A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
I’m not really a classic car person, but I saw this green car in a parking lot a few weeks ago and fell in love with the curvy lines. I think it might be a Corvette? If you know wheels I’d love to find out what it is.
That’s my Mazda sitting next to it, by the way. Yay, reliability!
Wearing Dior Addict Extreme in Incognito
Like a pretty beach bikini, Dior’s shiny new $30 Addict Extreme Lipsticks are saucy and bold, but still leave a little something to the imagination. Lightweight and glassy, they provide just enough pigment and coverage to stand out without overpowering the sheer blushes and eyeshadows we’ve been seeing so much this spring.
Available in 17 moderately moisturizing shades, they’re just the kind of lippies I like to wear around this time every year, when I grow a little weary of fall and winter’s heavy mattes and full-coverage products.
Designed to go the distance with a long-wearing formula, they’re also supposed to have a lip-plumping effect, but per usual, my lips must be immune…
From the left: Incognito, Lucky and Black Tie
Swatches from the left: Incognito, Lucky and Black Tie
One thing I do notice about these is how great they feel. I love the texture! They’re so smooth that I almost forgot about the $30 price, and they’re pretty hydrating, too, although I do like to layer a little lip balm underneath.
If I had to compare them to something, maybe the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, except I think those are a little more moisturizing.
Black Tie
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Sunday Riley Eyeshadows in Siberian Sable, French Press and Little Black Dress
I keep meaning to ask you about Sunday Riley! They’re a relatively new beauty brand, pretty high end (prices ranging from $26 for an eyeshadow single to $295 for a skin care serum), and available at Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman stores.
That name is all kinds of awesome, isn’t it? Sunday Riley… Sounds like one of Katniss Everdeen’s friends/adversaries. 🙂
(SIDE NOTE: I’m so excited about that movie! I started re-reading the first book last night.)
There really is a Sunday Riley behind the brand, and she’s from the Lone Star State. Sunday started the line back in 2009 with a handful of anti-aging products containing plant extracts believed by Native Americans to possess medicinal properties.
Being from Texas (her family traces its roots to before it was part of the United States), she spent summers with her grandma learning about some of the most useful plants.
Years later she took that knowledge and created the NV-5 Ageless Complex, a blend of five botanicals that, according to the company, detoxify, heal and recharge the skin. Now, it’s the secret ingredient in her skin care products.
Sunday recently expanded the line to include color cosmetics, and I spent some time with a few of her Prismasilk Eye Color eyeshadows last weekend.
If what they say is true — that variety is the spice of life — these eyeshadows are hot! 
They’re available in 28 shades spanning matte, satin and iridescent finishes, cost $26 each and can be worn either wet or dry.
I’ve been playing with Siberian Sable (a cool brown satin), French Press (a brownish taupe satin) and Little Black Dress (a sheer black satin)…
Eyeshadows clockwise from the left: French Press, Siberian Sable and Little Black Dress
Swatches from the left: Siberian Sable, French Press and Little Black Dress
Wearing Siberian Sable
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This post is part of a series sponsored by Walgreens.
It used to seem like I had endless amounts of time to get all dolled up for different things, like parties, dancing and baby showers, but now? What I wouldn’t give to have a whole afternoon to get ready.
These days, on the rare occasions when I actually do have something to get dressed up for, it seems like I’m always rushing. I’m lucky to have enough time to fill in my brows, let alone do something special with my hair.
Still, even when I am rushing, running ragged and far behind, the last thing I want to do with my ‘do is just throw on a hat and call it a day (although I am totally guilty of doing exactly that more than a few times).
When all I can swing is 5-10 minutes on hair, I’ll shoot for one of these three quick party hairstyles. Each one is light on muss and fuss, and can be done with styling products from the drugstore.
First things first: the prep work.
Assuming a shower isn’t completely off the table, I like to start with one, and lately I’ve been bringing two products by güd from Burt’s Bees with me.
I love how citrusy Orange Petalooza Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner smell ($6.99 each), and the combo leaves my hair feeling silky soft, lightweight and conditioned.
If I had my druthers, I’d always air dry my hair, but sometimes that’s not an option. Hair dryers do speed up the process, and when I’m going to use one, I try to work in a heat protecting product, like the new Suave Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner ($3.49), to protect against heat styling damage.
When I can’t squeeze in a shower at all, well, that’s when I turn to dry shampoo. Definitely not ideal, but the good ones do freshen my ‘do and give some lift to my roots. I really like Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo. It’s designed for all hair types and costs just $3.49.
With the prep work done, it’s time to pick our hairstyle! 🙂
I’ve been wearing my hair a lot like this lately. I call it my “Ode to Mad Men,” and it’s kind of a rushed take on an old-school beehive.
I start by parting my bangs to the side, but if you don’t have bangs, just take about a two-inch chunk of hair in that same area, and part it to the side. Then, to get the look of long side-swept bangs, secure the chunk in place with bobby pins, like the Styling Essentials Bobby Pins by Conair ($1.39).
Next, I put my hair into a low ponytail secured with an elastic ponytail holder in a color that matches my mane. I like Goody Ouchless Gentle Hair Elastics, 1) because a pack of 27 costs just $3.99, and 2) they don’t break my strands when I pull them out.
To build some height at my crown, I grab a pencil (here, I’m actually using an eyeliner), stick it into the roots up there, and then gently pull up to loosen the style and create some height.
I don’t usually worry about it looking too neat, because with this style, I kind of like how it looks a little undone.
Buxom Color Choreography Eyeshadow in Belly Dance, one of six new powder eyeshadow palettes available at Sephora May 2012. $36 each. Additional shades: Swing, Tango, Burlesque, Lambada and Hip Hop. Of course I have to get Hip Hop in my life. Never you mind it’s been years since I’ve gotten my six-step on, LOL!
Let’s say you’ve already squirreled away some of MAC’s classic pink lipsticks (like Girl About Town) but still feel the urge to wear a slightly different pink this spring. What do you do?
I’m glad you asked! 🙂 I might have just the thing.
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Speak Louder ($14.50) does pink by way of blue. Part of the permanent collection, it’s a blue-based pink lipstick with hints of reddish orange.
It’s bright, for sure, but the poppy/reddish-orange undertones dial it back a bit, at least compared to full-tilt fuchsias and pinks like Impassioned, or Force of Love, from the new Chenman collection.
For me, that makes it a little easier to wear than many of its punchier pink counterparts.
Speak Louder and I hadn’t been on a play date in a while when I pulled it out after my chat with Bobbi Brown last week. On the call, Bobbi suggested swapping spring’s bolder neon lip colors for something a little quieter (but far from silent), like a bright pink lipstick, as opposed to a straight-up neon or fuchsia shade, and then pairing those lips with minimal makeup on the face, eyes and cheeks.
Speak Louder could be perfect for something like that.
For a light whisper of semi-transparent color, like a creamy stain, I’ll just dab the tube on my lips. But when I want my lips to SPEAK LOUDER (sorry, couldn’t resist), I’ll apply a layer, blot with a tissue, and then slick on a second, intensifying layer.
Not yet past the vernal equinox, and the beauty world is already buzzing about summer?
It’s enough to drive a girl to…the closest Sephora. 🙂
And this year, the calendar-crushing makeup lovers at Too Faced are leading the charge with a six-piece summer collection of products for eyes, face and body. A few of the pieces, like the Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder, are available now online, but the bulk of the release is still en route to Sephora stores and counters. ETA: very soon.
Here are pics and swatches of five of the six pieces from the release. Have a look-see, and let me know what you think.
Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Shadow Collection, $36
