Review: Nars, Blush Duo, Hungry Heart and Orgasm

 

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WHAT:  Nars, Highlighter/Blush Duo in the shades Hungry Heart and Orgasm, found in the Nars Beach Lover set at Sephora.

WHO WILL LOVE THIS:  Anyone desiring low  pigmentation (a.k.a. no chance of clown  cheeks) in a universally flattering peachy pink shade (Orgasm) with a matching highlighter (Hungry Heart) that features the same gold shimmer in the blush.  Nars lover’s will enjoy this one, as will those with a fondness for nautical themes.  The blush/highlighter duo is a no-brainer for any beach getaway.  Easy to apply, quick and gorgeous.  Leaves more time for awesomeness.  Whether you define that as sunbathing, surfing, shopping or partying, is up to you.

If you desire the same Orgasm shade, but in richer pigmentation, there are many dupes available.  My personal favorite is a better-for-your-skin product, called “Ditto O,”  found here.

For a lovely Hungry Heart substitute, that’s easier on your wallet AND your skin, check out Flash Glow here.

WHEN:  Lovely 365 days of the year.

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Cheers, people!

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~^~  Katie ~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2012 Elizabeth Regan

Review: DivaGlam Cosmetics

 

Recently, I met a beautiful diva on Facebook, named Mechelle Rabot.  I was pleased to find out that we share at least a couple of common passions:  cosmetics and Jesus!  In 2004, Mechelle founded DivaGlam Cosmetics.  As Mechelle’s facebook page says,

“DivaGlam Cosmetics was created to make women feel and look good. It is an outward expression of an inward transformation, one which I see everytime I help a woman to acheive her look.”

Mechelle sent me a few items to test out and I’m happy to say that this stuff rocks.  Not only is the quality exceptional, but she absolutely nailed every color she sent me.  I couldn’t be happier, if I had been the one personally choosing the items! Wow!  Plus, they came beautifully wrapped in purple tissue paper with a hand-written welcome card from Mechelle.

1)  The first item is a full size, loose,  mineral foundation with SPF 15 in the shade “FAIR.”

“Minerals combine with antioxidants to provide flawless coverage while protecting skin from the sun.”  Excerpt From Bottom of Foundation Jar

This foundation provides easy, medium coverage and is a perfect match for my pale, winter shade.  The finish is not quite matte, but not glowy, either — rather, it’s a very soft, satiny look.  I’ve been using a synthetic hair, flat-top, kabuki style brush (like this) and application is a breeze.

2)   The second item is a gorgeous Healthy Lipstick in a shade called Mousse.  I absolutely love a deep, vampy lip and this stunning red-brown fits the bill.  Notwithstanding the delicious hue, Mousse also contains nourishing ingredients like sweet almond oil, shea butter, avocado oil, grape seed extract and green tea extract.  Healthy & hot lips, much?

The lipstick packaging is fantastic — the texture is rubberized, similar to Nars’ packaging.

The top of the lipstick lid is actually a tiny window, so you can see the lipstick shade without having to look for names on the bottom or frantically tearing open lids in the middle of a manic morning.

This chocolate shade is dreamy and completely buildable, if you want to deepen it, which you’ll see I did in the pix to follow.

3) Mineral Gems in a shade simply called “Gold.”  This loose pigment has three ingredients: mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxide.  Doesn’t get any purer than that, folks.  The hue is a saturated, complex, shimmery,  medium gold.  I like to use a lot of golds in the summer . . .  looks so bronzey-beachy.  This one’s fantastic.  It comes in a transparent, hexagon-shaped container with a sifter and a silver lid.

4)  The final item is a pressed pigment called “Chain Link.”  Deep grey with multi-colored sparkles, this shade was made for the smoky eye, which I sport frequently.  These gunmetal hues often lean to the blue side on me (which I adore) and this one is no different.

Here are the products swatched. The foundation is heavily swatched and unblended to give you an idea of what it looks like on a little, Norwegian chica in all her winter-white splendor.

So, this weekend, we’re celebrating Love Muffin’s birthday and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to get all hotted-up and party hard in thanks for another year of togetherness.  I prefer to celebrate birthdays and such in week-long jaunts, rather than just one measly day, so I’ve been experimenting with some potential dance/party/laugh/cry/rejoice looks for the coming days.  Below is a bold lip possibility and afterward are a mix of pix where I digitally and artistically played with the color and light.  Enjoy! (Note: in all of the pix below, I’m wearing the following DivaGlam products: Fair foundation, Mousse lipstick and Chain Link eye shadow.)

This shot shows a good color-representation of the lipstick, Mousse, with a Buxom lipgloss on top for shine.

Here you can see the eye shadow, Chain Link. On the inner corners is a cream shadow called Intergalactic. They make a pretty mix.

Now, onto some dream-inspired photo-plays!

Thank you, Mechelle, for introducing me to your amazing cosmetic line!  You are truly a dazzling, talented, well-loved woman and I’m thankful to have met you!   Kingdom blessings to you, my friend.

~^~  Katie ~^~

“Behold, the winter is past . . . ”  Song of Songs 2:11  <><

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© 2012 K. Elizabeth Regan

Review: Urban Decay, Naked Palette, Original

Who doesn’t love a gorgeous, versatile palette that easily transitions day to night looks?  And *gorgeous* this is, my friends.  There are already gadzillions of Urban Decay, Naked reviews plastered all over the internet, so I’m not going to go into great detail about the shades.  (For a great side-by-side swatch comparison of Naked & Naked 2, check out PrettyGossip’s post.)

“A universally flattering palette that features 12 eyeshadows with a distinctly Urban look. . . . 
Shades range from delicate champagne to gritty gunmetal, and feature five stunning new shades. A variety of textures, including glitter, shimmer, and matte, ensure that you’ll never get bored.”  Sephora Website

I opted for the original palette rather than Naked 2 because of the gorgeous gunmetal grey/blue on the far right end.  I love shades like these; they usually cast blue on me, which I adore.  The beautiful case has a brown velvet cover, which strongly reminds me of a Hershey’s bar. *yum*  The magnetic closure works well enough, but is not conducive to spill-proof traveling. Just be sure to wrap this up in a towel or something to prevent the top from opening if you’re going to be back-packing across Europe or what have you.

The Naked palette comes with a mini Eye Shadow Potion Primer, which is always handy.  Also included in the palette is a very nice, synthetic-hair, long-handled eye brush that fits well in a groove underneath the shadow pans.  I prefer natural hair brushes for eye shadows, but this does a nice job and it’s a really sturdy, well made, attractive tool.

The range of shades is great.  Very classy, timeless colors.  Lots of office-appropriate paraphernalia here, but a few deeper shades to take you into the night life.  Pigmentation is medium, meaning you will need several swipes of product to pat onto your lid to reach desired level of intensity.  And these are not high-impact colors, so if that’s what you’re after, you’ll have better luck with another palette.  Most of the colors blend very  nicely, however and would work well even when paired with complimentary colors for your dramatic eye looks.

Urban Decay’s Naked Palette is excellent not only for professional artists, but also for the makeup novice who may lack the skills or experience necessary for elaborate looks, but who wants some sparkle and color in their life, nonetheless.  Because the pigmentation is medium and most of the colors are soft, delicate shades, these hues are almost goof-proof.  You really CAN have gorgeous, easy, no-nonsense eye looks, and Urban Decay’s Naked Palette proves it.

This palette would make a great gift for yourself, any of your makeup mavens and also those who lack the confidence in color application, but want a little bit of *glammy glam*.

Smooches!

** Please clickety-clack on the photos if your little heart desires a super-zoomed-in view of the images. **

*chocolate bar* =O

Mini Cutie

Great Super Soft Brush

xo~ k. Elizabeth ~ox

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© 2012 K. Elizabeth Regan

Review: Stila, Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner, Purple Tang

In January’s Birchbox, I got a full size Stila Smudge Stick in the color Purple Tang.

I was a little apprehensive.   I’m not big on purples, but they do make a great contrast for blue eyes, so this really looks good on  me whether I want it to or not.  Also, I usually wear gel liners, because of their long-wear.  However, Purple Tang does a nice job and lasts just a couple hours shy of my beloved gel liners.

Application is smooth, easy . . .  no tugging on delicate eye skin.  Pigmentation is very rich.  The color is deep purple with a bit of medium purple shimmer.  Another great product from Stila.  Thank you, Birchbox!

xo~ k. Elizabeth ~ox

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xo~ k. Elizabeth ~ox

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© 2012 K. Elizabeth Regan