Product Reviews

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss Hurts So Good

July 20th, 2017 by Karen 3 Comments

Sexy Mother Pucker, shakin’ that @ss! Shakin’ that @ss! Shakin’ that @ss!

Haha! I love that Prince song, and with a name like Sexy Mother Pucker, you know I had to go there.

I. Had. To.

Funny thing is, whenever I hear that song, I always think, “Why are these people yelling at me to shake my butt?” Although, I guess if there were anything to get really fired up about, it would be butt shaking…

WHOA

OK, so normally with plumping glosses, you expect a little, ya know, tingle, or maybe even a slight sting, but OH, MY GAWWWW, I feel like I’m making out with a beehive for the first two minutes after I apply these. Seriously.

Well, almost.

And my lips (especially my bottom lip, for some reason) really does look plump and stung. I mean, it’s not Real Housewives of Orange County lips caliber, but I absolutely see a difference.

soap glory sexy mother pucker k — Smile through the sting! I’m wearing the shade Rose & Shine, by the way.

The Sexy Mother Puckers are $10 each, non-sticky and come in five colors, and the two I tried, Candy Queen and Rose & Shine, are so sheer that they more or less look the same on my lips.

Oh, and they smell and taste strongly of brown sugar…but I don’t really notice it half the time because I’m too busy talking myself through the intense tingle.

As a temporary lip plumper, yeah, THEY WORK, but I’m a wimp, so I’m not sure how often I’ll wear them.

If you’re curious (or, perhaps, a glutton for punishment), you can find the Sexy Mother Puckers with the rest of the Soap & Glory line at drugstores, Target and Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

COVERGIRL Total Tease Mascara or Carnivorous Subtropical Plant?

July 20th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

covergirl total tease mascara review — Dude, that brush is CRAY-CRAY.

Girl, have you seen this mascara brush?? It is BANANAS.

Bananas. ?

It’s attached to COVERGIRL Total Tease Mascara and, as you can see, there’s a Venus flytrap-looking thing happening on one side of the brush…but the other side looks more traditional.

covergirl total tease mascara teaser-brush — Venus flytrap?

The reason for the Venus flytrap contraption stems (Get it? Plant stem?? Sorry…) from the idea of backcombing, which is when you use a teasing comb to add volume. So, you use the traditional side of the brush to separate and lengthen your lashes from root to tip, then use the little teasing comb in those hard-to-reach areas, like the inner and outer corners (or, in my case, that missing patch of lashes on my right eye), to “tease” those lashes out and make them look longer and separated.

covergirl total tease mascara wand — All about that separation and lift…

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Pixi GelTint & SilkGloss: Lovin’ These Lush, Low-Key Lip Combos

July 19th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

pixi geltint silkgloss swatches — These Pix GelTint & Silkgloss combos are my jam right meow! From the top: BerryTint & Sweet Gloss, PinkTint & PrettyGloss and BeachTint & FreshGloss ($12 each)

I love ya, matte lips. I really do, but, like in most long-term relationships, sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, so…we gotta take a break. Just for a bit. Because when it’s hella hot out like it’s been here lately, matte lips just don’t seem right. But glosses and lip tints, like the Pixi GelTint & SlickGloss combos ($12 each), which are both, do.

Maybe it’s because hot weather puts me a minimal makeup mood, or maybe it’s because of these natural-looking colors. All I know is that on brows/mascara/gel blush/gloss days, I love these doe-foot duos.

pixi geltint silkgloss — Hello, pretties!

There’s a lightly tinted liquid lip tint on one end and a sheer, non-sticky gloss with a smooth, lightweight formula on the other. You can wear the tint or the gloss by themselves, or you can layer the gloss on top of the tint, which is what I usually do. They smell and taste faintly of yummy mint tea, and all three duos are new to Pixi’s permanent line.

pixi pinktint pretty gloss — PinkTint & PrettyGloss

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Models Own Lip Products: Some Quick Thoughts

July 19th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

If I could suggest anything to help you get the most out of your first experience with the Models Own makeup brand, which recently crossed the pond from Britain and is available now at Ulta, it would be to stick to the powder products (like the eyeshadows and highlighters), but to think twice about the creams.

IMO, the cream products — the creamy eye palette, the lipsticks, lip pencil, liquid lipstick and lip sealer — could use a little refinement.

They’re affordable, which is one thing they have going for them. The cream products all range from $6.99 to $8.99 each, which means more money for CATS!!! But for me, the biggest hurdle with some of the lip products has been their flavor and scent. Most of the Models Own lip products I’ve tried have a cloying faux brown sugar/plastic scent that turns my tummy and brings back memories of old-school NYX lippies.

Anyway, I don’t usually get worked up about how products taste and smell, but if something smells like plastic or fake sugar, I just can’t hang (also, the Lip Finale Lip Sealer doesn’t have a flavor or scent, but the liquid lipstick smells like strong peppermint toothpaste to me).

models own jumbo stick matte lipstick titan teaberry — Jumbo Stick Matte Lipstick in Titan Teaberry

Even beyond that, though, all of the cream products I’ve tried have left me wanting more. Like the Jumbo Stick Matte Lipstick in Titan Teaberry ($6.99 and available in five other shades). It’s smooth, pigmented, and I think it’s beautiful in pics, but the formula is SO drying and uncomfortable.

models won lix matte liquid lipstick eucalyptus pink — Lix Matte Liquid Lipstick in Eucalyptus Pink

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The $9.99 NYX Lid Lingerie Makes It Perfectly Acceptable to Wear Lingerie in Public

July 19th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

Is this the best drugstore palette out there right meow?

If the $9.99 NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette were a bra, it would be one that you wouldn’t normally pick out for yourself, but, because it was, like, on super deep discount, you buy it anyway, and even though it doesn’t fit as well as your go-to favorite bra, you come to realize, after wearing it a few times, that you love it more, the more you wear it.

Yup, that about summarizes this six-pan palette of neutral powder shadows, in a nutshell.

nyx lid lingerie swatches — Look at my lingerie!

A more affordable alternative to the Viseart Neutral Palette

Lid Lingerie, which is available now at Ulta and other drugstores, has been out a while, but it only recently caught my eye, and I think it did because of how much I’ve been thinking about my beloved Viseart Neutral Matte Palette.

I love that thing, but damn! — it’s so freaking expensive. So I’ve been looking for a drugstore option, and I think Lid Lingerie is it.

nyx lid lingerie swatches k2 — FYI (TMI?), I’m wearing my most comfortable bra in this pic. Oh, and Lid Lingerie is on my lids.

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NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter Makes It Easier for Makeup Lovers to Get Their Affordable Glow On

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

nyx away we glow swatches final — And Awaaaaay We Glow! The NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighters from the top in Moonbeam, Daytime Halo and Gold Rush.

~~Calgon~~ NYX, take me away! Take me to that place where highlighters don’t have to be so totally in your face, and where folks cherish a subtle pearly glow.

Oh, my goodness! The NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighters are so, so good! I was expecting a chunky, obvious “hello from the outer reaches of the universe” type of highlight from these liquid highlighters, but they aren’t like that at all. I’ve tried three of the nine shades, all of which are available in the permanent line, and they’re gloriously subtle. They have more of a pearly sheen than an in-your-face frost, and I think they look just like the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfectors (but at a fraction of the cost).

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These Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels Are Perfect for Way-Too-Hot Mascara/Brows/Gloss Days

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

pixi sheer cheek gel natural flushed rosy — Barely-there cheek color that’s oh-so-hot. From the top: Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Natural, Flushed and Rosy ($14 each)

You guys…it is SO FREAKIN’ HOT.

As I’m sitting here, literally not doing anything except existing, I’m covered in sweat, and I feel the sweat running down the valley between my boobs.

Boob sweat. It’s a real thing.

Now, what does that have to do with the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels? Actually, a lot! LOL! Because when it’s BEYOND hot like this, I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup. I draw the line at mascara (waterproof, of course), a lip tint or gloss, filling in my brows, and using a tiny touch of concealer and blush. That’s all I can handle. (“That’s all,” she said, as if that wasn’t still a lot.)

I like these gel blushes because they’re perfect for those way-too-hot-mascara/brows/gloss days, or, whenever you need to look presentable and fresh-faced but can’t bring yourself to try too hard.

pixi sheer cheek gel swatches natural rosy flushed — Swatches from the top: Natural, Rosy and Flushed

They come in these little 0.45-oz. tubes, and it doesn’t seem like you get a lot for $14, but you don’t need to use very much. I do a little squeeze for each cheek and gently blend the edges.

You don’t get a ton of color — I’ll tell you that right now — and if you’re expecting Insta-glam intensity, you’ll be disappointed. The effect is sheer and natural-looking, and very similar to the effect I get from Clinique Pop Oil Lip & Cheek Glow, except without the oil, as Pixi’s blushes don’t have it (they’re oil-free).

I like to wear gel blushes on bare skin, as opposed to wearing them on top of other products, to keep things easy and minimal. Whenever I layer them on top of foundation or tinted moisturizer, the gel ends up moving stuff around, so I don’t even wanna bother. But you could wear these Sheer Gels on top of face makeup if you wanted to… Just be sure to pat them, instead of sweeping, to protect whatever you may be wearing under them.

pixi sheer cheek gel review rosy — Wearing sheer red Rosy

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R+Co Palm Springs Pre-Shampoo Treatment Mask: Scrunchin’ Like It’s 1988

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

r and co palm springs bottle — Like a getaway for your mane!

Are you ready to surf wave after wave of ’80s nostalgia? If you are, girl, all I have to say is R+Co Palm Springs Pre-Shampoo Treatment Mask! It will take you there, because it’s a mousse…and if you were an impressionable tween in the ’80s who had a spiral perm like yours truly, you might remember putting tons of mousse in your hair.

At least, that’s one of the things I recall about the late ’80s. I was always scrunching mousse in my hair, and it’s kind of fun to do it with this treatment, too.

Typically, pre-shampoo masks have a thick, lotion-like consistency like a hair conditioner, but R+CO likes pushing boundaries and doing things differently. Palm Springs is a lightweight, airy mousse, and the moisturizing formula is designed to help damaged hair.

You apply it to damp hair before you shampoo, then leave it to sit for anywhere from five minutes to a couple hours. And can I just say that if you have a couple hours to kill while your hair mask does its thing, I’m so jealous?!

After that, you hop in the shower, rinse it out, shampoo, condition and style as usual.

r and co palm springs foam — Take me back to 1988…

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