Bobbi Brown’s makeup doesn’t always do it for me. My homegirl once described the brand as “colors for people who are afraid of color,” and I think there’s some truth to that. A lot of Bobbi’s makeup has that jury duty feel to it, ya know? — the kind of makeup you’d wear to court.

But Bobbi threw me a curve ball with the lip colors in the Mauve Collection, her new fall makeup line.

I’d been searching high and low for edgy yet wearable lipsticks and glosses in shades of purple, and these colors are, dare I say, edgy yet wearable. They’re eye-catching without going over the top, and within the colors there’s enough variety to allow you to create lots of different looks. Go on with your bad self, Ms. Brown!

Lip Color

At first I thought Pale Mauve ($22) was going to be too light for my skin tone, but once I got it on I actually really liked this light blue-purple shade. It’s light with a 60′s feel. I plan to pair it with light cheeks and a cat eye with a thick black liquid liner on my upper lash line (and a mini-dress and go-go boots, ha!).

Bobbi’s Lip Color lipsticks have a semi-matte formula that goes on a little thick, but at least it doesn’t peel away after a few hours. I don’t mind the light licorice fragrance, but I’m glad it has no taste/flavor. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Heather Mauve ($22) is a dark red-mauve, making it a great candidate for my easy-to-wear work lipstick stash. I like the texture and the color itself, but it closely matches my natural lip color, which sort of defeats the purpose of wearing lipstick. I guess it’d be useful as a base color layered beneath one of the other shades listed below. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Lip Color swatches: Heather Mauve (top), Pale Mauve (bottom)

Lip Glosses

Dig out your Cure mp3′s and your smudgy eyeliner! Bobbi’s Mauve Collection Lip Glosses ($19) look demure in their petite little tubes, but these colors are equal parts edgy and sophisticated — think goth chick in stunning black suit.

Continue Reading…

1. Mood: Gung ho!
2. Mascara: Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir
3. Breakfast: Eggo waffles with syrup (no butter)
4. I’m lovin’ it (makeup related): Nars Supervixen lipgloss
5. I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related): My Bissell vacuum, LOL. Totally weird, I know, but I went on a cleaning frenzy yesterday and realized that if there weren’t such things as vacuums, my world would fall into the depths of grossness VERY quickly.
6. Outfit: Wide-legged jeans, gold braided belt, a hot pink button-up shirt (with the sleeves rolled up) and gold chandelier earrings
7. Fragrance: Laura Mercier Eau de Lune
8. Quote of the day: “Attentiveness cannot be kept casually, or visited in season, like Venice. The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us.” (Mary Oliver, poet)
9. Just another manic Monday? Yes
10. Goals of the week: To stay organized, to lift weights and to figure out how to wear the burnt orange shade in the Nars Mediteranee eyeshadow duo (any ideas?).

Your turn! Just copy the list, insert your answers and leave ‘em for me in the comments.

Le List

Mood:
Mascara:
Breakfast:
I’m lovin’ it (makeup related):
I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related):
Outfit:
Fragrance:
Quote of the day:
Just another manic Monday?
Goals of the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

*LAST UPDATED: 7/1/2008

So, tonight I’m on the hunt for beauty bargains and sales, trying to track down the mythical 50% off everything at MAC coupon code (lol, I wish!). I haven’t found any superb deals so far (Shu’s 20% off Friends & Family sale ends tonight, bummer), but a number of companies, like MAC and Sephora, are offering deep discounts on select summer products. Quite a few also do free shipping on purchases over a certain amount.

Here’s what I’ve got so far: these are ongoing sales and promotions at some of my favorite beauty and cosmetics companies. Most of them are only valid online (unless specified otherwise) and, unfortunately for ya’ll overseas, only apply to orders shipped in the continental US.

Ladies, if you find any cool makeup and beauty sales, coupon codes or promotions (international ones too) and leave them in the comments, I’ll update this post with the new info.

Makeup and Beauty Sales and Coupon Codes

Continue Reading…

I usually spend a lot of time outside in the summer, running up and down hills and bumping Jay-Z on my iPod. When my knees are functioning (sigh!), it breaks down to an hour or two in the sun at least every other day.

While I’m consistent about applying sunscreen before leaving the house for a run, I haven’t been as mindful when it comes to protecting my hair from sun damage. That summer sun gets hot, ya’ll. It’ll fade highlights in no time, so I’ve been on the lookout for products to protect my long, highlighted hair.

I found PureOlogy ColourMax ($18), a spray that protects against UVA and UVB radiation and prevents color fading.

About a half an hour before going for a run, I’ll spray ColourMax onto the sun-exposed parts of my hair from roots to ends, brushing it through. It smells a little like roses.

According to PureOlogy, the spray works to prevent color fading by some kind of nano technology. Hmm… I don’t know about that, but it does help to keep my hair from getting tangled and adds a little extra shine. The company also claims the product is 100% vegan and not tested on animals (I guess nanites don’t count).

I’ve been using it on my runs for about two weeks now (since returning from Hawaii) and haven’t noticed any fading of my caramel highlights in that time. I wish I had brought it with me to the islands because, over the short time I was there, I did notice some fading.

The real test will come after I get my roots done next month. I’ll keep you updated.

More Hair Products with UV Protection

If you spend a lot of time in the sun, consider using a hair product with UV protection. In addition to bleaching the color out of your hair, UV chemically breaks down the keratin proteins in hair, drying it out and making it more likely to break.

• Frederick Fekkai Coiff Defense UV Protectant ($25) — a leave-in conditioner that protects hair against damage from UV rays and heat styling.
• John Frieda Thermal Protection Serum ($9) — a drugstore hair product that prevents UV fading, provides heat styling protection and makes hair smooth and soft.
• Re|center Anti-Frizz Serum ($10) — a hair serum that not only protects against UV rays and color fading but also smooths hair, adds shine and defrizzes. All that, and it’s 100% vegan and made from certified botanicals, too.
• Terax Finishing Spray ($18) — a medium hold hairspray with UV protectant.
• Mark Anthony Brilliant Color Color Lock Shampoo ($8) — a drugstore shampoo with vitamin C and UV sunscreens.
• Oscar Blandi Capri Sun-Shield Spray ($20) — a UV protectant spray that boosts shine while preventing fading from sun and chlorine.
• GHD Guardian Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair ($29) — a moisturizing conditioner with UVA and UVB protection for color-treated hair.
• Rene Furterer Okara Restructuring Mask ($28) — a deep conditioner with UV filters.

Sun or no sun, there will be no running outside for yours truly today. My bum knee is feeling much better now (thanks to your well wishes and loads of ice), but it doesn’t feel strong enough to attempt a run. Looks like I’m forced to continue relaxing at home.

Last night I did a whole lotta nothing from the comfort of the couch and watched a random sample of late-night 90′s movie fair. First, I watched American Pie, which I hadn’t seen in years (since band camp), and the second was Rounders. I forgot how much I liked Rounders. You can’t really go wrong with Ed Norton, Matt Damon and John Malcovich all in the same movie.

How’s your weekend coming along? Do you have any plans for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Continue Reading…

Hi, ladies! I’m mo-blogging from the Pure Beauty store in my hood and just spied these lip glosses by Fresh called Gloss Absolute. Aren’t they cute?

The glosses come in four shades: Desire (cherry red), Bellini (peach), Rose Parfait (light pink) and Dahlia (wine).

The only thing holding me back is the price — each costs $24.50, about the same price as a Chanel Glossimer. Have you used Gloss Absolute before? What did you think? Is it worth the price?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen