Makeup

The Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette, 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils and Vice Lipsticks: Burn, Baby, Burn!

June 7th, 2017 by Karen 31 Comments

urban decay naked heat heat k — I’m feeling the heat! That’s the new Urban Decay Naked Heat palette on my eyes, the UD Alkaline 24/7 Glide-On Pencil on my lash lines, and UD Vice Lipstick in Heat.

I don’t know if there’s an official term to describe the fear of Bunsen burners…like “Bunsenburn-a-phobia,” but if there isn’t one, there totally should be, because whenever I was in the lab back in college and had to stand near a Bunsen burner, I’d always quiver a little…and not in a cute booty shaking way.

OPEN FLAMES —–> SO SCARY!

You’ll be happy to know that there are no intense open flames in/around the new Urban Decay Naked Heat collection. *Whew!*

urban decay naked heat open — Sooo many mattes, YES!

The new $54 Urban Decay Naked Heat palette arrives June 12th, but that’s only for UD Beauty Junkies, members of UD’s online rewards program (which you can sign up to join here). Beauty Junkie members will get exclusive early access to an extremely limited supply of Naked Heat palettes that day. For everyone else, Naked Heat lights up later this month, and it’ll continue to smolder in perpetuity, though, as it and the two eye pencils launching with it are being added to the permanent line.

There are also three lipsticks in the collection, but those are limited edition.

urban decay naked heat swatches final — From the top, the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette, the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils and the Vice Lipsticks

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Take Me With You, Maybelline City Mini Palettes!

June 7th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

I think I may have discovered a potentially life-changing beauty packing hack this morning.

And here it is: instead of bringing the biggest makeup bag I own (which is what I usually do, BIG surprise!), I’ll bring a small one and only allow myself whatever will fit into it on the trip.

Yes, I know this is Captain Obvious, but hear me out.

maybelline city min palette open — Six of seven Maybelline City Mini Palettes

Clearly, someone out there has figured this out before, but it never occurred to me. Seriously, OMG! SHRINK THE BAG, KAREN!

maybelline graffiti pop — Graffiti Pop in the palm of my hand

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Punk Rock Pink // Urban Decay

June 7th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

urban decay frenemy lipstick — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Frenemy

Dude, I’m the least punk rock person EVER, but if I were a punk rock-arina, I’d totally wear this monochromatic pink makeup look with a faux-hawk. 🙂

I was inspired to “go there” today by a pic I saw of model Ruby Rose on the Urban Decay website a couple weeks ago.

I’ve mentioned this before, but you know, I’ve been trying to push myself to attempt more colorful looks that don’t take hella years to do, and I’m proud to say that I banged this one out in 30 minutes! It’s mostly Urban Decay on my eyes and lips, with some MAC, Nudestix and Clinique added for good measure.

It took all I had to resist the temptation to blend too many shadows on my lids (BECAUSE THAT’S SO MUCH FUN!) and keep MY foundation and concealer to a minimum.

With something like this, all you have to do is add a “big statement” of some kind, like a pair of OTT lashes and/or a bright lip, and you’re golden.

Oh! — I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention what I think is the most important secrets to doing this look. I think the secret to being happy with it is accepting that it (probably) isn’t going to turn out perfectly, and that’s perfectly fine. If your liner is a little wonky or your eyeshadow isn’t as blended as it could be, just go with it, and keep in mind that it didn’t take forever.

Getting glam in half an hour for me is nothing short of a miracle, because back in the day BTB (before the baby), a look like this could easily have spiraled into two hours!

Basically, here’s the quick rundown…

Starting with my skin, to even out my complexion, I’m wearing MAC Next to Nothing Face Colour in Medium Plus all over my face with MAC Matchmaster Concealer in shade 5 under my eyes and atop my cheeks (side note: have you tried this concealer? IT’S REALLY GOOD!). Then I set everything with a thin layer of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Medium Golden.

For my eyes, I applied a thin layer of Nudstix Magnetic Eye Color in Putty from lashes to brow line, then swept the hot pink shade from the Urban Decay Basquiat brights palette in the crease, before blending out the edges with the lighter pink shadow from the same palette.

I drew thin winged liner with the Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, then put on the craziest lashes known to womankind — a.k.a. the House of Lashes false lashes (the one called Iconic).

And I dusted a little bit of the bronzer and hot pink blush from the UD Basquiat blush/bronzer palette on my cheeks.

Because I couldn’t settle on a single lipstick to wear, I ended up trying on a bunch of pinks from the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick line.

I think my favorite one of these is either Menace or Frenemy…

urban decay pda lipstick — Vice Lipstick in PDA

urban decay psycho lipstick — Vice Lipstick in Psycho

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Your Secret Makeup Weapon for the Most Natural, Flawlessly Blended Blush (Hint: It’s Probably Already in Your Makeup Bag)

June 6th, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

powder to tone down blush 1 — I never leave home without ’em!

Your face powder is SO powerful. It’s a preternaturally powerful secret makeup weapon, and it’s capable of monumentally more than simply setting your base makeup. For starters, it can save you from a lifetime of leaving the house with unintentional clown cheeks.

This has happened to me on more than one occasion: I’ll leave the house thinking, “Dayum, my makeup looks fly!” but then I’ll walk by a mirror and think, “HOLY FREAKING CRAP! How did I leave the house with that much blush on my cheeks?!”

The obligatory before shot. I purposefully applied a lotta blush (MAC Melba, by the way)

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer

June 6th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

hourglass explorer girl lip stylo — Praise be to coral lipstick! Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer is errrrrrthang

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

You know when you’re standing in the middle of Sephora, carrying as much as you can possibly carry in your paws, but you see one more coral lipstick that makes your eyes light up, and you think, “Oh, boy, I dunno… I’ve already got too much. Do I really need another coral lipstick??”

GIRL. The answer is yes. The answer is always yes. 🙂

I keep finding myself reaching for Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer on my lady dates lately. It’s a soft pinkish coral. It’s not a super bright orange-y coral, so it doesn’t go into costume/vintage territory…which can be a totally kick-@ss look, for sure, but I have to be in the mood for it.

I think it’s an awesome everyday neutral.

The Girl Lip Stylos are $32 each, so they’re definitely on the expensive side, but if you have dry lips (which I do!), or, if you can’t stand it when your lipstick breaks up or gets patchy or latches on to your flakes, or if you just like easy-to-apply, low-maintenance lipsticks that you can throw on anywhere, even while you’re crossing Market Street in SF, which I totally did last weekend, they’re beyond great!

Creamy and oh, so hydrating, they feel fantastic on my lips (they’re unflavored and unscented, by the way), and they last about three hours.

Oh, and get this: even though I’ve owned Explorer for months and have worn it dozens of times, the pencil tip hasn’t flattened. It’s still pointy! I don’t know what kind of makeup voodoo is at work, but whatever Hourglass did, something is keeping the tip pointy.

hourglass girl lip stylo — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos from the top: Believer, Creator, Explorer, Seeker and Peacemaker

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Take Me With You, Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30!

June 5th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

milk makeup sunshine skin tint in honey flat lay — You’re coming on vacay with me, Milk Makeup!

How cool would it be if when you went to Sephora to check out Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint, they handed you a milkshake just for showing up?

I would find that HIGHLY motivating, LOL! As if I need extra motivation to check out makeup…

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this trip I took once. I brought a tube of tinted moisturizer with me, but it exploded all over everything in my bag because the top came loose.

That probably wouldn’t have happened with Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint.

It has a pen clicker at the bottom. When you click it, the foundation comes up through the tube and out the roller ball applicator on the other end.

You use the roller ball to spread the tint all over your face, then blend it in with your fingers.

It’s fun AND cool. Plus, it’s very unlikely to leak foundation all over your stuff.

Milk Makeup is an American cruelty-free brand that’s been on the makeup scene about a year or two. As far as I know, their products don’t contain any actual milk, though. Unless you count coconut milk. The “milk” in the name refers to the fancy Milk photo studios, which they’re affiliated with.

milk makeup sunshine skin tint in honey medium tan — Wearing Honey and Medium Tan mixed together

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Take Me With You, Nudestix Magnetic Matte Eye Color!

June 2nd, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

nudestix magnetic eye color — A few of my favorite Nudestix Magnetic Matte Eye Colors ($24 each and available in 10 shades)

When I take a trip somewhere, I NEED to bring along my makeup brushes. That’s one of my non-negotiables. I literally never leave home without them — literally…unless I forget them at home. 🙂 Which has happened.

It was a few summers ago… El Hub and I drove up to visit family in Redding, which is a couple hundred miles north up near the Oregon border.

As luck would have it, I completely spaced out and forgot to bring my brushes (!), so the first thing we did when we got there was go on an emergency brush run.

Never mind using a restroom or saying hi to relatives after four long hours on the road. All I could think was, “Take me to the mall! Stat!”

If I’d had one or two of these Nudestix Magnetic Matte Eye Colors with me, I probably would have freaked out less. They’re long-lasting $24 cream shadow pencils. They come in 10 neutral shades, and you don’t need to use blending brushes with them (although you can if you want).

If you hit the road a lot or frequently find yourself doing your makeup in the back of a cab or in the ladies’ room before work, I’ve got one word for you: Nudestix. All of their makeup comes in either stick or pencil form, and you can blend them with a finger (or a brush), so they’re completely not fussy. They also have a wide selection of colors for different skin tones, too, and everything is cruelty-free.

nudestix magnetic eye color terra putty — I’m wearing Putty on my lids and under my brow bone, Terra and Fig in my crease, and Army on my lash lines. On my cheeks, that’s the Nudestix Nudies in Bare Back and Naughty N’ Spice, and that’s Kosas Electra Lipstick on my lips.

These set in about three or four minutes, which gives me enough time to blend out the edges. I don’t ever feel rushed. Most of the time, after drawing a few strokes on my lids (I don’t have to use much because they’re packed with pigment), I buff out the edges with a finger (or a MAC 217 if one’s handy).

Speaking of MAC now, a few of the Magnetic Matte shades could pass for near-dupes of some of my favorite MAC matte shadows, like Putty, which looks a little like matte beige Brule, and warm brown Terra, which reminds me of MAC Soft Brown. Oh, and warm brown Fig kindasorta looks like MAC Swiss Chocolate.

nudestix magnetic eye color swatches — From the top: Nudestix Putty, Terra, Fig and Army

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Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 3

June 2nd, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

1. Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ($3.99 each)

I’m the weirdo who washes her hands about, oh, let’s see… 20 times a day? I’m so not kidding, either. And I’m REALLY picky about my hand soaps, but I thoroughly plan to love the dickens out of this bottle of Yes to Liquid Hand Soap because it doesn’t dry out my skin, even when I wash my hands hella times.

Also, the Marula Oil Mango var-eh-TAY smells like marvelous mangoes, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t smell fake, which is important if you wash your hands as much as I do, because, as you know, it’s nice to have a yummy fragrance waft up into yo’ nose.

It removes dirt, oils and all manner of baby goo, and it easily rinses off and doesn’t leave behind an annoying residue.

VERDICT: Need!

Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ingredients
Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Mangivera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal Linalool

2. E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

elf illuminating palette — E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

The four-pan E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette is darned-near perfect for the price. The finely milled powders look really expensive and natural.

The highlighters are on the neutral- and cool-toned sides, which is a cool surprise (haha, bad pun) because of how many highlighter palettes skew warm.

The shimmer in these shades is also low-key — which again makes them seem higher end than they are.

Heck, I’d go so far as to call these drugstore Hourglass Ambient powders.

VERDICT: Need!

E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ingredients
Talc, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Dimethicone, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Boron Nitride, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Ve), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)

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