Makeup Tips/How To

A Rainy Day Minimalist Makeup Tutorial: Cheerful Pink Cheeks, Rosy Lips and Doe Eyes

January 25th, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

For the record, it’s hard to look cute in a raincoat. (In case you were wondering.)

It’s rainy and gloomy here in NorCal today, but I’m not complaining, because the rain makes me feel alive! The world around me is thirsty, and it’s taking a much-needed shower and a big gulp of refreshing H2O. And when it’s done, the oak trees and the grass on the hill and the sidewalks and my car (haha) are all going to look fresh and new. 🙂

Or…maybe that’s just California Karen romanticizing the rain, since we haven’t had much of it this winter. I’m sure that if I lived someplace where it’s been pouring 24/7, I’d be like FRICKIN’ RAIN RUINING EVERY MINUTE AND EVERY SECOND OF MAH LIFE!!!

Weather like this calls for a dose of cheerful pink cheeks and bright rosy lips (it couldn’t hurt). Thanks to an illuminating primer, the skin is ever-so-dewy, and the dark blue liner plays off the pink. It’s strategically placed on the middle of the lower lash line for a doe-eyed effect, so you can give strangers a come-hither stare while you sashay by them in your raincoat.

Side note: #teamraincoat ALL THE WAY. Raincoats are the way to go (even if they are hard to look cute in), because they let you keep your hands free, and if there’s a kitten huddling in an rainy alley and you need to save her, you can carry her and comfort her with both hands.

See? Always looking ahead. ?????

When it’s raining, I like to keep my makeup on the minimal side, because you never know if you and your raincoat will get caught in a downpour, and I figure that if my face gets drenched in the rain, better for it to happen while I’m wearing minimal makeup than a full face of war paint… You know, less to clean up when I get wherever I need to go. *shrugs shoulders*

Here’s a breakdown of this look…

TOOLS (products I used are in italic):

Whatever you like to blend your foundation and cream with — a blending brush, BeautyBlender or your fingers
Q-tips
A brow gel (I used Hourglass Arch Brow Gel in Warm Brunette)
A waterproof Mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof)
A long-wearing dark blue pencil liner (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Sabbath)
An under-eye concealer (I used MAC Studio Waterweight Concealer in a mix of NC20 and NW45)
A liquid foundation (Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation in DW2)
An illuminating liquid primer (I like Physicians Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer)
A creamy pink blush (Kosas Cosmetics Creme Blush in 8th Muse)
A matte rosy pink liquid lipstick (Physicians Formula The Healthy Lip Velvet Finish in Dose of Rose) — I chose a liquid matte lipstick because I didn’t want to wear anything that would stick to my hair

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Fast and Flirty Valentine’s Day Makeup Tutorial: A Romantic Monochromatic Soft Peach Look for All Skill Levels

January 24th, 2018 by Karen 29 Comments

In the interest of fairness, seeing as how we have Valentine’s Day to celebrate lurve, and Galentine’s Day for your gal pals, shouldn’t there also be a holiday to commemorate V-Day for cat lovers and our cats? Like Feline-en-tine’s Day? Or Cat-en-tine’s Day?

Ooh! — I’ve got it. Meow-entine’s Day! ? ? Happy Meow-entine’s Day, fellow cat ladies, LOL!

Valentine’s Day is a few weeks away, a fact that occurred to me at 7:55 p.m. the other night at See’s Candy (5 minutes before closing), where I went on an emergency last-minute chocolate run.

They had their heart-shaped candy boxes on full display, and it was like a sudden cocoa-infused wake-up call that this is a perfect time for romantic, soft makeup looks. I think this monochromatic peach one would be great for a daytime date, or an evening date, or a date that goes from day to night, ooh-la-la!

Why I ? monochromatic makeup

Because it takes the aspect of color coordinating, and figuring out if this purple goes with that bronze, or if this pink goes with that teal, out of the picture and makes it easy to use multiple (but related) colors together (i.e., so you don’t have to think too hard).

But I really ? monochromatic makeup with a twist!

Instead of just being a peach-on-peach-on-peach party on the eyes, cheeks and lips, this look also relies on subtle transitions and different cream and powder textures, matte and satin finishes, and varying levels of coverage and intensity.

On the eyes, matte and satin powder eyeshadows are layered on top of a cream shadow, and the cheeks and lips are both sporting the same peach color and cream finish, except that the cheeks are sheer, and the lips are opaque. And the creaminess of the blush and lipstick also plays off the matte areas of the skin.

Sheer skin for balance

My foundation is purposefully sheer in this look because, with all of the drama happening on my eyes and the opaque lip, I feel like the face, cheeks and lips need to dial it back a bit to keep everything looking balanced.

A 15-minute look from start to finish

The choice to do sheer skin is also a timing thing, because I’m still really into makeup looks that I can finish in 15 minutes or less, and doing sheer skin saves lots of time and lets me spend most of it on my eyes.

What you’ll need

Here are the products I used…

FACE PRODUCTS

Face primer (Urban Decay Urban Defense Complexion Primer)
Sheer face tint, or a CC or BB cream (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint in Honey)
Makeup setting spray (MAC Fix+)
Powder foundation (Sweat Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in 200)
Concealer for your under eye area, if you want (MAC Matchmaster Concealer in 4)
Cream peach lipstick (MAC Lunar New Year Lipstick in Good Health, an LE shade available now online and at select MAC counters)

EYE MAKEUP

Brow gel, either clear or a color that matches your brows (Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Gel in Warm Brown)
Cream stick shadow similar to your skin tone (MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Colour Stick in Sand Bar)
Three powder eyeshadows: a matte peach eyeshadow, a matte taupe and satiny bronzy brown (MAC Lunar New Year Eye Shadow X9 in Luck and Fortune, an LE palette available now at select MAC counters)
Two pencil eyeliners: a black and a bronzy brown (Chanel 88 Noir Intense and MAC Costa Riche)
Mascara (Tarte Lights Camera Lashes)

Let’s get started

First, you’ll be bouncing back and forth between working on your face and working on your eyes, because when every minute/second counts, you gotta multitask. But it won’t be stressful or scary, I promise. 🙂

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10 Ways to Work MAC Fix+

January 16th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

There are so many ways to use Fix+ (officially, MAC Prep + Prime Fix+) beyond the standard makeup setting spray procedure.

I love Fix+ and use it daily to prep my skin, and I’m so into it that I even bring a mini bottle with me when I travel.

MAC recently added three new Fix+ “flavors”…

OK, they aren’t really flavors. Just different scents with the same Fix+ formula as the original, which is still my favorite, BTW (has a white floral/green tea scent). Now there’s also Coconut, Lavender and Rose.

Spraying Coconut ? on my face right now…

Ah… I love it.

I don’t know if you’ve ever used Fix+ before, but if you haven’t, give it a try. It’s weirdly much better than water, and it doesn’t leave splotches. You can use it as a setting spray or as a moisturizing skin prep spray to wet your skin before doing your skin care, but those aren’t even half the things it’s good for.

Here are 10 more ways to work MAC Fix+…

1. You can spray it on your hair!

Yes, that’s right. You can spray it on wet hair to loosen tight knots. Or, if you have naturally curly hair, spray it on your hair while it’s wet or dry to kick up your curls.

2. As a body moisturizer/refreshing body spray

You can also use Fix+ on your bod. Store it in the fridge, then spray it all over your arms, torso and legs for a cool, light, refreshing layer of moisture.

3. Intensify your brows

For an intense brow look, load an angled brush with your favorite brow powder, and then spray it with Fix+. Apply that directly to your brows and watch out!

4. Conversely, use Fix+ to mellow out an overly intense brow application

If you accidentally apply too much brow pencil and make your brows too dark, dampen a spoolie with Fix+, and run it through your brows to take down the intensity a few notches.

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10-Minute Work or Weekend Makeup With Red Blush, Red Lipstick and Smudgy Bronze-Black Cat Eyeliner

January 13th, 2018 by Karen 24 Comments

10 minute makeup — Today’s 10-minute makeup

A few things:

It’s Saturday morning, and I’m wearing the same pajamas I put on Thursday night.
My head feels like it’s being squished in a vice (yes, I’m still a walking germ factory).
I haven’t washed my hair in three (four?) days.

But thanks to the healing power of makeup, I can pretend I briefly look like I’m a somewhat functioning adult, LOL!

This 10-minute makeup look was 1) to help myself feel better, and 2) for Sheena (yay for the Bay, girl, woo-hoo!), who liked the NUDESTIX Intense Lip + Cheek Pencil in Purity post earlier this week but wanted to see me use a darker color from the line.

This time I used warm red Stiletto, and I used it as both a blush and a sheer lip color. And then I also did a smudgy, bronze-y black cat eye.

Everything I used is listed below, and if you have any questions, you know where to find me (hints: it involves Netflix, a laptop and my couch).

nudestix stiletto — When you’re trying to not look like you’re a walking germ factory…

One note about the skin. I used a very sheer liquid skin tint to even everything out just a touch, then boosted the coverage on my cheeks with a loose foundation. This is a very cool shortcut I like to do when I’m pressed for time/have very little patience.

Also, because I went into this look planning to only spend 10 minutes on it, and because the pencil was an opaque bright red, I opted for the sheer lip stain because I figured I’d be able to fudge the edge of the lip line (which I did).

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Set Your Concealer With Powder LIKE RIGHT NOW

October 5th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

nars concealer and powder — Lock that concealer down ASAP

I got a message from the makeup goddesses the other day. Do you wanna hear it? Well, you’re gonna have to, even if you don’t want to, because it’s CCI (Crucial Concealer Info).

Here it is: when you’re working with concealers…or doing just about anything else in life, timing is everything. With concealer, I’m talking about the timing of when you apply setting powder to it.

Because it’s gotta happen right away, and I mean immediately after you’ve done that last pat, blend and whatever. Right at that moment, grab a brush, and dust your setting powder on top with a quickness, girl!

It’s like when you find a good cat… You gotta lock that ish down right away. I did it with Tabs, and I usually do it with my concealer, buuuuuut I didn’t do it that way the other day.

I was putting on my face in the morning, and, as you know, I have a pimple (I keep talking about him because he’s basically been running my life for the past month or so). His name is Julian, and he’s a lovely shade of dark purple now, so I’ve been color-correcting him with an orange lip pencil, of all things.

Anyway, I did the color corrector, set it with powder, then applied a liquid concealer on top. Now, normally I would have immediately set it with a powder at that point, but I got distracted and started doing other things.

When I went back to the mirror five minutes later, the orange color corrector had bled through, and I ended up with a big orange spot on my chin.

Whoops!

That never, ever happens when I set my concealer with a powder right away.

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3 Mind-Blowing Ways to Transform Your Makeup and Have Tons of Fun With Face Oil

September 18th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

chantecaille rose de mail face oil — Wait — what? Why would I want to mix face oil with my makeup?? Please explain.

This one never would have occurred to me on my own. I had no idea anyone was doing this — mixing face oil into their makeup. Then I saw MAC Senior Artist Alev Karli do it in a video (check out her Instagram feed because it’s gorgeous!). She blended a couple drops of MAC Essential Oil into Groundwork Paint Pot, and BAM! — ye olde proverbial light switch got flipped in my head.

Whoa! You mean that if I add a few drops of face oil to cream eyeshadow or cream blush, it’ll thin them out and change their consistency??

That’s brilliant.

mac constructivist face oil — Adding a drop of face oil to MAC Constructivist Paint Pot

Adding a few drops to cream shadow makes it easier to buff and blend (and also makes it look less cake-y and more natural). The finish changes, too. It gets dewier and glossier.

mac constructivist with face oil — The oil makes it glossier.

If you’re in the mood to mix, here are some variations to try…

1. Face oil + cream highlighter

I did this with Cream Colour Base in Hush last weekend and a few drops of Chantecaille Rose De Mail Face Oil, which someone gave me as a gift a few years ago (it’s crazy expensive!), but I bet it would work just as well with any face oil you have around.

mac hush with face oil — MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush with Chantecaoill Rose de Mail Face Oil

I added the oil right into the pan of Cream Color Base, mixed it with a face brush, then gently stippled the new concoction onto my upper cheekbones for a dewy, pearly glow.

You can wear do this on top of your face makeup (although I recommend applying it before you do your face powder so it doesn’t make whatever you’re wearing under it scoot around too much), or apply it under foundation or tinted moisturizer for a soft, subtle highlight.

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A MAC Chromat Collection Makeup Tutorial With Royal Blue Cat Eyeliner, Deep Orange Lids and Bright Aqua Lips

June 28th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

mac chormat the future is meow k ears — The future is meow!

Hmm… What does one do, and where does one go, while wearing shimmery royal blue cat eyes, teal brows and aqua blue lips?

Perhaps waaaaaaay far into the future behind the wheel of a time-traveling DeLorean? To a time in a fantastical future when bad-@ss babes run the show wearing makeup by MAC and clothing by Chromat?

Gigawatts of girl power course through the MAC Chromat collection, which electrifies domestic MAC counters and the MAC website starting June 29th (and internationally this July), and it got me fired up to turn this look into a tutorial.

The MAC Chromat collection: Overview

Blue and gray supercharge the eight-piece limited edition release, while pops of orange and red crackle, and the collection comes complete with bionic-seeming blue LE packaging that looks like something straight out of Tron!

I’m feelin’ the eyeshadow palette, the lipsticks and the mini angled brush, which is a re-promote from the MAC permanent line. The blue mascara, blue gel liner and blue pencil liner, however, aren’t quite as electrifying IMO. I don’t dislike them… I think they’re fine. The only thing is, they require lots of layering to get them to really show up on me. Major patience.

becca chromat — Designer Becca McCharen of Chromat

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A Makeup Math Formula: Taupe Eyeshadow + Matte Red Lips + Bronzer = Easy Elegance

June 27th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

From the left: Chanel Ombre Premiere Eyeshadow in Talpa, NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Light My Fire and Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Sheer Colour in N40

There’s this great blog I’ve been reading for the past couple years for…let’s just call them “vertically challenged ladies” like myself, called Extra Petite, and Jean, the gal who runs it, is a big fan of something she calls “outfit formulas” — particularly kick-@ss, easily repeatable combinations of colors or articles of clothing, like a white tee and dark jeans, that always go well together.

Hmm… Could this work with makeup??

I mean, I wouldn’t want to follow a formula all the time, because sometimes I like to meander through my makeup and feel my way through whatever I’m doing (particularly when I have time), but there are moments when I don’t want to think, don’t feel very creative, and just want some easy routine of items that I know work well together.

Basically, a formula.

I do them all the time with certain colors and combos, like the combo I’m wearing here, which is comprised of three things — a shimmery golden taupe eyeshadow, a warm red matte lip and a sheer bronzer, but I don’t always think of them as “formulas.”

One of the main reasons I love the one above is because I can get a good amount of color on my face with it (’cause you know I love wearing color!) without doing too much work.

Here I’m wearing an incredibly user-friendly, gorgeous golden taupe taste of perfection called Chanel Talpa that I talked about a while back when it launched. Basically, it’s super creamy and easy to buff out, so you don’t need a lot of blending skills to pull it off. Plus, it’s long-wearing too.

Anyway, oops! I’m getting off topic. My bad!

I’m combining the shimmery golden taupe on my lids with the matte red statement lip to create two focal points that don’t require a lot of blending or other heavy makeup lifting (especially, if you use a liquid matte lipstick like I do here).

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