Karen

Years From Now Lip Lovers Will Say, “The Revolution Started at Urban Decay.” New Products For Lips, Brows, Faces and Nails From Urban Decay for Fall 2013

July 7th, 2013 by Karen 43 Comments

From the Urban Decay Fall 2013 collection, Revolution Lipstick in Bag, Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder in Naked Dark, and Brow Box in Brown Sugar

Â¡Viva la lipstick revoluciÃ³n!

Say hasta luego to products with paltry pigments and sapless shine. A new line of lipsticks leads Urban Decay’s pack of fall products to shelves, and they’ve got plans to plant plenty o’ creamy, pigmented kisses on lips.

The Revolution Lipsticks

A completely new line of permanent collection products, the Revolution Lipsticks ($22 each) are the stars this fall.

Available in a range of pigmented, shiny colors from nudes to bold brights, and with a creamy, moisturizing formula that contains jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter, there’s something for everyone.

I’m really impressed by the formula and thick texture with these. SO rich and smooth. Even the pale nudes, which can often apply patchy, go on smoothly with even coverage.

I’m still testing, but I have high hopes for these… From what I’m seeing so far, these could be nice alternatives to full-coverage Dolce & Gabbana-style lipsticks at a lower price point.

24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils

Joining the Revolution Lipsticks are 16 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils ($19 each) being relaunched into the permanent line. Ozone (the clear shade) and Naked (a revamped version of it) are holdovers from earlier appearances, but the rest of the colors are new. Containing vitamin E, jojoba and cottonseed oil, they’re designed to deliver moisture to parched pouts while keeping the color from feathering.

Naked Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powders

But lips aren’t the only stars lighting up the sky above Urban Decay headquarter. The company is also launching a new line of face powders to go with their Naked Foundation and Beauty Balm called the Naked Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powders ($24 each).

Designed to be virtually invisible on the skin, the powders have optical blurring pigments to minimize imperfections, cut shine and create a soft-focus effect.

They’re oil-, paraben-, alcohol- and fragrance-free and come in five shades — Naked (works well with shades 0.5-3.0), Naked Medium Light (for shades 2.0-4.0), Naked Medium (4.5-6.5), Naked Medium Dark (6.0-8.0) and Naked Dark (8.0-12.0). All are en route to UD’s permanent line.

Brow Box

The fall bold brow trend also gets some lovin’ with the newly redesigned Brow Box ($29).

Urban Decay revamped their existing Urban Decay Brow Box by including an additional angled brush, so now there are two — one for powder and one for wax.

That’s not all. The kit also comes with two shades of brow powder to mix and match your own custom color, as well as a pan of setting wax for precision shaping and to keep hairs in position, and a pair of tiny tweezers, all to create defined, natural-looking brows.

The Brow Box comes in two shades — Brown Sugar (dark brown and a light brown) and Honey Pot (dark blonde and light blonde), and yup! — it’s permanent.

Nail Colors

But wait, there’s more. 🙂 Nails.

Two limited edition, seasonal Nail Colors at $15 each in Vice, a rich, deep purple with red and blue micro-shimmer, and Addiction, a smoky, metallic gunmetal with multidimensional, high-shine micro-sparkle.

Dang… Multidimensional, high-shine micro-sparkle? Now that a cool phrase.

Each one has a 400-strand brush, which is supposed to help ’em latch onto more product for clean, precise application. All of them are toluene-, formaldehyde- and DBP-free.

According to Urban Decay, we can expect to see two new Nail Colors every fall and spring, so if you’re a collector, this could be a fun place to start.

Availability

Fall 2013 arrives on Urban Decay counters soon, and should be popping up on urbandecay.com Tuesday, July 9.

Are your eyeballs braced for pics? I hope so, because here they come! Pics and swatches of the entire collection down below.

I wonder what the standouts will be… Let me know what you think.

Revolution Lipsticks, $22 each

Urban Decay Shame Revolution Lipstick 1 — Shame, a deep berry

Urban Decay Venom Revolution Lipstick 2 — Venom, a bright plum

Urban Decay Jilted Revolution Lipstick 3 — Jilted, a deep fuchsia shimmer with blue shift

Urban Decay Anarchy Revolution Lipstick 4 — Anarchy, a bright fuchsia

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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 251

July 7th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Have you ever heard of the sunflower diet? Oh, it’s all the rage around here. Tabs heard about it from a friend of his who works at our local FNC (Feline Nutrition Center). Basically, you just supplement your regular diet with sunflower leaves.

Yeah, Tabs can’t recommend it enough…

It’s not actually a weight-loss program, though… In fact, Tabs hasn’t lost a pound since he started grazing on the sunflower plants in the garden on my deck.

It’s more of a quality of life thing. 🙂

In other news, kitty modeling! Remember how I mentioned that Tabs was going to start branching out with new ad campaigns for cars and other products? Well, it started in earnest this week with kitty modeling campaigns for Jaguar, Samsung and Old Navy.

It’s just part of his growing empire. Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC is actually in the Feline Fortune 500 now (meow, right!?).

To see what all the fuss is about, here are his latest kitty modeling campaigns…

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DAILY BEAUTY: NARS Fall 2013 Color Collection Pictures and Swatches

July 7th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

NARS Bavaria Single Eyeshadow, a deep sea blue ($24)

Oh, FranÃ§ois!! I’m matte about you and the matte textures in your fall 2013 color collection!

NARS Fall 2013, babe. It’s 12 pieces, heavy on the mattes, although there are also some shimmers here.

Check that gorgeous teal at the top. That’s Bavaria, om-nom-nom…

The color palette is comprised of blues, dove grays and browns, with a sprinkling of gold, red, purple and pink.

The whole enchilada comes to NARS counters, boutiques and online July 15.

I’m still getting a feel for the pieces and what I can do with them as far as looks, but here are pics and swatches…

NARS Kamatcha Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24) — Kamatcha Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24)

NARS Namibia Single Eyeshadow, a gray moon ($24) — Namibia Single Eyeshadow, a gray moon ($24)

NARS Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition) — Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition)

NARS Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24) — Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24)

NARS Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition) — Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition)

NARS La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, an orchid ($26, limited edition) — La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, an orchid ($26, limited edition)

NARS Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, a ginger pink ($26) — Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, a ginger pink ($26)

NARS Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a pink chiffon ($25, limited edition) — Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a pink chiffon ($25, limited edition)

NARS Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a crimson red ($25, limited edition) — Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, a crimson red ($25, limited edition)

NARS Galathee Nail Polis, a dove gray ($19, limited edition) — Galathee Nail Polis, a dove gray ($19, limited edition)

NARS Fury Nail Polish, a regal purple ($19, limited edition) — Fury Nail Polish, a regal purple ($19, limited edition)

NARS Fall 2013 Swatches from the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De'Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner — From the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De’Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner

NARS Fall 2013 Swatches from the left: La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil — From the left: La Paz Pure Matte Lipstick, Peloponnese Pure Matte Lipstick, Paimpol Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

NARS Nail Polishes in Galathee (left) and Fury (right) — Nail Polishes in Galathee (left) and Fury (right)

2-Minute Review: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine in 76 Gourmandise

July 6th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Wearing Chanel Gourmandise Rouge Coco Shine ($32.50) on my lips

In less time than it takes to open a can of gravy for Tabs, or buy roundtrip tickets to Paris, or try on a pair of Jimmy Choos, or buy the entire Chanel Fall 2013 makeup collection on chanel.com, you can also find out if Chanel’s new 76 Gourmandise Rouge Coco Shine is right for you.

Ready for a 2-minute review?

WHAT IT IS: A shiny, peachy pink limited edition lippie from Chanel’s Les DÃ©lices de Chanel collection, Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine in 76 Gourmandise ($32.50) lives to soften, hydrate and plump lips for a fuller, healthier appearance.

Chanel Les Delices de Chanel Collection Rouge Coco Shine in 76 Gourmandise — Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Lipshine in 76 Gourmandise, $32.50

WHAT IT DOES:

Rose flavor and scent (yum)
Packed with tiny flecks of silver glitter (cute)
Very, very sheer on my pigmented lips (almost like wearing a balm), but I can see this still being a flattering “my lips but better” color for gals with lips lighter and more pink than mine
Extremely hydrating
Smooth, non-sticky, lightweight and comfy
Can’t really tell if it makes my lips look plumper, but it’s not one of those plumpers that tingles or stings
1-hour wear time

“The next chapter in the brilliant ROUGE COCO SHINE story: ROUGE COCO SHINE Hydrating Colour Lipshine, an innovative formula with intensified pigments to take colour and sheen to a new level of vibrancy. Sheer, shiny, colour-rich shades are effortlessly chic, infinitely wearable. Hydratendre Complex softens and plumps lips for a healthier, fuller appearance.”

— chanel.com

THE VERDICT: Highly moisturizing, and the bits of glitter give it a little something extra, but unless you’re a die-hard Chanel fan, Gourmandise may seem like little more than a fancy, expensive lip balm. You can probably find something similar for less than $32.50 (but it wouldn’t be Chanel).

PRICE: $32.50
AVAILABILITY: Limited edition, and available now at select Chanel counters and chanel.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora!

July 6th, 2013 by Karen 369 Comments

Remember when every mall had a bookstore? Back before Amazon.com? I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember, but there used to be a bunch more bookstore chains than there are now. There were Crown Books, Waldenbooks, B. Dalton’s, of course Barnes & Nobles, which are still around, another store that started with an “S” that I can’t remember now…and Borders, but I don’t remember Borders being around when I was a little kid. I think they came along later.

Amazon changed everything. I love ’em, but they did put a lot of bookstores out of business.

Uh…I don’t know why this occurred to me right now. I was just trying to think of some of my favorite stores, and the first one that popped into my head was Sephora, but the second one was Barnes & Noble.

Hopefully I can make it to both this weekend.

In other news, happy Saturday! 🙂 You know how we do it. Saturdays mean giveaways around here, and you’re officially invited.

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck: What are your favorite topics of conversation? What are some of your guilty pleasures? Do you like spending time by yourself? Do you prefer to get gifts or receive them? Would you rather be the center of attention or blend in with the crowd? Do you ever go to movies by yourself?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Makeup zombies crave MAC Lipsticks like undead zombies crave brains. “MAC! MAAAAAC!” How does $258 in MAC Cosmetics crack sound? Enter Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Massive MAC Giveaway in up to seven ways, for seven chances to win.

2-Minute Review: Getting to Know Chanel Purple Berry Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner

July 5th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Chanel Les Delices De Chanel Collection Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Purple Berry — Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Purple Berry ($30) from the Les Delices De Chanel collection

Got time for a 2-minute review?

Before you answer that, it’s Chanel. 🙂

WHAT IT IS: Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Purple Berry, a limited-edition twist-up purple pencil liner from the Les Delices De Chanel collection.

WHAT IT DOES:

The texture’s on the hard side, but it’s actually relatively smooth for a hard pencil…if that makes any sense, and it doesn’t skip, which is great.
The pencil itself is very thin, which makes it easy to apply right at the roots of my lashes and water line.
This particular purple color doesn’t have heavy red undertones, which I like, because sometimes the reddish tones in purple liners give me zombie eyes.
The finish has a subtle, elegant sheen to it that reminds me a little of Becca’s Cabrera.
This thing’s like Michael Phelps in the water! It’s extremely waterproof, especially along lash lines. I wore it to the pool yesterday, and it didn’t flinch after 10 cannonballs. 🙂
For a deep purple color that lasts all day long, I apply 2-3 layers along my lash lines.
I know that for a lot of women the Chanel Stylos perform well along their water lines, but I haven’t been so lucky. For me they’re just okay. Along my water lines, I have to apply 4-5 layers to really see the color, and then it lasts about 5 hours, tops.
It’s isn’t really a smudgy kind of liner. It’s actually pretty tough to blend the edges.

Chanel Purple Berry — Additional Chanel makeup worn in this look: Convoitise Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow, Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Prune, Fresque Joues Contrastes Powder Blush and L’Eclatante Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick

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How Have Your Beauty Routines Changed Over the Last 10 Years?

July 5th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

2003, at the halfway point of the Haiku stairs on the windward side of Oahu

Do you wear more makeup now or less? Has your skincare regimen gotten more complicated than it used to be? How about your hair situation? Do you fuss with your mane more these days than you did 10 years ago, or have you learned to let it be?

I’m curious. How have your beauty routines changed over the past decade?

Let’s see… Ten years ago I was a wee lass o’ 28. My beauty routines have definitely changed a lot since then.

I’d say the biggest changes have been with how I do my hair. On a daily basis, I don’t mess with it as much as I used to. It took a long time to love my naturally wavy hair as much as I do now. Ten years ago I was straightening it almost daily, which took 20-30 minutes and was the most time consuming part of getting ready in the mornings for me.

Now I just let it do whatever it wants…and unsurprisingly that takes a lot less time! I’m usually done in five minutes. Fifteen at the most if I take a curling iron to it.

Of course, I use up that extra time with my skincare routine, which has gotten more complicated. It used to be pretty minimal — cleanser, toner, benzoyl peroxide (for le zits), moisturizer and sunscreen.

I didn’t even use an eye cream back then! Now, I do. I use way more products than I used to, including anti-aging goodies (like this and this).

Christmas 2003: meeting El Hub’s (at the time, “El Boyfriend’s”) family in Hawaii for the first time

As for makeup, I think I’m less fearful of trying new things and brighter colors than I was then. At 28, I mostly stuck to conservative colors — browns and beiges on my eyes, MAC Blushbaby on my cheeks and a slew of pinkish golden glosses (hello, MAC Nymphette).

My idea of pushing the envelope back then was a small amount of teal liner softly smudged along my upper lash line, and I would have never even considered wearing bright coral or hot pink lips.

Shoot, now I’ll try anything! 🙂

Let’s hop in the Wayback Machine… Ten years ago, what was your beauty routine like? And how has it changed over the past decade?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! Here’s to a loooong weekend (*raises coffee mug*).

I hope you slept well last night. I actually slept in this morning…to 6:40, woo-hoo! That’s a lot later than usual lately. Between the Finch Family and the Tabby alarm clock, 6:40 feels alright. 😀

What’s the plan for today? You know what I’m doin’. I’m hitting the pool, and then maybe, hopefully, the mall later today.