Chanel

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

Lip of the Day: Chanel Virevoltante, Kate Spade Glasses and a Costco Optical Tip!

January 24th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

Costco Optical, man… Really impressed me. Good selection, fantastic prices.

Yup, I wore Chanel Virevoltante lipstick yesterday to get those Kate Spade frames I’ve been thinking about from Costco, woo-hoo! Costco is having a promotion, by the way, until January 28 where you can get a second pair of frames for $40 off, so I ended up also getting this clear pair by Via Spiga, which I’m going to use for prescription sunglasses…and I’m very excited about that! I’ve never had a pair of prescription sunglasses before. I feel so fancy. 🙂

The lipstick didn’t last through the ramen I had for lunch, though…

And that’s because opaque berry rose Virevoltante is in the Chanel Rouge Allure line, which is Chanel’s line of highly pigmented, lightweight lippies, which are relatively long lasting for a featherweight-feeling lipstick (seriously, sometimes I forget I have one on), but they’re nowhere near as resilient as a MAC liquid lipstick, by comparison, which you can wear from this lifetime into the next.

Virevoltante will last about three hours if you’re only trying on glasses or puttering around, but it’ll peace out if you start eating hot noodles.

It’s a popular star at the moment on account of how saturated it is. It’s INTENSE, but it still doesn’t creep into lip lines. I think it’s also comfy and moisturizing, to boot, and it makes my lips look so smooth. Love it!

Back to the glasses…

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Smokey Eyes, Smudged Sparkly Eyeliner, and Why Clean Tapered Blending Brushes Are Your BFF

January 23rd, 2020 by Karen 18 Comments

smokey eyes sparkly lashlines — Back in my happy place!

Can I get a whoop-whoop from all my kindred spirits out there? — the makeup lovers who love rubbing freshly washed air-dried brushes ever-so-gently across their face, and love the fresh scent of those baby soft bristles? (Side note: If this describes you, I bet you also like sticking your face in clean laundry when it comes out of the dryer, too!)

The reason you’re staring at this bevy of brushes is because I built a big-@ss pile of dirty brushes I’d been needing to wash since — gulp! — before Thanksgiving. Weeks ago, I tucked them away in a corner of my office and kinda forgot.

WHOOPS!

Well, I washed them yesterday because the bakery has been closed this week. Apparently, no one comes in this time of year because many people are still on their New Year’s diets, but folks start to fall off the wagon toward the end of January.

So…I finally had time to wash this big-@ss pile of brushes, and I also had time to do the makeup love of my life: SMOKEY EYES.

A few things…

I always forget what a difference clean tapered blending brushes can make. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is what they look like:

tapered blending brush clean — It’s handy to have a few around.

Whenever I’m doing smokey looks, clean tapered blending brushes are very, very handy… At the very least, I like to keep two or three on deck. Having bristles that don’t have any eyeshadow on them is key because the clean brush hairs pick up/remove excess eyeshadow while also softening any hard edges, so everything looks that much smoother and more seamless.

Another thing? You’ll want to use the lightest touch while blending, and avoid pressing so hard that the bristles splay out (this just presses the powder into your pores, which makes it harder to sheer out your shadow). All you want is the very tip to lightly touch your lid.

smokey eyes tapered blending light touch — Please don’t smash your brush head into your crease.

smokey eyes sparkly lashlines unblended blneded — You know those pics of yourself online where you look crazy? YUP.

Last, but not least, always keep a clean tapered brush around for a last blending pass at the end. After you’ve done everything — base, blush, lips, the whole schebang — lightly blend your eyeshadow one last time, both on top of the lids and along the edges of the shadow to finalize the shape of your eye makeup.

It makes all the difference!

Makeup worn in this look

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A Monochromatic Multitasking Makeup Look

December 17th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

chanel amoureaux k — Lots of products doing double duty today

I’m playing with monochromatic multitasking makeup on this chilly Tuesday, partially because I like the alliteration in that phrase… 🙂 And partially because it totally fits with my current makeup motif, which currently involves me seeing what I can get away with given 10 minutes of prep time.

This one was unabashedly inspired by a recent monochromatic makeup post I saw on Instagram by my current makeup muse, Katie Jane Hughes, in which she uses a Chanel lippie on her lids as an eyeshadow, on her cheeks as a blush, and on her lips as a — GASP! — lipstick.

Mind you, I fully acknowledge that wearing lipstick on your lids is one of those things that isn’t everyone’s cup of hot cocoa, but my eyes have been fine whenever I’ve done it, so I’m OK with it.

Like KJH, I’m wearing Chanel in these pics — a Rouge Allure Ink in matte pinkish brown Amoureaux. It has a hint of coral in it.

The Chanel Rouge Allure Inks are more liquid than cream, so they’re runnier than a cream and have a thinner consistency. Consequently, when I used this one as a shadow here, I pressed it on my lids with a flat eyeshadow brush, in order to have more control over the placement. Then, I waited for it to dry before adding another layer.

When using it as a blush, I like to start with a little on the back of my hand first, which I then tap on the apples of my cheeks with a finger. I do this immediately after applying base, by the way, because it blends better when the base product is still wet and hasn’t set.

The base I’m wearing is also a multitasking monster — Maybelline’s awesome Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer. It also works great as a full-coverage foundation!

To sheer it out, just buff it down with a synthetic skunk brush spritzed with a makeup setting spray. I used Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist to mellow out Instant Rewind’s matte finish (you know me and dewy skin, LOL).

chanel amoureaux — That may or may not be Connor’s bedroom wall behind me, ha ha ha.

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze glow flatlay — Streamlined, baby

Makeup worn in this look

Eyes: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux (lids) Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (bronzer worn in the crease, highlighter in the inner corner and on brow bone), MAC Brun (liner and brows), IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara (lashes)

Cheeks: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux (as a blush blush), Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

Lips: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux

Base: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in Golden (worn as concealer and foundation)

And there we have it. 🙂

What are you up to today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

October 23rd, 2019 by Karen 21 Comments

three fall scents — Lovin’ these perfumes

1. These fall fragrances

Mind you, I don’t know if these three should be officially considered “fall scents,” but it is fall here now…and I have been rotating among these scents and lovin’ ’em.

Maison Francis Kurkdijian Femin Pluriel: A chypre floral with notes of iris, violet, rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, vetiver and Indonesian patchouli leaf.
I like this one, and it doesn’t hurt that nobody else I know wears it.
MAC Shadescent in Creme d’Nude: This soft, clean amber musk is spiked with caramel, and it smells like clean, schmexy skin.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle: An oriental floral with notes of mandarin orange, orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine, Turkish rose, ylang-ylang, vanilla, vetiver and white musk. This one’s a classic feminine “sweater weather” scent.

2. This funk version of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You by Scary Pockets

Those runs are so crisp! Plus, how could you not love that name: “Scary Pockets?” LOL!

3. Vegetables

My sweet tooth GOES HARD, so 99% of the time I’m more likely to crave fruit than vegetables, but lately I’ve been all about the veggies. Literally, I’ve been eating plates and plates of them for lunch and dinner (not so much for breakfast though). My faves du jour right meow are the little bags of organic snap peas from Trader Joe’s.

Park me in a corner with a side of Bolthouse Salsa Ranch Yogurt Dressing, and I’M A HAPPY GIRL. ?

bolthouse farm salsa ranch — So yummy… So healthy…

4. 1920’s-era dresses

Must be all the Downton Abbey I’ve been watching, LOL! I love the drop waists and how loose and comfortable everything looks. I also like the beading and the fringe (even if the fringe doesn’t look cat lady-friendly).

5. Having a cat place demands on me again

Every day, Pretty Girl Rosie opens up a little more and lets us get to know her better. This week we learned she’s quite feisty! Like, if she wants lurvies, and she wants them now, you’re GOING TO GIVE THEM TO HER. Or, there will be consequences…

She’s already claimed my desk and windowsill…

What’ve you been loving lately? ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel, You’re Rockin’ My World at the Moment!

July 10th, 2019 by Karen 4 Comments

chanel contour graphique — A little Chanel never hurt anyone.

Heya, friend. I’m sitting here at my desk with a rumbly tumbly because I’m waiting on an air conditioning specialist to stop by for an estimate. (Side note: Phase one of Operation Casa Mini Remodel is officially underway.) Two things I’ve learned so far about home remodels and home repair projects:

Anything that can break, will break, and surprise! — everything breaks at the same time.
Waiting on the people who can fix those broken things wreaks havoc on your lunch plans, because when someone says, “I’ll be there between 10 a.m. and noon,” that’s code for “I’ll ring your doorbell at 12:15.”

Anyway, yeah, I’m waiting on someone right now, and I’m hungry, but I don’t want to start making food because then I’ll have to eat it really fast, or wait and have it get cold, or awkwardly shovel a frozen breakfast burrito down my gullet in front of a stranger…

This is probably a good time to distract myself with one of my favorite things in the whole wide world: mascara.

I’ll gleefully try each and every new mascara that promises lusciously long lashes, but the one I’ve been loving lately is Dimensions de Chanel Mascara.

I got hooked on it last spring when Chanel introduced the shade Nero Metallo, a smoldering deep onyx (take a breath, it’s still available!).

chanel dimensions de chanel — Oh, hello lashes!

The bristle brush wand stretches the stubbiest strands up toward the sky, and one coat coaxes my skinny, straight lashes into a captivating curved fringe that could pass for a pair of falsies. And yes, it does all this without flakes, clumps, smudges or smears.

As for removal, an oil-based makeup remover takes it off in a snap.

I’ve been wearing it daily for a while (you may have noticed), and I can’t get enough.

I also can’t get enough of products that can be used for more than just one thing, because why not have an eyeshadow that doubles as an eyeliner? — which is exactly what you get with the Chanel Stylo Ombre et Contours. (I’m on a Chanel kick, as you can see.)

Twist-up cream shadows have been around forever, but it’s rare to find one that’s blend-adble enough to play with on your lids, and long-wearing enough to stay put on the waterline.
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Liquid Lipstick Love

June 26th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

chanel rouge allure ink — These are fabulous!

I’m tempting fate whenever I wear lipstick with white clothes, but I like to live on the edge, mwahahahaha!

chanel luxuriant — A rebel (not really) in Chanel Luxuriant

I’ve been all about the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink liquid lipsticks ($38 each), man. They came out a few years back, and they’re still a fixture in the permanent collection. Thank goodness for that, too, because there’s really nothing else quite like them. They’re like a shy first kiss…and you can crack as many cheesy smiles with them as you want, because the creamy, pigmented formula stays smooth for hours.

PRODUCT
A long-lasting liquid lipstick with a smooth texture that glides on like a gloss and sets with a luminous, velvet-like finish.

COMPOSITION
Polymers, waxes and plant oils smooth and nourish lips, while Jojoba Oil and a unique anti-oxidant complex offer hydration and protective benefits. The applicator tip allows for comfortable and easy application. In a provocative range of red-tint shades, from tart pink to deep brown-noir.

HOW TO APPLY
Define lip contours then fill in with colour.

Source: chanel.com

The soft velvet matte finish is also softer and less “aggro” than your typical liquid lippie, which I think makes them perfect for casual summer makeup. Lately, I’ve been bouncing between warm pink Amoureaux and two bright reds — berry red Luxuriant and bluish red Choquant. There are 20 colors to choose from, and I want all of ’em.

Hey, Mr. D.J.!

Science really needs to figure out how to tap into the part of the brain that can remember song lyrics from 20 years ago with startling clarity, because when Connor and I were at DSW the other day, Hey Mr. DJ started playing over the store speakers, and I was singing along without skipping a beat.

Remember when the first few bars of this song would play in the club and everyone would lose their damn mind?? In the alternate reality that is the musical version of my life, everyone in the DSW would have dropped whatever shoes they were trying on and danced in the aisles, ha ha ha!

Speaking of blasts from the past…

I spotted ube ice cream in the frozen section at TJ’s last week!

Ube, also known as taro root, is a purple yam (Hawaiians make poi out of it), and when I was growing up, my parents would buy ube ice cream for us at the small Filipino grocery store in our town… I think it tastes like a combination of vanilla and cashews. The taste of my childhood!

Some ube ice creams are sweeter than others, and the Trader Joe’s one isn’t as sweet as some, which I like. I paced myself and ate the pint over the course of three days, but I could’ve easily finished it in one sitting with a spoon and a Reese Witherspoon movie.
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Easy Everyday Makeup Look: Summer Breeze

June 25th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

Today I wore this summery look to run a couple errands and drop off Coywolf at her first day of summer fun/school. I used lots of Chanel, with a mix of new and old faves, because I love the way they handle color. They use juuuust enough, so you don’t go from zero to rodeo clown in a hummingbird heartbeat.

Swatches and details on the key products down below.

Key items

Base: All I’m wearing is a 50/50 mix of It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination and Oil-Free Matte Tinted Moisturizers (the shade I wear is Tan), which I applied with my fingers on top of Aveeno Baby Sunscreen. No setting powder, no concealer.

I like the way this base looks and feels, especially when it’s hot out, because I get medium coverage with minimal product. My pores feel like they can still breathe, and the makeup stays put no matter how much I sweat. Of course, you could go for either Illumination (which works wonders as an under-eye concealer, by the way) or Matte, but I like to mix the two because HI, MY NAME IS KAREN, AND I LIKE TO COMPLICATE THINGS.

If mixing doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I recommend going for the Matte, but still adding one or two drops of your favorite liquid highlighter (MAC’s Strobe cream is the best for mixing into foundations, IMHO).

Eyeshadow: The Chanel Les Beiges Natural Eyes palette is SO GOOD. The eyeshadows have the smooth glide of gel-powder hybrids, and you can blend any combo of the colors with just few windshield wiper swipes. If you love the Chantecaille cream shadows in pots (which are fantastic but very $$$), these Chanel shadows have a similarly creamy consistency and light-as-air appearance. You won’t find any of them, even the shimmers, settling into fine lines.

Brows: Speedy brows! This was my first time trying It Cosmetics Brow Power Micro Universal Defining Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe, and I’m LOVING it. There’s a super skinny twist-up pencil on one end to draw precise lines, and a stiff brow spoolie on the other. I did these brows in a minute, and it was completely non-stressful because the pencil deposits a good amount of color, but yet it’s mellow enough to not look harsh or blocky.

Cheeks and Lips: I love how Chanel’s cream blushes blend right into your foundation without lifting it up or moving it around. I also like how they never look obvious. The blush I’m wearing here is an older one that looks like it isn’t around anymore (No. 25), but there are many other creams available on the Chanel site.

The lip combo is Rouge Allure Ink (Chanel’s lightweight liquid lipstick) in Amoreux, topped with Rouge Coco Gloss in 172 (semi-sticky but long-lasting).

More pics!

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