Face of the Day (FOTD)

Today’s (7-Minute) Makeup: Monochromatic Lids, Cheeks and Lips

January 30th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

I’ve recently come to the following conclusion:

Five-minute makeup is bullsh*t.

Rather, it is if you (correction, I) want to do more than tinted moisturizer, brows, mascara and a nude lip.

I mean, I do five-minute makeup looks all the time. I like ’em. They’re easy, convenient… Well, those are their main selling points, but they aren’t really that much fun, because it’s just not enough time to do more than the basics.

And sometimes I want to have fun! — and I have more swag when I’m feeling my makeup, and when I have more swag, Beyoncé better watch out.

Therefore, in the pursuit of swag…seven-minute makeup is where it’s at.

It’s the sweet spot for me. It’s just enough time to go a little extra (with liner, blush, what have you), but it’s still lazy girl doable.

So, here was my seven-minute makeup look today. I did it using some new products from the MAC in Monochrome collection, but there’s also some Hourglass up in the mix. Everything is listed below in the order applied. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. ?

mac velvet teddy monochrome — Baby, how YOU feeling?

mac in monochrome velvet teddy makeup of the day final — Seven minutes, I can do.

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Another #PSL Pumpkin Spice Look (I Call It “Pumpkin Spice Jewels”), and Bowing Down to the Wonder That Is Charlotte Tilbury

October 4th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

I don’t want you to think I’ve been neglecting my pumpkin spice devotion, seeing as how it’s now October, and therefore officially pumpkin season.

SO MANY PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE. One can’t even whip her high pony without bumping into one, and I still have mad love for pumpkin spice, as demonstrated by this look, which I call “Pumpkin Spice Jewels.”

A few things I learned in the process of doing my makeup…

1. This Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino will shake you to the core

Or, should I say, “shake your core”? Because when I’d finished about half of it my body literally started shaking from all the caffeine.

I’d never had one of these before. It’s just a pumpkin version of a regular frap (like the other drinks I’ve tried in this series, I got the recipe from theMacroBarista on Instagram).

I could only finish half of it because I couldn’t take any more caffeine. I dunno… Maybe you’re made of stronger stuff than I am, but if not and you’re also a wimp when it comes to caffeine, you can still admire it from afar (because it’s certainly nice to look at).

pumpkin spice frappuccino — WHOA there, sweet tooth.

2. I may need to build an alter to worship Charlotte Tilbury

Her stuff is so spendy, but when it comes to that effortless, dewy skin-that-looks-like-skin, C.T. has that game on lock. I’m wearing her new Magic Away Liquid Concealer ($32) and Genius Magic Powder ($45) in this look, and I didn’t really have to do any of the buffing, blending and dabbing that’s usually involved in achieving a no-makeup makeup look.

I just swiped a concealer wand on my face (I’m wearing shade 8 underneath my eyes and shade 9 on the rest of my face), blended with my fingers, then dusted a sheer veil of the powder with a fluffy brush, which took all of two minutes.

I love how my skin looks when I wear C.T.’s stuff. Like, I can’t even tell I’m wearing makeup, and it doesn’t budge. Not one bit.

charlotte tilbury — Divine if you’re into the dewy skin thing

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When You’re Wondering About Winged Liner at 3AM (and Reviews of the PTY Beauty No BS Eyeshadow Palette, a Fab Crease Brush for Hooded Lids, and a Drugstore Beauty Staple)

August 27th, 2018 by Karen 28 Comments

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette 1 — WINGS!

I haven’t been sleeping through the night lately, and by “lately” I mean for the past two weeks, which was approximately when Tabs started his new workout regimen where he does wind sprints up and down the stairs beginning at the witching hour, and Connor started having dreams that wake her up in the middle of the night. (Last night she woke up saying, “Mama, NO! Those are my bubbles. MY BUBBLES!”)

The routine has gone something like this: After I’ve comforted all of the little animals, I crawl back into bed and lie there for an hour or two with my gumbo stew of thoughts.

Among last night’s ponderings…

Is it possible to make a gluten-free roux for a white sauce?
If all of your teeth were pointy, could you still eat Popsicles?
When was the last time I wore winged liner?

I have a pretty good memory for makeup-related tidbits, like what lip liner I wore with Clinique Black Honey circa 1994 (it was Wet ‘n’ Wild 666, which is still around!), so to NOT remember when I wore winged liner last is a minor tragedy in my book, which is why I busted them out today with a mix of products, old and new…

PYT No BS Eyeshadow Palette ($28)

Ooh, can’t say enough about this cool-toned palette with its eight neutral powder eyeshadows. Whether you’ve taken a two-year hiatus from serious blending (LIKE ME), or you’ve just started experimenting with making windshield wiper motions, these buttery powders will make your crease work look like you can blend in your sleep. The shadows combine the fineness of NARS eyeshadows with the softness and smoothness of Dior, and they feel much higher end than $28 to me.

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette swatches — I’m an NC42 in MAC for reference.

For my wings today, first I lined my upper lash line with a black pencil liner to sketch out the wings, and then I dipped an angled brush into the matte dark brown and layered directly on top to set the pencil and soften the color just a touch.

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette k — Dark brown eyeshadow + black pencil liner = a kinder, gentler wing

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A MAC Jade Jagger Face of the Day With Golden Shine Mineralize Eye Shadow X 4

December 11th, 2017 by Karen 27 Comments

mac jade jagger golden shine — When Target is your runway…

I vote that we all wear soft glam makeup for Target runs from this day forward.

It has been decided!

If nothing else, I think it would make the world a more interesting place, LOL!

But seriously, I’m usually barefaced when I go to Target because #momlife, unless I’m feeling ambitious, in which case I might curl my lashes — might — but I just had to go there with MAC Jade Jagger. It’s so beautiful! I haven’t been this excited about a MAC collection in a long time.

Gimme easy glam any day of the week.

mac jade jagger collection all — I’m wearing the blush in the upper right, the red lipstick right next it, the quad on the left, and the bronzer in the lower left.

The collection is LE and coming to select MAC counters and the MAC website December 14th.

This was actually my face of the day last Friday, but I just got around to posting the pics. It’s a warm, satiny bronzed brown smoky eye with pink cheeks and soft red lip.

mac jade jagger golden shine k2 — I used the rose gold shimmer in Satin Shimmer Mineralize Skinfinish to highlight my cheekbones and my nose.

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Look Book: Glittery Demi-Cut Crease Cat Eyes, Levels of Glitter, and More MAC Snow Ball

November 16th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

mac snow ball pigment glitter kit pink k pink lips — Wearing the MAC Snow Ball Pigment and Glitter Kit in Pink on my lids.

Look Book is a new MBB series, but I think of it as “a makeup playground.” It’s a place to try new looks, talk about techniques and products, and hopefully — hopefully — get inspired to try new things. 🙂

I have plans, my friend — makeup plans for the future — and they involve me continuing to wear glitter on my lids through my 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. 🙂

Why?

Because I don’t believe that glittery makeup has to be relegated to just one or two decades along your makeup journey. I 100% believe that there are always ways to work a little sparkle into your step.

I think it helps to think of glitter as, not just something you completely splash all over your lids, but as an accent that you can incorporate into your look in levels, which is what I did in this glittery demi-cut crease with glittery cat eye liner and a glittery dot accent in the inner corner.

By the way, before we get into it, I just want let you know that I used some limited edition makeup kits (the Pigment and Glitter Kit in Pink, Lip Gloss Kit in Rose, and the Mascara Kit) from the MAC Snow Ball collection, which is out now.

I also used all three of the Snow Ball brush kits (Basic, Advanced and Mini).

In addition to those, I also sprinkled in some MAC permanent products, of course, and everything is listed at the bottom of the post. If you have any questions about anything — the kits, the permanent things, why I did something a certain way, whatever — holler at me in the comments, and I’ll drop my two cents.

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These Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels Are Perfect for Way-Too-Hot Mascara/Brows/Gloss Days

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

pixi sheer cheek gel natural flushed rosy — Barely-there cheek color that’s oh-so-hot. From the top: Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Natural, Flushed and Rosy ($14 each)

You guys…it is SO FREAKIN’ HOT.

As I’m sitting here, literally not doing anything except existing, I’m covered in sweat, and I feel the sweat running down the valley between my boobs.

Boob sweat. It’s a real thing.

Now, what does that have to do with the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels? Actually, a lot! LOL! Because when it’s BEYOND hot like this, I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup. I draw the line at mascara (waterproof, of course), a lip tint or gloss, filling in my brows, and using a tiny touch of concealer and blush. That’s all I can handle. (“That’s all,” she said, as if that wasn’t still a lot.)

I like these gel blushes because they’re perfect for those way-too-hot-mascara/brows/gloss days, or, whenever you need to look presentable and fresh-faced but can’t bring yourself to try too hard.

pixi sheer cheek gel swatches natural rosy flushed — Swatches from the top: Natural, Rosy and Flushed

They come in these little 0.45-oz. tubes, and it doesn’t seem like you get a lot for $14, but you don’t need to use very much. I do a little squeeze for each cheek and gently blend the edges.

You don’t get a ton of color — I’ll tell you that right now — and if you’re expecting Insta-glam intensity, you’ll be disappointed. The effect is sheer and natural-looking, and very similar to the effect I get from Clinique Pop Oil Lip & Cheek Glow, except without the oil, as Pixi’s blushes don’t have it (they’re oil-free).

I like to wear gel blushes on bare skin, as opposed to wearing them on top of other products, to keep things easy and minimal. Whenever I layer them on top of foundation or tinted moisturizer, the gel ends up moving stuff around, so I don’t even wanna bother. But you could wear these Sheer Gels on top of face makeup if you wanted to… Just be sure to pat them, instead of sweeping, to protect whatever you may be wearing under them.

pixi sheer cheek gel review rosy — Wearing sheer red Rosy

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Punk Rock Pink // Urban Decay

June 7th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

urban decay frenemy lipstick — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Frenemy

Dude, I’m the least punk rock person EVER, but if I were a punk rock-arina, I’d totally wear this monochromatic pink makeup look with a faux-hawk. 🙂

I was inspired to “go there” today by a pic I saw of model Ruby Rose on the Urban Decay website a couple weeks ago.

I’ve mentioned this before, but you know, I’ve been trying to push myself to attempt more colorful looks that don’t take hella years to do, and I’m proud to say that I banged this one out in 30 minutes! It’s mostly Urban Decay on my eyes and lips, with some MAC, Nudestix and Clinique added for good measure.

It took all I had to resist the temptation to blend too many shadows on my lids (BECAUSE THAT’S SO MUCH FUN!) and keep MY foundation and concealer to a minimum.

With something like this, all you have to do is add a “big statement” of some kind, like a pair of OTT lashes and/or a bright lip, and you’re golden.

Oh! — I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention what I think is the most important secrets to doing this look. I think the secret to being happy with it is accepting that it (probably) isn’t going to turn out perfectly, and that’s perfectly fine. If your liner is a little wonky or your eyeshadow isn’t as blended as it could be, just go with it, and keep in mind that it didn’t take forever.

Getting glam in half an hour for me is nothing short of a miracle, because back in the day BTB (before the baby), a look like this could easily have spiraled into two hours!

Basically, here’s the quick rundown…

Starting with my skin, to even out my complexion, I’m wearing MAC Next to Nothing Face Colour in Medium Plus all over my face with MAC Matchmaster Concealer in shade 5 under my eyes and atop my cheeks (side note: have you tried this concealer? IT’S REALLY GOOD!). Then I set everything with a thin layer of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Medium Golden.

For my eyes, I applied a thin layer of Nudstix Magnetic Eye Color in Putty from lashes to brow line, then swept the hot pink shade from the Urban Decay Basquiat brights palette in the crease, before blending out the edges with the lighter pink shadow from the same palette.

I drew thin winged liner with the Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, then put on the craziest lashes known to womankind — a.k.a. the House of Lashes false lashes (the one called Iconic).

And I dusted a little bit of the bronzer and hot pink blush from the UD Basquiat blush/bronzer palette on my cheeks.

Because I couldn’t settle on a single lipstick to wear, I ended up trying on a bunch of pinks from the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick line.

I think my favorite one of these is either Menace or Frenemy…

urban decay pda lipstick — Vice Lipstick in PDA

urban decay psycho lipstick — Vice Lipstick in Psycho

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What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 12: Sparkly Purple Liner, and Fun With Matte and Dewy Finishes

May 10th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

I know I’ve asked this before (oh, 10 or 12 times), but do you like to wear colorful eye makeup? Like, lately? I’ve been pretty adventurous with color lately. More than I’ve been in years. At least two or three. I dunno… I went through a loooong period when all I wanted to wear on my eyes was brown shadow, and that was fun in its own way…but I’ve been liking playing with color again. It’s time.

(I’m wondering, does everyone go through a brown shadow phase at least once in their life?? Hmm…).

Anyway, for the last couple of “What I Wore Wednesdays,” I went full-on colorful, but today… Girl, I just wasn’t in the mood to blend very much (it happens), so I kinda cheated a little with a sparkly purple liner on my lash lines and taupe/bronze/brown lids.

Purple liner, especially bright and sparkly ones like the one I’m wearing (it’s MAC Designer Purple, an amazingly bright and sparkly purple liner that lasts FOREVER on lash lines), gives you a lot of bang for your back in terms of effort. You’ll look like you tried really hard, but ya know, it’s just a purple eyeliner. 🙂

I went “stash shopping” for this look, which is always exciting because it’s like digging for secret beauty booty/pirate treasure for things that haven’t seen the light of day in a while.

I had this picture in my mind of matte lids with sparkly purple liner, dewy skin and matte neutral lips, because I wanted to play with finishes and color, so I grabbed MAC Constructivist Paint Pot (which I used as an eyeshadow base) and the Hourglass Infinity Eyeshadow Palette, which I’ve always considered underrated, and Chanel Malice Blush, because LK and I were talking about it in the comments last week, and I got a hankering to wear it.

Oh, Malice… Reunited and it feels so good!

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