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Some Days You’ve Gotta Flip Your Hair

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Quick five minute makeup today!

I followed this tutorial by one of my faves, makeup artist Hung Vanngo.

The key makeup products I used are MAC Date Maker lipstick (so good), Laura Mercier Corsica liquid blush, Chanel Espresso eyeliner (THE BEST), Chanel Rosy light Drops liquid highlighter and YSL Faux Cils mascara. I also tried a new-to-me concealer — Revlon Colorstay Skin Awaken in 050.

If you’re in the Bay Area… How did you fare during the storm last night? I was a little freaked out when I drove Connor to dance because the rain was coming down in sheets and the roads were starting to flood. Our power stayed on, though. (Knock on wood.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: Jane Iredale Makeup, Kamik Rain Boots, and Missing the Hustle and Bustle

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Hey friend! How’s it going on this third day of the year? It’s quiet in my house, and I don’t know how I feel about it!

We’ve had so many people go in and out our doors over the past two weeks, and with my sidekick at home, it was loud and boisterous and just so lovely. Now I miss it, but I’m also kind of relieved, which is weird, I know.

Maybe I’m still recovering from the trauma known as 2020, but socializing these days, while I enjoy it, takes a lot out of me.

I’m naturally a social person, but hosting, cooking and cleaning is draining, RIGHT? Why are there so many dishes? And why does vacuuming never cease? LOL!

And yet… I still love the hustle and bustle of having friends and family over. It just reminds me that life keeps going.

Anyway, the only sound I hear now is Rosie chomping on her kibble and the refrigerator humming. I’m a little lonely, not gonna lie.

Yesterday I wanted to be productive and planned to stow the Christmas decorations, but instead we spent it painting Connor’s new rain boots with these awesome Posca paint pens.

Connor did most of the designs, but I chipped in a little bit here and there with some hearts and stars.

These rain boots, by the way, are from a new-to-me Canadian brand called Kamik, and they were so good at keeping Connor’s feet dry that I want a pair for myself.

Before we decorated them yesterday, we took the boots out for some puddle stomping at a hike we like to do in our town that leads you up to a waterfall, and even after crossing multiple creeks, Connor’s socks stayed absolutely dry.

My socks got wet, though!

Am I the only person who just cannot deal with wet socks? They’re my pet peeve. Anyway, I’m on a mission to find a pair for myself!

I’m also on a mission to put on eyeshadow that is not NARS Fez or Kalahari (my go-to shades for, oh, the last six months or so). This morning I dug into a drawer and unearthed some beauties from Jane Iredale!

jane iredale november 2021
HEART!

If today’s FOTD turns out OK, I’ll let ya know.

How are you doing today? What’s new on your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Follow Up to Fenty Heat Gloss, Pie and Half, and All the Errands

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Hot Cherry Gloss by Fenty!

In the last post’s comments, Tatiana (hey, Tatiana!) had some questions about the sheer red gloss Connor and I were wearing the other day:

Does the Fenty gloss have a scent or taste? Is it super sticky or just moderately so? I keep looking at them, but haven’t bought one yet.

OK, great questions about this beautiful red gloss!

Fenty Heat Gloss in Hot Cherry smells and tastes like fruit punch. It’s very subtle, though. Because it’s not obnoxiously sweet or fake or plastic-y, it doesn’t turn my stomach, which is KEY when it comes to gloss for me!

On my lips, it’s pretty comfy. I’d describe it as moderately sticky — less sticky than a MAC Lipglass and more than a MAC Plushglass.

FYI, Hot Cherry is one of five shades in the Heat Gloss collection, which is Fenty’s line of lip plumpers. Since it’s a plumping gloss, it tingles a little bit at first.

I don’t really see a big difference in my lips after I apply it, but I typically don’t have high expectations when it comes to lip plumpers. *shrugs* I mostly wanted it because I love the particular shade of red and how sheer and shiny it is!

If lip plumpers aren’t your thing, there’s another line of Fenty glosses called the Gloss Bombs, which are also very pretty. They smell and taste a little bit like vanilla and have a similar texture to the Heat Glosses. I wore and loved the OG shade Fenty Glow when it first came out.

On a non-gloss note, I was chatting with a mom friend today, and we joked about how moms and caregivers during this time of year are seemingly always doing one ridiculous errand after the other in the days before Christmas, LOL! Sigh.

My long list of errands today included buying a couple Cara Cara oranges (I’ve only seen them in one local grocery this year!) and a couple pies — well, technically one pie and a half!

One gluten-free apple pie and a half pecan pie, please!

Do the grocery stores in your neighborhood sell half pies? I swear they’re the best thing ever! If you have a smaller family like we do, you get just enough pie to feel satisfied but not so much that you start to get sick of it. Yay for half pies!

Oh, and before I continue on my quest to conquer all the errands, a friend of mine recently started a new Amazon store featuring smart fitness watches. If you’re in the market for one, you might want to check it out.

I’m off! Here’s to smooth sailing for all of us before Santa visits.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Layered Eye Looks: Forest Green Liner with Champagne Eyeshadow

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I jokingly texted a friend to tell her that I finally put on a full face of makeup because I no longer wanted to look like I just crawled out of a pit of doom! LOL. And even though I’m 100% comfortable now rollin’ around town bare faced with just sunscreen, there’s still something really nice about going to the grocery store to buy cara cara oranges and have the checker call me “miss” instead of “ma’am.”

I’ve been inspired by simple, layered eye makeup lately. In this one, I layered a glittery champagne cream shadow (Hourglass Ray) on top of a shimmery forest green liner (Urban Decay Mildew). It’s easy, peasy, lemon squeeze-y, and I feel like I get a lot of look for very little effort.

What I also really like about this look is how the glitter isn’t too flashy. It sparkles in the light, but it’s not, like, too much for a weekday midday run to Tar-ghay.

Key products worn in this look

Here’s what I used for eyes, cheeks and lips. If you want to know more about the base or brows, let me know in the comments. 🙂

Officially a dance mom!

Connor joined the junior dance team at her studio this year, and last weekend was her first official performance. I think she was more excited to wear the clip-on earrings, LOL!

I’ve had my ears pierced since the day I was born; no really, back in the day in the Philippines, you could get your baby’s ears pierced at the hospital!

Anywho, all this to say we found out that clip-on earrings are a whole different beast. Connor was so looking forward to wearing them, but when she tried them on for the first time, one of the earrings was too tight and hurt her little ear.

I did a little googling and found a trick to loosening them. All you have to do is move the part of the clip-on that looks like a “U” around. You need widen it to relieve the pressure on your ears! It really helps. Just goes to show you, you learn something new every day.

Have a peaceful and joyful Tuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Makeup Are You Wearing Today?

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Today’s makeup!

PROOF OF LIFE! Yes, I’m still alive. LOL! And I’m still around. I’ve been just taking time to process my new world order… On that note, if you know of anyone hiring a beauty copywriter, please send them my way.

OK, so makeup. I’m wearing lots of Chanel today, with a touch of NARS and Laura Mercier. I’ll list mine below if you list yours in the comments. 🙂

  • BASE: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in 50 Beige (foundation), Hourglass Retouching Fluid in Sand (under-eye concealer) set with MAC MSF in Medium Golden (powder)
  • CHEEKS: MAC MSF in Give Me Sun (bronzer) and NARS Luster (blush)
  • EYES: Chanel Les Beiges Eyeshadow Palette (lids), NARS Fez (crease), Chanel Hyperblack Cream Eyeliner (lash line), YSL Faux Cils (mascara)
  • LIPS: Laura Mercier Jeanne (lipstick)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. A few things I’ve had on my mind lately…

1. Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”

Anyone else listening to this on repeat? My favorite song is “Anti-hero.”

2. Officially a morning person

Ya know, I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve become a morning person. I realized it yesterday when I let myself sleep until 7 on a weekday for the first time in a long time; I felt like I lost an entire morning! Not waking up at 5:30 feels weird to me now, and when I don’t have that early block of time, the rest of my day feels off.

3. Repeating numbers

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of repeating numbers. I’ll glance at the clock or my phone and see 11:11, 1:11, 2:22 and 5:55 especially. I don’t know a lot about numerology and am not sure if I believe in it, but I certainly believe in heeding signs from the universe, and this feels like a big, flashing sign. What do you think? Am I reading too much into it? Anywho, I did some googling on repeating numbers and enjoyed this article quite a bit.

You Get 60 Seconds for Makeup: What Do You Do?

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lancome idole lash
Mascara, please!

Do you swipe on blush? Brush up your brows? I’m curious to hear what you would do if you were totally pressed for time.

I used to know a girl when I was doing theater who’s “quick and dirty” version of 60-second makeup was black liner on her water lines and loads of mascara. Another friend of mine did a swipe of red lipstick — and that was it! (She looked fantastic in it, by the way.)

For me, it’s my lash curler and mascara, and the mascara has BRING IT. I’m talking length, volume, curl, everything. Gimme all the drama, please.

If there’s any extra time in that minute, then I’ll either 1) run a clear brow gel through my brows, or 2) blend cream blush onto my cheeks.

How about you? If you had only 60 seconds to do your makeup, what would you do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Apples and Oranges! Seasonal Apple Treats from Trader Joe’s, and a bareMinerals Mascara Made with Orange Peel

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I’m wearing a mascara that has orange peel fibers in the formula!

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies is from “Good Will Hunting,” and it’s when Matt Damon’s character, Will, tells off a snotty university student by saying, “How you like them apples?” Ahhh! Classic.

Speaking of apples, I popped into TJ’s yesterday and it was all apple everything. I grabbed the Harvest Apple Salad Kit (the dressing is super yummy; I add chopped hard boiled eggs for extra protein), a jar of the Apple Cider Fruit Spread and a bottle of the Honey Crisp Apple Cider.

I came this close to buying a box of the Apple Hand Pies in the bakery section, but I told myself that I needed to chill because I’m making it my mission to finally bake an apple pie from scratch.

Pies are so intimidating to me! There’s so many steps, right? You’ve got to make the crust, and then the filling. Then you have to assemble it, and bake it, and then wait forever and a day for the pie to cool so you can actually cut it without it falling apart… I don’t know, it just seems so much harder compared to cakes, cupcakes or brownies.

Anyway, it’s time for me to embark upon a pie quest, so I’ve been researching various apple pie recipes. All this to say, if you have a solid apple pie recipe, please pass it along, and put me out of my misery. I really need to bake this pie and get it out of my system, LOL!

OK, from apples to oranges… I’m still on the hunt for a new favorite mascara, and I recently tried one by bareMinerals called Maximist which uses orange peel fibers to add volume. Interesting! The brush is crazy-town – way too big!

If you’re looking for big lashes, this mascara holds the curl, doesn’t flake or smudge, lengthens, removes easily… Basically, the whole shebang! The brush messes things up, though. It picks up way too much product, and unless I’m really good about removing the excess, the mascara ends up clumpy and messy. Too bad. It could’ve been great. The search continues.

Have a great rest of your Wednesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mad About Mascara!

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Current mascara lineup, but of course I’m lookin’ for a new love!

It’s clear from the answers to question nine in yesterday’s Monday poll that as a collective group we are mad about mascara!

Did you think you were alone in your mascara obsession? Guess what? You’re not!

As much as I love mascara, I do have to say ever since I quit using lash serum (it was around this time last year), mascara needs to work that much harder. Ugh! When I was consistently using lash serum, my lashes were long, thick, lush, curled easily and rarely fell out. I could use any mascara, and my lashes would look amazing. Now that I’m back to my baseline lashes, every mascara falls short.

I’m on the hunt for a new one, again!

In the comments yesterday, Megan mentioned the new Tower 28 mascara, which I’ve been wanting to try ever since I saw makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes use it on Instagram. I have yet to find an –“air quotes” — clean mascara that I’ve liked, though, so if and when I pick it up at Sephora, I’m gonna definitely keep my receipt just in case.

What mascara are you using at the moment?

All summer long I bounced back and forth between a couple of old faves from MAC, and I just recently started a new tube from a brand called Araceli. They’re a small, cruelty-free line out of Southern California, and the packaging has a pretty butterfly on the side of the tube. It’s good at thickening and lengthening, but I could use with more curl hold, so it’s not the one to rule them all.

I’m wearing two coats of Araceli Mascara.

One tube of Araceli mascara is $19, and side note, when did mascara get so dang expensive?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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