November 4th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Makeup, Product Reviews

Have you had a chance to check out Shu Uemura’s new Rouge Unlimited Supreme lipsticks ($30 each)?
There are 14 of them in all, each one of the gloss-in-lipstick’s clothing variety — meaning that they feel like lipsticks on the lips but shine like a gloss.
Shu claims their exclusive color technology (get ready to be blinded with fancy talk!) of hybrid pigments, film-keeping capsules and ultra-shine oils makes them more intensely pigmented than similar offerings from other brands.
I’ve tried three of the shades so far and have to agree. The colors do seem a little more vibrant than those of the other lipstick/gloss hybrids I’ve tried from Prescriptives (RIP!), MAC and Avon.
But does the difference justify the price?

RD 185
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November 4th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Makeup

Never mind that the silver faux-croc cover of LORAC’s Silver Screen Palette ($30) kinda reminds me of my ashy winter legs. When I peeked inside, I saw stars!

I’m soooo into you!
Silver Screen, one of three limited-edition goodies from LORAC’s new Hollywood Ice Holiday 2009 collection, comes with eight neutral eyeshadows, two blushes, one lip gloss and an iddy biddy double-sided eye brush.
More of LORAC’s Hollywood Ice Holiday 2009 collection…
- The Double Booked Full Face Collection ($55, a limited edition palette available exclusively at Sephora)
- Couture Shine Gloss Collection ($23, limited edition glosses, available at both Sephora and Ulta)
NOTE: Silver Screen’s exclusive to Ulta, and I haven’t seen it for sale online yet, so peep your local Ulta store for availability.
Silver Screen’s mix of warm and cool eyeshadows first caught my eye. I dig the buttery smooth texture of LORAC’s shadows and how easy I think it makes them to apply and blend, yet somehow they still manage to last all day long, too, even on my oily lids.
If you’re new to eye makeup and confused by color pairings, you might give it a try. LORAC makes it easy for beginners by grouping their shadows into warm and cool shades.

Top row: warm eyeshadows; Bottom row: cool eyeshadows

Shimmery, peachy pink blush
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November 2nd, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Makeup, Product Reviews

Why is everything so “extreme” these days? The word brings out my inner grammar grumpasaurus,
especially when it’s thrown in front of things like pizza. “Extreme sports,” I can fathom; “extreme pizza,” not so much.

And then I heard about Bobbi Brown’s new Extreme Party Mascara ($22). “Party Mascara” I would’ve been okay with, but “Extreme Party Mascara”?
Seriously, what makes it so extreme? Are there flames and zombies involved?

But, as usual, curiosity got the better of me, and I had to give it a try. I read that Bobbi created Extreme Party Mascara to mimic the look of false lashes. Her site even calls it her Boldest. Mascara. Ever.
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November 2nd, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Makeup, Product Reviews

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…
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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November 1st, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Makeup, Product Reviews
Today UK-based bridal makeup artist Rochelle O’brien tells us what we should know about Blinc Eyebrow Mousse.

Fountain of Youthful Colour Eyebrow Mousse, the newest edition to Blinc’s range of bestselling products, is designed to give fullness and colour to sparse brows. As well as having a long lasting colour formula, it also has anti-ageing properties to benefit the skin beneath your brows, too.

I love that all Blinc products come in cute little tins — they appeal to the packaging geek in me — and their eyebrow mousse is no different.
The applicator looks like a regular mascara wand, and the information leaflet explains that you to start by brushing the wand through your brows to build up the colour before using the tip of the wand to add fullness where you need it.
Now, my brows have never been the same since I plucked them all out back in the late ’80s, and it would take a lot to drag me away from my trusty Clinique brow pencil that I use daily; however, after trying Blinc’s brow mousse, I could well be converted.
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