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

Saturday Surfing, Sept. 11, 2021

September 11th, 2021 by Karen 4 Comments

The view down Lombard Street in San Francisco

Hi, guys. I usually like to start these Saturday Surfing posts on an upbeat note, but I can’t give my usual chipper good morning greetings today without acknowledging the date and what it represents. Today marks 20 years since the September 11th attacks, and while the painful memories and horror I used to feel whenever I thought about that day have more or less subsided, I’ll never forget exactly where I was that morning (I was a 20-something living in San Francisco at the time), down to every minute detail, or the life-changing fear and uncertainty that followed. So much changed in just a few minutes.

If you also remember that day, my hope for you is that you’ve had time and space to process your feelings about it. The word “surreal” gets thrown around a lot about September 11th, but I can’t think of a more apt word. If you remember that day, it was utterly surreal.

Connor doesn’t understand what “September 11” means or represents, thank goodness. She still lives in that glorious childhood bubble, and I want to keep it that way for now. Someday I’ll explain it to her, and I suppose when she’s old enough to understand it, I’ll find the right words. She came home yesterday from kindergarten talking about Patriot Day and said her teachers called it a day to honor those who stood for our country, which I think is fitting.

I’m always grateful to you for visiting me here, but today I feel extra thankful.

Take care of yourself, OK?

This week’s reading

Ear makeup is a thing.
Hand me a beret and a baguette because these 12 perfumes allegedly transport you directly to France.
Did you ever wear any of these pungent perfumes from the past? I loved (and still love) YSL Paris.
Christian Dior’s sister, Catherine, was a dedicated member of the French Resistance who fought the Nazis. She also inspired his famous Miss Dior perfume.
Carolina A. Herrera, creative director of beauty at Caroline Herrera, on the perfumes she’s launched and the new makeup from the line.
In case you need some fall color nail polish inspiration!
A quick rundown of the key milestones in Revlon’s history.
Supposedly, this is the exact order you should apply your skin care products.
A new study of domestic cats has revealed which genes give kitties their distinctive fur patterns!
Naomi Osaka has a new skin care line.

So many kittehs!

Honestly, I love big ’80s hair so much.

Note to self

This looks kinda fun.

For your fall wardrobe refresh

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This or That: The Fall Beauty Edition!

September 10th, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

nars fall 2018 — Fall is just around the corner

How to play

Pick one or the other for each of the questions below, and copy/paste your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to see your picks! Mine are down below.

This or That: The Fall Beauty Edition

Full-coverage foundation: yes or no?

Dark nail polish: yes or no?

Brown lipstick or berry lipstick?

Smokey eyes: subtle or bold?

Red lipstick: with or without a darker lip liner?

False lashes: yes or no?

Burgundy lips or brick red lips?

Graphic liner or smokey eyes?

One bold pop of color or monochromatic lips/cheeks/eyes?

Wine or plum lips?

Kitten liner or loaded lashes?

Smokey winged liner or statement lips?

Full-on glam: yes or no?

Full-coverage foundation: yes or no?

Nope! I used to love it, but after wearing barely any base for almost a year, full coverage feels like way too much on my skin.

Dark nail polish: yes or no?

YES!

Brown lipstick or berry lipstick?

Ooh, tough! You know I love a ’90s brown lip, but I’m going to go with berry.

Smokey eyes: subtle or bold?

Subtle for now…but ask me again in a month or two. The answer may change!

Red lipstick: with or without a darker lip liner?

Let’s do it “with,” shall we? I opt for just subtly darker, though. Nothing too contrast-y!

False lashes: yes or no?

Nah! I think I’m done with lashes, at least for now.

Burgundy lips or brick red lips?

Brick red, baby.

Graphic liner or smokey eyes?

Smokey eyes all the way, mostly because they seem to allow for more room for imperfection, and they’re generally easier for me to do. Graphic liner requires too much precision for me now, you know? It’s too much pressure! 😬

One bold pop of color or monochromatic lips/cheeks/lids?

Monochromatic lips/cheeks/lids (with lots of mascara).

Wine or plum lips?

This one’s easy: wine!

Kitten liner or loaded lashes?

Kitten liner.

Smokey winged liner or statement lips?

Smokey wings all the way.

Full-on glam: yes or no?

I’m tempted to say yes because who doesn’t love a diva makeup moment? — but I know myself all too well. So no. If I were able to choose “light touch of glam” or “baby glam,” then maybe! 😁

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Two Things to Try If You Get Stuck While Decluttering Your Makeup

September 9th, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

ilia saie september 2021 — Out with the old, in with the new!

Hi, friend. You may or may have been around last week when I mentioned the plateau I’d hit in my ongoing makeup decluttering process.

Quick recap, but I’ve been working on it since early summer, and for reasons I don’t fully understand yet (and perhaps never will), I’ve reached the event horizon of said process. In other words, I’m at the point where it’s become just really hard for me to say goodbye to things I never actually use.

I want to power through it and, quite frankly, I’m tired of looking at the totes piled up in the corner of my dining room! — so I’ve been thinking deeply about next steps.

Last weekend, I stumbled upon a couple of ideas that seemed to help the process along, including 1) physically putting myself into the decluttering process by opening the totes and standing there amongst them, and 2) using good old-fashioned bribery to motivate myself.

These are strategies I’ve employed before to get moving on projects, and I know they work well for me when it comes to projects I don’t necessarily want to do. I’ve found them very useful for powering through plateaus.

Put yourself into the situation (quite literally)

So, with all the old makeup in the totes, what I’ve been doing is unstacking each tote — which isn’t an easy task, mind you, because they’re big and heavy — and opening them all up in the dining room. Then, I stand there amongst them for a few minutes.

Most of the time after standing there twiddling my thumbs for a few minutes, I get down to business. It sounds so simple and basic, but sometimes that passive aggressive push is all it takes to get moving.

I started doing this trick in high school when I was in band. I’d go through phases when I didn’t want to practice whatever instrument du jour I was into at the time. (Side note: I was a massive music nerd and played a bunch of instruments, but in high school band, I mostly played flute. Anywho!)

I never quite learned how to play the drums, though. Also, vintage CoyCoy!

Whenever I’d go through one of those spells, I’d physically put myself into a practice situation by setting up my music stand and my sheet music, and getting all set to go. Then, I’d sit down, open my flute case, put my flute together, and proceed to tell myself that if after sitting for five minutes I still didn’t want to practice, I could put everything away and go do whatever else I wanted.

Most of the time, like 99% of the time, I’d end up practicing because I figured I was already there. Might as well do it at that point since I made the effort to set everything up. 😉

The idea of “physically putting myself into a situation” is also helpful when I feel like bailing on a workout. I’ll sausage myself into my workout clothes and shoes, wrangle my hair into a bun, set out my mat and whatever weights I might need, and fill up my water bottle. Then I’ll stand there, quite literally, until I realize, “What the hell; I’m already here. I might as well get started.”

Try it the next time you need a little motivation.

Good ol’-fashioned bribery

The second motivational strategy I use is one that really helps me — using bribery as a reward!

Years ago I did a half marathon, and at the start of every week, I’d write down how many miles I wanted to train that week and on which days I planned to run those miles. If by the end of the week I hit all my goals, I’d treat myself to a meal at my favorite sushi restaurant or would buy myself a piece of clothing or a new pen and a notebook.

Last weekend, I started telling myself that if I decluttered a certain number of items, I could then purchase one new thing, and I ended up decluttering a ton and rewarded myself with a trip to Sephora and Ulta.

Here’s the key though: writing everything down so you track your progress! (Tip: it helps to use cute steno.)

Every time things go out, I write “# things removed = 1 new piece of makeup.”

Another key to this is to reward yourself as soon as possible after accomplishing your goal. I’ve found that the quicker I reward myself, the easier it is to stay motivated.

Also, um…I do realize the irony in rewarding myself with new makeup for getting rid of old makeup, and I absolutely DO NOT WANT to find myself in a situation where all the totes are just refilled again. I want to be more careful and selective about the makeup I keep in my space and my life from this point forward. I only want to have items I actually use and love.

That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. 😊

So far, I’m loving the Ilia Color Haze Blush and the Liquid Powder Eye Tint!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Easygoing, Effortless Daytime Makeup With Ilia and Saie

September 8th, 2021 by Karen 14 Comments

I treated myself to some new makeup last weekend — a taupe cream shadow, a matte coral-pink cheek and lip cream, a brown pencil liner and a new mascara.

ilia saie september 2021 k3 — Swatches from the top: Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco, Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation, Ilia Clean Line Gel Liner in Dusk and Saie Mascara 101

I’m still in the “getting to know you” stage with everything, but here are some quick thoughts on these pieces, all which are part of Ilia’s and Saie’s permanent collections.

Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco: So good! Pigmented and easy to blend, with a crease-free formula that lasts. The sheen finish is forgiving on fine lines, too.
Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation: Where has this been all my life? It’s long-lasting on cheeks and lips, and a little goes a long way. Blends and layers like a dream.
Ilia Clean Line Gel Liner in Dusk: I bought this mostly because the color reminds me of MAC Coffee, and I like the twist-up packaging. It stays on my lash and waterlines all day long.
Saie Mascara 101: Just OK. Great length and decent lift, no flaking or smudging. Easy to remove. I could use more of a volume boost, though, especially at the roots.

ilia saie september 202 -k2 — From the mascara wand: Saie Mascara 101, Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation, Ilia Clean Line Gel Liner in Dusk and Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco

ilia saie september 2021 k1 — I popped on a little bit of gloss (Chanel Rouge Coco in Physical) on top of the lip pigment just for fun!

I’ve liked what I’ve tried from Ilia so far, and so I just added these things to my wish list.
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Do You Have a System for Tracking How Old Your Makeup Is and How Long You’ve Had It?

September 7th, 2021 by Karen 12 Comments

neutral palettes sharpie — Hi, my name is Karen, and I like to hold onto things for way too long.

Question for you — do you have a system for tracking how old your makeup is and how long you’ve had it?

I’ve had this brewing in my mind for the past couple days because I just bought a few new things last weekend from Sephora (more on this in a few!).

So, true confessions, but I’ve never strictly adhered to the expiration guidelines posted on makeup and beauty products, but I want try doing it for a bit. I tend to hang onto things for too long — not just literally with makeup, but in various other aspects of my life as well — and I’m ready to change that.

My hope is that if I actually use those expiration dates as a guide, maybe I’ll be motivated to finish the stuff I already have. (And it would also be an excuse to refresh my makeup bag more often!)

To this end, I started writing dates on eyeshadow palettes a while back.

It’s simple enough to do. I just write the year I added it to my collection on the item with a Sharpie, but now I’m thinking about also writing the expiration date directly on things so I’m continuously reminded (in cases when the date is only on the packaging). For instance, I got an Ilia liquid eye tint last weekend, and it has a six-month symbol on the bottom of the tube, which means that, if I go by the book, it’ll be good until March 2022.

Now, I should characterize this endeavor as a test or an experiment, because I’m not sure how I’ll feel about it when the expiration date passes but I still don’t want to discard something. Will the fact that I’ve written the date right on the item bother me? Time will tell. So this is just an experiment for now.

Also, the part of me that loves lists wants to start a spreadsheet with the following columns:

Item name
Date purchased
Expiration date
Similar items currently in my stash

That way I can make sure I’m not just buying the same taupe eyeshadow or coral blush over and over, ya know?

I’m so ready to turn over a new leaf and try new things! 😊

I’d love to hear what your process is. Do you keep track of how old your makeup is and how long you’ve had it? I’m very curious about this!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 694

September 6th, 2021 by Karen 17 Comments

your potential is endless — You can do it!

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). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. One of your favorite makeup artists?

I’ll always and forever be inspired by the late, great Kevyn Aucoin.

2. A classic makeup look that suits you?

When I was wearing lots of makeup, I think I was able to pull off smoky eyes and nude lips pretty well, but now as I go through a more streamlined phase of my makeup life, winged liner and bold lips seem to work alright!

3. If your cat could buy you a present, what would he or she get you?

OK, Rosie-Pose, I know you’re reading this because you’re a low-key feline genius. 😹 I also know that you already know I’d love to receive a Jo Malone perfume or a Chanel nail polish. 😉However, because you’re a cat, I realize how difficult it is for you to put someone else’s wants before your own, so I’m assuming you’d probably get me a science book, like “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking, instead. Or, you’d buy “me” — air quotes — an extra large bag of your favorite chicken Temptations cat treats.

4. Have you ever had to deal with hair loss?

Yeah, a few months after I gave birth to Coywolf, my hair started falling out. It came out in clumps in the shower, which was absolutely terrifying! I remember standing underneath the water, looking down into the hair trap and being shocked by amount that had falling out.

Five years have passed since then, and my hair still hasn’t fully recovered to it’s pre-baby thickness. I suspect it never will. I can especially see the change along my hairline by my temples.

5. Quick, name the first ’80s song that pops into your head.

“Something happens, and I’m head over heels. I never find out, until I’m head over heels!”

If you know, you know. 😉

6. Red lipstick or neutral eyeshadow palette?

Neutral eyeshadow palette! 🙌

7. Grunge or glam?

Grunge today! I’m in the mood to scare some kids on the playground.

8. Purple lipstick or purple eyeshadow?

Purple eyeshadow.

9. Cucumbers or carrots?

If we’re talking raw, I’ll take some Persian cucumbers please.

If we’re talking baked into a cake, I’ll take carrots instead, but only if said cake is covered in cream cheese frosting!

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. One of your favorite makeup artists?
2. A classic makeup look that suits you?
3. If your cat could buy you a present, what would he or she get you?
4. Have you ever had to deal with hair loss?
5. Quick, name the first ’80s song that pops into your head.
6. Red lipstick or neutral eyeshadow palette?
7. Grunge or glam?
8. Purple lipstick or purple eyeshadow?
9. Cucumbers or carrots?

P.P.S. Fresh start to another week, my friend! Happy Labor Day. 😸 If you have the day off, I hope you’re recharging your batteries. If you’re at work, though, I hope you have a great day. We’re all going to have a wonderful week ahead! Be extra kind to yourself, OK?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 676

September 5th, 2021 by Karen 3 Comments

Oh, my gosh, this time of year on the hill? Tabs loved late summer here so much! The long days, the active squirrels collecting acorns and leaping from tree to tree, the noisy woodpeckers, the huge flocks of overstuffed turkeys, the breezy nights and afternoons that send leaves and dry grass dancing. It’s a super exciting time of year for a cat, and it thrilled him.

The wildlife has been more active than usual this year. My tabby would have loved it.

Some nights after he got home from work, El Hub would take Tabs out on the hill, and the two of them would explore every nook and cranny. Tabs would climb oak trees, chase lizards, stalk moles, and he even caught a bird or two WHILE ON HIS LEASH! Now that’s the dedication of a natural born birder.

Rosie

Rosie has also found her groove lately. She knows what’s up about September. Just like Tabs, she gets totally fired up when it’s windy outside, which it is a lot here from now till November.

When everything around her is rustling and moving, all the leaves, grass and branches swaying, it really gets her kitty senses tingling.

I wonder if they could have hung out together, if they would have gotten along. I think about it a lot. Most of the time, I think they probably wouldn’t, because both of them are fairly standoffish around other cats. Tabs certainly was. He was very territorial.

But maybe their mutual love for September would have brought them together.

Maybe. I like to think so.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, September 4, 2021!

September 4th, 2021 by Karen 6 Comments

popcorn peanut mms — Have a delicious Saturday.

Hi, friend! We made it to the weekend, and this girl plans to celebrate with some serious relaxing. I’m looking for movies to watch while I devour my favorite snack (see above). Do you have anything to recommend? Let me know!

Before I settle into some much-needed screen time, here’s this week’s reading.