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FOTD: Another Single-Product Eye Look With a MAC Classic

September 24th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

mac powersurge swatch

If you want to be truly terrified, don’t fire up a horror movie on Netflix. Instead, put on your makeup in full sunlight. HAHAHA! Dude. It’s kinda scary seeing a lot of product on your skin in such unforgiving light. Or maybe that’s just me because I haven’t been doing a lot of full-on makeup over the past few months (#pandemiclife).

So, I did this look yesterday morning because I made a promise to myself to put on some makeup. (I realize that my mask covers almost everything, but still, sometimes putting on makeup still makes me feel better.)

Connor had an outdoor playdate with a friend, and we were going to be outside for most of the afternoon, so in the morning I decided to use the natural sunlight streaming in through my window to help guide me through this one-product eye look with MAC Powersurge pencil.

I used it as an eyeshadow and a liner all on my lids!

mac powersurge swatch

Connor’s playdate was for outdoor “cake painting,” an idea I got from Busy Toddler on Instagram.

I taped a bunch of big boxes together to look like an oversized cake, and Connor and her buddy painted the layers with washable tempura paint.

I guess the most frightening thing about doing your makeup in the unforgiving light of the full sun is seeing just exactly how products behave according to the texture of your skin. GOODNESS GRACIOUS. It really forced me to blend my base and buff down all of the excess areas where there was a little too much lying there. I’m making this sound frightening, I know, but I think you gotta do it once just for fun because it really is eye opening!

I might do it again today because I guess I’m a masochist like that, LOL!

Like my makeup the other day, there’s also a bunch of O.G. MAC faves up in this makeup mix, like Powersurge on my lids, Blushbaby on my cheeks, and Whirl lipstick mixed with a little bit of Honeylove on my lips. (I wanted it to look like fall makeup, but I didn’t want it to go too brown.)

mac powersurge swatch

Initially, I went with a rosy brown matte lip because I was going for a fall look, but I also tried it with a brighter pinkish rose matte lippie…

I had an inkling that the eye/cheek combo would go really well a brighter pinkish rose lipstick…

This is Model Off Duty, one of the new MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolours. I think it looks really beautiful with this eye/cheek combo, and the next time I wear it I think I might do this lip color instead.

mac powersurge fotd

One more thing about Powersurge before I go — when you do these one-and-done looks with liner, the beauty of them is that they don’t have to be super perfect on your lids, because if you’re just wearing one color, if there are areas on your lids that are more elegantly blended than others, then don’t worry about it because as long as you have a relatively smooth transition of color that fades up toward your brows, you’re going to be fine.

As with any lid action, for instance darkness on the outer third, or when you deepen the outer v, you can do that for more dimension here too, but if you try and it doesn’t get where you want it to go, buff it a little more, don’t mess with it, and move on with your day.

mac powersurge swatch

I think these are great because they really don’t emphasize mistakes too much, and that’s a wonderful thing!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup, Makeup

Checking In: The Hask Mask in a Tub, New (Old) MAC Eyeliners, and Baking a Sprinkle Cake

September 22nd, 2020 by Karen 25 Comments

baked sprinkle cake final
I baked a cake!

Hey, guys. Happy Tuesday! Has the universe ever sent you a gentle reminder that perhaps you should probably get back to doing what you love? I got one of those nudges to start baking again (it’s been months) because I made this kick-butt cake a few days ago… Granted it was from a mix, but still!

Of course I had to share it with you… ?

It’s the Sprinkle Party Snack Cake Mix With Frosting by a brand called Baked. I picked it up randomly at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago because it was on sale and…I liked how the box looked!

baked sprinkle cake
The box comes with the frosting and the dry ingredients for the cake.
baked sprinkle cake
Notice the beautiful sprinkles…
connor stirring the batter
My sous chef

baked sprinkle cake

baked sprinkle cake
Love the colors

baked sprinkle cake

I could whip up a cake from scratch, but eh, baking requires attention, precision and, well…heart. I haven’t had much leftover soul to invest in baking sweets lately, but then I found this cake mix. Not only did it make things easy, but the cake actually tastes homemade. Highly recommended!

The mix includes a packet of dry ingredients for a butter-based vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles, and another packet for plain with vanilla frosting. The instructions are pretty detailed, too, which makes it easy to not mess up.

baked sprinkle cake
Here’s the batter…

THIS CAKE IS SO GOOD. It’s light-as-air and melts in your mouth, and it doesn’t have that obvious taste of your typical boxed cake. Hard to explain, but to me boxed cakes all taste the same — kinda oily and heavy, without much flavor. Anyway, this one’s really, really good, and so is the frosting.

If you happen to live near a World Market, I suggest grabbing a box!

Anywho, that lovely cake opened up a metaphorical baking door, so I’ve made even more goodies since then, including brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and marbled cookies, which are half chocolate chip and half dark chocolate.

cookies and brownies
Chocolate chip cookies and brownies, YUM!
chocolate chip cookies september 2020
The most beautiful thing I ever did see…
marbeled cookies
Marbled cookies

I’m thinking of making a pie next, because rumor has it that Trader Joe’s has a pre-made gluten-free pie crust. Or, maybe I’ll make some savory scones, or perhaps I’ll finally try my hand at croissants?!

Sorry, I’m getting distracted. Before I lose my train of thought, I have one more World Market thing to show you — this box of dark chocolate sprinkles!

It’s from Holland and from a brand called DeRuijter (“masters of bread toppings”), and the picture on the front looks like a loaf of French bread cut in half with the dark chocolate sprinkles on top.

chocolate bread sprinkles
OK, so how does this work, exactly?

Can somebody please explain what’s going on here? Do you eat the bread with just the sprinkles on top, or do you toast the bread in an oven to melt the sprinkles? Or, are the sprinkles attached to the bread with Nutella or peanut butter or something? Or, do you just eat it plain like a dark chocolate sprinkle sandwich?

If someone from Holland could please explain just exactly how this works, please fill me in, because I don’t know what’s going on here, and I would love to, LOL!

Now, to ensure that this post is marginally related to beauty, I finished the packets of Hask Hair Masks I got a while back, so I popped into Ulta to grab some more and found out that they sell the Argan Oil version in a jar for six bucks!
[Continue reading…]

There are 25 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Food, Hair, Hask, Just For Fun, MAC Makeup, Makeup

FOTD: An Eye Look With a Single Product! (Hint: It’s a MAC Classic)

September 18th, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

mac teddy eyeliner look
Before you scroll down, try to guess which MAC classic eye makeup item I used on my lids!

The only thing that would be easier than this eye look I did here with just one MAC product would be putting on a pair of pajama pants and falling asleep on my couch right now, hahaha! This look is so simple, and I don’t even know why I don’t wear it more often (note to self: WEAR IT MORE OFTEN). And if you haven’t guessed what I used already, I’ll give you one more try…

mac teddy eyeliner look
Have ya figured it out yet?

OK, ya got it?

It’s MAC Teddy eyeliner. Yup. Just eyeliner. On my waterlines, on my lash lines and on my lids. That’s it! I mean, of course, I have stuff in my brows — I didn’t use Teddy in my brows (although I have heard of somebody using Powersurge in their brows before). I’m wearing Brow Blade by Urban Decay in my brows and Laura Mercier mascara on my lashes, of course, but everything else on my eyes is just Teddy.

I put some on my water and lash lines, then sloppily sketched out a shape on my lids with the pencil, a half moon shape on my mobile lid (the part of the lid that moves when you blink), and then on the outer corners I sort of drew a soft winged shape because I like a bit of lift there because the outer corners of my eyes slope downward.

Then I used a brush, a MAC 725S, which is an angled fluffy brush, and I used that to diffuse the edges, blur out any sort of harsh lines, and I layered more Teddy wherever I wanted more depth, like the outer corners, then blended a little bit more.

I briefly thought about using MAC Coffee eyeliner to draw a thin line along my upper lash line, but I only have a smudge of it left, and it’s so precious right now because I seriously can’t seem to find Coffee anywhere! So I decided to just nix that idea and keep it simple.

Yeah. Just Teddy liner. All over! And it was lovely and fast.

Teddy isn’t the only thing from the “MAC greatest hits” list I’m wearing in this look. I’m also wearing Face and Body in C5 (which is O.G. MBB right there!) and MAC Velvet Teddy on my lips.

The blush, by the way, is Hourglass Brilliant Nude, and if you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go if you can. First time I saw it in the pan I thought, “Eh, what’s that going to do for me?” but then I got it on my cheeks, and I loved how glowing and natural it looked. So. Good.
[Continue reading…]

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup, Makeup

Product Spotlight: MAC More the Mehr-ier Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour

September 17th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

mac more the mehr ier
I found a new must-have nude lipstick for your MAC collection!

In a current beauty world where color is seemingly dominated by warm reddish and orangey brown tones, it’s refreshing to see a cool-toned lippie every once in a while, don’t you think?

Enter More the Mehr-ier, from the new MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour collection!

MAC was very cheeky with the name — Mehr-ier, for “merrier.” It’s a reference to one of their most iconic nude lipsticks, Mehr, which, fun fact, first appeared in the 2010 MAC Mickey Contractor collection. It’s since become a member of MAC’s permanent lipstick collection, and is now here in the new Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick formula.

mac more the mehr ier
The eyeshadow I’m wearing, in case you’re wondering, is Urban Decay’s Stoned Vibes palette.

The color is very similar to the original Mehr, just a tinge darker. It’s a nude mauve, and this is going to sound weird, but it’s the same color as my gums (LOL!). For that reason, it reads like a nude lipstick on my NC42 skin, which is why I love it. I’ve also seen the original Mehr lipstick on lighter and darker skin tones (fast forward to 2:11 in the video), and it’s a bestseller because it really does work well on everyone.

mac more the mehrier swatch mirror
More the Mehr-ier!

The original Mehr comes in the MAC Matte lipstick formula, which some people find challenging to wear, especially if they have lip lines and/or flakes. I think the Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick formula is a little easier to wear because the fluffy liquid formula kinda floats on top of your lips, so it doesn’t have that same tightly gripping feeling, and it’s less drying and more forgiving than the Matte.
[Continue reading…]

There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup

FOTD: Elegant Rose Quartz Gemstone Lids With a Smokey Bronze Lower Lash Line

September 16th, 2020 by Karen 22 Comments

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

I wore this look to drop Connor off at her dance class (she’s taking outdoor classes two days a week now, and yay for seeing other kids her age!), and then to go to Trader Joe’s, because doing that kind of regular everyday stuff is the adult equivalent of going to your high school senior prom now. (Dance studio drop-off IS AN EVENT. Ya gotta do it up!)

I took the new Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Palette for a spin for the first time in this look. It’s a new palette with 12 powder eyeshadows, the majority of them with this chonky-looking glitter formula that has a bit of squish to it. They look like they could potentially look like you’re wearing big flakes of glitter on your skin, but there was hardly any floof, fallout or flakes when I got Tiger’s Eye on my lids. The formula applies smoother than I expected it to, but you get WHOA, WHOA, WHOOOOOA levels of shimmer.

So…Urban Decay isn’t shy about their 420 references, but in this case I think “Stoned Vibes” actually refers to, ya know…gemstones, although Tiger’s Eye looks nothing like a stone on my eyelids. It’s a lovely pinkish bronze (heavy on the pink!), which is why I paired it with rose cheeks and lips.

OH! — I gotta point out the lower lash line. I’m wearing MAC Teddy, yet again, because apparently this fall is going to be my greatest hits tour of Teddy smoked along the lower lash line. I just kinda forgot how great it is when worn that way?! It’s fantastic.

I think I’m going to do a look with the purples in this palette (it’s $54, BTW) next because they remind me of my birth month gemstone, Alexandrite…which leads me to a question for you!

What’s your birth month gem? Drop it in the comments, along with any Qs you might have about the palette or this look, if you have ’em. As usual, the full breakdown of products is down below.

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Hey, that arm’s an NC42!
urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Key products worn in this look

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

Makeup worn in this look

EYES

  • NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium — all over the lids as a base
  • Urban Decay Stoned Palette Eyeshadows — Good Karma (brow bone), Antidote (crease), Hexed (outer crease), Third eye (outer v), Tiger’s Eye (lids, applied with finger)
  • MAC Whisper of Gilt — inner corner highlight
  • Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes and MAC Clear Brow Set — brows
  • MAC Teddy — lower lash line
  • Honest Beauty Liquid Liner — winged liner
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara — lashes

CHEEKS

  • Laura Mercier Soleil 1 — bronzer
  • Laura Mercier Rose — blush

LIPS

  • Wander Beauty B.B. and Riviera Dual Lipstick — mixed together

BASE

  • Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Face Oil — prep
  • Laura Mercier Foundation primer — prep
  • Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Tan — foundation, all over face
  • Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium 05 and 06 — under eyes, cheeks and around mouth
  • Laura Mercier Translucent Honey Loose Powder — forehead, down the sides of nose, around mouth and along the jawline

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Face of the Day (FOTD), Laura Mercier, Lips, Makeup, Urban Decay, Wander Beauty

Product Spotlight: MAC Powder Kiss Eye Shadow

September 15th, 2020 by Karen 11 Comments

mac powder kiss eye shadow swatches
These are fantastic!

MAC should just make these Powder Kiss Matte Eyeshadows permanent already. Come on, MAC! Dooo it! Make our lives a little easier. ?

If you like ultra-blended, blurred and blown-out eyeshadow as much as I do, the Powder Kisses will get you there without drama. They’re highly pigmented, for one thing. Two, they apply in the thinnest, smoothest layers imaginable, so they look and feel featherweight on your lids. At the same time, they’re super saturated, which is kinda crazy!

Even though you don’t have to use very much, if you do, they still won’t look chunky. It’s FASCINATING. MAC must’ve assigned the “A” team to these when they cooked them up in the lab.

mac powder kiss eye shadow swatches
NC42 in MAC

Many matte powder shadows look thick and cakey on my lids (got some fine line action!), especially when I build up layers, but not these. The Powder Kisses definitely don’t emphasize my fine lines.

There are some crazy colors, of course, because it’s MAC, after all, but as far as everyday workhorse colors, I’ve been loving What Clout, a matte mid-toned warm brown that looks like a cross between Soft Brown and Soba with maybe a hint of Kid. I also dig Warm beige Best of Me. I think it’s a lovely lid shade, or along the brow bone as a subtle highlight. Also, Dark chocolate brown Give A Glam is a little bit like Brun.

As for other notable shades, don’t be terrified of Devoted to Chili (I was!) because it looks so reddish and orangey brown. Keep an open mind about it because it’s surprisingly wearable on lids.

mac devoted to chili swatch

mac devoted to chili eyeshadow mask
I’m wearing Devoted to Chili!

MAC is selling them in packaging for $20 each, and as bare pans sans the packaging for nine bucks(!).

MAC doesn’t normally offer both options for every LE eyeshadow launch, so “Cosmetics Conspiracy Theory Karen” is thinking, “That’s gotta be a sign they’re coming to the permanent line!”

I hope so because the neutrals, in particular, are fan-frickin’-tastic, especially if you’re a fan of matte eyeshadows, which you know I am.

Fingers and toes crossed they go permanent. Hey, if it can happen to the Paint Pots (remember them from Fafi, OLD SCHOOL?!) and the In Extra Dimensions from Alluring Aquatic, I think it can happen for these bad gals.

Let us will it into being and manifest that right now! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

FOTD: Matte Monochromatic Makeup in Rusty Brown Tones (And With One Eyeshadow!)

September 4th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

mac devoted to chili k down smile
This eye look involves just one eyeshadow!

Some days, you wanna wear three eyeshadows, or maybe even four or five. Or six if you’re feeling extra feisty! Other days, you just wanna wear one, and that’s what happening here in this matte monochromatic makeup look.

Gosh, don’t you love a little alliteration? I certainly do.

Now this is one of those looks that seems more complicated than it actually is. I didn’t use many products. Like, for starters, the eye look only involves one eyeshadow, and it’s a very intense rusty, reddish brown matte from MAC called Devoted to Chili.

mac devoted to chili fotd k front smile

It’s one of the new MAC Powder Kiss Matte Eye Shadows, and it’s $20. (You can also buy it as a single pan without a case for $9.)

I’ve tried a few of them, and they’re super intense when you first pile them on, but they also blend and buff out beautifully. You can layer them to amplify the saturation, and yet even when you do, they don’t look heavy on your lids, which is unusual for mattes. Every one I’ve tried so far has impressed me!

mac fotd devoted to chili swatch
Living that NC42 life

Devoted to Chili is one of those eyeshadows that looks like it would be super scary, because it’s just *so* red in the pan, but, particularly if you wear orangey browns like MAC Texture or Saddle or Soft Brown well, Devoted to Chili really pops on lids. It works very well on warm-toned skin.

mac devoted to chili fotd products
Key products in this look

And that’s it for the eyeshadow. ONE SHADE!

I mean, there’s also some liner action happening, too, but that was easier. Just a little bronze liner smudged along my lower lash line (MAC Teddy) and bronzy brown MAC Powersurge on my lower water lines.

So the eyes were easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

Another thing that makes the look a little more glamorous is the repetition of that rusty brown matte eyeshadow shade on my lips. The liquid lipstick is also from MAC and called Devoted to Chili (also from the new Powder Kiss collection).

mac devoted to chili fotd k side

I applied it directly from the wand, where I think it looks soft and approachable. I didn’t want my lips to look too crisp or “done,” since the color is a very ’90s lipstick shade, but if you want to go full-on ’90s, I’d suggest using a reddish brown pencil liner instead, and be sure to sharpen it until the tip can cut glass if you do! Something like MAC Mahogany Lip Pencil would totally work. Then, after applying the lipstick, line your lips with the pencil, and leave it as is. Don’t blend it, because you want to see that strong edge.

Or, just wear it like this. ? It’s up to you. Next time I wear this combo, I’m going channel my inner ’90s diva, methinks.

One last thing — since the eye and lip colors here are so intense, I pulled back a bit on the blush by going with nude tones. I used a mix of two nude MAC Glow Play Blushes, which are the creams that came out a few months ago, and yes, they’re epically easy to blend. Also yes, they’re still available!

Makeup worn in this look

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There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Face of the Day (FOTD), Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

This or That: Lipstick Edition

September 3rd, 2020 by Karen 23 Comments

mac lipsticks national lipstick day
Smooch!

Anybody else out there really miss wearing lipstick when they’re out and about? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, with fall — which usually means the return of dark, vampy lips — just around the corner. Sometimes I still wear lipstick ? around the house…and sometime I’ll rock a thin layer of liquid matte lipstick underneath my mask (which seems to transfer the least).

Anywho, it’s time for another round of This or That!

How to play

Pick one or the other for each of the questions below, and copy/paste your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to see your picks! Mine are listed below. ?

Copy and paste

  • Matte or cream finish?
  • Coral or rose?
  • Sheer or pigmented?
  • Blended or unblended lip liner?
  • Overdrawn or not?
  • Orangey reds or bluish reds?
  • Brown or pastel?
  • Lip brush or straight from the tube?

Matte or cream finish?

I love both, but I’ll go with matte because I like how it photographs.

Coral or rose?

Coral, 100%.

Sheer or pigmented?

Pigmented, please. I like the flexibility.

Blended or unblended lip liner?

Unblended. I know, I know…but I’ve been feeling ’90s makeup lately, and I think the unblended lip looks cool.

Overdrawn or not?

Not, although I have done the whole overdrawn lip liner thing before; it’s just one of those phases you need to work through, LOL!

Orangey reds or bluish reds?

YARGH. This is hard. I guess orangey reds!

Brown or pastel shades?

Brown.

Lip brush or straight from the tube?

Straight from the tube, baby.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen ?

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup

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