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9 Things I Never Expected

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Do you ever see something at work or at home, or realize something about yourself, and say, “I never expected…” — like, “I never expected to like Brussels sprouts” or “I never expected to have 23 cats”?

Some things make you go “Hmm…” Others, like the things on this list I started yesterday in my journal, make you go “Who’d a thunk it?”

Here are nine (beauty and otherwise) things I never expected to see or do in my life. If you feel like joining in, please share yours in the comments (and you don’t have to list nine). 🙂

I never expected…

1. To have my wardrobe revolve around my cat

I noticed the other day while looking in my closet that I pick a lot of my clothes based on how well I think they’ll disguise black, orange and gray tabby fur. For instance, I don’t have a single pair of white pants, and I always think about how much Tabs is shedding at any given time before pulling out an outfit to wear.

That’s weird, right?

2. To always have a pair of tiny tweezers in my purse

Why? Because I have chin hairs like mushrooms that just sort of appear out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. Where do they come from? What purpose do they serve? Are they an omen of some kind? And why do they always, ALWAYS pop up in the middle of the day?

Thank goodness for Tweezerman. Without those tiny tweezers I could be walking around with a goatee.

3. Getting older to be so hard

To quote my oh-so-eloquent optometrist, “Growing older isn’t for wimps.” This, she said to me as she prescribed stronger glasses.
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These MAC Semi Precious Mineralize Blushes Are 100% Great

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MAC Semi Precious Mineralize Blushes from the left: Feeling Flush, Pressed Amber and Warmth of Coral

If you haven’t popped by a MAC counter to try the three new MAC Mineralize Blushes ($23) from the Semi Precious Collection, try to pencil in a trip if you can. I think they’re all kinds of awesome, especially if you like a natural-looking cheek flush and blushes that are easy to apply.

I’ve been reaching for Feeling Flush (a marbleized mix of pink, blue and brown), Pressed Amber (a mix of beige, nude and brown) and Warmth of Coral (a mix with a coral and a peach) regularly since last week. All three spread like warm butter on bread, applying smoothly on cheeks and giving them a gorgeous, just-pinched look with one or two layers.


Mineralize Blush swatches from the left with the flash: Feeling Flush, Pressed Amber and Warmth of Coral


Mineralize Blush swatches from the left without the flash: Feeling Flush, Pressed Amber and Warmth of Coral


Feeling Flush on cheeks
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Being Bold with One Eyeshadow at a Time, in This Case NARS Outremer

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Going bold with your eye makeup by getting back to basics can be a lot of fun. Believe it or not, dramatic looks like this blue cat eye starring NARS Outremer Eyeshadow ($23), my new favorite blue, don’t necessarily need to involve boatloads of products.

nars fall 2011 outremer single eyeshadow

This particular cat eye packs an edgy wallop, thanks in large part to Outremer, and only requires a single shadow, a few tools, a positive attitude and a good chunk of time (for me, from 20-30 minutes). I went with bold, blue Outremer here, but you could just as easily use another color you happen to have on hand, like a yellow, orange, pink or green. If you decide to try your hand at a bold look featuring a different eyeshadow single, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. 🙂

Now, I hope you’re ready. Here are the steps I followed this time around…

1. Brushes with greatness


Brushes used, from the left: the MAC 266 Small Angle Brush, MAC 219 Pencil Brush, MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush and the MAC 217 Blending Brush

First things first, I cleared a space to work in at the bathroom counter and gathered the following eye makeup brushes, each of which serves a different purpose in the look.

  • A Small-Angle Brush — A great multipurpose brush. I use them for everything from lining my lash and water lines to filling in my brows. In this case I used the MAC 266 ($19.50) to outline the initial shape of the cat eye and to line my water line.
  • A Domed Blending Brush — Another awesome multitasking brush. Great for applying powder or cream eyeshadows, blending and for applying concealer. I like the MAC 217 ($17.50) and used it here to apply color to my lids and in the crease. I also used it to blur out the edges of lines and the overall shape of the cat eye.
  • An Eye Shader Brush — A solid performer when it comes to applying dense amounts of eyeshadow, and it excels with loose powders and pigments. I used it here (the $24.50 MAC 239) to apply color on my lids and along my lower lash line.
  • A Pencil Brush — Great for detailed work. Here I used the pointy tip on the mighty MAC 219 ($24.50) to add dense, concentrated color on my lids and lash lines.

2. Prepare to prime

Next, I prepared my lids for the look by applying a primer. I like the results I get from with NARS Pro-Prime Smudge-Proof Eye Shadow Base ($24). I think it really accentuates colors while extending wear time and preventing creases.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Lipglass in Spite

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mac spite lipglass

So, I totally had a Joey Lawrence-style “WHOA!” moment at the MAC store last weekend. I was there picking up my umpteenth tube of today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Lipglass in Spite ($14.50), when I realized, holy crap! — I’ve been wearing this Lipglass longer than some of the girls shopping in this store have been alive!

Seriously, I’ve been wearing Spite for roughly 12 years. Assuming an average of two tubes per year — yes, I like it that much — that’s 24 tubes.

TWENTY-FOUR TUBES!

I started wearing Spite shortly after I took a job as a legal assistant at a law firm in 1999. I was in my early 20s, but I probably looked a little younger than that at the time. People would stop me in the halls, assuming I was one of the high school interns, and ask things like, “Oh, are you someone’s daughter?”

“Um…yes?” I’d say, a little confused. “How about you?”

Or, “Is this your summer job?”

“Well…sort of, but I would really like to keep it through winter.”

Pretty soon I was trying to look older, which for me meant putting my hair up in a bun, wearing my glasses instead of contacts and slicking my lips with MAC Spite.

While I love nude-ish pink and peach glosses with a flirty, casual, playful vibe, I prefer something like Spite’s plummy brown when I want to convey more of a sense of restraint, maturity and confident control (but don’t want to look stuffy or boring at the same time).

mac spite lipglass tube

mac spite lipglass swatch
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