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

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday 2016 Gift Sets: Plum Eye Bag and Smoky Eye Bag

October 18th, 2016 by Karen 8 Comments

mac nutcracker sweet plum eye bag — Wearing from the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Plum Eye Bag, Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Stormy Pink, Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Smoky Mauve, False Lashes Mascara, and the Technakohl Liner in Purple Dash. Also wearing NARS Blush in Unwritten on my cheeks and MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Kingdom of Sweets.

These products suffer from an unfortunate name…

Eye Bags.

I keep thinking of my under-eye bags and, like, are these going to make my eye bags looks worse?? Why would I want something called an “eye bag”?

Haha!

OK, I think they meant to say that they’re bags that contain products for your eyes, and not that they’re designed to give you eye bags.

I get it.

There are two of ’em in the MAC Nutcracker Sweet collection — one Smoky, one Plum — and each one comes with a Paint Pot, a Technakohl Liner, an Extra Dimension Eye Shadow and a False Lashe Mascara, and surprise! — they’re all full size. So you get all that stuff and a bag for your eye bag products for $42.50, which is a pretty good price, seeing as how a Paint Pot is normally $22 and an Eye Shadow is $20.

M∙A∙C Nutcracker Sweet
Available online October 20, 2016
Available in stores on October 27, 2016 through December 8, 2016
#MACNutcrackerSweet

From reading about these before getting my hands on them, I thought I was gonna be all about the Smoky Bag because I love smoky looks, but nuh-uh. The Smoky one? Just OK. Plum is where it’s at.

Turns out the Smoky one is just too frosty for me — the combination of the frosty Paint Pot, and then when you put the frosty Extra Dimension Eye Shadow on top of that, and then the black liner, Graphblack (old-school fave), it’s just too much frost. For me, it’s just too shiny, but if you like super shiny, you may like the Smoky one more.

I like the Plum one’s mix of finishes. Like, you get the matte base, so you get a little of the matte peeking through when you pop the shinier Eye Shadow on top, so it seems more complex and elegant. It doesn’t just look like a frost fest, vis-à-vis the Smoky Eye Bag.

I keep laughing… Smoky Eye Bag. 🙂

The Plum Eye Bag ($42.50)
Stormy Pink Pro Longwear Paint Pot permanent)
Smoky Mauve Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Smoky Mauve (permanent)
Technakohl Liner in Purple Dash (permanent)
False Lashes Mascara (permanent)
All are full size

The Smoky Eye Bag ($42.50)
Dream Scene Pro Longwear Paint Pot (not sure if it’s a re-promote, but I can’t remember seeing it before)
Fathoms Deep Extra Dimension Eye Shadow (permanent)
Technakohl Liner in Graphblack (permanent)
False Lashes Mascara (permanent)
All are full size

mac nutcracker sweet eye bags — The MAC Nutcracker Sweet Eye Bags with an iPhone 6S Plus for scale

[Continue reading…]

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday 2016 Gift Sets: The MAC Nutcracker Sweet Lip Bags

October 18th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

mac candy cane — Wearing Candy Cane Lipstick from the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Red Lip Bag

It’s hard to talk about something that’s isn’t quite inspiring, but also isn’t junk.

I mean, I’ve been sitting here for gosh knows how long trying to say that I like the Red Lip Bag more than the Nude Lip Bag, but I think they’re both good deals.

These two bags are from the MAC Nutcracker Sweet holiday collection, and in the plus column, they come with three full-size MAC products — a Vamplify gloss (LOVE the Vamplifies), a Pro Longwear Lip Pencil and a Lipstick — for $39.50, but I wish they also came with a MAC sharpener, because I have a bunch of Pro Longwear Lip Pencils, and I’ve tried sharpening them with other pencil sharpeners, like the Chanel one and the Urban Decay one, but the only sharpeners that work well with them (for me) are from MAC.

When I sharpen the Pro Longwears with other sharpeners, the tips get stubby and easily break. And the actual pencil part doesn’t sharpen correctly either. It’s weird. I ended up getting a MAC sharpener specifically to sharpen my Pro Longwears, so if you do get one of these bags (or one of the MAC Pro Longwears), seriously, get yourself a sharpener too. It’ll help.

As for the two bags themselves, honestly, maybe a little snooze-worthy…but it all depends on whether you already have the goodies. For $39.50, you get items worth $58, which could be a great deal.

M∙A∙C Nutcracker Sweet
Available online October 20, 2016
Available in stores on October 27, 2016 through December 8, 2016
#MACNutcrackerSweet

Both bags come with a Vamplify lipgloss, which is a major selling point, because I think the MAC Vamplifies are fantastic. Intensely pigmented like a lipstick, they feel good like a Cremesheen, and they’re easy to use because of the angled doe-foot. You can get really into the corners with it.

The MAC Nutcracker Sweet Red Lip Bag ($39.50)
Vamplify in Suggestive, an intense bluish red (permanent collection, regularly $20)
Lipstick in Candy Cane, an intense blue-red (LE, $17 value)
Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Trust In Red, a bright cool reddish cream (permanent collection, $21 value)
All three are full size

The MAC Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lip Bag ($39.50)
Vamplify in Tuned In, a mid-tone rosy nude (permanent collection, $20 value)
Lipstick in Magic Spell (LE, $17 value)
Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in In Control, a brown mauve (permanent collection, $21 value)
All three are full size

mac nutcracker sweet red lip bag — From the Red Lip Bag: Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Trust in Red, Lipstick in Candy Cane and Vamplify in Suggestive

mac nutcracker sweet nude lip bag — From the Nude Lip Bag: Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in In Control, Lipstick in Magic Spell and Vamplify in Tuned In

mac nutcracker sweet lip bag scale — The Lip Bag and the box that it comes in with an iPhone 6S Plus for scale

[Continue reading…]

ConnorClaire.com Product Spotlight: Makeup Nerd Tee

October 18th, 2016 by Karen 7 Comments

If…

You have 12 brown eyeshadows that are almost identical but you know all of their names and subtle undertones
You have 10 tubes of lipstick in your purse at any given moment and have a valid reason for carrying each one
You already have a drawer filled with neutral palettes and have no qualms about starting a second one
You can easily talk for 15 minutes about black eyeliner, or
You spend a little too much time staring at other people’s brows

You might be a makeup nerd! 🙂

Welcome to the club.

This is one of the new tees in the store. It’s made of super soft tri-blend fabric (50% polyester/25% ring-spun cotton/25% rayon), and it’s black, so it goes with everything (including tabby cat hair). The fit is on the looser side, so there’s some room for casual slouchiness.

I’m wearing a small in this pic, but this shirt also fits dudes! If you have a makeup nerd friend who happens to be a boy, hey, he just might freak out when you get him this for Christmas or Hanukkah or his birthday, or just because he’s awesome.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday 2016 Gift Sets: Patentpolish Pink and Nude Kits

October 17th, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

mac fearless — Wearing MAC Fearless Patentpolish from the Nutcracker Sweet Pink Patentpolish Kit ($35)

Excuse me while I touch up my lips…

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I had one of these cute MAC Patentpolish minis in my hand, and I had to do it. You just can’t not do it.

These are so tiny! I swear, all we need now are a bunch of cute kittens. That would be heaven. 🙂

These are two more of the gift sets from the new MAC Nutcracker Sweet holiday collection, and I know we’ve been talking a lot about MAC Nutcracker Sweet lately, but it’s a big collection!

Each of these two $35 kits — Nude and Pink — has four mini MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencils, which are normally $21 each for the full-size versions in the permanent collection.

So, I had a major MacGyver moment the first time I tried to open one of these. They open like little drawers, and for the life of me, I could not get the pencils out. They were really wedged in there.

I ended up using a bobby pin that I’d been using to pin my bangs back and sort of jimmied it into the side to pop them out one at a time.

Just FYI.

M∙A∙C Nutcracker Sweet
Available online October 20, 2016
Available in stores on October 27, 2016 through December 8, 2016
#MACNutcrackerSweet

All of these shades are re-promotes from the permanent line, so if you’ve been collecting MAC for a while and already have some of the Patentpolishes, you may already have some of them. If you don’t, though, this might be a chance to get a good deal on a bunch of them at the same time.

Quality-wise, I think these are just as good as the full-size Patentpolishes in the permanent collection. They look and feel exactly the same — same non-sticky, lightweight, moderately moisturizing formula and lip balm-like consistency.

One thing that makes the Patentpolishes so great is that you can build up the coverage in layers from medium to full, but because they feel like a lip balm, their wear time is limited. I have to reapply them every two or three hours, but it’s not a big deal because they’re so easy to have around. You just twist them up and apply. You don’t even need a mirror.

Nude Patentpolish Kit ($35)
Pleasure’s All Mine, a pale warm nude (perm)
It’s Really Me, a warm nude (perm)
Revved Up, a creamy peach (perm)
French Kiss, a warm Caramel (perm)

Pink Patentpolish Kit ($35)
Patentpink, a washed out lilac (perm)
Fearless, a deep bluish pink (perm)
Hopelessly Devoted, a bright clean fuchsia (perm)
Ruby, a mid-tone rose (perm)

mac nutcracker sweet patentpolish kits — MAC Nutcracker Sweet Patentpolish Kits in Pink and Nude

mac nutcracker sweet pink patentpolish swatches — Pink Kit swatches from the left: Patentpink, Fearless, Hopelessly Devoted and Ruby

[Continue reading…]

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday 2016 Gift Sets: The Cool Eye Compact Eye Shadow X 9

October 17th, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

mac-nutcracker-sweet-cool-eye-compact-k-final — I’m wearing Performance Art, Marzipan, Quite Spoiled, Absurdly Pretty, Sugar Plum and Nutcracker from the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday 2016 collection Cool Eye Compact Eye Shadow X 9 ($39.50)

In the closet in my office there’s a homage to hoarders/makeup storage area with a bunch of acrylic drawers stacked one on top of the other, inside of which I keep my very favorite workhorse products that I truly love.

Most of the items I review, I give away to friends or family or the women’s shelter, but I put the stuff that I want to keep for myself into those drawers.

One of them is dedicated to MAC Eye Shadow palettes, and whenever I’m in a hurry and just want to throw some makeup on without really having to think about it, that’s my go-to drawer. I know that I can pull anything out of it and basically be OK.

I’m going to put the MAC Cool Eye Compact Eye Shadow X 9 palette in there. 🙂

But I’m not going to stick it in there because it’s the most mind-blowing palette. I’m going to stick it in there mostly because of shock value!

I’m kind of shocked that I like it as much as I do, because I rarely love the MAC holiday eyeshadow palettes, to be honest. I don’t think most of them are as good as the singles in MAC’s permanent line.

But this one is.

I really don’t want to say, “I was surprised that I like this,” but I was really surprised that I like this! It’s actually very good, and I keep trying to find ways to talk myself out of liking it, because I’m just so used to not liking the holiday palettes. The more I use this one, though, the more I like it.

M∙A∙C Nutcracker Sweet
Available online October 20, 2016
Available in stores on October 27, 2016 through December 8, 2016
#MACNutcrackerSweet

OK…now let me back up a little. This is one of three X 9 palettes in the MAC Nutcracker Sweet holiday collection. We looked at the Smoky one the other day, and I’ll have a review of the Warm one coming soon, but I think this one is my favorite of the group.

I don’t recognize any of the colors, either. I went to the MAC website and typed in their names, and none of them came up, which is cool because MAC’s Eye Shadow palettes are usually heavy with re-promotes.

So many mattes, too! So many of them. MAC holiday eye kits also tend to go all out on shimmer, with maybe a light sprinkling of mattes, but this one has quite a few.

I love using mattes in the crease, on my lower lash line and also as liner. Of course, you can also use shimmers the same way, but I think that if you’re a lady of a certain age, mattes are more forgiving.

The Cool Eye Compact Eye Shadow X 9 ($39.50) — Enchanted Beauty (Lustre), Absurdly Pretty (Matte), Raspberry (Matte), Plum Darling (Lustre), Performance Art (Lustre), Nutcracker (Satin), The Wrong Man (Satin), Sugar Plum (Matte), Marzipan (Matte) and Quite Spoiled (Satin).

It’s one of three X 9 palettes in the MAC Nutcracker Sweet holiday collection (the other two are Warm and Smoky).

The set also comes with…

The 214/213 Dual-Ended Brush

mac nutcracker sweet cool eye compact — MAC Nutcracker Sweet Cool Eye Compact Eye Shadow X 9

[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 445

October 17th, 2016 by Karen 29 Comments

Have a delicious day! — Mmmm, persimmons!

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

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. 🙂

London, Paris, LA or Tokyo?

Bonjour, Paris! Today, Paris, for sure, because I’m in the mood to eat yummy French things. Also, I love little French babies with their little French accents. THEY’RE SO CUTE! I think it would be so cool, too, if Connor grew up speaking French. She’d be this little half Asian baby speaking French.

And the architecture, the history, the art and the stylish people who ride around on bicycles with loaves of bread under their arm. In this particular fantasy, I wear red lipstick and high heels every day and carry a really long, elegant umbrella as I walk to my office where I do something fabulous, of course, like write copy for Chanel.

2. Do you ever wear men’s fragrances?

I just finished rocking Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Men’s Shower Gel every day for about three months until I used up the bottle, so the short answer to this question is “yes.”

3. Have you ever driven a classic car?

Nope. Not that I’m a bad driver, because I’m not, but I don’t think you should trust me with your teal ’57 Chevy that you lovingly restored from the ground up with your bare hands because I’d probably be so stressed out about putting a dent in it that the stress of putting a dent in it would probably lead me to put a dent in it. 🙂

4. Are you wearing false lashes today?

Nope, just a coat of mascara today.

OK…not just “a” coat. Maybe like five coats!

No false lashes today, but maybe later this week.

It’s funny, but if you watch enough YouTube videos, you start to think that every lady who wears makeup also wears false lashes every day, which is just not even true! For normal life, I wear false lashes maybe once or twice a month. The main reason I wear false lashes is for makeup looks on the blog.

5. Is the inside of your purse neat or messy?

You don’t want to look inside my purse unless you want to see inside a nightmare, haha.

It’s super messy right now. There are receipts I need to file away, half a dozen lipsticks rolling around, an empty plastic bag that was at one time used to carry Connor’s binky… And those are just the tip of the iceberg.

6. Who was the last person you held hands with?

It was Connor. She wraps her little baby fingers around one of my fingers when I feed her.

I give you…fruit!

I don’t know why, but fruit always tastes better to me when somebody else peels it.

I mean, I’ll happily wash a piece of fruit for myself and eat it with the peel on, but when my mom came over the other day, she peeled the persimmons in the picture at the top and arranged them so cutely and sweetly in a bowl. It was nice.

Happy Monday, my friend. 🙂 I really hope today goes smoothly for you. Please have a wonderful week. I’ll talk to you soon.

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

1. London, Paris, LA or Tokyo?
2. Do you ever wear men’s fragrances?
3. Have you ever driven a classic car?
4. Are you wearing false lashes today?
5. Is the inside of your purse neat or messy?
6. Who was the last person you held hands with?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 419

October 16th, 2016 by Karen 15 Comments

Any cat toy capable of coaxing a kitty supermodel senior tabby down from his penthouse suite high atop his favorite cat condo is worth adding to your cat’s collection.

The Go Cat Teaser Cat Catcher Wand Cat Toy ($8.45) doesn’t look like much. It looks a little basic, but it’s a truly revolutionary cat catching product.

It has a shiny wire instead of a string, so it’s almost indestructible, and somehow, for some reason I have yet to understand, Tabs can’t resist it.

He has a drawer filled with other cat toys, and some of them look like this with string and dangly toys or feathers, but there was only one other string toy that Tabs liked as much as this, and it wasn’t even a legit toy. It was a piece of glittery string that came wrapped around a gift box, and Tabs absolutely loved that thing…until he shredded it and tore it apart.

This one is a little expensive for one cat toy, but Tabs loves it, and I’d rather get him something he likes than a toy that will just sit in a box.

[Continue reading…]

15-Minute Makeup: Glossy, Grungy Glam With MAC Driftwood Liptensity, MAC Tailor Grey Paint Pot and Rouge Bunny Rouge Eye Gloss

October 15th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

Good morning, friend! 🙂 It’s a rainy day here in Novato-ay. Seriously, summer is long gone now. There are piles of wet leaves outside, and the sky is dark grey.

How’s your weekend coming along? What are up to? I’m taking it nice and slow. The only thing I kind of rushed through is my makeup. I’m still on that 15-minute makeup kick, and this is my latest try. I was going for glossy, grungy glam.

I wish I had somewhere special to wear makeup today… Actually, no I don’t. I just want to stay inside where it’s warm and watch TV on the couch.

I did this whole look in 15 minutes, just to try something different than my usual neutral lids and neutral lips.

I used cool-toned MAC Tailor Grey Pro Longwear Paint Pot, a cream shadow, and just kind of smushed that all over my lids with a finger. Then I took a black liner and lined my lash and water lines with it, then smushed that too. And because I was gonna put an eye gloss on top of it anyway, I didn’t make it too neat.

It was actually really messy and looked very scary, but then I put the gloss on top, and it all melted together into glossy, grungy goodness.

Then I added layer upon layer of my favorite waterproof mascara, Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof.

I think the most important thing to remember about eye gloss is that it isn’t meant to look perfect and precise, and you just have to embrace that; otherwise, all you see are the imperfections.

I guess that’s a weird life lesson, too…

Like, when I close my eyes and look down, you can see that my liner has transferred into the crease, but it’s purposefully messy. Plus, it only took 15 minutes. When you only have a short time for your makeup, you can’t expect to do everything perfectly.

What’s super cool about gloss is that you have so much room for error. It’s supposed to look messy, and sometimes that’s great.

mac tailor grey — In my mind, this eye makeup would look like this all day…

[Continue reading…]