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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

Guys and Gals Get Clean with Dirty, Lush’s Latest Launch

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lush dirty all closed

Never have I been so excited to get dirty! 🙂

Wait — did that sound pervy? I’m actually talking about a new line of unisex hair and body products from Lush.

Available now at Lush stores and also online, the four-piece Dirty collection features stuff to cleanse, smooth and style both you and your boo.

The collection includes…

  • Dirty Springwash Shower Gel
  • Dirty Shaving Cream
  • Dirty Hair Styling Cream
  • Dirty Body Spray

lush dirty all open

Lush had fun with these fragrances, creating for each product a unique scent that not only stands on its own, but also complements the others in the release. Since all four of the products are designed for guys AND gals, I roped El Hub into trying two of them (you’re such a good sport, sweetie!).

Dirty Springwash Shower Gel

El Hub and I both like this salty spearmint-scented gel so much that we’re fighting over who gets the rest! El Hub says it’s one of the best shower gels he’s used in years because it removes oils from his skin and hair but doesn’t strip them bare. It also builds into a nice lather yet remains easy to rinse. I like how it doesn’t leave a film behind, and I adore the fresh, crisp scent. If you’re planning frequent sleepovers at your honey’s house, this might be nice to have in the shower. $9.95 for a 3.3-oz. bottle, $17.95 for 8.4 oz., $26.95 for 16.9 oz.. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

lush dirty shower gel

lush dirty shower gel ingredients

Dirty Shaving Cream

El Hub tried it on his face; I tried it on my ‘pits. Neither of us like it much, despite the soothing oat, lavender and sandalwood scent. The fact that it doesn’t build into a lather or foam means you have to use a lot. El says his shaves with it kinda hurt, which he thought could be due to the absence of aloe or menthol, which many other shave creams contain. Both of us also dislike the thick, greasy residue it leaves behind, but we do like the scent. $12.95 for a 3.5-oz tub. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-

lush dirty shaving cream
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Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Do I Like the Essie Wedding Collection? Yes, I Do

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Another wedding season approaches, bringing with it a bevy of bachelorette parties, bridal showers, bridesmaid dresses — which they always say you can wear again (yeah, right!) — and, of course, rampaging bridezillas!

Honestly, I can’t blame brides for going cuckoo for Coco Puffs when there are so many details involed in getting hitched (especially when you’re doing the planning yourself). It’s hard to imagine just how frustrating a seating chart can be, how something so supposedly simple can make a gal simultaneously cry and foam at the mouth like a rabid chihuahua.

But some details don’t have to be hard. Why not make two of them, like what polish to wear on your fingers and toes, a little easier with Essie’s The Wedding Collection Nail Polish cube ($17)?

The limited edition set comes with four Essie nail polish minis in matrimonial shades. There’s Made to Honor (a warm, sheer pinkish beige), Better Together (a sheer candy pink), First Dance (a classic creamy red) and Borrowed & Blue (a creamy sky blue).

essie wedding collection
From left to right: Better Together, Made to Honor, First Dance and Borrowed & Blue

At first I thought Borrowed & Blue would run away with this bride, but then First Dance intervened. It’s funny — with all of the crazy nail colors out there now, red polishes can seem almost tame. First Dance, however, deserves extra affection. It’s neither too orange nor blue. Rather, it’s more like a neutral, and I bet it would look lovely on an array of skin tones. And while the rest of the collection requires two coats for full coverage, First Dance only needs one.

Borrowed & Blue still looks like a blast, though, and might be the better choice for edgier brides.

The two sheer pinks embody classic Essie style. Both apply smooth, without any streaks, and should look great in wedding pictures, too.

Peep the following swatches, and let me know if anything here makes you want to say “I do.”

essie wedding collection swatches in box
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Lancôme’s L’Absolu Nu Lipstick Really Shines for a Split Second

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Whatever you do, keep flaky lips far, far away from the Lancôme L’Absolu Nu lipsticks ($29).

Lancôme’s new lippies come in 16 shiny, translucent shades that look and feel like they were influenced by the delectable $28 Dior Addicts, with a similarly slick, ultra-thin texture.

When I applied a layer of shimmery Coral Sand (the one with silver micro-glitter shown at the top) yesterday morning, I didn’t realize how dry my pucker was at the time, and Coral Sand was not forgiving at all. It latched on to every little flake, emphasizing the facts that 1) I really needed to exfoliate, and 2) I was probably more than a little dehydrated.

But after I scrubbed my lips with Lush Lip Scrub and had a glass of water, L’Absolu looked much better. No more flakes, and my kisser shined like freshly polished jewelry with a slight coral tint.

The strong lip-sticky fragrance, a cross between baby powder and roses, mellows out after about 15 minutes, which is great because that’s right around the time I think it would have gotten annoying, LOL!


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The L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Color Creams: Lighter Lovelies Are in Luck When It Comes to These Blush and Highlighter Duos

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L’Occitane’s Pivoine Flora Color Cream in Abricot on cheeks

I couldn’t demi plié my way out of a paper bag, but one thing I can do is hoard cream blushes like these Pivoine Flora Color Creams from L’Occitane ($16 each).

Even after six months of ballet lessons back when I was in my 20s, I never looked half as graceful as the dancers on this packaging. These delicate dames look like they land leaps that make less sound than a sigh. I, on the other hand, usually land my leaps off balance, and frequently with a loud thud.

I turn to cream blushes a lot when I’m in a hurry to get out the door. They’re just so blasted easy to apply, even with fingers (apply to cheeks, blend and go).

Each of the limited edition L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Color Cream duos comes with a blendable matte blush AND a shimmery highlighter, so you get your cheek color and glow going from a single, pretty package.

I’ve been playing with two of the three duos, Abricot (a sheer coral-ish peach blush with a pale peach sheen highlighter) and Rose (a reddish pink blush with a glittery pink highlighter). Both of the blushes feel smooth and dry with a texture that reminds me of Smashbox’s Photofinish Primer. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s easy to blend and seems to layer well without looking too heavy on my skin.


Abricot


Rose
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If Pressed to Answer, I’d Say Yes! I Care Deeply for the MAC Surf Baby Careblend Pressed Powders

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mac surf baby careblends review

With MAC Surf Baby riding onto counters soon and already hanging ten online, I thought this might be a good time to wax our surfboards philosophic about two superstars from the limited edition collection, the Studio Careblend Pressed Powders in Lush-Light Bronze and Gold-Go-Lightly ($28 each).

I love the Careblends. Like really, really love them. MAC added the line of sheer-to-medium coverage face powders, arguably some of the company’s best face products to date, to their permanent line earlier this year.

Where some tinted face powders can look chalky and/or develop cracks and creases, the Careblends, with a finish just shy of a matte, look like flawless, real skin to me. Lightweight and smooth, they’re also a joy to blend, never irritating the combination dry/oily/acne-prone skin on my face.

MAC Surf Baby Studio Careblend
Studio Careblend/Pressed Powders in Lush-Light Bronze (left) and Gold-Go-Lightly (right)

And the limited edition Careblends MAC included with the Surf Baby release are just as fab as the eight shades already living in the permanent line. I’ve been wearing golden tan Gold-Go Lightly (reminds me of a matte version of NARS Laguna) and pinkish brown Lush-Light Bronze (goes great with a tan!) this week to contour, and also to give my face a warmer look, much like I would with a bronzing powder.

My routine has gone a little something like this…

  • Forehead — Sometimes a single foundation and powder color all over my face can make my skin appear flat. Dusting a Careblend across my forehead, one of the places where the sun would normally fall, with a big, fluffy powder brush gives the entire face more realistic dimension through subtle variations in color.
  • Cheeks — Next, to emphasize my cheekbones, I load a small blush brush with one of the Careblends and follow the curves along the bottom of the apples of my cheeks, up toward my ears.
  • Jawline — Then, to further sculpt the face, I sweep a Careblend along my jawline with the same small blush brush I used for my cheeks.
  • Eyes — Finally, to really open up my eyes (because you know my @ss looks hella tired all the time, LOL!), I sweep a Careblend into my creases and along my lower lash lines with a domed fluffy crease brush.

Surf Baby does also feature two Bronzing Powders, Solar Riche and Refined Golden ($24 each); I’ve tried them and think they’re solid products, but if I had to choose one or the other, a Bronzing Powder or Careblend, I’d grab one of the Careblends in a heartbeat. I just think they’re a little easier to use, useful in a wider range of situations and look more realistic. I’ve worn them atop bare skin, foundation and even tinted moisturizer, and in every case they’ve done well.
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It Takes More Than Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen to Tame My Dark Circles

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To sleep, perchance to dream of disappearing dark circles with the new Lancôme Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen ($29.50).

Lancôme calls this illuminating instrument a multipurpose foundation in a pen. Micro-fluorescent particles in the formula supposedly mimic a surge of natural light to illuminate and smooth the skin while reducing the appearance of imperfections on the face.

Brilliant! So does it work?

Well, I think that depends.

Do you adore YSL’s Touche Éclat? It looks like Lancôme does. The similarities between YSL’s award winner and the Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen are recognizable from a mile away — the pen packaging, the brush tip, the whole illuminating angle. It’s Touche Éclat déjà vu in a less expensive ensemble ($29.50 vs. $40 for Touche Éclat).
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