The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Today it’s sunny everywhere but around my head. That is to say I believe I have a head cold, I think, or some other sinus affliction, because my node id sdubbed ub.

It won’t bring me down, though. No chance. Nope, I won’t let it, well, unless it does. 🙂

So what are you up to today? I hope you’ve got something fun lined up. I have to return a pair of shoes (they were an impulse purchase) and get a new book to read. Don’t tell anyone, but I hear there are these new places called libraries that actually — get this — loan out books to read, FOR FREE! Can you believe it?

I’m sitting here contemplating last week’s makeup and beauty stuff and trying to think of my favorite products. What would you say? Mine was probably the Bobbi Brown Beach collection, or maybe what I saw from NARS.

NARS PRO-PRIME
FACE PREP

I was fashion hunting at the mall yesterday afternoon, rutting around for a respectable pair of jeans (more on that later), when I bumped into a gal with skin that looked smoother than a porcelain doll.

My curiosity got the better of me; I politely asked for her secret, to which she replied, “I don’t really do anything.”

With the otherworldly size of the pores of my face, sometimes I forget that there really are (lucky) people out there who simply never have to worry about their skin — no big-@ss pores or annoying fine lines.

For the rest of us, there’s NARS Pro-Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep ($30 for a .26-oz jar). Read more…

BOBBI BROWN BEACH
SHIMMER BRICK

Glistening like the stars of MTV’s Jersey Shore — wait, did I just write that?? For a post about a product from Bobbi Brown?

Sorry, let me try this again.

Glistening like glittery Waikiki Beach (that’s better), the Bobbi Brown Beach Club Shimmer Brick ($38) comes with a combo of five warm-toned highlighter bricks in shades from brown to beige to peach and gold.

Released earlier this month with the Long-Wearing Eyeshadows in Bobbi’s Beach Club collection, this brick is full of surprises.

Swirl ’em together for an easy shimmer pop, or apply each shade separately for five different looks.

I really like the color of the blend. I’ve been applying it to my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and at my temples. Read more…

A BLUE, TEAL AND
GOLDEN EYE

Hey, guys!

Lately I’ve been loving nautical themes, and I suspect it has to do with summer. My brain’s on a sunny beach somewhere far away, and its gentle waves have shooed away the stress of my exams.

Maybe that’s a dream that won’t be happening any time soon, but I can still pretend with makeup looks like this ocean-inspired eye of the day!

First, I primed my lids with Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prevent creasing and fading. Then, using a finger, I patted the light matte shade in Revlon’s Not Just Nudes quad over my lids to creates a base to amplify the vibrance of the colors to follow. Read more…

SMASHBOX LIMITLESS
LINER

When eyeliner disappears, where exactly does it go? Do mischievous makeup angels charm it away with magic erasers while I’m drooling over pics of Jake Gyllenhaal’s muscled bod and manscaping?

Seriously, I can’t be the only person plauged by the plight of the disappearing eyeliner.

Thank ye gods for long-wearing liner formulas like the new Smashbox Limitless Eyeliner ($19). Released for summer, these creamy, long-wearing liners apply with intense color and come with the promise of eight-hour wear time, which makes the hours I’ve whittled away watching people dancing solo to Ginuwine’s Pony a little easier to bear.

Ready to rock you in shades of Black, Dark Brown, Teal, Deep Navy and Deep Purple, their creamy, easy-to-apply formula also resists water (more on that in a few) and helps protect the skin around those precious peepers with jojoba oil and vitamin E. Read more…

NARS MULTIPLE
TINT

Last night I had a makeup dream, except that in this dream there was an ice cream truck, and instead of ice cream it sold the new NARS Multiple Tints ($38 each).

Okay, now here’s where it gets REALLY weird. Instead of applying the sheer, buildable tints to my cheeks and lips, I gobbled ’em up like they were sweet, creamy treats!

Available in three eye-popping shades — Beverly Hills (a bright red tint), Cadaques (a bright fuchsia tint) and Turks & Caicos (a bright orange tint) — these do look a lot like desserts, don’t they? Kinda like Push Up Pops, yum!

But don’t be fooled by their vibrant shades. Each adds just a whisper of highly wearable color.

I’ve been playing with Beverly Hills, the red shade, on my cheeks (NOTE: I also tried it on my lips but didn’t like the flavor…like an odd mix of concentrated Hawaiian Punch and Sour Patch Kids) this week, and, impressively, it lasts for a good 6-8 hours! — even without a primer. Read more…

PERFUME PAIRINGS
FOR MAKEUP LOOKS

Well, look at you, Miss Thang. Whether you’re working a smoky eye or rocking a red lip, your fine self is looking flawless (thanks to Karen’s incredible makeup tips). All that remains is a few spritzes of a fabulous perfume. Now, this perfume must do more than simply smell good. A great perfume should be the finishing touch to your look, creating an aura that matches your makeup. It should add to your sex appeal when you’re looking slinkier than Halle Berry, or create a sense of romance when you’re having an ultra-feminine, Keira-Knightley-in-her-latest-period-piece moment. Here are a few suggestions for perfumes that lend themselves to a particular makeup style; please feel free to mix and match.

Smoky eyes: Your kohl-rimmed eyes already whisper, “Come hither”. Now take your game to the next level with a sexy scent that says, “Hey, Angelina Jolie, this isn’t amateur hour.” Read more…

NYX JUMBO
EYE PENCILS

The weekend is just around the corner, huzzah! I’m so looking forward to just vegging out on the couch, re-watching season two of True Blood and playing with makeup. Do you have any plans yet? Whatever you end up doing, I hope it also involves a fun look or two.

Speaking o’ beauty bits, what do ya think of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils ($4)? Have you seen them before?

These four particular colors are new for summer, but the pencils themselves have been around for a while. Drugstore makeup line Nyx designed them to double as eyeliners or eyeshadows. The chubby pencils have quite a cult following these days, thanks to their smooth formula and technicolor pigmentation; with the addition of these four new shades — Pure Gold, Electric Blue, Purple Velvet and Rocky Mountain Green — they come in 28 total colors. Read more…

BOBBI BROWN BEACH CLUB
LONG-WEARING EYESHADOWS

There’s one Bobby Brown for recipes that call for cheese (as in cheesy ’90s R&B), and another Bobbi Brown for recipes that call for long lasting cream shadows.

Fellow fans of the later’s Long-Wear and Metallic Long-Wear shadows depend on their smooth, non-creasing formula when quick, elegant eye looks are on the menu. For this summer’s Beach collection, Chef Bobbi’s cooked up five new Long-Wear shadows, these with an ocean theme ($22 each).

They washed up on shore a few weeks ago, spotted at Bobbi Brown counters and BobbiBrownCosmetics.com. I’ve been wearing a few of the colors lately, and like a sunny day at the beach, these don’t disappoint. Each delivers a quick wash of durable color that lasts from that first gulp of coffee to that last sip of Sleepytime tea. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen