Eyes

MAC Unsung Heroes: Shale Eyeshadow

October 22nd, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

Ever tear into your makeup bag and think, “I need some color in my life!” But you’re at work, or you’re getting ready for work, and you still have to look responsible?

When you just don’t feel like wearing neutrals on your eyes but absolutely, positively must have a little color, try Shale…

No, not those little wafer-shaped rocks that you find along river banks (which are great for skipping, BTW).

Shale, as in MAC’s Shale Eyeshadow ($15).

I’d be willing to wager my MAC 217 that you may never want to pick up another brown or —

Okay…let me rephrase that, because I’m not about to risk losing my beloved MAC 217. 🙂

Once this pliant plum finds its way on your lids early one morning before school or work, you may never feel the need to pick up another workday brown or beige. That little cactus in your cubicle may never ever again see you wearing another neutral on your lids.

So what exactly are we talking about here?

Well, we’re talking about Shale! It’s a semi-sheer, cool-toned plummy mauve with subtle silver shimmer, and because it is fairly neutral (and consequently works well on warm- and cool-toned babes), but still has a little somethin’-somethin’ under the hood, it’s a great alternative to typical play-it-safe work shades.

Absolutely, there are much more intense plums and purples out there, even among neutral-ish shades, like Satin Taupe, Sable and Trax, but that’s one of the reasons I Shale.

Shale is a little sheerer than the average bear, which makes it almost fool-proof (perfect for me, LOL!), but it’s not so sheer that I feel like I have to pack on 12 pounds of the stuff to see it on my NC42 skin.

Say I wake up on a workday morning with plums and purples on my mind… If I only have a few minutes to get ready before zipping out the door, I’ll pat Shale on my lids with a MAC 239 and smooth out the edges with a 217.

Then, on my lash and water lines, I’ll add either a dark gray eyeliner like Laura Mercier Stormy Grey or a deep plum one like MAC Prunella.

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A Tip to Get a Relaxed Brow Look That Still Looks Sharp: It’s All in the Brush, Naturally

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

makeup tips for eyebrows — Using a MAC 239 brush to fill in mah brows!

My fellow eyebrow enthusiasts, STOP! Lend me your ears…your brows and your favorite flat eyeshadow brush. 🙂

Instead of filling in the sparse areas of your little caterpillars with a brow powder and an angled eye brush, try using a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush with a rounded edge instead.

I think it just creates a really natural brow look, but still one that’s sharp and put together.

Wish I could say that the idea struck me like a bolt of makeup lightening, BAM! — but it was more a product of necessity being the mother of invention.

One day I couldn’t find my MAC 266 Small Angle Brush — the same one I’ve been using for years to fill in my brows (it must have fallen and rolled under the dresser or, more likely, Tabs hid it) — so I grabbed a MAC 214 Short Shader Brush instead.

Don’t ask me why. It just seemed like a decent idea at the time.

And I guess it was because I loved the results! It’s a more natural, relaxed brow look. They’re a little thicker and slightly undone, but I think it’s a great look for casual makeup.

If you don’t happen to have a 214, try another flat eyeshadow brush, or a perhaps something like the MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush or Laura Mercier Smudge Brush. I’ve also used them for this, and you get basically the same look.

I think the key is to try an eyeshadow brush that’s a little stiff, ideally one with a slightly rounded head.

Did that into your favorite brow powder, tap off the excess, and fill in those sparse spots…

brushes for filling in eyebrows — From the left: MAC 214 Short Shader Brush, Laura Mercier Smudge Brush, MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush

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Is the Tom Ford Beauty Plum Absolute For Eyes Absolutely Worth the $35 Price?

October 15th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

tom ford plum absolute for eyes — Wearing Tom Ford Beauty Plum Absolute For Eyes

Here’s the face I made multiple times while watching last night’s episode of The Walking Dead…

And here’s the face I made today a few hours after applying Tom Ford Plum Absolute For Eyes ($35)…

Notice the similarities. They aren’t identical, but in both pics I appear fussy and discombobulated.

When my mood turned sour this afternoon, it was due to Tom’s annoyingly expensive, limited edition gel liner (new for holiday 2012) completely vanishing from my upper lash lines about five hours after I applied it.

Super. Cranky.

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Fabulously Feline Cat Eyes for Only $3? With These NYC New York Color Metallic Eyeliners, I’ll Say Meow to That

October 11th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

NYC New York Color Metallic Eyeliner in Leopard Print and Serpentine Purple

It’s all about the cats and makeup (the C&M).

Tabs actually wanted to tackle the pics for this afternoon’s post, and who am I to argue with Tabs? He’s a world-renowned plus-size kitty supermodel, actor and entrepreneur, and I’m just a makeup-obsessed girl with a cat…

…and strong cat lady tendencies.

And a deep abiding love for beauty bargains and cat eyes, like the kind you can do with the new $3 NYC New York Color Metallic Eyeliners in Leopard Print and Serpentine Purple.

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With the Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Emerald Lust, It’s Our Moment to Shine

October 9th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

It was like one of those dreams where you’re falling, falling, and you just keep falling forever, and at one point you stop screaming and ask yourself, “Huh… Haven’t I been falling for a while?”

That’s kinda like how I felt today playing with Tom Ford Beauty’s new Eye Color Quad in Emerald Lust ($75).

Girl, can I just say that Tom and I had a really good time? 🙂

Who says teal eyeshadows should be reserved for special occasions? I think not! How about a special occasion like this: Tuesday. There’s your special occasion, LOL! Tuesday makes teal totally legit.

Now, before we proceed, a little backstory first…

When the Tom Ford Beauty line launched last fall, it had all the makings of a top-tier, high-end makeup brand (read: hella expensive premium products and luxurious packaging), and since then, it has exceeded my expectations. If ya lust after luxury lines, there’s some bonafide treasures here.

Do you recall the look we took a couple weeks ago at the new fall collection? Here’s a reminder: it was intense! Tom turned up the volume on everything this time around, with eye, lip and cheek colors so strong they could be called Herculean.

The entire collection is a color lover’s dream come true, and if said color lover happens to bold teal, fuchsia and plum, it’s like a great dream times 12 (starring shirtless Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds and Jeremy Renner).

tom ford 2012 makeup collection — Tom Ford Beauty Fall 2012

Now where were we…? Oh, yeah: lust! Emerald Lust, with its shimmery teal, blue, green and gold.

Glitter, pigment and shine? With this quad, Tom didn’t hold anything back. You can forget about blending into the background when you’re wearing this on your lids; there are no shy violets here.

Tom Ford Emerald Lust Swatches — Eye Color Quad in Emerald Lust

As for the quad’s other bonafides, I have absolutely no issues with fallout, and I also find that blending these shadows is a breeze…

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Share a Tip Tuesday: Get/Keep Those Pans in Great Shape With This Easy Eyeshadow Tip

October 9th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Do you ever wet your brush heads when you apply powder eyeshadows? It’s one of my favorite color-intensifying tricks, and I’ll usually use MAC Fix+ or Charged Water. They crank up the color intensity and, if it’s a shimmery product, the shine as well.

Thing is, after taking a wet brush to a pan a few times, the pans can get crusted over, and the shadow itself can harden like clay.

To get around this, or at least to minimize it, when I use a wet brush, I work the same part of the pan every time. So, instead of swiping the brush across the whole surface, I swipe the same, small spot. It still hardens…but just in that one little area.

If you have an eyeshadow pan that you’ve been using with a wet brush, and it’s already hard like concrete, here’s something to try: gently scrape away the top layer using the edge of a spoon, with “gently” being the key word here.

Too much pressure, and you could shatter the pan into a zillion pieces…which would not be good.

Welcome to another fun-filled installment of Share a Tip Tuesday! 🙂 You were awesome in last week’s edition and left a ton of great makeup, beauty and brush tips in the comments. Here are some of the ones I’m eager to try…

The best eyeliner that I’ve found that stays put on my waterline and anywhere else is actually drugstore–Physician’s Formula! The ones that come in a set of three are my favorites. So easy to use and so dependable.
–LILIANE

Here is a tip Lisa Eldridge taught me (bless her for recommending so many amazing products, too) — using eye liner brush for concealing small blemishes. It works wonders actually!
–MARINA

have to say that my favourite brush is a tie between Lunasol Cheek Brush and RMK Cheek Brush S, as I’m only learning up proper eye makeup so can’t really comment on eye brushes (Am still on the lookout for good eye brushes). Anyway, both the Lunasol and RMK brushes are incredibly high quality and fluffy and soft, and work very well for loose powder or pressed powder application- foundation, compact, blush, bronzer, highlighter… anything face-related, really! Who says they should only be cheek brushes?
–STEPHANIE/YUKAESHI

My favorite favorite favorite multitasking brush is the smudger brush from Medusas Makeup. It retails for about $10 but it packs a punch! I use this baby to wing my shadow out, smudge liner for a smoky look, apply cream eyeliner, put eyeshadow along my lower lash line. This is possibly one of the best brushes that I own and I constantly find myself going back to it.
— SARA

It doesn’t matter what brand you have, having at least two good fluffy blending brush is a must. I have two because when I can use one for blending out my eyes, then another for putting subtle highlights on my face, blending out concealer, wiping out my lips, or contouring out small areas.
–KATE & ZENA

Thanks for adding to our arsenal of knowledge. 🙂

Now, today let’s talk about eyeshadow…

Like, what are your favorites (the shadows you keep buying over and over again)? And what about eyeshadow brushes — which are your must-haves? While we’re at it, can you recommend any bodacious bargain shadows?

Knowledge is power, so let’s pool our resources, okay? Leave your current top tips/tricks/techniques/awesome drugstore finds here in the comments, or tweet ’em to me on Twitter @karenmbb using the hashtag #shareatiptuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Heroes: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Copper

October 8th, 2012 by Karen 38 Comments

I’m not saying I’m ready to raise my hands up to the heavens and yell at the top of my lungs, “J.K. Rowling was right! Magic is real!!” but I’m not ruling it out anymore.

It sure looks like there was wizardry at work over at Laura Mercier headquarters, also known as the Hogwarts of the makeup world, when they concocted Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Burnished Copper ($22).

If you’ve ever dreamt of a creamy version of MAC Sable or, perhaps less likely, imagined yourself smearing a magic potion made of melted copper pennies all over your lids, this warm reddish bronze, with its whisper of plummy gold, could be your dreams coming to life.

For years I’ve searched for something I could use as a base to intensify the copper, bronze, plum, gold and brown colors I love to wear in the fall. With Burnished Copper, I think I’ve finally found it.

Smooth and fluffy, it spreads across my combo oily/dry lids without tugging, and the long-lasting formula has incredible fortitude once it sets. It should last all day long on most skin types, with the possible exception of gals/guys with extremely oily lids, who may need the extra help of a primer.

laura mercier burnished copper swatch — Unblended (left) and blended (right)

Remarkably, considering how shiny they are, Laura’s Metallic Cream Eye Colours have always treated my fine lines with dignity and respect. How she manages to make them so shiny without going overboard on the frost is a mystery to me.

I like knowing that I can wear Burnished Copper all by itself, with just a swish of black liner on my upper and lower water and lash lines, without stressing out about it settling into the crinkles that show up when I smile.

Seriously, if that’s not magic, I don’t know what is. 🙂

Where cat ladies like to shop…

Yesterday afternoon, El Hub and I drove down to the mall to grab a burger (his was meat-ful, mine was veg), and after eating, we just sort of tooled around, first to REI to look at camping/zombie apocalypse supplies, like water purification tablets, hatchets and bags of freeze dried food (the Eggs Benedict stays fresh through 2018).

After REI, we walked into Urban Outfitters, where I haven’t been for a while (I feel like I’m too old for most of their clothes, truth be told), but I was really surprised by their big selection of gadgets and gizmos.

They also had a bunch of old-fashioned film cameras and other random tchotchkes and baubles…
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Why Wait for the Holidays to Have a Holiday Dessert? The $22 Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette Is Quite a Treat

October 4th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Too Faced Cosmetics Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition palette

Truth? I’d rather be busy than bored, but at the same time, I don’t ever want to be so swamped that I’m totally deprived of any glam time. â€˜cause girlfriend desperately needs her glam time! (…she says as she types the previous sentence wearing an old karate workout t-shirt, a pair of shorts that are missing a button and different eyeshadow colors on each eye.)

But who knows? Maybe Tabs will decide to take me on the road with him one of these days… Help him work the fashion week circuit. I’d have to be prepared to go from tow up to “Faaaabulous, dahhhling!” at the drop of a paw.

When/if that day comes, I know I’ll be ready with the Too Faced Glamour-to-Go Spun Sugar Edition Palette ($22).

This travel-friendly limited edition cutie comes dressed to impress in a dainty gold compact. Inside you’ll find two tiers of festive, holiday party-perfect gold and silver makeup for eyes, cheeks and lips.

Because the powders are quite pigmented, it wouldn’t take long to get ready for a party. You could start by patting either a gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow on your lids, smudge one of the darker eyeshadow colors along your lash lines, and follow with a few quick swipes of bronzer and blush on your cheeks.

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Eyes

Welcome to another fun-filled installment of Share a Tip Tuesday! 🙂 You were awesome in last week’s edition and left a ton of great makeup, beauty and brush tips in the comments. Here are some of the ones I’m eager to try…

Where cat ladies like to shop…