Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
MY BEST:
Thanks to miraculous Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream, I finally got my cracked heel situation under control! 🙂
MY WORST:
This one’s also foot related, but I’ve been ambling around with a pedicure that looks about four weeks past due (aka BAD). My toenails are starting to resemble Tabs’ claws, EWW!
What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Please share yours in the comments.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
My goodness, girl, what is going on around here with these winds blowing through Northern California? We’ve been seeing steady 10-20mph gusts nonstop since Friday. There are tree branches, leaves, lawn chairs and other odds and ends strewn about everywhere outside — the place is a mess!
The other night El Hub sprung out of bed three times at different sounds he’d heard in the night, assuming in that way that only boys do (God love ’em) that he was hearing someone breaking into the house, when it was just the wind knocking things around. Tabs, of course, was absolutely no help in the guard cat department. He claims his contract doesn’t extend to personal security…
What did you end up doing yesterday? I only managed to take care of some of my laundry and chores, so after my bro’s girlfriend’s graduation this morning, it’s right back to more chores for me!
I don’t mind, though. I’m still riding a high from the makeup and beauty products we talked about last week, and here are a few of my favorites of the bunch:
“I’m in love with MAC Pro Longlash (I hope El Hub understands) — the dark color, the degree to which it lengthens and thickens, the lack of clumping and how quickly it dries. Plus, the price is totally right!”
“After one week with this thick, greasy cream, I wouldn’t say my feet are foot fetish worthy yet, but I do think I’m back to being able to wear flip-flops without feeling self-conscious. My heels aren’t as cracked or dry as they were, and there’s a definite decline in skin scaliness around the tops of my feet and toes. ”
“Lover’s one of 15 blushes in the Illamasqua permanent line and made its way into US Sephora stores last year. It behaves a lot like the other Illamasqua blushes I’ve tried. Not only is it pigmented and blendable, but it also lasts a good amount of time, both in terms of wear time and because of the size of the pan.”
“Today I’m wearing my new ‘I’m living in complete denial about the weather’ makeup look, which features gold, peach, coral, blue and bronze. Even though it still makes use of some of the brighter colors from the MAC To The Beach collection (among other things like these and this), I think it’s a little daytime-friendlier than the orange and green liner look I tried last weekend.”
“Like sailing, life has its ups and downs. One minute you’re cruising along at a good clip, the wind at your back; next minute it’s like you’re beating back a storm, flailing with your arms and legs just to tread water! Because the seas aren’t always smooth sailing, it pays to be resilient.”
It’s May, and the sun is coming out of hiding. Many of our friends are getting a nice bronzed glow naturally from the sun. But, if you’re fair like me, your skin stays white — that is, if it’s not turning red and itchy. How do we avoid this faux-pas? We could visit a tanning salon and face premature wrinkles and an increased risk of developing skin cancer (no look is worth that!), but I personally prefer to reach into my makeup stash of bronzing products for help.
Versus tanning, it’s easier to control how much bronzing product you apply. You can use a little or a lot, however much it takes to reach a look you like. Once applied, bronzers makes your skin look healthier, and many powder varieties also double as a blush.
I think bronzers makes warmer colors look better on lighter skin tones, and you get all of these benefits without the risks of fake and bake!
Many bronzers have warm/orange tones that just don’t work on fair skin. Look for bronzers with grey/cool tones, which should look more natural. When purchasing a bronzer, don’t focus on how pretty the color is in the package, but think about how it will look on you.
Here are a few of my pale girl favorites!
Benefit Hoola is a great bronzer that works well on many skin tones. It’s a great place to start if you’re not sure what you’re doing. You can apply with a very light hand and build up the color as needed.
Giorgio Armani Sheer Bronzer #1 works particularly well on very light skin tones. The product looks almost entirely gray in the pan, but it provides a nice touch of bronze to very light skin.
Cargo Matte Bronzer in Medium is another great bronzer for light skin tones and looks quite natural as well.
I bought a bottle of Tocca Bianca Eau de Parfum (a new scent with notes of lemon, mandarin, green tea, rose petals, musk and sugar) and found bit of good advice inscribed inside of the box.
Did you know Tabs was one of the original models for the MAC To The Beach promo shots?
I never, ever, ever do. Tabs won’t let me, but because I’m tempted to from time to time, I keep makeup wipes on the nightstand (just in case).
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Photo: a pool at a long-forgotten hotel in Waikiki on Oahu, Hawaii
Morning, ladies! Happy Saturday. I’m staring at this huge mountain of laundry, and truth be told I’d rather be doing something fun like web surfing.
Wait — we’re all grownups here. Why don’t we just bail and catch some e-waves instead?
If only Tabs were this musically inclined!
I got a little teary watching this…
Random old school!
I hope your Saturday’s going just peachy. Anything new to report?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I once dated a dude with a mullet.
In my defense, it was the ’80s, but I bring it up because these Too Faced Natural Eye Shadow Duos ($17) are like little mullets of the makeup world — business in the front and a party in the back. Each of the four new duos pairs a matte on one side (the bidness!) with a shimmery shadow on the other (the party!).
The duo’s are new additions to the company’s permanent collection, but if you recognize some of the names…
…that’s because some of the individual colors were liberated from last year’s Too Faced Natural Eye Kit and reassigned here to work alongside new colors.
I’ve fallen for the Sexpresso & Peach Fuzz duo. It’s the one with the dark matte brown and shimmery peach with golden glitter.
The brown has TONS of pigment, and both colors blend smoother than a good vanilla shake. For quick, no-brainer eye looks for day or night, this duo really hits the spot.
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