Eyes

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Rosegold Caviar Stick Eye Shadow

April 9th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

laura mercier rose gold swatch — Love this shade! ❤️

Two mind-blowing revelations I’ve had as of late:

1. The Golden Girls theme song is A LEGIT REAL TUNE, and not just a jingle. Wha!? Did you know this?? I feel like my world will never be the same again.

2. Laura Mercier Rosegold Caviar Stick is ah-mah-zing. Even more amazing than Rose from The Golden Girls.

If a doe-eyed inner corner highlight is a non-negotiable item on your must-have makeup list, Rosegold is worthy of your everyday staples bag. It’s refreshingly similar to a true rose gold, so it’s more of a peachy gold with very little pink, and if you melted down a piece of rose gold jewelry, this is the color you’d get. On my NC42 skin, it’s a gleaming, glistening golden peach that’s warm, but not too warm, and when applied to the inner half of my lids it maxes out the doe-eyed effect. I look HELLA awake when I wear it, and that’s a feat because my @ss is tired, LOL!

I usually wear it with a warm brown or bronze cream eyeshadow on the outer half/outer corner, but I think purple, copper, navy and olive eyeshadows look great with it too.

You have a good three or four minutes to blend and smudge before Rosegold sets, so you’ve got some time to play, and — bonus! — you can skip eye primer with it because once it locks down completely once it dries.

“Caviar Stick Eye Shadow from Laura Mercier is a long-wearing versatile eyeshadow stick delivers effortless application with up to 12 hours of high-impact color. Pigment-rich shades – nudes to deeps, shimmer and matte finishes – glide seamlessly onto lids. Creamy formula gives you plenty of time to smudge, blend, line, fill or define, so it’s easy to create any look.

Sets for crease and transfer resistant wear and layers easily over or under other eye shadows (including powder and liquid formulas). Layer Caviar Stick Eye Colour with Caviar Chrome Veil Lightweight Liquid Eye Colour for a high impact foil effect.” –ulta.com

Oh, and if you’ve got hooded lids like moi, load an angled liner brush with Rosegold and wear it as eyeliner on your upper lash line to instantly open up those lids.

Rosegold is $29, and here it is at Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Mystery of the MAC 217 Brush…

April 3rd, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

You know you’re a MAC girl for life when, while casually strolling around the neighborhood (six feet away from any neighbors, of course), you spy with your little eye a MAC eyeshadow brush from afar.

See that!?

Yeah, we were just taking a walk and, kid you not, I saw what looked like a makeup brush in the middle of the common area in our circle.

My gut told me it was a MAC brush (note the black handle and the shape of the ferrule). Turns out my gut was right.

I screamed, “Hey! It’s a MAC 217!” (As if El Hub or Connor would know what I was talking about).

El Hub yelled back, “DON’T TOUCH IT!”

Of course, I wondered if it was mine, although I have no idea how this would have been possible. I’ve never done my makeup out there before.

It also crossed my mind whether I could have sleep walked in the middle of the night. Maybe to do a brown smoky eye? First of all, it’s an old-school 217 (the one with natural bristles, which is THE BEST one!), and not the newer 217S (synthetic) version. I’ve got a few of the old 217s in my collection (I’m that dedicated).

Also, this one had bristles of a particular shade of brown, like it had been swished and swirled inside brown pans like the MAC staples I usually wear (Saddle and Soft Brown), so IT TOTALLY LOOKED LIKE ONE OF MY BRUSHES.

Pretty sure it wasn’t one of mine, though… I wonder whose it was and how it got there. Who did it belong to? Whomever it was, he or she must be missing it something terrible.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Spring Makeup Ideas: Shimmering Shades of Green

March 31st, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

I call this “the look that almost never was.” Like “the land that time forgot.” LOL. It happened on accident last week while CoyCoy was napping in her fort.

You know how wet leaves seem to look greener and lusher and shinier than usual under a gray spring sky? (Or is that just to me?) I swear, it’s like the color transitions are more obvious. Even in a blade of grass, it’s easy to see where the moss green fades into a dark forest green.

I wanted a similar vibe of wet, green gradients on my lids, so I took out some NARS neutrals, along with a healthy handful of Urban Decay green shadows (they do the most technicolor greens; so does Make Up For Ever), with the intention of doing just my left eye with green, and then a completely different look on the other eye just for fun. Side note: Do you ever do this, too?

Look breakdown

Anyway, I liked it enough to keep going, and then this happy makeup accident happened.

I’m wearing golden brown and beige mattes in my crease with a sweep of olive green in the lower portion of my crease. On my lids, I’m wearing metallic moss green in the center for a slight “halo” effect, with a darker forest green on the outer corner… That’s also reflected on the lower lash line (see the lighter section in the middle there?). The inner corner has a bright kelly green spotlight/highlight for a purposeful clash of color!

Weirdly enough, sometimes adding more product makes it easier

I’m wearing a lot of different eyeshadows in this look, which is far from the streamlined makeup I’ve mostly been wearing the past few months.

spring green products — There’s a lot, I know.

urban decay mildew — Follow the trail of greens!

You know what I realized, though? If I’m going for a look that’s gradient intensive, it’s actually easier for me to throw everything and the kitchen sink in (a.k.a. more eyeshadows), rather than trying to make it work with, like, just two shades.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive (and maybe it is), but when I’m going for lots of shifts from light areas to dark points, it’s easier for me to make everything look seamless when there are more shades involved.

Think about what you can nix

That does not mean that, just because you do a complicated eye, everything else has to be complicated as well.

Of course you can go wild with everything if you want to, but I think that when you have bright, elaborate eye, it helps to pull back somewhere else on your makeup.

Like here, I’m not wearing anything as a base — no concealer, no foundation, no powder. I’m wearing Elta MD Sunscreen, and that’s it! And it’s exactly how I would wear the skin with eye makeup like this in real life.

I also tried skipping brow pencil and just using a clear brow gel, but it felt like there was something missing…like I needed something to frame the big lashes and the dramatic lower lash line. So, I filled in my brows a little, and it fell into place.
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Real Makeup Life: Gnarly Brow Gel

March 27th, 2020 by Karen 11 Comments

mac clear brow set — Believe it or not, these are the same product (Exhibit A).

I present to you Exhibit A.

Above is a picture of a brand-spankin’-new tube of MAC Clear brow gel (my go-to at the moment because it reigns in stray brow hairs without a stiff crunch), and um…another picture of the exact same product, but one that’s been living in my makeup bag for the past few months.

I know. Ewww. I said the same thing when I saw them next to each other.

I’m pretty sure there’s NO WAY I’m the only person on this planet whose brow gel gets gnarly like this. I mean, I’m not super proud of it or anything, and it’s probably something I shouldn’t be sharing on the Internet, but here we are. Gnarly brow gel happens.

I probably also shouldn’t be surprised, because I have a habit of running the gel through my brows *after* I fill them in (makes them look more natural IMO and less obviously filled in), and I use brow gel daily, but still…shocked!

If you use clear brow gel, does this happen to yours, too?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! Right?

Actually, about that…El Hub and I were just talking about how, with both of us home all day during the week, the days have been blurring together. Is this happening to you? And it’s been hard to plan special things to do, because we aren’t going to restaurants or to stores or the mall, which are things we’d normally do to treat ourselves on the weekend for fun.

We do make meals and rent movies and go for walks and drives, but coming up with new ways to treat ourselves at the end of the week has been tricky.

Does this make any sense? Is this also happening to you?

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara

March 19th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

laura mercier caviar mascara — Ready to give you a lift

FOR DECADES I believed that a lash curler was a non-negotiable when dealing with stick straight lashes (mine will flex the curl outta everything), but that’s totally not so, man! My opinion changed when Laura Mercier’s marvelous Caviar Volume Mascara, which is part of LM’s permanent collection and available at Ulta for $25, rocked my world.

It all started one day a few weeks ago… I was running late for work and couldn’t find my lash curler, so out of desperation I whacked a few coats of this stuff directly on my uncurled lashes, and it finessed a perfectly lifted curl into place.

I was shocked! In fact, I’m still in awe, and I really have no idea how it works. I almost feel like I’m messing with supernatural blood makeup magic and probably shouldn’t go there, but I can’t help myself, ya know? Not only does this mascara lift and curl lashes without the help of a lash curler, but it also separates and elongates lashes while imparting a noticeable amount of volume, but not so much that your fringe looks fake or spidery.

laura mercier caviar mascara before after — No lash curler needed, babe.

It also doesn’t smudge or flake, and even though it isn’t technically waterproof, I’ve cried wearing it a few times (yes, I’m a big cry baby), and it didn’t run.

It comes in one shade, a glossy black, and you can find it at Ulta for $25 a tube.

Your friendly neighborhood fringe addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Cocoa Caviar Stick Eye Colour

March 18th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

What you need to know: Laura Mercier Cocoa Caviar Stick Eye Color is a flexible brown cream shadow stick your time-pressed self needs, so if you’re building a better makeup bag and you love a workhorse brown neutral, this absolutely HAS to be in there because it doesn’t move, and you can wear it a bunch of different ways. (It’s available at Ulta for $29.)

This cocoa is a pain in the butt.

It’s the cocoa powder we use at the bakery, and whenever I have to dig into the bin, the powder is so fine that it gets all over the place! — my apron, my leggings, my face, everywhere. As adept as it is at making stuff taste good, it’s highly annoying, especially when you accidentally leave two big ol’ cocoa powder palm prints on your backside and don’t realize it until a stranger buying tuna at Trader Joe’s points it out.

This other Cocoa by Laura Mercier is not a pain in the butt…

laura mercier cocoa swatch — A swatch of Laura Mercier Cocoa, which is like a less red cream eyeshadow version of MAC Teddy liner. I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way!

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3 Easy Tips for Elegant Everyday Winged Liner

March 13th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

nars alhambra — Classic winged liner is always in style.

Contrary to what Instagram or YouTube might’ve told ya over the past five years, winged liner…otherwise known as “cat eye” liner or “kitten flicks”, otherwise known as “one of the rare eye makeup trends that stands the test of time,” doesn’t have to soar across your face like an ominous pair of extra large bat wings.

There are still makeup lovers out there (me!) who still love a dainty, classic flick. It’s timeless, always looks great, and, best of all, it’s pretty easy to do.

REALLY!

I’ve been winging it out a lot lately, albeit not on days when I only have five minutes or less to put on my face paint, because DAYUM! — I can work *fast* but not that fast. But if I have a time budget of, say, 10 minutes (which is what it took to do the look I’m wearing here), that really is enough to do my entire face, along with some classic, elegant everyday winged liner.

Here are three things that help me. I hope they give you some inspiration to try winged liner this week!

Tip one: A pencil liner with a super sharp point is key.

There are lots of ways to go about winged liner (liquid, gel, eyeshadow, I’m sure there’s more), but the easiest way, especially if you’re usually pressed for time, is using a super sharp pencil eyeliner, so definitely keep your pencil sharpener handy and use it to keep that tip sharp.

makeup pencil sharpener — I use and love this sharpener from Sephora.

Why? Pencil is easier to control — and correct! — because all you’re doing is drawing lines on your face, as there’s no brush in the mix to wrestle with. And having a pencil with a super sharp tip allows you to draw the thinnest and most precise lines possible.

I became a true believer in this watching this life-changing how-to video by the goddess of glam herself, Charlotte Tilbury.

No, really, this video is life-changing! Charlotte applies liner on a model in real-time, thoroughly breaking down her method step-by-step, and along the way, she emphasizes over and over again the importance of working with a sharp pencil. Her method is easy, too. LOVE YOU TO MARS AND BACK, CHAR. You have forever changed my winged liner life.

Tip two: Use a mix of brown and black pencils.

If you find black liner looks too harsh, try layering a brown directly on top of your black. It reduces the contrast of the black liner against skin and softens the look. I do this allllll the time now in my 40s. Wearing black liner alone is too jarring, and I find that it makes me look older than I am, so I’m all about layering brown on top. You still get the impact of black, but with the brown on top it’s less harsh.
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Dreaming of Vacay With Wander Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, MAC and More

March 11th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

I woke up wishing I was on vacation this morning. There weren’t any viruses to worry about, no freaky headlines on the news, or piles laundry to fold, no meals to plan. Ah…

When I dream of vacation, it usually involves a beach, ‘cause I’m a sand, surf and sun girl.

I LIKE ALL THE TROPICAL PLACES, and I’m equally happy at remote, out-of-the-way secret beaches that are only accessible by rickety rope ladders as I am at Disneyland-like resorty beaches with all the accoutrements, including a big umbrella, a comfy chair, a clean bathroom and a snack shack. (Gimme all the snacks!)

Walking down to Hideaways beach on Kauai

A play on sheen, shimmer and shine

You know how when you’re at the beach on a hot day, you’re always kinda sweaty, even if you’re just sipping on strawberry shave ice? Well, that’s what I was aiming for with the base in this look. I wasn’t going for “sweaty” necessarily, but rather glistening. There’s an all-over subtle sheen on the skin (thanks, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter), paired with bright, shimmery spots beaming from specific areas — the inner corners of the eyes, in particular, and the bridge of the nose. Then, there’s just the faintest amount of shine on the lips, thanks to a bright reddish coral lippie with a creamy finish.

I know I talk about “Char’s” Flawless Filter all the time, but really, it’s that good. I like it just as much as I ever have, and I still routinely say, WHAT THE HELL KIND OF MAGIC IS IN HERE? when I blend it in and look in a mirror.

If you’ve tried it and didn’t like it because you felt like the opalescent finish made you look sweaty, try setting it with a face powder that has a matte or demi-matte finish. For this, I’m a massive fan of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. And Chanel’s loose powder is good with Flawless Filter, too. Both temper the sheen a tad for a purrfect glow.

Cue the contrast

Did ya notice the matte lids and lash lines? Yup, that’s on purpose. I wanted a flatter finish on those areas to play against the intense inner corner highlight, and I’m wearing shadows from the new Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Palette, which has a mix of matte, shimmer and glitter shadows in warm, summery shades of brown, bronze, gold and peach (there’s also a pop of teal in there). If you’ve ever fallen in love with any of the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess palettes, I think you’ll like it.

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