Unsung Heroes

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20

February 1st, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

Why isn’t this foundation a cult classic yet? It’s a total ? gem.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Foundation ($45) is a medium-coverage marvel of oil-free liquid foundation fabulousness for all skin types, and its thin consistency reminds me of more satiny Dior Diorskin Nude Air, which I was totally obsessed with a few years ago and still ? (pretty pricey though).

Because Synchro Skin has a livelier, less matte finish than Diorskin Nude Air, I think it looks even more natural, and I also think even better at mellowing out my pores and fine lines. So, if you’re a lady who has lived through countless quests and adventures and has the experience lines to prove it, this could totally work for you (although peeps of all ages can wear it).

It sits closely to the skin, too. Sometimes I forget I’m wearing it. And even though the coverage is medium, it’s robust enough to disguise a lot.

In this pic below, I’m wearing the foundation without powder or concealer…

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.

Wearing Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20 in Golden 5 by itself (no setting powder). The lipstick is Urban Decay Spellbound.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: NUDESTIX Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Purity

January 10th, 2018 by Karen 28 Comments

nudestix purity k — This is your new favorite matte blush and lipstick for 10-minute makeup looks.

Just because you have to do your makeup under the clock and stick to a strict schedule doesn’t mean it has to be a slapdash situation with, like, BAM! — a little eyeshadow here, some eyeshadow there. You can still do looks that are elegant, refined and pretty. You just have to find ways to move the whole process along.

If you’re always looking to save a little time like I am, using multitasking products can help.

But aha! — not all multitasking products are equal, right? Dusty rose NUDESTIX Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Purity ($24) works as both a matte blush and a matte lipstick, but in the vast sea of multitasking makeup, its smooth formula makes it exceptional.

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’ve noticed that the smoother and creamier a multitasking pencil is, especially a matte like this one, the easier it is to push across the skin and manipulate, so when something is creamy like this is and doesn’t skip or tug when you apply it, then it also means that it won’t fight you when you feather it. In the end, you won’t have to spend more time blending than you need to.

This is one of those products where the hardest part of using it is drawing a few stripes on your cheeks. Let’s just do it right now…

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54

January 8th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

make up for ever aqua paint l54 k — Eye makeup done in two minutes or less with this bad gal!

I call this terrific tiny taupe my “Speed Racer shadow,” because it dries f-a-s-t, and because I can never remember what it’s actually called, haha.

But seriously, it’s Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54, a $25 cream shadow (0.16-oz tube) in MUFE’s Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow line.

In a nutshell, I it, despite the fact that it dries very quickly, which I normally wouldn’t be into because I like having time to play and blend and move stuff around, but it depends on my mood. Lately I’ve been into doing super fast eye makeup, which these are great for.

I dunno, it’s weird… I feel like I finally found my calling, like THIS was the reason I was put on this earth, to figure out every available path to putting on makeup in 10 or 15 minutes, and then spilling the beans about it.

Anyway, random tangent, LOL! What was I saying again…?

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.

Oh, yeah, Speed Racer, a.k.a L-54, dries extremely quickly, but there’s something about that luster, which is sort of halfway between a shimmer and a matte, that still gives you enough time to move it around and blend it without any brouhaha, even though in real time it sets in less than a minute. Literally, 60 seconds is all you get before it sets, but you don’t need more time than that, because this thing is genius.

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An Unsung Hero: The Tweezerman 15X Magnification Mirror

January 4th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

tweezerman led 15 x lighted mirror — Locate and obliterate every last rogue lunch lady chin hair.

Yo, let’s get this straight. If you’re the type of person who’ll spend 45 minutes every night pouring over every pore in a magnifying mirror, stay far, far away from the $30 Tweezerman LED 15x Lighted Mirror, because you’ll never want to leave the house!

You can see freakin’ everything with it. It gives you hawk eyes. Every pore, every “experience line,” every rogue lunch lady chin hair that has so far eluded you. Tweezing is hella easy with this thing, too, and dare I say it — oh, so satisfying. Nothing will be able to escape your tweezers.

tweezerman led 15 x lighted mirror palm — And it purr-fectly fits in my paw

It’s a 15X magnification mirror with a built-in battery-powered florescent ring light and three section cups in the back to attach it to your bathroom mirror if you want.

The ring light is pretty lame, though… I could do without it because the button is hard to get to, and the light is this unflattering greenish color that gives my face a Gollum-like pallor, so I just keep it off.

What’s an unsung hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup/beauty morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many beauty lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

But the mirror itself is great, and the 15X magnification is more than enough. When I’m plucking my brows, or — ahem! — my Magnum P.I. mustache (which looks like a shag carpet when I hold this mirror up to my face), I can see every hair, even the tiny, barely-there hairs that just sprouted up and I would have missed with a regular magnifying mirror.

Pluck, pluck, pluck! Before you know it, every one is gone, and your upper lip and lids are smoother than a baby’s bum.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips

January 3rd, 2018 by Karen 32 Comments

clinique take the day off makeup remover lids lashes lips — This $19 classic always delivers.

Dear Universe/Siri,

How many of these have I purchased over the last 10 years?

20 bottles? 25 bottles…? Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips ($19) is by far the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever used, and I’ve repurchased it MANY times.

Everything melts under its liquid gaze, and I mean everything, from industrial-strength waterproof mascaras, to long-wearing liquid and gel liners, and even waterproof cream shadows. Anything you can throw on your lids, no matter what makeup apocalypse it’s made to withstand, this takes it out.

When I soak a square of Shiseido Facial Cotton with a small amount of Take the Day Off, that square dissolves every shred of makeup with a couple gentle swipes. It works shockingly well, but that’s not even my favorite thing about it.

Well, I mean…it is, but it wouldn’t matter if this stuff hurt my eyes. Thankfully it doesn’t. Many other eye makeup removers make me tear up, but this doesn’t bother my peepers one bit.

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.

It’s a multitasking powerhouse, too, because you can also use it on your lips to erase any traces of long-wearing lipsticks. Plus — bonus! — it doesn’t taste funny or weird.

(I don’t know why, but this is a THING for me. I don’t like it when makeup removers that you can also use on your lips taste funny. Go figure.)

I also like that I can pretty much find it everywhere. I usually get mine at Sephora, but you can also find it at any ol’ Clinique counter.

This bottle I just picked up should last me about six months, based on past experience, and I’m an “eye makeup every day” person.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Giddy Lustre Lipstick

January 2nd, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

mac giddy lipstick — Because spring is still 58 days away, and you’re gonna need a pretty pink lippie to tide you over.

Haha! Now that’s a silly sheen, also known as a “Giddy Lustre.” ? MAC has so many gorgeous golden pink lipsticks, and Giddy Lustre is my jolly good golden pink fave. It’s an easygoing pink that most mirthful makeup lovers can wear, be they warm-toned stunners, cool-toned kittens, dark-toned dazzlers, fair mavens, tan temptresses, blonde bombshells, brunette beauties…

Well, you get the idea. It’s one of those flexible flattering shades you can wear with almost anything, and I don’t think it gets the ? it deserves.

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.

It’s always getting overshadowed by the flashier shimmery golden pinks in the MAC fam, and it’s true, it isn’t as bright as pink Bombshell or frosty as Sandy B. It’s more of an understated pink with restrained golden shimmer, but that’s why I think it looks pricier than it is (it’s $17.50 but looks like it’s $30), and the secret golden shimmer is the sauce. YSL, Chanel and Guerlain better look out! (You too, Tom Ford!)

mac giddy lipstick lip swatch — The barely-there golden pearl is the best part.

Giddy is a warm-toned pink lemonade (that smells and tastes like trademark MAC vanilla), and it’s close enough to a neutral that cool-toned kittens can still pull it off. It reads like a my-lips-but-better pink nude on my pigmented lips, and I love it for a quick five-minute face with concealer, black liner, mascara, brows, blush and bronzer. It brightens up the place with a kiss of natural color and a subtle sheen.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Bite Beauty Multistick in Honeywheat

December 13th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

bite beauty honeywheat — Bite Beauty Multistick in Honeywheat, the unsung hero of all your warm brown palettes. ALL OF THEM!

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’ve had *three* conversations over the last few days about warm brown eyeshadow palettes.

Have you noticed when you walk into a Sephora, an Ulta or a drugstore that those six-pan palettes with orange browns and reddish browns are everywhere? It’s like, Oh, there’s Urban Decay Naked Heat, and there’s NARS Wanted, and there’s Anastasia Modern Renaissance.

They’re all over the place!

I’m a fan. I think they’re fun. My heart’s all, “Blow out those warm orange-y and red smoky eyes until your wrist falls off, K!” but my mind’s like, “Realistically, you have 15 minutes to do your makeup today, so look for shortcuts.”

Shortcuts: I’m all about them.

I’ve been starting my smoky looks lately by layering two cream shadows together, one lighter and one darker, to jump start the smoky gradient effect.

I might not always have the time to layer and blend with the care that smoky eyes usually need (but who does, really?), but this trick at least gets me halfway there.

This warm matte chocolate brown is Bite Beauty Multistick in Honeywheat ($24), and it’s the lighter shade I’ve been using in most of my smoky eye looks lately. I think it’s the best base shade for those orange-y and reddish brown palettes (or pretty much any nude/neutral palette in your stash).

It’s a multipurpose cream stick for lids, lips and cheeks with a pliable consistency that you can easily push around with your brush. It’s not oily or greasy, though, so it actually stays where it belongs once it sets, which takes about five minutes.

Other creams blend into it easily, too, and powder shadows glide across it without sticking to any spots.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Brilliant Nude Blush

December 6th, 2017 by Karen 40 Comments

When some people think of brilliant nudes, they might think of Venus de Milo or the statue of David… I think of a blush from Hourglass, LOL! Brilliant Nude Strobe Lighting Blush by Hourglass, you guys, is so, SO good, especially if you love a fresh-faced look where your cheeks glow without looking overdone.

Can’t-miss fresh-faced color that isn’t obnoxiously obvious

It’s the same effect you get from NARS Madly Blush or the Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Trio, you know, where you have a hint of color, a whisper of shine, and your face and skin look livelier and peppier, like you just took a brisk walk or somebody sneaked up and started tickling your ribs.

Your cheeks will have that beautiful flush! That’s what you get from Brilliant Nude.

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.

Peachy amber mixed with a shimmery highlighter

Brilliant Nude is a peachy amber blush mixed with a gorgeous golden shimmery highlighter. It’s one of the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which is the blush family in the Hourglass permanent collection that has a more obvious and visible highlight (there’s also the Ambient Lighting Blushes, like the shade Diffused Heat, which are great, too, but they have a quieter highlighting effect).

Not to say that the Ambient Strobe Blushes like Brilliant Nude have an obnoxious highlight. Ya know, it’s Hourglass, they handle their finishes with a very refined touch. It’s softly reflective and luminous, but it isn’t metallic or garish or harsh, so women of all ages (and pore sizes!) can wear it.

A healthy glow on all shades of skin

When you mix the highlighter and blush together you have that perfect combination of color and shine that’s just a little something but not too much. I’m a tan gal, an NC42 in MAC, but I’ve seen this on both lighter and darker ladies, and it’s beautiful across the board. On lighter skin, you get more of the blush effect. On darker skin, it functions more as a highlighter, but in either case cheeks have a healthy flush and glow.

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