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Hourglass

Dinner Makeup With the Honest Beauty Eyeshadow Palette

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Happy Friday, friend!

I went out to dinner with the fam-bam last night and wore a brown smokey eye with a pink cheek and glossy pink lip. I’m a little out of practice with blending, but you know what? I didn’t worry too much about it and decided to let the whole look land wherever it wanted to land! (Side note: I’m trying to be more gentle with myself and not so persnickety about, well, everything.)

Anywho, We went to FOB Kitchen in Oakland, a cute, casual spot that serves Filipino food! I was too busy eating and having fun to take pictures of the food, but here’s a shot we got of Connor’s dessert, a Filipino shave ice concoction called halo-halo.

Quick list of the makeup I’m wearing…

  • Rose Inc Skin Enhance Tinted Serum in 080
  • Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation in 8 Warm
  • Hourglass Retouching Fluid in Sand
  • Dior Backstage Concealer in 4W
  • MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden and Give Me Sun
  • Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown
  • Tower 28 Mascara in Jet
  • Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette
  • MAC Costa Riche liner
  • Hourglass Voyeur Gel Liner in Cave
  • NARS Blush in Amour
  • MAC Lip Liner in Talking Points
  • Hourglass Lipgloss in Canvas

Hope your day is peaceful and joyful!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unexpected Mint Green Makeup of the Day

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This makeup did out turn out anything close to what I was going for, LOL! Does that ever happen to you?

I saw this beautiful picture of black liner with mint green accents on the Shu Uemura Instagram, which was my original inspiration.

Isn’t it so cool? I love how it’s creative but doesn’t feel overworked.

Anywho, I don’t know what I was thinking giving myself 15 minutes to try to recreate something similar! Maybe if I had an hour or two I could’ve gotten there, but alas, it did not happen. I put way too much shimmery mint green eyeshadow into the inner corner, so I ended up buffing it all out.

I kinda like how the sparkles traveled haphazardly over my lids, though!

I’m wearing a new foundation that I picked up at the Sephora Sale — Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin in the shade 8 Warm. I used two pumps and set it with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. It was hot in Northern California yesterday and it held up well despite the warm temps.

Oh, and the glossy lip! I’m really into shine these days. It’s Hourglass gloss in Canvas, in case you’re curious.

Have a great rest of your Purrsday-Thursday. We’re almost to the weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: A Beauty Bakerie Palette, Hourglass Eyeliners and Enthusiastic Empties

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Warm tones and shimmer from the Do It For the Graham Palette by Beauty Bakerie
Warm tones and shimmer from the Do It For the Graham Palette by Beauty Bakerie

Ever wonder why Graham crackers are called “Graham” crackers? I was wondering this the other day while swatching the Do It for the Graham Eyeshadow Palette by Beauty Bakerie.

I'm an NC42 in MAC, by the way
I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way

Turns out the crackers have an interesting history, and that the word “Graham” is always capitalized because Graham crackers are named after a real person.

I know. So many fun facts!

Between all the trees blooming and the crazy winds lately my allergies are officially on fire. Runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing every two seconds… Spring’s around the corner, and just when I start thinking it might be my new favorite season, pollen changes that in a hot second, LOL!

Just looking at this makes me want to sneeze

On that note, I’ve been searching for waterproof eyeliners that don’t budge. I know, I know, I could just skip wearing eye makeup on those days, but I’ve been on a beauty roll for the past few months and want to keep it up! Wearing face paint definitely helps with my mood, and on the days when I feel more put together, I’m just that much happier, ya know?

Lil’ liner haul

Speaking of eye makeup, remember the Hourglass Solstice pencil from last month? It’s a beautiful golden bronze from the Hourglass Waterproof Gel Eyeliner line. I finished it – yay!

You know how it goes though. Instead of replacing it like a sane person (ha) I wanted to try something new, so I grabbed these two Hourglass liners last week at Sephora: the shimmery bronze 1.5 MM Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Bronze and the cool matte brown Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Cave.

Hourglass Bronze and Cave liners

Hourglass liners: Some initial thoughts

  • Bronze 1.5 MM Liner: The skinny tip in this is super cool. It’s so precise! If you have a hooded lid situation like I do and prefer your liner to take up minimal space, it’s absolutely lovely for a touch of definition on the lash and water lines. Long wearing, too. My only concern is that I’m going to go through it quickly! $
  • Cave Waterproof Gel Eyeliner: Hmm. Mixed feelings so far about this cool brown. On the positive side, I love the cool tone of the rich, brown color. It reminds me of well worn, wet smooth brown pebbles that you’d find in a stream. There’s very little red in it, which I think is especially great for adding depth to the lash line. On the not-so-great side, when I wear it on my water line, it transfers more compared to the Solstice shade. I think I’m going to keep wearing it until I finish it, then go back to Solstice.

Empties are my jam, man

RE: Solstice again. I was thrilled to finish a liner all the way through! What is it about emptying out and finishing a makeup that’s so satisfying? I’m at the point where it’s more exciting to finish something all the way down to the last bits and bobs instead of accumulating lots of things I only use on occasion.

biossance jar empty

Do you ever feel this way? Or is it just me?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hourglass Solstice Gel Liner and Canvas Lip Gloss | Overheard at Sephora

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Hiya! It’s just me, wearing some stuff I bought recently at Sephora — a bronze gel eyeliner (Hourglass Solstice) and a opaque pink gloss (Hourglass Canvas).

I loooove this liner! I think the bronze color adds a touch of definition to my lids and lash lines without my making eyes look more hooded (the struggle is real when you get into your 40s).

Still undecided on how I feel about the gloss, though. It did a lot for me back in the day and was a go-to purse gloss for a few years, but now I’m like, “Eh, it’s a’ight.” I still like how it feels (not too sticky) and how it doesn’t have an obnoxious flavor or scent (vaguely minty). My soul, however, is not shook-eth to the core, and I need that now from my makeup — especially gloss!

Forgot to mention yesterday that while I was shopping I overhead a mom and daughter team chatting about blush. The mom said, “According to my daughter I’m no longer allowed to wear blush that’s powder.” The daughter replied, “You can still wear it, but you have to layer it under cream blush first.” LOL!

I wonder if that’ll be me and Connor in the future… Something tells me maybe? Or maybe not. She had a dance performance a couple weeks ago and was totally firm on NOT wearing blush or eyeshadow. Red lipstick was fine (and it was part of their costume, so she had to wear it), but she absolutely refused to put anything on her cheeks or lids.

Too funny!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Brilliant Nude Blush

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hourglass brilliant nude
I’m wearing the awesome Hourglass Brilliant Nude blush on my cheeks!

This Hourglass Blush has been a staple in my makeup bag for years. I recently re-discovered it, and it truly is brilliant! And by the way, the pic at the top was taken before I grew my hair color out. 🙂

When some people think of brilliant nudes, they might think of Venus de Milo or the statue of David… I think of a blush from Hourglass, LOL! Brilliant Nude Strobe Lighting Blush by Hourglass, you guys, is so, SO good, especially if you love a fresh-faced look where your cheeks glow without looking overdone.

Can’t-miss fresh-faced color that isn’t obnoxiously obvious

It’s the same effect you get from NARS Madly Blush or the Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Trio, you know, where you have a hint of color, a whisper of shine, and your face and skin look livelier and peppier, like you just took a brisk walk or somebody sneaked up and started tickling your ribs.

Your cheeks will have that beautiful flush! That’s what you get from Brilliant Nude.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

hourglass brilliant nude
Each of the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Blushes has a unique marbled pattern, so no two are quite alike.

Peachy amber mixed with a shimmery highlighter

Brilliant Nude is a peachy amber blush mixed with a gorgeous golden shimmery highlighter. It’s one of the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which is the blush family in the Hourglass permanent collection that has a more obvious and visible highlight (there’s also the Ambient Lighting Blushes, like the shade Diffused Heat, which are great, too, but they have a quieter highlighting effect).

Not to say that the Ambient Strobe Blushes like Brilliant Nude have an obnoxious highlight. Ya know, it’s Hourglass, they handle their finishes with a very refined touch. It’s softly reflective and luminous, but it isn’t metallic or garish or harsh, so women of all ages (and pore sizes!) can wear it.

A healthy glow on all shades of skin

When you mix the highlighter and blush together you have that perfect combination of color and shine that’s just a little something but not too much. I’m a tan gal, an NC42 in MAC, but I’ve seen this on both lighter and darker ladies, and it’s beautiful across the board. On lighter skin, you get more of the blush effect. On darker skin, it functions more as a highlighter, but in either case cheeks have a healthy flush and glow.

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Layered Eye Looks: Forest Green Liner with Champagne Eyeshadow

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I jokingly texted a friend to tell her that I finally put on a full face of makeup because I no longer wanted to look like I just crawled out of a pit of doom! LOL. And even though I’m 100% comfortable now rollin’ around town bare faced with just sunscreen, there’s still something really nice about going to the grocery store to buy cara cara oranges and have the checker call me “miss” instead of “ma’am.”

I’ve been inspired by simple, layered eye makeup lately. In this one, I layered a glittery champagne cream shadow (Hourglass Ray) on top of a shimmery forest green liner (Urban Decay Mildew). It’s easy, peasy, lemon squeeze-y, and I feel like I get a lot of look for very little effort.

What I also really like about this look is how the glitter isn’t too flashy. It sparkles in the light, but it’s not, like, too much for a weekday midday run to Tar-ghay.

Key products worn in this look

Here’s what I used for eyes, cheeks and lips. If you want to know more about the base or brows, let me know in the comments. 🙂

Officially a dance mom!

Connor joined the junior dance team at her studio this year, and last weekend was her first official performance. I think she was more excited to wear the clip-on earrings, LOL!

I’ve had my ears pierced since the day I was born; no really, back in the day in the Philippines, you could get your baby’s ears pierced at the hospital!

Anywho, all this to say we found out that clip-on earrings are a whole different beast. Connor was so looking forward to wearing them, but when she tried them on for the first time, one of the earrings was too tight and hurt her little ear.

I did a little googling and found a trick to loosening them. All you have to do is move the part of the clip-on that looks like a “U” around. You need widen it to relieve the pressure on your ears! It really helps. Just goes to show you, you learn something new every day.

Have a peaceful and joyful Tuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Recent Revelations, and Ilia Rococco Lipstick

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ilia roccoco hourglass ray
Key products: Ilia Rococco Lipstick, Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow in Ray and Chanel Malice Blush

1. Re: buying blinds for your house

We finally caved in and went to a store that specializes in blinds because all the options and colors have just gotten too overwhelming.

We had someone come out yesterday to measure and walk us through the process, and the biggest takeaway I got was that continuity is key when you’re buying blinds.

For example, when all the shades or blinds are down and you’re looking at your house from the outside, it’s really nice to see all the window treatments matching.

If you don’t want to do that, and say, you have a two-story house, you can match all of the blinds on the first floor, and then have a different type of matching treatment on the top floor.

My point is, you ideally want to have some sort of continuity with your window treatments! Who knew?

2. Ilia Rococco Lipstick is lovely, but…

I got this a while back but haven’t worn it in a bit. It’s a beautiful warm rosy pink lipstick that’s loaded with pigment, but be mindful of it transferring onto your teeth. That’s why I’m smiling with my lips closed in the top pic, LOL!

ilia tahiti rococco
Fun with Ilia lip products!

3. You can wear a bodysuit unsnapped

Holy crap, this has been one of those weirdly surprising game changers for me. I love having the longer length of a bodysuit because I don’t like it when tucked-in shirts ride up, but sometimes I just can’t deal with snapping and unsnapping the crotch part. I recently read that if you’re not in the mood to snap, you can just skip it and wear the bodysuit loose. That’s what I’ve been doing lately, and it’s been glorious.

Here’s the thing, though: You have to make sure that the bottom of your bodysuit doesn’t escape. It’s easier to keep track of the front, but the back it can be tricky. I get around this by wearing pants with a high rise and/or a long blazer.

Have you had any revelations (beauty related or otherwise) lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Red Hot Summer Lips!

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I’m not a fan of Red Hot candies (too spicy), but I do love me some matte red lipstick!

Yesterday’s Monday Poll question about matte red lipstick inspired this makeup look with glowing skin, softly defined brows, lush lashes, pearly lids and a matte orangey red lip.

It’s amazing how much heavy lifting a red lip can do, and equally amazing how I seem to forget this lesson time and time again, LOL! When I put this red lipstick on yesterday (it’s MAC Quite the Standout, by the way), once again I realized how red lips can carry most of the makeup since it’s such a strong focal point. One really doesn’t need much to round out the look.

To contrast with the opaque matte lip, I went with a sheer, glowing base with low-level pearl (Rose Inc Skin Enhance in 80), with just a touch of concealer (Hourglass Retouching Fluid in Sand) on the parts where I wanted more coverage — underneath my eyes and on my upper lip, and oh, side note, damn that pigment mustache.

I set the areas with concealer with a tiny touch of powder by loading a small face brush with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden. I tapped most of the powder off before lightly dabbing the brush head on my face.

I also wanted to play with texture, so I blended a cream blush (Chanel Les Beiges No. 25) on my cheeks, and dabbed a pearly liquid highlighter (MAC Strobe Cream) on my cheekbones and lids.

To round out the look, I went with softly filled in brows and separated, long, lush lashes to keep it fresh and summary.

I think this look could also be lovely with a glossy coral lipgloss or lip tint, too!

Do you have a red lipstick that you adore? Drop your go-to shade in the comments; I want to hear all about it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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