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

Before and After: Urban Decay Lash Freak Mascara

July 30th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

urban decay lash freak mascara before after — New Lash Freak Mascara by Urban Decay

Ooh! Urban Decay just launched a new long-wearing mascara with a freaky-looking wand for $25. It’s designed, first and foremost, to increase volume, especially at the roots, and has a crazy-looking wand with three distinct surfaces! If you like bold lash looks and a cruelty-free formula that doesn’t smudge or smear, check it out.

How does it it work?

On one side of the brush there’s a row of asymmetrical teeth that really maximizes the amount of product the brush deposits on your lashes. The brush tip has a series of spikes to separate and define individual hairs, too. The last side — the smooth, curved part of the brush — is designed to press up against the roots for added lift.

What does two coats look like?

On my lashes, which naturally point downward and struggle to hold a curl, Lash Freak adds noticeably dramatic thickness at the base of my lashes, and you couldn’t miss it from a mile away! Two coats are enough for thick and lush lashes, but here’s the thing: from up close, the individual lashes look lumpy and bumpy. The curl from my lash curler also relaxes quite bit, so the coated lashes end up reaching out rather than curling up…

I like the color though. It’s a rich, dark black, and the formula doesn’t smear or smudge.

Why should you try it?

If you like thick, edgier long-wearing mascaras with a slightly spidery effect, you might like it.

Who would love it?

Best suited for someone who embraces drama and doesn’t mind bumpy-looking lashes (when seen up close).

When will it be available, and where can you get it?

You can grab it now on the UD website for $25 a tube.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

FOTD: Unintentionally ’80s Copper and Purple

July 29th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

urban decay naked ultraviolet copper purple2 — Dreaming of Duran Duran?!

I blame all of the talk about Duran Duran in the Monday Poll comments on this makeup. I was going for colorful and modern with copper and plum lids, but I think I may have ended up unintentionally recreating the ’80s instead.

WHOOPS! ?

(While we’re at it, would someone please pass me a pair of big-@ss shoulder pads and a bottle Aqua Net, STAT?)

That’s the Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Palette on my lids again, by the way. Marcia asked in the comments last week what I think of it, and ya know…I have mixed feelings.

The purples are easy to blend, and they’re just different enough to be able to create a variety of violet looks with them, which is cool! As for the powder blue highlight shade (Lucid)? It’s surprisingly versatile (and beautiful) as an inner corner highlighter and to mix with other purples, but the warm, orange and copper tones are kind of a challenge to work with. I totally get that UD was going for a purposeful clash with the orange and purple, but they’re a little too disjointed to put the two against each other.

The orange undertones are a tad *too* warm for my taste, which I found out in the makeup I’m wearing here. I struggled to smoothly transition the copper into the plum, as there are a couple of “bridge” colors missing, it seems. The addition of something like MAC Saddle or Soft Brown would’ve made the whole thing a little easier.

Speaking of Duran Duran…what’s your favorite song? Here’s mine!
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When Was the Last Time You Dyed Your Hair?

July 28th, 2020 by Karen 39 Comments

karen side bright eyeshadow — Rockin’ my natural hair color

Ah, let me tell you about the life of a lady with grown-out roots! Hair dye is a CONSTANT topic of conversation between me and my neighbors, it seems, because when I run into my buddies who live nearby, we’re always talking about the last time we went to the salon to touch up roots. It’s the newest way to make polite conversation between women, ha ha ha!

For me, it’s been a minute since my hair was dyed. Fall of 2018 was the last time. That’s when I started this little experiment of growing out my grays. How much you can see them depends on how I part my hair and the lighting, and although I’ve been told it looks nice, I’m still keeping the door open again to color my hair in the future ’cause I like to switch things up every once in a while (although the pandemic has prevented that from happening, so it probably won’t be for a long time!).

How about you? When was the last time you dyed your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 636

July 27th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

everythings gonna be oj — Wise words from the chalk artists at Trader Joe’s

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. Banana or coconut?

Coconut.

2. Gimme the deets on your last beauty purchase!

I restocked the drugstore hair/body things I was running low on, namely Neutrogena clarifying shampoo, Pantene Rose Water shampoo and conditioner, and Dove Body Soap.

3. When you’re eating bite-sized foods like bacon-wrapped shrimp hors d’oeuvres or mini brownies, do you take dainty nibbles, or do you shove the whole thing into your mouth?

Dainty nibbles when there are other people around (what’s that even like any more, LOL?!), but if it’s just me, myself and I…and Netflix, then I shove the whole thing!

4. Have you had “maskne” before (it’s when you break out because of your mask, by the way!)?

I think I have. I got a few little pimples just underneath my nostrils and around my mouth earlier in the summer, but that was probably mainly because I slacking on my zit lotion. After I got back on track with putting on Kate Somerville Anti-Bac two times a day, it went away.

5. When’s the last time you went to an office building?

It was last March, just before I was laid off from the bakery.

6. How did you (or how do you) plan to celebrate your birthday this year?

My b-day was in June, and it was low-key but fun. We went to a nearby beach, then got takeout from In-N-Out. I think I may have also gone to Sportsbasement to go look around?

You know how it is now; the bar is low, and a Double Double tastes like a three-star Michelin rated meal, hahaha.

7. Coral or brown lipstick?

Coral, all the way!

8. Lip liner or eyeliner?

Eyeliner.

9. What’s something nice you could do for yourself this week?

It’s SO not exciting, but if I could get myself in bed by 8:30 one night, it would do me a world of good. A little extra sleep works miracles!

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. Banana or coconut?
2. Gimme the deets on your last beauty purchase!
3. When you’re eating bite-sized foods like bacon-wrapped shrimp hors d’oeuvres or mini brownies, do you take dainty nibbles, or do you shove the whole thing into your mouth?
4. Have you had “maskne” before (it’s when you break out because of your mask, by the way!)?
5. When’s the last time you went to an office building?
6. How did you (or how do you) plan to celebrate your birthday this year?
7. Coral or brown lipstick?
8. Lip liner or eyeliner?
9. What’s something nice you could do for yourself this week?

P.P.S. Hope you’re having a nice day so far. ?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 617

July 26th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

If you’re a cat, there’s a lot to see and do on our little oak tree-covered hill.

Tabs was a BIG fan. We spent hundreds if not thousands of hours “patrolling” the hill.

Rosie is still building up the courage to explore and learning how to guide me on her harness, but she’s getting there.

The hill is home to a thriving community of turkeys, deer, other cats (some nice, some malcontents), dogs, coyotes, quail, finches, owls, hawks, crows, woodpeckers, raccoons, squirrels, foxes and a rabbit (or two), to name a few.

Tabs sort of administered everything to make sure the community performed at an optimal level, which he liked to do from one of his many perches, like his window shelf in the living room or his outdoor tabby command center.

But sometimes you have to get out there and get your paws dirty to see what’s really going on, which we did all the time on our walks.

The grass on the hill is all dead and dry right now, but the oak trees are green and action-packed.

Problem is, some of the critters in the area are no longer following proper procedures, like this ne’er–do–well who refuses to show his authorized tree pass.

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Saturday Surfing, July 25th, 2020

July 25th, 2020 by Karen 6 Comments

Happy Saturday, friend! How goes it? Just in case someone hasn’t told you lately, a good life lesson is to dance like nobody (especially your neighbor’s dog) is watching.

Case in point…

connor and gracie — Both of their little faces, LOL!

We’re packing up the car for another camping trip, this time to Collins Lake, and yes, it took weeks to mentally and physically recover from the last trip and prepare for this one, HA HA HA! I’ll be mom-ing pretty hard, but I know it’ll be fun.

Why is eating hotdogs outside so fulfilling?!

Looking forward to the snacks (S’MORES!), of course, and spending time in the water with Coycoy. I’m also starting a new book, What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty.

I gotta say, one of the best things about camping is having long, uninterrupted stretches of time to read while Connor and El Hub go fishing.

Speaking of reading, here are some cool things I found this week…

A dermatologists’ guide to glowing skin using AHAs.
Scalp care is the new skin care, as many skin care brands (including one of my drugstore faves, Neutrogena), are launching hair products to give TLC to your scalp.
Dermatologists, estheticians and skin care experts hand-selected these 77 skin care products as the best of the best for dry, oily, sensitive, acne-prone and mature skin.
What is sea moss, and do you need it in your skin care products?
You learn something new every day —-> “Vitamin F is not a vitamin in the traditional sense of the word,” says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D. “It’s actually a term for two fats, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA).”
I feel like the only correct answer to the question, “Would you like to smell like a 19th century queen?” is yes, but I could be wrong! LOL!

Got winged liner woes?

When cats meet hurdles, this is what happens.

Now all we need is gelato and pasta.

How goes it on your end? I hope all is well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Q&A: Would You Wear Nail Polish That Smells Like Your Favorite Food?

July 24th, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

urban decay double team mascara vice — Pizza!

Earlier this summer the drugstore nail polish brand SinfulColors unveiled a line of polishes that look and smell like snacks — doughnuts, cheese puffs, pizza, chocolate cake and tacos.

OK, sure, scented nail polish isn’t revolutionary, but dang! — props for creativity!

That said, as much as I like Taco Tuesdays and Cheetos, I *cannot* handle my nails smelling like a crispy beef taco with sour cream (because I’m assuming guac is extra). Or pepperoni nails? BARF! I give the savory scents a hard pass.

And the sweet scents, too, despite my sweet tooth. I just can’t take my fingertips smelling like a glazed doughnut. ?

How about you? How do you feel about snack scented nail polishes? To what degree would it depend on the snack?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

FOTD: Warm, Shimmery Bronze-Brown Eyes With Coral Cheeks and Lips

July 23rd, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

Is it gold? Is it brown? Khaki? Taupe?! HMMMM! I think it’s pretty cool how this eye makeup can look so totally different depending on the details — the color of my clothes, the color temp of the light. Gotta love those secretly complex makeup things.

Officially, I’m wearing a warm and shimmery bronzed brown on my lids (MAC Monaco-co, from the summer collection) with a cool-toned matte taupe in the crease (MAC Omega), a satiny beige on the brow bone (MAC Brule), and a satiny brownish black on the outer corner and lower lash line (MAC Brun).

Unofficially, however, this eye makeup will ad lib with whatever color top you’re wearing. Doesn’t it seem more golden in the pic with the light gray top and more green in the one with the khaki? So, it’s multifunction that way.

I bet you could riff on other colors, too, with a matching liner, like a khaki or a warm dark brown. Or how about bronze? Ooh! — I bet Powersurge would be BEAUTIFUL with this combo.

Also, my brows appear thicker than usual in this look because I feel like full, lush brows frame the eyes nicely when there’s a lot of shimmer on my lids. Alternatively, you could do a subtle brow with a clear brow gel, but you won’t get the same contrast of the big, bold matte brows butting up against the shimmery lids.

It’s all about contrasting finishes, babe! You know I’m all about that life.

Makeup worn in this look

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