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

It’s That Sweet Time of the Year, Essie: Essie Winter 2009

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 64 Comments

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“This season, I wanted to create a new set of classic, yet fun colors that are wearable on every skin tone.” – Essie Weingarten, Founder and President

YOU GO, E-Money, with your “I’m every woman” approach to nail color.

The shades in Essie’s Sweet Time of the Year Collection for Winter 2009 ($8 each) should flatter a rainbow of skin tones and appeal to a range of colorful personalities.

Which ones suit you?

Classic dames: If pearls, little black dresses and patent leather pumps speak to your soul, then try two rich coats of Lollipop, a creamy, candy-apple red.
Trendy types: Do you like life on the edge? Take a bite out of creamy Mint Candy Apple. Go for three layers with a base coat to avoid streaks.
Subtly sassy: A whisper of sheer, creamy pink’s just *so* quintessentially Essie. Wear Rock Candy when you’re in the mood for a dash of color. Try two coats for blinding shine with a hint of pink.

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Mariska Hargitay: Her Best Hair?

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

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With the craziness of my recent move and last week’s trip, I have *yet* to set up my TV, which means no Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler for me tonight, boo!

They star in one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Law and Order: SVU (SVU = Special Victims Unit; they investigate sex crimes and crimes against children). I’ve been watching the show for years. I adore the characters and the actors who play them, particularly Mariska Hargitay.

Mariska, born Mariska Magdolina Hargitay on January 23, 1964, comes from showbiz roots. The daughter of 1950s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, the beauty queen (she was Miss Beverly Hills USA in 1982, and was a fourth runner up Miss California) appeared in several popular ’90s TV shows, ER and Seinfeld among them, before landing her career-defining role on SVU in 1999.

Playing the dedicated, empathetic Detective Olivia Benson also inspired her real life effort to start Joyful Heart, a foundation which provides support to women victims of sexual assault.

And, get this — homegirl speaks five languages (English, Hungarian, French, Spanish and Italian)! SO COOL!

Can ya tell I’ve got a girl crush? 🙂

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Wings

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 9 Comments

Outside Harrah’s in Las Vegas.

Next Time You’re in Vegas, Eat Here

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 13 Comments

The sangria was just okay, but everything else at Dos Caminos restaurant in The Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas was worthy of a food-gasm. Order the guacamole for an out-of-body experience.

Brainstormers Unite! Maximizing the Sephora Friends and Family Sale

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

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Happy Hump Day, gals! Have y’all done any Sephora Friends and Family hauling yet (using code FF2009 for 20% off online purchases from now through November 2)? MBB reader DJ needs some help generating ideas. Can you help? 🙂

Hi Karen,

What with the friends and family sale happening at Sephora now, do you have any recommendations? I know the main things I’d like to stock up on, but there are little items, like a really good hand cream or brush set, that I’d love your input on. Thanks!

-DJ

Hi DJ,

Sure thing! Here’s a list of some of my Sephora makeup and beauty faves (en lieu of just saying, “I want everything in the entire store!”)…

Eyes

LORAC Front of the Line Pro ($22): Drawing crisp, dark lines is easy-peasy with this fantastic liquid pen liner.
Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner ($20): This black pencil liner applies smooth and dark, and the color stays put through sweaty workout, too.
Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten ($20): This pale pink shimmery cream shadow also doubles as a liner.
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara ($14): LOVE this mascara! It. Does. EVERYTHING â€” separates, thickens and lengthens â€” all while delivering loads of rich, glossy color (without the clumping), and it does it all while holding a killer curl.
Urban Decay Super Stash Glide-On Pencils ($36): Nine mini-eye pencils come in this holiday set.
Make Up For Ever False Lashes ($14): With over 50 styles to choose from, the Make Up For Ever Lash Bar has lashes for just about every occasion.

Cheeks

Benefit Coralista ($28): I love this shimmery coral powder.
Philosophy Lit From Within Cream Blush ($23): Not only does this cream blush apply and blend like a dream (I use my fingers), it stays put for hours on either bare skin or atop foundation.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite ($23): This finely-milled blush feel just like buttah and melts seamlessly into my skin.
~~NARS Blush in Mounia ($25): Mounia looks scary in its pan, but it actually delivers a bright yet natural, just-pinched flush.~~ (Note: Oops, Sephora no longer sells Mounia. Thanks to eagle-eyed MBB readers Angelica and Alyssa for pointing it out. Instead, consider NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo ($36) or NARS The Multiple Duo Orgasm/South Beach ($45).

Face

Stila Hydrating Finishing Powder ($32): This moisturizing powder feels light and weightless, and I can wear it all day long without feeling like I have makeup sitting on top of my skin.
Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper ($17): These travel-friendly blotting papers remove oil without disturbing foundation or having to add an extra layer of powder.
Korres Face Primer ($10): This lemon-scented primer keeps foundation and powder from settling into my fine lines, and I swear it makes my pores appear smaller.

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Burt’s Bees Aloe and Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer: A Natural Born (Germ) Killer

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

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Girldom Rule #3,654: Within any given group, there’s always at least one girl with an obscenely large bottle of hand sanitizer in her purse.

Homies, I’m one of those girls (bit of a freakshow when it comes to germs). 🙂

And if we were chatting over coffee, I’d be baptizing you in Burt’s Bees Aloe & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer ($5).

I blame it on the countless hours I’ve spent people watching. The fingers picking noses and cleaning ears, teeth and, OMIGOD, butts! — I done seen it all.

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Purell used to be my standby, but Burt’s stole me away. I think the liquid spray absorbs faster than Purell’s gel does, and it doesn’t leave a film.

My nose feels Burt’s also beats Purell in the scent department. It smells like fresh cut lemons to Purell’s overpowering vodka.
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Dior Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer HATES Dark Circles

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

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No joke, $31 DiorSkin Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer is expensive, but daaaaym, it works miracles on my Frankensteiny dark circles.

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It’s a liquid concealer that’s been part of Dior’s product lineup for a while now and comes in three shades (see colors below; Ivory 001, Beige 002 and Honey 003), each one packaged in a convenient easy-to-carry tube with a doe-foot applicator.

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Texture-wise, Dior Sculpt feels slightly thicker and less runny than other liquid concealers I’ve tried — airy, like it’s been whipped.

Not only does it cover my dark circles and skin imperfections, but Dior claims it also minimizes fine lines via something they call “new generation powders.” They also say it improves skin tone with “A-Resist complex.” Hmm…

So what’s up with all the fancy talk?

I’ve been using it in Honey for about a week so far and haven’t really seen any difference in lift and tone, but as far as dark circles are concerned, Sculpt does appear to do two things way better than other concealers I’ve tried.

Applies easily and doesn’t settle into fine lines

After a few hours of wear, concealers usually settle into the fine lines beneath my eyes, but Sculpt doesn’t. It looks natural, like I’m not wearing any product at all, and stays that way all day long.

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And it builds and blends like a breeze. Using the wand, I dot concealer directly beneath my eyes and blend with my fingers or a foundation brush. Badabing, badabang! Liberation from dark circles in less than a minute.

Testing 1-2-3

Sculpt proved her worthiness to me last week on my trip to Vegas. I didn’t get much sleep, so my dark circles were in full effect.
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Does Your Beauty Routine Change in the Fall?

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 32 Comments

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Mine does, for sure.

A few of the things I do when the leaves begin to fall…

I switch to richer moisturizers on my face and body (to compensate for moisture-sapping colder temps)
I wear darker lipstick colors and more frequent smokey eyes
I spritz on fragrances with heavier notes like musk and rose

How about you? Have you changed your beauty routine for fall?