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

NARS, You’re a Peach for Introducing 6 New Shades of Radiant Creamy Concealer

August 3rd, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

I like eating peaches…and I like wearing peach-toned under-eye concealer.

What does this have to do with NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer?

Well, the whole “eating peaches” bit has absolutely nothing to do with it. I’m just super obsessed with peaches right now, and I got a huge box from Trader Joe’s last week, so I’ve been in peach heaven.

But the thing about peach-toned concealer is marginally related, because NARS just added six new Radiant Creamy Concealer shades to the line, and a couple of them have peachy undertones, woo-hoo!

Back when NARS first released their creamy, full-coverage Radiant Creamy Concealers, it shook up the makeup world. A lot of peeps fell in love (myself included), because of how good they were/are at doing so many things.

And they completely cover everything.

EVERY. FRICKIN’. THING.

Yet somehow still look natural.

nars radiant creamy concealer swatches 1 — From the left, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Vanilla, Creme Brulee (NEW) and Canelle (NEW)

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Get Your Glitter on the Go With the MAC Dazzleshadows

August 2nd, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

mac banging brilliant dazzleshadow — Three of the 10 MAC Dazzleshadows from the Bangin’ Brilliant collection ($18 each)

Oh, glitter… All I wanna do is wear the sparkly stuff! Glitter is like the Disneyland of makeup, but it’s not always a smooth ride.

The MAC Dazzleshadows make it easy to get your glitter fix because they combine good-sized glitter flecks with a pigmented base.

There are 10 new Dazzleshadow shades in the MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection, all of which are permanent, and here are three of them: Can’t Stop Don’t Stop isa deep plummy purple; Feel the Fever, a deep bluish purple with pink glitter; and Get Physical, which is a purple with light blue glitter.

The Dazzleshadows are more than just sparkly; they don’t just shimmer. They actually have tiny flecks of glitter in a pressed powder formula (here’s another look at them).

Sometimes I like a bad girl smoky eye, and these look amaze layered on top of a black base. Like, sometimes I’ll start with a black kohl liner, a black cream shadow or a black shadow stick from my lash lines to my crease. Then I’ll pat one of the Dazzleshadows on top and add mascara.

Just like that, and without having to contend with a jar of loose glitter, I’m ready to rumble. Just add black leather jacket and motorcycle.

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Creamy, Coco-Nutty Full-Coverage Too Faced Born This Way Concealer

August 2nd, 2016 by Karen 17 Comments

Apparently, my mind is in the gutter, because for the longest time I mistakenly thought that this Too Faced concealer was actually named Better Than Sex Concealer, and not Born This Way Concealer, HAHA!

And, of course, because of that, I thought, “How can a concealer be better than sex? I don’t even know… Then again, a good concealer can be pretty darned orgasmic…” LOL! Yeah. Dirty birdy.

Born This Way, which came out early this summer, is $28 and available in 10 shades.

Like some other Too Faced products, it contains skin-friendly ingredients, like coconut water (it has a very faint coconut scent too) and hyaluronic acid, which, Too Faced says, makes it more moisturizing and helps promote a smoother, more youthful appearance.

Truth be told…I can never tell for sure if skincare ingredients make much of a difference when they show up in my makeup, but homegirl does need all the help she can get.

Born This Way is a full-coverage concealer and feels like a fluffy mousse. Right off the bat, the consistency, the smoothing formula and the coverage remind me of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which was my errrything for many years, and I still love it.

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Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Lip Swatches

August 1st, 2016 by Karen 45 Comments

make up for ever artist rouge m100 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in M100

This is what happens sometimes when you can’t figure out what lipstick to wear with your eye makeup. It starts out with you trying to find one of the new Make up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks that won’t clash with your eye makeup but turns into a full-on swatch fest.

make up for ever artist rouge c601 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C601

I did figure out that M100 and M202 make me want to drop down to my knees and thank the universe for lipstick. ?

I LOVE those two.

Oh, by the way, I’m also wearing quite a few new products in these pics that were released for fall this year. The eyeliner is bright blue Urban Decay Razor Sharp Liquid Eyeliner in Chaos, which I layered on top of Too Faced Sketch Marker in Mermaids Don’t Cry (a matte medium blue) and Too Glam to Give a Damn (a matte navy).

And that’s Tarte Naughty Nude Blush in Seduce on my cheeks, and the foundation I’m wearing is the new Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Beige.

make up for ever artist rouge c503 — Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C503

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 434

August 1st, 2016 by Karen 27 Comments

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.

What’s the coolest thing about your hometown?
The diversity. Union City is a melting pot of different cultures, and I never realized just how cool it was until I left. On my parents’ street there are Filipino families, European families, Indian families, Vietnamese families, Mexican families — and high school was like that too. So many different people. There’s just a lot of diversity in a small place.

How do you feel about buffets?
I’m a big fan. But the food has to be good, though. I’m not about going to buffets just for the sake of eating massive amounts of food. I’m very picky about my buffets.

The Bellagio buffet in Las Vegas? Mwah! Perfection. So much good food. Crab legs and lobster and caviar and so many desserts! I can’t even… Thinking about it makes me tear up a little.

They have a dessert island with special chefs who can make you a dessert right then and there. It’s magical.

What’s something that drives you nuts?
When my toenails are too long and I can feel them bumping up against the inside of my shoes…

Ugh! I can’t take it.

But when I finally win the lottery and hire my in-house beauty team like Mariah Carey’s, I won’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll just get up in the morning, roll on down to the beauty salon after feeding Connor, and trained professionals will do my makeup and my hair and give me a manicure and a pedicure.

This would be after the massage, of course, because there would also be a spa. Then I’d be ready to face the day! 🙂

What was your favorite class in school and why?
I loved English literature because I really love to read, and it felt like I was getting away with murder. All we had to do was read a book, answer some questions about it and maybe write a little… That’s not school. That’s fun!

What’s something nice someone did for you that you’ll never forget as long as you live?
I know it’s small and kind of ridiculous, but I went to Old Navy a few weeks ago because I couldn’t fit into any of my summer clothes, and I was kind of depressed about it. I needed some new shorts, and when I was paying for them, the salesgirl said that she thought I looked very beautiful that day, and it made me feel a little better.

Sometimes the most memorable moments are about timing more than anything else.

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

1. What’s the coolest thing about your hometown?
2. How do you feel about buffets?
3. What’s something that drives you nuts?
4. What was your favorite class in school and why?
5. What’s something nice someone did for you that you’ll never forget as long as you live?

Good morning, glory! It’s Monday morning. A fresh week and a fresh start. The trip to Redding was fun but very hot. Of course. I think it hit 112 one day, LOL! That’s Redding, for ya.

Have a wonderful day, my friend. I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 408

July 31st, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

The first thing Tabs always does when he goes outside to inspect the garden on the deck is walk straight up to either the one zucchini squash plant or one of the tomato plants and take a big chomp out of the biggest leaf.

Maybe it’s how he samples the merchandise, and every time I say, “No, Tabs!” I think he takes it as a polite suggestion, like he’ll take it under advisement.

He loves gardening, but mostly in a supervisory capacity. Most of the time he doesn’t actually like to get his paws dirty.

He also likes to rub his cheeks against the corners of the pots and planters after inspecting them. It’s his official stamp of quality control approval. “Inspected by Tabs.” And he also has to do his weekly 360-degree inspection of every square inch of the entire garden, where he checks behind the plants, in between them and even on top of the planters. It’s something to see a 20-pound tabby squeezing into a potted plant.

Next year his plans are to create a larger container area strictly planted with cat grass, sort of like a portable lawn that he can stretch out on without his girth hanging over the sides. It will be an engineering marvel akin to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Tabs is doing the landscape design, but the project lead will be El Hub. 🙂

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 25: Chanel’s New No. 5, and a Hello From Redding, California!

July 30th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel no 5 leau — The new Chanel No. 5 L’Eau

L’eau, the places, we’ll go! I’d love to take you to Paris or Hawaii, my friend…but for now, how about Redding, California? 🙂 That’s where I’m writing you from today.

Confession: I love me some Chanel, but I’m not really a Chanel No. 5 sort of girl. I’ve worn it many times over the years in the hopes that I’d fall in love with it because of its storied history and iconic past and, you know, because it’s Chanel, but it always felt like a pair of shoes that never quite fit me as perfectly as I’d like. Scent is such a personal thing, and No. 5 always seemed a little too serious for me.

I remember going to Filipino parties when I was young and being forced to hug aunties that I didn’t know, and they would always be wearing Chanel No. 5, and noisy jewelry, and they always had big hair, and when I hugged them, it would tickle my nose (the big hair AND Chanel No. 5).

No. 5 L’Eau is a new version coming to Chanel counters this fall — a reimagining of the scent — that will sit alongside the original, and I LOVE it.

With L’Eau, you definitely get the sense that you’re wearing No. 5, but it’s noticeably different. It still carries many of the original’s same notes, like May rose, but in a lighter elixir that seems more delicate and, dare I say, more fun.

Lemon, mandarin and orange stand front and center. To my nose, L’Eau seems airier than the original No. 5 and almost weightless, like a brush of tulle against naked skin.

Look for it this fall at Chanel counters. The 3.4-oz. bottle shown here is $132.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, babes. It will be a hot one here in Redding, as it always is this time of year (over 110 degrees!), so my big plan for the day will involve finding the coolest spot in an air conditioned room.

I checked in with Tabs this morning over Skype, and he and his favorite petsitter haven’t thrown any ragers yet. Let’s hope they don’t.

What do you have going on this weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Tarte Kiss & Blush Cream Cheek & Lip Palette

July 29th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

tarte kiss and blush — The new Tarte Kiss & Blush Cream Cheek & Lip Palette ($42)

Oh, OK… I get it.

I was wondering why Tarte decorated their new Kiss & Blush Cream Cheek & Lip Palette with sand dollars, since I usually associate those with summer and beaches, and the palette is out for fall, but check it: when you open the palette, the six pans are arranged in a star shape, like the shape in the center of a sand dollar.

See it?

Kinda cute, right?

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