Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes: BECCA Papaya Beach Tint

February 20th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Just added to my list of “Things I’d Like to Do Someday”: eat a papaya (one of my favorite fruits) at the beach (one of my favorite places).

I got the idea from BECCA’s $25 Beach Tint in Papaya, which of course I’ll be wearing when I eat said papaya at said beach. 🙂

This water-resistant lip and cheek tint is one of the newer batch of Beach Tints launched last fall. Described as a “hot red” by BECCA, I call it a “hot reddish, orangey/coral.” With bad-@ss pigment. Can’t forget that.

I’ve been loving it lately, and not just because of the pigment. It’s also a cinch to apply on cheeks and lips, and all it takes are fingers.

With spring approaching, I’ve been crushing harder than usual on corals in general, and I think Papaya worn as a blush on cheeks pairs purrfectly with bold coral lip colors like Tom Ford’s True Coral and Hourglass Muse.

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Unsung Heroes: Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition

February 18th, 2013 by Karen 47 Comments

Hourgless Visionaire Duo in Exhibition — Wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition ($38) on my eyes; available now online, and at Hourglass counters and Sephora

I’m beginning to realize that despite falling in love with a new purple eye shadow single/duo/quad/palette approximately every 6.14 seconds (a side effect of undiagnosed makeup deficit disorder), I could probably function for days, weeks or maybe even months wearing the Hourglass Visionaire Duo in Exhibition.

It’s easily one of my favorite purple duos of all time, and I always feel at least a little better when I get it on my lids.

One side is a shimmery mauve, like a lighter, shinier MAC Shale; the other, a shimmery eggplant with subtle magenta undertones (I notice them more when I apply with a wet brush), which I think give the shade more depth.

Both sides are packed with pigment — enough to please even the most discriminating mulberry mavens, and perhaps hard-core MAC-aholics, too.

The silky, almost creamy rose petal formula makes it easy to build beautiful gradients, and best of the all, the powders completely refuse fallout, creasing and fading.

Wondering how close Exhibition comes to the NARS 413 BLKR duo?

Hmm… I’d say close, but they’re not exactly dupes. The Exhibition shades appear a little brighter and shinier to me, with a corresponding chipper effect on my mood.

I still heart 413 to bits, but I think of it as having a harder edge and more tough-girl zeal.

Hourglass Exhibition Visionaire Duo Picture NARS 213 BLKR — Hourglass Exhibition on the left and NARS 413 BLKR on the right

Hourglass Exhibition Visionaire Duo Swatch — Hourglass Exhibition

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39

February 15th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense 39 1 — Here I’m wearing orangey coral Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39, an Unsung Makeup Hero

I’m thinking about having the words, “It’s Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39,” printed on a t-shirt, and I’ll tell you why.

Because whenever I wear it, I must get asked 10 times a day what I’m wearing on my lips.

It’s almost as flattering as the lipstick itself. 🙂

If I had that shirt, I could just smile, open my jacket and BAM! — point at the shirt.

Once you start wearing this satiny, orangey coral ($19, available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and counters, Sephora stores and also online), you’ll see what I mean.

It’s one of those colors you can’t miss when it walks into a room, so be prepared to answer questions about it as you go about your day.

I think it has something to do with the opacity, for one. The bright block of solid color really showcases your lips. That, and the orangey tones, which are just so…bright.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Bobbi Brown Jet Long-Wear Eye Pencil

February 12th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

I panic a little when I can’t find my stick of Bobbi Brown Jet.

Okay, a lot. I panic a lot. And based on the fact that Jet is almost always out of stock when I stop by a Bobbi counter, I’m probably not the only one.

Jet, a deep, true black long-wearing gel liner in pencil form, has a flat matte finish and sells for $24 as part of Bobbi’s permanent line.

That may sound like a lot for a basic black eye liner, but seriously — Jet is anything but basic. I think it’s easily the best black pencil liner available on any counter now.

The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands. 🙂

Why do I like it so much?

Because it gets great, great mileage. Like a Prius times 12. We’re talkin’ crazy good wear time on my lash and water lines.

Over the years, I’ve worn (and stockpiled) dozens of black liners, and Jet is the only one that consistently lasts 16 or more hours for me (yes, some days are REALLY long) without getting patchy or breaking up throughout those infernal, eternal days. When it’s on, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Whenever some cruel twist of fate/scheduling forces me to start my day well before dawn (when even the chickens are still snoring) I grab Jet.

Sometimes I’ll see some very minor smudging around hour 12 (!), but still — hour 12? That’s impressive.

And it’s super easy to apply. Jet’s silky, soft formula coasts along my lash and water lines like a private jet at 30,000 feet, and one swipe delivers a dark, dramatic black line.

For smudgier looks, I’ll buff out the edges before Jet sets, which usually takes around 3-4 minutes.

Where Jet doesn’t rock my boat is in super blended looks with powder eye shadows; for instance, when I use an eye pencil as a base for smokey eyes. In those cases, when I need maybe 10-15 minutes to manipulate my products, Jet simply sets too fast.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Ravishing Lipstick

February 8th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick ($15), available now at MAC counters, stores and maccosmetics.com

When I slip into MAC’s creamy coral Ravishing Lipstick, winter disappears, and I’m suddenly back at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park on a sunny spring day, watching cherry blossom petals flutter in the breeze…

Ravishing is the kind of fresh and flirty full-coverage coral I like to start wearing around this time of year, right when the weather just barely starts to turn (freak storms notwithstanding), and the sun rises a little earlier in the day.

There’s something carefree, but still a little semi-formal, about the plush, velvety Cremesheen finish that feels so totally right to me.

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick swatch — What a MAC Ravishing swatch!

MAC Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick product shot

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Unsung Heroes: BECCA Eye Tint in Gilt

December 14th, 2012 by Karen 6 Comments

becca gilt eye tint — BECCA’s $24 Eye Tint in Gilt

Not “guilt,” like in how Tabs should feel after he exercises his claws on the cushions of my favorite chair, but “gilt,” as in BECCA’s $24 Eye Tint in Gilt, which gets extra Unsung Hero holiday party brownie points today for the tiny pieces of golden glitter swimming in its shimmery bronze base, and for its fabulously long-wearing, water-resistant cream eyeshadow formula.

I can apply a layer on my lids first thing in the morning, spend the day running errands for Santa (Tabs), head back home at night, and hang out by the tree after dinner with Gilt shimmering and shining under the tree’s blinking lights, even when I skip wearing a primer.

becca gilt swatches — Gilt built up on the left and sheered out on the right

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Unsung Heroes: Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara

November 23rd, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

I have a theory that if by some magical force we were all turned back into babies and allowed to go buck wild in a drugstore, I doubt that very many of us would go goo-goo, gaa-gaa over Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara based solely on its simple, unassuming tube.

I mean, just look at it. That’s some pretty basic packaging right there. No neon to speak of, vibrating brushes, fancy fonts or flashing lights.

But man! — I gotta say, this $7 workhorse is quite a wonderful drugstore gem.

My reasons for having kept a tube of it in my makeup bag for the past few years (I literally never leave home without it) reads like an awesome laundry list (or an awesome list of awesomeness from Trader Joe’s).

First and foremost, it’s only seven bucks! And it’s carried in probably 5,000 drugstores nationwide.

I think those are two pretty great reasons, but Full ‘N Soft Waterproof also does all of the things I want a mascara to do — adding length and separation to my lashes while holding a curl, so that I look wide awake (even when I’m not).

What about raccoon eyes? you might ask.

Great question, but nope. None of that. Full ‘N Soft doesn’t flake, smudge or run, and one of the things I really like about it is how well it layers.

No bumps or clumps, just smooth, evenly coated lashes, which means I get control over how my lashes look.

When I want them to look natural, like for the beach, I just apply one or two layers for that feathery, separated look. Or when I’m craving something more dramatic, I’ll do three or four.

Either way, I think my results with this mascara are consistently great.
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Unsung Heroes: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold

November 23rd, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

On super busy days (ahem, like the first time you host Thanksgiving dinner at your house), getting an extra five minutes to put on some makeup in the morning can mean the difference between success and a nervous breakdown.

Those 300 critical seconds could end up saving someone from being shanked with a butter knife, and preventing me from spontaneously transforming into a brains-craving zombie.

To take absolute advantage of those vital minutes of life-saving meow time, there’s Laura Mercier’s $22 Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold, a shimmery cream shadow capable of overcoming a number of makeup and beauty challenges like…

Problem: Totally tired eyes.
Solution: Let’s not even go there about my insomnia issues and the 50 shades of purple I’ve been waking up with under my eyes. This cream shadow’s softly golden finish glows like a tropical vacation in a tube. Wearing it I feel like I look relaxed and well rested, almost like I just woke up from a three-day power nap (I WISH).

Problem: No time for brushes.
Solution: Gold’s as quick and easy to use as pecan pie is to love (my favorite, BTW — much more than pumpkin). I pat and blend a small amount on my lids with a finger. Takes all but 60 seconds.

Problem: Getting the look of effortless eyes.
Solution: Easy like Sunday morning, Gold highlights eyes with a whisper, versus a SHOUT. But you still look like you’re wearing something, making it a great choice for busy mornings, brunches and first dates (among other events).

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