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Honest Beauty

Makeup Looks of the Day: Soft and Smokey on My First Makeup Client, and Runway-Ready Avant Garde Glitter

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glittery avant garde soft smokey top
Serving “lewks”

Technically, I don’t know if you can call Connor “my first makeup client,” since no monetary compensation occurred for my beauty services, HA HA HA!

We did each other’s makeup yesterday, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, I did a wearable soft and smokey look on Connor. Adding to that, can I just say how much easier it is to do makeup on eyes that 1) aren’t heavily lidded and 2) aren’t my own? Blending eyeshadow is like night and day!

For her eyeshadow, I used the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette, which is still my current go-to favorite eye palette. I didn’t think I could love it even more than I already do, but after seeing it on her skin, I’m convinced that this is a palette everyone can wear.

Oh, and tangent — my friend recently told me that she was shopping on the Honest Beauty website when she saw someone familiar…

Does this mean that Jessica Alba and I are connected in “a six degrees of Kevin Bacon” sense? I wonder!

Anyway, back to the makeup. I told Coywolf that she had free artistic reign to do whatever she wanted, and so that’s how I ended up with this runway-ready look with ALL THE GLITTER.

Ready, set go!

The stick she’s holding in the pic is the new Pixi Beauty On-the-Glow Blush stick, by the way, and you can wear it on cheeks and lips.

Early on in the process. I feel like this could be a look you’d see in Allure!

While she was piling product on my face, I mentioned that makeup artists often use their fingers to paint on their model’s faces, and she took this info and ran with it…

Here are our final looks! Let me know which one you would wear. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Target Adventures! Billion Dollar Beauty, Jason Wu, Olive & June and SO MANY TWEEZERS

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Some exciting finds from Target, like this build-your-own palette by Billion Dollar Beauty

Random unsolicited beauty advice for the day: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO PACK YOUR TWEEZERS.

You’re going to laugh at me… We’re staying in Sonoma for a few days while our house is being worked on (and by “we,” I mean all of us, including Rosie the Cat!). Of course, me being me, I did some last-minute “panic packing,” which means throwing everything I could grab into my luggage, including all of the stuff I like to have around but probably won’t use because all I’ve been wearing lately is sunscreen — random neutral palettes I haven’t worn in years, foundation, liquid lipsticks, etc.

Anywho, the first night we get here, I’m lying down in bed trying to fall asleep, when I touch my chin and realize that 1) there’s a stiff, stubby renegade hair; and 2) I didn’t pack any tweezers.

NOOOOOO!

I went to Target the next day to find a pair, and, incidentally, the beauty section had a shocking number of hair removal tools, ranging from pricy (Tweezerman, which are BOMB) to mid-range (Japonesque) to super-duper budget-friendly (Trim).

I’m usually a Tweezerman girl, but I couldn’t resist the Japonesque ones because they look like mini works of art! I ended up with these $6 point tweezers, which swiftly remedied my stubble situation.

Not exactly tweezer related, but does anyone else find this Trim Blemish Removing Tool terrifying…? It looks like something that belongs on a dentist’s exam tray!

If you use this tool and love it, please fill me in on how to use it.

While I was there, I also looked around, of course (it seemed like the right thing to do), and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the new brands I’d never seen before.

This brand called Billion Dollar Beauty looks really cool. They sell an empty palette and individual makeup pans, so you build your own palette from scratch! Everything is pretty affordable, too.

Aren’t the colors pretty? I love the wide range of useful neutrals. I’m saving my lunch money to build my own palette (or palettes?) ASAP.

Oh, please excuse the sad state of my nails. I didn’t have the chance to remove the tow-up remainder of a recent Chanel New Dawn manicure, and that’s probably why I ended up up grabbing these polish removing pads…

I also got a grayish-green shade called KMC, along with a top coat from a new-to-me brand called Olive & June. ?

I saw my favorite Honest Beauty palette right across from the Olive & June display, by the way! If you haven’t tried it yet, you better get on it ASAP. I actually wore it last night out to dinner (, along with my Bliss Block Star Tinted Sunscreen), and I still love it.

Isn’t the Jason Wu packaging gorgeous?

See anything you like? I’m most excited about the Billion Dollar Beauty and Olive & June lines.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Smudged Cat Eye | Day 4 With the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette

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honest beauty smudged cat eye side
Today’s smudged cat eyes; I really love this!

Leave it to the cat lady to love a smudged cat eye, hahaha! This is yet another look — I’ll say “inspired by” the tutorial card that comes with the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette.

honest beauty smudged cat eye swatches
Just four eyeshadows

The tutorial suggests using the beige shade all over the lid as a base, but I thought that might look a little weird on me, so I buffed the matte brown shade (Soft Bronze) on top of the beige to define my crease.

Gosh, these shadows blend so well! But that’s just one of the great things about this palette.

honest beauty smudged cat eye
Meow!

Can we talk about lips for a second, because I need to know if anyone else out there has been into tinted lip balms lately? They’re SO MY JAM, which is kinda funny because until recently I’ve been solidly Team Liquid Lipstick for the last few months. My previous lip logic was that if I’m going to wear something on my pout during the pandemic…it had to last long enough under my mask to ensure that I wouldn’t have to keep removing my mask to reapply it.

I know, interesting logic. ?

Turns out tinted balms are a great no-drama/low-effort option, since I can 1) easily apply one without a mirror (doing it right now, as a matter of fact), and 2) remove it just as quickly with a tissue when I’m about to mask up. Plus, hello moisture! (Side note: my lips have been dry lately.)

This sheer plum tinted balm by Origins is called Night Bloom, and it’s low-key epic in terms of moisture. I get old-school Clinique Black Honey vibes from the color because it looks crazy dark in the tube, but it’s just a sheer plummy tint when it’s applied.

Night Bloom pairs really well with mauves, taupes, browns and bronzes, a.k.a. all of the colors in the Honest Beauty Get It Together Palette. It’s also sheer enough to wear with just bare skin and mascara.

In case you’re wondering, it smells and tastes a little minty, but it’s not overwhelming.

origins night bloom
Moisturizing, sheer and just lovely

Another thing I’ve been into: the look of barely-there blush. MAC Warm Soul is great for this!

honest beauty eye palette mac warm soul
Love ya, MAC Warm Soul!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

Classic Smokey Eyes | Day 3 With the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette

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honest beauty get it together classic smokey eye

The Honest Beauty eyeshadow palette comes with a card with four looks you can do with the palette. I followed the one called “Classic Smoky Eye” for this post, although with one tweak. I started by buffing the matte beige shade (Vanilla’d Velvet) all over my lids as a base so the subsequent colors would pop a little more.

I was a wee bit nervous about using the shimmery gold all over my lids and the shimmery dark purple on the outer corner because…I’m in my 40s now, and shine doesn’t always play well with my 40-something skin, particularly in the crease. Some may even say that I’m “overly picky about shimmery finishes,” *ahem*. Can you blame me though? One false move and you see every fine line!

Buuuut, I decided to go for it anyway, hoping that the matte beige underneath would tone down the shine, and it did!

As I was blending, I realized another reason to love this palette. The more you buff and swirl these shadows, the less intensely they shine, until they have more of a satiny finish. The finish ends up as a soft, pearly glow, which makes this classic smokey eye very workable for daytime wear! When I dropped Connor off at school this morning, I didn’t feel like I was wearing “too much.”

honest beauty get it together classic smokey eye swatches

Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you — I found the most beautiful cream blush by Chanel! It’s Les Beiges Blush No. 20, a stick blush, $45 (!), but dang, lady! It’s so good. It’s a bronzy, peachy tan with the finest flecks of pearly gold, and it adds a hint of natural-looking color to cheeks. I love how easy it is to blend and that I can’t see it sitting on top of my skin or in my pores.

If you’re a real stickler for blush that doesn’t heavy on your cheeks, then you might want to consider it because it’s so natural-looking on skin.

FYI, if you’re lighter than I am, No. 20 will probably function more as a straight-up bronzer on your skin, and if you’re darker, then you might better off with one of Chanel’s brighter cream blushes like No. 21 or No. 22, since I’m betting No. 20 won’t show up as readily on darker skin.

chanel les beiges blush no 20

Other things I’ve been into lately: mixing two shades of Honest Beauty liquid lipstick, namely Passion and Off Duty, to create the purrfect mid-toned coral pink; and wearing an old-school standby base combination with MAC Face and Body (I mix C4 and C5), set with the tiniest smidgen of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder (my shade is Medium Golden).

honest beauty passion off duty

honest beauty eye palette mac face and body

Seriously, why did I ever take a break from wearing Face and Body? IT’S SO GOOD, especially for no-makeup makeup. I’ve talked about it ad nauseam on MBB for years, so if you’re relatively new here and want to know more about why it’s the stuff, hit me up in the comments and I will repeat myself once again, LOL! LOVE IT.

Oh, my gosh, one last thing before I leave you — have you seen the Britney Spears documentary on Hulu? I kept hearing about it, and I told myself, “OK, I’ll give this 10 minutes of my life, and that’s it,” but then I started watching it and I COULD. NOT. LOOK. AWAY.

The one-hour documentary by The New York Times charts Britney’s rise to fame, her very public issues in the press in the early 2000s, and the conservatorship that was placed on her in 2008, which some people believe was against her will. Some conspiracy theorists go so far as to think that her Instagram is an entire series of coded cries for help.

As you might know, I’m solidly on #TeamBritney, and so watching the doc left me with the hope that one day she’ll surprise us all (in the best possible, emotionally healthy way).

To Britney and all my ladies out there currently holding on, make that delicious lemonade out of those lemons, mama. You hang in there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Soft, Springy Plum Look With Bronze and Mocha (and Warm Nude Lips)

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honest beauty get it together eyeshadow palette
Feels like spring!

I got an idea! I decided I’m gonna do looks with this eyeshadow palette from Honest Beauty all week long, and this first one — a soft, springy plum look with bronze and mocha — is firmly in my comfort zone.

I’m intrigued by this palette… I like the combo of cool and warm plums and browns. Plus, most of the shades are in that mid-toned range, which means that if you have a tan (like yours truly), there’s no extra trickery involved in getting the colors to actually show up on your lids!

Also, don’t laugh, but I also love that there’s a matte beige and matte black in the palette.

Is it weird to be thrilled by that? I dunno. Maybe. Probably. 🙂 But let me tell you — having both of them is convenient, because you can use either of them as an eyeshadow base or a liner. Or, mix them with the other shadows in the palette to lighten or darken them up.

Shoot, you could even mix together to make gray (also super handy).

Having both a black and gray shade on hand is so useful! I’m a little concerned about the pans being so close together, but eh, you know… When you’ve been to this rodeo before, you can make it work.

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

honest beauty get it together eyeshadow palette

honest beauty get it together eyeshadow palette

Makeup Worn in this Look

I ran out of time to do swatches because I had to get Connor’s birthday present — a hot pink scooter. She turns five next week (!), which means that 1) spring is right around the corner, 2) I’ve been wearing ill-fitting pants for half a decade (I really need to just bite the bullet and buy clothes to replace my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, which hasn’t fit in a long time), and 3) pretty soon I’ll be living with a kindergartner.

Birthdays in our neck of the woods also mean birthday lasagna!

lasagna from connors 2nd birthday
You know somebody loves you when they give you pasta for your birthday…

I got the idea to make birthday lasagnas from a coworker years ago. Her mom would make her a lasagna every year on her birthday, and I thought that was just the coolest thing ever. I promised myself that if I ever had a kid I’d do the same, and here I am, showing love through carbs and copious quantities of cheese. 🙂

Last year I made Connor cupcakes from scratch, but this year I decided to make it easy on myself and bought a confetti cake mix and frosting from the store. I’ve used Pillsbury mixes for brownies and liked the results, so I’m hoping this one turns out well too.

pilsbury gluten free funfetti
Let’s. Do. This.

Even though parts of the country are literally freezing, spring is getting closer, and the Easter/spring decor stuff is rolling out again, all of which I luuuuurve.

Girlfriend, give me a springy lemon print, and I am in HEAVEN.

Throwback to when this girl one was a tiny little lemon!

I spent a good chunk of last night putting ALL OF THE THINGS into my cart at Williams Sonoma because they have the cutest set of springy, citrus-themed dishes.

(Side note: did I ever mention that I have a thing for nice plates and table settings?)

This collection is called Citron, and I love everything about it.

Love the colors, love the botanical print vibes of the lemon drawings, love the graphic patterns on the plates with the leaves and the lemon slices, love it all. Don’t love the price, obvs (SO EXPENSIVE). But le sigh… This makes my heart sing for spring!

daffodil spring 2021
The neighborhood’s first official daffodil

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Elegant and Polished Makeup for All Occasions With Playful Pink Cheeks and Lips, and Cool-Toned Matte Grays to Contour Lids

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mac cozy grey honest beauty forever
10-minute makeup with cool toned lids and lips

I always say, “I threw this look on,” but I really did! This took about 10 minutes, not including the few minutes it took to gather my arsenal of supplies, which in this case was not very much. Those are cool-toned grayish-brown lids and rosy beige lips, and I did it right before going to get Connor from school the other day. The highlight was showing it off to a couple of my neighbors when we got home and practiced Connor’s bike riding and did some sidewalk chalk.

I’m telling you, these days, the highlight of my day is often those socially distanced chats with my neighbors. That’s where it’s at!

Anywho, I really like this look. I feel so polished in it and, dare I say, almost cute?!

I like the slight definition on the lids and lashes, the pink blush on my cheeks, the lipstick and the somewhat bushy brows, which are defined but not overly bold.

Here it is in action…

I’ll definitely wear this again, maybe even on a date night (if one of those ever happens again). Ooh! — or on a girl’s night out, or a Saturday at a museum, whenever we can do those things again. I think you could wear pretty much anything with it.

The full breakdown is below, but I think the eyeshadows are the key. I’m wearing two matte cool-toned shadows — a light taupe-gray called MAC Cozy Grey all over my lids. It’s a workhorse from the permanent collection. And a darker gray-brown called MAC Brun.

I have hooded eyes, and I chose the matte taupe-gray because I wanted to contour my lids. The cooler gray along with the matte finish creates the illusion of a shadow, which I think makes my lids look like they’re more deeply set.

mac cozy grey honest beauty forever
Somebody cut my hair please!

If you’re over 40, or if you have naturally hooded eye, definitely consider adding a matte cool-toned grayish taupe eyeshadow to your collection. I would go with a shade slightly darker than your skin tone — maybe one or two shades — because you want to be able to see the shadow and get that contoured effect, but you don’t want anything too dark; otherwise, you’ll be sitting there blending for days!

duri forever beautiful swatch
Here’s a closer look at my nails. I’m wearing Duri Forever Beautiful, an opaque creamy cool pale pink.

In my outer corners, I buffed a tiny touch of matte gray-brown MAC Brun. This shade… SO GOOD. You can also wear it in your brows to fill ’em out, or you can smoke it out over a dark chocolate brown or black base, or even use it as a simple upper or lower lash liner. It’s a staple I turn to over and over again… I’m never without a pan of Brun, it’s that serious!

One last thing I’d like to point out about the eyes, and it might seem subtle at first, but if you look closely at my lash and water lines, there’s a hint of shimmer, which I think really makes the eyes pop. I’m wearing a pencil liner called MAC Prunella, which is a shimmery warm dark purplish bronze. I happen to like how it contrasts with the cooler tones on the lids.

mac cozy grey honest beauty forever
Same look, different lighting

Makeup in this look

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I hope you’re having a great day so far! 🙂

Product Spotlight: $10 Honest Beauty Liquid EyeLiner

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honest beauty liquid eyeliner
Long lasting, intensely pigmented and easy to apply

Dude, this long-lasting black liquid liner is SO GOOD, and it’s only 10 bucks at honest.com!

How do I love thee, Honest Beauty Liquid Eyeliner? Let me count the ways…

1. Concentrated

Despite the fact that it only comes in a single matte black shade, it’s deep and dark like the most gorgeous black cat coat, and it doesn’t have any blue undertones at all.

2. Durable

It isn’t quite waterproof, but it’s very water resistant and long lasting (also doesn’t transfer). I’ve been wearing it all summer long.

3. Flawless

It comes in a tube with a wand that has a long, flexible felt tip that’s absolutely foolproof to use. The wand is just the right length to perfectly cradle in my paw, and the dainty felt tip draws crisp thick and thin lines equally well. Normally, I wouldn’t even think of drawing with liquid liner when I’m rushing through a fast face, but I can do it with this one.

honest beauty liquid eyeliner swatch
A matte deep black

4. Flexible

Thin lines, thick lines, dainty flicks, big ol’ bat wings — it can do it all.

And if you love diffused edges like I do (no harsh lines, baby!), the formula is easy to smudge, too. Just be sure to do your smudging before it sets, which takes about 30 seconds for skinny lines and a minute for thick ones.

INGREDIENTS:
Water (Aqua), Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Pullulan, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Hectorite, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510).

5. Swift

Also, as if it needed even more going for it, the fast-setting formula won’t creep up into your crease when you blink!

What a gem for only $10! I’m going to wish upon a star for Honest Beauty to add a few more colors, as I would LOVE a dark brown option (a liquid version of MAC Coffee would be my Disney princess dream come true) — ooh! — and a gray for everyday looks.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

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New favorite way to enjoy a refreshing drink

1. Drinkin’ fruit-flavored water from my Fressko Water bottle

I have about 1,354 water bottles in my cupboard. ?‍♀️

This one from Australian brand Fressko is probably the coolest. It can be used for hot or cold drinks, comes with a tea infuser, and is made from double-insulated glass. I use it to make my favorite beverage at the moment: green tea infused with sliced lemon and lime!

The bottles come in 10-, 13- and 16-oz. sizes. I have the 16-oz. bottle, which is $39.95. I think it’s a well-designed, useful something special to have around, and the possibilities for beverages to make with it are endless.

2. Pared down makeup using a brow pen/pencil combo, mascara and liquid liner (and sometimes a liquid lipstick)

Lately I’ve been getting back in the habit of wearing a little makeup a little more regularly than I had been earlier in the pandemic because it boosts my mood, like a daily workout (but without the sweat!). And sometimes when I don’t feel like working out, I’ll just do my makeup, so that way I’m still doing a little something to help my mood.

urban decay brow blade honest beauty liquidliner laura mercier caviar
Three loves of my makeup life right now…

I like to start with this three-piece pared down combo using a brow pencil, mascara and liquid liner: Urban Decay Brow Blade (seriously, SO GOOD), Urban Decay Cannon Ball or Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (or a combo of both), and Honest Beauty Liquid Liner (easy to use and dries quickly).

If, when I’m done with those three, I still want to wear more, I’ll wear more. If I don’t, I’ll just stop there!

3. Victoria’s Secret Amber Sunset

It’s a little funny to me that I now consider this my “late summer scent” because I originally bought it as a mosquito repellant. ? LOL!

But you know what? It I think it actually smells REALLY good. Please give it a try.

victorias secret amber romance pool
Smells like late summer (and not like mosquito repellant)

Amber Romance has notes of warm vanilla, sandalwood and amber, with a pinch of tart cherry, and it’s not strong. It’s juuuust right. Added bonus: it does keep mosquitos away!

4. This giant, overstuffed anatomically-shaped heart stuffed toy

I don’t know who needs this giant stuffed heart in their life right now, but apparently I think I do.

I love how BIG it is, and I especially love that it has valves, LOL! ❤️

giant stuffed heart
LUB-DUB!

5. How people are creatively adapting to life in the pandemic

I admire how people have adapted to “the new normal.” It’s been a lot to handle, but people will do what they have to do. Many small businesses are also coming up with some amazing ideas to keep their places going, like Connor’s dance studio. They couldn’t hold their annual spring dance recital in a big theater like they used to, so a few weeks ago the instructors taped the routines outside in a parking lot in the back of the studio. They added a hand washing station, tents for shade, and then built individual mini “stages” spaced six feet apart for the dancers to perform their routines on while the performances were recorded on iPhones.

We’re witnessing a very unique time in history, aren’t we? It was definitely a dance recital I’ll never forget. ?

Tiny dancer!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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