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

3 Tips for Easier On-the-Go Makeup

November 1st, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

Babe, first of all, let me point out the obvious. I’m sure you already know this, but I feel like I should say it nevertheless.

By “on the go,” I’m referring to putting on makeup in the car AS A PASSENGER. Or, on public transportation, again, as a passenger. I mean, if you’re driving the BART train, please do not be putting on your makeup. I repeat, if you’re driving the BART train, a car or any other vehicle, do not put on your makeup.

Not a good idea. Stay safe.

As for putting on makeup as a passenger in a car/on a bus/on a train, it happens to me all the time, because I’m always running late! But over the years I’ve figured out ways to sort of maximize my car time.

1. Bring makeup wipes

Some companies sell portable packs or travel packs that are small enough to fit in a purse (baby wipes will also work in a pinch), but since I usually buy my makeup wipes in bulk (yes, I go through that many of them), I just stick a few in a Ziploc and put that in my purse.

El Hub, bless his heart, thinks that he’s a great driver, but he’s actually not (sorry, babe, but it’s true). The car will be swerving and stopping and starting and turning and doing all kinds of stuff. Inevitably, I’ll end up with a smudge here or there.

It’s easy to clean up any messes along the way with makeup wipes. Plus, you can also use them to quickly clean a makeup brush and, at the end of your process, clean your fingertips and hands if you use them to pat down your foundation or concealer (that’s what I do).

Which brings me to tip #2…

2. Don’t even attempt to do mascara or liner in the car

Just wait ’til you get to your destination, and apply there.

When I think of all the potholes on Highway 880, I can’t even deal. I won’t even attempt to put on mascara or liner in the car anymore, because what’s the point? It’s a surefire mess. Plus, chances are that nobody will notice that you aren’t wearing mascara or liner when you arrive wherever you’re going unless they’re looking really, really, really closely…in which case they’re freaks!

Whenever you get where you’re going, just head to the loo and touch up there.

On that note, if you are going to do liner, even at your destination, keep it simple. Resist the urge to bust out the cat liner. It’s just too stressful.

[Continue reading…]

What Eyeshadow/Eyeliner Do You Wear the Most?

November 1st, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

chanel 88 noir intense — I love you so hard, Chanel 88 Noir Intense!

I was talking on the phone yesterday to a friend who happens to be a Chanel-o-phile like I am, and we both went full-on crazy when got on the topic of Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense.

OK, it’s just a black twist-up liner — seemingly boring, right? — but babe, IT IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST BLACK EYELINER EVER.

I wear it almost every day and have for months, ever since I figured out that, basically, it’s the sh*t.

I have ventured out, though. I’ve tried different liners over that time because, you know, it’s just black liner, and there are so many black liners out there, but I keep coming back to Noir Intense.

I come to it because it 1) because it stays on my water line, and 2) because it glides like a silky gel liner but doesn’t dry out my water lines like one.

Like a gel liner, it feels super soft and smooth, but, unlike a gel liner, it doesn’t grip my water line with such preternatural force that it dries them out a little.

I know that sounds odd, but I can’t always wear gel liner. Noir Intense is more like a traditional eyeliner pencil, but it glides along like a gel.

It also lasts all day long. It doesn’t do that weird thing that some black eyeliners do where they start out just fine on your water line but begin to break apart and disappear within an hour.

chanel waterproof eyeliner 3 — Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense

Oh, and it also doesn’t smudge, either. You know how some black liners are already smudging on your upper and lower lash lines two seconds after you apply them, and before you can say, “Dammit!” they’re already transferring up into your crease?

Noir Intense doesn’t do that.

The Stylo Yeux formula, by the way, is waterproof, but I wouldn’t swim the English Channel wearing one and expect to crawl out of the surf with perfect liner on the other side. I have, however, cried many a tear with my 88 Noir Intense, and it still looks great.

It’s easy to remove as well. I don’t need a special hardcore waterproof eye makeup remover. Makeup removing oil works just fine (I like DHC Deep Cleansing Oil).

[Continue reading…]

Be Sleek, Be Modern and b. unique With the lilah b. Holiday Set

November 1st, 2016 by Karen 10 Comments

lilah b unique holiday set — It’s like a choose your own beauty adventure!

Can you remember the last time you loved every single item in a holiday makeup set?

I can’t. There’s always that one wonky eyeshadow I’ll never wear or a gloss I’m just not into. There’s always that one thing, right?

Over at lilah b., they’re doing things a little differently. It’s kind of like those fast food restaurant menus where you pick two items, or in this case, where you pick three…

OK, hear me out. 🙂

You hop onto their website, and pick three items from their permanent line. The kit istself is limited edition, but the products are perm.

You pick your first item, then your second, then your third, and if you want to get two eyeshadow quads and a powder foundation, that’s cool. Or, if you wanna get three brushes or three lip and cheek duos, that’s cool, too. The price adjusts accordingly.

Speaking of that, lilah b. is a luxury line. That’s how they brand themselves, and everything is on the more expensive side. The eyeshadow quads, for example, are $58 each, while the lip and cheek duos are $46.

But with the b. unique Holiday Set, you also get this really cute vegan clutch that makes me wish I had a fancy party to go to, just so I could carry it around with me and worry about people spilling red wine on it.

The kit seems very true to lilah b.’s aesthetic to me. Their tagline is “With less, you are more,” which means…you know, they aren’t all about piling on the makeup. They’re more about enhancing your natural beauty by adding a little color here and there.

Then, with your three items and your purse, you’re off to the ball, Cinderella! 🙂 If you’re a Bobbi girl, take a look at the line.

[Continue reading…]

Halloween Outtakes

October 31st, 2016 by Karen 23 Comments

If you ever meet a photographer who says that they only have to take one or two pictures to get the right shot, they’re totally pulling your leg. On average, it takes me about 20, especially when a baby and/or a cat is involved.

Obviously, when we go trick-or-treating tonight, Connor isn’t gonna be able to eat her candy…and that’s where Mom comes in. 🙂 I hope she gets pounds of Snickers and Twix.

I had a mini Twix the other day, and it was phenomenal!

It’s been years since I had a Twix, which now, in retrospect, is a travesty.

[Continue reading…]

The Essie Winter 2016 Collection: Getting Groovy With a Very Special Branch

October 31st, 2016 by Karen 6 Comments

If I lost this necklace, I would cry a river of sparkly tears.

It was a very special present from El Hub last Valentine’s Day shortly before Connor was born, and the reason it’s so special to me is…

Well, first of all, I like the shape. It’s a branch by Misa Jewelry. I think I’ve talked about them before.

The owner, Misa Hamamoto, is based out of LA, and she’s got this sort of, almost Hawaii-like aesthetic — very beachy, organic and natural, but also elegant.

When I run my fingers over the branch, the surface doesn’t feel perfectly smooth. There are subtle imperfections in it, little bumps and ridges, like in a piece of driftwood. It really speaks to me.

It also reminds me of the last few weeks right before the baby came, that sort of end-of-the-road time when I was over being pregnant but also excited about the coming changes and a little afraid at the same time. I mean, it had just been me, El Hub and Tabs for a long time; we were adding a new branch to our family.

This is one of very few pieces of fine jewelry I own. I don’t own a lot of fancy jewelry because 1) I tend to lose it, and 2) because costume jewelry is so much fun! You can wear crazy gems and pearls the size of your fist — you know, things I would never be able to afford if they were real. Plus, if I lose costume jewelry, I’m not as completely devastated.

Maybe because the branch isn’t perfectly smooth, it looks extra sparkly and beautiful sometimes when the light hits it right. That’s why it reminded me of this golden bottle of Essie Getting Groovy from the six-piece Essie Winter 2016 Collection, which is available now ($9 each).

essie winter 2016 getting groovy — Getting Groovy Polish from Essie Winter 2016, along with a very special necklace

Getting Groovy has teeny, tiny golden glitter bits, and I’m wearing two layers of it in these pics. But you could probably get away with one. It’s very opaque.

I like that the flecks of glitter in it aren’t huge like they are in some glittery gold nail polishes. They’re more refined.

essie winter 2016 swatches — Swatches of the other five Essie Winter 2016 shades from the left: Go With the Flowy, Party on a Platform, Ready to Boa, Satin Sister and Oh Behave

There are also five other shades in the collection, and other than the gold, my faves are grayish white Go With the Flow, which has its own fine micro-glitter flecks, except that its flecks are green, purple and pink.

[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 447

October 31st, 2016 by Karen 35 Comments

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past NINE (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine. 🙂

1. What’s your favorite scary movie?

I don’t know if it counts as a traditionally scary movie because it’s not Carrie or Halloween or that one with Jason Voorhees that I can never remember because they all kind of blend together…but it’s The Craft, that classic film about a quartet of angtsy teenage witches…

Haha! I cracked myself up…

I’ve watched that movie so many times, though. The style is so gloriously ’90s. Heck, I may watch it again tonight. It’s a Halloween classic for me.

And then there’s Rosemary’s Baby, too. I’m more of a suspense person than a blood, guts and gore person. I’d rather wonder about the big reveal at the end than jump in my seat at ear-piercing sounds.

I like the simplicity of Rosemary’s Baby and how the evil characters are just the people in her everyday life. She’s completely unsuspecting…

2. Do you own a feather boa?

Well, yeah, obviously! 🙂 I think I own two.

3. Do you ever cry listening to music?

All the time, especially when I’m PMSing…

Actually, even when I’m not PMSing. Some songs just make me super emo.

Don’t even get me started about the time I heard Adelle’s Someone Like You for the first time. I was parked at a stoplight to make a left turn one day when I was driving home (I think it was also raining, which may have contributed to the water works) and heard that song for the first time.

I burst into tears.

Yes, I’m that person crying by herself while listening to Adelle in the car.

4. Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone?

Hell, no! That would be the kiss of death for me. I’m not about to put a matching tattoo on myself. I’m too fickle. I’d think it’s really cool one day, but the next day I’d be like, “What the #$$%@ did I do!?”

Then the other person would feel bad because I’d have this tattoo I want to remove… Yadda, yadda, yadda — bad idea.

5. If you could be on a ’90s TV show, which show would it be?

This is a really tough one because, on the one hand, Saved by the Bell, and how cool would it have been to hang out with that crew?

But I think I’ll pick 90210 — the old version with Donna, David, Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, Dillon and that whole group, because I always thought they needed a sassy brown girl, and that sassy brown girl could have been me.

I would have been all up in that Brenda/Dillon/Kelly love triangle, too!

Happy Halloween!!!

Good Monday morning, my friend. 🙂 Did you do any Halloween partying over the weekend? No partying for me, but Connor Claire is looking forward to rocking her monkey costume to the mall tonight.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste…

1. What’s your favorite scary movie?
2. Do you own a feather boa?
3. Do you ever cry listening to music?
4. Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone?
5. If you could be on a ’90s TV show, which show would it be?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 421

October 30th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

There was a time when Tabs would have darted down the stairs, leaping over three or four of them at a time, the instant he heard me call, “Tabby! It’s time for your Halloween photo shoot (and the treats and lurvies that come with it)!!”

But he’s a mature tabby now. He walks down the stairs more often than he runs, but I think Halloween is still probably his favorite holiday…

Oh, wait! I forgot about Thanksgiving, so it would be Thanksgiving first (you know, ’cause of the turkey), and Halloween second.

He loves, Christmas, too, but he doesn’t like winter because it’s cold outside, so we don’t go for as many walks.

This year for Halloween he’s wearing his very stylish King of Hearts cat costume, which, amazingly enough, still fits! I thought it might be a little snug for him, but it’s not.

If Tabs could really go trick-or-treating, it’s easy to know what he’d like to get in terms of treats and snacks — turkey (including gravy), tuna, bacon and Oven Roasted Chicken Feline Greenies. Together, they’re the keys to his heart.

[Continue reading…]

How Often Do You Break Out of Your Makeup Comfort Zone?

October 29th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

urban decay full spectrum palette — Contemplating deep thoughts while wearing the Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette…

All the time? Sometimes? Hardly ever? Or are you so stuck in your ways that you can’t even remember the last time you tried something different?

I, my friend, fall into that last group. It’s actually been a long time…

Well, before those crazy rainbow eyes from the other day.

Like, a looooong time…

I realized this while scrolling through my Instagram feed the other night (Do you ever do that just to see what you were doing this time last year? Anyways!). I thought, “Hey! I used to try different stuff all the time!”

I want to get back into the habit of doing that, because I really haven’t for the past 10 months. Most of my looks have been some variation of neutral eyes with a little liner, so it’s time to start breaking comfort zone barriers down!

How about you? With your makeup, how often do you bust a move and try something completely new?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Caturday. 🙂