Covergirl

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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COVERGIRL Total Tease Mascara or Carnivorous Subtropical Plant?

July 20th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

covergirl total tease mascara review — Dude, that brush is CRAY-CRAY.

Girl, have you seen this mascara brush?? It is BANANAS.

Bananas. ?

It’s attached to COVERGIRL Total Tease Mascara and, as you can see, there’s a Venus flytrap-looking thing happening on one side of the brush…but the other side looks more traditional.

covergirl total tease mascara teaser-brush — Venus flytrap?

The reason for the Venus flytrap contraption stems (Get it? Plant stem?? Sorry…) from the idea of backcombing, which is when you use a teasing comb to add volume. So, you use the traditional side of the brush to separate and lengthen your lashes from root to tip, then use the little teasing comb in those hard-to-reach areas, like the inner and outer corners (or, in my case, that missing patch of lashes on my right eye), to “tease” those lashes out and make them look longer and separated.

covergirl total tease mascara wand — All about that separation and lift…

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Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 3

June 2nd, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

1. Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ($3.99 each)

I’m the weirdo who washes her hands about, oh, let’s see… 20 times a day? I’m so not kidding, either. And I’m REALLY picky about my hand soaps, but I thoroughly plan to love the dickens out of this bottle of Yes to Liquid Hand Soap because it doesn’t dry out my skin, even when I wash my hands hella times.

Also, the Marula Oil Mango var-eh-TAY smells like marvelous mangoes, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t smell fake, which is important if you wash your hands as much as I do, because, as you know, it’s nice to have a yummy fragrance waft up into yo’ nose.

It removes dirt, oils and all manner of baby goo, and it easily rinses off and doesn’t leave behind an annoying residue.

VERDICT: Need!

Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ingredients
Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Mangivera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal Linalool

2. E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

elf illuminating palette — E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

The four-pan E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette is darned-near perfect for the price. The finely milled powders look really expensive and natural.

The highlighters are on the neutral- and cool-toned sides, which is a cool surprise (haha, bad pun) because of how many highlighter palettes skew warm.

The shimmer in these shades is also low-key — which again makes them seem higher end than they are.

Heck, I’d go so far as to call these drugstore Hourglass Ambient powders.

VERDICT: Need!

E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ingredients
Talc, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Dimethicone, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Boron Nitride, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Ve), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)

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What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 3: The New Covergirl TruNaked Jewels Palette and the Absolute Best Tinted Moisturizer

February 15th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

covergirl truenaked jewels — Wearing the khaki-ish green from the Covergirl TruNaked Jewels palette on my lids and MAC Cork in my crease

I started this look intending for it to be springy, but now that I look and really think about it…with the blues and greens on my eyes and the warm cheeks…it’s probably more summer than spring. But hey, that’s OK! I’m totally down with a summery vibe right now.

I wanted to wear greens because of the new $12.99 Covergirl TruNaked Jewels Eyeshadow Palette.

That khaki green? I couldn’t get it on my lids fast enough.

covergirl trunaked jewels what i wore wednesday — Clockwise from the upper left: 1) MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue, 2) MAC Technakohl Liner in Take The Plunge, 3) MAC Eye Kohl in Minted, 4) MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone, 5) Benefit Hoola Bronzer, 6) Covergirl TruNaked Jewels, 7) MAC Satin Eye Shadow in Cork, 8) Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done in Medium Dark, 9) Covergirl So Lashy Blast Pro Mascara, 10) Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in 160 Profound Peach, 11) Benefit High Brow Glow

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue

MAC Technakohl Liner in Take The Plunge

MAC Eye Kohl in Minted

MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Covergirl TruNaked Jewels

MAC Satin Eye Shadow in Cork

Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done in Medium Dark

Covergirl So Lashy Blast Pro Mascara

Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in 160 Profound Peach

Benefit High Brow Glow

I did this technique where I layered different tones to make my own custom eye color, and I started by taking a bright shimmery emerald green liner (MAC Minted) and using it as an eyeshadow base by blending it on my lids and just barely into my crease. And I also lined my upper lash line and water lines with it.

covergirl truenaked jewels closeup — Lots o’ liner! I’m wearing Minted on my upper lash and water lines, and also as a base for the khaki green eyeshadow. And I’m wearing Take the Plunge on my lower water line and Petrol Blue on my lower lash line.

Next, I blended the khaki green from Covergirl TruNaked Jewels directly on top of Minted for a bright khaki with a hint of emerald green peeking through. Then I swept satiny brown MAC Cork into my crease.

Covergril TruNaked Jewels, by the way…it’s a’ight. If you’re thinking about getting a new drugstore palette, I’d probably go with Maybelline 24K instead. TruNaked Jewels is more sparkly and sheerer than I thought it would be, but you can bump up the pigment by wetting your brush first with something like MAC Fix+ or Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix (which is what I used before I patted it on top of the emerald green liner).

Also, the flecks of glitter in TruNaked Jewels are pretty big. They’re also nomadic, meaning that they like to go all over the place, so if you plan to use this palette, do your eyes first.

Even though I did for this look, I STILL ended up having to do a significant amount of cleanup under my eyes and on my cheeks.

Cheeks are MAC Coppertone Blush, and lips are Covergirl Profound Peach

I’ve really been into blue lower lash lines lately. Like, I did it last Wednesday, and I was in the mood to do it again today with a gradient of blue liners.

I applied a few layers of bright teal blue MAC Take the Plunge on my water line, then sketched a messy line with MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide on my lower lash line before immediately smudging it out.

Petrol Blue is a sparkly dark navy blue glitter liner, and the more you blend it out, the more glittery (glitterier?) it gets. Also, it sets quickly, so keep your blending brush on standby if you plan to blend it out.

Because my eyes were so sparkly, I kept my cheeks and lips glitter-free zones. That’s good old MAC Coppertone Blush (a perfect peachy brown blush when you’ve got a tan) and Benefit Hoola Bronzer on my cheeks. Lips are a long-wearing Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in Profound Peach.

Oh, my skin? Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done. I think it’s seriously THE BEST tinted moisturizer out right now. It blurs pores, evens everything out without looking fake or heavy, and you can easily blend it with your fingers. If you haven’t tried it, you must!

Cauliflower crust pizza is a thing

OK, I love cauliflower, but dagnabbit! — it’s all over the place.

So, like, I’m trying to eat fewer carbs, and it’s been so hard… The struggle is real! I’ve been trying different things, like at Trader Joe’s I found this cauliflower rice, which is basically a finely chopped cauliflower that you saute in olive oil or whatever, and it’s supposed to be… Allegedly, it’s a substitute for rice.

GIRL. It is not even close to rice. I would rather eat a thimble filled with real rice than a bucket of cauliflower rice.

I grew up eating rice every day for the first 18 years of my life, and this cauliflower rice just isn’t doing it for me…

Anyway, I’ve been craving pizza lately, and apparently you can make pizza crust from cauliflower as well.

I’m cautiously intrigued…and also kind of grossed out. I’ll try it, though. Fingers crossed! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty on the Go: My Minimal 7-Product Face

April 13th, 2016 by Anna Oh 36 Comments

My Minimal Face Beauty Bag — My “Minimal Face” Beauty Bag

When it comes to beauty…and really anything…there’s nothing very “minimal” about me. I either go all the way, or not at all! When I’m shopping with my girlfriends, I’ll usually only leave the store with an iced coffee. But, I’m also that same person who will use my entire budget for one amazing jacket or shoe that “represents everything I believe in.” (Yes, I do say this every time I buy something, haha! I’m a very passionate shopper.)

So when I had to pack up my home and move within the week, you can bet I used the least amount of products possible. I grabbed my glasses and a few old and new favorites before getting to work! I even opted out of foundation because I knew I’d be sweating and wearing glasses, and nothing good comes out of that!

A little glow

Pixi Book of Beauty "Minimal Makeup" No-Makeup Makeup — Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup

The main face product I grabbed, was the Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup ($24), new for spring 2016. The size was perfect, and since I wasn’t adding much else to my face, I only needed a few colors that I could dust on quickly with a large brush.

Lately, I have been all about Pixi, and these Beauty Books have come in very handy.

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New for Spring 2016: Covergirl Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Lip Balm, a Vitamin-Infused, Moisturizing Lip Treatment

March 15th, 2016 by Anna Oh 12 Comments

Hi, everyone! Is the weather slowly changing for the better where you live? I’m starting to see some exposed legs nowadays, although I’m still bundled up in a coat running my errands. The weather here in the South can fluctuate 20 degrees day to day, so I have to be ready for just about anything — rain, sun, and the chill. My skin has suffered the most, and I had to postpone reviewing and swatching lip products lately — except for these guys!

New for spring, the Covergirl Oh Sugar! Vitamin Infused Balms (around $8 each) come in 10 sweet shades infused with grapeseed oil and avocado butter, but they feel weightless. With super sweet names like Gumdrop and Sprinkle, the balms are actually not overly sweet-smelling. I think they even smell a little minty (but there’s no tingling sensation).

covergirl oh sugar vitamin infused balm swatches — (L-R) Swatches in Gumdrop, Sprinkle, Cupcake, Caramel

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5 Fabulously Affordable Fall Lipsticks

September 14th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

I have a tabby by my side (as opposed to on my lap — what’s up with that?), and I’m wearing a snuggly long-sleeved sweater and long pants to keep away the unseasonably fall-like chill outside.

I’m also wearing layers, as weird as that sounds, but it’s brisk and overcast outside. The leaves have even started to fall, and I’m seriously contemplating socks (toe oppression!).

Technically, it may not be “that time of year” yet, but I’m definitely getting a fall vibe.

There’s no way I’m ready for El Niño or the cold weather fall entails, but I do feel full-on ready for fall makeup, like these five fabulously affordable fall lipsticks that are all less than $10 each.

1. L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive in Blake’s Red ($8.99)

Blake, as in Lively, the lucky lady with the long, luscious blonde hair (and, um, Ryan — oh, what’s his name? Not Gosling! Ryan Reynolds, how dare I?! — Ryan Reynolds’ baby mama). L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive in Blake’s Red is her red addition to the L’Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive line.

Blake’s Red is a beauty of a neutral red, neither too warm nor cool, with an opaque demi-matte finish, and it won’t just work through fall. This one will also carry you through the holidays.

I love this lippie with classic fall looks, and it suits a wide range of skin tones. Wear it with a simple cat eye for something vintage, or a black or gray smoky eye (a la Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love video), or metallic golden lids.

SO PRETTY!

Because it’s by L’Oreal, it has their very strong floral flavor and scent (both fade quickly), which folks seem to either love or hate. I don’t mind it at all.

It’s available now online for $8.99 and at drugstores and Ulta.

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipcolor in Toast of New York ($7.99)

This is so old-school, you guys! I wore this color back in the day, and it’s making a comeback again.

I feel like there have been an overabundance of dark browns with almost grayish undertones lately, and I like that look on some people, but I feel like it looks a little macabre on me. THIS kind of brown has a little yellow in it, and I think it makes it more wearable. The matte finish also has a hint of a shine to it.

It’s available now online for $7.99 and at drugstores and Ulta.

3. COVERGIRL Star Wars Limited Edition Colorlicious Lipstick in Dark Purple 50 ($6.99)

Do you think this lipstick is on the dark side or the light…? Ooh, Star Wars reference! Where’s my light saber, Tabs?! 🙂

This dark purple berry is a classic fall color. It’s from the new limited edition COVERGIRL Star Wars collection, and it has a creamy finish.

It’s also flexible. You can wear it as a stain by applying one layer, then blotting, or build it up like I’ve done here. I’m wearing three layers, so it looks a little vampy.

It’s available now online for $6.99 and at drugstores.
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A Rocking Red Carpet Makeup Tutorial

February 6th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

Quick question for you: would Nick Jonas count as a rockin’ red carpet date?

I was totally feeling his song Jealous last night. It sounds like old-school Babyface, doesn’t it? Love it.

The funny thing is that El Hub actually knew the song when it started playing. He was all, “Oh, that’s that Jealous song. I’ve heard it on the radio.”

LOL! This coming from a 40-something-year-old dude who reads sci-fi blogs and watches YouTube videos about carpentry. Seriously, what rock have I been hiding under that I missed that song? I am usually the last person to get to the party/figure things out, but dang! — go on with your bad self, Nick Jonas!

Anywho, what we’ve got here are two fun, un-intimidating pops of color — a smokey purple lower lash line and a hot pink lip (this is a video tutorial of the look I did earlier this week).

As always, thank you for watching. See you on the red carpet! 🙂

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