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
It’s not easy to find a smooth nude lipstick, but Chanel’s new Icone Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour ($34) is exactly that.
This golden beige makes for a killer nude lip… I can totally see Angelina Jolie wearing it with a cat eye.
Sometimes I top it off with MAC’s Big Baby Plushglass, which adds a hint of pink, or MAC Nice Buzz, which makes it look even more golden.
I think it’s perfection worn alone or with a gloss.
Icone lives in Chanel’s permanent line on counters and online. 🙂
Random MBB Fun Fact: From sixth to ninth grade (circa the late ’80s, early ’90s) my idea of high fashion was Esprit clothing, and I loved it so much that I covered my walls in Esprit ads.
I lived for the rare times when my mom would drive me out to the Esprit outlet in South San Francisco.
Looking back, I ended up wearing some pretty weird clothes (don’t even get me started on the full body black-and-white giraffe print ensemble), but eh — at least my tweens were interesting. 🙂
Anywho, I think of those days whenever I wear the new Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Esprit ($34), a sheer and shiny burgundy lip shine from the Fall 2013 Superstition collection.
KAREN: Oh great, all-seeing Magic 8-Ball, may I ask you a question?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Yes, definitely.
KAREN: Can you see my destiny?
MAGIC 8-BALL: You may rely on it.
KAREN: Do you see a new fantastic everyday cream blush in my future? Something that I can just blend with my fingers or any old brush I have on hand, and it’ll last at least six hours, maybe eight?
MAGIC 8-BALL: As I see it, yes.
KAREN: Is it from the new Chanel Le Brush Creme de Chanel line that launched with the Fall 2013 Superstition collection?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Without a doubt.
KAREN: If I were to wear it, might a stranger confuse me with an applicant for clown college? In other words, would my cheeks look like Bozo’s or Ronald McD’s?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Very doubtful.
KAREN: Will it look flawless and natural on bare skin or atop foundation and power?
MAGIC 8-BALL: It is certain.
KAREN: Do you foresee this blush highlighting my pores or emphasizing their size?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Don’t count on it.
KAREN: Interesting… Would you say that it’s similar to the satiny, silky, long-wearing cream blush I’ve been obsessed with for a year, By Terry’s Ginger Glaze?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Signs point to yes.
KAREN: Is it Chanel’s golden beige blush creme in Destiny?
MAGIC 8-BALL: It is decidedly so.
KAREN: SWEET! So…will I be wearing Destiny when I finally win the lottery?
MAGIC 8-BALL: Better not tell you now.
KAREN: 🙁
Current mysteries plaguing my life…
And now, Chanel Mystere…
I wore it when I visited my in-laws in Redding last week, and I’ll say this right now: when I layer Mystere on top of my good ol’ NARS Pro-Prime, it’s the sh*t in terms of wear time, because Redding is hella hot, like 150 degrees in the shade, yo, like “Oh, mah gerd! I’m stuck in a microwave oven!”
And even though it felt like the heat was doing a number on my makeup, Mystere didn’t fade or crease from dawn till dusk.
Wear time? BOMB.
I like this quad, especially the way it looks on cool-toned gals who dig grays. On me, I think it seems a little awkward by itself, and I have to use some tricks to make it work, like by starting with a yellowish base like MAC Ochre Paint Pot and then mixing in a warm orangey brown like MAC Soft Brown into my crease.
When I do both of those things, which I did in these pics, the warmer colors transition into the cool grays and taupes, making them appear less harsh on my warm tan, but when I don’t, the gray/taupe undertones — of which there are plenty here, as even the light gold has a hint of gray in it — look chalky.
You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
Hands down the best job I ever had. The job itself was easy peasy. All I had to do was check out materials to the students at the language lab at the start of the class, and then check them back in at the end. The rest of the time I studied for the LSATS, hung out and helped people with their English. The best part, though, was meeting people from all over the world.
It was a lot of fun. I ended up making really good friends with some students from Italy and Japan.
Then I feel like a real person again…
1. What was one of your most memorable jobs and why?
2. What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled from home?
3. When I’m really excited I…
4. How would your best friend describe you?
5. What are three traits you inherited from your parents?
6. What are three things or events that have made you who you are today?
7. Five adjectives that describe your current makeup style?
8. If you could permanently ban a single word from general usage, what word would it be?
9. What’s the best mood booster?
10. You can ask any celebrity for hair/beauty/makeup advice. Whom and what do you ask?
I’m thrilled to be back in the Bay Area again (well, at least for the next two days) with my laptop on the couch!
It’s so nice to be home… Have a wonderful week, okay?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Dear friends and felines,
As you may already know, I spent the latter half of last week on staycation at my condo in Novato.
My assistant and her male associate went out of town, but they left me in capable hands with an experienced pet sitter, a flourishing pot of cat grass, a new tin of dried catnip, several cans of gravy in my favorite flavors and a promise to return “real soon.”
Of course I feigned indifference.
Because you and I have grown quite close, I feel that I can be honest with you. It’s rather embarrassing, but you see…I may have missed my assistant while she was gone. Maybe. Just a little.
Oh, sure. She gets under my fur a lot, does annoying things like picking me up while I’m napping in the sunshine (the nerve!) and calling me all sorts of ridiculous nicknames, like “Baby Cat” and “Mixy Bear.”
But that woman makes a mean can of gravy. No one — and I mean no one — prepares Fancy Feast like she does. I’ll give her that.
So today I got to thinking about, perhaps, getting her a token of my appreciation.
I researched all weekend long, trying to find that purrfect gift that says, “By no means do I need your help, but I wouldn’t resist if you tried to rub my tum or prepare my evening gravy.”
I’ve narrowed it down to the following list of cat-themed gifts, reproduced here for your consideration.
Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and take one for the team. Even though you may feel grumpy wearing this Lion Hat, it’s a surefire way to bring a smile to your assistant’s face.
Available now at the Nestasnest Etsy shop.
You don’t need 20/20 vision to see that your assistant will look smashing in this sweater.
Available now at ModCloth.
Mint green feline-inspired wedges? You gotta be kitten me! These are purrfect for shoe-loving assistants with a quirky sense of style.
Available now at ModCloth.
Because two tabby cats are (usually) better than one, especially when it comes to printed baseball tees.
Available now at ModCloth.
Have I ever mentioned that my assistant has a thing for maps? This gift combines her love of cartography with cats. Genius!
Available now at the artPause Etsy shop.
There’s a waterfall of holographic shimmer at the heart of the Sephora + Pantone Universe!
It’s called Waterfall.
Just Waterfall. And it was released earlier this summer at Sephora along with two other Spectral Lacquer holographic nail polishes.
It shifts between purple and blue in the light, and the holographic effect’s pretty visible, too, which I like. If you’re going to wear a holographic nail polish, might as well be able to see the colors change, right?
I’m wearing two coats here…
If ya wanna chase this Waterfall, look for it now at Sephora stores and sephora.com. 🙂
Rise and shine from Redding! We’re packing up and getting ready to drive back to the Bay Area.
I might not even empty out my suitcase when we get home, though, because I’m taking another trip next week, that one down to Venice Beach in Southern California to visit the headquarters of Hourglass Cosmetics…also known as one of my favorite brands at Sephora.
Okay, well, I should at least unpack my dirty clothes and leave my suitcase open for a few minutes to let Tabs sit in there and chill. (It’s up to him. This is “The Tabs Show” after all, and I’m just a bit player.)
Speaking of Sephora, can I just say how thrilled I was when they started carrying Bumble & Bumble?
Back before they started carrying it, I had to hunt and gather across the great plains of Novato to find my favorite Bumble products. It’s kind of comforting knowing now that when I run out of my B&B must-haves, I just have to make it to the closest Sephora.
Win this weekend’s $50 Sephora e-gift card giveaway, and then shake your tail feathers on down to your closest Sephora to snag bottles of Bumble’s Gentle Shampoo, Super Rich Conditioner, Color Minded Styling Balm and/or Brilliantine. I literally don’t leave home without ’em. Highly recommended.
Have a great one today. I’ll catch up with you soon.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Less than a week to go in Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Massive MAC Giveaway. Get your entries in for the $258 goodie bag of all-star MAC magic morsels before it’s too late!
