Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1145 of 1879

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Karen

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon

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The new Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, $40. Coming soon to Estee Lauder counters!

The Estee Lauder Pure Color Topaz collection for spring 2012 includes…

EYES
  • Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette in Topaz Mosaic, $45
  • Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Black, $22
  • Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in Dramatic Teal, $22
  • Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, $23.50
FACE
  • Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Topaz Chameleon, $40
LIPS
  • Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss, $22.50

    • 


  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sultry Caramel, $28
  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sensuous Nude, $28
  • Pure Color Sensuous Rouge Lip Color in Sublime Nectar, $28
NAILS
  • Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Teal Topaz, $19

Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette

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A quick look at the new Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette, $44. Available now at Sephora and also online.

The Smashbox Be Discovered Collection for spring 2012 includes…

  • Smashbox Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette, $44
  • Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio in Show Biz (a raspberry, bubble gum and cool highlight), $29
  • Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio in In Lights (a warm coral, sparkling rose and warm
  • highlight), $29
  • Be Discovered Jet Set Eye Liner & Brush in Intrigue (a dark slate), $22
  • Be Discovered Jet Set Eye Liner & Brush in Idol (a deep brown), $22
  • Be Discovered Be Legendary Lipstick in Pink Petal (a hot pink), $19
  • Be Discovered Be Legendary Lipstick in Honey (a rosy nude), $19
  • Be Discovered Be Legendary Lipstick in Melondrama (a soft peach), $19

These Boots No7 Poppy King Lipsticks Are All About History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure

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Wearing Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick in Allure on my lips

Wow, okay, December 29? And we’re still kicking? Shoot, we need to reward ourselves for making it through the holidays.

Yes, I’m totally serious! Perhaps some small token for artfully dodging the family drama (which takes tremendous skill), for enduring that undercover sibling rivalry that never quite goes away, or for cooking that monster meal that catered to everyone’s preferences and food allergies (SIDE NOTE: Does anyone else out there still like cilantro?). Whatever the justification, I think we’re all due a small “Woo-hoo, we made it!” kind of prize, and I can’t think of a better one than Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick ($9.99).

The new line of seven limited edition lipsticks launched last month at Target, and there’s a lot to like about it beyond the price.

Boots enlisted the help of Poppy King, of Lipstick Queen fame, to craft the range of creamy nudes, pinks, berries and reds. With their smooth, silky texture (reminds me of the Clinique Almost Lipsticks), and unscented, unflavored formula, these lippies look and feel more expensive than they are.

Each one has a one-word name chosen to reflect the color in its tube — History, Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence and Allure.

All top-tier words, to be sure. 🙂 And I like the idea of reaching for a tube of lipstick that conveys how I want to feel.

  • History — A sheer neutral red
  • Power — A rosy brown
  • Glamour — A yellowish pink
  • Seduction — A sheer blackberry
  • Intrigue — A pinkish brown nude
  • Confidence — A nude beige-brown
  • Allure — A peachy pink


Swatches from the left: 1) History, 2) Power, 3) Glamour, 4) Seduction, 5) Intrigue, 6) Confidence and 7) Allure


History


Power
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Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Edition Eyeshadow in Garden Pastels

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The new Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Edition Eyeshadow in Garden Pastels ($59), from the new Dior Garden Party Color Collection for spring 2012. Available now at Dior counters and also online.

What say you?

The Dior Garden Party Collection includes…

  • Dior Garden Clutch in Milly Garden #001 (Nordstrom & Dior.com Exclusive), $75.00
  • Dior Garden Clutch in Granville Garden #002 (Not Nordstrom), $75.00
  • 5-Couleurs “Garden Edition” Eyeshadow in Garden Pastels #441, $59.00
  • 5-Couleurs “Garden Edition” Eyeshadow in Garden Roses #841, $59.00
  • 3-Couleurs Eyeshadow in Smoky Garden #461 (Dior.com Exclusive), $48.00
  • Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Corolle Pink #363 (Not Sephora), $32.00
  • Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Tulip Pink #448, $32.00
  • Dior Ultra-Gloss in Socialite Pink #152 (Dior.com Exclusive), $28.00
  • Dior Ultra-Gloss in Party Lilac #396, $28.00
  • Dior Ultra-Gloss in Pretty Rose #452, $28.00
  • Dior Vernis Scented Lacquer in Waterlily #504, $23.00
  • Dior Vernis Scented Lacquer in Forget-Me-Not #694, $23

NARS Unsung Heroes: Indian Summer Eyeshadow Duo

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nars indian summer (2)

NARS has a knack for neutral eyeshadows but likes ’em with a twist, like Star Sailor, which accompanied me on my quick holiday trip last weekend. Keeping us company on the open road was another dynamic neutral duo from NARS, the $33 Indian Summer Duo Eyeshadow, which happens to be the subject of today’s Unsung Heroes post.

Like both of the colors in Star Sailor, Indian Summer’s shadows keep a low profile until they get out of their pans; that’s when their powder shadows sing. In the official PR, the shades are described as a frosted champagne and a mustard seed, but I think they’re much more exciting than that.

How about this? — a shimmery golden beige that flashes silvery taupe, and a buttery golden brown satin?

Right? 🙂 Both shadows bring a subtle brightening effect to lids — not too much. Just enough that you can tell there’s something there.

Since these powders lean toward the warm end of the color temperature spectrum, I think they look particularly fetching on tans and olive-toned skin.

nars indian summer (1)

nars indian summer (3)
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The Year in Review: 10 More of My Favorite Products of 2011

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10 of my favorite beauty products of 2011

I was writing in my journal this morning about how we’re about to end another year, and I just can’t believe it… I know that everyone says, “Where does the time go?” but I’m serious — what the heck happened to 2011?

Remember when you were a kid and every day felt like an endless stretch of open highway with no end in sight? Years back, one of my co-workers said to me, “Karen, time passes faster the older you get.” I didn’t see it then, but dang! I sure do now.

Well, at least you and I had beauty to brighten our lives this year. 🙂

Continuing with our Year in Review, here are 10 of my favorite products (and in one case, combinations of products) of 2011. All of them are things that by virtue of winning my heart also worked their way into my regular rotation.

What would you say were some of your favorite makeup and beauty products of the year? Beyond that, how about your favorite products of 2011 in general, beauty and otherwise?

Chanel Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in FauveChanel Ombre Essentielle Eyeshadow in Fauve

A great mascara combinationMix these mascaras for longer, thicker lashes

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in PlatinumDolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Platinum

NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow BaseNARS Pro Prime Eyeshadow Base

Lululemon Athletica 50 Rep Sports BraLululemon Athletica 50 Rep Sports Bra

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Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 Keeps Makeup Going On and On Till the Break of Dawn

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hourglass veil mineral primer (1)

5 things you might not need but are really nice to have around…

Green tea candies

  1. A bag of delicious Bali’s Best Green Tea Latte Candies. I sucked on six of these, which are like green tea-flavored Werther’s Originals hard candies, while doing this post!
  2. A surfboard (because it’s a reminder of summer)
  3. Boys
  4. Fresh-cut flowers
  5. An excellent makeup primer

Regarding No. 5, have you met my new primer crush, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 ($52)? It’s an oil-free liquid primer from Hourglass’s permanent line, and let me tell ya — it’s quite the charmer!

While it’s not a brand new product, Veil is new to me. I only recently got to know it well while visiting and staying with family over the past few days, when I was doing my makeup early in the mornings and needed something to help my looks last from dawn till dusk. This month, that something was Veil.

Before I settled on Veil, though, I tried a number of other primers from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Smashbox and Cover FX over the month or so since Thanksgiving. Veil’s been my favorite so far.

A lot of primers feel thick and heavy to me, like they’re smothering my combination dry/oily/acne-prone skin, but lightweight Veil quickly absorbs and doesn’t feel like it’s just sitting on the top layers of skin like a lake of pore-suffocating product. It also hasn’t caused any breakouts, near as I can tell, and I’ve heard from other girls who love it specifically for this reason.

Hourglass designed Veil to do more than increase the wear time of makeup. It also absorbs excess oil, softens the appearance of fine lines and pores, and provides some protection from sun damage through the addition of naturally-derived zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. And the company managed to do all that without the use of parabens, synthetic fragrances or dyes, sulfates or phthalates.

Bravo. 🙂

hourglass veil mineral primer (3)
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10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Drugstore Products of 2011

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Best Drugstore Makeup and Beauty Products of 2011

Going to a drugstore after a long day is one of my favorite ways to unwind. I’ll flip through a few magazines, grab an ice cream cone, and cruise the cosmetics aisle looking for a little something I can get myself as a budget beauty treat.

It’s been a ritual of mine ever since I was a teenager. 🙂

Sure, I do love department store beauty and big brands like Benefit and NARS, but some of my favorite makeup and beauty products don’t reside at stores like Nordstrom, Sephora or MAC, and that’s why I’ll always have a soft spot for drugstores. Not only because they make it possible for gals on a tight budget to look great from head to toe, but because they also make it easy to treat yourself without breaking the bank.

I came across quite a few new drugstore loves this year, and here are 10 of them, each one costing less than $10. If you’re looking for a fun, affordable way to ring in the new year, try one of these A+ drugstore gems.

ELF Nail Polish Remover PadsE.L.F. Eyes Lips Face $1 Nail Polish Remover Pads

EcoTools Bath and Shower GlovesEcoTools $3 Bath & Shower Gloves

Burt's Bees Honey & Shea Conditioning Body BarBurt’s Bees $5 Honey & Shea Body Bar

Sula Beauty Lipstick in Awake Till Sunrise$8 Sula Beauty Lipstick in Awake Till Sunrise

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