Makeup

Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss: Shiny, Summery (and Natural) Colors in the Permanent Collection

July 1st, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

chanel rouge coco gloss shiny natural — Your lips but better!

I keep hearing about “the return of lipstick,” as if it actually went away, but what I’m looking forward to is the return of gloss.
Juicy, slick and shiny gloss.

These are a few Chanel glosses, all of which reside in their permanent collection ($32 each), that I’ve been loving on lately.

First, there’s 166 Physical. It’s a coral with subtle golden glitter. If your lips are pigmented like mine are, 166 can look pretty sheer, but I really don’t mind that at all. I actually love how subtle it is on its own, but, if you crave more color, it’s also easy to intensify with a base layer of coral lipstick or lip pencil underneath.

Next, there’s 744 Subtil, which also has major summery vibes. It’s also a coral but has rosier tones (aw, I just said Rosie… I miss my cat!). It’s a little more pigmented than Physical, and I bounce back and forth between the two throughout the day ’cause a girl’s gotta have options. 🙂

Then, there’s 724 Burnt Sugar, which is a golden caramel brown. It works well with classic summer eyeshadow shades like golds, coppers, bronzes and rose golds. If you’re into shades like MAC Teddy or Powersurge, or Tom Ford Spice, seriously, check it out.

Last, but not least, there’s 792 Aphrodite (a.k.a. “the blue gloss”). Admittedly, it looks cray in the tube, but it looks understated in actual looks. Don’t ask me how, but the blue just adds a bit of brightness.

chanel rouge coco gloss 792 744 166 724 — Ooh, la la!

chanel rouge coco gloss 166 physical — 166 Physical

chanel rouge coco gloss 744 subtil — 744 Subtil

chanel rouge coco gloss 724 burnt sugar — 724 Burnt Sugar

chanel rouge coco gloss 792 aphrodite — 792 Aphrodite

Chanel fans, which are your favorite Chanel gloss shades? Mind you, I don’t need any more…but inquiring minds want to know! I mean, it can’t hurt to have a few on my wish list, right?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Summery, Bold and Bright Red Lipsticks From the Chanel Permanent Collection

June 24th, 2021 by Karen 10 Comments

chanel brights top — Bold, bright summer lips by Chanel

I’ve been affectionately calling summery shades like these my “popsicle lipsticks” because they’re juicy, shiny and absolutely delicious…in the figurative sense, of course! You ~~probably~~ won’t find me nibbling these tubes when I’m feeling peckish, haha!

Side note: I think I may have just invented something!

Are you ready for it? Here goes: ice cream that looks like lipstick. ?? Boom. Wouldn’t that be cool? I’d be all over it. MAKE IT HAPPEN, TRADER JOE’S.

Anywho, I’m revisiting my Chanel lipsticks, and these three are in Chanel’s permanent collection. I think they’re all perfect brights for summer.

Rouge Allure Velvet in 43 La Favorite ($40), a reddish coral with a matte finish that has a touch of luminosity, represents something I think Chanel does extremely well: finish. This lippie has je ne sais quoi, and you can build it up or sheer it out. Of course, both ways are super pretty.

Rouge Coco in 472 Experimental ($40) is a warm red with a touch of orange, and it reminds me that I’m a big fan of the Rouge Coco line because of how moisturizing the lippies are. My dry lips greatly appreciate that.

Rouge Allure in 172 Rouge Rebelle ($40) is a bright neutral red with a satin finish, and it works particularly well with warm brown eyeshadow!

chanel summery bold bright lipsticks — I’m on a Chanel kick, as you can see.

chanel brights swatches — Hello, swatches!

chanel rouge coco experimental — Rouge Coco in 472 Experimental

chanel rouge allure rebelle — Rouge Allure in 172 Rouge Rebelle

chanel rouge allure velvet la favorite — Rouge Allure Velvet in 43 La Favorite

Additional makeup worn in this look

BASE: Avene Solaire UV Mineral Multi-Defense Tinted Sunscreen SPF 50+, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in 50 Dore, Chanel Le Corrector de Chanel Concealer in 40 Beige, Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Sand
CHEEKS: Chanel Fleurs de Printemps Blush and Highlighter Duo, Chanel Le Blanc Rosy Light Drops
EYES: Chanel Healthy Glow Natural Palette in Medium, Chanel Stylo Ombre et Contour Eyeshadow-Liner-Kohl in Electric Brown, Chanel Hyperblack Liner, Chanel Boy Brow Pencil in Black

It’s a Cruel Summer.

No, I’m not talking about the Bananarama song… ?

Is it just me, or can these girls only barely sing?

I just started watching this young adult-ish mystery show called Cruel Summer, and I blame it for my lack of sleep last night!

It’s about two girls whose lives become intertwined after one gets kidnapped.

The episodes bounce back and forth between 1993, 1994 and 1995, and I’m having all sorts of nostalgia for my ’90s-era wardrobe. I wish I hung on to my oversized overalls, striped knit shirts, baggy Levis and floral dresses, le sigh!

Also, the suspense is keeping me up at night. Note to self: GO TO SLEEP EARLY THIS EVENING. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you start marathoning it on Hulu (that’s where I found it).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Playfully Pink Chanel Rouge Allures From the Permanent Collection

June 23rd, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

chanel rouge allure ink 170 euphorie — Fun with some Chanel lippies!

Chanel. Pink. Permanent!

Thou speaketh magic words to mine ears! Or, should I say “magic words to my lips”? Hmm!

I’ve been wearing lipstick very infrequently over the past few months (sunscreen, however, is a totally different story!), so when I started downsizing my collection in May, I promised myself that the only legacy lipsticks I would keep going forward are ones I absolutely adore.

I’ve gotten rid of most of the dead weight by now and am finally at the point where I actually have to try stuff on to determine if I want to keep keeping it, and these three Chanel lippies are the next ones on deck.

chanel rouge allure 170 91 24 swatches — So pink!

Raspberry reddish pink Rouge Allure Ink in 170 Euphorie ($40) is a lightweight matte liquid lipstick that, for some reason, looks more red in these pics! — but less so in person.

Rouge Allure Velvet in 42 Eclatante ($40) is a bright and summery coral pink with a soft matte finish and like Euphorie it feels light on my lips. It also looks fantastic with black cat eye liner!

Rouge Allure in 91 Seduisante ($40) is a warm pink with a creamy finish, and I can see it being a lovely everyday color.

chanel rouge allure 91 seduisante — Rouge Allure in 91 Seduisante

chanel rouge allure velvet 42 eclatante — Rouge Allure Velvet in 42 Eclatante

chanel rouge allure ink 170 euphorie swatch — Rouge Allure Ink in 170 Euphorie

The rest of the makeup in this look

Lately, I’ve been trying to find ways to wear makeup that work for me… By that I mean that I don’t want to feel overwhelmed by the thought of blending, or, like I’m wearing a sh*t-ton of stuff on my skin. I just want to feel pretty in makeup again, ya know?

I think I’ve finally found a philosophy that works for me (at least for now). I just wear a little bit of eye makeup, coupled with keeping my skin as simple as possible. Then, I incorporate a fun lipstick in a joyful color.

In this look, I’m wearing a lot of Chanel!

For the skin, I started by applying a new tinted mineral sunscreen by Avene called Solaire UV Mineral Multi-Defense Tinted Sunscreen Fluid. It’s fragrance- and oil-free, and the tan tint actually works on my NC42 skin tone. I’ve yet to test it out on a very sunny day, but so far, I’m into it!

Then, I blended a few drops of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Sunscreen Makeup on my cheeks, my nose and my upper lip; added a few drops of Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Sand under my eyes; and dabbed a golden tan cream blush (Chanel Les Beiges in No 20) on my cheeks.

For my eyes, I started by lining my upper lash line with Hyperblack, Chanel’s long-wearing cream liner in a pot. Next, I swept the golden brown from the Chanel Road Movie quad to give some depth to my lids, and smudged the edges of the liner with the matte navy shade from Road Movie. To finish, I filled in my brows with Chanel Boy Brow in Black and coated my lashes with Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara.

Done! ?

What makeup looks have you been into lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day! ?

Makeup Looks of the Day: Soft and Smokey on My First Makeup Client, and Runway-Ready Avant Garde Glitter

June 17th, 2021 by Karen 13 Comments

glittery avant garde soft smokey top — Serving “lewks”

Technically, I don’t know if you can call Connor “my first makeup client,” since no monetary compensation occurred for my beauty services, HA HA HA!

We did each other’s makeup yesterday, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, I did a wearable soft and smokey look on Connor. Adding to that, can I just say how much easier it is to do makeup on eyes that 1) aren’t heavily lidded and 2) aren’t my own? Blending eyeshadow is like night and day!

For her eyeshadow, I used the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette, which is still my current go-to favorite eye palette. I didn’t think I could love it even more than I already do, but after seeing it on her skin, I’m convinced that this is a palette everyone can wear.

Oh, and tangent — my friend recently told me that she was shopping on the Honest Beauty website when she saw someone familiar…

Does this mean that Jessica Alba and I are connected in “a six degrees of Kevin Bacon” sense? I wonder!

Anyway, back to the makeup. I told Coywolf that she had free artistic reign to do whatever she wanted, and so that’s how I ended up with this runway-ready look with ALL THE GLITTER.

The stick she’s holding in the pic is the new Pixi Beauty On-the-Glow Blush stick, by the way, and you can wear it on cheeks and lips.

Early on in the process. I feel like this could be a look you’d see in Allure!

While she was piling product on my face, I mentioned that makeup artists often use their fingers to paint on their model’s faces, and she took this info and ran with it…

Here are our final looks! Let me know which one you would wear. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Musings: F*ck Imperfections

June 4th, 2021 by Karen 22 Comments

I put on some make up yesterday, and to be honest…I didn’t feel super great about it.

For one, I am deeply out of practice, and blending is a perishable skill, let me tell ya. So, my blending skills aren’t as “keen” as they once were. Two, I wore much less makeup than I normally wear when I plan to take pics of it with a DSLR camera, photography lights, off-camera flash and the other photography doo-dads, and makeup intended to be photographed is a whole different beast than makeup for everyday real life. Mainly, the lighting is different, and mobile phone cameras incorporate a bunch of fancy AI to compensate for the smaller optical sensors. Long story short, things don’t always translate the same in pics.

ALSO, lately, all I’ve wanted to wear are “real life looks.” This is my face, this is who I am and, quite frankly, I’m rarely in the mood to go through the 2,341 steps I used to do when I put on a full face for pics.

Thing is, though, when I look at these pics, I’m having a hard time focusing on the good stuff. I keep comparing myself to the Karen from years ago, a girl who was photo-ready all the time… Heck, I’d contour just to take walk around the neighborhood and pet the cats, LOL!

I see these pics of myself now and think, “Oh, boy. I probably should’ve used a color corrector to hide that dark spot in my inner corner more thoroughly, and I should also cover that dark patch above my upper lip with concealer, and why didn’t I do something about that heavy lid?!” I should’ve done this, I should’ve done that, yadda-yadda-yadda.

I hear all of these things in my head, but I realize that most people who see these pics aren’t going to perceive all of these things as “faults.” They’ll probably just see pictures of a smiling mid-40s stranger wearing bright lipstick.

If I were my daughter and was picking apart pictures of herself, I’d be heartbroken to hear her criticize herself so intensely. 🙁 I’d tell her that I can only see the happy look in her eyes and that I’m impressed by how beautifully and naturally she blended her blush. I’d tell her that I love the joy in her smile.

I don’t know where this propensity to constantly critique myself comes from, but I also know that we are our own worst critics. I know logically that most of the things I perceive as faults are issues that are simply not there, or things that people don’t notice at all…but that doesn’t stop me from seeing them!

I’m working on it, though. I’m working really, really hard on loving myself more, both inside and out, and that’s why I’m saying to the universe (or really anyone who’ll listen), f*ck the idea of imperfections. I don’t want to live feeling like I need to correct things that are “wrong” with my face anymore. I’m soooooooo done.

So, here’s a gentle reminder for me (and for you just in case you need it), that what you may perceive as faults aren’t as bad as you think they are.

I think you look pretty freakin’ fabulous, OK? So here’s to us — as I raise my cup of Earl Grey tea with a splash of creamer! Here’s to our sparkling eyes, our joyful smiles and our beauty, both inside and out.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Makeup Musings: My Makeup Style Is Evolving, and I’m Leaning Into It and Seeing Where It Goes

June 3rd, 2021 by Karen 12 Comments

One of the things I’ve always loved about makeup is the potential to explore so many different paths, and there are so many ways you can change your style and your technique, and just ways to evolve with it. Like, during one stage of your life, maybe you’re wearing full-coverage foundation and false lashes everywhere. Then, maybe 5-10 years later your idea of “dressed up” is wearing mascara and brow pencil, which you only wear to work meetings.

I think there’s something very cool about being able to reinvent yourself, and makeup is here for that. That’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved it.

This idea struck me right after I finished this look with the Tom Ford Disco Dust palette, MAC A Little Tamed Lipstick and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Seriously, my makeup style has changed a lot over the past six months, and I can honestly say that I don’t love doing a complicated base as much as I used to.

Foundations, concealers and the constant quest to create a flawless base — I kid you not — used to THRILL MY SOUL, but now, even when I just wear a little tinted moisturizer, it feels like I’m wearing too much.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve become more comfortable in my skin, or if it’s because I’ve just gotten so used to putting on some sheer tinted sunscreen and calling it a day, but, at least for now, the thought of layering, mixing and buffing 10 different base products to achieve a skin-like effect isn’t something I want to do.

And you know what? Makeup is cool with that. It’s creative. It’s malleable. There are options. It’s designed to change and evolve with you. A full makeup bag contains endless possibilities.

That said, I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to explore the wide, wide world of tinted sunscreen serums (I’ve got my eye on this one and this one) and sheer BB creams. I don’t know where this is going to take me, but I’m excited to find out.

I’m wearing the following pieces in this look…

Tom Ford Disco Dust Quad

Chanel Black Wood pencil liner

Clinique Pretty Easy Pen in Black

Urban Decay Brow Beater Pencil in Neutral Brown

MAC Clear Brow Set

Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Wheat

Hourglass Retouching Fluid in Sand

Lancome Le Monochromatique in Ooh La la

Lancome Le Monochromatique in Soiree

MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in A Little Tamed

Have you gone through any major makeup pivots in your life? How has your styled changed lately? When did you start wearing more or less? Did a particular event or moment change your point of view? I’d love to hear about it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The UD Prince Collection Swatches, First Impressions and a Face of the Day

May 26th, 2021 by Karen 15 Comments

ud prince u got the look palette fotd — I wonder what The Purple One would think…

The closest I ever got to Prince — I mean, beyond this new Urban Decay collection — is the selfie I took with the lead singer of a Prince cover band during a raging New Year’s Eve party, and the following “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” moment…

See, I met a driver who chauffeured The Purple One around the Bay Area years back, and they both breathed the same air! Anywho, the driver took Prince to a bunch of secret shows where he played under a pseudonym, and, according to the driver, Prince was kind of a weird dude, which I’m inclined to believe. There just had to be a certain degree of crazy to his genius, ya know?

I wonder if Prince would have dug having his own makeup collection with Urban Decay… I can imagine him being either mildly irritated but secretly thrilled about it, or just being hella cranky about the whole thing.

The new seven-piece UD Prince LE collection drops on May 27, and there are eyeshadow palettes (side note: are we tired of eyeshadow palettes yet?), two eye pencils, a brush, a toasty tan liquid highlighter and a waterproof pressed powder. There is also, of course, lots and lots of purple.

ud prince u got the look lets go crazy eyeshadow palette — From the top: U Got the Look Eyeshadow Palette ($55), Kajal Eye Pencil in So Dark ($28), Let’s Go Crazy Eyeshadow Plaette ($55) and Kajal Eye Pencil in When Doves Cry ($28)

Let’s start with the purple-est of them all, the Let’s Go Crazy Palette ($55), because how could one have a Prince-themed makeup collection without featuring his signature color? Granted, most of the purple shadows in this palette look very much alike on my skin, so I’m having a hard time “going crazy” (ha-ha-ha) over them.

By the way, there’s a shadow in this palette named after one of my all-time favorite Prince jams, Raspberry Beret. The color is more of a reddish bronze than the bright and juicy raspberry I was hoping for, but I’ll take it, since it’s the most exciting thing in the palette IMO.

The other surprise is the glittery dark blue on the lower right called Disco Nights. It’s unusually soft… I accidentally made a significant dent in it with my finger while swatching, whoops! So be gentle with it. All of the other pans feel like standard-issue Urban Decay and are soft and pliable.

About the palette, my initial reaction was…eh, it’s OK. I think I was hoping for punchier jewel-toned purples that’d be visible from a mile away.

ud prince liquid highlighter all nighter powder — Clockwise from the upper left: Liquid Highlighter ($32), Multitasker Brush ($28), All Nighter Waterproof Setting Powder ($34)

The palette I’m more into is the one with the black cover, U Got the Look ($55), because, WHOA, PIGMENT! Yes, UD is known for their intense color, but the shadows in this palette seem more intense than usual…almost like stage makeup! I can actually picture The Purple One being really into it.

Perhaps before one of his secret shows, he’d sketch out a dark plummy wing before buffing some golden shimmer on the inner corner, then top it off with a messy smudge of black on his lower lash line, but I digress… I’m wearing this palette today, and I’m a little shocked by how wearable it is. I cannot WAIT to push it further.

ur prince eyeshadow palettes — U Got the Look and Let’s Go Crazy Eyeshadow Palettes, $55 each

If you’re a MAC Strobe Cream girl, then the Liquid Highlighter ($32) might be worth a closer look. It’s a toasty tan with a subtle pearly finish, and I mixed it into my liquid foundation for these pics. I’m wearing Clinique Even Better Clinical in Toasted Wheat, and together they added a soft glow to my skin. I like it!

I topped it off with the All Nighter Waterproof Setting Powder ($34), which also surprised me in a good way because it’s so tan. If you’re an NC42 or up, I think you could totally rock it, no problem. Might be a little dark, though, if you’re on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Last, but not least, the pencils… They’re soft and smudgy, and I like the black one because it grabs my waterlines and smokes out quite nicely on my lower lash line.

ud prince u got the look swatches — U Got the Look Eyeshadow Palette ($55)

ud prince lets go crazy swatches — Let’s Go Crazy Eyeshadow Palette ($55)

ud prince swatches pencils — From the top: Kajal Eye Pencil in When Doves Cry ($28), Kajal Eye Pencil in So Dark ($28), All Nighter Waterproof Setting Powder ($34), Liquid Highlighter ($32)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. BTW, here are my favorite Prince songs! What are yours?

For the record, I’d wear that cloud suit in a heartbeat.

Note the eyeliner

The brows, the hair, the all around fabulousness

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.

Easily in my top three

I always thought this was an underrated gem and very ahead of its time.

I sooooo wanted be Wendy & Lisa.

Another hidden gem

The Magic That Is the Samnyte Hair Finishing Stick, and a Friday Face of the Day With Bliss Block Star Sunscreen

May 14th, 2021 by Karen 11 Comments

First of all, I took these pics in the garden of the place we’re staying at in Sonoma just as a bunch of dudes in man buns walked by…so if I’m looking slightly amused, that’s why. 🙂

Second, what sorcery IS this? Meet the best dang product ever to tame your cray-cray flyaways — the Samnyte Finishing Stick.

I’ve always struggled to tame those tiny baby hairs around my face. I’ve clipped ’em down, coated them with flexible paste, and sprayed the living sh*t outta them with hairspray, but all of those would-be solutions left me wanting; my hair still always ended up sticking up and out every which way. Plus, adding more product usually made my bangs and roots look greasier, heavier or flakier…

NOT A CUTE LOOK!

The Samnyte Finishing stick is a magic wand! It’s a clear, quick drying, extra strong hair gel in a tube with a curved mascara wand. Just a few quick strokes through my baby hairs, and each and every wayward flyaway lines up neatly in place.

samnyte finishing stick before — The before shot, with some stray hairs shooting through

samnyte hair stick review — Put a bit on the bangs…

samntye finishing stick after — And here is the after. So smooth!

Here’s the kicker: even though those baby hairs still get tossed around by wind and the occasional Legally Blonde bend and snap, they’ll eventually, more or less, fall back into place. I just pat them down with my finger or a little more of the gel if I have it around (since it’s shaped like a mascara wand, it’s portable).

The gel also dries to a matte finish, so your hair doesn’t end up looking all shiny and crunchy like those ‘80s hair bears. Added bonus? Two tubes are just $8 on Amazon. Me and my baby hairs are forever changed.

While we’re at it, I actually put on makeup!

Item #12 on the list of “All the Ga-Jillion Ways the Pandemic Changed Me” is that days (weeks?) would pass without me putting on any makeup. One unexpected bonus, though, to not wearing as much face paint was that I got so much better about wearing sunscreen.

In these pics I’m wearing two layers of Bliss Block Star, a tinted physical mineral sunscreen as my base! I used the “two finger rule,” which is when you squeeze two strips of sunscreen from the tip to the base of the index and middle fingers, to apply the first layer to my face and neck, waited 15 minutes for it to set, then applied a second layer, again using the two finger rule.

Once the second layer set (I waited about 5 minutes), I applied eyeshadow, liner, blush, sheer under-eye concealer, brow pencil and liquid lipstick.

I haven’t worn this much makeup regularly in a while, and even though I know it wasn’t a lot compared to what I used to wear back in the day (like, 2019, HAHAHA), it still felt like a lot. Craziness.

BTW, I’m falling more and more in love with Bliss Block Star every day. If you’re looking for a super sheer base that leaves your skin smooth and matte, I think you’ll love it. All kinds of makeup seems to layer well on top of it, too — powder, gel, cream, liquid, you name it.

Like foundation or tinted moisturizer, though, you have to be careful about it getting on your clothes because it does have a tint. If I reapply it during the day (usually at lunch, and then again in the late afternoon), I use a different sunscreen on my neck and chest.

Right now my go-to of choice is Sun Bum SPF 70 Sunscreen Spray because it’s clear, so it doesn’t stain my shirts, and it feels light on my skin.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!! 🙂