MAC Cosmetics

Summer Glam on the Go! Coral Lips and Peachy Bronzed Lids

July 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 2 — Today’s summery glam on the go!

The other day, when I was wearing this makeup, I ran into my neighbor, and she asked if I was going anywhere special, to which I replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “I’M GOING TO SPORTS BASEMENT!”

You know the bar for your entertainment is set reeeeeeeally low when you dress up like you’re going to fancy brunch on vacation, but in reality you’re going to a sporting goods store to look for weights…

Oh, the pandemic stories we’ll have to tell! ?

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 4 — A summery color palette

This summery look has a few of my favorite warm-weather shades — coral and bronze! — and looks fancy, but it’s very easy to do. It also feels light and weightless, which are must-haves when the temperature’s rising.

This look has three distinguishing features — long, lifted, lush lashes; warm, peachy bronze lids; and luminous skin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 5 — Streamlined and summery makeup

1. Primer on the outer lashes

To make your lashes look longer and more dramatique, coat your outer lashes with a lengthening lash primer before loading them up with mascara. This creates a lush lash effect without the time and effort of falsies.

2. Bronzer is your buddy for glam-on-the-go eyes

Bronzed eyes are a summer staple, and while you could always search your makeup collection for that perfect shade, why not save yourself a little time and swish your favorite bronzer on your lids instead?

Here, I layered a warm golden tan bronzer atop a satiny peach cream shadow…

3. Define your lash line with brown and black eyeliner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: gradients are your friend.

This brown-into-black eyeliner gradient on the upper lash line is subtle, but I think that’s the beauty of it.

Start by lining your upper and lower waterlines with a matte brown pencil. Then, draw a thin line on your upper lash line, and smudge the outer edge of that ever so slightly.

Add depth to the gradient by etching a very thin line of black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Added bonus: the black liner also creates the illusion of a thicker lash base!

Flexible face oil

You probably already know I’m a fan of customizing foundation — mixing in a few drops of concealer for added coverage, or adding a few drops of liquid highlighter for a luminous effect. Well, here’s another one to try: blend a drop or two of face oil into your foundation to dial down the opacity of your base. This trick is handy for applying base to sections of the face where you want more of your natural skin to peek through, and it’s what I did here for my forehead and the outer edges.

Fastest updo

If your hair is crazy from quarantine, and you’re tired of rockin’ your fun bun, gather it into a high pony, and secure it into small sections with tiny hair ties (I like these. Three bucks at Ulta!). You can keep the hair ties bare, like I did here (I think the shiny effect looks like jewelry), but if you want to boost the sophistication factor, cover up the ties by wrapping a small piece of hair around each one and securing it with a bobby pin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — See the shine from the hair ties?

Makeup worn in this look

I listed everything on my visage below, so please feel free to ask about any of these products in the comments. ?
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MAC Bronzer Collection Swatches on NC42 Skin!

July 8th, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 top pic — Bronzed and beautiful ?

Things that say, “Summer has officially arrived…”

The sun setting at 9 p.m.
Barbecuing on a random Wednesday night just because you can
Challenging someone to a sword fight with a pool noodle
Sweating buckets every time you walk from any air conditioning building to your car
The MAC summer makeup collection (of course!)

This summer’s MAC Bronzer Face and Body collection is all about bronzed shades for tanned skin, but there’s also a twist… It includes a plethora of shades designed for warm *and* cool skin tones.

Hot and cool

Sure, MAC stocked it with the kind of warm summery coral, gold, bronze and peach tones you might expect from a MAC summer launch, but this year’s collection also sports some surprising cooler-toned shades of taupe, pink and pale lavender in the Foiled Shadows (apply with a wet brush for a slick, foiled finish) and the Strobe Face Glazes (*very cool* gel-like highlighters you can wear over foundation or bare skin).

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 — Love the limited edition packaging!

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 foiled shadow — MAC Bronzer Foiled Shadows, $26 each

Silky, satiny bronzers

As for the bronzing powders in the Bronzer collection — be careful! — the velvety Radiant Matte Bronzing Powders will shock your fingertip if you swatch them (ME: “Why is this powder SO SOFT?!”), and there are absolutely no orange undertones in sight.

Totally Taupe, the darker of the two options, is brown with yellow undertones, and Beige-ing Beauty is a light yellowish brown (I’m an NC42, and I could probably wear it as a face powder).

Technically, they’re matte with a slight sheen, which keeps them from looking too flat on your face.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 strobe face glze — 143SES Medium Face Face Brush ($38.50), Strobe Face Glaze ($28 each), Prep+Prime Fix+ in Bronzelite ($30) Strobe Body Lotion ($35)

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 radiant matte bronzing powder — Radiant Matte Bronzing Powder, $32

A refreshing take on highlights

If you’re totally over the trend of shimmery, frosty highlighters that are visible from space, then the dewy, shiny Strobe Face Glazes might be worth checking out. They’re dewy and shiny but not blindingly glossy. There’s just a little something-something there… I think it’s super cool.

They feel slightly sticky, like a typical face gloss, but don’t worry — your high pony won’t stick to your cheekbones once you pat and blend them in because they aren’t thick. On minimal makeup days, I’ll do a swipe of Bronzejour on my lids with waterproof mascara (waterproof is a must, since whatever the Glazes touch will break down and smudge eventually) and use Let’s Make Waves as an upper cheekbone highlighter.

Like most face glosses, Face Glaze isn’t built for longevity, so expect it to move a bit when it’s on your skin, and anticipate having to touch up every four hours or so.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipsticks — MAC Bronzer Lipsticks, $20 each

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipglasses — Lipglass, $18.50 each

mac bronzer collection swatches lipglasses — Lipglasses

mac bronzer collection swatches foiled shadow lipsticks — Lipsticks

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FOTD: Khaki and Copper Tones for a Zoom Call

June 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Wore this look on a Zoom call with a beauty brand yesterday (it was Urban Decay to talk about their latest Naked palette, for the nosey noodles who were wondering!), and in classic K-dawg fashion I banged it out in 15 minutes before it started because that’s how I roll.

And, um…Connor also had a social distancing playdate at the park shortly before the call was scheduled to start, and we made it back home by the skin of our teeth, ha ha ha! Whenever I’m pressed for time but want to look gussied up, I always fall back on smokey eyes and nude lips. This khaki and copper version relies on just two products.

I paired the eyes with peach lips and cheeks because EASY. PEASY.

I’m also wearing a little more base makeup than I have been lately because I knew that “makeup people” (air quotes) were going to be present, so if there were ever a time to load up on a little more concealer, this was it.

Since we’re on the topic of quick looks, what’s your default medium-impact makeup look when you’re pressed for time?

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How to Wear Bright Eyeshadow Without Feeling Like You’re Crazypants

June 11th, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

My three top tips for wearing colorful yet wearable eye makeup. You know I’m all about approachable looks these days!

1. Pick one bright element of your eye look and run with it

When wearing bright eyeshadow, you can dial it back quite a bit and still make a big impact.

It might seem like everyone who wears bright eyeshadow adds all the bells and whistles, combining each and every aspect of strong, bold makeup, especially if you judge by all of the Instagram-style trends that appear to be everywhere, but…ya know, just because it seems like everyone online is wearing neon orange eyeshadow with bladed brows, razor sharp tails and a blown-out rainbow-hued lower lash line doesn’t mean that’s actually happening in real life. (Side note: this is a lesson I learned along the way.)

Lately I’ve been taking a restrained approach to applying bright eyeshadow, and I think it’s more approachable and less intimidating than brights can be.

The key is to just pick one colorful element and roll with it — like, a smoky metallic green lid, or an intense spotlight of bright teal in the inner corner highlight — and letting that single statement be the life of the party, rather than combining multiple bold eye makeup elements.

The bold statement I chose for the makeup I’m wearing here is the purple smoky eyeshadow. Everything else is restrained.

2. Keep the rest of your eye makeup understated

Speaking of restraint, letting one bright eye element steal the spotlight works well when the rest of the eye makeup is kept low-key.

So, instead of adding a pair falsies the size of bat wings, go with your natural lashes and a lengthening mascara instead, and if you’re highlighting your inner corner, dial back the intensity of the shimmer and opt for a sheen or a satin finish instead.

Lastly, if you’re lining your waterlines, swap the black eye pencil for an eyeliner in a color similar to but darker than your single bright element. This will still intensify things but won’t look as harsh as black liner can look sometimes.

That’s what I did here! To complement the cool purple shadow, I lined my waterlines with a mix of brown and purple pencils (I layered the purple on top of the brown).

3. Purposefully pull back on your base, cheeks and lip products

Yup, keeping your makeup minimal on the rest of your face also helps to keep the focus on your single bright element. You’ll want makeup that doesn’t compete with your eyeshadow, so
go for the barest of bare bases — for me, that means a sheer tinted moisturizer and a sheer cream or liquid blush (and/or bronzer).

If you want to add highlights, go for something with a glossy finish instead of a frosty or metallic finish.

And don’t forget to do your version of nude lips, of course! ?

Makeup worn in this look

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A “TGIF” 10 Minutes With MAC Selena La Reina | Fun With Glitter | Not Dancing With Myself

April 24th, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner closed eyes — Peep the bronze on my upper lash lines (it’s glitter eyeshadow!)

I can’t even… I am SO HAPPY it’s Friday, my friend. I don’t know, but this week was draining. Even though it was just more of the same, really, the whole sameness of it all is wearing on me. I know you’re probably in a similar boat, or you’re an essential worker out there doing your best, or you’re unemployed because of this. Whatever the case may be, I’m sorry this is happening to you. To all of us. These are strange, unsettling days indeed. ?

But what can we do, other than our best every day to get through it? And none of us knows the “best” or the “right” way to deal with something like this. We all have different needs and responsibilities, different situations. I want you to know I’m with you, and I support you. You’re doing your best, just like I am too. ??

With that, here’s a little something makeup-related, because why not right? For this look I used a glitter eyeshadow as my liner (the bronze glitter from the MAC Selena La Reina palette).

Such a handy hack!

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner crazy face — Another day, another 10 minute makeup look

You just load an angled eyeliner brush (I like the NARS #47) with your glitter shadow of choice, spray the brush head with setting spray, and, because fallout isn’t fun, tap it to unload any excess powder bits, and then run the brush along your lash lines.

The result?

The same shiny effect you get from a shimmery liquid eyeliner, except that’s it’s easier to do because you don’t have to deal with wet liner spreading all over your lids or getting up into your crease.

And you know I like easy, especially lately.

Makeup worn in this look

BASE: MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance and MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Stick in NC42

EYES: MAC Selena La Reina eyeshadow palette (matte medium brown in crease, glittery bronze on the upper lash line), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (lashes), MAC Cool Jazz Technakohl Liner (upper water line)

CHEEKS: MAC Pinch Me Blush

LIPS: MAC Selena La Reina Lip Pencil in Entre a Mi Mundo, MAC Love Nectar Lipglass

By the way, there are many setting sprays that work well with this trick. I’ve used MAC Fix+, Urban Decay All Nighter; the ones by Make Up For Ever and Shiseido are also great. In a pinch, even water will do.

If you plan to do this to a pan of glitter, I suggest designating one area of your pan to be the place where you *always* dip the wet brush head; otherwise, if you’re grabbing from all over the place, you can turn the top layer of your shadow into a hard, clumpy mess.

For the life of me, I haven’t been able to take a normal pic today, because my coworkers have been ALL UP IN MY BUSINESS.

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner coycoyhand 1 — Never alone

Did you notice the mystery hand in the lower corner?

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner coycoyhand 2 — Not for one second!

I’ve been making a self-quarantine playlist and have been playing Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself like nobody’s business, but I’m very thankful that, throughout this period of isolation, I haven’t really been by myself. Thank you for stopping by and keeping in touch.

When I was a kid and this played on MTV, I’d change the channel because it scared me.

You’re welcome to join The Girl’s Club! So far, it’s just me, Rosie and the CoyCoy. Lifetime membership!

If you’re going to join us, just know that you’ll be required to either play hopscotch, ride bikes or jump rope. Standard Girls Club stuff, ya know.

Last weekend, I jumped rope for the first time in…I don’t even know how long, and OH, MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I’m still recovering. My body hella hurts, dude!

I’ve been teaching Connor how to jump rope (this is what she gets in her classes at “mom home school,” ha ha), and for some demented reason, I thought it might be kinda fun to take up jumping rope as my new form of cardio…

Wow, that was a questionable idea.

bob the jump rope — I’ve named my jump rope “Bob.”

I jumped for three minutes straight (well, I tried to, at least), rested for a minute, then repeated the cycle. I did this seven times. I figured, hey, I’m not in terrible shape. I can jump rope for a total of 24 minutes, right? Piece. Of. Cake.

Nope! Apparently, one doesn’t need much rope jumping to hobble themselves for an entire week. The next day, I could barely walk. Who knew?!

Can you remember the last time you jumped rope? If you can, did you do a double under?! (Yes, it’s a thing.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?❤️

10 Minutes With MAC Selena La Reina, and the Revival of the Lady Sanctuary

April 23rd, 2020 by Karen 36 Comments

lady sanctuary with coycoy reading — The spot to be

Hey, my friend. How’s it going? ?❤️ Check this out…

lady sanctuary corner 2020 — Welcome to our cozy corner.

This is called the “Lady Sanctuary” — a.k.a. the deck off my bedroom. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s quiet, soothing, has some plants, and it’s protected in the shade of a tall, old oak tree.

It’s a good place to have a cup of coffee or tea and read a book. It’s one of my favorite spots right now, and I’m happy to share it with you.

coycoy reading in lady sanctuary — Grab a book and get cozy.

Even though it’s technically only for the ladies (hence the name), if you’re a makeup-and/or-cat-loving dude, you’re still welcome (I’m talking to you, Efrain!).

lady sanctuary gerbera daisy — Raise your paw if you love gerberas!

Trying something new this year — a strawberry plant!

Connor and I were out there this morning. She read a stack of Disney princess books, and I willed myself into putting on 10-minute makeup.

mac selena k down — I’m wearing mostly MAC, with products from the new Selena La Reina collection.

Question for ya… Have you been wearing makeup regularly? If so, are you sticking to your pre-Corona makeup routine? It’s been touch-and-go for me. I’ll go for stretches where I’ll happily wear a full face, but then — BAM! No makeup for a week.

I’m cool with going bare-faced, but I definitely feel more mentally “on” when I wear at least mascara or gloss, which is why I put on some makeup today. I’ve been feeling kinda lonely this week, so I told myself, “Self, you have 10 minutes. That’s it. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Just do a little.”

I think this helps. —-> Give yourself permission to skip things, like today I didn’t want to fill in my brows (just used a clear brow gel), and I didn’t do pencil eyeliner. But I still had it in me to apply some eyeshadow, mascara, a little sheer foundation and a lipstick (which I also used as a cream blush).

Definitely felt more like myself when I finished. ? I even put on earrings and a necklace, too, and spritzed a body splash.

mac selena la reina k side — A little glitter never hurts.

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MAC Selena La Reina Collection Swatches (NC42 Skin)

April 21st, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

Your first Selena fun fact of the day: One rainy spring day during my senior year in college, I sat, bawling my eyes out, while parked in my red Honda Civic listening to Selena sing I Could Fall in Love on the radio. LIKE, FULL-ON EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN IN MY VEHICLE.

Don’t mind me! I’m just crying in my car! ?

Your second Selena fun fact of the day: The new MAC Selena La Reina collection is available now on the MAC website, and it’s a follow-up to the MAC Selena collection released in 2016. (Wow, it’s been four years already?)

The new collection is BIGGER! — and unlike the 2016 release, it leans toward lip products, with three liquid lipsticks, four lipsticks, three glosses and two lip pencils. (There is also an eyeshadow palette, a very Chanel-esque highlighter and a bejeweled bag.)

Plenty to make your heart sing. ???‍?

mac selena la reina paletta — The highlighter and eye palette both come with this pic inside of Selena wearing a cute jeweled bra (which I would wear in a hot second!).

mac selena la reina packaging — The design on the outer packaging of the highlighter and palette look like Selena’s jeweled bra top.

mac selena la reina highlighter — Yup, that red is eye-safe.

mac selena la reina lipsticks — Love the rose detail on the lipstick bullets.

mac selena la reina liquid lipsticks — The Retro Matte Lip Colours

mac selena la reina lipglass — Lipglasses

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Peachy Golden Brown Cheeks and Eyes With a ’90s-Style Lip #throwbackthursday

April 16th, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

mac amber lights — #throwbackthursday to this ’90s lip look

A pic popped up in my feed a few days ago of a friend wearing a classic ’90s lip with an unblended dark outer edge, a light lipstick, and lots and lots of gloss in the center.

I was moved!

I wore the heck out of this lip look when I was in college, and apparently you can trust muscle memory to kick in when you attempt to do old favorite makeup looks, because it all came back to me like *that*.

What you’ll need

To do this type of ’90s lip look, grab the following…

A dark matte lip liner (I’m wearing two shades of brown).
An opaque matte lipstick significantly lighter than your lip liner, because you’re going for contrast here. I chose a matte beige.
A very shiny gloss, either clear, or in a shade that compliments your lipstick.

Step-by-step: the ’90s girl unblended lip look!

Apply a layer or two of your lipstick first. I just did it directly from the tube.
Line the outermost portion of your lips with the liner. Be sure to sharpen the tip beforehand for a crisp edge.
Dot the gloss on the center of your bottom lip. I like to swipe a little first on the back of my hand, and then I dab the gloss on with a finger to avoid touching the doe-foot applicator directly to the lipstick. That way I can keep the lipstick from mixing into the gloss and changing the color.
DO NOT rub your lips together or blend the liner with a lip brush, or do anything that will reduce the definition of the edge. This is totes key!

If you do a beige-brown lip like the one I’m wearing here, peachy golden brown colors work well on the cheeks and eyes.

Makeup worn in this look

Lips: MAC Cork and Hover lip liners (Cork on the outermost edge with Hover on the inner portion), MAC Honey Love Lipstick, MAC C-Thru Lipglass

Base: MAC Strobe Cream in Peachlite, MAC Next to Nothing in Medium Dark, MAC Matchmaster Concealer in 5

Eyes: MAC Teddy liner (buffed all over lids as base and worn as liner on lash and waterlines), MAC Amber Lights eyeshadow, MAC Beaming Blush Extra Dimension Skinfinish (inner corner), MAC Give Me Sun bronzer, Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

Cheeks: MAC Give Me Sun bronzer, MAC Hushed Tone blush, MAC Beaming Blush Extra Dimension Skinfinish

Social media is weird, man.

Have you seen the thing going ’round social media where people post their senior high school pic to support the seniors graduating in 2020? Now, how is posting one’s own senior portrait supposed to cheer up a senior in high school who’s missing prom and graduation? I dunno. That said, I’ve been enjoying seeing everyone’s throwbacks, especially all the makeup and hair. It’s great for inspiration!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen