Makeup

Product Spotlight: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer

August 5th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

first aid beauty ultra repair tinted moisturizer tan — LOVE IT! I wear the shade Tan (I’m an NC42 in MAC and a Honey Bronze in Estée Lauder, for reference).

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer ($28 for a 1-oz. tube) is fantastic tinted moisturizer with a satin finish, especially if you don’t like the sensation of heavy, thick makeup on your face. The fluffy mousse (feels very similar to the NARS Hydrating Glow Tints that came out a few summers back) feels fab and blends away everything with barely a touch — pores, pigmented patches, red areas. If you just want a little something to even out your skin tone, and you want it to be something you can quickly do with your fingers and without a brush, this is it!

From sephora.com:

Vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free

Colloidal Oatmeal: Helps calm and soothe dry or distressed skin.

Hyaluronic Acid: Supports skin’s natural moisture content, helps skin appear smoother, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Vitamin E: Provides antioxidants, helps condition and soothe skin and stave off environmental aggressors.

Micro-Pearls: Finely milled minerals with light-reflecting properties that amplify skin’s natural radiance for a beautifully luminous effect.

Avobenzone 3%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 7.5%: Sunscreen.

Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Butylene Glycol, Hexyl Laurate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Tribehenin, Limonene, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aminomethyl Propanol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Ascorbate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492, Ci 77499, Ci 77491), Mica.

Now, the shade selection is somewhat limited by today’s standards… There are only 10 shades available, but at least there’s a nice variety of undertones represented, including pink, neutral and olive, so it’s a decent selection overall.

It’s made for normal, dry and combination skin types, but it’s supposed to be particularly good for people with sensitive skin. I’m combo oily and dry, with a tendency to break out when “Aunt Flo” visits, and my skin has been great with it so far. I just use it on its own — no primer underneath — and I skip the setting powder.

If you ever find that you need extra coverage with it, just grab a good liquid concealer and mix it in.

I like to apply a thin layer of Tan (First Aid Beauty’s equivalent of a MAC NC42) all over my face, let it dry for a minute or two, and then I’ll place another dollop of Tan on the back of my hand, which I’ll then mix with a little bit of a fuller-coverage liquid concealer, like Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural (works great for this!).

Then I’ll gently buff the tinted moisturizer-concealer mix with a tapered eye brush on specific spots on my cheeks and around my nose and mouth. Together that will stay put and work for the day.

If you’ve tried the tinted moisturizers by Laura Mercier or It Cosmetics and liked everything about them except the coverage (because you wanted more), I think you’ll love it…assuming you can find a shade that works for you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

FOTD: Warm, Shimmery Bronze-Brown Eyes With Coral Cheeks and Lips

July 23rd, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

Is it gold? Is it brown? Khaki? Taupe?! HMMMM! I think it’s pretty cool how this eye makeup can look so totally different depending on the details — the color of my clothes, the color temp of the light. Gotta love those secretly complex makeup things.

Officially, I’m wearing a warm and shimmery bronzed brown on my lids (MAC Monaco-co, from the summer collection) with a cool-toned matte taupe in the crease (MAC Omega), a satiny beige on the brow bone (MAC Brule), and a satiny brownish black on the outer corner and lower lash line (MAC Brun).

Unofficially, however, this eye makeup will ad lib with whatever color top you’re wearing. Doesn’t it seem more golden in the pic with the light gray top and more green in the one with the khaki? So, it’s multifunction that way.

I bet you could riff on other colors, too, with a matching liner, like a khaki or a warm dark brown. Or how about bronze? Ooh! — I bet Powersurge would be BEAUTIFUL with this combo.

Also, my brows appear thicker than usual in this look because I feel like full, lush brows frame the eyes nicely when there’s a lot of shimmer on my lids. Alternatively, you could do a subtle brow with a clear brow gel, but you won’t get the same contrast of the big, bold matte brows butting up against the shimmery lids.

It’s all about contrasting finishes, babe! You know I’m all about that life.

Makeup worn in this look

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Summer Faves and Raves: New Neutrogena Makeup (Eyeliner, Concealer, Tinted Moisturizer, Highlighter, Brow Pencil and Serum/Primer)

July 21st, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

I could spend all day combing through the Neutrogena makeup section at the drugstore.

ALL. DAY!

Here are a few makeup items of note, which I’ve been using and liking, most of which are pretty new to the line…

Precision Liquid Eyeliner

I cut a big-@ass batch of onions with this on, and it didn’t budge, so LOVE. The felt tip is long and flexible, so if you like a little “give,” it’s perfect for carving sharp-edged lines and flicking effortless wings. It’s also intensely pigmented and a true black. Just all around lovely to line lids! I wish it came in more colors.

Available in one shade, Jet Black, which comes in a 0.013-oz. pen for $9.99.

Smokey Kohl Eyeliner

Like the black liquid liner, these creamy twist-up pencils are no joke when it comes to staying power. I’ve cried with Smokey Grey on my lash and water lines, and it didn’t move. I just wish there were an easier way to sharpen the tip…

Available in five shades, $9.99 each for a 0.004-oz. pencil.

Healthy Skin Radiant Cream Concealer

This is expensive for drugstore at nearly $15, but what you get is pretty much the equivalent of a $30 Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural concealer. Just like Supernatural, it relentlessly refrains from settling into experience lines. The medium-coverage formula is creamy, but not watery, and it has a satiny finish (no obvious disco pearl, though). Maybelline Age Rewind (a holy grail drugstore concealer!) offers more coverage; however, Neutrogena’s is thinner and easier to blend. And it’s just a tad less obvious. If you don’t want your under-eye makeup to look heavy, look no further than this. For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC and a Honey Bronze in Estée Lauder, and I use shade Almond Medium 2 for dark circle correction because of its peachy undertone, and Toffee Medium 3 for the rest of my face.

Oh, and one last thing — this photographs fantastically well.

neutrogena makeup review — I’m wearing the Glow Primer + Serum, Protect+Tint Tinted Moisturizer, Healthy Skin Radiant Cream Concealer, Precision Liquid Eyeliner, Smokey Kohl Eyeliner, Glow On Liquid Highlighter, Cheeky Wink Flushed Blush and Nourishing Brow Pencil

Available in 15 shades, $14.99 for a 0.24-oz. tube.
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FOTD: Violet Tendencies and a Shout-Out to the Early Aughts With an Icy Blue Highlight!

July 17th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

Do you ever start a look with a specific idea in mind, but then it turns into something completely different?! That’s what happened with this eye makeup. I fully intended to do a simple lid with a sweep of matte brown eyeshadow and the thinnest slice of purple winged liner (“Just five minutes, Karen, that’s it!”), but surprise! — somehow I ended up with several shades of purple swirling together into this violet smoke show.

I mean…there is a hint of a gradient wing happening (on the upper lash line if you look closely), so I guess I kinda stuck to the plan? HA HA HA. Eventually, at some point along this crazy makeup journey we call life, I’m just going to have to lean into my smokey eye tendencies and accept that I really don’t want to do any other type of look. ?‍♀️

Also, shout-out to the early Aughts with the shimmery, icy blue inner corner highlight. Add a satin camisole shirt, low-slung bootcut jeans and a fedora. and it’s 2002 all over again!

(You know you rocked this same look back in the day. ?)

I’m wearing a couple new Urban Decay products, by the way — the Naked Ultraviolet Palette (very easy to blend!) and the Lash Freak Mascara (tons of volume at the roots). If you have any questions about either, hit me up in the comments.

Makeup worn in this look

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More Makeup Gems From Innisfree

July 16th, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

innisfree eyeshadows contour powder tint review — South Korean cosmetics brand Innisfree!

Can we talk makeup gems for a moment? Because Innisfree has so many of them! The South Korean cosmetics and skin care brand’s $6 shimmer shadows could have just as easily come from Shu Uemura, Armani or Guerlain, but they’re way, way, way more affordable.

I’ll get to some of their other stuff in a second, but the shimmers…SWOON. And I haven’t even been into shimmery product like this lately, really, but the two shimmer shadows I tried (a warm reddish bronze and a peachy gold) make me wish for every color in the line.

They’re both brimming with pigment, and the powders are so finely sieved that creating smooth gradients is a breeze. The flattering pearly finish glows without highlighting fine lines either.

I still can’t get over the fact that the pans are only six bucks!

Other things I’ve recently tried and liked from the brand…

My Palette My Countouring in Shade 4

Weird name, because it’s just one color and not a palette, but this powder is so fab. It’s a cool-toned taupe with a slightly gray undertone, so you can easily create the illusion of cheeks that are sharp enough to cut glass. I mainly use this as a crease color to deepen my eye sockets, and it’s great for that. Available in four shades for $8 each.
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Summer Glam on the Go! Coral Lips and Peachy Bronzed Lids

July 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 2 — Today’s summery glam on the go!

The other day, when I was wearing this makeup, I ran into my neighbor, and she asked if I was going anywhere special, to which I replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “I’M GOING TO SPORTS BASEMENT!”

You know the bar for your entertainment is set reeeeeeeally low when you dress up like you’re going to fancy brunch on vacation, but in reality you’re going to a sporting goods store to look for weights…

Oh, the pandemic stories we’ll have to tell! ?

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 4 — A summery color palette

This summery look has a few of my favorite warm-weather shades — coral and bronze! — and looks fancy, but it’s very easy to do. It also feels light and weightless, which are must-haves when the temperature’s rising.

This look has three distinguishing features — long, lifted, lush lashes; warm, peachy bronze lids; and luminous skin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 5 — Streamlined and summery makeup

1. Primer on the outer lashes

To make your lashes look longer and more dramatique, coat your outer lashes with a lengthening lash primer before loading them up with mascara. This creates a lush lash effect without the time and effort of falsies.

2. Bronzer is your buddy for glam-on-the-go eyes

Bronzed eyes are a summer staple, and while you could always search your makeup collection for that perfect shade, why not save yourself a little time and swish your favorite bronzer on your lids instead?

Here, I layered a warm golden tan bronzer atop a satiny peach cream shadow…

3. Define your lash line with brown and black eyeliner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: gradients are your friend.

This brown-into-black eyeliner gradient on the upper lash line is subtle, but I think that’s the beauty of it.

Start by lining your upper and lower waterlines with a matte brown pencil. Then, draw a thin line on your upper lash line, and smudge the outer edge of that ever so slightly.

Add depth to the gradient by etching a very thin line of black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Added bonus: the black liner also creates the illusion of a thicker lash base!

Flexible face oil

You probably already know I’m a fan of customizing foundation — mixing in a few drops of concealer for added coverage, or adding a few drops of liquid highlighter for a luminous effect. Well, here’s another one to try: blend a drop or two of face oil into your foundation to dial down the opacity of your base. This trick is handy for applying base to sections of the face where you want more of your natural skin to peek through, and it’s what I did here for my forehead and the outer edges.

Fastest updo

If your hair is crazy from quarantine, and you’re tired of rockin’ your fun bun, gather it into a high pony, and secure it into small sections with tiny hair ties (I like these. Three bucks at Ulta!). You can keep the hair ties bare, like I did here (I think the shiny effect looks like jewelry), but if you want to boost the sophistication factor, cover up the ties by wrapping a small piece of hair around each one and securing it with a bobby pin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — See the shine from the hair ties?

Makeup worn in this look

I listed everything on my visage below, so please feel free to ask about any of these products in the comments. ?
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FOTD: Real-Life Minimal Makeup Look for Zoom/Video Calls With Other People Who Don’t Wear a Lot of Makeup

July 9th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

I realize this is a very specific type of “Zoom” makeup, buuuuuuut I recently did this look for a live video visit with my family, and then my buddy and MBB reader Jan mentioned that she was looking for a basic look to wear when you’re Zoom-ing with people who don’t wear a lot of makeup, so I figured that if at least two people had the same idea, someone else out there might find it helpful, too.

(Hopefully that someone is you!)

wander beauty double date k1 — You could easily do this look as everyday makeup, too.

I typically like to adjust the level of makeup I wear according to who I’m chatting with (both for video calls and for real life); this look is an idea of what you could wear when you want to get some stuff on your face so you don’t look like a zombie on camera.

wander beauty double date k2 — 10 minutes, from start to finish

The step-by-step

BEGIN WITH BROWS AND LASHES: First, fill in your brows (I used a brow pencil first, then brushed a clear brow gel through to mellow it out). Next, curl your lashes, and apply a thin coat of mascara to lock the curl. Allow this thin layer to dry as you work on the rest of your face.
ACE THAT BASE: Blend a medium-coverage matte or semi-matte tinted moisturizer all over your face with your fingers, and then buff your base lightly with a skunk brush to blur any harsh lines or edges. Dot concealer under your eyes and/or wherever you want extra coverage, and blend with fingers or a tapered eye brush. If your skin is oily, then set your base with a sheer dusting of powder.
BRONZE AND DEFINE: Dust a powdered bronzer on your cheekbones, around the perimeter of your forehead, and on your cheeks and chin, and then across the bridge of your nose with a big, fluffy powder brush. Next, load your favorite eye brush with the same bronzer, and sweep it into your crease and along your lower lash lines to softly define your eyes.
CHEEKS AND LIPS: Tap a cream blush (ideally, one that also doubles as a lipstick) on the apples of your cheeks with your fingers, and feather out the edges. Line and fill in your lips with a nude lip pencil, and blend a bit of the cream you used as a blush on top.
HELLO, HIGHLIGHTS: Use your fingers to blend a cream blush onto your upper cheekbones and down the bridge of your nose. Then, blend a little on your lids from the lash line to your crease.
LINE AND LIFT: Draw a thin line with a pencil or a liquid liner along your upper lash line, and then smudge the edge with a pencil brush. If you want, tightline your upper lash line, too. (I usually like to do this because it makes my lashes look thicker.) Finish by coating your lashes with mascara that lifts and curls your lashes.

From start to finish, this usually takes me from 10-20 minutes (usually about 10 because I fly through it!).

nars kalahariwander beauty double date makeup zoom call — All the makeup I’m wearing in these pics

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MAC Bronzer Collection Swatches on NC42 Skin!

July 8th, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 top pic — Bronzed and beautiful ?

Things that say, “Summer has officially arrived…”

The sun setting at 9 p.m.
Barbecuing on a random Wednesday night just because you can
Challenging someone to a sword fight with a pool noodle
Sweating buckets every time you walk from any air conditioning building to your car
The MAC summer makeup collection (of course!)

This summer’s MAC Bronzer Face and Body collection is all about bronzed shades for tanned skin, but there’s also a twist… It includes a plethora of shades designed for warm *and* cool skin tones.

Hot and cool

Sure, MAC stocked it with the kind of warm summery coral, gold, bronze and peach tones you might expect from a MAC summer launch, but this year’s collection also sports some surprising cooler-toned shades of taupe, pink and pale lavender in the Foiled Shadows (apply with a wet brush for a slick, foiled finish) and the Strobe Face Glazes (*very cool* gel-like highlighters you can wear over foundation or bare skin).

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 — Love the limited edition packaging!

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 foiled shadow — MAC Bronzer Foiled Shadows, $26 each

Silky, satiny bronzers

As for the bronzing powders in the Bronzer collection — be careful! — the velvety Radiant Matte Bronzing Powders will shock your fingertip if you swatch them (ME: “Why is this powder SO SOFT?!”), and there are absolutely no orange undertones in sight.

Totally Taupe, the darker of the two options, is brown with yellow undertones, and Beige-ing Beauty is a light yellowish brown (I’m an NC42, and I could probably wear it as a face powder).

Technically, they’re matte with a slight sheen, which keeps them from looking too flat on your face.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 strobe face glze — 143SES Medium Face Face Brush ($38.50), Strobe Face Glaze ($28 each), Prep+Prime Fix+ in Bronzelite ($30) Strobe Body Lotion ($35)

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 radiant matte bronzing powder — Radiant Matte Bronzing Powder, $32

A refreshing take on highlights

If you’re totally over the trend of shimmery, frosty highlighters that are visible from space, then the dewy, shiny Strobe Face Glazes might be worth checking out. They’re dewy and shiny but not blindingly glossy. There’s just a little something-something there… I think it’s super cool.

They feel slightly sticky, like a typical face gloss, but don’t worry — your high pony won’t stick to your cheekbones once you pat and blend them in because they aren’t thick. On minimal makeup days, I’ll do a swipe of Bronzejour on my lids with waterproof mascara (waterproof is a must, since whatever the Glazes touch will break down and smudge eventually) and use Let’s Make Waves as an upper cheekbone highlighter.

Like most face glosses, Face Glaze isn’t built for longevity, so expect it to move a bit when it’s on your skin, and anticipate having to touch up every four hours or so.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipsticks — MAC Bronzer Lipsticks, $20 each

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipglasses — Lipglass, $18.50 each

mac bronzer collection swatches lipglasses — Lipglasses

mac bronzer collection swatches foiled shadow lipsticks — Lipsticks

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