Makeup and Beauty Blog: Makeup Reviews, Beauty Tips and Drugstore Beauty Finds
Beauty product reviews, makeup tips and news from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict.
February 21st, 2008 | Karen | Filed in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tools, Product Reviews
Anyone else terrified by goats? I know I can’t be the only one. They’ve got those creepy horizontal pupils that look ready to teleport you across the River Styx, and at the petting zoo they’re always really naughty; they walk right up and try to snatch the food from my hands or chew on my t-shirt or shoelaces.
Anti-goat bias initially made me reluctant to give the Shu Uemura 7.5EX brush ($35) much love. The word “goat” (strike one) is etched into the brush’s handle, and the white, fan-shaped brush head is made from — you guessed it — goat hair (strike two). I’m glad I was able to overlook my problem with goats, though, because the 7.5EX deserves love.
MAC Fafi Fashion Frenzy blush on the left, Hipness Blush on the right
Soft and luxurious, the bristles of Shu’s 7.5EX brush feel nothing like the dirty, coarse hair of goats at the petting zoo. The Shu Uemura Web site describes the 7.5EX brush as having a “light” touch, meaning that when you use it to apply powders, the color applies sheer, not intense. Not just for blush, this InStyle Best of Beauty Buy can also be used to blend or to dust away loose powder.
This morning I was in a hurry but wanted to wear a bright blue-pink blush. I know from experience that if I rush while using a regular blush brush, I end up with scary-clown-who-haunts-children’s-nightmares cheeks, so I grabbed the 7.5EX brush instead.
Wearing a big, goofy smile (the goofy part is key!), I applied MAC Fafi’s Fashion Frenzy to the apples of my cheeks, lightly drawing color upward at an angle toward my ears. With just a few swipes my cheeks looked pinched and flushed. I can’t wait to use this brush with my other bright cheek shades, MAC’s Dollymix (hot pink) and Frankly Scarlet (bright red).
If you have a few bright blushes in your color collection that you don’t use enough, give them another try with the 7.5EX, a brush designed for powdered products. Blush newbies who have a tendency to use too much color might dig it too because its fanned bristles make it almost impossible to over-apply color.
Don’t be afraid to go bold with your blush colors. With the 7.5EX in your arsenal, go forth and be bright!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
February 21st, 2008 | Karen | Filed in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Product Reviews
What kinds of things inspire your makeup looks? I get a lot of my ideas for looks from magazines, other beauty blogs and books, but some of my favorite looks are based upon things in nature, especially flowers. I’m a sucker for flowers.
Can you spot the mini calla lilies in my wedding bouquet?
Pretty, yah? I love all flowers, but lilies are my favorite, so whenever El Hub gets me flowers, he always throws in a lily or two for good measure. Last week’s Valentine’s bouquet contained a handful of pink stargazer lilies.
I still have the bouquet in my bedroom. When I awoke and saw them this morning, I decided I wanted to wear a lip color today that reminded me of pink lilies! I grabbed two hot pink cuties from the MAC Fafi collection — Fun ‘n’ Sexy lipstick ($14) and Cult Fave lipgloss ($14) — and went to work building my look for today.
Fun ‘n’ Sexy lipstick reminds me of the bright pink Wet n’ Wild lipsticks I wore as a teenager, ha!
Here’s the pink stargazer inspired result…
To get this look, I first lined my lips with MAC’s Pink Treat Cremestick Liner and then applied two coats of Fun ‘n’ Sexy with a MAC 316 lip brush. I topped it off with a layer of Cult Fave applied directly from the lip gloss applicator.
It’s raining here in San Francisco today, but this pink lip combo puts a little springtime pep in my step. A girl can never have enough pink lip combos, right? What’s your favorite?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
February 19th, 2008 | Karen | Filed in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Product Reviews
I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.
A few days ago, after the super-spy MAC Fafi swatch mission, I fell in love with Fafi’s Paint Pots (love Nice Vice!) and lipsticks but wasn’t floored by the eyeshadow quads. I changed my tune after playing with the Fafi Eyes 1 Quad ($36) this mornin’. The colors work with my skin tone (so far the shades “Hey” and “Vanilla” are my faves), and the textures apply like butter. If you love neutral eyeshadows, I think you’ll dig this quad.
Now, on to the look! New to semi-complicated makeup? Don’t despair. If you’ve ever worn at least two eyeshadow colors at a time, then you can certainly handle this. Yes! You! Can!
Products I used to create the look…
February 18th, 2008 | Karen | Filed in: Fragrance, Product Reviews
Once inside the fantastical world of the Barneys New York department store in Las Vegas, I felt like I was trapped on an expensive planet. The native inhabitants were friendly and well groomed, yet there was something off about them. Maybe it was the scent of money in the air. I felt sweaty and nervous when the staff spoke to me, like they might be cyborgs. Expensive cyborgs.
I made my way toward the cosmetics department. I was looking for makeup and beauty brands I’d never seen before, and my research before the trip suggested that Barneys, located in the Palazzo Hotel on the Vegas strip, wouldn’t let me down.
My first reaction was disappointment. I was seeing all the same high end stuff also carried by Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s — YSL, Chantecaille, T. LeClerc. Yawn.
The street entrance to Barneys New York in Las Vegas
I’d almost given up, and then it was there, at the very heart of the store. They resembled two empty telephone booths, or perhaps teleportation chambers, standing beside a display with several scientific looking bottles and a sign that read, “Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle.” Holla!
I began at one end of the display and sniffed my way to the other. With each scent, I grew more intrigued. Raul, a Barney’s sales associate with the smoothest hands I’d ever seen on a man, noticed my eyes rolling back into my head (seriously, some of the scents were *that* good) and proceeded to fill me in on the line.
One of the perfumes, Carnal Flower
Nine famous perfumers (noses) developed their own individual perfumes for the Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle collection. These are some of the most famous noses of our time. Without limits or boundaries placed upon them by anyone, each perfumer received free reign over their creations, resulting in the 16 scents that make up the line. You won’t find watered down eau de toilettes or body splashes here; each of the scents is complex and interesting in its own way.
When you test perfumes sprayed onto paper strips at a perfume counter, the scent’s top notes grab you (the initial burst of fragrance). If your nose is hyper-sensitive like mine, you might even smell the paper.
But you could be missing the more subtle aspects of the fragrance — the middle notes (which occur after the top notes fade), and then the dry down (which is like the scent’s finale). To appreciate the fullness and complexity of the Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle scents, Raul suggested I ditch the paper strips and use one of the store’s special scent chambers to fully appreciate the line.
A little scurred of the chamber…
The two phone booth/teleportation chambers are actually scent chambers. I’m claustrophobic, but Raul assured me that I wouldn’t have to step into the chamber to get the full experience, just stick my head in.
Raul explaining how the chamber works
Raul flipped a switch to activate fans installed in the ceiling of each chamber and then sprayed a fragrance from the line into each one — En Passant (a light floral) on the left, and Noir Epices (a spicy Oriental) on the right.
I took a whiff of each and instantly fell in love with En Passant. Created by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti and described as an “impressionistic” fragrance on the Editions de Parfums Web site, En Passant combines the scent of white lilac flower with orange tree leaves, cucumber and wheat. I could detect all of the different layers and rich fullness in the scent chamber. I couldn’t help but picture fields of lilac flowers and freshly laundered cotton sheets. Heaven!
Sniffing En Passant perfume is heavenly
A few other fragrances that I smelled and liked were…
Iris Poudre by Pierre Bourdon - Tonka bean, musk, vanilla, sandal wood and vetiver.
Nose fun fact: In 1988 Pierre created one of my favorite men’s fragrances of all time, Davidoff Cool Water.
Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion - Tuberose, coconut and musk.
Nose fun Fact: Dominique, along with perfumers Loc Dong and Carlos Benaim, created Calvin Klein Euphoria, winner of the 2006 Fragrance Foundation (Fifi) Award, the equivalent of the “Oscars” in the perfume world.
Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schwieger - Violet, musk, vanilla, vetiver and amber… and it really does smell like a tube of lipstick!
Nose fun fact: Ralf has created several famous perfumes, including Yves Saint Laurent’s Baby Doll and Marc Jacobs’ Men.
This refrigerator, located beneath the display, keeps the fragrances fresh
Prices range from $115-$330, depending on the scent (some are more expensive then others) and size (50-100ml). Here in the US, the Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle line is exclusive to Barneys New York stores. To find the one nearest you, check out their Web site. If you don’t live near a Barneys, you can also order the scents online or call a store and place your order over the phone using a credit card.
Aren’t you glad we’re done with Monday? I’m still tired from traveling so it’s early to bed for this girl tonight. I hope your day was good and that you’re feeling relaxed and happy.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
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