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

Glam on the Go: A Creamy, Dreamy Purple and Gold Look With Big, Bushy Brows

August 7th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

creamy dreamy purples side view glitter — The easiest eyeshadow placement, ever!

Note to self: stop overcomplicating things, both in life and in makeup! Because sometimes taking the easy route is actually, well…easier. And sometimes it turns out better than you expect!

I did the *least* complicated eyeshadow placement in this eye look, and I ended up liking the final result so much that I can’t wait to wear it again (I might do it again today, ha!).

creamy dreamy purples eyes closed — See the sparkles on the upper lash line?

How to do creamy, dreamy purple and golden bronze lids with a smattering of sparkle

Here’s what I did:

I started with a layer of matte purple cream liner as a base with a satiny bronzy gold blended directly on top.
Then, I rimmed my water lines with a creamy warm brown eye pencil and buffed a little bit of it from the lash line to my crease, and on the outer third, for a subtle hint of depth.
Next, I pushed a bit of glittery cream shadow onto the upper lash line, whacked some mascara on my lashes, and that’s it. DONE!

UD Brow Blade is the best

If you’re into bold brows, my brows are epically bushy — again, with minimal effort! — thanks to Urban Decay’s brilliant Brow Blade. Have you tried it? If you want to exert minimal effort but get maximum bushiness, it’s the way to go.

First, apply the twist-up pencil to fill in those sparse spots. The pencil acts like an anchor/base, so that when you layer the liquid pigment from the felt tip pen on top, it has something to grab onto. Super fast, super easy and super bushy.

creamy dreamy purples open — Pandemic hair, don’t care.

Effortlessness of creams

Gotta give a shout-out to the cream bronzer, highlighter and blush (which also doubles as a lipstick) on my cheeks and lips, because, like the eye makeup, blending happened in a flash. I did everything with a single brush!

I also love how cream face products look on skin because you can’t really see the makeup sitting on top of your face. If you’re going for the whole “Is she or isn’t she wearing anything?” kind of vibe, creams are great for seamless, effortless makeup.

Now that I think about it, the only powder I used for this look was a subtly illuminating setting powder I lightly tapped on specific parts of my face (cheeks and the center of my forehead). An illuminating powder is great to have around if you want to set your cream blush, bronzer and highlighter without altering the color or finish. The trick is to find a powder with a finish that’s closer to a sheen or a satin, rather than a full-on frost. A powder with a sheen or satin finish is less likely to pool up in your pores and highlight them.

creamy dreamy purples smile — Smile and the whole world smiles with you. 🙂

This is definitely making it into my 15-minute-look rotation.

Makeup worn in this look

EYES
Stila Liquid Eye Shadow in Camera Ready, upper lash line
Stila Glitter & Glow in Camera Ready, outer corner
Stila Magnum Mascara, lashes
Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in Bronze, crease
MAC Costa Riche
Urban Decay Brow Blade
MUFE Ultra HD Y42

CHEEKS
Nudstix Nudes in Bondi Bae
Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip and Cheek Cream in Peony
Hourglass Vanish Highlighter in Champagne

LIPS
Stila Convertible Color in Peony

BASE
Kevyn Aucoin Concealer Medium EC06
First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Primer Moisturizer
Stila Illuminating In the Buff Powder Spray

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ???

Cost Plus World Market Is Hello Kitty Headquarters!

August 6th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

hello kitty pasta sauce — Who’d a thunk it? Hello Kitty has her own pasta sauce!

I have to preface this by saying that I haven’t done much shopping out of the house over the past six months, so other than regularly scheduled trips to Trader Joe’s, Target and a couple of trips to the Novato Sports Basement, my retail experience as of late has been limited…so maybe that’s why going to the Cost Plus World Market store in Santa Rosa last weekend was like a world tour of international travel!

I felt like Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory. Everything was sparkly and new, and everywhere I turned, I saw something I’d never seen before!

So, weird thing about Cost Plus World Market? They have so many Hello Kitty items. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.

If I were an elementary school student, this is what a well-stocked adult kitchen would look like: Hello Kitty olive oil, Hello Kitty pasta sauce, Hello Kitty pasta, Hello Kitty ramen noodles, Hello Kitty soy sauce and Hello Kitty green tea matcha marshmallows…

hello kitty soy sauce — Low-key kicking myself for not buying this

hello kitty pink bottles — I have a feeling this might be sake? Or vinegar. LOL!

hello kitty matcha marshmallows — I wonder what these would taste like in s’mores!

hello kitty chocolate marshmallow — I feel like these could be potentially pretty gross…

hello kitty mustache candy — In case you’ve ever wondered what Hello Kitty looks like with a ‘stache…

Basically, if you can dream up a Hello Kitty-related food item, you can probably find it at Cost Plus World Market. I had no idea Miss Kitty’s reach extended so far into the culinary world.

I was most impressed by the variety of noodles. Miss K is all about the carbs…

hello kitty dried noodles — Just in case you need ALL THE NOODLES

hello kitty dried noodles 3 — Is he rolling his eyes?

[Continue reading…]

Product Spotlight: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer

August 5th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

first aid beauty ultra repair tinted moisturizer tan — LOVE IT! I wear the shade Tan (I’m an NC42 in MAC and a Honey Bronze in Estée Lauder, for reference).

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer ($28 for a 1-oz. tube) is fantastic tinted moisturizer with a satin finish, especially if you don’t like the sensation of heavy, thick makeup on your face. The fluffy mousse (feels very similar to the NARS Hydrating Glow Tints that came out a few summers back) feels fab and blends away everything with barely a touch — pores, pigmented patches, red areas. If you just want a little something to even out your skin tone, and you want it to be something you can quickly do with your fingers and without a brush, this is it!

From sephora.com:

Vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free

Colloidal Oatmeal: Helps calm and soothe dry or distressed skin.

Hyaluronic Acid: Supports skin’s natural moisture content, helps skin appear smoother, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Vitamin E: Provides antioxidants, helps condition and soothe skin and stave off environmental aggressors.

Micro-Pearls: Finely milled minerals with light-reflecting properties that amplify skin’s natural radiance for a beautifully luminous effect.

Avobenzone 3%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 7.5%: Sunscreen.

Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Butylene Glycol, Hexyl Laurate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Tribehenin, Limonene, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aminomethyl Propanol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Ascorbate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492, Ci 77499, Ci 77491), Mica.

Now, the shade selection is somewhat limited by today’s standards… There are only 10 shades available, but at least there’s a nice variety of undertones represented, including pink, neutral and olive, so it’s a decent selection overall.

It’s made for normal, dry and combination skin types, but it’s supposed to be particularly good for people with sensitive skin. I’m combo oily and dry, with a tendency to break out when “Aunt Flo” visits, and my skin has been great with it so far. I just use it on its own — no primer underneath — and I skip the setting powder.

If you ever find that you need extra coverage with it, just grab a good liquid concealer and mix it in.

I like to apply a thin layer of Tan (First Aid Beauty’s equivalent of a MAC NC42) all over my face, let it dry for a minute or two, and then I’ll place another dollop of Tan on the back of my hand, which I’ll then mix with a little bit of a fuller-coverage liquid concealer, like Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural (works great for this!).

Then I’ll gently buff the tinted moisturizer-concealer mix with a tapered eye brush on specific spots on my cheeks and around my nose and mouth. Together that will stay put and work for the day.

If you’ve tried the tinted moisturizers by Laura Mercier or It Cosmetics and liked everything about them except the coverage (because you wanted more), I think you’ll love it…assuming you can find a shade that works for you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How Would You Describe Your Current Hair and Makeup Style?

August 4th, 2020 by Karen 29 Comments

nars kalahari — Pretty much my current makeup style to a “t”

Hmm… Well, of course, the pandemic has changed almost everything in terms of how far I’ll go on a regular basis with my hair and makeup, but even before March, my hair and makeup style were growing increasingly casual. I call it more “easygoing.” I primarily wear neutrals these days (basically because they’re easier to blend than more exciting colors like bright purples and greens), with subtle variations on classic elements, like winged liner or smoky lids, and my hair is usually up in some kind of bun or ponytail/braid variation that’s purposefully a little wild with a sleek element or two.

I guess that’s one way to describe it… Mostly messy (LOL!), with pockets of smoothness here and there.

Really, I lean on the classics, but I’ll still make an occasional foray into colorful crazytown.

I actually look at old makeup pics of myself and am actually kind of astonished that I had the wherewithal to do elaborately colorful, fun looks. If I could, I’d go back in time and high-five myself for my efforts, ha ha ha!

For now though, I like my current hair and makeup style (notwithstanding the pandemic-inspired modifications and compromises).

How about you? How would you describe your current hair and makeup style?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 637

August 3rd, 2020 by Karen 31 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. Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies?

Oh, easy one. Frosted Flakes, please! And if it isn’t too much trouble, I like mine with a 50/50 mix of 2% and oat milk.

2. Your favorite bag at the moment?

My black Timbuk2 backpack is rocking my world! It’s so nice to have my hands free to, ya know, to use hand sanitizer 1,587 times when I’m out and about.

3. Would you rather have a big-ol’ painful pimple on your butt, or your back?

Hmm, excellent question… Not the best morning convo, but I’ve experienced both and would characterize them both as “pretty miserable.” Be that as it may, I can imagine the booty pimple being a little less annoying most of the time. I guess? Granted, I’d probably feel the booty pimple every time I sat down (UGH), but at least it would be easy to reach. ?‍♀️

4. Did you (or do you now) ever watch soap operas/telenovelas?

Heck yeah, girlfriend! I was up on all the crazy storylines in Days of Our Lives back in the ’90s (remember when Marlena got possessed by the devil??).

5. How’s your mental health these days?

Eh…it’s been up and down, to be honest. I always try to see the sunny side of things, but I’ve been feeling worn out lately, especially whenever I see Connor do something like stare longingly at groups of children while we’re at a park or the pool, or when we went camping. She’s lonely. No siblings, cousins or kids in the neighborhood, and even if there were, there’s the virus to contend with. Coco also doesn’t have the vocabulary to fully express her feelings quite yet, so she just erupts into tears at bedtime or while we’re in the car.

And I’ve been feeling lonely too. I especially miss the little interactions I used to have with people throughout the day. COVID has changed so many elemental parts of life.

6. What time of day are you the most/least productive?

Most productive in the morning, and least productive after 4 p.m., but I can usually power my way through the afternoon slump if I have some tea in my system.

7. Do you still keep in touch with your high school prom date?

Nope! He was a friend and a nice guy, and we ended up going to the same college, but we rarely ran into each other and didn’t keep in touch.

8. Does anybody actually know what they’re doing?

HELL NO, GIRL. We’re all just improvising and making it up along the way. Nobody has any idea what they’re doing!

9. Are you currently wearing any makeup, and if you are, whatcha wearing?

I’m grimy and sweaty right now because I just finished a million-minute core workout (well, more like 40 minutes…but it felt like an eternity), so no, but I plan to wear MAC Melba Blush later, so I should probably be rewarded with a ticker tape parade, hahaha! ?

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. Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies?
2. Your favorite bag at the moment?
3. Would you rather have a big-ol’ monster pimple on your butt, or your back?
4. Did you (or do you now) ever watch soap operas/telenovelas?
5. How’s your mental health these days?
6. What time of day are you the most/least productive?
7. Do you still keep in touch with your high school prom date?
8. Does anybody actually know what they’re doing?
9. Are you currently wearing any makeup, and if you are, whatcha wearing?

P.P.S. Have a wonderful day! YOU DESERVE IT! Treat yourself to something nice this week, and hang in there! You can do it! ?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 618

August 2nd, 2020 by Karen 2 Comments

Tabs used to have a roommate, but they had a falling out.

His name was Sushi, and he was a flamboyant, fabulous betta. He was also an accomplished aquatic model.

Before they became friends, Tabs studied Sushi from afar. He took notes on posing and general fabulousness, trying to crack the code to becoming a world-famous supermodel.

Tabs wanted to learn everything about modeling, and Sushi was a pro.

This went on for months. Tabs had great respect for Sushi and what he’d accomplished in the aquatic modeling world, but there was something else…

Over time, the nature of their relationship changed, and Tabs couldn’t explain why. He found himself getting hungrier and hungrier…for knowledge, and he determined that the only way he could truly understand modeling would be to digest everything Sushi had to offer.

To get his mind and body working in unison, Tabs started a rigorous fitness regimen focusing on plyometrics, also known as jump training, with the goal of being able to jump up onto the hutch where Sushi lived in his fishbowl.

Tabs believed that if he could work eye-to-eye with Sushi, Tabs could tap into the secrets of the modeling world…

Of course, in hindsight we know this idea was flawed…

Tabs became obsessed with Sushi and finding a way onto the hutch. He trained relentlessly, day and night, stretching, leaping, reaching and climbing.

This continued for weeks until, one day, or should I say one night, I was walking down the stairs when I saw Tabs perched on top of the hutch with a paw reaching into Sushi’s fishbowl!

“No!” I exclaimed, “Tabs! Get down!”

Immediately, he jumped down onto the carpet, looking confused, aghast, and a little guilty perhaps.

Things were never the same between Tabs and Sushi after that. They stopped talking about modeling and stopped hanging out. They even stopped meeting for lunch. Oh, they lived together for a while longer, but they never spoke again.

To this day, we don’t know exactly what happened or why the relationship soured. It’s a mystery. Totally unexplainable. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, Aug. 1, 2020

August 1st, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

Greetings, fellow feline and fun-filled weekend enthusiast! Our two artists-in-residence send their regards.

While the girls decorate this piece of paper, I plan to decorate…my face with winged liner and a bright lipstick.

Why?

Answer: why not? But seriously, I don’t have anything profoundly exciting planned. I’m just taking Connor to her dance studio for the first time in months because she has a solo dance recital, and that’s all the excuse I need to get a little gussied up… At the very least, I can brush up my brows! ?

The dance studio moved most of their classes online, but they do a couple things outdoors in their parking lot, and we’re going today so Connor’s dance teacher can record her and a couple other socially distanced students while they do the routine they would’ve performed on stage at our local civic center for the spring recital.

I still can’t believe how much things have changed… At last year’s spring recital, there must have been a hundred kids and 300 parents, everyone jammed into a performance hall, and all the kids and parents got ready in a big room backstage adjusting costumes, soothing nerves and, ya know, breathing the same air in close proximity.

I know this is all temporary, but you know how it is. I get a little down sometimes when I think about it… I’ll keep hangin’ in there if you do.

I’ve been informed by the local ballet authorities that this type of jump is called a *jeté*.

What are you up to today? Got a few minutes for some Saturday surfing?

This article in The New Yorker about rethinking the science of skin is a long read, but it has forever changed how I view the bar of Dove soap in my shower.
What is Hypochlorous Acid, and what can it do for you?
Thanks to the pandemic (uh…), women are growing out their chin hair (and other bodily hair).
How often should you be washing your hair?
This polish by Nails Inc dries in 45 seconds, and it’s supposed to be the world’s fastest drying nail polish.How do you feel about pink eyeshadow? — ’cause it’s gonna be all over Chanel this fall.
10 budget-friendly perfumes that smell way more expensive than they are…
How to “blind buy” a new signature perfume without ever smelling it…
Long-lasting grapefruit perfumes for the citrus enthusiasts out there…

This was refreshing.

Love it

Because it never hurts to learn something new

Stretching changes everything! I’m going to try this.

This dude needs to come over to my house and do my hair every day.

This made me tear up.

Have a great rest of your weekend. I hope you’re able to do something relaxing and fun. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: The Summer of Camping (Part II), and a Couple Things to Try on Your Next Camping Trip

July 31st, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

OK, I guess I’m getting better at “mom-ming while camping” because instead of needing two weeks to recover from the trip, it only took two days, ha ha ha! Ya know, when I envisioned the “Summer of Camping” in my mind, I thought we’d be going, like, every week or every other week this summer, but now I’m thinking maybe once a month?

Don’t get me wrong — it’s fun! I love it. It’s just a lot of work. The trip we just took to Collins Lake was a ton of fun. The drive is a long one if you’re coming from the Bay Area (about two and a half hours), but once we got there, wow! Our campsite was right next to the lake, and the water was SUPER warm — like bath temperature warm! Whenever I wanted to cool off, all I had to do was hobble down a hill and over some rocks for a minute, and then I’d jump right in. It was glorious! And being the water baby that I am, I went swimming quite a few times, although you know what I realized? Lake swimming is no joke, dude. When you don’t have salt water to keep you afloat, you gotta work that much harder.

Ain’t no party like a West Coast party

One thing I learned on this trip is that the time you go to bed at night really depends on your neighbors and how close you are to them. The tent sites at Collins Lake are closer to each other than the sites at Clear Lake (where we camped last month), and this time around, instead of being surrounded by quiet couples and families, it seemed like all of our neighbors were partying like it was a West Coast party circa 1994. Everyone was pretty rowdy, and we heard it all night long.

The music, at least, was good! Someone nearby was playing DJ and blasting ’90s hip-hop jams into the wee hours. I would’ve totally appreciated Color Me Badd’s I Wanna Sex You Up, but instead of singing along as usually do, I kept thinking, “Oh, please, oh, please, don’t let Connor ask me what these lyrics are about.” LOL!

A portable fan is your friend

Another thing I learned on this trip? A portable fan is an absolute non-negotiable. I know, sounds so silly. Who needs to have a fan, of all things, while they’re camping? Well, apparently I do! El Hub bought me this one from a brand called Treva (it runs on D batteries, so you don’t have to plug it in), and it just made the trip so much more pleasant. I would turn it on whenever I was in the tent to circulate the air and keep things cooler, which was especially handy in the middle of the day when the tent was really hot, and at night when we were getting ready for bed. Sometimes I’d bring it outside and set it in front of me on the camp table so I’d have a breeze to cool me down (it was pretty hot) while I made food. It sounds so silly, but it was REALLY nice to have around. I don’t think I can go camping without it now.

collins lake — When you take a post-sponge bath selfie to celebrate your relative cleanliness, LOL!

A quick bedtime refresher is the key!

One last “next level up” thing I stumbled upon on this trip is what I like to call “a quick refresher” before bed. Here’s what I do: I set a washcloth or some paper towels near my sleeping bag, along with a water bottle. Then, before I go to sleep, I wet the wash cloth and quickly wipe down my face, neck, the crooks of my arms, the backs of my knees and my feet — basically, any areas that have gotten sweaty since my last shower/sponge bath.

I don’t know why, but I seem to sleep so much better when I do this! I also did the same for Connor and she seemed to like it.

Anywho, we’re hoping to go on one last camping trip in August, and if I figure out any more tips by then I’ll be sure to let you know!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!