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

Outfit of the Day, Vol. 12: Ankle Boots and a BCBG Dress

by 41 Comments

outfit of the day bcbg dress

No fear!

Well at least that’s my plan for the rest of 2012.

I’m gonna try to keep an open mind, for things both big and small, with “try” being the operative word.

Like with my outfit today and pairing ankle boots with a dress.

“Ankle boots with a dress…?”

Yeah, that’s what I said, but I thought the best way to see if I’d like it was to give it a try.

Right now this BCBG dress is one of my favorite things in my closet. It’s super comfy, like a stretchy pants equivalent of a dress, but it’s machine washable and doesn’t need ironing (YES!), saving time and money on dry cleaning.

BCBG actually has a ton of everyday dresses that you can just throw in the wash. That’s so cool! Some of their stuff can be quite pricey, though, so I’ve always got my eyes peeled for sales. I found this dress early this summer on deep discount at Haute Look for 50% off.

outfit of the day bcbg dress
[Continue reading…]

Driver, Take Me to NARS 413BLKR Street for the New Duo Eyeshadow and Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

by 46 Comments

nars 413blkr

Sure, you’ve got your beauty bases covered for life’s big events — cocktail parties, baby showers, weddings, the zombie apocalypse — but what about those once-in-a-while mornings when you wake up feeling “meh”?

Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Maybe you woke up with hella greasy hair that smelled like Ritz Crackers. Maybe you just wanted — no, needed a jolt of color to summon your inner foxiness forward.

It’s mornings like those that were made for 413BLKR. 🙂

NARS recently released 413BLKR Duo Eyeshadow ($34) and 413BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($24), the two newest numerically-named members of Team 413BLKR (a collection named after the company’s flagship NY store), to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out, a big New York Fashion Week festivity.

You know…I never would have thought to pair these two products together, and that’s one of the reasons why I love NARS. They have a knack for introducing unexpected pairings that just plain work.

Wearing these pieces, I feel like shouting “halleluja!” up to the heavens. “Mama’s still got it!” They make me want to blast Bad Girls by Donna Summer and twirl around in my living room with my arms raised up!

nars 413blkr

nars 413blkr swatches

nars 413blkr
[Continue reading…]

Smokey Eyes and Nude Lips: A MAC Carine Roitfeld Face of the Day

by 30 Comments

mac carine roitfeld
Wearing the MAC Carine Roitlfeld Full Face Kit in Jungle Camouflage ($44) on my eyes and cheeks, and Lipstick in Tropical Mist ($16.50) on my lips

TABS: Woman. Woooo-man. WOMAN!

KAREN: Um, yes, Tabs?

TABS: I need you to stop whatever you’re doing because I have an urgent task for you.

KAREN: Well, I’m in the middle of alphabetizing your cans of gravy right now, which earlier today you called the “highest priority” in the office, and if I stop now to do something else, I’ll be here all night long.

TABS: And…?

KAREN: [Sigh] What is it?

TABS: Listen, I’m gonna need you to try on these two new pieces from the MAC Carine Roitfeld collection — the Full Face Kit in Jungle Camouflage and the Lipstick in Tropical Mist.

KAREN: Sure, but does it have to be now? Can’t it wait ’til tomorrow?

TABS: Oh, I’m sorry. Did the terms of your employment suddenly change? — because I don’t remember paying you to ask questions.

KAREN: It’s funny you should mention that, because I don’t remember you paying me at all.

TABS: Well excuuuuuse me, miss thing! If you don’t want the job, I can get someone else. I know at least 50 girls who would jump at the chance to assist me.

KAREN: Okay, okay. Don’t get your tail in a knot. Is there a particular look you want me to try?

TABS: That’s better. Yes, how about something smokey? You know I lurves me some smokey eyes.

Full Face Kit in Jungle Camouflage on the left and Lipstick in Tropical Mist on the right

mac carine roitfeld swatches
Full Face Kit in Jungle Camouflage swatches from the left: Cremeblend Blush in Bootcamp Bronze, and Eyeshadows in Dew, Camo, Bad Lieutenant and Carbon; Lipstick in Tropical Mist on the right

mac carine roitfeld
[Continue reading…]

This Bargain Holiday Kit Will Have You Singing Songs of Savings: The New Anastasia Kisses on My List Volume 2 Hydrafull Gloss Set

by 31 Comments

anastasia kisses on my list sharona
Wearing the New Anastasia Kisses on My List Volume 2 Hydrafull Gloss in Sharona

Um…like I really needed another excuse to randomly bust out in song today.

Sun’s up? That’s a good reason. Cup of coffee? That’s a good reason. Tabs hasn’t scratched my ankles yet? That’s a good reason. Waiting in line at Trader Joe’s, taking Tabs for a walk, indoor plumbing, having ice cream for dinner, sitting in front of the computer like I am right now? All good enough reasons.

But lately, I’ve been singing aloud with even more gusto than usual, like I’m stuck in an a very special episode of Glee (guest starring Tabs the Cat and Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog), and I MUST EMOTE! 🙂

I wonder if it has something to do with Anastasia…

I’ve been wearing the new glosses in her latest set a lot this week, and not just because they shine like my tubby tabby’s eyes.

Most of the glosses in the limited edition $30 holiday Kisses on My List Volume 2 Hydrafull Gloss Set of six full-size tubes are named after a different old-school jam.

There’s Lola, a shimmery, cool pink that changes to a deeper hue after a few minutes on the lips (Anastasia calls these Hypercolor glosses); Maggie May, a sheer and creamy nude; Jolene, a shimmery rose (another one of the Hypercolors); Roxanne, a shimmery gold (also a Hypercolor); and Sharona, a sheer and shimmery peach.

The only one I don’t recognize from a song is Moi, a sheer and creamy pink (got any ideas about the name?).

The other day I took out Roxanne and applied a single layer.

No, it did not sting. 🙂 Nor did the police arrive (ba-dum bum!).

But I did feel inspired to pretend the tube was a microphone and belted out, “Rrrrrox-anne! You don’t have to put on the red light!” in the middle of my living room.

anastasia kisses on my list
From the left: Moi, Maggie May, Sharona, Lola, Jolene and Roxanne

anastasia kisses on my list swatches
Swatches from the left: Jolene, Lola, Maggie May, Moi, Roxanne and Sharona

You might be thinking, “K, you so crazy! I love good glosses too, but there’s no way one would make me sing in public or my living room.”

You never know, my friend. Even if you’re the silent type, this set is one heck of a deal. In the set, the glosses work out to just $5 per tube, versus the $18 they usually sell for individually.

anastasia kisses on my list jolene
Jolene

[Continue reading…]

The MAC Face and Body Collection Dives Into a New Dimension of Skin Sculpting and Defining

by 36 Comments

mac face and body collection

“Almost done! Be down in five minutes!”

I wonder if boys are born knowing that that phrase up their actually means that they’re gonna be waiting at least another 30 minutes, or if it’s knowledge they acquire over the years.

Poor El Hub… Sometimes I think I can actually hear his eyes rolling when I yell to him from upstairs, “Almost done! Be down in five minutes!”

It’s all the little bits, ya know? Those are the things that can really add up to take so much time — the things like shading, contouring, highlighting and texturizing we do to give our makeup extra bamf!

You know how it goes… Like J. Renner told Ellen, you start with the basics. “Brows, lashes, lips — frame the face!” (at about 3:34 in the video). But then somewhere along the way, the makeup train derails. Next thing you know, you’re holding five brushes in one hand and two palettes in the other, and the sink is covered in fallout.

Possessed! That’s how you look, but you feel like the queen of the world! 🙂

If those little beauty bits — the things like sculpting, defining and adding texture to your skin — light your fire like they light mine, don’t miss the new MAC Face and Body collection, a 27-piece release.

It includes 13 travel-sized bottles of MAC Face and Body Foundation (1.7 ounces for $27 each, versus $35 for the regular 4-ounce bottles), six Pro Scultping Creams ($20 each), six shimmery Pressed Pigments ($21 each) and two brushes ($25 for the MAC 215, and $35 for the MAC 163).

Here’s a quick look at four pieces from the collection and a few first impressions…

mac accentuate
Peachy beige Pro Sculpting Cream in Accentuate

mac coffee walnut
Deep, dirty cool brown Pro Sculpting Cream in Coffee Walnut
[Continue reading…]

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.