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

Elegant Brick Brown Lids and Charcoal Wings (and a Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake Recipe!)

March 18th, 2021 by Karen 15 Comments

I feel like I’m wearing a lot of makeup here, but I’m not…comparatively speaking. Compared to what I used to rock on the daily five or six years ago! ? ? I swear, if I just do a little concealer and foundation these days, and maybe a light dusting of powder, bam! — I feel ready for a black-tie ball from The Great Gatsby.

chanel arthur urban decay naked wild west down swatches — Swatches

Funny thing is…I was trying for an “everyday look” here with UD’s Naked Wild West Palette, which is why I used the matte, neutral workhorse shades — gray, a reddish brick brown, a taupe and a beige. I dunno though… I also couldn’t resist adding a little glitter in the inner corner!

Truth be told, my threshold for “dressing up” is very low now. Basically, whenever I put on a T-shirt and jeans that, ya know…fit, I feel dressed to the nines!

The Naked Wild West workhorse shadows blend beautifully with very little fallout, and I also like how smooth they look on my lids. They don’t look heavily creased or dry.

To go with the warm red brick tones on the lids, I added a warm reddish blush (Hourglass Diffused Heat, an old standby that goes really well with so many different shades of red lipstick) and sheer warm red Chanel Rouge Coco in Arthur on my lips.

DUDE, I am on a total Chanel Rouge Coco kick right now! It’s fancy yet approachable, with just the right amount of shine and opacity (or rather, semi-sheerness). The shade on my lips here is called Arthur, which I applied by dabbing the tube lightly on my lips. Then I pressed it in with a finger to create a warm reddish stain.

Makeup worn in this look

BASE: Chanel Ultra Le Tint Ultrawear All Day Comfort Flawless Finish Foundation in BD51, bareMinerals Original Liquid Mineral Concealer in Medium/Tan 3.5 C, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden

EYES: Urban Decay Naked Wild West Palette (Standoff as a base, Laredo and Ghost Town on lids, Pony Up as eyeliner, Cowboy Rick as an inner corner highlight), Lancome Lash Idole Mascara, IT Cosmetics Brow Power in Universal Taupe, Neutrogena Smokey Grey Eyeliner

CHEEKS: Hourglass Diffused Heat Blush

LIPS: Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Arthur

And now…

Chocolate chip applesauce cake

Quite a few gals requested this recipe, so here it is, from my tummy to yours! I originally billed this as a “one-bowl baking job,” but I was overzealous there. You will need two. I hope that doesn’t stop you from trying it because the batter comes together really quickly, and the cake bakes in about 30 minutes.

When you’re done, listen for the sound of angels singing (AAAAAHHHHH!!!!), as you’ll be rewarded with the most shockingly delicious, otherworldly, melt-in-your-mouth cake!

If you’re looking to cut down on the simple carbs, feel free to dial back the granulated and brown sugar, or, you could leave out the topping entirely. Or, you can just make it as is!

Since it’s a good amount of cake for just me, El Hub and my sous chef, I usually divvy up the cake and pass on the sugary goodness to my neighbors. You could also try cutting the slices and freezing them, although I haven’t done that yet.

INGREDIENTS

For the batter, wet ingredients:

2 cups no-sugar added applesauce
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) lightly packed brown sugar

For the batter, dry ingredients:

2 cups (10 ounces) gluten-free flour, or all-purpose flour, either one works great
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips, I like Guittard Semi-Sweet because that’s the brand we used in the bakery

For the topping:

2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. If you’re using a glass pan like I did, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients — the applesauce, melted butter, vanilla, eggs, granulated and brown sugar.
In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients — flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chips. You’ll want to coat the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just combined. Whatever you do, please don’t overmix!
Spread the batter evenly in your prepared pan, then sprinkle the brown sugar and chocolate chip topping evenly across the top.
Bake for 28-30 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a little bit of melted chocolate is just fine). If you’re using a glass pan, you may need to bake a little bit longer… My cake ended up taking about 38 minutes total.
Store well-covered at room temperature, and it should keep for several days!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Warm Tones With Chanel Cream Eyeshadow Sticks and Rouge Coco Lipsticks, and a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ?

March 17th, 2021 by Karen 15 Comments

chanel warm tones coco lipstick — Swatches!

Wouldn’t it be just grand if every decision were only as complex as what lipstick to wear for the day!? Adulting is hard, man! Oh, well…

This week I’ve been working on the flooring project I talked about, which means trying to figure out when to start it, what material to use, whom to hire, how to test our existing tiles for asbestos since the home was built in the 1970s, figuring out how to remove the old carpet, whether we can coordinate the project to coincide with some repairs we have to do, which may or may not require us all to temporarily live someplace else with our cat while the work is done, which has been…challenging, but at least I figured out what lipstick to wear for the day! 🙂 That was easy, peasy, lemon squeezy compared to asbestos testing (OMG).

chanel rouge coco lipstick coco adrienne — I couldn’t decide between these two, so I tried both!

Yesterday I had the best time trying to figure out which of these Chanel Rouge Coco Lipsticks to wear… I mean, the orangey red shade is obviously fun and fierce and shiny. It sings “Spring is here!” Unsurprisingly, I also love the nude beige pink, which looks so elegant and sophisticated! They both have their own cool vibe.

chanel warm tones coco lipstick smile — Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 416 Coco

chanel rouge coco adrienne — Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 402 Adrienne

Ultimately, I went with the orangey red because I needed some “lipstick armor” to get through the day, but which one do you prefer?

Oh! — I’m wearing cream shadow in this look because these ones from Chanel are awesome. I’ve also been on a cream shadow kick. These double as shadows and liners, and, in case you’re wondering, yes, they’re comfortable on the waterline. Not drying at all! I’m wearing a matte light brown called Contour Clair on my lids and matte dark brown Rouge Noir on my lash and water lines.

chanel warm tones eyes down — I’m wearing Chanel Blush No. 20 cream blush on my cheeks with Chanel Malice powder blush on top.

chanel ombre et contour — From the left: Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour Eyeshadow-Liner-Khol in 12 Contour Clair, 04 Electric Brown, 08 Rouge Noir

I blended out the edges of the lighter brown with what I *thought* was a clean blending brush, so I was surprised when — whoops! — orangey brown appeared in my crease. Turns out I forgot I had used this particular brush with the UD Naked Wild West Palette, and it had some leftover matte brown in the bristles. I actually ended up liking how it turned out though!

Don’t ya just love fortuitous makeup accidents?

By the way, happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️? Connor Claire and I painted our nails green this morning to celebrate. She’s part Irish on El Hub’s side.

expressie express to impress swatch — Two layers of Expressive Express to Impress

I was going to make corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot, but eh…I might just make a Whole Food’s Frozen Cheese Pizza with some green broccoli on it instead! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Soft Teal Wings With the Urban Decay Naked Wild West, a New Tea From Trader Joe’s, and Chocolate Chip Cake!

March 16th, 2021 by Karen 39 Comments

I was chatting with someone IRL a couple weeks ago, and she told me that sometimes she puts on her makeup in the morning before sitting down to work because it makes her feel more productive, and I was like, “YES! You are my people!” ? That’s totally what happened in this look here. I was researching luxury vinyl flooring, so these soft teal wings happened…

Side note: over the years, our carpet has become completely thrashed thanks to the cats, so now I’m learning all about laminate versus vinyl plank flooring versus hardwoods… If you have any flooring knowledge bombs to drop on me, I’m all ears!

I’m wearing the new Urban Decay Naked Wild West Palette here. Just a couple of the brown matte shades on my lids (Spur and Nudie) and the shimmery teal (Bud) on my lash lines.

I’m still on the fence about this palette and haven’t quite figured out if I think it’s must-have… This is my third time using it, and although I do like the mix of brown, taupe and gray mattes, coupled with the fun blues and golds, I don’t know if it’s that practical. I’m gonna give it a couple more tries, then check back in with you…

By the way, I’m also testing a new concealer from bareMinerals called The bareMinerals Original Liquid Mineral Concealer. It’s a medium-coverage brightening liquid concealer you can build up in layers to full (specifically for the under-eye area). It’s comes in 17 shades, and it’s available on qvc.com for $25 a tube now.

This was my first time using it (I’m wearing Medium/Tan 3.5 C!). So far, I think it’s alright… It’s a little more coverage than I’ve been wearing lately, so it’s kind of shocking to see real-deal concealer on my skin again.

To its credit, it doesn’t pool up in my fine lines or anything, so it’s not super obvious, but I do have to blend out the edges quite a bit because the pigment is very concentrated. I think it should be fine on its own, but it might be a tad too heavy if you like to set your concealer with powder.

In non-makeup related news, I found a delicious new herbal tea at Trader Joe’s called Blood Orange Rooibos, and it’s naturally very sweet to my taste buds (I don’t even add sugar). It has just a touch of citrusy tang too.

I’ve been drinking less Earl Grey tea lately because I read somewhere that cutting down on the caffeine might help with my migraines, which, ugh, have been terrible lately.

I mean, I love me some tea and coffee, but I’ll try anything at this point.

Anywho, if you see this one TJ’s, grab a box. Then grab an extra one for me, hahah! Kidding. It’s super good though, especially with dessert.

I had a cup last night with a slice of gluten-free chocolate chip cake that Connor and I made last weekend.

Not only is this cake easy and delicious, but it’s light and moist, and it just melts in your mouth (the secret ingredient is unsweetened applesauce). If you decide to make it, you could have it in your tummy in less than one hour.

The fact that the star ingredient is applesauce almost makes me feel like it’s healthy… 🙂 Yeah, maybe that’s a stretch! It’s still good though, and it’s one of those cakes that’s nice to have around in case company stops by (for when the pandemic’s over).

If you came over, I’d cajole you into having a cup of tea and a slice, for sure!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 669

March 15th, 2021 by Karen 20 Comments

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. Your must-have hair accessories?

Soft scrunchies, black hair ties and bobby pins are my ride-or-dies. I have a few fabric headbands that I used when I was working at the bakery, but eh, I could take ’em or leave ’em.

2. Garlic or ginger?

Garlic, roasted!

3. Yellow or purple polish?

All the shades of purple, please.

4. What do you think of boba?

It’s OK. It’s one of those things that I like when it’s there, but I’ve never craved it in the middle of the night or anything. I do have to say that I’m finicky about the texture of the tapioca pearls. If they’re tough and chewy I won’t even bother.

5. Have you ever worn a perfume that didn’t quite feel like “you”?

Totally. It was Chanel Cristalle in the early 2000s. I bought a bottle for myself as a birthday present because I like how it smelled when I sprayed it in the air, but on my skin something about it didn’t quite gel. I used it as decor for many years before eventually passing it onto a friend!

6. Tie dye or polka dots?

Tie dye in soft pastel colors.

7. Inner corner highlight or brow bone highlight?

Inner corner highlight — a pearly warm peach would be nice, just ever-so-gently buffed in with a fluffy shadow brush.

8. Wide leg or boot cut pants?

BOTH!

9. Three things that make you smile?

Seeing flowers blooming on my favorite tree again, the sound of church bells in the distance in the middle of the day, and getting a tummy flash from my neighborhood kitty friends.

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. Your must-have hair accessories?
2. Garlic or ginger?
3. Yellow or purple polish?
4. What do you think of boba?
5. Have you ever worn a perfume that didn’t quite feel like “you”?
6. Tie dye or polka dots?
7. Inner corner highlight or brow bone highlight?
8. Wide leg or boot cut pants?
9. Three things that make you smile?

P.P.S. Hello, my friend. Happy Monday to you! I hope your day so far has been calm and peaceful and that you’re feeling strong and steady. We’re going to have a good week. You hear me? I have it on good authority from a very wise torbie cat. WE. CAN. DO. THIS. ?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 650

March 14th, 2021 by Karen 8 Comments

All of the cats I’ve assisted, no matter what their original origin, were, or are, part Irish. We do St. Patrick’s Day big in this house.

It’s all because of El Hub. He’s part Irish, so the cats are Irish. If we had a fish or a parrot or a dog, they would be part Irish too.

Tabs fully embraced this part of his identity. You know he loved any holiday involving merriment, rainbows, gold and copious amounts of corned beef and cabbage. Plus, he loved how he looked in green, so that may have been part of it. Each and every one of his St. Patrick’s Day outfits matched his eyes.

I think for a while there he even meowed with an Irish accent.

Rosie

When we took Rosie out this morning, I told her we were looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so of course she took out her Periodic Table and looked up the atomic mass of gold.

I told her we were also looking for four-leaf clovers, and then she went into the statistical probabilities of us finding one…

Odds were not good.

I do love how the green in this collar plays off the orange in her fur. I think the combo is particularly fetching.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, March 13, 2021

March 13th, 2021 by Karen 5 Comments

lavender polish spring — Ready for spring!

Good morning and happy Saturday, friend! I read earlier this week that lavender nail polish is going to be a “thing” this spring, and so of course my first thought was, “Isn’t lavender polish always a thing?” My second thought was, “LET’S DO THIS.”

Hence, the small parade o’ purple polish at the top. I’m learning toward Fauntleroy at the moment…

smith cult fauntleroy — Smith & Cult’s Fauntleroy Nail Polish

Do you have a favorite lavender polish? If you do, I would love to hear about it!

This week’s reading…

Do you really need a base AND a top coat?
How to build a makeup capsule collection/
11 ways to defend yourself against a cat!!
Apparently, lavender is the new nude.
Note to self: I love these floors.

Oui!

This looks pretty and easy.

I realize this is all about the makeup but THE HAIR! Epic.

You know I love me some Erin.

Looking forward to sweating to this ASAP.

Yes, please.

Concealer 411

Lots of good tips

I’ve been obsessed with cleaning videos lately.

Look at what the dudes are wearing.

Got any plans for the weekend? Besides painting my paws and doing a whole lotta high-intensity relaxing (IT NEEDS TO BE DONE), I’m going to Home Depot to check out some flooring and look at plants.

Dude, you know you’re officially adulting when trips to Home Depot are the *highlight* of your weekend! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

March 12th, 2021 by Karen 4 Comments

whole foods four cheese pizza cooked — Just a few things floating my boat these days!

1. Whole Foods Four Cheese Thin Crust Pizza

Otherwise known as “Magic Pizza.” If you’re in the mood for easy meals, and/or you’re too tired to deal with the mechanics of cooking dinner, chances are anyone within the perimeter will inhale this cheesy masterpiece. Conner always asks for seconds (sometimes thirds), WHICH SHE NEVER DOES, EVER! I like it too.

The cheese marvelously melts like actual, real cheese, and it isn’t too oily. The thin crust feels more substantial than Saltine crackers, too, and the red sauce has some sweetness and very little bite, which is why I think it’s a been a hit here.

2. Paula’s Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid Broad Spectrum SPF 50

SUPER GOOD. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly, layers well under makeup, AND it’s moisturizing. Best of all, it doesn’t leave a visible white cast behind.

3. Odele Leave-In Conditioner

This got me through the most challenging period of crazy pandemic hair. To say that I love it would be an understatement of epic proportions! It does a little bit of everything, and does it all well — smooths frizz, detangles knots, and drenches hair with a deluge of moisture. And it does it all without weighing hair down or heavily coating it with anything.

4. Cat & Jack Stevie Lemon Sneakers

These toddler/kids shoes are super cute in person. They’re sparkly, bright and cheerful. I got a pair for Connor, and she loves them! If there’s a little girl in your life, grab a pair if you can.

5. Lucky Brand Classic One Pocket Shirt

The white button-up (or button-down, if you will) shirt I got recently on sale is 50% off now on the Lucky website! I usually wear a size Small (4 or 6), but I sized up to Medium because I didn’t want to have to deal with the buttons gaping open. I also wanted the option to layer things under or over it without the arms feeling too tight.

It’s more of a casual than a dressy white shirt, which is what I wanted too. I love it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! 🙂

Checking In: New Hair Brands at Target, and the Eternal Conundrum | Wardrobe Woes and Camisoles | Flossin’

March 11th, 2021 by Karen 19 Comments

HOMEGIRL. There are so many new hair care lines at Tar-ghey! I’m talking about stuff beyond the usual suspects, a la Pantene, Garnier, L’Oréal. I was there yesterday perusing shampoos, and I almost short circuited in the “clean hair” aisle.

There are so many new up-and-coming brands!

I swear, I stood there for 20 minutes trying to decide whether to stick to the Odele Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave-In I’ve been using and loving for months, or whether I should try something new… That’s the eternal conundrum for beauty lovers, isn’t it? Do you stay with what works for you, or do you succumb to temptation to try something new??

This time, I ended up staying with my Odele staples, but I’m grabbing the Function of Beauty Wavy Hair Shampoo and Conditioner next time I’m there.

First of all, look how cute the packaging is! I’m such a sucker for pretty pastels.

Now, look closely at the bottles… See the different lines and how some are curlier than others? The lines correspond with the hair type each bottle is made for. Super cute and totally GENIUS.

Feel free to geek out. ?

Apparently, the way this brand works is that you identify the shampoo and conditioner ($9.99 each) for your hair type first — straight, wavy, curly or coily — and then decide on an add-on called a “booster” ($2.99) to mix into your shampoo and conditioner. Each booster has a specific job, like to add volume or heat protection, and you can add as many or as few boosters as you want to create a custom hair brew.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before. Seems very innovative!

After checking that out, I headed over to the clothes section because I needed a new camisole to wear with a white button-up shirt I recently got.

Actually, let me back up a little first…

I haven’t owned a practical white, long-sleeve button-up shirt (or button-down shirt, however you like to say it) in a very, VERY long time. Long story short, I’ve been putting off buying new clothes for years, and my body completely changed when I had Connor. I held onto the belief that I’d eventually get back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, but ya know…it’s just not gonna happen. It only took me five years to accept this, but hey, better late than never!

I’m having to rebuild my wardrobe from scratch, but I had no idea where to start, so I googled a checklist of wardrobe basics, and I found this one by a wardrobe stylist/Youtuber named Erin Busbee. She specifically caters to fashion for women over 40, and I’ve learned a lot from her videos.

One of the things on her list of basics is a white button-up shirt, so I bought this one because of the great reviews, and I’ve been looking for a camisole to wear underneath it, because I’m not about to show my DNKY bra to all the parents at preschool pickup, LOL!

At Target, they have a camisole, that’s also a bodysuit, by a brand called Auden. It’s $16.99 and comes in beige, white and black.

Seriously, where has this been all my life? I normally don’t like to wear camis because I can’t stand when the fabric bunches up around my waist, so I love the idea of having a body-hugging tank that I don’t have to keep readjusting and pushing down.

One last thing — Target carries my favorite floss now, Cocofloss.

I ran into it in the section I lovingly call “THE DEATH TRAP,” which is the display in the makeup department with all the tiny sampler bottles of lotions and potions and whatnot.

I realize this floss is hella expensive, but let me tell you — your teeth will be the cleanest they’ve ever been in your entire life! JUST DO IT, and thank me later. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen