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Makeup

The Urban Decay Troublemaker Palette: This Fabulously Flexible Palette Is on Sale Now

February 26th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

urban decay troublemaker palette
You’re a Troublemaker, Urban Decay!

I liked the Urban Decay Troublemaker Palette when it came out for $39 last fall, but it’s on sale for $19 now! Are you kidding me?! I love it at that price, which is how much it is now on sale (as we speak at Sephora and the UD website). I think it’s a great “going out” palette, and you get hella serious bang for your buck at that price.

When you open it up, it looks like there are nine shades, because there are nine pans, but there are actually 10, because two shades share Clash, the center pan. It’s split between black and white, and I don’t quite understand the rationale behind that because the black gets into the white, and the white gets into the black, but both of them are useful, so I can live with it, especially at $19.

The palette also comes with a miniature Troublemaker Mascara, which excels at thickening, but is just OK at lengthening and curl hold (I usually end up layering it underneath a separate lengthening waterproof mascara).

urban decay troublemaker palette

Now, the three warm-toned brown mattes in this palette are what bump this bad boy up to bad-@ss level. None of them are overly orange-y or reddish, which are big trends right now, and all three are eminently useful day/night colors. The lightest one actually reminds me of MAC Bamboo, while the mid-toned one looks like MAC Soft Brown, and the dark brown could almost pass for MAC Brown Down dupe.

They’re colors that I know I can wear in the daytime and at night. Even at 2 o’clock in the morning…not that I have much cause to wear eyeshadow at 2 in the morning (anymore).

There are also four metallic jewel tones that double as sparkly, shiny eyeliners. They feel a bit chunkier than the browns and exhibit a bit of fallout — more than the browns (which don’t have any fallout) — but at the sale price, I’m OK with that.

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There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews, Urban Decay

The Urban Decay Petite Naked Heat Palette

February 23rd, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

urban decay naked petite heat swatches
Just a little heat…

Hey, girl. 🙂 Yeah, what am I wearing on my lids? I’m wearing new Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat, which I keep wanting to call “Peh-TEE Heat.”

It’s just a little bit of heat… Get it? Petite? Like adding one or two drops of Tabasco or Sriracha, as opposed to submerging your burrito? LOL.

Urban Decay is famous for their O.G. Naked Eyeshadow Palette and the different incarnations of it, like Naked2, Naked Smoky, Naked Ultimate Basics…lots of nakedness, as you know. There’s also the one they launched last fall, Naked Heat, with its beautiful bevvy of warm orange and reddish browns, which are super trendy colors in eye makeup right now and for the past couple of years.

Chances are, if you’re a UD collector, or even if you aren’t, you may already have something like Petite Naked Heat in your stash now.

In fact, as I think about it…the Kristen Leanne Daydream Palette UD released in January has similar tones…

My point is just that orange-y browns are (still) having a moment, and you’ve very likely seen many of these colors in other palettes and pans before.

Just off the top of my head, Vibrate looks like MAC Soft Brown, Hot Spell like MAC Saddle, Wild Thing’s a little like MAC Texture, and Strike looks like MAC Swiss Chocolate.

The MAC Mischief Minx Palette and NARS Wanted aren’t exactly completely different either.

urban decay naked petite heat
Wearing Petite Heat on my lids with MAC Style Blush on my cheeks, and MAC Velvet Teddy and Fenty Gloss Bomb on my lips.

For $29 you get six new matte powder eyeshadow shades based in some form or fashion on the colors in the original Naked Heat palette, and the pans, by the way, are the same size as the pans in the larger Naked palettes.

urban decay naked petite heat swatches
Inhale, Vibrate, Hot Spell, Wild Thing, Heist and Strike

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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews, Urban Decay

The New NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

February 22nd, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

nudestix love me nudes ALLY
New fave nude lip: Ally from the NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

Seeing as how I’ve been wearing this nude pencil (Ally) on my lips almost daily since 14 Days of Ravishing Red ended, the time has come to give it a proper shout-out.

Meet Ally, one of six shades in the new NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes: The Natural Edition lip and cheek kit, which itself is one of two $59 LE Love Me Nudes kits. One is filled with bolder colors than the other. The Natural Edition is the slightly lighter pink, peach, rose version.

nudestix love me nudes
Love!
nudestix love me nudes
Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) comes with six full-size NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek pencils, a sharpener and a tin.
nudestix love me nudes swatches
Mystic, Rose, Retro, Purity, Tay Tay and Ally

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There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Kits and Sets, Lips, Makeup, NUDESTIX, Product Reviews

BROWS/LASHES/LIPS: What Are Your Current Fave Products?

February 22nd, 2018 by Karen 35 Comments

brows lashes lips faves
Spill those beans!

Here are mine…

Brows

Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel (seriously, THE BEST!).

Lashes

I’ve been rotating among a few old-school loves lately — starting with MAC In Extra Dimension Waterproof, either on its own, or as a first base layer underneath either Tarte Lights Camera Lashes (hella old school, but so good for thickening) or MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash.

Lips

The peachy pink NUDESTIX Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in ALLY, which is from the Nude(art)ist: Love Me Nudes Natural Edition kit.

Somebody should probably take this away from me already because it’s practically glued to my hand, LOL!

I wear it a lot…

Those are my favorites at the moment. What are yours?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Friday Eve, BTW. 🙂

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup

Maybelline’s Spectacular SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick

February 20th, 2018 by Karen 44 Comments

maybelline superstay matte ink liquid lipstick
Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick ($7.89 each at Target)

Drugstore, baby. $10, baby. Actually, $5 if you do the BOGO 50% off at Ulta right now.

WHAT?!

I know.

Yeah, these are SO GOOD. Maybelline calls them their “un-nudes,” because one woman’s nude is another woman’s nightmare. Not everybody can wear beige nude lipstick, but these are a different spin on standard nudes. Some have pink, or mauve, red, brown, gray (!) or even purple undertones. But they’re still effectively nudes.

My favorite colors are mauve-nude Seductress and Ruler, which is a rad reddish nude (it’s an easy way to get into red if you aren’t used to seeing yourself in red now).

maybelline seductress
Seductress, a mauve nude
maybelline ruler
Ruler, a deep reddish nude
maybelline poet
Poet, a baby pink nude

Some of the colors are CRAZY. Like, the grays and purples? Hello, cartoon-y. They really aren’t my thing, but if you have the hair, the clothes, the chutzpah, gray can look amazing.

maybelline visionary
Visionary, a lavender gray nude

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There are 44 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Lips, Makeup, Maybelline

8 Things to Know About New MAC Studio Waterweight Powder/Pressed

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

mac studio waterweight powder pressed 2
New MAC Studio Waterweight Powder/Pressed, $36, available meow

Let’s break it down, babe.

Starting with…

  1. What is it? Well, I’m glad you asked! 🙂 It’s a new line of $36 medium-buildable pressed powder available now in the permanent line.
  2. It has a split pan with two shades, one warmer than the other, so you can customize your color.

    —-> I love this idea and wish more brands would do this! Heck, I’m always mixing shades anyway.

  3. MAC says it’s for all skin types, but it’s supposed to be ESPECIALLY good for normal and dry skin…or so they say (more on this in a few).
  4. The plastic compact feels sturdy and substantial (yay!). It also comes with two applicators — a sponge and a face brush.
  5. It’s available in 11 shades (Dark Deepest, Dark Deep, Dark, Medium Deep, Medium Dark, Medium Golden, Medium Plus, Medium, Light Plus, Light, Extra Light).

    I wear Medium Golden, which is a good match for my NC42 skin.

  6. I think ladies and gents who want 1) oil control, 2) pretty good coverage (one or two layers easily hides hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone) and 3) a matte finish should give it a try.
  7. At least for me, this powder is a little tricky because when I layer it on top of foundations and concealers, my skin looks dry (it’s REALLY noticeable around the fine lines on my forehead), and my makeup looks heavy (you can see it in action here and here).

    Between the opaque coverage (even though it’s described as medium), the matte finish and my *ahem* age, this isn’t the most forgiving powder in the world. I mean, it’s not like I can see the powder grains or anything. In fact, the powder itself is very finely milled, but when it’s applied on top of other face products, it’s just more…Insta-glam fabulous than I’m used to these days. I don’t even venture up to medium coverage that often anymore.

    But if I just wear this on its own without concealer or foundation, or with, like, a primer or an illuminating lotion (like BECCA Backlight or MAC Strobe Cream), and I douse my skin with MAC Fix+ afterward, then I like it… It looks natural and gets the job done.

    Even by itself, though, it isn’t going to replace my number one MAC powder love, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

  8. It reminds me of Chanel’s loose powder, and if you want moderately opaque coverage in a line with a good shade selection, and you have oily or normal skin, I think it’s definitely worth a try.

mac studio waterweight powder pressed brush

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There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

The MAC Jeremy Scott Lip X 9 Future Emotions Is Made for Mixing

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

mac jeremy scott lip 9 x future emotions happy song living in stereo
Wearing Happy Song and Living in Stereo, two lipsticks from the new MAC Jeremy Scott collection, mixed together.

Seriously, this packaging is amazing! All of the details are completely there. THIS IS A LIP PALETTE, PEOPLE. But it totally looks like a mix tape. I can see it sitting on the floor of my little red Honda Civic back in the day. (Side note: it would have been filled with songs that I recorded off the radio on KMEL.)

This is NOT a MAC mix tape, obvs. It’s the $25 MAC Lip X 9 Future Emotions lip palette, and it has nine of MAC’s non-shiny lipsticks inside, so Matte, Amplified and Satin finishes in bright and deep shades like pink, purple, orange — the bold route. There’s only one nude, and everything else is like BAM!

mac jeremy scott lip 9 x future emotions open 2

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There are 5 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: MAC Jeremy Scott

The MAC Jeremy Scott Eyeshadow X 29 Lo-Fi Palette: 3 Jazzy Ways to Work It

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow
The new MAC Jeremy Scott Eyeshadow X 29 Palette in Lo-Fi ($75)

The beatbox-lookin’ MAC Jeremy Scott collection centerpiece Eye Shadow X 29: Lo-Fi palette contains 29 (!) powder eyeshadows, and LOTS of them are colorful.

It’s like someone poured a bag of Skittles into it.

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow
Cute names!

First things first, swatched on my arms…this palette looks like a HOT mess. Several of the shadows swatch unevenly, which is kind of disconcerting (it’s $75 after all). One might logically assume that the rough arm swatches imply patchy application problems on lids, too, but that hasn’t been the case for me.

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow swatches
Patchy on arms, not so much on lids

So far I’ve done three different looks with this palette, and the shadows applied fairly evenly in all three. Blending hasn’t been bad either, and most of the shadows I’ve used look more pigmented on my lids than they do in arm swatches (weird!). I’ve also noticed very, very little fallout. Like almost none.

It would be easy to dismiss this palette based on arm swatches alone, but you really gotta get in there and work it to see what it can do. You gotta drive the car first, so to speak.

(FYI, when I wear some of the brighter shades, like the matte pink, red, purple and green, my eyes have been watering a little, which happens to me sometimes when I wear bright colors, so I’m not surprised by it.)

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow

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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Eyes, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

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