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

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter: A Different Kind of Herbal Essence

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I smell like parsley.

From head to toe, armpits to booty dimples: parsley. 🙂

Had it been my intention to smell like the herb, I might be looking at this jug of Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter ($15) differently.

I ordered it online with my 15% off Sephora VIB coupon sight un-smelled, assuming I’d like it as much as I liked Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom last month.

Unfortch, my body chemistry just doesn’t jive with it well. I like the way it starts — a lightly tropical mix of gardenias and baby powder like the fresh leis my mum-in-law gives when we visit her in Hawaii — but within half an hour it changes from tropic to tossed, as in tossed salad, with parsley.
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Givenchy Summer 2010 Swatches and Product Pictures

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Clockwise from left: Pop Gloss Crystal SUN in Island Guava ($25), Fleur de Frangipanier in Island Tan ($45), Le Prisme Mono in Island Lagoon ($29), Phenomen Eyes Waterproof in Water Black ($29).

Four pieces from the seven-piece Givenchy Summer 2010 collection, available at Sephora next month. Full review coming soon!

What do you think of the packaging/colors?


From left: Island Tan, Island Lagoon, Island Guava, Water Black

Write a Guest Post

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Write a guest post for Makeup and Beauty Blog

Why guest post?

If you think you might like to give blogging a try, have a bug for writing/photography or just want to get your name or website out there in front of more people (upwards of 400,000 visits/month), send me a note that describes your idea. I’m always looking for guest product reviews, makeup looks, tutorials, videos and tips.

Like these…

Here are just a handful of recent guest posts. If you’re interested, drop me a line. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It Wasn’t Hard to Fall for YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils

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Goodness, fellow dancing queens, today turned out to be a fantastic day for pigmented makeup. First the Benefit Ultra Shines and now Yves Saint Laurent’s new Eye Pencils ($28)? Fo’ serious, all of this pigment is making me want to shake my groove thing, shake me groove thing, yeah, yeah!

The 12 new pencils are reformulated versions of YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils. I never tried the original ones, but these new ones overflow with color. It’s almost enough to make someone forget about the $28 price.

YSL says that a wax adhesive they use in the formula makes the pigments more intense and helps them stay put for hours on skin.

They aren’t kidding. Each of the three colors I tried — Turquoise, Leather Brown and Velvet Black — won’t let go for nothing! They grab on those lash and water lines like they’re holding on for dear life, lasting the entire day with minimal fading.

  • Turquoise: like the name implies
  • Leather Brown a cool grayish brown with a matte finish; the color reminds me of MAC Concrete shadow
  • Velvet Black: a true black without any blue or green undertones


From left: Turquoise, Leather Brown, Velvet Black
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I Could Kiss Benefit for Bringing the Ultra Shines Lip Shine Glosses into the World

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Remember when Benefit discontinued their line of OG glosses last year? Man, that made me grumpy… Creamy purple Kiss Me was a staple o’ mine for years (I always wore it on first dates, heh!). The shade, pigment and non-sticky texture made it the stuff of lipgloss legend, and I’ve been mourning the loss ever since.

But Benefit didn’t leave us hanging for long. They promptly replaced the OG line with a new collection of super sheer glosses that I thought were a’ight, but they didn’t really make my heart flutter in that “I NEEDS IT!!” kinda way.


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