guest post

Life Is Sweet with NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita

June 18th, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

Written by Jenny

Pack your bags, signorina! We’re going on a Roman holiday with a lipstick as sweet as gelato. Blogger Jenny shares why she loves this classic lippie in today’s guest post.

NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick

I’ve been a NARS devotee for a long time and have always loved their lipsticks, so I’m not entirely sure why it took me so long to discover one of their cult favorite lip products for myself. I’m glad I finally did though, because Dolce Vita is a beauty!

It’s one of those little black dresses of the lipstick world — incredibly versatile — and imminently capable of making you look polished and chic.

Colour and texture

Dolce Vita is a sheer, my-lips-but-better dusty rose that flatters a wide range of skin tones, in my opinion, although on pigmented lips it can appear a tad too sheer to show up well.

NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick Lips Closeup

As a moisturising, balmy lipstick, it’s one of my favourites when my lips are feeling dry. Wear time is fairly modest at around 2 hours on me, which is about average for a sheer lipstick.

I think it looks great with…

MAC Subculture lip liner (a medium nude), MAC Dervish (a medium rose nude) lip liner, both available at maccosmetics.com, look amazing with Dolce Vita.

NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick Swatch
Dolce Vita on the left; Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy on the right
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Do You Know a Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Male Man?

June 11th, 2011 by Karen 2 Comments

Written by Sam

Oh, my! It looks like we caught the subject of today’s guest post from Sam unaware, judging by its casual attire.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur Du Male Cologne

There is a veranda surrounded by an untamed garden. You are seated in a chair, hair combed back. Languorous. The white marble emits an ethereal glow in the lazy midday sun. Your straw chair creaks mildly, the sound dampened by a plush cushion. The leaves of a nearby orange tree flicker despite the stillness of the vapid air. A few wispy clouds trail through the expanse of blue above you, unraveling as fresh, unwoven cotton. A few vines have slunk their way around fluted columns, tendrils caressing the unblemished stone. A thin scent of something baking escapes from an opened kitchen window; it is sweet, but fleeting. There might be a cat draped over the arm of a chair in the distance, or perhaps it is just a shadow.

You are wearing Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Male.

Initially shocking, the bottle of Fleur du Male is a man’s unclothed torso. Perfectly white and smooth, the more intimate parts have been smoothed out and now resemble a well sculpted Ken doll. With the perfect V-chest, the bottle is an easy pleasure to hold, all curves and angles melded together. While modesty may discourage some from leaving it out on display, I appreciate the artistry and proudly place it near the front of my collection. If nothing else, it certainly does spark interesting conversations.

Listed as being composed of petitgrain, orange blossom, coumarin, and fern, Fleur du Male certainly is a predominantly floral cologne. Upon the first spritz, the fragrance opens with a woody, earthy, orange accord, hearkening more of the small, almond-shaped leaves than the blossoms of the tree. The opening is a tad bitter, but not in an unpleasant way; I find it invigorating. The bitterness quickly smooths into what must be the orange blossom. It is soft, languid, and aeriform. And it actually smells of orange. Not synthetic, cleaning material citrus, but true, powdery, slightly acid fresh orange blossom. As the scent progresses, slightly sweet notes enter and mingle with the powdery blossoms. They bring to mind hazy images of a country home, aged straw, and butter cookies laced with a sweet liqueur.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur Du Male Cologne

As it settles into its base notes, Fleur du Male retains the orange blossom and gains a subtle mossy tone similar to freshly turned earth tumbled loosely at the base of a shade tree. A hint more powder emerges, resulting in a very fresh, clean finish. The sweetness of the middle notes have mostly gone by now, leaving only a pleasant vestige of their presence behind.
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Inglot Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel Is Taking My Makeup World By Storm

June 10th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

Written by Sam

This sentence, does it need a comma or an inglot? The subject of today’s great guest post from Sam may sound like punctuation, but it’s so much more than that.

Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel

After mascara and lipstick, eye liner is one of those things a lot of women turn to when they’re pressed for time. A quick dash on the upper lids can add a pop of color and takes just seconds to do — far less time than an elaborate eye using multiple shadows — and a nude on the waterline can illuminate and open sleepy, drooping peepers.

And why keep a separate black, or blue, or brown liner for each and every occasion if one great product could cover ’em all? Five minutes to get ready? Check. Thunder storms a’coming? Check. Great possibility of crying (hopefully for a good reason, like at a wedding)? Check. No worries — today’s liner has your back!

Inglot, a Polish makeup company, has quietly become a cult favorite among makeup artists, in part because they’ve done the unthinkable. They managed to create a gel liner that in my opinion beats out the famously fabulous MAC Fluidline. The Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel (long name for such a simple product) is without question the best liner, of any formula, I have ever used.

So how is it better than those gorgeous glass tubs of creamy Fluidline, with their soft, rubberized twist-off tops? Let me count the ways…

Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel

Starting with value, the Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel (I promise that’s the last time I’ll use the full name) comes with a HUGE amount of product for $12. Housed inside the convenient and cute plastic tub lives a whopping 5.5 grams of product (Fluidline comes with 3 grams, about the average for gel liners). Inglot’s liner works out to $2.18 per gram, versus $5 per gram for the $15 Fluidline. That’s more than twice as much product for the price!

But value only matters if a product performs, right? I’d much rather shell out a few extra dollars for a fantastic liner than a few less dollars for one that flakes, runs, or fades. Fortunately, none of those are bothers here.

Inglot’s AMC Eyeliners are extremely emollient. I’m actually a bit surprised they’re labeled as gels and not creams. Their extremely thick, smooth texture glides across the skin. Whereas many gel liners skip, scoot, tug, and pull at lids when I apply them with any sort of brush, these AMC Eyeliners are incredibly smooth and silky, almost to a fault.
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How Well Does Sally Hansen Microwaveable Eyebrow, Face & Lip Wax Work?

May 14th, 2011 by Karen 21 Comments

Written by Emma

Should you take mustachioed matters into your own hands with the help of Sally Hansen’s DIY Microwaveable Eyebrow, Face & Lip Wax? Find out now in today’s guest post from Emma.

Sally Hansen Microwavable Eyebrow, Face & Lip Wax

I have to admit, I enjoy playing with makeup, but I also enjoy sleep. In the past, I chose to stay in bed as long as possible before getting up for work, and I generally didn’t leave enough time for proper makeup application.

However, all that changed last year when I moved to the U.S. and was unemployed for an extended period of time. I started to make an effort to “do my face” in the morning, and in doing so noticed a patch above my nose where plucking just wasn’t working. My makeup seemed to cling to the hairs, and after much thought I decided that I would be brave and wax.

My dirty little secret: I’ve been bleaching my upper lip for years, but I’d never waxed anything on my face before. While contemplating this foray into facial waxing, I noticed a product at my local supermarket that looked like interesting. Sally Hansen Microwaveable Eyebrow, Face & Lip Wax ($5.99) sounded perfect for me — no strips needed, and with results that last up to 8 weeks. I liked the sound of that because it reminded me of something my ex-beautician used on a rather more painful region. I thought, “This could be what I’ve been looking for!”

It’s supposed to be simple to use. Just heat based on the directions. Spread the wax using the spatula it comes with (apply in the same direction the hair grows). Then, let the wax cool for about 10-15 seconds. Using your fingers, peel up one edge, and quickly pull the whole section away, along with all of the hair it captured.

Having used it a few times now, here are my thoughts…

The positives

Well, it’s wax. It does what it’s supposed to do.
I do think it’s more convenient than wax that requires the use of strips.

Sally Hansen Microwavable Eyebrow, Face & Lip Wax
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Have You Shopped These Online Beauty Sites?

May 7th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Written by Sam

Where do you do most of your beauty shopping? There are great deals to be had online, and today Sam brings us three online beauty shopping sites you may not have shopped before.

Online beauty shopping

Tired of harsh beauty store lighting and aisles populated by pushy salespeople? Are you fed up with the dwindling quality of products at some of the bigger beauty stores? If you’re ready to break out of a beauty buying rut, try these three online shopping sites on for size.

Beauty Encounter

Beauty Encounter is one of my favorite websites! There’s a slideshow right on the homepage that shows their five current deals and steals. Most often, the sales are geared around an event (like the recent 15% off deal they offered during tax time) or a holiday (they offered 15% off all natural and organic products for Earth Day).

Clearance items are also constantly being discounted (even now they’re marked down an extra 20% through May), and, if you take the time to browse through their gigantic lot, it can lead to some impulse buys at scary-low prices. Many products throughout the site are already below MSRP, listed as the “BE Price”, which can be as much, and occasionally more, than 50% off.

Every day, they choose a selection of products for their “daily deal” — products marked down even lower than the already low BE Price. In some cases it amounts to 90% off!

Their fragrance department is especially rife with special offers on everything from mainstream scents to niche colognes and perfumes. I like to just sit and wade through the pages and pages of products, many of them new, but also some discontinued, limited release, and other hard-to-find fare.

With every order comes three “free” samples of your choice, but be careful — you do have to pay shipping for them. The samples range from skincare to fragrances to bath and body items. And if you happen to spend more than $100, well, look at that! They waive the shipping fees (shipping is also prompt).

Sign up to their newsletter for an extra (on top of everything else!) 10% off your entire first order. Rest assured, Beauty Encounter is also an authorized retailer for every product they sell, which means you don’t run the risk of buying a knock-off fragrance or a watered-down skincare product.

Folica

In need of a new flat iron, hair serum, or deep conditioner? Well, look no further than Folica. The site offers a diverse array of hair care, styling, and coloring products to suit almost any need…at deeply discounted prices!

Their inventory leans toward the brands and tools the pros use, and you might not find some of the major drug and department store brands. For pro products, however, from Sedu to Davines to Wella, Folica has it all. And if you subscribe to their semi-weekly email newsletter, so can you. 🙂

You’ll get things like coupon codes (like to receive $25 off your purchase of $75), an extra 20% off the Buyer’s Choice Top 10 Hair Tools and Sets, or a free full-size product with the purchase of any item from a specific brand. If for nothing else, subscribing to Folica’s newsletter is worth it just for the coupon codes.

The site also has a vibrant buyers’ review section, which sets it apart from many of the lesser known beauty shopping sites, and it’s completely unregulated. You can read through hundreds and hundreds of truthful, thorough (and oftentimes harsh) reviews.

Folica also puts together heavily discounted product bundles, and if you need everything in one of them, the discounts are severe. As for shipping, unless you desperately need your order immediately, like for an event, or because that’s just the type of person you are (impatient, like me), don’t spring for the expedited shipping. Even with their regular shipping, Folica usually delivers within a few days, tops.
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What Does One Wear to a Traditional Korean Spa?

April 30th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

Written by Kate

You may not have been planning to visit South Korea this year, but you might want to after reading today’s guest post from Kate.

Seoul, Korea, Central Spa
photo: Seoul, South Korea

Being a flight attendant came with a certain degree of worldliness, whether imagined or real. I prided myself on having a strong sense of adventure that made me, in my own mind, a combination of Ernest Hemmingway lounging in a Cuban cafe and a valkyrie. That is, if Ernest Hemmingway wore heels and served coffee.

This overblown view of my own pioneering attitude did little to prepare me for the realities of a real Korean spa. I am the product of an American culture that is not exactly known for being comfortable with the human body in all its nude abundance. Or, for that matter, the bodies of total strangers. The American in me screams that I come from a land founded by Puritans. The Chinese in me remembers all those movies I have seen with my elderly grandmother where lovemaking consists of the woman laying her head on the man’s chest and sighing. Both are always fully clothed. As these two sides of me rebelled against the idea of being naked in front of a shower room full of other women, I decided to do as the Romans (and Koreans) do…

When another flight attendant suggested a visit to a local Korean spa (also called a jjimjilbang) on a Seoul layover, I eagerly agreed. After all, my only previous experience with a spa involved a gift certificate to the Mandalay Bay Spa in Las Vegas. I imagined the fragrant oils that would soon be mixed with French sea salt, the gentle murmurs of the masseuse as she rubbed the heavenly mixture over my modestly, and strategically, covered body. I would hear Enya playing in the background. After my salt scrub, the masseuse would leave me to emerge at my leisure from my cocoon of comfort. Chamomile tea would be offered to me, and I would accept it dressed in my fluffy white robe of Egyptian cotton. The lounge would be painted in tones of peach and taupe and my only companion would be a man-made waterfall engineered by a savvy interior designer.

While waiting in my hotel lobby for my flying partner, I was reassured by the concierge that the spa we had chosen was top notch (Central Spa) and she herself had had a scrub there the day before. As I set out with visions of pampering dancing in my head, I wondered why we were descending into the bowels of a busy bus station. Tucked in between the turnstiles and a noodle stand was a small, unassuming door. The other flight attendant had been here before and she entered without a backward glance in my direction. As I let the door close behind me, the sounds of the train station were muffled and then quiet.

The Korean woman working at the reception desk was small but looked like she could command a battalion as well as she could command a spa. She unceremoniously handed me a key and two facecloths and pointed at a door to her right. I scampered ahead, carrying my tiny towels and what turned out to be a locker key.

My bravado was wearing thin, especially because my coworker was nowhere in sight. As I turned a corner, I came face to face with my coworker’s breasts. I looked away, embarrassed and horrified at the same time. I only worked with this girl. Was it twisted that she was the only one, besides my husband and my doctor, who was going to see me naked? Could I play this off as not being the huge deal for me that it was? I had come too far to use the old stomachache excuse. Only my stubbornness kept me from running back to my hotel. That, and the fact that I had no idea which direction my hotel was in.

The lockers
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Makeup Magic at Home with the Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System

April 23rd, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

Written by Sam

Welcome to Makeup 2.0. The future is now! Upgrade your makeup point of view with the subject of today’s guest post from Sam.

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System

How often do you glance at a magazine photo spread and enviously draw your fingers over the page? No one’s skin can be that perfect, you think, studying the model’s face. It’s like the pores have all been airbrushed away!

What is the Temptu?

Now you can have pro-caliber post-production skin, and you can get it from the comfort of your own home. Skin nirvana is just a Temptu away. With their AIRbrush Makeup System, you’ll be staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering if you’re seeing something real, or a cruel trick of light.

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System ($225) is available exclusively through Sephora or Temptu’s own website (I prefer to deal with the brand itself).

Dealing directly with the company

Using the company’s Shade Finder tool, you can upload a picture of yourself (don’t forget to smile!) and list your current brand of foundation, as well as the shade you use. Within a day or two, you’ll receive an email recommending the Temptu foundation, blush, and highlighter shades ($55 for two foundation AIRpods; $30 for each blush; $35 for highlighters) they believe you should try.

One reason I prefer to deal with Temptu directly is that I’ve never had much luck with Sephora’s shade matcher girls. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to the lighting in the stores (shows every blemish, rough spot and acne scar I have), or to something else, but whenever I try to match my foundation in Sephora, I end up walking out of the store with a shade that’s either too light or too dark.

Temptu’s online tool, however, picked the shades I would have chosen for myself, and their online color representations look spot-on.

With Temptu’s “Build-a-Bundle Starter Set,” rather than purchasing the system, the foundation duo, the blush, and the highlighter separately at MSRP, you can bundle your shades (hopefully the ones you were matched to) from three drop-down menus, and they’ll combine them for you to the tune of a $50 savings.

The packaging

Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Packaging If you’re a packaging nerd like I am, I think you’ll be impressed. The system itself is housed in a magnetic closure box, and nestled in a fitted plastic container that rests over the other components: air-hose, power source, instructional DVD, and warranty. Glossy minimalism at its best.

The DVD wasn’t what I expected, and I think the printed instructions are much more useful overall. Airbrushing and applying makeup with a brush or sponge are totally different beasts, and the DVD isn’t much more than pretty cinematography. Sure, it’s well laid out, but the model has nearly perfect skin already. Fine for a fashion spread or a virtual look book, but for real people like us who want to learn how to conceal a blemish or dark under-eyes, I recommend reading the manual or looking up a YouTube video posted by a consumer instead.

The airbrush that comes with the Starter Set is the same one that comes with the Temptu air professional compressor, sans the battery pack. Instead, a rubber muffler is glued to the underside (thank goodness, as this thing produces a rather loud rumbling noise when turned on) of this model. If you had hoped to purchase a battery for it, quash them now. This version must be used near a power source. That said, the power cord is rather long.

The proprietary gun rests inside a stand above the machine, and its beautiful! That is, until you pick it up. The shiny, brushed-metal-esque plastic attracts fingerprints like mad. Not that that affects its performance in the slightest, but if you have issues with that type of thing, be prepared to keep a microfiber cloth nearby at all times.

Using the system

To begin using the system, take the rubber hose, and push one end into the hole underneath the PSI regulator (that knob with the white ring around it on one side), and the do the same with the other end and the gun. Next, take your first AIRpod (I assume you’ll be using the foundation one first), and remove the black cap on one end. Inside this cap is a little tool, held back by a piece of sticky tape. I needed a pair of tweezers to remove it, so be prepared. Take this tool, and poke it in and out of the red-rimmed hole on the now exposed end of the AIRpod (this is where the gun will connect to the product). Make sure to also remove the tape from the other end of the AIRpod as well (I learned this the hard way… So much product wasted!)

Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Compressor

Now, here comes the tricky part. Hold down the small button on the side of the gun (this is extremely important), and slide the AIRpod in until you hear it click. You won’t know if it worked or not for another few seconds. ..

Push the button on top of the machine, and aim the gun at the back of your hand (you should be holding the gun like you would a large pencil or pen). You should feel a cool, gentle blast of air. With one finger, pull back the lever on the top of the gun itself. If it seems to kind of click instead of move smoothly, the AIRpod didn’t latch properly, and no product will come out. In this case, you’ll have to remove the AIRpod and reinsert it (I once had to do this four times to get it to work).

A gripe

And this is where one of my major gripes with the system comes in. It’s nearly impossible to get those little devils off! You’re meant to hold down that button on the side of the gun (make sure the machine is turned off for this) and simply slide the AIRpod right off. Nope. It’s a struggle. I often have to work it so hard that the hose pops off. I’ve tried wiggling it back and forth, pulling straight back, wrapping it in a towel and pulling… And if you have any sort of slippery material (lotion, etc.) on your hands, forget it. I think

Temptu AIRpods in Ivory, Pale Pink, and Champagne

Inside one of the Temptu AIRpods
Inside one of the AIRpods

I’ve honestly spent more time trying to remove these things (either to reinsert them to get them to latch, or to switch products) than actually applying what was in them! I get that they need a tight seal to work, but there definitely needs to be an easy-release tab or something.

Actually using the brush

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Brush

Assuming, though, that the lever did move smoothly, you should see some product start to slowly build up on your hand. That’s good. Release the lever, and move it toward your face. The brush has a continuous airflow, so you’ll feel air being pushed from it even when you aren’t distributing product. Adjust the machine’s PSI regulator for whichever product you’re currently using (I prefer the middle to the high position for foundation; the middle to low setting for blush, highlighter, and concealing).
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The Beauty of Baking Soda

April 16th, 2011 by Karen 34 Comments

Written by Sam

Ladies and gentlemen, our next speaker asked if he could bring a pantry out on stage with him. Put your hands together for DIY beauty, and let’s give it up for Sam, as he shares the beauty of baking soda in today’s guest post.

The Beauty of Baking Soda

The girl before me finishes her story, and the applause of the crowd follows her off the stage. I take a breath, hold it. Release. The sound dies down, slowly. Someone just has to get that last clap. I let them do it, then walk up to the podium. I wish they had left some water or something up here.

“Hi, I’m Sam, and I’ve recently discovered the wonders of baking soda.”

They raise their eyes from their phones momentarily, then return to the glow of the screen. I get it. It’s been a long day of…well, the pamphlet called it a “Self-Improvement Seminar.” One kid in the front row rocks back and forth on his folding chair, the old metal creaking faintly. It’s distracting.

“You know,” I begin, “it started relatively tamely. I love to bake. Cookies, cakes, sachertortes… You name it. Anyway. Lots of recipes call for baking soda. It’s a leavening agent. Reacts with acids to release carbon dioxide. Simple stuff.

“But then one day, I spilled a bunch of it all over. My hands were covered in it, like, totally white.” It’s kinda funny how vividly I recall all of this stuff now. I really should have written a script or something, but winging it seemed appropriate in this venue. “So, just like anyone would, I went to the sink, pumped some soap out, and started to wash it off. But something happened. The stuff mixed with the soap, made a paste, ya know? Real bubbly. By the time I was done, my hands were soft. Like, soft soft. I couldn’t stop touching them. I’ve always had a thing for textures and the like. So I did it again.

“Maybe once a day to start, I’d grab a bit of the stuff out the pantry and just make a big bowl of paste with it and some soap, and just scrub. My hands felt so good. After a while, I thought, â€˜What if there’s more?’. But it didn’t come to me until a few days later in the shower. As I was massaging a bit of my regular drugstore exfoliator over my face, I stopped, and it was just like… yeah. I could totally use baking soda for this!”
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