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Archives for January 2011

Lancome Ultra Lavande and the Artist Once Again Known as Prince

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lancome ultra lavande

Mr. White must have liked Mr. Purple.

Mr. White was my middle school music teacher, and one year in band he had us play a medley of Prince songs as an ode to The Purple One (I played the flute). Imagine, if you will, a room filled with 13-year-olds, their instruments out of tune, rocking out to Raspberry Beret and Purple Rain. And while it must have been painful for him, Mr. White sat through the entire thing with a straight face. I only wish I’d had the foresight to tape the ghastly tune; it would have made an awesome ringtone.

This occurred to me today while playing with the purples in Lancome’s spring collection, Ultra Lavande, a limited edition release for eyes, lips, cheeks and nails. The release recently pranced onto shelves and online, and, for the record, it went well with Take Me With You (MY FAVE!) playing in the background. 🙂

For the lowdown on the entire Lancome Ultra Lavande Collection, check out The Lancome Ultra Lavande Collection for Spring 2011: Now THAT’s a Lot of Purple

lancome ultra lavande open
A few Lancome Ultra Lavande clockwise from the gold pot on the lower left: Ombre Magnetique Long Wearing Shadow in Disco Gold, Ombre Magnetique Long Wearing Shadow in Disco Silver, French Touch Absolu in Berry Rose and Butterflies Fever Ultra Lavande Blush

Butterlies Fever Ultra Lavande Blush ($40)

Butterflies Fever Blush was the piece I was most excited about before the collection came out, and I think it looks just as beautiful in person as it does in pictures. The color’s a lot lighter then I thought it would be, however, and the darker purple shades in the smaller butterflies turned out to be an overspray (bummer). BTW, the flecks of glitter in the pan are HUGE! MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Ombre Lagnetique Long Wearing Shadows in Disco Gold and Disco Silver ($25 each)

Both deliver mad sparkle. If you like gobs o’ glitter and don’t mind a somewhat dry cream texture, these might make you wanna boogie down. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

French Touch Absolu Lipstick in Berry Rose ($35)

How cute is this tube? It’s got a cool disco ball thing goin’, but it picks up every fingerprint. This pigmented creamy berry, unscented and unflavored, feels smooth and slick on my lips. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

lancome ultra lavande open
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A New Look at NARS Spring 2011 with Tzigane, Hollywoodland, Bateau Ivre and Nouveau Monde

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nars spring 2011

When the NARS spring 2011 makeup collection sprung earlier this month, it didn’t strike with the force of a thousand Easter bunnies. In other words, it didn’t knock me off my feet.

I liked the repromoted Angelika and Super Orgasm Lip Glosses but felt the Soft Touch Pencil in Celebrate, the Lip Gloss in Nana and the Pure Matte Lipstick in Madère were just okay. Seriously, what’s a 35-year-old suburban gal gonna do with a neon green eyeshadow (Celebrate) that lasts all of 5 minutes on her skin?

And then came today.

I tried four more goodies from the collection this afternoon — the Lipstick in Tzigane, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland, Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre and Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde — and now NARS is singing my tune.

THESE are the kinds of products I was hoping to find in this collection; until today, I just didn’t know they were here.

They must have been hiding like Easter eggs. 🙂

The look features fresh, exciting eyes with a touch of fun color, and a lovely lipstick I could easily wear to work (or a brunch date!). It’s modern, yet wearable makeup with a springy edge, and I can totally see myself cruising the neighborhood with it on as I walk my plus-sized tabby down the street.

nars spring 2011
Clockwise from the lower left: Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde, Lipstick in Tzigane, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland and Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 31

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the makeup and beauty blog monday poll

  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 155. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Like Tony the Tiger says, “Grrrrrreat!” 🙂

  2. What’s one beauty trend you’d like to try?

    3. Lash extensions (where an aesthetician individually glues false lashes to your natural lashes to make ’em look longer). I doubt I’d go there, though, because some experts recommend not using pencil liners with them. The friction caused while using pencil liners can loosen extensions where they’re attached. GURL, I loves me some drag-a-licious lashes, but not if getting them means having to forsake my stick of MAC Powersurge.

  3. Is there anything you’d tell yourself of five years ago?

    4. Lots of stuff. That was 2006…which was when I first got married. I’d tell myself to just start making babies already. Oh, and I was in pretty good shape back then, so I’d also tell myself to spend more time walking around in bikinis, haha!

  4. One-piece pant suits: love ’em or leave ’em?

    5. Leave ’em. I can appreciate the convenience of not having to think about coordinating a shirt with pants, but they’re a logistical challenge in the bathroom. You have to work your way out of the top first — no easy task when they’re usually over-decorated with unnecessary buttons and zippers — while simultaneously keeping the bottoms from dragging on the bathroom floor, LOL! Way too complicated. Plus, I can never find them in my size, and I hate getting pants hemmed.

  5. When no one is looking I…

    6. Dance around Tabs like an “MTV girl” (remember that scene in The Fighter?); or I read Us Weekly (or Cat Fancy), watch bad horror films about exorcisms, or shave my toes.

  6. Quick! — what’s the first makeup/beauty product that comes to mind?

    7. Clarins Hydraquench Cream. My face would FREAK without it, for reals.

  7. I’m a good friend because…

    8. I’ve always got your back.

  8. I’m a bad friend because…

    9. I don’t call enough.

  9. Hair up or down?

    10. Down. My bangs are still out of control, but the rest of my hair has been rather well behaved lately.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To enjoy each and every day (I’m committed to keeping it simple this week).

How was your weekend, boo? Mine was super chill. I got some extra sleep, did some house cleaning, got in a good workout and watched a LOT of TV (a cop show called Southland; have you seen it?).

Drop in to say hi when you get a chance. I hope your week gets off to a great start.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. What’s one beauty trend you’d like to try?
3. Is there anything you’d tell yourself of five years ago?
4. One-piece pant suits: love ’em or leave ’em?
5. When no one is looking I…
6. Quick! — what’s the first makeup/beauty product that comes to mind?
7. I’m a good friend because…
8. I’m a bad friend because…
9. Hair up or down?
10. Weekly goals:

Come say hi, okay? Miss you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel Summer 2011 Makeup Collection: A Sneak Peek!

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Last week Chanel’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer Fashion Show in Paris revealed a sneak peek at some of the pieces from the upcoming Chanel Summer 2011 Makeup Collection.

I’ll have full details on the release soon, but for now, here are a few things to expect coming down the pipe around July.

Chanel Summer 2011 Makeup Collection

  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION OMBRE ESSENTIELLE in Gris Exquis
  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION OMBRES TISSÉES in Beiges
  • CRAYON SOURCILS
  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION ROUGE COCO SHINE in Royallieu

Prices TBD.


Peter Philips, Creative Director of CHANEL Make Up, doing his thang!

All the Chanel products used on this runway look…

Face

  • VITALUMIERE AQUA Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF 15
  • POUDRE UNIVERSELLE LIBRE  Natural Finish Loose Powder
  • ECLAT LUMIERE Highlighting Face Pen
  • CORRECTEUR PERFECTION Long Lasting Concealer

Eyes

  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION OMBRE ESSENTIELLE in Gris Exquis (available July 2011)
  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION OMBRES TISSÉES in Beiges (available July 2011)
  • STYLO YEUX WATERPROOF Long Lasting Eyeliner in Ebène
  • CRAYON SOURCILS (available July 2011)
  • MASCARA INIMITABLE in Noir

Cheeks

  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION OMBRES TISSÉES in Beiges (available in July 2011)
  • JOUES CONTRASTE Powder Blush in Rose Pétale

Lips

  • SOIN TENDRE LÈVRES Hydrating Lip Treatment
  • EXCLUSIVE CREATION ROUGE COCO SHINE in Royallieu (available in July 2011)

Nails

  • LE VERNIS Nail Colour in Tendresse


The Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 Haute Couture Show, January 25, 2011

What do you think? I’m loving the cat eyes and the kissable, nude lips.

Photo credits: Vincent Lappartient

What to Wear on Your Winter Trip to San Francisco

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San Francisco’s Union Square, June 2010

Hi, ladies. Aside from the brief period of time I spent away at college, I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life. I love it here, and it definitely feels like home. 🙂 When I opened this note from reader Tzu, I couldn’t wait to share.

Hi Karen,

I’ll be visiting San Francisco next week and was wondering if you could give me suggestions on what to pack in terms of clothing? I’m in NYC, and I know I won’t be needing my winter/snow woolly mammoth coat, but should I pack spring clothes? Layers? Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!
–Tzu

Hey Tzu,

Adventure awaits! I think you’re going to love San Francisco, but before I jump into suggestions, please promise me something — that you’ll never, ever refer to San Francisco as “San Fran” (bluh!) or “‘Fricso” (double bluh!) while you’re here. Try “S.F.” or “the City,” and merchants will take you for a local (as opposed to a tourist).

The weather is generally mild in winter — too warm for snow, but too chilly for shorts. It rains a little more than usual, and temps typically range from the low 40s to mid 60s.

In the city itself, the different districts and neighborhoods also have their own micro climates. You can literally go from one end of the city to the other (a distance of just 7 miles) and go through banks of thick fog, patches of sun, and areas of rain, which means it helps to be prepared for anything.

I think you’re wise to leave your heaviest snow coat at home, but you’ll still want to bring a warm coat, especially if you plan to do any walking (a good likelihood considering the poor parking). It also gets colder at night. Not East Coast cold, mind you, but chilly enough.

Layers are totally key; lightweight (but warm) sweaters, t-shirts, scarves, hoodies — basically, anything that you can peel off if the sun peeks out and put back on when it goes away.
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Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 124

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Tabs for MAC Spider Cat

What I want to know is, can a cat get a driver’s license? Because mine needs one. I’m tired of always having to drop whatever I’m doing to shuttle Tabs around.

When I took this job, I thought, “Gee, Tabs is a successful kitty model. This will look good on my resume.” But I was never told I’d have to work weekends. Don’t get me wrong — I enjoy being his assistant, but the hours suck. I was so looking forward to doing a little shopping at the mall this afternoon, but then I got this text from Tabs (who happened to be in the other room):

“Take me to Petco. I’ll be ready in 5.”

And I can’t just say “No” either. I need this job.

Anywho, before I take his majesty shopping, here are the most recent pics from his kitty modeling portfolio. It was a busy week!

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

Tabs for Smashbox The Tabby Files

Tabs for the Cargo Castaway Collection
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

This week was hands down one of the funnest weeks I’ve had blogging since 2007. My tiara goes off to MAC for coming up with such a cool creative concept (Wonder Woman) and for going all out with the idea. I can’t wait to see more.

They could have said, “I know! We’ll get a Wonder Woman license, throw the logo on some compacts and jack up the price.” That would have been the Happy Meal approach, but it’s not the approach they took. They decided to focus on an era from Wonder Woman’s comic book past (the more contemporary WW is stylistically completely different), carefully selected the colors for the collection, and put everything together with great products and original promo artwork to form a cohesive creative concept.

I’m not a fan of everything MAC does, and sometimes I think they rush things out the door, but when they do go all out with a clear vision like this, they’re awesome. This is makeup, after all, and it’s rarely revolutionary. It’s about ideas, concepts and stories just as much as it’s about colors, brushes and light. At least for me, it’s the concepts that fill my head with ideas, the stories that fill my heart with desire, and great products that make me want to seal the deal. Yes, that was a little corny… 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

The Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Ultra Shine Lipsticks and GlossesTHE DOLCE & GABBANA SECRET GARDEN
ULTRA SHINE LIPSTICKS AND GLOSSES

As promised, here are those swatches of the two lipsticks and two lipglosses from the new Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Collection.

What do you think? Ultra shiny, right? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say they’re aptly named. Read more…

$59 Smashbox Style Files: Eyes, Lips and Cheeks!$59 SMASHBOX STYLE FILES
FOR EYES LIPS AND CHEEKS

The three portable palettes in the Smashbox Style Files ($59) are totally easy to crack. What I mean to say is, there’s no 128-bit encryption or complex p@ssW07ds here. Just a batch of beauty bits (in shimmery neutrals to deep jewel tones) for eyes, lips and cheeks.

For my makeup today, I felt like something fun and fresh, but I didn’t want to think too hard.

Enter the Smashbox Style Files, a new limited edition Sephora exclusive set.

These colors aren’t as pigmented as I’d hoped and suffer from some pretty mean fallout, but I do like how easy they are to blend. In all, you get eight shadows.

Each of the cream liners double as bases for the shadows, so that’s pretty cool. And the pencil liners cling to my lash and water lines like true champs. With this set, you get four Cream Liners and two Limitless Eye Liners.

The lip and cheek palette comes with two Lip Glosses and two Cheek colors (my favorite things about the entire kit!). I LOVE how effortlessly these blushes melt into my skin. The non-sticky lippies, however, I could probably live without. Both unscented, unflavored colors look almost identical on my pigmented pucker. Read more…

Are you a MAC Wonder Woman?ARE YOU A MAC
WONDER WOMAN?

Unless you’ve been holed up in your secluded superhero lair (every hero needs one, yo!), chances are you’ve probably heard rumblings about the new MAC Wonder Woman Collection, which twirls onto shelves February 10 in North America and internationally this March.

MAC teamed up with DC Comics this time to create a limited edition makeup collection inspired by one of the toughest ladies in comic book history. She fights crime in foxy hot pants (and sometimes a skirt) and has a penchant for practical accessories, like bullet-deflecting bracelets, magic lassos and boomerang headpieces, too!

There’s no denying it — this girl is tough AND cute.

Not bad for 2,000 years old (I wonder which face cream she uses).

Just like Diana Prince right before a beam of magic light transformed her into Wonder Woman, I’ve been practically spinning in circles in my knee-high boots ever since I saw the first promo pics for this super-sized 33-piece collection for eyes, lips, face and nails. Read more…

MAC Wonder Woman Collection Lip CombinationsA FEW MAC WONDER WOMAN
LIP COMBINATIONS

What up, fellow Wonder Women? I thought you gals might like to see some potential lip combinations with the Lipsticks and Lipglasses from the soon-to-be-released MAC Wonder Woman Collection.

These are just to spark some ideas, of course. Let’s get those creative juices flowing!

About that, what’s your current favorite lip combo (liner/lipstick/gloss)? Or do you like to wear just one thing at a time? Inquiring minds want to know. Read more…

Clarins Neo Pastels and My Monday Face of the DayMY CLARINS NEO PASTELS
MONDAY FACE OF THE DAY

Sooo, guess who’s procrastinating? 🙂 Yeah, I have about a billion things on my to-do list, but none of them are as much fun as makeup.

I put the new Clarins Neo Pastels Collection to work today for this here face of the day.

I loosely based the eye portion of the look on the Neo Pastel makeup tutorial here, and the edgy look of the black liner along the waterline is one of my favorite parts.

The Eye Quartet Mineral Palette’s shiny finish makes these dramatic and fun, but I observed some patchiness from both of the purple shadows (but not as much as the pastel quad in the Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Collection). Read more…

MAC Packed To Go Travel Exclusives for Spring 2011THE MAC PACKED TO GO
TRAVEL EXCLUSIVES FOR SPRING 2011

Planning any trips soon? If you are, and they happen to involve a short airport layover, you might be able to MAC 🙂 good use of your wait time with the new MAC Packed to Go travel Exclusives for spring 2011.

Travel exclusives are limited edition sets, and sometimes individual products, special to travel hubs like airports and duty free stores (you won’t find them at regular stores or counters).

A lot of the bigger beauty brands like MAC, Dior, Estee Lauder, Chanel and Guerlain (to name just a few), have them, and they’re a boon to beauty obsessed travelers like us.

MAC Packed to Go is being released in two “phases” for spring.

The first, available now, features three MAC Look In A Box kits, each one designed with a different themed look in mind using products for eyes, cheeks and lips.

The second phase, which launches in March, will encompass 11 MAC Packed to Go sets organized by category, like lipstick, Lipglass, mascara and brush.

I always try to keep an eye out for travel exclusives because some of them contain hard-to-find limited edition pieces from long lost (but not forgotten!) collections, making them great opportunities to snag something you might not have had the chance to get the first time around. Read more…

Meet Clinique's Conservatively Sharp Milly PaletteMEET CLINIQUE’S CONSERVATIVELY
SHARP MILLY PALETTE

Greetings and salutations, mon amie. I wanted to quickly show you the new Clinique Milly Pretty in Prints Palette ($36) in action.

What do ya think? I followed the tutorial that comes with the eye and cheek palette this afternoon, and the whole thing took only about 10 minutes to do.

The palette comes with four shadows and a blush; the shadows contain just the right amount of pigment, and all of them are super easy to blend. Heck, I’d call the palette downright perfect if it wasn’t for the matte brown shade, which left mad fallout on my cheeks when I used it as a liner today (which is what the tutorial suggests). Read more…

What are your top 5 MAC must haves?WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5
MAC MUST HAVES?

I was digging through my MAC favorites this morning when I remembered a question asked by reader Sheila Z in the comments yesterday.

“Karen, I’ll be getting my makeup done this saturday at MAC for my brother-in-law’s engagement party. Part of the process requires that I buy at least 5 items. What are the top 5 you recommend?”

Hey, Sheila. Pardon me for this, but right now I feel Ready For The World! “Oh, oh, oh, oh, Sheila!”

(Please tell me you’re familiar with that song.)

With that out of the way, let’s get back to beauty. 🙂 You’re going to have such a blast at the MAC counter on Saturday. For what it’s worth, here are my five (current) MAC must-haves. Read more…

Have you seen the new Zoya Intimate Collection?HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW
ZOYA INTIMATE COLLECTION?

If you’ve yet to get your fill of purple, this spring’s prince of the color-sphere, feast your eyes on the sweet new shades in Zoya’s Intimate Collection ($7 each; available in six colors).

These make me want to play dress-up…like I should be wearing a floral print dress with sky-high pumps as I sport them on my nails.

And for some reason I can seem them going well with the Laura Mercier’s Silk Road Collection…

I only just put these on, so I can’t speak to wear time yet, but the other Zoya polishes I’ve tried resist chips and fading exceptionally well, especially when worn with the Color-Lock System (THE BEST!). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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