Archives for May 2018

MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Havana

May 31st, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

mac havana extra dimension eye shadow — Havana oh-nah-nah

Girl… One day. One day I’ll sit down, put on my makeup for the day, and NOT do a brown smoky eye.

But today was not that day. 🙂

I had to run errands, and I wasn’t about to spend 45 minutes on my makeup just to buy some Charmin, so I went with something I’m (very) familiar with. I had to go to the pediatrician’s office to get a form for Connor’s pre-school enrollment, and then hit Target to get an industrial-sized case of toilet paper because last night I realized that we only had four rolls left in the house — total — which amplified my anxiety by like a million percent, so out came one of my favorite brown eyeshadows in the world, MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Havana.

I think it deserves more love than it gets.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

mac havana swatch — Oh, my gosh! It’s a floating arm!!

Side note: whenever I say “Havana,” I think of that Camila Cabello song.

Havana, oh-nah-nah… La-la-la-la-la-la Havana oh-nah-nah…

That’s about the only part I know, LOL!

[Continue reading…]

The NARS Orgasm 2018 Collection! (Yes, More Orgasm)

May 31st, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

nars orgasm blush lip balm k — Bare skin (just under-eye concealer), with NARS Orgasm Blush on my cheeks and Afterglow Balm on my lips

NARS Orgasm will forever and ever be the most embarrassing blush to say in front of your grandma. Or your kid! Gee, I wonder how that conversation’s gonna go. (Connor: “Mama, what does orgasm mean? Is it a color?” Me: “Ummm…”)

Chances are you’ve heard about NARS Orgasm… Yeah, I figured. It’s iconic. This golden peachy pink gets written about all the time and described as “universally flattering,” and it’s one of the cornerstones of the NARS color collection. Every year NARS does a few limited edition items with different iterations of the product, and this year there are three pieces in The Orgasm 2018 Collection — an LE oversized Orgasm blush for $38 (if you can’t get enough of it!), a loose highlighting powder ($28) and a darling lip balm in rose gold packaging ($28).

Oversized Orgasm Blush ($38)

My relationship with Orgasm blush runs hot and cold. I’ve worn it, but not much lately. Sometimes I feel like it’s too shimmery for me, like whenever I’m wearing a good amount of base makeup, ’cause then all I see are PORES, PORES, PORES!

But lately, since I’ve been doing the whole minimal base/no base thing, which is what I did over the Memorial Day weekend, I have a greater appreciation for Orgasm. It’s fabulous on bare skin or on top of a minimal base, like a tinted moisturizer.

nars orgasm blush 2018 — NARS Orgasm Blush 2018

All weekend long I wore under-eye concealer and really nothing else on the rest of my face to even out my skin, and with this blush, I find that the less you’re wearing under it, the better, because when the shimmer isn’t sitting on top of foundation or concealer or powder, it doesn’t highlight pores as much it does otherwise, so what you mostly see is the peachy pink color, which just looks so fresh and youthful.

It looks exactly like my cheeks after I finish a HIIT workout — flushed and healthy and a little bit dewy — and maybe even 5 years younger? (Keep tellin’ yourself that, Karen, LOL!) And that’s when I totally get the magic of NARS Orgasm. So, yeah, I’m feeling the oversized blush a lot this year — but only on bare skin! If you’re a makeup minimalist, you’ll like it.

By the way, if you have this blush sitting around but don’t wear it often because you feel like it’s too shimmery, try buffing it down like CRAZY with a clean blush brush after you apply it. A powder blush works too, as does a skunk brush. Any big face brush with a fluffy head should work. The buffing disperses most of the golden shimmer, so all that gets left behind is the peachy pink (just be mindful of not buffing away your foundation and concealer, if you’re wearing them).

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Orgasm Illuminating Loose Powder ($28)

The loose highlighter caters to the “more is more makeup crowd” that likes a lot of bling. I’m not into a frosty highlight, so it’s too shimmery for my taste, but you might like it if you love highly reflective cheek bones.

nars orgasm illuminating loose powder — NARS Orgasm Illuminating Loose Powder

And even though I feel like the 0.09-oz. jar is small for $28, on the plus side, you don’t need to use a lot…and the powder grains are very fine.

❤️❤️ 2 out of 5 hearts.

[Continue reading…]

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

May 31st, 2018 by Karen 22 Comments

I may or may not need someone to pour a bucket of relaxing lavender-scented lotion on me if/when I watch some of the movies on my summer watch list.

LIKE THIS ONE:

First time I tried, I couldn’t make it through the trailer! I read about it in Entertainment Weekly, and apparently when it was screened at some film festivals this year, people left the theater screaming and crying!

It comes out June 8th — the day before my b-day (GEMINI IN THE HOUSE!).

Yup, my movie wish list is already about a mile long because El Hub and I only go every few months, which is probably just as well since I’m the person who has to take a cat nap now in the middle of a movie. It’s happened in every movie we’ve gone to since Connor was born. Put me in a dark room, and BAM! — I’m asleep. ?

Granted, I don’t think that will happen if we go see Hereditary (don’t you just love Toni Collette?).

It looks scary as FRACK.

I also want to see…

My buddy Suz in the comments mentioned Annihilation the other day, and it looks nice and intense. It stars Natalie Portman, and I see it available on iTunes to rent. I think we’ll watch that this weekend.

And, of course, there’s Crazy Rich Asians…

I mostly want to watch it for Constance Wu because I love her in Fresh Off the Boat. She’s hilarious on that show — totally reminds me of my Asian tiger mom in the ’80s and ’90s. Hopefully I can read the book before seeing the film!

How about you? Have you seen any good movies lately? What’s on your watch list?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Indie Beauty Brand Spotlight: Spinster Sisters Co.

May 30th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

spinster sisters body butter — Out of all of these scents, I like the Lavender one best.

No, the Spinster Sisters are not an ’80s new wave synth pop duo. It’s the name of an indie beauty brand from Colorado that I spotted at a bookstore this afternoon. (Side note: I went looking for Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians, but they didn’t have it, gah! I really want to read it before the movie comes out.)

spinster sisters soap — Ah, so old-timey…

I love their logo! I can picture two spinster sisters in an old-timey apothecary with glass bottles and brass industrial shelves, crushing herbs by hand with a mortar and pestle before brewing up a batch of soap and body butter. I wanna display their soaps and lotions on a decorative shelf in the guest bathroom. 🙂

spinster sisters lilac — This one smells fresh and light like spring.

spinster sisters orange blossom rose petal — This one smells exactly like my orange tree when the flowers are blossoming.

[Continue reading…]

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup Is Legit

May 30th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

estee lauder double wear light 4 flash — Loving this foundation by Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light ($42) is legit, and I know this because of my hot lunch date today with Connor and El Hub (Tabs would have come, too, but he was booked… BOO!).

It was chilly here today, so we got ramen…

Anywho… I didn’t wear a lot of makeup last weekend, and I was in the mood for a little something-something today, so while I was looking around for inspiration this morning, I found this easy bronze eyeshadow look from a MAC artist I just found on Instagram.

She’s so cute! Her name is Pelin Tutgun, and she’s from Turkey. She posted a video using one of my favorite MAC eyeshadows ever, Bronze (if you don’t have it yet, it’s amazing), a black liner and mascara.

And that’s it!

3 adımda makyaj videolarına devam ?? Kullandığım ürünler 1-Bronze eyeshadow – 213 Brush 2-Smolder Eyekhol -228 Brush 3-in Extreme dimension 3D Lash Mascara . . . @maccosmetics @maccosmeticsturkiye . . #maccosmetics #makeupartist #mbfwistanbul #macartistchallenge #makeup #brown #black #eyemakeup #make4glam #wakeupandmakeup #makyaj #highlighter #highlight #smokeyeyes #smokeyeye #eyeliner #bridalmakeup #gelinmakyajı

A post shared by Pelin Tutgun (@pelintutgun) on May 9, 2018 at 11:17pm PDT

I love the end result and plan to do this look again soon. It’s kinda glam, but not overly glam, and best of all, it’s simple.

Makeup doesn’t have to be complicated all the time, ya know? I mean, it’s fun to get up in there with everything and the kitchen sink every once in a while, but I there’s something to be said for easy-peasy.

estee lauder double wear light — I’m an NC42 in MAC and wear shade 4.0, but as we get into summer and I pick up a little tan, I’ll switch to 4.5, which is tad darker.

[Continue reading…]

Have You Ever Had a “Mom” Haircut?

May 30th, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

I’ve had “mom hair” on my mind lately — pretty much ever since I saw this Saturday Night Live skit a couple weeks ago (thanks for sending it, Jen!).

Haven’t laughed that hard in ages. ?

When I think of “mom hair,” I think of my mom and the moms of my friends in the 80s, many of whom had some iteration of Princess Diana’s short hair style.

Seems like the current version is shorter on the sides, but with smooth, severe bangs and spiky knives in the back.

Even though I don’t think I’ve had a trademark mom hair style yet (at least I can’t remember), because I really like being able to just put my hair up into a ponytail, this skit still totally resonates with me.

Oh, my gosh! — that part when one of the ladies talks about waking up after a fugue state at HomeGoods and finding a rustic sign in her hands that says “HOME” but not knowing how it got there? Or getting the sudden urge to turn your bathroom into the beach?

BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.

I’ve also had mom hair on my mind lately because of this post on Racked about mom haircuts and sexuality.

[Continue reading…]

NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks Are Perfect for the Playground

May 29th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

Unwritten Rule of the Playground #327: Adults are to refrain from wearing glam makeup to the playground (of course I’ll have to break this rule eventually, right?). I’ve been wearing these NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks when I take Connor to the playground lately, and they’ve been great. For the record, they do not violate rule #327.

connor and k at playground — At the playground, ya know?

They’re $30 each and available in 10 shades. The 0.22-oz. twist-up sticks come with a reusable storage tin that also has a mirror.

NUDESTIX Nudies Tinted Blur Sticks ($30)

I’m not a huge fan of products that require me to exert massive amounts of ~~man~~ woman power to achieve no-makeup makeup — like buffing, patting, stippling, setting, spraying. That’s too much work! These cream sticks combine a sheer tint and a blurring face primer to get it done in a few swipes and by quickly blending with my fingers.

They make my pores look a little less…pore-ey, and my skin looks slightly more even-toned. My freckles are definitely still in the house, though, so FYI, these are the kind of base designed to showcase your natural skin as much as possible, so, if you were hoping for a full-coverage product, this ain’t it.

“This natural-looking tint blurs to create the appearance of smooth texture and even skin tone. The lightweight, cream-to-powder finish is suitable for all skin types.

Tinted, light-reflecting minerals soften the appearance of uneven skin tone to provide a youthful, diffused glow. Shade-adjusting pigments blend with your real skin tone coming through to naturally tint your skin. The overall effect is a soft-matte glow that’s never flat or blah.

Mix your stix: Use this easy multitasker for all-over tinted coverage, a blurring primer, a blotting cream, highlight, or contour. Use Nudies Tinted Blur Stix in shades lighter or deeper than your skin tone to highlight, contour, and define your features. Just draw and blend.

Your skin will look and feel like your skin, but better. So let’s go nude and get real.”

— sephora.com

meghan markle inspired — In action! (I was going for “Meghan Markle at the royal wedding.”)

[Continue reading…]

Oh! — Let Me Tell You How Dancing Went on Saturday Night

May 29th, 2018 by Karen 36 Comments

the triumvirate — The Triumvirate lives!!! That’s my friends Naaman, (a very sweaty!) me and Cindy.

GIRL, it took a tube of Icy Hot, two days and four naps for me to recover from going out dancing ? on Saturday night, but it was so worth it. We had a blast.

Mostly, the best fun occurred between 11 – 11:30, which was shortly before we “peaced out,” because the DJ at Public Works in SF’s Mission, which is where we went, saved the ’90s hits we know and love for late in the evening.

The theme of the night was hip-hop hits from 1979-1999, but the DJ was stuck in 1979 from about 9:30 to 11, at which point Black Sheep started playing, and Naaman, Cindy and I (formerly known as “The Triumvirate”) lost our minds. ?

That’s also about when I took the pic at the top, which is why I’m extra dewy in it. (There’s three gallons of sweat rolling down my face.)

Some of the best parts of nights like this are the unintentionally funny ones, ya know? Like, we were dancing right next to a big group of friends, and one of the people in the group was a very tall woman who was wielding a huge black leather bag that was stuffed to the gills with something, and whenever she would dance up behind one of us, the bag would strike. Repeatedly! It turned into a game of round-robin, with a different one of getting trapped by the bag and pummeled for a while before we would switch places. “OK, it’s someone else’s turn to get the crap beaten out of them by this bag for a few minutes, haha!”

The lipstick I’m wearing at the top is MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Personal Statement (which, sadly, appears to have been discontinued, but if you want something similar, try Tailored to Tease), and I knew I made the right choice when Cindy, who isn’t a makeup person, watched me apply it, crinkled her nose and said, “It’s kinda florescent.”

And I was like, “That’s what I was going for. 🙂 ”

[Continue reading…]