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Chantecaille

Beauty Chat! Big Cats for Chantecaille and the Rise of the Instagram Face

August 25th, 2022 by Karen 15 Comments

I like big cats and I cannot lie!

By the way, if you sang those words to yourself with the melody from “Baby Got Back,” PROPS.

Big cats, specifically black jaguars and cougars, decorate the newest fall eyeshadow palettes by Chantecaille. As a feline enthusiast, all I have to say is MEOW!

I’m intrigued by the blue and bronze shadows in the Black Jaguar palette ($75). I’ve been into luminous lids lately, and the colors and finishes seem purr-fect for glowing lids with a soft swish of liner.

The neutrals in the Cougar collection palette (also $75) look so chic, though. I know I’d reach for it often, although I’m not sure how the shades would translate on tan skin — might be a touch too light.

If you had to choose between the two, which one would you take home? I’m going to put both in my cart, along with a jar of Future Skin which I’ve wanted for ages, just for fun.

There are also four gorgeous new Lip Chics, too. I think I would like either of the shades from the Cougar Collection. Both Prairie Smoke (a mocha nude) and Yarrow (a peachy nude), look like colors I would love.

Side note, it’s cray how makeup pricing has increased with the times. Back in 2010 a Lip Chic was $30! Now it’s $48.

On another beauty note, I read a story about the rise of “Instagram Face” in the “New Yorker” this morning, and it bummed me out.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The New Yorker (@newyorkermag)

Apparently the accessibility of fillers combined with little-to-no recovery time plus the Instagram algorithm are changing how women want to look, and there’s a movement toward everyone looking like the same “sexy baby tiger” on social media.

How do you feel about this?

I want to be diplomatic about it because hey, if it’s what you like and you have the means, do your thang, right?

But I can’t help but feel sad reading this story because I can also see myself as a young, impressionable preteen or teen, and I know this relentless messaging would make me feel bad about myself.

I realize wearing makeup, changing you hair color, getting a perm or shaving your legs is also altering one’s appearance to fit into a certain idea, but filling in your brows with a pencil to enhance them doesn’t seem as extreme as spending thousands on filler to look like every other Kim K. clone on Insta.

Anywho, these are the beauty-related things that are on my mind right now.

Unrelated, but I didn’t realize it was Thursday until, like, 8 in the morning! Been a crazy week. Connor already caught her first cold of the school year and nobody in our house has been sleeping well.

I’m off to buy chicken soup and Vicks (the Filipino mom’s cure for everything).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup

Makeup of the Day With Chantecaille Favorites

March 31st, 2022 by Karen 4 Comments

chantecaille willow lip chic before after
I’m wearing the new Chantecaille Lip Chic in Willow!

I’m on a Chantecaille kick at the moment. Do you have any favorites from the line? I could use your recommendations, because during my next beauty haul, I plan on getting a couple things — a powder blush, for sure, and maybe a foundation?

Anywho, I’m wearing a few staple favorites in this look: Mermaid Eye Mattes in Sylvie (love this all over my lids) and Bee (fabulous for smoking out the outer corners or lining lash lines), and the Cheek Gelee Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush in Happy.

Chantecaille products clockwise from the lipstick: Lip Chic in Willow, Mermaid Eye Matte in Bee, Mermaid Eye Matte in Sylvie and Cream Blush in Happy

I’m also wearing the new Lip Chic shade in Willow. It’s a lightweight, glossy cool pink. The formula has hyaluronic acid for extra moisture.

Love it! It’s elegant but not fussy, which totally suits my makeup vibe right now.

See the beautiful giraffe illustration on the cap? The website and the packaging say the Chantecaille supports the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, although it’s a little unclear if a portion of the proceeds from the product gets donated to the Foundation.

Friday’s just around the corner. Hang in there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chantecaille, Face of the Day (FOTD), Makeup

Checking in: Black Friday Beauty Shopping and Epic Stretchy Joggers by Zella

November 26th, 2021 by Karen 3 Comments

biossance jar empty

Hi, friend. Happy Friday to ya!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent ours with family friends who invited us over for a full spread with turkey and all the fixings! I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it was to sit at a table and just chat and eat. Seriously, I don’t think I’ll ever take having a meal with people for granted ever again. It really is a gift to share food and time with others.

Before we left for dinner last night, I was getting dressed and had a moment when I actually contemplated non-stretchy pants, aka jeans, LOL! Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking. I ended up going with a pair of joggers and I don’t regret the decision at all. If you’re in the market for super comfy pants with pockets, grab these Zella Soft Pocket Joggers from Nordstrom ASAP. I have them in both black and gray and wear them all the time. You can dress them up with a casual blazer and a white tee, or dress them down with a sweatshirt and a denim jacket. I love, love, love them!

Anywho, I was chatting with a few gals in the comments yesterday about Black Friday beauty shopping, and I had to mention a gift set that I bought from Biossance.

They’re currently having a Black Friday sale with 30% off on everything on the site, so I wanted to pick up a jar of Squalane + Omega Repair Cream. It’s a rich face moisturizer packed with lipids, and I got it originally because the omega fatty acids are supposed to help with hyperpigmentation. I bought one last June for my birthday and have since fallen deeply in love!

biossance jar empty

While I was checking out the gift sets, I noticed one called Unstoppable Glow ($59), which contains a full-size jar of the Omega Cream, and travel-size bottles of their Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Serum and Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil. With the 30% off sale, it’s $41.

If you just want a jar, a regular full-size 1.6-ounce jar is usually $58, and with the sale it’s $40. There’s also a 3.3-ounce jumbo size ($75), which is marked down to $58, and with 30% off, it’s also $40!

v

One last thing about this sale. If you spend more than $75, you also get a free 11-piece bag of Biossance’s top-rated skin care products.

Other beauty sales I’m excited about are Kate Somerville (25% off site wide), Avene (25% off site wide), Ilia (20% off site wide) and Chantecaille (25% off site wide).

I’m off to go and eat some pancakes now. My brother is visiting and he’s offered to make breakfast. Can’t wait!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Avene, Biossance, Chantecaille, Just For Fun, Kate Somerville, Skin Care

Tell Me About Your Current Beauty Loves…

August 4th, 2021 by Karen 21 Comments

honest beauty get it together eyeshadow palette
The Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette, $19.99

Inquiring minds want to know! What shampoo, zit medicine, exfoliating face scrub, mask, liquid liner or eyeshadow has been making you swoon? Hair, makeup, skin care, perfume, you name it — please share. I want to hear the deets.

I’m always curious about the things my beauty buddies adore and recommend, so please don’t hoard this critical information! Share it with me! I want to know everything you’ve been into lately and why you love it.

Truth bomb — I’m partly motivated to ask this because I’ve got a Nordstrom birthday gift card burning a hole in my Kate Spade purse. 😁

Here are some of my beauty loves as of late, and if it feels like I talk about these things nonstop here…it’s almost certainly because I do, ha! (Sorry, not sorry.)

Things have changed a bit as I’ve scaled down my beauty collection over the past few months. Like, I’ve discovered that I’m straight-up happier with a smaller number of products I absolutely adore than I am with a larger collection of items I hardly ever wear. This has also changed the focus of my coverage here on MBB, for sure, so before I get into the lurvable products themselves, I just want to say thank you for sticking around. 😊

Anywho, my current (as of right at this precise moment) beauty loves! (Note: Subject to change in about 10 minutes.)

Honest Beauty Get It Together Palette

For now at least, this feels like the only palette I need! There’s a good variety of colors and finishes in it (mostly mattes and satins, with a few non-disco shimmers). It also includes all of the practical-slash-useful shades one needs to put the fine-tuned finishing touches on an eye look, like a matte bone (which I use as an all-over lid base in lieu of a separate primer) and a matte black (handy for lining or smoking out any of the colors). Quality-wise, the shadows blend well and don’t crease, so this is a winner, winner chicken dinner. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

honest beauty get it together eye palette swatches

Chantecaille Cheek Gelee and Radiance Gel Bronzer

So, it’s hot here right now, like it is throughout huge swaths of the Western United States, and the thought of wearing anything remotely powder based on my face…is very unappealing to me. I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing five pounds of product on my skin. Consequently, this gel blush and bronzer add casual, lightweight color and life to my cheeks while simultaneously not spotlighting ye olde pores, and they stay put even when I’m glistening with nature’s highlighter, a.k.a. when I’m sweating buckets. LOL!

When you wanna wear blush and bronzer but can’t be bothered with foundation, there’s Chantecaille gel blush and bronzer.
chantecaille blush bronzer swatches
Cheek Gelee Blush in Happy (cute name, yeah?) and Radiance Gel Bronzer. I’m 100% sure you’re gonna ask me about the polish. It’s Chanel Purple Ray. 😊

Chanel Boy de Chanel Brow Pencil

This brow pencil is sold in Chanel’s makeup line marketed for guys, but don’t let that stop ya! It’s sweat-proof (YES) and perfectly pigmented. Yes, you can see it, but ooh — it looks so natural!

mac crossfade april 22
That’s Chanel Boy Brow Pencil in my brows! I’m also wearing Laura Mercier Wheat Eye Basics, NARS Isolde Duo, NARS Coconut Grove (worn wet as liner) and NARS Bengali eyeshadow singles, Chanel Espresso Liner and Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

I rarely swoon over brow pencils, but this one will sweep even the most seasoned makeup lover off her feet, because it works so darn quickly. Figuratively, I can do my brows with a snap of my fingers! If El Hub ever asked me to buy him a brow pencil…I’d buy him this one, and then I’d keep it for myself. 😁

Can’t wait to hear about yours!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Chantecaille, Honest Beauty, Just For Fun, Makeup

A Summery Makeup Look With Coral Cheeks and Lips and Blue Lashes, and Carrying On

July 28th, 2021 by Karen 13 Comments

colourpop blue ya mind

OK, so fun fact: right before I put on this makeup, I had a minor meltdown. Long story short, El Hub is back in the office and Connor’s at camp, so it’s just me and Rosie all by ourselves at home, and even though I love her torbie-tude and her sassy company, I’m having trouble adjusting to being alone again. For over a year now, I’ve constantly had someone nearby, and now that I’m by myself again for long stretches of time, well, it’s weird. It’s waaaaaay too quiet. I thought I would love having so much time to myself, but when the house is silent and all I can hear is the hum of the air conditioner…I feel isolated and very lonely.

Anyway, I’ve been trying this new thing where I “lean in” to whatever uncomfortable feelings I’m experiencing, so that instead of fighting it, I allow myself to just feel the feelings and let the sadness pass over me. Does that make sense? Leaning into it for me usually means walking for 10 minutes or so on the treadmill or outside to get my body moving, and listening to music. Sometimes I cry to get it all out. After I do this, I usually feel better.

Yesterday this was the song I listened to while I walked…

Afterwards, I felt so much better that I even put on some makeup. Not a ton, but just enough to feel like myself again. I did blue lashes with coral cheeks and lips and a touch of bronzer. Very summery!

I only used a handful of products…

colourpop blue ya mind products

The main focal point is the blue mascara, which, by the way, is Blue Ya Mind by Colourpop. I bought it on a whim at Ulta last month, and eh, it’s just OK. I probably won’t buy it again because it’s not particularly great at curling or fattening up lashes on its own, but when I layer it on top of a waterproof mascara, it’s doable. I have it here on top of a single coat of waterproof Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara.

I’m also wearing my favorite gel bronzer and gel blush by Chantecaille on my cheeks and lids. I like to do a 50/50 mix on my cheeks, let that layer dry, and then dab just the blush on the apples of my cheeks. For my eyes, I applied the bronzer on my lids with my fingers. SO EASY!

The blue lashes and bronzy coral cheeks pair well with a matte coral lipstick (MAC Crossfade), but I think a coral gloss would’ve looked good with this too.

colourpop blue ya mind

colourpop blue ya mind

colourpop blue ya mind

Makeup worn in this look

    BASE: Avene Solaire UV Tinted Mineral Sunscreen, Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Sand
  • EYES: Chanel Boy de Chanel Brown Pencil in Deep Brown, Colour Pop Volumizing Mascara in Blue Ya Mind, Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer, Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
  • CHEEKS: Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer, Chantecaille Cheek Gelee in Happy
  • LIPS: MAC Crossfade

Is anybody else out there experiencing something similar? I can’t be the only person having trouble adjusting to the latest new normal.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Avene, Chanel, Chantecaille, Colour Pop, Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup

Shelter-In-Place Face of the Day: Soft Peach, Rose and Buttery Brown Tones

April 7th, 2020 by Karen 11 Comments

Ya know, seeing as how I spend every waking moment right now at home or somewhere within close proximity outside, and I can technically wear any kind of makeup I want, since my boss (the coywolf) is easygoing regarding the corporate dress code, you’d think I’d be all over runway-ready glossy red lids and lips and ’80s-style striped blush on my cheekbones…

My makeup situation is nowhere near this exciting at the moment…

But, alas, absolutely nothing exciting has been happening ’round these parts.

To be honest, I haven’t felt like wearing much makeup, and when I have worn makeup, I’ve only been able to muster enough to energy to do the yooj barely-there base and watercolor neutrals — a.k.a. my makeup safe place.

soft peach tones

For now, I’m not gonna fight it. I’m just going to go with the shelter-in-place flow, and keep wearing what makes me feel good until I feel like pushing the envelope. So, today I wore peach and rose tones on my lids, lips and cheeks, with a Duchess of Sussex-caliber barely there base.

soft peach tones

soft peach tones

Are you still wearing makeup (or dressing up, doing your hair, etc.) at home? Inquiring bored beauty-loving minds want to know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chantecaille, Estee Lauder, Face of the Day (FOTD), Hourglass, Makeup

All Star Products for 3-Minute, No-Makeup Makeup

February 4th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

Some days you have 20 minutes to put on your makeup…and some days you only have three.

Yesterday was a “three” day for me. I had to drop off Connor at preschool in the morning before heading to the bakery, as usual, but because I was running late (I’d just finished making her lunch, and then I accidentally dropped EVERYTHING on the floor, ARRGHHH! It happened in slow motion, too! I’ve re-lived those sliced bananas falling to the ground about 20 times already.), I only had a sliver of time to transform myself from full-on two-month-turned zombie to quasi, two-days-dead semi-zombie. Three minutes, to be precise, and yes, I timed it, because without a timer, I’d never make it out the door on time.

I’ll be the first to admit that there isn’t anything glamorous or dramatic or life-changing about this makeup, but you know what? Sometimes I crave looks like this, like on the days when lunch falls on the ground (THOSE BANANAS ARE STILL HAUNTING ME), and the last thing I need is to be deeply challenged by my concealer or crease color.

charlotte tilbury tan flawless filter

If I were to compare this type of makeup to a hair style, it would be like running a brush through your hair, and putting it in a neat, low ponytail before donning a cute baseball cap. 🙂

The real MVP in this look: Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter

charlotte tilbury flawless filter tan

I love and wear it ALL THE FREAKIN’ TIME (my shade is 5 Tan). This tinted moisturizer has very fine pearlescent particles that make your skin look dewy (but not oily), and it gives enough coverage to hide redness and ever-so-slightly diffuse pigmentation and freckles. It’s also still somewhat sheer and doesn’t look thick.

(You will not look like you’re wearing a mask.)

From a few feet away, most folks won’t even be able to tell you’re wearing makeup. They’ll just assume you have naturally flawless skin. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOOOOOOVE IT.

Other key players

What else is doing the heavy lifting here?

chantecaille gel

I’m also wearing two gel cheek products by Chantecaille — their Radiance Gel Bronzer and Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush in Happy. I mixed a few dots of both on the back of my hand and patted/blended the combo directly on my cheeks with fingers. Just like Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, these two moderately pigmented products deposit natural-looking color and don’t look obvious or heavy, so they’re ideal for fresh-faced cheek color that lasts all day long.

I wear them all the time and love them to bits.

Eyes and lips

I did the bare minimum on my eyes and lips.

A quick lash curl and a couple layers of mascara (IT Cosmetics Superhero, a superstar for thickness and curl) and a dash of dark brown eyeliner on the upper waterline (just at the roots of the lashes) immediately opens up my eyes.

covergirl clean fresh lip oil

Next, I quickly filled in my brows with MAC Brun eyeshadow using an angled brush, then ran a clear brow gel through them. I like to do the clear brow gel last because it mellows any overly dark spots.

Last, but not least, I lined and filled in my lips with a nude liner, then topped them off with a glossy lip tint.

Done and DONE, in less than three minutes! 🙂

Isn’t it nice sometimes to just get your face on quickly so you can jump directly into your day?!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chantecaille, Charlotte Tilbury, Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To

Glittery Green Gradient Wings: A Quick and Easy Holiday Makeup Look

December 11th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

urban decay stage dive mainline

Current dilemmas du jour?

  1. What to do with the five pounds of lemons Rosie’s former foster mom gave me (she has a tree in her yard that produces a RIDICULOUS amount of lemons).
  2. What’s some festive and colorful holiday makeup that won’t take me till Valentine’s Day to finish? (I’m only half-kidding.)

As of yet, I still have no clue what to do with the lemons (ugh, lemon bars and lemonade? Maybe some kind of lemon marinade?), I figured out a trick to flying through different colorful looks.

And here it is…

Play with your winged liner. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS!

Like with this look here with glittery green gradient wings. It was surprisingly quick and easy to do.

The step-by-step

  1. Start by drawing your winged liner with a dark green matte liner as the base (I used Urban Decay Mainline). Be as subtle or dramatic as you like.
  2. Then, for a bright shimmer POP, layer a bright green glitter in the center (I’m wearing Urban Decay Stage Dive) on your lash line.
  3. Lastly, to create a color gradient, dip an angled brush into a black eyeshadow (MAC Carbon for life!), and pat that on top of the outer portion of your wing.

Green goes well with warm browns and peaches, which is what I’m wearing on my lids, lips on these cheeks in this look. If you want to be more adventurous, however, pink would be a playful complementary color… I’m just sayin’. 🙂

urban decay mainline side

urban decay stage dive front

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chantecaille, COVERGIRL, Eyes, Kahina, Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Revlon, Urban Decay

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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