MAC Cosmetics

Checking In: A Chanel Blush Brush Haunting, and a Jewel-Toned FOTD With Purple Lids!

October 20th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

I will totally get to these purple lids in a second (BECAUSE PURPLE), but first, can we pleeeeease talk about the latest mystery to unfold on this end of the keyboard — a mystery also known as “The Haunting of Casa MBB”?

Don’t worry, there’s nothing terribly sinister afoot (I’m not splashing buckets of holy water on things left and right, in case you’re wondering!).

I’ve been gently “haunted” for the past few weeks by my favorite Chanel blush brush, which has been disappearing and reappearing all over the house in the most random places. I’ve found it on my bed, in the hallway, on the middle of the stairs, on the kitchen floor.

Last week I found it smack dab in the middle of living room, just sitting there on the carpet right in front of the couch.

Hmm… ?

I just assumed that Connor had grabbed it and played with it and forgot to put it back, but when I asked her about it later she said, “No, mama, I have my own brushes.” (Hahaha! She totally does!)

Now, this brush just so happens to be one of my favorite blush brushes because it’s super soft, and the brush head fits perfectly on top of the apples of my cheeks and underneath the hollow of my cheekbones, so I can use it for blush and bronzer. The bristles are also perfectly floofy, so it blends like a dream.

I thought, if an otherworldly entity/spirit has been obsessing over it, I completely understand.

But it ended up not being due to a makeup brush-loving ghost. The disappearances were in fact due to a cat.

YUP! Look who I just found outside my office doing her “hunter’s mewl.” It’s this cute little growl/grumble Rosie Posie does whenever she stalks and hunts one of her soft toy balls and she wants to show off the riches of her spoils.

I went into the hallway to investigate and give her the usual attention she likes after she catches her prey (“Oh, good job, Rosie-Pose! You’re such a good mouser. Look how well you stalked your toy!”), and that’s when I caught her red-handed (red-pawed?) with my Chanel brush in her mouth.

Mystery solved!

I guess from this point forward, this brush will have a special hiding place…inside a drawer!

(QUICK UPDATE: Later in the day, I also caught her dragging my NARS blush brush around, so she appears to be expanding her hunting horizons.)

Jewel-toned purple lids

OK, so let’s talk purple lids. Now, this might look a little familiar to ya because I’ve been doing variations of this look using the same neutral colors in the crease, inner corner and lash lines, but with different jewel tones on the lids. First, green, and then blue, and now purple!

Find your core

This totally wearable look relies on finding a core group of matte brown and beige eyeshadows for your crease colors. Once you find ones you like, then you can just keep them on standby, and then quickly swap out the jewel tone on your lids with other colors to create different looks!

I’ve been using the same set of warm browns and beiges in this series…

Beige matte shadow base: NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
Beige shadow: MAC Mylar
Light warm matte brown shadow: MAC Soft Brown
Mid-toned warm matte brown shadow: MAC Saddle
Dark mate brown shadow: MAC Brun
Bronze pencil: MAC Teddy

For the purples, I’m wearing a shimmery purple called Guilt Trip, a dark purple called Drift (both are from the Urban Decay Born to Run Palette) and a dark purple UD pencil called Empire.

The foundation, powder blush/bronzer and lipstick are the same products I recently used in a 10-minute makeup look in this It Cosmetics Foundation review (which I’m also wearing in this pic, by the way).

As you can see, I’m pretty stoked about this look, and I’m excited to wear makeup again! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Easy, Elegant Fall Eye Makeup With Green Lids and Liner

October 8th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow 1 — Gotta wear green!

Is green eye makeup more of a fall or a spring look for you? ASKING FOR A FRIEND.

I think if you’ve got a dark green up in the mix, like a jewel-toned green or an emerald green, then yeah, whatever’s happening on your lids is totally a fall look, especially if you add a matte nude or matte brown lippie to the mix.

That’s what I did the other day. I wore this green lid-and-liner combo using a shimmery light medium green shadow on my lids and a dark green opalescent pencil liner (with a touch of a darker grayish green on the outer corner) to get groceries and pick up Coywolf from preschool, and I got the nicest compliments from her teachers.

This little one isn’t so little anymore!

I think the matte browns in the crease and the beige base help to keep the greens wearable for daytime because the neutrals ground the brighter lid and lash line.

Of course, this same placement would also work with other jewel-toned shades, and hmm… Now that I think about it, I may have to try sapphire liner and lids next!

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow eyeshadow-layout 2 — What went where

For the eye makeup I used…

Beige matte shadow base: NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light
Beige shadow: MAC Mylar
Light warm matte brown shadow: MAC Soft Brown
Mid-toned warm matte brown shadow: MAC Saddle
Dark mate brown shadow: MAC Brun
Dark green pencil: Urban Decay Loaded
Light green eyeshadow: Urban Decay Mildew
Dark grayish green shadow: MAC Club
Bronze pencil: MAC Teddy

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow 3 — I’m wearing MAC Date Maker Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour with MAC Spice Lip Liner.

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow 4 — Brows are Urban Decay Brow Beater in Neutral Brown, and lashes are Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara. Cheeks: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun and NARS Blush in Lovejoy.

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow 6 — For base, I’m wearing a 50/50 mix of It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation in Tan Warm 41 and Tan Warm 42.5; under my eyes, I’m wearing a touch of Neutrogena Radiant Cream Concealer.

urban decay loaded liner mildew eyeshadow 5 — Here’s another closeup!

A few more quick winged tips, in case you decide to try this look!

1. Do your winged liner first.

This allows you to reference the end point of your wing and more easily determine how far out and up you can take your eyeshadow.

2. Sharpen that pencil tip.

The pointier and sharper the tip of your pencil, the easier it will be to control the weight of your lines.

3. If you have hooded lids like I do, opt for a thinner line.

The thicker the liner on your upper lash line, the more hooded your lids may appear. I suggest using the thinnest line you can.
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FOTD: Fall Vibes With Plum Lids and Berry Lips

September 29th, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

mac prunella got a callback — Fall is a berry good time to wear dark berry lips!

Hiya! On this stop on our tour of MAC Eyeliner Greatest Hits is Prunella! AHHH!

In my opinion, it is one of the very best things in the entire MAC world.

Boom. There, I said.

In a nutshell, it’s a purple eyeliner…but not just any purple liner. It’s a deep blackened plum with a hint of shine to softly define your lash and water lines in ways a basic black liner just can’t do.

I’m wearing Prunella here as a one-and-done lid and lash line color. It’s a little smoked out and a little smudgy, which is my favorite way to wear it.

Prunella is a perfect perennial product, but I think it kicks major rear in fall when it’s paired with berry lipsticks, and it turns out that there are two great new berry shades in the MAC Powderkiss Liquid Lipcolour fam. Here I’m wearing Got a Callback, a mid-toned berry mauve; and Burning Love, a straight-up berry. Both have a soft matte finish that complements Prunella’s soft shine well.

mac prunella burning love — MAC Burning Love

mac got a callback burning love swatches — Fall vibes: MAC Powderkiss Liquid Lipsticks in Burning Love (a berry) and Got a Callback (a mid-toned mauve berry)

And because I can’t resist wearing pink lips with everything (!), I threw on a pink lip to see how it would look with these eyes… Definitely skews the makeup to a springier vibe.

If you’re into the pink, FYI, it’s Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk lip liner and lipstick topped with Hourglass Fever lipgloss.

Speaking of Charlotte Tilbury, if you’re in a “bougie blush mood” (because they happen, LOL!), I highly suggest checking out her Ecstasy blush. It’s the one with a peachy outer ring and a pink inner ring. When you blend the two together, you get this perfect balance of a neutral pink with a slightly warm peach. It’s not too warm or cool, and it goes surprisingly well with most looks — especially plummy and purple lids and lips like this.

mac prunella eyes down — Just Prunella on my lids, babe!

mac prunella eyes — Pink lips! Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk (lip liner and lipstick) topped with Hourglass Fever Gloss

Makeup worn in this look

BASE

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Hydrating
Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Sand
Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in 4.0

CHEEKS

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chick in Ecstasy

EYES

Chanel Eyeshadow Base
MAC Prunella Liner
Urban Decay Brow Beater in Neutral Brown
Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara
MAC Clear Brow Set

LIPS

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick
Hourglass Unreal Gloss in Fever
MAC Burning Love
MAC Got a Callback

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

FOTD: Another Single-Product Eye Look With a MAC Classic

September 24th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

If you want to be truly terrified, don’t fire up a horror movie on Netflix. Instead, put on your makeup in full sunlight. HAHAHA! Dude. It’s kinda scary seeing a lot of product on your skin in such unforgiving light. Or maybe that’s just me because I haven’t been doing a lot of full-on makeup over the past few months (#pandemiclife).

So, I did this look yesterday morning because I made a promise to myself to put on some makeup. (I realize that my mask covers almost everything, but still, sometimes putting on makeup still makes me feel better.)

Connor had an outdoor playdate with a friend, and we were going to be outside for most of the afternoon, so in the morning I decided to use the natural sunlight streaming in through my window to help guide me through this one-product eye look with MAC Powersurge pencil.

I used it as an eyeshadow and a liner all on my lids!

Connor’s playdate was for outdoor “cake painting,” an idea I got from Busy Toddler on Instagram.

I taped a bunch of big boxes together to look like an oversized cake, and Connor and her buddy painted the layers with washable tempura paint.

I guess the most frightening thing about doing your makeup in the unforgiving light of the full sun is seeing just exactly how products behave according to the texture of your skin. GOODNESS GRACIOUS. It really forced me to blend my base and buff down all of the excess areas where there was a little too much lying there. I’m making this sound frightening, I know, but I think you gotta do it once just for fun because it really is eye opening!

I might do it again today because I guess I’m a masochist like that, LOL!

Like my makeup the other day, there’s also a bunch of O.G. MAC faves up in this makeup mix, like Powersurge on my lids, Blushbaby on my cheeks, and Whirl lipstick mixed with a little bit of Honeylove on my lips. (I wanted it to look like fall makeup, but I didn’t want it to go too brown.)

Initially, I went with a rosy brown matte lip because I was going for a fall look, but I also tried it with a brighter pinkish rose matte lippie…

I had an inkling that the eye/cheek combo would go really well a brighter pinkish rose lipstick…

This is Model Off Duty, one of the new MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolours. I think it looks really beautiful with this eye/cheek combo, and the next time I wear it I think I might do this lip color instead.

One more thing about Powersurge before I go — when you do these one-and-done looks with liner, the beauty of them is that they don’t have to be super perfect on your lids, because if you’re just wearing one color, if there are areas on your lids that are more elegantly blended than others, then don’t worry about it because as long as you have a relatively smooth transition of color that fades up toward your brows, you’re going to be fine.

As with any lid action, for instance darkness on the outer third, or when you deepen the outer v, you can do that for more dimension here too, but if you try and it doesn’t get where you want it to go, buff it a little more, don’t mess with it, and move on with your day.

I think these are great because they really don’t emphasize mistakes too much, and that’s a wonderful thing!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: The Hask Mask in a Tub, New (Old) MAC Eyeliners, and Baking a Sprinkle Cake

September 22nd, 2020 by Karen 25 Comments

baked sprinkle cake final — I baked a cake!

Hey, guys. Happy Tuesday! Has the universe ever sent you a gentle reminder that perhaps you should probably get back to doing what you love? I got one of those nudges to start baking again (it’s been months) because I made this kick-butt cake a few days ago… Granted it was from a mix, but still!

Of course I had to share it with you… ?

It’s the Sprinkle Party Snack Cake Mix With Frosting by a brand called Baked. I picked it up randomly at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago because it was on sale and…I liked how the box looked!

baked sprinkle cake — The box comes with the frosting and the dry ingredients for the cake.

connor stirring the batter — My sous chef

I could whip up a cake from scratch, but eh, baking requires attention, precision and, well…heart. I haven’t had much leftover soul to invest in baking sweets lately, but then I found this cake mix. Not only did it make things easy, but the cake actually tastes homemade. Highly recommended!

The mix includes a packet of dry ingredients for a butter-based vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles, and another packet for plain with vanilla frosting. The instructions are pretty detailed, too, which makes it easy to not mess up.

THIS CAKE IS SO GOOD. It’s light-as-air and melts in your mouth, and it doesn’t have that obvious taste of your typical boxed cake. Hard to explain, but to me boxed cakes all taste the same — kinda oily and heavy, without much flavor. Anyway, this one’s really, really good, and so is the frosting.

If you happen to live near a World Market, I suggest grabbing a box!

Anywho, that lovely cake opened up a metaphorical baking door, so I’ve made even more goodies since then, including brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and marbled cookies, which are half chocolate chip and half dark chocolate.

Chocolate chip cookies and brownies, YUM!

chocolate chip cookies september 2020 — The most beautiful thing I ever did see…

I’m thinking of making a pie next, because rumor has it that Trader Joe’s has a pre-made gluten-free pie crust. Or, maybe I’ll make some savory scones, or perhaps I’ll finally try my hand at croissants?!

Sorry, I’m getting distracted. Before I lose my train of thought, I have one more World Market thing to show you — this box of dark chocolate sprinkles!

It’s from Holland and from a brand called DeRuijter (“masters of bread toppings”), and the picture on the front looks like a loaf of French bread cut in half with the dark chocolate sprinkles on top.

chocolate bread sprinkles — OK, so how does this work, exactly?

Can somebody please explain what’s going on here? Do you eat the bread with just the sprinkles on top, or do you toast the bread in an oven to melt the sprinkles? Or, are the sprinkles attached to the bread with Nutella or peanut butter or something? Or, do you just eat it plain like a dark chocolate sprinkle sandwich?

If someone from Holland could please explain just exactly how this works, please fill me in, because I don’t know what’s going on here, and I would love to, LOL!

Now, to ensure that this post is marginally related to beauty, I finished the packets of Hask Hair Masks I got a while back, so I popped into Ulta to grab some more and found out that they sell the Argan Oil version in a jar for six bucks!
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FOTD: An Eye Look With a Single Product! (Hint: It’s a MAC Classic)

September 18th, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

mac teddy eyeliner look — Before you scroll down, try to guess which MAC classic eye makeup item I used on my lids!

The only thing that would be easier than this eye look I did here with just one MAC product would be putting on a pair of pajama pants and falling asleep on my couch right now, hahaha! This look is so simple, and I don’t even know why I don’t wear it more often (note to self: WEAR IT MORE OFTEN). And if you haven’t guessed what I used already, I’ll give you one more try…

OK, ya got it?

It’s MAC Teddy eyeliner. Yup. Just eyeliner. On my waterlines, on my lash lines and on my lids. That’s it! I mean, of course, I have stuff in my brows — I didn’t use Teddy in my brows (although I have heard of somebody using Powersurge in their brows before). I’m wearing Brow Blade by Urban Decay in my brows and Laura Mercier mascara on my lashes, of course, but everything else on my eyes is just Teddy.

I put some on my water and lash lines, then sloppily sketched out a shape on my lids with the pencil, a half moon shape on my mobile lid (the part of the lid that moves when you blink), and then on the outer corners I sort of drew a soft winged shape because I like a bit of lift there because the outer corners of my eyes slope downward.

Then I used a brush, a MAC 725S, which is an angled fluffy brush, and I used that to diffuse the edges, blur out any sort of harsh lines, and I layered more Teddy wherever I wanted more depth, like the outer corners, then blended a little bit more.

I briefly thought about using MAC Coffee eyeliner to draw a thin line along my upper lash line, but I only have a smudge of it left, and it’s so precious right now because I seriously can’t seem to find Coffee anywhere! So I decided to just nix that idea and keep it simple.

Yeah. Just Teddy liner. All over! And it was lovely and fast.

Teddy isn’t the only thing from the “MAC greatest hits” list I’m wearing in this look. I’m also wearing Face and Body in C5 (which is O.G. MBB right there!) and MAC Velvet Teddy on my lips.

The blush, by the way, is Hourglass Brilliant Nude, and if you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go if you can. First time I saw it in the pan I thought, “Eh, what’s that going to do for me?” but then I got it on my cheeks, and I loved how glowing and natural it looked. So. Good.
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Product Spotlight: MAC More the Mehr-ier Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour

September 17th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

In a current beauty world where color is seemingly dominated by warm reddish and orangey brown tones, it’s refreshing to see a cool-toned lippie every once in a while, don’t you think?

Enter More the Mehr-ier, from the new MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour collection!

MAC was very cheeky with the name — Mehr-ier, for “merrier.” It’s a reference to one of their most iconic nude lipsticks, Mehr, which, fun fact, first appeared in the 2010 MAC Mickey Contractor collection. It’s since become a member of MAC’s permanent lipstick collection, and is now here in the new Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick formula.

The color is very similar to the original Mehr, just a tinge darker. It’s a nude mauve, and this is going to sound weird, but it’s the same color as my gums (LOL!). For that reason, it reads like a nude lipstick on my NC42 skin, which is why I love it. I’ve also seen the original Mehr lipstick on lighter and darker skin tones (fast forward to 2:11 in the video), and it’s a bestseller because it really does work well on everyone.

mac more the mehrier swatch mirror — More the Mehr-ier!

The original Mehr comes in the MAC Matte lipstick formula, which some people find challenging to wear, especially if they have lip lines and/or flakes. I think the Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick formula is a little easier to wear because the fluffy liquid formula kinda floats on top of your lips, so it doesn’t have that same tightly gripping feeling, and it’s less drying and more forgiving than the Matte.
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Product Spotlight: MAC Powder Kiss Eye Shadow

September 15th, 2020 by Karen 11 Comments

mac powder kiss eye shadow swatches — These are fantastic!

MAC should just make these Powder Kiss Matte Eyeshadows permanent already. Come on, MAC! Dooo it! Make our lives a little easier. ?

If you like ultra-blended, blurred and blown-out eyeshadow as much as I do, the Powder Kisses will get you there without drama. They’re highly pigmented, for one thing. Two, they apply in the thinnest, smoothest layers imaginable, so they look and feel featherweight on your lids. At the same time, they’re super saturated, which is kinda crazy!

Even though you don’t have to use very much, if you do, they still won’t look chunky. It’s FASCINATING. MAC must’ve assigned the “A” team to these when they cooked them up in the lab.

Many matte powder shadows look thick and cakey on my lids (got some fine line action!), especially when I build up layers, but not these. The Powder Kisses definitely don’t emphasize my fine lines.

There are some crazy colors, of course, because it’s MAC, after all, but as far as everyday workhorse colors, I’ve been loving What Clout, a matte mid-toned warm brown that looks like a cross between Soft Brown and Soba with maybe a hint of Kid. I also dig Warm beige Best of Me. I think it’s a lovely lid shade, or along the brow bone as a subtle highlight. Also, Dark chocolate brown Give A Glam is a little bit like Brun.

As for other notable shades, don’t be terrified of Devoted to Chili (I was!) because it looks so reddish and orangey brown. Keep an open mind about it because it’s surprisingly wearable on lids.

mac devoted to chili eyeshadow mask — I’m wearing Devoted to Chili!

MAC is selling them in packaging for $20 each, and as bare pans sans the packaging for nine bucks(!).

MAC doesn’t normally offer both options for every LE eyeshadow launch, so “Cosmetics Conspiracy Theory Karen” is thinking, “That’s gotta be a sign they’re coming to the permanent line!”

I hope so because the neutrals, in particular, are fan-frickin’-tastic, especially if you’re a fan of matte eyeshadows, which you know I am.

Fingers and toes crossed they go permanent. Hey, if it can happen to the Paint Pots (remember them from Fafi, OLD SCHOOL?!) and the In Extra Dimensions from Alluring Aquatic, I think it can happen for these bad gals.

Let us will it into being and manifest that right now! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen