Thu, 05/31/2012 by Karen | Posted in: Daily Beauty

I love living in London; originally I came from
Scotland (although I am English) and even mum says that from the day I could
walk, I wanted to be on a pavement, not a country lane! So I came to London as
soon as I possibly could at age seventeen, got a job, found a flat and have
never even considered living elsewhere. I still even sometimes get that stomach
flip coming over a bridge across the Thames on the train to get to central
London – it is still exciting to live here.?

I’m intrigued by the Bex London fragrance portfolio
which celebrates areas of London. I love that they haven’t gone for all the
obvious places but have actually considered the other parts of London where it
isn’t so glossy, but it is still London. The fragrances are the brainchild of Rebecca
Goswell who worked with perfumer Francois Robert and the initial presentation
is a capsule collection in high concentration.?
The boxes are created by London based artist, Finn O’Brien and they’re
stunning.?

Each fragrance is named by postcode, so you have SE1
Notables; spicy and atmospheric to represent the old Thameside spice wharfs.
Next is N6 Notables that brings Highgate Village to life through fragrance.
It’s interesting with this one that it is a chypre with lots of fruity notes,
such as peach, mandarin and raspberry.?
EC2 Notable is a celebration of the creativity of the area and has fresh
notes such as lemon, lime and grapefruit. W1X Notable aims to capture the
sophistication of the west-end with coriander, bergamot and mandarin.?

To the uninitiated, spotting the differences between the new NYX Matte Bronzers and the many other compact bronzing powders currently on counters is like trying to tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi blindfolded without tasting either one.

In other words, it’s tough.

After all, like most of the bronzers vying for our attention this summer, these new ones from NYX promise to do the same things — deliver a natural-looking, honey-like glow for your skin.

But if MAC is trying to rule the department store market with their Pro Longwear Bronzing Powders, NYX is going after drugstore divas and budget-minded babes with their five new Matte Bronzers.

At $9 each, the prodigious 0.33-ounce pans shout “BARGAIN!” from their perches in drugstore makeup aisles. For the price of one MAC Pro Longwear Powder, you could get two of these from NYX and still have enough change left over for a drugstore ice cream cone (do you like mint chocolate chip-).

I’ve been wearing three of the five shades this week, and impressed doesn’t come close to describing how I feel. Blown away is more like it.

Clockwise from the lower left: Medium, Deep and Light

None of that “BS” Oompa-Loompa orange business here. No way. The golden russet glow these bestow upon skin is worthy of beach barbeques and pool parties.

Very long beach barbeques and pool parties.

How long-

Well, starting with that first buttery cob of sweet corn, they last past the late-night singalongs and woozy revelations (like “S’mores are so genius!” and “Whoever invented nude wedges deserves a medal!”), and all the way until you’ve said your goodbyes before packing up the cooler to head home.

Say “howdy” to the NYX Matte Bronzers

For quick minimalist summer makeup looks, bronzers can be a great addition (or change) to your routine.

Swatches from the left: Light, Medium and Deep

Pourquoi- you ask.

Because in terms of effort and effect, they’re all about getting big bang (effect) for your buck (effort).

Lately, what I’ve been doing after filling in my brows and curling my lashes, is applying NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer followed by either NYX Matte Bronzer in Medium or MAC Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board.

I apply them wherever the sun would naturally fall upon my face, like across my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, on my chin and along the tops of my cheek bones.

One swipe of a nude gloss like LORAC’s Raoul (a good match for medium and dark skin tones) or Illamasqua’s Intimacy (looks fab on lighter lasses), and you’re done.

PRICE: $9 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores and nyxcosmetics.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+ (just an all around great product)

Sleigh bells ring… (yep, even in May)

I had to share about this band I just discovered that I’ve been obsessing over listening to on my runs! They’re called Sleigh Bells.

No, really. Sleigh Bells. Like Santa’s ride.

Their music is…I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like a grungy guitar-driven rock anthem with hip-hop undertones.

Picture angry cheerleaders swinging chains and bats in the air to fire up the crowd at a riot.

LOL! I like to walk around the mall by my house imagining this song (Infinity Guitars) playing in the background…

And if you ever want to feel LIKE A BOSS, or need something to propel you through your sprints, there’s also Tell ‘em.

How about you- What tunes have you been listening to lately-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It’s her smile you notice first.

You’re strolling across the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris on a crisp, clear spring day when you see her standing by the railing, a shy smile on her lips, her hair swept in a chic chignon. A scarf is draped effortlessly around her neck, and she’s holding a bouquet of violets by her side.

She pauses to take in the City of Light and the River Seine below, leaning against the railing with her hands tucked beneath her chin and staring off into the distance, her eyes faraway and dreamy.

Ah, you know that look…the look of first love, when the mere thought of your beloved awakens every cell in your body with a tingling that begins at your toes and works its way up through your spine.

A breeze turns toward you, bringing with it an intoxicating aroma of vanilla, rose, musk, black currant berries and violet.

The girl breaks from her reverie, caught by your gaze, and smiles warmly. You return the feeling, knowingly, as you pass her along the bridge, recalling another time, so many years ago, when you, too, stood in almost the same spot, basking all-too-briefly in the same glow with your American writer, so tall and beautiful, with his brown hair and hazel eyes.

Whatever happened to him- you wonder. Does he still think of you, like you think of him-

Almost across the bridge now, you close your eyes once again and breath deeply, drawing in as much of the scent as you can, letting it sweep you up in its loving embrace.

Another happy girl on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris, 2005

Tocca Violette Eau de Parfum, $68

• The latest addition to the Tocca family of fragrances
• Inspired, Tocca says, by a whirlwind romance one spring in the 1940s between a young soldier on leave and a young girl at the fragrance counter of Le Bon Marche in Paris. Vibrant flowers bloom along the Champs-Elysees like first love awakens the spirit.
• The official top notes include Italian Bergamot, ginger oil, coriander (cilantro) seed oil; the middle notes, African violet, Bulgarian Rose and Black Currants (a type of berry); and bottom notes, creamy cedarwood, cashmere musk and benzoin (a scent similar to vanilla)
• Violette lingers on my skin longer than many of the Tocca scents I’ve tried. I get between 8-10 hours.
• I think it’s a little more sophisticated than Tocca’s last addition, Graciella. While both seem very feminine to me, Graciella reminds me of a carefree, small-town teenager to Violette’s young woman in her 20s, experiencing life and love in the big city.
• If you like Tom Ford Violet Blonde, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Ralph Lauren Romance or Prada Infusion d’Iris, you might also like Violette.

PRICE: $68 for a 1.7-fluid-ounce bottle
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Sephora stores and tocca.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Because reading is FUN-damental

So, I was a little late jumping on the e-reader bandwagon, but now I’m fully on board!

El Hub was sweet enough to share his Kindle with me, so last week I borrowed it to read Bossypants, by Tina Fey, and it was so much fun!

I resisted ebooks because I didn’t think I’d ever get beyond missing the feeling of having a real book in my hands. I just love the heft of a real book, the smell of the paper (yes, I’m one of those weirdos who sniffs books in the library!) and the sound of the pages turning… There’s just something authentic and significant about real books, ya know-

Plus, I stare at phones and computer screens all day long, and I figured the last thing I’d want to do is stare at yet another glowing screen.

Turns out I was wrong.

I mean, I’ll always love printed books, of course, but ebooks are also pretty cool.

And the Kindle Fire’s screen doesn’t bother me as long as I turn the brightness way down…

That little finger swipe gesture to turn the pages- FUN! I can whip through the pages. Heck, I probably read faster on the Kindle than I can read a regular printed book, which is a very exciting prospect.

How do you feel about e-readers- Have you given ‘em a try-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shimmery bronzing powders in almost blush-like shades of luscious peach and pink aren’t exactly uncharted territory. Chanel, for example, has been there, done that, a few times before.

But NYX weaved quite a tapestry together with their three new Illuminating Face and Body Bronzers. By combining eminently flattering shades with a pearly finish and a soft, comfy texture, and then keeping the price well below department store, they created something greater than the sum of its parts.

All it took was a few swipes of Narcissistic (a beige), Chaotic (a golden peach) and Magnetic (a peachy pink) to get me hooked on all three.

The marketing material doesn’t say, but I wonder if NYX co-created them with Cher, because they are, after all, designed to “turn back time.”

How so-

By bestowing a natural radiant glow to the skin that also diffuses incoming light, helping skin appear softer and, or so I hope, younger.

Yeah…I can’t even begin to tell you how appealing that sounds now that 37 is officially less than two weeks away!

But seeing as how I can’t really stop this train I’m on, I’ve been doing my best to slow it down embrace the inevitable with positivity and panache.

Now, when people call me “ma’am,” I try to own that sh*t! — but that does not mean refusing a little makeup help along the way.

Like Fox Mulder with his aliens, I really want to believe, LOL!

What do you think- Do I look 10 years younger wearing Chaotic, my favorite of the three shades, up there at the top-

Okay, how about 5-

The NYX Illuminating Bronzers, clockwise from the lower left: Narcissistic, Chaotic and Magnetic

Swatches from the left for comparison: NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Narcissistic, Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Beige, NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Magnetic, NARS Blush in Luster, NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Chaotic and Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Rose


NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Narcissistic

NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Magnetic

Chaotic contains a generous amount of peachy pigment and golden shimmer that, if nothing else, certainly puts a smile on my face.

The new NYX Illuminating Face and Body Bronzers ($9 each)

• New for summer 2012 and added to the NYX permanent line.
• For a bronzer, the 0.33-ounce pans are HUGE! — about the same size as a typical face powder compact.
• Step right up! Versatility here! I’ve worn these as bronzers, blushes and also as highlighters. You can also apply them to bare shoulders and legs to add a hint of shimmer there (I use a large fluffy brush).
• Chanel’s bronzers, which of course cost considerably more, do seem finer. Sometimes, I can see the grains in these NYX Bronzers sitting on top of my skin, although buffing with a kabuki brush definitely helps the powder settle.
• If you’re going through a bout of dry, flaky skin on your face, you may want to wait until it passes, as I’ve noticed that these will seek out and emphasize any flakes on my skin.
• As for wear time, I get between 4-6 hours.

Chanel might have these beat with finer grains and a softer consistency — the Illuminating Bronzers also don’t seem to last as long as Chanel’s $60 bronzer — but for a $9 product- Bravo, NYX. Quite an impressive feat.

If you’re a budget lover looking for a similar look for less, these should hit the spot.

PRICE: $9 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores and nyxcosmetics.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Summer fruit!

No, I’m not talking about Summerfruit MAC Cremestick Liner, silly (at least not this time).

After El Hub got home from work last night we visited the local farmer’s market here in Novato, which just started up for the season a few weeks ago.

Farmer’s markets are among my favorite things about summer. The different food stands, crafts, performers and, of course, the yummy fresh fruits and veggies.

(SIDE NOTE: One of these days, I’m gonna try to sneak into the bounce house…)

I ordered from a Thai stand last night, but I was so ravenous that I forgot to snap a shot of my veggie pad thai before it was too late, whoops!

Anywho, summer fruit. I brought home a few apricots, a basket of cherries and a couple white peaches and nectarines.

Can I interest you in some fruit- What would you like-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Who doesn’t love a soft, faded floral pattern- You can basically do this mani in any color combo you want– we chose a spring-y palette. Here’s how you get the look:

YOU WILL NEED: Nail polish remover, 4 small paint brushes, a plate or something to put your polish drops on, a white nail polish + 3 of your favorite polish colors that look good together.

1. Place a dot of each color on your plate. Also fill your nail polish remover cap with nail polish remover. The colors above are American Apparel “Angeline” and “The Valley + Wet & Wild “Club Havana”.
2. Paint the base of your nails with something light and wait until they dry completely. I used Alpine Snow by O.P.I.
3. Dip one of your small paint brushes in the nail polish remover and use it to dilute the polish drops. You want to add a few drops of polish remover in the nail polish until it starts to look thin and “stain-like”.
4. Then using a dabbing motion, create abstract flower shapes on each nail. Leave room for the other colors too.
5. Use your other brushes to dilute the other colors the same way. Don’t mix your brushes in different colors!
6. Apply the other colors. Create as many abstract flowers as you want. Don’t stress about the shape. Some of the messy flowers ended up being my favorite!
7. Now take a drop of the white paint from your base coat and dilute that using nail polish remover, just like you did with the other polishes.
8. Apply a VERY thin dot of white on the center of each flower. If you diluted it enough, it will slowly spread over the flower when you put the drop down. If not, thin your white polish out a little more. When you put the white drop on top, it gives the flowers a more faded look.
9. Wait for everything to dry and give it a good quick dry top coat.

Good luck with your pretty faded florals and as always, tweet us a picture when you’re done!

(Special thanks to Kimberly, our new nail intern for showing us this technique!!)

Tags: DIY, faded florals, floral, floral nails, flower nails, flowers, how to, kristin ess, mani, mani monday, manicure, nail art, nail polish, nails, polish, polished, spring, the beauty department, thebeautydepartment.com, tutorial

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