Makeup Tips/How To

Makeup Packing Adventures: Which Bag to Bring?

June 8th, 2017 by Karen 32 Comments

Allegedly, I’m trying to pack light for this upcoming trip to Hawaii. “Allegedly.” 😉

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Karen.

No, really, it’s gonna happen this time. I’m going to be that girl with the impossibly streamlined makeup bag.

I just have to figure out which makeup bag to bring with me… I realized the other day that if I bring a smaller-than-normal makeup bag, I should be alright, because there just won’t be room to go completely cray-cray overboard. This will take tremendous willpower, though, because if were to do what comes naturally to me, I’d bring something like this behemoth…

I got this awesomely roomy see-through makeup bag from a SpaceNK promo, and no sh*t, it’s big enough to fit body parts.

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Your Secret Makeup Weapon for the Most Natural, Flawlessly Blended Blush (Hint: It’s Probably Already in Your Makeup Bag)

June 6th, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

powder to tone down blush 1 — I never leave home without ’em!

Your face powder is SO powerful. It’s a preternaturally powerful secret makeup weapon, and it’s capable of monumentally more than simply setting your base makeup. For starters, it can save you from a lifetime of leaving the house with unintentional clown cheeks.

This has happened to me on more than one occasion: I’ll leave the house thinking, “Dayum, my makeup looks fly!” but then I’ll walk by a mirror and think, “HOLY FREAKING CRAP! How did I leave the house with that much blush on my cheeks?!”

The obligatory before shot. I purposefully applied a lotta blush (MAC Melba, by the way)

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How to Not Lose Your Damn Mind When You’re Shopping for Beauty Products

May 17th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

When I’m at Sephora and one of the sales associates walks up to me with an empty basket, I turn into the emoji with the crossed hands, like, NO!

Literally. So. Me.

Those baskets are my downfall, man. I can go into a Sephora with one specific item in mind, but if someone hands me a basket while I’m there, it’s suddenly, “Oh, shampoo! I definitely need a new one, and here’s an eyeliner I’ve been wanting to try, and what a pretty glitter shadow! Yup, I need that too. Now, hmm… What did I come here again for??” Seriously, those baskets are a free-for-all, and I’m throwing stuff in there like there’s no tomorrow.

So, I live and die by this beauty shopping rule: I can only go up to the cash register with whatever I can hold in my hands.

It sounds so #basic, but it’s surprisingly effective! If you, too, are prone to walking into a Sephora (or a Target or Ulta or really anyplace with shopping baskets) and going into a fugue state while beauty shopping, limit yourself to whatever you can hold in your hands. It’ll basically save you from yourself.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Shortcuts: Metallic Lipstick Doubles as a Cream Highlighter

May 8th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

You’ve probably heard of the lipstick-as-blush trick, but did ya know that you can use a metallic lipstick as a cream highlighter?

Yeah! You totes can. And since metallic lips are having a moment, you might have a tube of metallic lipstick sitting around. If you do, you can apply a little to your upper cheekbones, or anywhere on your face that you want to highlight, and blend the edges with a brush, sponge or finger.

Sometimes I’ll run a finger across the top of my metallic lippie a few times, then gently dab that on my upper cheekbones (gently so I don’t disrupt my bronzer/blush/foundation).

Or sometimes I’ll g-e-n-t-l-y dab the tube directly on my skin, but when I do that…no matter how careful I am, there’s still a higher chance of accidentally shifting whatever makeup I’m wearing under it.

This shortcut works particularly well with gold, rose gold and silver metallics! Try it sometime when you’re in the mood for a glossy cheek highlight.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hope you had a fantabulous Monday. What was the highlight?

Haha! Get it?? Highlight? I know, so dumb. 🙂

Fri-Yay Makeup Fun: Ombre Eyeliner

April 21st, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

Yeah, you could line your lash lines with a basic black or brown liner and call it a day, but it’s Fri-YAY! Let’s wear two different colors. Two fun colors, woo-hoo! ?

I mean, you don’t have to go as crazy as I did here with, like, teal and purple, but I’m not going to discourage you if you’re in the mood to go bold.

So, let’s talk about ombre eyeliner, which is what I call it when one shade of liner merges into another shade to create an ombre effect.

I usually like to do the inner part of my lash lines in a lighter color than the outer part because I think it makes the most visual sense to me, but it’s just a preference. Anything goes.

For this look here, I’m doing my lighter liner on the inner part, and a darker liner on the outer part.

1. Choose your two liner colors

I think this is the hardest step — picking two colors that go well together, and also go well with your overall look.

Think about what you’re wearing on your lids, a.k.a. everything about your lash line and below the crease. I’m wearing a teal shade on my lids, so I went with a darker green shade for my inner liner, and a dark purple for the outer liner (the purple also echoes my purple lips, but I might try this again and use a dark blue).

Side note: when I do this kind of look with neutrals (you know I love me some browns!), I like to use gold, bronze or rose gold for the inner liner, and then, say, a dark plum, dark navy or a forest green for the outer section.

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Makeup Shortcuts: Smoke Out Your Lids With Liner, and Avoid Having to Clean Up Fallout [Featuring Chanel Summer 2017]

April 20th, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

Cleaning up fallout is one of my least favorite things in this universe, right up there with ill-fitting underwear. I LOATHE having to clean up powder under my eyes. I just have better things to do with my life, ya know?

I recently stumbled on this technique where you smoke out the outer corners using an eyeliner, and it’s the Best. Thing. Ever. Because no fallout. 🙂 Basically, all you need is a pencil liner, your favorite blending brush and your best resting b*tch face.

Ha! I kid, I kid! The RBF is totally optional.

Step 1: Start with your (nearly) completed makeup look

But seriously, what you will need is a nearly completed makeup look, so let’s start with that, OK?

Since you won’t have to worry about cleaning up any fallout (YAY!), you can already have your eyes, base, cheeks and lips done.

Here I’m wearing a few things from Chanel Summer 2017, and I’ll list everything down at the bottom of the post.

Step 2: Apply a dark liner to the outer corner

Grab a dark liner that will complement your look, and reach for something that’s either off-black, gray or dark brown — something that isn’t too dark but will still add that smokiness to the outer corners.

I mean, you could use a true black liner instead, but then you’d have to do more blending.

Also, you’ll want your liner to be somewhat smudgy in a formula that doesn’t set super quickly. That way you can easily push it around with a brush.

I’m using a greenish black to go with the warm bronze and pink tones I’m wearing.

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Makeup Shortcuts: Save Time by Using Blush as Eyeshadow

April 19th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

mac hard to get blush top — See the blush on my cheeks? I’m also wearing it on my lids!

Sometimes I don’t want to think too hard about what makeup colors I’m wearing, so I’ll wear my cheek color (the same color I’m wearing) on my lids as a shadow. It’s just one of those things that saves a little brain power, and here’s whatcha do…

It’s a lazy girl’s guide to using your blush as eyeshadow.

Step 1: Apply an eyeshadow base

You can use whatever you want — a potted cream shadow, stick shadow, what have you. I’m actually wearing an eyeliner here (MAC Costa Riche) as my base. You just want to make sure that whatever you choose will work in concert/harmony with the blush you plan to wear.

Step 2: Load an eye brush with your chosen blush

And after you load it, you have a choice to make. Do you keep the brush head dry and apply it like that? Or do you wet it with a makeup setting spray (like MAC Fix+) to intensify the color?

Up to you.

mac hard to get blush — MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Hard to Get with a MAC 217 Domed Eyeshadow Brush

Step 3: Blend that blush…on your lids

Sweep and pat to blend your blush on top of your eyeshadow base, and the higher up you take it, the more dramatic it’ll look.
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Makeup Shortcuts: Save Time by Using Eyeliner as Eyeshadow

April 18th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

mac costa riche top — Using eyeliner as eyeshadow

Sometimes you wanna get lost in the moment, forget your cares, and blend your eye makeup to your heart’s ? delight…and sometimes you don’t.

Next time you don’t, try using an eyeliner as eyeshadow. You can whip out a quick look in minutes.

It’s usually easier if you use a soft liner because you can scoot it around with a brush, and liners that don’t dry immediately and stay pliable longer will give you more time to blend them out. I’m wearing MAC Costa Riche Eye Kohl in these pics.

Step 1: Get to linin’

Start by lining your lash and water lines with the eyeliner, then apply it your lids and just barely into the crease.

Note: you don’t have to be neat here at all. In fact, if you look in the mirror and see a crazy person starting back at you, you’re doing it right, LOL! 🙂

Step 2: Buff with a fluffy brush

Buff and smooth out the liner doing tight little circles and sweeping motions with your brush until it looks sufficiently buffed and even. FYI, you can coax it up and out as far as you’d like.

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