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Urban Decay

This Matte Brown Classic Eye Makeup Goes With Everything

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eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything
This is an easy, everyday classic eye look.

If I were cruelly forced to select a tiny handful of eye makeup looks to wear for the rest of my life the rest of the winter, this matte brown look with brownish black eyeliner would definitely make the cut.

Not only is it relatively speedy to do (say 15-20 minutes start to finish), it’s also easy because it doesn’t heavily rely on intense blending.

eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything
Products I used…

A banging’ brew of browns

So, what makes it relatively easy? Answer: The two brown shades — the golden brown on my lids (MAC Cork) and the warmer orangey brown in my crease (MAC Saddle) — are similar tones, which makes blending them together easier.

In fact, if you’re REALLY pressed for time, you can even skip the warm brown in the crease, and just wear the golden brown eyeshadow all over your lids.

That said, I do like the warm brown in the crease because, especially when I’m wearing a little bronzer, a warm brown in the crease ties everything together nicely.

Always adjustable

Another added bonus to this look is that it really does work with everything — bold lipsticks, nude lipsticks, no lipstick at all (for when I’m masked up). It’s quite flexible.

eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything bright lip
With a bold lip color, MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in Escandalo. Long Live Lipstick Tee in Red Hibiscus.
eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything
Same eyes makeup, different lip color (MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick in Crossfade mixed with Sorry Not Sorry)
eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything nude lip
I feel good in this makeup! Long Live Lipstick Tee in Driftwood.

Base notes

Oh, and about that eyeshadow base — in the pics above, I’m purposefully wearing a beige cream eye primer with a beige powder eyeshadow buffed on top, which are lighter than my skin tone. I do this because, when I want browns to show up on my brown skin, I have to go lighter with my base. That makes them pop. I recommend going with a base that’s similar to your skin tone.

Sometimes, though, I skip the beige base entirely and just do a swish of golden brown eyeshadow all over my lids, like in this pic below:

duri when in rome
I’m wearing MAC Cork all over my lids without an eyeshadow base. The lipstick is MAC Relentlessly Red. Nail polish is Duri When in Rome. Nap Then Attack Tee.

See how the brown shadow adds a touch of depth to my crease? But not as much as it does when there’s a beige base underneath? I think it still works, though.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Today is inauguration day here in the US. Congratulations and good luck to President Biden and Vice President Harris!

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome in Naked

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urban decay stay naked threesome top
One of THE BEST things Urban Decay makes IMO, hands down!

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.

I’m totally over pervy names for beauty products (Anyone else? I feel like it’s just lazy language!), but the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome is one of the best everyday products in the entire line, so I just shake my head, accept the perviness, and call it my favorite bronzer-blush-highlighting palette instead.

This trio of fab face powders comes in light, medium and dark options. I use the medium one called…wait for it…Naked.

UD often has a well-deserved rep for bold bling-bling products, but this palette is surprisingly subdued. It’s really a workhorse because it removes the guesswork from picking products for perfectly flushed cheeks.

Naked includes a warm medium golden bronzer (don’t worry, it’s not too orange) with a soft sheen finish, a warm golden beige highlighter with a pearly finish, and a matte warm pink blush.

urban decay stay naked threesome swatch
I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The delicate powders have a dainty, Chanel-esque quality when they’re on my cheeks, which I love (ya girl cannot do overly aggressive powdery powders now that her pores have been ballooned due to age she’s older/wiser ?). All three are pigmented, too, yet I can still blend and smooth any edges with ease.

More to love…

  • The colors last all day.
  • Vegan
  • Sturdy, secure packaging with a big mirror (Side note: It does not include a brush, which I’m cool with because I end up using my own anyway.)
  • Works great with both warm and cool lip colors — particularly pinks, reds and corals.
  • Bronzer and highlighter can double as a eyeshadows in a pinch.
urban decay stay naked threesome
I’m wearing the bronzer, blush and highligheter.

Oh, and if you’re feeling too lazy to do a separate blush, bronzer and highlighter, just swirl all three powders together with a large face brush, and blend a light layer over bare cheeks or your favorite tinted moisturizer. Magic, I tell ya!

Naked is totally worth the coveted space in your everyday makeup bag. It’s $36, and you can find it now in the Urban Decay permanent line.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Urban Decay Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator: Long-Lasting Hydration in a Skin-Like Base

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urban decay hydromaniac
There’s a new base in town.

I was perusing the list of ingredients for Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator, Urban Decay’s latest foray into moisturizing foundations, and I started getting thirsty! It contains fermented black tea, also known as kombucha (which is such a great word, isn’t it?) and ginger extract (for skin brightening) — both which sound like the start of zesty afternoon drink that you’d pour over ice and squeeze a wedge of lemon into.

AHHH, delicious!

Urban Decay has a new hydrating, long-wearing base with a luminous finish called Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator. It has some pretty ingredients for brightening and moisturizing, like kombucha, marula and argan oil, and ginger extract. It comes in 12 shades that are $29 each (1.1 ounces), and you can grab it now on the Urban Decay website.

INGREDIENTS (INGRÉDIENTS): AQUA / WATER / EAU, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, GLYCERIN, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, DEXTRIN MYRISTATE, HYDROGENATED STYRENE/METHYLSTYRENE/INDENE COPOLYMER, PEG-8, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, POLYGLYCERYL-4 ISOSTEARATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, CHLORPHENESIN, ETHYL MENTHANE CARBOXAMIDE, SACCHAROMYCES/XYLINUM/BLACK TEA FERMENT, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, TOCOPHEROL, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, ARGANIA SPINOSA KERNEL OIL, SCLEROCARYA BIRREA SEED OIL, ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ROOT EXTRACT / GINGER ROOT EXTRACT, SODIUM CITRATE, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE, BIOTIN. [+/- (MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR): CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES]. (D250959/1)

Hydromaniac is Urban Decay’s latest foray into skin-like bases, and it’s designed as a medium-coverage product to even out skin tone and freckles ever-so-slightly, although it can be layered for full coverage). The lightweight liquid foundation moisturizes with marula and argan oils while leaving a luminous, natural-looking finish behind.

urban decay hydromaniac 50
I’m wearing 50 underneath my eyes, on my cheeks and in the center of my forehead. The lipstick is Urban Decay Menace, and the blush/bronzer/highlighter is the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome palette in Naked.
urban decay hydromaniac 50
The obligatory “before” pic

The luminosity isn’t “blinged out” to the extreme, so you don’t get a high-shine pearl, a la Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. This is more like the subtlest sheen. It’s comparable to medium-coverage tinted moisturizers like Skin Feels Good by Lancôme and Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer by First Aid Beauty. If you like either of those, you’ll probably dig Hydromaniac too… Well, that is, if you can find a shade that matches your skin.

I’m STILL a MAC NC42 after all these years, and I’ve ended up with 50 Medium Warm, which is a little bit too light for me to haphazardly blend all over my entire face, but I can wear it under my eyes, on my cheeks and down the center of my forehead, which is where I like the most coverage anyway. It has a minor highlighting effect on my face, too, which I like. I just have to really buff out the edges to prevent any obvious lines of demarcation where the product fades into my jawline and up into the the perimeter of my forehead.

A few more things of note…

  • Pore blurring: Hydromaniac has a minor blurring effect, which I think is lovely.
  • Long wearing: Urban Decay calls it a “24HR” formula, and to remove it, I do need to do a double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser first, followed by CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser afterward.
  • No SPF: Many similar lightweight foundations/tinted moisturizers contain SPF, but Hydromaniac does not.
  • Vegan formula: Yup, it’s vegan. ?
urban decay hydromaniac 50 swatch
Medium Warm 50

Bottom line, I like the interesting ingredients, and I appreciate that Urban Decay is offering something for people who prefer less coverage than full. My skin still looks like my skin, and I love how I don’t feel it sitting on top of my face. It’s very comfortable! I’d say that there’s also a good amount of moisture, but I wouldn’t rely on this as my one-and-only face moisturizer.

The only thing is…I sure do wish there were more shades. If you can find one that works for you, I say go for it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Urban Decay Decades Collection Swatches and Impressions

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urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Takin’ a trip through the decades with Urban Decay’s latest

Watch out, Elon Musk! ? Urban Decay just took the lead in the race to develop a time machine, but no, science fiction nerds, I’m not referring to a hot tub time machine (although I secretly wish I was). I’m talking about their $25 LE Decades eyeshadow palettes, which are up on the UD website now.

Each one is themed around a different decade from the ’70s through the early 2000s, and they’re cute! They fit in the palm of your hand with colors and finishes reminiscent of that decade’s style of makeup.

urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Of course 1993 would speak to me, haha!

No surprise here, but my favorite is 1993, and not just because of the great plaid packaging. The colors are also wearable. I was really surprised when I put them on the other day by how non-scary my eyes looked, because that did not line up with my first impression when I opened the palette and immediately thought, “Oh, boy…”

“Flattering” wasn’t the first word that came to mind, but then I put them on. ?

urban decay 1993 boogie swatches

When I did my makeup the first time with these shadows, I did my eyes first, and I vividly remember that there wasn’t any fallout. I didn’t have to clean up any eyeshadow on my cheeks afterwards, which was great.

I think the standout’s gotta be Collect Call, a dark brown that looks intimidating in the pan but turns out to be a surprisingly wearable matte brownish purple on my skin. I blended it into my outer corner and was pleasantly surprised. It feathered out quite easily.

Grunge is another surprise. It looks like a baby threw up all over Oscar the Grouch’s fur in the pan, but no! — it’s actually a lovely satiny golden olive.

Overall, the colors in the 1993 palette are totally, and surprisingly, wearable. Who’d a thunk it?

I put the shadows on bare lids and wasn’t wearing any primer with them at all, because that’s how I roll these days, and even after five hours, I didn’t see any creasing. The shades looked just as vibrant as they did when I put them on in the morning.
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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!

Urban Decay Empire Eyeliner Is an Enchanting Jewel-Toned Gem

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urban decay empire
A little obsessed with Urban Decay Empire

If you like the KAPOW! of black eyeliner but usually gravitate toward subtler shades like charcoal gray and brown, first of all, HELLO, ARE WE MAKEUP TWINS? Second, check out Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Empire ($22), a jeweled eggplant purple. Allegedly, it is not magical…but I’m not so sure about that.

urban decay empire closeup
Fallin’ for purple wings

Whenever I want some serious smoke, Empire softens into a hazy, gorgeous gradient…that’s also smudge-proof when it sets and stays put on lash and water lines. You can also use the super-smooth formula to draw razor-sharp wings or trace your lash lines with skinny-mini streaks.

urban decay empire k smile
Understated purple drama

Depending on the lighting, sometimes it looks matte, and sometimes there’s a hint of shimmer.

Magic, I tell ya!

Empire is a permanent fixture in UD’s lineup. Could it be your new favorite eyeliner for fall? ?

Ballerina daughters

Because Rosie is my youngest child. ? Anyway, Connor takes a live Zoom ballet class on Wednesdays, and apparently Rosie has decided she’s a ballerina too.

She parks her torbie booty in the middle of the floor and watches Connor jump over her and twirl around. It’s the funniest thing because Rosie’s just so chill about it. I’ve never seen a cat so unbothered…

Now Connor’s ballet teacher and the other little girls are used to Rosie’s cameos in class. I’m tempted to get her a little kitty ballet tutu of her own!

I’m running to Target in a few to grab some last-minute Halloween items because it’s going to be a very IMPROV Halloween ’round these parts this year.

Remember the crazy things we did, like go to Halloween parties?
And parks?!

Since nobody’s really trick-or-treating in our town this year, we’re taking Coywolf to a pumpkin patch on Halloween morning, and then we’re going to carve jack-o-lanterns in the afternoon. I’m also going to try doing a Halloween candy hunt for her (kinda like an Easter Egg hunt) in our little circle, if I pull it off.

What are you up to? I hope all is well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

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

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urban decay born to run purple look k lids closed

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.

rosie posie chanel blush brush

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!

urban decay born to run purple look eye closeup

urban decay born to run purple look k lids

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…

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.

urban decay born to run purple look k

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

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