Lips

MAC Liptensity Collection Lip Swatches and First Impressions

September 8th, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

I wonder what it’s like to see things like Maureen Seaberg does, who used her genetic tetrachromatic ability to see 100 million color variations in her collaboration with MAC on the new MAC Liptensity Lipstick collection (coming Sept. 20 to the MAC website).

I bet it would be a lot cooler than what I usually see…which is barely anything half the time, LOL! Could somebody pass my glasses, please?

mac postmodern — MAC Liptensity Lipstick in Postmodern

I just powered through these swatches, so a few of them are a little dicey. My apologies, but homegirl was flyin’! Some of the darker shades definitely could have used more babying, particularly Stallion, the black shade, and dark Blue Beat.

Hey, ma, I did my best in the two minutes I alloted myself to do each of them, but they’re the kind of colors that could easily take 15 minutes to apply flawlessly.

mac habanero — MAC Liptensity in Habanero

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Because It Always Looks Better in Black: New Lipstick Queen Black Lace Rabbit

September 6th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

By the old makeup gods and the new, I swear that I will never star in a reality TV show…voluntarily, but if were to accidentally stumble into a situation where a show needed a sassy, fast-talking, makeup-loving crazy cat lady, I’ve decided that my catch phrase will be “It looks better in black!” because if you ask for my opinion on something, that’s pretty much my stock answer, whether it’s bags, clothes, shoes or now, in the case of new Lipstick Queen Black Lace Rabbit, makeup.

IT LOOKS BETTER IN BLACK!

Sheer black lipsticks aren’t anything new, because old-school shades like Clinique Black Honey have been around since the ’90s, but this one has a spark-tacular twist…

lipstick queen black lace rabbit swatch — Lipstick Queen Black Lace Rabbit

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The Bite Beauty Multisticks: Monochromatic Marvelousness for Your Lids, Lips and Cheeks

September 6th, 2016 by Karen 36 Comments

Hand on my heart, my hoops and my high hair — today is the day I’m getting serious, y’all. I’m going to set down the Nutella jar and commit to get back into shape.

I will also do my level best to ignore the fact that every time I see one of these $24 Bite Beauty Multisticks…I wanna chomp into it like it’s a Twinkie.

On paper, you totally could eat these multipurpose makeup sticks for eyes, cheeks and lips because, like all Bite Beauty products, they’re made with food-grade ingredients, but I haven’t tried it yet… But ya never know. I probably will. I have licked a lipstick before in the pursuit of makeup curiosity, haha!

So, yeah, you could eat these if ya wanted to (which is nice to know, I suppose), but I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted to wear a creamy reddish brown like Almond on my eyes, my lips and my cheeks at the same time… It seems like it would be a little much, right? Like a dude wearing one too many gold chains?

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The Urban Decay Vice Vintage Capsule Collection, and Happy #Caturday!

September 3rd, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

urban decay vice lipstick vintage capsule collection 1 — Party like it’s 1996!

SHEEEEYT, girl, back in 1996, you wouldn’t have been able to tear me away from my metallic lipsticks. My “going out” color was a purply shade similar to Asphyxia, one of the nine reissued shades in the upcoming Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Vintage Capsule Collection. I wore it with a dark purple lip liner which, of course, I left purposefully unblended. 🙂

I think I got the idea from a Missy Elliot video… Or maybe it was Mary J. Blidge?

Wherever it came from, I thought it rocked, LOL!

urban decay vice lipstick vintage capsule collection — The new Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Vintage Capsule Collection (colors: $17 each)

Lace up your Doc Martens AND your Timberland boots because UD is celebrating their 20-year anniversary by reissuing nine lipsticks from their original 1996 lineup, and they’re releasing them in their new Vice formula.

They have a totally legit mid-’90s metallic feel to ’em.

urban decay vice bruise — Urban Decay Bruise

Some of them are more wearable than others… Take Bruise, a deep burgundy with a red and green shift that, at least on me, is very subtle, and Oil Slick, a sheer black with silver micro glitter that looks more like a deep plum on the lips (think Clinique Black Honey).

urban decay vice oil slick — Urban Decay Oil Slick

While others, like Frostbite, a deep blue with multicolored micro-glitter, are straight up cray! Wearing Frostbite I feel like I’m channeling Lil’ Kim at the height of her Crush on You fabulousness.

urban decay vice frostbite — Urban Decay Frostbite

The collection is limited edition, so once these robot lips colors are gone, you won’t find them anymore on shelves. Better grab your favorite one before they peace out.

Take a stroll down memory lane these holidays with the Urban Decay Vice Vintage Capsule Collection ($17 each), coming soon.

Happy #Caturday!

Rise and shine, morning glory. I hope you slept well. I slept…interestingly, LOL! Connor Claire had her 6-month checkup yesterday, so she was a little out of sorts last night from all the attention and woke up early. But we’re chugging along… Tabs is a little fed up with the crying, truth be told, but he’s trying to be patient because she’s still a new hire. 🙂

Are you doing anything fun over there?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Righteous Red Kat Von D Beauty Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Project Chimps

August 25th, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

NOTE: If you ever wear gorgeous matte red Kat Von D Beauty Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Project Chimps, please try to rein in your compulsive urge to rub your lips together…

Because I wore this limited edition $20 lippie to run some errands yesterday (Target for canned goods and some baby stuff and Trader Joe’s for groceries), and at some point between leaving the house, running my errands and returning home, I must have rubbed my lips together, because I had red smudged all around my pout and effectively looked like the freakin’ Joker.

DUDE! It was like Halloween had arrived waaaaay too early.

But at least I know now why the Target clerk was looking at me funny when I smiled at him… Haha!

The worst part, though, was that El Hub was with me the entire time and didn’t say a damned thing!

I don’t know if he was secretly laughing on the inside, or if he’s just so used to me looking like a crazy person…

The jury’s still out on that one.

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My 3 Favorite Lippies Right Now (And ConnorClaire.com Clue #3)

August 24th, 2016 by Karen 31 Comments

3 fave lipsticks right now — My 3 current lipstick faves (to go with connorclaire.com clue #3!)

Lips without lipstick are like Bell without Biv. Or Devoe. Or like Tony without the other two Tonies. Or DJ Jazzy Jeff without the Fresh Prince. Or Lisa Lisa without Cult Jam and Full Force…

You get the picture. 🙂

I love lipstick, and here are my three favorite lipsticks right now, along with clue #3 for connorclaire.com.

Yes, the secret will be out any. Day. Now!

1. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace

urban decay menace — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace

Truth is, I haven’t been going ham with my eye makeup lately because I’m still working my way through this “little bit o’ liner” phase.

But I’m sure it’ll pass… PLEASE, MAKEUP GODS, LET THIS PHASE PASS!

Until it does, and I work my way back up to wearing all of the cats and kittens on my lids again, I cheat the system by wearing a really bright lipstick.

It draws attention to my lips and creates a focal point for my look that still makes it seem like I actually came to play, ya know?

My first favorite lipstick of the moment is Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace ($17). It’s a creamy, ultra smooth, ultra pigmented matte medium fuchsia SO bright that you can see it on someone doing the running man across the room.

(The old-school one; not the new one.)

Plus, it’s comfy and isn’t drying, so it doesn’t worsen the dry lip flake situation, and I can swipe it directly from the tube and skip the liner.

2. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Apoline

I had creamy rose NARS Apoline in my pocket yesterday.

And the day before that.

And possibly even the day before that!

Yeah, I wear it a lot…

It’s a gorgeous full-coverage nude, and it’s completely opaque.

BONUS #1: For a silky, creamy lippie, it has incredible staying power. I put it on in the morning and can forget about it for at least four hours.

BONUS #2: Every time I say the name out loud — “Apoline” — I think of Apollonia, and then I think of Prince and start singing Raspberry Beret.

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Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balm

August 20th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

too cool for school artify max in pocket 1 — $12 Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

“Girl, you are lookin’ FLY today in those dope-@ss earrings.”

These are the new $12 Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms from Too Cool for School. They’re available in three shades, and the one I’m wearing is #2 Pink Pink.

too cool for school artify max in pocket k2 — HAAAAY

I wore these everywhere yesterday, and I got SO MANY compliments on my jewelry…

Haha, totally kidding. 🙂 But far be it from me to deny one’s inner diva urges to over-accessorize. I LIVE to over-accessorize.

Cute in a “DAMN, is that cat rockin’ a monobrow?!” sort of way, the Too Cool for School Artify Max In Pocket Lip Balms are actually lip glosses.

too cool for school artify max in pocket 2 — Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

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MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2

August 18th, 2016 by Karen 24 Comments

Hot damn, Viva Glam! Ariana Grande is back with two new Viva Glams — a $17 matte Lipstick and a $16 Lipglass — and I think they’re so freakin’ gorge…

I’m figuratively shaking in my Timberland boots.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipglass lipstick — MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass and Lipstick

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a Viva Glam. I’ve always been down to support the cause, which I think is awesomesauce, because MAC donates all of the proceeds from the Viva Glam releases to help children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, but I think the past few Viva Glam rounds have been… Well, let’s just say that they’ve been on the artsy side.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipstick — Deep cool pink matte MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick

I think these two, though, are straight-up pretty. I like them even more than Ariana’s first Viva Glam back in January. They’re brighter, but I think they’re also more wearable and fun.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipglass — Neutral nude pink MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass

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