Vera Wang

I Kinda Feel Like Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Gloss Is Playing Tricks on Me

June 16th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806

I’m all smiles now, but I wasn’t the first time I brushed Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806 on my lips. A pale golden pink, it’s one of six $18.50 Simply Vera Vera Wang Smooth Shine Lip Glosses.

At first swipe, I looked more like this…

simply vera vera wang smooth shine lip gloss

I saw a sheer golden glow, a soft shine, and thought, “Cool!” But my smile quickly soured. Truth be told, this gloss turned out to be tricky.

Finding the perfect amount to apply is like divining water. A tad too much, and it looks milky, patchy and uneven.

I like it best when I apply it using a very specific method — using a tiny amount, just barely enough to cover my lips, which I then carefully blot.

Oh, and the consistency? Thick. Really thick. Almost too thick, and while it doesn’t feel sticky when I press my lips together, it’s still weirdly a magnet for fur.

Tabs was not impressed…

Vera does include some nice flourishes, like the honeysuckle scent and vanilla flavor, and the paddle-shaped applicator, which really gets into the corners of my lips and works great for shaping the point above my cupid’s bow.

It also holds up pretty well for a gloss, lasting on my lips for about three hours.

simply vera vera wang cosmetics gloss
Smooth Shine Lip Gloss in 806, $18.50
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I Blush So Easily With Simply Vera Vera Wang Cosmetics Illuminating Powder Blush

June 16th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

simply vera vera wang cosmetics illuminating powder blush

With so many starring roles in big budget blockbuster movies coming out this summer, Tabs has practically been living on the red carpets for weeks, which has meant that I’ve barely had 10 minutes to breathe, eat or blend out my blush.

Problem is, someone’s gotta field the phone calls from reporters inquiring about Tabs. “Is he seeing anyone?” “How much fur does he show in Magic Mike, and did he waive his nudity clause?”

Good grief…

Still, busy or not, even though I’ve been totally swamped doing tasks for Tabs, I will not leave the house without at least a little blush on my cheeks. No way, no how. That, my dear Tabs, is non-negotiable.

When I’m having one of those completely cray days, I like sheer blushes that are easy to apply, like the pinkish beige Simply Vera Vera Wang Illuminating Powder Blush in 315 ($19.50). It’s one of six Powder Blushes in Vera’s new makeup line now available at Kohl’s.

No need to pinch my cheeks when I’ve got 315 around. I just pop a little on my cheeks using the “bounce technique” and a blush brush. Very little blending required. I can be out the door at a moment’s meow. 🙂

simply vera vera wang cosmetics blush
Illuminating Powder Blush in 315, $19.50

simply vera vera wang cosmetics illuminating powder blush
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Easing Your Way Into Color Is Simple With Simply Vera Vera Wang Cosmetics’ Smoothing Lip Color

June 15th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

simply vera vera wang cosmetics smoothig lip color 709
Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Color in 709

If bright, bold lipsticks like MAC’s Dear Diary are the lipstick equivalent of a towering feathered headdress and a bedazzled rhinestone bikini, then the new Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Colors ($18.50 each, and available in five shimmery and matte shades) are like a sleeveless LBD that skims your curves — elegant, classic and feminine, yet not overly schmexy.

With a thick consistency and fully opaque coverage, these unscented, unflavored lippies remind me of the Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colors. All it takes is a single layer for sophisticated color that lasts through a cup of coffee (but not a meal!) and lips that whisper, “I’m more hottie librarian than flashy Vegas showgirl.”

I’ve been getting cozy with two of them this week, shimmery brownish pink 702 and shimmery rose 709. Both apply smoothly without feathering or catching on to those annoying wayward flakes on my sometimes dry lips, and I think they deliver just enough color to balance well with the neutral eyeshadows from Vera’s Transforming Shadow Duos.

simply vera vera wang cosmetics smoothig lip color 702
Wearing Simply Vera Vera Wang Smoothing Lip Color in 702

simply vera vera wang cosmetics lipsticks
Smoothing Lip Colors in 702 (left) and 709 (right), $18.50 each
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Here Comes the Bride! Say “I Do” to Sophisticated Shades and Soft Textures With the Simply Vera Vera Wang Transforming Shadow Duos

June 14th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

simply very vera wang transforming shadow duos

Most of the time when I put on my wedding gown to watch Law & Order: SVU reruns in the living room, I’m bare faced with my hair up in a scrunchie.

Now, though, when I’m feeling extra bridal (like “bust out my veil” bridal!), I’ll know where to turn.

“Vera!”

I’ll turn to one of the 14 new and natural-looking Simply Vera Vera Wang Transforming Shadow Duos ($19.50 each).

Do I really like these buttery soft powder eyeshadows?

Ya know, “I do.” 🙂

Each compact contains a matte and a shimmer, and I think they’re very easy to use. A few pats and swipes from my eye brushes, and I’m transformed from curmudgeonly cat-lover in stretchy pants to belle of the ball (or, of my living room).

Vera’s Shadow Duos prove that fallout-free formulas aren’t exclusive to ultra-expensive department store brands; I love that the grains of these finely-milled powders don’t just look like they’re sitting on top of my skin.

At the same time sophisticated and demure, they practically ooze je ne sais quoi. These are eyeshadows I’d wear when I want to highlight my features but don’t want to draw attention to the fact that I’m wearing any makeup at all.

The two shades I’m wearing in these pics just might be neutral enough for most skin tones. The first, 402, reminds me of a sleepy MAC Satin Taupe. It houses a purplish sheer matte beige and a shimmery taupe; the second, 404, reveals a brownish beige and a nutty brown with flecks of golden glitter.

simply very vera wang transforming shadow duos

simply vera vera wang cosmetics eyeshadows
Transforming Shadow Duos in 402 (left) and 404 (right), $19.50 each
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New at Kohls: Simply Vera Vera Wang Cosmetics

June 9th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

simply vera vera wang cosmetics

I wonder how many brides out there have made Vera Wang a part of their wedding experience. Hundreds of thousands? Maybe even millions?

Let’s see… There are her wedding dresses, perfumes, fine china, jewelry, apparel, accessories — wow, that’s a lot of Vera!

Just now, I remembered being a bridesmaid in Jen’s wedding and getting ready in the suite at the hotel on her wedding day. I remember a bottle of Vera Wang Perfume sitting on the bathroom sink that Jen’s mother-in-law had given her for her wedding day (how sweet!).

Oh, and then there’s Vera’s fine china! I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I have a not-so-secret obsession with fine china, thanks in part to Vera Wang’s Wedgwood Lace collection.

The first time I saw it was at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, right before my wedding in 2006. I hosted tea there for all of the girls, and Vera Wang Wedgwood Lace was the china used in the tea service.

I’ve been lusting after it ever since…

Still haven’t gotten any because I’ve been wanting to finish the dining room first (at least get a table), but one day…

Mark my words — one day I will enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and serve myself a cup of tea on my very own set of Vera Wang Wedgwood Lace china!

With so many different projects and products, Vera could probably rest safely on her laurels. But she isn’t. As a matter of fact, she recently expanded her empire to include makeup, with Simply Vera Vera Cosmetics, introducing even more babes and brides to Vera’s simply modern, feminine aesthetic.

The line, available now exclusively at Kohl’s stores and kohls.com, includes 16 different makeup products encompassing 74 shades, with prices ranging from about $16-40.

Inspired by Vera’s personal philosophy on makeup, the neutral-heavy palette feels fresh and modern to me, yet timeless and conservative.

Here’s a closer look at some of the pieces from the new line. Let me know what you think. 🙂

simply vera vera wang cosmetics blush
Illuminating Powder Blush in 315, $19.50

simply vera vera wang cosmetics eyeshadows
Transforming Shadow Duos in 402 (left) and 404 (right), $19.50 each

simply vera vera wang cosmetics lipsticks
Smoothing Lipcolors in 702 (left) and 709 (right), $18.50 each
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