Estee Lauder

Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Strikes Again! It’s Coming Back This Month!

March 17th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

victoria beckham estee lauder march 2017 — A few items from the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder collection, which will be re-released again this month. From the left: Modern Mercury Highlighter, Eye Foil in Blonde Gold and Eye Metal in Bitter Clove

Damn, V-Becks! Why you gotta do me like that? Why you gotta make my makeup dreams come true? Just kidding. 🙂 Thank you!

VB is back with new makeup! Her Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder makeup collection is being re-released this month (you can sign up here to get alerted when it goes live) with the same products from her collection last fall, along with a new bronzer called Saffron Sun and a new nude lipstick called Nude Spice.

One of the items is available meow, the $95 Morning Aura Illuminating Cream, which is supposed to be an amazing change-yo’-life makeup primer.

Um…I may or may not have it in my cart right now. I’m contemplating whether I should pull the trigger.

Anywho, I tried a few things from the collection when it first launched last fall and lost my damn mind. I tried a few more of them this week, and, not surprisingly, they’re fab.

victoria beckham bitter clove — Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Eye Metal in Bitter Clove ($45)

Oh, and before we get into it, can I just say that my hair is making me insane in these pics? I can’t take my bangs anymore.

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A Bronzed Brown Victoria Beckham-Inspired Look With the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Collection

October 20th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

estee lauder victoria beckham collection — The Eye Palette, Bronzer, Lip Gloss and one of the Lipsticks from the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder collection

The right thing to do… No — the only thing to do when you’re trying to channel Victoria Beckham’s makeup on any given day is to not smile when you take your pics, because when does V.B. ever smile when she’s posing for a shoot?

Posh! The last time was, like, never. She’s always serving so much face at the camera. She looks like she’s about to kick your @ss, but at the same time she’d do it in 5-inch heels wearing Versace.

The girl, she works it.

If the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder collection looks expensive, that’s because it is. The products (and prices) are easily Tom Ford comparable.

I hope you’re sitting down for this…but there’s a $95 eye palette.

(!)

I used it and a few other pieces from the collection for this look, which was my attempt to channel Victoria Beckham today, even though I know that I don’t look anything like her.

Unlike her, I don’t have cheekbones for days, but I tried to do some V.B.-inspired stuff. Like, her lids usually look a little glossy and smoky, and she has that signature black liner look, but what really distinguishes her makeup for me is that it always looks a little imperfect…but in the most perfect way. It’s a little messy, always a little undone, but always on purpose.

So, yeah, the Eye Palette? Epic. Granted, you can find jewel tones in other lines, but these are perfect.

When I did this look, I did my eyes first thinking that I’d have to clean up and do a lot of layering, because I thought, Estée Lauder, so I didn’t expect a lot of pigment, but that first layer of bronze… So. Much. Pigment.

I started with the reddish bronze and the medium brown, and both smoked out beautifully. I barely had to move my brush across my lids. But then I reminded myself, “This is $95. Don’t fall in love.”

So, so good, and all of the shadows are like that — pigmented, and they blend perfectly.

Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder
Limited edition 12-piece collection
Available now at select Estée Lauder counters and net-a-porter.com
#VBxEsteeLauder

Eye Palette ($95)

Java Sun Bronzer ($65)

Moroccan Heat Lip Gloss ($36)

Brazilian Nude Lipstick ($45)

estee lauder victoria beckham — I’m wearing the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Eye Palette, Java Sun Bronzer and Moroccan Heat Lip Gloss

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When a Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words, or How I Really Feel About Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Vinyl LipColor in Controversial

October 4th, 2016 by Karen 10 Comments

estee lauder controversial — Praising the heavens above for Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Vinyl LipColor in Controversial (and praying that I don’t have food in my teeth, OMG!)

Believe it or not, but this color I’m wearing on my lips is from Estée Lauder.

Yeah! Who knew? I didn’t know they could do video chick cool like this, but this one is from a new line of glosses called the Pure Color Envy Vinyl LipColors, which are a little like lipsticks and a little like gloss.

There are only a few shades ($32 each), and all of them are bright, so no nudes. This one’s called Controversial.

I dunno… Maybe it’s controversial because it’s Estée Lauder? Because whenever I think of the brand, I think of pretty reserved makeup, but over the past couple years, though, they’ve done some hip stuff, and they’ve done it really well. They have some edgy, cool stuff if you kind of dig in.

Dang, this color reminds me of patent-leather shoes, which might be why I like it, because I used to have a pair of patent-leather shoes that were the same color.

I wish I knew what happened to them…

The formula’s pretty thick and sticky, but not annoyingly sticky. It’s comfortable, and just sticky enough to stay on your lips, although I wouldn’t wear it if I were going to be on Connor duty — like, there’s no way if I was wearing her in her baby carrier in front and kissing her forehead, because it would be a mess and get all over her hair and her skin and her clothes.

But if I were going to a Who Loves the ’90s concert with a friend? — then it would be totally wearable.

And don’t even go there! Of course you can wear brights. Don’t be crazy like that. Everyone can wear brights. 🙂 This one doesn’t even need a lip pencil. I just use the doe-foot applicator, and it’s not even hard. I would tell you if it were hard. The formula’s thick, which is key.

PRICE: $32
AVAILABILITY: Available now from Estée Lauder (I’m not sure if it’s LE or permanent)
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

15-Minute Makeup: Channeling Debbie Harry With Shimmery Eyes and Shiny Red Lips Using the LORAC Mega Pro Palette 3, Hourglass Radiant Magenta and Estée Lauder Controversial

October 3rd, 2016 by Karen 15 Comments

estee lauder vinyl controversial — Inspired by Debbie Harry from the Heart of Glass video

Believe it or not, this was 15-minute makeup. Ain’t got time for anything else, girl.

I think it was a few weeks ago, Pat McGrath posted a picture of Debbie Harry from the Heart of Glass video, and in the picture Debbie has these super shiny red lips, this shimmery eye makeup and a bright pink cheek with highlighter like whoa! — and I just couldn’t get that picture out of my head, so I did my best to channel it.

I don’t know if I was successful… It’s always kind of questionable when it comes to 15-minute makeup, but I did my best. I figured that as long as I get the lips, obviously; the super bright cheek with the highlight; and, well, the shimmery lid and liner, it would somewhat resemble Debbie’s look, and I kinda cheated on everything else.

But you have to make compromises with 15-minute makeup… You know how it is.

The lip is the secret. As long as you’ve got the shiny lip, you’re cool. Then you can power through the skin, brows and mascara.

I didn’t even use primer. I just used Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done all over, and then Sephora’s Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer on the spots where I wanted more coverage. I placed it right on top of the One and Done and buffed that all together with an Hourglass foundation brush.

lorac mega pro palette 3 cava olive — Wearing the All The Cats Tee from connorclaire.com

Products I’m wearing…

EYES: MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Bare Study, LORAC Mega Pro Palette 3 (Cava mixed with Snow, Olive, and DK Navy mixed with Jet Black), Clinique Quickliner in Intense Ebony, theBalm Mad Lash Mascara

FACE: Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done in Medium Dark, Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden, Hourglass Radiant Magenta Blush, NARS Albatross Blush

LIPS: Estée Lauder Vinyl LipColor in Controversial

In other news

It actually rained here today! Fall is in full effect now. I don’t know if this is related to the weather…but I have a strong urge to fire up my oven and bake something.

Weird.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Estee Lauder Pure Color Sculpting Gloss Has Me Changing My Tune About Lip Gloss

April 20th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 14 Comments

Estee-Lauder-Pure-Color-Sculpting-Gloss-face — Wearing Estee Lauder Pure Color Sculpting Gloss in Reckless Bloom. Spy the ~~noodle~~ snake mesmerized by my shimmer…

As a kid of the ’90s/early ’00s, me and lip gloss have a long history. One of my favorites was Bonne Bell Lip Lites Lip Gloss. I can’t remember the exact shade I used to beg my mom to get me, but I do remember the tacky, pasty feeling on my lips after I applied it.

I lost my general interest in lip products sometime in high school, opting instead for just (far too heavy) eyeliner and mascara, and since I started actually wearing makeup more frequently a few years ago, I haven’t touched gloss, mostly because, all I remember about it is that awful tacky feeling.

I feel like a lot has changed in lip gloss formulas over the years, especially when it comes to higher end products. Lately, since I’ve been trying to break out of my regular makeup routine, I’ve been experimenting again with glosses, like these two amazing glosses from the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Gloss collection — Reckless Bloom (a shimmer gloss) and Copper Ego (a shine gloss) — which I’ve been all about this week.