MAC Cosmetics

Mint Madness With NARS and Essie! A Mint Mani and Accompanying Face of the Day

May 19th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Today’s minty fresh face o’ the day was inspired by the mint mani I did last weekend with Essie Fashion Playground and In The Cab-ana (used as an “accent nail”).

Tabs the cat approves of this mint mani! P.S. That’s catnip (from the mint family) in the background.

The mint liner comes courtesy of NARS Barrow Street Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, the black is NARS Black Valley Eye Paint, and my lower water lines are sporting MAC Fascinating Eye Kohl.

Because the liner look here’s pretty dramatic, I decided to leave my lids neutral, with just MAC Texture and Ground Brown in the crease and Mylar on my lids.

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Fishing for Ideas With the New MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection: 7 Lip Pencil, Lipstick and Lipglass Combinations

May 15th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

Wearing the new MAC Alluring Aquatic collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips — Lip Pencil, Lipstick and Lipglass combinations with the new MAC Alluring Aquatic collection

I do this sometimes with MAC collections (for no particular reason other than random curiosity), where I try to see if I can come up with any lip combos I really like, and here’s what I came up with today — lip combos using the Lip Pencils, Lipsticks and Lipglasses from the MAC Alluring Aquatic collection.

Do any of these catch your eye? I’m always hoping to come up with the secret sauce to my next favorite lip look. You never know what you’re gonna get until you try.

1. Pet Me Please Lipstick + Water Deities Lipglass

MAC Pet Me Please Lipstick and Water Deities Lipglass — Pet Me Please Lipstick and Water Deities Lipglass

2. What Comes Naturally Lip Pencil + Half Red Lip Pencil + Siren Song Lipstick + Modern Lure Lipglass

MAC What Comes Naturally Lip Pencil, Half Red Lip Pencil, Siren Song Lipstick and Modern Lure Lipglass — What Comes Naturally Lip Pencil, Half Red Lip Pencil, Siren Song Lipstick and Modern Lure Lipglass

3. Half Red Lip Pencil + Mystical Lipstick

MAC Half Red Lip Pencil and Mystical Lipstick — Half Red Lip Pencil and Mystical Lipstick

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A Metallic Green and Warm Smokey Brown MAC Alluring Aquatic Face of the Day

May 15th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

Whenever I have mermaid dreams (yes, it’s a thing), they more or less go down something like this…

They’re usually in slow motion, lots of bubbles, tons of makeup…

Shoot, I can’t even fathom (Haha! Fathom…? Get it?) being a mermaid without makeup. That’s absurd.

The video is from MAC, timed for the release of their Alluring Aquatic collection, which launched online today (it’ll be in stores on May 22).

Not that I needed a reason to channel my inner mermaid (because every day is a good day to channel your inner mermaid), but I used it (the new collection) as such for my makeup today.

There are lots of things I like about this look. It’s slightly smokey, has warm browns in the crease, some color along the lash lines and leagues o’ lashes (thank goodness for falsies). Oh, and just the lightest dusting of glitter.

All good things. 🙂

I’m pretty comfortable with looks like this. I feel like this one’s a little flashy but stops short of full-on cray.

I might tone it down a tad if I were hanging out with the family or spending time with friends or going out to dinner with El Hub, and then just add the falsies for big events or fancy parties.

Today, though, I decided to put them on because, heck, it’s Thursday, and that seemed like a good enough reason for me, LOL!

Most of the products I’m wearing here are from MAC. On my eyes that’s…

MAC Legendary Lure Extra Dimension Eye Shadow: lids and lower lash lines
MAC Black Line Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner: as an eyeshadow base on my lids (it coaxes the green tones in Legendary Lure, and buffing it out brings out the small bits of golden glitter from the liner…super cool!)
MAC Delphic Extra Dimension Bronzer: crease and lower lash line
MAC Texture Eye Shadow: outer part of crease, to darken and add a slight lift to the eyes
MAC Black Swan Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner: upper and lower lash lines
Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil: water lines
MAC Mylar Eye Shadow layered on top of MAC Light Boost Prep + Prime Highlighter: on my brow bones
MAC Lorelei Extra Dimension Eye Shadow: inner corners
Ardell Demi 120 Lashes: upper lashes
Guerlain Cils D’Enfer Mascara: lower lashes
MAC Deep Dark Brunette Fluidline Gelcreme: brows

Cheeks and lips are all Alluring Aquatic. 🙂

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For When I Get Cast in the New Jem and the Holograms Movie…

May 13th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick, 3D Silver Glitter and 3D Pink Glitter

I’m reserving this lip look for when I get cast as an extra in the Jem and the Holograms movie.

I wish!

Something like that would be (wait for it…) truly outrageous. 🙂

It’s MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick with the new MAC 3D Silver Glitter and 3D Pink Glitter on top. I applied Candy Yum Yum first with a lip brush, and then used the same brush to press the glitter on my lips.

Sparkle Like Whoa! It’s the Seven New 3D Glitters From MAC

May 13th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

I mean, let’s be real here. Unless you regularly strut your stuff down a runway in Milan or bust your best moves in a Fiat commercial a la J. Lo, who can make booty shorts and glitter look totally legit on a sidewalk at 10 a.m. on a rand-o Tuesday afternoon, glitter isn’t always the easiest thing to pull off.

Don’t get me wrong — I love the sparkly stuff, but because I wear it so often for the blog, sometimes I feel like I look like an extra in the upcoming Jem and the Holograms movie.

Truly outrageous!

Yup, whatcha gonna do? 🙂

I think glitter is tons of fun, and if you do, too, you might want to direct your mouse to maccosmetics.com, where the seven new 3D Glitters ($21 each) are sparkling now.

These holographic hotties have hexagonal, multicolored glitter flecks that put on a sparkly rainbow show.

MAC 3D Lavender Glitter — 3D Lavender Glitter

MAC 3D Pale Mint Glitter — 3D Pale Mint Glitter

MAC 3D Platinum Glitter — 3D Platinum Glitter

MAC 3D Glitter Swatches from the left: 3D Black, 3D Brass Gold and 3D Lavender — Swatches from the left: 3D Black, 3D Brass Gold and 3D Lavender

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From the MAC Lorde Collection, Pure Heroine Lipstick and Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack

May 12th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

MAC Pure Heroine Lipstick — Wearing Pure Heroine Lipstick and Rapidblack Penultimate Eye Liner from the new MAC Lorde collection

Erhm, seeing as how this plummy number I’m wearing on my lips is from the new MAC Lorde collection, I probably should’ve been listening to Lorde while I was taking these pics.

But I wasn’t.

I was actually bumping The Cure’s In Between Days.

I can see it now — Lorde and I hanging out, listening to Robert Smith and shooting the sh*t as we swap out the laces on our Doc Martins.

You can see it too, right? 🙂

This scenario is much more likely than, oh, I dunno, hanging out with Lorde while listening to Taylor Swift songs and practicing our cheerleading moves.

Call me crazy.

Pure Heroine Lipstick is part of the tiny two-piece MAC Lorde collection, a limited release release coming June 5 to maccosmetics.com and the MAC Times Square and Fifth Avenue stores in NYC (international babes, you’ll be seeing it online in July and at the MAC Champs-Élysées store in Paris), and it has MAC’s Amplified formula, which means smoooooth, intense, long-lasting color (between 6-8 hours, no joke!).

Some of my favorite MAC lippies are MAC Amplified family members, so I always get really excited when MAC releases a new shade.

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Guess What? Your Eyeshadow Can Double as a Highlighter

May 7th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Problem: Your favorite highlighter is MIA, possibly due to your cat, despite lacking opposable thumbs, hiding it somewhere in your condo.

You turn over every inch of the place looking for it, peering under every piece of furniture and checking each of your cat’s favorite hiding places, but still can’t find it.

WHERE IS THAT DAMN PAN OF MAC SOFT AND GENTLE MINERALIZE SKIN FINISH?!

Er…not that I’ve ever experienced this. We’re talking hypothetically, of course. 🙂

Solution: You reach for a shimmery peach, coral, beige or white eyeshadow instead.

Yup — that’s right. Because your eyeshadow can double as a face highlighter!

Here I’m using MAC’s Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Lorelei, a shimmery golden beige from the new MAC Alluring Aquatic collection.

MAC Lorelei Extra Dimension Eye Shadow, a golden beige — Lorelei Extra Dimension Eye Shadow

After I’m done applying blush and bronzer, I swirl a clean finger in the pan, and gently rub it on my upper cheekbones…

…down the bridge of my nose (goofy face is totally optional!)…

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The Waterproof Brow Collection by MAC Will Cure Brows of Aquaphobia and Whip Them Into Shape

May 2nd, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

MAC Waterproof Brow collection — The new MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set ($16 each), from the new MAC The Waterproof Brow collection

Sweating in the name of makeup love!

This morning, to see how the new $16 MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set and $16 Fluidline Brow Gelcremes would handle smudging and sweating, I slogged and panted through 30 grueling minutes on the treadmill (grueling because I just wasn’t feelin’ it).

Both are bound for the permanent line and hail from MAC’s new The Waterproof Brow collection, coming May 15 to maccosmetics.com and North American stores and counters May 22 (internationally, some time this month).

The MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcremes

You may recall the Fluidline Brow Gelcreme brow fillers in Redhead, Dirty Blonde and Deep Dark Brunette when they showed up for a limited time back in January 2013.

Like the Fluidline gel eyeliners, they come in a pot, but formula-wise feel slightly fluffier than the eyeliners do to me. I think the Gelcremes are also less intense, which makes them easy to manipulate when I run them through my brows.

First, I like to use the MAC 266 with Deep Dark Brunette to fill, lengthen and shape my brows, mostly just in the outer tail area to sharpen, define and lengthen at the ends, and then I’ll run the brush lightly along the entire length of the bottom of the brow for some soft definition.

As for the treadmill test this morning, Deep Dark Brunette passed. 🙂 I was sweating buckets by the end of my run, but the Gelcreme stayed put. Methinks it would be great for fitness fiends, cheerleaders, the tropics or gals/guys who perform under hot stage lights — pretty much anyone who needs waterproof makeup.

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set

Pigmented brow gels for tinting and holding brow hairs in place, the MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets ($16 each) have a fluffy, mousse-like formula and dry to a matte finish (don’t they kind of look like mascara wands?).

They’ll whip yo’ fuzzy little caterpillars into shape like brow drill sergeants! Use them to groom, define, shape and shade, and depending on how you work them, you can either go natural or dramatic.

MAC-Pro-Longwear Waterproof Brow Set from the left: Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette and Brown Ebony — Pro-Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets from the left in Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette and Brown Ebony ($16 each)

I use Quiet Brunette in the inner portion of my brows and Bold Brunette in the center ’cause I’m all about that ombre brow life! 🙂

To apply, I like to brush the wand directly through the hairs using an upward motion.

The Brow Sets leave my brows looking full (it’s a softer look than the Fluidline Brow Gelcremes) and groomed, with the brow hairs nicely combed, and they don’t feel crunchy.

They don’t have the hold of, say, Anastasia’s Brow Gel, but they have enough muscle to keep those bad boys from flapping in the wind.

Like the Fluidline Brow Gelcremes, the Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Sets handle the treadmill test like champs! They don’t get patchy or look weird, even when my brows are swimming in sweat.

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