Product Reviews

Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation Has Potent Pore-Pleasing Power

June 19th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

Things that make me happy:

Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake
Lifting heavy weights
Cats (obvs)
Sleeping in
Hearing Connor say her name for the first time (“Cah-nah”)
The happy heart eyes on these Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation bottles

Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation ($29, 12 shades)

I like this lightweight matte liquid foundation primarily for its pore-blurring prowess and SPF 15, and as long as I only blend the tiniest amount on my combo dry/oily skin — literally, just a few drops! If I use any more than two or three drops on each cheek, and yes, YOU KNOW I COUNTED THEM, it looks pretty obvious.

“Hello YOU! This lightweight foundation evens out skintone and blurs imperfections with soft-focus optical blurring spheres. With a natural-matte finish and light-to-medium coverage, it looks like skin and feels like nothing at all. Happy looks good on you!”

— benefitcosmetics.com

Use a few drops, a few gentle taps with your fingers or a damp beautyblender (don’t rub, lest it pill up), and poof! — homegirl be like WHAT PORES? Of course, my pores aren’t completely vanquished, because this is light-medium coverage makeup, not magic (although, one could make the case that makeup IS a form of magic, but that’s another discussion for another time), but still, the difference is significant enough to make me go DAYUM! — I see you Benefit. I see you. 😉

benefit hello happy swatches — For reference, I’m a MAC NC42, and I wear shade 6 (I could probably also go with 7 as well).

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Have You Tried Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage + 24-Hour Wear?

June 15th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

clinique beyond perfecting super concealer review — uh…24-hour wear time = wishful thinking

Once upon a time, after seeing a picture of myself in cropped, flared capris with a camo print, I made a pact with myself to stay far, far away from camouflage.

“Karen,” I said to myself, “no. Stop. Don’t do it, unless you wanna look like a sassy Filipino Oompa Loompa.”

I did not.

So I stopped. (Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage + 24-Hour Wear doesn’t count because it’s a concealer, so it’s exempt from this pact.)

Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage + 24-Hour Wear ($19.50, 0.26-oz. tube)

It’s a highly pigmented liquid concealer available in 18 shades (including a color-correcting Apricot one), and I really like a few things about it, like the fact that it hides everything, it doesn’t settle into the lines under my eyes (although the matte finish might emphasize severely dry spots), it’s easy to blend, and it doesn’t look cake-y or obvious. Even when I get all up in my scary magnifying mirror, I can’t tell it’s there.

At least in those ways, it’s like Make Up For Ever’s amazing Ultra HD Concealer, which I love beyond reason.

“Cover up without touching up for 24 life-proof hours. Instantly and easily blends into skin to flawlessly conceal imperfections. Transfer-resistant formula stays put—even through sweat and humidity. Provides immediate hydration to keep eye-area skin feeling comfortable, looking fresh and natural. 18 shades in total—including a must-have apricot-colored corrector shade to help tackle dark circles and discolorations.”

— clinique.com

clinique beyond perfecting super concealer — I’m wearing a mix of Medium 18 (which is yellowish) and Medium 22 (which is peachy) under my eyes. Because it’s very matte, I skipped setting powder… I’m still in awe of how you can’t see it at all in this pic.

clinique beyond perfecting super concealer review swatches medium — Medium 18, Medium 20 and Medium 22

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The Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette

June 14th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

Hello, Born to Run! Have we run into each other before…?

No, I think I’m just confusing you with another UD palette (Naked on the Run)…or maybe it’s because I’ve seen your same (or very similar) colors in other Urban Decay palettes before.

Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette ($49, 21 shades, full-size mirror)

According to UD, 17 of the 21 eyeshadows in the Born to Run palette are new, but I swear, the orange-y and reddish browns look like they teleported straight outta Naked Heat and the Petite version.

And the metallic magenta, green and purple could’ve been pulled out of the Distortion or Trouble Maker palettes. The peach and golden look familar, too…like a few shades from Daydream.

It’s as if UD went fishing for shadows from their other recent palettes and baked them into a wearable “everything” palette — good for anyone, any time, any place.

Makeup in my current corner of the world is usually pretty casual and conducive to writing at home, chasing Tabs around the house, running errands and taking Connor to toddler things, so I’m all about the shadows in top row, which are the most job/errand/everyday-friendly ones.

For the most part here at the headquarters of Tabs the Cat Industries LLC, the employees (haha, it’s just me) don’t like to wear makeup that looks too overdone (it’s a rare day when I don falsies or do dramatic liquid liner), so I like wearing matte beige Weekender with matte golden brown Riff in the crease, and shimmery pale rose gold Stranded on my lids with a teeny bit of satiny dark emerald Radio on my upper lash lines as a liner.

urban decay born to run natural light 2 — Don’t mind me… Just smiling to myself on this bridge, la-la-laaaaa! ?

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Volaire Air Magic Texturizing Spray Smells A LOT Like Eternity for Men

June 12th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

Whenever I hop on the Volaire site (they’re a niche hair line; Kristin Davis is their spokesperson), I feel like I’ll be buying products at 2 in the morning in an insomnia- and infomercial-fueled frenzy because there’s something enticingly late night “As Seen on TV” about it…

This particular styling spray is part of a multi-step system for volume, but you can also use it as a standalone product, which is how I tested it.

Volaire Air Magic Texturizing Spray ($34, 10.1-oz. bottle)

Smells A LOT like Eternity for Men and, thus, reminds me of making out with sweaty, clumsy dudes in college.

Oh, lord… I was a baby back then. What the heck did I know?!

Volaire Air Magic Texturizing Spray adds texture and lifts everything (roots, mid-shaft, ends, everything!) to give your hair more volume, and it does so without turning your style into an immobile ’80s hair helmet.

“Add instant lift, texture and effortless volume, and extend the life of your hair style with this multi-functional styling spray. Powered by exclusive AIRWEIGHT TECHNOLOGY™, Air Magic Texturizing Spray is part texturizing spray, part sheer hold spray with oil-absorbing properties to refresh, and extend the life of your full body style. Sulfate-Free. Paraben-free. Color-safe. Vegan.”

— volaire.com

Not to say that you can still run your fingers through your mane when you use it, because my strands feel stiff. There’s definitely the sense that this is locking sh*t into place and leaving a layer of “stuff” sitting on my hair, and when I hop into the shower at night, it’s hard to wash out… I gotta shampoo twice.

The volume is there for me, though, and it’s massive. I scrunch the ends every few hours to revive it and make the most of that big-haired glory.

INGREDIENTS
Hydrofluorocarbon 152A, Dimethyl Ether, Alcohol Denat., VP/VA Copolymer, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Lipids, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Sargassum Filipendula Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Gelidiela Acerosa Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Amp-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Linolenic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Zeolite, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Acrylates Copolymer, PVP, Acetyl Triethyl Citrate, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Benzophenone-4, Sorbitol, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Benzyl Alcohol, Magnesium Carbonate, Citric Acid, Water (Aqua), Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Limonene, Fragrance (Parfum)

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[The Shower Files] A Terrific Tropical Duo From H2O+ Beauty…and Disposable Razors to Avoid

June 8th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

h2o plus beauty coconut verbena — Stuff in my shower I’m loving…and stuff I’m not

OK, I’ll come clean (haha! Get it?). I spend an inordinate amount of time in my shower because 1) nobody asks me questions while I’m in there, 2) nobody bites my ankles, 3) nobody tugs at my hair, tries to get on my lap, or begs for food (I’m talking to you, Tabs). It’s my safe place, so if it seems like I spend more time showering than a normal woman should, it’s BECAUSE I AM HIDING. 🙂

A couple things I’m currently using in the pursuit of covert cleanliness…

H2O+ Beauty Coconut Verbena Body Wash and Body Butter Body Duo ($34 for both)

I’m gonna call it. This will be a summer 2018 “must have.” Between the foamy bath gel (bubbly nirvana) and the moisturizing body butter (I’ve got lizard skin and use it twice/day — once in the morning and again at night), my skin smells like I just teleported here from the Grand Hyatt in Poipu on Kauai.

Lemony without venturing into Pledge territory, and coco-nutty without smelling like a corny celebrity perfume. It’s hard to find something that smells tropical without the eau de sunscreen notes, a la Bobbi Brown Beach, and this hits the spot. Plus, the backs of your knees won’t feel sticky afterwards (totally crucial).

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Wearing the New MAC Aaliyah Collection (VIDEO REVIEW)

June 7th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

You know what I just realized? I just realized that I can tie different eras from my teens and 20s to Aaliyah’s music. Like, Jen, Cindy and I played Back and Forth so much in the summer before I left for college, and then in the spring of my senior year at Davis, Are You That Somebody was almost constantly on the radio whenever Eleanor, Mary Anne, Christine and I drove anywhere (In-N-Out after class, to the city late at night to go clubbing, house parties, the library, to go rollerblading all over town, to the gym).

And then around the time El Hub and I met, Rock the Boat was THE JAM.

Aaliyah’s legacy lives on through her music, and her fans lobbied hard for a MAC collection.

I wore my first look with it today (I plan to do at least one more with a lip), and here are pics, swatches (NC42) and some thoughts (in the video). First impression: holy shimmer!

Mini reviews of a few pieces from the @maccosmetics Aaliyah collection (swipe to see the second vid): Age Ain’t Nothing Eye Shadow X 9, Baby Girl Bronzer and Li Li’s Motor City Lipglass. Coming to maccosmetics.com June 20 and to select counters June 21. #maccosmetics #aaliyahformac #makeupreview #igmakeup #instamakeup

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Jun 7, 2018 at 4:24pm PDT

mac aaliyah age aint nothing eye shadow x 9 — Eye Shadow X 9 in Age Ain’t Nothing ($32)

mac aaliyah bronzing powder — Bronzing Powder in Baby Girl ($27)

mac aaliyah lipglass — Brooklyn Born, Li Li’s Motor City, At Your Best You Are, 1 in a Million ($17 each)

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What a Fab Formula! Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Lotion for Body Sensitive Skin

June 7th, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

clinique mineral sunscreen for body — Feeling this!

Mineral sunscreen realness right hurr! I wore this a lot last weekend, when it was hotter than baby-faced Ethan Hawke in the ’90s, and I have absolutely zero complaints.

Clinique SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen for Body ($32 for a 4.2 fl. oz. bottle)

No sticky inner elbows or greasy limbs. No sticky neck. No weird white sheen on my skin — which makes it virtually unheralded for a mineral sunscreen! No beads of sunscreen dripping down my face and into my eyes as I sweat through my day.

“A gentle, 100 percent mineral sunscreen that glides on easily and absorbs quickly for virtually invisible defense. Incredibly comfortable, even for sensitive skins, this lightweight formula glides on easily and absorbs quickly for non-irritating broad spectrum defense. Invisible shield technology forms a protective veil that’s virtually invisible on all skin tones.”

— Sephora website

Best of all, the formula is kinda melty and runny, and it sinks right in, so instead of having to work a thick paste into my legs and arms for 10 minutes, I just put it on like a regular lotion in the morning and move on with my life. It’s also unscented, so it won’t clash with your Designer Imposters Body Spray (I kid, I kid!). 🙂

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The Revamped MAC Eye Brows Styler Stands Up to Sweat

June 6th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

It cooled down quite a bit here since last weekend. At least 20 degrees. Last weekend it was freakin’ ? hot. Like, the type of hot that makes you feel like your thighs are going to spontaneously combust into beef jerky slabs when you climb into your car.

To beat the heat, I left the house to get my errands done early on Saturday morning, but I was still sweating like a nervous teenager on a first dance. I was really surprised when I got home to find that my brows were still doing their thing. HELLO! — it’s the little things, ya know? Like not sweatin’ your face off while you’re buying watermelon and strawberries.

Thanks, MAC Eye Brows Styler pencil!

MAC revamped it recently, and I’ve been using the new version. I like it! Did you ever use the old one? I used it once or twice, and I can’t remember why I didn’t use it on the regular.

This new version is cool. Granted, I don’t remember how I felt about the previous one, but this one doesn’t budge at all.

“Self-propelling, self-sharpening, brow-defining – and now with an updated water-resistant formula and added spoolie. Offers grooming alongside extreme colour precision in one dynamic microfine pencil that emulates fine hair-like strokes on brows for a perfected look. Confidently adds what you need: shape, colour and/or density. Like a pen, creates its own just-right point for striking arches. Easy to tote around — no sharpener needed.”

— MAC website

The old one didn’t have a spoolie, but this one does, and I like it because it means that I can fill in my brows without having to grab a separate brow comb.

Also, the tip of the pencil is thinner than it was in the old version, and it’s crazy precise. I can draw individual tiny brow hairs without really thinking about it. By comparison, it’s more precise than MAC Brow Sculpt, which I also like.

Overall, I like the defined look and overall shape of my brows when I use this (they’re sharp, but not Insta-sharp, although you could easily do that too if you wanted).

mac brows styler stud — Stud in my brows, along with a bit of MAC Clear Brow Gel

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