Eyes

10 Ways to Work MAC Fix+

January 16th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

There are so many ways to use Fix+ (officially, MAC Prep + Prime Fix+) beyond the standard makeup setting spray procedure.

I love Fix+ and use it daily to prep my skin, and I’m so into it that I even bring a mini bottle with me when I travel.

MAC recently added three new Fix+ “flavors”…

OK, they aren’t really flavors. Just different scents with the same Fix+ formula as the original, which is still my favorite, BTW (has a white floral/green tea scent). Now there’s also Coconut, Lavender and Rose.

Spraying Coconut ? on my face right now…

Ah… I love it.

I don’t know if you’ve ever used Fix+ before, but if you haven’t, give it a try. It’s weirdly much better than water, and it doesn’t leave splotches. You can use it as a setting spray or as a moisturizing skin prep spray to wet your skin before doing your skin care, but those aren’t even half the things it’s good for.

Here are 10 more ways to work MAC Fix+…

1. You can spray it on your hair!

Yes, that’s right. You can spray it on wet hair to loosen tight knots. Or, if you have naturally curly hair, spray it on your hair while it’s wet or dry to kick up your curls.

2. As a body moisturizer/refreshing body spray

You can also use Fix+ on your bod. Store it in the fridge, then spray it all over your arms, torso and legs for a cool, light, refreshing layer of moisture.

3. Intensify your brows

For an intense brow look, load an angled brush with your favorite brow powder, and then spray it with Fix+. Apply that directly to your brows and watch out!

4. Conversely, use Fix+ to mellow out an overly intense brow application

If you accidentally apply too much brow pencil and make your brows too dark, dampen a spoolie with Fix+, and run it through your brows to take down the intensity a few notches.

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Antonym Cosmetics Certified Organic Eyeshadow Quattro in Noisette

January 11th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

antonym cosmetics quattro eyeshadow noisette — Living life on the edge…purr usual

For some people, living on the edge means base jumping from a skyscraper, surfing 50-foot waves, or getting hitched in Vegas to the lifeguard they just met at the hotel pool five minutes ago (granted, he was hot).

My idea of life in the fast lane is trying to use a matte eyeshadow that I’ve never used before in a 10-minute makeup look…

What can I say? I GO HARD.

Sometimes this gamble doesn’t pay off, and I end up with a choppy, patchy mess. Sometimes, however, it does, like it did with Organic Eyeshadow Quattro in Noisette ($39) by Antonym Cosmetics.

If you have lined lids and/or otherwise refuse to get drawn into eye makeup drama, I think you’re gonna love this. It’s from Antonym Cosmetics, a cruelty-free, organic line from Miami that I just started wearing and loving.

(Side note: Why aren’t more makeup peeps talking bout this line? It’s still flying under the radar for now, but they recently launched on the Sephora website (that’s how I found them). I’m convinced they’re going to blow up soon because every one of their products I’ve tried so far has been profesh-caliber — like Hourglass meets NARS.)

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54

January 8th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

make up for ever aqua paint l54 k — Eye makeup done in two minutes or less with this bad gal!

I call this terrific tiny taupe my “Speed Racer shadow,” because it dries f-a-s-t, and because I can never remember what it’s actually called, haha.

But seriously, it’s Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54, a $25 cream shadow (0.16-oz tube) in MUFE’s Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow line.

In a nutshell, I it, despite the fact that it dries very quickly, which I normally wouldn’t be into because I like having time to play and blend and move stuff around, but it depends on my mood. Lately I’ve been into doing super fast eye makeup, which these are great for.

I dunno, it’s weird… I feel like I finally found my calling, like THIS was the reason I was put on this earth, to figure out every available path to putting on makeup in 10 or 15 minutes, and then spilling the beans about it.

Anyway, random tangent, LOL! What was I saying again…?

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.

Oh, yeah, Speed Racer, a.k.a L-54, dries extremely quickly, but there’s something about that luster, which is sort of halfway between a shimmer and a matte, that still gives you enough time to move it around and blend it without any brouhaha, even though in real time it sets in less than a minute. Literally, 60 seconds is all you get before it sets, but you don’t need more time than that, because this thing is genius.

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Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer Gets Some Things Right and a Couple Things Wrong

January 4th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

revlon youth fx fill blur concealer swatches — Yaaaargh!

In theory, Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer should totally work for me. It’s a smoothing liquid under-eye concealer for mature skin, and, well, I’m 42, got some fine line action, killer under-eye circles, dry skin, and I’m usually tired as hell.

Buuut the spongy applicator is a frickin’ mess to use! The concealer gets stuck in the sponge, and there’s no easy way to clean it. Oh, and then when I put the cap back on, the stuff gets all over the inside, and the cap is clear, so it gets all crusty while it mocks my desperate need for order in this chaotic world…

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Noir by Antonym Cosmetics Waterproof Eye Pencil Easily Holds Its Own Against Chanel 88 Noir Intense

January 4th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

antonym cosmetics noir waterproof eye pencil — Long lasting, smudgy and smooth.

Eureka! Found another epic liner for tightlining, and it’s almost — almost — as epic as Chanel 88 Noir Intense.

Oh, and it costs 40% less ($19 vs. $33). 🙂

It’s $19 Antonym Cosmetics Noir Waterproof Eye Pencil, and the only reason I can’t completely turn my back on Chanel 88 Noir Intense is because I still like 88’s skinny twist-up tip. I think it’s better at getting down there between the lash roots than Antonym’s tip, but it’s doable as long as I keep the tip sharp.

It’s coo’.

Thankfully, the pencil comes with its own sharpener, which is handy for that.

Noir by Antonym is matte, waterproof and black — the blackest black — so there’s no blue, grey or green in it. I think it’s just about as dark as Chanel 88 Noir Intense. When it’s pressed up at the base of my lashes on my water line, my lash bed looks dense and super thick, like I’m sporting many more lashes I actually am.

It’s also long lasting on my water lines. I get a good eight hours without any fading…after it sets. *AFTER IT SETS* is key here, though, because it does take a while to completely set.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips

January 3rd, 2018 by Karen 32 Comments

clinique take the day off makeup remover lids lashes lips — This $19 classic always delivers.

Dear Universe/Siri,

How many of these have I purchased over the last 10 years?

20 bottles? 25 bottles…? Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips ($19) is by far the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever used, and I’ve repurchased it MANY times.

Everything melts under its liquid gaze, and I mean everything, from industrial-strength waterproof mascaras, to long-wearing liquid and gel liners, and even waterproof cream shadows. Anything you can throw on your lids, no matter what makeup apocalypse it’s made to withstand, this takes it out.

When I soak a square of Shiseido Facial Cotton with a small amount of Take the Day Off, that square dissolves every shred of makeup with a couple gentle swipes. It works shockingly well, but that’s not even my favorite thing about it.

Well, I mean…it is, but it wouldn’t matter if this stuff hurt my eyes. Thankfully it doesn’t. Many other eye makeup removers make me tear up, but this doesn’t bother my peepers one bit.

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’s a multitasking powerhouse, too, because you can also use it on your lips to erase any traces of long-wearing lipsticks. Plus — bonus! — it doesn’t taste funny or weird.

(I don’t know why, but this is a THING for me. I don’t like it when makeup removers that you can also use on your lips taste funny. Go figure.)

I also like that I can pretty much find it everywhere. I usually get mine at Sephora, but you can also find it at any ol’ Clinique counter.

This bottle I just picked up should last me about six months, based on past experience, and I’m an “eye makeup every day” person.

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Update: Six New Shades Join the Full-Coverage Crew

December 28th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

nars radiant creamy conealers swatches new top — There are six new shades of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($30 each).

Waaay back in 2013 when NARS introduced the Radiant Creamy Concealers, they were revolutionary, but there were only 10 of them. They had lots of pigment and a spectacular satin finish that covered everything — dark circles, blemishes, cat scratches on your cheeks (which, yes, I can attest to from personal experience). They covered EVERYTHING, and they shook up the makeup world.

Since then, so many other brands have come out with their own full-coverage, mousse-y concealer thangs (see: Urban Decay and Kevyn Aucoin).

Fast forward to 2016…

NARS added more shades; the makeup world rejoiced!

Time hop to today, and now there are six more shades, bringing the grand total up to 22. By comparison, MAC has 16 in their Pro Longwear Concealer range and 23 in their Studio Finish Concealer range, and Urban Decay has 14 in both their Naked Skin and All Nighter concealer fams.

nars radiant creamy conealers new — Fun fact: You can also use the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealers as highlighters or contour shades.

Most of the newbies have yellow or golden undertones (extra ideal if you have lots of yellow in your skin tone).

nars radiant creamy conealers swatches new — Truffle, Walnut, Sucre D’Orge, Tiramisu, Marron Glace and Cafe Con Leche

I know a lot of people who love using Radiant Creamy Concealer to hide dark circles, and I wish I loved it for that too, but it settles into my fine lines after a few hours, so I primarily use (and love using them!) as an alternative to foundation.

For all-day natural-looking medium coverage, I like to mix a teeny, tiny amount of Ginger and Caramel (two of the old-school shades) with either MAC Strobe Cream or BECCA Backlight to thin them out a little. Then I pat that on my cheeks and around my nose with my fingers.

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The Tom Ford Winter Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette in 04 Violette Argente

December 21st, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

tom ford soleil eye cheek palette violette argente 1 — Is the purple a shout-out to the new color of the year?

I love how Tom Ford drops a summery collection in winter, because, obvs, the private jet’s waiting to whisk us off to the Maldives ?? for the holidays. *hair flip*

Winter Soleil is his latest LE launch, and it has a blush duo, four roller ball lip oils (so intriguing, I know!), a gardenia-scented body oil spiked with cozy vanilla, a highlighter, a lipstick, and an eye and cheek palette with a peppery, potent purple/vivacious violet.

tom ford winter soleil collection — Tom Ford Winter Soleil

Hmm… Now that I think about it, the eyeshadows in the $155 Violet Argente Eye and Cheek Palette roll deep with pigment, especially the bronze and the rosy burgundy shades, but the purple sparkles. 🙂 It’s the only one with glitter (dainty glitter, though), and therefore it’s also the one voted Most Likely to Exhibit Fallout (although it doesn’t, and neither do the other shades), and Most Likely to Invite Prince’s Ghost ?? Over for Afternoon Tea and Chitchat.

tom ford violet argente — Violet Argente on my lids and cheeks

tom ford violet argente swatches — From the top: the blush, the highlighter and the four eyeshadows

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