Lancome’s $49 Blush in Love in Pommettes D’Amour from the new In Love spring 2013 makeup collection

Remember back when you’d ask your friend if she liked a boy, or if she liked the boy? LOL!

Don’t laugh! There was a big difference.

I get that same idea from Lancôme’s two new $49 Blush in Love Powders. Why didn’t they call ‘em Blush in Lust, or Blush in Like? Would the products have been different?

Semantics aside, with these, I get the feeling Lancôme had hot cheeks in mind — the heat that surges to the surface of your skin when he leans in close, exhaling loudly, and peers into your eyes, flashing that cocky half-smile. Suddenly, you realize that your seemingly innocent drink after work isn’t just brews with a bud.

Lancôme created two versions of Blush in Love, a light coral for paler pretties and a bright rose for darker damsels. A floral design and Blush in Love logo blooms on them both, and each one contains two shades designed to caress cheeks with spring color.

I’ve been wearing the bright rose, which is called 20 Pommettes D’Amour. In it, a sheer hot pink with a matte finish encircles a square of matte peach in the center, and while it radiates like a neon sign in its pan, 20 Pommettes D’Amour applies more like a misty morning drizzle…

For a peachy pink cheek flush like I sprinted to my car through a warm spring rain, I swirl my blush brush in the pan, mixing both colors in the pan, and blend 2-3 layers on my cheeks.

Then, in a step I wish I could skip considering the price (almost $50!), to dispense with the larger grains of powder the product leaves behind, I buff them down with a kabuki brush.

Even with that little annoyance, I have to say — I think this stuff looks pretty phenomenal in pics, all luminous and sunny, like an unexpected warm spell in the middle of winter.

Lancôme Baume in Love in Urban Ballet ($26)

If you happened to wonder what I was wearing on my cheeks in this week’s Laura Mercier Creme Liner review, yup, it was Pommette D’Amour.

I do wish the limited edition packaging felt sturdier… I mean, I dig the design, and I think the paper gives it a certain Paul & Joe-ish charm, but again, for almost $50? I want champagne in a fancy fluted glass, ya know (versus boxed wine in a clear plastic cup)?

Oh, do you remember that sheer neon pink tinted lip balm we looked at, $26 Baume in Love in Urban Ballet? It hails from the very same collection.

Lancôme’s Baume in Love in Urban Ballet ($26) on the left and Blush in Love in Pommettes D’Amour ($49) on the right

Years ago, I made a pact with myself to grow into one of those stylin’ 80-something-year-old women who wear Chanel suits.

It’s my ultimate goal — to be a tiny elderly lady in tweed clutching a quilted Chanel bag as I shuffle around the beauty department telling stories that start with, “Back in my day…”

I’m serious! — but I’d gleefully ditch that goal to be able to rock a miniskirt half as well as Miss Betty Boop does at her age. I mean, she’s 83 years young!

Fun fact: Betty made her first appearance in 1930 in the cartoon, Dizzy Dishes. Although silent movie-era actress Clara Bow and singer Helen Kane are often regarded as being the inspirations for Betty, the character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle.

Wow, right? ‘Cause Betty keeps it tight! Just look at those legs and that black sequined dress! Not many octogenarians can pull off that look, for real.

So I happened upon this Lancôme display for the new Star Collection on my trip to Nordstrom a couple days ago, and that pic of Betty caught my eye.

It definitely got me to check out the makeup (to the marketing team: mission accomplished!). I spied a red lipstick, three sparkly eyeshadows, a liquid liner, a lash curler and a jet-black mascara for volume (“…the secret to Betty’s glamorous lashes”) — everything in the seven-piece release.

Judging by the level of pigment, this one’s for the girls who love dramatic eyes and lips.

(more…)

Lancôme Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose ($42) from the Petit Tresor Holiday 2013 collection

It’s December 18, barely a week before Christmas, and I have so much holiday shopping left to do that all I can do at this point is succumb to procrastination’s warm, snuggly embrace — to wrap myself up in it like a living, breathing procrastination burrito (with extra guac on the side, haha!).

I’m behind. Way behind. Which, of course, means that the only logical thing left to do now is watch Casablanca for the umpteenth time and put on a few pieces from the Lancôme Holiday Petit Tresor collection.

The 19-piece Parisian-inspired collection’s gold, taupe, bronze and garnet makeup and nail polishes glided onto cosmetics counters and lancome-usa.com last month.

I don’t know where you are with your holiday shopping (I sincerely hope you’re further along than I am), but what do you say we do a little more procrastinating this afternoon, and check out a few pieces from the collection?

The Color Design 5-Pan Palette in Sapphire Fling ($49)

Color Design 5-Pan Palette in Sapphire Fling ($49)

I like the way this five-pan palette of taupe, gray, peach, blue and black powder eye products (four eyeshadows and one liner) sparkles on my lids.

One of three quints in the collection, Sapphire Fling is “my rockstar quint,” because the products take on that lived-in, distressed look as the day goes on (like they’ve been out partying on Hollywood Boulevard all night long).

I like it — the whole rocker chic vibe — but if you’re averse to any creasing or fading, you’ll probably want to carry it with you for touchups throughout the day.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

The Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose ($42)

Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose ($42)

A shimmery, yet subtle, peachy pink blush and highlighter in a gorgeous pan with rose detailing. This long-wearing cheek product lasts a good 12-14 hours on me and lovingly steers clear of my pores.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A- ($42 seems like a lot)
(more…)

I use my arsenal of naturally curly lashes to great effect. They’re my pride and joy.

Okay, so I can’t fairly call them “natural,” unless you consider the transformative powers of the mighty lash curler, aka the beauty god’s gift to linear lashed lasses everywhere, natural.

When it comes to my Shu Uemura lash curler, I’m ride or die! I rarely stray away from it for long. It’s just so great, perfectly curling lashes in a single swoop, but when I came across Lancôme’s new $23 Le Curler I couldn’t resist giving it a little squeeze.

The curling surface, a silicone pad to buffer lashes and safeguard them from breaking, is pretty wide and should suit most eye shapes and lash lengths without crimping or pinching.

Even the hinge (“inspired by Japanese technology,” LOL!) is supposed to help it create an effortless lash look.
(more…)

Dude! The Hunger Games movie was so good! I’d read in a few reviews that the critics thought it dragged in parts, but I didn’t feel that way at all. My eyes were glued the entire time. I thought it moved at a quick clip from start to finish, and with a few exceptions, stays true to the spirit of the books.

I do think director Gary Ross had to sacrifice some character development to move the story along, so I think it helps in this case to have read the first book beforehand, or at least it might make it more enjoyable to have some of that back story going in.

Oh! And Lenny Kravitz rocked Cinna’s gold eyeliner out! Believe you me, I had my torch and pitchfork with me, and I was ready to use ‘em if that detail had been cut.

My own golden eyeliner held up like a champ, yay! I was afraid I’d lose it there for a second when I got teary-eyed in the scene with Rue, but lo, it even lasted through that.

Totally different than what I experienced with Lancôme’s new liners earlier this week…

I think it was Tuesday; I remember because I’d woken up early that morning feeling emotional and moody.

I call those my “orange alert” days, and I tend to reach for waterproof makeup at those times, especially when the tricks I usually use to soothe my inner savage beast don’t work.

So, I was getting ready in front of my bathroom mirror and thought I’d give a couple of Lancôme’s Liner Design Long Wear Calligraphy Gel Liners a try.

Swatches of Indigo Darling (left) and Violet Stylista (right)
(more…)