Karen

Mascara Madness! Let’s Do a Haiku Review: Rimmel Scandal Eyes

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara

Long lashes sans clumps!
Thickening? Meh, just a’ight.
Yay! No flakes, smudges.

Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal Eyes in Black

What about the shades?
There are two, both permanent.
Black and Extreme Black.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara brush comparisons
Brush comparisons from the left: Rimmel Scandal Eyes, Illamasqua Masquara, Maybelline Full ‘N Soft, MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash, Hourglass Film NOir and Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes

Sculpts, lengthens and plumps.
The brush is larger than most,
And easy to use.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara
Bare lashes

Flexible bristles,
They squeeze into corners well.
They waste less product.

rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara
Front view after two layers: some thickness, but not nearly drag-queen worthy as I’d like

Curled lashes relax.
Boo! That’s the biggest bummer.
I can live with it. 🙂
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NARS Packed Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA+++ With Pigment to Spare

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 46 Comments

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer

I have a thing for tinted moisturizes, in particular ones that let me easily dial up or down my level of coverage.

Because really, who wants a totally inflexible tinted moisturizer? That would be like having to eat the same bland gruel for breakfast every single day, bluh. I guess that’s why I like NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA+++ ($42).

All nine oil-free shades in the line, which launched a few months back, contain copious amounts of pigment, and that spells flexibility. 🙂

Mixing equal parts of St. Moritz (a medium with neutral yellow undertones) and Cuba (a medium with a balance of neutral pink and yellow undertones) has been working pretty well for me since I got back from Kauai with a bit of a tan, but I think St. Moritz by itself is a pretty close match for my natural skin tone.

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer

nars pure radiant tinted moisturizer
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Cat Lady Calendar, May 2012

May 11th, 2012 by Karen 5 Comments

Black and white tuxedo kitties for May, yay!

Banana of the Day

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

You’re ready.

Describe a Time You Saw Yourself Wearing Makeup and Thought, “What Was I Thinking?”

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 49 Comments

This tends to happen whenever I come across pics of myself from the ’90s. Back when the pictures were taken, I probably thought I was blazing beauty trails and setting trends, but yeah, that was usually not the case, LOL!

Most of my cringe-worthy moments revolve around lipstick, and I have a ton of terrible pics from my sophomore year in college. I was going through a phase where I loved the look of really dark red lips — so dark they were almost black — and whenever I’d go out at night, I’d line my lips with black eyeliner (!), and then fill them in with the darkest red I could find.

Oh, but it got worse…

After my dark red phase, I was all about dark purple lip liner, on top of which I’d apply a frosty, peachy beige lipstick, and then a dot of clear gloss smack dab in the center of my lower lip.

Yeegh!

On top of everything else, I also had really bad hair back then. One day I decided to chop my long hair down to what I called my “Dharma ‘do,” inspired by Jenna Elfman’s then short, flippy hair.

Buuuuut, it didn’t quite turn out the way I’d hoped. The layering, the waves, the shortness of it all? — disaster.

I remember catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror one morning and practically jumping out of my skin! Who the heck is that!? My hair was sticking out in all sorts of crazy directions, like a little brown Ronald McDonald.

Yep, those were rough years…

Describe a time you saw yourself wearing makeup and thought, “What was I thinking?”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Friday is so close I can almost taste it! 🙂

I hope you a had a great, great day today. This is my favorite time of year. Sunny with a cool breeze. Perfect for eating outside, which I did again tonight. When El Hub got home from work, we ducked out for Mexican food (had the fish tacos again, yum!), and now I’m settling down to watch a little TV.

How does your Friday look? More importantly, what are you up to this weekend?

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Empreinte: A Magical Medley of Pinkish Beige

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empreinte

Many run-of-the-mill pinkish beige lipsticks appear to loathe my lips. They feel heavy, look thick, apply unevenly in patches, and leave my pucker looking creepy and very, very unnatural (concealer lips, ugh!).

For the record, Chanel’s pinkish beige Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empreinte is not one of those lipsticks.

Instead, it’s one of those rare, magical pieces of makeup made from kitten kisses and fairy dust.

Okay, not really. The truth is, winged drag-queen fairy godmothers wearing Jimmy Choos and bedecked in dazzling sequined tutus made each one by hand, pouring the magic formula into each sleek Chanel tube. 🙂

chanel en vogue
Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte (right)

This limited edition $32.50 lip Lothario also has a dainty rose garden flavor and scent and tiny flecks of golden glitter that sparkle from time to time in the light. It glides effortlessly across my lips like a Pegasus soaring silently above the clouds.

It’s so slick and moisturizing that I was able to apply it without taking my eyes off of my iPhone while playing Bejeweled 2 this afternoon.

Chanel Empreinte swatch

So what if it bails after two fish tacos? At least it sticks around for the horchata. We can’t all be annoyingly perfect, like that bubbly varsity cheerleader who sat right behind you in honors chem with her perfect hair and straight A’s…

No, I’m not bitter.
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This Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Steals the Show When Moisturizing Lipsticks and Shine Are En Vogue

May 10th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel en vogue

Some products are fun to talk about, in part because of their names, like this new Rouge Coco Shine from Chanel. It’s sooo En Vogue. No I mean, that’s what it’s called. En Vogue. 🙂

It’s one of two new limited edition $32.50 Rouge Coco Shines released with the Summertime de Chanel collection, available now on Chanel counters and chanel.com.

chanel en vogue
Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte

Before my lips got En Vogue (okay, sorry — no more puns), just based on how it looked in the tube, I expected a brighter, warmer orange, but it applies more like a neutral pinkish coral.

I like it! And I also like the matte stain this lightweight, slick lippie leaves on my lips after it wears away (like the Laura Mercier Gel Lip Colours), which en Vogue’s case (was that a pun?) takes about three hours.

Well, the wear time varies… I get about three casual hours with it, or two if I’m just sipping coffee or tea. It usually won’t, however, make it through a meal.

Moisture and shine are two of the Rouge Coco Shine line’s shining achievements. All of the lipsticks I’ve tried from the line feel great, thanks to a hydrating formula (it has a light rose flavor and scent) that doesn’t dry out my lips.

chanel en vogue swatch
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