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Product Reviews

The Limited Edition Charlotte Tilbury Bigger Brighter Eyes Palette, and a New CC Cream From It Cosmetics

July 17th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

charlotte tilbury transformeyes
I’m wearing the limited edition Charlotte Tilbury Bigger Brighter Eyes Palette ($53)

What does a makeup-lovin’ lady do when she wants to “play up” her peepers, but she only has minutes to pull herself together for a Sunday funday meeting with a beauty brand? (Side note: The brand was It Cosmetics! More on this in a second…)

Shockingly, this particular time crunch was not due to my usual lollygagging.

I know! Instead, it was due to my oldest child (the cat), who decided that my youngest child (the toddler), didn’t need to eat her plate of scrambled eggs for breakfast…

Let’s just say that a series of swift cat paw swats led to scrambled eggs on the floor, which led to silky scrambled eggs ending up in one husky tabby’s tummy. As for the rest of the eggs, well, they ended up in his partner in crime’s tiny (but surprisingly powerful) toddler hands, and that resulted in scrambled eggs strewn about the living room like confetti in Time’s Square on New Year’s.

All of this in the span of 60 seconds… How? No, seriously, HOW?!

Needless to say, I was officially running laaaaate.

Charlotte Tilbury Bigger Brighter Eyes Palette ($53)

With my makeup window whittled down to 10 minutes, I grabbed the Charlotte Tilbury Transformeyes Palette, because you know the old saying — when it doubt, buff an expensive gold and brown eyeshadow out.

OK, I just totally made that up. 🙂 But it’s an accurate way to describe what I do with this palette for some everyday low-key glam.

charlotte tilbury transformeyes
Yup, still an NC42 after all these years.

What it is: A limited-edition filter palette to morph your eyes into the biggest, brightest, most sparkling eyes ever.

What it does: Inspired by the sparkling, eye-widening filters of social media, this palette is color-curated and coded to make your eyes look instantly bigger and brighter, as well as putting what Charlotte famously calls the lights-into-the-eyes. Charlotte has de-codified that application into an easy Prime, Enlarge, Define and Pop sequence, with each micro-finely pigmented shadow color-formulated to give the optical illusion of widening, brightening and playing with the light in specific areas after application.

How to use: Apply the Prime color, a warm, eye-brightening hue, to the inner corners of the eyes to give the effect of broadening the whole eye area. Apply the Enlarge shade to lightly contour and give a lifting effect to the socket; it can be built up or washed across the eye lightly. Define with a universal hue that adds instant definition to the lashline and makes eyes look brighter. Then, apply Pop in targeted areas to widen and brighten eyes throughout the day.

–nordstrom.com

charlotte tilbury transformeyes
Pristine, untouched and fabulous

[Continue reading…]

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Charlotte Tilbury, Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Créatif

July 16th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

chanel creatif swatch
Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Créatif

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.

I’m always down for a summery coral lippie, and Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Créatif ($37) is THE ONE.

Well…the one for this week, ha ha ha! ? Hello, have we met? My name is Karen, and I have a new coral crush every other day.

But that’s neither here nor there.

This one’s a matte liquid lipstick, but it’s unlike your typical dry and heavy/hello horizontal lip lines/cat butt liquid lippie sitch. It’s on the thinner side, like the NARS Powermattes, so you can’t feel it sitting on your lips, and it lasts about the same amount of time (~5 hours), but it’s much, much easier to control as it glides across your lips.

chanel creatif
I’m hoping that wearing Créatif will spark some creativity…

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There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes Keywords: chanel, chanel makeup, chanel reviews, coral lipstick, liquid lipstick

The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils: A Love Letter

July 13th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

urban decay stash
Urban Decay Stash on my lash lines

Dear Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils,

I love you.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I don’t tell you that enough, so…I LOVE YOU.

I apologize if I hurt your feelings sometimes. When I haphazardly toss you into my makeup bag, it’s not because I don’t care. It’s not because I don’t want to spend more time with you. It’s because I’m so excited for us to get on about our day. I love spending entire days with you, which I know we’ll be able to do, since your luscious long-wearing formula hugs my lash lines and doesn’t let go.

The other day, shortly before I rimmed my lids with Mushroom, my favorite metallic taupe on account of the way it illuminates my brown eyes without hardly even trying (and that flash of blue from certain angles? GORGEOUS!), I was haphazardly grinding the tip in a pencil sharpener and zoning out like I’m apt to do while I’m putting on makeup that I know I can depend on, I thought, “Easy, Karen. Take it easy. Just because this is a quickie look doesn’t mean you have to hack away like a lumberjack without any muscle control.”

Oh, my gorgeous Glide-Ons, you’re always there for me, even when I treat you like ? poop. You deserve to be handled with kid gloves.

urban decay glide on eye pencil swatches
Current crushes

So, let me tell you why I ❤️ you so…

First, just when I’m ready to go all sad panda because I glance at the clock and realize that I don’t have any time left in my morning for eye makeup, your colors dance across my lids and lash lines like beams of light across the sky. These days, your neutral colors are my go-tos — basically, anything taupe, olive, gunmetal gold or bronze.

When I draw a swish on my upper and lower lash lines, followed by plenty of mascara, I actually don’t mind skipping eyeshadow. Ever since my semi-hooded lids situation started evolving into a full-on hooded lid sitch (such is life), complicated eyeshadow looks have become something of a pain, and it’s refreshing to not have to deal with precise placement and blending and making sure that everything looks even so I don’t walk outta the house with lids that look like garage doors…

Thanks to you, I just do a little liner, then peace out.

urban decay stash
5-minute makeup with Stash

[Continue reading…]

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews, Urban Decay

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter Customizable Complexion Booster

July 11th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

charlotte tilbury hollywood flawless filter 5 tan
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless

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.

For some people, hairy spiders, public speaking, or accidentally farting loudly in tiny windowless rooms during important work meetings are the stuff of their worst nightmares.

My nightmare scenario? Life without ALL. THE. FOUNDATIONS.

Yes, I know, life will (probably) go on if we didn’t have hella options for glowing skin, but — and I ask mean this in all sincerity — what would be the point?? Where’s the fun in that? 🙂

My latest “Is she or isn’t she wearing makeup?” love is Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Customizable Complexion Booster, and when I wear it I feel like I’m in a living, breathing, real-life version of Instagram, because sh*t blurs EVERYTHING. Seriously, WHAT PORES?

“Discover a brand new REVOLUTIONARY category in face makeup with the Hollywood Flawless Filter. This MUST-HAVE customisable complexion booster has the versatility of a face primer, with the mega-watt glow of a highlighter and the perfecting properties of your favourite digital filter. Choose your level of GLOW with filter makeup to illuminate your skin just where you want it for a radiant complexion.”

— charlottetilbury.com

The barely-there coverage is also — as the kids say — on point, and the glistening, opalescent glow looks literally LIT.

OK, I’ll stop…

It’s a dramatically dewy finish — even dewier than MAC Face & Body or L’Oreal True Match Lumi — and some may call it borderline sweaty.

But I like it.

Sometimes I will matte it down a tad with a light dusting of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural or MAC Mineralize Loose, and you can also matte it down even more by mixing it with your favorite matte liquid foundation or matte tinted moisturizer (’cause it’s good at that, too).

charlotte tilbury hollywood flawless filter 5 tan
I’m a MAC NC42 and wear shade 5 Tan.
charlotte tilbury hollywood flawless filter 5 tan flash
With a flash!

[Continue reading…]

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Charlotte Tilbury, Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes

Unsung (Hair) Heroes: Revlon Essentials Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics

July 10th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

revlon maximum hold extra thick elastics
If you have thick, heavy or otherwise wild, unruly hair, these will make you believe in unicorns (again).

My stylist buddy Alis likes to joke that I have enough hair on my head for three people (although, for the #officialmakeuprecord, I don’t have as much hair as I did pre-baby), but it’s not all kittens and rainbows, because having a decent amount of hair comes with its own challenges, like destroying every single hair elastic within striking distance.

When I’m putting my hair up in a ponytail, most elastics either break, or get stretched out so far that they look like the granny panties you should’ve thrown out THREE YEARS AGO (but still continue to wear when you’re on your period), and are thus rendered utterly and completely useless.

There’s also the whole “ponytail falling out while I’m merely existing” thing, which is a pain.

At HIIT class last week, I decided that enough was enough. I. Am. Done. Pulling up my ponytail every third burpee or switch lunge.

DUUUUUDE…Revlon has this little packet of miracles called the Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics, which just changed everything in one fell swoop. It’s the strongest, thickest, sturdiest and most bass-@ass hair elastic I’ve ever worn.

Normally, I have to double-up elastics to keep my hair from falling all over the place, but in last night’s HIIT class, I used just one — ONE! — and my ponytail stayed perfectly in place through 60 minutes of intense jumps and sprints. Not once did I have to readjust.

When I took off the elastic before showering, I noticed two things. First, that my ponytail was in the exact same place it was when I first put it up. Second, that the elastic wasn’t stretched out at all. Not one teeny, tiny bit.

I also can’t get over how affordable they are. Three bucks for 15 of ’em!

So, so, good, you guys!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Hair, Product Reviews, Revlon, Unsung Heroes

The Co-Wash Chronicles: Joico Color Co+Wash Whipped Cleansing Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair, and Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Conditioner

July 10th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

joico co wash
Co-washing my mop, one bottle at a time…

…because I’m on a mission to try all the conditioner washes!

DUUUUUDE. I’ve been co-washing since before it went mainstream, since I unraveled its secrets in a now-long-forgotten hair forum in a dusty corner on the Interwebz more than 10 ago.

Finding out about it was one of the best things to ever happen to my hair. Now I do it a few times a week between regular shampoo and conditioner sessions, and my hair’s the healthiest it’s ever been.

Needless to say, I’m a co-wash evangelist, and I love trying new ones and options.

Here are two I tried in June…

Joico Color Co+Wash Whipped Cleansing Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair ($23.99, 8.5 oz.)

Joico has three foaming Co+Washes in their line — one for dry hair, one for curly hair, and this one for color-treated hair, which I like. My hair and scalp feel clean after rinsing it out, and just like with R+Co Analog and Drybar Double Standard, my hair is full and lush and shiny the next day, not heavy.

If this were just a little more moisturizing, it would go from pretty good to totally great. Unfortunately, my ends do feel a little crun-chaaay afterwards if I don’t also use a leave-in conditioner. Also…it kinda smells like Downy fabric softener?

joico co wash
After co-washing my hair with Joico, letting it dry overnight, and spraying it with R+Co Sail the following morning.

So, depending on your feelings about Downy, that could be a good, or a bad thing (I don’t mind it).

Overall, I like this co-wash enough to finish the bottle, and when I’m done, I want to try the dry hair version.

❤️❤️❤️ 3 1/2 out of 5 hearts. (Side note: why is there no half a heart emoji?)

[Continue reading…]

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Joico, Krisitin Ess, Product Reviews Keywords: conditioner wash review, joico, joico review, kristin ess, kristin ess review

The 5 Out of 5 Hearts Club: Mallywood Smoky Mama! Mascara

July 9th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

mally smoky mama mascara
A hidden gem

The “5 Out of 5 Hearts Club” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ is a new series where you’ll find out about limited edition beauty products that are all that and a bag of baked Cheetos! — a.k.a. perfection in every single way.

No shame moment: I’m one of those creepers who walks around unabashedly staring at strangers’ lashes without any qualms whatsoever. At times, it’s been so intense that people have stopped me to ask, “Do I know you?” and I’m like, “Nah, I’m just admiring your lashes like a weirdo. Don’t mind me!”

If I saw someone wearing this mascara, I’d pull them aside (after popping my eyes back into their sockets) and inquire about the magic happening on their fringe, because it’s good — like, “Gee, where did this dark horse come from, and why isn’t it a cult favorite yet?” good.

“Apply on the top lashline as usual (you can define every lash with this wand!). Then it gets fun! As you apply to your bottom lashes, gently press the wand softly from side to side and barely touch the skin beneath them! Voila! No walk of shame necessary!”

— mallybeauty.com

My lashes refuse to hold a lash curl (they’re rebellious that way, I guess), and they’re short, and I have a big ol’ gap in my right eye from an incident involving the overzealous removal of a pair of falsies, but with two coats of this mascara, I look like I’m wearing lash extensions.

mally smoky mama k
And that’s after just one coat!

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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Mally Beauty, Product Reviews Keywords: mally beauty, mascara, mascara review

COVERGIRL Trublend Matte Made Foundation Doesn’t Budge for Nothin’

July 6th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

covergirl trueblend matte made foundation T15 outdoors
Soakin’ up some early morning sunshine with COVERGIRL Trublend Matte Made Foundation in T15 Golden Honey on my face. I took this pic in natural light wearing only the foundation without any powder on top.

There are SOOOO many reasons for me not to wear white shirts.

Like cat hair.

Baby food, which is like Liam Neeson in Taken. IT WILL FIND YOU.

And makeup, of course, especially foundation.

Even before Tabs and Connor came along, I was never the type of person who could wear a white shirt without getting loads of foundation all over the place, but it’s never stopped me, which is why I was shocked to discover after wearing this epic new COVERGIRL liquid foundation a few times, coincidentally on days when I was wearing white shirts (go figure) that there was absolutely NO foundation on my clothes at the end of the day.

covergirl trueblend matte made foundation
It’s so good!

Like, none. Not even a smudge of foundation on my neckline, WHICH IS TOTALLY UNUSUAL FOR ME.

Since I’m pretty sure that my body hasn’t been taken over by aliens (yet), I think it’s safe to say that it’s the COVERGIRL foundation, which doesn’t go anywhere once it’s on your face.

Before finding this drugstore gem, the only liquid face base I knew of with this magnitude of staying power was MAC Face & Body. Trublend Matte Made has Face & Body’s mega-magnetic staying power, but the finish is matte instead of instead of dewy. But it isn’t so matte that your skin looks fake or weird when you put it on, ya know?

“From your favorite COVERGIRL foundation line comes a matte formula that isn’t drying or cakey. TruBlend Matte Made’s formula is developed with flexi-hold technology that creates a strong, yet flexible film on skin for durability and comfort, while the mattifying powders absorb oil and minimize pores for a soft matte, flawless finish. Up to 12 hours of wear. 12 HR comfort matte.
Pore minimizing. Oil control. Transfer resistant. All in 40 shades.”

— covergirl.com

covergirl truelbend matte made foundation trublend T15 flash
T15 Golden Honey indoors with a flash (I’m not wearing any setting powder, by the way, just the foundation)

[Continue reading…]

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: COVERGIRL, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Face, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: covergirl, drugstore foundation, drugstore makeup, foundation, liquid foundation, makeup review

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