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Eyes

MAC Unsung Heroes: Prunella Eye Kohl

September 3rd, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

mac prunella

Tabs has won a number of prestigious awards over the years, like the one he frequently cites in his email signature, “Winner of People magazine’s 2010 World’s Sexiest Tabby award,” but ya know, I’ve won a few awards of my own.


World’s Sexiest Tabby, 2010

No, not for my groundbreaking research in cat phrenology. My awards have typically been for less…influential endeavors, like my last place award in the 2007 Amateur Karaoke Championships (Western Division).

What a joke, too. That was supposed to be my year…

I’d planned to sing Easy Lover by Phil Collins, a song I knew like the back of my hand, but replaced it with Maria from West Side Story at the last minute.

It was an unorthodox move, to be sure, but a gamble that I felt confident would pay off in the end.

Wrong. I thought that with so many other entrants also singing Phil Collins songs, I’d pull ahead, but then I screwed up the lyrics to the song…

In the song, when I should have been emoting, “Mah-ree-ahh, Mah-ree-ahh, Mah-reee-ahhhhh,” my brain short-circuited, and I sang “Pru-nella, Pru-nella, Pru-nellaaah” into the microphone instead.

Prunella, like the name of today’s unsung makeup hero, the $15 MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella.

Seriously, how was I to know that this shimmery, blackish plum would infiltrate my psyche at such an inopportune moment? 🙂

mac prunella swatch
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There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Unsung Heroes Keywords: mac, unsungheroes

Easy on the Eyes: Try This Shimmery Peach, Brown and Black Look With Your Favorite Neutral Palette

August 31st, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

easy eye makeup peachy shimmer 0

Urban Decay’s Naked Palette shocked the beauty world back in 2010, not with bodacious primary colors and sparkly gobs of gorgeous glitter, but with elemental earth tones and wearable neutral shades.

Since then, many brands have joined the basics bandwagon, coming out with neutral eye palettes of their own.

I love neutrals almost as much as I love bolds — well, maybe even more (although it’s hard to resist a pair of pigmented purple cat eyes).

If you have a neutral eye palette waiting patiently in your makeup bag, give it some love today. Here’s an easy (always important) neutral eye look featuring matte black and brown shades and a shimmery, peachy gold.

I’ll be using eyeshadows from Anastasia’s new She Wears It Well Palette ($34), specifically Sunset (a shimmery, peachy gold), Onyx (a matte black matte) and Toffee (a matte brown).

anastasia she wears it well palette

Before we jump in, let’s go over the recipe…

  • Artdeco Eyeshadow Primer
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion (a matte black from the new Ocho Loco Holiday Set, available now online at urbandecay.com)
  • MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (a shimmery bronzy brown)
  • MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush (a fantastic flat eyeshadow brush)
  • MAC 266 Small Angle Brush (a stiff angled brush)
  • MAC 217 Blending Brush (a fluffy, domed blending brush)

Bear in mind that these are only suggestions. You don’t have to use the exact same colors or brushes to follow this tutorial.

Right! With that out of the way, are you ready to get neutral-ized? 🙂

1. Bringin’ it back to basics

easy eye makeup peachy shimmer 1
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There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To

MAC Unsung Heroes: Greensmoke Eyeshadow

August 30th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

mac greensmoke

It’s time, friend…

Time to clap our hands and stomp our feet! Time to raise our hands to the sky and testify to the dawn of a new era! — the season of smokey eyes!

Oh, fall… You make me so sad when you shoo summer away, but then your cool, crisp winds give me an excuse to bust out my MAC Greensmoke Eyeshadow ($15), one of my favorites for smokey eyes.

MAC describes it as a tarnished olive, but Greensmoke is so much more than that.

On my NC42 skin, I get a smokey, grayish khaki with flashes of golden pearl and flecks of silver glitter. It’s a complex color, and one I can’t recall seeing duped by anyone else.

Packing it my lids or applying it with a wet brush brings out more of the golden pearl and greenish tones, while buffing it coaxes out more of Greensmoke’s gray.

For a different, and wonderfully complex, take on smokey eyes, I’ll apply Tarnished Eye Kohl as a base all over my lids, layer Greensmoke on top (I keep wanting to type “Gunsmoke”), and then buff out the edges.

mac greensmoke

mac greensmoke swatch
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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Unsung Heroes Keywords: mac, unsungheroes

A Quick Eye Makeup Tip for Exhausted Pet Assistants and Other People With PAWS

August 29th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

eye makeup tip for brighter eyes

According to the International Association of Professional Pet Assistants (IAPPA), PAWS, or Pet Assistant Weariness Syndrome, afflicts 63% of pet assistants, myself included.

International Association of Professional Pet AssistantsMore often than not, it goes undiagnosed, and there’s also a stigma attached to it. Many people with PAWS live in fear, not wanting to be the targets of ridicule.

But admitting that you have PAWS is the first step to recovery…

When my PAWS flares up, and I’m feeling really run down, I like to take a small amount of concealer, usually in the same shade that I’ve been using lately to cover my dark circles (MAC Select Moisturecover in NW25), which is a few shades lighter than my natural skin color, and apply it along the base of my brows with a pencil brush like the MAC 219.

(SIDE NOTE: You could also use a concealer in crayon clothing, like the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Concealers, for this trick and apply it directly with the crayon.)

Applied along the base of the brow, the lighter concealer color appears to lift the arch, making the eye seem brighter and more alert.

eye makeup tip for brighter eyes

As long as I’m careful to blend away any visible edges with a finger, the effect is so subtle that my boss rarely even realizes what I’ve done, and when I look more awake, I usually feel a little more awake, which is great for my PAWS. 🙂

But it’s not a cure. As long as my employer continues to regularly send me on midnight gravy runs, I’ll continue to suffer from PAWS…

tabs looking extra grumpy
I don’t remember saying that you could take a break.
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There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer: This Bunny Is Light on (Faces and) Its Feet

August 29th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer Review

El Hub: Sweetie, are you okay? Why are you crying?

Me: I’m not crying. My eyes are just watery.

El Hub: Are you sure, babe? I think those might be tears.

Me: If I tell you, you’ll think I’m silly.

El Hub: I promise not to think you’re silly.

Me: I dunno… I was just about to chat with the gals on the blog about this new Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Concealer, and then I started thinking about its velvety texture, and so I took out The Velveteen Rabbit and re-read it, and now I can’t stop crying.

I mean, when the Velveteen Rabbit becomes real at the end…?

FREAKING PMS!

El Hub: It’s okay. Put down the concealer for a second, and I’ll go get you Charmie and make you a cup of ice cream. I think we have some Three Twins Sea Salt Caramel in the freezer…

Me: (Sniffs) Really?

El Hub: You’ll feel better after you take a break, and then you can talk to your friends about makeup. I know that always makes you feel better.

Me: (Sniffs) Alright… 🙂

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer swatches
Swatches from the left: Thalia 045, Eunice 046 and Clio 047

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer Box
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There are 41 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews, Rouge Bunny Rouge Keywords: rouge bunny rouge

An Urban Decay Dangerous Palette Makeup Tutorial: Spies, and Bronze and Gray Smokey Eyes

August 24th, 2012 by Karen 54 Comments

urban decay dangerous palette makeup tutorial final k eye final

Agent K-dawg, this is Urban Decay Base Camp. Over.

UD Base Camp, this is K-dawg, go ahead. Over.

K-dawg, UD Base Camp. Requesting mission status. How’s the testing of the Holiday 2012 Dangerous Palette ($36) going? Over.

urban decay dangerous palette makeup tutorial final k with palette

Roger that, UD Base Camp. The mission to complete a bronze and gray smokey eye with Deeper, Mushroom and Ace is almost complete, although these eyeshadow pigments are reaching dangerous levels. Over.

Urban Decay Dangerous Palette


The eye palette pops out of the zippered case, so you can reuse it to hold makeup/cat treats/secret spy gear/whatevs!

K-dawg, UD Base Camp. Tech support is wondering what that tap-tap-tapping sound is on your end. Is it static, or is Jeremy Renner trying to send you love letters via Morse code again? Over.

Base Camp, this is K-dawg. Nah, that’s just me tapping my brushes against the edge of the sink to remove some excess eyeshadow before applying. Can’t have fallout beneath my eyes while I’m in the field. Over.

Copy that, K-dawg. Special Agent T-money requests a tutorial for the look. Can you oblige? Over.

UD Base Camp, K-dawg. Can do. Over.

A Bronze and Gray Smokey Eye with the Urban Decay Dangerous Palette

STEP 1: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Sin applied as a base over the entire eyelid

urban decay dangerous palette makeup tutorial step 1
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There are 54 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To, Urban Decay Keywords: urban decay

No Brush? No Problem! Introducing the Long-Lasting LORAC PRO Cream Eyeliner + Brush

August 22nd, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush

The culmination of a new LORAC/NASA collaboration, the brush attached to the cap of LORAC’s new Pro Cream Eyeliner + Brush will be sending Earth’s next unmanned spacecraft to Mars!

Just kidding. NASA had nothing to do with this product…but I still think the brush is pretty dope. 🙂

Unscrewing the end of the cap reveals the tiny brush tucked away inside. Hello, convenience.

I usually reach for gels or pencils to line my eyes, but I’ve been enjoying these long-wearing cream liners lately, which come in Dark Brown, Plum, Navy and Black ($19 each). Pretty great for softly lined eye looks and/or smudgy eyes.

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush product shot

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush product shot

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush
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There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, LORAC, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: lorac

Easy on the Eyes: An Everyday Eye Look With Neutrals

August 21st, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

polished neutrals makeup tutorial

I don’t know… Today I feel very indifferent about my makeup, very noncommittal, like I don’t really have a strong opinion one way or another.

There’s a word for it, the way I’m feeling, but dang if I can’t recall what it is.

Neuter? No — that’s not it.

(Whoops, sorry Tabs! It had to be done.)

I think it has something to do with Switzerland in World War II?

Oh, shoot. It’s on the tip of my tongue…

LOL!

Neutral! The word is neutral. 🙂

Today I thought I’d share one of my favorite everyday eye looks, a brown, bronze and black neutral eye that I wear sometimes when I want to look polished and put-together.

Like many of my favorite looks, it’s an easy one that doesn’t require a lot of blending, and we should be able to knock it out in less than 15 minutes.

I’ll be using a mix products from MAC and L’Oréal, but you know how we roll here — feel free to use any other brands and similar colors you happen to have around.

polished neutrals eye makeup tutorial products
From the left: MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood, MAC Eyeshadow in Saddle, MAC Eyeshadow in Mulch, MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked, MAC Eyeshadow in Print and L’Oreal Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black

What’s that you say? You noticed my watch, and now you’d like to ask me what time it is? Well…

It’s prime time!

polished neutrals makeup tutorial 1

Let’s start by applying a base for our powder eyeshadows. How about creamy bronze MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood? We’ll apply that all over our lids with a finger and buff it out with a fluffy domed brush like the MAC 217.

That should really intensify the colors of the powder eyeshadows we’re about to layer on top.

The shape of things to come

polished neutrals makeup tutorial 2
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There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To

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