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

Before and After: It Cosmetics Lash Blow Out Mascara

August 23rd, 2019 by Karen 2 Comments

it cosmetics drybar lash blow out top — A blow out for your fringe?

I guess since Drybar caters to hair, and since lashes technically are hair, there’s a correlation between having a stylist blow out your unruly mane, and lengthening your lashes with mascara?

Weird flex but OKURRRR!

Drybar is known for their blow-drying hair services and not for makeup, so I was surprised when they teamed up with It Cosmetics to launch a new mascara.

It Cosmetics Lash Blow Out ($25) is supposed to lift, lengthen and thicken your lashes (my life’s purpose), so I’ll bite…

it cosmetics drybar lash blow out mascara — Cute! The packaging resembles a round brush.

The ends of the bristles on the wand have tiny spheres designed to catch and comb through lashes, while the wand latches onto your lashes to separate each and every hair (so it works!), but I do wish that the tip of the brush was thinner, because it’s hard to get it into the inner and outer corners without leaving a trail of wayward mascara bits and bobs behind.

it cosmetics drybar lash blow out mascara before after — I used two coats.

After two coats, my lashes (which are longer and thicker thanks to Rodan + Fields Lash Boost) are slightly longer and more separated, but the lift at the base only lasts for about an hour before my lash curl starts to droop ever-so-slightly.

As for volume, I need at least three layers of Lash Blow Out to get the results I see from one coat of $32 Dimensions de Chanel Mascara (my current holy grail).

So, the effect is noticeable, but it isn’t life-altering.

Verdict: If you’re all about length and separation, Lash Blow Out delivers. You’ll get both, sans clumps, smears or heaviness; however, if you also crave lift and volume (like I do!), then this stuff will test your patience. It requires at least three coats to reeeeeally thicken that fringe.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!! ?

We Got This

August 22nd, 2019 by Karen 31 Comments

cocobaby first day honeybees — Watch out world; here she comes!

I *really* didn’t think I would cry this time.

We’ve been doing preschool drop-off for, what, a full year now? A full year! All last year, all summer long, so this morning I thought, “We got this!”

Today was Connor’s first day of school in the Honeybee class (3-4 year olds), so I got her up a little early, and we had a fun breakfast (strawberries and a Trader Joe’s Pop Tart), did some coloring, got ready for school, and then did what I hope will be our annual first-day-of-school picture session in the front yard.

After that, we packed up her stuff and drove to the school. I took her to her new classroom, and at that point, I was still holding it together. I made it all through the “hellos” to her teachers and her classmates.

Then we put her stuff away in her cubby, and I took her to one of the activity stations she was interested in. (Side note: There was Play-Doh, by the way, which is forbidden fruit in our house because it contains gluten, and El Hub has celiac, so whenever Connor sees Play-Doh she’s like OOOOH!)

Once she was settled in, I gave her a hug, told her I’d see her soon, and blew her a kiss as I walked out the door.

It wasn’t until I had closed the door behind me and was walking to my car that I started to feel wobbly inside…

And boy, I let the tears fall. I sat in the car and bawled for a solid five minutes.

Overall…I thought this kind of thing would get easier over time, but I guess it doesn’t. Watching that tender part of your heart go out into the world probably doesn’t get a whole lot easier, and then there’s the reminder that time is passing, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. She’ll just pull further and further away from me every year…

It’s bittersweet.

This time last year… I miss those chubby baby cheeks.

Being so intensely needed by another creature is emotionally, physically and mentally taxing, but I wouldn’t change it for anything the world. I’m eternally grateful for having met Tabs, and I thank the universe and the stars for sending me Connor.

Sometimes I can’t believe she was ever this small…

It all feels like a dream, and time is passing way too fast.

She’ll be going to preschool five days a week now. Did I mention that?

Last year it was only two days a week, so I still had a good amount of time with her at home, and I think that’s been the toughest part this time around — knowing that she’ll be out in the world, out with her friends, and I know it’ll be really good for her social development, but still… I keep telling myself that this is how it is. This is normal. One day she’ll be asking to borrow the car keys, and I’ll be watching her drive away without me.

I know that’s still a long ways from now, but I can see it in my mind clear as day, ya know? Pardon me while I go cry again… ? LOL.

Everyone says that being a parent is hard, and I think this is the hardest part — finding the strength to let them go.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

August 22nd, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

spirit rainbow mane — “Why, yes, I am wearing false lashes in this look!”

1. Coloring

With colored pencils, and using said pencils to draw false lashes, questionable eyeshadow and winged liner on cartoon horses. ?

“Fine Art” — a collaboration by me and the coywolf

2. Retinol

I have a pimple on my chin.

It’s one of those *painful* ones with roots like an old oak tree, but instead of doing what I usually do with a pimple like this one — bombarding it with benzoyl peroxide — this time I showered it in Kate Somerville’s +Retinol Vita C Power Serum Firming + Brightening Treatment instead.

Soooo I may have overdone it a little, though, because the peeling around the area was intense for a minute, but dang, the retinol worked some serious magic. It pushed that pimple through the various annoying pimple phases quicker than benzoyl peroxide ever could, and a healing process that usually takes a month took about a week and a half.

OK, #teamretinol, I totally get it now.

3. “When Will My Life Begin”

Connor is going through a Disney princess phase at the moment, and this song from Tangled sung by the adorable Mandy Moore (LOVE HER) sticks in my head for a loooong time every time I hear it.

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What’s on Your Sephora VIB Sale Wish List?

August 21st, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

The Sephora VIB 15% sale is happening meow (it goes until August 27)!

Inquiring minds want to know… What’s on your wish list?

This time around, mine list includes a beauty bouquet of the usual suspects I hoard. For instance, I “need” another bottle of Kate Somerville Ani Bac, and another Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, a few hair things, and (of course) foundation, which is apparently my makeup Achilles’ heel.

Everything Olaplex: Everyone I know raves about this brand, and I really want to try ALL THE THINGS, including the No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo ($28), the Hair Pefector No. 3 ($28), No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner ($28) and the new No. 7 Bonding Oil ($28).
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: Their iconic tinted moisturizer has new packaging and a new formula, and I reeeeeally want to try it. Back in the day, the O.G. one was one of my makeup bag staples… I wonder if the new version is just as good.
Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid: This medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation has been on my radar for a while, but I keep getting distracted by other things, ha ha!
Shiseido MicroLiner Ink: I’m enamored with the super skinny tip of this twist-up liner, which is supposed to last a long time and be excellent for tightlining.
Budget skin care products: SO MANY bare-bones, affordable skin care products have come out over the past few years, and Sephora stocks quite a few of them. I’m very curious about the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution by The Ordinary (only $7.20!) and The Inkey ListNiacinamide ($6.99).

How about you? What’s on your VIB wish list?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Heroes: The $6 Sephora Collection Eco Biodegradable Sharpener

August 20th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

makeup pencil sharpener — All that and a bag of chips!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Y’all…with the 15% off VIB sale happening now, I know you’re busy playing chicken with your Sephora cart, but please take a moment to consider one of the most underrated (and best!) tools the mother ship has to offer — the $6 Biodegradable Pencil Sharpener, otherwise known as “the pencil sharpener that elevated my winged liner and saved me from a lifetime of makeup misery.”

It’s the only makeup pencil sharpener I’ve ever owned that I haven’t wanted to hurl across the room.

From sephora.com:

What it is:
A professional-grade, two-in-one pencil sharpener made of an innovative, biodegradable, and sustainable bio-polymer.

What it does:
The Eco Biodegradable Sharpener is a perfect accessory to your cosmetic collection. This sharpener not only accomodates a multitude of pencil sizes, but you can feel confident knowing that you are also helping the environment when you dispose of it. The corn-based PLA body of this sharpener is biologically degradable, while the blade is recyclable. Made in Germany, the carbon steel blades give your pencils the perfect pointed tips for flawless application.

What else you need to know:
This sharpener can be used with a multitude of pencils, sized from 8mm to 12mm. It includes a removable pick tucked neatly into the body to help dislodge the toughest pieces of shavings and lead from the blade.

Sharpest tips EVRRRR

Every successful kitten flick I wore this summer, I totally owe to this sharpener. You know how sometimes you’ll sharpen a pencil, and the end will get nice and pointy but then immediately when you run it across your skin the tip breaks off? That happens to me all the time…but never with this sharpener. The blades whittle dull tips into sharp points with just a few twists and turns, yet they still hold back juuuuuust enough from going past the point of no return.
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The Beauty Lover’s Dilemma: Do You Stick to What You Know, or Do You Try Something New?

August 20th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with Hamlet, because “to be or not to be” isn’t the question. The question is, “do I try this new serum/foundation/brow pencil/[WHATEVER NEW PRODUCT IS TREDNY AT THE MOMENT, or do I stick to what I already know works for me?”

You know how it goes… There you are, just bopping along, living your life, enjoying whatever particular product is rocking your boat at the moment (for me, it’s the lash serum that brought my lids back to life, Rodan + Fields Lash Boost), but then something new and shiny catches your eye (like Neulash Lash Serum), and you’re suddenly asking yourself questions like, “Isn’t this the Neulash serum Chelsea and Janet were raving about!? Should I give it a try? Will it take my lashes to next level OH MY WOW!?”

After you sit there debating with yourself, and laughing at yourself for obsessing over such a little thing, you come back to the original question, and you’re still stumped. Do you try something new, or do you stick to what you know?

Because the thing is: you just NEVER really know. You never know if you’ll stumble onto something new that’ll completely blow your expectations away.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Half ‘n Half Lipstick

August 19th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

MAC Half ‘n Half Lipstick ($18.50) is a neutral girl’s neutral — a nude pinkish brown with a creamy finish that you can wear with warm Havana eyeshadow, neutral golden brown Soba, or cool-toned taupe Omega, plus each and every natural-looking neutral in between.

You want pigment? Girl, you got pigment. You want shine? Half ‘n Half has you covered, and since Half ‘n Half has MAC’s intense Amplified formula, you can swipe once and ask questions (or reapply) later.

Like, much later.

Three or four hours, even.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 588

August 19th, 2019 by Karen 20 Comments

karen cocobaby pt reyes — Have a colorful day!

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. How often do you exfoliate your face?

I try to do a gentle physical exfoliation daily with a washcloth and a cleanser in the morning, and then two or three times a week I’ll use a retinol-containing product at night.

2. What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a single skin care product?

It was on Skinceuticals C + E Ferulic Serum…which is $166 a pop for a teeny, tiny bottle.

So pricey, but it worked, especially on areas of inconsistent pigmentation. I haven’t used it in ages because of the price, though. I’ve been trying to find a less expensive alternative (saving for the Coywolf’s college and the house remodel got me all ?), but I’ve yet to find something comparable.

I might go back to it eventually…maybe after Connor graduates from grad school?!

3. Your top three skin care concerns right now?

Pigmentation, pimples and fine lines.

Those are my top three, but can I add a fourth? — ’cause if I can, dryness is also plaguing me at the moment.

4. List three skin care products you put on your face this morning.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Cream
Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion

5. Your best skin care advice?

Leave the pimple alone, girlfriend. The less you futz with it, the better off you’ll be!

❤️❤️❤️Just a friendly reminder ❤️❤️❤️

Hiya, friend. Good morning. I’m so happy to see you today. ? This week, BTW, is going to be a good — no, a great one!

I just realized that as of September (which is only two weeks away), we only have four more months till 2020.

Wow!

That’s crazy to me… This seems like a good time to consider how we’re going to wrap up 2019. If you’re exactly where you want to be in terms of your goals and wishes, that’s amazing! Give yourself a big hug and keep on keepin’ on. In my case, I still feel like I have a lot to accomplish before the year’s end, so every day this week, I’m going to chip away at just one of those things at a time.

My thing this week is clearing out a closet which has become a disorganized catch-all for everything, and I cannot — I JUST CAN’T — move into 2020 with it the way it is. So, every day this week, I’m going to spend 20 minutes cleaning and clearing it out.

I’ve been avoiding it for years, but it’s finally time, ya know?

How about you? What would you like to achieve before the end of 2019?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon!

1. How often do you exfoliate your face?
2. What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a single skin care product?
3. Your top three skin care concerns right now?
4. List three skin care products you put on your face this morning.
5. Your best skin care advice?

P.P.S. Have a wonderful rest of your week! ?