Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

You Know It’s Good When…

October 20th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

…You hit the pan.

MAC Studio Careblends Pressed Powder in Medium Dark, $23. I can’t live without it!

What Foundation Have You Been Using Lately?

October 20th, 2011 by Karen 57 Comments

Rise and shine, morning glory! Unless we’re talking about foundations…in which case “Rise and glow” might be more appropriate. 🙂

Every few days I’m asked about the foundation I’m wearing, and since it changes from time to time (and I’m always on the market for new suggestions), I thought we could revisit it today.

Hi Karen,

I was wondering what foundation/highlighter you’ve been using lately? We have a similar skin tone, and in your Nars G-Spot review pic you look so glowy and fresh. Please let me know. Thank you.

Brandee

Hi Brandee,

Well, I’m always switching between a couple of different foundations, but for most of my pics lately I’ve been wearing Chanel Mat Lumiere in Soft Honey. It’s $54, so it’s pricey, I know, but I find that I don’t have to use very much. It gives great coverage, yet I think it still looks natural, feels light, takes to flash photography well and doesn’t aggravate my combination oily/dry skin.

But what I really love about it is the finish. It’s just shy of matte, so it doesn’t create that flat, artificial texture that I get from some matte foundations.

Other times, when I want a more satiny finish, I’ll reach for MAC Studio Sculpt in NC42 ($29.50) instead. It delivers easy-to-build, medium-to-full coverage, and lately I’ve been topping it with the MAC Careblends Powders ($23) for a fresh, glowy look. Like Chanel Mat Lumiere, it doesn’t give me breakouts, photographs well and looks great in real life.

MAC Studio Sculpt on the left and Chanel mat Lumiere on the right

There are just so many options out there that I can never stick to one for long. I know a lot of gals who swear by Make Up For Ever, CoverFX and Bare Minerals foundations, too. You might also find some good suggestions in the comments on this post here: What’s Your Favorite Full-Coverage Foundation for a Natural Look?

I hope this helps! If you describe your skin in more detail and let me know which foundations you’ve tried, I might have a few more ideas…

What Foundation Have You Been Using Lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Vintage MAC: The Originals Collection

October 19th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

The MAC Originals collection: a fan-freaking-tastic release from 2007 that combined old school and discontinued colors, including the famed Parrot eyeshadow. 🙂

For more on the Originals check out…

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Holiday 2011 Swatches: This Box of Gems Has Things That Make You Glow

October 19th, 2011 by Karen 19 Comments

“Calgon, take me away…”

I had one of those moments today, but my escort away from drama wasn’t Calgon. It was Bare Escentuals, with their new bareMinerals holiday collection of bright, shimmery colors in kits with names like Things That Make You Glow.

Today was a little challenging. It got off to a good start, but when Tabs found out that I’m heading out of town this weekend, he went ballistic, unleashing a litany of diva demands, all of which he wants met by the time I leave on Friday.

I finished the easy ones — making arrangements for his favorite pet sitter, bringing one of the zinnia plants in the house, programming the Tivo to record Cats 101 — but then it got tough. He also wants an XXL kitty ascot (has to be silk) and a two-day supply of organic, gluten-free, non-GMO gravy.

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen…

All I have to say is thank goodness for makeup. I would have lost my marbles today if it hadn’t been for Things That Make You Glow, Box of Gems and R.S.V.P. — a few of the kits in the big Bare Escentuals bareMinerals holiday collection.

“I refuse to look at you until you bring home my ascot…”

Things That Make You Glow

Eyecolors from the left: Aglow, Black Gold, Happiness, Overjoyed and Pamper

Eyecolors from the left: Pashmina Glimmer, Praise, Shangri-la, Utopia and Vivid
[Continue reading…]

A Hump Day Picture Party with Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Holiday 2011

October 19th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments

Almost half way up the hump, lovie! How about some bling to help you on the final climb? Perhaps these new kits from the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Holiday 2011 collection can help.

The collection’s fairly large (here’s a complete list of products); the products pictured below are just some of the more luxurious (read: pricier) pieces from the release.

RSVP

R.S.V.P. ($54; available at Bare Escentuals Boutiques and BareEscentuals.com) comes with…

1 SPF Mineral Veil Finishing Powder
1 Prime Time Primer Shadow
1 Eyecolor
1 Blush
1 Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner
1 Double-Ended Flawless Definition Mascara
1 Pretty Amazing Lipgloss
1 Tapered Shadow Brush
1 Soft Sweep Cheek Brush

[Continue reading…]

Spooky Shadows

October 19th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Seems like shadows get even creepier around halloween (says the girl who keeps a serrated bread knife by her front door…).

What Are Three Makeup-Related Things You Do Every Day (Without Fail)?

October 19th, 2011 by Karen 71 Comments

Three makeup-related things you do every day

Hook or crook, I always…

1. Curl my lashes

I can’t live without my Shu Uemura lash curler. Well…I could, but I’m not sure I’d want to. My lashes are naturally straight, but curled I think they make my eyes look bigger, and make me look more awake.

2. Fill in my “ghost brows”

If I don’t fill in the sparse outer parts of my eyebrows, I feel like something’s missing from my look, almost like I’m naked. Over the years, I’ve had flings with different brow products, but the two I always come back to are MAC Concrete Eyeshadow and the 266 brush. It took a little while to get the hang of using them together, but I can do it quickly now.

3. Cover my dark under-eye circles

Concealer is my BFF! Without it I’d look like an extra in The Walkind Dead, and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer has been rocking my world by concealing my circles for the better part of a year. It covers everything and won’t migrate for nothin’!