MAC Makeup

What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 3: The New Covergirl TruNaked Jewels Palette and the Absolute Best Tinted Moisturizer

February 15th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

covergirl truenaked jewels — Wearing the khaki-ish green from the Covergirl TruNaked Jewels palette on my lids and MAC Cork in my crease

I started this look intending for it to be springy, but now that I look and really think about it…with the blues and greens on my eyes and the warm cheeks…it’s probably more summer than spring. But hey, that’s OK! I’m totally down with a summery vibe right now.

I wanted to wear greens because of the new $12.99 Covergirl TruNaked Jewels Eyeshadow Palette.

That khaki green? I couldn’t get it on my lids fast enough.

covergirl trunaked jewels what i wore wednesday — Clockwise from the upper left: 1) MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue, 2) MAC Technakohl Liner in Take The Plunge, 3) MAC Eye Kohl in Minted, 4) MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone, 5) Benefit Hoola Bronzer, 6) Covergirl TruNaked Jewels, 7) MAC Satin Eye Shadow in Cork, 8) Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done in Medium Dark, 9) Covergirl So Lashy Blast Pro Mascara, 10) Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in 160 Profound Peach, 11) Benefit High Brow Glow

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue

MAC Technakohl Liner in Take The Plunge

MAC Eye Kohl in Minted

MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Covergirl TruNaked Jewels

MAC Satin Eye Shadow in Cork

Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done in Medium Dark

Covergirl So Lashy Blast Pro Mascara

Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in 160 Profound Peach

Benefit High Brow Glow

I did this technique where I layered different tones to make my own custom eye color, and I started by taking a bright shimmery emerald green liner (MAC Minted) and using it as an eyeshadow base by blending it on my lids and just barely into my crease. And I also lined my upper lash line and water lines with it.

covergirl truenaked jewels closeup — Lots o’ liner! I’m wearing Minted on my upper lash and water lines, and also as a base for the khaki green eyeshadow. And I’m wearing Take the Plunge on my lower water line and Petrol Blue on my lower lash line.

Next, I blended the khaki green from Covergirl TruNaked Jewels directly on top of Minted for a bright khaki with a hint of emerald green peeking through. Then I swept satiny brown MAC Cork into my crease.

Covergril TruNaked Jewels, by the way…it’s a’ight. If you’re thinking about getting a new drugstore palette, I’d probably go with Maybelline 24K instead. TruNaked Jewels is more sparkly and sheerer than I thought it would be, but you can bump up the pigment by wetting your brush first with something like MAC Fix+ or Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix (which is what I used before I patted it on top of the emerald green liner).

Also, the flecks of glitter in TruNaked Jewels are pretty big. They’re also nomadic, meaning that they like to go all over the place, so if you plan to use this palette, do your eyes first.

Even though I did for this look, I STILL ended up having to do a significant amount of cleanup under my eyes and on my cheeks.

Cheeks are MAC Coppertone Blush, and lips are Covergirl Profound Peach

I’ve really been into blue lower lash lines lately. Like, I did it last Wednesday, and I was in the mood to do it again today with a gradient of blue liners.

I applied a few layers of bright teal blue MAC Take the Plunge on my water line, then sketched a messy line with MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide on my lower lash line before immediately smudging it out.

Petrol Blue is a sparkly dark navy blue glitter liner, and the more you blend it out, the more glittery (glitterier?) it gets. Also, it sets quickly, so keep your blending brush on standby if you plan to blend it out.

Because my eyes were so sparkly, I kept my cheeks and lips glitter-free zones. That’s good old MAC Coppertone Blush (a perfect peachy brown blush when you’ve got a tan) and Benefit Hoola Bronzer on my cheeks. Lips are a long-wearing Covergirl Outlast All-Day Intense in Profound Peach.

Oh, my skin? Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done. I think it’s seriously THE BEST tinted moisturizer out right now. It blurs pores, evens everything out without looking fake or heavy, and you can easily blend it with your fingers. If you haven’t tried it, you must!

Cauliflower crust pizza is a thing

OK, I love cauliflower, but dagnabbit! — it’s all over the place.

So, like, I’m trying to eat fewer carbs, and it’s been so hard… The struggle is real! I’ve been trying different things, like at Trader Joe’s I found this cauliflower rice, which is basically a finely chopped cauliflower that you saute in olive oil or whatever, and it’s supposed to be… Allegedly, it’s a substitute for rice.

GIRL. It is not even close to rice. I would rather eat a thimble filled with real rice than a bucket of cauliflower rice.

I grew up eating rice every day for the first 18 years of my life, and this cauliflower rice just isn’t doing it for me…

Anyway, I’ve been craving pizza lately, and apparently you can make pizza crust from cauliflower as well.

I’m cautiously intrigued…and also kind of grossed out. I’ll try it, though. Fingers crossed! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush

February 14th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

mac 221 mini tapered blending brush — The MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush ($25)

If you spend much time with MAC-a-holics, the subject of convo routinely turns to 217s and 224s, and you know, I get it. I do. Both are fantastic must-have makeup brushes. They’re workhorses. But there’s another bad gal, the MAC 221, and it’s… Oh! Once you get a taste of this blending beauty, nothing else compares. It’s my favorite MAC eye brush of all time!

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.

The 221, otherwise known as “the Mini Tapered Blending Brush,” is $25 and part of the MAC permanent line.

It looks a little like a cross between the 224 Tapered Blending Brush and the 217 Tapered Blending Brush. The brush head has the same tapered, elongated shape of the 224, but it’s thinner, and the tip has the domed shape of the 217, only pointier. Essentially, you get the best of both worlds with it. It’s thinner and pointier than the average crease blending brush.

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you don’t have a lot of lid space from your lash line to your brow bone, like, if you have smaller eyes, or a crease (like mine) that isn’t very deep, as is the case with hooded eyes, you probably have to be very precise when you place your crease color, and the 221 allows you to place shadows exactly where you want them.

Because the brush head is also fairly fluffy, you won’t end up with areas on your lids where the shadow is dark and overly concentrated — which is a problem I have when I use precision brushes, like pencil brushes, to work in the crease or the outer V.

And did I mention that it blends and buffs edges with preternatural pretty power?

The 221 is also great for applying and smudging eyeshadow and liner along the lower lash line. Most brushes scratch at my lower lash line, but the 221 is softer than a Ragdoll kitty’s paw. The thin tip also means that I probably won’t take my shadow or liner too far down.

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Boop-Oop-a-Doop! It’s MAC Betty Boop Lipstick

February 10th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

Boop-oop-a-doop!

OK…that’s all I know about Betty Boop, LOL! 🙂 I just never went through a Betty Boop phase, but I did envy her skinny brows somethin’ fierce in the ’90s.

That, and her signature red pout was/is perfection. It inspired MAC’s sassy new Betty Boop Lipstick, which comes to town on Valentine’s Day for $17. It’s an opaque bright red online exclusive, and it looks a little like MAC Red Lipstick. ?

Ya know, I’ve really been into MAC mattes lately. I think they totally stepped up their game in terms of their matte lipstick formula, and even though my lips are ragged as hell in this pic (I’ve got flakes for days), you can’t really see them. The lipstick lounges magically on my lips without hugging any flaky bits, and it avoids my vertical lip lines, too.

Is it just me, or does this finish have a lazy luster? It’s isn’t completely flat, is it? There’s a subtle shine up in the mix… I think. Hard to say. I like it, though. It keeps things interesting.

I love this color, but gosh, MAC, couldn’t you have done a little something with the packaging? I mean, come on. It’s Betty Boop! Sure, the box is cute, but what about the tube?

Missed opportunity.

If you rock reds with a slight blue hue a la MAC Russian Red, I bet you’ll love ? MAC Betty Boop. Check it out on the MAC website (remember, online exclusive) February 14th through March 31st.

Buttons and hems

OH! So you know how I’m going to my HIIT classes at night now, right? Well, it’s been kind of weird, because I got to know the people I was in the morning class with, but I don’t know anyone in the night class yet.

You know how you get to know people after you’ve sweat with them for a few months. You develop a sense of camaraderie, but it was kind of weird sweating in a room filled with people I don’t know…

OK, yeah, I know that sounds strange.

Anyway, I tried to get myself to socialize, so I was chatting with a lady who told me that she belongs to a sewing group, and she said that their project this week was a makeup bag.

“Makeup?!” I asked. You said the magic word, girl. LOL! 🙂

They meet every day, sew together and hang out. Isn’t that cool?

I have no idea how to sew, but I’ve always wanted to learn how. When I was 14, I asked for a sewing machine for my birthday, and I got it. Of course, I never figured out what to do with it, so I got tired of it in about two months. I’d load the thread, and stitch random pieces of fabric together, LOL!

In retrospect, I wish I’d done more with it. I still have Project Runway dreams of sewing my own clothes.

Do you know how to sew? I can probably manage a button and maybe an emergency hem, but that’s it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

February 3rd, 2017 by Karen 26 Comments

aldo stessy k shoe — The Aldo Stessy K shoe ($80)

1. Lip print errrthang

It started with a sweater I got ages ago at Nordstrom by a brand called Halogen that I, um…haven’t worn since I got pregnant with Connor last year.

A photo posted by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Feb 3, 2017 at 8:46am PST

Essentially, the sweater looks like a pair of bedazzled lips on my boobs, LOL!

I think it’s super cool.

I also LOVE this pair of Aldo Stessy K heels.

Aren’t they incredible!? They’re just so… They have… There are lips ALL OVER THEM (even on the soles and inside the shoes!)

And they’re high, too! I’m guessing the heels are 4-5 inches, and I’m so out of practice when it comes to walking in heels… It’s a skill, right? If you don’t use it, you lose it.

I received these as a gift. I also looked for the same shoe in a flat, but I couldn’t find one… There is this really cute purse, though!

2. This $5 cat headband by Etude House

I’ve also been loving this headband by Etude House because — you guys, if you’re a cat lady, why hide it? There’s no shame in that game. I mean, if you’re going to be a CCL, then accessorize like a CCL. Go all the way!

etude house cat headband — All about that CCL life…

It’s bomb-@ss and only $5.20! It also stays put on my head. It never slips off, unlike those headbands that are a little too small or too snug and start to slip off as the day goes on…because why wouldn’t you wear a cat ears headband all day long?

I’ve actually worn it to bed, and it stayed put overnight.

Oh, and it’s really, really, REALLY soft. I wish they also make a black cat version.

3. Old Navy Rockstar Jeans

As I was digging through my closet this morning, I rediscovered a couple of pairs of Old Navy Rockstar jeans that I kindasorta misplaced for a while.

They usually go for between $30-35 a pair and come in a bunch of different rinses and regular, tall and petite lengths. The mid-rise ones I have also tuck in the gut pretty well.

I just saw that they also have high-rise Rockstars, too. I’m gonna go tonight, and try them on.

old navy high rise rockstar jeans — Mind blown! The Old Navy High-Rise Rockstar Jean!

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The MAC Kiesza Collection Is Down With Chocolatey Brown

February 2nd, 2017 by Karen 24 Comments

mac kiesza lipstick dearly beloved — Feeling very ’90s in MAC Dearly Beloved ($17), the one and only matte Lipstick in the MAC Kiesza collection, available Feb. 9th through March 23rd online and at select MAC stores

I feel suddenly compelled to do wind sprints while eating a ? chocolate-chip cookie. Admittedly, I don’t even know if that’s possible…but where there’s a will (and a desire to eat cookies), there’s a way! Thanks, MAC Kiesza collection! 🙂

It just so happens that Kiesza sings one of the songs on my sprinting playlist.

Dude, that song makes me haul @ss!

Her new petite four-piece MAC collaboration comes out next week, and the two standout items are a couple of chocolatey delicious browns. There’s a new Matte Lipstick called Dearly Beloved ($17) and a new Vamplify Lipgloss called Thunder Kiss ($21).

mac kiesza swatches — MAC Kiesza swatches from the top: Matte Lipstick in Dearly Beloved (a warm soft brown), Vamplify Lipgloss in Thunder Kiss (a deep chocolate) and Liquidlast Liner in Point Black (not pictured: Big Brown Pencil in Cork)

There are also two other items in the collection, both of them re-promotes from the permanent line. There’s Big Brow Pencil in Cork ($21) and Liquidlast Liner in Point Black ($21), but eh — you can get those any old time.

Matte Lipstick in Dearly Beloved ($17)

Just when I feel ready to say “I’m Audi 5000” to ’90s-style matte brown lips (hey, I wore them enough to last three lifetimes), MAC comes out with another beautiful one. And it’s beautiful! It’s a warm brown with pink undertones, and it isn’t muddy or patchy looking at all, unlike so many browns.

mac kiesza collection — From the left: MAC Vamplify in Thunder Kiss ($21), Liquidlast Liner in Point Black ($21) and Matte Lipstick in Dearly Beloved ($17)

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MAC Viva Glam by the #numbers With Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson Lipstick and Lipglass

February 2nd, 2017 by Karen 24 Comments

mac viva glam taraji p henson — MAC Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson Lipstick on the left ($17) and Lipglass on the right ($16)

2

The number of Empire stars ⭐⭐ who are now new MAC Viva Glam spokespeople — the fabulous Taraji P. Henson (LOVE HER) and Jussie Smollett.

1,700

The number of pennies it takes to purchase a tube of pretty purplish red matte Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson Lipstick, a fabulously bright fuchsia.

160

The number of dimes it takes to delight your lips with layers of pearly pink fuchsia Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson Lipglass.

0

The number of seconds you’ll have to wait before you can get your paws on these luscious lippies because they’re available right meow online and at MAC counters.

mac viva glam taraji p henson swatches — Swatches of MAC Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson Lipstick (top) and Lipglass (bottom

6

The number of seconds it took me to fall in love with this Lipstick and Lipglass, because they’re bold and bright but still totally wearable.

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The MAC Colour Rocker Collection Swatches and Tempered Two-Toned Lips

February 1st, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

mac colour rocker carmine rouge breathing fire — Toned-down/tempered lips with the MAC Colour Rocker Collection Lipsticks in Carmine Rouge (my upper lip) and Breathing Fire (bottom lip)

So I was flipping through a magazine last weekend (I think it might’ve been Allure…) and saw a picture of two models wearing two-toned lips.

NEAT!

What are two-toned lips?

It’s where you wear different colors on your top and bottom lip, and if you pick colors that are closely related, it’s an easy way to do subdued, toned-down, but still edgy look.

Here are some examples with shades from the new MAC Colour Rocker Collection of limited edition MAC matte lipsticks that launched last week ($17 each), and there are also some swatches down below.

Two-Toned Lip Tip #1: Choose two shades that are slightly different in intensity and/or color

Here’s the thing: If you want easy, it helps to use two shades that are similar but aren’t exactly the same. If they’re too dissimilar, they go from low-key and edgy to full-on edgy, and then you have to work that into your entire look.

In the pic above I’m wearing MAC Colour Rocker Carmine Rouge (the red shade) with Breathing Fire (the pink), and I think they’re both similarly intense. I mean, if you saw me from across a room, you might not even be able to tell I was wearing two different colors on my lips, but bam! — up close? Whoomp, there it is.

mac colour rocker darling clementine forbidden sunrise — MAC Colour Rocker Lipstick in Darling Clementine (upper lip) and Forbidden Sunrise (bottom lip)

Same thing with Darling Clementine (the darker orange on my top lip) and Forbidden Sunrise (the slightly lighter orange on the bottom). The colors are similar enough to make the whole effect subtle.

Two-Toned Lip Tip #2: Wear the lighter color on the bottom for a plump-looking pout

If you wear the lighter color on the bottom, I think it makes your lips look slightly fuller (don’t ask me why though).

mac colour evening buzz flatter me fierce — MAC Colour Rocker Lipsticks in Evening Buzz (upper lip) and Flatter Me Fierce (bottom lip)

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MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Collection James Kaliardos Spring/Summer 2017: Easy, Edgy, Low-Key Eye Tutorial With Strategic Shimmer and Shine

January 25th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

mac make up art cosmetics james kaliardos k top — Decked out in makeup from the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection James Kaliardos Spring/Summer 2017 (one of three sub-collections in a 50-piece launch)

Ever since I started doing different makeup looks for the #MBBInstachallenge, I dunno… Something cool happened. My mind has been opened to different ways to wear makeup, and not just in the traditional sense — like whether I’m going to wear a smoky eye or light color on the lid/darker color in the crease. I feel like I’m thinking outside the box a little more than I used to.

I love looks that are “traditionally pretty” (air quotes), and I have for years, but I feel like I’m more open to trying edgier looks now and wearing them in, like, everyday life.

I did a look today using products from the new MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Collection: James Kaliardos Spring/Summer 2017 (there’s some info about the launch, swatches and pics of some of the products down below if you’re interested), and, basically, this look is very much my current style. There are classical elements to it, but it also has an edgy twist.

I feel like I’m entering a new phase in my makeup life where I still like classic makeup or “traditionally pretty” (there are those air quotes again) makeup, but there’s also something unexpected or surprising about it.

Let me walk you through how I did the eyes because, really, that’s what this look is all about.

Start with your basic winged liner

I didn’t do anything fancy with the liner. It’s just a thin line along the top of my lashes with a flick at the end.

My lids, I kept simple and clean, but you could skip eyeshadow altogether. I used MAC Soba Eye Shadow (a MUST HAVE from the permanent line), my favorite satiny golden brown in the whole wide world, and applied that as a wash all over my entire lid, concentrating the color near the lash line.

mac make up art cosmetics james kaliardos k1 — It starts with a kitten flick and nude lips

Then, I took the Jumbo Rapidblack Penultimate Liner from MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics James Kaliardos and dotted it between my lashes to create an illusion of a thicker lash line before drawing my wing using MAC Into the Well Eye Shadow in Midnight Tryst (a dark matte burgundy brown). It’s a powder eyeliner that you apply with a wet brush, and it’s really good when you want liner with a soft, diffused edge.

Incidentally, I’m wearing the MAC Full Face Kit: Moons of Saturn on my cheeks and MAC Lustre Lipstick in Almondine on my lips, both of which are also from the James Kaliardos sub-collection (there are also two other sub-collections in the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection. Together the three sub-collections comprise the 50-piece release, and each one is a collab with a different MAC makeup artist. In addition to this one by James Kaliardos, there’s one by Diane Kendal and one by Kabuki.

At this step, this is a look you could wear every day, right? It would be fab for running errands, going to school or going to work.

But let’s kick it up a notch! 🙂

Time to strategically place some sparkle and shine

I used two of the Pressed Pigments from the James Kaliardos collection to do this. First, I applied Light Touch, the light pinkish beige, and packed it into the inner corners of my eyes with a wet flat eyeshadow brush.

I wet the brush because I wanted to intensify the shine and make it VERY reflective.

Once that dried, I buffed out the edges with a tapered blending brush so that the pigment looked like it was concentrated in the inner corner. I wanted it to fade out as it moved up toward the inner part of my brow (I did my best to keep it out of the lid area).

Next, I dotted the darker pigment, deep shimmery grayish purple Black Grape, along the center of my lower lashes and purposefully left it messy, because I wanted it to look grungy and imperfect.

mac make up art cosmetics james kaliardos k2 — Add sparkle in strategic places

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