A peek at the new Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV! More info and swatches in a few. 🙂
Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV: A Quick Look!
Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow Palette: Enchanted Berries
Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow Palette in Enchanted Berries ($45), available now at counters and also online.
I can’t wait to dig into that taupe on the right, and I 
the symmetry and the way the packaging shines…
The Buzz on Burt’s Bees New Honey & Shea Sugar Scrub Is Good
How sweet. 🙂 Burt’s industrious bees made us a new scrub, and like his fabulous Cranberry & Pomegranate one, this one’s also 100% natural.
If there hadn’t been a warning on the side of Burt’s Bees Honey & Shea Sugar Scrub ($13 for an 8-oz. tub) stating that it’s “Not a food — do not consume,” I would have spread some on my toast.
Doesn’t it look delicious (a little like apple sauce)? And I think it smells yummy, too — fresh and light, like raw sugar and honey.
Following in the footsteps of its Cranberry & Pomegranate predecessor, which I first fell in love with a year ago this fall, Honey & Shea wasn’t tested on animals, and it doesn’t contain any parabens, phthalates or petrochemicals. I’d been turning to Burt’s rich, moisturizing Pomo-Cran scrub whenever I needed to get my exfoliation on, but as much as my dry skin loves the hydrating heavy oils it contains, I know it’s not for everyone.
Would this Honey-sweetened recipe work just as well for me while perhaps appealing to a wider audience? I took it into the shower this week to try and find out.
Pet Assistants, It’s in the Bag: The Essie Brand New Bag Collection for Fall 2011
If you’re considering a career as an executive pet assistant, learn from my mistakes. Read your employment contract carefully before you sign (and maybe even enlist the help of an attorney); otherwise, you just might find yourself at the mercy of a demanding diva.
Apparently, my lawyer and I missed the clause in my contract that grants Tabs final wardrobe, nail color and accessories approval. Honestly, if I’d known all of the bullsh*t baggage that would come with this gig beforehand, I probably would’ve just gone to law school instead…
Today’s dilemma has to do with kitty coats and complementary colors. Specifically, Tabs and his stylist have been planning my wardrobe for the next two weeks, and they’ve chosen a theme based on classic fall shades designed to complement his fur — colors like the ones in the new Essie Brand New Bag Collection. 🙂
Essie Brand New Bag colors from the left: Very Structured, Case Study and Glamour Purse; Not pictured: Carry On (a mulberry merlot), Power Clutch (a dark green) and Lady Like (a demure pink)
Available now at beauty stores, salons, spas and drugstores, the six-piece collection features polishes with creamy finishes in autumnal hues of pink, beige, green, wine and brown — colors that Essies says were inspired by the structured handbags and ladylike glamour of the 1940s and ’50s.
Tabs and his stylist have narrowed down their decision to three of the six colors, claiming that Case Study (a cool beige with a hint of gray), Glamour Purse (a purplish taupe) and Very Structured (a cinnamon stick red) should “sing” beside his gray, brown and rust colored tabby coat, and they insisted that I swatch the three shades immediately.
I Have a Small Beef with NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss
I wonder if NARS was trying to be ironic by making these new Larger Than Life Lip Gloss tubes ($26 each) smaller than their regular glosses. The new tubes, while they do appear larger, actually hold much less product (0.19 oz. versus 0.28 oz.).
And that’s not all. These new plumping glosses, available now exclusively at Sephora stores and also online, even have a smaller brush. It’s about half the size of the line’s regular doe-foot applicator. The smaller size is supposed to make it more precise for application.
I’ve been wearing shimmery blueish pink Coeur Sucré for a couple of days; it’s one of nine colors in the line.
NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Coeur Sucré (top) next to NARS Lip Gloss in Oasis (bottom) for scale
NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Coeur Sucré (left) and NARS Lip Gloss in Oasis (right)
[Continue reading…]
Just a Reminder…
…that fall is coming.
The leaves on the oak trees in my front yard are already starting to change. Le sigh…
I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer.
Making Waves
Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow Duo in Waves, $30. Available now at Estee Lauder counters and also online.
Isn’t it pretty?
Don’t Be Camera Shy with Smashbox Girls on Film
“Girls on film (two minutes later); girls on film (got your picture)!” – Duran Duran, Girls on Film
Does Duran Duran’s ode to celluloid sirens have anything to do with Smashbox’s new eight-piece Girls on Film collection for fall?
Perhaps, but either way, I’m just glad the references aren’t more obvious.
I remember being very, very confused by the Girls on Film video when it came out… My eight-year-old mind just couldn’t put the pieces together. I mean, why was that nurse giving that husky dude a massage? More importantly, why was she doing it in a boxing ring?
Hell, I’m 36 now, and I just have to assume that some questions are better left unanswered. 🙂
What I do know is this: Smashbox must have had wearable makeup in mind when they developed this collection. Available now at Sephora stores and also online, the one neutral eye palette, smokey eye palette, two cream liners (a shimmery brown with golden pearl and a shimmery black with blue pearl) and four cheek/face products (in pinks and nudes) that comprise Girls on Film practically beg to be worn.
I’ve been carousing with three of the eight products from the release for a few days, and we’re getting along well.
- Girls on Film Cream Eye Liner & Travel Brush Set in Sepia ($28) What a gorgeous twist on brown! It looks like a boring ol’ brown in the pan, but on my lids this creamy, smooth liner looks more like a plum with flecks of golden glitter. When I apply it with the flat brush that comes with the kit, I get a lovely soft line slightly blurred at the edges. Smooth, pigmented and easy to apply, it lasts all day long on my lids, whether with or without primer. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+
- Girls on Film Blush Rush in Pose ($24) I used three layers of this matte rosy pink blush to get it to appear on my tan skin the way it does in these pics (at the top and bottom). Lighter lovelies should be able to get away with less (and darker damsels, a little more). I wish I didn’t have to use so much product, but I do love how easy the finely milled powder is to blend. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
- Lip Enhancing Gloss in Underexposed ($18) I have a feeling this pigmented brownish pink would be a perfect date night gloss. I think the strong cinnamon flavor and scent feel très fall, but they’re a little too intense for me; the color says, “Sure, I try to look put together, but I don’t obsess.” With a super sticky texture, this gloss lasts for hours (about four between meals). MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
Girls on Film Blush Rush in Pose
[Continue reading…]