Laura Mercier

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Louise | The Best Christmas Present, Ever

December 15th, 2023 by Karen 23 Comments

I saw this glass at a local gift shop and nearly short circuited in the middle of the store!

If you know, you know.

So, I know I’ve been quiet this week. Beyond the usual last-minute Christmas stuff that one deals with at this time (wrapping, gift hunting, card writing and feeding all the humans in your immediate orbit because everyone is so hungry ALL THE TIME), I’ve also been fighting a cold and dealing with lots of paperwork because, drumroll please, I’m starting a new job in January.

*Insert happy dance here.*

Seriously, the relief of having a steady gig is the best Christmas present ever!

I’ll be working at a college doing a mix of marketing, editing, writing and administrative duties, which include interacting with students and professors (I almost wrote “purr-fessors,” ha). I’ll get to work with the public, which I think takes advantage of social skills I’ve always had but haven’t really used since I’ve been freelance writing from home. Anywho, it’s close to Connor’s school, the hours are great for a working mom, and the benefits are insanely good.

THE BENEFITS, omg. Retirement! Healthcare coverage! Union membership! Paid time off!

I almost cried when I read about them, for real.

Side note, you know you’ve crossed a bridge when benefits excite you. LOL!

Anywho, I can safely say — I’m really, really happy. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that, but I am.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, ha ha ha. 🙂

All this rambling to lead up to today’s lip of the day!

It’s a vivid yellow pink that reads more as a bright red on my lips, Laura Mercier Louise, another beauty from her twist-up line of soft matte lip pencils.

I think it’s a fun and festive color. Give it a swatch if you happen to be at a Laura Mercier counter.

Before I head out, I have to share this song with you because it’s been stuck in my head all week long. It’s “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro, and the senior competitive dance team at Connor’s studio is dancing to it.

Love it

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Are ya done with all your holiday shopping and wrapping?

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Chloé

December 13th, 2023 by Karen 9 Comments

I’m still on a bright lip kick! Today’s beautiful warm red is 381 Chloé by Laura Mercier, and it’s from her Petal Soft Lipstick Crayon collection, a line of twist-up matte lipsticks.

I like this line of matte lippies because the finish is flat but not harsh. You get the matte effect without the heaviness of a true flat matte. The brights are also vivid but not overwhelmingly intense; I think it’s an approachable way to do reds, corals and hot pinks.

Anyway, I’m really enjoying taking pics outside lately because of all the festive holiday decorations in my neighborhood.

Case in point — if you stand in front of a tree with ornaments you kinda look like you’re surrounded by glittery floating planets!

I love this tiny Santa in my neighbor’s yard. Is he just arriving? Or is he leaving? Only Santa knows, I guess!

Oh, and if you happen to see a red berry wreath and you stand in front of it at a certain angle, you can look like you’re wearing a crown that magical forest creatures made especially for you.

I’m about to take this red lip on the road with me to do some Christmas errands. 🙂

Have a great rest of your Wednesday, and if you’re so inclined, feel free to share your lip of the day color in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Q of the Day: What Discontinued Scents Do You Wish Would Come Back?

August 29th, 2023 by Karen 20 Comments

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately for certain perfumes I wore back in my 20s and 30s, and now I’m deeply regretting the perfume purge I did a few years back because I found out recently that several are now discontinued!

When I think about them, I can practically smell them. Is that weird?

Discontinued Scent Number 1, Laura Mercier Eau de Lune

I desperately want a bottle of Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, a beautiful light floral with plumeria, rose, violet, amber and musk notes that I wore to my office job in San Francisco for years.

It was subtle enough not to take over an elevator but was still present enough to enjoy. I wore it when El Hub and I started dating and eventually wentthrough a couple bottles.

I just always assumed it would be there for me when I wanted to wear it again, but alas, no. I tried to find it online and couldn’t track it down.

Cue the glittery tears!

Discontinued Scent Number 2, STELLA by Stella McCartney

Oh, this one was a beauty — English rose mixed with mandarin and peony with an amber base.

El Hub got me a bottle during our first Christmas together, and I wore it all the time. I should’ve kept it just so I could smell it every once in a while. It reminds me of that carefree era when it was just us.

What discontinued scents do you wish would come back?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Some Days You’ve Gotta Flip Your Hair

January 5th, 2023 by Karen 7 Comments

Quick five minute makeup today!

I followed this tutorial by one of my faves, makeup artist Hung Vanngo.

The key makeup products I used are MAC Date Maker lipstick (so good), Laura Mercier Corsica liquid blush, Chanel Espresso eyeliner (THE BEST), Chanel Rosy light Drops liquid highlighter and YSL Faux Cils mascara. I also tried a new-to-me concealer — Revlon Colorstay Skin Awaken in 050.

If you’re in the Bay Area… How did you fare during the storm last night? I was a little freaked out when I drove Connor to dance because the rain was coming down in sheets and the roads were starting to flood. Our power stayed on, though. (Knock on wood.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Friday Face of the Day and a Fun Blush Layering Trick to Try

December 9th, 2022 by Karen 2 Comments

You know it’s going to be a great Friday when you’re having a good makeup day!

The hair is another story, LOL! I swear it doesn’t look this wild in real life.

A blush layering trick to try

If you’ve got a cream blush you like around, you’ve got to try this technique I’ve been doing lately for the most natural looking cheeks.

After you do your base, blend a cream blush on your cheeks, and then pat your favorite powder on top to set.

Your blush will peek through the powder for a hint of flush, and the overall look is so natural!

I’ve been doing this all week with Urban Decay Hydromaniac for the base, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Blush in Coastline for the blush and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural for the powder, and I love how it looks both in real life and in pictures.

Key products worn in this look

Honest Beauty Eyeshadow Palette – It’s a workhorse! You could easily do almost an entire eye look (brows, liner, shadow) with this palette.
Urban Decay HydroManiac Tinted Glow Hydrator – Feels lightweight and has medium coverage.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Blush in Coastline – Super concentrated color. You only need a few drops!
MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick in Model Off Duty – I’m so bummed this shade isn’t available anymore. You could try the shade More the Mehr-ier in the Powder Kiss line for a similar vibe.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful week and that something good happened to you. Yesterday I was feeling really tired and exhausted, so I actually listened to my body (!) and let myself rest. It’s amazing how much good a little quiet time will do for ya. I highly recommend it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Layered Eye Looks: Forest Green Liner with Champagne Eyeshadow

December 6th, 2022 by Karen 16 Comments

I jokingly texted a friend to tell her that I finally put on a full face of makeup because I no longer wanted to look like I just crawled out of a pit of doom! LOL. And even though I’m 100% comfortable now rollin’ around town bare faced with just sunscreen, there’s still something really nice about going to the grocery store to buy cara cara oranges and have the checker call me “miss” instead of “ma’am.”

I’ve been inspired by simple, layered eye makeup lately. In this one, I layered a glittery champagne cream shadow (Hourglass Ray) on top of a shimmery forest green liner (Urban Decay Mildew). It’s easy, peasy, lemon squeeze-y, and I feel like I get a lot of look for very little effort.

What I also really like about this look is how the glitter isn’t too flashy. It sparkles in the light, but it’s not, like, too much for a weekday midday run to Tar-ghay.

Key products worn in this look

Here’s what I used for eyes, cheeks and lips. If you want to know more about the base or brows, let me know in the comments. 🙂

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil Liner in Mildew – A shimmery forest green liner that stays put!
Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow in Ray – A deep champagne glitter eyeshadow with subtle flecks. Gorgeous!
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Blush in Coastline – A toasty warm brown cream blush that could double as a bronzer. A little goes a long way.
MAC Lipstick in Half ‘n’ Half – A workhorse neutral lipstick that goes with everything.

Officially a dance mom!

Connor joined the junior dance team at her studio this year, and last weekend was her first official performance. I think she was more excited to wear the clip-on earrings, LOL!

I’ve had my ears pierced since the day I was born; no really, back in the day in the Philippines, you could get your baby’s ears pierced at the hospital!

Anywho, all this to say we found out that clip-on earrings are a whole different beast. Connor was so looking forward to wearing them, but when she tried them on for the first time, one of the earrings was too tight and hurt her little ear.

I did a little googling and found a trick to loosening them. All you have to do is move the part of the clip-on that looks like a “U” around. You need widen it to relieve the pressure on your ears! It really helps. Just goes to show you, you learn something new every day.

Have a peaceful and joyful Tuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Type of Makeup Looks Are You Liking Right Meow?

August 24th, 2022 by Karen 8 Comments

Rosie says hi. I’m obsessed with her ear tips, OMG!

1. A softly shimmering lid.

For a while I was all about mattes because I like how they create an illusion of a deeper crease, but now I love softly shining lids. I think it’s casually chic, which is the vibe I go for these days. By the way, Chanel’s quads are great for this type of shimmering lid look! Today I’m wearing an old school fave, Codes Subtils, which unfortunately is no longer available (boo), but you can get a similar look with any of Chanel’s shimmery quads, like Tisse Rivoli.

2. Blurred lines.

Give me all the smudgy, please. No crisp edges here — too harsh! A cat eye with a blurry edge and a flick that softly fades into its end point? That’s all I want at the moment. Anywho, lately I’ve been getting this by wetting a flat eyeliner brush with setting spray, then loading it with a dark brown, navy, plum or khaki eyeshadow.

Today’s Makeup: Chanel Codes Subtils quad, MAC Glow Play Blush in No Shame and MAC Sugar Sweet Cameo Lipstick

3. As much natural skin peeking through as possible.

A dollop of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (Wheat) applied all over works wonders. Then, I dab Hourglass Retouching Fluid Concealer (Sand) underneath my eyes, around my mouth and on my cheeks, and then I blend-blend-blend. I set both with the sheerest amount of MAC MSF Powder (Medium Golden). If I wear too much base it just looks heavy and fake, so I try to get away with as little as possible these days!

4. A soft, semi-sheer matte lip color in a bright pink or coral.

Just like the shimmering lid, I feel like this lip look is casually chic. I also like how the matte finish contrasts with the shimmery lid and the natural, glowing skin.

5. Leaving the lower lash line alone!

Dang, girl! I can’t believe there was a time when I’d pile on all the things along my lower lash line. Now I just leave it alone because the more I wear, the more it seems to draw attention to how tired I look and feel. LOL! For me, less has been best for the last year or so.

I think it’s really interesting to see one’s makeup taste evolve and change, don’t you? What type of makeup looks are you liking right now? Please let me know in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m Loving the Laura Mercier Petal Soft Lip Crayons

August 4th, 2022 by Karen 5 Comments

As someone perpetually dealing with a time crunch EVERY MORNING (sigh), makeup in crayon form is now my beauty BFF. Drawing on your face is just that much easier when you don’t have to contend with a brush, ya know?

My latest loves are these twist up matte crayon lippies by Laura Mercier. The new Petal Soft Lipstick Crayons offer sheer, easy-to-apply color, so I don’t have to worry about precisely drawing a crisp edge. (Side note: you can easily build up the opacity if you want more intensity, FYI.)

I’ve been doing a layer or two for a casual, effortless summery lip look, but I can see these working year round.

The formula feels lightweight and smooth on my lips, and I like that its unscented and unflavored. Comfy!

I’ve been rollin’ with Augustine, the coral shade, all week, and when I wear it on video calls, I look brighter, and dare I say, less cranky? LOL!

There are 20 shades to choose from, and each is $28 for a 0.06-oz tube.

The Laura Mercier Petal Soft Lip Crayons

300 Lea – Warm brown nude

301 Augustine – Deep coral nude

302 Ella – Warm mid-tone nude

303 Jeanne – Rich warm nude

320 Amelie – Coral pink

321 Ophelie – Bright bluish pink

322 Camille – Neutral pink

323 Maia – Peachy pink

324 Louise – Bright yellowish pink

340 Elodie – Dusty mauve

341 Simone – Rosy berry

342 Zoe – Bright berry

343 Noemie – Mid-tone plum

360 Agnes – Pinkish coral

361 Alma – Reddish coral

362 Leonie – Orangey coral

363 Adele – Bright warm coral

380 Sienna – Orangey red

382 Laura – Plummy red

You can find the Petal Soft Lip Crayons on the Laura Mercier website, Sephora and Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen