Face of the Day (FOTD)

Makeup of the Day With Laura Mercier, and the BEST Liquid Eyeliner by Eyeko

April 21st, 2022 by Karen 6 Comments

Third day in a row of wearing makeup! Someone should throw me a parade, for real.

I’m wearing the epic $22 Eyeko liquid liner in Cocoa Edit today, and FYI, not only is it the real deal (long lasting, easy to apply, doesn’t smudge), it just got restocked at Ulta. It’s an online exclusive, so unfortunately you can’t just roll up to your local store, but if you don’t mind the wait, it’s the best dark brown liquid liner out there right now, IMHO.

(Yes, I just added one to my cart!)

I’m wearing Cocoa Edit with a few Laura Mercier staples:

First is Burnished Bronze, a shimmery bronze cream shadow stick which I applied directly onto my lids and then blended out with a finger.
Second is Ginger blush, a sheer matte peachy nude. It goes with everything.
Last but not least, Eye Basics in Wheat. It’s a cream shadow that also doubles as a primer. I like it as an all-over base.

Seriously, how is it already Thursday? I’m having one of those weeks where the days feel long, but the week has felt short.

Hope things on your end are peachy.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Makes Me Feel Better, Period.

April 19th, 2022 by Karen 11 Comments

The title pretty much says it all. Makeup often gets talked about for the visual transformation; I think there’s so much more to it, though. I know that when I’m not feeling all that great (like I was when I woke up this morning…been a long few weeks!), putting a little bit of color on makes all the difference with my attitude.

When you need a lift, MAC classics always help.

I’m wearing what’s basically my makeup equivalent of comfort food in this look, which means lots of MAC.

How are you doing today? Now that I feel and look put together, I feel like I can finally get some stuff done.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup of the Day With Chantecaille Favorites

March 31st, 2022 by Karen 4 Comments

chantecaille willow lip chic before after — I’m wearing the new Chantecaille Lip Chic in Willow!

I’m on a Chantecaille kick at the moment. Do you have any favorites from the line? I could use your recommendations, because during my next beauty haul, I plan on getting a couple things — a powder blush, for sure, and maybe a foundation?

Anywho, I’m wearing a few staple favorites in this look: Mermaid Eye Mattes in Sylvie (love this all over my lids) and Bee (fabulous for smoking out the outer corners or lining lash lines), and the Cheek Gelee Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush in Happy.

Chantecaille products clockwise from the lipstick: Lip Chic in Willow, Mermaid Eye Matte in Bee, Mermaid Eye Matte in Sylvie and Cream Blush in Happy

I’m also wearing the new Lip Chic shade in Willow. It’s a lightweight, glossy cool pink. The formula has hyaluronic acid for extra moisture.

Love it! It’s elegant but not fussy, which totally suits my makeup vibe right now.

See the beautiful giraffe illustration on the cap? The website and the packaging say the Chantecaille supports the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, although it’s a little unclear if a portion of the proceeds from the product gets donated to the Foundation.

Friday’s just around the corner. Hang in there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Friday Face of the Day | Two-Tone Eyeliner

January 28th, 2022 by Karen 4 Comments

mac teddy woodwinked saddle — Happy Friday, friend!

Even though I didn’t have any video meetings for work today, I painted my face anyway! I’ve been trying to do more things just for me that make me feel good, and this warm, glowing look with a few MAC classics (Woodwinked, Saddle and Honey Lust Eyeshadows, along with Teddy liner, of course), did just that.

It made staring at the same spreadsheet for six hours a little more bearable. Really!

By the way, I’ve started doing this thing lately where I wear a darker liner on my water lines (in this case, MAC Teddy) with a coordinating liner in a lighter tone on my lash lines (Urban Decay Scorch). I like how it creates a subtle gradient! Try it sometime with a couple of your favorite liners.

I hope you’re having a wonderful Friday so far!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Glowing Taupe-Bronze Lids With MAC Classics | 10-Minute Everyday Makeup

January 27th, 2022 by Karen 8 Comments

mac teddy satin taupe — Glowing lids today!

Hi, friend! Whew, it’s been kind of a crazy week here; I have sooooooo many deadlines looming in the near future for work. You know what always makes it easier, though? Consistently taking breaks (I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro technique), coffee (still obsessed with my Nespresso) and wearing makeup, of course.

Today I did a quick 10-minute look with two MAC eye classics: Teddy liner and Satin Taupe eyeshadow.

I’m wearing Teddy on my lash lines and water lines (both upper and lower), and on my lids as an eyeshadow base. Satin Taupe’s blended on top. Oh, I’m also wearing MAC Glow Play Blush in Cheer Up and Laura Mercier Nu Prefere Lipstick.

I really like this color palette, so note to self, wear this again!

How are things going on your end? Oh, and are you wearing quickie makeup like I am today, or did you go all out?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Friday FOTD Vibes: Unexpectedly Glittery

January 7th, 2022 by Karen 9 Comments

I totally didn’t expect this look to end up so glittery and pink, but hey, it’s Friday, so might as well, right?

I’m using the new Rare Beauty products I picked up earlier this week! As you can see, the Discovery Eyeshadow Palette in True to Myself leans very warm. Not my usual style as of late (I’ve been really into cool tones), but I’m having fun with it.

Did you notice the variety of intensity in the eyeshadows? The two darkest shades (the matte reddish brown and the matte plum) are on the sheerer side, which I don’t mind, because it makes it easier for me to control the level of intensity.

I find that as I get wiser in years, I have to be much more careful when I wear darker shadows; if the shadows go too dark and intense, my hooded lids appear heavier. So, I gotta go easy, and build that color slowly, steadily!

It’s a rainy, overcast day here in Marin county, so I’m happy to be wearing sparkles. 🙂

I hope your Friday is going great so far!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

A 10-Minute Makeup Look With Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

January 6th, 2022 by Karen 23 Comments

Yesterday I had a DAY (work has been a little challenging), so I did some therapy of the retail variety at Sephora! I picked up some products from Rare Beauty, a vegan and cruelty-free makeup line by actress, singer (and cooking show host!) Selena Gomez.

After reading your nice comments on the 5-minute real life FOTD post the other day, I realized that many of you have the same take on makeup as I do at the moment — you love it, but don’t want to necessarily spend a ton of time putting it on.

That’s why I ended up grabbing a few pieces that I thought would work for fast and fresh looks…

Rare Beauty Discovery Eyeshadow Palette — I liked the variety of finishes. Matte, glitter and shimmer!
Rare Beauty Melting Blush in Nearly Apricot — This formula is supposed to be kind to dry skin.
Rare Beauty Nearly Natural Cream Eyeshadow — A matte, warm beige. It kinda reminds me of MAC Soft Brown, but in cream shadow form.
Rare Beauty Dewy Lip Balm in Empathy — Don’t laugh, but I bought this mostly because I liked the name.

Have you tried anything from this brand? What do you like/don’t like?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Braids, a Bright Lip and Blush Blended With Bronzer

January 4th, 2022 by Karen 15 Comments

I’ve been hesitant to post any FOTD’s lately because I don’t feel like the makeup I wear on a daily basis is fancy enough. Most of the looks I’ve been wearing are in the “five minute makeup range” these days, but ya know what? I figure I can’t be the only person out there who loves fast, fresh real-life looks. Like, I just got off a video call 15 minutes ago and this was the makeup I was wearing! Hello, real life. So here we go!

I want to call out a couple things. The lipstick is a workhorse liquid lipstick I love, Honest Beauty Liquid Lipstick in Goddess. If you’re into bright corals that light up your face in an instant, you need it in your life ASAP. It’s non-drying and totally comfy.

Another makeup item of note: for a quick hit of color on your cheeks, load up your blush brush with bronzer and blush. I just take my blush brush and dip it into both pans and then swirl the mix onto my apples. It’s the fastest way for me to get a good amount of color on my face without having to deal with layering and blending. Here I mixed Laura Mercier Blush in Rose with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Give Me Sun.

I’m about to jump on my second video meeting of the day! How’s your Tuesday going?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen