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Vintage Vibes with a Reddish Orange Lip | A Movie Recommendation

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Reddish orange lips today!

Some mornings, you wake up and think to yourself, “I’m gonna wear a bright reddish orange lip just like Judy Garland did in the days of yore.”

Hey man, it totally happens! 🙂

I just watched “Meet Me in St. Louis” for the first time, and I’m so impressed that the makeup from this film from 1944 doesn’t look dated. The reddish orange lip that pops up in many of Judy’s scenes is so beautifully classic.

Judy G, the OG

I remembered after I put on my lipstick this morning that in the movie Judy’s often had a touch of shine to it, but I couldn’t deal with that today, LOL! I can’t be the only person who wears a shiny red lipstick and makes a massive mess. It’s like my secret super power to get it all over my face, my teeth, my clothes — I gotta say, when it comes to bright lips, matte finishes are so much easier for me to wear, especially if I pair a matte liner like I did here (Urban Decay Bang) layered with a matte liquid lipstick (MAC Resort Season).

Bless this mess!
Key products

I like musicals and prefer shows and movies that aren’t too scary, and I thoroughly enjoyed “Meet Me in St. Louis.” It’s very sweet and easy to watch, and there’s quite a few songs that I recognized from just hearing in pop culture. Watch it if you get the chance! I found it on MAX.


Now I wanna ride a trolley


You probably know this one

Another thing I love about Judy’s makeup is how the makeup artist from the movie, Dottie Ponedel, goes all the way Judy’s blush. I wish I could wear that much in real life because I looooove blush, but these days, I feel like if I put too much on I look bananas. If I could pull it off, though, I’d swipe as much as I could on, every day, all day, ha ha ha.

Have you watched any good movies lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’ve got a moment, please send some good vibes this way. I’m waiting to find out if I got a job or not, and I could use the good thoughts. I’ll send you some too, if you want ’em.

Lip of the Day: MAC Quite the Standout | Some Good News

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Do you ever find seemingly random piles of items from nature near your door? At our house, there’s always a pile of something. LOL! Rocks or sticks or pinecones or acorns — this morning it was a stack of fallen leaves, all the size of one’s head or bigger.

Connor’s always gathering and collecting treasures from the great outdoors. 🍂🍁

Anywho, I needed to wear something fun and joyful today because I got some good news from the doctor’s office this morning. Long story short, the health issue I’ve been concerned with for months doesn’t appear to be THE BIG SCARY THING that I feared.

It’s been a couple of draining weeks on my end taking tests and waiting for results. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to wear a colorful red lipstick to celebrate (hopefully) making it to grandma status someday in the very, very far distant future.

The warm orangey red I’m wearing today is MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Quite the Standout. I feel like it has a vintage vibe to it.

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. And as cheesy as it sounds, if you get the chance, take a moment to please tell your body “thank you” for everything it does for you, especially if you’re reasonably healthy.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Kalahari Love

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nars kalahari
Love ya, NARS Kalahari!

Hi there! I’m in and out of the home office today because I’ve got various medical appointments. FUN — not really, LOL! I’m happy to report that I just got back from the dentist, though, without any cavities. I also didn’t cry while I was there, which for me is a Christmas miracle. Anywho. Re: this post. I did it a while back, and it features one of my favorite eyeshadows, NARS Kalahari. I love this duo and wear it a ton. If you get the chance to pick it up, grab it! Have a great rest of your Thursday and see ya soon.

They say, if you love something, set it free, which I guess makes sense if you love butterflies or toucans, but in the case of makeup, if you love something, I say you should talk about it ALL THE TIME, which is why I’ve been raving about NARS Kalahari for years!

Kalahari eyeshadow duo is perfect for lightly defining your lids. One side is a shimmery rosy bronze, and the other side is a shimmery taupe — two colors, granted, that you can find in almost any line, but here’s the kicker: NARS found a way to avoid all of the typically problematic side effects that befall so many shimmery shadows.

For instance, Kalahari is reflective, but it isn’t frosty, so fine lines aren’t even a thing. When you sweep and swirl it on your skin, a sweet, bronzed glow remains. It’s very “J. Lo running errands in her velour track suit.” Casual, but still noticeable. (This is a good thing in my book.)

Here’s one of my favorite ways to wear it:
Mix the two shades together with a domed shadow brush, then apply from lash line to crease (or just above the crease if your eyes are hooded like mine). Build it up if you want more color intensity, but don’t worry — this is eyeshadow that won’t look heavy, since the powder is very delicate and fine.

Next, wet that same brush, and apply more of the mix on the mobile part of your lid, which is the part of your eye that “blinks.” Leave it a few minutes to dry, and work on the rest of your face. Once you’ve almost gotten to the end — I usually wait until I’m done with almost everything, including blush and lipstick — take a clean tapered blending brush, and gently rock it back and forth in your crease and along the outer corners to blend.

nars kalahari

If you want, you can also rim your lash or water lines with chocolate brown eyeliner, which I did for these pics. I also smudged a cooler taupe liner (Urban Decay’s Mushroom) on the bottom lash line ’cause I like the subtle contrast of tones.

Makeup worn in this look

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Checking In: Chocolate Epiphanies, Too Faced Better Than Chocolate Palette, Second Interviews and Shiseido

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I don’t know when it happened, but sometime within the last few months, I switched from being on Team Milk Chocolate to Team Dark Chocolate, which is crazy to me because for years now, I’ve said to anyone and everyone who’ll listen that dark chocolate tastes like punishment, LOL!

They say that your sense of taste changes as you get wiser, so this isn’t a big surprise, but still.

It’s kinda weird to be at the checkout counter at Trader Joe’s and reach for impulse chocolate and buy dark instead of milk. Side note, who am I kidding? It’s not impulse chocolate when you buy it all the time. LOL!

Anywho, while we’re on the subject of chocolate, it’s been a minute since I’ve worn a Too Faced palette. I tried out their new Better Than Chocolate palette recently just for funsies to see if I still was feeling it…

It’s like a mashup between their Better Than Sex and Chocolate Bar themes.

Sigh, I dunno. Their first Chocolate Bar palette came out a decade ago (!), and I can’t believe they’re still recycling the same idea. One would think that in 10 years they could whip up something new, but I guess they really like to stick close to what they know.

Blending and pigment were fine, but I felt like the warm browns pulled very red on my skin (I’m an NC 42 in MAC, by the way). It’s a very distinct type of look, and I’m not always a fan of it on my skin tone because I feel like it makes me look like I’ve been crying, so I probably won’t be adding this palette into my regular rotation anytime soon.

Oh goodness, speaking of regular rotations, apparently now I’m on the “second interview” merry-go-round. I had one on Monday via video and a second one in person yesterday.

I defaulted to my usual MAC neutral lipstick, Velvet Teddy, to keep things “profesh” (air quotes), but after I saw myself in pics, I kinda wish I wore a brighter lip.
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I Found an Excellent Liner! GXVE Beauty Line It Up 24HR Waterproof Gel Liner in Sapphire Skies

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OK, in classic Karen fashion, I did makeup and hair for a job interview early yesterday morning only to realize at the last minute that it wasn’t going to be on video but over the phone, LOL! Oh well.

At least it gave me an excuse to try a new eyeliner, GXVE Line It Up Gel Pencil in Sapphire Skies, a beautiful dark navy blue matte shade. We’ll get to that in a second.

Thank you for sending your interview well-wishes. I think I did ok! If I make it through this round — pretty sure I did — then I have another three rounds to go.

I don’t know if you’ve searched for a job lately, but these days it’s a looooong process. Well, at least it is in the creative field that I’m in right now (writing).

You gotta make it through an online resume submission, which is shockingly difficult to do because of the sheer volume of people who apply. Then, an HR person does a screener interview, and if you get through that, then you do two or three more interviews with the creative team members. Sometimes it’s an individual interview and sometimes it’s a group. Then, there’s a writing test. If you pass the writing test, then there’s usually one more interview with a VP or someone in a C-suite position.

It’s a lot!

I was thinking as I was driving Connor to the dentist for a filling (baby’s first cavity) that it feels like I’m dating again, ha ha ha! On all these calls, you’ve gotta look your best and present the best version of yourself, and then hope that 1) the person on the other end likes you enough to move you forward and 2) that you don’t accidentally offend someone along the way. All the while you have no real idea how the other people truly feel about you.

Someone also got a loose tooth extracted!

Anyway, I know something good is coming. Just gotta be patient.

Now for the fun stuff… EYELINER. Specifically, the blue gel pencil liner from Gwen Stefani’s makeup line, GXVE. She has a bunch of colors and this one caught my attention because of the creaminess of the pencil and the intensity of the pigment. It’s supposed to be waterproof, too.

In these pics, I had the makeup on for a good six hours, and the liner did not budge from my lash or water line! What I love the most about it, though, is the color. It has depth and intensity, but it isn’t harsh. It’s perfect if you want definition but prefer a softer alternative to true black eyeliner.

At full price, each pencil is usually $20 for 0.04 ounces, but on the GXVE Beauty website right now, everything’s 50% off, so, dagnabbit, it looks like I need to buy another shade or two. I think the purple and the taupe look really beautiful.

One more day until Thanksgiving. We’re going to keep it mellow this year — just me, El Hub, Connor Claire and Rosie-Pose. We’re going to have crab with lots of butter and salt instead of turkey, french bread, some sides that we’ll pick up from a local gourmet deli and a pie or two. Connor and I are going to make an apple pie today (here’s the recipe); hopefully it won’t be hideous so I can take a decent picture of it.

I hope your T-day prep is going smoothly and that you’re feeling happy and healthy. Some nasty colds are going around these parts, so take care of yourself, OK?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Lil’ Fall Makeup Edit: Playing with Plum

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You know those days when you just cannot deal with your hair? Yeah, I’m having one of those right meow. LOL!

Alright, so remember the lip liner and lip balm trick from yesterday’s post? I did the same thing today but with a plummy lip with MAC Plum Lip Liner and Laneige Lip Glowy Balm in Gummy Bear.

Side note, if you’re gonna go the lip liner route, it helps to have a pencil sharpener dedicated solely to your lip products. That way, you don’t ever have to deal with black or brown eyeliner bits getting all up in your soft pinks and whatnot. I use and like the one by NARS.

So I tried something a little different today; I started with the plum lip and then put on the rest of my makeup afterwards. I recently saw in a video about dark lips about how putting them on first helps you gauge how much makeup to wear with the rest of the look.

I think in my case, it totally helps because I’m always trying to see how little makeup I can get away with (it’s my jam these days).

Try it the next time you feel like wearing darker lipstick and tell me how it goes.

As for the rest of the look, to echo the plum vibe, I swept NARS Sin blush on my cheeks and Chanel Rouge Noir (one of their eyeshadow-liner-kohl sticks) on my upper lash line.

Before you jet, I just had to share this chicken enchilada recipe with you! I made it yesterday for the first time with some rotisserie chicken from Costco and it was SO GOOD.

You’ll have to excuse the pic with the half-eaten pan of enchiladas, LOL! We were really hungry. I served it with a salad and cut apple pears for dessert. Yum!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Lil’ Fall Favorite Makeup Edit with NARS and MAC

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I’m on a mission to wear fall looks that are simple, elegant and easy. I gotta say, I feel pretty put together together in this one, which features a few of my favorites — NARS Kalahari II eyeshadow, NARS Amour blush and MAC Half Red Lip Pencil.

A lifted liner tip

For this makeup, I tried a new-to-me eyeliner technique from a makeup artist that Jane from Daly Beauty introduced me to recently, Erica Taylor! She’s been doing makeup for over 20 years and posts a lot of tips for beauties who are 40 and up.

She suggests applying liner strategically on the outer corner to make your lids appear more lifted.

I’m really happy with how it turned out; I definitely think my hooded bits look a little less hooded! Plus, it’s really easy to do.

Also, lip liner is so your friend

Oh, and shout-out to the Wet Seal sales associate back in 1996 who taught me about the power of lip liner, LOL! She was the one who convinced me to try lining and filling my lips in with a lip pencil, and then topping it off with lip balm.

I did that in here with MAC Half Red Lip Liner and Biossance Lip Balm. 🙂 Try it sometime with your favorite lip liner.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In | Beauty Nerd Things on “The Morning Show” | Chanel Midnight Red Lipstick | Crazy Brussels Sprouts Stalks

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Do you watch “The Morning Show” with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston? If you do, I wonder if the episode that aired last week got your nerdy beauty wheels turning! There’s a scene towards the end where Reese’s character is in her dressing room, and numerous beauty products are displayed in the background.

Like the beauty nerd that I am, I hit pause and tried to name as many brands I could! I spy with my little eye…

  • Mario Badescu
  • L’Occitane
  • Clinique
  • Biossance

I think the tall bottles in the middle (the dark blue, periwinkle and mint green ones) are Oribe, but I’m not sure. Hmm.

Don’t ask me why these things feel like a treasure hunt, but they do!

By the way, Reese’s hair in this scene is my dream hair. Love the loose curls, love the volume, love the smoothness. I especially love how the layers around her cheekbones frame her face. Ugh, so good. I try to get there as best as I can with my hair, but I don’t want to put in the extra work to get the little spiky bits around my hairline to play nice. Ha!

The most effort I’m willing to put in is to clamp them down with these weird little flat clips and then spray them with hairspray.

When you’re trying to tame your hair but it doesn’t wanna listen

BTW, I put this makeup on just for fun, and from far away it seems pretty chill, but when up close, it has more of an ’80s vibe. I’m wearing the new Chanel holiday eye palette and one of the pigmented red lipsticks, Rouge Allure L’Extrait in Midnight Red.

Connor’s home a lot this week because it’s parent-teacher conference time, which means I get to hang out with my little sidekick, just like the good old days!

We went to TJ’s in the middle of the day (what a luxury, truly) and she begged me to buy her this brussels sprouts stalk.

I’ve never seen a child so excited about vegetables! I had no idea how to pick a good stalk, so I just went with my gut and hoped for the best.

How’s your week going so far? Anything new to report on your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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