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

Dior Lady Dior Spring 2009 Makeup Collection: What Would You Get?

January 6th, 2009 by Karen 29 Comments

McLurvely alert! The 2009 Lady Dior spring makeup collection arrives next month, and I’ve been drooling all over the pics.

Earlier today I remembered a game my BFF and I would play when we were kids. It was called What Would You Get?, and whenever one of us would get a catalogue in the mail (hello, no internets), we’d flip through the pages, picking out one thing we’d each get if we could.

Are you ready for WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to spend $200 in virtual makeup bucks on the Lady Dior Spring 2009 makeup collection! Let me know what you’d get in the comments. 🙂

I love the $95 cheek and lip palette, with it’s oh-so-cute quilted compact.

Choose from any of the items from the collection…

Eyes

5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in Parisian Lights, $56.00
5-Colour Eyeshadow in Elegante, $56.00
2-Colour Eyeshadow in Nude Look, $35.00
Crayon Eyeliner in Elegant Taupe, $26.00

Lips

Rouge Dior Lipstick in Rita Beige, $28.00
Rouge Dior Lipstick in Actress Chestnut, $28.00
Dior Addict High-Shine Lipstick in New Look Beige, $26.00
Dior Addict High-Shine Lipstick in Couture Pink, $26.00
Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Trenchcoat Beige , $25.50
Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Ribbon Beige, $25.50
Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Clutch Pink, $25.50
Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Satin Pink, $25.50

Nails

Dior Vernis in Porcelain, $20.00
Dior Vernis in Nude Chic, $20.00

Cheeks

Lady Dior Palette in Parisienne Chic or French Chic, a complexion highlighter and a creamy tint for both cheeks and lips, $95.00

Those quints are calling my name…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Burt’s Bees Radiance Travel Kit, aka Adventures in Mini

January 6th, 2009 by Karen 16 Comments

Dude, am I the only person who thinks the Burt’s Bees line kicks arse? I love their lotions, hand soaps and lipglosses, and I’ve had my eye on some of their fancy Travel Kits for a while.

I. LOVE. SAMPLE SIZES, and these travel kits are chock full of ’em. Those mini-bottles and jars make it easy to discover new products from a line without having to commit.

Case in point: the Radiance Collection Kit ($15), which I sampled last week.

It comes with seven mini-items from the Radiance Collection, a body care line featuring products containing royal jelly (a nutritious substance eaten by queen bees in the hive) to restore glow to dull skin: Radiance Exfoliating Body Bar, Exfoliating Body Wash, Body Lotion, Day Creme, Night Creme, Eye Creme and Lip Shimmer.

I liked everything in the kit, but my favorite product turned out to be the one I least expected to like — the Exfoliating Body Bar.

Scented with rose and freesia, she foams up like crazy and leaves my skin feeling clean without that annoying tightness some cleansers can cause.

I figured out that it also works fab as a shave cream, too (I have hairy Yeti legs…).

I was able to try a product I may otherwise not have tried and now may even spring for the full-sized $4 bar. 🙂

Burt’s Bees Radiance Collection Kit

Price: $15
Use: Seven sample-sized body and bath products from the Burt’s Bees Radiance Collectionn
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Whatever happened to Lil’ Ceaz?

I’m almost too ashamed to admit that I still know the lyrics to Crush on You, by Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Ceaz (“I know you see me on the video, TRUE!”).

Raise your hand if you remember being in a club when this song played. It always made everyone go NUTS! Ahhh… memories.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Watch out Sonia Kashuk! Here Comes Eco Tools

January 5th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

Drugstores aren’t always home to great makeup brushes, which is why Sonia Kashuk took so many of us by surprise.

But Sonia’s not the only one making superb yet affordable makeup brushes. Say a warm hello to Eco Tools and their fantabulous 5-Piece Brush Set ($10)!

They’re the softest drugstore brush heads I’ve ever used, even softer than Sonia Kashuk’s. That, coupled with the great price, makes this kit (which includes four travel brushes and a carrying case) a total steal.

From left to right: Eye Shading, Concealer, Powder/Blush and Baby Kabuki brushes

Made from the synthetic fiber, Taklon, Eco Tools brush heads feel both silky AND soft, LOL! — like my favorite fussy tabby’s fur (meow!).

The kit goes on sale next month and comes with the following:

Baby kabuki brush: While not as dense as my MAC 182 Buffer Brush, this lil’ baby applies powder with aplomb. The small brush head really gets into the nooks and crannies around my nose.
Powder/blush brush: You can use this brush to apply mineral foundation or face powder. I like to use it as a blush brush (both powder and cream), because the head fits precisely onto the apples of my cheeks.
Concealer brush: I like the precision of very thin concealer brush heads. This head’s a little too big for my taste, but it still works like a charm, applying Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows like a pro.
Eye Shading Brush: A tapered brush great for simple washes of color over the entire lid, for crease work and for blending.
Cosmetic Bag: Cute and tiny, this cotton and hemp bag carries all four of the kit’s brushes with room to spare.

Eco Tools wants to go green. Their brush heads aren’t made from animal furs, and their brush handles which fit nicely in the palm on my hand (I wish they were longer, though, sigh), are made from sustainable bamboo and recycled aluminum.
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$9 L’oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner Simply Works

January 5th, 2009 by Karen 35 Comments

For New Year’s I resolved to get back into shape, so yesterday I headed to the gym at the booty crack of dawn.

I figured a workout sesh would help me accomplish two valuable things: 1) I could burn off the obscene amount of mint chocolate chip ice cream I ate the night before, and 2) I could road test L’oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner ($9).

L’oreal claims that Gentle Lip Conditioner is “96% of natural origin.” Like you, I’m not entirely sure what that’s supposed to mean (what’s the remaining 4%?), but the product does contain sweet almond oil and vitamin E, and I do know what both of those are, LOL!

It comes in 10 sheer (read: subtle) shades, taste- and fragrance-free, each designed to soften and moisturize lips. I tried Sheer Peach, a nearly transparent, shimmery peach.

I was running late for spinning class, so I slathered on Sheer Peach while going from my car to the gym in the parking lot.

Right away the texture reminded me of Philosophy Kiss Me Lip Balm. It’s a little thinner than MAC lipglass and non-sticky, as well.

At the gym I huffed, puffed and sweated like Whitney Houston circa the Bobby Brown years, and I could feel Gentle Lip Conditioner workin’ its magic on my lips the entire time.

I can usually tell the good from the bad lip conditioners by how my lips feel a few hours after putting one on. In Bare Naturale’s case, my lips felt great — soft and flake-free.

L’oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner

Price: $9
Use: To soften and moisturize dry, flaky lips (gym approved!)
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

I’m keeping a tube in my gym bag, fo’ sho!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 5

January 5th, 2009 by Karen 75 Comments

Kailua Beach, Oahu

Mood:

A mish-mash this morning: feisty (ready to kick booty, haaaaay!), ravenous (mmm Eggo Waffles) and cheerful

Eyeshadow:

Chanel Mystic Eyes quad from the 2009 Spring Bohemian Fantasy Collection

One random thing you don’t know about me:

I don’t like calamari.

Fragrance:

Vera Wang Princess

Outfit:

Skinny jeans, black turtleneck, black knee-high boots, black striped hat and gold hoops

MAC essentials:

Concrete eyeshadow, 266 brush, Blushbaby blush, Select Moisturecover Concealer

I would really love to ____:

Get back in shape, to write full time, to care less about what other people think and to take a trip to Italy

Makeup lust:

MAC Redhead!

Nails:

Chanel Vendetta

Weekly goals:

To go to spinning class at least twice, to write a tutorial for the blog, and to start looking for some new freelance writing projects.

Let me know how you’re doing today. Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments. 🙂

Le list

Mood:
Eyeshadow:
One random thing you don’t know about me:
Fragrance:
Outfit:
MAC essentials:
I would really love to ____:
Makeup lust:
Nails:
Weekly goals:

Not even Monday can stand in our way!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Jan. 4

January 4th, 2009 by Karen 10 Comments

Lombard Street, San Francisco

Heya, ladies. How was your weekend? I can hardly believe it, but the holidays are officially over. Seems like Christmas came and went before I knew what happened.

For Tabs, it was a rough New Year’s. He came down with a kitty cold a few days ago and has been sneezing and coughing up a storm. He’s on antibiotics and sleeping even more than usual, which for a cat means he’s up maybe 15 minutes a day.

The photo of San Francisco’s steep Lombard Street at the top of this post uses a Photoshop technique I’ve been wanting to try. It’s called tilt-shift and supposedly gives the illusion of a miniature model (click to see a larger version). That’s Tabs there in the corner. He says hi. 🙂

Hope your week gets off to a good start!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, Jan. 4

January 4th, 2009 by Karen 21 Comments

A dash of freesia, a bit of lavender…

Brace yourself but Hot Topic’s selling a new Twilight perfume ($48!). “The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.” LOL!

Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix is tempting

This finishing spray mist is supposed to set your makeup for hours. OOH! Let me know if you’ve tried it.

How I really feel…

… about Comic Sans, NOOO!

Cute makeup bags

These print handmade bags come from my old stomping grounds out in The Beast (that’s East Bay in Pig Latin, yo), close to where I grew up. Don’t the Paris and Cat Mug Shot bags rule?

Multitaskers unite!

A list of nine multi-tasking beauty products engineered to save you time, space and energy. The peach nut oil’s supposed to be safe for faces, cats AND surfboards, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Eyeshadow, Lipstick, Lipglass and Mineralize Skinfinish Swatches

January 3rd, 2009 by Karen 73 Comments

I. DON’T. CARE that it’s strange. I can’t help that my favorite set in MAC’s new Brunette Blonde Redhead collection is Redhead. Makeup rules were meant to be broken, right?

Here are some MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead swatches, hot and fresh out the kitchen (sorry, I’ve been listening to R. Kelly all day). 🙂

Here’s everything *except* for the three Brow Set gels — Girl Boy, Clear and Show Off. Already part of the permanent collection, the Brow Gels are available for peeping and purchasing at the MAC counter and online.

Brunette Mineralize Skinfinish is the shizz! I wanna take the pan and just rub it all over my bod like a makeup pervert.

I’m also lusting after Quick Tease Lipglass and Deep Shade Eyeshadow…

From left to right:

Chignon Lipstick: shimmery plum with pink pearl
What A Do! Lipstick: frosty pink coral gold
Quick Tease Lipglass: shimmery plum
Soft Wave Lipglass: shimmery peach

From left to right:

Deep Shade Eyeshadow: shimmery royal blue
Henna Eyeshadow: shimmery gold khaki
Femme Fi Eyeshadow: shimmery gold beige
Brunette Mineralize Skinfinish: shimmery coral

I think most of the Blonde collection shades are too cool for my skin tone, but my pale beauties should have plenty o’ fun with them.

Two colors that did make my heart skip a beat were Strawberry Blonde Lipglass (I can see this pairing perfectly with a classic cat eye) and Top Knot Eyeshadow (hello, smokey eye hawtness!).