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Drugstore Beauty Finds

Unsung (Hair) Heroes: Revlon Essentials Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics

July 10th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

revlon maximum hold extra thick elastics
If you have thick, heavy or otherwise wild, unruly hair, these will make you believe in unicorns (again).

My stylist buddy Alis likes to joke that I have enough hair on my head for three people (although, for the #officialmakeuprecord, I don’t have as much hair as I did pre-baby), but it’s not all kittens and rainbows, because having a decent amount of hair comes with its own challenges, like destroying every single hair elastic within striking distance.

When I’m putting my hair up in a ponytail, most elastics either break, or get stretched out so far that they look like the granny panties you should’ve thrown out THREE YEARS AGO (but still continue to wear when you’re on your period), and are thus rendered utterly and completely useless.

There’s also the whole “ponytail falling out while I’m merely existing” thing, which is a pain.

At HIIT class last week, I decided that enough was enough. I. Am. Done. Pulling up my ponytail every third burpee or switch lunge.

DUUUUUDE…Revlon has this little packet of miracles called the Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics, which just changed everything in one fell swoop. It’s the strongest, thickest, sturdiest and most bass-@ass hair elastic I’ve ever worn.

Normally, I have to double-up elastics to keep my hair from falling all over the place, but in last night’s HIIT class, I used just one — ONE! — and my ponytail stayed perfectly in place through 60 minutes of intense jumps and sprints. Not once did I have to readjust.

When I took off the elastic before showering, I noticed two things. First, that my ponytail was in the exact same place it was when I first put it up. Second, that the elastic wasn’t stretched out at all. Not one teeny, tiny bit.

I also can’t get over how affordable they are. Three bucks for 15 of ’em!

So, so, good, you guys!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Hair, Product Reviews, Revlon, Unsung Heroes

COVERGIRL Trublend Matte Made Foundation Doesn’t Budge for Nothin’

July 6th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

covergirl trueblend matte made foundation T15 outdoors
Soakin’ up some early morning sunshine with COVERGIRL Trublend Matte Made Foundation in T15 Golden Honey on my face. I took this pic in natural light wearing only the foundation without any powder on top.

There are SOOOO many reasons for me not to wear white shirts.

Like cat hair.

Baby food, which is like Liam Neeson in Taken. IT WILL FIND YOU.

And makeup, of course, especially foundation.

Even before Tabs and Connor came along, I was never the type of person who could wear a white shirt without getting loads of foundation all over the place, but it’s never stopped me, which is why I was shocked to discover after wearing this epic new COVERGIRL liquid foundation a few times, coincidentally on days when I was wearing white shirts (go figure) that there was absolutely NO foundation on my clothes at the end of the day.

covergirl trueblend matte made foundation
It’s so good!

Like, none. Not even a smudge of foundation on my neckline, WHICH IS TOTALLY UNUSUAL FOR ME.

Since I’m pretty sure that my body hasn’t been taken over by aliens (yet), I think it’s safe to say that it’s the COVERGIRL foundation, which doesn’t go anywhere once it’s on your face.

Before finding this drugstore gem, the only liquid face base I knew of with this magnitude of staying power was MAC Face & Body. Trublend Matte Made has Face & Body’s mega-magnetic staying power, but the finish is matte instead of instead of dewy. But it isn’t so matte that your skin looks fake or weird when you put it on, ya know?

“From your favorite COVERGIRL foundation line comes a matte formula that isn’t drying or cakey. TruBlend Matte Made’s formula is developed with flexi-hold technology that creates a strong, yet flexible film on skin for durability and comfort, while the mattifying powders absorb oil and minimize pores for a soft matte, flawless finish. Up to 12 hours of wear. 12 HR comfort matte.
Pore minimizing. Oil control. Transfer resistant. All in 40 shades.”

— covergirl.com

covergirl truelbend matte made foundation trublend T15 flash
T15 Golden Honey indoors with a flash (I’m not wearing any setting powder, by the way, just the foundation)

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There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: COVERGIRL, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Face, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: covergirl, drugstore foundation, drugstore makeup, foundation, liquid foundation, makeup review

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint

May 4th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint
I’m wearing Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint in Honey 85

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.

ANNOYING FACTOID OF THE DAY: Ya know…I bought a $50 YSL face tint at the Sephora VIB sale, and I don’t like it anywhere near as much as Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint.

Grrr…

Hydro Boost is so, SO good. I started using it when it came out about a year ago, and I’ve been wearing it off and on ever since.

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned (a zillion times), I have combo skin. Some parts are dry, others are oily, and even though I’m a little irked that Neutrogena raised the price from $14.99 to $16.99 in that time, whenever I wear this stuff I remember why it’s one of the best drugstore foundations out there (right up there with L’Oreal True Match Lumi).

It feels like nothing at all, keeps your skin looking like actual, you know, human skin, and it looks just as amazing in pics as it does in real life, even outside on a sunny day!

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint
For swatches, please see my original review.

As a tint, it starts off sheer, but you can build it up to medium. You can’t really push it further than that, though, unless you mix in a concealer (and, if you do that, I recommend Make Up For Ever Ultra HD because they blend very well together).

Hydro Tint has a natural demi-matte finish, so it reflects light ever so slightly, and it also has a slight pore-blurring effect. Very similar to the awesome (and more expensive) NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tints, but with a touch less coverage and a more moisturizing formula.

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint
Yup, that’s Hydro Boost again.
neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint
Another good skin day with Hydro Boost

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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Face, Makeup, Neutrogena, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes Keywords: drugstore makeup, foundation, neutrogena

The Neutrogena Kerry Washington Essential Eye Palette Is on the Cusp of Greatness

May 3rd, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

neutrogena kerry washington essential eye palette k2
Lids by Neutrogena and Kerry Washington. I’m wearing the new Essential Eye Palette, which is only $12.99!

It’s not exactly a scandal… Get it? Haha… But I’m definitely getting Olivia Pope vibes from the poised, polished browns in Kerry’s chic new Neutrogena eye palette.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only seen a few episodes from the first season of Scandal (tried but didn’t really get into it), but I remember loving the clothes, like the all-white ensembles! The stiletto pumps! The bags!

Oh, THE BAGS. Olivia Pope’s character dresses like she eats nails for breakfast, and I LIKE IT. No matter what she wears, though, her makeup always looks sophisticated, so yeah, definitely see her wearing this palette.

It has five powder eyeshadows, all in surprisingly cool neutral tones, which is so refreshing betwixt all of the orange and reddish neutral palettes all over the place these days.

neutrogena kerry washington essential eye palette swatches
Swatches of the Neutrogena Kerry Washington Essential Eye Palette

I mean, I like fun warm tones, too, but when you have a slightly hooded lid situation like I do, cool-toned browns are just so handy. They’re perfect for contouring a crease that isn’t very deep, but that really only works with shadows that have a semi-matte or matte finish, because when you’re using them this way, you don’t want them to reflect a lot of light.

I thought Kerry’s palette would focus on semi-matte or satin finishes, but it does not. On my skin, the shadows are shiny… Actually, borderline frosty, even. And they seem to get progressively shinier as I blend.

All of them are moderately pigmented, which I like because I’m not apt to over-apply, and they’re relatively easy to blend (compared to intensely pigmented shadows), but once I get a brush up in the mix and start buffing away, the color diffuses pretty quickly, leaving behind a shiny opalescent finish that highlights every mother-lovin’ line on my lids…

The only one that doesn’t do this is the dark bronzed brown on the far right, and that one is EPIC.

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There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Makeup, Neutrogena, Palettes, Product Reviews

Neutrogena Essential Cheek Palette by Kerry Washington

April 30th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette
Blush, bronzer and highlighter for the price of lunch!

As a font enthusiast/typography aficionado, I would like to point out that the “K” in Kerry Washington’s signature on the front of her new Neutrogena cheek palette merits my stamp of approval. I spent an inordinate amount of time — weeks, perhaps even years — perfecting the “K” in my signature, and IMHO, this is a good “K!”

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette packaging
That’s a good K!

You probably know Kerry Washington from her role in Scandal, but did you also know that she was in one of my favorite movies from the ’90s, Save the Last Dance? And that she’s an ambassador for Neutrogena? And that her LE collection also has an eye palette? And a body wash?


I’ve watched this movie at least 50 times.

The cheek palette caught my eye because it looks a little like BECCA’s epic Chrissy palette (minus a highlighter), and in one way it’s similar — the pigmented peachy coral blush. It’s not nearly as shimmery as the BECCA blush, but the color’s almost a dead-on dupe.

Kerry’s blush is the most pigmented thing in the palette, by the way. It’s much more pigmented than both the bronzer and highlighter, so you’ll want to take it easy the first time you dab it on your sweet cherub cheeks.

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette swatches
I wear Honey 85 in Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Skin Tint, for reference.

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There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Neutrogena, Product Reviews Keywords: drugstore makeup, neutrogena

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
katy kat cool kat palette
Cool Kat

katy kat palette

katy kat palette

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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: COVERGIRL, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews

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

April 11th, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

all 12 shades of katy kat gloss

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.

Katy Kat Gloss in Candy Cat

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.

Katy Kat Gloss in Tabby Tease
Katy Kat Gloss in Kitty Karma

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There are 25 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, COVERGIRL, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews

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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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: COVERGIRL, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews

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