Clinique

Two $22 Liquid Liners Worthy of Wings

June 17th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

urban decay perversion waterproof liner — Easy to use and won’t quit on you.

I worked out hard for an hour at the crack of dawn, then showered in water hot enough to melt bones, AND THEN I gallivanted for an entire day wearing black cat-colored PERVERSION Waterproof Fine-Point liquid liner Eye Pen by Urban Decay, and not once did I look in the mirror and think, “Ew, gross… I should probably take this off.”

I’m now 100% convinced that I could enter my final resting pyramid (with all of my kitty companions, of course), explore the afterworld for 2,000 years, and then be discovered with my cat eye flicks shiny, glossy, pitch black and totally intact. Yes, this liner is that serious.

First, I should say that I’m a Clinique liquid liner fan through and through because of how easy it is to draw crisp edges with their flexible pen tip. I also love that their formula isn’t too runny and goes exactly where I want it to go. IMO, it’s the overall best liquid liner around, but I think UD PERVERSION is very nearly equally great. It matches Clinique’s iconic status, and it’s just as easy to use, but the final look has even more oomph. It’s blacker than Clinique’s, too, with a high shine finish vs. Clinique’s demi-matte, so it draws attention in a way Clinique’s does not.

Interestingly, both of them are also $22.

UD’s dries quicker, so you don’t have quite as much time to fix wonky wings, although you can always correct them with a Q-tip dipped in an oil-based remover, of course, or do what I do, which is just say, “Eff it” and go with it, man. Not everything’s gotta be Insta-perfect, and most of the time nobody’s gonna notice anyway, unless your wings are, like, totally perpendicular, LOL!

All told, I’d recommend the Clinique one if you want a subtle black liquid liner that’s totally foolproof, and the UD one if you want to make a bolder statement.

Either way, though, you can’t go wrong.

BOMB bread at Trader Joe’s

Now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d type, since almost all of the sliced bread I’ve ever gotten from TJ’s (with the exception of the brioche) has been nothing short of tragic.

trader joes organic whole wheat bread — Hella good

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A Detailed Deep Dive Into My Current Skincare Routine

April 25th, 2019 by Karen 27 Comments

current skin care top pic — All about retinol these days, babes.

I’ve been meaning to do an updated skin care routine breakdown, and today seems like a good day for it. But before I jump in, I feel like I should let you that I’m standing in my bathroom right now looking into my cabinet, which stands just behind and above the toilet, and having PTSD flashbacks of my Velvet Teddy lipstick falling into the toilet. ?

I keep hearing that *plunk* over and over again…

That said, here we go!

Everything I’m doing in my routine now revolves around how sensitive my skin is feeling on any given day, because I started using a retinol with vitamin C recently. It’s called Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C Power Serum, and I’m trying to ramp up slowly to be able to use it seven days a week. Right now, I’m at three days, and I find that introducing it slowly over weeks and watching everything else that I use in conjunction with it allows me to keep going without my skin turning red or freaking out.

Morning routine

In the morning, I’ll wash one of two ways. If my skin’s feeling extra tight and red and sensitive and angry, then I’ll do a few splashes of warm water on my bare face, then gently blot with a towel. If, on the other hand, my skin’s feeling OK, then I’ll use a squirt or two of Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser directly on bare skin (I’ll work it in with my fingers). Then I’ll remove it with a washcloth dampened with warm water. After that, I’ll do a few splashes of ice cold water to help me wake up.

At that point, I’ll wait…usually between 30 minutes and an hour (depends on how much time I have and what I’m doing in the morning), and then I’ll apply all of my skin treatments.

I wait because I want my skin to be completely dry before I put anything aggressive on there, because if I don’t wait, and my skin is wet when I apply a BHA or benzoyl peroxide, they’ll just aggravate it even more.

So. Completely dry!

current skin care routine — It’s less complicated than it looks, I swear!

At that point, I’ll do an eye cream. (Right now I’m using this one by Nyakio, and I think it’s just “eh.” I’ll replace it eventually with something else when I get around it.) Then I’ll use two pumps of my ride-or-die Kate Somerville Anti Bac Acne Clearing Lotion all over my face to prevent the pimples from taking over.

After that, I’ll apply a thin layer of Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream (which has been my skin savior ever since I introduced the retinol), followed by a healthy dollop of sunscreen, specifically Clinique Super Defense Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 for Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin.

Sometimes, before I do the two pumps of Anti Bac, if I feel like my skin can handle it, I’ll do a little with Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, just because I like to sneak some exfoliation in during the day if I can. I’ll do that two or three mornings a week, so it’s not an everyday thing for me.

Fast forward to the evening…

First, a double cleanse. On completely dry skin (as in my makeup is still on), I’ll massage an oil cleanser on my face and eyes to break everything down. I like DHC Deep Cleansing Oil or Fresh Seaberry for this.

At that point, I’ll take a clean, warm washcloth and gently wipe everything off. Next, I’ll do a second cleanse with either Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, if I haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup, or if I haven’t been sweating; or the H2O Plus Elements Keep It Fresh Cleanser. I use that one when I’ve been wearing a little more makeup, or if I’ve been perspiring a lot. It’s just a stronger, more potent gel cleanser.

Again, I wait from 30-60 minutes (this generally depends on how tired I am), then apply eye cream, and I’ve been using this one called Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Supercharged Complex.

It’s OK… I’ve yet to find an eye cream that blows my mind.
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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Lots O’ Latte

April 8th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

I swear to you…I don’t just love the Clinique Lots O’ Latte ($18.50) cream shadow stick because it’s named after a coffee drink, although that might have a bit to do with it.

Mostly, I like wearing this semi-sheer neutral golden taupe because it makes my lids glow with a lovely luminous sheen.

If Fuller Fudge is my Clinique cream shadow for sultry and smoky lids, then Lots O’ Latte is the one I wear for polished and professional. Like with Fuller Fudge, when you swipe it directly on your lids, then quickly blend it with your finger or a fluffy domed brush like a 217, then add liner and mascara, your eye makeup is DONE.

I think it totally works well for big nights out, too. Just add false lashes and a bright lip. Side note: You can pretty much wear it with any warm or cool lipstick of your choice, which is another added bonus.

clinique lots o latte swatch — Swatch out for this NC42 arm!

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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush

April 2nd, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

clinique blushing blush powder blush cupid — Love this blush for fast, fresh makeup! The lipstick is MAC Velvet Teddy, and the eyeshadow is Clinique Lots o’ Latte, by the way.

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

Five minute, 10 minute… Heck — three-minute makeup! You can do it *all* with Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush ($24 each). These totally goof-proof powder blushes are fantastic for those out-the-door days, which I’ve come to love and appreciate lately.

You may have noticed that I’ve been wearing shade Sunset Glow a lot lately (like, all last week!). It’s a beautiful golden coral with a satin finish, and the magic behind this (and all of the blushes in this family) is that it’s semi-transparent, meaning that you can take your blush brush, dip it into the pan, do a swish or two on your cheek, a quick blend at the edges, and be totally and completely done. You won’t be stuck erasing a hard line of demarcation at the edges of your cheeks. Instead, you’ll find a soft, subtle gradient, and it almost just happens naturally if you load a brush with this blush and gently tap-tap-tap it a few times on your cheek. It’s like powder blush for dummies!

clinique blushing blush powder blush sunset glow cupid swatches — Built these up so you could see what they look like when they’re layered heavily. I’m an NC42 in MAC, but I think both of these blushes will look lovely on most skin tones.

And HELLO, flexibility. If I’m ever in the mood for more color on my cheeks, all I have to do is pop another layer or two on, because these blushes also build up beautifully.
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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Chubby Stick in Amp’d Up Apple

March 21st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

clinique ampd up apple chubby stick — TBH, this was more like 5-minute makeup! Concealer on cheeks and under the eyes: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Golden; eyeshadow: Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint in Ample Amber; mascara: MAC Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash; liner: MAC Coffee Eye Pencil; lipgloss: NARS No Regrets; AND BARE BROWS, AHHH!

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

This is gonna sound so cheesy, but this is my feel-good blush. ? I just feel really good when I wear it. It’s Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in Amp’d Up Apple, and it’s $24. When I put a bit of this beautiful matte pinkish brown on my cheeks, I look like I just finished a round of crossover jumping jacks (which are surprisingly difficult)!

Wearing this blush is like working out…without having to actually work out. Cheeks look lovely and healthy with Amp’d Up Apple’s wash of pink color, so you look like you *did* show up, and you’re ready to bring it. When you want a little more than basic contrast, it’s a great way to go. Methinks there’s something very chic French girl about it.

clinique ampd up apple chubby stick swatch — I’m an NC42, but Amp’d Up Apple should work well on most skin tones.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Fuller Fudge

March 18th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

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.

It doesn’t get speedier than this: Clinique Fuller Fudge.

Mmm, fudge… Now I want some See’s Candies. ?

Sorry! Sidetracked!

Anywho… I’ve talked about Clinique’s line of twist-up cream shadows before, but this shade — this one — is my favorite because it’s highly compatible with my lifestyle these days, and by that I’m talking about 10-minute makeup, which is just about all I do these days (maybe 15 minute makeup on a good day!).

The funny thing about this $18.50 shadow (well, funny to me) is that whenever I wear it, I get questions like, “What are you wearing on your lids? Is that a palette? Are you wearing a mix of creams and powders?”

People always assume I’m wearing something more complicated than it is, but nawwwww, it’s just Fuller Fudge. It just so happens to be fab.

It’s a one-stop smoky lid shop, the most delicious warm dark brown with enough soft shimmer in it to keep things from falling flat. When I wear it, I usually do a few swipes directly on my bare lids, then blend out the edges with a finger, or sometimes I’ll dip a 217 into whatever bronzer I plan to wear that day and use that instead.

A few windshield wiper motions here, a swish there, and voila! — I’ve buffed my way to elegant smoky lids that I can wear to pretty much anywhere, with pretty much any cheek and lip colors.
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Let’s Bond Over Blush

March 13th, 2019 by Karen 47 Comments

flesh beauty blushes — Flesh Tender Flesh Blushes in Caress (top) and Glaze (bottom), $26 each

Can we please bond over blush? Because I have a new appreciation for its power.

It’s REALLY powerful!

This occurred to me last week while conducting the “just one thing” experiment. I realized that applying blush on a bare face was one of the things that made the biggest impact.

Every beauty article ever written on blush basically says the same thing — that blush makes you look healthy and vibrant — but like, really, when you don’t have other stuff going on with your makeup and your face is otherwise bare, you can REALLY see just how powerful blush is.

Yeah, I’ve been loving on my blush a little extra lately. ?

flesh beauty mac clinique blushes — Current blush crushes

I have a couple new favorites, and they’re from a brand called Flesh, which is the line by Allure magazine founder Linda Wells (launched last summer and available at Ultar), and the powder blushes are bomb! I’ve been going back and forth between Caress, which is a matte tan/warm brown (almost looks like a bronzer), and Glaze, which is a deep reddish coral with subtle gold shimmer. I’ve had extremely dry skin for a couple weeks because of winter, and because I’ve been using a retinol at night, but when I wear these powder blushes, which are ridiculously smooth, I can’t even see the dry patches.

flesh glaze — I’m wearing Flesh Tender Flesh Blush in Glaze.

They practically float on top of my skin above the flakes. It’s super cool. Both colors, by the way, are somewhat intense, so if you tend to be heavy-handed with your blush (which I do sometimes because I’m so used to doing makeup for flash photography), just so ya know, grab a makeup sponge or a buffing brush — basically whatever you use to buff down your foundation or concealer — and stipple the leftover base makeup on top of the blush. That should tone down the brightness and lift away any excess product. Or, just, you know…go in with a light touch. That’ll work too! LOL!

Don’t ask me why I only just figured this out right now, but I bought this empty six-pan MAC blush palette years ago, and it didn’t occur to me until last week (!) that you can actually remove the frame that holds the pans and stick your blushes directly into the palette.

DUH, KAREN!

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Product Spotlight: Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser

March 6th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

clinique redness solutions cleanser — And my skin goes “AHHHH!”

Quick take: Here’s a hidden Clinique gem for anyone with red, irritated skin, or for anyone who simply loves creamy, moisturizing cleansers.

Ugh. Red patches.

So not fun! I started using a retinol product about three months ago, which has also meant that my skin freaks out every so often and the aggressive exfoliation triggers these red patches to appear. And MAN, those spots hurt like a mutha.

Yesterday I took a walk around the neighborhood, and the red spots on my neck were so itchy and sensitive that I couldn’t even zip up my hoodie all the way. The fabric rubbing against my neck felt like straight-up FIRE on my skin.

Thank the beauty gods for Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, which is one of those cleansers that’ll have your skin sighing with relief — AHHH! — after you wash your face.

It’s from the Clinique Redness Solutions line, which is their calming and soothing skin care collection for people with Rosacea or “reactive redness,” which is when an event, like a sunburn, or certain medications or retinol, in my case, causes your skin to become red and inflamed.

From clinique.com…

Details:
For any skin with occasional or persistent redness.

What It Is:
Non-drying cream cleanser is the first step in our Redness Solutions Regimen. Use the entire regimen to see an immediate improvement in visible redness.

What It Does:
Melts away makeup and impurities. Helps calm redness and irritation while preserving skin’s moisture balance.

Key Ingredients/Technology:
Probiotic Technology includes our patented, skin-soothing lactobacillus extract.

Ingredients:
Water\Aqua\Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sucrose, Isostearyl Palmitate, Peg-100 Stearate, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extrait D’Orge, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Cetearyl Glucoside, Camellia Sinensis (Yellow Tea) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea) Leaf Extract Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure, Algae Extract, Caffeine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyethylene, Glyceryl Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Sorbitol, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cholesterol, Linoleic Acid, Acetyl Carnitine Hcl, Glycine, Inulin, Tromethamine, Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl, Phytosphingosine, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Squalane, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Silica, Disodium Edta, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Yellow 5 (Ci 19140), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Mica

It’s a gentle moisturizing cream cleanser, so no bubbles, and the moment that it hits my skin, my face and neck immediately feel better…less itchy and tight, and just generally less angry. The smoothing “ahh!” effect lasts for hours afterwards, too, which I love.

If you wear minimal makeup, Redness Solutions can also double as a makeup remover, but if you’re a “foundation, concealer and setting powder” kinda girl (or guy), I’d suggest using a separate makeup remover first (I like Fresh Seaberry), and then doing a second cleanse with Redness Solutions.

But even if you don’t have redness, and perhaps just have sensitive skin and/or you prefer gentle, creamy cleansers, I still think you’ll like this, just because it’s so, so agreeable.
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