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There’s something about the black and red metal brushes in Sonia Kashuk’s new Scarlet Starlet 4-Piece Brush Set ($14.99) that reminds me of gadgets. The four travel-ready brushes, and the black and silver clutch in which they live, look almost like something that could have been made by Apple.
With the set, you get three eye brushes — an eyeshadow brush, a fluffy domed brush and a short shader — and one smaller blush/face brush.
Scarlet Starlet 4-Piece Brush Set, $14.99
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Dayum, it’s so nice out here by the pool today… Nice and hot! — like a bare-chested Ryan Gosling in tight pants.
Here, put on some sunscreen, please. I’m not letting you burn on my watch, missy. And stop hogging that pitcher of iced tea! Go on now, pass it this way. Sharing is caring.
Oh — sorry. That was strange… I got lost in a daydream there for a minute and forgot that Christmas is less than three weeks away.
I don’t know what happened. I was just sitting here with the new NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combos ($9 each), and then everything got all summer, summer, summertime.
Everything about this new line of blush/bronzer duos, from the exotic black-and-white illustration on the compacts to the free-spirited pigments inside, reminds me of summer. I think it’s an unusual release for the holidays, but I don’t mind the timing at all. I’m a ho for blushes, so it’s all good. 🙂
For me, the blush halves are the stars of this show. They’re pigmented, easy to blend, and come in the kinds of colors I see more often from lines like NARS and MAC. In fact, I think a couple of them even look like possible dupes, particularly peachy Sunrise in Bali, which reminds me of NARS Orgasm, and shimmery, plummy gold Phi Phi Island, which resembles a lighter, more sparkly version of Sin.
The bronzer sides, however, despite how dark they appear in the pans, aren’t nearly as pigmented as their blushing halves. Still, I find them pretty easy to build up when I want more color.
01 Sunrise in Bali
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Earlier this week in the comments on the MAC Unsung Heroes Red Lipstick post I got to chatting with reader Dana Jae about a question a lot of us wrestle with — “What can I do to get over my fear of red lips?”
We may love the way red lips look on other gals, but for one reason or another, we just don’t feel they work as well for us.
“I have such a hard time with red lipsick. I have Ruby Woo, and it looks like my lips take over my whole face (and my lips aren’t that big). It just doesn’t blend well, sticks out too much.”
— Dana Jae
I feel like the holidays are a perfect time to rock dramatic, rich red lips, but I know they’re not for everyone. Red can be daunting, especially if a particular shade of red contrasts heavily with your skin color, or even if you’re just unaccustomed to seeing yourself in something bold and/or bright.
But here’s one of my favorite things about red lips: you can dress ’em up or down, and you don’t have to wear a red that’s fully opaque.
If you don’t feel quite red-y (haha!) for full-on red BAM! — here are a few less intense ways to wear one of the hottest colors around.
Wearing a red lipstick as a stain is probably the quickest, easiest way I know of to dial down the intensity of a red lipstick while retaining much of its rich color. If you already own a red lippie that you like but don’t wear very often because of its rich red might! — this little trick might help you two get along even better. 🙂
To create a stain, lightly dab your lipstick directly from the tube to your lips, aiming for a very light wash of color. Then, pat and blend it out with a finger.
MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger ($14.50) worn as a lip stain
I usually don’t wear a lip liner when I do this because I find that the blending doesn’t leave me with a crisp line around the edges of my lips, but it’s still an option. Unless you’re trying to maintain the contrast between the liner and the lipstick, blend it out with a finger or brush until it looks nice and seamless.
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If found, please return him to the mother ship, aka Tiffany.
A couple of noms from the Burberry Beauty Holiday 2011 collection, yum!
That’s Burberry Lip Glow Natural Lip Gloss in No. 17 Bright Plum (SO PIGMENTED!) and No. 15 Nude Gold (really pretty for a nude J.Lo-ish lip), $27 each. They’re available now at select Nordstrom stores and also online.
Full review coming soon. 🙂
…giving myself a Post-It pep-talk.
…wearing Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Roses ($59) on my eyes and Rouge G in 72 Rose Innocent ($48) on my lips. Both are from the spring 2012 collection and coming this January to select Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman stores.
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Roses on the left and Rouge G in 72 Rose Innocent on the right
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NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in 01 Dolly Girl
Yes, plastic and butter.
Yeegh!
The thought of those together makes my tummy churn, and unfortunately, it’s the way I think the new NYX Xtreme Lip Creams taste and smell. Even so, the list of things I like about these liquid lipgloss/lipstick hybrids almost outweighs their flavor and scent.
They’re highly pigmented, smooth, non-sticky, come with an easy-to-use doe-foot applicator, are available in a wide variety of bright and nudes shades, and sell for a reasonable $6 each. They also last about five hours on my lips, which isn’t half bad for something as lightweight and glossy as these. Plus, on top of all that, I don’t find them drying at all.
With these, as long as I hold my nose, we’re good to go. 🙂
I tried something a little different for the eye look I’m wearing here, and I’m not 100 percent sure I like the way it turned out…
That’s the Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs quad in Les Roses ($59) on my eyes. It’s from the spring 2012 collection coming in January to select Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman stores.
I think the combination of hot pink in the crease and purple in the outer corners of my eyes looks okay in person, but here in these pics it kinda looks like I got into a fight.
Hmm… Well, if nothing else, it was fun to try something new.
Swatches from the left: 01 Dolly Girl, 02 Candy Land, 03 Spicy, 04 Buttery Nude, 05 Bonfire, 06 Pinky Nude, 07Absolute Red, 08 Skin Tone, 09 Strawberry Jam, 10 Natural and 11 Nude Peach Fuzz
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I’m pretty sure Tabs is gonna win, since he’s 1000% more fashionable.
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