Product Reviews

Saving All My Kale for You…

July 17th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

Real talk: Does anyone actually sit at a pretty vanity table with a special lighted mirror, and scented candles burning in the background, and music playing, and perfect lighting hitting all the good angles while they apply their lipstick or other lip products for the day? — because my usual scenario involves me using the rearview mirror while sitting in my car as it warms up in my dark garage, and putting on whatever I’ve got in my purse in the 30 seconds I have before leaving to take Connor somewhere, and P.S., apparently, three-year-olds have many, many places to be, which is why I’m basically the family Uber driver now.

Anyway, that’s why I’m grabbing something moisturizing with a wash of color 99% of the time (#drylips #priorities), like a balm, a lip tint or a hydrating lip oil, which brings me to the latest love of my lip life by Wander Beauty…

Shine and moisture FTW

The Lip Retreat Lip Oils drench dry lips with moisturizing fruit oils and fatty acids, and they coat that kisser with a shiny finish that feels slightly sticky (but not obnoxiously so). There are four shades to choose from, each with a different degree of vivid intensity, and my favorites are juicy strawberry pink Spa Day, and clear shiny Oasis. Both of them smell and taste a little like vanilla, which I’m cool with.

wander beauty lip retreat 2 — Oasis (a clear shade) on the left and Spa Day (a strawberry pink) on the right

The angled doe-foot has a pointed tip, so drawing into tight corners with the brighter shades is just as easy to do as it is with the nude colors, and the squishy tube means that I can squeeze every last drop outta the 0.33-oz. $22 tubes.

No parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances or mineral oil, and they’re cruelty-free and gluten-free as well.

If you like your tints on the bougie side, a la the Hourglass tinted lip oils or the new NARS lip tints, you’re gonna love these!

I love lip oils…but I do not love kale.

I have no problem eating my veggies, but kale? Eww! I’ve tried all sorts of ways to get myself to like kale over the past few years, but it always tastes like gummy, chewy grass to me, and is therefore my equivalent of low-key punishment. (Give me spinach any old day.)

I don’t mind kale in my beauty products, though, especially when they work as well as the Yes to Carrots & Kale Wipes ($5.99).

yes to carrots makeup wipes — The only kale I don’t mind…

yes to carrots makeup wipes ingredients — What’s inside?!

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Unsung Heroes: Sally Hansen Wax Strips

July 16th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

sally hansen wax strip review — Smoother then a baby’s butt.

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.

Ways to procrastinate when you’re sitting at your desk:

Pluck your eyebrows
Paint your nails
Fall into a YouTube rabbit hole of ’80s music videos
Wax your mustache with Sally Hansen Wax Strips

I used to use Sally Hansen Wax Strips back when I was a waxing newbie, when the strips came in stiff plastic, and you had to warm them up between your hands to soften the wax…

They weren’t all that great, now that I think about it.

The plastic was uncomfortable, and the wax always left a handful of fuzz, so it wasn’t completely effective, but it was convenient, and I could easily find the kits at the drugstore (plus, I hadn’t yet discovered the wonder of the Bliss blue wax in a cup).

I figured, a low-key mustache was better than a bushy, full-on hipster mustache. *shrugs*

The wax in this newly revamped version of the kit is 10,000% better.

It comes in flexible paper (which molds to the curves of your body), and it tightly grips even the smallest bits of fur to lift everything off in a single pass.
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Crazy Clips for the Win!

July 16th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

Question for ya: Have you arrived at that point in life when you don’t care if the world sees the weird things you do to bend your hair to your will? Although I’m not quite the lady at the supermarket with the giant pink curlers in her hair yet (because she don’t give an eff what people say when she’s buying frozen breakfast burritos!), I’m almost there. I’ve taken to wearing these long hair clips when I’m chillin’ at home, or driving in my car, or taking a walk around the neighborhood. I use ’em on wet hair, along with half a pound of flexible hairspray to smooth and flatten out my roots (which are getting progressively more wiry and untamed with each and every new gray hair) as they air dry. El Hub says I look a little crazy, but I’m like, “Hey, man, you gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

Trader Joe’s alert!

Speaking of the shameless things we do in the name of beauty, I was waiting in line at TJ’s last week when I noticed the woman in front of me had four bottles of this lotion in her cart — and absolutely nothing else. No food, no Joe-Joe’s cookies, NOTHING. Of course, then I asked her to watch my wagon so I could run to the beauty section and grab a bottle of my own.

They’re only $3.99! For a big 16-oz. bottle! I may or may not have done a victory dance in the middle of aisle. 🙂

trader joes midsummer nights cream — A dreamy cream for $3.99

I have lizard lady skin, but a few pumps of this lotion makes my legs look and feel smooth and moisturized without making my skin feel slick or greasy. Even my heels are happy!

trader joes midsummer nights cream ingredients — It’s cruelty-free, too.

Heads up: Even though the label says it’s unscented, I think it smells a little like a kale, spinach and apple green smoothie…which I don’t mind at all.

This is IT

And that wasn’t the only new thing I tried last weekend. I also took this It Cosmetics foundation for a spin.

it cosmetics color correcting full coverage cream tan — I wear the shade called “Tan,” which is the closest to MAC NC42.

The foundations in the It Cosmetics line are famous for doing a little bit of everything and then some, and their CC+ Color Correcting Full Coverage Cream lives up to that multitasking rep. The It crew packed seven products into one tube — a full-coverage foundation, a physical sunscreen with SPF 50, a brightening color corrector, a hydrating anti-aging serum, a pore-less finish primer, a dark-spot concealer and a moisturizing day cream. Plus, a tiny bit goes a long way.

it cosmetics color correcting full coverage cream tan before after — I applied about half a pump and sheered it out with the It Cosmetics No. 22 Brush, which I dampened with MAC Fix+.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Chili Lipstick

July 15th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

mac chili lipstick — MAC Matte Lipstick in Chili is hot stuff! ?

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.

So, I was making homemade taco seasoning a few nights ago, and the color of the chili powder reminded me of one of my favorite MAC lipsticks.

Smooth, long-lasting MAC Chili is a warm orange-reddish brown beauty in the MAC Matte Lipstick line. You can wear it all year round (’cause red is timeless like that!), but I think it looks particularly great this time of year with toasty tans.

mac chili lipstick swatch — An NC42, always and forever!

Chili perfectly pairs with summery bronze, copper and gold shadows. A few of my favorite eyeshadows to wear it with are MAC Bronze, Antiqued and Mulch, but Amber Lights looks fab with it, too.

I also like it with the NARS Isolde Duo (Tip: Mix both shades together and buff all over lids, and then do MAC Teddy liner on the waterlines… It’s FIRE.) and NUDESTIX Rustique.

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Get Gorgeous Doughnut Lips with NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tint

July 3rd, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

When your lips gleam like a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, you’re doing it right! ?

The new NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tints blaze bright neon in their tubes, but they look almost clear on lips. There’s just a wink of coy color, and thanks to the bevy of fruity moisturizing factors they contain, my dry lip flake situation is currently MIA.

The formula feels like a cross between a gloss and a balm, and these somehow manage to not glide around the outline of my lips, which, as a chronic lip-rubber, I appreciate.

One swipe across my lower lip, and another swipe across my upper lip, and then a quick smack-smack-smack, and my lips have that healthy, shiny sheen normally reserved for teenagers just getting outta bed.

I particularly like how sheer the brights are (the rose is a little too shy on my pigmented lips), and I think their delicateness makes them work well with a wider array of looks than a full-tilt, high-pigment gloss.

INGREDIENTS:
HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE · DIISOSTEARYL MALATE · BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER · ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER · SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE · SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL · RUBUSIDAEUS (RASPBERRY) SEED OIL · PUNICA GRANATUM FLOWER EXTRACT · GLYCERIN · TOCOPHEROL · HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL · ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT · POLYETHYLENE · MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX/CERA MICROCRISTALLINA/CIRE MICROCRISTALLINE · POLYGLYCERYL-10 PENTAOLEATE · BUTYLENE/ETHYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER · FLAVOR (AROMA) · SILICA · GLYCERYL DIISOSTEARATE · TRIISOSTEARIN · TRIMETHYLOLPROPANE TRIETHYLHEXANOATE · TIN OXIDE · ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE · POLYSILICONE-2 · BHT · PHENOXYETHANOL · [+/- (MAY CONTAIN): MICA · TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891) · IRON OXIDES (CI 77491) · RED 27 (CI 45410) · RED 33 (CI 17200) · RED 28 (CI 45410) · CARMINE (CI 75470)]

They’re $26 each, limited edition, and you can find ’em at Sephora.

nars disco infernal — Disco Infernal (by the way, I’m wearing the NARS Wanted Mini Eyeshadow Palette on my eyes).

What’s bumping in my headphones at the moment?

Sometimes when I get home from the gym I like to sit in my car in the garage for a few minutes and listen to music, because, I dunno…I’m alone, nobody’s asking me any questions, and I can just ~~chair dance in complete and total privacy~~ simmer with my thoughts.

Last night, I was listening to a local hip-hop station (106.1 KMEL, which I’ve been listening to since I was in middle school, OMG!) when this song started playing.

I had a moment, man! For approximately four minutes, my Mazda temporarily transformed into Club Karen, complete with booty shaking and arm waving — the whole kit and caboodle.

Of course, this song played in the middle of a mix, so I had to reverse engineer it to find the artist (Ari Lennox). I found her by Googling a phrase from the song: “break me off gitchy gitchy ya ya.”

Seriously, the Internets are amazing!

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First Thoughts on First Aid Beauty

June 20th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

(Psst!) Guess what I heard over by the water cooler? I heard that the First Aid Beauty line is fab for sensitive, moody skin. Spread the word. ?

Initially, I wanted to give the line a go because of what I’ve heard about their Retinol Eye Cream ($44), even though I’m starting to feel like eye creams are one of those useless endeavors. (Sigh) Part of me still wants to believe there IS something out there that works. To that end, retinol is a compound dermatologists cite over and over and over again as one of the most effective skin care ingredients…

I’ve only been using First Aid Beauty’s Retinol Eye Cream for a week so far, but so far? Well, so far I can say that I like that I can use it around the entire eye area, both in the morning and again at night, and I also like how well it layers under makeup.

I haven’t been using it for long yet, but so far…I’m still waiting for an “A-HA!” moment.

I’ve also been using First Aid Beauty’s Face Cleanser ($21). It’s rated for all skin types, foams up into a lush lather, and I like using it after hard workouts because it completely melts away the sweat AND any leftover makeup. After I use it, my face feels squeaky clean.

First Aid Beauty’s $26 Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30 is also quite good, especially for no-makeup days, because the sheer coverage and matte finish make it like a more affordable version of Laura Mercier’s iconic $46 tinted moisturizer. There’s a decent range of 10 shades to choose from, too.

And then there’s the Bendy Avocadeo Concealer ($22), which steers clear of my under-eye lines and doesn’t look obvious or heavy…unlike another product (ahem, I’m talking to you, Tarte Shape Tape).

It’s on the sheerer end of the concealer spectrum, so if you’re a fan of MAC Mineralize Concealer or MAC Select Moisturecover (RIP), I think you’ll like it.
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The Chanel Les Beiges Natural Eyeshadow Palette

June 20th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

You know when you get something new that you really like but you want to save it for a special occasion, but then Mother’s Day comes and goes, your birthday comes and goes, and you realize that if you keep waiting for a big moment to bust it out, you’ll just end up waiting forever, so one day you just go for it and use it on a random Wednesday?

Well, I’ve been saving this gorgeous neutral eyeshadow palette from Chanel — which is certifiable Karen makeup crack! — for a special occasion because it’s just SO DANG PRETTY. Simply staring at it ignites my lusty makeup passion…

You know the struggle, I’m sure.

So, I finally wore it yesterday, and what was the special occasion, you might ask?

Answer: Wednesday. It was a Wednesday. That is all.

And it was also Connor’s first ballet class of the summer…but the main reason was just that it was Wednesday. 🙂

For once, I was not rolling up to the dance studio in a topknot, black yoga pants and nothing other than mascara, with my usual layer of coffee fuzz on my teeth. Instead, it felt good to really wear some makeup — eyeshadow, liner, blush, lipstick, foundation, and the whole kit and caboodle — like I used to when I’d rock a full face to Target to buy a bag of emergency M&Ms.

Oh, and I rediscovered a Chanel cheek/lip coral combo I used to wear all the time with Malice blush and Creatif liquid lipstick. The corals go well with the warm golden browns from the eye palette (as does the Chanel Mat Taupe liner I wore today).

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Two Coats of Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara: Before and After

June 19th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

too faced damn girl mascara 1 — EXCLAMATION MARK!

The name of this new $25 mascara seems like a missed opportunity…because if you’re going the cheeky/sassy route, why not go all the way? Just go ahead and call it “DAAAYUM GURL!” rather than “Damn Girl!” However, I do appreciate the Too Faced corporate commitment to proper usage of the English language. 🙂

Damn Girl is the brand’s latest foray into Lash Land, and the brand says it’s for the person who wants extra everything — extra length, extra volume, extra black pigment for that extra va-va-voom.

Take note of the infinity-shaped brush, which they built to load and lengthen lashes to extra levels. The short bristles deposit the fancy whipped formula, while the longer bristles comb it through.

Using the wand is a little awkward at first (give me a traditional fine-tipped brush for detailing the outer corners any day of the week), but it’s still possible to stretch those inner- and outer-lashes with the curved end, assuming I hold my wrist at odd angles…

Two layers looks similar to Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and L’Oreal Lash Paradise, so there’s a noticeable difference in volume and length, which is a plus…but I won’t be pledging my undying devotion to Damn Girl because my outer corner lashes begin to droop after a couple hours when I wear it, and I see smears along my lower lash line by day’s end.

too faced damn girl mascara before after — Two layers of Damn Girl

Bottom line: It’s a functional mascara for volume and length, IMO. Not so much for curl hold.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen