It’s lipgloss crack! That’s how I felt when I first peeped Chanel’s limited edition Glossimer in Gazelle ($26), a bronzy orange lipgloss with shimmery golden sparkles. I was instantly hooked.

Chanel describes Gazelle as a praline pink (huh?), but on my lips the color looks like coral with touches of bronze and gold. The shade is unlike the other coral colors in my lipgloss stash, like MAC’s Lychee Luxe and Sock Hop, which are mostly brighter orange tones. Gazelle feels more subdued and sophisticated, like the older, more worldly coral cousin (the one with the haughty accent) who went to finishing school.

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I finally wrapped my grubby little hands around MAC Heatherette Eyeshadow Trio 1 last weekend, and I have to say: I love this bad boy!

Sometimes, in trios and quads, one or two of the shades just aren’t up to snuff, but all three shades MAC chose for Trio 1 — a pink, green and black — work well together. That said, Mood Ring, the green shade (more of a teal) is definitely my favorite of the bunch.

For the green, pink and black smokey eye look below, I layered each of the shadows over MAC Pink Pearl Pigment (also part of the Heatherette collection). Layering Pink Pearl Pigment underneath these shadows creates an effect similar to how the colors of a peacock’s feathers can seem to change with the light. So purty!

Even though this eye pushes the envelope as far as its appropriateness for day wear, I wore it to the movies yesterday afternoon and didn’t feel out of place.

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After getting home from the movies a little while ago, (Stop Loss, starring Ryan Phillipe and Channing Tatum, yum… but more on that later!), I had the irresistible urge to paint my nails gold, so I grabbed Laura Mercier’s Nail Lacquer in 24 Karat, part of Laura’s just-released Gold Digger collection.

As ya’ll know, there are many different shades of gold, and this one looks nothing like the Shu Uemura Gold Beige I painted my nails with a few weeks ago. It’s shinier and yellower than Shu’s shade and contains glittery golden flecks for extra sparkle.

This is only the second brand of high-end nail polish I’ve used, and like the other one, which was Shu’s, it dries much faster than polishes from either Sally Hansen or Revlon. The longer a polish takes to dry, the greater the likelihood that I’ll do something to mess it up.

The nails pictured here took me three coats to achieve. It was my first time using a Laura Mercier nail polish, and I’m hoping the formula doesn’t chip right away. I’ll let ya know if it does.

How was the rest of your weekend? I’m feeling so much better today than I felt yesterday, and part of the reason is all of the kind words from you guys, so thanks homies. El Hub did his part to cheer me up by taking me out on a movie date this afternoon.

When I’m feeling blue, nothing (except makeup) can cheer me up quicker than a chick flick can, so El Hub was a little surprised when I said that I wanted to watch Stop Loss. It’s not exactly standard issue chick material, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and, um, the Ryan/Channing combo up on the big screen sure didn’t hurt my eyes!

Happy Sunday, friends. I hope you’re having a great evening.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Ya’ll ready for this? It’s time for the best posts from around the beauty blogosphere. Introducing the ladies of the Beauty Blog Network!

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When I’m feeling a little sad or down, one thing I do to cheer myself up is make lists. Yesterday, I had a craptacularly rough afternoon and cried, oh, about six times. There are just some days when you feel like you can’t get anything right, ya know? After the sixth round of tears, I made a list to remind myself of the things I’m pretty darn good at.

9 Things I’m pretty darn good at…

1. Blueberry and peach cobbler. I make it from scratch, and some say it’s truly fierce. One bite can make your eyes roll back into your head. It’s cobbler crack! Holla at me and I’ll send you the recipe.
2. Running hills. I can run up all the hills in my neighborhood. El Hub can smoke me on a level surface, but he eats my dust on the hills. The steeper, the better!
3. Folding clothes. Years ago I did time working as a sales clerk for The Limited, Miller’s Outpost and Emporium-Capwells (a now defunct department store). I can fold a mean pocket-t.
4. Bullsh*t detection. Don’t even try to pull the wool over my eyes, ’cause I can smell it coming from a mile away.
5. Swimming. In a past life, I think I might’ve been an aquatic animal.
6. Making music playlists. My gym playlists are guaranteed to get your booty shaking.
7. Shoe shopping.
8. Falling asleep on public transportation. Cars, planes, trains, pony express (kidding!)… if it moves and I’m on it for any length of time, I can cat nap, even while standing up!
9. Befriending strays (both animals and people).

How about you? What are some things you do well? Toot your horn! *toot toot!*

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

L’Occitane’s new Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk doesn’t remove all of my makeup, but it’s one of the most moisturizing cleansers I’ve used in a while.

It’s no-rinse, so you can use it with or without water, and leaves a soothing, moisturizing film. I have sensitive skin, and some moisturizing cleansers I’ve used in the past left my face dry, stripped and tight. L’Occitane got the moisturization part of Cleansing Milk right because after using it my face feels incredibly moisturized and soft to the touch.

Now for the catch: it doesn’t remove all of my foundation and powder, and at $22 for a 6.7oz. bottle, it’s expensive. Because it’s not a great makeup remover, I only use it in the mornings.

I think it’s a better moisturizing cleanser than Cetaphil, but Cetaphil has it beat as far as price (an 8oz. jar of Cetaphil runs about $8) and its ability to remove makeup.

Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk is one of four products in the Shea & Cotton skin care line, which was formulated by L’Occitane to minimize the risk of allergic reactions for folks with sensitive skin. The products contain minimal ingredients and no perfumes, alcohol, artificial colors or preservatives. L’Occitane also says they’re packaged in a special way to minimize contamination.

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