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

Who Should Be The New Face of D&G Cosmetics?

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Designer duo Dolce & Gabbana are keeping tight-lipped about the identity of the first spokesmodel for their new line of color cosmetics. The line drops in less than a month, and rumors are making the rounds that Scarlett Johansson will get the job. Some are saying she’s already done photo shoots for new ads (although I couldn’t find the pics online).

The new line will be the first big cosmetics offering from Dolce & Gabbana, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, but Scarlett has worked with P&G before, having lent her image to ads for Eternity Moment, a scent by Calvin Klein in 2004. She’s also represented products by L’Oreal.

Who would you like to be the new face of D&G Cosmetics?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

CoverGirl-Olay Partnership Leads to New Simply Ageless Foundation

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Some partnerships just feel right from the start — bread and butter, sugar and spice, mornings and coffee — and, starting early next year, CoverGirl and Olay. Yup, with the help of comedienne and talk show hostess Ellen Degeneres, CoverGirl’s newest spokesperson, the two big brands are rolling out a new anti-aging makeup together.

Simply Ageless Foundation, $13.99 per shade (15 shades), debuted on Ellen’s TV show a couple weeks ago, and then showed up at select stores shortly thereafter.

Ellen cracks me up. She had this to say about the new line: “Inner beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty. That’s why I use CoverGirl Simply Ageless makeup with Olay Regenerist serum.” LOL!

Combining CoverGirl’s color cosmetics with Olay’s battle-tested Regenerist serum, the formulation boasts a new solid emulsion technology that reportedly suspends foundation over skin’s imperfections, meaning it’s designed to cover imperfections without gathering in wrinkles and making skin look older.

Time will tell how well it works. 🙂

Look for it to start appearing in stores nationwide early next year.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Save 25% on MAC Holiday Sets at MAC Pro Stores

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I had some last minute Christmas shopping to do today, so I spent the afternoon hoofin’ my way through the open air Ala Moana Shopping Center in downtown Honolulu. I found a MAC Pro store (What are MAC Pro stores?) and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look around.

Do you know if there’s a MAC Pro store near you (click here to check)? If there is, all MAC Pro stores nationwide are currently running a 25% off sale on select Holiday 2008 sets. The sale runs only until the stores have cleared out their inventory of sale items, so don’t delay!

MAC Holiday 2008 inspiration? Check out some earlier coverage.

Fellow MAC-aholics, MAC products rarely go on sale. I’m just sayin’… 🙂

Happy MAC sale!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Drugstore Island Girl Line Feels Fun and Looks Bright

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There’s a chain of drugstores out here called ABC Stores, and you’ll find one on almost every corner in Honolulu. They outnumber the Starbucks, and that’s no joke!

Like most drugstores, they carry lots of miscellaneous knickknack-ery (aka stuff you’d end up giving to your coworkers), but they’re upgrading their image when it comes to beauty. Now, they carry products I’d actually want to keep for myself.

The Island Girl line of beauty products, exclusive to ABC Stores, ranges from cuticle oils to nail polishes and eyeshadows. Prices are generally low, like around $2.50-$10 per set, and since some of the palettes and polish sets include multiple shades, the price often breaks down to less than a dollar per color.

The new line should be available for purchase on the ABCStores.com website soon.


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5 Ways to Wear MAC Chill

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Yea! It’s MAC Chill day, and I stole a few minutes with the MAC artists at a counter out here to talk about the new collection.

I was a little disappointed to confirm that the mysterious lovely bronze shade from last week’s MAC Chill swatch adventure is, in fact, not a part of the collection (shoot!).

Chill looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m waiting until I get home (and relying upon your impressions in the comments) to really delve into the collection, but I picked up a few eye looks to try.

MAC Chill Eye Look #1: Smokey and Silver Holiday Party Eye

For a holiday party smokey look, begin by applying the new Mont Black (black with gold flecks) on the lid with a MAC 252 Flat Shader Brush. Next, add Apres-Ski into the crease with a MAC 217 Blending Brush, and then grab the 252 again to highlight the brow bone with Vellum. Finish the look by wetting a MAC 266 Small Angled Brush with a spritz of MAC Fix+ (to intensify the color) and applying Arctic Gray with it to the lower lash line.

MAC Chill Eye Look #2: Smokey and Silver Holiday Party Eye, Version 2.0

For a little fun with pink eyeshadow, try lining the lower lash line with a mix of Arctic Gray and Wintersky applied with a MAC 266 Small Angled Brush (wet with MAC Fix+). Then, apply Mont Black, Apres-Ski and Vellum (an opalescent white and purple, a duochrome) in the same way as Look #1.

MAC Chill Eye Look #3: Smokey and Silver Club Eye

Basically a super amplified version of Look #1. Start by applying Blackground Paintpot onto the lid and just barely into the crease. Then, pat Mont Black directly on top with a MAC 252 Flat Shader Brush. Next, apply Apres-Ski into the crease with a MAC 217 Blending Brush. After highlighting the brow bone with Vellum and a MAC 252 Brush, use the 217 again, this time to apply Reflects Transparent Teal directly on top of the Vellum. Finish with a pair of MAC 41 lashes on the upper lash line.

MAC Chill Eye Look #4: Black and Gray Day Eye

Apply Apres-Ski on the lid with a MAC 252 Flat Shader Brush. Then, using a MAC 217 with a light touch, apply a sheer layer of Mont Black into the crease. Next, apply Vellum on the brow bone with a 252. To complete the look, apply a thick black line on the upper lash line using Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack.

MAC Chill Eye Look #5: Easy Gray Day Eye

With a MAC 217, apply Apres-Ski all over the entire lid. Then, with the same brush, apply Arctic Gray directly on top of it.

More MAC Chill Ideas

  • For a pale pink lip to go with each of the eye looks above, try layering Ice Scape Lipglass beneath Snowscene Lipglass.
  • If you prefer taupe lips, try a layer of Naked Frost Lipglass (a shimmery taupe) beneath Snowscene.
  • Reflects Glitters are a great way to ramp up your nail colors. They’re loose glitters, and the collection includes two different colors. To use ’em, dump a smidge of one of the Reflects Glitters onto a piece of paper, and then dip your wet nail polish brush into it before applying to nails. Try Reflects Transparent Teal with pink or clear shades and Reflects Antique Gold with browns.

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Do You Recycle Beauty Product Packaging?

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I remember growing up oblivious to recycling in the 80s. I chalk it up to the times, but when I think of all the juice boxes, cans, plastic bags and bottles we wasted and CFCs (hairsprays, etc.) we released into the atmosphere, I feel rotten.

Times have definitely changed. It’s cool when beauty companies make an effort to use recycled materials in their packaging. The environment is a central issue in our lives now and growing more important every day.

I *love* pretty packaging and aesthetically pleasing design. Well designed packages bring me joy, but some of them still make me cringe, like when a tiny .3 oz. tube of product comes all by itself in an oversized, shrink wrapped cardboard box fitted with plastic buttons, ribbons and bows. Overkill — and most of it ends up in the trash.

What do you do with your discarded beauty product packaging? Do you ever reuse it around the house or recycle the plastic containers?

Do You Recycle Beauty Product Packaging?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen
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Philosophy’s Holiday Cookbook Smells Like a Bestseller

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Have you ever taken a cookbook into the shower? Well, Philosophy wants you to give it a try.

I was so excited to try the six scented shower gels in the Philosophy’s The Holiday Cookbook that I took each and every one of them into the shower with me.

I washed my left arm with Hot Cocoa, my right leg with Spicy Pear Cobbler, my buns with Cinnamon Buns (ha!)… I was a scented smorgasbord of delicious baked goodness. Cooler still, when I rinsed off, I didn’t smell like the inside of a bakery. Nope, these gels suds up nicely but wash off well, leaving just the faintest flavored scent on the skin.

The six 2-oz. bottles — Ginger Bread, Hot Coca, Red Velvet Cake (my favorite), Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Bums and Spicy Pear — come “wrapped” in Philosophy’s spiffy cookbook, decorated festively in red and white gingham.
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