Makeup

14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 5: Blackened Red Lips With MAC Carnivorous Lipstick and MAC Mahogany Liner

February 5th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

mac carnivorous mahogany — Deep moody reds are my jam, man!

Are you ready for 14 Days of Ravishing Red? Stay tuned as we explore ravishing red ? lipsticks, lip liners and glosses every day on our way to ? Valentine’s.

Blackened matte red lips were my “going out” lip color in the mid-’90s, and I still lurve them, but back then I couldn’t just whip out a matte red tube of magic from my makeup bag, like BAM! There was a lengthy process involved.

First, I had to line my lips with a matte black eyeliner. Next, I had to fill them in with said liner, and finish with one, or sometimes two, meticulously applied layers of my red lipstick du jour.

On the occasions when the lipstick wasn’t matte enough for me, I would then dust a layer of loose matte powder on top.

I knew I had it right when I looked like a vampire ? who’d just eaten a few people for dinner but forgot to wipe her lips.

This ravishing blackened matte red is the result of two products…and neither one is an eyeliner! I’m wearing MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in Carnivorous and MAC Mahogany Lip Pencil.

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14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 4: Classic Matte Red Lips With NARS Dragon Girl

February 4th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

Are you ready for 14 Days of Ravishing Red? Stay tuned as we explore ravishing red ? lipsticks, lip liners and glosses every day on our way to ? Valentine’s.

I’ve been wearing this classic NARS matte red lipstick for, oh, almost 10 years now, and for the life of me, I still can’t get the name right. I always call it “Dragon Roll” instead of “Dragon Girl.” I guess I REALLY like sushi.

This is a classic red matte to me because it’s right in the middle between cool and warm, and it isn’t too blue or too red. I’m wearing it here with a warm gold cream shadow along my lash lines, but sometimes I wear it with cool silver or platinum cream shadows, and I like it just as much with those colors, too.

‘Twas an Emo Super Bowl

I watched the entire game, except for the last 15 minutes, which was when El Hub made us turn it off because he couldn’t take it anymore. He made me laugh so hard, LOL. He said, “I just love sports so much. I can’t handle it!” (This was right after the Patriots took the lead.)

Fly, Eagles, fly!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 3: Glossy, Cool-Toned Lips With Neutrogena Deep Cherry Gloss and NUDESTIX Mystic Lip Pencil

February 3rd, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

neutrogena deep cherry nudestix mystic k peace — Anyone else get THIS excited about HomeGoods? Anyone?

Are you ready for 14 Days of Ravishing Red? Stay tuned as we explore ravishing red ? lipsticks, lip liners and glosses every day on our way to ? Valentine’s.

It was good hunting today, and by “hunt,” I’m referring to my trip to HomeGoods, where I went hunting for farmhouse decor for my office…even though I didn’t really find anything farmhouse-related that I liked.

It was still a productive hunt, though! — and I mean “hunt” in the truest sense of the word, because let’s get real, HomeGoods is like The Hunger Games of home decorating stores. If you see something you want, you better chase that down like a lioness chases down her prey.

But ya know, it was Caturday, and even though I was wearing sweats and a messy bun, I still wanted to wear red lips for #14DaysofRavishingRed.

An opaque lipstick seemed like a little too much for today, so I went with one of my favorite casual ways to wear red instead — by layering a red gloss on top of a nude lipstick.

The deep, cool-toned cherry red gloss I’m wearing borders on magenta. It’s Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Deep Cherry, and when it’s layered on top of a creamy nude brown (NUDESTIX Mystic), the brown tones down the intensity of the red, so that you end up with a casual glossy brown lip with a hint of red.

Of course, you can do this with any red gloss — doesn’t have to be a cool-toned cherry red like this.

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14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 2: Creamy Scarlet Lips With NARS Rita Lipstick and MAC Brick Lip Liner

February 2nd, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

Are you ready for 14 Days of Ravishing Red? Stay tuned as we explore ravishing red ? lipsticks, lip liners and glosses every day on our way to ? Valentine’s.

Me when El Hub said that all of my red lipsticks look the same to him:

I mean, come on! Sure, this NARS Rita lipstick and MAC Brick liner combo I’m wearing above is red, and warm, and has a touch of orange in it, just like the Thrillest/Holy Red combo yesterday, but it has WAY less orange in it.

Like, if that Thrillest/Holy Red look has a dollop o’ orange, this Rita/Brick look has just a tinge.

Still, both are warm and red and orange-y, but within that similarity, they’re completely different!

At least that’s what I tell myself as I lust over my 573rd tube of red lipstick…

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14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 1: Creamy Warm Red Lips With Kosas Thrillest Lipstick and NARS Holy Red Lip Liner

February 1st, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

Are you ready for 14 Days of Ravishing Red? Stay tuned as we explore ravishing red ? lipsticks, lip liners and glosses every day on our way to ? Valentine’s.

“Warm it up, Kris!”

Oh, I’m about to. 🙂 Kosas Thrillest lipstick and NARS Holy Red lip liner both have the subtlest, least obnoxious yellowy orange undertones, but there’s no mistaking them for cool-toned colors. They’re definitely warm reds, but they aren’t as warm as some orange reds (MAC Lady Danger comes to mind).

I think opaque warm reds like these are vintage va-va-voom! — and I love this look, especially with bronzed lids and/or lash lines.

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A 10-Minute Minimalist Makeup Tutorial: Gleaming Rose Gold Wings With Glossy Cheeks and Lips

February 1st, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

nudestix golden rose top pic — You CAN do this in 10 minutes!

I’ve been wearing this look with gleaming rose gold wings and glossy cheeks and lips lately, most recently to brunch with my friend Cindy, and on the day I did this side-roll ponytail tutorial.

It’s borderline glam, which I like, but it’s still quick and easy. From start to finish, you can do this in 10 minutes.

There are three things about this look that help keep the time from spiraling out of control.

1. The concealer is doing the heavy lifting.

I’m not wearing any foundation at all. There’s just a medium-coverage liquid concealer with a natural satin finish, which I’m using for spot treatments to even out specific places, and I’ve chosen a liquid concealer that can be built up in layers wherever I need the extra coverage (it’s nice to have that option).

2. Pressed powder gives you more control.

The concealer is set with a medium-coverage pressed powder, which is handy for 10-minute looks, whereas loose powder is usually messier… Pressed is just easier for me to grab and go.

Also, pressed powder tends to look sheerer than loose powder does for me, which provides a lot more control over how much powder actually ends up my skin.

Basically, I’d rather apply less product and have to build it up to the coverage I want than accidentally apply too much powder and have to remove the excess… It’s always easier to add makeup than take it away, IMO.

3. A creamy eyeshadow pencil corrects any mistakes with the liquid liner.

Running the cream shadow along the edge of the liquid liner helps to hide any dips and imperfections. There’s also a subtle transition of shine from the high beam gleam of the liquid liner to the softer shimmer of the pencil, which gives some subtle complexity to the liner.

Alright… Are you ready for the breakdown? I hope so, because here we go! 🙂

nudestix golden rose breakdown — Before and after

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20

February 1st, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

Why isn’t this foundation a cult classic yet? It’s a total ? gem.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Foundation ($45) is a medium-coverage marvel of oil-free liquid foundation fabulousness for all skin types, and its thin consistency reminds me of more satiny Dior Diorskin Nude Air, which I was totally obsessed with a few years ago and still ? (pretty pricey though).

Because Synchro Skin has a livelier, less matte finish than Diorskin Nude Air, I think it looks even more natural, and I also think even better at mellowing out my pores and fine lines. So, if you’re a lady who has lived through countless quests and adventures and has the experience lines to prove it, this could totally work for you (although peeps of all ages can wear it).

It sits closely to the skin, too. Sometimes I forget I’m wearing it. And even though the coverage is medium, it’s robust enough to disguise a lot.

In this pic below, I’m wearing the foundation without powder or concealer…

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Wearing Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20 in Golden 5 by itself (no setting powder). The lipstick is Urban Decay Spellbound.

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5 Things to Know About Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation

January 30th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

physicians formula the healthy foundation swatches mn4 dn3 dw2 — MN4, DN3 and DW2 — three shades in the Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation line

“Zee Helsee Foundation.”

You don’t have to say it like that, but I think it’s more fun. 🙂 And I’m a certified expert in ridiculous product pronunciations (an ERPP).

The Healthy Foundation is available in 20 shades at drugstores right meow. You can find it at CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Ulta, as well as the Physicians Formula website, and it’s pretty good for medium coverage.

1. The coverage is smack-dab in the middle on the foundation spectrum.

On one end, there are the full-on cake face foundations (been there, done that). On the other end, the lightly tinted moisturizers and BB and CC creams. This falls right around the middle.

When I dab, dab, dab a few dots on my face (it has a doe-foot applicator), it hides all of the freckle action on my cheeks and the red areas around my nose and mouth. Everything looks even. I also think my pores look a little less obvs.

Plus, it’s one of those liquid foundations that looks just as good in the evening after work as it looks first thing in the morning, so it wears well, too.

2. It’s strongly scented.

It’s supposed to be fragrance-free, but it isn’t. I detect strong notes of sugary butter and sunscreen.

physicians formula the healthy foundation mn4 dw2 — I’m wearing DW2 mixed with MN4 (it took me three tries to get a fairly close color match).

3. It’s tricky to find/create an exact color match.

There are 20 shades in cool, warm and neutral undertones, which is a decent selection, but it hasn’t been easy to find or make something that works for me. I’m an NC42 in MAC and have warm skin with strong yellow tones, and I tried three colors in the warm and neutral families in Medium and Dark, but nothing looked right straight out of the bottle. Every shade also darkens once it’s on my skin, and it happens within a couple of minutes, so I end up having to go a shade lighter and doing a lot of mixing. And the first few times I tried it, I actually ended up removing the foundation completely and starting all over again because my mixes were off.

Active Ingredients

Octinoxate 3% Inactive Ingredients: Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Propanediol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Schinziophyton Rautanenii (Mongongo) Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylene Brassylate, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Silica, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Evodia Rutaecarpa (Wu-Zhu-Yu) Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Cellulose Gum, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Retinyl Palmitate, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, BHT, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

So it isn’t an “easy” foundation.

To go with that, even the warm and neutral shades contain a lot of peach and pink in them, so if I don’t get the mix exactly right, my skin looks a little off…and a little too pink.

physicians formula the healthy foundation mn4 dn3 — I mixed MN3 and DN3 here, and my skin looks pinker than usual. I tried to make it look more natural by adding some bronzer, but I don’t think it worked in the end…

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