two weeks, I need a little break from excitement, so I think I’ll paint my nails with something subtle, like one of these colors from Milani’s limited edition Bare It All collection ($4.50 each).

I think the six polishes, which come in shades of pink, peach, taupe and gray, really suit my current mood. Since I have some nail swatching to do tomorrow, I’m only going to paint my toes tonight, and I could use your help choosing a color.

Which one’s your favorite?

Milani Bare It All Swatches in Bare to Wear, Bare in Mind and Bare With Me
Swatches from left: Bare to Wear, Bare in Mind, Bare With Me

Milani Bare It All Swatches in Teddy-Bare, Truth Or Bare and Bare Necessity
Teddy-Bare, Truth Or Bare, Bare Necessity

Which Milani Bare It All polish do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I Like NARS Pure Matte Lipstick, as a Matte-er of Fact

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nars pure matte review

You know what they say, right? You can take the girl out of the ’90s, but you can’t take the ’90s out of the girl.

Well, I’ve never actually heard that before…but wouldn’t it make an awesome fortune cookie?

Back in the day matte lipstick was my BFF, and I always had at least one in my little black backpack (gawd, remember those?). I loved the look, but dangnabbit those old school matte formulas made my lips dry and flaky!

After all these years, I still love matte lips, and now with uber-moisturizing formulas like the one in new NARS Pure Matte Lipstick ($25), matte lips can be comfy, too (think spaghetti strap dress/baby-T combo, circa 1995).

Available in six shades with spectacular geographic names — Volga (a deep aubergine), Bangkok (a soft rose), Tonkin (a plum), Tere De Feue (a blackish cherry), Tashkent (a nude beige) and Vesuvio (a bold red) — the unscented, unflavored line conditions lips with hydrating vitamin E, wild mango butter and acai oil.

All four of the ones I’ve kissed so far feel smooth and soft on my lips. The texture’s considerably thicker than the similarly packaged MAC Mattenes (which I happen to like a lot), but isn’t as slick/slippery.

Lipstick Tips from Francois Nars

  • For a modern matte look, choose a lip color close to your natural skin tone, or pair a darker lip color with simple face makeup
  • For full, hard-to-miss lips, go with an audacious color spruced up with a dab of gloss or shimmer applied in the middle
  • Use lip liner to fill the shape of your lips, but make sure you blend out any obvious edges
  • Avoid over-applying your lipstick; the more you wearing, the heavier it looks (and, interestingly, the quicker it wears off)

nars pure matte lipstick swatches review tonkin
Tonkin
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Could EZface Kiosks Change the Face of Drugstore Beauty?

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EZFace

Whenever I come across a new drugstore makeup morsel, I follow a familiar routine.

With the prospective product in hand, I’ll track down a reflective surface in the store (like the edge of a nearby shelf), and hold the item up to my face to gauge how the color might look on my skin.

Admittedly, it’s a rather unscientific approach…

Since most drugstores don’t provide open testers for products, beauty shoppers are often left to guess based on how products appear through their unopened packages.

But the times, beauty lovers, are a-changin’! Drugstore retailers like Wal-Mart have begun testing new technology that could help.

The new EZface Inc. “virtual mirror” lets ladies (and gents) see how beauty products might look on their skin without actually having to try them on (kinda like Daily Makeover’s Makeover Studio in a box).
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Two Ways to Win MAC Dare To Wear Eyeshadow in Crazy Cool

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Question for you ladies: do you ever feel a little crazy? How ’bout cool?

If you ever feel a bit of both — and happen to like purple eyeshadows — today’s giveaway promises to rock ya boat. 🙂

The Prize

One lucky lady will win MAC’s Dare to Wear Eyeshadow in Crazy Cool ($14 value), a highly pigmented pale frosty lavender.

How To Enter…

2ways2enterEntering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

  1. First, you can enter by retweeting (RT) the following message:

    Follow @karenmbb and RT to win MAC Eyeshadow in Crazy Cool from the Dare to Wear collection http://bit.ly/bD5Y0n

  2. Second, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all — describe your plans for the weekend, tell me the name of the last lipgloss you wore, or dish about the cutest boy (or girl) at work.

    What’s the last lipgloss I wore? A MAC all-time fave, and I wore it today — Nymphette Lipglass. I’ve worn it often over the years. I swear, if MAC ever discontinues it I’d FREAK OUT!

  • Oh, yeah. International folks and readers living overseas, please feel free to enter. The giveaway is also open to y’all. Entrants everywhere, however, must be at least 13 years of age or older.

Recap…

  1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
  2. Retweet the following message on twitter:

    Follow @karenmbb and RT to win MAC Eyeshadow in Crazy Cool from the Dare to Wear collection http://bit.ly/bD5Y0n

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, August 27.

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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