Product Reviews

Product Spotlight: Covergirl Full Spectrum So Saturated Eyeshadow Palette in Reverence

June 4th, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

covergirl reverence palette swatches — For my budget beauty babes who love warm shades.

We live in unprecedented, crazy times, don’t we? That is the UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY. I find myself unconsciously shaking my head in surreal disbelief all the time. So much of what we’ve been seeing lately — and by lately I’m going back way further than this month — does not compute. How many times have you caught yourself saying, “I never thought I’d ever see…”? Shock and confusion describe how I feel every day…

While its importance pales in comparison to the health, safety, economic and social issues now, makeup for me is a safe place. It’s frivolous, simple, and it’s a lot easier to solve.

My take on makeup at this time: if something’s good, that’s great, and if it’s good and affordable, that’s even better. Covergirl’s cruelty-free neutral Reverence eyeshadow palette ticks most of the boxes. For $13, you get a mini warm-toned drugstore version of the O.G. Urban Decay Naked palette. It comes with eight powder eyeshadows. On my 40-something combo skin lids, they last all day long, so no touchups required, because who has time to reapply shadow during a global pandemic? Certainly not this girl. I’m too busy pulling up my stretchy pants and baking lemon bars.

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k front closeup — That’s Reverence in action on my lids.

I’ve been wearing the mattes in this palette a lot! This is one of those palettes where you can pretty much pick any two or three shades and whip out a complete look with barely any help from your blending brushes. You can apply the shadows with a wet or dry brush, but remember to tap off the excess product from your brushes before blending, because the shadows are on the fluffy side.

Ingredients:
Mica, Talc, Caprylic,Capric Triglyceride. Dimethicone. Magnesium Stearate, Nylon. 12, Silica, Boron Nitride, Paraffin, Isostearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Mineral Oiuhuile Minérale/Paraffinum Liquidum, Sorbitan Isostearate. Tocopheryl Acetate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Dehydroacetate. Microcrystalline Wax/Cire Microcristalline/Cera Microcristallina, Tin Oxide, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, [May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-: Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 77491 , CI 77492), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891). Ultramarines (CI 77007), Carmine (CI 75470), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510)].

Also, take it easy on the metallics, because they’re borderline frosty, and they will highlight fine lines. I stick to wearing the bronze, taupe and gold, which I use as eyeliner doing thin lines, and that works for me.

Reverence is one of four color combos in the So Saturated Eyeshadow Palette Line. If neutrals aren’t your thing, there’s also Posh, which is a blend of burgundy tones; Gravity, a mix of smokey grays; and Zodiac, a bevy of brights. You can find all of them at drugstores and Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: Urban Decay Inked Brow

June 2nd, 2020 by Karen 3 Comments

This cruelty-free vegan brow-filling gel is pigmented and lasts a loooong time. If you’re a fan of Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow, you’ll like this too. Inked Brow comes in seven $26 shades and is available now at UD counters and online.

Things I’ve done to dislodge Urban Decay Inked Brows from my face: 1) Chased a preschooler while they sprinted and splashed in rain puddles. 2) Grunted, thrusted and sweated (get yo’ mind out of the gutter) through a 1-hour booty building HIIT workout. 3) Sang Just What I Needed over and over for 10 minutes in the shower.

ALL FUTILE ATTEMPTS, MIND YOU.

This line of long-wearing brow gels is built to last. Urban Decay even goes so far as to call it “semi-permanent” and claims it lasts up to 60 hours (with the caveat that you need to refrain from washing your brows for three days… Who does that?!).

urban decay inked brow neutral nana — The shade Neutral Nana over the course of one day

It’s like hella pigmented maple syrup for your brows, except that it isn’t sticky and you can’t eat it…so please refrain!

My point is that the viscous formula makes it better for adding color to brows than for molding and shaping. If you’ve got mad scientist brows, you might require the help of an additional brow gel to hold everything in place.

urban decay inked brow brush — Closeup of the brush

Before engaging in the aforementioned shenanigans, I painted it on my bare brow spots using the angled brush it comes with, then ran a brow brush through my brows a few times.

(Do not skip the latter step, or you risk being mistaken for a pirate!)

urban decay inked brows dark drapes neutral nana — Two of the seven shades

I have no desire to leave any product in my brows for three days…but if I did, this would be that product.

Remember — if you decide to use this, don’t use too much, and brush, brush, brush through your brows with a brow brush.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bushy Brows and Soft Matte Lips: Drugstore Beauty Strikes Again!

May 27th, 2020 by Karen 18 Comments

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k closeup — Bushy brows, babe!

If you’ve ever experimented with the bushy brow look you probably already know this: there’s a fine line between “full and lush” and “full-on cray.” Sometimes ya unintentionally cross that line (whoops!), and sometimes you don’t… The latter happened to me today when I stumbled onto this bangin’ bushy brow combo.

Budget beauty brows

Both products are from the drugstore, and to that I say, “Huzzah!” (Sorry, I’ve been binge-watching The Great on Hulu for the past few days.)

HUZZAH!

The two things: Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow in the shade Medium ($9.49) and Maybelline Tattoo Studio Brown Pen in Soft Brown ($7.59).

Easy Breezy Brow Gel is an intensely tinted gel loaded with color, and it dries to a super stiff hold. If you’re a fan of the awesome Hourglass Arch Brow Gel, this Covergirl product is practically a drugstore dupe.

Covergirl So Saturated Palette in Reverence k tee — I’m a makeup nerd and I’m proud of it! Makeup Nerd Tee from connorclaire.com (Yup, that’s my store. Named it after my boss, hahaha.)

It deposits tons of color and pushes brow hairs upwards and outwards (especially those on the inside/closer to the nose), so if you’re going for fluffy, full brows with defined hairs, it’s perfect. Just be sure to remove any and all excess gel from the brush before you use it, because this stuff is intense!

After running the brow gel through my brows, I fill the sparse spots with the Tattoo Studio Pen, which like because it has juuust enough pigment, so it doesn’t make your brows look “blocky” or overly filled.

Oh, and if you’re feeling adventurous, it also doubles as a pen for drawing fake freckles. ?

A lip oil hack for soft matte lips

Speaking of products you can use in different ways…if you have a good lip oil sitting around, try mixing a little into your favorite matte liquid lipstick for a custom lip color with a soft matte finish.

Just dab a bit of both the liquid lipstick and lip oil on the back of your hand, mix them together with a finger or a brush, and pat that blended beauty combo on your lips.

I did it for this look with Pixi liquid lipsticks and a Covergirl lip oil for a finish just shy of matte. I also dabbed a tiny bit of highlighter on my Cupid’s bow to add contrast to the soft matte finish.
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Affordable Drugstore Makeup Mini Reviews: Concealer, Blush and Eyeliner From Maybelline and Covergirl

May 21st, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

Good morning! A few speedy reviews of drugstore makeup I’ve been wearing lately…

Covergirl Clean Fresh Cream Blush

I like the squeeze tube in this line of shimmery cruelty-free cream blushes and how the blushes last a good six hours on my cheeks (my skin’s combo oily/dry), but feathering out the edges is a challenge. No matter what base I wear them with, I always end up with uneven patches and hard edges… Covergirl says that you can also wear these blushes on your lids, so I’m going to try that next to see if they work better as eyeshadows. Available in four shades, $10.99 each.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Light Eyeliner Pencil

These waterproof twist-up liners for your lash and waterline come in five shimmering shades to brighten yo’ eyes. I’ve used the black shade to tightline and the gold shade on my inner corners as a highlighter, and I like how they glide across the skin without skipping and don’t transfer — not one bit! The’re truly long wearing. The shimmer is also pretty subtle, so there aren’t any big chunks of glitter. Available in five shades, $5.99 each.

Maybelline Eyestudio Master Precise Liquid Liner in Black

This flexible felt tipped black liquid liner pen has a shiny finish. Among the pros: it’s intensely pigmented, long lasting, and it dries faaaast (so when I blink, I don’t have to worry about the liner ending up in my crease). The cons: the felt tip is touchy and skips, so carving out razor sharp lines with it is a challenge. If I’m not super careful, I end up with jagged edges. Available in three shades, $7.99 each.

Maybelline Washable Snapscara

These easy-to-remove, washable mascaras are made to load lashes with volume sans clumps, but I find them lacking in the volume department… I need to apply at least three layers to see any difference. They get points for being easy to remove, though. Available in five shades, $7.77 each.

Maybelline Volum’ Express the Falsies Washable Mascara in Navy Glam

I don’t see the navy when I wear this, and my lashes look and feel clumpy and stiff… Navy Glam is one of four shades, each for $8.77.

Covergirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer

This full-coverage vegan, cruelty-free liquid concealer has a matte finish and comes in SO MANY SHADES! There are 30, which is kind of amaze. It disguises discoloration without feeling heavy or looking “caked on,” but since the finish is *very matte*, when I wear it underneath my eyes, it emphasizes fine lines… Still a good concealer, though, if you just want to even out your skin tone. 30 shades, $11.99 each.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Friday Eve! ?

Product Spotlight: Physicians Formula The Healthy Lip Velvet Liquid Lipstick

May 20th, 2020 by Karen 17 Comments

I’m wearing Physicians Formula The Healthy Lip Liquid Lipstick in Vitamin Beet. Winged Liner tee is from my store, connorclaire.com.

I loved these matte liquid lipsticks by Physicians Formula when they first came out a couple years ago, but I gotta give ’em a quick shout-out again because I wore the magenta shade the other day and dang! — the wear time is INSANE.

physicians formula healthy lip — Bare With Me, Dose of Rose, Berry Health, Mangentle Formula, Tu-lip Treatment, Vitamin Beet

I had Magentle Formula on for six hours, and no joke, it barely budged, and that was after lunch, snacks, multiple cups of caffeinated beverages (EARL GREY IN THE HOUSE, YO), and three big cups of water.

physicians formula magentle before — The shade Magentle Formula, right after I first applied it

physicians formula magentle after — And here it is after six hours and countless snacks and drinks

Right now they’re on sale on the Physicians Formula website for $5.52 (originally $8.49)! A few shades are sold out, but most are still there. [Continue reading…]

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Rosegold Caviar Stick Eye Shadow

April 9th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

laura mercier rose gold swatch — Love this shade! ❤️

Two mind-blowing revelations I’ve had as of late:

1. The Golden Girls theme song is A LEGIT REAL TUNE, and not just a jingle. Wha!? Did you know this?? I feel like my world will never be the same again.

2. Laura Mercier Rosegold Caviar Stick is ah-mah-zing. Even more amazing than Rose from The Golden Girls.

If a doe-eyed inner corner highlight is a non-negotiable item on your must-have makeup list, Rosegold is worthy of your everyday staples bag. It’s refreshingly similar to a true rose gold, so it’s more of a peachy gold with very little pink, and if you melted down a piece of rose gold jewelry, this is the color you’d get. On my NC42 skin, it’s a gleaming, glistening golden peach that’s warm, but not too warm, and when applied to the inner half of my lids it maxes out the doe-eyed effect. I look HELLA awake when I wear it, and that’s a feat because my @ss is tired, LOL!

I usually wear it with a warm brown or bronze cream eyeshadow on the outer half/outer corner, but I think purple, copper, navy and olive eyeshadows look great with it too.

You have a good three or four minutes to blend and smudge before Rosegold sets, so you’ve got some time to play, and — bonus! — you can skip eye primer with it because once it locks down completely once it dries.

“Caviar Stick Eye Shadow from Laura Mercier is a long-wearing versatile eyeshadow stick delivers effortless application with up to 12 hours of high-impact color. Pigment-rich shades – nudes to deeps, shimmer and matte finishes – glide seamlessly onto lids. Creamy formula gives you plenty of time to smudge, blend, line, fill or define, so it’s easy to create any look.

Sets for crease and transfer resistant wear and layers easily over or under other eye shadows (including powder and liquid formulas). Layer Caviar Stick Eye Colour with Caviar Chrome Veil Lightweight Liquid Eye Colour for a high impact foil effect.” –ulta.com

Oh, and if you’ve got hooded lids like moi, load an angled liner brush with Rosegold and wear it as eyeliner on your upper lash line to instantly open up those lids.

Rosegold is $29, and here it is at Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: Sally Hansen Sheer Color Therapy Nail Polish

March 30th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

If you like pastel paws but don’t want to go full-on painted Easter egg, these sheer Sally Hansen polishes hit the spot. They’re from Sally’s moisturizing Color Therapy lacquer line and are $8.99 each.

Fighting crabbiness one stroke at a time! Now, I’m not saying that the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Sheers will solve all your social distancing dilemmas (like, why is it so hard to find baking soda at the store right now?!), but they should help in a couple key areas, like if your nails need serious TLC! The moisturizing argan oil-infused Color Therapy formula helps reduce chipping and splitting.

And, is it just me, or is there something intensely empowering about a set of freshly painted claws? I feel like a tiny @ss kicker when my nails are done and I’m wearing big hoops.

These sheer shades, which are part of a sub-collection of the Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail polish line, are my new faves. There are only a handful of them, including cool-toned lavender Bare Tint, and cool light pink Bare Kiss, which has a hint of greige.

sally hansen bare kiss — Two coats of Bare Kiss, along with the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Corrector Base Coat and High Gloss Top Coat

sally hansen bare kiss 7 days — Bare Kiss after seven days of wear

Like all of the Color Therapy polishes, these have a flat, extra wide brush that fans across your entire nail to completely coat it with paint in one swipe… Not that I’ve got anywhere pressing to go these days, but manis and pedis are much quicker when I use this brush.

Also of note

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TLC for Needy Nails: The Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Beautifiers Base and Top Coats, and a BOMB Cuticle Serum

March 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Well, hello, nail polish. NICE TO SEE YOU, OLD FRIEND!

Now that I have a little more time to do something other than an occasional speed mani, I’ve been busting out the accouterments from the new Nail Beautifiers collection in the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Line.

Color Therapy is Sally Hansen’s line of moisturizing polishes infused with argan oil, and I started wearing them a lot after “the gel mani incident.” My nails needed some serious TLC, so I babied them for a couple months and only wore bare nails or Color Therapy until my nails recovered back to their former strength.

There are six treatments in the new Nail Beautifier family, including three base coats, two top coats and a Nail Cuticle Serum.

sally hansen give me a tint — I did this mani while I wrote this post! I used the Nail Corrector, followed by two layers of Color Therapy Sheer in Give Me a Tint, and topped it off with the High Gloss Top Coat. When it dried, I massaged the Nail Cuticle Serum around the base of my nails and my fingertips.

If you’re washing your hands 24/7 like I am…

The Nail Cuticle Serum ($8.99) is THE STUFF. You can use it on bare or polished nails — just apply to the cuticles and nail tips and massage until absorbed. It’s a thick serum, and it isn’t oily, so you aren’t left with slippery, greasy fingers afterwards.

I keep it on my desk and apply it whenever I get a chance, and ever since I’ve been doing this, my cuticles (which had been visibly dry and thirsty and came this close to going full-on raggedy) look and feel so much better.

sally hansen nail cuticle serum — So good!

If you happen to see this online or while you’re out, grab it. Your cuticles will send you a secret love letter ❤️?️ via carrier pigeon declaring their undying affection for your thoughtfulness.

All about the base

If you have some serious ridges like I did after the disastrous gel mani incident, then the Nail Corrector ($8.99), which smooths out dips and drops on the surface of your nails, is for you. It looks like a peachy cream in the bottle, but it applies as a very sheer, barely-there pink.

Do your nail tips chip and split easily? If so, the Strengthening Base Coat ($8.99), which, like the Nail Corrector, looks tinted in the bottle but goes on clear, would be a good choice. Added bonus: It doubles as a top coat in a pinch.

If you’re lucky enough to have healthy nails, grab the Nail Primer ($8.99). It irons out the nails surface just like the Nail Corrector but isn’t as aggressive with the smoothing.

Top it off

Two new top coats reinforce the strength of your nails and the durability of your mani while locking down your nail color. I’m a fan of the High Gloss Top Coat ($8.99), which has a reflective gleaming, glossy shine (so it looks wet even when it’s dry).

Some of my nails tend to split, so I’ll bust out the Strengthening Top Coat ($8.99) and use it on them for added protection.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. On my #stressbaking to-do list this week: SCONES.

I made some terrible ones over the weekend that were just dry and dense and gross and totally inedible.

My first attempt at scones, and for the record…they were terrible!

Do you have a fool-proof scone recipe or any suggestions? Do tell.