McLurvely alert! The 2009 Lady Dior spring makeup collection arrives next month, and I’ve been drooling all over the pics.

Earlier today I remembered a game my BFF and I would play when we were kids. It was called What Would You Get?, and whenever one of us would get a catalogue in the mail (hello, no internets), we’d flip through the pages, picking out one thing we’d each get if we could.

Are you ready for WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to spend $200 in virtual makeup bucks on the Lady Dior Spring 2009 makeup collection! Let me know what you’d get in the comments.

I love the $95 cheek and lip palette, with it’s oh-so-cute quilted compact.

Choose from any of the items from the collection…

Eyes

• 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in Parisian Lights, $56.00
• 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Elegante, $56.00
• 2-Colour Eyeshadow in Nude Look, $35.00
• Crayon Eyeliner in Elegant Taupe, $26.00

Lips

• Rouge Dior Lipstick in Rita Beige, $28.00
• Rouge Dior Lipstick in Actress Chestnut, $28.00
• Dior Addict High-Shine Lipstick in New Look Beige, $26.00
• Dior Addict High-Shine Lipstick in Couture Pink, $26.00
• Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Trenchcoat Beige , $25.50
• Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Ribbon Beige, $25.50
• Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Clutch Pink, $25.50
• Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Satin Pink, $25.50

Nails

• Dior Vernis in Porcelain, $20.00
• Dior Vernis in Nude Chic, $20.00

Cheeks

• Lady Dior Palette in Parisienne Chic or French Chic, a complexion highlighter and a creamy tint for both cheeks and lips, $95.00

Those quints are calling my name…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

‘Sup, pretties! Here’s a peek at three products from Dior’s upcoming Cristal Collection, which arrives at Dior counters in May — Electric Lights eyeshadow palette ($56), Coral Riviera blush ($42) and Addict High Shine lipstick in Artist Pink ($26).

These blues, corals and pinks get me so excited that my mind feels like it’s going a zillion miles a minute. I have no choice but to spew with a list!

• The Electric Lights eyeshadow palette is giving me hella good MAC Cool Heat flashbacks. The shimmery purplish blue shadow in center? Instant love!
• Coral Rivera blush, a shimmery gold coral, is already available for purchase on the Nordstrom website. It bears a striking resemblance to one of my favorite Nars blushes, Torrid.
• Right after I applied Artist Pink lipstick on my lips I did a little jig in my living room, fo’ reals! It has the cutest tiny flecks of pink and gold glitter.

This Dior-inspired conniption may cause me to spontaneously combust in front of my computer! If that happens, please remember that I loved you all as much as I loved concealer.

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Can I get an AMEN from all the makeup procrastinators out there? Oh, you *know* who you are, LOL! When you should be finishing that assignment or organizing those files you bust out the makeup and brushes and do a two-hour eye look instead. I’m right there with ya, girlfriend.

I’ve got a paper due tomorrow, but instead of getting down to business, I spent half the morning playing with the new Dior Electric Lights Palette, AHHH!

Eyes

So far, I’m really liking Dior Electric Lights. The light blues don’t apply as frosty as I thought they might. That’s what I expected when I first swatched the colors on the back of my hand.

Another surprise: the light baby blue shade in the lower left hand corner applies surprisingly sheer, and it has a duo-chrome quality to it that totally reminds me of a blue MAC Stars N’ Rockets.

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One of the more conservative collections this season

Dior went buck nekkid with the soft pinks, beiges and browns in the new Lady Dior collection.

I just tried a few of the new products and will post swatches when I have them, but so far … I’m interested but not in love.

The colors look natural and feminine to me but aren’t driving me wild.

I think one of the reasons I’m not falling head over heels over in love with this release is ’cause I’ve gotten a little more adventurous with color over the past few years, and I’ve seen some of these shades before.

Playing with these beiges and browns, I found myself wishing for a couple brighter roses and corals to balance out the nudes, like Chanel did with Bohemian Fantasy.

But, hey, if you like nude makeup, there’s plenty of it here to go around.

2 Colouers Eyeshadow Duo in Nude Look, $35

When it comes to the texture of their eyeshadows, Dior never fails to deliver. The matte grayish brown and the shimmery shell pink in the Nude Look duo ooze with intense color and blend flawlessly.

I would totes be into this duo more if the colors in it were more unusual.

But if you don’t have a huge eyeshadow collection or don’t have much experience with nude shades, Nude Look could be worth a splurge. They’re Dior, so you know you’re getting quality, and the colors are great basics to have around for work or school. The fine texture of these powders makes them practically fool-proof. Beginner approved! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

Dior Addict High Shine Lipcolor in New Look Beige ($26)

I have a suggestion. Dior should just call these lipstick crack. The texture of Addict feels slick and hydrating, and it’s, um, totally addictive, so it’s worthy of its name.

I found myself reaching for the tube every half hour. Maybe it’s the crack inside, LOL!

It makes lips look super shiny and doesn’t feel thick or heavy. Yup, I’m way crazy in love with this texture!

My only issue is with the color. Fo’ sho’ Addict feels great on my lips, but Nude Look Beige just doesn’t rock my boat because it looks so much like other pinkish beiges I’ve seen before. It’s a good every day color, though, especially if you’re looking for something that isn’t too flashy for work. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

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I must confess: I have a kindergarten crush on the new Dior Golds 569 palette. Actually, I have room in my heart for all five of the colors in the new Dior quint, but my favorite is khaki. Today I paired it with MAC Soba eyeshadow (in the crease ) to create a brown and khaki daytime eye.

Dior me, baby!

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Bust out your alligator pumps, white cardigan sweater, pearls and pencil skirt, and let’s explore Dior’s upcoming Fall 2008 Impression Cuir collection. YES!

I just received previews of two of the items from the upcoming collection (due out this August). Sometimes, I feel like brown can be a little boring, but when it’s done well, as I think it has been here, brown can be downright smokin’.

After playing with the Impression Cuir eyeshadow palette and Rouge Dior Fiction Brown lipstick this morning, I felt very much like a hot librarian in training. I almost wanted to don my glasses, put my hair in a bun and talk sweet, sweet dewey decimals. Fo’ reals!

Impression Cuir eyeshadows on the top; Fiction Brown lipstick on the bottom

The Impression Cuir Palette ($55) contains a trio of bronze, brown and beige shimmer eyeshadows embossed with a pretty alligator-skin pattern on the pan. The tiny sparkles give the shades a lil’ extra kick, but the colors in this palette are still very work-friendly.

In the picture above I’m wearing the beige on the brow bone, bronze in the crease and beige on the lid. I like how the colors blend seamlessly into each other. With these shades, creating subtle, yet sexy eye looks is a breeze. I can even picture the colors mixing well with greens, browns, pinks and purples. If you’ve been wanting to try Dior eyeshadows, let this palette be your gateway makeup drug! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

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Who loves gold, khaki and coral? I do! I do!

How ’bout Dior? Do you love Dior? Because I sure do. I got my paws on a few items from Goldrush, Dior’s new summer collection. It’s a limited edition being delivered to your nearby Dior counter as we speak. Dior has given us some new eyeshadows, lipsticks, lipglosses, a blush, a highlighter and nail polishes in coordinating tan, coral, khaki and gold.

I really like the 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Golds 569 ($52).

Pretty, yah? The eyeshadow palette pictured above houses five shades — a beige, bronze, copper, gold and khaki, all wrapped up in a sleek, midnight blue, trademark Dior compact. 

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The Dior Jazz Club’s frenzy of coolish pinks, purples, grays and burgundies reminds me of smokey eyes, knee-high boots and knit sweaters. It’s a truly fall collection, and it makes me want to skip down sidewalks covered in autumn leaves on my way to Nordstrom, where the new collection is on sale now (and soon to be online).

A few things of note…

• The collection has a *ton* of gray eyeshadows in a variety of textures, so if you wear grays well, it could be worth a splurge.
• All three blushes in the collection are light, shimmery pinks that may function better as highlighters for girls with darker skin.
• I couldn’t take my eyes off the 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Night Butterfly and the Creme de Glosses in Sweet Praline and Fig Nectar. I think all three would work wonders in a look featuring smokey purple eyes and nude lips.

Eyes

5-Colour Eyeshadow in Night Butterfly (173), $56

Dior Jazz Club Eye Palettes in 001 and 002 (available only at Nordstrom stores), $65 each

Dior Jazz Club Eye Palette in 001

Dior Jazz Club Eye Palette in 002

2-Colour Eyeshadow in Cocktail Look (055), $35

1-Colour Extreme in Argentic, $28

1-Colour Extreme in Trendy Taupe, $28

Lips

Dior Addict Lipcolor lipstick in Decadent Plum (993) and Mauve Royal (583), $26 each

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Add Dior Style Liner to the ranks of the GOOD GLITTERS. The small size of the flakes and softness of the their texture keeps this silver liquid liner (soo pretty!) from looking too eighth grade dance. It’s the easiest liquid liner I’ve ever used!

Because 1) I’m 33 and 2) very clumsy, I don’t wear many glittery liquid eyeliners. They can be recipes for disaster!

Most liquid liner formulas, particularly ones with glitter in them, tend to run and get all over the place. I call it the glitter conundrum; it seems like when beauty products are built to deliver glitter, glitter drives the product’s development more than the overall quality of the product itself.

That’s why I like Dior Style Liner.

The thick gel formula, the fine grain of the glitter bits (so fine that the product looks almost like metallic paint) and the fine, semi-stiff brush tip applicator make it easier for me to apply and to control than usual for glittery liquid liners.

Not only is Style Liner easy to use, but it feels age-appropriate. I can’t be running around like a wanna-be tween, ya know?

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The beauty gurus at Nordstrom have been telling me to keep an eye on Dior. Big things are being predicted from the line, and Dior counters are popping up at Nordie’s stores across the US.

But with the exception of DiorShow Mascara, I haven’t had much experience with Dior, so I was curious about their other products. A few weeks ago I decided to try a tube of Dior Long-Wearing Moisturizing Concealer in Medium Beige ($27). Shannon Blunden, a fantastic makeup artist and the Cosmetics and Fragrance Manager at Nordstrom in Union Square, sold me on the product after using it to conceal my dark undereye circles. It also worked well on my eyelids as a shadow primer. Check it:

Undereye circles be gone, yo!

Shannon first discovered Dior concealer a few years ago doing wedding makeup on a bride who insisted upon using it for her big day. After seeing how well it worked, Shannon was hooked. It soon became the only concealer she would use on herself or her clients.

Dior concealer has a slightly thicker consistency than my go-to concealer, MAC Select Moisturecover. It’s also more heavily pigmented, which makes it a bit tricky to work with. Forget slap-it-on-and-go here.

Using the smallest little dab, I apply Dior slowly, layer by layer, and blend like crazy. It takes time to blend sufficiently, but rushing through the job will show lines of demarcation on your skin.

Applied correctly, Dior Moisturizing Concealer looks seamless. I can barely tell I’m wearing any concealer at all. It does take a lil’ bit of work, though, and you know me … lazy to the Nth degree. First using a layer of something like Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer to “cushion” the product makes it easier to blend, and I found that a drop of foundation to the undereye area did wonders. When used to cover a base product, Dior Moisturizing Concealer becomes far easier to layer and blend.

Like the name says, the formula has supreme staying power without drying the skin under my eyes. After a few hours, some moisturizing concealers migrate into my fine lines like crazy. Dior does, too, but not as much as MAC Select Moisturecover.

The catch, unfortunately (there’s always a catch), is the limited shade selection. For now, there are only three colors to choose from: Light Beige, Medium Beige and Light Golden. The product is also heavily perfumed and smells strongly of baby powder. My sensitive nose protested at first, but the scent faded quickly.

At $27, it ain’t cheap, but you get a big tube. I found I only needed to use a few drops on my dark circles and guess that one tube would last me at least a year.

Because of how easily it applies, my tube of MAC Select Moisturecover still reigns supreme on super lazy days, but when time is not of the essence and I want to look my best, I’ll reach for Dior’s Moisturizing Concealer, fo’ sho.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It being almost summer and all, let’s take a moment to wax philosophic about an upcoming fall collection slated for a summertime release: Dior’s Fall 2008 Impression Cuir makeup collection. No matter what Dior calls it, this collection looks hot. Put on your water wings, grab some sweet tea (or gin and juice, haay!) and take a look.

Due for release this August, the collection features rich, romantic colors like burgundy, plum and copper and embossed animal-inspired textures — think crocodile and python. The makeup gods say dark lipstick will be big this fall, and I’m looking forward to Fantastic Plum Rouge Dior (pictured below). I think it’ll look great with my warm winter coat and knee-high boots.

The Dior Impression Cuir Fall Collection…

Eyeshadows

2-Colour Eyeshadow ($35)

• Bronzy Look #695
• Silver Look #775

5-Colour Eyeshadow ($54)

• Earth Tones #673
• Iridescent Leather #539

Dior Impression Cuir Palette ($55)

• A trio of bronze, brown and beige eyeshadows

Eye Liner

Crayon Eyeliner ($25)

• Iridescent Khaki #363

Lipgloss

Creme de Gloss ($25.50)

• Cream Burgundy #735
• Delicious Plum #875

Ultra-Gloss Reflect ($24.50)

• Lace Beige #587
• Lurex Plum #877

Lipstick

Rouge Dior ($27)

• Western Beige #423
• Pink Drama #559
• Fantastic Plum #874
• Fiction Brown #619

Lip Liner

Dior Contour ($25)

• Mythical Brown #713
• Mysterious Plum #988
  

  Powder

  DiorSkin Poudre Shimmer ($24)

  • Copper Diamond #003

  Blush

  DiorBlush ($38)

  • Pink Copper #739

  
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The two Creme de Gloss lip glosses ($26) in Dior’s new Jazz Club collection are melting my heart.

With their high shine, rich color and non-sticky texture, I guess it was inevitable, le sigh…

Both Sweet Praline (431; I believe it’s a brand new shade) and Fig Nectar (641; also part of Dior’s permanent collection) are nudes and should go well with dark smokey eyes this fall.

Creme de Gloss in Sweet Praline (431) and Fig Nectar (641), $26 each

I think the two colors look almost like twins in their tubes, but they come into their own once they’re worn on the lips.

Sweet Praline, the warmer of the two sisters, applies as a light peachy pink with silver micro-glitter, and I’m glad she doesn’t look milky on my lips like a lot of other nude glosses are wont to do. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Fig Nectar applies as a cool, shimmery mauve with tiny flecks of silver glitter. There’s a touch of purplish-blue in this shade, and I’m guessing cool-toned hotties could wear it well. I can see it teamed up with eyeshadows in gray, berry or black. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Too bad the Creme de Glosses cost an arm and a leg, but their rich color, smooth texture (non-sticky) and blinding shine saves them from the scrap heap.

A girl can never have too many nude lip gloss options.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Dior Vernis Nail Enamel in Liquorice without flash

I’d been starting to forget how much I love purple when I remembered Dior Vernice Nail Enamel in Liquorice ($19).

It came out as a Nordstrom exclusive early in the summer. With its deep, rich plum and flecks of shimmery gold, it was everything I look for in a nail polish suitable for all occasions.

Dior Vernis Nail Enamel in Liquorice with flash

Unfortunately, ye mighty makeup gods chose to make it a limited edition, perhaps to toy with our emotions, and it’s already pretty scarce.

Nordies already took it down from their site, but I’ve had some luck finding discontinued limited edition products at Nordstrom by asking counter people to check around for me. If you’re unable to track it down, don’t fret. Try Sally Hansen’s Salon Nail Lacquer in Alchemy ($6) instead. It contains a little less gold (maybe that’s why it costs so much less, lol!) but has a very similar color.

Liquorice is an elegant, dynamic shade with a hint of pimp daddy thrown in for good measure. Depending on the light, the color pivots from a dark eggplant to a warm burgundy-gold. I can totally see myself behind the wheel of an old El Camino painted in Liquorice. Add some chrome rims and I’d be hella ridin’ dirty.

I just got back from a quick run. The leaves are beginning to fall, and pretty soon at this time I’ll be jogging in the dark. Lovely… I’m gonna miss the longer days.

Now I’m eating a brownie and watching the new 90210 on TV for the first time. I’m feeling the urge to paint my toes.

Whatcha doin’ tonight?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Earth Day, ya’ll! Guess what happened to your friendly neighborhood beauty addict at 2:00 am this morning? I got up because the neighbor’s cat was meowing at the door (why do they always want to party at the most inopportune times? Sucks!), drank a glass of water, and then realized that today is Earth Day. That got me thinking about Earth Day-esque things like composting, Toyota Priuses and low-flow shower heads, and from there my brain made the leap to earthy Dior eyeshadows.

Eventually, I fell back to sleep. Later in the morning (after taking out the recycling), I whipped up this list of Earth-Day inspired green and brown eye colors from the Dior makeup line…

Earth Reflection 609 ($54) – A palette with gold, bronze, golden pink, dark brown, and golden pearl shadows that I’d wear for daytime looks.

Tropical Light 409 ($54) – I got all swoony when I saw the light green shade in this palette. I also dig the bronze, pink pearl, silver taupe and pearl shades, too.


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Dior is at it again, girls. I love Dior in general, but their eyeshadow quints are what I look forward to most of all. This August, they’re giving us *two* new palettes for fall. Oh, be still my broken knee.

The two new 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palettes are part of the upcoming Impression Cuir collection.

Earth Tones

My favorite of the two quints is hands-down the Earth Tones palette ($54) pictured above. All five of its shades — dark olive green, light moss green, pale pink, chocolate brown and reddish brown — have rich, creamy matte finishes with just the faintest shimmer. Girls (or boys) who like spicy neutrals may dig these a lot.

I used to steer clear of mattes because they can be hard to work with and difficult to blend, but Dior has the matte formulation down. These shades blend well, and, with a hint of shimmer, they create looks that aren’t flat or one-dimensional at all.

Unfortunately, Dior does not try to be a budget brand, and both of these palettes cost a pretty penny. For the money, though, the shades in the Earth Tones palette absolutely deliver. I think these are well made, beautiful and highly wearable eyeshadows. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

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If a tube of glitter lipgloss looks like something a gang of tween girls would wear to a Miley Cyrus concert, I usually stay far away. It’s just when glitter goes wrong it can go *really* wrong, you know?

There are those rare times, though, when a truly dynamic glitter gloss takes my breath away. That magical feeling swept over me when I first marveled at Dior Sparkle Shine Glitter Top Coat for Lips ($24.50), a limited edition lipgloss from the Dior Night Diamond holiday collection.

Imagine sucking on a disco ball lollipop for hours; that’s the effect Sparkle Shine gives lips. Infused with a plethora of large green, blue, pink, gold and silver glitter pieces, this bad boy is the mutha of glitter glosses.

Girrrrl… This Is GOOD GLITTER

Dior really should call this stuff glitter with a touch of gloss.

While there are many elegant glitter lipglosses out there, like Chanel Galactic Glossimer, Sparkle Shine stands out because it contains an abundance of glitter (I’m guessing double the average amount).

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Only two words can describe Dior Creme de Gloss: Hawt Daym!

Released this fall, these babies have the look of a medium coverage lipstick with the feel of a non-stick gloss. They’re fragrance- and flavor-free and kinda remind me of Laura Mercier Lip Velvets from fall’s Cherries Noir collection.

A Natural (yet Sexy!) Lip Look

I tried two of the 14 Creme de Gloss colors, Delicious Plum (a shimmery cool berry) and Coral Elixir (a shimmery golden coral), and one layer of each was all it took…

Some glosses look goopy and thick on lips. They’re obvious and the opposite of natural, but not Creme de Gloss. It looks almost like something applied inside the lips, or blended into them. The result is a natural, yet still shiny and kissable pout.

Use Sparingly

For me, I think the secret to using these is to use them sparingly. I had to be careful I didn’t apply too much because of how highly pigmented they are. A little goes a long way. In these pictures I’m wearing a single thin coat applied with the doe foot applicator that comes with the tube.

Just for kicks, I tried applying two really thick layers and the results were a HOT MESS! I wanted to post the pictures, but to subject you to that horror would have constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

Suffice it to say, both shades looked scary thick and flat-out gross on my lips. I went to do some work at the computer, and within a few minutes gloss had started migrating and smearing outside of my natural lip lines. ‘Twas reminiscent of paparazzi photos of Amy Winehouse shopping shoeless at a 24-hour grocery store. Not good.

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I knew Dior HydrAction Deep Hydration Skin Tint SPF 20 ($38) was something special when I tried taking a few pictures with it on.

Most of the time I’ll wear a full-coverage foundation for pics because many tinted moisturizes appear too sheer for flash photography — not HydrAction, though. It disguises EVERYTHING, and almost passes for a foundation in pictures.

Dior HydrAction in action! I have no idea what’s going on with my hair…

Lightweight

But while it may cover like a foundation, it doesn’t feel like one on my skin. It’s light, lets my skin breathe and looks so natural that I sometimes forget I even have it on — perfect for days when I want good coverage but don’t want the weighty feel of a foundation.

Dior’s “ultra-fine pigments and light-reflecting micro-pearls” must be magic… One small blueberry-sized dollop of the richly pigmented formula covers all of my red patches, pigmentation spots and pimples, leaving skin that’s almost flawless (as close to flawless as my skin gets).

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Girrrrl, next time you’re in Sephora, get your hands on Dior’s 2-Colour Eyeshadow duos ($35 each) because these shadows apply and blend like buttah!

Each if the eight duos includes a matte and a shimmer shadow in coordinating shades. For work today I grabbed the Pop Look duo, with its matte chocolate brown and shimmery gold shadows. I was shooting for sophisticated (for work) yet fun and wanted to use brown.

The Eyes

Products

• MAC Concrete Eye Shadow
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Dior 2-Colour Eyeshadow in Pop Look
• Diorshow Iconic Mascara in Noir
• MAC Fix+

The Eye Look

1. First, with a 266 angled brush, I filled in my brows with MAC Concrete shadow.
2. Next, I patted Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer onto my lids with a finger tip.
3. I applied the matte brown shadow onto my lids and just barely into the crease with a MAC 252 eye shader brush.
4. Then, using a 217 blending brush, I applied the shimmery shade to the center of each lid.
5. To enhance the shimmer shade even more, I wet a MAC 239 eye shading brush with a spritz of MAC Fix+ and swept the wet brush head across the pan of shimmer shadow (using a wet brush amplifies eye shadow colors). I added a couple dots of the wet shimmer to the center of each lid.

After blending away any harsh lines with a 217 blending brush, I finished the eyes by curling my lashes and adding two coats of Dior Iconic mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

I think the contrast of light on dark opens up the eyes…

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No joke, $31 DiorSkin Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer is expensive, but daaaaym, it works miracles on my Frankensteiny dark circles.

It’s a liquid concealer that’s been part of Dior’s product lineup for a while now and comes in three shades (see colors below; Ivory 001, Beige 002 and Honey 003), each one packaged in a convenient easy-to-carry tube with a doe-foot applicator.

Texture-wise, Dior Sculpt feels slightly thicker and less runny than other liquid concealers I’ve tried — airy, like it’s been whipped.

Not only does it cover my dark circles and skin imperfections, but Dior claims it also minimizes fine lines via something they call “new generation powders.” They also say it improves skin tone with “A-Resist complex.” Hmm…

So what’s up with all the fancy talk?

I’ve been using it in Honey for about a week so far and haven’t really seen any difference in lift and tone, but as far as dark circles are concerned, Sculpt does appear to do two things way better than other concealers I’ve tried.

Applies easily and doesn’t settle into fine lines

After a few hours of wear, concealers usually settle into the fine lines beneath my eyes, but Sculpt doesn’t. It looks natural, like I’m not wearing any product at all, and stays that way all day long.

And it builds and blends like a breeze. Using the wand, I dot concealer directly beneath my eyes and blend with my fingers or a foundation brush. Badabing, badabang! Liberation from dark circles in less than a minute.

Testing 1-2-3

Sculpt proved her worthiness to me last week on my trip to Vegas. I didn’t get much sleep, so my dark circles were in full effect.

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This season, Nars released a lone lipstick with their holiday collection, a shimmery reddish brown shade named Canaille ($24). Unlike the bold reds, deep plums and sparkle-heavy lip looks we’ve been seeing from MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Givenchy and Dior, Canaille delivers a delicate whisper of color. While most of this year’s holiday lip shades take you to da club, Canaille takes you to the library. Shhh…

A Subtle Holiday Lip Color

In the tube, Canaille bears a strong resemblance to another reddish brown shade I’ve been wearing for years, MAC Paramount. But while MAC Paramount offers intense, full-color coverage and a matte finish, Canaille bestows a sheer layer of barely there, semi-glossy mahogany.

It’s a quiet look for the holidays, and I’m a bit surprised that NARS decided to go so low key. NARS is famous for their amazing colors, so I was hoping for a lipstick with a bit more oomph, ya know?

All the other elements of Canaille excite the lipstick lover in me: minimalist packaging, sheer coverage and a moisturizing formula free from taste or scent. But, ultimately, the color just doesn’t have enough *WOW*.

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What’s up, ladies? TGIF! I hope it was a good week for you. Mine felt like it flew by quicker than Ralph Tresvant’s solo career. Exciting new spring makeup from DuWop, MAC and Dior helped to pass the time.

Yesterday I played with some of the new products and put my camera to the test. Stay tuned for full reviews of Fountain of Youth Foundation, Circle Block Concealer, Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder and Coral Riviera Blush over the coming days.

Face and cheeks

• DuWop Fountain of Youth Foundation: I’m really liking the dewy finish of this light-medium coverage foundation. It looks natural, without looking oily, in both pictures and real life, but I’m still on the fence as far as the brush applicator, which seems to handle distribution better than it handles blending.
• DuWop Circle Block Concealer: I feel just so-so about this concealer/ corrector combo. The peachy color corrector does a decent job covering up dark circles, but finding the ideal ratio of corrector to concealer has been a little tricky. The first time I tried it I guessed wrong and applied way too much of the corrector, which left my under eye area looking orange and kinda gross. This one’s gonna take some practice to figure out.
• MAC Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder: WOW! Color me blown away. This powder has game. It adds a natural glow to my skin and appears to soften the look of fine lines and pores. I also dig that it doesn’t look chalky or heavy in pictures. I’m in love…
• Dior Coral Riviera Blush: Um, hello hotness? This blush delivers a warm bronze, with a coral hue and shimmery golden glow all in one fell swoop. From the swatches, I expected more of a straight coral blush with golden shimmer, but a surprising amount of bronze showed up on my cheeks. And it’s the bronze tint that makes me think Coral Riviera’s gonna look smokin’ hot with a summertime tan.

The eyes and lips

Since I was in the mood for some color in the look, I went with a green and blue eye using Cargo Tahiti Palette and Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner, finishing with a shimmery coral lip using Dior Addict Gloss in Coral Lame. Side note: Coral Lame was a limited edition gloss, but if you’re looking for something similar, try Laura Mercier Lip Glace Lipgloss in Bellini.

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Do you prefer the wet look of a lip gloss or the full coverage of a lipstick?

Summer influences the decision for a lot of women, with many opting for lighter glosses, tints, stains and glazes when it’s hot outside, and the thought of full-coverage lipstick feels like wearing a sweatshirt in a sauna.

But if you were able to control everything from the weather to the dress code at work, which would you wear more often on your lips?

Are you more lipstick or gloss?

• Lipstick
• Gloss
• Other (I'll tell you in the comments)

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Dior’s Midnight Butterfly eyeshadow quint ($56) from the Fall 2009 Jazz Club collection.

What say you? Yay or nay?

For once Tabs wasn’t the sexiest thing in the house.

Today the honor went to Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal in Plum By Night ($23.50), one of two limited edition glosses from the Givenchy Holiday 2008 collection.

A dark, shimmery berry shade with multi-colored glitter that’s oh-so-very fine, this cream gloss not only looks pretty, but also feels fabulous on the lips. Its thin, non-sticky and moisturizing formula is a dead ringer for Dior Creme de Gloss.

Like Dior Creme de Gloss, Pop Gloss Crystal is highly pigmented, with *hella* shine and full color-coverage. I’ve found that using less is the key to getting Plum By Night looking its best.

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