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Eyes

Neat and New to Me: The IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette

May 15th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

it cosmetics naturally pretty palette
IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette ($42 and available meow)

I feel the same way about matte palettes as a I feel about mascara.

Both are flat-out necessities, and any makeup lover worth her weight in cotton balls should have at least one or two in her (or his) bag.

Well…I don’t know how you feel about that, but that’s my take on it.

There are so many great ones out there, too, and I’m always finding new ones to love, like my latest, the $42 IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette, which has been available for a while, but it’s new to me, and I’m totally into it. I wore it a bunch of times last week.

Do you like matte shadows? Because I sure do. I mean, mattes are your friends. They really are. They’re just so useful. I wear at least one matte shadow a day, usually in the crease to sort of contour my eyes to make my sockets look deeper (mine are slightly hooded and seem to be getting more hooded as I get up there in years).

Sometimes I do a single sweep of matte shadow all over the lid (often a matte brown or taupe) for a little definition, and, contrary to the vast majority of YouTube makeup tutorials, you *can* use just one or two shadows if you want. You don’t need to use 12. You will be OK!

And if I’m still feeling extra sassafras after that, I’ll add a colorful liner — maybe a purple, green or teal — along my lash lines.

Yup, I love shimmer and glitter, for sure, but mattes are always there for me, ya know?

The Naturally Pretty Palette has 14 useful, wearable matte powder shadows and an extra pan of “transforming pearl,” which you can tap on top of the matte shades to give them a pearly shimmer.

The mattes are a mix of warm and cool shades that I know I can wear over and over in lots of different looks — like matte beiges, matte browns and matte taupes. There are also some deeper shades in the palette, too, like a couple of dark purples, a navy and an off-black, that you can use as liners or in smoky looks.

Basically, this is a workhorse palette (also cruelty free) for elegant, easy everyday looks, and you won’t have to fight fallout or blend until your wrist falls off.

it cosmetics naturally pretty palette k
Wearing Sunset from the palette on my lids and lower lash lines along with the BECCA Sunchaser Palette, and Hourglass Creator Girl Lip Stylo on my lips

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There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, It Cosmetics, Makeup, Product Reviews

MAC Unsung Heroes: Minted Eye Kohl

May 8th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

mac minted
MAC Minted Eye Kohl on my water lines, $17 and available now in the permanent line

Before I get into why I love MAC Minted Eye Kohl so much, first, a fun fact for my fellow cat ladies. ?

Next time you’re feeling extra feline, have a cup of catnip tea (ideally, in your favorite teacup, which, obvs, is decorated with cats!), and share some of the leaves with your kitty BFF, because catnip is in the mint family.

Hmm… That may or may not have been one of the most cat lady things I’ve ever said, haha!

So, MAC Minted Eye Kohl. This vibrant, luscious leafy green has playful pearly shimmer, and it’s one of the those liners you only have to run across your lash or water lines once or twice because of how potent and pigmented it is.

mac minted swatch final

OK…green liner might sound nuts if you don’t venture out of the neutral zone often (trust me, I know, because there was a time when I would’ve been freaked out about wearing an eyeliner that wasn’t black or brown), but it’s one of those things that you just have to try, and once you do, you might not want to go back.

The thing is, Minted isn’t just any ol’ green liner. It’s got a special sauce. It’s like a Jedi mind trick! It captivates and captures attention (“You will notice me…”), and once it gets you, you’re got.

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.

This is the time of year I start wearing it more, because this is when blue, green and/or gold eye looks are my BFFS4EVA, and Minted goes well with those shades.

It’s a liner…but it’s also a good eyeshadow base.

Yeah, man! You can sweep the creamy kohl formula around with your brush when it’s on your lids and play with it. I really like to use it as a base for green and blue powder eyeshadows.

Just the other day, I layered it underneath the green/blue palette from MAC Fruity Juicy. Then I tried it with the bright palette from the UD Jean-Michel Basquiat.

It worked so well with both of them and kicked everything up a notch. If you’re thinking about either of those palettes, Minted would be a great extra something to add to the mix.

Ah, and it isn’t only good for gals and guys who love the cray-cray colors. Even if you mostly stick to neutrals, Minted is great for looks like that, too. Seriously!

mac minted
MAC Minted on my lower lash lines

Wear it with any warm browns or golden browns on your lids, like MAC Soft Brown, Saddle or Soba. I love it with all of them.

Here’s what you can do: sweep the neutral shade on your lids, then line your lower lash and water lines with Minted.

You can smudge it out with a pencil brush, or load your brush with the neutral shade you used on your lids (it’ll mellow out the edges of the green a tad). Or, if you want to go full-on ham, layer a shimmery green shadow right on top (I like MAC Steamy for this). Then, when you’re done with your eyes, add a few coats of mascara, and you’ve just had a makeup adventure with something more than basic brown! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes

Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 1

May 4th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

I don’t go to regular drugstores as much as I used to, mostly because of Ulta and Target, which is basically a drugstore, only a million times bigger, but ever since I was a kid cruising the makeup aisles at Thrifty (of course, I had to get a Thrifty ice cream cone while I did this), I’ve been a drugstore beauty addict.

And over the past few years, drugstore makeup has gotten MUCH better — like next level sh*t. You can be a woman of color now and find a foundation that actually matches your skin tone, and within those foundation families, you’ve got dewy finishes, matte finishes and satins. Nowadays you can also find good drugstore cream shadows, where once you could only get those at department stores.

As for drugstores colors, you aren’t just limited to a narrow neutral range anymore. Now you can find all sorts of drugstore color craziness. It’s an exciting time for affordable makeup! That’s for sure.

Here are five drugstore products I tried this week, and whether I think they’re “needs” or “nopes.”

1. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue

maybelline great lash royal blue
Maybelline Great Lash in Royal Blue

If you were a fan of Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue back in the day, it’s back for a limited time exclusively at Walmart for $6.40. It had been discontinued some time ago.

Honestly, I’ve never quite understood the Great Lash Mascara love out there. For me…it’s just OK. Decent lift and separation, but with regard to Royal Blue, I can barely see the blue color on my lashes. I have to pile it on and look in a magnifying mirror.

If you have lighter lashes than I do, I’m sure the blue will pop more.

THE VERDICT: Nope! For me, this is a nope, but I know there are lots of Great Lash fans out there.

maybelline great lash royal blue ingredients
Maybelline Great Lash Royal Blue ingredients

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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Face, MAC Makeup, Maybelline, NYX, Physicians Formula, Revlon

A Look at a Few Pieces From the Chanel Ombre Premiere Eyes Collection

May 4th, 2017 by Karen 34 Comments

chanel ombre premiere
A few things from the new Chanel Ombre Premier Eyes collection

I swear, nobody does subtle fancy finishes like Chanel. It’s their makeup super power. I love the way they handle satin and shimmer — love it deep down in the marrow of my bones! — and if you also get a thrill from subtle flashes of glossy shine here or shimmer there, I think you’ll love what Chanel is doing with their new Ombre Premier Eyes collection.

It’s a massive collection! It just launched at chanel.com and is coming soon to Chanel counters with a new line of cream eyeshadows (eight shades, $36 each), a new line of powder eyeshadow singles (16 shades, $30 each), a couple of dual-ended retractable eye brushes ($42 each), some eyeliners ($30 each) and two brow gels ($32 each).

The bulk of the pieces are also permanent, so yay! 🙂 If you fall in love with something (and you just might), you don’t have to decide right away. You have time to ruminate.

Don’t miss the Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadows

I tried three of them and was hooked. They’re the things I was most looking forward to when I heard about the collection, so I had high expectations already, but even with that Chanel didn’t disappoint.

chanel ombre premiere longwear cream eyeshadow
Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadows clockwise from the top in Pourpre Profond, Scintillance and Noir Petrole ($36 each)

I’m already a super fan when it comes to the Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadows, and the new Ombre Premiere line has a similar, spongy, soft formula. When you press your finger into one of the pans and work it around, you can feel them give and sort of…bounce. They aren’t dense like a MAC Paint Pot.

chanel ombre premier swatches
From the top: Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadows in Scintillance, Pourpre Profond and Noir Petrole; Ombre Premiere Longwear Powder Eyeshadows in Talpa, Desert Rouge and Noir Satin

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There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews

What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 11: Bright Pink and Green Eyes With the Urban Decay UD Jean-Michel Basquiat Tenant Palette

May 3rd, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

urban decay basquiat tenant palette
BRIGHTS!

I think I may have unintentionally gone ? unicorn with this look.

That was not my plan, I swear!

In my head, I pictured this eye look as being a lot pinker… Or is it more pink? I can never remember that one.

Guess who played with the UD Jean-Michel Basquiat collection today.

This girl! 🙂

I was thinking of hot pink in the crease, hot pink along my lower lash line, and bright green and purple accents, but then temptation struck! — which is what happens when you’re dealing with a palette that inspires you to try different things.

So, I started by putting a little bit of purple in the outer corner, but then this happened. Whoopsie-daisy! It’s less pink than I thought I wanted it to be, but with makeup I always reserve the right to change my mind.

You know how it is.

urban decay basquiat tenant palette 2

Technically, the inner corner highlight on my lower lash line isn’t an eyeshadow, by the way. I used the UD Gallery Blush Palette (also from the Jean-Michel Basquiat collection). There’s a super intense yellow gold highlighter in there, and I liked the idea of that playing against the green on my inner lid.

Oh, and for that bright green pop on my lid I mixed the green and blue from the Tenant palette.

urban decay basquiat tenant palette 3
That moment when someone stands too close to you…

[Continue reading…]

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Face of the Day (FOTD), Makeup, Urban Decay

MAC Unsung Heroes: Take the Plunge Technakohl Liner

May 2nd, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

mac take the plunge liner
MAC Take the Plunge Technakohl Liner on my water lines

I’m sitting here at my ask wearing a tank top and shorts (no, not booty shorts…although I kinda wish they were) for the first time in… I can’t remember, and, of course, to go with my springtime ensemble, I’m also wearing blue and green eyeshadow. Because it’s spring (the sunny part). And fun times shall be had by all. 🙂

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.

So, on account of the blue/green action on my lids today, I’m also wearing MAC Technakohl Liner in Take the Plunge.

mac take the plunge swatch
MAC Take the Plunge (you probably already know this because I’ve said it literally hundreds of times over the years, but I’m an NC42 in MAC-speak, for reference)

Intensely pigmented teal Take the Plunge is a knockout on water lines, and if you wear blue, green or, heck, gold or neutral eyeshadows, and you pop Take the Plunge along your water line, your eyes will strike down strangers in their tracks. BOOM! Especially if you have brown eyes.

No, seriously! Take the Plunge would stop somebody dead in their tracks, and they’d be like, “GURL! What’s happening on your water line?!”

OK…so maybe most people wouldn’t do that, but I totally would (and I may have in the past, haha #makeupweirdo).

Take the Plunge is part of the MAC Technakohl Liner fam, which is MAC’s line of twist-up eyeliners. They have a super skinny tip, so you don’t have to use a pencil sharpener to sharpen them.

I mostly wear it along my water line, because I love what it does for my brown eyes. I think they look much more chocolatey. 🙂 But I also think it looks amazing along lash lines, too. Plus, you can really get between your lashes with that tip.

The creamy formula also smudges well, so it’s easy to buff out with a brush, which means that it ALSO works great as a base for powder shadows.

Sometimes I’ll use it as a cream shadow by layering it on top of powder shadows in the outer corner. No matter what I do with it, it lasts all day, too!

And, most importantly, on my eyes, which are prone to freak out, Take the Plunge never makes my water lines water, or feel itchy, dry or otherwise funky.

mac take the plunge liner 1
Backups, babe! (In this look, I’m also wearing the Urban Decay UD Jean-Michel Basquiat Eyeshadow Palette on my lids in Tenant and the Gallery Cheek Palette on my cheeks; on my lips I’m wearing MAC Love at First Bite Lipstick and Cha-Cha-Cha Cremesheen Glass from the Fruity Juicy collection

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There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes

Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Eye Shadow Kicked Me Into #makeuphoarders Mode

April 26th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

revlon colorstay creme eye shadow
Revlon Colorstay™ Crème Eye Shadow

Girl, the struggle is so real. These Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Eyeshadows kicked me into #makeuphoarders mode real quick because they look, feel and blend A LOT like MAC Paint Pots. On my lids (which are dry), they last all day long, too. And they’re only $7.99, WHAT?!

Revlon even hid a brush in the cap, which I really don’t use…but I like that it’s there. It’s very James Bond.

revlon colorstay creme eye shadow 1

revlon colorstay creme eye shadow 2
From the top: 705, 710, 740, 755 and 760

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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

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

DRUGSTORE GEM ALERT! Revlon Colorstay 2 in 1 Angled Kajal Eyeliner

April 21st, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

This new Revlon angled eyeliner pencil could totally pass for a brow pencil, amiright?

Observe the angled tip. If I hadn’t been paying attention (which happens sometimes often when I’m applying makeup early in the morning), I would’ve put the shade I’m wearing here (Fig) in my brows.

Purple brows. Hmm… Thinking about it now, that would’ve been kind of cool.

These Revlon ColorStay 2 in 1 Angled Kajal Eyeliners are so bomb! They’re smooth, pigmented, and the angled tip hugs my lid curves. The waterproof formula fabulously flows along my lash and water lines, too. Drawing neat lines is a snap.

Oh, and it absolutely does not move!

[Continue reading…]

There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

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

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