Urban Decay

The Urban Decay Vice Vintage Capsule Collection, and Happy #Caturday!

September 3rd, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

urban decay vice lipstick vintage capsule collection 1 — Party like it’s 1996!

SHEEEEYT, girl, back in 1996, you wouldn’t have been able to tear me away from my metallic lipsticks. My “going out” color was a purply shade similar to Asphyxia, one of the nine reissued shades in the upcoming Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Vintage Capsule Collection. I wore it with a dark purple lip liner which, of course, I left purposefully unblended. 🙂

I think I got the idea from a Missy Elliot video… Or maybe it was Mary J. Blidge?

Wherever it came from, I thought it rocked, LOL!

urban decay vice lipstick vintage capsule collection — The new Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Vintage Capsule Collection (colors: $17 each)

Lace up your Doc Martens AND your Timberland boots because UD is celebrating their 20-year anniversary by reissuing nine lipsticks from their original 1996 lineup, and they’re releasing them in their new Vice formula.

They have a totally legit mid-’90s metallic feel to ’em.

urban decay vice bruise — Urban Decay Bruise

Some of them are more wearable than others… Take Bruise, a deep burgundy with a red and green shift that, at least on me, is very subtle, and Oil Slick, a sheer black with silver micro glitter that looks more like a deep plum on the lips (think Clinique Black Honey).

urban decay vice oil slick — Urban Decay Oil Slick

While others, like Frostbite, a deep blue with multicolored micro-glitter, are straight up cray! Wearing Frostbite I feel like I’m channeling Lil’ Kim at the height of her Crush on You fabulousness.

urban decay vice frostbite — Urban Decay Frostbite

The collection is limited edition, so once these robot lips colors are gone, you won’t find them anymore on shelves. Better grab your favorite one before they peace out.

Take a stroll down memory lane these holidays with the Urban Decay Vice Vintage Capsule Collection ($17 each), coming soon.

Happy #Caturday!

Rise and shine, morning glory. I hope you slept well. I slept…interestingly, LOL! Connor Claire had her 6-month checkup yesterday, so she was a little out of sorts last night from all the attention and woke up early. But we’re chugging along… Tabs is a little fed up with the crying, truth be told, but he’s trying to be patient because she’s still a new hire. 🙂

Are you doing anything fun over there?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio: A Pyrite Oasis at Twilight

September 2nd, 2016 by Karen 8 Comments

Emerging like a bedazzled butterfly from a mirrored chrysalis, a highlight SO sparkly and SO shiny that it borders on metallic has been one of the hottest makeup trends over the past couple of years. If you’re a fiend for mirror-like shines, you might want to get the new Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio on your cheekbones, ASAP.

urban decay naked illuminatied trio closeup — Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

With three new shades of UD’s hella shiny highlighting powder, this limited edition $36 holiday set, coming soon for holiday 2016, is all about the bling.

First, there’s Pyrite, a golden champagne…

Next, Oasis, a cool-toned taupe with silver glitter.

Finally, Twilight, a shimmery, iridescent pink.

All three shades have a HIGHLY reflective finish, and they’re also pretty easy to blend on top of either bare skin or makeup.

urban decay naked illuminatied trio swatches — The Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio: swatches

I’ve worn Urban Decay’s Naked Illuminating powders before, and I like how striking they can look, particularly when you’re standing next to a bright light source (like a camera flash), and I can find ways to make them work for me, even with my current big pore situation…but it takes some finagling, and I’m at a point where I don’t really have the patience hop through too many hoops.

How did I get here? Lack of sleep mainly, LOL!

Honestly, at least for now…I want easy highlights, and I want subtle highlights, so please me a pan of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light before you go. 🙂 Thank you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Urban Decay Liquid Moondust Eyeshadow

September 1st, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

It occurred to me last night when El Hub and I were driving home from running errands and I was wearing the new Urban Decay Liquid Moondust Eyeshadow in Zap…

I totally should start a support group for makeup lovers who walk around all day long wearing crazy makeup but have husbands/boyfriends/significant others who either don’t notice or, for whatever reason, don’t say a damned thing about it.

Something tells me there are lots of us out there…

When I caught a glimpse of my lids glittering in the car’s side view mirror, I realized that — WHOA! — I was wearing so. Much. Glitter.

I looked like I’d just spent the last 24 hours partying in Las Vegas instead of driving home to Novato from Babies ‘R’ Us. 🙂

And I can’t believe El Hub acted like he didn’t even notice! When I finally asked him about it in the car, he casually said, “Well, I noticed they [my eyes] were sparkly, but I’m so used to it now. I thought it was just normal.”

LOL!

Coming soon in eight glitter-rific $22 shades

If it’s glitter you want, it’s glitter you’ll get with the Urban Decay Liquid Moondust Eyeshadows, coming soon exclusively to Sephora for the holidays.

Zap, the shade I’m wearing below, is a gold with gold sparkle; Magnetic is a purple with iridescent sparkle; Vega is a bright blue with iridescent sparkle; and Zodiac is a smokey black with a bluish green shift and 3-D sparkle.

There’s also a deep coppery iridescent bronze called Spacetime, an iridescent oyster beige called Chem Trail, a peach with pink shift called Recharged and a pinkish red with green 3-D sparkle called Solstice, which, by the way, I have to pronounce “Soul-Steese” ever since I binge-watched Broad City.

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The Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palettes in Blackmail and Junkie for Holiday 2016

September 1st, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

urban decay vice lipstick palettes both — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palettes

“You say ‘lipstick hoarder’ like it’s a bad thing.”

I mean, yeah, my shoulders might permanently tilt on my right side because of my penchant for carrying around 8-10 tubes of lipstick to go grab a boba tea from the mall, but at least I’m always prepared…because ya never know. If I’m ever struck by an uncontrollable need to switch from a neutral lip to an epic red — and trust me, urges like that are right up there with Nutella yearnings — I’ll be prepared.

urban decay vice lipstick palette — The Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palettes look like this…

I thought about this the other day when I swapped out neutral peachy pink Ex-Girlfriend lipstick for bright orangey red EZ (swoon!) from the new $35 Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palette in Blackmail, one of two Vice Lipstick Palettes from UD this year for the holidays.

It’s so easy to switch your lipstick shade when you have 12 of them in a sleek travel case.

And the palettes also come with a respectable, retractable lip brush, and it’s better than most, because most travel lip brushes are about as useful as painting your lips with a handful of pine needles.

urban decay vice lipstick palette open — Pretty packaging

Both of these UD Vice Lipstick Palettes — Blackmail and Junkie — are $35 each, which isn’t bad, considering that each one has 12 shades.

The Blackmail palette seems tame, with its lovely mix of nudes and brights, beside its rock ‘n’ roll rebel yell sister, Junkie, with its edgier colors and that cray-cray forest green.

urban decay vice lipstick palette blackmail — The Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palette in Blackmail (one of two; $35 each)

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The Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

August 30th, 2016 by Karen 37 Comments

Meanwhile, eight eyeshadows later…

I don’t even know how this happened.

OMG!

I started with two neutral browns from the new $55 Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette, which is a new holiday palette from UD (you can sign up to find out when it’ll be available), but then 45 minutes had gone by and I’d burned through almost the entire greatest hits album from The Cure.

I fell into the Eye Makeup Black Hole, which happens to me periodically…and by “periodically,” I mean all the damned time.

But isn’t that always the way it is with these Urban Decay Naked Palettes? You go in fully intending to do a simple look with just two of the shadows, but lo and behold — POOF! — there went half the day.

Or is that just something I do? A lot?

It’s been six years since the original Naked Palette dropped like the bikinis and briefs on a nude beach, and UD is still playing with the brown/beige/taupe theme. This one’s all about those neutral matte powder shadows.

Well…most of them are matte. There is one highlighting shadow that does have some very subtle shimmer (which was a brilliant addition, BTW!).

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My 3 Favorite Lippies Right Now (And ConnorClaire.com Clue #3)

August 24th, 2016 by Karen 31 Comments

3 fave lipsticks right now — My 3 current lipstick faves (to go with connorclaire.com clue #3!)

Lips without lipstick are like Bell without Biv. Or Devoe. Or like Tony without the other two Tonies. Or DJ Jazzy Jeff without the Fresh Prince. Or Lisa Lisa without Cult Jam and Full Force…

You get the picture. 🙂

I love lipstick, and here are my three favorite lipsticks right now, along with clue #3 for connorclaire.com.

Yes, the secret will be out any. Day. Now!

1. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace

urban decay menace — Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace

Truth is, I haven’t been going ham with my eye makeup lately because I’m still working my way through this “little bit o’ liner” phase.

But I’m sure it’ll pass… PLEASE, MAKEUP GODS, LET THIS PHASE PASS!

Until it does, and I work my way back up to wearing all of the cats and kittens on my lids again, I cheat the system by wearing a really bright lipstick.

It draws attention to my lips and creates a focal point for my look that still makes it seem like I actually came to play, ya know?

My first favorite lipstick of the moment is Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Menace ($17). It’s a creamy, ultra smooth, ultra pigmented matte medium fuchsia SO bright that you can see it on someone doing the running man across the room.

(The old-school one; not the new one.)

Plus, it’s comfy and isn’t drying, so it doesn’t worsen the dry lip flake situation, and I can swipe it directly from the tube and skip the liner.

2. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Apoline

I had creamy rose NARS Apoline in my pocket yesterday.

And the day before that.

And possibly even the day before that!

Yeah, I wear it a lot…

It’s a gorgeous full-coverage nude, and it’s completely opaque.

BONUS #1: For a silky, creamy lippie, it has incredible staying power. I put it on in the morning and can forget about it for at least four hours.

BONUS #2: Every time I say the name out loud — “Apoline” — I think of Apollonia, and then I think of Prince and start singing Raspberry Beret.

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Layer Glitter on Top of Shiny Liquid Liner for Wicked Wings (And ConnorClaire.com Clue #2)

August 23rd, 2016 by Karen 28 Comments

Winged liner gives me wings! (and there’s another clue in this pic about connorclaire.com…) — Winged liner gives me wings! This is clue #2 for connorclaire.com…

Oh, winged liner… If this had been 1988, I would have put you on the mix tape I made by recording songs off the radio.

I love you. ???

You’re so eternally chic, and you make me feel juuust rock ‘n’ roll enough to hang out with Stephanie Seymour during the height of her Guns N’ Roses phase.

But because womankind cannot subsist on black winged liner alone, sometimes I like to remix that ish by layering a glittery eyeshadow on top of a super shiny liquid liner to reach the next level of winged liner realness.

Truer words were never spoken... — Truer words were never spoken… (source: connorclaire.com)

This time I started by drawing an exaggerated wing with Urban Decay Razor Sharp Liquid Liner in Deep End, a deep, iridescent green chorus of long-haired headbangers belting a power ballad, upon which I layered a mix of two of the Urban Decay Moondust shades from the new Moondust Eyeshadow Palette on top.

First, I dabbed my angled brush into the pan of bright green Lightyear, then took it over to teal green Galaxy. Then I spritzed the loaded brush head with Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray to crank up the glitter EVEN MOAR. Then I just layered that on top of the liner.

After that, I tightlined both my upper and lower water lines with an old-school (and, sadly, limited edition) dark greenish black called Mars, one of UD’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.

On my lips I'm wearing NARS Audacious Lipstick in Stefania and on my cheeks I'm wearing Hourglass Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes in Luminous Flush and Incandescent Electra — Wearing NARS Audacious Lipstick in Stefania on my lips, and Hourglass Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush and Incandescent Electra on my cheeks

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Urban Decay Fall 2016: Glitter, Sparkle, Shine and an Epic Full-Coverage Matte Foundation

July 13th, 2016 by Karen 34 Comments

Oh, my gawd! It’s so easy to get sucked into the glittery, shimmery, shiny vortex that is the Urban Decay Fall 2016 collection.

My eyes turned into emoji hearts ? the first time I opened the Moondust Eyeshadow Palette ($49), but to my surprise the thing that made me go “WHHHAAAAA!” the loudest was the All Nighter Liquid Foundation ($40).

urban decay all nighter foundation-6 — Three shades of Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation for comparison

I’m not a full-coverage matte gal right now. Right now I’m more into dewy finishes and light-to-medium coverage. So I’m fine with my freckles peeking through, but this new foundation could convert me to Team Full-Coverage Matte.

Like, seriously, I used half a pump of shade 7.0, which pretty much a dead ringer for my MAC NC42 skin tone — half a pump, dude! — and I put it on with my fingers, thinking, “Whatever, let’s just see where this goes.”

Somehow, that small amount pretty much covers my entire face. My skin looks even toned, and my pores look smaller, but the finish still looks natural, and not heavy or masky, which is a frequent issues I have with a lot of the full-coverage matte foundations out there (ugh).

If there’s anything in this release worthy of grabby hands, I think it’s Urban Decay All Night Liquid Foundation.

urban decay razor sharp — The Urban Decay Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners ($22 each)

I mean, there’s also some other cool stuff in the collection, like a new line of liquid eyeliners called the Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners ($22 each).

They have a brush applicator, which usually spells “wonky-@ss line” for me, but not with these, even when I quickly sloosh a small amount of Snakebite (the metallic coppery bronze) on my upper lash lines. The brush is actually very smooth and easy to use!

urban decay razor sharp swatches-1 — 11 of the 20 Urban Decay Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners

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