Hello, pigment. This is Rose.

Rose is one of three colors in Sonia Kashuk’s Super Sheer Liquid Tint line ($10; available at Target stores nationwide).

One full pump

Sheer isn’t what first came to mind when I tested Rose on my hand. The color looked rich and vibrant — not exactly fitting the Super Sheer name.

Spread it around!

Initially, Rose applies as a dark rosy pink, but her color fades over time…

All rubbed in

How sheer is it?

Within an hour of applying Rose on my cheeks, the color fades to a sheer, barely noticeable pink. Super sheer, indeed!

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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 Rose 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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It’s refreshing to find a product that lives up to its name.

L’oreal Double Extend Mascara ($11) may be a little pricey for a drugstore mascara ($1 more will get you one from MAC), but there’s one thing it does and does *very* well.

Nekkid lashes!

Two products for the price of one

Double Extend is like two products for the price of one — a lash primer and a mascara — which work together to extend the heck out of lashes.

Primer wand

Small fibers in the primer prep lashes for the mascara. Combined, the dynamic duo seem to make my lashes look much longer than usual.

Portability

Since both the lash primer and the mascara are at opposite ends of the same tube, Double Extend means not having to carry a separate tube of lash primer. Two points for traveling friendly.

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If somebody blindfolded me, slicked the new Sonia Kashuk Ultra Shine Sheer Formula Lip Gloss ($9) on my pucker and then asked me to guess which gloss I was wearing, I would guess an expensive Glossimer from Chanel.

Beauty

Chanel Aqualumiere de ja vu/vu ja de

With its thin, non-stick formula that’s both taste- and fragrance-free, Sonia’s new $9 gloss feels surprisingly like a $27 tube of Chanel Aqualumiere Glossimer.

And the similarities don’t stop with the texture.

The rich (yet sheer) colors and glossy shine of Sonia’s Ultra Shines also make them look like dead ringers for Aqualumieres.

Whisper

Elegant, practical tube

Tubes of Sonia’s new gloss may not wear those vaunted Chanel double C’s, but I think they still look elegant in their sleek silver cap. The tube is compact and practical, too, fitting easily into my favorite Coach Wristlet with room to spare.

Beauty on lips

Are they hydrating?

Ultra Shine has *a lot* going for it, but there is one thing I’d change…

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Before I’m swept up by the whirlwind that is my busy Saturday, I had to share this literally lil’ makeup indulgence I found at Sephora. It’s a tiny tube of Korres Face Primer (.34 oz) on sale now at Sephora for $10.

Love the tiny tube!

Sephora also sells a larger tube, which is — you guessed it — bigger (1.01 oz), but at $28 it also costs almost three times as much.

I’m closing my eyes now and trying to send a message across the cosmos into the brains of Sephora’s top execs with words encouraging the sale of more sample-sized products like this. They’re a great way to test normally expensive products, and I’m a big fan.

You hear that, Korres and Sephora?

What’s a face primer?

So, face primers prep skin for foundation and powder application, and this one comes loaded with good-for-your-skin stuff like antioxidants and vitamins (Korres claims 99% natural ingredients). On top of that it’s silicone-free.

That’s the main reason why I wanted to give the product a try. Silicones appear in a lot of face primers because of how slick they make the skin, which in turn leads to smoother makeup application, but some ladies aren’t crazy about the ingredient and feel it causes breakouts or just don’t want to use products packed with synthetic compounds.

Even though I have acne-prone skin, silicones don’t tend to give me breakouts, but I couldn’t resist the $10 tube (again, cheap and small = good idea, guys!).

And Korres Face Primer is kinda awesome. After three weeks with it, I’m convinced it works just as well as primers that contain silicones.

It keeps foundation and powder from settling into my fine lines and even makes my pores appear smaller. That, and I haven’t been having to reapply the concealer I’ve been using to cover up a few wayward pimples (boo) as often as usual. With Face Primer my concealer barely budges, not even after hours of wear.

The texture feels appropriate for its intended purpose (just a lotion), and the product sinks right into my skin versus feeling like it’s just sitting on the top layers. All that and I like the light lemon scent, too.

And it’s really easy to use. I just squeeze out a blueberry-sized dollop, spreading that into my skin before applying my makeup.

The tube may be tiny, but I think it’ll last me about two months. Not bad, considering that’s about the same as the cost of a couple of Orange Dream Machines from Jamba Juice (Mmmmmm…).

Korres Face Primer

Price: $10 for a .34 oz tube; $28 for 1 oz
Use: A silicone-free face primer to create a smooth canvas for foundation and powder and to extend the wear time of makeup
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

You might like Korres Face Primer if…

1. you like environmentally green makeup products,
2. you’re searching for a silicone-free makeup primer, or
3. you like lemony scented beauty products.

Here comes the weekend!

Seriously, girls, this weekend couldn’t have come soon enough for me! El Hub works Mon-Fri, so I’m looking forward to being able to spend some extra time with him. No plans yet, though, just to finish my coffee and catch up on news.

What do you have going on this weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. THANK YOU! I really appreciate the time you’ve all taken to respond to the marketing survey. Some of you left brilliant comments on the last question, and those responses are going to come in really handy as I think about how to enhance the blog over the next few months.