MAC Cosmetics

The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow! Another Starbucks #PSL Look With Reviews of the New MAC Studio Fix 24-HR Concealer, Patrick Starrr Boy About Town Kit, and More

September 25th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

mat patrick starrr boy about town k — Pumpkin Spice ERRRTHANG

I’m wearing another pumpkin spice latte look today! (More reviews on the key makeup products, all the new things from MAC that are out right now, in just a sec.) But first, my latest Starbucks adventure…

Like I mentioned yesterday, for years I thought the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte was limited to the standard-issue #PSL, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you look around, you can find TONS of different versions of the PSL (even healthy-ish ones)! If you’re not into the super sweet OG latte (which, I admit, can be a little much, even for my sweet tooth sometimes), you’ve gotta try this other version from The Macrobarista, which I got earlier today.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte???‍♀️ ~~~~~Approximate Macros~~~~~ Protein: 1.5g/ Carbs: 13g/ Fat: 3g ‼️90 Calories‼️ *with no whip* SUGAR: 10g Fiber: 1g Caffeine: 160mg • Here it is! The oh so awaited HOT pumpkin spice latte! • Don’t be afraid when looking at the ordering instructions! If the store isn’t slammed and you’re polite when ordering, the barista should have no problem fixing up your macro friendly drink! My best advice, show them the picture of the order screen I provide and briefly say why you’re ordering it that way. Or, just use the mobile order screen I’ve provided. • OR, if you’re too intimidated by the instructions.. use my modifications but order this as a latte, keep in mind you’ll double the calories from almond milk. • ◾️◼️The breakdown◼️◾️ Pumpkin Sauce: .5g P/ 10g C Almond Milk: 1g P/ 4g C/ 3g F SF Vanilla: <1g C ( this comes from maltodextrin which the body treats like glucose, so keep that in mind) • ✅HOW TO ORDER✅ 1️⃣Ask for a TALL BLONDE Americano 2️⃣Ask for it in a GRANDE CUP 3️⃣Ask for ONE (1)pump of pumpkin sauce 4️⃣Ask for THREE (3)pumps of sugar free vanilla 5️⃣Ask for STEAMED ALMOND MILK 7️⃣Ask for EXXXXTRA pumpkin spice topping PS.. I only included the whip for the picture! • The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the second best time to plant a tree is today. -Alex☕️

A post shared by Alex Moe (@themacrobarista) on Sep 4, 2018 at 9:42pm PDT

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Pumpkin Spice Everything! A Warm Red, Pink and Bronze Eye Look Using the Urban Decay Elements Palette, MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape, MAC The Blonds Lipstick in Davidblond and The Blonds Magic Dust Powder

September 24th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

urban decay elements palette k front — Shout-out to Pumpkin Spice!

How do I feel about Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Hmm… Well, you know how much I like pink drinks, right? They’re delish! — but I don’t pump my fist in the air and say YAAASSS when I get one.

But I do when I get a PSL.

Also, even though I went through an intense green tea latte phase last year, ultimately, I could take or leave ’em. But the Pumpkin Spice Latte. THE PSL! It’s my most favorite drink at Starbucks, and it always has been, from even before I started wearing this tank top 24/7.

urban decay elements palette k side 1 — So Karen, tell me how you REALLY feel.

Despite the forecast calling for 80-degree temps here, I’m bubbling over with PSL excitement! I got the fever bad, so I channeled it into this PSL-inspired makeup look. ? Then, I went to Starbucks and ordered a special version of the PSL based on this recipe from The Macrobarista on Instagram.

He’s a Starbucks barista who makes healthy-ish versions of Starbucks drinks.

He calls this refreshing version the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte, and it has all the spicy sweetness of the standard PSL, but (according to The Macrobarista) it’s only 90 calories with about 11 grams of sugar.

To make my life easier, I took a screenshot of his “recipe” on my phone and held it up to the cashier at Starbucks so he could type it in. ?

Now, about the makeup, my friend, this was the first “LEWK” I’ve done in a minute (been doing a lot of one shade of taupe on my lids with mascara, NARS Orgasm lip balm, and nothing on my skin). Needless to say, I felt like I was wearing everything and the kitchen sink.

But it was fun, and in the process I found some new things to love.

urban decay elements palette k looking down — When you feel overdone but then you just go with it…

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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

September 21st, 2018 by Karen 38 Comments

sally hansen color therapy fall 2018 — New shades of Sally Hansen Color Therapy polish from the left! — Falling Deep, Bronze Reflection, Dusty Plum, Pink and Harmony, Cashmere Calm ($7.99 each)

1. These gorgeous nude Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail colors

I can’t decide what to wear for the next installment of Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish! Too many choices… I’m leaning toward dark burgundy Falling Deep, since I wore a pastel cream last week. What do you think?

2. MAC Cosmo Lipstick

Busted this out for the first time in months and remembered why I love it so much. This neutral pink with a hint of brown is a lovely everyday lip color, and it looks amazeballs with brown and taupe eyeshadows!

3. Kim’s Convenience

I found the best show on Netflix! In every single episode, there’s at least one moment where I have to hit pause and scream to nobody in particular that “SERIOUSLY, THIS SHOW IS BASICALLY MY LIFE.”

I’m not Korean, and my parents never owned a grocery store (they’re both retired accountants)…and I’ve never lived in Toronto (Bay Area strong!), but the family stuff rings so true growing up Asian with immigrant parents — ESPECIALLY the miscommunication and how the family members express their love for each other. I’ve laughed and cried my way through both of the seasons on Netflix. It’s the most authentic show I’ve ever seen about growing up in an Asian immigrant family, but it’s also just good. Very witty, funny writing IMO.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow

September 13th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

mac global glow mineralize skinfinish — This unsung hero is a fall favorite.

Cat ladies, it’s really starting to cool off here, and last night, for the first time in months, I had to turn on the heater before bed.

After a summer that the backs of my knees can attest to being one of the stickiest in recent memory, I can’t even begin to tell you what a relief it is to wear long sleeves and socks again! — and I’m more than a little excited about the prospect of putting on makeup without it completely slipping off my sweaty face. ?

Which brings me to this total gem: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow, a $34 neutral golden tan highlighter. If you want the most delicately divine sheen, look no further.

I wore it yesterday when my parents came over to visit me Connor (Who am I fooling? They’re all about the baby!), and my mom, a self-professed non-makeup person, was like, “Mi hija. I need to have whatever is glowing on your face!”

That’s how much pull Global Glow has, man. It turns a woman who previously thought that highlighters are only those neon markers they sell at Office Depot into a maquillage believer.

Global Glow is one of my all-time favorite highlighters to wear year round, but it’s especially FIYAH ? as the summer winds down and fall kicks in because, if you’re anything like me, this is the time of year when you’re still carrying a little bit of summer color on your face, and Global Glow’s golden tan really complements skin tones from NC20 and up.

mac global glow swatch — Yup, still an NC42

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Lipglossing Like It’s 1999

September 7th, 2018 by Karen 4 Comments

It’s funny to me when all ’90s makeup gets lumped together into a single category. Like, for lips it’s the ’90s matte lip look, and trust your homegirl when she says that everyone did not wear matte lips throughout the entire decade of the ’90s.

(Well, a lot of people did, but not everyone.)

You also had different sub-eras, like the late ’90s — circa 1997-1998 — when everybody (at least everybody I knew who wore makeup) wore dark, unblended lip liner, frosty silver lipstick and clear lipgloss.

Then you had 1999, 2000 and 2001, when it was all about glossy, frosty lips, which reminds me…remember when everyone and their mother was carrying a tube MAC Oystergirl?

Yeah, you know what’s up. 😉

I’m getting that ’99 vibe so hard from these non-sticky MAC Grand Illusion Glossy Liquid Lip Colour lipglosses, which are $21 each and hella pigmented.

mac goldieloxxed — Goldieloxxed (this shade reminds me an amped up MAC Nymphette)

Ah, they’re taking me back…especially It’s Just Candy! It reminds me of my early 20s when I rocked MAC Lychee Luxe to da club.

Da club… Oh, my gosh, I feel so ridiculous saying that. Like, when do you get to that point where you just sound silly using slang? It doesn’t happen overnight… It’s a slow burn kinda thing, ha ha ha.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

September 5th, 2018 by Karen 20 Comments

1. A lacrosse ball for back massage

This has been the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.

Because I carry most of my tension in my upper back, and I spend most of my day sitting at my desk, my trapezoids are about as flexible as a large block of cheese. WERE, I mean. Past tense. My upper back’s been all loose-y goose-y ever since I started massaging it with this $3 lacrosse ball I found at Sports Basement.

Every night I give myself a poor-woman’s deep-tissue massage by rolling it under my upper back (there’s a bunch of tutorials on YouTube), and even though I’m on the verge of misery while I’m doing it, when I’m done I no longer feel the crunchiness in the knots underneath my shoulder blades.

I watched this originally because I wanted to see this dude’s dog, LOL! It’s super helpful.

FYI: It is a REALLY intense massage. If you don’t think you’ll be able handle it, start with a tennis ball, and work your way up to a lacrosse ball (which is harder).

2. Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter

If you’ve previously fallen under the magic spell of Nutella like I have, you’ll totally get this. I’m always looking for different spreads to spruce up toast in the morning because woman cannot exist on peanut butter alone.

This is *the* spread that will make you say, “What’s Nutella?”

Trader Joe’s dreamed up this creamy, silky butter, which is made from…cookies, and it tastes like whipped honey graham crackers and gingerbread. Basically, heaven in a jar. It’s equally delicious on top of toast or as a dip for pretzels or carrot sticks. Highly recommended for when you’re in the mood for a decadent treat.

3. MAC Iridescent Powder/Loose in Silver Dusk

Say peace-the-eff-out to all the other silvery pink highlighters out there because MAC Silver Dusk. It’s a loose powder that comes in a jar, and you can dust it on your face and eyes (and even your body)… This bad boy truly whips my high pony ’round and ’round.

I’m not always a fan of silvery pink loose highlighting powders because 1) they usually clash with my NC42 skin, and 2) they look borderline fros-tay, but this staple of MAC artist bridal looks is a go-to for a reason. Somehow, some way, it just works for almost everyone.

Leave it to the wizards at Team MAC for making a highlighter that not only looks like a soft beam of angelic light is bathing your face, but is also easy to blend, so there’s no risk of those tell-tale highlighting edges along the bridge of your nose or on your upper cheekbones.

Added bonus? It lasts all day (and all night) long, too.

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MAC Golden Bronze Iridescent Powder/Loose Is Back! — and It Wants to Bathe You in Buttery, Lovely, Long-Lasting Sunset Lighting

August 30th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

Every MAC artist I’ve ever chatted with about Golden Bronze raves about it and basically showers it with love. (Side note: If you caught the Surface reference, you and I were probably at the same eighth-grade dance.)

Shower me with your looooooooove

MAC Iridescent Powder/Loose in Golden Bronze ($29)

This peachy golden loose highlighting powder briefly peace’d-the-eff out for a while, and I didn’t hear about it or see it around (I gave it the Unsung Heroes treatment in 2012), but it’s back with a new version, and it’s just as epic as before.

Kits everywhere are sighing with relief, I’m sure. 🙂

It’s easy to see why this multipurpose miracle-worker is a staple at photo shoots and on runways. You only need the littlest bit to gleam with a gorgeous glow, and it requires, like…zero skill to blend.

Seriously, if you breathe — if you literally JUST EXIST — you can blend this powder.

It’s fantastic as a basic powder highlighter, or mixed into a face/body lotion or oil, or even sprinkled into tinted moisturizer, BB or CC cream, or foundation.

Tip: Load up a tapered eye brush like the MAC 224 with it to precisely place Golden Bronze down the bridge of your nose, on your upper cheekbones, in the inner corners, and on your Cupid’s bow.

You may be thinking, “OK, but can’t other loose highlighters do the same thing?”

Naw, babe, they don’t.

mac golden bronze swatch final — NC42 in MAC

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Try the New MAC Dazzleshadow Liquids for Glittery, Glossy Lids and Long-Lasting Shimmer and Shine

August 15th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

mac dazzleshadow liquid rayon rays every day is sunshine — Glossy, glittery goodness

Is it a glitter, or is it a super shiny eye gloss? Quelle suprise! ‘Tis both.

The MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid Eyeshadows ($22 each)

The sparkling new MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid eyeshadows come in 10 shades in every color you’d want to wear to schmexy time, to preschool library story time (IT ME), or any time, really.

“Get lost in eyes that tantalize, mesmerize and glamorize. Introducing the irresistible twinkle of our all-new daze-inducing Dazzleshadow Liquid. Available in a range of beaming finishes – from glaring glitter to subtle sparkle and cool chrome – this ultra-shiny liquid eye shadow glides across lids for a wash of brilliant colour that keeps its splendour for up to 8 hours. Its lightweight cooling formula sets quickly for the ultimate second-skin texture that feels ultra-soft on lids.”

— maccosmetics.com

Seriously, they’re such a find. You’ll never have to deal with renegade glitter bits cascading down your cheeks or under your eyes (or, in my case, up in my brows, and why or how glitter manages to get up there, I’ll never know) again.

And because of the reflective finish, you can also get the high-fashion look of magazine-style glossy eyes without that sticky, gooey, gross feeling on your lids. Dab some on the back of your hand with the doe-foot applicator, pick up the littlest amount with a tapered blending brush (THIS IS KEY! DON’T USE TOO MUCH!), blend on your lids, and it won’t budge all day long. (Watch the clock, though, because you’ll only have about two minutes to buff before the formula completely sets.)

mac dazzleshadow liquid rayon rays every day is sunshine 2 — That’s Liquid Lip Suede Matte Lipstick in Nude Blush by Civilized Cosmetics on my lips.

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