Archives for February 2014

How To Use the New MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct Line: Tips From MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin

February 14th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

The new MAC Prep Prime CC Colour Correct collection — The new MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct line, available now

GUUUURL, don’t even get me started about brighting products ’cause we’ll be here for days.

DAYS, I tell ya. Possibly even years.

I’m actually never not looking for something — anything — to give me an extra brightening lift. It’s one of my ongoing personal makeup missions. 🙂

When MAC’s new Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct line came out last week, I was intrigued! — but admittedly confused.

I wasn’t sure where to start… I mean, lavender powder? Yellow face lotion?

What gives? And what are they for?

I asked MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin, who I’ve known for a few years, about the new products, what they do, and the best ways to use ’em.

Hi, Victor! What can you tell me about these new Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct products? Should I be intrigued?

OK, so, essentially, what’s kind of awesome about these is that products like this have been on the market for many years, but what I like is that we’ve sort of re-worked them into something entirely new.

MAC Prep + Prime Colour Correcting SPF 30 — Prep + Prime Colour Correcting SPF 30, $30 each

Obviously, these are for adjusting skin tones. The CC is for “color correct,” but what’s exciting about them is that whereas in the past, there was this sort of mentality from the consumer of, like, if I grab this green cream and put it on top my red cheeks, everything’s going to be gone and Photoshopped and all that.

MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Products in Adjust — Adjust, a sheer apricot

I think what’s exciting about these particular products is how delicately we used the technology to our advantage to make them really workable, user friendly, and into something that actually does what it claims to do, which is to color correct the actual tones and the idiosyncrasies of the skin.

MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Products in Recharge — Recharge, a sheer apricot

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What Was the Last Skincare Product You Finished All the Way Down to the Last Drop?

February 14th, 2014 by Karen 57 Comments

Hmm…Good question. It was this lovely bottle of Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel (lens flare added for dramatic effect).

It’s the gentle exfoliating face wash ($60, unfortunately) I’ve been using in the mornings off and on for about a year, alternating it with Neutrogena’s much less expensive All-in-1 Acne Control Daily Scrub, and I really like them together as a combo.

I finished my bottle of the peel a couple weeks ago, and I think my skin misses it…

I first found out about it from one of the gals at Sephora who recommended it to help with my chin acne, which was acting up at the time. She said it was something that many of her clients with problem skin raved about, so I picked up a bottle right then and there.

From the get-go, I loved it. Loved the floral scent, loved the way it didn’t leave my skin feeling scratchy or tight after I washed with it in the morning, but didn’t really love the price. Because it was also pretty expensive, I almost gave up on it.

My skin slowly improved over the next few months using this with Neutrogena’s All-in-1 scrub, Kate Somerville’s Anti Bac Clearing Lotion, Skinceuticals C E Ferulic and Sunday Riley Good Gene Treatment. I’d also made some adjustments to my diet, which I think helped.

But this — this is my favorite gentle exfoliating face wash.

Note to self: restock this bad boy, ASAP!

How about you? What’s the last skincare product you finished all the way down to the last drop?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Good morning and happy Friday from the employees of Makeup and Beauty Blog! 🙂

Now…I have a very important question for you.

Tabs would like to me ask if you would be his Valentine. In his words, “Mrow?”

Please say yes!

Lip Combo Alert! Try MAC Flare for Fantasy Cremesheen Glass With Modesty Lipstick and Shock Value Pro Longwear Lip Pencil

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

MAC Flare for Finery Cremesheen Glass, Modesty Lipstick and Shock Value Pro Longwear Lip Pencil

Because one can never have too many pink lip combos. 🙂

Here’s one to try if you like MAC: MAC Shock Value Pro Longwear Lip Pencil ($19.50) with MAC Modesty Lipstick ($16) and MAC Flare for Fantasy Cremesheen Glass ($20).

I like to wear it with pink or peach blush, but I bet it would also rock with a pinkish coral.

Got any good lip combo ideas for me? Come on, babe, what do ya got?

The OPI Brazil Beach Sandies Mini Kit Says Bye-Bye to Boring With Four Vivid Textured Polishes

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

The new four-piece OPI Brazil Beach Sandies Mini Kit, $12.95

Very clever, OPI. Very clever. 🙂

The part of me that lives to over-think the symbolic significance of everything loves the juxtaposition of gritty sand, neutrals and bright pigments in the OPI Brazil collection.

On one end, there are the sandy-colored neutral polishes in the overarching 12-piece OPI Brazil collection, which all have a smooth, creamy finish.

On the other, there are the four vivacious mini polishes here in the accompanying Brazil Beach Sandies Kit ($12.95), all of which have OPI’s pebbled, textured Liquid Sand finish in bright, eye-catching shades, also known as psychedelic party sand for your paws.

Even if you aren’t a big fan of textured polishes, I think these vivid shades are still worth a try if you like playful, cheerful colors. They’re seriously smile-inducing, and the names — You’re So Flippy Floppy, What’s a Little Rain Forest, Samba-dy Loves Purple and I’m Brazil Nuts Over You — are catchy, too.

In each of the swatches below, I’m wearing two coats…

OPI You're So Flippy Floppy — You’re So Flippy Floppy

OPI What's A Little Rain Forest — What’s A Little Rain Forest

OPI Samba-dy Loves Purple — Samba-dy Loves Purple

OPI I'm Brazil Nuts Over You — I’m Brazil Nuts Over You

OPI Brazil Beach Sandies Mini Kit — The front of the box

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It’s a Carnival of Color as Vivid Brights Samba on Tips and Toes in OPI’s New Brazil Collection

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

Next time I enjoy a plate of feijoada while beautiful women in colorful bejeweled thongs and feathered headdresses dance around my table, you better believe I’ll be wearing one or two (or 12!) of the shades in OPI’s new Brazil collection on my nails!

The OPI Brazil collection, available now

Where am I going with this?

One word: Brazil (by way of San Francisco).

One of my favorite places to eat in the city is a Brazilian restaurant called Canto do Brazil, and dining there is a total experience. First, the food — beyond yummy, and not overpriced (the plantains, beans and rice, OMG!).

But that’s not all. There’s also the show. 🙂 While you eat, gorgeous Brazilian showgirls in Carnival regalia dance around the tables and try to coax diners to dance with them.

Last time I was there, I was too focused on the mountain of carb-tacular goodness in front of me to shake my groove thang, but next time, it’s ON! Because I’ll have an extra reason — the beautiful brights in OPI’s new 12-piece collection ($9 each), which I love, love, LOVE.

OK, sure, I think the neutrals in the collection are pretty, too. I mean, I appreciate elegant neutral nails as much as the next girl, especially when worn with a bright lipstick, and I think the muted pewter, taupe, mocha, nude and chocolate shades here play off bolder colors nicely.

But the brights! Oh, the brights… Inspired by rainforest flowers, the creamy yellow, coral, orange, pink, red and deep jungle green, are just so blasted rich and vivid that you may feel the urge to hop on a flight to Rio right meow. 🙂

OPI I Just Can't Cope-Acabana, a creamy sunshine yellow — Just Can’t Cope-Acabana, a creamy sunshine yellow

OPI AmazON...AmazOFF, a creamy deep jungle green — AmazON…AmazOFF, a creamy deep jungle green

OPI Where Did Suzi's Man-Go?, a creamy mango orange — Where Did Suzi’s Man-Go?, a creamy mango orange

OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian, a creamy warm pink — Kiss Me I’m Brazilian, a creamy warm pink

OPI Toucan Do It If You Try, a creamy confidant orange — Toucan Do It If You Try, a creamy confidant orange

OPI Live.Love.Carnaval, a vibrant coral — Live.Love.Carnaval, a vibrant coral

OPI Red Hot Rio, a ruby red — Red Hot Rio, a ruby red

OPI Scores a Goal, a creamy rich chocolate

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2 Minutes of Under-Eye Concealer Chit-Chat, and Call Me a Beautyblender Believer

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 28 Comments

Can we talk under-eye concealer for a second?

Of course we can. That’s why we’re buds. 😀 You understand my obsession with the whole dark circle thang, and that’s one of the many reasons I heart ya.

So, I usually blend under-eye concealer with my fingers because I feel like my body temp warms up the product a tad, making it a little easier to work into my skin. Plus, I figure, why use another brush if I don’t have to and be left with yet another brush to clean?

Then I came across the Beautyblender…

Man, this thing is cool! Basically, it’s a non-latex sponge, so it’s not exactly a brush, that you can use to apply and blend concealer, foundation or any cream products you wear on your face or body.

Just wet it with water, and watch it magically expand (ooh!). Then use the dampened sponge to apply your makeup.

Ever since I started using it to blend my under-eye concealer, I’ve seen a huge difference in the final look.

All I do is mix a little MAC Pro Longwear Concealer with MAC Careblends Essential Oils on the back of my hand (a trick I learned from MAC Pro Artist Louise Z), dot the mix under my eyes, and blend it all in with a damp Beautyblender.

When I’m done, I swear the skin under my eyes looks smoother than it does when I just use my fingers. Call me a Beautyblender believer!

Have you tried them yet, and if so, what do you think? They’re available at Sephora stores and sephora.com for $20.

They also sell a Beautyblender cleanser for $18, but I’m not exactly sold on that yet… I’m still using my good ol’ Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Soap, and it seems to work fine.

What Was Your Typical Makeup Look in High School/College?

February 13th, 2014 by Karen 46 Comments

Goodness, I don’t even know where to start! Uh…let’s just say that I’m glad there were no camera phones back then, because despite perhaps thinking I was hot sh*t, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t.

Yeah, it would’ve been nice to have beauty blogs and YouTube back then… I’m just sayin’. 🙂

Let’s see… High school for me was the early ’90s, and I liked to wear bold lips back then with black liner on my upper lash lines, foundation when I was in the mood for it, pressed powder, blush, but NO mascara (I know! But my mom wouldn’t allow me to wear it for some reason.).

Oh, those brows…

Freshman year of high school, I wore Clinique Raspberry Glace almost daily. It was my first “big girl” lipstick, and it was my jam! Eventually, other colors worked their way into my high school life, like coppers, wines and reds, usually from drugstore lines like Covergirl, Wet ‘N Wild and Revlon.

I distinctly remember wearing Revlon Cherries in the Snow all throughout junior year, mostly because almost everyone in the flute section that year (BAND GEEKS!) wore it during marching season.

Nerd alert! With my BFF Jen

College was a few years later in the mid-to-late ’90s, and I remember wearing a lot of matte textures and browns…

Now that I think about it, though, I should have worn more glitter back then, because if there’s ever a time to get away with wearing the sparkly stuff on a daily basis, it would have been then.

I was a total lip product junkie all throughout those years and wore A LOT of bold lips, often MAC Paramount Lipstick.

Then, on my eyes, Clinique eyeshadow, liner and mascara (FINALLY!), which was partly out of convenience, as there was a Clinique counter inside the campus bookstore (I KNOW!).

Other than that counter, the closest mall was a 30-minute drive up the highway (this was Davis, California), where they had a MAC counter, and really, I was too busy trying to memorize the Krebs Cycle to make that trip often.