Kits and Sets

Because I Can’t Be the Only One! Biossance and Avene Skin Care Goodies…

December 7th, 2021 by Karen 10 Comments

biossance unstoppable glow — Skincare goodies from Biossance

DUDE. Is it just me, or is the temptation to smooth and slather on all the things strong when new skincare arrives?

The beauty products I ordered on Black Friday hit my doorstep yesterday, and I’m trying really hard to slow my roll and not put everything on my face all at the same time!

I think I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, but I grabbed the Biossance Unstoppable Glow Kit because 1) it includes a full-size jar of Squalane + Omega Repair Cream, my current go-to face moisturizer, 2) it was on sale and 3) I’ve been wanting to try the Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil, and the kit includes a travel-size bottle.

I also picked up a full-size bottle of the Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil, too, which I used last night to take off my makeup, and I have mixed feelings. It’s great for removing face and lip makeup, and my skin didn’t feel tight or uncomfortable after I rinsed off, but oh, my eyes! They stung a little when I rubbed the oil on my lashes and lash lines. I’ll still keep using it to take off foundation and lipstick but will stick to Curel Makeup Cleansing Oil to remove eye makeup.

Anywho! My order also came with this awesome GWP kit, which has a ton of things from the Biossance line…

Squalane + Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser — Because you know I love gentle!
Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm — Putting it on my lips right now, and it feels like the Laneige Lip Mask.
Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil — For brightening and moisture.
Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer — I think this is a lighter version of the Omega Repair Cream.
Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream — Been dying to try this!
Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum — I’m devoted to Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, but I like this brand so much I’ll give this a go.
Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum — Love me some lactic acid.
Squalane + Omega Repair Cream — A little travel-size jar of my go-to face cream.

Oh! I also ordered some things from Avene, too. I restocked a couple favorites: another bottle — my third one, it’s that good! — of Solaire UV Mineral Sunscreen and a tube of XeraCalm AD, which saves my skin whenever it feels so dry that it hurts. I’ve been wanting to try their RetrinAl Intensive Cream for a while, so I grabbed that too.

A couple tried-and-true items from Avene, along with something new

So that’s what’s new on this end. I’m actually kinda surprised I didn’t pick up any makeup, but with my new job and all, I haven’t been feeling super adventurous with makeup lately. I end up using the same stuff. Sigh! I know.

I was this close on Black Friday to pulling the trigger on a Chantecaille order, but then I realized at that point I really needed to start buying gifts for other people on my Christmas list so I had calm the eff down, LOL!

If you have any q’s about any of the items listed here, hit me up in the comments. I’m happy to give you my thoughts or first impressions. Site note: I’m really liking this Biossance Lip Balm! It’s thick, but not sticky, and my lips feel good.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

#BECCAxChrissy Holiday 2018 Collection Glow Kitchen and Lip Icing Glow Gloss Kits

November 12th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

becca chrissy holiday 2018 2 — New #BECCAxChrissy holiday makeup

Chrissy Teigan gets me, man. She really does — and not just because she made one of my favorite face/eye palettes of all time.

Um, have I mentioned in the last 5 minutes how much I adore the BECCA X Chrissy palette? Yeah, you do not have to twist my arm to get me to wear bronze eyeshadow. LOL.

Well, Chrissy is back with another BECCA holiday collab, and it’s also gorgeous, especially if you have warm undertones and medium brown skin.

We’re talking bronze lids, rose gold highlighter, rosy nude lipstick and a whole lotta nude gloss, a.k.a Karen’s Makeup Dreams Come True, or K.M.D.C.T.

There’s two LE holiday kits, and both of them are available now at Sephora.

BECCA Glow Kitchen Kit ($44)

This kit contains three items, and errrrthang is new. These are never-seen-before formulas, which is very exciting to makeup weirdos ? like yours truly. There’s a loose rose gold highlighter, a matte nude rose liquid lipstick, and a pot called Glow Souffle Eye Shadow & Face Highlighter in Cinnamon Churro with a bronze eyeshadow in the flip-cap top and a creamy golden mousse highlighter in the jar. (Side note: The packaging looks a LOT like these old Tom Ford duos.)

I couldn’t wait to try Cinnamon Churro. The soft bronze eyeshadow feels almost creamy, so it’s crazy sexy blend-able, but the frosty finish and big flecks of glitter make it…problematic for 40-something lids. If I take it up too high into my crease — which is easy to do because of how gracefully the powder glides across the skin, and you know I like to go HAM on that @ss when it comes to blending — I look much older than I am because of mah fine lines.

Beautiful bronze color, though… Le sigh. If I were 22, I’d be on it like fried chicken on waffles.

Fun fact: The mousse highlighter in the duo smells like cinnamon buns, which are one of Chrissy’s favorite sweet treats… And now I’m craving cinnamon buns with extra icing, ha ha.

Um…where was I?

To put the formula in context, the mousse is denser than a Tom Ford cream shadow but less dense than a Chanel cream or a MAC Paint Pot.

So, basically, it feels like a makeup marshmallow (which is great), but, like the eyeshadow, the mousse is full of bling, so it gets a hard pass from me thanks to my experience lines.

becca chrissy holiday 2018 — BECCA Chrissy Holiday 2018

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The New MAC Patrick Starrr Oh No She Beta Don’t/Patrickstarrr Kit

August 24th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

mac patrick starrr sugah mama quad — Oh no she beta don’t!

You know, whenever anyone mentions Patrick Starrr, my mind immediately goes to the MAC glam-bassador’s over-the-top makeup style, and so when a dude at the gym last Wednesday night asked during the stretching part at the end of HIIT class if we could do the “Patrick Starrr,” I just automatically assumed he wanted everyone to bust out their falsies and bake their contours. (As one does at the end of a particularly brutal set of lunges, naturally.)

mac patrick starrr fall 2018 — Oh No She Beta Don’t/Patrickstarrr

Turns out homeboy was talking about another nickname for the “corpse pose” — ya know, the one where you literally just lie there on the floor?

Ha ha ha!

But you can’t blame my brain for going there! Patrick’s been doing his thang with MAC for the past few seasons, and he’s all over the place. Why wouldn’t he be a gym reference, too?!

MAC Patrick Starrr Oh No She Beta Don’t/Patrickstarrr Kit ($21, coming September 6, 2018 to maccosmetics.com and select counters)

His latest MAC collab? — two fall kits, each with an eyeshadow quad and a liquid lippie. I’m wearing the one called “Oh No She Beta Don’t,” which to me sounds like it would be an awesome intro to a Ru Paul song from back in the day.

The other one is called “Boy About Town.”

My breath stopped short at the sight of the shimmery golden purplish taupe in the Sugah Mama eyeshadow quad, since it looks so much like a powder version of one of my fave discontinued cream shadows, MAC Lilacked (RIP).

I tried it on, and gah! — it’s so deliciously toasty and taupe-y and sparkly. Picture an extra shimmery Satin Taupe with the tiniest flakes of golden glitter.

Yummy, right?

I had a little fallout with the darkest blackened brown eyeshadow when I smudged it on my outer corner and swept it into my crease, but the three other shades (including the purply taupe) did just fine.

mac patrick starrr sugah mama — I’m wearing the Sugah Mama eyeshadow quad on my lids and Ulitmate Diva on my lips.

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New From MAC and Patrick Starrr: The MAC Summer Starrr Kit and Hot and Heavy Face Powder

June 5th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

“You must be my Summer Starrrrrrr!!!”

I dare you to NOT sing Madonna’s Lucky Star out loud whenever you think of the name of this kit, ’cause I sure as heck can’t do it.

Mega-influencer and glamazon YouTuber Patrick Starrr is back with another collab with MAC, Summer Starrr, and it’s all about warm shades and peppy packaging.

The summer collection includes a kit containing an eye quad, glosses and a bronzer; and a separate shimmery face powder, and they’re up on the MAC website right now.

mac summer starrr swatches — Swatches on NC42

The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit ($49.50)

I looooooove me a summer eyeshadow quad! Gimme, gimme! ? All of those tantalizing, toasty golds and peaches… Basically, I like any and all shades that go well with a tan. Unexpectedly, Patrick’s new quad is actually warmer toned than usual for a summer collection.

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MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit | The Power of Gold Stars

April 12th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

mac patrick starrr me so chic — MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic

So I’ve been doing The Five-Minute Journal now for about a month, and the big thing that’s helped me stick to it — and this is major because I’ve started and stopped more projects than I can count — is something so simple and really very elementary, and by ‘elementary’ I mean something that kids in kindergarten probably still do (because I did it about a bazillion years ago).

This: tracking your progress every day with gold ⭐ stars. (I use hand-drawn Sharpie stars because I couldn’t find gold sticker stars anywhere in my town.)

Every day you complete a task, and for me it’s filling out a page in the journal, you stick a star on the calendar, and after ‘X’ number of days, you treat yourself to a reward. ???

mac patrick starrr me so chic k down — With my trusty gold Sharpie by my side! I’m wearing the quad, lipstick, gloss and blush duo from the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Chic Face Kit.

The reward part is totally key, but ya know…you don’t have to buy yourself a Lambo or anything. A trip to your favorite lunch spot so you can buy that bougie $20 salad you love so much (*cough* Blue Barn Tostada Salad *cough*), a new eyeliner, or — ooh! — a spa treatment (I WISH). I’m going to get myself some workout pants from Senita because I’m all about that high-waisted life these days.

mac patrick starrr me so chic k side — Gold stars!

Even though this system is low-tech, it’s very effective. I don’t know if it’s something hidden deep inside the folds of the most primitive part of my brain, but I love seeing those stars pile up week after week. It feels like a good habit.

The Five-Minute Journal has enough pages for six months, and I’ve got about five more left.

I can’t wait to see my calendar filled this gold stars. 🙂

Speaking of stars…

The MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Chic Face Kit ($49.50, coming April 19 to the MAC website and select MAC counters)

I feel like I’m wearing makeup that the girls in my high school marching band’s color guard wore in the late-’80s/early-’90s. Like, gimme an over-sized flag, a sequined outfit, shiny flesh-colored tights, and I’m be good to go!

I think the blush duo (a matte warm bronze and satiny peach) flatters my NC42 skin, but my eyes get watery when I wear the purples in the quad. Also, the nude lipstick and gloss… I think they’re pretty, but they’re pretty easily duped, too.

I like the MAC x PatrickStarrr Me So Fleek Kit more than this one…

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The $20 Pixi Dimensional Eye Creator Kit, a Collab With Weylie Hoang

April 5th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

pixi dimensional eye creator palette — Livin’ that neutral palette life 24/7

Makeup brands hooking up with bloggers and social media “influencers” is nothing new these day, but it’s nice to see a collab with someone I’ve met who was super nice in person and real, in this case YouTuber Weylie Hoang.

I met her a few years back at a Too Faced event, and she was kind and sweet, so GO WEYLIE! Congrats on your collaboration with Pixi. 🙂

Isn’t this cute?

pixi dimensional eye creator lids — I’m wearing two shades from the left side of the palette — the matte golden brown in my crease and the shimmery plummy bronze on my lids. I lined my upper lash line with the black pencil, and then did the flick with the black liquid liner.

It’s a Pixi two-piece $20 kit with a neutral eyeshadow palette and a black liner, and it’s called the Dimensional Eye Creator. So basics, which I appreciate.

Weylie wears lots of natural eye looks, and you can see that in her color choices. There are six powder eyeshadows, three mattes, three shimmers, and a dual-ended pencil liner with a twist-up pencil on one end and a felt-tip liquid liner on the other.

pixi dimensional eye creator lids front — Cheeks are MAC Melon Pink (from Padma! I know, I’m like a blush broken record lately.), and the lips are a pink shade from the Dulce’s Lip Candy Palette, also by Pixi.

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The MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek/Patrickstarrr Full Face Kit

April 4th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek — I wore this MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kit to Trader Joe’s yesterday and had a moment.

It’s not like a Mariah Carey diva spotlight shot down from the heavens in the middle of Trader Joe’s yesterday, but one might as well have. I was standing in front of the eggs gawking at an empty section on the top shelf where the liquid egg whites were supposed to be. Connor was sitting in the cart, and I looked at her and said, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” perhaps a little too loudly (and my family wonders where she gets her expressive tendencies).

I was wearing, by the way, one of the two new MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kits with purple matte lips, a peachy mauve lid with blue liner, and plum cheeks…

It was subtle though. 🙂 It wasn’t too crazy for Trader Joe’s at two on a Tuesday afternoon, and I know this because none of the seniors from the nearby senior center shot me side eye while I was eyeing the pre-made salads.

mac patrick starrr me so fleek k1 — I’m wearing the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek Full Face Kit, and the lip is Queen P Lipglass.

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek k2 — Hey Boy Hey Lipstick is super pigmented, but it’s still easy enough that you can apply it straight from the tube, which is what I did here, without needing a lip brush or lip liner. It’s more pink and purple than MAC Heroine (in case you were wondering if it was a dupe)

Cut back to scene: me standing there with my arms outstretched to the heavens (the florescent ceiling lights) and saying, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” and this dude who was restocking a display of asparagus nearby said, “There’s no what, miss?”

And I was like, “EXCUSE ME? Did you call me MISS?” And I momentarily forgot that I wanted the egg whites to make overnight oats for my breakfast tomorrow because nobody — and I mean NOBODY — calls me miss anymore.

I mean…I feel like I look pretty young for my age, but I get called ma’am now, and it doesn’t help that I walk around with a grumpy piano teacher face all the time because I’m so friggin’ tired, and my lips are pursed, my jaw is clenched, and my hair’s up in a severe bun so the baby doesn’t pull it when she’s TT-ing (toddler tantrum-ing). But yesterday my locks were loose and flowing, and I was wearing this Me So Fleek Face Kit.

So I was workin’ it, son. 🙂

mac patrick star me so fleek swatches — Eye Shadow X 4/Play With Me (In Living Pink, All’s Rosy, Hickie, In the Shadows), Take Me Home Powder Blush Duo, Retro Matte Lipstick in Hey Boy Hey, Lipglass in Queen P

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The New NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

February 22nd, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

nudestix love me nudes ALLY — New fave nude lip: Ally from the NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes (Natural Edition) Lip + Cheek Kit

Seeing as how I’ve been wearing this nude pencil (Ally) on my lips almost daily since 14 Days of Ravishing Red ended, the time has come to give it a proper shout-out.

Meet Ally, one of six shades in the new NUDESTIX Love Me Nudes: The Natural Edition lip and cheek kit, which itself is one of two $59 LE Love Me Nudes kits. One is filled with bolder colors than the other. The Natural Edition is the slightly lighter pink, peach, rose version.

nudestix love me nudes swatches — Mystic, Rose, Retro, Purity, Tay Tay and Ally

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