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Bite Beauty Upswing Full-Volume Mascara, and a Merry Christmas Eve!

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bite beauty upswing mascara
Volume, length AND lift

“Like sands through the hourglass…so are the days of our lives.”

You know you watched HELLA soap operas when you see the brush on the new Bite Beauty Upswing Full-Volume Mascara and mumble the Days of Our Lives intro, hahaha!


This sh*t is crazy!

What’s with the curvy brush?

Bite designed it that way so the center of the brush head holds as much product as possible, which is then supposed to maximize how much mascara makes it onto the center of your lash line.

Concentrating the product right there in the middle is supposed to lift and thicken your lashes where you want it most — which is music to my ears (eyes?), because I’m all about mascaras that lift, lengthen, hold the curl, and embiggen in a bad-@ss way.

I want — no, I need — mascara to work minor miracles, and the ones I keep in heavy rotation all do it to varying degrees. Currently, I think the best overall mascaras for drama are Laura Mercier Caviar and Chanel Dimensions de Chanel, but neither of those are cruelty-free and vegan, unlike Bite Beauty Upswing.

“Upswing Mascara is powered by clean, vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free ingredients, including tree berry wax instead of beeswax. Tree berry wax, derived from berry fruit peels, grips lashes for volume and gives them an instant and buildable boost that’s both lightweight and smudge-resistant.”

-Official PR

The bottom line

If you’re looking for big, beautiful, dramatic lashes that can be seen from a mile away, AND you want a cruelty-free and vegan option, Upswing is legit. It doesn’t smear or flake, it layers well, and it’s easy to remove; however, one thing to keep in mind is that you may need to use a few layers. I’m a girl who likes A LOT OF LASH ACTION on my eyes, and I use about three, which is actually pretty normal for me.

bite beauty upswing mascara
Big lashes FTW

Where to find Upswing

Upswing just launched on the Bite Beauty website and will also be available at Sephora stores and online starting December 29. It’s $28 for a 0.40-oz. tube, so price-wise, it’s in the same ballpark as Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara, Too Faced Better Than Sex better and YSL Faux Cils. It comes in a single shade: black.

Some quick comparisons before I float away on a pink, sparkly inner tube…

  • Too Faced Better Than Sex — Upswing and Better Than Sex are in the same category, IMO. Both are cruelty-free and vegan, and both are made for bold lashes. Upswing is waaaaaaay better overall, though. It gives you more volume, more curl, more length, and it isn’t nearly as smudgy or flaky. Frankly, if you’re debating between the two, go with Upswing.
  • Laura Mercier Caviar — Upswing offers similar curl hold, length and lift, but Laura’s Caviar is more volumizing and doesn’t require as many layers. That said, it isn’t cruelty-free or vegan either.
  • YSL Faux Cils — Upswing isn’t as dramatic in terms of volume/thickness, but it offers similar length and curl hold. Again though, it isn’t cruelty-free or vegan.
  • Chanel Dimensions de Chanel — Better than Upswing when it comes to overall volume, length, curl hold and lift, but it’s also slightly more expensive at $32. That, and it, too, isn’t cruelty-free or vegan.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. One more sleep until Christmas! ?? Coywolf, El Hub, Pretty Girl Rosie and I are just hanging out at home. We made some homemade lemonade, finished making a batch of brownies, some cheddar biscuits, and now we’re listening to Christmas music and rocking out. How ’bout you? I hope you’re having a nice night.

Fun Faces of the Day With Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Edith, Jean, Vera and Misia | Ombre Premiere Laque in Desert Wind | Stylo Yeux in Black Wood

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chanel rouge coco jean edith swatches
A few fun Chanel lipsticks!

I may or may not have been wearing nude lips for the better part of nine months now, sooooo one could call this a “nude lip rut,” but I intend to break it with these fun Chanel lipsticks…because Chanel makes everything better. ? (Please allow me this fantasy.)

These are a few shades from the Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lipcolour line. They’re $38 each, shiny, moisturizing and vary from medium coverage to opaque. Also, like most of Chanel’s lip products, they have a regal, rosy flavor and scent.

Edith is a fave! It’s an opaque neutral pink that goes extraordinarily well with shimmery taupe shadows like the one I’m wearing here (Chanel Ombre Premiere Laque in Desert Wind).

chanel edith
Rouge Coco in Edith

I’m also a fan of Jean, a hot pink with a purple hint. Like Edith, it goes well with shimmery taupe lids.

chanel jean
Rouge Coco in Jean

For this last lip look, a ’90s-style unblended lip, I layered sheer beige Vera with warm reddish brown Misia, then lined my lips with MAC Burgundy Lip Pencil.

chanel vera misia
Rouge Coco in Vera and Misia (sadly, both appear to be discontinued), along with MAC Burgundy Lip Pencil

The eye makeup

I’m always looking for new eye combos that excite me without exhausting my patience, and the shimmering taupe lid look here only relies on two things, both from Chanel. The shadow is Desert Wind, a cream shadow that comes in a tube with a wand. It’s long-wearing and sets fast, so you have to work quickly to buff out the edges.

I sure do like how wet and glossy it looks. ?

chanel desert wind black wood swatch
Love me some taupe!

As for the liner, it’s called Black Wood, and it’s one of Chanel’s twist-up, long-wearing pencil liners from the Stylo Yeux line. It’s a rich, deep brownish black.

I’ve been looking for a borderline-black dark brown liner because my MAC Coffee pencil is almost finished (TEARS!). I was hoping I could replace it with this liner because I love the long-wearing formula (it also doesn’t irritate my eyes), but I think it leans a little too black to be a dupe.

Mind you, I still like it, and I’m definitely going to keep it in rotation!

But by far the most interesting makeup around these parts lately…

Is the makeup Connor did on this blank face chart…


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Urban Decay Decades Collection Swatches and Impressions

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urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Takin’ a trip through the decades with Urban Decay’s latest

Watch out, Elon Musk! ? Urban Decay just took the lead in the race to develop a time machine, but no, science fiction nerds, I’m not referring to a hot tub time machine (although I secretly wish I was). I’m talking about their $25 LE Decades eyeshadow palettes, which are up on the UD website now.

Each one is themed around a different decade from the ’70s through the early 2000s, and they’re cute! They fit in the palm of your hand with colors and finishes reminiscent of that decade’s style of makeup.

urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Of course 1993 would speak to me, haha!

No surprise here, but my favorite is 1993, and not just because of the great plaid packaging. The colors are also wearable. I was really surprised when I put them on the other day by how non-scary my eyes looked, because that did not line up with my first impression when I opened the palette and immediately thought, “Oh, boy…”

“Flattering” wasn’t the first word that came to mind, but then I put them on. ?

urban decay 1993 boogie swatches

When I did my makeup the first time with these shadows, I did my eyes first, and I vividly remember that there wasn’t any fallout. I didn’t have to clean up any eyeshadow on my cheeks afterwards, which was great.

I think the standout’s gotta be Collect Call, a dark brown that looks intimidating in the pan but turns out to be a surprisingly wearable matte brownish purple on my skin. I blended it into my outer corner and was pleasantly surprised. It feathered out quite easily.

Grunge is another surprise. It looks like a baby threw up all over Oscar the Grouch’s fur in the pan, but no! — it’s actually a lovely satiny golden olive.

Overall, the colors in the 1993 palette are totally, and surprisingly, wearable. Who’d a thunk it?

I put the shadows on bare lids and wasn’t wearing any primer with them at all, because that’s how I roll these days, and even after five hours, I didn’t see any creasing. The shades looked just as vibrant as they did when I put them on in the morning.
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DIY Eyeshadow: Mixing Bronzer and Highlighter for Effortlessly Glowing Lids (And Another Lazy Girl Glam Look!)

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lancome skin feels good lazy girl glam eye closeup
Multi-use creams up in the mix!

I stumbled onto this fun way to make your own customized shadow yesterday while I was putting on some makeup to run errands — mix bronzer and highlighter together with a brush, and swish all over your lids. The result? Effortlessly glowing eyes!

I used equal amounts of a multi-use cream bronzer and a highlighter (both by Lancôme), and all I did was dip a tapered blending brush into the pan, swirled everything together on the back of my hand, and then swept the mix on my lids.

lancome skin feels good lazy girl glam eye closeup head tilt final
Lovin’ on the gray eyeliner.

I think this is a cool way to customize your eyeshadow, because you can add more or less of either product, depending on your mood.

Multi-use in the mix

You can easily complete the eye look by curling your lashes and loading up on mascara, which would be super pretty, especially if you used a lengthening and separating mascara to really stretch out your lashes.

I did that here and still felt like something was missing, so I also lined my upper lash lines by loading an angled brush with a shimmery gray cream shadow stick that also doubles as liner.

I love how the gray adds some definition to my eyes but doesn’t look too harsh, and I also love how the gray cream stick isn’t as finicky as a liquid liner or gel. It’s so much easier to control, and you don’t end up with liquid liner running amuck across your lids! ?

lancome skin feels good lazy girl glam eye closeup smile final
A bit of a bold brow, just for fun!

To streamline the look even further, I also used the bronzer and highlighter on my cheeks. Then I used another multi-use cream as a blush and lipstick.

Skin is in

One more item of note — I’ve been really into sheer bases, and the one I’m using here is a new one to me called Skin Feels Good By Lancôme. It’s a tinted moisturizer with SPF 23 and a demi-matte finish, and it comes in 11 shades.

I like it a lot! The tube and pump also make it easy to control, and I never feel like I’m wasting product. The formula feels lightweight too. It’s also pigmented enough to even out the pigmentation on my cheeks but doesn’t look too “made up.”

Good stuff! If you’re into that “no-makeup makeup” look, this is perfect.
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Product Spotlight: You’ll Be Drawn to Maybelline Color Strike Cream-to-Powder Shadow Pens If You Love One-And-Done Eye Makeup

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maybelline color strike pen

Your amusing factoid of the day!

The part of a pen responsible for the click-click-clickity sound is called “a thrust device.” ?️

You’re welcome! ?

There’s no thrust device in these new $7 Maybelline Color Strike Cream-to-Shadow Pens, and aside from their cylindrical packaging, they aren’t very much like pens at all… When you twist them open, there’s a sponge tip inside, which is basically a fairly traditional preloaded eyeshadow applicator. In fact, there isn’t a felt tip or a ball-point pen applicator or a thrust device anywhere in sight.

maybelline color strike pen

Semantics, schemantics.

These cream shadows are great for a single, purposefully messy sweep of color on the lids because they’re only moderately pigmented, so they’re perfect for washes of quick, easy color.

The formula is on the thinner side, but I wouldn’t call it watery. It’s almost like someone melted a MAC Paint Pot and thinned it out a bit. It’s slick and slippery when it moves across your skin, and it takes some time to set, so you have a good 10-15 minutes to blend.

I would caution against using too many “pens” (“air quotes”) on your eyes in one sitting, though, because there seems to be a tipping point after which too much shadow results in the colors mushing into a muddy mess.

I also find the applicator a challenge to use and, even with the pointed sponge tip, the shadow always ends up a little bit off…which makes these difficult to use for layered looks with multiple placements.

maybelline color strike pen

That said, the price is right, though ($7 MSRP). They’re less than $10 each! And the wear time is fabulous. They last all day long on my dry lids with barely a hint of creasing, and that’s without using any primer with them.

If you’re a fan of one-and-done eye makeup, I think they’re great. Just remember to stick to single shadow looks, OK?

I would suggest starting with Flare, the matte cool-toned taupe. It’s the one I wear the most, and it’s a neutral everyday shadow color a lot like MAC Groundwork Paint Pot but more gray.
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Urban Decay Empire Eyeliner Is an Enchanting Jewel-Toned Gem

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urban decay empire
A little obsessed with Urban Decay Empire

If you like the KAPOW! of black eyeliner but usually gravitate toward subtler shades like charcoal gray and brown, first of all, HELLO, ARE WE MAKEUP TWINS? Second, check out Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Empire ($22), a jeweled eggplant purple. Allegedly, it is not magical…but I’m not so sure about that.

urban decay empire closeup
Fallin’ for purple wings

Whenever I want some serious smoke, Empire softens into a hazy, gorgeous gradient…that’s also smudge-proof when it sets and stays put on lash and water lines. You can also use the super-smooth formula to draw razor-sharp wings or trace your lash lines with skinny-mini streaks.

urban decay empire k smile
Understated purple drama

Depending on the lighting, sometimes it looks matte, and sometimes there’s a hint of shimmer.

Magic, I tell ya!

Empire is a permanent fixture in UD’s lineup. Could it be your new favorite eyeliner for fall? ?

Ballerina daughters

Because Rosie is my youngest child. ? Anyway, Connor takes a live Zoom ballet class on Wednesdays, and apparently Rosie has decided she’s a ballerina too.

She parks her torbie booty in the middle of the floor and watches Connor jump over her and twirl around. It’s the funniest thing because Rosie’s just so chill about it. I’ve never seen a cat so unbothered…

Now Connor’s ballet teacher and the other little girls are used to Rosie’s cameos in class. I’m tempted to get her a little kitty ballet tutu of her own!

I’m running to Target in a few to grab some last-minute Halloween items because it’s going to be a very IMPROV Halloween ’round these parts this year.

Remember the crazy things we did, like go to Halloween parties?
And parks?!

Since nobody’s really trick-or-treating in our town this year, we’re taking Coywolf to a pumpkin patch on Halloween morning, and then we’re going to carve jack-o-lanterns in the afternoon. I’m also going to try doing a Halloween candy hunt for her (kinda like an Easter Egg hunt) in our little circle, if I pull it off.

What are you up to? I hope all is well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Ghost Bride Vibe: Sooty Smokey Lids With Matte Black Lips

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mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick samantha

Is this look wearable? I guess it depends on who you’re talking to. If you’re chatting with El Hub, he’d probably say, “Um, not really,” and he would encourage you to *not* wear this sooty smokey purplish blue smokey eye to pick up a small child at her preschool.

(Side note: I seriously considered it, but then I chickened out at the last minute, and now I deeply regret not cementing my legacy as the crazy-@ss mom who showed up at pickup in black lipstick.)

If you ask Samantha, though — she’s the Halloween ghost who haunts my doorway — she would first say, “B*tch stole me look!” LOL. Then she’d she’d say, “One hundred percent, YES, channel your inner goth Billy Idol White Wedding bride.”

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

This is my “take two” at Samantha-inspired makeup! I wanted to push it a little further this time and tried to go more “edgy,” as opposed to wearable, but ultimately I think it ended up looking kinda casual cool, and yes, totally wearable. If we were back in the ’90s when I went through my (very brief) baby goth phase, I would’ve legit worn these lips and eyes everywhere.

Layering is the key

I really, really enjoyed putting this face on, and part of the reason was because it happened so quickly. I didn’t really think about it. I just started layering and mixing and blending and 20 minutes later there it was. With this type of smokey editorial/edgy eye makeup, I think the following things really help:

  1. Embrace the imperfection. This is the type of smokey eye makeup that, I think, almost looks better the messier it gets. Let your brushes and your imagination push past what you’d normally do, and take your products higher up the lid and further down the lash line than you’d usually go. It might look weird to you at first (it always does for me because I’m not used to seeing that type of placement), but do it anyway.
  2. Layers, layers, layers. Really, this is key. If you want the effect of a puff of smoke around the lids, where that super-blended gradient leads one color easily into the next, bust out ALL THE THINGS. At the minimum, you’ll need your favorite smudgy eye pencil, a cream shadow or two, and some powder eyeshadows that you also like that work with your color palette.
  3. Blend that sh*t. When your fingers are about to fall off, you’re probably close to done.

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

mac caviar retro matte liquid lipstick

Oh, and about that black lip…I applied a matte liquid lipstick first (MAC Caviar), then defined the edges with a super sharp matte black pencil liner. Yes, girl. Black eyeliner as lip liner! My friends and I used to use it both as liner and lipstick back in the ’90s when we wanted to wear matte black lips.

Makeup worn in this look

A couple weird things

I was craving an egg over easy yesterday for lunch and look what happened when I cracked my egg open…

I dunno, maybe I’m fully in superstitious Halloween mode, but I was kinda freaked out! I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s part of a scary Filipino old wives tale, and even though it (irrationally) scared me a little, I still ate most of it…although toward the last few bites I ended up psyching myself out.

On a (somewhat) related weird note, look what I found this morning in the middle of my bed!

I’m guessing Rosie Posie got hold of it during the wee hours of the morning, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Moody Makeup Time! Smokey Blue Lids and Matte Berry Lips (and a Trip to Gabriel Farm)

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mac burning love maybelline ace front
When your hair and makeup evoke Disney Villain vibes

You know you’re a makeup lover when your penchant for puffs of sooty blue drives your Halloween decor decisions.

samantha the ghost closeup
OF COURSE I would want the ghost wearing makeup.

Behold the floaty ghost bride currently welcoming visitors to our humble abode. Despite being undead, she’s very proud of her dark lip and blue smokey eyes.

Oh, and her dark burgundy nails.

This is Samantha, and she hangs out in my doorway. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m kinda wondering what her wedding theme was and whether Billy Idol was the groom.

Inquiring minds want to know…


This video scared the living crap out of me when I was a kid!

Samantha was the one who inspired this look I’m wearing, and if we were to hold a “Who wore it better?” battle, she would definitely have won this round because I could’ve/should’ve pushed it further.

mac burning love maybelline ace with samantha
Just the girls

I was going for a wearable version of her look, but I’m feeling like, with these blue lids — which, by the way, I did with an awesome new product from Maybelline called Color Strike (they call it “a cream-to-powder shadow pen”) — I should’ve just taken the shadow all the way up into the brows and maybe even further down the lower lash line. Oh, and what if I’d layered the blue shadow with a black or dark purple pencil and switched out the berry lip for a straight-up black? That could have been even cooler.

Hmm… I think I just figured out tomorrow’s FOTD!

mac burning love maybelline ace closeup

mac burning love maybelline ace smile

samantha the ghost
Samantha?!

By the way, if you’re admiring Samantha’s mani, I highly recommend Smith & Cult’s Dark Like Me. 🙂

samantha smith cult dark like me

Makeup Worn in this look

Fall adventures at the farm

Connor had last Friday off from preschool, so she and I met up with her bestie (and her BFF’s mom) for a fun day at Gabriel Farm in Sebastapol.

It’s an organic family-run farm that offers a yearly seasonal membership valid from June through November. A family membership is $40, and when you join you get a HUGE box of delicious, sweet and crunchy Asian pears. You also have access to the farm during those months and can visit as often as you like to pick and pay for whichever fruit and flowers are in season that month (fruit is charged by the pound). They grow berries, tomatoes, apples, Asian pears, persimmon, pineapple guava and flowers.

There’s also a cute picnic area tucked away in a gorgeous grove of persimmon trees, so when you’re done picking your goodies you can relax in the shade with your bounty.

The girls had fun picking berries and exploring the farm, and then played for hours under the trees. If you have a little person to entertain, or if you’ve got a hankering to spend some time outside, I highly recommend it.

persimmon grove gabriel farm

There were multiple hand-washing stations around the property, and masks and social distancing were required. Connor and I went as guests of our friends this time, but next year I’m definitely signing up for a membership!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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