Eyes

10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Lots O’ Latte

April 8th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

I swear to you…I don’t just love the Clinique Lots O’ Latte ($18.50) cream shadow stick because it’s named after a coffee drink, although that might have a bit to do with it.

Mostly, I like wearing this semi-sheer neutral golden taupe because it makes my lids glow with a lovely luminous sheen.

If Fuller Fudge is my Clinique cream shadow for sultry and smoky lids, then Lots O’ Latte is the one I wear for polished and professional. Like with Fuller Fudge, when you swipe it directly on your lids, then quickly blend it with your finger or a fluffy domed brush like a 217, then add liner and mascara, your eye makeup is DONE.

I think it totally works well for big nights out, too. Just add false lashes and a bright lip. Side note: You can pretty much wear it with any warm or cool lipstick of your choice, which is another added bonus.

clinique lots o latte swatch — Swatch out for this NC42 arm!

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Budget Beauty for $10 or Less: Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Pencil Liners

April 3rd, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

maybelline tattoo studio eyeliner pencil — Long-lasting liners

Hooray for budget beauty! In this new series, we talk about sweet finds you can get for $10 or less.

Maybelline is famous for their potted Tattoo Studio Gel liners, and I’m happy to say that their gel pencils are just as good — AND at $7.99 each, they’re crazy affordable.

I used to wear gel pencils all the time because of the epic wear time (Bobbi Brown Jet was my jam back in the day), but I quit a few years ago when my skin became drier than all earthly deserts combined! Gel pencils just got to be too uncomfortable as they sucked the moisture outta my skin, so I switched to regular old kohl liners instead.

The Maybelline gel pencils are different, though. They’re on the moisturizing side (for gel liners). They’re creamy and easy to feather for perfectly smudgy, soft lines.

One big caveat? Their quality varies based on the color. Like, the brown and gray shades, which I wear all the time, are bulletproof; however, other shades like the blues are softer and have more “give.” Both the navy and the teal tips broke the very first time I used them.

Grrr… After I sharpened the tips, the pencils stayed solid and didn’t crumble, but still, it’s always annoying to waste product right off the bat. Keep your receipt just in case you get a wonky one.

I’m still a Chanel twist-up liner girl all the way, but it’s nice to have affordable options. If you can’t decide which colors to get, I say go for the gray or the bangin’ brown. Both last all day without even a touchup.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Lovers…We’re All Artists! (And a Peek at the MAC eL Seed Collection in Action)

April 3rd, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

I’ve had painting on the brain lately for two reasons — one, because I’ve been spending practically every free moment at Home Depot because we’re planning some much-needed repairs and updates to the house this summer, including painting the place from top to bottom, because when El Hub and I purchased our place and moved in about a decade ago, we had no idea what we were doing. We were first-time homeowners, and the whole process was (and still is kinda) a mystery. We painted the interior with a flat finish, but flat finish is not your friend when you live with a toddler and/or a perpetually ravenous tabby who eats with reckless abandon and gets gravy splashes on the walls. Go with eggshell, homie. Eggshell is the way! It’s so much easier to clean.

The second reason I’ve had painting on the brain lately is because of the new MAC eL Seed collection, which is coming out in a few days. It’s one of those LE releases that just feels so artsy to me, which I guess makes sense since it’s a collaboration with an artist. eL Seed is a Tunisian graffiti artist who was raised in Paris, and he’s famous for combining Arabic script with graffiti.

It gave me the urge to paint! — and not just because of the gorgeous eye and face palette…

mac el seed cicero full face kit — The Cicero Full Face Kit, which is mostly eyeshadows and two blushes (the pink shades)

It’s the brushes.

Ooh, the brushes… They’re unusually long for makeup brushes.

They look like legit painter’s brushes to me.

I was doing makeup with them the other day and got to thinking about how I forget all the time that makeup really *is* painting. When you think about it, it’s so much like what painters do when they put brush to canvas. You’ve got your pigments and paint, and when you sit down to buff and blend everything on the blank canvas that is your face, you paint a temporary work of art. It’s so cool!

Funny thing is, I never really thought of myself as an “art person.” When I was in high school, I was in band and played every instrument under the sun, so I was a total music nerd, and I was also on the newspaper, but the last true art class I took was in eighth grade (which I got a B+ in, by the way!). That’s the extend of my art training.

mac el seed swatches final — Swatches of the Cicero Full Face Kit (the two pink shades are blushes) and three of the Lipsticks — Declaring Love (pink), Maya La Belle (red) and Une Caresse (plummy brown)

So I don’t think of myself as an artist, but makeup is art! For a few minutes (almost) every day, as I’m painting my lids and my lips and everything else, I get to be in touch with my inner eighth-grade artist, or rather, ahr-teest.

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Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Exquisite Eye Liquid Shadow

March 28th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

wander beauty exquisite liquid eye shadow amber wave — Wander Beauty Exquisite Eye Liquid Shadows in Amber Wave and Champagne ($22 each) on my lids, and Brownstone as eyeliner

You know how Marie Kondo is always taking about things that spark joy?

Like…

And…

Well, these Exquisite Eye Liquid Shadows by Wander Beauty also spark intense joy in my makeup-loving soul.

wander beauty exquisite eye liquid shadow swatches — I built these up swatches so you could easily see the color, but when they’re blended out the shimmer is mellower in real life.

First, look at those gorgeous neutrals… Swoon!

My favorite is Amber Wave, which I wore today. Now that’s an oh-so-pretty coppery brown. It’s like a cream shadow Teddy Liner.

Another fave is soft, shimmering peach Champagne. Mm…

Basically, if you wear neutrals and lurve brown, beige and taupe, you’ll lose your mind when you see these up close and personal.

I think the best thing about them, though, is that they’re just like Tom Ford’s iconic $46 cream shadows (OMG!), but instead of coming in a pot, they come in a tube with a doe-foot, so they’re much easier to use IMO, and at $22 each, just under half the price!

It’s almost as if someone poured Tom Ford’s shadows into these tubes because they have the exact same magic. They make lids shimmer without looking frosty, and the formula?? OMG again! Light. As. Air. You can’t even feel them on your skin, and they look lightweight too, unlike some cream shadows that look heavy. Tom Ford’s don’t, and neither do these.

You can build them up or buff them out, but either way, they stay out of my fine lines, and I never feel like they make me look older when I wear them.

As if that wasn’t enough to send love arrows straight through your heart, Wander Beauty’s shadows also last just as long as Tom’s. I was playing with them this morning, put some on my lids, and then kindasorta forgot I had them on (seriously, they feel like nothing).
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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Rodan + Fields Enhancements Lash Boost Nightly Conditioning Eyelash Serum

March 25th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

rodan enhancements after four months — Lashes like WHOA

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.

Behold, my latest lash obsession! — Rodan + Fields Enhancements Last Boost.

Since I started using it, my lashes, which peaced-the-eff-out after I gave birth to Connor, are longer, thicker and so much lusher now, and the difference is DRAMATIC. Shout-out to the gals who noticed in these mascara pics.

I’ve used other OTC lash serums before, but I’ve never seen this caliber of results. Too bad it’s so expensive ($155 per tube, OMG).

For the first time ever, though, my lashes actually curl up at the ends, and now when I wear mascara, my lashes touch the my lenses when I wear my glasses.

WHAT THE WHAT?!

Yeah, they do, which is one of those makeup problem I’ve always wanted to experience, but was never able to due to my previous lash limitations.

Take that, genetics! After decades of wanting to “live dat lash life,” NOW I CAN! (Yes, this needed to be in all caps.)

I can see the difference in pics with my bare lashes (these are after four months using the product), but when I wear mascara, it’s even MORE noticeable. I can definitely see more length, especially where there had previously been bare spots/gaps where my natural lashes were their smallest and stubbiest. Also, I can see a difference in the outer corners. Now my fringe even flares out.

rodan fields enhancements lash boost before after — Bare lashes with nothing on them. The top pic was taken at the end of November last year, and the bottom was this month, so it’s been about four months.

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Mascara Is My Medieval Chain Mail

March 22nd, 2019 by Karen 41 Comments

mac extended play perm me up lash mascara — Remember when perms were cool?

To anyone who says that makeup is meaningless, or who dismisses makeup as something shallow or frivolous, all I have to say is, “Kiss my wannabe J.Lo booty,” because that sh*t is powerful.

Those tiny tubes of mascara and lipstick can change worlds.

I’ve worn makeup practically daily for decades, and sometimes I just go through the motions and take it for granted as part of my habitual routine, but there are those other days, like yesterday, when I really realize just how potent it is.

I was having a sh*tty day yesterday, as was Connor Claire, because poor thing is sick again. She got croup, again, so I’ve been tending to her needs, which has made it more difficult to balance my other responsibilities.

I don’t want to whine but…I’m going to! LOL! ? Basically, I haven’t been sleeping well because I’ve been staying up to comfort Connor, and it all kind of came to a head yesterday afternoon. I felt super grumpy and defeated, but I still wanted to go to my HIIT class at night, because I knew that if I continued to sit around the house, I’d feel progressively worse.

Normally, I don’t wear makeup to work out, and that’s mostly because I usually don’t have time to put any on. It’s not that I don’t want to, because I used to back in the day, but these days I look at the clock, and it’s like “OH, SNAP!” It’s all I can do to don stretchy pants and go.

But yesterday, even though I was running behind as usual, I said to myself, “Self, you need to do something.” I needed to put on my proverbial armor, lest I burst into tears in the middle of class mid-burpie.”

So I curled my lashes, put on the new MAC Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash curling mascara (It’s smudge-proof!), a little Urban Decay Naked Lipstick and, the piece de resistance, I combed my hair! I actually applied some hair paste, strong-hold hairspray on my cray-cray wiry witch hairs, combed my hair, and put it in a high pony.

Someone needs to invent flattering gym lighting…

Then I went to the gym, and ya know what? Even though I wanted to cry for the first 20 minutes, I swear to you, there was something about that little bit of makeup “armor” I was wearing — like the mascara was a suit of Medieval chain mail — that slowly but surely made me feel a little tougher. I said, “Ya know, I can get through this. I don’t have to be the toughest I’ve ever been, but I can make it through this workout without bursting into tears,” and I did. At the end of the class, I actually felt like pushing a bit. I felt really, really good.

mac extended play perm me up lash brush — I like a mascara brush with a curve.

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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: NARS Multi-Use Gloss

March 20th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

nars multi use glosses — The lightest and loveliest non-sticky gloss for your lids, cheeks and lips

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

Oh, how do I love 10-minute makeup? Let me count the ways… LOL.

I’ll spare you the lengthy soliloquy, but here’s the gist of it: I like putting on a full face without spending HELLA YEARS applying and blending. Sometimes it’s just nice to do a quick makeup look that doesn’t look like a rush job. That said, even *I* get a little tired ? of doing the same brown smoky eye with peachy coral cheeks and a nude lip every day… I mean, I LOVE THAT LOOK, but sometimes you need to switch things up when you’re feeling “makeup restless,” ya know?

That’s where these new NARS Multi-Use Glosses come into play…

These glittery glosses are limited edition and available now on the NARS website for $24 each, so if you see something you like, you better grab it sooner than later because they won’t be around forever.

They feel like lip gloss and look like lip gloss, but you can wear them on your lips (of course), your eyes and your face (as a highlighter!).

nars multi use gloss swatches — My favorite shade is Relentless, the rose-gold with tiny flecks of glitter.

nars multi use gloss applicator — The applicator is a thin, flexible paddle.

All five of have the daintiest flecks of graceful glitter, so they sparkle and shine, which kicks them up a level.
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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Fuller Fudge

March 18th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

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.

It doesn’t get speedier than this: Clinique Fuller Fudge.

Mmm, fudge… Now I want some See’s Candies. ?

Sorry! Sidetracked!

Anywho… I’ve talked about Clinique’s line of twist-up cream shadows before, but this shade — this one — is my favorite because it’s highly compatible with my lifestyle these days, and by that I’m talking about 10-minute makeup, which is just about all I do these days (maybe 15 minute makeup on a good day!).

The funny thing about this $18.50 shadow (well, funny to me) is that whenever I wear it, I get questions like, “What are you wearing on your lids? Is that a palette? Are you wearing a mix of creams and powders?”

People always assume I’m wearing something more complicated than it is, but nawwwww, it’s just Fuller Fudge. It just so happens to be fab.

It’s a one-stop smoky lid shop, the most delicious warm dark brown with enough soft shimmer in it to keep things from falling flat. When I wear it, I usually do a few swipes directly on my bare lids, then blend out the edges with a finger, or sometimes I’ll dip a 217 into whatever bronzer I plan to wear that day and use that instead.

A few windshield wiper motions here, a swish there, and voila! — I’ve buffed my way to elegant smoky lids that I can wear to pretty much anywhere, with pretty much any cheek and lip colors.
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