Archives for April 2018

MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit | The Power of Gold Stars

April 12th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

mac patrick starrr me so chic — MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic

So I’ve been doing The Five-Minute Journal now for about a month, and the big thing that’s helped me stick to it — and this is major because I’ve started and stopped more projects than I can count — is something so simple and really very elementary, and by ‘elementary’ I mean something that kids in kindergarten probably still do (because I did it about a bazillion years ago).

This: tracking your progress every day with gold ⭐ stars. (I use hand-drawn Sharpie stars because I couldn’t find gold sticker stars anywhere in my town.)

Every day you complete a task, and for me it’s filling out a page in the journal, you stick a star on the calendar, and after ‘X’ number of days, you treat yourself to a reward. ???

mac patrick starrr me so chic k down — With my trusty gold Sharpie by my side! I’m wearing the quad, lipstick, gloss and blush duo from the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Chic Face Kit.

The reward part is totally key, but ya know…you don’t have to buy yourself a Lambo or anything. A trip to your favorite lunch spot so you can buy that bougie $20 salad you love so much (*cough* Blue Barn Tostada Salad *cough*), a new eyeliner, or — ooh! — a spa treatment (I WISH). I’m going to get myself some workout pants from Senita because I’m all about that high-waisted life these days.

mac patrick starrr me so chic k side — Gold stars!

Even though this system is low-tech, it’s very effective. I don’t know if it’s something hidden deep inside the folds of the most primitive part of my brain, but I love seeing those stars pile up week after week. It feels like a good habit.

The Five-Minute Journal has enough pages for six months, and I’ve got about five more left.

I can’t wait to see my calendar filled this gold stars. 🙂

Speaking of stars…

The MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit ($49.50, coming April 19 to the MAC website and select MAC counters)

I feel like I’m wearing makeup that the girls in my high school marching band’s color guard wore in the late-’80s/early-’90s. Like, gimme an over-sized flag, a sequined outfit, shiny flesh-colored tights, and I’m be good to go!

I think the blush duo (a matte warm bronze and satiny peach) flatters my NC42 skin, but my eyes get watery when I wear the purples in the quad. Also, the nude lipstick and gloss… I think they’re pretty, but they’re pretty easily duped, too.

I like the MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Fleek Kit more than this one…

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Purple Lashes and the World’s Ugliest Pizza Dough Crust

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 24 Comments

urban decay double team mascara vice — Pizza and purple lashes

Purple lashes and pizza are NOT mutually exclusive.

urban decay double team vice — Statistics flashbacks! And Urban Decay Double Team Mascara. And UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Vice. Both of which I’m wearing in these pics.

You learn something new every day!

I finally made pizza ? for the very first time using raw pizza dough, which I got from Trader Joe’s, and lemme tell ya — I’m not going to be winning any Beautiful Pizzas of Instagram Awards anytime soon.

My goodness, that’s a hideous crust…

finished pizza — Let’s just say that it wasn’t sculpted by Michelangelo… It was damn tasty though.

Allegedly, El Hub knows how to make pizza dough from scratch (allegedly). Although I’ve yet to witness this phenomenon in person, he still poked fun at me for the raggedy edges.

I tried to make it cute, though! I really did!

trader joes pizza dough — 1,000% not Instagram-able

Ultimately, the hideousness didn’t matter because the pizza was SO good (as was the purple mascara, by the way).

GAH! Purple lashes! When was the last time I applied a purple tinted mascara and actually saw the color on my lashes? Um, like never?! Miraculously, I can actually see the purple from Urban Decay Double Team Special Effect Mascara in Vice, and it’s IN-YOUR-FACE PURPLE, which is awesome.

urban decay double team vice 2 — See the tops of the lashes? So purple!

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The Katy Kat Eyeshadow Palettes | Katy Perry Covergirl Collection | WEIRD CAT LADY GUILT!

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

katy kat palette — I’m wearing a mix of the blue and green shades from the Katy Kat Cool Kat palette on my lids and the matte medium brown from the Hot Kat palette in my crease

I always feel weirdly guilty whenever I bite an animal cracker or ruin an animal design on a pan of makeup (like these cute kitties!). Like, I know I’m not hurting them because…they’re inanimate, but I still nibble on the corner of the cookie that I imagine would hurt the least, like the tip of the ear or the tail or a toe… I can’t just go in and RWAARRRR! — dig my fangs into the tummy or, worse, bite the entire head off. IT FEELS SO WRONG!

These kitties in these pans look so peaceful and happy that I actually did everything I could to avoid their eyes and smiles when I wanted to use them. I dipped my brush into one ear, took a li’l from the chin, and I even used my brush to pretend that I was petting them…

What can I say, man? I’m a weirdo.

The Katy Kat Eyeshadow Palettes

I like these! They have a bit of fallout, so they aren’t perfection in a palette, but they’re pigmented, they’re affordable, they’re super soft, and there are kitties in the center! — which of course is cat lady catnip.

I like Hot Kat a little more than Cool Kat… Actually, a lot more, because most of the Cool Kat shadows are chunky and frosty. I think the blue and green in Cool Kat are beautiful, though, whether mixed together or worn separately (I mixed them together for my makeup here). Super pretty.

katy kat palette hot kat palette — Hot Kat

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Katy Kat Gloss | Covergirl Katy Perry Collection | 3 Recent Revelations (Feline and Otherwise)

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

A few recent revelations…

1. Wearing opaque white lipgloss makes me feel like I have four rows of teeth.

katy kat white catillac — Katy Kat Gloss in White Catillac

One, two, three, four. FOUR ROWS OF TEETH! When I wear this gloss and look in the mirror, I see a mythological Greek beast staring back at me.

2. Kissing my cat these days is a seriously sketchy endeavor.

OK, I just realized how weird “kissing my cat” sounds. Haha!

Anyway, he’ll go from kissy-kissy-lovie-dovie to “Molly, you in danger, girl…from my claw! And I’m gonna stick it in your iris if you don’t get the-eff-out of my space!” in less than a second.

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Highlights From the New Covergirl Spring 2018 Makeup Collection | Doing Makeup With a Toddler on Your Lap

April 10th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

covergirl makeup spring 2018 final face — A look from start to finish with the new Covergirl Spring 2018 makeup collection (there’s also a video down below)

There are some dicey moments, but it’s entirely possible to paint yo’ face with a toddler sitting on your lap. You just gotta accept that your new cream highlighter may end up having a big old dent when said toddler dips a brush into it, and one brow may end up darker than the other, and you may not end up wearing as much mascara as you normally would because you almost poked your eye out five or six times in the process. But putting on a full face from start to finish is totally doable with a toddler in the mix, and the results can be good enough for a Target run!

I mostly used products from the new Covergirl Spring 2018 collection for this, and here are some top-level observations…

Vitalist Go Glow in Daybreak — Subtle, soft shimmer
Vitalist Healthy Concealer Pens in Warm Beige and Medium Beige (worn as under-eye concealer and as foundation) — Good coverage and finish, excellent as a face concealer, but too sheer for use under my eyes
Vitalist Healthy Powder in Medium Beige — Natural coverage, looks even better as the day goes on
Lid Lock Eye Shadow Primer — OK
Peacock Flare Mascara Waterproof — Decent length and lift, pokey brush
Vitalist Healthy Glow Highlighter in 6 (worn as an eyeshadow) — Too sparkly…
TruNaked Smoky Eyeshadow Palette (worn as liner) — Moderately pigmented, and very little fallout
Ultrafine Brow Pencil in Rich Brown — Sheer but still buildable
Melting Pout Matte Liquid Lipstick in Currant Nude — Wears off if I drink something or nibble

Putting on makeup with a toddler on my lap, episode no. 001. I’m wearing mostly new makeup from the @Covergirl spring 2018 collection: Vitalist Go Glow in Daybreak | Vitalist Healthy Concealer Pens in Warm Beige and Medium Beige | Vitalist Healthy Powder in Medium Beige | Lid Lock Eye Shadow Primer | Peacock Flare Mascara Waterproof | Vitalist Healthy Glow Highlighter in 6 | Ultrafine Brow Pencil in Rich Brown | Melting Pout Matte Liquid Lipstick in Currant Nude | TruNaked Smoky Palette. Other stuff up in the mix: @hourglasscosmetics bronzer and @maccosmetics Melon Pink blush. #makeup #makeupvideo #makeuptutorial #momlife #toddlersofinstagram #iamwhatimakeup #igmakeup

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Apr 9, 2018 at 4:49pm PDT

The non-Covergirl things I used include Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Bronze and MAC Padma Melon Pink Blush.

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Do You Believe in Luck?

April 10th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

maneki neko eyelashes — OK, so how did I only just now notice that my maneki-neko (Japanese lucky cat) has eyelashes?

This is something I think about sometimes, and I’d love to hear your opinion. Taking it a step further, is there such a thing as good luck? Or bad? I have no idea, but I can’t deny that some people do seem to have exceptionally good luck, and no matter what they do, things go their way. Whatever the reasons, I can’t deny that those people exist…and they kinda get on my nerves. LOL!

Fo’ real, though. 🙂

I do believe that good luck and bad luck aren’t always up to chance. I’ll say that. I mean, there is always that element of randomness and being in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time, but like with lottery winners, how many cosmic coincidences had to all line up just right to place them at that specific 7-11 on that particular day to hit the Powerball? I don’t know…but I wish I did! Haha. Or, like, Gisele Bündchen? We don’t have control over our facial symmetry or our height or our long-leggedness (yet).

lucky cat mug connor claire store — Lucky Cat Mug from ConnorClaire.com, $24

Personally, I don’t think it can hurt, though, to invite good luck into your life, but can a lucky charm (like my small but growing collection of maneki-neko Japanese lucky cats) really bring good luck? Your guess is as good as mine.

lucky cat collection — My small but growing collection o’ lucky cats!

Where I think we do have some control over luck is how it relates to opportunities, and this is based on my personal experiences. If I go into a test with — yes, I recognize how corny this sounds — a good attitude, and I’m confident, and I think to myself, “This is going to go my way. I’m SURE of it,” I usually do better than I do when I feel the opposite way, which I’ve done before. Like, if I go into something feeling like Eeyore with a tiny storm cloud over my head, things almost never work out, and this has happened to me over and over again. I don’t know why, but I do feel that attitude has an influence over luck sometimes.

My parents found this petite jade lucky cat on a trip to Japan.

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How to Get Colorful Mascara to REALLY Show Up on Your Lashes

April 9th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

urban decay double team gonzo — Yeah, that’s blue! I’m wearing Urban Decay Double Team Special Effect Colored Mascara in Gonzo and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in LSD.

Impact: maximum ✅ Effort: minimum ✅

Curl lashes, then prime with a thin layer of your favorite black waterproof mascara (mine is MAC In Extra Dimension Waterproof, because helloooooo — length for days).

Next, grab a blue mascara, and paint two layers. Line your water and lash lines with a matching blue pencil (and get between those lash roots, just like the relatives who get all up in your business), and say PEACE OUT ✌️ to basic fringe.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 519

April 9th, 2018 by Karen 47 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past 11 (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Fringe or ruffles?

I’m gonna go with the one I would put on a wedding dress — ruffles all the way!

Or…one tasteful ruffle. That’s all I need.

2. How old were you the first time you dyed your hair?

Does dyeing my mustache count? Haha.

Off the books, I was in middle school, and there was a bottle of contraband Sun-In involved. I put some in my bangs, but it didn’t really do anything.

The first official time was with hair color out of a box, right when I started college. Jen and I went to the Thrifty in our neighborhood, bought two boxes of blonde hair color (yes, blonde), and used that on my hair to lighten it.

We’d heard from a friend of a friend that that’s what you had to use to lighten black hair… It worked a little. It was kind of reddish and uneven, but thank goodness my hair was dark and you couldn’t really tell how uneven the color was.

3. Can you multitask while you eat?

Honestly, what can’t I do while I’m eating?? I work with a diva kitty and a two year old.

You can do a lot of things with a baby in your lap. Like, I can feed her. I can feed myself. I can pet the cat with my foot. All at the same time.

We were at lunch yesterday sitting outside at a place in Corte Madera, and El Hub couldn’t even eat a sandwich with Connor sitting sidesaddle on his right hip. I kept thinking, “amateur.”

4. Have you ever slept in a tent?

Yes, and I can count them all on one hand. And I plan to keep all the times I ever sleep in a tent on one hand going forward. Because I don’t like sleeping in tents. 🙂

5. What’s something you’d like for your kitchen?

Well, if a complete remodel isn’t an option, I’d love a new sink and faucet… That’s the practical side of me talking. The impractical side of me wants all of the purple Le Creuset pieces I saw at Sur La Table yesterday. There was an ombre baking pan and a purple dutch oven shaped like a flower… I died a little. ?

The pink drink that’s NOT the pink drink

This might look like a pink drink, and when I hold it in my hand and shake the ice cubes around, it sounds like a pink drink, but it’s not a pink drink! You know I’m a Starbucks junkie, and so I’m always trying new things, and this drink is super tasty — not too sugary or calorie laden (if you’re concerned about any of those things). It’s a passion iced tea, unsweetened, with a splash of coconut milk.

It tastes like the pink drink but isn’t nearly as sweet… I think it’s super good! I got this yesterday when I was walking around the mall, and since it looks like it’s going to be sunny here again, I may have to go back for another one.

I hope wherever you are today, you’re feeling warm and happy. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:

1. Fringe or ruffles?
2. How old were you the first time you dyed your hair?
3. Can you multitask while you eat?
4. Have you ever slept in a tent?
5. What’s something you’d like for your kitchen?