Collections

MAC Mirage Noir Collection for Summer 2018: Pics, Swatches and My First Look Using the Products

May 7th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

Serious question for you: is this “bronzed peach” look too glam for a ketchup run? — because from among the list of “things that go well on BBQ,” I do believe that ketchup is the least fancy of them all. FOR SURE, the fanciest has to be dijon mustard, because — hi — if something can be prefaced with a word en français, it’s officially fancy. 🙂

Speaking of my limited high school French, can anyone out there confirm what Mirage Noir means? Is it “black illusion”?

Pics and swatches coming at’cha…

MAC Mirage Noir: Summer 2018

LE and coming May 17th, 2018, to select MAC locations and the MAC website.

LIPSTICK ($18.50 each)

Nothing to Wear: Cool nude (Cremesheen)

Twig: Soft, muted brownish pink (Satin)

Goodbye Kiss: Cool mid-tone pink (Amplified)

Beach Nut: Deep violet (Matte)

Noon Noir: Frosty brown (Frost)

LIPGLASS ($17.50 each)

Oysterized: Soft white shimmer

Strip ‘n’ Dip: Pink bronze with shimmer

Soft Shell: Mid-tone brown

Midnight Dip: Mid-tone violet shimmer

Treasure Beach: Bright fuchsia

EYE SHADOW ($17 each)

Dust Off: Soft beige shimmer (Frost)

Sun Speck: Light brown shimmer (VLXP)

Slow as You Glow: Purple shimmer (Frost)

Sun, Tan and Repeat: Forest green with purple sparkle (VLXP)

EXTRA DIMENSION BRONZING POWDER ($34 each)

Golden Rinse: Light brick reddish bronze with fine shimmer

Delphic: Coppery bronze with gold sparkle

BRONZING POWDER ($27 each)

Baiana Bronze: Medium deep-tone neutral matte bronze

Matte Bronze: Bare-shouldered bronze

PEARLMATTE FACE POWDER ($34)

Mother o’ Pearl: Gold (mid-tone golden brown), Pink (muted peach beige), Berry (red plum), Brown (warm chestnut brown)

M∙A∙C STUDIO FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION ($30 each)

Light Pearl: Light with added bronze pearl

Medium Deep Pearl: Medium deep with added bronze pearl

BRUSH ($42)

140SES Full Fan Brush

mac sun tan repeat — Sun, Tan and Repeat ($17)

mac slow as you go — Slow as You Go ($17)

mac mother o pearl — Pearlmatte Face Powder in Mother o’ Pearl ($34)

mac mirage noir lipstick — Lipsticks in Nothing to Wear, Twig, Goodbye Kiss, Noon Noir and Beach Nut ($18.50 each)

mac mirage noir lipglass — Lipglasses in Oysterized, Strip & Dip, Soft Shell, Treasure Beach and Midnight Dip ($17.50 each)

mac face body light pearl medium deep pearl — Studio Face and Body Foundation in Light Pearl and Medium Deep Pearl ($30 each)

[Continue reading…]

NARS Erdem Strange Flowers Collection: 10-Minute Makeup

April 20th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

Is this a 10-minute makeup look because it took me 10 minutes to do…or is it a 10-minute makeup look because I only had it on for 10 minutes?

I don’t know!

Oh, goodness… I’m wearing lots of NARS Erdem Strange Flowers in these pics, and there’s a certain irony to this because I was outside walking among the flowers and the nature for approximately 10 minutes before I had to rush inside and wash everything off. Because my allergies went OFF!

It’s been particularly bad so far this year. My eyes started watering like Trevi Fountain, man. So, yeah. Didn’t get to wear this look all day long, which is what I wanted to do, but at least I had 10 minutes of semi-glamour, and sometimes that’s enough.

Couple things about the NARS Erdem pieces I’m wearing in this look…

I mean, you might recognize most of the “greatest hits” items in this pic because I’ve talked about most of the face products before, but if there’s anything you’re curious about, lemme know.

As for the NARS Erdem pieces, both the Fleur Fatale Eyeshadow Palette and Poison Rose Lip Powder Palette look like they could lean neutral, or maybe even slightly warm, but on my skin (I’m somewhere between NARS St. Moritz and Cuba), both the eye palette and lip palette appear extremely cool-toned, so that’s something to keep in mind if you were considering either of them.

Also — oh, my gosh — the blush? Loves Me? It’s hella bright and SO PIGMENTED. I dabbed a bit on my cheeks and was like, yeah, I should probably take that down a few steps.

I took the foundation brush I used to apply my base makeup (a MAC 187S… It’s a’ight. I used it because it was clean and convenient.) and ran it across the tops of my cheeks to lift some of the blush off and blend it down into the skin a little more.

[Continue reading…]

The NARS Erdem Strange Flowers Collection, and Familiar Flowers in My Neighborhood

April 19th, 2018 by Karen 38 Comments

The new NARS Erdem Strange Flowers summer collection is out now (side note: Erdem is a women’s fashion designer, if you’re not in the know… I had to look him up, so you aren’t alone if you had no clue!), so, of course, being the frustrated botanist that I am, I walked all over my neighborhood looking for strange flowers, and that’s when I realized that there aren’t any strange flowers in my neighborhood…

LIKE, NONE.

I don’t think it’s too much to expect to see a Venus Flytrap while you’re taking your cat for a walk.

But I digress…

The NARS Erdem Strange Flowers Collection

Wanna-Be Botanist Karen is like YAAASSS because every piece in this LE release is covered with ??? flowers.

The eyeshadows palettes — Super potent. Just a little dip with the tip of eye brush lays down loads o’ pigment. If I get in there and blend with a fierce purpose, I’m fine. Fun for smoky looks. 🙂

The blushes — Frostier in the arm swatches than they are on cheeks, yay! Good news for those of us with, like, pores.

The lipsticks — Such a twist! They look dark and intimidating, but five of the six are sheer. The only opaque one is red Blood Flower, which I think is OK, but the sheer ones, I LOVE. They’re like super intense lip tints, and I’m all about the pink and purples because they could almost pass for nudes.

The blotting papers — OK.

The stick highlighter — Opalescent purple dewy gorgeousness. Also doubles as an eyeshadow base (I used it in these pics underneath the blue and charcoal from the Night Garden Palette, and it tinted the smoky look with a hint of purple)

The lip palette — I like layering the lip powders on top of the cream lipstick, but they make my lips look and feel a little dry…

Instead of strange flowers, I saw a bunch of familiar ? flowers, and even though I’m bummed about my neighborhood’s lack of exotic horticulture, the familiar flowers always bring me so much joy and fill me with happy memories. 🙂

nars night garden eyeshadow palette — Strange flowers with familiar flowers

Like these white and purple daisies. Oh, my goodness! When my my parents first moved into the house I grew up in, which is the house my parents still live in today, it had this big patch of daisies just underneath the living room window, and when you’d walk in and out of the house, they were the first things you saw in the yard.

nars fleur fatale eyeshadow palette — Fleur Fatale Eyeshadow Palette

My friend Karrie, who lived next door to my childhood home in the East Bay, would hop over the fence, knock on the door, and ask if I could go outside and play. At some point whenever we’d be playing, a few of these daisies would be picked, and they’d end up either in our hair, around our wrists as bracelets, or squashed underneath bicycle tires.

And these California poppies… OH! They take me back, too.

[Continue reading…]

MAC NICOPANDA | Can You Guess Which of These 5 Looks Was Done By a Child?

April 13th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

Can you guess which of these looks was done by a real, live human child? And by “child,” I don’t mean my inner child. ? I mean the other child who also resides at this address. (The two-year-old one.) HAHAHA!

Is it look one, two, three, four or five? I know, it’s quite a mystery…

I was inspired by the visuals for the MAC NICOPANDA collection (which is available meow, BTW). There’s something very “Matisse meets Jem and the Holograms” about it…

It’s cray but I love ❤️ it.

mac nicopanda visuals — Not to be confused with Kung Fu Panda…

The colors are mostly pastels, mint green, pink and violet interspersed with darker shades like navy blue, gray and a dark plum, which I like because those are colors I wear all the time, although normally with browns.

I get a cool, edgy, artsy-fartsy theatrical performance vibe, like this is makeup that androgynous club kids who are tight with the bouncer and never wait in line might wear.

So, the theme isn’t exactly my gig right now (my scene is Club Toddler in My Living Room), but I’m feenin’ hard for the packaging, because the second-grade me who loved all things Hello Kitty is going bananas ? over the panda heads.

I would’ve traded all of my hologram AND scratch-and-sniff stickers to get hold of one of the lipsticks or glosses, and, funnily enough, those are my favorite things from the collection.

[Continue reading…]

Katy Kat Gloss | Covergirl Katy Perry Collection | 3 Recent Revelations (Feline and Otherwise)

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

A few recent revelations…

1. Wearing opaque white lipgloss makes me feel like I have four rows of teeth.

katy kat white catillac — Katy Kat Gloss in White Catillac

One, two, three, four. FOUR ROWS OF TEETH! When I wear this gloss and look in the mirror, I see a mythological Greek beast staring back at me.

2. Kissing my cat these days is a seriously sketchy endeavor.

OK, I just realized how weird “kissing my cat” sounds. Haha!

Anyway, he’ll go from kissy-kissy-lovie-dovie to “Molly, you in danger, girl…from my claw! And I’m gonna stick it in your iris if you don’t get the-eff-out of my space!” in less than a second.

[Continue reading…]

The New Urban Decay Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks

March 28th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

urban decay naked heat lipsticks spring 2018 — Coming in hot: seven new Urban Decay Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks ($18 each)

DUUUDE. Urban Decay Naked Heat (we’re gonna talk about the new Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks in a second). Not to get to deep on you, but if you think about it, which came first? — nakedness or heat? Like, was it SO HOT that clothes were removed and nakedness ensued? Or were these people — if we’re imagining people dancing around a fire, don’t ask me why my brain goes there — were they naked first, so they were cold, and then they had to get closer to the fire to get heated? WHO KNOWS?

Yeah, chew on THAT for a bit.

Ooh, Urban Decay, there you go again, throwing another limited edition log on the Naked Heat fire. UD just added seven new Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks, all inspired by the original Naked Heat palette and lipsticks, and the petite Naked palette last month, and this release is like “Naked Heat Lipsticks Part Deux.” (Because everything sounds better in French.)

These $18 shades are warm like the colors in a big ol’ bonfire — burgundies, browns, wine — basically, lots of darker colors in metallic finishes with a sprinkling of peachy nudes, which, yeah, I know, #karenishashtagbasic, but I really like them.

urban decay naked heat lipstick swatches — First Sin, Fuel 2.0, Trip, Faith, En Fuego, Singe and Ember

So, I’m always a little thrown by UD’s Vice Lipstick packaging, because…I mean, it’s nice-looking, but when I pick it up, it feels so insubstantial to me and kind of…cheap.

But then I open them up (!), and these Vices feel and wear like a $$$$ Guerlain Rouge G.

urban decay ember — Ember, a metallic coppery burgundy

urban decay singe — Singe, a metallic deep wine red with glitter

They’re practically pure pigment in a bullet. With the exception of First Sin, which is sheerer than the others and more of a mid-level cream, when I slide them across my lips once or twice, BAM! — full-color smile. 🙂 And even though you’ve got all this color on your lips, the formula doesn’t pool in your lip lines. It’s smooth, intense and regal.

urban decay en fuego — En Fuego, a matte burgundy

[Continue reading…]

New Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss

March 27th, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss — Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lip Glosses ($20 each)

Where are all the naked dudes?!

It’s a completely legitimate question to ask when you’re talking about new Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss, because, as you might remember…

Of course you remember, and don’t play like you don’t! 🙂

UD did that line of lipglosses back in the day with holographic pictures of half-naked dudes on the caps (THEY WERE CALLED POCKET ROCKET. There. *snaps* Sorry, took me a moment to remember.), and when you turned the caps, they’d go from smiling and posing like catalog models, to looking over their shoulder in tight purple boxer briefs.

It was so cheeky, crazy and fun, and quite a different style for UD at the time — not their usual tattoos and piercings cool girl vibe. It’s hard to imagine they did something like that, but I guess if people can change and evolve, so can makeup brands.

Urban Decay glosses through the years…

I used to really ? Honey-Infused Lip Love Therapy.

Remember the mega MINTY Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Glosses?

Of course, we can’t forget these dudes!

The Revolution glosses had the coolest packaging.

An amalgam of two classic lipgloss lines

These new $20 plumping lipglosses do NOT have any Magic Mike action happening on their caps (sorry to disappoint you, ya pervert), but they still got it goin’ on.

Until recently, UD had two separate gloss lines — Revolution and Naked — but they phased them out and replaced them with this line, Hi-Fi Shine.

These are basically the old Naked gloss formula with an additional plumping element, new packaging and new colors. UD carried over some of the Revolution shades (Revolution was their brighter line) and Naked shades (Naked was their nudes line), and added some others. Then they divided them all among four finishes — Cream, Sheer Cream, Holographic and Metallic.

Old flames and new loves

I’m glad they kept the colors I wear all the time, like Beso (a creamy, deep pinkish mauve), Fireball, Naked and Snitch (OMG, this coral!), they also added some new potential stars, like bright purple Jawbreaker and creamy mauve pinkish nude Backtalk.

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss in beso — Beso, a deep pink-mauve cream (Cream)

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss in fireball — Fireball, a holographic peach with pink sparkle (Holographic)

[Continue reading…]

MAC Is Taking Us Waaaay Back With the MAC Throwback Lipsticks

March 23rd, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

mac throwback collection lipsticks — From the new MAC Throwback collection: Shrimpton (Satin), Bronx (Matte), Icon (Frost), Skew (Frost), Marrakesh (Matte), Spanish Fly (Frost) and Rocker (Matte) Lipsticks

AHHHH! Allow me to fly my MAC freak flag for a second, because I can remember with shocking clarity the night I wore MAC Skew Lipstick, one of the seven lipsticks in the MAC Throwback collection, to my friend Cindy’s birthday party in 2002.

I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I remember wearing Skew 16 years ago with a blackened gray smoky eye (complete with glitter). I also remember touching it up beneath blue lights in a Castro dance club (and I may or may not have been a little tipsy) and thinking, “This is the best lipstick ever! This is the best night ever! I’m gonna dance like this forever!”

LOL. Ah, the good times I had with Skew. 🙂

I love this pink duochrome coral so much, and I went through several tubes. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it had been discontinued.

That’s MAC for ya. So many colors, so little time…

Like the other six lipsticks in MAC Throwback, Skew was cast aside!

OK, maybe that’s a little dramatic. It was “quietly retired.”

Well, now they’re back, at least temporarily.

mac throwback lipstick swatches — MAC Shrimpton (Satin), Bronx (Matte), Icon (Frost), Skew (Frost), Marrakesh (Matte), Spanish Fly (Frost) and Rocker (Matte)

[Continue reading…]