Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Based on the New Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks, Make Up For Ever Must Have Known: Nothing Says “Wake Up!” Like a Shot of Glossy Color on Your Lips

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Wearing Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in Soft Fuchsia

Although I’m running on fumes right now, I feel surprisingly perky for having only gotten three hours of sleep.

Those must have been three spectacular hours… Or maybe I should credit these new $19 Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks from Make Up For Ever, which are packed with so much vibrant pigment that they’re lifting me up like shots of espresso today, BAM!

Dropping next month at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and Sephora stores in a massive array of 50 creamy, moisturizing shades, they’re also spread out across three different finishes in satin, iridescent and diamond. All 50 colors are coming to MUFE boutiques, but Sephora stores and sephora.com will only be getting 18 of the shades (I’m not sure which ones).

make up for ever rouge artist natural

make up for ever rouge artist natural
From the left: N31 Soft Fuchsia, N45 Red and N4 Pink Beige

make up for ever rouge artist natural
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These LancÃ´me Liner Design Long Wear Calligraphy Eyeliners and I Just Don’t Gel

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

lancome liner design

Dude! The Hunger Games movie was so good! I’d read in a few reviews that the critics thought it dragged in parts, but I didn’t feel that way at all. My eyes were glued the entire time. I thought it moved at a quick clip from start to finish, and with a few exceptions, stays true to the spirit of the books.

I do think director Gary Ross had to sacrifice some character development to move the story along, so I think it helps in this case to have read the first book beforehand, or at least it might make it more enjoyable to have some of that back story going in.

Oh! And Lenny Kravitz rocked Cinna’s gold eyeliner out! Believe you me, I had my torch and pitchfork with me, and I was ready to use ’em if that detail had been cut.

My own golden eyeliner held up like a champ, yay! I was afraid I’d lose it there for a second when I got teary-eyed in the scene with Rue, but lo, it even lasted through that. 🙂

Totally different than what I experienced with LancÃ´me’s new liners earlier this week…

lancome liner design

I think it was Tuesday; I remember because I’d woken up early that morning feeling emotional and moody.

I call those my “orange alert” days, and I tend to reach for waterproof makeup at those times, especially when the tricks I usually use to soothe my inner savage beast don’t work.

So, I was getting ready in front of my bathroom mirror and thought I’d give a couple of LancÃ´me’s Liner Design Long Wear Calligraphy Gel Liners a try.

lancome liner design swatches
Swatches of Indigo Darling (left) and Violet Stylista (right)
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China Glaze Full Spectrum

March 23rd, 2012 by Karen 3 Comments

It’s glitterific!

China Glaze Full Spectrum Nail Polish, $8. From the new Prismatic collection.

Mellow Yellow

March 22nd, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

Daffodils are so cheerful!

May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor: A Hunger Games Inspired Face of the Day

March 22nd, 2012 by Karen 96 Comments

the hunger games

“I use a technique one of the doctors suggested. I start with the simplest things I know to be true and work toward the more complicated. The list begins to roll in my head…” – Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay

My name is Karen. I am 36 years old. My home is in Novato, California, also known as District 12. I have read the The Hunger Games twice. I am counting down the minutes to the midnight premiere of the movie tonight. I will be wearing makeup inspired by Katniss and Cinna as I chomp down on popcorn in the middle of the night. 🙂

Cinna’s trademark simple golden eyeliner was my jumping off point for this look, and then I tried to imagine what Katniss might look like if she were out hunting in the woods on a summer day. For that, I added bronze cheeks and a nude, slightly shiny lip.

district 12
On my eyes: MAC Eye Shadow in Soba and NARS Eyeshadow in Cyprus on lids; MAC Super Slick Liquid Eye Liner in Pure Show and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner on the upper lash line; Dolce & Gabbana Khol Pencil in True Black on the upper waterline; MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge on the lower lash line and waterline; Urban Decay Cannonball and Buxom Amplified Lash on upper and lower lashes

NOTE: If you haven’t read the books yet, don’t worry. Like ~~all~~ most of my obsessions, this one (probably) won’t last forever. 🙂

But if you have read the books, aren’t they great!? I’ve always believed that science fiction ultimately isn’t about robots and aliens, even in stories where they appear. It’s about how ordinary people react in extraordinary circumstances. In The Hunger Games, I admire how the main character, Katniss, just a regular girl, rises to the challenges before her. She learns to face her fears and becomes stronger for others.

team buttercup
Cheeks: MAC Face Powder in Flower Fantasy and NARS Blush in Madly; Lips: bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Spark Plug
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Springing Up on Dolce & Gabbana Counters Now: The Sheer and Pretty Bouquet Collection Lipglosses

March 22nd, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

dolce gabbana raspberry
Wearing Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Lipgloss in Raspberry on my lips

I have a confession to make… I had a blast wearing that crazy blue lipstick around the house yesterday, but I didn’t have the guts to wear it out in public.

I know! Me — the gal who’s always bugging you to try new colors and break out of your comfort zone. Well, I tried to take my own advice, but I only made it as far as the garage.

Yep, there I was, sitting in the car with the engine warming up, and me in my blue lips, when I succumbed to the urge to check myself in the rear-view mirror.

“Holy crap, Karen!” I said to my cerulean self. “You look bat sh*t cray.”

It was bad enough that the errand I intended to run already involved me having to do something of potential embarrassment in rush-hour traffic (stay tuned for tonight’s post!), but the blue lips just took it to a whole new level.

I mean, I’m all for trying new things when it comes to makeup — why not, right? It washes off — but sometimes the desire to feel pretty trumps my cosmetics curiosity.

Good thing I always keep makeup wipes in the car (you never know when you’ll get the urge to swatch).

After I wiped my blue lips clean, I went rutting around in my purse for something else to wear, and the new Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Lipglosses were the first things to catch my eye.

I’ve been wearing these sheer, softly shiny glosses ($29 each) a lot lately to balance out looks with bold/smokey eyes.

dolce gabbana bouquet collection lipgloss
Lipglosses from the top to bottom: Acqua (repromote), Raspberry (new), Innocence (repromote), Shimmer (repromote) and Pink Diamond (repromote), $29 each

dolce gabbana bouquet collection swatches
Swatches from the left: Innocence, Raspberry, Shimmer, Pink Diamond and Acqua

dolce gabbana pink diamond
Pink Diamond
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The Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Nail Lacquers Sure Look Pretty in Pastel

March 22nd, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection

There’s something very soothing about these six new Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquers from the limited edition Bouquet Collection, isn’t there? How they look all pastel and springy, like a row of Jordan Almonds, Easter eggs or frosted mini-cupcakes…

Yum.

I’m wearing three coats in the swatches below (because they looked a little streaky after two).

dolce gabbana rose petal
Rose Petal