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10-Minute Travel Makeup: Berry Cheeks and Lips, and Glowing Skin on the Go

May 2nd, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

1 wander beauty travel makeup-top-pic
Travel makeup you can do in 10 minutes…in a moving car

All who wander are not lost, but if El Hub is at the helm, and we’re in our Mazda, chances are… 🙂 Haha! Kidding, babe! Sort of…

That man… OK, he was was born and raised on an island, so when he gets lost while driving, he instinctively seeks out the ocean and then hugs the coast. Now, if you do that on a small island, you’ll eventually get closer to where you need to go. (Granted, this technique works better on a small island like Oahu than it does when you’re driving in the middle of a huge state like California.)

And will he ever pull over and ask for directions? NOPE. Thank goodness for smart phones… Apple Maps has saved our marriage more than once!

Anyway, I’ve learned a thing or two about putting on makeup in cars, because, girl, I’m always putting on makeup in the car. (If I had a nickel for every time I nearly poked my eye out with a mascara brush on 880…)

Over the years and years and miles and miles, I’ve figured out a few helpful tricks that make the process easier and more efficient, and those tricks came in handy last weekend on our three-hour drive up to Redding.

wander beauty travel makeup clouds on point
Fluffy cloud game on point
wander beauty travel makeup yellow wildflowers
The yellow wildflowers are out and working it.

These things are really helpful when you’re doing makeup in the car (or on a train, bus or plane, for that matter):

  1. Skip the brushes if you can. They just complicate things. Plus, you know that crack between the seat and the center console in the car? It’s a freaking black hole when it comes to makeup brushes. If you drop one in there on accident, kiss it goodbye. You’re not going to get it out until humanity learns how to fold space and time.
  2. Creams are key. You can apply creams with your fingers, so without brushes, and you don’t have to worry so much about spillage. On that note, try avoiding makeup that comes in jars or sifters because they’re messy. Makeup in pressed pans is OK, but there’s always a chance you’ll drop the pan and shatter it, and you’ll have to use a brush to apply.
  3. Choose products that have something attached to both ends. For example, a lip duo with a lipstick on one end and a lip liner on the other (like the berry lipstick/liner duo I use below from Wander Beauty). They’ll save a little space in your makeup bag and lighten your load a little.
wander beauty travel makeup view of the bay
A quick glimpse of the North Bay from Highway 37 (which takes you into Napa)

[Continue reading…]

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Wander Beauty Keywords: makeup tutorial, Wander Beauty

What’s One Change You’ve Recently Made to Your Makeup Routine?

May 1st, 2018 by Karen 29 Comments

Come on, we’re all beauty addicts here. You must have changed something lately. Mine is that I swapped black liner for colorful shades on my upper lash line.

Mind you, I’m still extremely on board with black on my upper water line (Chanel 88 Noir Intense for life), but dang! — purple, blue, green, gray or brown on the upper lash line — basically any color other than black — is the business. I think my eyes look MUCH bigger and brighter when I wear bright liner.

Of course, this revelation could also be a feeble excuse to expand my eyeliner collection, haha! But that’s cool. I’m OK with that. 🙂

How about you? What’s one change you’ve recently made to your makeup routine?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Why Is It Impossible to Take Cute Selfies at the Gym?

May 1st, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

winged liner tee and attention lipsticks case
Winged Liner Tee ($34) and Attention Lipsticks iPhone Case ($24) from my store, connorclaire.com

Is it because of the harsh, sickly blue-tinted florescent lighting? The mirrored walls that cast stark shadows at unusual angles and reflect said lighting up your nostrils? The layer of perspiration glistening on your forehead? The complete and utter lack of kittens, art and cute furnishings?

Or is it because I roll up to HIIT class rocking a severe high pony, which, in my mind, looks just as sophisticated as Madonna’s during her Blonde Ambition phase, but in reality never does?

winged liner tee and attention lipsticks case
Nearly impossible, I tell ya.

Or is it because everyone I work out with teases me (in a fun way!) about taking pics of myself in the mirror, so I end up smiling like someone just asked me if I’d eat a bowl of live earthworms for ten thousand dollars?

Basically, WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TAKE CUTE SELFIES AT THE GYM?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Connor Claire Store, Just For Fun

Neutrogena Essential Cheek Palette by Kerry Washington

April 30th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette
Blush, bronzer and highlighter for the price of lunch!

As a font enthusiast/typography aficionado, I would like to point out that the “K” in Kerry Washington’s signature on the front of her new Neutrogena cheek palette merits my stamp of approval. I spent an inordinate amount of time — weeks, perhaps even years — perfecting the “K” in my signature, and IMHO, this is a good “K!”

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette packaging
That’s a good K!

You probably know Kerry Washington from her role in Scandal, but did you also know that she was in one of my favorite movies from the ’90s, Save the Last Dance? And that she’s an ambassador for Neutrogena? And that her LE collection also has an eye palette? And a body wash?


I’ve watched this movie at least 50 times.

The cheek palette caught my eye because it looks a little like BECCA’s epic Chrissy palette (minus a highlighter), and in one way it’s similar — the pigmented peachy coral blush. It’s not nearly as shimmery as the BECCA blush, but the color’s almost a dead-on dupe.

Kerry’s blush is the most pigmented thing in the palette, by the way. It’s much more pigmented than both the bronzer and highlighter, so you’ll want to take it easy the first time you dab it on your sweet cherub cheeks.

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette swatches
I wear Honey 85 in Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Skin Tint, for reference.

[Continue reading…]

There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Neutrogena, Product Reviews Keywords: drugstore makeup, neutrogena

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 522

April 30th, 2018 by Karen 35 Comments

monday poll happiness quality of thoughts
Good morning!

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll… It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been doing every Monday morning for the past 11 (!) years. (It’s like a kick start for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments and getting my week off to a good start, and I hope you do, too.

1. Have you ever wanted to change your name?

When I was a kid I did because I used to think that “Karen” was boring, so I tried to informally change it a few times, but nothing ever stuck.

In eighth grade — oh, gosh, and this is such an eighth grade thing to do — my friends and I chose “secret” names for ourselves to use in our letters, and I asked my friends to call me “Rennie” (both in person and in print).

Yeah, not such a secret name, right? 🙂 Needless to say, it didn’t stick.

And then freshman year college I went through a phase when I wanted to “rebrand” myself, LOL! So I had everyone in the dorm call me “Karen Tess,” which is a shortened combination of my first and middle name (Theresa)… That didn’t stick, either. And I also went through a phase when I lived in San Francisco in my early 20s when I introduced myself as “Kate” (my nickname at home).

Now I like my name. I definitely feel like a Karen.

2. Are you a cat lady?

100%

3. What did you do over the weekend?

Um…caught a cold? El Hub, Connor and I spent the weekend visiting family in Redding, which was nice, but I think we brought a cold up there from Baby Story Time down here.

Connor’s doing much better now, but I think it’s about to be my turn next… I feel that telltale scratchy throat. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it turns out to be allergies…

4. Something on your to-do list this week?

Bring at least one bag of clothes to Goodwill, because I want to KonMari this house until it can’t be KonMari’d anymore, dawg!

5. How do you feel about liquid liner?

I feel good about it, LOL! I feel good about it and use it often, especially if it’s easy to use like Tom Ford’s and Clinique’s.

Happy Monday!

You know what’ll wake you up on a Monday morning? Slamming a glass of Emergen-c. WOW. Anyway…hi! 🙂 How are you doing this morning? What did you do over the weekend? I hope you have a great week.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:

1. Have you ever wanted to change your name?
2. Are you a cat lady?
3. What did you do over the weekend?
4. Something on your to-do list this week?
5. How do you feel about liquid liner?

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 499

April 29th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

Tabs may be semi-retired, but that hasn’t slowed him down. He still tries to keep up with the latest trends, and set new trends. Unlike the other cats in the neighborhood who are comfortable going out in the same collar they’ve been wearing for, who knows how many weeks, months or years, Tabs always dresses to impress, because 1) you never know if you’re gonna run into Naomi Campbell on your morning walk, and damn if he’s going to be out-dressed by Naomi, and 2) he feels like he has a responsibility to inspire those around him.

He’s not the kind of cat to wear the same uniform every day — this bow with that tie, day after day. He likes to treat every day like a special occasion, including actual special occasions, like Easter, the Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day, because if he doesn’t do it, who will?

Here’s a look back at his favorite outfits from this year so far… 🙂

[Continue reading…]

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

Saturday Surfing, April 28th, 2018

April 28th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

A while back Kate Spade had “Eat Cake for Breakfast” emblazoned on tees, dishcloths, mugs and other products, and while I generally agree with this philosophy, eating chocolate for breakfast seems like an even better idea. 🙂

I might do it today because my folks brought back this delicious-looking European chocolate! They just got back from a trip to Germany and Hungary (they’re both retired and love to travel), and when they asked me if I wanted any souvenirs, the first thing that came outta my mouth was “chocolate!”

I don’t know what any of these things say, but I’m thinking that these wafers are gonna be delicious with my coffee!

It’s going to break my heart to mess up this set…

The little chocolates are individually wrapped and have different pretty pictures. Let’s see how long I can hold out, LOL! I do have to say that the presentation makes it hard to dig into these…

My parents also got me the fringed floral wine- and peach-colored scarf in the background. It reminds me of a beautiful older woman I used to see walking around the Outer Sunset in SF when I lived there.

There’s a large Eastern European community out there, and I’d always see this woman walking up and down Geary Street wearing a scarf wrapped around her head and shoulders that looked just like this one. She was so cute.

On that note, while I dig into these chocolates (but maybe not the picture ones), here are some interesting articles I came across this week. There are some good ones!

  • This woman survived a car accident…and apparently so did her Kat Von D liquid liner. She took a selfie wearing a neck brace in what appears to be a hospital bed after the accident. All of her makeup appears to be smudged off from crying, but her liquid liner? — flawless and seemingly untouched.
  • Ever wonder why certain hotels and stores smell so distinct? The twin sisters behind 12.29, a company that makes personalized scents for big retailers and brands like Nike, Cadillac, Valentino and Harrods, create scents to get consumers in the mood to buy, buy, buy.
  • I learned some new things in this step-by-step guide on how to sweat-proof your makeup for summer when you have oily skin. Now I know the difference between the various “film-formers” and which ones work best in different situations. There’s a bit of super cool science up in the mix! — and if I commit anything in this article to long-term memory, I hope it’s this: get thee some fixing spray (not settings spray), ASAP.

  • I used to be a big John Mayer fan back in the day. I even got to see him perform at a tiny club in SF before his career took off, and I stood *this close* to where he was on stage, but I haven’t really listened to his stuff in years (frankly, because in several of the interviews of him I’ve seen over the years…he didn’t always sound like the nicest person).

    I’m irked a little less by him after seeing this Chanel smoky eye tutorial (WHAT?), which he did on himself, and it’s pretty freakin’ funny. He’s actually not half bad at makeup! And I gotta give the guy kudos for courage and for choosing the good stuff.

    I actually have and love the palette he’s using in the video.

  • I thought this piece on the changing social codes and laws in Saudi Arabia and how they’ve impacted the way women purchase makeup there was fascinating. Before 2012, Saudi women weren’t allowed to work at makeup counters, so women who wanted to purchase something like a foundation or lipstick were only about to be assisted by a male sales associate, but that man wasn’t allowed to see the woman’s face or touch her.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed this story on Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s co-founder and brand ambassador. She’s in charge of naming all of OPI’s nail polishes, and in 1989, she made the first 30 OPI nail polish shades, and has since named every single OPI nail lacquer color in the brand’s collection so far. It takes her about six months to name an entire collection.
  • This one’s sad. 🙁 Many elderly Japanese women are committing petty crimes in the hopes of being sent to prison, because they have nowhere else to go.


Seattle has a mermaid community (no, really!). Here’s what it’s like to hang out with them.


One of my favorite old-school slow jams, “Always and Forever” by Heatwave, is epic in this live performance.


Just a really cute baby elephant having a good ol’ time chasing birds


I want to make this strawberry tres leches cake!

Have a great rest of your weekend, ‘k? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

What’s One Thing That Drastically Made Your Skin Worse?

April 27th, 2018 by Karen 46 Comments

k goofing off
I say blergh to breakouts!

I’ll tell you one thing I’m never gonna do again… Although, you know what? In beauty, one should never say never, because you just never (haha, say it one more time, Karen!) know how you’ll feel in a few months or years, or what will be in vogue at any given moment, so I’ll tell you one thing I’m probably never gonna do again. I’m probably never gonna do another crazy extensive multi-step skin care regimen.

I tried one last December and January. I was using multiple serums, toners and treatments, both in the morning and at night, and I think it was just too aggressive for my face. I started breaking out in places I never break out, and my face was just HURTING, like all the time. Even applying lotion was painful. Plus, the regimen was too time consuming! I felt like I was always in the bathroom waiting for something to dry so I could layer something else on top.

In February, I quit that nonsense. Eight weeks had passed, which I figured was enough time to assess whether the routine was working (and it was wasn’t working, that’s for sure), so I scaled everything back and returned to using the products and lines I’ve had good luck with in the past.

Here’s what I’ve been using for the past two months…

Morning

  • Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion, which I wipe off with a basic cotton washcloth
  • Benzoyl Peroxide cream — Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion (I wait till my skin is completely dry, then apply four pumps all over my face)
  • Moisturizer/sunscreen all-in-one — Clarins Extra-Firming Day for All Skin Types, and/or Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte (I’m less fond of the Drunk Elephant one; I don’t think it’s as moisturizing as the Clarins)

Evening

  • Oil-based makeup remover — I’m currently using the one by Tatcha because I had it around and needed to finish it up. I had been using the Tata Harper one before that. Honestly, I don’t think you need to go fancy with this step at all.
  • Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion and a basic cotton washcloth
  • Acid Toner — Biologique Recherche p50 1970 (the hype is real! I wait till my skin is completely dry before applying it with a cotton pad)
  • Moisturizer — Clarins Extra-Firming Night (the last thing I do before bed, after I use the toner)

So, yeah, a much less intense multi-step skin care routine for this girl now.

(You should have seen it before!)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF. 🙂

There are 46 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Avene, Clarins, Just For Fun, Kate Somerville, Skin Care

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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