Face of the Day (FOTD)

FOTD: Warm, Shimmery Bronze-Brown Eyes With Coral Cheeks and Lips

July 23rd, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

Is it gold? Is it brown? Khaki? Taupe?! HMMMM! I think it’s pretty cool how this eye makeup can look so totally different depending on the details — the color of my clothes, the color temp of the light. Gotta love those secretly complex makeup things.

Officially, I’m wearing a warm and shimmery bronzed brown on my lids (MAC Monaco-co, from the summer collection) with a cool-toned matte taupe in the crease (MAC Omega), a satiny beige on the brow bone (MAC Brule), and a satiny brownish black on the outer corner and lower lash line (MAC Brun).

Unofficially, however, this eye makeup will ad lib with whatever color top you’re wearing. Doesn’t it seem more golden in the pic with the light gray top and more green in the one with the khaki? So, it’s multifunction that way.

I bet you could riff on other colors, too, with a matching liner, like a khaki or a warm dark brown. Or how about bronze? Ooh! — I bet Powersurge would be BEAUTIFUL with this combo.

Also, my brows appear thicker than usual in this look because I feel like full, lush brows frame the eyes nicely when there’s a lot of shimmer on my lids. Alternatively, you could do a subtle brow with a clear brow gel, but you won’t get the same contrast of the big, bold matte brows butting up against the shimmery lids.

It’s all about contrasting finishes, babe! You know I’m all about that life.

Makeup worn in this look

[Continue reading…]

Summer Glam on the Go! Coral Lips and Peachy Bronzed Lids

July 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 2 — Today’s summery glam on the go!

The other day, when I was wearing this makeup, I ran into my neighbor, and she asked if I was going anywhere special, to which I replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “I’M GOING TO SPORTS BASEMENT!”

You know the bar for your entertainment is set reeeeeeeally low when you dress up like you’re going to fancy brunch on vacation, but in reality you’re going to a sporting goods store to look for weights…

Oh, the pandemic stories we’ll have to tell! ?

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 4 — A summery color palette

This summery look has a few of my favorite warm-weather shades — coral and bronze! — and looks fancy, but it’s very easy to do. It also feels light and weightless, which are must-haves when the temperature’s rising.

This look has three distinguishing features — long, lifted, lush lashes; warm, peachy bronze lids; and luminous skin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 5 — Streamlined and summery makeup

1. Primer on the outer lashes

To make your lashes look longer and more dramatique, coat your outer lashes with a lengthening lash primer before loading them up with mascara. This creates a lush lash effect without the time and effort of falsies.

2. Bronzer is your buddy for glam-on-the-go eyes

Bronzed eyes are a summer staple, and while you could always search your makeup collection for that perfect shade, why not save yourself a little time and swish your favorite bronzer on your lids instead?

Here, I layered a warm golden tan bronzer atop a satiny peach cream shadow…

3. Define your lash line with brown and black eyeliner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: gradients are your friend.

This brown-into-black eyeliner gradient on the upper lash line is subtle, but I think that’s the beauty of it.

Start by lining your upper and lower waterlines with a matte brown pencil. Then, draw a thin line on your upper lash line, and smudge the outer edge of that ever so slightly.

Add depth to the gradient by etching a very thin line of black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Added bonus: the black liner also creates the illusion of a thicker lash base!

Flexible face oil

You probably already know I’m a fan of customizing foundation — mixing in a few drops of concealer for added coverage, or adding a few drops of liquid highlighter for a luminous effect. Well, here’s another one to try: blend a drop or two of face oil into your foundation to dial down the opacity of your base. This trick is handy for applying base to sections of the face where you want more of your natural skin to peek through, and it’s what I did here for my forehead and the outer edges.

Fastest updo

If your hair is crazy from quarantine, and you’re tired of rockin’ your fun bun, gather it into a high pony, and secure it into small sections with tiny hair ties (I like these. Three bucks at Ulta!). You can keep the hair ties bare, like I did here (I think the shiny effect looks like jewelry), but if you want to boost the sophistication factor, cover up the ties by wrapping a small piece of hair around each one and securing it with a bobby pin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — See the shine from the hair ties?

Makeup worn in this look

I listed everything on my visage below, so please feel free to ask about any of these products in the comments. ?
[Continue reading…]

FOTD: Real-Life Minimal Makeup Look for Zoom/Video Calls With Other People Who Don’t Wear a Lot of Makeup

July 9th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

I realize this is a very specific type of “Zoom” makeup, buuuuuuut I recently did this look for a live video visit with my family, and then my buddy and MBB reader Jan mentioned that she was looking for a basic look to wear when you’re Zoom-ing with people who don’t wear a lot of makeup, so I figured that if at least two people had the same idea, someone else out there might find it helpful, too.

(Hopefully that someone is you!)

wander beauty double date k1 — You could easily do this look as everyday makeup, too.

I typically like to adjust the level of makeup I wear according to who I’m chatting with (both for video calls and for real life); this look is an idea of what you could wear when you want to get some stuff on your face so you don’t look like a zombie on camera.

wander beauty double date k2 — 10 minutes, from start to finish

The step-by-step

BEGIN WITH BROWS AND LASHES: First, fill in your brows (I used a brow pencil first, then brushed a clear brow gel through to mellow it out). Next, curl your lashes, and apply a thin coat of mascara to lock the curl. Allow this thin layer to dry as you work on the rest of your face.
ACE THAT BASE: Blend a medium-coverage matte or semi-matte tinted moisturizer all over your face with your fingers, and then buff your base lightly with a skunk brush to blur any harsh lines or edges. Dot concealer under your eyes and/or wherever you want extra coverage, and blend with fingers or a tapered eye brush. If your skin is oily, then set your base with a sheer dusting of powder.
BRONZE AND DEFINE: Dust a powdered bronzer on your cheekbones, around the perimeter of your forehead, and on your cheeks and chin, and then across the bridge of your nose with a big, fluffy powder brush. Next, load your favorite eye brush with the same bronzer, and sweep it into your crease and along your lower lash lines to softly define your eyes.
CHEEKS AND LIPS: Tap a cream blush (ideally, one that also doubles as a lipstick) on the apples of your cheeks with your fingers, and feather out the edges. Line and fill in your lips with a nude lip pencil, and blend a bit of the cream you used as a blush on top.
HELLO, HIGHLIGHTS: Use your fingers to blend a cream blush onto your upper cheekbones and down the bridge of your nose. Then, blend a little on your lids from the lash line to your crease.
LINE AND LIFT: Draw a thin line with a pencil or a liquid liner along your upper lash line, and then smudge the edge with a pencil brush. If you want, tightline your upper lash line, too. (I usually like to do this because it makes my lashes look thicker.) Finish by coating your lashes with mascara that lifts and curls your lashes.

From start to finish, this usually takes me from 10-20 minutes (usually about 10 because I fly through it!).

nars kalahariwander beauty double date makeup zoom call — All the makeup I’m wearing in these pics

[Continue reading…]

FOTD: Khaki and Copper Tones for a Zoom Call

June 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Wore this look on a Zoom call with a beauty brand yesterday (it was Urban Decay to talk about their latest Naked palette, for the nosey noodles who were wondering!), and in classic K-dawg fashion I banged it out in 15 minutes before it started because that’s how I roll.

And, um…Connor also had a social distancing playdate at the park shortly before the call was scheduled to start, and we made it back home by the skin of our teeth, ha ha ha! Whenever I’m pressed for time but want to look gussied up, I always fall back on smokey eyes and nude lips. This khaki and copper version relies on just two products.

I paired the eyes with peach lips and cheeks because EASY. PEASY.

I’m also wearing a little more base makeup than I have been lately because I knew that “makeup people” (air quotes) were going to be present, so if there were ever a time to load up on a little more concealer, this was it.

Since we’re on the topic of quick looks, what’s your default medium-impact makeup look when you’re pressed for time?

[Continue reading…]

Summer Glam on the Go! Gray-Black Cat Eyes With an Unexpected Swish of Shimmering Bronze on a Smokey Lower Lash Line

June 23rd, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

neutrogena protect tint tinted moisturizer — A small twist on your fave classic looks can make all the difference

On days when you crave just a little glam, like a level 3-4, this look hits the spot. It involves just a couple minor tweaks on classic eye makeup elements — black cat eyeliner and a smokey lower lash line — to give it a fresh twist.

Gray-black cat eyes

If you look closely at the liner, you’ll see soft dark gray along the outer edge of the upper lash liner, and the gray on the water lines. With black cat eye liner, you’ll typically see black pencil along the water lines, and black pencil liner is also commonly used as a base for black liquid liner when doing cat eyes, too.

But rather than reaching for the standard-issue black pencil, I used a gray liner instead, because it isn’t as stark, so it leads to a softer, more approachable look… And I like the subtle gradient of gray as it merges into black. (I’m all about that gradient life!)

I also paired the liner with matte warm browns on the upper lids and added a shimmery gold on the inner corners.

neutrogena liquid eyeliner — See the shimmery bronze peeking out from the lower lash line?

A shimmering bronze POP

Switch up your typical black or gray smokey lower lash line by layering a shimmery bronze eyeshadow. Place it right in the center of the lower lash line (aim for right underneath your iris).

To do this, I drew a thin line with a matte gray pencil liner along my lower lash line, then smudged it with a flat, compact head (super handy to have around for small, fine detail work).

neutrogena first crush blush — The gray pencil liner softens the edges of the black liquid liner on the upper lash line.

Then, I wiped the brush head on a paper towel, loaded it with a shimmery bronze powder eyeshadow, wet the brush head with a setting spray, and dabbed the wet brush head along the center of lower lash lines.

Tip: skip blending out the edges of your shimmering bronze eyeshadow. I think it looks cool to have the stark edge against the smokey gray! Not only do you save a step by skipping the blending, but you also maintain the intensity of the bronze, which is great because you really want it to stand out against the matte!

Where else am I gonna go?

As for the rest of the makeup, I kept the base and cheeks super sheer with a tinted moisturizer and cream blush because it’s hot here in Novato, and I wasn’t in the mood to wear a thick layer of makeup on the rest of my face… You always have the option of turning up the coverage to whatever you’re feeling on a given day. The world is your pickle, after all, so I’ll take bread-and-butter pickles, because I don’t do dill.

I ended up wearing this look to Trader Joe’s yesterday because, really, where else am I gonna go?? It’s one of the handful of places that’s 1) open, 2) somewhat entertaining, and 3) doesn’t skyrocket the low-level anxiety I’m living with lately.

On the way there, I drove past the bakery I worked at prior to the stay-at-home order, and I realized that, in a few weeks, I’ll have been out of work there *longer* than I actually worked there… It feels like I was living another life.

So, yeah, wore this to TJ’s, with the exception of the lipstick, lip liner and gloss, which faded after I ate my lunch (grilled cheese and tomato soup, if you’re curious). I didn’t bother to reapply since I was going to be wearing a mask anyway.

I think a half set of falsies on the outer corner would have been a nice touch, too, and I kinda wish I’d put some on!

Makeup breakdown

twist on classic swatches — Today’s color palette

Here’s everything I wore in this look! Lots of new-ish drugstore makeup from Neutrogena (one of my all-time favorite brands!).
[Continue reading…]

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.
[Continue reading…]

A Drugstore Makeup Look: Mostly Faux Freckles, Winged Liner and Bright Magenta Matte Lipstick

May 19th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

maybelline master precise liquid liner — Some of these freckles are real, and others…not so much!

The faux freckle trend has been around for a while, and I’m giving it a try. Have you tried it yet?

Today I wore a smattering of freckles for fun, and ya know…it’s a little weird to touch up your real freckles to make them blend in and look as “freckle-y” as your fake ones, but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do in the pursuit of makeup experimentation!

How to fake freckles

This sprinkling of speckles comes courtesy of a drugstore brow pen in a warm brown shade.

Here’s what I did:

After finishing my makeup (base, blush, eyes, everything), I lightly dabbed the pen on top of any existing freckles to darken them, since they were hidden under tinted moisturizer and concealer.
Next, I stippled a few extra faux spots for funsies.
Then, I waited a couple minutes for the freckles to dry.
When they were completely dry, I diffused the spots a tad by gently dabbing a skunk brush that I’d used earlier to blend my base… It just took the edge off so they wouldn’t look as obviously fake.

And that was it! If you don’t have a brow pen, a brow pencil works too — either option creates a lovely semi-transparency, so your freckles don’t just look like dots drawn on your face, and has a longer wear time than, say, a creamy pencil liner would.

If you don’t have a brow pen or pencil around, you can also regular pencil eyeliner; however, if you’re going to go the liner route, you’ll want one that 1) has a matte finish and 2) is long-lasting and/or waterproof to prevent your spots from smearing all over your face.

No winged liner woes here

Also up in the mix of this look? Winged liner! I haven’t done wings in a minute, so I’m very rusty. So I cheated a little and used surgical tape on the outer corners to set the angles.

You can use regular tape too, but I prefer the surgical tape because it doesn’t pull my skin as hard.

maybelline city bronzer — Hello, winged liner.

Whatever tape you use, wait until your liner is completely dry before lifting it off; otherwise, the tape might remove product where it’s still wet and leave your dots with fuzzy edges.

This is particularly important if you’re using runny or runny-ish liquid liner.

Oh! — and to make sure the tape doesn’t remove any of your base, do your eyes before your foundation, concealer, etc.

One last thing — everything in this look is drugstore.
[Continue reading…]

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! ?❤️