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Laura Mercier

Makeup Musings: My Makeup Style Is Evolving, and I’m Leaning Into It and Seeing Where It Goes

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One of the things I’ve always loved about makeup is the potential to explore so many different paths, and there are so many ways you can change your style and your technique, and just ways to evolve with it. Like, during one stage of your life, maybe you’re wearing full-coverage foundation and false lashes everywhere. Then, maybe 5-10 years later your idea of “dressed up” is wearing mascara and brow pencil, which you only wear to work meetings.

I think there’s something very cool about being able to reinvent yourself, and makeup is here for that. That’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved it.

This idea struck me right after I finished this look with the Tom Ford Disco Dust palette, MAC A Little Tamed Lipstick and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Seriously, my makeup style has changed a lot over the past six months, and I can honestly say that I don’t love doing a complicated base as much as I used to.

Foundations, concealers and the constant quest to create a flawless base — I kid you not — used to THRILL MY SOUL, but now, even when I just wear a little tinted moisturizer, it feels like I’m wearing too much.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve become more comfortable in my skin, or if it’s because I’ve just gotten so used to putting on some sheer tinted sunscreen and calling it a day, but, at least for now, the thought of layering, mixing and buffing 10 different base products to achieve a skin-like effect isn’t something I want to do.

And you know what? Makeup is cool with that. It’s creative. It’s malleable. There are options. It’s designed to change and evolve with you. A full makeup bag contains endless possibilities.

That said, I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to explore the wide, wide world of tinted sunscreen serums (I’ve got my eye on this one and this one) and sheer BB creams. I don’t know where this is going to take me, but I’m excited to find out.

I’m wearing the following pieces in this look…

Have you gone through any major makeup pivots in your life? How has your styled changed lately? When did you start wearing more or less? Did a particular event or moment change your point of view? I’d love to hear about it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Springy, Joyful Taupe and Plum

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plum and taupe
Sometimes you just need 15 minutes and some time with makeup

Today’s minor victory? It has been two full weeks since my second shot, so I’m officially fully vaccinated! To celebrate, I ironed my shirt.

HA HA HA! No, seriously, one cannot embark upon “the after” as a wrinkly mess. I also put on some makeup, since wearing face paint with a crisp celebratory white shirt seemed like the right thing to do. ?

plum and taupe
I’m wearing the lippie as a lip stain.

I did a 15-minute quickie look with taupe lids and plum cheeks using mostly new-to-me makeup from Laura Mercier, Giorgio Armani, Chanel and Clinique, because I’ve been trying to expand my horizons a little with some new products.

plum and taupe products
A mix of new-to-me items and old faves

First impressions…

Giorgio Armani Lip Power in Confident: This creamy plum lipstick’s cup runneth over with pigment. It’s creamy, lightweight and doesn’t have an obnoxious flavor or scent. I especially like using it as a lip stain.

Chanel Ombre Premier Lacque in Desert Wind: This shimmery liquid shadow dries quickly, so you have to blend with speed and purpose. No time to dilly-dally! It’s also long lasting and quite shimmery.

Clinique Pretty Easy Liner in Brown: I’ve used the black version of this liquid liner for years, and the brown is just as easy to apply. It also lasts all day long.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in 4W: I’m only wearing this dual-ended brightening and camouflaging concealer in this look. No foundation at all. It’s lightweight but certainly covers everything. It also looks and feels natural, but dagnabbit if it doesn’t just slide right off my face, even when I set it with powder.

plum and taupe swatches
Plum lips and cheeks with taupe lids
plum and taupe
Here’s the lipstick at full pigment!

Do you ever wear taupe lids with plum cheeks and lips? It’s a combo I like to wear all year long, but even more so now because the plum cheeks and plum lip stain feel very springy to me.

Makeup worn in this look

  • BASE: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brighten & Correct Duo in 4W, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
  • CHEEKS: Clinique Plum Pop
  • EYES: Chanel Boy de Chanel Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown, Chanel Ombre Premier Lacque in Desert Wind, Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour in Contour Clair, Clinique Pretty Easy Liner in Brown, Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara, Chanel Espresso Liner
  • LIPS: Giorgio Armani in Lip Power in 600 Confident

Culinary adventures

Speaking of trying new things, last weekend I gave this vegan coconut rice and chickpea dish a go (got the recipe from Yeung Man Cooking).

Basically, it was just a’ight… I liked it enough to finish, but my eyes didn’t roll to the back of my head or anything.

I’m on a kick to find some great new recipes, so if you have one (or more!) you’ve made recently and love, send ’em my way! Thanks in advance.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Friday FOTD With Coffee-Colored Winged Liner and Bronze Lids, and New Crocs and Ugg Sandals

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crocs sandals
Yup, I went there!

You ever go through one of those indecisive periods when every decision you have to make is…extremely difficult? When I do, these episodes can last days, weeks, sometimes months. I’m experiencing one of these spells right meow, and it’s manifesting in multiple ways. Like, I’m currently transitioning all of my shoes to flats (no more heels for this girl), and I couldn’t decide between the Crocs Brooklyn Wedges and the Ugg Kari Sandals, so I ended up buying both. WHOOPS! In my shoe defense, both colors are basic and useful so I know I’ll wear them a lot. (At least that’s what I keep telling myself, hahaha!)

crocs sandals
Crocs Brooklyn Low Wedge

The white soles on the Uggs are makin’ me a little nervous because I can just see myself getting aggravated with every little speck of dirt, but a friend recommended trying a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to keep ’em looking fresh and clean. We’ll see!

uggs kari sandals
Ugg Kari Sandals

Oh, and it just occurred to me right this second that these kinda look like the slippers that Filipino moms/aunties/grandmas threaten to spank you with when you start acting up, OMG!

If I had a dollar for every time someone threatened to palo me with their tsinelas, hahaha!

uggs kari sandals
I’m about to palo you with these tsinelas!

Can we talk about how the element of indecision has also crept into my lipstick life?! I originally paired these eyes (coffee winged liner and bronzed lids, which I’m feeling!) with a matte coral because a coral lip is so springy…

mac crossfade april 22
MAC Powderkiss Lipstick in Crossfade

But I also like how a matte taupe-brown lipstick looks with it too, because it has a slight late ’90s vibe.

maybelline more taupe
Maybelline Ultimatte Lipsticks in More Taupe

Which one do you prefer? The coral or the brown?

mac crossfade april 22
Laura Mercier Wheat Eye Basics, NARS Isolde Duo, NARS Coconut Grove (worn wet as liner) and NARS Bengali eyeshadow singles, Chanel Espresso Liner, Chanel Boy de Chanel Brow Pencil and Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara
nars isolde swatches fotd
Swatches!
jane iredale covergirl base
From the left: Maybelline Ultimatte Lipstick in More Taupe, MAC Powderkiss Lipstick in Cross Fade, Jane Iredale Enlighten Plus Under-eye Concealer in No. 2 and Covergirl Outlast Extreme Wear 3-in-1 foundation in 860 Classic Tan

MAKEUP WORN IN THIS LOOK

  • BASE: Covergirl Outlast Extreme Wear 3-in-1 foundation in 860 Classic Tan and Jane Iredale Enlighten Plus Under-eye Concealer in No. 2
  • EYES: Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat, NARS Isolde Duo (lids), NARS Coconut Grove (eyeliner), NARS Bengali (outer corner), Chanel Espresso Liner, Chanel Boy de Chanel Brow Pencil in Deep Brown
  • CHEEKS: Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion in Chai, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light
  • LIPS: Maybelline Ultimatte in More Taupe and MAC Crossfade

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!! ?

Best Day Ever Makeup (I Got My Second Shot!), Plus Mini-Reviews of Revlon ColorStay Light Cover Foundation, Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser and More

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second shot
Hugging myself because today is a great day! ?

I got my second vaccine shot yesterday and, FYI, this Band-Aid is officially the best Band-Aid that ever was or ever will be. After it falls off, I may tuck it away in an envelope so that years from now, when everything is back to “normal” (“air quotes”) and we’re doing things like going to the Catalina Wine Mixer again without feeling creeped out about crowds, I’ll find this Band-Aid and think, “Eww, you’re super gross, Karen,” and “Gosh, I sure was happy that day.”


You know this is one of my favorite movies, right?

This is the most hopeful I’ve felt in a long, long time.

Because I didn’t want to forget how happy I feel, I put on some fun temporary tattoos by Tattly and some makeup to commemorate the day. I’m wearing a mish-mosh of classic NARS eyeshadows (the Cordura and Isolde duos, and Blondie, Biarritz and Abysinnia) and a few new-to-me products for everything else.

I’m wearing a mix of classic NARS and a few new-to-me base, cheek and lip products

Some first impressions

laura mercier chai blush

Revlon Colorstay Light Cover Foundation: I (incorrectly) assumed that because this has “Light Cover” in the name, it was a shot-out to sheer coverage, but nope! — it’s a reference to how light this full-coverage matte liquid foundation feels on skin. It’s light as a feather! The coverage of one layer is just shy of full, which is enough to hide red areas, freckles and uneven pigmentation. Then, you can add more layers, which is easy to do because it blends so well, if you want to bump up the coverage to full. For reference, my skin is dry on my cheeks and oily on my forehead, and this foundation handles both areas like a champ. Available in 12 shades, $13.99 each.

Clinque Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser: Normally, full-coverage concealers look thick, dry and cakey when I wear them in my under-eye area, so I kind of avoid them, but this demi-matte liquid concealer completely steers clear of fine lines. Even after it dries down, it remains smooth and flexible, which is very cool! I plan to use this as a foundation, actually, because I think it’ll be great for that too. Available in a whopping 42 shades, $26 each.

L’Oreal Shiny Lip Stain in Be Outstanding: This is neato. It’s a long lasting, lightweight, non-sticky liquid lipstick with an ultra-shiny finish. Sort of like an amalgam of every lip product under the sun! This particular one, Be Outstanding, is a rosy brown, but there are lots of other colors to choose from in the line, which, FYI, is BOGO right now at Ulta. Available in 12 shades, $11.99 each.

Laura Mercier Blush in Chai: I love LM’s blushes for their pigment and smooth finish, and this matte rose is one of her prettiest and most natural-looking ones, IMHO. Available in 10 shades, $32 each.

laura mercier chai blush swatch

second shot k1
Best Band-Aid ever!
second shot closeup
Temporary tattoos by Tattly

The pandemic and the lockdowns have transformed me into something of a hermit, and I’m still freaked out a little (OK, a lot) about the thought of being among large groups of people, and like…doing things. LOL! I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass, and we’ll be able to do more things very soon. Like, I texted an old friend I used to work with at the bakery and asked her if she wanted to go on a hike in a couple weeks. I’m also starting to mentally psych myself up to go to an outdoor small-group HIIT class at the gym sometime in May!

Part of me still worries that we could backslide if the virus takes a different course, so I keep telling myself not to get too excited about returning to normal life right away…but another part of me also wants to be hopeful.

This past year has changed me so much, and I’m betting it’s changed you too.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Polished Daytime Makeup Look With Gunmetal Gray Liner, Lightly Defined Taupe-Brown Lids and a Whole Lotta Laura Mercier ❤️

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laura mercier 2021 face of the day
Loving this vibe

Fun fact: makeup artist Laura Mercier spent her formative years in France. (Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to picture myself wearing her makeup while getting coffee and croissants?!)

laura mercier 2021 face of the day

If we were going to meet at a cafe today for a socially distanced lady date (I WANT!), I’d wear this Laura Mercier makeup look, and I’d get an iced latte and a plain croissant. What would you order?

marin coffee roasters
Incidentally, my favorite coffee drink as of late is an iced latte with a single shot from Marin Coffee Roasters.

Laura Mercier is one those lines I keep coming back to, over and over and over again. My love affair with all things LM began before I started MBB (so, we’re talking prehistoric time).

In teen romance terms, we’ve been going steady…for a good 14 years now (here’s Baby Karen mixing and wearing Laura Mercier foundation). I know I can count on the makeup, and whenever I wear it, I truly feel like myself.

I recently restocked on a few oldies but goodies (and a few new-to-me things as well)…

  • Caviar Volume Mascara: Epic curl, lift and volume. SO GOOD for wimpy lashes that need lots of help.
  • Eye Basics in Wheat: A beautiful satiny matte cream shadow that you can wear alone as a lid base or as a primer. Fun fact — this used to be called “Basic Color.”
  • Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Cobblestone and Moonlight: Cocoa is my favorite in this line of cream shadows, and these two are new to me. Cobblestone, I LOVE. It’s a mid-toned matte brown and adds just the right touch of light definition to lids. And Moonlight is a shimmery taupe… I like it, but don’t love it because it’s a little too frosty for my taste.
  • Inner Eye Definer in Stormy Grey: I hope LM never discontinues this gunmetal gray liner, which I’ve been wearing and loving for 10 years, at least.
  • Cheek Color in Ginger: The shade Rose is my jam, but I like this sheer matte peachy nude too.
  • Tinted Moisturizer: OLD SCHOOL, BABY! Lightweight feel with just a hint of tint to even everything out. I mixed Wheat with Tan and set it with Laura’s iconic loose setting powder in this look.
  • Vanille Gourmande Eau Gourmande: Did you know Laura Mercier makes some beautifully wearable scents too? This one has notes of vanilla, vanilla orchid, vanilla liqueur, bourbon vanilla and vanilla musk, mixed with heliotrope, lily, sandalwood and amber.
laura mercier 2021 flat lay
Current faves!

Do you have any Laura Mercier loves? I wish we could chat about them over croissants in real life!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Steps to a Sheer, Fresh Base (That Looks Effortless)

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laura mercier beige ultimae pyt no bs palette
Waiting on spring!

It’s always kinda amusing to me when I watch a tutorial for “skin that looks like skin,” or “effortless foundation,” and it involves, like, 12 steps to get there!

I know, I know! It comes with the territory of doing makeup. But still. ?

Admittedly, I’m guilty of over-complicating makeup on occasion (*cough* sorry! *cough*), but sometimes I really do just want easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, and this three-step process to a sheer, fresh base is exactly that.

The goal here? A low-effort base that looks natural and polished, with a few areas of strategically placed slightly dewy (but not shiny) finish peeking through. Please bear in mind that this type of base will not completely cover everything. Yes, we’re purposefully letting lots of actual skin show.

You’ll need…

Three is the magic number here, starting with how much time you’ll need.

About three minutes.

Also, you’ll need the following…

  1. An opalescent, low-shimmer highlighting lotion, ideally one without any bits of glitter in it
  2. A sheer-to-medium-coverage stick or cream foundation that works for your skin type and tone
  3. A synthetic blending brush

The step-by-step

  1. First, dab a few dots of the pearly lotion all over your face, and blend. I like to include a few dots beneath my eyes to lift and brighten that area. After blending all of your dots, wait about a minute for your pearly lotion set.
  2. Apply the foundation you selected wherever you want the highest coverage. Gently press and blend it in with clean fingers (ideally, your fingers should be warm for this, and not freezing cold like my fingers get sometimes). I typically do my cheeks, underneath my nose, around my mouth, and in the center of my forehead. This should take just about another minute.
  3. Gently diffuse the edges of your foundation with the blending brush, seamlessly blending the foundation into your natural skin. The trick is to not lift off and remove too much product here. That is, you do want some coverage, after all, so use a light touch.
  • Optional: dab some concealer under your eyes, and I’d suggest something sheer because a full-coverage concealer will look disjointed alongside such a sheer base.
  • Additional optional step: set your foundation with a sheer powder (I usually skip this step).

Here’s a closeup of the base! As you can see, there are a few freckles on my nose and a few places where a little pigmentation is peeking through above my upper lip and on my cheeks, which I’m totally cool with. Like I said, this is the type of makeup that isn’t meant to fully conceal everything.

laura mercier beige intime pyt no bs palette closeup
Well, hi there!
Fresh skin, olive lids and rosy beige cheeks and lips
See the freckles on my nose?

What to pair this base with

If you want to keep it casual and underdress this base, you could pair it with a combination of brow gel, mascara and eyeliner, but for a little extra polish, you could dress it up like I did here by pairing it with something like a cool-toned olive and taupe on the lids, a matte rosy blush on the cheeks and a light pinkish brown lipstick.

laura mercier beige intime pyt no bs palette swatches
Swatches of the key eye, cheek and lip products
laura mercier beige intime pyt no bs palette products
Featured products I’m wearing on my eyes, cheeks and lips

Product links

What I’m wearing

Additional pearly/low-shimmer highlighting lotion options

Additional stick or cream foundation options:

Synthetic blending brush options:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday! ?

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! 🙂

FOTD: Elegant Rose Quartz Gemstone Lids With a Smokey Bronze Lower Lash Line

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urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

I wore this look to drop Connor off at her dance class (she’s taking outdoor classes two days a week now, and yay for seeing other kids her age!), and then to go to Trader Joe’s, because doing that kind of regular everyday stuff is the adult equivalent of going to your high school senior prom now. (Dance studio drop-off IS AN EVENT. Ya gotta do it up!)

I took the new Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Palette for a spin for the first time in this look. It’s a new palette with 12 powder eyeshadows, the majority of them with this chonky-looking glitter formula that has a bit of squish to it. They look like they could potentially look like you’re wearing big flakes of glitter on your skin, but there was hardly any floof, fallout or flakes when I got Tiger’s Eye on my lids. The formula applies smoother than I expected it to, but you get WHOA, WHOA, WHOOOOOA levels of shimmer.

So…Urban Decay isn’t shy about their 420 references, but in this case I think “Stoned Vibes” actually refers to, ya know…gemstones, although Tiger’s Eye looks nothing like a stone on my eyelids. It’s a lovely pinkish bronze (heavy on the pink!), which is why I paired it with rose cheeks and lips.

OH! — I gotta point out the lower lash line. I’m wearing MAC Teddy, yet again, because apparently this fall is going to be my greatest hits tour of Teddy smoked along the lower lash line. I just kinda forgot how great it is when worn that way?! It’s fantastic.

I think I’m going to do a look with the purples in this palette (it’s $54, BTW) next because they remind me of my birth month gemstone, Alexandrite…which leads me to a question for you!

What’s your birth month gem? Drop it in the comments, along with any Qs you might have about the palette or this look, if you have ’em. As usual, the full breakdown of products is down below.

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Hey, that arm’s an NC42!
urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Key products worn in this look

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

Makeup worn in this look

EYES

  • NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium — all over the lids as a base
  • Urban Decay Stoned Palette Eyeshadows — Good Karma (brow bone), Antidote (crease), Hexed (outer crease), Third eye (outer v), Tiger’s Eye (lids, applied with finger)
  • MAC Whisper of Gilt — inner corner highlight
  • Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes and MAC Clear Brow Set — brows
  • MAC Teddy — lower lash line
  • Honest Beauty Liquid Liner — winged liner
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara — lashes

CHEEKS

  • Laura Mercier Soleil 1 — bronzer
  • Laura Mercier Rose — blush

LIPS

  • Wander Beauty B.B. and Riviera Dual Lipstick — mixed together

BASE

  • Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Face Oil — prep
  • Laura Mercier Foundation primer — prep
  • Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Tan — foundation, all over face
  • Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium 05 and 06 — under eyes, cheeks and around mouth
  • Laura Mercier Translucent Honey Loose Powder — forehead, down the sides of nose, around mouth and along the jawline

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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