Face

You’ll Wonder Where Your Experience Lines Go When You Wear Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

October 22nd, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze and glow fair medium — When Charlotte Tilbury makes you feel like a fancy lady…

OK, my fair friends, many of my makeup-loving pale pals say that it’s very challenging to find a bronzer that suits lighter skin tones. If this is the case for you, I believe I may have found a solution to your woes, and her name is Charlotte Tilbury. She’s got a bronzer/highlighter duo called Filmstar Bronze & Glow ($68, so start saving your lunch money), and there are two versions — Fair-Medium, pictured here, and Medium-Dark. Fair-Medium could be purrfect for lighter lasses.

If your makeup style is more “Sir John” than “Insta-glam”, I think you’ll love it.

The bronzer in Fair-Medium is a gorgeous peachy tan (no glitter in sight) without any weird or obnoxious orange undertones, so, what you get is a natural-looking, toasty almond tone when you sweep the finely-milled powder across your cheeks.

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze and glow fair medium swatches — Livin’ that NC42 life

The highlighter is equally beautiful. It’s a peachy gold with dainty shimmer, and, like the bronzer, it’s more on the natural-looking side. If you prefer highlights with a delicate touch, you’ll love it.

Because the powder grains in both products in the duos are so incredibly fine, they soften the look of fine lines and pores impressively well. No tell-tale caked-on makeup here.

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Will Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Cast a Spell on You?

October 21st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

charlotte tilbury magic cream final — Nothing can stand in our way…

Brace yourself: if you happen to see this jar sitting atop your dressing table, it means that any second now, your lady’s maid will magically materialize to dress you, gently brush every lock of hair into place, and pin a diamond tiara on your head.

(Side note: I have watched an obscene amount of Downton Abbey over the past few days.)

Only Charlotte Tilbury could turn a standard-issue makeup artist’s trick — applying a layer of rich moisturizer on your face before putting on your face paint — and turn it into a bonafide F.L.L. (that’s “Fancy Lady Lifestyle,” dahhhling), with one of her line’s most renowned products: Magic Cream.

Lots of people swear by this rich, thick cream, which is made for all skin types and designed to be applied right before going in with your makeup.

Devotees of the Cult o’ Magic Cream claim that it potently plumps the skin, and it does contain heavy-hitting hydrators like hyaluronic acid, shea butter and aloe vera (to name a few), but I’d characterize the plumping effect as subtle.

The idea is that it’s supposed to smooth your canvas, so to speak, before you layer your foundation, concealer, powder, etc. on top. So, basically, it’s a rose-scented moisturizer/primer combo in a very pretty jar.

One thing about it? It smells fancy and expensive, and my skin absorbs the rich cream right away. Immediately after applying my base makeup on top of it — my foundation, powder, concealer, etc. — my base products look a little richer, more vibrant and slightly smoother. Everything looks a little more…natural and less like “makeup.”

If you’re a seasoned makeup person, you’ll see a subtle difference, but I dare say that most people won’t.

Here’s the thing: you can get a similar effect with any moisturizer, and doing a quick hit of moisturizer before base makeup is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Be that as it may, this cream’s ability to actually adhere to whatever you layer on top is its super power. In that way, it’s far better than a run-of-the-mill moisturizer. A lot of similarly rich creams will make your makeup slip right off, but this doesn’t. So, as a primer, it’s very effective.

I like it. A lot. But I don’t like the price. AT ALL.

INGREDIENTS

This product is gluten free.

AQUA/WATER/EAU, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, OLUS OIL/VEGETABLE OIL/HUILE VÉGÉTALE, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, CETYL ALCOHOL, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE, POLYESTER-7, PHENOXYETHANOL, NEOPENTYL GLYCOL DIHEPTANOATE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, STEARETH-21, AVENA SATIVA (OAT) KERNEL EXTRACT, CARBOMER, DIMETHICONOL, POTASSIUM CETYL PHOSPHATE, CHLORPHENESIN, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, XANTHAN GUM, HYDROLYZED VIOLA TRICOLOR EXTRACT, ALLANTOIN, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, DISODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL, ROSA CANINA FRUIT OIL, ROSA DAMASCENA EXTRACT, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, MICHELIA ALBA LEAF OIL, SODIUM LACTATE, COCO-GLUCOSIDE, PEG-8, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHEROL, PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-7, PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, PLUMERIA RUBRA FLOWER EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, NICOTIANA SYLVESTRIS LEAF CELL CULTURE, LINALOOL, CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL.

The 30-ml. jar at top is $64, a 50-ml. jar is $100, and a 150-ml. jar is $225. (Wow!) Sephora also sells a tiny 0.5-ml. mini jar for $29. Every size it comes in is crazy pricey!

If you aren’t too keen on dropping your beauty budget on a product that’s basically invisible, not to worry; you have other options. Head over to MAC, and give Prep + Primer Natural Radiance a try (it’s an underrated rock star, IMHO).

While it isn’t anywhere near as luxurious as Charlotte’s Magic Cream, it does basically the same thing, and it’s about 50% less pricey at $42 for a 50-ml. size.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Doing the Dew With MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna

October 10th, 2019 by Karen 3 Comments

mac luna — MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna

Dear 1990s-era mattes,

Enjoy your moment in the makeup world, my friends, because in 30 or so, tastes will shift, and people will be all about shimmering skin. They’ll even go so far as to talk about varying levels of dewiness… Can you imagine? I KNOW. It’s craziness.

Your friend,

MBB

As you know, I’ve been into dewy skin for… What has it been now? Years? And what has propelled this obsession to stratospheric levels has been the sheer breadth of different types of dew and shininess (yes, there are varying levels of dewiness).

One of my favorite ways to “do the dew” is to have skin that glows with just the sheerest, subtlest opalescence, and that’s what you get with MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna ($24).

Now, I realize that Luna looks a little like a stark and scary full moon in the pan… I think of it as a cream version of MAC Strobe Cream, but without the pink or gold tones. The color is a warm pearly white sheen sans any glitter or frost, and as long as you don’t pile too much of it on (because it’ll start to look harsh and obvious), it’s totally wearable. When you blend a thin layer on your skin, Luna reflects light in soft, subtle ways… It’s the polar opposite of hard, harsh metallic creams and powders, and it looks very natural.

Luna is most often used as a highlighter, but I think it also shines (ha ha ha, very punny, Karen!) when you layer it underneath other products. I love it as an eyeshadow base for neutral tan, taupe and beige powder eyeshadows because it brightens up your toasty tones a tad while adding the softest hint of pearl.

The overall effect? Fresh-faced, sightly dewy lids.

Side note: if you have MAC Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch or Era on hand, Luna looks magical underneath any of ’em.

Oh, you can also layer Luna with blushes, too. Yup, both powder and cream blushes. Dab a little on the apples of your cheeks, then tap your blush on top with either fingers or a skunk brush. Or, mix it with your cream blush on the back of your hand before applying from there with your fingers.

mac luna swatch — Blended and unblended on my NC42 skin

Luna feels like an ever-so-slightly thinner and creamier MAC Paint Pot. Don’t worry if it seems stark white in the swatch because you won’t see it sitting on top of your skin if you blend it.

Yes, because it’s a cream, Luna will scoot a little bit…or a lot, depending on your skin type. I’m combo oily/dry, and my dry spots like the Cream Colour Bases. They latch onto them for about five hours (maybe six in winter), and I don’t normally reapply them throughout the day because if/when my makeup shifts and changes, I’m usually cool with that.
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Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow

October 8th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

To quote the great Lizzo (Lizzo for president!), it ain’t my fault if I’m out here getting loose. And I say that because I’ve been wearing Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow ($39), so, ya know…I’m getting loose with it, ha ha ha!

(I don’t blame it on the goose or my juice, in case you were wondering.)

This face setting powder is a rare gem. It has a subtle pearly finish (I know, blowing your mind right now!), which sets makeup without making pores look like moon craters (an issue with any sort of powder with shimmer or sheen).

Yes, you can wear it all over your face! It adds a hint of dewiness, so your face doesn’t look flat or too matte, and it does this without showing off your fine lines or smile lines, a.k.a your experience lines.

You can also wear it like a traditional highlighter as well, if all-over glow is a little too much for ya.

Oh, and did I mention that it feels weightless and doesn’t look cake-y? It’s so good, you guys. So, so good.

laura mercier traslucent loose setting powder glow swatch — I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way.

You know, if you like that dewy skin look, but you don’t want to look greasy or a shiny metallic robot, this is it.

A big 1-oz. jar is $39 (comes with a sifter, but it doesn’t come with a brush or powder puff though), and there are two shade options — one lighter and one darker. I wear the lighter option, and it works fine with my NC42 skin.
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Fall for Fresh Skin and Shimmering Lids With the Latest From Wander Beauty

September 18th, 2019 by Karen 4 Comments

wander beauty wandress rush palette — Pretty, new products from Wander Beauty to get you going

Is it just me, or does autumn seem like the hottest new holiday season? — because it feels like the latest and greatest, most bustling time of year to me.

It’s almost like the powers that be know ALL. THE. THINGS on my to-do list right now, including…

Traipsing through piles of autumn leaves (no, seriously, Connor has preschool homework this week that involves gathering fallen leaves!)
Driving the coywolf to and from various toddler events, of which, surprisingly, there are many
Researching lighting fixtures for a half-bathroom remodel (who knew there were so many different types of lighting fixtures?)
Low-key freaking out about everything (which isn’t actually on my to-list, but it’s something I’m doing anyway)

Wander Beauty seems to *GET* this, because all of their new makeup and skin care launches for fall 2019 focus on getting you ready in a flash, so you can conquer the world! — or, at least conquer the bus ride to work or the morning school drop-off.

wander beauty wandress rus — Wander Beauty Products I’m wearing in this look: Wandress Rush Eye Palette on my lids, High Line Liquid Eyeliner on my lash lines, Frame Your Face Precise Brow Gel in Dark Brown in my brows, Trip for Two Blush and Bronzer Duo in Dauiri/Tulum on my cheeks, and the Lip Setter Duo in On the Mauve on my lips. The foundation is MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick in NC42.

wander beauty wandress rush swatches — Wandress Rush Eyeshadow Palette, Frame Your Face Precise Brow Gel and High Line Liquid Eyeliner (I’m an NC42 in MAC)

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The New Urban Decay Loose Powder Has a Brush With Convenience, What to Eat With Your Veggies, and Distracted Waxing

September 17th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

urban decay ultimate brush off — A new way to get loose with Urban Decay

Do you ever skip loose powder because you don’t want to lug around an extra brush for touch-ups?

If so, I feel you… Also, Urban Decay’s new $34 Ultimate Brush Off Setting Powder might be of interest.

Bring your brush with ya

It comes with a synthetic flat-top kabuki brush attached to the lid, which makes it easy to dust a little on whenever and wherever you want.

It’s a demi-matte loose powder to set your makeup, blur pores and absorb oil and shine, and it’s available now at UD counters and online in five cruelty-free shades — Universal Translucent, Fair, Medium, Deep and Dark.

Speaking of new things… Well, new to me and my tummy!

Bolthouse Salsa Ranch Dressing is MAGIC. I picked it up at Target, and now I’m addicted.

bolthouse farm salsa ranch — A yummy, healthy snack

It’s funny to me that this is named “Salsa Ranch” because it isn’t spicy. It tastes like a blend of the best thousand island and ranch — a little tangy, a little sweet, and VERY tasty!

I like the Bolthouse dressings because they’re made from yogurt, and are consequently less calorically dense than most creamy dressings, so consequently I eat TONS of it, which I do with whatever vegetable I’m crushing on at any given moment. (It’s delish with snap peas!)

If you could use some extra motivation to eat your veggies, then you need what Connor calls “the pink ranch dressing” in your life.

OK, so I had a major upper-lip wax fail…

Please note that waxing your ‘stach while plumbers work on an underground water leak in your front yard is inadvisable. There’s a significant chance you’ll have low-grade anxiety because you don’t know if the plumbers will have to break open the concrete to access the leaky pipe, thereby causing the budget to skyrocket, and you could also end up with a sinkhole underneath your garage…
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A Laura Mercier Moment…

September 10th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

laura mercier september 2019 — Dearest Laura…you’re rockin’ my world at the moment.

I’m going to assume that you are, or have been, a makeup junkie, and so therefore you have probably had one (or more) moments like I did the other night at back-to-school night, when your makeup universe collides in such a way that you’re, like, “WHOA!”

I can’t be the only one. I just can’t.

I was just sitting there in Connor’s preschool classroom wearing some Laura Mercier products when my nose honed in on someone’s perfume (I have a bloodhound’s sense of smell). It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it, and the source of that scent — swear to gosh — knocked around in my head for days, like a song stuck in my head.

Then, half asleep one night in bed, it hit me! It was Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, which I wore every day for three years straight in the early aughts.

Dang, dawg, I’ve been wearing Laura Mercier makeup off and on for almost 20 years! In fact, I can recall when it was a relatively new line. I remember going to a counter for the first time (must have been about 1997) and being intrigued by the makeup primer, which was very forward-thinking at the time. And their Tinted Moisturizer, Secret Brightening Powder, Eye Basics in Wheat and Stormy Grey eyeliner have all been in my everyday makeup bag rotation at different times for years.

Like I was saying…I just happened to be wearing a few pieces of LM makeup the other night, and it reminded me why I like wearing Laura Mercier makeup so much. Her style is colorful, but not too crazy, and has elegantly subtle touches of pizzazz, like a little glitter here, a demi-matte finish there… It’s also easy to amplify or dial down.

A few quick thoughts on what I’ve been wearing lately…

Foundation Primer ($38)

There are a few different versions of this (Oil-Free, Dry SKin, etc.), and this one is the basic Foundation Primer. It’s a colorless, lightweight primer in a moisturizing gel that instantly sinks into skin (rather than sitting on top). If you like primers that add radiance with barely-there pearl finish (like MAC’s Natural Radiance), you’ll like this, too. It’s an oldie but goodie.

Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($39)

Light as air and completely undetectable, this has a soft matte finish that looks natural to the Nth degree!

laura mercier september 2019 swatches — Lovies by Laura M.!

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MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Sticks: The Latest Way to Get Your Fix

September 3rd, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

Update for all MAC foundation fan-atics: Thanks to the new MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Sticks, this fall we’ll have yet another reason to stick around the MAC counter.

One of my tried-and-true all-time MAC faves is their Studio Fix Foundation (it’s wicked dermatological wizardry when mixed with a few drops of Strobe Cream and set with Mineralize Skinfinish Natural), so I’m excited about this cream stick foundation, which comes in 33 colors and hits shelves beginning September 5.

Like the O.G. Studio Fix Foundation, these sticks promise a flawless finish and a formula that’s theoretically supposed to last 86,400 seconds…which is 24 hours, in case you were wondering.

However, unlike the original Studio Fix Foundation and its ultra-perfected, complete coverage, Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation is medium coverage and made to appeal to makeup minimalists, a la the low-maintenance girl (or guy) looking to even out their skin tone and ever-so-slightly blur some pores.

From the official MAC PR:

“There’s a definite skin moment happening right now,” says Terry Barber, MAC Director of Makeup Artistry in London.” We’re not talking rawness here, or the whole no makeup, makeup thing. “It’s premium skin; enhanced, plumped, smooth and packed with moisture. Matte in the past was associated with dryness and dullness, whereas the new matte is about soft focus and blur with no blanket coverage and light hitting in all the right places.”

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