Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
OMG, it’s December 1st! Christmas is, like, basically here. I am so not ready for it.
On the plus side, though, TJ’s snacks, amirite? 🙂
Here are some things I’m currently loving at the moment. What have you been loving lately, my dear?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I just pulled two NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealers out of my makeup bag because I’ve been rockin’ them 24/7.
OK, maybe not 24/7…but most of the waking hours. Yes, I NEED concealer, LOL!
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer
16 shades, permanent, $30, available January 1 at NARS boutiques and online
Chantilly (true ivory shade for a light complexion), Vanilla (tiny cast of pink or a light complexion), Creme Brulee (fair with a light pink undertone), Cannelle (light with a peachy undertone), Honey (warm peach for a light to medium complexion), Custard (yellow tone for a light to medium complexion), Macadamia (medium with a peachy undertone), Ginger (golden undertone for a medium complexion), Biscuit (medium dark natural balance of pink and yellow undertones), Caramel (medium dark yellow and golden undertones), Chestnut (medium with a pink undertone), Amande (medium dark with golden olive undertones), Hazelnut (medium dark with a warm red undertone), Cafe (dark shade with warm red undertones), Cacao (dark shade with deep golden brown undertones), Dark Coffee (dark brown with an olive undertone)“NARS’ highest coverage concealer yet delivers natural natural-looking coverage in an oil-free cream formula that blurs, concealers and smooths imperfections with its soft-focus smoothing complex. Optimal Diffusion Powder helps maximize light diffusion with spherical surface powders designed to absorb and refract light with a powerful optical effect. Instantly transforms the look of skin to help blur imperfections. Advanced powders created with a unique, interwoven structure lay flat while staying connected for the highest level of coverage with the lightest touch. Resists settling into fine lines and pores. Collagen-boosting peptides smooth and reduce the appearances of wrinkles and pores. Hyaluronic acid helps to hydrate, soften and plump the skin for a healthier-looking complexion. Antioxidant Daily Defense delivers a cocktail of Vitamin A, C and E for environmental defense.”
— NARS PR
They’re full coverage, stay out of my fine lines and blur my pores. That’s a concealer triple threat!
I’m wearing Macadamia under my eyes in this video and Ginger on my cheeks and around my mouth.
They’re $30 each and coming to NARS counters in January 2017.
Thank you as always for watching. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Do you have a second? — because if you do, get into my Mazda, girl! Let’s go to Sephora! You need to check out these Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks. They’re my favorite foundation at the moment. Period. The coverage is flexible, and that’s perfect for my current mission in life, which is to have my makeup look as natural as possible.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hello, is this thing on? Yes? No? Yes? I think I see the red dot…
It was a little weird filming this video because…I haven’t put my makeup on in front of the camera in a long time, and I had to re-remember all of the little technical/secret squirrel details like to check your nostrils before you turn on the camera because of renegade boogers…
Hey, just keeping it real! 🙂
So, this is a Chanel winter makeup look — nothing too fancy, but a little fancier than I’d wear to just chill on the couch. I did silvery blue eyes with a soft dainty wing, pink cheeks and nude lips.
The video is totally informal, and I glossed over some parts. It’s not a tutorial, but if you have any questions about anything I did, hit me up in the comments.
I used to feel that, especially if I’m going to sit in front of the camera for a video, I had to do everything in my makeup perfectly, but you know what? Life happens. This isn’t a perfect makeup look, but it’s realstic for me and what I wear now. I don’t have the patience anymore to layer three different shades of brown in the crease just to run errands around town. This is just a simple look that represents what I like right now, which is slightly polished makeup that isn’t too involved.
As always, thank you for watching, my friend! Talk to you soon. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Because sometimes you’re so excited about a show that you NEED to make a video about it.
I’m so excited about heading back to Stars Hollow! I mean, I already go back once a day. I either watch old episodes of Gilmore girls in the morning while I’m eating breakfast, or I watch an episode before I go to sleep at night.
Correction: I only do that in the fall.
In my mind, I’m a Stars Hollow resident, and I live on Peach Street. And every morning we go to Luke’s for breakfast, except when we need a break and we go to Westin’s or Al’s Pancake World instead. 🙂
(I filmed this last week, which is why I say “next week” in the video.)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I think I may have told you this before, so if I have, please bear with me…but if I haven’t, well, welcome to the crazy! 🙂
I like to change the lyrics to songs and sing them to Tabs, and one of those songs is Mariah Carey’s Touch My Body.
Love me some Mimi!
Anyway, I can’t sing it anymore without picturing Tabs rolling around on his back showing off his tummy in slow-mo (I know you can see it too), because Touch My Body is his theme song. When I sing it to him, it goes, “Touch Tabs’ body, give him some food… Give him food and love!”
Honestly, I don’t even know what the real lyrics are at this point…
These are the things that cray-cray cat ladies do.
It wouldn’t be a Mimi makeup collection without glamour, glitter and sparkle, and there’s plenty of it in the MAC Mariah Carey collection.
This one’s a beauty, babe. Easily one of my holiday faves this year. I guess MAC saved the best for last!
Here’s a first look with thoughts and swatches. I’m wearing the collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips in this video, too (the items I’m wearing are listed below), so if you have any Qs, let me know in the comments.
I’ve never in my life had a Band-Aid actually match my skin tone, which goes to why I like things like My Little Pony Band-Aids. 🙂
Whew! I just finished recording a bunch of videos, and that’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that I had some technical difficulties. It’s been a while since I’ve done a lot of video, and it’s like I had to relearn everything.
Such is life!
How’s your day been?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Belated TGIF!
Before there was strobing, there was MAC Strobe Cream, and EEK! — now it’s available in five different shades.
Yeah, and they’re in the permanent line, so if you happen to fall in love with one of them (ahem, “Peachlite!”), no worries. They’re here to stay.
Also, no worries — the original Strobe Cream is still in the lineup. It just has a new name: Pinklite.
If you’ve been reading MBB long, you probably know that I’ve been loving and wearing Strobe Cream for years.
Basically, it’s an opalescent highlighter/pearly highlighting lotion, but please don’t let that scare you, even if the thought of wearing shimmer all over your face sounds terrifying…
It does to me, right? — because, hello, pores. But Strobe Cream is subtle.
Of course, if you feel like going the BA-BLING highlighting route, the new In the Spotlight collection also includes four new Extra Dimension Skinfinish highlighters.
The MAC In the Spotlight collection
Available online now and coming to stores November 10
Strobe Creams in Pinklite (pink pearls), Peachlite (peach pearls), Silverlite (silver pearls), Redlite (red pearls), Goldlight (gold pearls) — $33 each; permanent
Extra Dimension Skinfinishes in Show Gold (peach that breaks pink), Double-Gleam (beige that breaks silver), Beaming Blush (pink that breaks gold) and Soft Frost (white that breaks violet) — also $33 each; permanent
127 Split Fibre Face Brush ($35), 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush ($35) — permanent
Both the Strobe Creams and the Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are $33 each, and they’re available online now (and coming to MAC counters and stores November 10).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen