Makeup

MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit | The Power of Gold Stars

April 12th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

mac patrick starrr me so chic — MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic

So I’ve been doing The Five-Minute Journal now for about a month, and the big thing that’s helped me stick to it — and this is major because I’ve started and stopped more projects than I can count — is something so simple and really very elementary, and by ‘elementary’ I mean something that kids in kindergarten probably still do (because I did it about a bazillion years ago).

This: tracking your progress every day with gold ⭐ stars. (I use hand-drawn Sharpie stars because I couldn’t find gold sticker stars anywhere in my town.)

Every day you complete a task, and for me it’s filling out a page in the journal, you stick a star on the calendar, and after ‘X’ number of days, you treat yourself to a reward. ???

mac patrick starrr me so chic k down — With my trusty gold Sharpie by my side! I’m wearing the quad, lipstick, gloss and blush duo from the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Chic Face Kit.

The reward part is totally key, but ya know…you don’t have to buy yourself a Lambo or anything. A trip to your favorite lunch spot so you can buy that bougie $20 salad you love so much (*cough* Blue Barn Tostada Salad *cough*), a new eyeliner, or — ooh! — a spa treatment (I WISH). I’m going to get myself some workout pants from Senita because I’m all about that high-waisted life these days.

mac patrick starrr me so chic k side — Gold stars!

Even though this system is low-tech, it’s very effective. I don’t know if it’s something hidden deep inside the folds of the most primitive part of my brain, but I love seeing those stars pile up week after week. It feels like a good habit.

The Five-Minute Journal has enough pages for six months, and I’ve got about five more left.

I can’t wait to see my calendar filled this gold stars. 🙂

Speaking of stars…

The MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit ($49.50, coming April 19 to the MAC website and select MAC counters)

I feel like I’m wearing makeup that the girls in my high school marching band’s color guard wore in the late-’80s/early-’90s. Like, gimme an over-sized flag, a sequined outfit, shiny flesh-colored tights, and I’m be good to go!

I think the blush duo (a matte warm bronze and satiny peach) flatters my NC42 skin, but my eyes get watery when I wear the purples in the quad. Also, the nude lipstick and gloss… I think they’re pretty, but they’re pretty easily duped, too.

I like the MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Fleek Kit more than this one…

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Purple Lashes and the World’s Ugliest Pizza Dough Crust

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 24 Comments

urban decay double team mascara vice — Pizza and purple lashes

Purple lashes and pizza are NOT mutually exclusive.

urban decay double team vice — Statistics flashbacks! And Urban Decay Double Team Mascara. And UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Vice. Both of which I’m wearing in these pics.

You learn something new every day!

I finally made pizza ? for the very first time using raw pizza dough, which I got from Trader Joe’s, and lemme tell ya — I’m not going to be winning any Beautiful Pizzas of Instagram Awards anytime soon.

My goodness, that’s a hideous crust…

finished pizza — Let’s just say that it wasn’t sculpted by Michelangelo… It was damn tasty though.

Allegedly, El Hub knows how to make pizza dough from scratch (allegedly). Although I’ve yet to witness this phenomenon in person, he still poked fun at me for the raggedy edges.

I tried to make it cute, though! I really did!

trader joes pizza dough — 1,000% not Instagram-able

Ultimately, the hideousness didn’t matter because the pizza was SO good (as was the purple mascara, by the way).

GAH! Purple lashes! When was the last time I applied a purple tinted mascara and actually saw the color on my lashes? Um, like never?! Miraculously, I can actually see the purple from Urban Decay Double Team Special Effect Mascara in Vice, and it’s IN-YOUR-FACE PURPLE, which is awesome.

urban decay double team vice 2 — See the tops of the lashes? So purple!

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The Katy Kat Eyeshadow Palettes | Katy Perry Covergirl Collection | WEIRD CAT LADY GUILT!

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

katy kat palette — I’m wearing a mix of the blue and green shades from the Katy Kat Cool Kat palette on my lids and the matte medium brown from the Hot Kat palette in my crease

I always feel weirdly guilty whenever I bite an animal cracker or ruin an animal design on a pan of makeup (like these cute kitties!). Like, I know I’m not hurting them because…they’re inanimate, but I still nibble on the corner of the cookie that I imagine would hurt the least, like the tip of the ear or the tail or a toe… I can’t just go in and RWAARRRR! — dig my fangs into the tummy or, worse, bite the entire head off. IT FEELS SO WRONG!

These kitties in these pans look so peaceful and happy that I actually did everything I could to avoid their eyes and smiles when I wanted to use them. I dipped my brush into one ear, took a li’l from the chin, and I even used my brush to pretend that I was petting them…

What can I say, man? I’m a weirdo.

The Katy Kat Eyeshadow Palettes

I like these! They have a bit of fallout, so they aren’t perfection in a palette, but they’re pigmented, they’re affordable, they’re super soft, and there are kitties in the center! — which of course is cat lady catnip.

I like Hot Kat a little more than Cool Kat… Actually, a lot more, because most of the Cool Kat shadows are chunky and frosty. I think the blue and green in Cool Kat are beautiful, though, whether mixed together or worn separately (I mixed them together for my makeup here). Super pretty.

katy kat palette hot kat palette — Hot Kat

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Katy Kat Gloss | Covergirl Katy Perry Collection | 3 Recent Revelations (Feline and Otherwise)

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

A few recent revelations…

1. Wearing opaque white lipgloss makes me feel like I have four rows of teeth.

katy kat white catillac — Katy Kat Gloss in White Catillac

One, two, three, four. FOUR ROWS OF TEETH! When I wear this gloss and look in the mirror, I see a mythological Greek beast staring back at me.

2. Kissing my cat these days is a seriously sketchy endeavor.

OK, I just realized how weird “kissing my cat” sounds. Haha!

Anyway, he’ll go from kissy-kissy-lovie-dovie to “Molly, you in danger, girl…from my claw! And I’m gonna stick it in your iris if you don’t get the-eff-out of my space!” in less than a second.

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Highlights From the New Covergirl Spring 2018 Makeup Collection | Doing Makeup With a Toddler on Your Lap

April 10th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

covergirl makeup spring 2018 final face — A look from start to finish with the new Covergirl Spring 2018 makeup collection (there’s also a video down below)

There are some dicey moments, but it’s entirely possible to paint yo’ face with a toddler sitting on your lap. You just gotta accept that your new cream highlighter may end up having a big old dent when said toddler dips a brush into it, and one brow may end up darker than the other, and you may not end up wearing as much mascara as you normally would because you almost poked your eye out five or six times in the process. But putting on a full face from start to finish is totally doable with a toddler in the mix, and the results can be good enough for a Target run!

I mostly used products from the new Covergirl Spring 2018 collection for this, and here are some top-level observations…

Vitalist Go Glow in Daybreak — Subtle, soft shimmer
Vitalist Healthy Concealer Pens in Warm Beige and Medium Beige (worn as under-eye concealer and as foundation) — Good coverage and finish, excellent as a face concealer, but too sheer for use under my eyes
Vitalist Healthy Powder in Medium Beige — Natural coverage, looks even better as the day goes on
Lid Lock Eye Shadow Primer — OK
Peacock Flare Mascara Waterproof — Decent length and lift, pokey brush
Vitalist Healthy Glow Highlighter in 6 (worn as an eyeshadow) — Too sparkly…
TruNaked Smoky Eyeshadow Palette (worn as liner) — Moderately pigmented, and very little fallout
Ultrafine Brow Pencil in Rich Brown — Sheer but still buildable
Melting Pout Matte Liquid Lipstick in Currant Nude — Wears off if I drink something or nibble

Putting on makeup with a toddler on my lap, episode no. 001. I’m wearing mostly new makeup from the @Covergirl spring 2018 collection: Vitalist Go Glow in Daybreak | Vitalist Healthy Concealer Pens in Warm Beige and Medium Beige | Vitalist Healthy Powder in Medium Beige | Lid Lock Eye Shadow Primer | Peacock Flare Mascara Waterproof | Vitalist Healthy Glow Highlighter in 6 | Ultrafine Brow Pencil in Rich Brown | Melting Pout Matte Liquid Lipstick in Currant Nude | TruNaked Smoky Palette. Other stuff up in the mix: @hourglasscosmetics bronzer and @maccosmetics Melon Pink blush. #makeup #makeupvideo #makeuptutorial #momlife #toddlersofinstagram #iamwhatimakeup #igmakeup

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Apr 9, 2018 at 4:49pm PDT

The non-Covergirl things I used include Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Bronze and MAC Padma Melon Pink Blush.

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Full, Fluffy Brows Are Just a Few Swipes Away With This Trick

April 6th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

“Backcombing,” or brushing against the grain of your brow hairs, with a brow gel that’s slightly lighter than my hair color is my speedy secret to full, fluffy, but also pretty well-defined brows.

Good luck to the fool who tries to pry my tube of Hourglass Brow Gel in Warm Brunette outta my T. Rex claw because they’d be in a world of hurt! I might only be 5’1″, but this girl is feisty and has FEELINGS about this gel (all the good ones, ’cause it’s truly the best one out there IMO).

Today’s #makeupspotlight: the fantabulous @hourglasscosmetics Arch Brow Gel. I wear Warm Brunette. Is the music distracting? Let me know. I have the tendency to wanna throw in all the bells and whistles and recognize that sometimes I need to be saved from myself. #hourglasscosmetics #makeuptips #makeupvideo #makeuptip #eyebrows

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Apr 5, 2018 at 12:05pm PDT

Full makeup breakdown

Eyes — MAC Kid Eye Shadow (crease), MAC Goldmine Eye Shadow (mixed with Kid and applied on lids), MAC Prep + Prime 24/7 Eye Base, MAC In Extra Dimension Waterproof Mascara, Urban Decay Double Team Special Effect Colored Mascara in Gonzo (water line and lash line)

Face — NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Mortiz mixed with MAC Face and Body in C5 and BECCA Backlight Primer (foundation) topped with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden

Cheeks — Hourglass Brilliant Nude Blush buffed out with Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Sheer Glow in No. 40

Lips — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Naked

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

The $20 Pixi Dimensional Eye Creator Kit, a Collab With Weylie Hoang

April 5th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

pixi dimensional eye creator palette — Livin’ that neutral palette life 24/7

Makeup brands hooking up with bloggers and social media “influencers” is nothing new these day, but it’s nice to see a collab with someone I’ve met who was super nice in person and real, in this case YouTuber Weylie Hoang.

I met her a few years back at a Too Faced event, and she was kind and sweet, so GO WEYLIE! Congrats on your collaboration with Pixi. 🙂

Isn’t this cute?

pixi dimensional eye creator lids — I’m wearing two shades from the left side of the palette — the matte golden brown in my crease and the shimmery plummy bronze on my lids. I lined my upper lash line with the black pencil, and then did the flick with the black liquid liner.

It’s a Pixi two-piece $20 kit with a neutral eyeshadow palette and a black liner, and it’s called the Dimensional Eye Creator. So basics, which I appreciate.

Weylie wears lots of natural eye looks, and you can see that in her color choices. There are six powder eyeshadows, three mattes, three shimmers, and a dual-ended pencil liner with a twist-up pencil on one end and a felt-tip liquid liner on the other.

pixi dimensional eye creator lids front — Cheeks are MAC Melon Pink (from Padma! I know, I’m like a blush broken record lately.), and the lips are a pink shade from the Dulce’s Lip Candy Palette, also by Pixi.

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The MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek/Patrickstarrr Full Face Kit

April 4th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek — I wore this MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kit to Trader Joe’s yesterday and had a moment.

It’s not like a Mariah Carey diva spotlight shot down from the heavens in the middle of Trader Joe’s yesterday, but one might as well have. I was standing in front of the eggs gawking at an empty section on the top shelf where the liquid egg whites were supposed to be. Connor was sitting in the cart, and I looked at her and said, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” perhaps a little too loudly (and my family wonders where she gets her expressive tendencies).

I was wearing, by the way, one of the two new MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kits with purple matte lips, a peachy mauve lid with blue liner, and plum cheeks…

It was subtle though. 🙂 It wasn’t too crazy for Trader Joe’s at two on a Tuesday afternoon, and I know this because none of the seniors from the nearby senior center shot me side eye while I was eyeing the pre-made salads.

mac patrick starrr me so fleek k1 — I’m wearing the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek Full Face Kit, and the lip is Queen P Lipglass.

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek k2 — Hey Boy Hey Lipstick is super pigmented, but it’s still easy enough that you can apply it straight from the tube, which is what I did here, without needing a lip brush or lip liner. It’s more pink and purple than MAC Heroine (in case you were wondering if it was a dupe)

Cut back to scene: me standing there with my arms outstretched to the heavens (the florescent ceiling lights) and saying, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” and this dude who was restocking a display of asparagus nearby said, “There’s no what, miss?”

And I was like, “EXCUSE ME? Did you call me MISS?” And I momentarily forgot that I wanted the egg whites to make overnight oats for my breakfast tomorrow because nobody — and I mean NOBODY — calls me miss anymore.

I mean…I feel like I look pretty young for my age, but I get called ma’am now, and it doesn’t help that I walk around with a grumpy piano teacher face all the time because I’m so friggin’ tired, and my lips are pursed, my jaw is clenched, and my hair’s up in a severe bun so the baby doesn’t pull it when she’s TT-ing (toddler tantrum-ing). But yesterday my locks were loose and flowing, and I was wearing this Me So Fleek Face Kit.

So I was workin’ it, son. 🙂

mac patrick star me so fleek swatches — Eye Shadow X 4/Play With Me (In Living Pink, All’s Rosy, Hickie, In the Shadows), Take Me Home Powder Blush Duo, Retro Matte Lipstick in Hey Boy Hey, Lipglass in Queen P

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