Archives for September 2017

It Cosmetics Perfect Lighting Radiant Touch Magic Wand Corrects, Conceals and Brightens

September 8th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

Fueled by drinking coffee at 5 p.m. yesterday, which was not my best move, but I needed a boost before HIIT class, and killer PMS insomnia, I spent way too many hours last night binge-listening to this awesome beauty podcast called Fat Mascara.

Very entertaining!

It’s my latest fave thing.

But that’s not the point of this post. The point of this post is that I don’t think most people will be able to tell that I was up till 3 in the morning listening to ladies dish about lipgloss because I’m wearing this KICK-@SS new concealer by It Cosmetics called Perfect Lighting Radiant Touch Magic Wand, which is just like $42 YSL Touche Éclat, but soooo much better and less expensive. It’s $29.

it cosmetics perfect lighting radiant touch magic wand before after — Before and after applying Perfect Lighting Radiant Touch Magic Wand in Radiant Honey beneath my eyes. I’m also wearing the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Vol. III palette on my lids, MAC Sunbasque on my cheeks, and the lipstick is NARS Get It On.

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Inside Voice on the Outside: Story Time

September 7th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

I found out that our local library has half-hour story time for toddlers a couple times a week. I’ve taken Connor Claire twice, and she really enjoys it.

I was watching her today and — surprise! — I got totally emo. 🙁 She was exactly like she was at Kindermusik — ran out in the middle of the room all by herself, smiling, clapping, dancing and waving to everyone like they were her adoring fans. “I don’t need to hold onto my mom, thank you very much.”

I gotta say, I don’t know where she gets it, because I was scared of my own shadow when I was her age. At some point I keep expecting stranger danger to kick in, but for now she’s outgoing to the Nth degree.

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Tarte Lid Lock Clay Base 12-Hour Eye Foundation

September 7th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

I think I’ve watched too many Lifetime movies about women who are kidnapped and forced to live in terrifyingly small spaces, because I would really like to learn how to pick locks and crack safes.

Something about those skills is very appealing to me.

That reminds me: locks. Tarte has a new vegan, cruelty-free (of course) cream eye primer called Lid Lock Clay Base on counters now for $21.

It comes in a cute little glass pot with a top that looks like petrified amber.

Pretty!

It’s a warm, opaque matte peachy beige, and I love the color. Used as a base, it neutralizes some of the purple or blue on my lids, but you can also use it by itself as a shadow with the cool side-effect of having it even out your skin.

It feels like a MAC Paint Pot to me — dense and a sort of dry, which also means that if I put too much on, it’s “Hello, Cake Town!” It’ll look thick and heavy, and then when you blend eyeshadow on top, your eye makeup looks even thicker and heavier.

Now that I think about it, Lid Lock is like a warmer, peachier version of MAC Painterly Paint Pot.

tarte lid lock swatch final — A beautiful matte warm peachy beige

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Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Spice

September 7th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

tom ford spice — $46 Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes Cream Eyeshadow in Spice

I’ve been trying to get myself out there more in the beauty biz lately, going to more work lunches and work coffees, partly to get out of the house/baby jail, and when I do venture out, Connor usually chills with my mom, but also to network and get some different perspectives and career ideas.

I don’t really think about not blogging on MBB, but it’s been 10 years, and I do feel the urge to spread my wings and also try other things. I don’t know, really.

So when I’ve gone to these lunch meetings this summer, I’ve worn Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Spice to quite a few of them. In my opinion, it says, “Yes, I’m responsible…but I also know makeup, and I can blend the living crap of the outer third if need be.”

LOL!

Ironically, or at least interestingly to me, lately when I’ve meet people who work in the makeup industry, most of them aren’t wearing a lot of makeup. I used to expect that people in the biz would, because, you know, they’re in the trenches, but most of them don’t do a glam full-face beat to go to coffee on a Tuesday.

When I go to these meetings, I want to make a good impression, and I like the pairing of warm golden bronze Spice with a matte powder shadow in my crease (usually MAC Soba or Saddle).

Then I tight line with some black liner and add a couple coats of mascara.

I think it’s an elegant, timeless, professional eye look.

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MEOWZA! Tarte Sex Kitten Liquid Eyeliner

September 6th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

Let’s step into the cat lady confessional for a moment, shall we? Because I have a couple things to get off my chest…which is currently covered in tabby fur.

First: sometimes I think about kidnapping my neighbor’s cat Harris, and I may or may not have already concocted an elaborate plan to lure him into my home.

I know this is wrong, but I can’t help it.

Super obsessed with this magnificent beast! (Please don’t tell Tabs.)

Second: mostly, I like using Tarte Sex Kitten Liquid Liner because there’s a cat head on the end of it.

Look how cute he is!! He looks kinda grumpy, too, which speaks to my soul, especially in the morning.

OK…now I’m looking closely at this cat head, and I just realized that he looks a little beat up. My bad for not taking pictures of him (yes, he’s a boy) sooner.

Beauty blogging is weird, man. Most of the time I choose not to use a product until after I’ve taken pics of it first, but sometimes — LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A CAT HEAD ON THE CAP OF YOUR LIQUID LINER — I get so excited that I forget to take the “before” pics. Then I end up with a slightly tow-up cat head.

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Some Thoughts on Pimples and Perfectionism…and a Review of the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Full-Coverage Treatment Concealer and Powder

September 6th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

it cosmetics before bye bye breakout — Meet Julian!

I have a pimple.

BAM! — right there on my chin.

I’ve named him Julian (hi, Julian!).

Julian really hurts and feels like he has roots that dig miles and miles into my skin. He probably came about due to a combination of factors — eating more dairy than usual, not sleeping enough, randomness and PMS.

Julian is kind of a pain in the @ss, but in light of everything happening in the world today, he’s manageable.

We’re all human. Bare skin is beautiful, but so is bare skin with pimples (although they can be very annoying and painful).

Now, I love Instagram. It feeds my creative well, and I just wanna gobble it all up! But sometimes all of that faux perfection makes me feel like I’m doing everything wrong in my life. I’ll be scrolling and thinking, “Geez, I must be mucking it all up royally.” All the perfect makeup, perfect bodies, perfect houses, perfect flat lays on perfect marble tables with perfect flowers. Hell, even the pets pose perfectly on perfect white furniture in perfectly lit rooms! It’s exhausting.

But you know what? I like my real life, with all of its messy mistakes and moments.

And that’s why you’re looking at Julian the pimple. 🙂

it cosmetics bye bye breakout concealer — $28 It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Full-Coverage Treatment Concealer (0.35 oz., available in Fair, Light, Medium, Medium Tan, Tan, Rich and Deep)

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Full-Coverage Treatment Concealer ingredients

Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua/Water/Eau, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Silica, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Polysilicone-11, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Butylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Methicone, Hexyl Laurate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water, Zinc Oxide, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Colloidal Oatmeal, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Allyl Methacrylates Crosspolymer, Kaolin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Silk, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sulfur, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tribehenin, Ceramide Ng, PEG-10 Rapeseed Sterol, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Steareth-20, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Magnolia Acuminata Bark Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Agaricus Bisporus Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499)

Weirdly enough, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, Julian has impeccable timing, because now I have a legit reason to test some new things from It Cosmetics. They launched a couple of new pimple cover-up products for fall — Bye Bye Breakout Full Coverage Treatment Concealer ($28) and Bye Bye Breakout Powder (also $28).

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Powder ingredients

Silica, Soluble Collagen, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aqua/Water/Eau, Benzoic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolyzed Silk, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Steareth-20, Glycerin, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Propylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Zinc Oxide, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Sulfur, Acacia Senegal Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Kaolin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sorbic Acid, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sodium Metabisulfite, Colloidal Oatmeal, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract, Magnolia Biondii Bud/Flower Extract, Lentinus Edodes Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Water, Alcohol, Mandelic Acid, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Lithospermum Officinale Root Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Mentha Aquatica Leaf Extract, Azelaic Acid, Passiflora Edulis Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract, Gluconolactone, Lactobacillus Ferment, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Alumina, Triethoxycaprylylsilane. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140)

it cosmetics bye bye breakout concealer powder — It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Powder, available in Translucent, Light/Medium and Tan Rich ($28 each)

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Say Hi to the Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder Kits

September 5th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

benefit foolproof brow powder swatches final — New from Benefit: Foolproof Brow Powder ($24 each)

I have this theory that everyone at some point in time goes through a big ol’ bold brow phase, where all you want in life is OTT BROWS BROWS BROWS for days.

Mine happened circa 2014-2015, and when they happen, you gotta get them out of your system, like dating bad boys or wanting a pony or getting food poisoning. You just have to let it pass through you.

If you happen to be going through that era of your makeup journey right now, Benefit has three new brow kits you might like.

The Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder kits come in 1 Light, 3 Medium and 5 Deep. Each one has two shades — a lighter shade for the inner part of your brow and a darker shade for the outer tail — to get that bold ombre brow effect. They’re $24 each and available on counters right meow.

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The Weird and the Wonderful

September 5th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

I love that wherever we are in the world, be it a hilly hamlet in the ‘burbs (hello, Novato!) or a bustling metropolis like London, we can, at any given time, find things that are weird and wonderful.

For example, I walked into Safeway a couple weeks ago to get some kimchi.

Long story, but there aren’t any Asian grocery stores in Novato, and the closest one is about 10 miles away, and I didn’t want to hop on the freeway.

Anyway, I went to Safeway to get some overpriced kimchi, and where I walked in was on the side with the floral department.

Boom! I walked into a deluge of these crazy blue orchids…

Sometimes I feel like that one lonely non-blue orchid, LOL!

It was kind of surreal! Like I was in a sci-fi movie.

I remember reading someplace that blue is the rarest (or one of the rarest?) color in nature, and it did feel weird to see so many blue flowers concentrated in one place.

They look like technicolor flowers, don’t they? Actually, I don’t know how I feel about them… On one hand, I can’t stop staring, but on the other hand, there’s something a little off about them.

I dunno. What do you think?

That reminds me…on another trip, this one to Woodlands Pet Food & Treats, because they carry Ziwi Peak, which is Tabs’ favorite food (it’s from New Zealand, and he’s kind of bougie like that), but it’s very expensive, so I get it for him every once in a while as a special treat, as I surveyed the shelves, I spotted something I’d never seen before called Chicken Soup for the Soul Cat Food.

I wonder if it’s as inspiring as the book, LOL! I think I may have a copy around here somewhere that I got from my mom…

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