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

Tweens and Makeup: How Young Is too Young?

May 17th, 2008 by Karen 45 Comments

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Women’s Wear Daily (subscription only) and The NPD Group recently looked at the spending habits of young girls and found that tweens — girls between the ages of 8-12 — are spending $500 million a year annually on beauty products, with body sprays being the most popular items among girls of that age.

Holy crap, that’s a lot of allowance money!

“Also popular among tweens are body washes, cleansers and gels, as well
as lip products such as glosses and balms. Skin care is second to
fragrance in terms of usage among tweens, with more than 50 percent of
tweens having used skin care products, according to NPD, which added
that nearly 40 percent of tweens say they have used color cosmetics.”

I was about 13 when I started getting interested in beauty products, but Mom wouldn’t let me wear makeup until I turned 14. I didn’t get an allowance, but once when I tried to negotiate a $5 fee for cleaning my room my mom replied, “Can I start charging you for cooking your food, doing your laundry and tucking you in?” Ouch! Denied!

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10 Beauty Bargains Under $10

May 16th, 2008 by Karen 26 Comments

Victoria’s Secret Beauty is having a downright fantastic clearance sale on several high-end makeup brands, some as much as 75 percent off! My little black heart fluttered when I spotted all the products by Anna Sui.

The sale lasts until items run out of stock; when I checked a minute ago there were still lots of different product colors available.

Exercise your right to haul!

Anna Sui Eye Color, $5.99 (originally $12) – I’ve been a bit more adventurous with my powder eyeshadow colors lately. I might pick up a few bold shades.

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Very Sexy Makeup Long-Wear Eye Cream, $5.99 (originally $12) – I like layering cream eyeshadows beneath powder shadows to amplify color and add dimension. The shade I’ve really got my eye on is Stay Up, a turquoise blue.

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Vincent Longo La Dolce Vita Lash Tips, $5.99 (originally $14) – One of my goals this summer is to get better at applying false lashes. I love that these look glamorous without going over the top.

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The Balm Stainiac, $5.99 (originally $14) – This multitasking, water-based gel doubles as a light cheek and lip stain. Beauty Queen, a bright hot pink, has my name written all over it. 🙂

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Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar for Face and Body: Bacne Be Gone!

May 16th, 2008 by Karen 35 Comments

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I should probably file this under “too much information,” but beauty isn’t always a pretty subject. Ladies, I’m in the midst of a breakout on my back (aka “bacne”), and it has been totally suck-tacular 1) because the pimples are big and painful, and 2) because I’ve had to skip on all the pretty backless summer tops I’ve wanted to wear during the recent heat wave here in the Bay Area.

Making matters worse — as if that’s even possible — one crop of zits took roost smack dab in the middle of my upper back, at the base of my neck between my shoulder blades, which means they’re within reach and easily scratch-able. I know that scratching ’em constitutes a big, gross no-no, and I’ve resisted the temptation so far, but it hasn’t been easy.

Because I’ve gotten great results from Clinique skin care products in the recent past, I decided to try Clinique’s Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar ($12.50) in place of my go-to back breakout product, Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash. Clinique’s mild cleansing soap bar contains salicylic acid, a popular active ingredient used to prevent and treat breakouts on both the face and body.
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Face of the Day: Wonder Mint Teal Lashes

May 15th, 2008 by Karen 57 Comments

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Hi, cuties. I have tomorrow off, woot! To celebrate the end of my regular work week (not counting blog hours, of course), I went all out with my lashes today, applying four layers of Clarins Wonder Mint mascara.

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The reason my hair looks all windblown here is because I’m sitting in front of a fan. It was downright volcanic in Marin County today — just absolutely unbearably hot. I tried not to venture outside the reach of the fans at home. Out of desperation, I did get up for some ice cream and to grab the TV remote, but I almost melted on my way to the kitchen.

Because the weather out here has been hotter than Christian Bale in a Speedo, I wanted to keep my look light and perspiration-proof. To maintain the emphasis on my lashes, I went with a slice of light violet on the lid.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer over the entire eye
Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Rock Violet on the lid and barely into the crease
Shu Uemura eyeshadow in Spring Breeze all over the lid and barely into the crease
Prescriptives Kohl Eye Pencil in Blue Grotto on the upper and lower waterline (Side note: This pencil is fantastic! Look out for the review in the next few days)
Four coats of Clarins Wonder Mint mascara on the upper lashes only

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Victoria’s Secret Beauty Lipglosses: I Heard a Rumor, and Her Name Was Chanel

May 15th, 2008 by Karen 23 Comments

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Have we met before, Rumor lipgloss?? I feel like we have — perhaps at a party, or a makeup counter, or a party at a makeup counter?

The words “Very Sexy” appear stamped upon your sleek black cap. They tell me you belong to Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s lipgloss line, but, Rumor, I feel like I know you from someplace else…

Where, Rumor…? Where have I seen you before?

I know!

Chanel Candy Glow, right? You’re her long lost twin!

When I first held both Victoria’s Secret Rumor lipgloss and Chanel’s Candy Glow together in my hand, I thought I was seeing double. From a short distance away, both coral pink shades look almost identical, but up close I can see that Candy Glow has just a bit more gold sparkle than her twin does.

And the similarities don’t stop at the colors. Rumor even feels, tastes and wears liked Candy Glow does on my lips — same shiny finish, same non-gooey feel and same two-hour staying power.

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Of course, there is one huge difference between the two: *price*. At $12, Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s lipglosses cost less than half as much as Chanel’s Aqualumiere glosses do ($25)!

If you’ve been lusting after a tube of Aqualumiere but haven’t wanted to throw down those dolla-dolla-bills-ya’ll, then check out Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s Very Sexy lipglosses. They have “great bargain” written all over them.

Very Sexy comes in 20 shades. Look at all the pink!
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Makeup and TV: What I’m Watching

May 15th, 2008 by Karen 28 Comments

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I gotta come clean: I am addicted to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. It’s a reality TV show on E! about Kim Kardashian and her family. Obviously, one does not watch the show for intellectual stimuli; I watch partly because it’s therapeutically mind-numbing and partly because I admire the makeup. Kim, Kourtney and Khloe (the three older Kardashian sisters) wear some of the prettiest makeup on reality TV — seriously — and they totally own the dark smokey eye and nude lip look.
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Clarins Wonder Mint Mascara: Rise of the Teal Terror

May 14th, 2008 by Karen 36 Comments

Here’s how you know you have a problem with makeup: when you get home really late, exhausted and ready to pass out, and the first thing you want to do is play with your new teal mascara. Yup, I finally got my multi-colored mitts on a tube of Clarins Wonder Mint Waterproof mascara ($23.50). You remember — I first spotted it at the mall a couple nights ago but came home empty handed because it was out of stock.

As luck would have it, my local Nordstrom DID have it in stock, and I brought it home with me yesterday. As tired as I was after work, blogging, shopping and dinner last night (I got home around midnight), I found the strength to hold that mascara wand steady enough to apply two coats.

That’s when the magic happened.

BAM!
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Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Virtual Beach Barbecue: Let’s Play Hooky!

May 13th, 2008 by Karen 39 Comments

Tomorrow is going to be a hot one here in Nor Cal… They’re saying 90 degrees, ugh! I wish we could all play hooky together and have a beauty barbecue at the beach.

But since we can’t (at least not this time), let’s have a virtual beach party instead!

Here’s what I’m wearing to the party…

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