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

Saturday Surfing, August 10th, 2019

August 10th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

Aaaaand this is the type of thing El Hub and I talk about these days, LOL! Yeah, I have a playdate…WITH. A. CAT. She’s a tortie/tabby mix, and her foster mom (a cat lady friend of mine who I exercise with) says that if she didn’t already have a house full of animals, she’d keep her in a heartbeat.

Dunno if I’m ever going to feel ready for another cat, or if I’ll ever *not* compare every single cat I meet to Tabs, but I’m gonna keep it low-key and go into the visit with an open heart and mind.

El Hub has also warned me — multiple times — about resisting the urge to bring home a family of felines on a whim (“Sweetie, you can’t just bring home five cats”), and yeah, even I can see that happening from a mile away, HA HA HA!

On that note, your beauty (and otherwise) reading for the week…

The next generation of biotech beauty startups are looking at viruses and bacteria as they build out their product lines.
Babies are the newest target consumer in the luxury skin care market.
Here’s what to look for if you’re searching for products that are truly non-comedogenic.
Hair bows have held multiple meanings throughout history. Bows have communicated whether the wearer was single (and ready to mingle!), whether they supported or resisted a particular regime, and have been symbols for resistance movements, among other things.
A brief history of black hair, politics and discrimination
Ah, the eternal question… Does your skin care need to sting in order to, like, actually work?
Could this be the evolutionary reason why cats love to chomp on grass?
These runway cats from the Algonquin Annual Cat Fashion Show are super meow-dles!
This family took their two senior kitties along with them on a beach vacay.
A closer look at what it’s like to get one of Lancôme’s bespoke foundations made just for you

Classical music for brain power because I need all the help I can get (PLUS, A CUTE CAT!)

Pop-Tarts but make it bougie

Another week, another Sir John video because I’m obsessed

Happy weekend to ya. Doing anything involving cats today or tomorrow? (Please say yes.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Crimpin’ Ain’t Easy

August 9th, 2019 by Karen 20 Comments

The neighborhood naked ladies say “Hello!”

Don’t worry; nobody’s roaming the streets with their booty cheeks hanging out. These naked ladies are of the floral variety, and they pop up every August around here… I’ve also heard them referred to as “pink ladies,” but I like calling them “naked ladies” instead because it sounds so scandalous! ?

In other news…as a consequence of my using Rodan + Fields Lash Boost every night for a while and having long lashes for the first time ever, I recently added this to my list of First World makeup problems: I can’t curl the outer corners of my lashes.

I can kinda get to them if I hold my Shiseido curler at an odd angle…but the curler pinches my skin and crimps the middle lashes into an odd shape when I do it.

I need something that can get waaaaaay down to the base of those outer corner lashes, which is why I’m debating getting one of these half lash curlers from Sonia Kashuk ($9), MAC ($22) or Tweezerman ($19).

Half lash curlers are about a quarter the width of regular lash curlers (so why aren’t they called quarter lash curlers??), and they’re designed for small areas of your lash line, like the outer corner.

Have you tried any of these before? I just put the Sonia Kashuk one in my Target cart, and now it’s sitting there taunting me…

And while we’re on the subject of Tar-ghay, their Universal Thread jeans are on sale right meow!!! I have two pairs of the high-rise stretch jeans, and I really like them because they loosen up a little bit throughout the day (but not to where they’re falling around your ankles).

They’ve held up well after vigorous washing and drying, too (I wear them every week).

Bonus: They also come in regular, short, and tall sizing, so you probably won’t have to hem them.

I’m gonna grab the khaki pair next!

Also, last night, for the first time in the history of Karen’s life, I fell asleep thinking about bathroom tile, of all things…

We’re redoing the downstairs powder room in the next couple months, and it’s the one room I’ll be able to gut and redo from the bottom up, so I’m excited about the project.

I’m going for a classic/traditional bathroom, similar to the Pottery Barn style… My main goal is to put together something that will hopefully age well and won’t look too dated in 5-10 years.

*crosses fingers*

So, floor tile. I’ve narrowed it down to hexagonal tile — either in a matte white…

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4 Ways to Work Your Favorite Colorful Eyeliner

August 8th, 2019 by Karen 22 Comments

Most days, I will gleefully wear neutrals on my lids (NEUTRALS 4 LIFE!), but there are still days when I just gotta get some color in the mix.

Will I frequently carve out 30 minutes for cray-cray eyeshadow gradients and intense layering and blending? Nah, but when I am pressed for time (which is daily, it seems), and I still need a color fix, I’ll grab a colorful eyeliner.

Purple, blue, green, gold, pink… Seriously, I feel like a kid in a candy store whenever I see those bright sticks, and one of the best things about colorful liner IMO (besides the endless choices!) is that you can go subtle OR bold with them.

Here are four ways to work colorful liner into your day, starting with two options that are more wearable, and ending with two that have more OOMPH.

In all of these pics, the colorful eyeliner I’m wearing is Urban Decay Mainline, a deep bluish green with a matte finish!

Look #1 (wearable): Liner layered beneath a neutral eyeshadow

This is a fab, facile way to work some color into your eye makeup. First, start by lining your bare lids with your eyeliner of choice, then blend a neutral eyeshadow (or eyeshadows) directly on top.

The result? A super subtle wash of color peeking through your upper lash line.

Look #2 (wearable): Layered liner with a tightline for a subtle gradient

For sightly more verve, tightline your upper lash line after layering your liner. Do it, and you’ll end up with a wink of color and a subtle gradient. ?
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Blame It on My Juice

August 7th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

ali wong whos that girl — She looks awfully familiar

Everyone tells me I look like Ali Wong, but I never understood it until this morning.

I was chillin’ on my phone, scrolling through my Insta feed, when I saw that picture above with the girl in the orange dress (full disclosure: I didn’t have my glasses on) and was like, “I don’t remember taking this pic…and where’d I get this orange dress? And why is my boob almost falling out?? And who is this lady in the pink??”

I clicked on the pic and realized that (holy sh*t) it totally isn’t me! It’s Ali Wong… HA HA HA! Cracked me up.

This morning I also realized that I’m no longer meant for flat makeup bags with a simple zipper at the top. They just don’t work for me anymore. I don’t like having to dig around in them and taking FOR-EV-ER to find anything. I much prefer a specific type of makeup bag now, ones that are shaped like cubes or squares and have a zipper at the top that goes around.

I have two such bags in my life right now, and they see the most use. The first is a clear one from Wander Beauty (I don’t think it’s sold on the website anymore, unfortunately), and the other one is an LE MAC bag I got a while ago.

I “need” (“air quotes”) to get another one or two, though, because I’m done with all other types of makeup bags.

I saw this $15 one on Melissa Street’s feed (she’s a professional makeup artist in LA) from MYKITCO., a UK brand… I think I need one!

Something else that’s been rocking my world lately? Answer: the wonder that is plain nonfat Greek yogurt. I’ve been all about this stuff lately because it’s just so convenient and versatile. I can have it as regular ol’ yogurt in the morning for breakfast (add fruit, nuts and a drizzle of yogurt), or as a substitute for mayo or sour cream. (Try it on top of tacos sometime. It’s SO good!)

I used it to make an egg salad yesterday for lunch using equal parts low-fat mayo and Greek yogurt.

SO GOOD. I stuck it in a halved bell pepper, then sprinkled spinach and bacon on top.

Mmm…

egg salad in red bell pepper — Lunch rec: egg salad in a halved raw red bell pepper topped with bacon and spinach

Oh, and while I was making lunch, I listened to Lizzo’s new performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk.

JUST BEYOND. She’s so good on the fly, and she cracks me up, too! I especially love the flute solos (THERE WERE MULTIPLE MOMENTS) in Juice. Sigh! I wish I could find my flute (I think it’s MIA at my parents’ house) because I really want to learn how to play the chorus in Juice on it.

Never mind that I haven’t played flute in, oh…25 years. I think it would still be fun to learn.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New From Honest Beauty: Liquid Lipstick

August 6th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

honest beauty happiness — Happiness — an aptly named bright peachy pink ?

If you feel like you can’t toss your high pony, toast a Pop Tart, or brush the cat fur from your shoulder without bumping into a liquid lipstick, you’re not alone. Especially over the past few years, they’ve been errrrywhere — from fancy brands like Chanel to big drugstore lines (I like the ones from Maybelline and Physicians Formula), and at all price points in between.

Now there’s a “clean” beauty option from Honest Beauty, and guess what? It’ll make you cabbage patch right outta your office chair, which is what happened to me when I tried one of the nudes.

Mauve nude BFF is the perfect “there but not there” lip color (and you know I love me a nude lip!).

I’ve tested four of the seven shades, and all of them feel smooth and flexible on my lips. The mousse-like formula stays put through breakfast, lunch, snacks and copious amounts of coffee and water without settling into my horizontal lip lines. Plus, most importantly, NO CAT BUTT LIPS. ?

Even after wearing one for a full day, my lips feel comfortable and moisturized, and there’s nary a flake in sight the next day.

honest beauty goddess — Goddess (a bright reddish pink)

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How Would I Describe My Relationship With My Magnifying Mirror? Answer: It’s Complicated…

August 6th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

It’s the best and worst thing ever. On the one hand…my magnifying mirror is the best thing in the world.

Even better than See’s Candies — because there’s nothing better when it comes to seeking and obliterating every last errant bit of fuzz on my lids and upper lip.

Oh, and those tiny chin hairs? The extra stiff ones you can feel just under the surface but can’t see without help? Without my magnifying mirror, I’d never find them!

Plus, how would I ever be able to find those gaps in my lashes and brows, or find that perfect angle to tweak that wonky wing? A magnifying mirror is like the Hubble Space Telescope of beauty products.

On the other hand…do I really need to be so up close and personal with my pores and pigment patches, or with the lines underneath my eyes? (I find a new one every day!) Sometimes, I feel like my magnifying mirror makes mountains out of molehills, and I’d rather not be so hyper-aware of the happenings on my face.

I remind myself that it’s all just surface stuff, but sometimes when I’m looking at my lids at 10x magnification and see just how much more hooded they’re becoming over time, I think, “Well, damn. Here we go.”

Do I really need these things to be pinpointed in such closeup clarity? Probably not… Sometimes I think about ditching my magnifying mirror for good, but then I feel one of those twirly mustache hairs juuuuust beneath the surface of my face, and I run back to it faster than an Olympic sprinter going for the gold.

It’s a love/hate relationship, and not one I’m ready to quit yet.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Urban Decay Chaos Eyeliner

August 5th, 2019 by Karen 3 Comments

urban decay chaos swatch — When a little Chaos in your life is a good thing

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.

I can’t keep track of all of Urban Eyeliners. I mean, what do I look like, man? — a walking Guinness Book of World Records for makeup!? LOL! Anyway, there’s just so many of them, especially in the blue category. SO. MANY. BLUES.

But *this* shade is, by far, the one I wear the most, and it’s my favorite. It’s called Chaos, and it’s a gorgeous, pigment-rich cobalt blue that looks like it has a glossy finish from some angles and a matte finish from others. I don’t know how it does this whole quick-change-finish thing, but I suspect it has to do with “ze’ magic,” otherwise known as “the secret shimmer.”

If you buff right into it, tiny silver pieces of glitter appear. It’s the most beautiful (and surprisingly subtle) effect, and when you’re nerding-out over makeup, those little details are the ish.

Oh, and I also wear this liner because — you know I wear a lot of neutrals, right? — it works with both cooler-toned true neutrals like the Clinique Teddy Bear Palette (which I’m all about these days! It’s what wearing in these pics), and warmer orange and reddish neutrals as well. It goes with errrrthing, and you gotta love flexibility (and not having to think too deeply when it comes to your blue liner, ha!).

Chaos pencil is one of UD’s 24/7 Glide-Ons, so once it’s on, it doesn’t budge. I like to wear it full-tilt, but you can also buff it down to a pretty whisper of blue and silver sparkles. Yeah, you can do subtle with Urban Decay, too! It’s awesome.

Chaos is part of their permanent collection (yay!), and it’s $22.

urban decay chaos close up 2 — The lippie, in case you’re wondering, is Honest Beauty Liquid Lipstick in BFF.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 586

August 5th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

mac love me lipstick heart — Got nothing but love for ya on this beautiful Monday! (These are a few of the new MAC Love Me Lipsticks, by the way.)

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 contour?

These days, never…although I did go through a brief phase in 2014 when it was an everyday thing for me…and by “everyday,” I mean every. Day.

2. Massage or a mud bath?

I’ll take a deep-tissue massage. Please, oh please, oh please, oh please.

I did have a mud bath once, though, and I never want to have mud in any of my bodily crevices ever again…

3. Have you ever had acrylic nails?

They were big when I was in college in the early ’90s (#datingmyself), and everyone I knew had acrylics, but I never got around to trying them. Plus, I didn’t really have extra room in my budget to keep them up with the salon appointments, and whatever money I did set aside for beauty items I usually spent on makeup. I’ve always liked nails, but my first love is and has always been makeup!

4. Do you tend to stick to the same perfume, or do you like to switch things up?

I tend to stick to the same core group, but I will combine them sometimes in a halfhearted but somewhat serious attempt to create something personalized to my mood.

5. Leopard, zebra or snake print?

Leopard print all the way. (What else would you expect from a cat lady?)

Please pass me some coffee…

Because coffee is the elixir of life.

Happy Monday, friend. It’s a new week, and I’m feeling excited and energized because 1) COFFEE, and 2) I’m slowly working through my MAC lipstick collection.

MAN! — rediscovering gems I haven’t worn in a while is giving me life. I just wore this pretty pink Cremesheen yesterday called MAC Fanfare… Remember when the Cremesheens came out in 2008? I feel like it was just yesterday…

I’m also swatching my way through a few of the new MAC Love Me Lipsticks (pic at the top), and some of the new Honest Beauty Liquid Lipsticks (which I’ve been wanting to try).

It’s gonna be a lipstick kinda week, and I’m not mad about it. Lipstick might be a little thing, but those tiny tubes are packed with mood-boosting power.

And we gotta get our joy wherever we can find it, ya know? Because the world can be a scary place.

I hope your week goes well, friend. Love you extra today.

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 contour?
2. Massage or a mud bath?
3. Have you ever had acrylic nails?
4. Do you tend to stick to the same perfume, or do you like to switch things up?
5. Leopard, zebra or snake print?