Makeup

What Do You Know About Buxom Bold & Sexy Gel Lipstick? Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

December 8th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

Bold & Sexy… Sounds like Buxom named their latest lipstick after Tabs. 🙂

Yeah, “bold” and “sexy” are two words that in no way describe me at the moment. It’s more like tired and bloated (LOL!) from hauling Baby Girl around, my li’l basketball, and not getting enough sleep, but maybe if I wear Buxom Bold & Sexy Lipstick ($22), some of its bold and sexy energy will rub off on me.

Maybe…

I bumped into this the other day at Sephora. I went to distract myself/recharge my batteries after having to do some medical test that took three hours and involved three (four?) needle pokes. It was for this thing called a three-hour glucose screening to figure out if you have gestational diabetes, which — WAH! — I hope I don’t have, because I love carbs and sugar SO much.

I’m still waiting on the results…

Anywho, after the test, I needed to erase the needle trauma and go look at makeup, so I headed to Sephora, which was where I spotted these…

Have you used them before? I like the way they sound. They’re gel lipsticks, which in most cases means a super lightweight formula, and these are, indeed, billed as lightweight.

They come in matte and satin finishes and a bunch of really pretty colors. I saw reds, corals, purples, pinks and a few nudes.

I’m so curious! If you’ve used them before, let me know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter Is Worthy of Backups Upon Backups

December 2nd, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

In photography, backlighting drives me bonkers…unless it’s something I’m trying to do on purpose, which I’m usually not, but in the case of BECCA Backlight Priming Filter ($38 for a 1-oz. bottle), I have absolutely no problem with it.

Oh, my goodness! Where do I start? There are just so many things I like about BECCA Backlight, notwithstanding the $38 price, which doesn’t qualify as drugstore bargain awesome sauce, but still… I fully intend to use every last drop (and then may even crack open the bottle to get a little more).

BECCA says that Backlight functions like a filter thanks to these things called Filtering Luminescent Pearls, which are supposed to make pores and fine lines look smoother and your whole skin sitch more radiant.

And yup, it does that. It’s got that whole signature BECCA luminescence thing going.

becca backlight swatch — Swatches of BECCA Backlight unblended and blended (for reference, I wear BECCA foundation in Bamboo)

On my skin, Backlight, which came out earlier this fall, looks like a pearlescent beige with the pearl turned waaaaay down. Less shimmery than a BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector, it’s only lightly luminous and glowing, so it doesn’t look like I’m sweating.

Now, even though it’s classified as a general purpose primer, it doesn’t exist solely to extend the wear time of your foundation, concealer and complexion makeup. It specializes in blurring pores, illuminating, moisturizing AND prepping and priming your skin so that anything you layer on top of it goes on smoother.

I use it as a lightweight, illuminating, pore-blurring lotion to prime my face before I apply my foundation, or whatever else I plan to layer on top. I don’t notice it significantly extending the life of my complexion products when I use it with them, but that’s fine by me because that isn’t something it’s designed to do.

Fascinatingly, it somehow manages to illuminate my skin without emphasizing my pores, which is a rare thing indeed, so this is like a magic potion you can keep in your makeup bag.

nars mekong eye closeup — Here I’m wearing BECCA Backlight mixed with foundation and under-eye concealer

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Neat and New to Me: NARS Mekong Shimmer Eyeshadow

December 1st, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

NARS Mekong has been making me smile! 🙂 And rhyme!

That was a rhyme, right? (Mekong making…?)

It has a dark brown espresso matte base with golden micro glitter, and it’s take-your-breath-away gawgeous with warm reddish browns and purply browns on the eyes, and reds, burgundies and plums on the lips.

I recently discovered it, which means that I finally gave it a try, and I feel like such a goofball for waiting so long. Give it a swatch if you can before the end of winter, but I warn you — brace yourself. It’s a total knockout.

nars mekong swatch — NARS Mekong Shimmer Eyeshadow

I’ve been wearing it for smoky eyes, and also as a liner, and when I use it for smoky eyes, I pack it on my lids with a flat eyeshadow brush, and then blend out the edges, drawing just a smidgen up into the crease, before incorporating a couple of matte transition shades.

Then, to offset the heaviness on the top area, I line and smudge a purple or warm reddish brown pencil liner, usually MAC Prunella or MAC Teddy, both of which I think really complement Mekong well, along my lower lash line.

nars mekong — Wearing NARS Mekong on my lids in a smoky eye look with MAC Prunella along my lower lash lines…

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MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Fleur Power Blush

November 25th, 2015 by Karen 10 Comments

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

‘Tis the season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!

But there isn’t just one season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!

Every season is a good season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!

OK now I’m gonna stop singing this dumb song, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!

Seriously, though, fall and winter are the BEST seasons for wearing smoky eyes. That’s when they feel extra super duper *right* to me, along with wearing boots and sweaters and chunky knit scarves.

Even just generally, because of the cooler weather and no risk of sweating everything off, this is my favorite time to wear a little more makeup.

Good times, peeps. Good times. 🙂

And you know what can take your smoky eyes to the next level? — or, at least help you look more awake?

Blush. You gotta get some blush up in there, too.

At least I do; otherwise, I feel like I look asleep, which may be due to the fact that I’m really, really pregnant at the moment, and when it comes to sleep I’m like, “Huh? What’s that?”

Today, it’s all about MAC Fleur Power Blush ($22), homie. Wear it with smoky eyes — any smoky eyes — and you’ll be set. It’s a mid-temp pink with a kiss of coral, so it goes great with warm- or cool-toned smoky eye looks.

If you love a natural-looking pink cheek flush, like where you look like you just came in from the cold and your cheeks look all cherub-y, Fleur Power kicks butt.

It’s an excellent everyday blush with all-day staying power, and I’d even go so far as to call it universally flattering.

And since it’s part of the MAC permanent line, you can always get your paws on it. No need to worry about it disappearing into limited edition makeup oblivion.

Technically a MAC Satin Blush, Fleur Power looks more like a matte on my cheeks. I hardly see anything satin or shimmery about it, but that also makes it treat my pores and fine lines well.

I usually wear Fleur Power with either brown or gray smoky eyes, by the way, because I like how the pink injects some color into the look without taking over. Then I couple that with either a pale or bright pink lip.

You could also rock it with a brighter eye look, like a purple or blue smoky eye, but in that case, I’d probably go with a nude lip instead of pink, lest you end up with a whole lotta color on your face… Unless that’s what you want, and if you do, hey, that’s cool too.

mac fleur power swatch — MAC Fleur Power Blush swatched on my NC42 skin

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This Made My Day! I Finally Filled My Small NARS Pro Palette With Blushes

November 24th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

Even though a small storm blew in this afternoon, my today got off to a great start! The sun was shining, the birds were singing, Baby Girl was kicking like a kung fu rockstar in my tummy, and I finally managed to fill my small NARS Pro Palette with blushes. 🙂

You might remember when I first mentioned this same palette back in September. At the time there were only two lonely blushes in one corner…

nars small pro palette — My small NARS Pro Palette, empty except for a couple of lonely blushes (Amour and Dolce Vita)

But the order I placed came in, and now it’s filled to the brim with blushes. I’m ready to rumble. The pans will never look this pristine again, LOL!

nars pro blush palette — NARS Blush swatches from the left of Mata Hari, Sin and Taj Majal

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Neat and New to Me: NARS Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo

November 20th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

I wore the NARS Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo last weekend to shop for maternity jeans, and you know what? You know your eyeshadow is doing something right when you’re shopping for jeans (which is usually traumatic enough as it is) in your sixth month of pregnancy, and you feel extra huge, and you’re in a dressing room with the worst florescent green lighting known to womankind, and you look in the mirror and think, “Dayum! My eye makeup looks good…”

Thank you, NARS Alhambra. 🙂

You can make a woman feel good in gold, EVEN when she’s in sickly greenish lighting.

On one side of this warm-toned powder shadow duo lives a metallic rosy gold; on the other, a golden champagne.

They might look a little scary and frosty in that swatch below, but trust! — they aren’t that shiny or brash on lids once they’ve been blended (which is easy to do because they’re both also incredibly soft).

Like a superhero satin, the finish shines, but it’s about six degrees away from “discotheque,” so you can tell your fine lines to chill. Alhambra’s got this.

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If You Like Neutrals, the Urban Decay UD Gwen Stefani Palette Is B-A-N-A-N-A-S

November 19th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

There should be a video in this post, but if you can’t see it, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

When I open the new UD Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette by Urban Decay and see all of the neutrals, I start getting ideas… My internal makeup monologue kicks in, and looks start running through my head.

They start simple, but that doesn’t last long. “I’ll just do a quick wash of color with one or two matte browns on my lids,” I’ll think, “then black winged liner with a red lip. Just like Gwen!”

But then I’ll think, why stop at just two browns? I should add a third one in the crease.

Ooh! — or why don’t I do a grayish brown smoky eye instead? Maybe with a touch of blue on my lids? Because that’s so Gwen!

BUT then I’ll remember that I almost forget about glitter! How could I forget about the glitter!?

Girl, you know how it goes. 🙂 What starts as a five-minute look spirals into 35.

It’s not me though. It’s not my fault. It’s because of all the inspiring neutrals in this palette.

Yup, this is one of those palettes, and to really feel the magic in the makeup (shout-out to No Doubt’s Return of Saturn!), you have to appreciate the beauty of browns and beiges.

I see this one as almost an extension of the Urban Decay Naked Palette family, except with the addition of a few brights, so if you’re the kind of girl or guy who’d rather wear electric teal shimmer, you might find the neutrals here a bit underwhelming.

Not me though. When I see browns and golds and mattes (and there are so many in this!), I get excited.

In the unlikely event that you were cryogenically frozen in 1993 and are only now asking yourself, “Who’s Gwen Stefani?” she’s a pop singer, fashion designer and current vocal coach/judge on The Voice.

I’ve always admired her casual So Cal punk style and cool girl vibe, and I kid you not, I was hell bent on being her in 1995.

I even designated a section of my closet for my “Gwen Stefani” outfits. My favorite was a pair of baggy navy blue pants with light blue stripes going down the sides, which I’d pair with a baby blue sleeveless crop top and baby blue stick-on bindis.

OH, LAWD!!

urban decay gwen stefani swatches 3 — Pop, Harajuku, Danger, 1987 and Blackout

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Paul & Joe Holiday 2015 Makeup Collection in Le Bal Masque 002

November 19th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

paul joe holiday 2015 makeup collection lebal masque — Paul & Joe Beaute Holiday 2015 Makeup Collection in Le Bal Masque 002 ($42, one of two nine-piece holiday kitteh-themed sets)

I have so many burning questions for Paul & Joe about the cat mask-wearing woman on some of the pieces in the new Paul & Joe Le Bal Masque Holiday 2015 Makeup Collection.

Like, where is she going? Is she going to a Thanksgiving masquerade ball, or does homegirl run errands around town wearing her cat mask like that? Because that’s something I’d totally do, which reminds me — why doesn’t this collection come with that mask? It seems like a missed opportunity…

Also, assuming that our masked maven is also a cat lady (it’s a safe bet), how many cats does she have?

One cat? Two? Four cats? Seventeen?? In other words, is she living the cat lady dream, and does she get as excited as I do when Paul & Joe goes buck wild with a new cat-themed collection? 🙂

Meow known as the go-to makeup line for CCLs (translation: Crazy Cat Ladies), Paul & Joe has it all figured out. Whenever they go all the way with a new cat-themed release, like they have here with Le Bal Masque, my tail automatically twitches with interest.

There are cats all over the place in this collection! — as there should be. There’s the masked lady on the makeup bag, who also makes an appearance on the Rose Balm tin (which you can use on your skin and/or hair); the kitties on the eyeshadows; the cream blush; and even the eyeliner.

SO MANY KITTIES!

It’s a beautiful thing…

Le Bal Masque is one of two new limited edition $42 holiday makeup sets from Paul & Joe this year, one of them warmer toned than the other. Le Bal Masque is the warmer option. The other one, Oh Carnaval 001, comes with cooler-toned pastels.

Both sets are covered in cats and available meow at Paul & Joe counters and online. Each one comes with nine pieces (like nine lives!!) — the cat lady bag, five Eye Color L Powder Eyeshadows, one Creamy Cheek Color L Blush, one Waterproof Eyeliner and a tin of Rose Treatment Balm.

Le Bal Masque, the set I’ve been wearing and loving lately, is the warmer of the two. First of all, the cat lady on the bag is totally talking to me…

Not literally, of course (that would be trippy!), but I feel like she and I have a certain kitty connection. I would also wear that outfit of hers with the mask any day of the week…assuming they had a maternity version.

Check out the eyeshadows…

Interesting packaging, yeah? It’s not often that you see powder shadows packaged in flat paper packaging with a plastic cover.
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