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The NARS Audacious Collection for Fall 2016, and Apoline, My New Favorite Pink Lip

August 23rd, 2016 by Karen 26 Comments

nars audacious collection
The five new NARS Audacious Lipsticks from the Audacious Collection

François, homeboy, I know you’re busy — what with selling your Bora Bora island and working to create the best lipglosses on the planet — so you’ve got, like, NO spare time, but couldn’t you have squeezed in a few minutes to name one of your five new Audacious Lipsticks “Karen”?

I mean, it’s not like I’m asking you to get a prison tattoo of my face on your forearm. ALL I WANT IS A LIPSTICK NAMED KAREN.

Is that too much to ask?

nars audacious collection lipsticks
The five new NARS Audacious Lipsticks from top to bottom in Apoline, Mona, Kate, Stefania and Shirley

I’m not the only Karen, and I suspect that most of us would love to have our name on our very own Audacious Lipstick. I imagine that having one would feel really great, like discovering that you’ve been made an honorary member of Salt ‘n’ Pepa and En Vogue.

This time around, Apoline, Shirley, Stefania, Kate and Mona get the honor, and they’re part of the new NARS Audacious Fall Collection, which launched August 15 at NARS boutiques and the NARS website and arrives September 1 to Sephora.

I’d lipsticks could talk, I’d ask these, “Why are you so creamy and opaque? Why don’t you ever settle into my fine lines? WHY DO I LOVE YOU SO MUCH?”

From this batch, I’m all about Apoline (the pink rose) and Stefania (the deep fuchsia), because they’re pink, and I’m predictable that way, haha.

But I also think that Shirley (the crimson), Kate (the purple orchid) and Mona (the mahogany) are pretty, too.

The NARS Audacious Collection also includes a completely new line of potted brow creams called…the Brow Defining Creams.

Available in four colors, they feel drier than a MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme to me and are slightly less pigmented, but in this case, I don’t think that’s a bad thing, because if I had a dollar for every time I tried a product like these and accidentally “Instagram browed” myself beyond oblivion, I’d have enough money to buy that Bora Bora island from François myself.

I usually steer clear of brow products like these for that reason — because of how intense they usually are — but these are just pigmented enough to fill in the sparse spots without leaving my brows looking heavy or overdone. The results look very natural, which makes me want to kiss François on both cheeks. 🙂

They’re $23 each and available in Sonoran (a blonde), El Djouf (a light brown), Tanami (an auburn) and Danakil (a dark brown).

nars brow defining cream
The NARS Brow Defining Creams from the top to bottom in Sonoran, Tanami, El Djouf and Danakil

There are also two new dark, pigmented Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo liquid liners. Both are black and $27, but one has a matte finish and the other is satin.

The only thing is, I’m a flexible felt tip gal, and these have a stiff tip, so my lines end up with shaky, mousey, unsure edges, and I prefer my lines to say, “If need be, I will cut a b*tch.”

nars unrestricted eyeliner stylo
NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo in Matte and Satin

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There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

How I Prep for an At-Home Manicure…and ConnorClaire.com Clue #1

August 22nd, 2016 by Karen 32 Comments

Wearing Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in Lemon Heaven; iPhone case from connorclaire.com
Wearing Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in Lemon Heaven (and there’s a clue in this pic about connorclaire.com…)

So you know that super secret squirrel project I’ve been talking about and working on and hinting at for a while?

Well, this is the first official clue! — and it may or may not have something to do with pineapples…

Stay tuned this week for more hints and clues. I’ve been working very hard on this project for months, and I really think you’ll like it. It all takes place at www.connorclaire.com, where you can sign up, and I hope you do.

Now, let’s talk nails. 🙂

How I Prep for an At-Home Manicure

Hell, yeah, I do my own nails at home, although I do like to make it rain on occasion at the nail salon, because I don’t like to deal with my toes.

You don’t want to deal with my toes; I don’t want to deal with my toes; so sometimes I will go to a nail salon to have somebody else deal with my toes.

But seriously, nails. Come on, do them at home! It’s fun and easy, and here’s my nail-prep-at-home process. This is how I get my paws ready to paint.

1. Shower

I start by taking a shower (or soaking my nails), which moisturizes everything and loosens things up, including whatever nail polish I might be wearing.

It makes my nails soft and supple and less likely to split when I clip/file them.

nail soak

2. Remove any existing nail polish

Right after my shower I remove my old polish using Essie Naturally Clean Purifying Polish Remover ($6 for a 4-oz. bottle), which I love because it werks (even with glitters), and it doesn’t dry out my nails or smell bad (kind of important).

I thoroughly soak a makeup remover pad, then press and hold it on the nail for about 30 seconds before pushing and pulling it down, and the nail polish slides right off.

nails-removal

3. Use nail clippers

Next I clip my nails with these Tweezerman Clippers ($11 for two in a set) because they cut cleanly and never split my nails.

nails tweezerman clippers

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There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Connor Claire Store, Makeup Tips/How To, Nails

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 437

August 22nd, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

makeupandbeautyblog-mondaypoll-082216

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.

  1. How do you feel about spidery lashes?
    Maybe I’m not rock ‘n’ roll enough for ’em. I see them in magazines and Instagram and think, “Ooh, artsy! I should try that,” but then I try them, and I feel like it looks like a hot mess.

    Also, I spend my entire life trying to remove clumps from my lashes, so I don’t understand purposeful clumps.

  2. Have you ever worn a gymnastics leotard in public?
    You’d think the answer to this would be “yes.” I mean, why wouldn’t one wear a gymnastics leotard in public, even if they weren’t a gymnast?

    But the real answer is “no, I have not.” 🙂

    I think I have the height to be a gymnast (I’m 5’1″), but I don’t have any of the jumping or the prancing ability…or really any of the skills whatsoever.

  3. What was your favorite thing about the Olympics?
    Lots of things, but I loved hearing how everybody behind the scenes liked Usain Bolt. He’s supposed to be a really nice guy.

    I heard this one story where he’s being interviewed, and he hears the US national anthem being played in the background, so he stopped the interview so that they could listen to the anthem.

    I just thought that was very respectful and very cool.

  4. How many earrings are you wearing today?
    Two (I just have one piercing per ear), and they’re studs, so they’re hidden underneath my new haircut.

    I need to get some new hoops.

  5. Do you prefer little purses or big purses?
    The struggle is so real!

    OK, with little purses, I’m forced to edit down to the bare essentials, which is great, right, when you need to mobile? But with big purses, you can just keep stuffing them with everything and the kitchen sink.

    So I’m going to go with little purses.

    No, wait! Scratch that. I’m going with big purses, because I’d rather be prepared than not be prepared.

monday-poll-le-list-spring-2016

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. How do you feel about spidery lashes?
2. Have you ever worn a gymnastics leotard in public?
3. What was your favorite thing about the Olympics?
4. How many earrings are you wearing today?
5. Do you prefer little purses or big purses?

Time to head back to the kitchen now because even though I already drank a huge cup of coffee…it was decaf, and it’s not really doing anything for me, so tea it is! 🙂

What are you drinking this morning? How was your weekend, by the way? Let’s have a good week, shall we?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. OMG, all of the reds! —-> Chanel Le Rouge N°1 Fall 2016 Makeup Collection

P.P.S. Would you wear red eyeshadow? Yeah…I think I would if it was Chanel.

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 411

August 21st, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

Watercolor tabby in the meadow

As Tabs climbs the stairs a little slower and slower every day in his senior years, I catch myself thinking about his life and hoping that he’s had a happy life, even though we moved him away from his kittenhood home in Mill Valley, where he lived outdoors and slept beneath the stars.

I know he’d love nothing more than to spend every waking hour outside.

tabs-cat-window-thinker-philosophy

I wish I could read his little kitty brain and ask him, “Tabs, are you happy?”

tabs-cat-walking-leash-1

I know he’s always loved going for walks, and he’s a good leash cat, but it’s not the same as when he lived full-time outside.

Just to give him his own little slice of outdoor heaven, I’ve tried to turn our back deck into a tabby paradise, and I think he enjoys it…

tabs-cat-outside-cat-enclosure-3

tabs-cat-outside-cat-enclosure-2

tabs-cat-outside-cat-enclosure-1

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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balm

August 20th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

too cool for school artify max in pocket 1
$12 Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

“Girl, you are lookin’ FLY today in those dope-@ss earrings.”

These are the new $12 Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms from Too Cool for School. They’re available in three shades, and the one I’m wearing is #2 Pink Pink.

too cool for school artify max in pocket k2
HAAAAY

I wore these everywhere yesterday, and I got SO MANY compliments on my jewelry…

Haha, totally kidding. 🙂 But far be it from me to deny one’s inner diva urges to over-accessorize. I LIVE to over-accessorize.

Cute in a “DAMN, is that cat rockin’ a monobrow?!” sort of way, the Too Cool for School Artify Max In Pocket Lip Balms are actually lip glosses.

too cool for school artify max in pocket 2
Too Cool for School Artify Max in Pocket Lip Balms in #1 Kiss Kiss (top) and #2 Pink Pink (bottom)

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There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews, Too Cool for School

Dior Parisian Sky Eyeshadow Palette #506

August 19th, 2016 by Karen 17 Comments

dior parisian sky
The $63 (!) Dior Parisian Sky Eyeshadow Palette

Hair flips ? and air kisses ??? to reader Tatiana for pointing out to me that the design on the pans in the new Dior Parisian Sky Eyeshadow Palette look like the frame of the Eiffel Tower’s arches.

Seriously, how did I not see that??

Actually, wait — I know how. I’ve had a sh*t ton on my mind lately! And there’s only so much space up there between the makeup and the cats and the crawling, teething baby…

Hoh! But Dior’s attention to detail is a surefire recipe for lusty-lust.

dior parisian sky
Details, details!

First things first, feel free to call me whatever you want — whether it be “hoarder of all the brown shadows” or “neutrals, sucka!” or “last person on earth who needs another palette of earthy golden browns.” Seriously, call me whatever colorful nicknames you can come up with to describe someone who loves browns because…what can I say? I love browns. 🙂 And this palette doesn’t have just one or two of them. It has three, and they make me wanna do the Snake, and the Robot, and the Running Man. At the same time.

THEY ARE RESPLENDENT!

I mean, who gets emo about browns? THIS CHICK RIGHT HURR.

dior parisian sky swatches
Dior Parisian Sky swatches

Even though I like them both equally, I think I’ll get more use out of this palette than the purple-powered Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806 we looked at a few days ago.

There’s a dark warm reddish brown that looks like an eyeshadow version of MAC Teddy liner; a glossy, medium golden brown similar to a supercharged version of MAC Soba eyeshadow; and a light and juicy peachy gold brown.

All three glow with Dior’s signature finish that goes easy on the fine lines, and they feel smoother than the sound of LL Cool J whispering “I need love” in yo’ ear…

I mixed all three of them on my lids for a smoky brown eye fest today.

Oh, and FYI, that darkest brown shade? It’s SO not playin’.

dior parisian sky

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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Dior, Eyes, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews

MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2

August 18th, 2016 by Karen 24 Comments

mac viva glam ariana grande 2
MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass and Lipstick (coming September 1 to the MAC website and to stores and counters September 8)

Hot damn, Viva Glam! Ariana Grande is back with two new Viva Glams — a $17 matte Lipstick and a $16 Lipglass — and I think they’re so freakin’ gorge…

I’m figuratively shaking in my Timberland boots.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipglass lipstick
MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass and Lipstick

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a Viva Glam. I’ve always been down to support the cause, which I think is awesomesauce, because MAC donates all of the proceeds from the Viva Glam releases to help children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, but I think the past few Viva Glam rounds have been… Well, let’s just say that they’ve been on the artsy side.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipstick
Deep cool pink matte MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick

I think these two, though, are straight-up pretty. I like them even more than Ariana’s first Viva Glam back in January. They’re brighter, but I think they’re also more wearable and fun.

mac viva glam ariana grande 2 lipglass
Neutral nude pink MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass

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There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup

Get Glossy Gorgeousness AND a Creamy Finish With the NARS Velvet Lip Glides

August 17th, 2016 by Karen 32 Comments

nars velvet lip glide
The $26 NARS Velvet Lip Glides

You know what happens when you say to Siri, “Yo, Siri, take me to the nexus of liquid lipstick and gloss!” and you hop into your Honda Civic (that you lovingly refer to as “Murray”), and Siri keeps saying nonsensical things like, “Keep right, then keep right,” and even though you’re thinking, “Siri, you WACK, girl,” you listen to her anyway, because you have a feeling that you’ll still end up someplace good?

And then you roll up to this little slice of NARS heaven known as the NARS Velvet Lip Glides, and you think to yourself, THANK YOU, LAWD, FOR HOOP EARRINGS, PIZZA SLICES AND THE NEW NARS VELVET LIP GLIDES?

nars velvet lip glide doe foot
The NARS Velvet Lip Glide doe-foot

Yup, NARS did it again.

Just plunge an arrow — and don’t even bother with the bow — straight into my makeup-loving heart, because these liquid lipsticks (Or are they glosses? It’s hard to tell…) are true love. Like, I could dance with them at a wedding, and I’d see our entire future together.

nars velvet lip glide danceteria
Wearing NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Danceteria

Basically, these are… Honestly, I can’t figure out how to classify them. They feel like medium-weight, non-sticky glosses similar to the MAC Cremesheens, but they pack a lot of pigment and look like liquid lipsticks…except that they have a creamy finish, so they don’t dry up like liquid lipsticks, which means that your lips don’t end up looking like a cat butt. 🙂

They start off moderately shiny and stay that way for about an hour before wearing down to a soft matte finish. I find that I usually have to reapply them after about three hours.

nars velvet lip glide bound
Wearing NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound

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There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

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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