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MAC Cosmetics

Two-Ingredient Smokey Red-Bronze Eyes | Totally Wearable and NOT Crazy!

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mac teddy nub
Every MAC Teddy I’ve ever owned ends up looking like this! (Sweatshirt: Thank You For Being a Friend)

Can I get a whoop-whoop from my friends out there who have worn MAC Teddy down to the nubbiest of nubs?!

I was using this teeny, tiny stub yesterday and couldn’t help but laugh because I have been to this rodeo many times before. I grind and grind that pencil down until, one day, I look and realize, “Oh! I should probably replace it soon because I can barely hang onto it with two fingers.” HA HA HA HA!

MAC Teddy liner is a rockstar for a multitude of reasons (LET ME COUNT THE WAYS), but one standout for me is how well it layers with copper and red eyeshadows. That bronzed brown just werks with copper and red shades.

You can keep it easy-peasy lemon squeeze-y by lining your lash and/or waterlines with Teddy and then sweeping your copper or red shadow on your lids.

mac firewerk the room pan teddy down

Or, optionally, you can do what I affectionately refer to as “sandwiching,” which is when you layer Teddy underneath and on top of a shadow for a smokey eye. I think it’s a surefire way to make even the craziest colors wearable.

The shadow I’m wearing here is MAC Firewerk the Room (from the new holiday collection), and it’s a straight-up red. On its own, it’s borderline bananas, but layered with Teddy it magically transforms the look into a wearable daytime smokey eye.

mac firewerk the room teddy forward

Start by buffing a layer of Teddy on your lids with a finger before sweeping a little Firewerk the Room (or any other red shimmery shadow) directly on top. Then buff with your favorite eyeshadow brush to feather out the edges.

Finish by lining your lash and waterlines with MOAR TEDDY, and don’t forget your mascara!

mac teddy firewerk the room swatches

mac firewerk the room smile forward
Blanche, Dorothy, Rose or Sophia?

Makeup worn in this look

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A 10-Minute Glittery Neutral Makeup Look With the MAC Frosted Firework Holiday Collection, Swatches on NC42 Skin, AND HORSES!

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My new motto for the next few weeks, months and possibly years is to “wear glitter, and wear it everywhere, because you never know when the world will unexpectedly grind to a halt because of a pandemic.”

(Hmm, that probably won’t translate well onto a bumper sticker…)

One of the coolest things about the new MAC Frosted Firework holiday collection IMO is the oh-so-sparkly Extra Dimension Foil Eye Shadows ($21).

I’m wearing a few things from the LE launch in this — peachy nude glimmer Sparktacular, along with a highlighter used as a crease color, a dual-ended pencil liner, and a lipstick and lipgloss.

I think you’ll like it if you’re into the shiny stuff. Sparktacular and the other Foils have a soft powder base that feels almost like a cream, and they’re packed with small- and medium-sized pieces of glitter. I think the easiest and best way to apply them is to load a clean finger, then pat or gently swipe it across your lids (this minimizes the fallout, and the pressure from your figure intensifies the glossiness). The result is the wet, shiny, glossy effect I have here on my eyes.

Some might say it’s a tad too dramatic for dropping off and picking up a four-year-old from preschool, but heck, it’s 2020. If we can wear pajamas everywhere, we can do whatever we want with glitter.

Crazy for horses

Ever since Connor rode a horse for the first time last month, we’ve all been a little horse crazy ’round here.

Over the holiday break, we went hiking at the Indian Valley Preserve, one of our favorite spots in town, in the hopes that we’d spot a horse on a trail, and we did!

Say hi to Jiminy…

We also said hello to a few of the horses who live at the stable down the street.

The gold horse was a little obsessed with CoyCoy and kept staring at her like he knew her! My guess is that he knows a special little girl, and Connor reminded him of her.
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A 15-Minute Face With Shimmering Cocoa Brown, Pink and Gold

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For the record, I absolutely did *not* look this fabulous on Thanksgiving (this was from the day before), and to the ladies who can pull off prepping a full T-day spread while looking fab, I salute you!

I wore the above 15-minute look the day before Thanksgiving when Connor and I dropped off Thanksgiving cookies and cards to our neighbors. Pretty simple, pretty classic and wearable, and done completely with permanent collections products!

As for my look on Thanksgiving day itself? — it was far less fashionable. I cooked all day long, and it was all I could do to run a brush through the mop on my head and change my pajama pants into joggers. ?

Please excuse my very non-Instagrammable mauve-toned Golden Girls-circa-1992 kitchen. It came with the house, and I make do with it because…eh, it works! #normalizeregularkitchens #itswhatigot

Anyway, the above pic was taken before the hurricane of baking and cooking happened, and waaaaaay before these happened…

These gluten-free cheesy cheddar garlic drop biscuits, which are like mini savory scones, were the last, and by far the best, T-giving thing I made this year. We had maple glazed ham as our main dish (no Turkey this year), and we sliced the biscuits in half and put a slice of ham in the middle. There was also Yukon gold mashed potatoes, a sweet corn casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, GF pumpkin pie and Christina Tossi’s Milk Bar Pumpkin Pie.

MAN. SO GOOD. I’m drooling just thinking about them again… They were so easy to make, too!

If you want the biscuit recipe, let me know, although I do have to warn you… There’s a lot of butter and cheese, so if you’re trying to make healthier food choices…it ain’t exactly health food.

Happy Friday. What are you up to today? Are you doing any Black Friday shopping?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Trying New Things: Winged Liner for Lifted Lids

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stila beso new winged liner placement
Taking flight!

Pop quiz, hot shot:

The pic below is the face one makes when trying…

  • A. To get through 2020 with one’s sanity relatively intact
  • B. A new winged liner placement
  • C. All of the above
    • stila beso new winged liner placement
    Every day of my life since March 2020

    Inspired by Hindash

    Last weekend I watched a winged liner video by Hindash, one of my favorite makeup artists, on how to lift the lids with liner, so I thought, what the heck, why not take my own advice for once (!) and try something other than the small kitten flick I’ve been wearing for the past few months.

    stila beso new winged liner placement
    Long Live Lipstick Tee in Driftwood

    I followed Hindash’s advice on the placement, then ended up customizing the liner by drawing my wings with pencil liner and liquid liner. I also skipped false lashes and did a quick wash with a few MAC shadow staples on my lids for a little depth (Saddle on my lids, Wedge and Omega mixed together in the crease and a soft veil of Vapor on the brow bones and inner corner).

    What’s the most challenging aspect of doing makeup in a way you wouldn’t normally do?

    For me it’s doing placements I’m not used to. It challenges my muscle memory! I’m very used to holding my liner at a certain angle and with a very specific pressure to get the look I like, and so doing it differently feels physically weird.

    I also find that stopping and starting lines in different places is also hard. I guess I’m so used to things looking a certain way, and when they don’t, it’s a little startling.

    stila beso new winged liner placement
    Well, hello there!

    I do like this look because it does seem to lift my lids when I’m looking down, and especially in pics. When I see it straight on with my eyes open, though, the effect is more visible from some angles than others. I think I’ll keep practicing because mama wants some lifted lids!

    Makeup Worn in this look

    • BASE: It Cosmetics Your Skin But BetterFoundation + Skincare in Tan Warm 41 and Tan Warm 42.5 (foundation), Estee Lauder Double Wear Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep Warm (under eyes)
    • CHEEKS: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give ME Sun, MAC Blushbaby Blush
    • LIPS: Stila Beso
    • EYES: Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Pencil in Deep Onxy, MAC Brushblack Liquid Liner

    Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

    Karen

    P.S. I’m about to put on an extra pot of coffee because I got *no* sleep last night. Anyone else need a pickmeup?

    HELLO, I LOVE YOU

    Also, I woke up with this song stuck in my head, and because I don’t want to be the only person singing it all day…

’90s-Style Lip Liner, Cool-Toned Smokey Lids, and Halloween at the Pronzini Pumpkin Patch in Petaluma

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mac honeylove lipstick 90s lip k3

When I said I was on a ’90s lip liner kick last week, I WAS NOT KITTEN!

Way back in 1994, Baby Karen would have probably laughed at me for doing this matte lip because of how involved it is. It’s a rosy beige matte lip, but I used two different lip liners with the lipstick (MAC Whirl and Cork liners, because I was going for a slight gradient effect with MAC Honey Love Lipstick ), and I carefully and subtly overdrew the half of my lip that’s slightly thinner by bracing my elbow on a table.

I also cleaned up the edges with a lip brush loaded with concealer. Back in the day, I used to be able to draw lips just like this while riding on a bumpy bus and balancing a bag filled with chemistry texts on my lap. Pretty sure I was half asleep while doing it, too, HAHAHA! Ah, youth… You so crazy!

mac honeylove lipstick 90s lip k3

Anywho, I automatically associate ’90s lips with classic MAC lipsticks and liner, so (naturally) I rolled with old-school MAC matte shades for the smokey eyes — Wedge, Omega, Carbon and Brun eyeshadows — and, of course, Smolder eyeliner, an old standby.

mac honeylove lipstick 90s lip k3

Ten years ago I used to feel like this type of makeup was so dated because of the unblended liner and the lack of shimmer, but now I kinda love it! I think there’s something timeless and elegant about it.

Did you have a go-to MAC lip liner and lipstick combo back in the day?

A different kind of Halloween, and Coycoy’s first horse adventure

It was definitely a Halloween for the books. Oh, 2020, you continue to surprise me!

We spent the bulk of our Halloween day at the Pronzini Farms Pumpkin Patch in Petaluma, which, by the way, highly recommended. We’re going back next year for sure.

There were so many things to do, not just for kids of all ages, but for all types of kids. There were the traditional items for play you’d expect at a pumpkin patch, like hay pyramids, mazes and pedal cars, but there were also things like bingo, a train ride and a scavenger hunt for kids who preferred less physical activities.

Connor spent most of her time at the petting zoo connecting with a gentle brown horse named “Boogie,” and she surprised both me and El Hub by asking if she could go on a pony ride with him.

Over the past few months we’ve noticed that it takes her a while to warm up to doing something different and new, so I was thrilled to see her happily jump into the saddle to take a few turns with him. When she finished her ride I asked her how it went, and she said, “Mama, my heart was so happy when I was riding my horse.” I almost turned into a blubbering mess right then and there.

coycoy pronzini farms

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

An Autumnal FOTD With Orange, Warm Brown, Red and Copper (Mostly MAC Makeup)

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mac marrakesh lipstick

If you require makeup inspiration, might I suggest looking at your doorway?

Wait — hear me out. That’s where I’ve been finding “inspo” for looks all week long. First, Samantha the ghost bride was my muse. Now it’s the fall leaf garland that hangs on my doorway.

Back when Coywolf was a tiny toddler with teeny pig tails!

I wore this subtle smokey eye with a warm orangey reddish brown lip to preschool pickup yesterday (I took the lipstick off before I put on my mask though) because I was feelin’ fall. The leaves are starting to fall in my neighborhood, and although it’s been climbing into the 70s for a few days, there’s a chill in the air first thing in the morning.

mac marrakesh lipstick

Been thinking a lot about ’90s makeup and so I went with a subtle version of a ’90s-style unblended lip liner in this by pairing a dark burgundy liner with matte orangey reddish brown lipstick. I wanted the liner to be present but not overly obvious… You can kinda see it from some angles more than others, but it’s there!

mac marrakesh swatches

mac marrakesh lipstick eye closeup

By the way, this lipstick, MAC Marrakesh, is one of those orangey reddish brown that deserves more love! It’s a matte lippie in the permanent collection, and it’s loaded with vibrant, lush pigment. If you like MAC Chili (which is similar, but redder) or MAC Paramount (also similar, but browner and redder), then I think you’ll like Marrakesh too.

You can wear it with any and all of your warm brown eyeshadows, like MAC Saddle or Soft Brown; it also pairs well with peachy browns like Amber Lights and bronzy browns like Antiqued. For matching eyeliners, try MAC Teddy or Costa Riche (which is what I’m wearing here)!

Makeup Worn in this look

  • EYES: MAC Costa Riche liner (buffed all over lids and applied to lash and water lines); MAC Eyeshadows in Brown Down (outer v and upper lash line as eyeliner), Havana (outer lid) and Sweet Heat (inner lid), Urban Decay Brow Beater Pencil in Neutral Brown, Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara
  • CHEEKS: MAC Gingerly Blush, MAC Give Me Sun Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
  • LIPS: MAC Burgundy Lip Liner, MAC Marrakesh Lipstick
  • BASE: Lancome Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint in Tan

School pics!

Coywolf started preschool just in time to take school pics this year.

If you look closely, you might be able to see her painted nails!

In other news, do you have any plans this weekend? Happy early Halloween to you. We’re taking Connor to a pumpkin patch tomorrow (she’s dressing up as Rapunzel), and then on Sunday I’m going to bake all the pies for Pie Quest 2020. Thank you for your baking tips for the crust, by the way (you can find them in the comments here, if you’re interested). If all goes well with the pumpkin pie, then the next pie I’m going to tackle is pecan pie, and then apple pie, because LOOK!

Did you know that such a gadget existed?! I had no idea.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

A Ghost Bride Vibe: Sooty Smokey Lids With Matte Black Lips

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mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick samantha

Is this look wearable? I guess it depends on who you’re talking to. If you’re chatting with El Hub, he’d probably say, “Um, not really,” and he would encourage you to *not* wear this sooty smokey purplish blue smokey eye to pick up a small child at her preschool.

(Side note: I seriously considered it, but then I chickened out at the last minute, and now I deeply regret not cementing my legacy as the crazy-@ss mom who showed up at pickup in black lipstick.)

If you ask Samantha, though — she’s the Halloween ghost who haunts my doorway — she would first say, “B*tch stole me look!” LOL. Then she’d she’d say, “One hundred percent, YES, channel your inner goth Billy Idol White Wedding bride.”

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

This is my “take two” at Samantha-inspired makeup! I wanted to push it a little further this time and tried to go more “edgy,” as opposed to wearable, but ultimately I think it ended up looking kinda casual cool, and yes, totally wearable. If we were back in the ’90s when I went through my (very brief) baby goth phase, I would’ve legit worn these lips and eyes everywhere.

Layering is the key

I really, really enjoyed putting this face on, and part of the reason was because it happened so quickly. I didn’t really think about it. I just started layering and mixing and blending and 20 minutes later there it was. With this type of smokey editorial/edgy eye makeup, I think the following things really help:

  1. Embrace the imperfection. This is the type of smokey eye makeup that, I think, almost looks better the messier it gets. Let your brushes and your imagination push past what you’d normally do, and take your products higher up the lid and further down the lash line than you’d usually go. It might look weird to you at first (it always does for me because I’m not used to seeing that type of placement), but do it anyway.
  2. Layers, layers, layers. Really, this is key. If you want the effect of a puff of smoke around the lids, where that super-blended gradient leads one color easily into the next, bust out ALL THE THINGS. At the minimum, you’ll need your favorite smudgy eye pencil, a cream shadow or two, and some powder eyeshadows that you also like that work with your color palette.
  3. Blend that sh*t. When your fingers are about to fall off, you’re probably close to done.

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

Oh, and about that black lip…I applied a matte liquid lipstick first (MAC Caviar), then defined the edges with a super sharp matte black pencil liner. Yes, girl. Black eyeliner as lip liner! My friends and I used to use it both as liner and lipstick back in the ’90s when we wanted to wear matte black lips.

Makeup worn in this look

A couple weird things

I was craving an egg over easy yesterday for lunch and look what happened when I cracked my egg open…

I dunno, maybe I’m fully in superstitious Halloween mode, but I was kinda freaked out! I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s part of a scary Filipino old wives tale, and even though it (irrationally) scared me a little, I still ate most of it…although toward the last few bites I ended up psyching myself out.

On a (somewhat) related weird note, look what I found this morning in the middle of my bed!

I’m guessing Rosie Posie got hold of it during the wee hours of the morning, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Moody Makeup Time! Smokey Blue Lids and Matte Berry Lips (and a Trip to Gabriel Farm)

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mac burning love maybelline ace front
When your hair and makeup evoke Disney Villain vibes

You know you’re a makeup lover when your penchant for puffs of sooty blue drives your Halloween decor decisions.

samantha the ghost closeup
OF COURSE I would want the ghost wearing makeup.

Behold the floaty ghost bride currently welcoming visitors to our humble abode. Despite being undead, she’s very proud of her dark lip and blue smokey eyes.

Oh, and her dark burgundy nails.

This is Samantha, and she hangs out in my doorway. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m kinda wondering what her wedding theme was and whether Billy Idol was the groom.

Inquiring minds want to know…


This video scared the living crap out of me when I was a kid!

Samantha was the one who inspired this look I’m wearing, and if we were to hold a “Who wore it better?” battle, she would definitely have won this round because I could’ve/should’ve pushed it further.

mac burning love maybelline ace with samantha
Just the girls

I was going for a wearable version of her look, but I’m feeling like, with these blue lids — which, by the way, I did with an awesome new product from Maybelline called Color Strike (they call it “a cream-to-powder shadow pen”) — I should’ve just taken the shadow all the way up into the brows and maybe even further down the lower lash line. Oh, and what if I’d layered the blue shadow with a black or dark purple pencil and switched out the berry lip for a straight-up black? That could have been even cooler.

Hmm… I think I just figured out tomorrow’s FOTD!

mac burning love maybelline ace closeup

mac burning love maybelline ace smile

samantha the ghost
Samantha?!

By the way, if you’re admiring Samantha’s mani, I highly recommend Smith & Cult’s Dark Like Me. 🙂

samantha smith cult dark like me

Makeup Worn in this look

Fall adventures at the farm

Connor had last Friday off from preschool, so she and I met up with her bestie (and her BFF’s mom) for a fun day at Gabriel Farm in Sebastapol.

It’s an organic family-run farm that offers a yearly seasonal membership valid from June through November. A family membership is $40, and when you join you get a HUGE box of delicious, sweet and crunchy Asian pears. You also have access to the farm during those months and can visit as often as you like to pick and pay for whichever fruit and flowers are in season that month (fruit is charged by the pound). They grow berries, tomatoes, apples, Asian pears, persimmon, pineapple guava and flowers.

There’s also a cute picnic area tucked away in a gorgeous grove of persimmon trees, so when you’re done picking your goodies you can relax in the shade with your bounty.

The girls had fun picking berries and exploring the farm, and then played for hours under the trees. If you have a little person to entertain, or if you’ve got a hankering to spend some time outside, I highly recommend it.

persimmon grove gabriel farm

There were multiple hand-washing stations around the property, and masks and social distancing were required. Connor and I went as guests of our friends this time, but next year I’m definitely signing up for a membership!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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