Maybelline

Affordable Drugstore Makeup Mini Reviews: Concealer, Blush and Eyeliner From Maybelline and Covergirl

May 21st, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

Good morning! A few speedy reviews of drugstore makeup I’ve been wearing lately…

Covergirl Clean Fresh Cream Blush

I like the squeeze tube in this line of shimmery cruelty-free cream blushes and how the blushes last a good six hours on my cheeks (my skin’s combo oily/dry), but feathering out the edges is a challenge. No matter what base I wear them with, I always end up with uneven patches and hard edges… Covergirl says that you can also wear these blushes on your lids, so I’m going to try that next to see if they work better as eyeshadows. Available in four shades, $10.99 each.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Light Eyeliner Pencil

These waterproof twist-up liners for your lash and waterline come in five shimmering shades to brighten yo’ eyes. I’ve used the black shade to tightline and the gold shade on my inner corners as a highlighter, and I like how they glide across the skin without skipping and don’t transfer — not one bit! The’re truly long wearing. The shimmer is also pretty subtle, so there aren’t any big chunks of glitter. Available in five shades, $5.99 each.

Maybelline Eyestudio Master Precise Liquid Liner in Black

This flexible felt tipped black liquid liner pen has a shiny finish. Among the pros: it’s intensely pigmented, long lasting, and it dries faaaast (so when I blink, I don’t have to worry about the liner ending up in my crease). The cons: the felt tip is touchy and skips, so carving out razor sharp lines with it is a challenge. If I’m not super careful, I end up with jagged edges. Available in three shades, $7.99 each.

Maybelline Washable Snapscara

These easy-to-remove, washable mascaras are made to load lashes with volume sans clumps, but I find them lacking in the volume department… I need to apply at least three layers to see any difference. They get points for being easy to remove, though. Available in five shades, $7.77 each.

Maybelline Volum’ Express the Falsies Washable Mascara in Navy Glam

I don’t see the navy when I wear this, and my lashes look and feel clumpy and stiff… Navy Glam is one of four shades, each for $8.77.

Covergirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer

This full-coverage vegan, cruelty-free liquid concealer has a matte finish and comes in SO MANY SHADES! There are 30, which is kind of amaze. It disguises discoloration without feeling heavy or looking “caked on,” but since the finish is *very matte*, when I wear it underneath my eyes, it emphasizes fine lines… Still a good concealer, though, if you just want to even out your skin tone. 30 shades, $11.99 each.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Friday Eve! ?

A Wearable, Colorful Drugstore Makeup Look: Navy Liner and Lashes With Orange Cheeks and Lips

May 14th, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

honest blood orange — All the makeup I’m wearing today is from the drugstore.

Totes on a budget beauty kick right now, and everything in this navy and orange look is drugstore.

honest beauty blood orange — Budget beauty at its best

I’ve been slowly but surely mining my makeup collection lately and rediscovering old loves. Also finding new faves…

Budget brow wow

Case in point: Maybelline’s brow pencil. It’s the one in peach packaging with the angled applicator, and it’s just as good as the $$$ Anastasia brow pencils at Sephora IMO. It has the perfect amount of pigment — enough, but not so much that it makes you look like you’re plotting someone’s demise. Plus, it doesn’t budge! It stays put through long runs, planks and burpie push-ups (so fun…NOT). You’ll find it in four shades for $5.99 each — Blonde, Soft Brown, Deep Brown and Medium Brown. I wear the Deep Brown one. It’s a beautiful ashy brown with a hint of gray.

The ace of budget base

Speaking of affordable, can we talk about this base combo for a second? — Neutrogena Hydro Tint plus Maybelline’s Age Rewind Concealer equals magic?

I’ve been a fan of both products for a while, but I never realized they could be such a great budget-friendly combo for no-makeup makeup.

Hydro Tint ever-so-slightly evens everything out while keeping your skin looking natural, and then I dab and blend a little Maybelline Age Rewind where I want a little more coverage (like on the hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and dark areas underneath my eyes).

The end result looks natural and even (and doesn’t look thick). The two products layer perfectly.

Long-lasting liner for under ten bucks

I’ve also recently discovered some new-to-me things that totally deserve the spotlight, including these Coverigrl twist-up eyeliners, which are available in six $7.99 shades (and currently on BOGO for 50% at Ulta!).

I’m also wearing a shimmery deep blue here on my upper lash lines, and I love that glimmer. I had to do a few layers (like three), but once it’s on, it doesn’t transfer into the crease or creep into the lower lash line.
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Spring Makeup Ideas: Blue Eye Makeup With a Green Top

March 25th, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

Unsolicited life tip: When you unknowingly grow a Machiavellian mustache on your upper lip, it’s probably time to put some makeup on again.

So here we go!

OK, raise your hand ?‍♀️ (which I’m assuming has been vigorously washed with soap for a minimum of 20 seconds) if you tend to go matchy-matchy with your clothes when you wear colorful makeup. BECAUSE I TOTALLY DO. You know that girl wearing orange eyeshadow and orange lipstick and an orange shirt? Yup. So me!

A surprisingly springy combination

I would never think to wear this blue eye makeup with a green shirt (am I the only one?), but when I saw the blue shadow and green outfit on Meghan Markle recently, I was like, “YES. Rock those jewel tones together, Meg!”

I think the blue shadow and green clothing pairing is surprisingly springy, especially if you wear it on a rainy day, which I did. When it’s wet and cold and everything outside is stone cold gray, the blue-green combo stands out even more.

Also, yeah, I know there’s a lot of eyeshadow swatches up in the mix. While I’m usually one for keeping eye makeup streamlined, especially for the past few months with the new job at the bakery and all, this time around I went ham on mixing and blending ALL THE EYESHADOWS. Try your hand at custom mixing your own shades sometime. Mixing and matching is so, so fun.

Key makeup worn in this look

EYES: It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette (a mix of cool and warm browns in the crease, and the navy shade on the lid), Kevyn Aucoin ElectroPop Palette (blue/green shades on lid), Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Liner in Striking Navy and MAC Coffee liner (waterline and lower waterline), Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara (lashes)

Cheeks: NARS Amour (blush), Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light (bronzer)

Lips: Nudestix Cheek/Lip Pencil in Mystic, MAC Boldly Bare lip liner, MAC Beaux Lipglass

Base: Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Honey Bronze mixed with MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklight, Estée Lauder 24HR Concealer in Medium Deep Warm

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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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Keanu Reeves Is My Boyfriend, Vol. 1: Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayon Lipstick

July 24th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

This post is the first in a series of stellar drugstore gems in which my (very much pretend) boyfriend Keanu Reeves helps me test makeup… He’s gallant like that, you know? ?

I can confirm that these pigmented, matte twist-up crayons by Maybelline are kiss-proof because I made out with Keanu Reeves for 20 minutes while wearing one of them (Lead the Way), and it didn’t move at all!

It smelled and tasted like vanilla-spiked Hawaiian Punch, which Keanu adored, but ewww! — it made my stomach churn. My boo likes it, though, so I guess I’ll have to endure… The things I do for that man, le sigh!

Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayon Lipstick, $9.49 each

It’s available in 12 shades for less than $10 each.
The formula is almost as smooth as Keanu’s raven locks, with nary a vertical lip line in sight.
The attached sharpener (which is hidden in the base of the pen) keeps the tip tapered.
It’s long lasting (from 3-4 hours), but it quickly melts away with makeup remover.
The matte formula isn’t drying; it IS comfortable; and it doesn’t make your lips look a billion years old.
It looks expensive.

maybelline super stay ink swatches — I’m an NC42 in MAC for reference.

maybelline enjoy the view — Enjoy the View

maybelline treat yourself — Treat Yourself

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Budget Beauty for $10 or Less: Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Pencil Liners

April 3rd, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

maybelline tattoo studio eyeliner pencil — Long-lasting liners

Hooray for budget beauty! In this new series, we talk about sweet finds you can get for $10 or less.

Maybelline is famous for their potted Tattoo Studio Gel liners, and I’m happy to say that their gel pencils are just as good — AND at $7.99 each, they’re crazy affordable.

I used to wear gel pencils all the time because of the epic wear time (Bobbi Brown Jet was my jam back in the day), but I quit a few years ago when my skin became drier than all earthly deserts combined! Gel pencils just got to be too uncomfortable as they sucked the moisture outta my skin, so I switched to regular old kohl liners instead.

The Maybelline gel pencils are different, though. They’re on the moisturizing side (for gel liners). They’re creamy and easy to feather for perfectly smudgy, soft lines.

One big caveat? Their quality varies based on the color. Like, the brown and gray shades, which I wear all the time, are bulletproof; however, other shades like the blues are softer and have more “give.” Both the navy and the teal tips broke the very first time I used them.

Grrr… After I sharpened the tips, the pencils stayed solid and didn’t crumble, but still, it’s always annoying to waste product right off the bat. Keep your receipt just in case you get a wonky one.

I’m still a Chanel twist-up liner girl all the way, but it’s nice to have affordable options. If you can’t decide which colors to get, I say go for the gray or the bangin’ brown. Both last all day without even a touchup.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Maybelline Age Instant Age Rewind Concealer

March 11th, 2019 by Karen 22 Comments

maybelline instant age rewind concealer review — A steal of a deal at just $10

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.

Dear beauty industry people…just stop, collaborate and listen. Enough with the attached sponge applicators already! The sponges get all thick and nasty, and then when I press them against my skin, there’s a weird sucking sound, like “thhhmeeeeeeee,” which is the makeup equivalent of someone saying the word “moist” repeatedly.

MOIST, MOIST, MOIST.

It’s super, super gross.

The attached sponge applicator is the only thing I don’t like about the otherwise awesome Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. I would prefer one of ye olde standard-issue doe-foot applicators, buuuuuut since this concealer is only $10, and it’s available in a nice shade range, and it’s practically a drugstore dupe for the much pricier Charlotte Tilbury under-eye concealer, which I’ve used to the very last drop, I put up with it, because seriously, WHATCHAGONNADO? You can’t spend all your time and energy fighting city hall. *shrugs*

Anyway, this concealer is fantastic for women (and dudes… More on this in a second.) who have fine under-eye experience lines, and who also like a decent amount of coverage but don’t feel the need to go full-tilt, so FYI, Tarte Shape Tape, MAC Pro Longwear and Sephora Bright Future Gel Concealer it is not; however, if you like light-to-medium coverage (a la Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid, which I’ve grown to love, or Tatcha Softlight), it’s magic in a click pen, because the concealer never appears caked-on or thick when applied to mature skin with lines.

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Ravenous for Red Lipstick: Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink in Dancer

January 29th, 2019 by Karen 31 Comments

maybelline dancer — I may or may have just busted out my six-step before taking this picture

Valentine’s Day ? is right around the corner, so this is a purr-fect time to celebrate that most sanguine of seductresses — scarlet! The Ravenous for Red Lipstick series features the crimsons I’m currently cuckoo for.

This warm red matte liquid lippie is called Dancer.

Yes, its name is one of the reasons I like it.

I also like it because it’s smooth and very pigmented, and there are NO vertical lip lines in sight whenever I wear it, which I typically do without a lip liner, because ya really don’t need one (it’s pretty easy to freehand).

I identify with the name because, once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, a.k.a “my single life in San Francisco,” I would BOOK IT the second the clock struck quitting time and head directly to one of the many dance studios in the city to take a dance class, and I did this three or four times a week for a while.

I was addicted to dance, but can you blame me? There’s nothing quite as therapeutic as shaking your @ss for 45 minutes, except maybe Calgon…

Nowadays, I do most of my dancing in my living room with Tabs and Connor (we have MANY impromptu dance parties). On the plus side: no cover charge. Also on the plus side: hip-hop battles with cats and toddlers are HILARIOUS.

Dancer is one of Maybelline’s Super Stay Matte Ink liquid lipsticks with the thick, “grippy,” mousse-like formula. It’s easy to place it where you want it to go, and you can feel it latching on to your lips as it dries.

For me, it’s a very present lipstick, so it’s not one of those lighter-than-air situations. I like how warm and intense it is as a red (looks great with khaki liner and golden brown eyeshadow, BTW), too. Keeping with the dance metaphors, it really POPs.
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