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

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 515

August 19th, 2018 by Karen 4 Comments

It looks like this is the new normal.

Neighborhood ne’er-do-well Harris the Cat attempted another brazen assault on the security perimeter this morning. Thankfully, Special Agent Tabs was there to stop him.

This time, Harris tried the direct approach, but Tabs, looking as sharp as ever in a black tie and white collar, was ready for him. He feigned disinterest, then whirled around into one of his favorite kitty Krav Maga moves.

It took Harris completely by surprise, and his confidence was shaken. At that point, the mental game was won, and it was only a matter of time before Harris fled.

With the perimeter secure, Tabs was able to finally relax.

He also made himself a yummy bamboo shoot salad….

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Saturday Surfing, August 18th, 2018

August 18th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

Happy Caturday, sweetest! This lasagna is from Connor’s birthday party last March, and the reason you’re lookin’ at it now is because…I’m about to do something I never thought I’d ever try.

I’m going to make a gluten-free lasagna.

Rather, I’m going to try to make a gluten-free lasagna.

El Hub recently found out that he might have celiac, so he’s working with his doctor and going gluten-free for a few weeks to monitor his symptoms. So for this past week when I’ve made food for all of us, I’ve been doing gluten-free meals, which is why the aforementioned lasagna’s happening.

I’m also making a separate lasagna using regular pasta to bring to one to my neighbors, too. And I might also make a third one to have as a spare… (Yes, I’m a lasagna-making ? machine.)

Saturday Surfing: Interesting tidbits I came across this week

Favorite read —> The journey of Katie Stubblefield, who became the youngest person in the U.S. to undergo a successful face transplant. It’s a long read and difficult at times, but by the end of it you’ll appreciate your face and everything it does for you that much more. Side note: science is freaking amazing.
Also, we live in *strange* times. Did you know that there exists an entire sub-genre of beauty videos where pets select the makeup their owners wear?
Even though they aren’t supposed to last long at all, I still want to try a water-based fragrance. They’ve been around since ye olde Roman times (so roughly a millennium), and they’re making a comeback, driven in large part by clean beauty devotees.
Who’s that (birthday ?) girl?! Madonna just turned 60 (WHAT), which means that her iconic biceps have been gracing us for nearly four decades. Here’s a timeline of her arms through the ages!
This coffee ☕ is supposed to make you ??‍? smarter.
Eight of the best cat toys for kitties ? who stay home alone during the day.
Seven of Aretha Franklin’s most iconic looks. RIP, Queen of Soul. Your music ? carried me through many rough patches in my late teens and early 20s, and your legacy will live on forever.

My favorite Aretha song

Yum! I wanna make this for lunch.

On a mission to perfect the push-up

This looks super cute and relatively easy…

Hey, anyone else out there doing the gluten-free ? thing? If there are any recipes or food websites you know and love, please hook a lady up.

Have a good rest of your weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Friday Chit-Chat (Makeup and Otherwise): Being Out of Practice, and Entering New Phases in Life

August 17th, 2018 by Karen 27 Comments

wander beauty wanderess fever palette — Feelin’ this

Heya, hot pocket! ??❤️ First, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my lids for the “cruel summer” they’ve endured thus far. It’s been a particularly “taupe” season, which I guess in the grand scheme of traumatic makeup horrors isn’t Armageddon-caliber, because at least I had the wherewithal to line my lash lines and incorporate one or two matte browns, but ya know…when you’re bonding with a dental hygienist at a new dentist’s office and she asks what you do for a living, and you say, “I write about makeup!” you know better than to wear taupe for three months straight.

So I’m trying to get back in the game a little… But, dude, I feel so outta practice!

Has this ever happened to you?

You practice and practice and browse blogs and watch hours of YouTube videos until you finally get to where you start to feel like you’re getting good at doing your eyes, but then life happens and you stop practicing or wearing makeup as much as you had been. Then, when you get the urge to get back into makeup again after your hiatus, the looks you had been able to do seem almost impossible?!

wander beauty wanderess palette — On ‘ze lids today: the Wandress Fever eye and cheek palette by Wander Beauty

That’s exactly how I felt today

This bronze eye wasn’t complicated as far eye looks go, but I’ve embraced streamlined eye makeup over the last couple years, so wearing an eyeshadow base and three different shadows is now akin to performing NASA-level math for me, like E = MC-what-the-hell-am-I-doing-with-this-satiny-purple-in-the-outer-corner.

chanel impulsion — And the eye look without any blush — just MAC Hyper Real Foundation in Bronze FX used as a highlighter

mac hyper real foundation — These are cool. —> They’re like liquid versions of Strobe Cream in different colors.

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Does New NARS Climax Mascara Take Lashes to the Peak of Perfection?

August 16th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

This being NARS we’re talking about (because even my glam granny knows that NARS has a thing for naughtily named makeup), I’m pretty sure the new NARS Climax Mascara was named after the big “O,” but can we pretend François was inspired by Klymaxx’s Meeting in the Ladies Room?

I’ll be back real soon…

Now, after you’re done dancing in your chair to the song (because you know you’re feeling it), please do actually meet me in the ladies room, because that’s where you’ll find me applying another coat of this easy-to-layer mascara, because it builds like WHOA!

NARS Climax Mascara ($24)

First Hourglass Caution; now NARS Climax. I’m really liking this trend of featherweight, flexible mascaras you can endlessly layer without clumping.

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What Are Your Biggest Personal Hair Pet Peeves?

August 16th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

Thank goodness for hats on crazy hair days!

Even though my mane is currently under moderate control, and even though I’m relatively happy with my ‘do right now, I’m going to work under the assumption that there will still be days when it goes crazy…because cray hair days are inevitable. And even though I’m relatively content with my coif today, I still have my personal hair pet peeves.

In no particular order…

I have a widow’s peak, and I have NO control over baby hairs in it. Absolutely none! They do what they want, whenever they want to, and I can only get them to submit to my will if I use a round brush, a hairdryer, elbow grease and A LOT of styling products.

It’s work, and even when I go through the effort to tame them, those baby hairs still end up sticking up every which way.
So, I have wavy hair, and the curl pattern is tighter on my right side than it is on my left… On more than one occasion when new people have cut my hair, I’ve ended up with a lopsided ‘do that looked like I was trying to do a cool Salt ‘N’ Pepa style from the ’80s but failed miserably.

Sigh!
The bangs on the left side of my head always poof up and never lie quite right on their own, so I always have to use a heat styler to get them to fall the way I want them to.

‘Tis annoying.
Dandruff…

It’s annoying, and it ain’t cute, but I get it on occasion. (It’s the worst when the seasons are changing and my scalp goes nuts.)

How about you? Do you have any personal hair pet peeves?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Try the New MAC Dazzleshadow Liquids for Glittery, Glossy Lids and Long-Lasting Shimmer and Shine

August 15th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

mac dazzleshadow liquid rayon rays every day is sunshine — Glossy, glittery goodness

Is it a glitter, or is it a super shiny eye gloss? Quelle suprise! ‘Tis both.

The MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid Eyeshadows ($22 each)

The sparkling new MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid eyeshadows come in 10 shades in every color you’d want to wear to schmexy time, to preschool library story time (IT ME), or any time, really.

“Get lost in eyes that tantalize, mesmerize and glamorize. Introducing the irresistible twinkle of our all-new daze-inducing Dazzleshadow Liquid. Available in a range of beaming finishes – from glaring glitter to subtle sparkle and cool chrome – this ultra-shiny liquid eye shadow glides across lids for a wash of brilliant colour that keeps its splendour for up to 8 hours. Its lightweight cooling formula sets quickly for the ultimate second-skin texture that feels ultra-soft on lids.”

— maccosmetics.com

Seriously, they’re such a find. You’ll never have to deal with renegade glitter bits cascading down your cheeks or under your eyes (or, in my case, up in my brows, and why or how glitter manages to get up there, I’ll never know) again.

And because of the reflective finish, you can also get the high-fashion look of magazine-style glossy eyes without that sticky, gooey, gross feeling on your lids. Dab some on the back of your hand with the doe-foot applicator, pick up the littlest amount with a tapered blending brush (THIS IS KEY! DON’T USE TOO MUCH!), blend on your lids, and it won’t budge all day long. (Watch the clock, though, because you’ll only have about two minutes to buff before the formula completely sets.)

mac dazzleshadow liquid rayon rays every day is sunshine 2 — That’s Liquid Lip Suede Matte Lipstick in Nude Blush by Civilized Cosmetics on my lips.

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Do You Ever Replace the Pads on Your Lash Curler?

August 15th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

troy surratt shiseido curler — The Troy Surrat Lash Curler on the left and the Shiseido Lash Curler on the right

I was cleaning my Surrat lash curler the other day and wondering about this, because I’m fairly certain — and this may sound totally gross, depending on your opinion on the subject — that I’ve only done it once or (maybe) twice in my entire life.

And I’ve curled my lashes A LOT over the years. It’s an everyday thing for me.

Even though I usually have those pad replacement thingamabobs floating around, because most lash curlers come with one or two of them, I usually wait until my curler gets so gross that it crosses the point of no return and can’t be resuscitated, and I end up chucking it and buying a new one.

This happens about every few years, or thereabouts.

So I’m wondering…does anybody ever replace those pads? I’m sure there has to be a continent of responsible lash curler lovers out there…or maybe I’m just the grossest person on the planet?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Estée Lauder Double Wear Deep Dive: Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

August 14th, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

estee lauder double wear stay in place honey bronze — I’m wearing your new favorite matte liquid foundation.

What is Deep Dive? I’m glad you asked! It’s a new series in which I’m reviewing a bunch of Estée Lauder Double Wear products from their permanent collection. Let’s find out what’s good! ?

Double Wear Fan Girl Badge ?️?? unlocked!

The original Double Wear Stay-in Place liquid foundation is an O.G. cult classic, and it’s gotten mad love in gazillions of reviews. Basically, you can’t turn a corner without someone practically warbling a ’90s love song about it.

All my life, I’ve waited for ~~someone like you~~ a foundation like Double Wear

That’s why I waited a hot second to put it through its paces and make sure I wasn’t just falling for the hype.

Now that I’ve been using it a few times per week for a couple months…ya know what?

I totally get it now. It’s really THAT good.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup ($42 for a 0.1-oz. glass bottle)

But before we even get into how perfectly it sits on different skin types (mine is a HELLA fussy combo of oily, dry and normal areas with a sprinkle of acne-prone spots along my jawline, and my skin loves it), this foundation is already a winner-winner-chicken-dinner for me. It’s oil-free, truly transfer-proof (so no makeup on your favorite Price tee, hooray!), fragrance-free, and — get this — available in a staggering 56 shades.

By comparison, Fenty has only 40.

“Only,” she says, ha! Remember when the biggest department store lines had maybe 14 at the most? How things have changed!

From the Sephora website…

What it is
A 24-hour-wear liquid makeup with a flawless, natural, matte finish that unifies uneven skin tone and covers imperfections with buildable medium to full coverage.

What it does
Double Wear makeup gives you 24-hour staying power for a flawless, natural matte finish. This foundation unifies uneven skin tone and covers imperfections with buildable medium-to-full coverage. The makeup feels lightweight and so comfortable, you won’t believe it is super long wear. The non-acnegenic formula won’t clog pores, which may help avert breakouts, and helps control shine. It’s waterproof, won’t run, rub off, or smudge and lasts in hot and humid weather.

Double Wear comes in Cool, Neutral and Warm undertones with shades that have been blended so they won’t look grey on deeper skintones.

What else you need to know
This product is fragrance-free and has been dermatologist tested. It is oil-free, mattifying, transfer-resistant, dermatologist-tested, non-acnegenic, and fragrance-free.

My shade is Honey Bronze, which is a smidgen warm for my (MAC NC42) skin at the moment, but it’s darn close, and even though it isn’t spot on, I’m OK with that because it doesn’t oxidize, which has always been my biggest issue with this type of base. It’s really hard for me to find a matte liquid foundation that doesn’t darken as the day goes on, and this one stays true to the original color.

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