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Armani

The Six New Armani Lip Maestro Notorious Liquid Lipsticks

February 9th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

giorgio armani notorious 518 paparazzi pink
Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Notorious in 518 Paparazzi Pink

To the Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Notorious liquid lipsticks, thanks for reminding me that I still need to get myself a Notorious RBG t-shirt.

These cuties are new for spring 2017 and — gasp! — they’re $38 each, which is pretty expensive, but I sure do think they’re lovely.

giorgio armani lip maestro notorious
The six new limited edition Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Notorious liquid lipsticks, $38 each and available now

The Notorious Collection is an LE line of six Armani Lip Maestro liquid lipsticks inspired by Hollywood glamour. (Side note: For some reason, Armani refers to their Lip Maestros as glosses, which is a little confusing to me because they have a glossy finish, and I don’t think they feel like a gloss either.)

I’d characterize them as lightweight semi-matte liquid lipsticks with a whipped, wickedly moisturizing formula (totally unlike most liquid lipsticks, which are incredibly drying).

giorgio armani lip maestro notorious swatches
Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Notorious swatches from the top: 301 A-List, 408 Notorious, 515 Dress Code, 516 Spotlight, 517 Maharaja and 518 Paparazzi Pink

When I swipe one on my lips, I get an opaque lip look with a semi-matte finish that isn’t completely flat. I see light bouncing off my lips, which kinda makes them look plumper and muy delicioso. 🙂

They remain like that for 3-4 hours, assuming I’m only sipping on a beverage or carefully eating Fuji apple slices. If, on the other hand, I eat a full meal, the semi-matte aspect wears away, leaving behind a lovely lip stain throughout the entire lip area (as opposed to just around the edges).

giorgio armani 301 a list
Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Notorious in 516 A-List

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Categories: Armani, Makeup, Product Reviews

So Long, Dolla-Dolla Bills! The Giorgio Armani Runway Fall/Winter ’16 Limited Edition Collection Is Here

September 7th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

armani runway fall winter 16
Two of three items from the Giorgio Armani Runway Fall/Winter ’16 Limited Edition Collection

I have a theory that we’re going to lose our command of the English language someday because it’ll be completely replaced by the use of emojis, and when that day comes, if I’m still kickin’ and startin’ sh*t and bustin’ moves at the grown folks club, this is how I’d convey this review of the Giorgio Armani Beauty Runway Fall/Winter ’16 Limited Edition Collection:

????????????

Dude, this palette? It’s one hundred and twenty bones.

$120!

No, seriously.

OK, now, I’m down to make it rain sometimes (says the girl who just put the $80 Hourglass Surreal Light palette into her Sephora cart ???), but $120 for a compact with a transparent face powder and three eyeshadows??

That’s like an alternate universe-type price where diamond-studded grills are a valid form of retirement savings.

armani runway fall winter 16 face eye palette 2
The $120 Armani Runway Fall/Winter ‘16 Limited Edition Face & Eye Palette
armani runway fall winter 16 face eye palette 1
Armani Runway Fall/Winter ‘16 Limited Edition Face & Eye Palette

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There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Armani, Collections, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews

The Day in Beauty, Vol. 1: The Little Book of Skin Care, Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow Foundation, Hourglass Lip Oil, and Naps

January 26th, 2016 by Karen 43 Comments

day-in-beauty-vol-1

I’m trying something a little different today — a different kind of blog post — something other than a makeup review, because, guuurl…my @ss is tired. Third trimester is no joke.

A few weeks ago my friend Jen and I were texting back and forth, and she was like, “I hate to break this to ya, but the third trimester is really, REALLY hard.”

And she was not kidding. And it’s not just hard because, ya know, the achy hips and lower back, the shortness of breath, or how it feels like the last leg of a long, drawn-out race (like running three marathons back to back), but it’s just… I didn’t anticipate being this tired. I’m really tired — like, ridiculously tired.

I’m so tired, as a matter of fact, that I think I’m going to take a nap. A very long, lovely nap. 🙂

But first, can we chat?

little-book-of-skin-care-2

So…last night I started reading a new book.

Well, it’s new for me, but I think it’s been on shelves for a while. It’s called The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin, and it’s by a woman named Charlotte Cho (she has a website, Soko Glam, where she sells Korean beauty products, and she’s also an esthetician).

The book is about Charlotte’s life, her experiences and the Korean skin care process. Charlotte was raised in Southern California, but she later moved to Seoul, Korea, for work (she’s Korean, by the way).

I don’t know if you’re very familiar with Korean skin care products, but they’ve grown quite popular here lately in the U.S. (one of my favorite Korean skin care brands is AmorePacific).

The book goes into the process, the philosophy and also lists some of Charlotte’s favorite Korean skin care products, all of which she tests on her website. And then there’s also some interesting tidbits and insights into what it’s like to live in Seoul.

It’s been pretty interesting so far, and there’s great stuff like this cute illustrated 10-step (YES, 10 STEP) Korean skin care infographic…

little-book-of-skin-care-3

The process kinda speaks to me, because I know how I am with makeup — I tend to make things a little more complicated than they need to be (Ooh! Only 10 steps!? Let’s do this!) — but these days, with as tired as I’ve been, I’d rather just wash my face, put on some sunscreen, and call it a day, LOL!

Anywho, I flipped through the book last night before bed, and I think it may have even helped me sleep! 🙂 I slept almost all the way through the night, and thank goodness for that because I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I felt great today, but I haven’t really been feeling that mentally great lately…so I went to the doctor earlier this afternoon.

Rainbow-off-the-deck-2
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There are 43 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Armani, Hourglass, Just For Fun, Makeup

Armani Eyes to Kill Quad in 04 Effeto Nudo

August 2nd, 2012 by Karen 3 Comments


The Armani Eyes to Kill Quad in 01 Maestro ($59), one of eight new Armani Eyes to Kill Quads from Giorgio Armani Beauty arriving on counters and online in October.

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Armani, Daily Beauty Keywords: giorgio armani beauty

Armani Eyes to Kill Quad in 01 Maestro

August 1st, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

The Armani Eyes to Kill Quad in 01 Maestro ($59), one of eight new Armani Eyes to Kill Quads from Giorgio Armani Beauty arriving on counters and online in October.

She’s pretty, yeah?

There are 2 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Armani, Daily Beauty Keywords: giorgio armani beauty

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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