Archives for October 2012

The New Cargo Long-Wearing Lip Glosses: I Found Sheer and Shiny Somewhere Between Fresno, Nassau and Madrid

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

cargo fresno lip gloss — Wearing Cargo Lip Gloss in Fresno

Sometimes it’s all about the little things, ya know? Having a cookie, spending a Friday night at home with your cat, trying on some lip glosses. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. 🙂

Earlier today, as Tabs prepared for his regularly scheduled afternoon nap, I tried on three of the 14 new long-wearing Lip Glosses from Cargo ($14) — creamy pink Fresno (really, Fresno?), shimmery peach Nassau and shimmery berry Madrid.

tabs cargo glosses — From the left: Fresno, Nassau and Madrid

All three sheer beauties are members of Cargo’s permanent line, and they’re some of the most comfy glosses I’ve worn in a while. They feel a lot like MAC’s non-sticky Plushglasses to me, except without the tingling sensation, and with a faint green apple flavor and scent, instead of MAC’s vanilla.

Cargo Lip Glosses in Fresno, Nassau and Madrid

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Limelight Looks: A Hayden Panettiere Inspired Makeup Tutorial

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

I need another TV show addiction like I need another Bouchon Bakery macaron (OMG! — the peanut butter and jelly ones are a revelation!), but in my defense, when I couldn’t fall asleep the other night, at least I watched a new show like Nashville and not an episode of the Jersey Shore.

I actually really like the show. It stars Hayden Panetierre and Connie Britton as dueling country music divas. I’m not sure if it’ll be the next Friday Night Lights, but the music’s catchy, the story’s entertaining (so far), and it showcases some pretty makeup looks.

Hayden plays a cross-over country artist, and in the last episode she wears a shimmery greenish brown smokey eye in the video for a song called Telescope.

I thought it looked really cool, so I gave it a try today, but with a little twist to make it slightly more wearable (’cause that’s how I roll, boo).

I used a mix of makeup from Too Faced, MAC, Illamasqua, Bobbi Brown and Revlon, but of course you could use similar products from other brands.

too faced sweet indulgences — The Too Faced Sweet Indulgences Palette

Before we jump in, let’s gather our makeup first. We’ll need…

A teal cream eye shadow like MAC Paint Pot in Delft
A light shimmery green eyeshadow like Too Faced Niced Stems! (from the new Sweet Indulgences Palette)
A dark shimmery green eyeshadow like Too Faced Pastille (also from Sweet Indulgences)
A matte brown like MAC Brown Script
A black eyeliner like Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencil in Jet
A shimmery gold eyeshadow like Too Faced Honeymoon (from Sweet Indulgences)
A mascara like LORAC Pro
False lashes like Revlon Fantasy Lengths lashes in 91002 Intensifying
A pink blush like Illamasqua Hussy
A pink lipstick like Too Faced La Creme in I Want Candy

The eyes: step by step

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A Busy Afternoon

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Please do not disturb! Tabs is hard at work.

Sweet Holiday Treats and a Virtual Beauty Break at Sephora

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 45 Comments

In case you were wondering what conversations are like before you go to bed when you and your man have been together for 10 years…

El Hub: We should bake some chocolate chip cookies this weekend.

Me: YEAH WE SHOULD!

El Hub: Not those bullsh*t ones from the Toll House tube. They’re good —

Me: But they’re a little too sweet!

El Hub: … I was gonna say they all taste the same. But yeah, I guess they are a little too sweet. And they don’t have anything cool in them like M&Ms.

Me: Yuck! I don’t like M&Ms in my cookies…

El Hub: How can you not like M&Ms in your cookies?

Me: The crunchy shell. It’s just too much. It’s like it defies natural cookie law. I like my mine with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Sometimes with nuts. But not too nutty.

El Hub: You’re too nutty!

Me: Haha. I’ll get a bag of chocolate chips at the store tomorrow, and we’ll make cookies from scratch. It’s easy. We’ll just put M&Ms in yours and leave mine pristine and pure, the way chocolate chip cookies were meant to be. 🙂

No big surprise, but I woke up this morning craving cookies for breakfast.

The only ones we had in the house were the macarons I got at Bouchon Bakery yesterday in Yountville…

sephora holiday 2012 — Cookies…the breakfast of champions!

I guess they’ll have to suffice. We’ll need fuel for our trip to Sephora today.

Here, have one. Or two. We’ll need the sustenance. 🙂

Yes, we’re skipping work/school/watching the kids (just strap ’em in the stroller and bring ’em along!) to go look at makeup this morning. There are way too many great holiday noms on the shelves right now, and I refuse to go without you. You know the old saying: “Two makeup nerds are better than one.”

Let’s look around…

LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection, $59

Oh, wow! — the six palettes in LORAC’s new Eye Candy Full Face Collection look like chocolate bars!

I love that…

LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection Tantalizing Cocoa — LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection in Tantalizing Cocoa

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A Winning Combination

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

Purple and glitter!

You know you can’t say no. 🙂

That’s Zoya Aurora, by the way ($8).

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

I’ve got Nicole by OPI Mer-Maid For Each Other ($7) on my paws.

It’s a new shade for fall; I painted it on late last night when I otherwise should have been sleeping…

(That’s one of the things insomnia is good for — late-night at-home manicures.)

So I’m really diggin’ this duo-chrome effect. One minute it’s teal, and the next it looks green!

Pretty cool. 🙂

I really wanted to show you what it looks like underwater, like when I’m washing my hands or doing the dishes, because I think it looks neat! — like a mermaid’s tail — but it was logistically challenging (holding the camera with one hand while the other was underwater)…

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A Tip to Get a Relaxed Brow Look That Still Looks Sharp: It’s All in the Brush, Naturally

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

makeup tips for eyebrows — Using a MAC 239 brush to fill in mah brows!

My fellow eyebrow enthusiasts, STOP! Lend me your ears…your brows and your favorite flat eyeshadow brush. 🙂

Instead of filling in the sparse areas of your little caterpillars with a brow powder and an angled eye brush, try using a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush with a rounded edge instead.

I think it just creates a really natural brow look, but still one that’s sharp and put together.

Wish I could say that the idea struck me like a bolt of makeup lightening, BAM! — but it was more a product of necessity being the mother of invention.

One day I couldn’t find my MAC 266 Small Angle Brush — the same one I’ve been using for years to fill in my brows (it must have fallen and rolled under the dresser or, more likely, Tabs hid it) — so I grabbed a MAC 214 Short Shader Brush instead.

Don’t ask me why. It just seemed like a decent idea at the time.

And I guess it was because I loved the results! It’s a more natural, relaxed brow look. They’re a little thicker and slightly undone, but I think it’s a great look for casual makeup.

If you don’t happen to have a 214, try another flat eyeshadow brush, or a perhaps something like the MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush or Laura Mercier Smudge Brush. I’ve also used them for this, and you get basically the same look.

I think the key is to try an eyeshadow brush that’s a little stiff, ideally one with a slightly rounded head.

Did that into your favorite brow powder, tap off the excess, and fill in those sparse spots…

brushes for filling in eyebrows — From the left: MAC 214 Short Shader Brush, Laura Mercier Smudge Brush, MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush

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Unsung Heroes: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review — Wearing Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12

What’s lightweight, covers imperfections like a master painter’s brush and flatters faces with a flawless, natural-looking matte finish?

Is it A) your beloved Jason Voorhees mask from Friday the 13th, B) Tabs the cat or C) the $42 Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation?

If you answered C, yay! 🙂 Count yourself among the lucky crew of Skin Base fanatics.

I just recently discovered this full-coverage, hydrating foundation, and dang if it’s not all kinds of awesome, blossom.

I’ve been wearing it off and on for the past few weeks, both in pics here on the blog and out and about (Trader Joe’s pumpkin madness, y’all!), and I’m finding myself reaching for it more and more often when it comes time to put on my warpaint.

Illamasqua refers to Skin Base as “the ultimate foundation” and claims the moisturizing, matte formula smooths skin, controls shine and creates a skin-matched finish that still looks natural. Heck, they say it’s even undetectable in HD footage (ooh, I wanna give that a try…)!

Sounds like a lot of hype, right? Well, you know what? I’m a believer.

illamasqua skin base foundation swatches — Swatches of Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12 (one of 17 shades) unblended on the left and blended on the right

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