Chanel

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom in 158 Bright | Red Lips for Friday!

November 10th, 2023 by Karen 4 Comments

Sometimes you just need to wear red lips on Friday. 🙂

This red lippie by Chanel from the Rouge Coco Bloom line is a little glossy, a little shiny and a lot of fun. Say hi to Bright!

The Rouge Coco Blooms are Chanel’s line of long-wearing and hydrating lipsticks with a plumping effect that’s supposed to last 8 hours.

I don’t really notice fuller lips but I rarely see a difference in most plumping formulas, though. *shrugs* I mostly like Bright because of the intensity of the pigment and how soft my lips feel when I wear it, plus the color, of course.

How’s your Friday going so far? Do you have the day off for Veteran’s Day? Connor’s home with me and hanging out with a friend, so I’m off to take them to the park with some snacks.

Have a great rest of your Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In | Beauty Nerd Things on “The Morning Show” | Chanel Midnight Red Lipstick | Crazy Brussels Sprouts Stalks

November 8th, 2023 by Karen 7 Comments

Do you watch “The Morning Show” with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston? If you do, I wonder if the episode that aired last week got your nerdy beauty wheels turning! There’s a scene towards the end where Reese’s character is in her dressing room, and numerous beauty products are displayed in the background.

Like the beauty nerd that I am, I hit pause and tried to name as many brands I could! I spy with my little eye…

Mario Badescu
L’Occitane
Clinique
Biossance

I think the tall bottles in the middle (the dark blue, periwinkle and mint green ones) are Oribe, but I’m not sure. Hmm.

Don’t ask me why these things feel like a treasure hunt, but they do!

By the way, Reese’s hair in this scene is my dream hair. Love the loose curls, love the volume, love the smoothness. I especially love how the layers around her cheekbones frame her face. Ugh, so good. I try to get there as best as I can with my hair, but I don’t want to put in the extra work to get the little spiky bits around my hairline to play nice. Ha!

The most effort I’m willing to put in is to clamp them down with these weird little flat clips and then spray them with hairspray.

When you’re trying to tame your hair but it doesn’t wanna listen

BTW, I put this makeup on just for fun, and from far away it seems pretty chill, but when up close, it has more of an ’80s vibe. I’m wearing the new Chanel holiday eye palette and one of the pigmented red lipsticks, Rouge Allure L’Extrait in Midnight Red.

Connor’s home a lot this week because it’s parent-teacher conference time, which means I get to hang out with my little sidekick, just like the good old days!

We went to TJ’s in the middle of the day (what a luxury, truly) and she begged me to buy her this brussels sprouts stalk.

I’ve never seen a child so excited about vegetables! I had no idea how to pick a good stalk, so I just went with my gut and hoped for the best.

How’s your week going so far? Anything new to report on your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait in Rouge Puissant | Red Lips Inspired by Fall Leaves

November 3rd, 2023 by Karen 9 Comments

There’s a joke around where I live in Northern California about the Bay Area not having a real fall season. I think the trees around my neighborhood would have something to say about that, LOL! Here’s a stunner that I see every day when I walk Connor to school.

Gorgeous, right? I strolled by her today and couldn’t help but feel inspired to wear a bright red lip.

I’m wearing a super intense, super concentrated red from Chanel’s holiday 2023 collection, Rouge Puissant.

chanel rouge puissant lipstick — Chanel Rouge Allure L’Exrait in 854 Rouge Puissant

It’s a long-wearing formula that takes a bit of elbow grease to remove, so if ya prefer lippies that pack a ton of pigment, you might love it.

Happy Friday to you, my friend! I’ve got a video interview in just a few, and I feel so ready with this makeup. 🙂 Please send good vibes. I’ll take ’em!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel Lumière Graphique and Duo Lumière, and the Inner Corner Highlight Moment

November 2nd, 2023 by Karen 3 Comments

Sometimes that inner corner highlight hits just right! I put a little bit of the new Chanel Duo Lumière highlighter on after doing a swish of the khaki taupe shade from the Lumière Graphique eyeshadow palette on my lids, and it was exactly what I needed today.

Both are from the new holiday collection, by the way.

I feel so out of practice with eyeshadow, but you know what? I’m gonna give myself plenty of grace and go with the flow. 🙂

I’m wearing Chanel Lumière Graphique Eyeshadow Palette and Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo on my eyes

Chanel Lumière Graphique Eyeshadow Palette and Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo

Blush is Ilia Color Haze Pigment in Temptation and Lipsitick is MAC Crossfade

How’s your Thursday going so far? I think I’ve finally recovered from all the Halloween festivities, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty and a Book: Chanel Ballerina and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”

October 25th, 2023 by Karen 8 Comments

The beauty, Chanel Le Vernis in Ballerina

Sure, everyone needs a classic nude nail polish that’s pretty and presentable, but if it can also make you feel super special when you wear it, then it’s that much more wonderful. That’s how I feel about Chanel’s iconic pale pink polish, Ballerina.

When I wear this milky pastel, which by the way, is the exact shade of pink ballet shoes, my fingernails feel bejeweled. There’s something about the creaminess and the smoothness of Ballerina that gives off a luxe vibe. Understated yet sophisticated.

Milky pastels can often be tricky because they tend to streak if you don’t have a super steady hand. This formula, though, levels out perfectly. No tell-tale stripes left behind.

I really do believe everyone should have a few beauty products on hand that make you feel extra special, and this is one of those items for me.

The book, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Sometimes I just need a quick and satisfying book that’s easy to read, and this one hit the spot!

It’s about a Hollywood star and the secrets she keeps along the way in order to make it to the top of the fame game.

This book is a quick read, but the language is lovely, and Evelyn, the main character, is compelling and complicated, so I couldn’t help but pull for her along the way.

Oh, and side note, Evelyn’s daughter is named Connor. 🙂

If you want something fun and light that you can knock out on a weekend or during a long plane ride, grab this book ASAP.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Luminous Taupe Lids with Chanel Les 4 Ombres Byzance in Parure Cristal

October 12th, 2023 by Karen 3 Comments

I watched a video recently with makeup artist Mia Connor talking about how she likes to do one single block of color across the lids on hooded eyes.

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A post shared by 🤍 M I A C O N N O R 🤍 (@miaconnor)

Simple, effective, easy. Of course it totally spoke to me!

I took her advice about wearing one color this morning when I put on shadow from the Chanel Les 4 Ombres Byzance Quad in Parure Cristal.

This limited edition beauty is one of four quads inspired by precious stones and Chanel jewelry. Designed to be dressed up or down, each quad offers four coordinating shades with glowing finishes.

Parure Cristal. Yup, I’m still an NC42 in MAC.

I mixed the two darkest shades (the taupe and the rosy quartz) on the back of my hand to create a customized color, which I then buffed across my lids. Then I applied the taupe as a liner with an angled brush.

Oh my cheeks and lips I’m wearing NARS Dolce Vita

When you put makeup on just for fun and have no idea where it’s gonna go

I gotta admit, I still feel like I’m wearing a lot of makeup. I do like how it turned out, though. It feels polished but not overly done, and it didn’t require a ton of work.

I think I’m going to stick to Mia’s formula for a bit and see where it takes me on my makeup journey.

Happy Thursday to you, my friend! Keep on keepin’ on.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Q&A: Do You Wear More Makeup in the Fall?

October 6th, 2023 by Karen 2 Comments

I put this coppery fall makeup on the other day just for fun! Cheeks, lips and eyes are from the Chanel fall collection.

In the beauty world, fall typically means the return of wearing makeup. Is this the case for you? Do you wear more makeup as the weather cools down, or do you stick with your regular routine?

Speaking of wearing makeup, I put on some copper and coral tones from Chanel fall the other day just for fun. It felt a little weird wearing so much color on my lids, but I went with it!

Key products in this look from the Chanel fall collection

When you wear color on your lids for the first time in ages

Hope you’re having a fun Friday so far. I just got back from volunteering at Connor’s school. I helped setup for the Scholastic Book Fair! Remember the Book Fair from back in the day? It is so NEXT LEVEL now! They don’t only sell just books, but there are posters, toys and tons of tchotchkes.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Trying on Lipsticks Just for Fun

October 5th, 2023 by Karen 7 Comments

A few months after Connor was born, I went to a lunch mixer with a local mother’s club, and as we were all going around introducing ourselves, one of the ladies said she recently had a baby, and that day was the first day in weeks she actually got dressed and combed her hair. She then said, “I even put on earrings,” and then she started crying, and oh my gosh, I totally understood what she felt at that moment in every cell of my body.

Sometimes it’s a heavy lift just to put on earrings. Or mascara. Or pants that are acceptable to wear in public, if I’m totally being honest.

But you do it, and you keep on keepin’ on.

Anywho, I thought about that woman today as I got ready for a video meeting. I ironed a shirt, did my hair and put on makeup for the first time in, oh, I don’t know how long.

I even put on earrings…