Unsung Heroes

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome in Naked

January 12th, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

urban decay stay naked threesome top — One of THE BEST things Urban Decay makes IMO, hands down!

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 totally over pervy names for beauty products (Anyone else? I feel like it’s just lazy language!), but the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome is one of the best everyday products in the entire line, so I just shake my head, accept the perviness, and call it my favorite bronzer-blush-highlighting palette instead.

This trio of fab face powders comes in light, medium and dark options. I use the medium one called…wait for it…Naked.

UD often has a well-deserved rep for bold bling-bling products, but this palette is surprisingly subdued. It’s really a workhorse because it removes the guesswork from picking products for perfectly flushed cheeks.

Naked includes a warm medium golden bronzer (don’t worry, it’s not too orange) with a soft sheen finish, a warm golden beige highlighter with a pearly finish, and a matte warm pink blush.

urban decay stay naked threesome swatch — I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The delicate powders have a dainty, Chanel-esque quality when they’re on my cheeks, which I love (ya girl cannot do overly aggressive powdery powders now that ~~her pores have been ballooned due to age~~ she’s older/wiser ?). All three are pigmented, too, yet I can still blend and smooth any edges with ease.

More to love…

The colors last all day.
Vegan
Sturdy, secure packaging with a big mirror (Side note: It does not include a brush, which I’m cool with because I end up using my own anyway.)
Works great with both warm and cool lip colors — particularly pinks, reds and corals.
Bronzer and highlighter can double as a eyeshadows in a pinch.

urban decay stay naked threesome — I’m wearing the bronzer, blush and highligheter.

BASE: First Aid Beauty Hyaluronic Hydrating Primer, It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare in Tan Warm 41, Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium EC06, Estee Lauder Hydra Prep 24HR Concealer in Medium Deep Warm, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Translucent Honey

EYES: MAC Brun and Urban Decay Brow Beater in Neutral Brown (brows), NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Light (eyeshadow base), MAC Brule (all over lid), MAC Cork (lower lash lines and lids), MAC Saddle (crease), Chanel Black Wood with a little MAC Brun smudged on top (liner) Urban Decay Cannonball with Bite Beauty Upswing (mascara)

LIPS: MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick in Crossfade mixed with Sorry Not Sorry

Oh, and if you’re feeling too lazy to do a separate blush, bronzer and highlighter, just swirl all three powders together with a large face brush, and blend a light layer over bare cheeks or your favorite tinted moisturizer. Magic, I tell ya!

Naked is totally worth the coveted space in your everyday makeup bag. It’s $36, and you can find it now in the Urban Decay permanent line.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: Chicory Lip Pencil

December 8th, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

mac chicory — MAC Chicory Lip Pencil. Shirt: Mascara & Kitties

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 know, I know — we’re all wearing masks. So, what’s the point of wearing lipstick or lip liner, or any other lip products at all?

Listen, just because my face is covered doesn’t mean I don’t get the urge to wear something on my lips. I still LOVE wearing lip color, and I’ll wear it around the house, just because. I don’t need a logical reason. ?

A few days ago I just happened to come across a lip pencil from MAC that made my heart flutter like a hummingbird, and I thought you might like it as well. It’s a warm matte peachy brown called MAC Chicory, and I think it’s lurvely.

mac chicory swatch nc42 — NC42 right here

It’s a little reminiscent of ’90s-style brown lipsticks like MAC Paramount, which is totally bad-@ss — but Chicory is a little less aggressive due to the presence of the peach, so it’s more wearable and down to earth. It’s a kinder, gentler version of the girl who loves wearing combat boots, Levis and button-down flannel.

The shade lives in MAC’s permanent line, and it’s $18. It should last a while, too. Some people aren’t fans of MAC’s pencil liners because of their harder texture, but I don’t mind it at all. I like the stiffer consistency. It helps with longevity, especially if you’re using them as a lipstick, which in this case just entails lining and filling in your lips with Chicory and layering your favorite lip balm on top. (Lately, that’s been CeraVe Hydrating Balm for me.)

If you’re a fan of warm brown eyeshadows, and you lean heavily on Soft Brown, Saddle, Sable or, if you love and wear Costa Riche or Teddy liner often (which I do!), Chicory is a fantastic complement to any of those colors.

Give it a try. I think you’ll love it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: Smoked Almond Lipstick

November 18th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

mac smoked almond lipstick swatch — MAC Smoked Almond, a.k.a. THE BEST.

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.

Warning: do not attempt to picture an almond hunched in a doorway, puffing away at a cigarette when you think of the words, “smoked almond,” because once you see something like that in your mind’s eye, you’ll wonder 1) what would ever possess an almond to smoke in the first place, and 2) why said almond wouldn’t know that smoking was bad for it.

Every day for the past week before my shift has started at the bakery, I sit in my car in the parking lot and apply a layer of this beautifully bright rosy brown lipstick on my lips, and every time I do this, I say the same thing to myself in the mirror.

“SO PIGMENTED!”

I’m talking intensity to the extreme.

And yet despite its intensity, Smoked Almond isn’t one of those tricky lippies that is SO saturated that it becomes a pain in the bum and you end up needing a PhD in chemistry to apply it. You can still totally do it freehand, straight from the tube, while half-asleep, WITHOUT a lip liner or brushes or a Christmas miracle, for that matter. Smoke Almond’s creamy consistency practically melts onto lips the moment it touches them. No dragging whatsoever. Just a smooooove glide.

My lips tend to dry out and practically shout, “MOAR moisture!” from the rooftops, but Smoked Almond, which has MAC’s Amplified formula, has enough hydration to keep ’em happy all day long.

mac smoked almond — Smoked Almond on my lips

This is a fantastic everyday/daytime color to keep around if you have many rosy or rosy brown blushes like NARS Amour or Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy in your collection. It’s also long-wearing and doesn’t move or scoot once you lay down a layer, and it feels lighter than a kitty whisker kiss on your cheek.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: e.l.f. Solid Sponge Cleanser

October 9th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

If you’ve been visiting MBB for a while now, you might already know that my ride-or-die makeup brush cleanser has been good ol’ Dr. Bronner’s solid soap for years; however, one thing that drives me crazy and has always driven me crazy about Dr. B’s is that once you use that white bar, it never looks anywhere near as pristine as it did when you first opened it, and it ends up looking dirty and gross in the soap dish…

The part of me that’s morphing into a lady who only wears muumuus and yells at kids on her lawn does not like this, which is why I bought the e.l.f. Solid Sponge Cleanser. It’s black, so you can’t see any dirt on it, which I adore. Plus, it works crazy well. Even your jankiest brushes will sparkle quicker than you can say, “GET OFF MY LAWN.”

elf solid sponge cleanser review — Ahhh!

This soap is made to clean makeup sponges like Beautyblenders and whatnot, but you can also use it on natural and synthetic fiber makeup brushes. It foams up in a hummingbird’s heartbeat, and then BAM! — cuts through whatever’s in your bristles. Then it rinses out with just a few splashes of water. When I leave my brushes out to air dry, the next time I use them, they feel soft, not crunchy, and they smell kinda minty… I wonder if that has something to do with the charcoal they added to the soap, which is supposed to have anti-bacterial properties).

Hmm…

Dare I say that it works faster Dr. B’s?! ?

Oh, and P.S., it’s only $4, bargain hunters. I get mine at Target.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Angora Cardi

September 19th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

(Not so) Deep thoughts: do you suppose Cardi B ever wears Essie Angora Cardi?

HMMM… I wonder!

If anybody could actually point me in the direction of a chunky, cozy cardigan that’s the exact same shade as this nail polish, I’ll be forever grateful. I like the idea of having something to match with it because it’s one of my favorite fall colors, and I think it could be one of yours, too.

It’s a deep, creamy dusty rose, $9, and you can find it in Essie’s permanent line, so it’s not going anywhere. Thank goodness, because it’s one of those shades I’ll wear year after year after year, especially this time of year between seasons.

Meet me in the middle

It’s like the transitional ~~booty~~ bootie of the nail polish world. Not quite as light as your “starter” fall colors like Essie Clothing Optional, which I like to wear late August/early September, but not as deep and dark as the full-on vampy colors we see everywhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

So it’s perfect for sweater weather and that in-between time. Because it’s dark, you can definitely see it on your nails, but it isn’t so intense or deep that it mentally signals that we’ve past the point of no return when it’s officially cold every day, and it ain’t turning back for months.

It’s also super shiny, which is something Essie is known for. If you’re the type of person who can’t even bother with a top coat, Angora Cardi is shiny enough on its own.

I’ve got no time for flakes

I also love this shade because it’s one of the most durable Essie nail polishes I’ve ever used. Like every brand’s polishes, Essie’s colors vary in terms of their anti-chipness/durability, and I think this is one of the line’s more durable colors. When I do my nails with it on a Sunday afternoon, by the Friday of the following week, when I’m passing out in my pajamas on my couch at 5:30, I look at my hands and inevitably think, “You know what? This mani did really well!” There may be a few tiny dings on a few tips, but ya know, after a week, that’s great for me.
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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat

September 12th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

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.

Nobody puts baby in the corner, and nobody puts bullsh*t top coats on my nails.

I’ve had the time of my life!

Like the ladies who unabashedly carry hot sauce in their purse, I’ve reached that point in life where I bring Essie Gel Couture Top Coat with me everywhere (no, seriously, I keep it in my touch-up makeup bag), including the nail salon.

On the rare occasion that I get my nails ? done, it’s the ONLY top coat that I know can withstand all of the obstacles the universe throws in my path — the never-ending deluge of dishes, the ferocious onslaught of words inside my head waiting to be unleashed upon this keyboard underneath my fingertips, and, ya know, toddlers. They always have those Lego blocks that need to be pried apart and My Little Ponies that need their manes braided LIKE YESTERDAY.

Gel Couture is a clear, glossy topcoat originally designed to be used with the Essie Couture Gel polishes, but I’ve recently figured out that it’s an excellent topper for ALL polishes, not just the Essie Gels.

For starters, it’s so shiny that it always looks wet (even when dry), which I love.

The texture’s also thick for a top coat, and I think that’s why it functions like the ultimate armor against nicks and chips.

But don’t get it twisted. It’s far from goopy or difficult to paint with.

I’m not a fan of top coats that you’re constantly tempted to peel off whenever you get out of the shower. Gel Couture, thankfully, relieves me of that temptation!

One coat atop whatever I’m wearing (right now it’s the Smith & Cult base coat and two layers of Essie Angora Cardi, a.k.a. THE BEST FALL COLOR), and five minutes later I have a mani that looks just as fresh after five days as it did on day one.

Super great, and it’s relatively affordable at $11.50 a bottle! You can find it at Ulta and beauty supply stores… I’ve also seen it at Target.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Clothing Optional

August 29th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

essie clothing optional swatch — I may or may not be wearing pants.

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

It’s that time of year again! (At least here in the Bay Area.). Around the end of August and into early September, the weather here is cray. One day it’ll be 95 degrees, and you’re barely clothed on the way to the pool, and the next day you’re wearing long pants and a sweater to meet a friend for coffee.

It’s that weird weather transitional phase between summer and fall. I feel like that’s a space in the land of nail polish, too, and this color by Essie called Clothing Optional is the perfect color for that in-between phase when you may or may not want to wear super bright summery corals and neons, and you’re also still not ready to dive into Bordeaux, navy and oxblood.

Essie describes it as a sienna brown, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a rad, rich, almost rosy taupe, and from some angles it looks like brick.

And I think it’s a completely different beast in full sunlight, when I’d swear it’s a pinkish peachy brown with microshimmer (but the light has to hit it just right for that to come through).

It’s quite the ? chameleon; I love it.

I also love that even though it’s capable of functioning as a nude nail, especially if you have a tan like I do, it contrasts enough with the skin to be eye-catching and noticeable. It’s not like when I’m wearing a nail polish that just blends into my skin tone.

Sometimes I like being able to see my nails when they’re painted, but I also don’t want to be distracted by them, if that makes sense…especially when I have something like a meeting to go to.

Clothing Optional is perfect for showing that you pay attention to small details, like getting your nails done, but your fingers won’t be distracting to the people you’re chatting with, especially if you talk with your hands a lot like I do.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Half ‘n Half Lipstick

August 19th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

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.

MAC Half ‘n Half Lipstick ($18.50) is a neutral girl’s neutral — a nude pinkish brown with a creamy finish that you can wear with warm Havana eyeshadow, neutral golden brown Soba, or cool-toned taupe Omega, plus each and every natural-looking neutral in between.

You want pigment? Girl, you got pigment. You want shine? Half ‘n Half has you covered, and since Half ‘n Half has MAC’s intense Amplified formula, you can swipe once and ask questions (or reapply) later.

Like, much later.

Three or four hours, even.

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