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

MAC A Rose Romance Collection: What Would You Get?

April 10th, 2009 by Karen 52 Comments

mac a rose romance

Ring around the rose-y, MAC’s pocket full of posies!

Read on to catch a whiff of their latest collection, A Rose Romance, before it goes on sale April 23.

The 23-piece color collection for cheeks, lips, eyes, face and nails draws inspiration from different hues of roses — how romantical!

From the promo pics it looks like it offers plenty for ladies who love cool toned violet, pink and plum makeup.

I lurve purples and pinks.

I think it’s time for another installment of WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

I’ve broken the collection down into four groups — 1) Cheek, 2) Eye, 3) Lip and 4) Mixed Bag. Each group features makeup from MAC’s new A Rose Romance collection.

Choose the one group you’d most like to take home with you, and let me know in the comments.

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Essie Summer 2009: The Neon 2009 and North Fork Collections

April 10th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

essie-neon-summer-2009

For summer 2009, Essie’s delivering some non-traditional colors in their two new collections — one focusing on blues and the other on brights.

Coming soon: Neon 2009

I’m *really* looking forward to the April 15 (the wait is taxing my patience) arrival of Neon 2009.

The release looks like an extension of last summer’s jaw-dropping Neon collection (LOVED IT!), which was all about bright and funky.

Neon 2009 introduces four colors: Flirty Fuschia, Funky Limelight, Perky Purple and Punchy Pink ($8 each). I cannot wait for these colors to drop … especially the YELLOW!

Now available: North Fork Collection

essie north fork collection summer 2009

Neon won’t be here for a few days, but there’s no need to wait for Essie’s North Fork Collection because it’s out now. Somebody pass me a little black backpack, a spaghetti-strap dress and a white baby T because North Fork has me feeling very 1995.

The hot polish that year was Hard Candy’s Sky. A creamy baby blue nail, Sky looked unlike any other shade available on the nail scene, and women went NUTS for it.

And while none of the three blues in Essie’s North Fork ($8 each) are an exact match for Hard Candy Sky, I bet they drew a little inspiration from it.

Shelter Island: a creamy, light azure blue
Sag Harbor: a shimmery light grayish blue
Greenport: a creamy, light cerulian blue with hints of green

essie north fork shelter island summer 2009

essie north fork sag harbor summer 2009
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Biodome!

April 10th, 2009 by Karen 4 Comments

You won’t find Pauly Shore inside (thank goodness).

Under the Sea

April 10th, 2009 by Karen 2 Comments

I never really wanted an aquarium until I saw this one.

Do You Always Wear a Base Coat with Your Nail Polish?

April 10th, 2009 by Karen 33 Comments

essie first base base coat

Base coats, like the Essie First Base ($8) shown above, act like primer for nail polish, ensuring better adhesion of polish to the nail. Not only does that mean a more uniform application of color, but it means a longer lasting mani or pedi that’s slower to chip.

Other reasons to use a base coat

Base coats with certain proteins, Aloe vera, vitamin E and/or calcium can strengthen nails that are brittle and dry and reduce splitting and peeling.
Dark nail polishes like blues, blacks and bright reds can stain the nail and seep into the nail bed. Applying a base coat may prevent that from happening.
A base coat provides a hint of shine, and when used properly (base coat, color coat, top coat), the shine lasts even longer.

Sounds good, right?

Then why don’t I use one all the time, LOL? I wish I could say that I always take the time to apply a base coat, but I don’t. It’s a step I’ll skip if I’m feeling lazy or rushed, which is about half the time.

As a matter of fact, before my visit to the Lippmann Nail Bar last year, where I got a rundown on base coats from an accomplished polish pro, I used to skip the step entirely.

When you do your nails, do you always take the time to use a base coat?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Laura Mercier Bohemia Collection: Swatches and First Impressions

April 9th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

laura mercier bohemia collection

After checking out the new MAC Dazzleglasses this morning, I swung by the Laura Mercier counter for a quick look at Bohemia, her new color collection for cheeks, eyes and lips.

It was rainy and gloomy outside, but Bohemia’s shimmery bronzes, blues and corals made my Thursday feel like a clear summer day.

The shades evoked memories of lazy days spent lounging on Waikiki Beach with El Hub. I could almost smell the salt water and suntan lotion in the air…

Laura Mercier Bohemia collection display

laura mercier bohemia collection mediterranean sea eye mosaic
Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic
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MAC Doubledazzle Dazzleglass: Swatches and First Impressions

April 9th, 2009 by Karen 32 Comments

mac doubledazzle dazzleglass utterly posh and extra amps
From top to bottom: Extra Amps, Utterly Posh

Hey, hey, MAC fans. Take a minute (I won’t tell your boss) to peep some pics of the Dazzleglass lipglosses from the Double Dazzle collection.

It features 18 shades of MAC’s most glittery lipgloss, Dazzleglass ($18 each). If you’re all about blinged-out lips like I am, something is bound to catch your eye.

MAC included a couple of re-promoted colors from last May’s Dazzle Glass release (here’s a complete listing of last year’s colors) along with some new shades.

My nearby MAC counter only had 13 of the 18 colors, but I took swatches of the ones they had on hand.

What do you think of these? Glitter much?

mac doubledazzle dazzleglass sugar rimmed goldyrocks smile
From top to bottom: Sugarrimmed, Goldyrocks, Smile