Archives for November 2016

The $21 MAC Brow Sculpt Brow Pencil: A Dupe for the Infamous Tom Ford Brow Sculptor?

November 16th, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

mac brun brow sculpt brow pencil brun — Yes, I really do get this excited about filling in my brows…

Yes, I really do, because Raul is hella annoying.

I’ve been filling in my brows lately with this awesome $21 MAC Brow Sculpt Brow Pencil. It’s been out a while, and it comes in shades you might recognize if you’re a MAC fan, like Brun and Cork. MAC took some of their existing eyeshadow colors that are commonly used to fill in brows, and put them in handy-dandy pencils.

The reason I think this one is all sorts of awesome is because it totes reminds me of my favorite-ist brow pencil (yes, I said favorite-ist) — well, my former favorite-ist brow pencil — the Tom Ford Brow Sculptor, which is hella expensive, dude. It’s $45 (used to be $44).

Have I told you about the time I put two of them in my cart and floated out of my body? Like, I literally floated out of my body. I had an out-of-body experience because of how expensive they are, and I’ve been scouring the makeup jungle for years looking for something similar but less pricey like this MAC pencil.

It has a twist-up tip with a skinny triangle shape (like the Tom Ford pencil) that covers a good surface area, so I’m not sitting there drawing in every little hair with a tiny tip for hours… I can finish my brows pretty quickly with this one.

I also love the level of pigment. The colors aren’t as rich or intense as some brow pencils, which I think is a good thing in this case. I don’t much like pencils that are super soft or pigmented because if I forget and keep drawing, and keep drawing, and keep drawing, I end up with Groucho Marx/scary Frankenstein brows, at which point it’s hard to go back.

You know how it is — once you have too much on there, it’s hard to remove pigment and back up. I’ve gotten in that situation many times before, and it isn’t fun.

mac brun brown sculpt — The face you make when your favorite Tom Ford Brow Pencil is $45

MAC Brow Sculpt Brow Pencil ($21)
Permanent, available now at MAC stores and online

Available in Omega (a light ash blonde), Cork (warm blonde), Flight (taupe blonde), Taupe (light taupe), Brun (taupe brown), Lingering (medium brown), Spiked (deep brunette) and Stud (deepest black brunette)

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The Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Face and Eye Palette Set

November 16th, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

estee edit gritty glow magnetic eye face palette — Wearing both the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette and Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palette on my eyes, cheeks and my face

Hey, so I was just standing in front of my fridge in the kitchen, but I wasn’t there to make you a sheet of brownies, because…how would you even get the brownies? I wish I could send them through the screen. That would be cool if somebody could figure that out.

No, I was in the kitchen to see if these two new Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palettes would stick to my fridge because they’re magnetic, and yes, they do — so you can use them as both makeup and refrigerator magnets to hold whatever delicious recipe you’re working on at the moment.

The palettes are part of a $58 set in the Estée Edit holiday 2016 collection. One is just a straight-up eye shadow palette, and the other is for face and eyes.

When I opened the Eye Palette the first time, I immediately thought of the almost orgasmic but also laughably expensive $95 Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Collection palette released last month.

It’s amaze! — but it’s also crazy expensive, so I hoped that this might be a more affordable dupe.

It’s not, but it comes close. The colors are similar, but the Victoria Beckham shadows are slightly cooler toned and more neutral. The Estée Edit Eye Palette shadows are also shinier, and the pearl particles are less refined.

But…the Victoria palette is a staggering $95.

Yeah, wow.

It’s clearly aimed at a very posh (haha, get it?) clientele, whereas the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette aims to please a possibly younger crowd that craves something flashier with mega shimmer.

I like shimmer, but I’m really picky about it. I like it when the pearl particles are small because, you know, whatever, I’m in my 40s, and big shimmer particles make my lines look more…line-y. And I’m not into that.

Thankfully, the Estée Edit Gritty Eye Palette shadows don’t have that kind of shimmer, which is great.

And about that name — the Gritty Eye Palette — that’s kind of an unfortunate name, isn’t it? Because in makeup parlance, “gritty” isn’t typically used to describe something good, but I think it refers to grungy and smoky eye looks here. That’s probably the deal.

I do see some fallout with the eye palette — more than the Victoria Beckham shadows — but it’s not a big deal. I just do my eyes first and clean up afterward. Also, the shadows blend easily.

The Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palette Set
Limited edition, available now at Sephora and sephora.com ($58 for a set with both palettes)

The set comes with…

One Gritty Eye Palette with 6 Pearlized eyeshadows in Swerve (golden copper), Riff (champagne rose gold), Burn (burgundy bronze), Wavy (dark emerald), Mood (midnight black with multicolored sparkle), Trip (deep iridescent blue)

One Glow Face + Eye Palette with six multi-use powders in Snowlit (platinum), 14K Glow (champagne), 1st Light (soft pink), Gleam (peachy pink), Ray (golden bronze), Beachy (burnished copper)

estee edit gritty eye palette — The Gritty Eye Palette

estee edit glow face eye palette — The Glow Face + Eye Palette

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Essie Gel Couture Labels Only: You Can’t Go Wrong With Secret Shimmer

November 16th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

essie labels only top pic — Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Labels Only ($11.50), my current nail crush

This periwinkle makes me think of this one time when Jen and I were college students, and we were killing some time at a bookstore because we were both singers in her dad’s Saturday rock band.

You know, one of those bands that only played once a week at random functions. I think it was somebody’s sixteenth birthday party.

We were sitting there looking through a magazine… We must have been in our early 20s at the time, and I can’t remember why, but the magazine we were looking through was a wedding magazine.

I remember saying to her, “One day we’re gonna be doing this for real,” and she was like, “Oh, my gawd!” Previous to that, we’d never talked about planing our weddings before. It just never came up.

About my distant future wedding, I distinctly remember saying in that conversation, “I’m gonna have you in a periwinkle dress!”

But things didn’t go down that way. Both she and my BFF Cindy ended up wearing very tasteful dark brown J. Crew dresses to go with our other color, which was Tiffany Blue.

So…periwinkle wasn’t involved in any form or fashion, but I did have periwinkle wedding dreams once upon a time (so random!).

Maybe that’s why I like Essie Labels Only from their Gel Couture line.

essie labels only swatch — Essie Labels Only

The Gel Coutures are GREAAAT. They dry quickly and last a long time, and even among the Gel Couture line, Labels Only lasts longer than some of the other shades do for me. I get a full week’s worth of wear using two layers and the Essie Gel Couture Top Coat (you don’t have to use a base coat with these).

It isn’t just a straight-up periwinkle, either. It has secret pink shimmer, which you can kind of see in the top pic.

You can’t go wrong with secret shimmer, ya know? 🙂

It’s available now for $11.50 at Ulta.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Tom Ford Lips and Boys, 25 New Fall 2016 Shades: The Creams

November 15th, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

tom ford lips boys 2016 cream — The five new Tom Ford Lips & Boys Fall 2016 Cream finish lipstick shades from the left: Alexander, Bradley, Jack, Ashton and Mitchell

One of these shades is called Bradley, and that makes me think of Bradley Cooper, so now I’m wondering if Bradley Cooper could actually wear this shade…

I don’t know. I think it might wash him out… He might need something warmer. 🙂

On that note, Bradley Cooper should probably wear more lipstick. I mean, I would if I had a lipstick named after me.

Tom Ford Lips & Boys
$36 each, 50 shades, 25 of them new for Fall 2016 (10 matte, 10 metallic, 5 cream)
Coming soon to select Sephora stores and Sephora.com #TFLIPSANDBOYS @SEPHORA

These five little lippies, like the 20 other new lipsticks being added to the Tom Ford Lips & Boys collection, are all named after different dudes that Tom admires. These are the five new creams (and here are the mattes and metallics).

tom ford lips and boys 2016 — Tom Ford Lips and Boys 2016

Tom Ford Lips & Boys 50-Piece Set — The complete collection housed in an exclusive black lacquered Tom Ford case: $1,950 (side note: holy sh*t!).

Tom Ford Lips & Boys Three-Piece Container — A custom set of any three clutch-size lipsticks displayed in a luxe carrying case: $108 for your choice of any three shades.

“Tom Ford presents Lips & Boys, the third adaptation of the originative Lip Color collection named for the men he finds admirable and inspiring. The 50-piece lipstick lineup unleashes 25 new boys including 10 modern matte finishes.

“From nuanced nudes like Bradley and Alexander to the unabashed bold reds of Nicholas and Dominic, each transformative shade amplifies a woman’s individuality while inciting an insatiable desire to suit her every mood.

“Showcased in sleek mahogany and gold cases, each tube is compact enough to slip inside the smallest of clutches.

“The clutch-size lipsticks of this decadent wardrobe contain rich, specially-treated pigments blended to deliver pure color payoff in three ultra-kissable finishes: matte, cream, and metallic.”

— Tom Ford PR

The 10 new creams

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Tom Ford Lips and Boys, 25 New Fall 2016 Shades: The Mattes and Metallics

November 15th, 2016 by Karen 15 Comments

Something tells me that these little dudes would not be down for a Taco Bell date. They’d want you to take them to Ruth’s Chris Steak House or some other expensive restaurant.

Dang, Tom Ford, you sure know how to make a girl feel self-conscious about her $10 jeans that she got from Old Navy!

Please pause the rational part of your brain for a moment and consider that each of these 25 new Lips & Boys Lipsticks is $36 each (!). And they’re minis! They’re all new shades — 10 mattes, 10 metallics and 5 creams — and they’re being added to the existing 25 Lips & Boys, thereby bringing the new total up to 50.

Tom Ford Lips & Boys
$36 each, 50 shades, 25 of them new for Fall 2016 (10 matte, 10 metallic, 5 cream).
Coming soon to select Sephora stores and online #TFLIPSANDBOYS @SEPHORA

First up, the mattes and metallics, all of which have boy names.

There are lots of browns, plums and neutrals present, but the bangin’ mattes were the first to catch my eye.

The shiny metallics are also cool. They have varying levels of metallic-ness. Some are full-on sexy robot with lots of shiny pearl and glitter, while others are more suggestive and reserved…like an illicit kiss behind a closed door.

Tom Ford Lips & Boys 50-Piece Set — The complete collection housed in an exclusive black lacquered Tom Ford case: $1,950 (side note: holy sh*t!).

Tom Ford Lips & Boys Three-Piece Container — A custom set of any three clutch-size lipsticks displayed in a luxe carrying case: $108 for your choice of any three shades.

“Tom Ford presents Lips & Boys, the third adaptation of the originative Lip Color collection named for the men he finds admirable and inspiring. The 50-piece lipstick lineup unleashes 25 new boys including 10 modern matte finishes.

“From nuanced nudes like Bradley and Alexander to the unabashed bold reds of Nicholas and Dominic, each transformative shade amplifies a woman’s individuality while inciting an insatiable desire to suit her every mood.

“Showcased in sleek mahogany and gold cases, each tube is compact enough to slip inside the smallest of clutches.

“The clutch-size lipsticks of this decadent wardrobe contain rich, specially-treated pigments blended to deliver pure color payoff in three ultra-kissable finishes: matte, cream, and metallic.”

— Tom Ford PR

The 10 new mattes

tom ford lips boys 2016 matte — The new Tom Ford Lips & Boys Matte finish shades from the left: Anderson, Thomas, Jared, Cristiano, Dylan, Dominic, Evan, Nicholas, Be and Christopher

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Do You Wear More Makeup During the Week or on the Weekend?

November 15th, 2016 by Karen 24 Comments

Dior Visionary Matte — Oh, ya know…just headed out to run errands on a Tuesday morning. The lip is Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in 602 Visionary Matte, by the way.

Nowadays I hardly wear any makeup on the weekends. Like, sometimes none.

I mean, I put on a little last Saturday to go to the salon, mostly because I didn’t want to stare at myself in the mirror for two hours without having at least a little something on, but yeah, I don’t usually wear a lot of makeup on the weekends. I’ll let my skin breathe…

But that’s not the real reason. 🙂 It’s also pure laziness, because I wear a lot of makeup to blog during the week, and that’s fun and I enjoy it, but I don’t really go big right now on the weekends.

Maybe someday, you know, if Connor wants to go clubbing with her ancient mom, I’ll put some glitter on my lids and something sparkly on my lips, and we’ll go to Club X together in the city.

Oh, gosh…

How about you? Do you wear more makeup during the week, or do you wear more on the weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Smoky, Cool and Shimmery Plum With the Tarte Pretty Paintbox Set, Bite Beauty Cashew and MAC Dancing Flowers

November 14th, 2016 by Karen 8 Comments

tarte pretty paintbox fotd — Feeling plummy today with Tarte’s Pretty Paintbox from the holiday 2016 collection

Look. At. This. Makeup.

Where was a going that I needed to put on makeup like this? I don’t know… I don’t think I was going anywhere. I wish I could say that I was going out to dinner or something, but I think the most exciting thing I did while I was wearing this look was take out the trash…

I did run into my neighbor, though, and we talked about her dog a little, so at least somebody got to see the fruit of my labor IRL.

I’m wearing the Bite Beauty Multistick in Cashew here, and I tell you — it’s the best color! It’s underneath a bunch of things on my lids. I sort of used it as an eyeshadow lid primer.

I think it’s SO beautiful, especially with colors like the ones I’m wearing.

Eyes: Bite Beauty Cashew Multi-Stick, Tarte Pretty Paintbox eyeshadows (Van Gogh With It in the crease, and First Impressionism, Hot MOMA and Get Surreal mixed on the lids), Tarte Tarteist Black Eyeliner (from the Wingworkers holiday set), Tarte Tartiest Mascara (from Pretty Paintbox)

Cheeks: Moment blush, Authentic highlighter and Unique bronzer from Tarte Pretty Paintbox

Lips: Dancing Flowers from the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Retro Matte Plum Kit

I’m wearing kind of a rosy taupe-ish brown in my crease, and there’s some shimmery cool-toned purplish gray action happening on my lids that I made by mixing a bunch of colors in this Tarte palette (I marked them with hearts down below).

I grabbed a bunch of shades with the same brush, buffed them on the back of my hand, and then popped them on my lid.

It’s just a phase I’m going through. I like making my own colors. It makes me feel like I’m a mad scientist in a beauty lab or something…

OK, so, my lid color is very cool toned, but I think it balances with the warmth of the browns in my crease. I like that juxtaposition, but of course you could totally stick to one or the other using just cool-toned shadows or warm-toned shadows, and still do a look like this.

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I’m Nuts About the Bite Beauty Cashew Multistick

November 14th, 2016 by Karen 7 Comments

Girl, this is the best color…although I don’t know what it has to do with cashews.

It did give me an excuse to eat some shortly after I took this picture…

You might remember the $24 Bite Beauty Multisticks from earlier this fall when they came out in a bunch of colors. You can use them on your lids, your cheeks and/or your lips, and this particular shade, Cashew, is a warm rosy mauve.

I like to use it as an eyeshadow base for cooler-toned purple and gray eyeshadows — especially shimmery purples and grays — but I think it also looks really pretty on its own.

Sometimes on minimal makeup days, I’ll just stick this on my lids directly with the stick and kind of draw on my lids, which is weird and fun at the same time. Then I’ll use either a finger or a tapered brush to buff out the edges.

After that, I’ll curl my lashes and tightline my upper lash line with black liner, and that’s it. Easy and it looks natural.

If you want to do more than that, you could take whatever shimmery purplish gray shadow is rocking your world at the moment, and the one I love right now is MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Fathoms Deep (it’s what I’m wearing with Cashew in the second pic — the one where I’m wearing a bit more makeup), and just pop that right on top. Then blend them together.

bite beauty cashew swatch — A Cashew swatch…with actual cashews

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