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 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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October 29th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Product Reviews, Skin Care

Greetings and good morning, girls.
How did you sleep? Following yesterday’s makeup look, I wanted to touch on makeup removal, particularly Soap & Glory’s Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths ($7 for a pack of 25).
To find out how these oversized, velvet-soft wipes fare against long-wearing and waterproof makeup like MAC Fluidline, Stila Lash Visor Mascara and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner, I put ‘em to the test.
Most makeup wipes can handle regular-wear products, but many struggle when it comes to removing waterproof. That, and some take too much effort (read: rubbing) to use along my delicate waterline.
Soap & Glory says they created Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths to help women multitask, with the wipes cleansing, toning, removing makeup and exfoliating in one fell swoop.
How’d they do?
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