Lips

The NARS Powermatte Pigments: The Nudes

July 6th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

nars get it on — Get It On! (actually…the exclamation mark is mine, because I like the oomph it adds to this tan rose’s name.)

I realize that some of the shades in this batch of nude NARS Powermatte Pigments look straight-up bold on me, but I figure they could work as nude lippies for deeper divas.

Which reminds me, that’s one thing I’ve always loved about NARS. They try to cover the color gamut with shades for lighter lovelies AND darker divas, so yay, diversity! 🙂

Today is the day, too. These new $26 Powermatte Pigments are available as of meow (here’s a more in-depth review).

These moisturizing liquid lipsticks last about five hours for me, and they have a thinner consistency than usual for their liquid brethren. They’re almost watery, and yet gloriously easy to control.

Overall, I’m all about the dainty pink nudes, like Get It On and American Woman. I also like Slow Ride, which is a brownish pink, because there’s something kinda ’90s about it.

If you, like my friend Bernadette (hey, Berna!), whom I was just talking to last week, have designs on quitting your nude lip habit and moving into bolder colors, well, you probably wouldn’t wanna get anywhere near the Powermattes, because these nudes are addictive. But girl, I won’t stop you from feeding that nude fire if you have to. ?

nars save the queen — Save the Queen — a dusty mauve

nars american woman — American Woman — a chestnut rose

nars walk this way — Walk This Way — a rosy pink

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The NARS Powermatte Pigments: The Brights and Bolds

July 6th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

nars low rider — Wearing the new bright peachy pink NARS Powermatte Pigment in Low Rider on my pout

If you grab one or more of the new NARS Powermatte Pigment liquid lipsticks, of which there are 20 shades that are $26 each (available starting tomorrow at NARS boutiques and the NARS website and coming July 13th to Sephora), may I gently suggest that you refrain from applying them in public? Because it is SO frightening when someone with bright red liquid lipstick all over their teeth smiles at you. In a way, it’s kind of vampire chic, but in another way, it’s f*cking scary!

My bad for not realizing that ya only need a little for full coverage…

nars get up stand up — NARS Powermatte Pigment in Get Up Stand Up, a bright pinkish coral

By the time I finished swatching this batch, which includes the bright and bold colors in the line (I’ll have pics of the nude ones soon), I figured out the best way to apply them is to take a little off the applicator before touching it to your lips.

nars give it up — NARS Powermatte Pigment in Give It Up, a fuchsia

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Soft Glam Makeup for a Friday Night With NARS Kalahari and Mekong

June 30th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

nars kalahari amour mac patisserie — Baby wing!

I got a little gussied up because I’m going out to dinner tonight (as if I needed an excuse to put on makeup, ha!). It’s a belated Geminis birthday dinner with my friend, Marisol, who also celebrated her birthday this month.

I’m calling this “soft glam makeup,” although that’s not my phrase. I’m borrowing it from SoCal sweetheart and makeup artist extraordinaire Vanessa Haro. Vanessa does makeup for weddings and various other photo shoots for booty-licious babes, and I love her style. It’s classic yet très schmexy, and very similar to what I like to wear.

nars kalahari eye closeup — Get a little closer

Anyway, lately I’ve been rediscovering spectacular shades from the permanent collections of some of my favorite brands, and I’m wearing a duo called NARS Kalahari in this look that I’ve worn off and on for years. It has a satiny, plummy taupe on one side and a shimmery golden taupe (you know I love those golden taupes, girl!) on the other, and both sides are drenched in pigment.

Normally when I wear this duo, I try to keep it (relatively) simple by blending the satiny plum on the outer half of my lids and my lower lash lines with a tapered blending brush. Then, I pat the shimmery golden taupe side on my inner lids with a finger and soften the edges with a matte neutral taupe or a tan shadow in the crease, and a matte beige on my brow bone (I’m wearing two NARS single pan shadows here called NARS Blondie and NARS Biarritz).

The “soft glam” part comes from combining Kalahari on the lids with the winged liner, because winged liner is cool, man! And you can modify it in an endless number of ways.

I’ve been totally into a “baby wing,” where I start from the midpoint on my upper lash line, then flick out toward the outer corner, and I do juuust the thinnest flick when I do it.

It’s noticeable, but it doesn’t take over the entire eye look, like when you use black liquid or gel liner and do a massive flick, and it takes over your entire look and you start feeling like you have to put on falsies to balance everything…

Talk about opening a can of worms.

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10 Playfully Pink MAC Summer Lipsticks

June 30th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

mac pink lipstick — Think pink with, from the left, MAC Pink Pearl Pop, Star Magnolia, Pink Pigeon, Chatterbox, Candy Yum Yum, Pink Nouveau, Pink You Think, Fusion Pink, Speed Dial and Speak Louder ($17 each and available now in the MAC permanent line)

I’m not just cuckoo for coral. I’m also passionate about pink. 🙂 And these 10 playfully pink MAC summer lipsticks are purr-fect.

1. MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Speak Louder

mac speak louder — Speak Louder — a clean bluish poppy pink

2. Matte Lipstick in Pink Pigeon

mac pink pigeon — Pink Pigeon — a bright clean pink

3. Amplified Lipstick in Fusion Pink

mac fusion pink — Fusion Pink — a bright pink

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Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Dimitri, My Latest Red Lipstick Love

June 29th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

How many times have I said, “I’ve been going through a … phase”? A minimal makeup phase, a smoky eye phase (since forever), a cat eye phase, what have you.

I’ve been going through a red lips phase since, roughly, birth, give or take a few days, and $37 Chanel Dimitri is my latest red lipstick love.

Dimitri is a permanent color in Chanel’s hydrating Rouge Coco line. It’s a warm, semi-opaque red with a finish that begins as a smooth, luscious, low-level lip shine but starts to look more like a matte after 30 minutes or so, which is the coolest thing about it to me, because Chanel is sooo good at subtle shifts like that.

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MAC Coral Lipsticks: 5 MORE Essential Summer Staples

June 23rd, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

mac corals part — MOAR CORALS! From the left, MAC Lipsticks in Nippon, Koi Coral, Shy Girl, Ravishing and Hot Tahiti

Did you really think I could stop at five?? GIRL, YOU SO CRAZY!

It’s totally normal for a MAC coral enthusiast to have at least 10 lipstick options in rotation at any given moment…

Right…?

UGH, keep telling yourself that, Karen. Seriously, I’m only one or two tubes away from an intervention.

YES! These corals (like these from earlier today) are in the MAC permanent line. One of them, Ravishing, is an old fave I’ve been wearing for years, but the other four are pretty new to my personal coral kingdom, like Koi Coral, a creamy, marvelously moisturizing peachy nude coral Cremesheen that happens to share part of its name (albeit with a different spelling) with one of Connor Claire’s nicknames (“Coywolf,” which sometimes gets shortened to “Coy”).

I think of her whenever I wear it.

Mmm, I’m tasting that signature MAC vanilla flavor on my lips right now. It tastes like coming home, and it feels like everything is right again with the world…

Anyway! Diversion much, Karen?

Also in this batch — Shy Girl, and oh, my gosh! So nice. It’s a creamy, dreamy peachy beige coral I just recently found through MAC Fruity Juicy.

I mean, it’s been around a while, but I forgot it was in the permanent collection. It almost functions as a nude.

Nippon is another peachy coral, but it’s less beige than Shy Girl. Like Koi Coral, it’s also a Cremesheen, so it’s creamy and mega moisturizing. It’s like a drink of water for dry lips.

1. Ravishing

2. Koi Coral

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MAC Coral Lipsticks: 5 Essential Summer Staples

June 23rd, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

I’m low-key crazy for coral all year long, but now that it’s summer, I let my freak flag fly and my full-on coral craziness is unleashed!

If it were socially acceptable…I might even wear all five of my favorite MAC coral lipsticks on my face AT THE SAME TIME.

Flamingo, Costa Chic, Coral Bliss, Vegas Volt and Pretty Boy are all found in the MAC permanent line, so they’re always there whenever you need them, which is comforting to me…like a makeup security blanket.

I rotate among them during summer.

If you see a couple you like, jump on them now, because MAC is having a special lipstick promotion where you get a free lipstick if you buy any two lip products. The free lipstick has to be one of six specific shades (Breathing Fire, Lust, Lured In, Pressed & Ready, Barbeque and Invite Intrigue), though, so you can’t go picking any old free lipsticks willy-nilly. But the selections are lovely.

The promo lasts through June 25th, both at MAC stores and the website.

1. Flamingo

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BECCA Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss Officially Has Nothing to Do With “The Dark Crystal,” But I Feel Like It Should

June 23rd, 2017 by Karen 22 Comments

becca rose quartz seashell liquid crystal 3 — When you hold your lip gloss like a magic wand… I’m wearing BECCA Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss in Rose Quartz x Seashell ($22 and one of six shades), by the way!

So, I realize that the new BECCA Liquid Crystal Glow Glosses officially have nothing to do with the 1982 Jim Henson classic, The Dark Crystal, but I feel like they should, because the movie featured a cracked gem, and these glosses are inspired by gems that have been melted down to liquid form…

Um…leave it the the girl who named her kid after the heroine in the Terminator movies to find the sci-fi angle, LOL.

becca champagne dream liquid crystal 1 — This one is my favorite: Champagne Dream x Bellini

Anyway…I like these a lot. Some more than others. They’re a new line of sheer glosses with different levels of glitter, pearl and shimmer, and you can wear them as standalone lip glosses or layer them on top of lipstick.

“Buuuuut, Karen,” I can already hear you saying, “Can’t you layer any old gloss on top of lipstick?”

Why, yes, sweet thing! You certainly can.

becca amethyst geode liquid crystal 6 — Amethyst X Geode

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