MAC Cosmetics

Glowing Khaki Lids and Coral Lips (A 15-Minute Makeup Look)…and a Pumpkin Cupcake Question!

November 4th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

If you ever need to “improv” maracas (it could happen), just grab a jar of autumnal sprinkles, and give ’em a little shake! They’ll get the job done in a pinch.

Yes, Bon Jovi is FEELING IT.

I wore this khaki makeup look to the bakery last Friday, by the way.

autumn sprinkles — Fall colors AND an improv instrument in one fell swoop

It was inspired by this jar of mixed sprinkles and these fall leaf cupcake liners I found at Michaels.

Aren’t they pretty? I just love the greens and golds, and the little sugar dots have a subtle shimmer.

I was trying to channel fall via the khaki lids (which come courtesy of MAC Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow (an oldie but goodie) and Maybelline Jade Olive (a drugstore superhero), but it turned out more summery than I thought it would. HELLO, STORY OF MY LIFE.

mac sumptuous olive flat lay — I was going for fall colors, really!

I mean, I could’ve swapped the coral matte lip for something like MAC Burnt Spice, but I swear, I could not physically stop my hand from grabbing that coral. I saw my hand reach out, and I literally could not stop myself (coral addicts, you know what I’m talking about).

The glowing skin upped the summery-ness of the look even more, and that’s the work of this new-to-me product from It Cosmetics called Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer SPF 50+ in Tan.

I didn’t anticipate so much sheen from this tinted moisturizer. It’s very similar to NARS Pure Radiant — so it’s dewy, but with slightly more coverage and an even shinier finish. My skin ended up with a beach babe glow, and even though I tried to matte it down with a loose powder, it was still super shiny.

Basically, this stuff really wants to glow on your face!

Overall, I think it’s just OK… It doesn’t feel heavy, which is nice, and it does give a good amount of coverage, but I’m not crazy about the Tan color (I think it’s a little too gray on me) or how the finish seems to amplify the size of my pores.

Anyway, I’m gonna take another crack at another autumnal look again soon, perhaps with a brown smoky eye, or — ooh! — maybe a cranberry smoky eye with gold liner? We’ll see what happens… I have to admit that there still exists a slim chance that whatever I do will go summery again, because that’s just the story of my makeup life, HA HA HA!

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Red Lip Redux: MAC Matte Lip Mousse in Cordon Bleu

October 29th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

mac cordon bleu — MAC Condon Bleu, I heart you

Officially, this MAC matte lipstick is a warm pink, but on my lips it looks red, yet the name is Cordon Bleu, like the color blue.

We should just rename it something like, “When Colors Confusingly Collide.” ?

I wore this lippy last week in one of the Charlotte Tilbury posts not realizing just how much it would steal the show. It’s one of the Matte Lip Mousse lipsticks from the MAC Pony Park collection, so it’s limited edition (I know), and while a lot of the items from that launch are sold out, Cordon Bleu is still available.

The Matte Lip Mousse lippies play on the blurry edged lip trend that’s happening right now, so they’re designed to draw a diffused edge that feathers out ever so slightly.

You don’t really have to do anything fancy to get the effect either — just apply it with the doefoot directly onto your lips. Don’t worry, it won’t travel outside your natural lip line, so you won’t end up looking like the accidental Joker.

Cordon Bleu’s lightweight mousse formula stays put, feels comfy, and best of all, doesn’t dry out lips. It also tastes and smells like MAC’s signature vanilla, which I love. If you’re a fan of MAC Relentlessly Red Lipstick, I think you’ll like this color, too, because it has similar warm coral undertones.

mac cordon blue — Living my best NC42 life

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The MAC Pony Park Collection Is Luminous and Lighter Than Air!

September 26th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

mac pony park matte lip mousse — In the MAC Pony Park collection, you’ll find MAC’s latest lippie: a lightweight matte mousse

MAC’s new tarot-inspired collab with South Korean beauty blogger Pony Park (a.k.a. Park Hye-Min, a.k.a. a bondafide Instagram mega-star with over six million followers) makes me wish I could find my tarot cards…

I had a brief side gig as a tarot card reader, and by “brief,” I mean that it lasted all but a week, because I did one reading on my college roommate’s bestie, then lost my deck of cards in the shuffle of moving back home to the Bay Area.

Thus ended my brief stint as a diviner of fortunes!

Anyway, if I could find those tarot cards, they’d probably tell me what the universe (and you and I) probably already know: influencer collaborations are still a thing, and this one’s a big enough deal that MAC is releasing a brand-spankin’ new lip formula with it.

mac pony park collection — The MAC Pony Park collection

The Matte Lip Mousses ($20 each) practically float like feathery clouds and feel like an airy meringue whipped into soft peaks when you glide them across your lips.

Available in nine shades, ranging from neutrals to bright pinks to reds to deep plums, the Lip Mousses are the centerpiece in this limited edition collection, which features varying levels of luminosity, a central spoke in the wheel of K-beauty — and influencer Pony Park’s makeup looks.

MAC’s latest beauty partner, Pony Park

This looks fun.

Wearable, but with a twist

The Lip Mousses, along with the rest of the collection — a $35 eight-pan neutral eyeshadow palette, a $20 plumping gloss, a $30 pearly Fix+ setting spray, two highlighters ($37 each), a set of $19 lashes, a $58 face brush and a $35 eye brush — are all dressed in Tarot-inspired packaging.

mac pony park hocus pocus eye shadow — Hocus Pocus Eye Shadow X 8

mac pony park skys the limit cold comfort — Extra Dimension Skinfinishes and Prep+Prime Fix+

mac pony park matte lip mousse doe foot — Doe foot action

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MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Sticks: The Latest Way to Get Your Fix

September 3rd, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

Update for all MAC foundation fan-atics: Thanks to the new MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Sticks, this fall we’ll have yet another reason to stick around the MAC counter.

One of my tried-and-true all-time MAC faves is their Studio Fix Foundation (it’s wicked dermatological wizardry when mixed with a few drops of Strobe Cream and set with Mineralize Skinfinish Natural), so I’m excited about this cream stick foundation, which comes in 33 colors and hits shelves beginning September 5.

Like the O.G. Studio Fix Foundation, these sticks promise a flawless finish and a formula that’s theoretically supposed to last 86,400 seconds…which is 24 hours, in case you were wondering.

However, unlike the original Studio Fix Foundation and its ultra-perfected, complete coverage, Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation is medium coverage and made to appeal to makeup minimalists, a la the low-maintenance girl (or guy) looking to even out their skin tone and ever-so-slightly blur some pores.

From the official MAC PR:

“There’s a definite skin moment happening right now,” says Terry Barber, MAC Director of Makeup Artistry in London.” We’re not talking rawness here, or the whole no makeup, makeup thing. “It’s premium skin; enhanced, plumped, smooth and packed with moisture. Matte in the past was associated with dryness and dullness, whereas the new matte is about soft focus and blur with no blanket coverage and light hitting in all the right places.”

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Half ‘n Half Lipstick

August 19th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

MAC Half ‘n Half Lipstick ($18.50) is a neutral girl’s neutral — a nude pinkish brown with a creamy finish that you can wear with warm Havana eyeshadow, neutral golden brown Soba, or cool-toned taupe Omega, plus each and every natural-looking neutral in between.

You want pigment? Girl, you got pigment. You want shine? Half ‘n Half has you covered, and since Half ‘n Half has MAC’s intense Amplified formula, you can swipe once and ask questions (or reapply) later.

Like, much later.

Three or four hours, even.

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Adventures in Long-Lasting, Sweat-Proof Makeup (and a Shout-Out to Urban Decay)

August 13th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

long lasting makeup top — Anatomy of an (easy) long-wearing makeup look!

I wore makeup to the gym for the first time in forever yesterday (There was a reason… More on this in a sec.), and guess what? It led me to develop a list of go-to sweat-proof long-lasting makeup products that I know won’t budge an inch, even after an intense 60-minute HIIT class!

Not that I ever wear a full face when I exercise, but it never hurts to be prepared, right? At least now I know what to grab if Sydney Cummings ever asks me to do a workout video with her.

long lasting makeup products — The go-to gang

I think having a number of sweat-proof, water-proof products on hand is a good idea for people who do performances (dude, those stage lights are HOT), or if you’re going to be a guest at a destination wedding in a tropical locale, or if you’re going to Vegas to sit by the pool — basically, any situation where you know you’ll be sweating and you don’t want your brows/lashes/lips to melt off.

long lasting makeup before — The before pic: Let’s get sweaty!

Anyway, the reason this particular makeup challenge came about was because my HIIT teacher asked me to be the “member of the month” at the gym for September 2019.

Being member of the month entails having your picture taken, which will appear on a big ol’ poster in the middle of the gym (EEK), and answering some exercise-related interview questions.

long lasting makeup after — The after pic: Makeup after a 60-minute HIIT workout

We did the picture part during Monday night’s class, and that included some action shots of me sweating (and hopefully) looking somewhat cute with makeup on, even in that terrible overhead florescent lighting.

I used the least amount of product I could get away with because I didn’t want to be wearing layers and layers of heavy makeup. Also, most of the items I used were from Urban Decay, a line with a solid reputation for long-wearing makeup.

BROWS

I’ve noticed that filled-in brows make all the difference in pics, so I used Urban Decay Brow Blade Waterproof Pencil and Ink Stain in Dark Drapes to fill them in (pencil first, then the ink).

By the end of the workout, the drawn-in tail on my right brow had faded ever-so-slightly, which wasn’t surprising, really, with the amount of sweat that was pouring out of me, but both brows remained more or less intact.
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Milkshakes and Massages

July 24th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

take me to shake shack — YAAAAS KWEEN!!!

Things that go together like cookies and cream:

Reality TV and bad decision making
Underwear and pants (generally speaking)
Prince and the Revolution
Fast food and deep-tissue massage

And yes, I just figured out that last one, and I think it may be the key to the universe’s riches — a business that combines a luxury spa with bougie-bouge fast food.

I know this ’cause I saw my high school friends Jen and Cindy last weekend for our yearly summertime spa catch-up, and this time we met at a fancy-schmancy outdoor mini-mall called the Marin Country Mart.

Oh, and side note, when you live in the Bay Area and you’re tasked with doing the planning for a get-together, you try to arrange for the festivities to happen on your side of whichever of the three Bay Area bridges is closest to you (Dumbarton, Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate). #bayareafunfacts

Anyway, the Marin Country Mart. It has turtles in a fountain, upscale restaurants, shopping, and a large parking lot where, over the years, I’ve weaved creative blankets of expletives at people who have rudely cut me off. (My 10-year-old Mazda looks out of place amidst the sea of Range Rovers and Teslas.)

It also just so happens to be heaven on earth, because it has a Shake Shack *and* an International Orange Spa.

I love going to spas, but the snack situation is almost always dire. There may be cucumber water, tea, fruit and, if you’re lucky, trail mix. International Orange has dried apricots and dark chocolate, which is OK I guess…but it’s nowhere near as satisfying as stuffing yourself silly with a salted caramel milkshake, cheeseburger and fries!

So, we had a long lunch at Shake Shack — which is like In-n-Out, but with super intense milkshakes — then walked over to International Orange for massages.

international orange spa marin — International Orange Spa

international orange marin inside — Minimalist and zen…

My 60-minute deep-tissue massage liquefied my bones. When it ended, I crawled into a lounge chair in the relaxation room, covered myself with a blanket, and fell asleep…

inside international orange spa — Inside the relaxation room

international orange sun deck — View of the bay from the spa’s sun deck

international orange spa snacks — Spa snacks

At the end of the day, we all made a blood vow to return and experience the magic of milkshakes and massages again, ASAP.

I’m serious, this is a highly recommended spa+cuisine combo!

New face base dynamic duo

While we’re on the topic of ultimate combos…

MAC Face and Body and Kevyn Aucoin Etherealist Super Natural Concealer are SO, SO GOOD together.

mac face and body kevyn aucoin etherealist — For Face and Body, I usually do a mix of C4 and C5. In the Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer, I wear EC04 (the peachy shade for color correcting) and EC06 (a medium warm beige).

Super Natural is yet another makeup gem I unearthed while recently cleaning out my makeup drawers. It’s a medium-coverage liquid concealer with a demi-satin finish and comes in eight shades.

When I first tried it a while back, I remember loving how it looked on my skin, but I wasn’t a fan of the way it disappeared under my eyes.

But when I wear it on my cheeks on top of Face and Body, it’s a different story.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Chili Lipstick

July 15th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

mac chili lipstick — MAC Matte Lipstick in Chili is hot stuff! ?

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

So, I was making homemade taco seasoning a few nights ago, and the color of the chili powder reminded me of one of my favorite MAC lipsticks.

Smooth, long-lasting MAC Chili is a warm orange-reddish brown beauty in the MAC Matte Lipstick line. You can wear it all year round (’cause red is timeless like that!), but I think it looks particularly great this time of year with toasty tans.

mac chili lipstick swatch — An NC42, always and forever!

Chili perfectly pairs with summery bronze, copper and gold shadows. A few of my favorite eyeshadows to wear it with are MAC Bronze, Antiqued and Mulch, but Amber Lights looks fab with it, too.

I also like it with the NARS Isolde Duo (Tip: Mix both shades together and buff all over lids, and then do MAC Teddy liner on the waterlines… It’s FIRE.) and NUDESTIX Rustique.

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