The oxygen pumped into the air inside those Vegas casinos last week may have messed with my brain…

I developed a deep yearning to start a career as a showgirl, and now I’m totally obsessed with GLITTER.

I know I’m eating sparkly crow right now because I joined the “I’m too old for this” glitter category years ago and have been trash talking bold glittery looks (while still wearing small amounts from time to time) ever since.

But then I gave sparkly golden Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Midnight Cowboy ($18) a try.

Every night last week in Vegas I’d line my upper lash line with it, and it just felt … right, like a favorite pair of stretchy pants or Adidas Shell Toe shoes.

So here I stand, makeup comrades, to shout loud and shout proud:

I am a 34-year-old woman, and I LOVES ME SOME GLITTER!

Am I the only one? How do you feel about glitter? Let me know in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Hump Day, gals! Have y’all done any Sephora Friends and Family hauling yet (using code FF2009 for 20% off online purchases from now through November 2)? MBB reader DJ needs some help generating ideas. Can you help?

Hi Karen,

What with the friends and family sale happening at Sephora now, do you have any recommendations? I know the main things I’d like to stock up on, but there are little items, like a really good hand cream or brush set, that I’d love your input on. Thanks!

-DJ

Hi DJ,

Sure thing! Here’s a list of some of my Sephora makeup and beauty faves (en lieu of just saying, “I want everything in the entire store!”)…

Eyes

• LORAC Front of the Line Pro ($22): Drawing crisp, dark lines is easy-peasy with this fantastic liquid pen liner.
• Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner ($20): This black pencil liner applies smooth and dark, and the color stays put through sweaty workout, too.
• Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten ($20): This pale pink shimmery cream shadow also doubles as a liner.
• Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara ($14): LOVE this mascara! It. Does. EVERYTHING — separates, thickens and lengthens — all while delivering loads of rich, glossy color (without the clumping), and it does it all while holding a killer curl.
• Urban Decay Super Stash Glide-On Pencils ($36): Nine mini-eye pencils come in this holiday set.
• Make Up For Ever False Lashes ($14): With over 50 styles to choose from, the Make Up For Ever Lash Bar has lashes for just about every occasion.

Cheeks

• Benefit Coralista ($28): I love this shimmery coral powder.
• Philosophy Lit From Within Cream Blush ($23): Not only does this cream blush apply and blend like a dream (I use my fingers), it stays put for hours on either bare skin or atop foundation.
• Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite ($23): This finely-milled blush feel just like buttah and melts seamlessly into my skin.
• NARS Blush in Mounia ($25): Mounia looks scary in its pan, but it actually delivers a bright yet natural, just-pinched flush. (Note: Oops, Sephora no longer sells Mounia. Thanks to eagle-eyed MBB readers Angelica and Alyssa for pointing it out. Instead, consider NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo ($36) or NARS The Multiple Duo Orgasm/South Beach ($45).

Face

• Stila Hydrating Finishing Powder ($32): This moisturizing powder feels light and weightless, and I can wear it all day long without feeling like I have makeup sitting on top of my skin.
• Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper ($17): These travel-friendly blotting papers remove oil without disturbing foundation or having to add an extra layer of powder.
• Korres Face Primer ($10): This lemon-scented primer keeps foundation and powder from settling into my fine lines, and I swear it makes my pores appear smaller.

Continue Reading…

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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I’d been missing Tabs something terrible even BEFORE I saw Stila’s new Smudge Pot in Kitten ($20) at Sephora the other day…

It’s a shimmery cream shadow that doubles as a liner — the cream version of Stila’s cult classic powder eyeshadow in Kitten.

Pale pinks like this really perk up my eyes when I look tired (read: often), and this one applies and builds easily. I use my finger to pat it on my lids, where it stays put for hours.

Stila Kitten swatch with flash

Stila Kitten swatch without flash

I like it for quick and casual day looks. I’ll usually wear it as a wash over the lids, with black liner smudged along the upper lash line.

Continue Reading…

Hi, ladies. Here’s mine:

• Concealer mixed with Origins GinZing Eye Cream
• Waterproof Mascara
• Tinted moisturizer and powder
• Blush
• Lipstick (because wind + sticky lipgloss + hair flying all over the place = yuck)

I figure that if rain is coming down sideways and splattering all over my face, I should keep my makeup easy and low-maintenance — something that won’t require too much effort to touch up.

How ’bout you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Six hours from now I leave the house bound for Blog World in Las Vegas. It’s a conference of bloggers from around the world with sessions on different things like video podcasting, technical topics like how to host a website, social networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), monetization (advertising and whatnot) and various other blog-related stuff.

Consequently, I might be covering different things over the next few days (the conference runs through Saturday)… I’ll probably mix blogging tips and advice in with makeup/beauty — things I learn at the conference. But, as usual, I’ll also be on the prowl for beauty booty to share.