Brunette and Pink - Beauty, Style, LifeBrunette and Pink - Beauty, Style, Life | Brunette and Pink - Beauty, Style, Life

Taking Avon ULTRA COLOR RICH Mega Impact Lipstick Out For A Spin

Tamara — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:30:22 +0000

OK, OK. I know these guys have been out for a while, and I know you are not supposed to fall in love with products just because they have a cool packaging or cool shapes, but LOOK AT IT? Isn’t this prism-like shape of the lipstick out of this world? Very intergalactic. Very Art-Deco. N’est pas?

Avon Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick

Behold Avon Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick. So the lipstick looks cool, but does the color deliver? You see, Avon touts this product as “high definition drama” . This lipstick contains chromapixel technology, which boosts color by reflecting light and enhancing shine to amplify each shade’s true hue.

The veredict? No yucky taste or smell, the color is richly pigmented, with some shimmery speckles that reflect light and make your lips look bright and vibrant. The lipstick’s texture is creamy and glides on with no trouble. It feels moisturizing, and the shape of the tip aids in the application, particularly around the cupid’s bow. And, although it doesn’t say long-lasting on the label, I’ve found they leave a nice stain after wearing out, with minimal lip dryness.

Going into Spring (and GAWD KNOWS I can’t wait for it to come), I will be wearing Kicked Up Coral (bottom) non-stop! Vibrant Pink (top) is vibrant indeed, and I love it! This line of lipsticks comes in 10 bright shades and retail for $8.00 each.

So, what do you think? Have you tried Avon’s Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipsticks? Which shade is your favorite?

Disclaimer: These lipsticks were submitted for review by Attention. Thanks!

The Mascara Diaries: Avon SuperExtend Mascara Gives Me Lengthy Lashes

Tamara — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:00:48 +0000

As a mascara junkie, I am always on the hunt for the latest and greatest. I love formulas that are glossy and smooth (read NO CLUMPS). Yeah, you know my story of The Clumpy and The Restless – not a good thing. While I normally go for a volumizing mascara, recently, I’ve opted for a lengthening one for the day, and I am leaving the volumizing one for the evenings (er, that is if I ever have an evening, because I would rather just plop on my couch and watch my stories). Since starting a new job at an office environment, I feel that a lengthening mascara offers a clean, professional look that makes me look polished AND awake.

I was happily surprised with Avon SuperExtend Mascara, and in my book this is definitely a keeper. I am in love with the glossy formula, and on my lashes, it has not clumped AT ALL. The black one is perfect for everyday use, and the bristles on the brush do a decent job at separating your lashes.

As usual, I curl my lashes, and then apply two coats of mascara. I wiggle the wand at the base of my lashes, which causes to deposit more color there giving me the appearance of a thick lash base, which I LURVE. It lasts all day (no raccoon eyes, peeps), and it holds my curl through my workday. I’ve even gotten a few compliments on how long my lashes look. :)

Bare eye

One coat

Two coats

Now, removing the mascara is something I am still getting used to. This formula essentially forms little tubes around your lashes. If you were to grab one of your lashes between your fingernails, you can pull off this tube. BUT PLEASE DON’T DO IT! I happened to have a cat hair fuzzy (thanks, Shadow) stuck on my lashes, and upon removing it, this what happened. Anyway, because you have these little tubes on your lashes, I’ve found it takes SEVERAL cotton pads and waterproof eye makeup remover to remove this mascara completely. You have been warned!

Overall, I like this mascara, and I like the effect of long, glossy lashes. For $8.50, you might as well give it a try.

So, have you tried Avon SuperExtend Mascara? Did you love it? Hate it? Please tell!

P.S: Check out the previous episodes of The Mascara Diaries, here and here.

Disclaimer: A sample of this product was provided by Attention for the review.

Footwear Friday: T-Straps

Tamara — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:00:30 +0000

T-Straps by brunetteandpink featuring Seychelles shoes

In my continued obsession with figuring out cool shoes to wear to work, I remembered T-Straps. I find them so chic, yet practical and comfortable. I feel a t-strap helps hold your foot and in some instances your ankle in place, preventing it from twisting as you’re walking. I also believe that t-straps are demure enough to wear to work, but fun and sassy to wear after. What do you think?

Top Row

Me Too Glaze Maryjane – Wine, $92 $46 - heels.com
Steve Madden Trickked, $94 $65 - lorisshoes.com
Women’s Xhilaration® Tabitha T-Strap Peep-Toe Pumps – Purple : Target, $20 - target.com
Amazon.com: T.U.K. Women’s T-Strap Brogue Heel: Shoes, $45 - amazon.com

Middle Row

Seychelles Veronica, $80 - piperlime.gap.com
Strappy Sky Clog, $275 - calypso-celle.com
Seychelles Trip The Light Fantastic, $88 - lorisshoes.com
BETSY, $245 - kurtgeiger.com

Bottom Row

Chelsea Crew Barbie, $50 - piperlime.gap.com
Biviel BV2372, $155 - lorisshoes.com
Amazon.com: FLY London Women’s Ikon T-Strap Pump: Shoes, $315 - amazon.com
Pink Studio “Paradise” T-strap wedge, $70 - shopruche.com

Beauty Tip of the Week: Refrigerate your Beauty Products for a Longer Shelf Life

Tamara — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:00:53 +0000

You have probably thought I’ve lost my noodle, but no – I am very lucid, thankyouverymuch. I know this sounds crazy, but it works: refrigerating your beauty products help them last longer and in some instances perform better. Here are some examples of products I’ve kept in the fridge:

Lipsticks: I find keeping lipsticks in the fridge quite helpful, especially during the summer. I remember my mom used to do the same. Having lived in Ecuador when it is basically hot all year round, I can see why she did it. Keeping them in the fridge prevented them from melting.
Face and eye creams and serums: Keeping them chilled prolongs its life, not to mention they feel SOOOO good when applied chilled. Have you ever applied chilled eye cream? I highly recommend it!
Nail polishes: This is another thing my mom used to do. I’ve noticed that my nail polish doesn’t dry or gunkify as quickly as it would when I just keep it on my counter.
Perfumes: And yet another thing my mom used to keep in the fridge; I’ve done it once. Why? I like displaying my perfume bottles! However, keeping them in the fridge, and in its box, helps the fragrance last longer.
Body lotions: How great is it to apply a chilled body lotion after a warm bath or a hot shower? Oooh, how about chilled aloe after a sunburn? Been there, done that.

Have you ever kept any beauty products in your fridge? Did anyone thing you’re crazy for doing this?

Footwear Fridays: Brogues

Tamara — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:12:45 +0000

Brogues by brunetteandpink featuring ASOS shoes

Oh dear, I am so late on this one, and by that I mean to highlight the trend. And the time of this posting considering it is essentially Saturday. Oh well. I missed my Footwear Friday from last week; I couldn’t bear missing another one. The thing is, I’ve been getting home from my work quite late these days, and today it was no exception. I know, I know – time management is not my forté. Enough excuses. Let’s talk shoes.

When this menswear-inspired trend popped up, I had mixed feelings. I was having a tough time really getting this one. But, I must confess it eventually grew on me. It is like ugly dogs; they are so ugly they are actually cute and you end up loving them. That summarizes my feelings for brogues.

I think at the end of the day, they end up being a nice alternative to flats. I am all for feminine flats, but these are a nice change. What do you think of brogues – yay or nay?

Top row

Color Blocked Oxfords, $290 $260 - yesstyle.com
ASOS MAGNOLIA Ditsy Lace Up Shoe, $48 - asos.com
Jal-Jacko Glittered Oxfords, $21 - forever21.com

Center row

Sam Edelman Cory, $130 - piperlime.gap.com
Laced up Shoes, $70 - yesstyle.com
ASOS TATE Lace Up Peep Toe Shoe Boot, $68 - asos.com

Bottom row

Soft brogue lace up shoe, $99 - debenhams.com
TWS by Camper - Shoe in mustard colour leather with decorative perforations…, $115 - camper.com
Gentle Souls Sure Bet, $185 - piperlime.gap.com

The Attire Files: Abstract Prints and Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Tamara — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:30:05 +0000

I had actually been coveting this pseudo-shift dress from New York & Co. I had seen about at month ago at one of their stores. I really liked the blue/orange dominating color combination and I really liked the abstract print. But, I really don’t like paying full price for things. What can I say – I am sucker for a good deal, especially a 50% off deal. One thing this economy has taught me is smart shopping. I know it is not the optimal situation for many a retailer; perhaps several years from now we would’ve all forgotten about the economic meltdown. In the meantime, I will go forth and shop on sale.

Mmkay. So. Back to the dress. This dress represents my “stepping out of my comfort zone” mood. For the most part, I am a neutral-solids girl. But after looking at my wardrobe earlier in the year, I felt I needed to be more adventurous with color. You see, black dominates my closet. Black is the New York uniform. Black is chic and it goes with everything. Black hides dirt and subway grime.

What I love about this dress is that I can picture wearing it many ways. This time around, I chose to pair with it with leggings and ankle boots. I picture wearing this dress on its own when the temps heat up, paired with some flat sandals, or with some cork wedges and some chunky bracelets for a fun night out. I think I can even wear this for work, if paired under a skirt – either a pencil or a full one. High-waisted maybe? Maybe a black one? What do you think?

The Attire

Denim Jacket: GAP (MANY years old)

Abstract print dress: New York & Company

Leggings: Express

Ankle boots: Payless

Cross-body bag: ? bought in London

Beauty Tip of the Week: Give Your Cracked Blush a Second Life

Brunette and Pink — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:00:32 +0000

So your favorite blush has cracked and crumbled. It’s ruined! Well, not so fast! You can actually give your cracked blush a second life by transforming it into a cream blush.

Take your crumbled blush and finish crushing it until it turns to powder. You can use a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. Take some lip balm and scoop it in the bowl. Blend both for a perfect cream blush. When I’ve done this, I’ve stored it in one of my left over mineral makeup containers.

Have you ever mixed your own cream blush before?

Beauty Tip of the Week: Create Liquid Eyeliner

Brunette and Pink — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:00:28 +0000

So you’ve looked for ways to add umph to your makeup looks and realize you have all these cool darker, eyeshadows. How else could you use them? Well, you can make eyeliners out of them! How? Just add a few eyedrops (like Visine) to your dark eyeshadows for insta-liners. AND since eyedrops are mess-free and sterile, you can feel good about not contaminating or introducing bacteria in your makeup.

Have you ever used this trick before?

UPDATE: What a NIGHTMARE of a day and some other news

Tamara — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:19:54 +0000

So. I am not sure if you noticed, but. The RSS FEED on Brunette and Pink has not been working since Friday. In my attempt of installing WordPress for the two other blogs that are now part of the Brunette and Pink family, somehow my RSS feed for Brunette and Pink got corrupted and could not get it to work. Even my backup database would not work.

After some finagling, a few curse words and some beer, I was able to restore all the postings and comments, but as you can see, the template and layout are different since none of the frosting (i.e. widgets and banners) were restored. UGH. Please bear with me as I try to fix all this, and hopefully get things somewhat back to normal.

In OTHER COOL NEWS – Brunette and Pink‘s family is expanding. In the attempt of creating a media empire, I have relaunched T’s Tasty Bits, my food blog, and added a new blog: Brunette Confessions. Brunette Confessions is a more personal blog, and will serve as a platform for other topics, stories and ideas I would love to share with you.

You will have the option to subscribe to each RSS feed individually or to the whole kit n’ kaboodle – this I am working on, and I will let you know when the full feed is up and running.

Thank you so much for being patient with me in these difficult moments. Hours of nap time and hair were loss in the process. However, no cats named Shadow were harmed during this difficult time. He regrets the Sunday Sleuth didn’t make its appearance.

Hopefully we will back to somewhat regular programming tomorrow.

xoxo

Tamara

Footwear Friday: Rain, Rain – Actually Stay

Brunette and Pink — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:59:25 +0000

Rainboots by brunetteandpink featuring Hunter boots

With Spring, we know we are bound to get those Spring Showers many dread. I love how the ground smells when the first rain falls. I despite trekking through mud and puddles without the appropriate gear. The cool thing is these days, we have colorful and varied options of rain boots to get us through those April Showers. Happy shopping!

Top:

Hunter Women’s Original Rain Boots – Silver, $115 - bloomingdales.com
Western Chief Women’s Flower Garden Rain Boots, $47 - sheplers.com
Jeffrey Campbell ‘Vee’ Rain Boot, $55 - nordstrom.com (I love this silhouette, don’t you?)
Women’s Novel Dot Rain Boots – Yellow/White : Target, $25 - target.com

Bottom:

Joules Welliebob Flower Print Boots, Multicoloured, 4, $43 - johnlewis.com
Rain Ankle Boots, $60 - yesstyle.com
Tretorn Skerry Vinter Rain Boots, $60 - piperlime.gap.com
Studded Rain Boot, $46 $32 - shopnastygal.com
Women’s Zetta Tall Rain Boots – Kelly Green : Target, $25 - target.com