Archives for September 2010

A Look at the Dolce & Gabbana Ethereal Beauty Collection Holiday 2010

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 80 Comments

Oy, what a relief! My poor luggage found its way home last night, none the worse for wear, and when I busted it open, BAM! Tabs jumped inside. 🙂

Somehow he even knew which compartment held the Dolce & Gabbana Ethereal Beauty Collection products for holiday 2010.

I’ve been meaning to swatch these for you for days! Most of the colors in the 15-piece collection, a collaboration between makeup artist Pat McGrath and designers Dominico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, are totally new. Only two of them, Volumizing Lashes in Black ($29) and Intense Nail Lacquer in Pink 100 ($20), are re-promotes from the permanent line.

dolce gabbana ethereal beauty collection holiday 2010 photos all

None of the products, which arrive at Saks Fifth Avenue stores in mid-October, are exactly bargains, unfortunately, but the prices are typical for a luxury line, ranging from $20 at the low end all the way up to $59 at the top.

The D&G dudes say that light, and the delicate, feminine chiffons, silks and laces from their 2010 runway collections, inspired Ethereal Beauty, and I think I can see their point of view in the makeup. Most of these are nude colors, airy, tender and ladylike. There’s still variety, however, in both texture and opacity, particularly among the lip products.

I think it’s an unusual holiday collection, and not as reddish, golden or dark plum as we usually see from releases around this same time of year.

These Ethereal Beauties — the soft nudes, warm honey browns, delicate pinks, subtle bronzes and solitary orchid — feel more like spring or summer products to me, and for that, I applaud! Simply put, I’m nowhere near ready for this summer to end.

The nuanced color palette might not make this a favorite collection for gals addicted to big, brash and bold. The warm brown, beige and bronze eye colors, here in a variety of shimmery and matte finishes, complement the matte pink cheeks, while the shimmery peach, pink, beige, brown and bronze lips fit well within the overarching theme of the look.

dolce gabbana ethereal beauty collection holiday 2010 photos quad
Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Desert, $59
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Buildings, Bread and Weird Fruit

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 17 Comments

The title pretty much says it all (I took these while I was out sightseeing on my last day in Milan).

By the way, you officially ROCK if you can name the weird fruit!

I’ve Been Licked! Must Be New Urban Decay Honey Sparkling Lickable Body Powder’s Fault

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 28 Comments

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review top

I wonder what Willy Wonka would have to say about new Urban Decay Honey Sparkling Lickable Body Powder ($29 for 0.78oz). Based on the name, doesn’t it sound like something he’d like?

A loose powder with colored glitter for your bod, it’s part of Urban Decay’s new line of Sparkling Lickable Body Powders released for the holidays, and it couldn’t be a whole lot easier to use.

With the included puff, just apply to arms, legs or anywhere else, and because it’s Urban Decay, the glitter’s fairly obvious, in other words, BLING!

I like the glittery look it bestows to my skin, but glitter doesn’t make the product stand out; this one’s more a matter of taste, as in the fact that it’s edible.

If honey’s not your cup of tea (a shimmery golden glitter with — SURPRISE! — a honey flavor and scent), it also comes in Marshmallow (a shimmery white glitter that tastes/smells like marshmallow) and Cocoa (a shimmery bronze that tastes/smells like chocolate).

So, are they magically delicious?

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review open

urban decay honey sparkling lickable body powder review puff
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Have You Met Davines Love Shampoo and Conditioner?

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 17 Comments

“Oh, Davines Shampoo! I’d love to love to LOVE YOU! I’d love to love to LOVE YOU! Oh, Davines Shampoo!”

Oh, come over, girl! Just for a second. There’s someone here you just HAVE to meet. Jane, this is Davines Love Shampoo. Love Shampoo, this is Jane. He’s visiting from Italy and staying at drugstores and salons here in the U.S.

I know! Isn’t he handsome?

But — sorry! — he’s attached, wouldn’t you know it? And here comes his better half now…

Love Conditioner, this is Jane. Jane, Love Conditioner.

Yeah, both of them are priced in the Bumble & Bumble range, and the entire line of products hover around $22 each.

Yikes! I know, right?

I’ve partied with their cousins, LOVE Shampoo and Conditioner for Wavy & Curly Hair ($22 each). Ah, the memories… They were totally into kinky stuff, you know, curly and wavy hair, shh! 🙂

I’ll never forget the way they smelled, too, like yummy oranges. OOH! And I loved how they made my waves so bouncy and defined. HAWT!

Unforch, my locks were still a touch frizzy afterward. Yeah, I don’t think the conditioner and I ever really hit it off. It refused to untangle my knots.

Tabs striking a pose with Davines Love Shampoo (left) and Love Conditioner (right)

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Inside the Duomo

September 30th, 2010 by Karen 8 Comments

I was only there for 10 minutes, but I could’ve easily spent all day shooting.

Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub: How Sweet It Is To Be Scrubbed by You

September 29th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

burts bees cranberry pomegranate sugar scrub

I find it both hilarious and totally fitting that Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub ($13 for an 8-oz. jar) has a warning on the label that reads, “do not consume.” Seriously, they have to tell you not to eat the product because it looks and smells THAT good — like a jar of berry-licious preserves or a sugary frozen treat.