Wouldn’t it be fun to be ridiculously rich and be able to produce a big budget movie and have total control over everything, like what the story is about, who the actors are, the director, and even the songs for the soundtrack (or to be able to hire an orchestra to make an original score)? Oh, the possibilities… I wonder what kind of movie I’d want to make first. Maybe a book, but somebody already took The Hunger Games, so it’s too late for that.
Wow…that was pretty random, wasn’t it? LOL! As you can probably tell, I’m having a tough time focusing this morning. 🙂 I’m still waking up.
What are your plans for today? Doing anything fun for the Memorial Day weekend? Right now I’m just listening to Pandora while I surf the web. I’m shuffling through stations for Drake, Common, Kid Cudi, Wale, Katy Perry, U2, Lauryn Hill and John Legend.
Dang, I love Pandora…
Anywho. Tell me about your makeup and beauty adventures this week. Did you try anything new? Any new products or techniques? I was surprised by L’Occitane and Lush. Both of them really impressed me this week.
The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed
L’OCCITANE’S PETAL EYE QUARTET PAINTS A PASTEL
PICTURE OF A COOL-TONED, WATERCOLOR WORLD
I must admit, I giggled a little when I read the inspiration behind the new L’Occitane Pivoine Flora collection. They call it “a graceful peony which dances like a ballerina in the Mediterranean breeze.” Okay, I’m a card-carrying queen of cheese, and I live for Hallmark movies, but that might even be too much queso for me.
Well, that’s what I thought…until I set my eyes on the limited edition release. The delicate pastels, watercolor imagery and nubby texture on the compacts all paint a picture in my mind that lines up fairly well with the one L’Occitane describes. It’s a dainty (albeit cheesy) world filled with floating flowers and other things that are soft, sweet and feminine — very Paul & Joe meets old-school Stila — and it’s a gaw-geous visual feast for any packaging lover’s eyes. Read more…
LANCOME’S L’ABSOLU NU
LIPSTICK REALLY SHINES FOR A SPLIT SECOND
Whatever you do, keep flaky lips far, far away from the Lancôme L’Absolu Nu lipsticks ($29).
Lancôme’s new lippies come in 16 shiny, translucent shades that look and feel like they were influenced by the delectable $28 Dior Addicts, with a similarly slick, ultra-thin texture.
When I applied a layer of shimmery Coral Sand (the one with silver micro-glitter shown at the top) yesterday morning, I didn’t realize how dry my pucker was at the time, and Coral Sand was not forgiving at all. It latched on to every little flake, emphasizing the facts that 1) I really needed to exfoliate, and 2) I was probably more than a little dehydrated.
But after I scrubbed my lips with Lush Lip Scrub and had a glass of water, L’Absolu looked much better. No more flakes, and my kisser shined like freshly polished jewelry with a slight coral tint. Read more…
WITH THE NEW BECCA AUTOMATIC EYE PENCILS
THE EXTRAS MAKE THE WORLD GOA ROUND
Not gonna lie, after feasting my eyes on the delicious nail polishes and blushes from the Becca Halcyon Days collection, I didn’t have much of an appetite left for the Automatic Eye Pencils in Goa and Majorca ($23 each). The two twist-up makeup tools were way down at the bottom of my “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” list.
But then I noticed the value-added extras Becca thought to include, like the sponge-tip applicator, hidden pencil sharpener (sweet!), and effortless texture — so smooth that it would give any silk worm a complex. In this case, it was the extras that made me stop and take notice, and I figured, heck, with summer right around the corner, I can always use a couple of new long-wearing, waterproof eyeliner staples.
Becca kept both of these colors conservative, opting for basics to complement the coral, peach and pink shades from Halcyon Days. Goa, a shimmery golden brown, reminds me of a mellower MAC Teddy, and it sits in stark contrast to starless Majorca, a pitch black devoid of green or blue undertones. Read more…
IF PRESSED TO ANSWER, I’D SAY YES!
I CARE DEEPLY FOR THE MAC SURF BABY CAREBLEND PRESSED POWDERS
With MAC Surf Baby riding onto counters soon and already hanging ten online, I thought this might be a good time to wax our surfboards philosophic about two superstars from the limited edition collection, the Studio Careblend Pressed Powders in Lush-Light Bronze and Gold-Go-Lightly ($28 each).
I love the Careblends. Like really, really love them. MAC added the line of sheer-to-medium coverage face powders, arguably some of the company’s best face products to date, to their permanent line earlier this year.
Where some tinted face powders can look chalky and/or develop cracks and creases, the Careblends, with a finish just shy of a matte, look like flawless, real skin to me. Lightweight and smooth, they’re also a joy to blend, never irritating the combination dry/oily/acne-prone skin on my face. Read more…
ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE
I HOPE THE NEW BLISS POETIC WAXING STRIPS BODY KIT ALSO WORKS WELL FOR YOU
Three weeks. Probably TMI (so what else is new?), but that’s how long I went without shaving my legs to test the new Bliss Poetic Waxing Wax Strips Body kit ($36). 🙂
I’ve used similar kits from other brands like Sally Hansen before, but the strips included with this one are made of a loosely-woven cotton fabric called muslin, instead of cardboard or plastic. You get 36 pre-waxed strips and the tiniest, Grinch-who-stole-Christmas-sized bottle of soothing azulene oil to condition your skin and remove any remaining wax when you’re done. In addition to the muslin strips, which I find easier to grip than the smooth plastic ones that come with some other kits, the wax Bliss uses also feels slightly thicker than most.
Having tried so many waxing kits before on so many different parts of my bod, I expected the usual trubs — the strips missing a lot of hair, the wax being too sticky and hard to remove, or the kit not coming with enough strips. Basically, from kits like this one, I came to expect half-@ssed results. Read more…
SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE
DO I LIKE THE ESSIE WEDDING COLLECTION? YES, I DO
Another wedding season approaches, bringing with it a bevy of bachelorette parties, bridal showers, bridesmaid dresses — which they always say you can wear again (yeah, right!) — and, of course, rampaging bridezillas!
Honestly, I can’t blame brides for going cuckoo for Coco Puffs when there are so many details involed in getting hitched (especially when you’re doing the planning yourself). It’s hard to imagine just how frustrating a seating chart can be, how something so supposedly simple can make a gal simultaneously cry and foam at the mouth like a rabid chihuahua.
But some details don’t have to be hard. Why not make two of them, like what polish to wear on your fingers and toes, a little easier with Essie’s The Wedding Collection Nail Polish cube ($17)? Read more…
L’OCCITANE PIVOINE FLORA COLLECTION
LIPSTICK IN FUSCHIA IS PERFECT FOR CASUAL FRIDAYS
Of the products I’ve played with so far from the new limited edition L’Occitane Pivoine Flora collection, my favorite has to be the Lipstick in Fuschia ($15, one of four shades; yes, here Fuschia is spelled with an ‘s’ before the ‘chia’).
It gets the pigment just right, walking that fine line between mediocre pigmentation and high-maintenance, with a finish that still looks natural even with its subtle shine. Perfect for days when I want a casual lip look without the blinding bling of a gloss.
Wear time clocks in at around two and a half hours — pretty good considering how thin and slippery it feels. The rose scent and flavor are nice touches, too, although I do detect a hint of wax. Luckily, it dissipates within a few minutes. Read more…
MY MAC THURSDAY
SURF BABY FACE OF THE DAY
If you’d asked me 15 years ago (back when I was deep into my brown/pink eyeshadow phase) if I’d wear a yellow shadow like Sun Blonde, I probably would have said, “OH, HELL NAW!”
I was pretty conservative with my makeup back then and almost never ventured out of my comfort zone. That slowly changed over time. Now, when it comes to wearing bold eye makeup, I’m still not a Rainbow Brite girl, but I am more adventurous than I was.
When I find a color I really like, I’ll try to figure out ways to wear it that I know I’ll feel comfortable in — sometimes it’s a bright pop on the lids, a subtle wash in the crease or a sweep along my lower lash lines. I also like to balance my brights with neutrals, and for my makeup today I played with the yellow and teal shades from MAC Surf Baby, pairing them with browns and beige. Read more…
GUYS AND GALS GET CLEAN WITH DIRTY
LUSH’S LATEST LAUNCH
Never have I been so excited to get dirty! 🙂
Wait — did that sound pervy? I’m actually talking about a new line of unisex hair and body products from Lush.
Available now at Lush stores and also online, the four-piece Dirty collection features stuff to cleanse, smooth and style both you and your boo.
Lush had fun with these fragrances, creating for each product a unique scent that not only stands on its own, but also complements the others in the release. Since all four of the products are designed for guys AND gals, I roped El Hub into trying two of them (you’re such a good sport, sweetie!). Read more…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Faye says
Looks like I missed a lot of good posts this week! Crazy 14-plus hour workdays :(. At least I get to catch up now.
I hope you’re having a great Memorial Day weekend. Tomorrow hubby and I are hosting a BBQ for an ungodly number of people, but the real highlight for me is tonight, when I’m going to . . . wait for it . . . the New Kids on the Block (and Back Street Boys) concert! I know it makes me a dork, but I’m wildly excited. I’m going with friends who I’ve known since we were kids, and who were big NKOTB fans right with me when we were 8-9 years old :).
Karen says
JEALOUSS!!!
I had a huge NKOTB poster in my room circa 7th grade.
Oh, and I used to have a roommate who won a “fan cruise with the New Kids” back in the day. She gave me a stalkerish picture she took of Jordon Knight where you can tell she was clearly hiding behind some trees. LOL! I have it around here somewhere. Speaking of boy bands I was totally rocking out to NSYNC yesterday!
Are you bringing your purse to the concert?
Girl says
whats Tabby up to this Sunday?
Karen says
Tabs is up to no good per usual! LOL. Actually he’s being pretty good right now. We just finished a play session and now he’s hanging out on the windowsill watching birds. We’ll probably go outside in an hour so he can prance around the neighborhood like the thug that he is!
What are you up to today?
Katrina says
Hi Karen, I’m breaking into the world of Smashbox this weekend. I just ordered their try it kit. I want their Endless kit but I’m holding off until the fall when I wear more makeup. Other than that I’m relaxing at home, catching up on household projects.
Karen says
Hi Katrina,
Happy Sunday! Congrats on your new Smashbox things. They have a lot of cute products! I was actually on their site this morning looking at the new Luminous Summer Kit. I’m kinda lemming…
Anywho, I hope you’re enjoying your day! I’m trying to get some writing done so I can go to brunch and maybe the mall later.
Jen says
Hey Karen! Love the top header picture of this post, gorgeous! 🙂
This week I *finally* purchased some NYX Round Lipsticks to try…. for me being in Aus, they must be ordered online, so found a popular deal on eBay. The Aussie dollar is doing pretty well right now…. so.. hurray! I found my perfect excuse! 😀
Karen says
Hey Jen,
That’s exciting! What colors did you get?
Happy Sunday!
Jen says
Got myself Femme, Margarita and B52! It took -so- long deciding what to get…. I cruised the net for swatches before deciding. 😀
Hope you enjoy your Sunday also! ^_^
BettyS says
My beauty adventure this week has been a total hit! My skin has been unusually dry and aggravated since my son’s birth (and he’s 2 now!); it seems my hormones have changed and my skin has gotten extra sensitive. My moisturizer stopped working and made me break out. I’ve been through product after product.
But it just so happens my mother-in-law gave me a sample of some oatmeal lavender soap she got with an order she made with the Apothecary Fairy. My skin hasn’t looked this good since I was a baby. I haven’t used body lotion in a week. On my face, it feels so wonderful; I get the just-out-of-the-shower fresh feeling that lasts all day. My complexion has evened out and calmed down, and I haven’t worn foundation in nearly a week *gasp*! My mother-in-law said, “Your skin is glowing!”
For a new moisturizer, I’ve been trying Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta (rose hips). So far, so good.
We have a new cosmetics store that just opened up yesterday. Their stock is currently small and includes Too Faced, Lola, DuWop, BE, and a few others. I said, “please stock Urban Decay and I’ll be in every week.” He said he’d try, but it’s been problematic. I ended up with a sample of Senna lip gloss. I am completely unfamiliar with the brand.
larie says
I’ve loved your reviews of L’Occitane this week – I never would have given them a second glance, but now I’m curious to try them out!
Vijaya says
You look amazing in the pic at the top of the post. As usual, of course!
Grace says
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!! 🙂
We went to my good friend’s wedding yesterday and later this afternoon we’re going to watch The Hangover 2 with my Maid of Honor and her finace who is one of our groomsmen.
A couple of weeks ago I got 10 mineral eyeshadows from e.l.f. for free with my $25 order. I am not very adventerous with my eye makeup, although I used to be, but I decided to give them a try for the wedding.
I really liked the texture of the minerals, the pigmentation, and the ease of use. The pigmentation lasted pretty well through all the dancing and sweating. I was pleasantly surprised!
I hope everyone has a great day!
Nina says
what an awesome week in beauty!
angelique says
You look so beautiful here. I’m a newcomer with all this makeup thing so I’m yet to learn how to do eye makeup. I don’t even put on eye liner because it makes me cry. But I’m teaching myself and when I’ve summed up the courage to do my eyes this is one of the looks I want to master. So simple yet so beautiful! Dramatic and gorgeous without being overly done.
I ramble a lot…