Karen

Benefit’s Six New Ultra Plush Lip Glosses Lightly Tint Lips While Treating Them to a Moisturizing Formula

January 23rd, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

Benefit Fauxmance Ultra Plush Lip Gloss — Wearing the new Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Fauxmance ($16), one of six new glosses coming this March

Got any extra room in your book bag? How ’bout that secret pocket where you stash those emergency Fun Size Snickers bars and cat treats (because you never know when you’ll meet a sweet stray)? If you do, lucky you! Because you’ll want to make room for these new $16 Ultra Plush Lip Glosses from Benefit.

They’re just so cute! And Art Deco-ey (I don’t think that’s a real word…).

I love the scalloping at the top and the fonts. Plus, all six new shades are sheer enough to apply easily without a mirror, so as your professor drones on about the Krebs Cycle, you can gloss your lips without missing one minute of the metabolic pathway excitement. (P.S. You’ll forget it all in 10 years.)

As part of the relaunch of their color collection this spring, Benefit’s also revamping their glosses, ditching their Ultra Shines for this new line of Ultra Plushes, which are lightly tinted, non-sticky glosses with a faint fruit punch flavor and scent and a wear time from 2-3 hours.

Remember the Ultra Plushes Benefit released late last year to go with their boxed blushes? The six new shades coming to the permanent line soon are members of the same family.

FYI, in the event that you snarf down half a bag of Trader’s Joe’s Olive Oil Popcorn while watching Snookie and J-Woww one afternoon (it happens), you’ll need to reapply, as these don’t hold up well to snacks or meals.

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss tubes — From the left: Icebreaker, A-lister, Lollibop, Kiss You, Poutrageous and Fauxmance

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss swatches — From the left: Icebreaker, A-Lister, Lollibop, Kiss You, Poutrageous and Fauxmance

Benefit A-Lister Ultra Plush Lip Gloss — A-Lister, a bubblegum pink

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Even More Monsters!

January 23rd, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

Can you ever have enough?

The Ambient Lighting Powders by Hourglass

January 23rd, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Hourglass Ambient Powders closeup — The new Hourglass Ambient Powders ($45 each) and Ambient Powder Brush ($35)

The brush and powders just launched on Sephora.com. 🙂

Hourglass Dim Light Ambient Powder — Dim Light, a neutral peach beige ($45)

Hourglass Radiant Light Ambient Powde — Radiant Light, a golden beige ($45)

Hourglass Luminous Light Ambient Powder — Luminous Light, a champagne pearl ($45)

Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush — Ambient Powder Brush ($35)

Dressed to Impress! Benefit Gives Their Creaseless Cream Shadows a Makeover, Introduces New Packaging and a Bunch of New Shades

January 22nd, 2013 by Karen 32 Comments

Holy Smokes! Just My Two Cents, but I hope you don’t mind that I’m wearing my Bikini-Tini. Translation: Here I’m wearing the newly repackaged $19 Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows in Bikini-Tini, My Two Cents and Holy Smokes

If, when you read the title of this post, your eyes bugged out and you felt a sudden surge of panic as you exclaimed, “OMG! Did Benefit get rid of Skinny Jeans!?” chillax, kitty cat (as I often tell Tabs).

No need to shake your fist angrily, and shout like we’re in the audience on The Maury Povich Show. Benefit’s got our back.

Yes, they repackaged their Creaseless Cream Shadows. Yes, they added some new colors. Yes, they discontinued some of the old-school shades (RIP, Sippin’ N Dippin’), but they did keep three all-star shades from the existing line, and one of ’em is Skinny Jeans, THANK GAWD!

Because if they’d gotten rid of Skinny Jeans, first, I would’ve freaked! — then, I would’ve had my unicorn teleport me to Sephora to pick up every last pot. Then, I would’ve cryogenically frozen them to keep them fresh for the day when I’m buried next to Tabs in his pyramid…

My point is this: don’t panic (she says, rocking you back and forth gently).

Of the 10 new Creaseless Creams, seven are new shades, and three — Skinny Jeans, R.S.V.P. and Birthday Suit — are old-school MVPs.

So wipe that glittery perspiration from your perfectly plucked eyebrows. Things are gonna be okay. 🙂

I’m waiting to hear back from Benefit about the formula they used for these and whether it’s new or remained the same, but as far as I can tell, these new versions look, feel and behave like the previous Creaseless Creams.

Lightweight and creamy, they’re easy to build up in layers or apply sheer, and they last on my lids all day long. They also remain the same 0.16-ounce size and price: $19.

Um…anyone else getting a Paul & Joe vibe? Not that I’m complaining. I love how these look (part of me hopes the Bene-babes go full-on Paul & Joe cat lady one of these days).

Oh, and Benefit did something kinda neat with these I’ve never seen before with a cream shadow…

The Newly Repackaged Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows — New packaging!

Benefit Birthday Suit Creaseless Cream Shadow — Birthday Suit, a brushed chrome

Benefit Bikini-Tini Creaseless Cream Shadow — Bikini-Tini, an oyster pink

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Break Out of a Winter Beauty Rut With a 5-Day Winter Beauty Boot Camp

January 22nd, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Okay, okay. Sure, I haven’t painted my toenails in — well, I can’t even remember how long it’s been because I figure, why bother? This time of year, I’m always wearing boots, closed-toe shoes and/or socks.

Same goes for shaving and my legs. I think the last time was a month ago? Something like that, and now it’s like I’ve got built-in boots with the fur from my knees down.

I’m usually pretty good about my beauty routines — tweezing my brows, waxing my ‘stach, painting my nails — but come winter, many of my beauty habits fall by the wayside.

I didn’t realize how lax I’d become until about a week ago, when I had a shower revelation.

I was lathering up the pelt of fur on my calves when it occurred to me that the hairs were long enough to weave a small (yet tasteful) wall tapestry.

Yeah, that long.

As surprised (and appalled) as I was, excuses to leave well enough lone kept springing to mind, like, “It’s soooo cold. Who’s gonna see my legs anyway? People didn’t even used to shave back in the olden days…”

Thankfully this time, I ignored the excuses and decided enough was enough.

My mission: to embark upon a five-day winter beauty boot camp, of sorts, to get my beauty groove back. 🙂

Each day, I committed to doing one little thing to break myself out of my beauty rut. I thought it would be easier than trying to do it all in the same day.

First, I drafted my plan, identifying its major components and dividing them up among the days.

If you also feel like you’re stuck in a winter beauty rut, here’s a copy of my plan. Maybe you could use it as a template to draft one of yours.

Day 1: Time to polish the silverware, or the benefits of exfoliating

There’s something so, I dunno, rejuvenating about exfoliating from head to toe in the shower. Like, “Out with the old, in with the new.”

On day one, gently buff and polish away dead skin cells from your face and neck with an exfoliating face scrub. Then, scrub your bod for smoother skin with a moisturizing oil and sugar scrub.

Day 2: Moisturizing mania!

Nothing like a little extra hydration to help dry, winter skin.

Quench your skin’s thirst on day two in the shower with a luxuriously rich bath or shower gel like Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash ($5.99 for a 23.6-ounce bottle). Then, after stepping out of the shower, slather up with a thick body butter.

Day 3: Sasquatch legs, be gone!

Say it with me: “I am not a Sasquatch!”

Dedicate day three to eradicating wayward winter body hair with your favorite shave lotion and razor.
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How Often Do You Wear Hats?

January 22nd, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Anthropologie Hat — Creased Cloche Hat from Anthropologie ($48)

Hats are totally my thing. I love them 1) because they shade me from the sun, 2) keep my noggin’ warm in winter, and 3) allow me to skip styling my hair. 🙂 Plus, they’re just about the easiest way to upgrade almost any outfit.

I spotted this particular headgear at Anthropologie yesterday while I was allegedly shopping for hand creams (Me to El Hub: “Be right back, babe… Gonna look at lotion!). It’s the $48 Creased Cloche.

I used to wear hats a lot more when I was in high school (Freshman year, I was obsessed! I wore one almost every day.), but I’ll still sport one from time to time.

How about you? What’s your stance on hats?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Now Give Me a Piece

January 22nd, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

I’ll be checking both boxes when I give this to El Hub for Valentine’s Day.

Giving Hands the Royal Treatment With Royal Apothic Perfectly Perfect Hand Creme

January 21st, 2013 by Karen 6 Comments

Here’s a look at Royal Apothic’s Perfectly Perfect handy work, also known as their $20 Hand Creme, which I spotted today over at the Anthropologie store at the mall (I swear, I could spend all day in that store).

Despite being based out of Los Angeles, Apothic, a three-year-old fragrance line, aims for a British vibe, and the scents I’ve tried all seem light, fresh and floral to me, which I like.

Today their hand creme caught my eye.

Cute packaging, yeah? I tried it on right there in the store, and my hands just lapped it up. It left my paws lightly scented, too, like a citrusy jasmine.

The Holland Park scent is my favorite of these. It has notes of lemon, magnolia, peach, jasmine, orange blossom, muguet, white musk, pink grapefruit and anemone flower.

They also have some eau de parfums…