Dolce & Gabbana

FOTD: A Beauty Voyage With Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2016 and Shop Fresh Nude Foundation

March 1st, 2016 by Anna Oh 39 Comments

dolce & gabbana d&g beauty voyage palette — FOTD with D&G’s Beauty Voyage Spring 2016

anna oh illustration beauty voygage — Ready for the warmer weather

Hi, everyone! I thought I’d share my face of the day and thoughts on two new-to-me products: Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2016 The Beauty Voyage ($150) and The Body Shop’s Fresh Nude Foundation ($25).

dolce & gabbana d&g beauty beauty voyage palette — FOTD using Anastasia, Benefit, Sephora, The Body Shop, and D&G Beauty

Products used:

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde (I use this light cool shade for a softer effect)
Benefit They’re Real mascara
Sephora Bright Future Gel-serum Concealer
The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in Bora Bora / Tiare 012
Dolce & Gabbana Beauty Voyage palette

the body shop fresh nude foundation bora bora — The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in Bora Bora

Since I wanted a sheer and hydrated look, I decided to try out the Body Shop’s new Fresh Nude foundation. With a medium semi-matte finish, it gives a LITTLE glow with none of that awkward greasy 5 p.m. face.

It starts out sticky, but it lasts well for around six or seven hours on my oily-combo face. If you have normal to dry skin, you may really like this option!

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5 Great Gothy Glam Lipsticks for Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

5 gothy glam lipsticks — You can’t go wrong with one of these gorgeously gothy glam lipsticks this fall

“Luke, I am your father!”

Wha!? Who you talkin’ to? Ain’t no Luke here, buddy. My name is Karen, and this is my cat Tabs.

“JOIN THE DARK SIDE, LUKE!”

Man, you are cray, but OK. Sure, I’ll join the dark side…of lipstick! BOOM! What!? Surprise attack! Get him, Tabs! Attack his ankles!!

–END–

Yes, fellow fierce force users, dark, vampy plums and wines are giving me So. Much. Life. There are so many great gothy glam lip colors out there, and here are five fabulous ones for fall.

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Liv ($22)

Oh! I love Liv’s deep, satiny aubergine finish and rich, creamy formula. It livs (get it?) online and at NARS counters, where you can find it now for $22.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Matte Lipstick in Dolce Inferno ($37)

dolce gabbana dolce inferno — Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Inferno

I am burning up with love for $37 Dolce Inferno. It’s hands down one of my favorite deep, dark lippies around. A moody matte plum, it has the faintest essence of pearl that gives it a little kick.

For a dark lipstick, it’s also easy to apply. The smooth, opaque formula feels fairly thick, and it doesn’t slip and slide all over my lips when I apply it, which I do with a lip brush. You’ll find this hot ticket heating up Dolce & Gabbana counters now.

3. MAC Satin Lipstick in Cyber ($17)

My dry lips love MAC Cyber’s comfy, creamy formula. This dark, satiny plum is so creamy that it tends to scoot beyond my natural lip line, so I like to wear it with MAC Cyber World Lip Liner, because 1) the two products are like peas in a pod (the colors match very closely), and 2) the liner totally keeps Cyber under control.

Skynet approved! Look for it passing Turing tests now at MAC counters and online.
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An Affable Autumn Moody Monday Makeup Look for a Folksy Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 44 Comments

I wasn’t sure what to call this look… Moody Monday? Or Folksy Fall? How about Affable Autumn?

So I’m leaning toward a combination of all three — an Affable Autumn Moody Monday Makeup Look for a Folksy Fall — because it’s overcast and drizzling right now (it rained hard last night), and part of me definitely wants to be sitting by a warm fire under a flannel blanket while sipping a mug of hot cocoa, while another part of me wants to be walking around outside in the rain dressed in black from head to toe with my headphones on while listening to Joy Division.

Basically, I’m feelin’ it. 🙂

There are three main concepts at work in this cozy/moody Monday makeup look. First, it features a warm matte reddish brown smoky eye. Second, the edges of the winged liner have been blurred. And third, the dark matte plum lip.

It’s a lot of look, for sure, but I think it all goes well together, especially if the weather where you are is anything like the weather is here now. It’s like it just turned full-on fall last night!

Skipping the winged liner or leaving out the falsies would tone it down. Or, you could not line your lower water line with the black liner, and just leave your lower water line bare.

Of course, to go the other way completely and boost the drama, you could go more intense with the brows, or add a gloss on top of the plum lip, or use a gel or liquid liner, which would add even more oomph (I just used a black eyeshadow applied with a wet brush). Any of those tweaks would look super cool.

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5 Magnificent Magenta Lipsticks That’ll Make You Yearn for Fall

August 24th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

Maybe it’s all this talk about El Niño, or maybe it’s just my burning desire to bust out the scarves, and boots, but I’m ready to say “peace out!” to bright, summery pinks and “ciao” to corals for the season. Yup, I’m starting to enter fall mode.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been reaching for darker nail polishes (I’ve got Essie’s In the Lobby on my paws today!) and transitioning to deeper lip shades, but I’m not quite ready yet for full-on fall lip colors like dark browns, wines and purples. After all, it’s still only August. 🙂

But I have been into what I like to call my summer-to-fall transition shade, the always lovely magenta.

MAGENTA! I love wearing colors in the magenta family around this time of year because they seem just as comfortable with scarves and boots as they are with daisy dukes and flip-flops.

So here are five of my current magenta lipstick faves that have been in heavy rotation lately…

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Janet ($32)

2. Tom Ford Lip Color in Violet Fatale ($52)

tom ford beauty violet fatale — Tom Ford Beauty Violet Fatale

tom ford beauty violet fatale swatch — Tom Ford Beauty Violet Fatale

3. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Venom ($22)

Urban Decay Venom Revolution Lipstick 2 — Urban Decay Venom

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Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Matte Lipstick: Season Doesn’t Matte-Er to These Timeless Matte Reds

April 9th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

I feel like I’ve barely dipped a toe into the summer makeup season, but talking about this new line of Dolce Matte Lipsticks by Dolce & Gabbana right meow is like fast-forwarding all the way to fall.

But hey, they’re matte red lipsticks. That’s the definition of timeless. 🙂

Yup, these are all about red, as in various shades o’ vermillion. There are 13 of them in all, every one matte, and each one is $37.

Rather than wearing Dolce & Gabbana’s standard gold ensemble, these tubes are wearing black with gold bands, which is very Chanel-esque, methinks.

On the outside, they may look different, but they’re pure D&G lipstick through and through. They have the same rosy Dolce & Gabbana lipstick flavor and scent.

And the colors…? It’s as if a cement truck dumped a ton of pigment into each tube.

So. Much. Color. All five of the shades I’ve tried bring it. They’re opaque and crazy pigmented. One swipe is good.

If you like drier matte lipstick formulas with a thick texture, you might really like these. The formula’s firmly on the thicker side, which helps them last on my lips a long time (five or six hours).

I do feel like they could benefit from a little more moisture, because even after 20 minutes, my lips start craving balm, but even so, I like ’em. I can’t remember the last time I said no to a lovely matte red lip. I’ll just prep my lips first with balm.

Neutral matte red Dolce Heart 531 is my favorite of these five. I think it looks great with warm and cool blushes.

All 13 shades are available now online, at Dolce & Gabbana counters and in Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

Which reminds me — if you happen to be out this way in the San Francisco area tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday, swing by the Dolce & Gabbana counter at Saks in Union Square, and say “Wassup!” to Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch, one of my favorite makeup artists around.

Christian’s work has graced the pages of many glossy magazines. He’s a brilliant artist. He’ll be at the store to introduce the new Dolce Matte Lipsticks and do makeovers (which are free) April 10-11 from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

He’s a lot of fun, and bonus! — just talking with him for a few minutes, you’ll learn a lot. If you go, please tell him I said hi. 🙂

To schedule an appointment, call the Dolce & Gabbana counter at the SF Union Square Saks to book a time. (415) 986-4300 ext. 5224.