MAC Makeup

FOTD: A Clean and (Almost) Effortless Makeup Look Using Mostly MAC Classics

August 18th, 2020 by Karen 30 Comments

I PUT ON EARRINGS TODAY!

*And* a full-face of makeup.

Take that, pandemic blues! ?

I was going for clean and effortless with simple matte browns to define the lids and an elegant dark brown winged liner. And, yes, girlfriend, you read that correctly: Dark. Brown. Winged. Liner.

Back in the day (uh, two years ago?), winged liner was hallowed ground reserved solely for either black or jewel tones. I liked — and still like — the intense drama of the contrast of a solid black or a brightly colored line against my lids, but I’ve reached the point where I’ll try anything to get myself out of the makeup funk I’ve been experiencing over the last couple months, which currently involves playing with makeup in ways that aren’t overwhelming. Like, there’s no way homegirl is about to knock out a look with five colors in the crease right now, but I’m certainly down to try a dark chocolaty wing.

And, ya know, I really like it! It’s like the kinder, gentler version of winged liner without the stark black edges. I mean, you still see the crisp lines, but I think there’s something less severe about the brown.

For the liner, I used a mix of MAC Coffee and MAC Brushbrown (liquid liner), and the rest of the makeup is pretty heavy in MAC classics, because when I’m not feeling super great, those go-tos always hit the spot. MAC was my first love ❤️, and I could go on about old-school colors like Saddle eyeshadow and Melba blush for days.

Basically, if you like listening to me ramble about MAC permanent collection classics, let me know. ?? I’ll take any excuse to talk about those O.G. shades.

Speaking of O.G.s, I can’t find my MAC Spice liner, and I’m borderline panicking about it! I wanted to wear it in this look but ended up using Boldly Bare instead.

Makeup worn in this look

EYES

NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light (several shades lighter than my skin tone, but I used it to brighten up matte browns)
MAC Groundwork Paint Pot
MAC Saddle eyeshadow
MAC Coffee pencil liner
MAC Brushbrown liquid liner
Urban Decay Browblade in Dark Drapes
MAC Clear Brow Set
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara

CHEEKS

MAC Melba Blush
MAC Coppertone Blush
BECCA Rose Gold highlighter

LIPS

MAC Boldly Bare lip liner
MAC C-Thru Lipglass

BASE

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC42 mixed with Pinklite Strobe cream (applied a thin layer buffed all over the face)
Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 5 Tan mixed with Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium EC06 (applied on under eyes, cheeks, nose and around mouth)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden

Seriously, you can’t go wrong building up your makeup collection with some staples from MAC.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. HAPPY TUESDAY! We’ve made it past Monday, which is an accomplishment. It should get easier from here.

FOTD: Unintentionally ’80s Copper and Purple

July 29th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

urban decay naked ultraviolet copper purple2 — Dreaming of Duran Duran?!

I blame all of the talk about Duran Duran in the Monday Poll comments on this makeup. I was going for colorful and modern with copper and plum lids, but I think I may have ended up unintentionally recreating the ’80s instead.

WHOOPS! ?

(While we’re at it, would someone please pass me a pair of big-@ss shoulder pads and a bottle Aqua Net, STAT?)

That’s the Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Palette on my lids again, by the way. Marcia asked in the comments last week what I think of it, and ya know…I have mixed feelings.

The purples are easy to blend, and they’re just different enough to be able to create a variety of violet looks with them, which is cool! As for the powder blue highlight shade (Lucid)? It’s surprisingly versatile (and beautiful) as an inner corner highlighter and to mix with other purples, but the warm, orange and copper tones are kind of a challenge to work with. I totally get that UD was going for a purposeful clash with the orange and purple, but they’re a little too disjointed to put the two against each other.

The orange undertones are a tad *too* warm for my taste, which I found out in the makeup I’m wearing here. I struggled to smoothly transition the copper into the plum, as there are a couple of “bridge” colors missing, it seems. The addition of something like MAC Saddle or Soft Brown would’ve made the whole thing a little easier.

Speaking of Duran Duran…what’s your favorite song? Here’s mine!
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FOTD: Warm, Shimmery Bronze-Brown Eyes With Coral Cheeks and Lips

July 23rd, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

Is it gold? Is it brown? Khaki? Taupe?! HMMMM! I think it’s pretty cool how this eye makeup can look so totally different depending on the details — the color of my clothes, the color temp of the light. Gotta love those secretly complex makeup things.

Officially, I’m wearing a warm and shimmery bronzed brown on my lids (MAC Monaco-co, from the summer collection) with a cool-toned matte taupe in the crease (MAC Omega), a satiny beige on the brow bone (MAC Brule), and a satiny brownish black on the outer corner and lower lash line (MAC Brun).

Unofficially, however, this eye makeup will ad lib with whatever color top you’re wearing. Doesn’t it seem more golden in the pic with the light gray top and more green in the one with the khaki? So, it’s multifunction that way.

I bet you could riff on other colors, too, with a matching liner, like a khaki or a warm dark brown. Or how about bronze? Ooh! — I bet Powersurge would be BEAUTIFUL with this combo.

Also, my brows appear thicker than usual in this look because I feel like full, lush brows frame the eyes nicely when there’s a lot of shimmer on my lids. Alternatively, you could do a subtle brow with a clear brow gel, but you won’t get the same contrast of the big, bold matte brows butting up against the shimmery lids.

It’s all about contrasting finishes, babe! You know I’m all about that life.

Makeup worn in this look

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FOTD: Violet Tendencies and a Shout-Out to the Early Aughts With an Icy Blue Highlight!

July 17th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

Do you ever start a look with a specific idea in mind, but then it turns into something completely different?! That’s what happened with this eye makeup. I fully intended to do a simple lid with a sweep of matte brown eyeshadow and the thinnest slice of purple winged liner (“Just five minutes, Karen, that’s it!”), but surprise! — somehow I ended up with several shades of purple swirling together into this violet smoke show.

I mean…there is a hint of a gradient wing happening (on the upper lash line if you look closely), so I guess I kinda stuck to the plan? HA HA HA. Eventually, at some point along this crazy makeup journey we call life, I’m just going to have to lean into my smokey eye tendencies and accept that I really don’t want to do any other type of look. ?‍♀️

Also, shout-out to the early Aughts with the shimmery, icy blue inner corner highlight. Add a satin camisole shirt, low-slung bootcut jeans and a fedora. and it’s 2002 all over again!

(You know you rocked this same look back in the day. ?)

I’m wearing a couple new Urban Decay products, by the way — the Naked Ultraviolet Palette (very easy to blend!) and the Lash Freak Mascara (tons of volume at the roots). If you have any questions about either, hit me up in the comments.

Makeup worn in this look

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Summer Glam on the Go! Coral Lips and Peachy Bronzed Lids

July 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 2 — Today’s summery glam on the go!

The other day, when I was wearing this makeup, I ran into my neighbor, and she asked if I was going anywhere special, to which I replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “I’M GOING TO SPORTS BASEMENT!”

You know the bar for your entertainment is set reeeeeeeally low when you dress up like you’re going to fancy brunch on vacation, but in reality you’re going to a sporting goods store to look for weights…

Oh, the pandemic stories we’ll have to tell! ?

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 4 — A summery color palette

This summery look has a few of my favorite warm-weather shades — coral and bronze! — and looks fancy, but it’s very easy to do. It also feels light and weightless, which are must-haves when the temperature’s rising.

This look has three distinguishing features — long, lifted, lush lashes; warm, peachy bronze lids; and luminous skin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 5 — Streamlined and summery makeup

1. Primer on the outer lashes

To make your lashes look longer and more dramatique, coat your outer lashes with a lengthening lash primer before loading them up with mascara. This creates a lush lash effect without the time and effort of falsies.

2. Bronzer is your buddy for glam-on-the-go eyes

Bronzed eyes are a summer staple, and while you could always search your makeup collection for that perfect shade, why not save yourself a little time and swish your favorite bronzer on your lids instead?

Here, I layered a warm golden tan bronzer atop a satiny peach cream shadow…

3. Define your lash line with brown and black eyeliner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: gradients are your friend.

This brown-into-black eyeliner gradient on the upper lash line is subtle, but I think that’s the beauty of it.

Start by lining your upper and lower waterlines with a matte brown pencil. Then, draw a thin line on your upper lash line, and smudge the outer edge of that ever so slightly.

Add depth to the gradient by etching a very thin line of black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Added bonus: the black liner also creates the illusion of a thicker lash base!

Flexible face oil

You probably already know I’m a fan of customizing foundation — mixing in a few drops of concealer for added coverage, or adding a few drops of liquid highlighter for a luminous effect. Well, here’s another one to try: blend a drop or two of face oil into your foundation to dial down the opacity of your base. This trick is handy for applying base to sections of the face where you want more of your natural skin to peek through, and it’s what I did here for my forehead and the outer edges.

Fastest updo

If your hair is crazy from quarantine, and you’re tired of rockin’ your fun bun, gather it into a high pony, and secure it into small sections with tiny hair ties (I like these. Three bucks at Ulta!). You can keep the hair ties bare, like I did here (I think the shiny effect looks like jewelry), but if you want to boost the sophistication factor, cover up the ties by wrapping a small piece of hair around each one and securing it with a bobby pin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — See the shine from the hair ties?

Makeup worn in this look

I listed everything on my visage below, so please feel free to ask about any of these products in the comments. ?
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MAC Bronzer Collection Swatches on NC42 Skin!

July 8th, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 top pic — Bronzed and beautiful ?

Things that say, “Summer has officially arrived…”

The sun setting at 9 p.m.
Barbecuing on a random Wednesday night just because you can
Challenging someone to a sword fight with a pool noodle
Sweating buckets every time you walk from any air conditioning building to your car
The MAC summer makeup collection (of course!)

This summer’s MAC Bronzer Face and Body collection is all about bronzed shades for tanned skin, but there’s also a twist… It includes a plethora of shades designed for warm *and* cool skin tones.

Hot and cool

Sure, MAC stocked it with the kind of warm summery coral, gold, bronze and peach tones you might expect from a MAC summer launch, but this year’s collection also sports some surprising cooler-toned shades of taupe, pink and pale lavender in the Foiled Shadows (apply with a wet brush for a slick, foiled finish) and the Strobe Face Glazes (*very cool* gel-like highlighters you can wear over foundation or bare skin).

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 — Love the limited edition packaging!

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 foiled shadow — MAC Bronzer Foiled Shadows, $26 each

Silky, satiny bronzers

As for the bronzing powders in the Bronzer collection — be careful! — the velvety Radiant Matte Bronzing Powders will shock your fingertip if you swatch them (ME: “Why is this powder SO SOFT?!”), and there are absolutely no orange undertones in sight.

Totally Taupe, the darker of the two options, is brown with yellow undertones, and Beige-ing Beauty is a light yellowish brown (I’m an NC42, and I could probably wear it as a face powder).

Technically, they’re matte with a slight sheen, which keeps them from looking too flat on your face.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 strobe face glze — 143SES Medium Face Face Brush ($38.50), Strobe Face Glaze ($28 each), Prep+Prime Fix+ in Bronzelite ($30) Strobe Body Lotion ($35)

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 radiant matte bronzing powder — Radiant Matte Bronzing Powder, $32

A refreshing take on highlights

If you’re totally over the trend of shimmery, frosty highlighters that are visible from space, then the dewy, shiny Strobe Face Glazes might be worth checking out. They’re dewy and shiny but not blindingly glossy. There’s just a little something-something there… I think it’s super cool.

They feel slightly sticky, like a typical face gloss, but don’t worry — your high pony won’t stick to your cheekbones once you pat and blend them in because they aren’t thick. On minimal makeup days, I’ll do a swipe of Bronzejour on my lids with waterproof mascara (waterproof is a must, since whatever the Glazes touch will break down and smudge eventually) and use Let’s Make Waves as an upper cheekbone highlighter.

Like most face glosses, Face Glaze isn’t built for longevity, so expect it to move a bit when it’s on your skin, and anticipate having to touch up every four hours or so.

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipsticks — MAC Bronzer Lipsticks, $20 each

mac bronzer collection summer 2020 lipglasses — Lipglass, $18.50 each

mac bronzer collection swatches lipglasses — Lipglasses

mac bronzer collection swatches foiled shadow lipsticks — Lipsticks

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You Get 60 Seconds for Makeup: What Do You Do?

July 3rd, 2020 by Karen 29 Comments

laura mercier caviar mascara — My mascara jam for the past few months, Laura Mercier Caviar

Do you swipe on blush? Brush up your brows? I’m curious to hear what you would do if you were totally pressed for time.

I used to know a girl when I was doing theater who’s “quick and dirty” version of 60-second makeup was black liner on her water lines and loads of mascara. Another friend of mine did a swipe of red lipstick — and that was it! (She looked fantastic in it, by the way.)

For me, it’s my lash curler and mascara, and the mascara has BRING IT. I’m talking length, volume, curl, everything. Gimme all the drama, please. (Here’s my current go-to.)

If there’s any extra time in that minute, then I’ll either 1) run a clear brow gel through my brows, or 2) blend cream blush onto my cheeks.

How about you? If you had only 60 seconds to do your makeup, what would you do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

FOTD: Khaki and Copper Tones for a Zoom Call

June 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Wore this look on a Zoom call with a beauty brand yesterday (it was Urban Decay to talk about their latest Naked palette, for the nosey noodles who were wondering!), and in classic K-dawg fashion I banged it out in 15 minutes before it started because that’s how I roll.

And, um…Connor also had a social distancing playdate at the park shortly before the call was scheduled to start, and we made it back home by the skin of our teeth, ha ha ha! Whenever I’m pressed for time but want to look gussied up, I always fall back on smokey eyes and nude lips. This khaki and copper version relies on just two products.

I paired the eyes with peach lips and cheeks because EASY. PEASY.

I’m also wearing a little more base makeup than I have been lately because I knew that “makeup people” (air quotes) were going to be present, so if there were ever a time to load up on a little more concealer, this was it.

Since we’re on the topic of quick looks, what’s your default medium-impact makeup look when you’re pressed for time?

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