Makeup

Fresh Friday: Blending Feels Good With the Super Soft Bristles in This New Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brush Line

January 18th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

MBB’s “Fresh Friday” series takes a look at new beauty brands (and venerable O.G. brands that are new to me). Let’s discover new makeup!

One of the issue I’ve had with some synthetic makeup brushes is how stiff their bristles are, but that is not a prob for the brushes I’ve tried from aDesign, a new makeup brush line exclusive to Amazon. The angled buffing brush, for one, is so soft that it feels like you’re getting kitten kisses. Sometimes I’ll sit at my desk just rubbing it all over my face. If soft is what you want, soft is what you’ll get with these cruelty-free vegan brushes.

The line is the beauty brainchild of Anisa Telwar Kaicker of Anisa International (Forbes recently gave them a shout-out as one of the best small companies of 2018). Incidentally, Anisa makes brushes for some of the biggest beauty brands out there (Estée Lauder, NARS, Sephora, MAC, Hourglas, La mer and Laura Mercier, to name a few), so I guess it’s safe to say they know brushes.

The new aDesign line has 30 brushes, which are sold in sets of two brushes each. The sets range from $14 on the lower end (for a pair of eye brushes, which breaks down to $7 a brush = not bad!) to $34 on the higher end (for two face brushes). The brushes are lightweight with medium-length handles, and they feel a lot like It Cosmetics brushes in my hand.

How do you choose which set to get? Well, they’re categorized by function. For example, the Eye Power Duo ($14) is all about smoky eyes and comes with two eye brushes for applying and blending cream or powder shadows for smoky looks.

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What Kind of Makeup Looks Are You Into at the Moment?

January 17th, 2019 by Karen 25 Comments

becca apres ski glow face palette k — Mine’s a very BECCA look.

I’m always curious to hear what you’re into ’cause I’m a nosy noodle like that. Myself, I’m in a bronzed lid/nude lip phase, which I know is more of a summertime ensemble, and it’s midwinter and pouring buckets here, but I’m rolling with it. Might as well let it work its way through my system. ?

Before this, I went through a taupe eyeshadow phase, and before that I was all about warm reds and oranges.

How ’bout you? What kind of makeup looks are you into at the moment?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Crazy About Creams! The Chantecaille Mermaid Eye Mattes

January 17th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes 1 — Hello, my pretties.

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

One of these freakin’ days, man… One of these days after I’ve finally squatted my way to a J. Lo booty (please pause while I send up a short prayer to the booty gods), I’m gonna pop-pop-pop that thing whenever I wear the matte Chantecaille Cream Shadows, because they’re worthy of a booty pop or two. Or 12.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes swatches — Say what, Karen? You’re an NC42 for reference? NO WAY!

Unfortunately, they have a pearl-clutching price of $34 for a 0.14-oz. jar, which, I know! — so expensive — but if it’s any consolation, French brand Chantecaille has been doing high-end clean beauty since before it was trendy, and with these pots (I use Silvie, Bee and Olivia), I do think you get what you pay for. These things make my lids smoooooooth.

Mind you, these are still cream shadows, so they aren’t a Christmas miracle. Technically, yes, my ~~wrinkles~~ experience lines are definitely still there, but whenever I wear these I find myself wondering where the heck my fine lines went! Trust me, you won’t be mad about it.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes k — I’m wearing Bee on my lids, Sylvie in my crease and a touch of Olivia on the inner lids. The bronzer/blush is Hourglass Illume in Sunset, and the lip is NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil in Sin.

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Crazy About Creams! Hourglass Illume Sheer Color Trio in Sunset

January 16th, 2019 by Karen 23 Comments

hourglass illume sunset trio — OH, HAI, GORGEOUS!

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

First, happy hump day to ya. Second, here are a couple fun facts about the $62 Hourglass Illume Trio in Sunset (you know, to get you ready for Makeup Final Jeopardy!).

Like the name implies, it’s a trio. It has a cream bronzer, a blush and a highlighter, and the first time it launched was back in 2010 (my gosh, have I really been writing about makeup that long?). Back then, it was only a duo, and it was $40 instead of $62. It came with just a cream blush and a bronzer in some fun-kay packaging. It had a different logo and this huge swivel mirror that you could turn 360 degrees around.

hourglass illume sunset trio swatches — The trio on medium tan, warm skin. For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The new version looks totally different on the outside (no more cray-cray mirror), and now that it’s a trio, it also comes with the cream highlighter.

Quality-wise, I think the trio is just as good as the O.G. duo, and yes, I still have one of the original duos because I am Marie Kondo’s freakin’ nightmare, and I’ve kept it around ~~because I’m a hoarder~~.

What can I say? I don’t use it anymore…although I probably could. It doesn’t smell or look funny (which is my totally unscientific way of determining if I need to throw something out).

hourglass illume sunset trio k — Cheeeeeeeks!

Anyway, the colors in the current trio version are similar to the colors in the O.G. one. You get the same medium peach blush and warm golden bronze, but now you also get a pearly golden beige highlighter.
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Current Foundation Routine —> All About That Base

January 15th, 2019 by Karen 30 Comments

OK, it’s true, I seemingly have a new foundation routine every two seconds because I like to switch things up all the time. Lately I’ve been using a slightly different combo of some old faves, and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what I’ve been doing with my skin. So I guess it’s working for me! Here’s the product lineup in order from start to finish…

MAC Fix+: A few spritzes on bare skin
MAC Prep+ Prime Natural Radiance: One pump applied all over face
MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion: One pump on oily spots (forehead, nose, chin)
MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC42 mixed with a few drops of Pinklite Strobe Cream (1-3 very thin layers)
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Liquid Concealer in shade 7 (under the eyes) and shade 8 (on cheeks and around nose)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Golden Tan
MAC Fix+: A few more sprays after all of the powder products have been applied (powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc.)

I’d call this a medium-coverage base. The coverage is just shy of full, and I like that this combo doesn’t feel heavy, but there’s still enough coverage to even out the skin.

It does take time, though. Definitely more than a one-minute job with tinted moisturizer and concealer applied with my fingers and buffed out with a brush or sponge (which is also a totally legit process, but also a totally different look).

If you’re gonna go this route, I recommend doing a couple things…

1. Wait for your face primer to dry

I usually apply my face primer at the start of my makeup, then do my brows and eyes to give the primer time to absorb. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll wait a minute or two, and then blot down as much as I can with a tissue or paper towel, but you basically want the primer to have fully absorbed so it can do its thing. You don’t want to jump to the next steps while it’s sitting on top of your skin.

2. Thin layers are key!

OH, THE MAGIC OF THIN BASE LAYERS. I could talk about this for ages, but here’s the gist of it: If you’re going for a good amount of coverage but don’t want your base makeup to look like cake frosting, use multiple thin layers of foundation and/or concealer, as opposed to just piling a ton of product on bare skin.

The thin layers will give you the coverage you want without looking like batter.

It does takes time and effort, though…

Apply each thin layer with your fingers or a sponge or brush, and blend it in with a buffing brush (you want to get the layers as close to your skin as possible). Also, wait for the previous layer to dry (at least a minute or two) before applying the next one, and repeat until you reach the coverage you want.

It’s like walking around with a goat in your arms…

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Crazy About Creams! NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color

January 15th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

Hey, man, if you’re looking to break your neutral eyeshadow addiction, I 100% can’t help you there. Sorry ~~not sorry~~ to say that the NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Colors ($24) will just throw metaphorical makeup gas on the neutral ? fire, because hello glowing gold, bronze, beige and taupe!

I’m crazy about these creams. They’re smooth enough to spread on toast! They’re like buttah, baby! Once they set, which takes about 30 seconds, you can pretty much forget about touching up for the rest of the day. They’re the creamiest, longest-lasting eyeshadow pencils I own.

nudestix magnetic eye color swatches — Swatches of my favorite shades

Every time I wear one, I wonder if I should just ditch powder eyeshadows completely. Being able to practically paint by numbers and apply shadow with a pencil tip is so much less hit or miss than applying shadow with a brush, since you know EXACTLY where the color’s going, and you’re in complete control. And when you have a hooded lid situation, precise placement is everything.

nudestix magnetic eye color 2 — Why, yes, I’ll have a cup.

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Check Out Urban Decay Streetstyle Brow

January 11th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

You guys. I ascribe to the philosophy that if you ever feel like your life is spiraling, get your hair situation worked out, and everything will (probably) be OK.

Ludicrous? Perhaps.

Basically, get your hair outta that fun bun or that high pony and actually DO something with it. Then, fill in your brows, and the world will soon be right again. Hopefully… I mean it can’t hurt.

This held true at the gym the other night where I was wearing one of the new Urban Decay brow products from the Streetstyle Brow collection. Coincidentally, I had my hair down and done (because I hadn’t yet put it into my usual ponytail), and a couple of my friends in the class were like, “You look so nice today! What did you do?” to which I said, “Thank you! Brows and hair, babe. BROWS. AND. HAIR.”

So, obviously, UD’s brow products aren’t going to help you tame your crazy cowlick situation (that’s up to you, girl), but they will help you fill in your brows and make them more voluminous, fluffy and Insta-grammy (if that’s what you’re going for). You can do any brow style you like with something from this new collection of products.

BROW FINISH Waterproof Brow Gel ($21)

They’ve actually got some really innovative things, too, like this glittery brow gel.

(I know! It sounds absolutely bonkers, but stay with me.)

Essentially, Brow Finish in Midnight Cowboy is a clear gel with golden microglitter in it that you brush through your brows. It’s surprisingly flattering to have something sparkly above the lids. I don’t know the science behind it, but it’s super pretty. Obviously, I wouldn’t rock it to a job interview, but if I’m just tooling around town or going to Petco or a party, it’s good stuff.

By the way, it’s dries to a medium hold, so it isn’t super rigid, and there’s also a clear version called Ozone that doesn’t have the sparkles and also has a little weaker hold.

BROW BLADE Ink Stain + Waterproof Pencil ($26)

I’m also super impressed by their dual-ended Brow Blades, which have a sheer, flexible felt tip marker on one end and a fine brow pencil on the other. You can use each by itself or combine them together.

I think they’re great if you want to fill in your brows and have them still look natural.

Favorite thing about them? The felt tip pen. You can get a decent amount of color into your brows quickly with it, and the color lasts all day long…as long as you aren’t sweating like a mofo. It didn’t last through my HIIT workout at the gym, which was a bummer, but hey, I was dripping in sweat because we were doing the rowing machines, and those things kill me. So I do not blame the brows, LOL!

I would recommend Brow Blade to anybody who wants natural-looking filled-in brows. Also good if you have gaps between your brows, or if you want to extend your brow tails. t’s fabulous.
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The #BECCABFFS Collection

January 10th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

beccabffs product shot — ? a bronze glow? Here’s your new #BECCABFFs.

Whenever I see a Kardashian-related makeup product (which is, like, every five seconds, amiright?), I remember that krazy dream I had a few months ago where Kim and I got into a kat fight about jewelry. HA HA HA! Yes, it was nuts. I think of that dream every time I wear the #BECCABFFs collection.

The #BECCABFFs collection is new, LE and available now with two powder palettes, a loose highlighter and four lipsticks. It’s a collab between Khloe Kardashian and her bestie Malika Haqq, and even though I have feeeeeeeelings about the Kardashians…I guess if there were any of them I could remotely relate to, it would probably be Khloe, because she does have that biting sense of humor. And I know this because I marathoned the first two seasons of KUWTK while Connor was a newborn and I was up at all hours feeding her.

beccabffs k — Wearing the Made With Love by Khloe Palette on my cheeks and eyes, and Cupid’s Bow Lipstick on my lips.

BECCA’s vibe is generally beach-babe-meets-Victoria’s-Secret-runway-model, and they’re consistent about it. They shamelessly embrace warm, bronzed, highlighted skin and glowing lids and lips, and I like that type of makeup, so it doesn’t get tedious for me, but I can see how they could seem like a one-trick pony if it’s not your thing.

At first blush, #BECCABFF’s colors might seem very similar to the colors from previous collections like BECCA X Chrissy (THE BEST), but they really are different. The four warm shades in the Made With Love By Malika Palette ($44), for instance, are deeper and darker versions of BECCA’s usual classic bronze look, and the Made With Love By Khloe Palette (also $44), while still warm, has a surprisingly neutral matte bronzer in it that’s unusual for a BECCA launch.

So, yeah, the differences are subtle, but they’re there.

The packaging’s a little clunky…but the powders themselves perform like Olympic gymnasts. They’re typical BECCA multitaskers, too, so you can wear them on your cheeks, eyes or, heck, all over your face if you want to!

See the marbling? Kinda looks like the Hourglass Ambient blushes and bronzers, right? You get that same lighter-than-air quality with these powders, where you can’t even see the grains on your skin, but they differ in terms of shimmer. The Ambients are known for their subtlety, and subtle these are not. The #BECCABFFS turn up the pearl, so you gotta lean into the glow if you want to go there.

I’m cool with it because the pearl particles are fine, so my pores are like “Coo’, coo’… We can work with this.”

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