Eyes

Product Spotlight: Urban Decay Inked Brow

June 2nd, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

This cruelty-free vegan brow-filling gel is pigmented and lasts a loooong time. If you’re a fan of Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow, you’ll like this too. Inked Brow comes in seven $26 shades and is available now at UD counters and online.

Things I’ve done to dislodge Urban Decay Inked Brows from my face: 1) Chased a preschooler while they sprinted and splashed in rain puddles. 2) Grunted, thrusted and sweated (get yo’ mind out of the gutter) through a 1-hour booty building HIIT workout. 3) Sang Just What I Needed over and over for 10 minutes in the shower.

ALL FUTILE ATTEMPTS, MIND YOU.

This line of long-wearing brow gels is built to last. Urban Decay even goes so far as to call it “semi-permanent” and claims it lasts up to 60 hours (with the caveat that you need to refrain from washing your brows for three days… Who does that?!).

urban decay inked brow neutral nana — The shade Neutral Nana over the course of one day

It’s like hella pigmented maple syrup for your brows, except that it isn’t sticky and you can’t eat it…so please refrain!

My point is that the viscous formula makes it better for adding color to brows than for molding and shaping. If you’ve got mad scientist brows, you might require the help of an additional brow gel to hold everything in place.

urban decay inked brow brush — Closeup of the brush

Before engaging in the aforementioned shenanigans, I painted it on my bare brow spots using the angled brush it comes with, then ran a brow brush through my brows a few times.

(Do not skip the latter step, or you risk being mistaken for a pirate!)

urban decay inked brows dark drapes neutral nana — Two of the seven shades

I have no desire to leave any product in my brows for three days…but if I did, this would be that product.

Remember — if you decide to use this, don’t use too much, and brush, brush, brush through your brows with a brow brush.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bushy Brows and Soft Matte Lips: Drugstore Beauty Strikes Again!

May 27th, 2020 by Karen 18 Comments

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k closeup — Bushy brows, babe!

If you’ve ever experimented with the bushy brow look you probably already know this: there’s a fine line between “full and lush” and “full-on cray.” Sometimes ya unintentionally cross that line (whoops!), and sometimes you don’t… The latter happened to me today when I stumbled onto this bangin’ bushy brow combo.

Budget beauty brows

Both products are from the drugstore, and to that I say, “Huzzah!” (Sorry, I’ve been binge-watching The Great on Hulu for the past few days.)

HUZZAH!

The two things: Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow in the shade Medium ($9.49) and Maybelline Tattoo Studio Brown Pen in Soft Brown ($7.59).

Easy Breezy Brow Gel is an intensely tinted gel loaded with color, and it dries to a super stiff hold. If you’re a fan of the awesome Hourglass Arch Brow Gel, this Covergirl product is practically a drugstore dupe.

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k tee — I’m a makeup nerd and I’m proud of it! Makeup Nerd Tee from connorclaire.com (Yup, that’s my store. Named it after my boss, hahaha.)

It deposits tons of color and pushes brow hairs upwards and outwards (especially those on the inside/closer to the nose), so if you’re going for fluffy, full brows with defined hairs, it’s perfect. Just be sure to remove any and all excess gel from the brush before you use it, because this stuff is intense!

After running the brow gel through my brows, I fill the sparse spots with the Tattoo Studio Pen, which like because it has juuust enough pigment, so it doesn’t make your brows look “blocky” or overly filled.

Oh, and if you’re feeling adventurous, it also doubles as a pen for drawing fake freckles. ?

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k front closeup — Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing today, I hope you’re having a good one!

A lip oil hack for soft matte lips

Speaking of products you can use in different ways…if you have a good lip oil sitting around, try mixing a little into your favorite matte liquid lipstick for a custom lip color with a soft matte finish.

Just dab a bit of both the liquid lipstick and lip oil on the back of your hand, mix them together with a finger or a brush, and pat that blended beauty combo on your lips.

I did it for this look with Pixi liquid lipsticks and a Covergirl lip oil for a finish just shy of matte. I also dabbed a tiny bit of highlighter on my Cupid’s bow to add contrast to the soft matte finish.
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Affordable Drugstore Makeup Mini Reviews: Concealer, Blush and Eyeliner From Maybelline and Covergirl

May 21st, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

Good morning! A few speedy reviews of drugstore makeup I’ve been wearing lately…

Covergirl Clean Fresh Cream Blush

I like the squeeze tube in this line of shimmery cruelty-free cream blushes and how the blushes last a good six hours on my cheeks (my skin’s combo oily/dry), but feathering out the edges is a challenge. No matter what base I wear them with, I always end up with uneven patches and hard edges… Covergirl says that you can also wear these blushes on your lids, so I’m going to try that next to see if they work better as eyeshadows. Available in four shades, $10.99 each.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Light Eyeliner Pencil

These waterproof twist-up liners for your lash and waterline come in five shimmering shades to brighten yo’ eyes. I’ve used the black shade to tightline and the gold shade on my inner corners as a highlighter, and I like how they glide across the skin without skipping and don’t transfer — not one bit! The’re truly long wearing. The shimmer is also pretty subtle, so there aren’t any big chunks of glitter. Available in five shades, $5.99 each.

Maybelline Eyestudio Master Precise Liquid Liner in Black

This flexible felt tipped black liquid liner pen has a shiny finish. Among the pros: it’s intensely pigmented, long lasting, and it dries faaaast (so when I blink, I don’t have to worry about the liner ending up in my crease). The cons: the felt tip is touchy and skips, so carving out razor sharp lines with it is a challenge. If I’m not super careful, I end up with jagged edges. Available in three shades, $7.99 each.

Maybelline Washable Snapscara

These easy-to-remove, washable mascaras are made to load lashes with volume sans clumps, but I find them lacking in the volume department… I need to apply at least three layers to see any difference. They get points for being easy to remove, though. Available in five shades, $7.77 each.

Maybelline Volum’ Express the Falsies Washable Mascara in Navy Glam

I don’t see the navy when I wear this, and my lashes look and feel clumpy and stiff… Navy Glam is one of four shades, each for $8.77.

Covergirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer

This full-coverage vegan, cruelty-free liquid concealer has a matte finish and comes in SO MANY SHADES! There are 30, which is kind of amaze. It disguises discoloration without feeling heavy or looking “caked on,” but since the finish is *very matte*, when I wear it underneath my eyes, it emphasizes fine lines… Still a good concealer, though, if you just want to even out your skin tone. 30 shades, $11.99 each.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Friday Eve! ?

A Wearable, Colorful Drugstore Makeup Look: Navy Liner and Lashes With Orange Cheeks and Lips

May 14th, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

honest blood orange — All the makeup I’m wearing today is from the drugstore.

Totes on a budget beauty kick right now, and everything in this navy and orange look is drugstore.

honest beauty blood orange — Budget beauty at its best

I’ve been slowly but surely mining my makeup collection lately and rediscovering old loves. Also finding new faves…

Budget brow wow

Case in point: Maybelline’s brow pencil. It’s the one in peach packaging with the angled applicator, and it’s just as good as the $$$ Anastasia brow pencils at Sephora IMO. It has the perfect amount of pigment — enough, but not so much that it makes you look like you’re plotting someone’s demise. Plus, it doesn’t budge! It stays put through long runs, planks and burpie push-ups (so fun…NOT). You’ll find it in four shades for $5.99 each — Blonde, Soft Brown, Deep Brown and Medium Brown. I wear the Deep Brown one. It’s a beautiful ashy brown with a hint of gray.

The ace of budget base

Speaking of affordable, can we talk about this base combo for a second? — Neutrogena Hydro Tint plus Maybelline’s Age Rewind Concealer equals magic?

I’ve been a fan of both products for a while, but I never realized they could be such a great budget-friendly combo for no-makeup makeup.

Hydro Tint ever-so-slightly evens everything out while keeping your skin looking natural, and then I dab and blend a little Maybelline Age Rewind where I want a little more coverage (like on the hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and dark areas underneath my eyes).

The end result looks natural and even (and doesn’t look thick). The two products layer perfectly.

Long-lasting liner for under ten bucks

I’ve also recently discovered some new-to-me things that totally deserve the spotlight, including these Coverigrl twist-up eyeliners, which are available in six $7.99 shades (and currently on BOGO for 50% at Ulta!).

I’m also wearing a shimmery deep blue here on my upper lash lines, and I love that glimmer. I had to do a few layers (like three), but once it’s on, it doesn’t transfer into the crease or creep into the lower lash line.
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A Warm Neutral Drugstore Makeup Look for Zoom Calls

May 7th, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

drugstore neutrals — All the makeup I’m wearing in this look is from the drugstore.

I seriously thought about wearing this makeup look for a Zoom call I had with my bakery coworkers a few days ago (we still keep in touch) but decided to wear it with warm neutrals instead.

All drugstore today because I’m on a budget beauty kick! I’m wearing a mix of old faves (a nude Revlon cream eyeshadow palette and Fig eye kajal, Almay eyeshadow and Covergirl Trublend foundation) and some new things I recently found.

Latest drugstore loves

Honest Beauty Tinted Balm in Dragon Fruit: THIS IS SO GOOD! It’s a bright, moisturizing sheer fuchsia balm that doesn’t settle into lip lines (so smooth!). Two-hour wear time, and it’s unflavored and unscented. It’s similar to the very sheer Clinique lipsticks, but at a fraction the price. $8.99 each and comes in bunch of colors.

Covergirl Trulbend Base Business Illuminating: This is a pearly golden pink skin primer you can wear on its own underneath foundation/concealer, or mixed into other base products to sheer them out and give them an opalescent finish, which is what I do. It’s like a more sparkly version of BECCA Backlight. You *will* see the tiniest flecks of golden glitter reflecting off your skin when you wear it, so be prepared for disco fabulousness while you frolic in full sunlight. If you’re indoors, however, it isn’t visible at all from more than a few feet away. $11.49 for a 1-oz. tube.

Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow: I used Clear on the inner part of my brow (which has a good amount of hair) and Medium on the outer part (not so much hair). Both are on the stiffer side of brow gels so your brow hairs won’t move. Medium, a gray brown, is *very* pigmented and not the easiest to control, so use it sparingly. I loooove the Clear, though. It’s comparable to Benefit’s clear brow gel. $9.49 for a 0.16-oz. tube.

Makeup worn in this look

Base: Covergirl Trublend Base Business Skin Primer Illuminated mixed wtih Covergirl Trulend Matte Made in M50 and Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer in Golden Honey

Eyes: Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow in Clear (inner part of brow) and Medium (outer part of Brow), Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadow in Not Just Nudes, Almay Eyeshadow in Pure Gold Baby, Revlon 2 in 1 Angled Kajal in Fig, Maybelline the Falsies Mascara

Cheeks: Covergirl Clean Fresh Cream Blush in Butterflies, Maybelline City Bronzer in 300

Lips: Honest Beauty Tinted Balm in Dragon Fruit

What are your drugstore go-to’s at the moment? I’m playing “put all the makeup in my cart” on the Ulta site right now. 🙂

Nail “painting” is easy and fun.

One of Connor’s preschool teachers sent this fun art idea for painting nails! Grab some nail polish (I used quick-drying ones by Sally Hansen), a black marker and a piece of cardboard. Draw hands with nails on cardboard, and then have your “coworker” help you paint them. Or do it yourself. This kept me and CoyCoy entertained a long time.

Some of my hand drawings ended up looking like weird lizard fingers…but she didn’t seem to mind.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A “TGIF” 10 Minutes With MAC Selena La Reina | Fun With Glitter | Not Dancing With Myself

April 24th, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner closed eyes — Peep the bronze on my upper lash lines (it’s glitter eyeshadow!)

I can’t even… I am SO HAPPY it’s Friday, my friend. I don’t know, but this week was draining. Even though it was just more of the same, really, the whole sameness of it all is wearing on me. I know you’re probably in a similar boat, or you’re an essential worker out there doing your best, or you’re unemployed because of this. Whatever the case may be, I’m sorry this is happening to you. To all of us. These are strange, unsettling days indeed. ?

But what can we do, other than our best every day to get through it? And none of us knows the “best” or the “right” way to deal with something like this. We all have different needs and responsibilities, different situations. I want you to know I’m with you, and I support you. You’re doing your best, just like I am too. ??

With that, here’s a little something makeup-related, because why not right? For this look I used a glitter eyeshadow as my liner (the bronze glitter from the MAC Selena La Reina palette).

Such a handy hack!

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner crazy face — Another day, another 10 minute makeup look

You just load an angled eyeliner brush (I like the NARS #47) with your glitter shadow of choice, spray the brush head with setting spray, and, because fallout isn’t fun, tap it to unload any excess powder bits, and then run the brush along your lash lines.

The result?

The same shiny effect you get from a shimmery liquid eyeliner, except that’s it’s easier to do because you don’t have to deal with wet liner spreading all over your lids or getting up into your crease.

And you know I like easy, especially lately.

Makeup worn in this look

BASE: MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance and MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Stick in NC42

EYES: MAC Selena La Reina eyeshadow palette (matte medium brown in crease, glittery bronze on the upper lash line), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (lashes), MAC Cool Jazz Technakohl Liner (upper water line)

CHEEKS: MAC Pinch Me Blush

LIPS: MAC Selena La Reina Lip Pencil in Entre a Mi Mundo, MAC Love Nectar Lipglass

By the way, there are many setting sprays that work well with this trick. I’ve used MAC Fix+, Urban Decay All Nighter; the ones by Make Up For Ever and Shiseido are also great. In a pinch, even water will do.

If you plan to do this to a pan of glitter, I suggest designating one area of your pan to be the place where you *always* dip the wet brush head; otherwise, if you’re grabbing from all over the place, you can turn the top layer of your shadow into a hard, clumpy mess.

For the life of me, I haven’t been able to take a normal pic today, because my coworkers have been ALL UP IN MY BUSINESS.

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner coycoyhand 1 — Never alone

Did you notice the mystery hand in the lower corner?

mac selena la reina fotd bronze glitter liner coycoyhand 2 — Not for one second!

I’ve been making a self-quarantine playlist and have been playing Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself like nobody’s business, but I’m very thankful that, throughout this period of isolation, I haven’t really been by myself. Thank you for stopping by and keeping in touch.

When I was a kid and this played on MTV, I’d change the channel because it scared me.

You’re welcome to join The Girl’s Club! So far, it’s just me, Rosie and the CoyCoy. Lifetime membership!

If you’re going to join us, just know that you’ll be required to either play hopscotch, ride bikes or jump rope. Standard Girls Club stuff, ya know.

Last weekend, I jumped rope for the first time in…I don’t even know how long, and OH, MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I’m still recovering. My body hella hurts, dude!

I’ve been teaching Connor how to jump rope (this is what she gets in her classes at “mom home school,” ha ha), and for some demented reason, I thought it might be kinda fun to take up jumping rope as my new form of cardio…

Wow, that was a questionable idea.

bob the jump rope — I’ve named my jump rope “Bob.”

I jumped for three minutes straight (well, I tried to, at least), rested for a minute, then repeated the cycle. I did this seven times. I figured, hey, I’m not in terrible shape. I can jump rope for a total of 24 minutes, right? Piece. Of. Cake.

Nope! Apparently, one doesn’t need much rope jumping to hobble themselves for an entire week. The next day, I could barely walk. Who knew?!

Can you remember the last time you jumped rope? If you can, did you do a double under?! (Yes, it’s a thing.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?❤️

Warm Browns With a Matte Bright Blue and Shimmery Teal

April 15th, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

Banged out these bright eyes during the golden hour, otherwise known as “afternoon rest time,” otherwise known as “the two hour break when Connor takes a nap and I get to put on a li’l makeup.”

Lower lash line surprise

I’m wearing warm brown eyeshadows with a bright matte blue on the upper lash line and a shimmery, glittery teal on the lower lash line…but look closely! You’ll also see a thin line of the same matte bright blue I’m wearing on my upper lash line hugging the roots of my lower lash line for an unexpected makeup surprise.

Sharpen those weapons

You could totally do this look with other accent combos. For the bright accent here (in this case blue), I think the key is to combine a darker matte finish with a lighter shimmer. I think that’s what makes it work.

Whichever colors you choose, have your favorite eye pencil sharpener handy, because the sharper your liner, the more control you have over the width of your lines. I used to overlook this and would line my lash lines with dull tips until I found an eyeliner tutorial by The Goddess Her Makeup Majesty Charlotte Tilbury (GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I LOVE HER). She emphasized, over and over, the importance of a sharp tip whenever you’re working with pencil. Lo and behold, when I started religiously sharpening, lining got much easier and less messy.

Big ups to Char for forever changing my life. ?

Spirit makeup animal shout-out

I also gotta give it up to another one of my favorite makeup artists, Brittany Sullivan, for inspiring this look and for temporarily lifting me out of my bronze/brown/neutrals ~~rut~~ routine. Follow her if you aren’t already because her hair and makeup style (how she perfects the base without it looking overdone = AMAZING) is the stuff of effortlessly casual dreams. Serious #foundationgoals.

Makeup worn in this look

Base: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (to prep skin), MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick in NC42 (cheeks, nose, around mouth) and Estée Lauder 24HR Concealer in Medium Warm Deep (just a single dot underneath each eye)

Eyes: MAC Soft Brown and Saddle (lids and crease), Urban Decay Chaos liner (upper lash line, and very thinly along lower lash line), Urban Decay Electric (lower lash line), MAC Hush (inner corner and brow bone), Hourglass Arch Brow Gel in Dark Brunette, Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

Cheeks: Nudestix Lip & Cheek Pencils in Blush and Purity (cheeks) and MAC Hush (upper cheekbones)

Lips: Nudestix Lip & Cheek Pencils in Purity (lip liner) and Blush (lipstick)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Coral, Bronze and Plum Makeup With a Natural-Looking Base for Outdoor Adventures

April 14th, 2020 by Karen 23 Comments

This is what “fancy dress” is for me these days: a semi-wrinkled striped sweater, pants with paint spots on them (I wore them to paint Connor’s room a few months ago, and dagnabbit if they aren’t my most comfortable jeans I own!), and my “good” pair of Nike Winflos.

Oh, and a little makeup of course! ?

Targeted coverage

To chase PGR around the house and the Coywolf around the block yesterday, I wore bronze and plum on my eyes and cheeks with a sheer coral lip. And I paired it with what I like to call “a semi-sheer base,” which is all-over barely-there coverage with a tinted moisturizer, as well as a few targeted areas with slightly more opaque coverage. I did this by blending a sheer layer of stick foundation on my cheeks and around my mouth, and then buffing a tiny amount of liquid concealer underneath my eyes.

I didn’t set it with a powder because I wanted my skin to look as skin-like as possible, but you totally could… Just be sure to not go too heavy with it if you want to maintain the skin-like effect.

I really like this type of targeted coverage, especially how it looks in outdoor light, which can be notoriously unforgiving. Highly recommended. Try it on your next picnic.

Unearthed MAC gems

In other news…I’m weeding my way through my makeup collection right now, and I keep unearthing old gems. I wore two of my recent finds yesterday — Cheeky Bronze Mineralize Skinfinish and MAC Liquidlast Liner in Coco Bar.

Cheeky Bronze is a soft, shimmery golden coral face powder. Technically, it’s a highlighter, but you can also use it all over your cheeks as an all-in-one bronzer/blush/highlighter, which is what I have on my cheeks in these pics.

If you’re feeling creative, you can also use it as an eyeshadow. I wet a MAC 217 brush, flicked it across the pan a few times to load it up, then buffed it onto the inner part of my lids to go with the bronzed plum shadow I was wearing on the outer half (MAC Sable, in case you’re curious).

Coco Bar is a dark neutral brown MAC Liquidlast liner, and it will not move for nothing! It’s like a liquid version of MAC Coffee pencil liner, which is why I love it. I drew a line directly along my upper and lower lash lines, then smudged the edge with a flat eyeshadow brush. If you’re looking for a soft, diffused chocolate liner that stays put, you gotta give it a go, ASAP.

Makeup worn in this look

Base: MAC Peachlite Strobe Cream (to prep skin), First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer in Tan (all over face), MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation in NC42 (cheeks, around base of nostrils and mouth), Estée Lauder 24H Concealer in Medium Warm

Eyes: MAC Teddy eyeliner (buffed all over lids as an eyeshadow base, then applied as liner on waterlines), MAC Sable eyeshadow (outer half of lids), MAC Cheeky Bronze (inner half, applied wet), MAC Hush (inner corner), MAC Liquidlast in Coco Bar (smudged along upper and lower lash lines), Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara

Cheeks: MAC Cheeky Bronze

Lips: MAC Ravishing Lipglass (a sheer coral that appears to be, sadly, discontinued. BOO!)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen