Estee Lauder’s Blue Dahlia Pure Color Nail Lacquer, $18.
I love how this color looks like calligraphy ink.
by Karen 7 Comments

Estee Lauder’s Blue Dahlia Pure Color Nail Lacquer, $18.
I love how this color looks like calligraphy ink.
by Karen 73 Comments

Do you ever just stop and stare up at the sky as it changes colors at dusk? As the day slinks away? Doesn’t it look like someone’s cranking up the saturation on everything? Okay, yeah, so it might sound kinda boring, but you gotta do it every so often.
Estee Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux says that’s the kind of light — the colors that emerge at the moment day turns to night — that inspired the company’s new Blue Dahlia collection (have you seen the 1946 movie of the same name?).

The punchy purples, electric blues, pale pinks, elegant taupes and juicy raspberries in the 16-piece limited edition release tell a tale of cool-toned colors for eyes, lips and nails.
Today I explored five of Blue Dahlia’s delights…
Both the Blue Dahlia Five Color Eyeshadow Palette ($42) and Sepia Sand Eyeshadow ($20) to my eye demonstrate how far Estee Lauder’s eyeshadows have come over the last few years, both in terms of color and quality. They strike me with a sharper edge than the EL of days gone by.
Despite how pigmented they are, these soft, smooth powder shadows could almost blend themselves. They’re everything I love most about what Estee Lauder has become — rich, classy and eminently wearable. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
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by Karen 83 Comments

Seriously, where would we be without our friends to show us the beauty light? I imagine we’d bumble our way through the beauty-sphere, eventually finding the best stuff on our own, but isn’t it nice when a buddy offers a heads up about something truly great (and cheap!)?
To wit: my pal Marisol recently turned me on to TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray ($5), and HELLO! — talk about bomb-@ss drugstore beauty finds.
I’d been seeing it on shelves for months but wasn’t compelled to give it a try until Marisol’s recommendation.
TRESemme designed the spray mist to protect hair from heat damage, to tame frizz and to add shine.
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by Karen 5 Comments
Flirt Rock-n-Rebel Eyeshadow Trios in Silver Rebel (left) and Pink Rebel (right), $15.50 each. Available next month at Kohl’s stores and kohls.com.

My body may not be as bootylicious as Beyonce’s (um, where can I buy her bum?), but my lips can now look almost as luscious as hers thanks to Beyonce’s Red, a new long-wearing lip color from L’Oreal.
It’s one of six shades in the new L’Oreal Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compacts sub-collection of long-wearing lipsticks, each one named after a different lovely star (overall, the Infallible collection contains more than 30 shades!).

If your pout would like to shine in Beyonce’s Red, this could be your lucky day.
It’s giveaway time!
(Winners randomly selected)
Five lucky ladies (or gents) will each win one (1) L’Oreal Paris Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compact in Beyonce’s Red, a vibrant, long-wearing red that veritably demands attention (a $12 value).

Beyonce’s Red

The packaging for the L’Oreal Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compacts

Strike a pose, B!
Just answer the following in the comments (no worries; there are no right or wrong answers):
“How do you feel about red lipstick?”
My answer: There’s a time and place for red lipstick, and at those times and places, red rules! It’s just so classy and polished.
The giveaway is open to US readers only. Please, one entry per person, and don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the comment form so I can reach you if you’ve won.
I’ll choose the winners at random from the entries received by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, July 30, 2010.
Good luck! ![]()
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 14 Comments

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Five Color EyeShadow Palette, $42. Part of the Blue Dahlia collection for fall 2010.
What do you think of the colors?
by Karen 51 Comments

Gross and ewww! Add this to the weird beauty product files — De Tuinen Snail Gel, a skincare product made from the slime of Chilean snails (!), supposedly softens, smooths and supports skin elasticity for a more youthful-looking you.
Apparently, these snails ooze a slime high in allantoin, a compound found naturally in most mammals (but not in humans). It’s an active ingredient in many over-the-counter beauty products for its purported moisturizing and exfoliating properties (it’s said to help loosen and shed the outer layers of skin).
Chilean snail farmers (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear often) first discovered the moisturizing power of the slime, and clinical tests have shown that snail secretions high in allantoin can, in fact, plump the skin.
For a mere £20.45 (about $32 US dollars), Britain’s Holland and Barrett, specialists in natural supplements and herbs, will send you your very own jar of snail goo. 🙂
Sorry, US babes — at least for the now, the company only ships to countries in Europe.
For the record, I am totally grossed out by snails, slugs and other slimy things, but I’d probably try almost anything in the name of beauty science.
Well, I don’t know about that. I keep picturing snail butts…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 44 Comments

Snooki from MTV’s The Jersey Shore is probably the last person I want to be quoting, but girlfriend’s signature catchphrase perfectly describes my feelings for Boots No7 Cheek Tint in Peach Silk ($10).
“WAAAH!”

My heart gave itself over to Peach Silk from the very first swipe. One of three Boots cream blush colors, it had me at hello, but ’twas a love not meant to be (more on that in a sec). So easy to blend and effortless to apply, it’s a matte peach that I think makes me look like I’m actually blushing, and I’d hoped we’d have many great makeup adventures together.
But trouble started brewing a couple of hours into our first date…
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