Makeup

The Massively Moisturizing Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Shines

February 27th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

Sorry, guys, these new Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shines will do absolutely nothing to keep your socks dry during a torrential downpour.

That’s unfortunate because, as you know, wet socks are the worst!

These Lip Shines can, however, help you in a myriad of other ways. For instance, they can help you stop sounding like a broken record, because if you use them, you won’t have to keep telling people that your lips are perpetually dry… Plus, they can help your ponytail stop getting stuck in your gloss, since they aren’t sticky. And they can even help your lips remain glossy after you have a cup of coffee.

Basically, they’re helpful like that.

Neutrogena recently added these super shiny lippies to their permanent collection, along with the Hydro Boost Tints, which are FANTASTIC, and their Hydro Boost Concealers, which I think are just meh… Thankfully, like the terrific Tints, these are total hits.

Hydration elation

They come in eight shades for $8.99, so they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I really like that they tick the top box on my dry lip lady list, which is hydration.

Normally, I wouldn’t reach for a gloss when my dry lips are like crispy bacon, but I’ll grab these quicker than a tabby can twitch a whisker because they’re mega moisturizing.

Ingredients
Polybutene, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Octyldodecanol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tribehenin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, BHT. May Also Contain: Red 7 Lake, Iron Oxides, Blue 1 Lake, Red 22, Yellow 5 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Red 6, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 28 Lake, Blue 1 Lake

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 60-vibrant-raspberry — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Vibrant Raspberry 60

Look at that pigment payoff!

Especially among the brighter and darker colors like Flushed Coral 30, Vibrant Raspberry 60, Velvet Wine 70 and Deep Cherry 80.

The lighter shades, though — Soft Blush 10, Berry Brown 20 and Pink Sorbet 40 — look pretty similar on my lips, but I’m not hating them. They still apply incredibly smoothly and moisturize like a mofo. Plus, it’s not easy to find light lip glosses that aren’t milky, don’t settle into lip lines, and don’t look weird. And these don’t.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 70-velvet-wine — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Velvet Wine 70

Are they a Chanel dupe?

If you’re a devotee of House Chanel, these might remind you of the Glossimers. They have a similarly smooth, shiny, non-sticky formula, and I swear, they seem more expensive than they are.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 50-flushed-coral — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Flushed Coral 30

Work those biceps!

The only thing I don’t like is the applicator…

The bulky tear-dropped shaped paddle is great in some ways (it covers a large area), but sometimes it’s hard to get it and out of the tube… It’s just plain awkward, but it’s more of a minor aggravation than a major quibble.

The final verdict

These are definitely a DO! For $8.99, I think they’re fabulous. Most of them are potently pigmented, and all of them are comfortable, shiny and smooth. If you happen to want three or four of them, then you, my friend, are my lipgloss spirit animal.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Benefit Ready Set Brow 24-Hr Setting Gel

February 24th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

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

Desert island brow gel right here!

OK, if I were a castaway stranded on a desert island, I would very likely be more concerned about finding enough food and water and getting the hell off said island than I would be my brows, but assuming there was a sheltered fresh water lagoon and all of the mangoes and papayas I could eat, and I had the luxury of worrying about keeping my brows from moving while I bathed under the waterfall or dove into the lagoon, I’d be all about $24 Benefit Ready Set Brow 24-Hr Setting Gel.

Girl! I’ve been using this for almost a year, and I’m about to finish my first tube. Squee! And for sure, I’m getting another.

You might be thinking, “Yeah, right, how exciting can a clear brow gel be?” Well, I think this one is really, really exciting, and I feel like with some makeup basics, like brow gel, if you’re going to go through the trouble to use them, they should be really, really good. And this one is.

To put it in context, I think it’s better than the Anastasia Clear Brow gel, which was my gold standard for years. This one has a stronger hold, and the brush combs through my individual brow hairs better, which makes brows look more defined and fuller, yay! It mellows out whatever brow powder or brow pencil you happen to be using to fill in your brows, too, without lifting away the product.

That’s the thing about the Anastasia Brow Gel… If I fill in my brows first, then run that gel through them, it tends to remove about half of my pencil/powder/whatever I use. Then I have to go back in and refill the empty spots.

Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I was so in love with that brow gel, but I digress…

tom ford shade illuminate cheeks sublimate k — Wearing Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! in my brows with MAC Brow Sculpt Pencil

[Continue reading…]

MAC Work It Out Chromagraphic Pencils in Primary Yellow, Genuine Orange, Process Magenta, Rich Purple, Marine Ultra and Landscape Green

February 24th, 2017 by Karen 3 Comments

What the heck do you do with these things? Are they eyeliners? Are they eyeliners that also double as lip liners? Can I wear them on the water line? WHY YOU SO COMPLICATED, SON?!

The $17 Chromagraphic Pencils from the upcoming MAC Work It Out collection come with an insert that basically tells you how *not* to wear them.

Um…OK!

MAC suggests not using several of the six shades from Work It Out in the lip area, along the water line and, in some cases, avoiding the eye area completely.

Hmm…

I’m guessing that people will do what they will, and use them however they want, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some intrepid makeup artists out there do some off-label business with them.

Still…

mac work it out chromagraphic pencil swatches — Swatches of the MAC Chromagraphic Pencils from the top in Primary Yellow, Genuine Orange, Process Magenta, Rich Purple, Marine Ultra and Landscape Green

Even though I love the nude Studio Chromagraphic pencils, I’m going to avoid the colorful ones from Work It Out because, yes, on the one hand they’re hella vibrant, but they also like to scoot all over my skin and transfer up into my crease, and when they touch my water line, my sensitive eyes water.

mac marine ultra — Wearing Marine Ultra on my upper and lower lash lines

If you’re still intrigued, all six Chromagraphic Pencils arrive with the rest of the MAC Work It Out collection at counters, stores and online on March 2nd.

Finding motivation…

You guys, I’ve been going to that high intensity interval training class at night for going on three weeks now, and I love it! I still miss the camaraderie I had with the people in the daytime class, but the nighttimers are freakin’ hardcore.

I like to find someone near me who’s really pushing it, and I try to keep up with them. It’s so much fun going to a class where people push you, not to say that that never happened in the daytime class, but it’s fun trying to push myself and do things I’m not sure I can do.

And when I go to sleep at night, I’m so tired that I conk out when I fall into bed. Zzz…

I know I talk about HIIT all the time, but it’s been wonderful! It’s very hard for me, but it’s also a lot of fun. If you ever get a chance to try it, go for it! There are a bunch of HIIT workouts on YouTube that you can try to see if you like it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Work It Out Crystal Glaze Glosses in Flex Appeal, Ripped, Love Your Body, Oh My Lunge, Nice Cheeks and Sixxx Pack

February 24th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

The six new MAC Crystal Glaze Glosses from the Work It Out collection, coming March 2nd ($22 each)

I dream of a world where doughnuts are a legitimate pre- and post-workout food. Additionally, in this world, the new MAC Crystal Glaze Glosses from the Work It Out collection would also taste like doughnuts, because how awesome would that be? 🙂

In our actual world, though, there are no doughnuts involved… These taste and smell like standard MAC vanilla.

Be that as it may, MAC’s Crystal Glazes last an unusually long time for non-sticky, moderately moisturizing glosses, which is almost as good as a doughnut… Almost.

Yesterday I put on Flex Appeal right after Connor’s morning snack (dude, babies eat SO MUCH) around 10, had a salad at noon, and after a huge cup of tea at 2 I could still feel it on my lips.

They look bright in their pots, but they’re pretty sheer on my lips. The two brightest of the six, Ripped and Flex Appeal, are the most tinted ones, but all of the lighter shades (soft peach Nice Cheeks, bubble gum pink Sixxx Pack, coral pink Love Your Body and cool pink Oh My Lunge) look more or less the same on my lips.

mac flex appeal — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Flex Appeal

mac ripped — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Ripped

mac love your body — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Love Your Body

[Continue reading…]

MAC Work It Out Collection In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras in Sweaty Betty, Hold For 10, Spin & Twist, Squat It Sugar and Well-Toned

February 23rd, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

mac work it out mascara — Five of 16 MAC Work It Out Collection In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras from the left in Squat It Sugar, Well-Toned, Hold For 10, Spin & Twist and Sweaty Betty ($19.50 each)

Oh, I wanted to wear one of these colorful In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras from the new MAC Work It Out collection to my HIIT class yesterday, because why not? It would have been fun to see myself doing split lunges while wearing bright blue lashes. Might as well, right?

But, alas, they aren’t waterproof… 🙁

Darn! I wish they were, because that would take them to the next level.

Bust out your leotards and leg warmers!

For MAC’s new ’80s Jazzercise Collection…

Well, that’s what I want to call it. It’s actually called MAC Work It Out (available at stores, counters and online March 2 – April 13).

Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the 16 In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras ($19.50 each), six Chromagraphic Pencils ($17 each), six Crystal Glaze Glosses ($22 each), four Lipsticks ($17 each), three Studio Quiktrik Sticks ($34 each) or the three Prep+Prime Fix+/Sized to Gos were made with actual, ya know, sweating in mind.

mac work it out collection — Flashdance flashback!

I think they’re more for looking cute in your leotard and leg warmers while you sip a green juice than they are for actual heavy lifting…which is totally OK. 🙂

Lift those lashes!

Speaking of lifting, I do get a major lash boost from the In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascaras I’ve tried from the collection. They lift my lashes from the roots and keep them lifted, so my eyes look bigger and, dare I say it, brighter.

mac sweaty betty mascara 1 — And that’s just one layer!

Ironically, this formula straightens out the curl from my lash curler, which results in lashes that are lifted at the roots but straighten out toward the tips…

Something like this would normally bug me, but I don’t mind in this case because of the crazy colors and how much thicker the formula makes my lashes look.

When the blues make you happy

I’ve been testing five of the 16 colors this week, and all of them have been exceptionally pigmented.

My faves, though, are the blues… I absolutely LIVE for these blues. When I wear bright teal Sweaty Betty and bright electric blue Hold for 10, my lashes glow like technicolor fringe!

mac sweaty betty mascara — Wearing Sweaty Betty on my upper lashes and Hold for 10 on my lower lashes

[Continue reading…]

Speed Is the Name of the Game With Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner

February 22nd, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

It’s the Murphy’s Law of makeup. Whatever can go wrong with your winged liner, will go wrong with your winged liner, and that little kitten flick you intended to make morphs into a giant jungle cat of a flick extending from the outer corner to almost all the way behind your ear.

That said, it feels a little strange to talk about new $34 Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner in the context of speed, and speediness, because, you know, “liquid liner” and “speediness” don’t often go together, but they do in the case of this liner. It makes quick work of liquid liner lines.

So, how does it do what it does? I dunno… It’s some kinda Hourglass hocus pocus.

A new addition to the permanent line, it’s a dark, true black liner with a shiny finish and a waterproof formula, and the color doesn’t have any blue or green undertones.

The tip reminds me of Tom Ford’s liner

The long, thin felt tip looks a lot like the tip of my holy grail Tom Ford liner, which is the main reason I was eager to give this liner a try, but it’s not exactly the same. It’s slightly stiffer (the Hourglass tip) and, because of that, the first few lines I drew with it were jagged, thick and, basically, out of control.

The tip took me a little while to figure out.

Use a light touch

Like, the lightest of light touches — we’re talking butterfly kisses. Once you get that down, it’s easy to quickly draw crisp lines with it in just a minute or two.

SO FAST!

And I think that the intensity of the black color lends to its quickness, along with how readily the liquid dispenses from the pen tip. Even that seems faster than usual for liquid liner.

I mean, it doesn’t gush out like a liquid geyser or anything, but if you press too hard… Not good. Your lines will look thick and jagged.

If, on the other hand, you use a light touch with it, it’s easy to get those perfect, opaque crisp lines.

[Continue reading…]

Brand Spotlight: YUNI Beauty

February 21st, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

YUNI Beauty, a new line of yoga- and fitness-inspired body products available now at Sephora

Oh! This line? — YUNI Beauty — has, like, hot Soul Cycle babe written all over it. If I ever go back to Soul Cycle (why is it so expensive?), I’m definitely bringing a couple things from YUNI along with me. Side note: remind me sometime to tell you about the one and only time I went to Soul Cycle and how I had a full-on emotional meltdown on the bike.

No, seriously, I cried like a freaking baby! It’s kind of funny now that I think about it…

“Mindful beauty for an active life”

YUNI Beauty is a small brand that just recently launched at Sephora with six products, and their mantra is “Mindful beauty for an active life.” They have products for cleaning up after your workout, helping your muscles recover, and they also have a hair treatment that you can use while you’re working out, so everything in the line revolves around the idea of active beauty.

Plant-based products

Their formulations are made with primarily plant-based ingredients, and without parabens, formaldehydes, synthetic colors or fragrances.

I’ve tried four of the six products available now at Sephora, and my favorites are the $25 Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment and $18 Chillax Recovery Gel.

Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment ($25)

Hot Head is neat. I haven’t run into anything quite like it before (and I’ve been writing about beauty for 10 years!). Basically, it’s a moisturizing hair treatment with a fresh herbal lavender scent that you spray on your scalp and throughout your hair before you get your sweat on. After working the product through your hair, you put your hair up into a bun or braid — this is key! I’ll tell you why in a second — and, during your workout, your body temperature opens the cuticle of each hair to condition, repair, add shine, hydrate and control frizz and flyaways.

YUNI Beauty Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment ($25)

You can keep it in your hair after you’re done with your workout, and go about your business, or, you can rinse it out. I like to rinse it out because it feels slightly greasy to me, and I don’t like feeling that in my hair all day long.

Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment Ingredients
SD Alcohol 40-b, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ethyl Macadamiate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance

The greasy feeling is also why I prefer to put my hair up in a bun or braid when I use it. I wore a ponytail once while I was using it, and my greasy ponytail kept hitting me in the face…which was aggravating.

Anyway, my hair likes it. After I rinse it out, then shampoo and condition, my hair looks extra shiny and feels soft and sensational.

Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel ($18)

The Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel is like a beauty girl’s high-end Icy Hot. LOL! With arnica, menthol, peppermint oil and aloe, among other plant-based goodies, it’s supposed to make muscles feel better.

I dunno… I think it works. I rub it on the arches of my feet after I exercise, and my feet aren’t nearly as sore as they usually get the next day when I don’t use it.

[Continue reading…]

Saturday Surfing: February 18, 2017

February 18th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

Heya and happy ??? Caturday!

With the whole athleisure makeup trend blowing up, I assumed that the MAC Work It Out collection (coming March 2nd) would be all about sweat-proof products to wear while doing switch lunges and pull-ups, buuut now I think it was more inspired by ’80s ladies in Jazzercise leotards and leg warmers, as opposed to actual sweating.

Hey, that’s cool, too!

The collection’s all about lashes and features 16 (!) colorful versions of MAC In Extra Dimension Lash Mascara, as well as four Lipsticks, six Crystal Glaze Glosses, three Studio Quiktrik Sticks and six Chromagraphic Pencils.

Oh, and remember the scented Prep + Prime Fix+ from last year that basically broke the Internet? Mini “to go” $12 bottles of Coconut, Rose and Lavender are coming back in Work It Out.

There are a bunch of MAC collections arriving in March and April (but, honestly, when is there NOT a MAC collection coming out?).

Like…

MAC Great Brows (also March 2nd), which introduces a new all-in-one brow kit, and also includes Brushstroke Liner, a.k.a. “the pizza cutter liner,” which was heavily hyped over NYFW.

#AW17 #NYFW @MACCosmetics Sneak Peek! Check out the spinning wheel applicator in action! #Smooth #Precise #Sharp ? #MACCosmetics #MACBackstage #MACFWArtist #MakeupByMichael

A post shared by Michael Patterson (@makeupbymichael) on Feb 8, 2017 at 2:59pm PST

Eyes on MAC (another March 2nd release) launches with a bunch of nine-pan eyeshadow palettes…

I haven’t had the greatest luck with these pocket-sized pretties in the past… A lot of the time I just don’t think they’re of the same quality as the shadows in the permanent line, but we shall see.

In other beauty news…

[Continue reading…]