A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
We’re kicking off Halloween early around these parts! Wonder Woman sends her regards…
The Coywolf’s costume this year takes me back. Remember MAC Wonder Woman? Believe it or not, this was 10 (!) years ago.
Hope you’re having a lovely Friday so far, and that you’ve had a little bit of your favorite Halloween candy (mine is Snickers).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S.
Does your skin love retinol? Hyaluronic acid? Ceramides? I’m curious to know what ingredients are your tried-and-true skincare superheroes.
If you want, you can also share your skin type and what your main concerns are, if you’re feeling extra chatty in the comments.
I’ll start!
I have combination skin. My skin is dry on my cheeks and around my mouth, and oily in my T-zone. I have two main concerns: hormonal acne (UGH) and what I like to call my “experience lines.”
My tried-and-true ingredients are benzoyl peroxide, retinol, vitamin C (especially when it’s combined with ferulic acid, like in the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum). My skin also seems to respond well to beta hydroxy acid.
For the last few months I’ve been dipping my figurative toes into tranexamic acid for hyperpigmentation on my cheeks, but I don’t know if it’s actually doing anything for me yet, so the jury’s still out.
What about you? What are your tried-and-true skincare ingredients?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Happy hump day! 🤗
So…this is my new favorite work look. I’m calling it “rosy neutrals,” and it’s been in steady rotation for the past couple weeks.
I stumbled onto it quite accidentally. See, I didn’t have any clean eye brushes around (story of my life), so I ended up grabbing a few Laura Mercier cream stick shadows and let my fingers do the blending.
Gotta love cream shadows, right? They’re great for those quick and easy eye looks! I’m thinking I need more LM cream stick shadows in my life ASAP. Do you have any favorites? I want to get some matte and shimmer finishes.
OK, back to the brushes… Now that I think about it, I actually only used a total of two brushes for this look — a fan powder brush to dust some MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, and a split fiber brush to blend and apply my blush and highlighter (Laura Mercier Ginger Blush and Indiscretion Illuminator).
Have you ever used a split fiber face brush? They’re interesting. One side of the brush has bristles that are better for more intense application, and the other side has another type of bristle better for more diffused application.
MAC makes one I use and love called the 127 Synthetic Split Fiber Face Brush. To apply blush with it, I use the side with the tan bristles (the more intense side), and for highlighter, I go with the black bristles (the diffused side). To blend, I sweep the tip of the brush to buff out any hard edges.
It’s a pricey brush at $37, but it’s a workhorse IMHO! Worth the investment. I use it almost daily.
If you’re on the market for a rosy brown neutral, you need to get Laura Mercier’s Nu Prefere Lipstick into your life! If you’re a MAC Velvet Teddy girl, you’re going to LOVE this shade. It’s a lot like MAC Velvet Teddy, but a little pinker (more pink?), so it’s slightly brighter with a little more sheen. I also think Laura Mercier’s Rouge Essential Creme Lipstick formula is a tad more user-friendly and isn’t as drying as the MAC Matte Lipsticks are.
- Eyes: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colors in Wild Rose and Kiss From a Rose (inner corner), and Rose Thorn (outer corner); Ilia Clean Gel Liner in Dusk (tightline), Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara, Chanel Boy de Chanel Eyebrow Pencil in Brown
- Cheeks: Laura Mercier Blush Color Infusion in Ginger, Laura Mercier Face Illuminator in Indiscretion
- Lips: Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Lipstick in Nu Prefere
- Base: Laura Mercier Tinted Moiturizer in Wheat, Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance-Perfectiong Foundation, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden
- Skin care prep: Laura Mercier Refining Creme Polish, Laura Mercier Illuminating Eye Creme, Laura Mercier Multi-tasking Moisturizer, Nourishing Rose Oil, Laura Mercier Hydrating Lip Balm, Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer
I’m talking deadlines upon deadlines at work, and lots of quick, last-minute turnarounds. I’m trying to get through it with a smile on my face! 😅
It helps when I force myself to take breaks, and I actually schedule them into my day. When a break comes around, I make myself take a walk so I’m not tempted to do anything else productive. Haha.
While I walk, I often listen to music, and here’s what I had on rotation yesterday:
Take me back…
The more I listen to this, the more I hear old-school MJ!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ah, what a difference a bold lip makes… I was going for a vintage vibe today, so I grabbed this matte plum-berry by Laura Mercier. Femme is from the Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick line, and it’s currently on sale for $21, down from $30.
I like this formula a lot because it’s long-wearing and completely opaque. One layer and your done!
The formula feels flexible and comfortable on my lips, but if your lips tend to flake/dry out with a matte finish, then I’d prep with a lip balm first. Today I used Laura’s Hydrating Lip Balm, which is just, eh…OK.
What’s been your go-to bold lipstick lately?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
Rich balm, because HELLO, DRY SKIN!
Currently, various shades of very dark brownish black with streaks of silver peppered throughout.
I like it just fine (it’s low maintenance!), but I’m toying with the idea of coloring it again. I’ve always been the type of person who likes to change her hair color often, and I’ve had it this way for a few years now… I’m getting antsy!
It was in my office last Friday morning, where I’m actually sitting at this very moment. There’s good natural light in here (when it isn’t gray and stormy), and even though I didn’t have any work meetings scheduled, I still like to be ready in case I need to jump on a call.
Oh, this is tough, but I’ll go with Vitamin C…assuming it’s Skinceuticals CE Ferulic.
Again, how am I to choose?! I wear both on a daily basis, but, um…I’ll go with scrunchies, I guess, because they’re the more comfortable option to wear to bed.
Hell yeah! The better question is “Who hasn’t gone through a Bath & Body Works phase?” I went through my share in the ’90s.
Rain, 100%. I can’t do snow, babe. I wasn’t built for anything below 40 degrees.
Scratch that. Really, 50 degrees.
Splash cold water on my face! It helps me wake up.
This cardigan in red.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. Gel cream or thick, rich balm?
2. What color is your hair?
3. Last time and place you did your makeup?
4. Vitamin C, retinoids or hyaluronic acid?
5. Butterfly clips or scrunchies?
6. Did you ever go through a Bath & Body Works phase?
7. Do you prefer rain or snow?
8. Every morning when I first wake up I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
9. What’s the last thing you bought for yourself?
P.P.S. Happy Monday, beautiful girl! 🤗 I hope today brings you peace and joy.
What a rainy day!
Holy mackerel. It’s been raining nonstop — nonstop! — since yesterday afternoon. It’s been constant rain for almost 24 hours! I can’t remember the last time it rained like this, but it’s been years.
We live up on a little hill, so we don’t have any flooding right here, but the roads below us are flooded. The county sent texts to our phones warning us to stay home unless it’s an emergency, which is what we’ve done. I don’t know how many inches of rain have fallen, but it must be at least a few, thank goodness. It’s very welcome because of the drought, and this should mark the end of wildfire season.
Tabs would have gone buck wild for rain like this. He, like most cats, got really fired up whenever it rained. He always wanted to go outside to check it out. As soon as I’d open the door, he’d dart out, then rethink his choices and run back inside, haha! It was like, “Yea! This is great! Wait… This is water! What the hell?!”
Rosie did something similar today. She desperately wanted to go outside. She was mewling at the windows, but as soon as I opened the door, same thing. She took one step outside, got her paws wet, and then bolted back in the house!
Cats… 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
OK, you know you’ve officially had your fingers surgically attached to your keyboard when you realize it’s October 23rd and you have yet to have your first pumpkin spice latte of the season.
This has been me for the bulk of October…
I have to fix this coffee drink tragedy ASAP, obvs. I’ll be sure to grab one when I’m out doing holiday shopping! Yes, I’m actually starting in October this year, and I’m going to try to do it all in-person so I don’t have to wait for stuff to be shipped (and potentially delayed). I usually ask people in my family to give me a wish list, but ya know…I don’t think that’s been working for me. I have to badger and cajole and basically beg for the list for weeks, and then it usually ends up being too late to order anything and get it on time.
So, my strategy for gift-giving this year will be this: if it’s something I’d like to get as a gift — like, the gift feels thoughtful and special, like someone really took the time to think about it — then chances are the other person will like it too.
We’ll see how it works out! My goal is to be done with all my Christmas shopping by November 10.
Yes, I know how crazy that sounds! I’m going to make it happen!
The docs are in.
Love it.
Those sweaters look cozy.
Iconic
What are your plans on this lovely Saturday? There’s a big storm hitting Northern California this weekend, so I’m getting my errands done early today before it arrives this evening. ⛈️
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Oh yeah, 100%!
Ya know, even though I’ve become so much more comfortable with going bare faced over the last year, when I have to do something where I have to BRING IT, I feel so much better when I’m wearing a little makeup. My makeup minimum lately has been brows-lashes-lips (thanks, Jeremy Renner). If I have work meetings, then I’ll add some concealer, blush and liner if I have the time.
I know that I’m the same person with or without makeup, for sure. But I also know that I feel like I’m doing something nice for myself when I take even just 10 minutes out of my day to pause and paint my face.
How about you? Do you view putting on makeup as a form of self-care?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S.
