Search Results for: estee lauder double wear

Face of the Day with Laura Mercier Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic

April 13th, 2009 by Karen 51 Comments

laura-mercier-mediterranea-sea-mosaic-fotd-final

After seeing Laura Mercier’s Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic eyeshadow palette ($35) in the Daily Beauty picture today, some of you gals suggested I try her in my face of the day.

That was all the prodding I needed… Here she is in all her shimmery turquoise, royal blue and golden bronze glory!

laura mercier mediterranean sea eye mosaic fotd eye

For the eyes in this look, I added MAC Rollickin’ Paint Pot ($16.50; limited edition, but a good dupe would be Estee Lauder’s Sea Mist for $17.50), Chanel Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow in Delta ($32), Cargo Plant Love Eyeliner in Midnight Blue ($16) and MAC Mascara X in Black X ($12.50).

The Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic quad is probably my favorite eyeshadow palette so far this summer. The shadows virtually melt into the skin, pack intense color and blend with ease.

Don’t these shades look bangin’?

Laura Mercier Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic

If the makeup gods forced me to choose between this quad or coffee for a week, I’d give up the java — OUCH! I’d be totally cranky, but at least my eyes would look smokin’ hot. 🙂
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Laura Mercier Bohemia Collection: Swatches and First Impressions

April 9th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

laura mercier bohemia collection

After checking out the new MAC Dazzleglasses this morning, I swung by the Laura Mercier counter for a quick look at Bohemia, her new color collection for cheeks, eyes and lips.

It was rainy and gloomy outside, but Bohemia’s shimmery bronzes, blues and corals made my Thursday feel like a clear summer day.

The shades evoked memories of lazy days spent lounging on Waikiki Beach with El Hub. I could almost smell the salt water and suntan lotion in the air…

Laura Mercier Bohemia collection display

laura mercier bohemia collection mediterranean sea eye mosaic
Mediterranean Sea Eye Mosaic
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Celebrate the Holidays with Holiday Makeup

November 10th, 2008 by Karen 13 Comments

1. Chanel Holiday 2008

“Some might say Chanel was too tame in the color department, but I’m liking the browns, beiges and golds. The look features neutral beige and brown eyes paired with either pink-gold or red lips. The face and cheeks glow with touches of gold and shimmery pink highlights. Mmm… I lurve Chanel.”

2. MAC Holiday 2008: Red She Said

“I’ve been a little late to the Red She Said party, but I’m getting into it now. At first, I didn’t think it had the same WOW factor that Cult of Cherry did, but both Enough Said blush and Inter-view eyeshadow delivered beautiful results and helped me see the error of my makeup lurvin’ ways.”

3. Shu Uemura Mika Holiday Collection

“Each of the eyeshadow palettes comes with pressed shadows and a cream liner shade with the same wonderfully high color pigmentation and fine textures we’ve come to expect from Shu Uemura’s eye products.”

4. Lancome Holiday 2008

“OOH! If you’re more into red, you gotta check out In All Her Splendor next time you hit a Lancome counter. It’s sheer and glamorous and very nicely done.”

5. Lippmann Collection Nail Colors, Holiday 2008

“Take a gander at the new Lippmann Collection Holiday 2008 colors ($15 each). The four new full-size shades are available online and at Nordstrom stores nationwide.”

6. Clinique Holiday 2008: Blackberry Bloom

“The first time I saw the gorgeous model in this promotional picture — her smokey purple eyes, berry lips and cheeks — I about fell over in my chair!”

7. Prescriptives Aglow Holiday 2008

“With a thick, non-stick texture, the Colorscope glosses feel a lot like Stila Lip Glazes but are much more moisturizing (no dry or peeling flakes, huzzah!). I think it’s a natural-looking lip, sure to look fab with smokey eyes.”

8. Estee Lauder Vintage Jewels Collection Holiday 2008

“The collection’s adventurous eye, lip, face and nail shades remind me of jewel-filled pirate treasure chests bulging with amethysts, emeralds and sapphires. Aye, matey! I’ll walk ye plank for these colors!”

9. Benefit Cosmetics Holiday 2008

“Does m’lday like to keep her options open? If so, the set provides a lot of options. Two of the six shades in Peace Love & Glossiness are a purple and a gold, and each of the three double ended gloss sticks come with two coordinating glosses, to be worn by themselves or mixed together.”

10. Bobbi Brown Holiday 2008

“While the blue, silver and black shades in the Night Sky Long-Wear Eye Palette are pretty on their own, I like this palette mostly because the cream shadows and gel liners complement a wide variety of powder eye shadow shades.”

The Holidays…
This year the holidays will be a little different for a few reasons, one of which is the economy and how it has grind to a halt. I hope the big players in the makeup and beauty industries wake up and pay extra attention to their pricing. Why not offer a few more value sets and better sales than usual? Now is the time, right?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10: Primer Time with This Mini-Mousse in a Can

April 11th, 2008 by Karen 48 Comments

shu uemura uv under base spf 10
Small can, big mousse — Shu Uemura’s new UV Under Base with SPF 10 packs a wallop, but $32 is a lot to ask for a 2.2 oz can.

Have you ever used a mousse foundation primer before? — because I haven’t, until now. It’s kinda neat, all airy, fluffy and foamy. Because Shu’s UV Under Base is a mousse and not a runny liquid or gel like most foundation primers are, my skin soaks it up like a sponge. This baby does double duty as a skin protectant with the addition of SPF 10, which isn’t necessarily the ideal level of SPF to wear to the beach, but if you work in a black hole of an office building (like I did for years) and only see the sun on your breaks, SPF 10 should suffice.

But I wonder… The $32 can is barely 5 inches tall, and when I press the mousse trigger a ginormous strawberry-sized blob of product shoots out. I think I have poor thumb-to-mousse control. I get the feeling the can won’t last very long.

When I wore it under Becca Stick Foundation the other day, my skin looked really smooth. The pores on my face all but disappeared (although I still knew they were there, ha!), and the foundation I was wearing lasted all day long. Shu calls the product color Beige 01. I think it looks like dolce de leche ice cream. The very first time I used it, I got mousse happy and applied too much. With my skin tone (neutral, not yellow or pink dominant), it actually left a slight pink tint, so the second time around I used a lot less product — viola! No pink tint.

Can you see the Thanksgiving turkey in this clump o’ mousse?
shu uemura uv under base spf 10-product shot

Foundation primers are an optional makeup step, used to smooth the skin and to create an even surface on which to apply foundation. I’ll use one a few times a week when I have a little extra time. As a foundation primer, Shu’s Under Base works great and has a light scent that reminds me of baby powder and cinnamon. I wore it the other day under Becca Stick Foundation. Normally, I use Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Foundation Primer, and Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer has a lot of fans. Shu’s UV Under Base compares well to Laura’s primer, but I haven’t used Smashbox’s before.

Product: Shu Uemura UV Under Base SPF 10
Price: $32
Use: As a foundation primer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Shu claims you can use UV Under Base by itself (en lieu of foundation) to even out your skin color. Maybe for lighter-skinned cuties, but with my skin tone I’d need something a bit more pigmented to wear it like that.

I had a blast in San Francisco today! My friend and I sat on a sunny bench in the middle of Union Square, drinking iced tea and catching up. After we said our goodbyes, I checked my Crackberry/Blackberry for your makeup suggestions and headed straight to Macy’s cosmetics department. 😉
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Dark Circles Be Gone: Vincent Longo Illumina Concealer Pencil

January 27th, 2008 by Karen 10 Comments

When I first heard about Vincent Longo’s Illumina Concealer Pencil, I really didn’t know what to expect. I’d heard it was a double-sided pencil with concealer on one end (to mask imperfections like dark circles and pimples) and an illuminator on the other (to highlight and brighten dull skin).

I’d never used pencil concealers before, always assuming they’d apply like many other pencils do — too matte, thick and waxy. A few years ago I had a bad experience with a pencil illuminator, Benefit’s Eye Bright. It was far too chalky for my taste and looked unnatural on me. That, coupled with my preconceived notions about pencil concealers, and I wasn’t expecting a lot from Vincent Longo’s.

But alas, I was wrong. Vincent Longo Illumina Concealer Pencil turned out to be a nice surprise.

Product: Vincent Longo Illumina Concealer Pencil
Use: To cover dark circles and skin imperfections
Price: $32.50
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Under-eye dark circles are no joke, ladies, and right now mine are terrible because I got about two seconds of sleep last night. I was up late watching a terrible 2005 remake of 1979’s The Amityville Horror, starring Ryan Reynolds, blech! This morning I needed a concealer to cover my dark circles.

When I look for new products to address beauty problems, I begin by looking for ones that are easy to use. It’s a well documented fact that I’m hella lazy, so, if something requires more exertion than dotting a liquid concealer under my eyes and blending with a finger, I won’t even attempt to go there.

Illumina Concealer Pencil’s gel-based formula gives it a slippery texture that glides on smoothly. Using it was a little like applying a silky lipstick under my eyes. Because the product applies smoothly and feels so lightweight on my skin, I half expected it would fail to camouflage my really dark purple I-got-two-seconds-of-sleep-last-night circles. I was wrong.

The concealer end concealed my dark circles, and the illuminator end brightened up my eyes. Honestly, the concealer didn’t fully hide the circles like my favorite heavy duty concealers are able to — Make Up For Ever Lift and MAC’s Select Moisturecover — but under most circumstances, it would do a fine job. It’s a great concealer for days when I only need light coverage.

The shade I have, codenamed Dark #3, is yellow with red undertones. To use it I applied the concealer end of the pencil to the inner corners of and directly under my eyes. Then, I added a few dots of the illuminating end on top of the concealer and blended with a finger. In the future, if I’m feeling motivated and have my jar of Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder #2 handy then I’ll add a layer of it on top to “set” the concealer. That should help increase its staying power.

I’m a bit of a concealer freak, so I actually have different concealers for various functions. Illumina Concealer Pencil is one I’ll use for “casual” days, like when I meet the girls for Sunday brunch, hit the gym with El Hub or if I’m just lounging at the beach. I plan to bring it with me the next time I go on vacation, which I hope will be sometime soon. Calgon needs to take my ass away, like, yesterday.

Whatcha got going on today? Brunch with the girls? Spending time with the boy or les babies? Whatever you’re doing today, I hope it’s fun.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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