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

A Bangin’ Good Time With the Bright Lipsticks in MAC Bangin’ Brilliant

July 15th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

mac bangin brilliant dreampot — The new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Lipstick in Dreampot ($17)

I can’t remember — is wearing blue lipstick and blue eyeliner at the same time a do or a don’t?

Ah, the age-old question… LOL!

I don’t think there are any hard and fast, absolutely unbreakable makeup rules, so I’m gonna say “yes.” Blue eyeliner with blue lipstick is a total do.

I contemplated this conundrum the other day when I was wearing some teal winged liner (just for the heck of it) and decided to also try on a few of the lipsticks in the new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection.

You know that cray-cray lip colors are having a moment when you can visit a small mall and bump into a girl wearing a baby pink polo shirt and green lipstick (true story!), and the MAC Bangin’ Brilliants fit right in with that out-of-the box color movement happening right now.

The 29 new lipstick shades ($17 each) were recently added to the MAC permanent line, along with the Bangin’ Brilliant shadows and blushes.

With these colors, “basic” is about a million light years away. Of course there are bright pinks, oranges and reds, but there also blues, purples, a neon green, a midnight black, a stark white… Seriously, there’s some crazy sh*t up in the mix.

I don’t feel completely comfortable in some of them, to be honest, but if you have that runway stomp-walk kind of swag, they could look super cool.

I dunno… One of these days, I might get the urge to wear a light purple to Costco to buy kitty litter and a jumbo pack of hot dogs.

You never know. Life is short. Might as well.

Matte fuchsia pink Breathing Fire and matte bright red Mangrove are my favorites of the shades I’ve tried so far.

mac bangin brilliant breathing fire — Breathing Fire

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How Important Is Makeup Packaging to You?

July 15th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 23 Comments

Expensive vs Cheap Makeup Packaging — Despite these Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks By Kate Moss being pretty good quality, I feel like when I use them, I don’t get the same makeup experience as when I use, say, a YSL lipstick.

Well, to me, makeup packaging is very important.

Because makeup isn’t just about the way I look after I’ve made up my face. For me, more importantly, it’s about the overall experience and how much I enjoy putting it on.

I mean, it’s like when I go to a restaurant where the food is presented in a creatively appealing way. To begin with, the food they serve has to be good, but the way it’s presented definitely adds to the culinary experience.

(Speaking of which, if you ever come to Bologna, make sure you go to Casa Monica and La Taverna del Farneto, my favorite restaurants in the area. Amazing food, outstanding service and a relaxed atmosphere — a perfect combination, if you ask me!)

Same goes for makeup. The products have to be good, but if they also come in beautiful packaging, it makes the experience more enjoyable.

Beautiful Makeup Packaging — I have a soft spot for pretty packaging… Can you tell?

That being said, some pretty packaging costs a lot, so I think it’s great that there are also good quality products that come in plain, inexpensive packaging and retail for less than the cost of a kale smoothie. It’s good to have options, right?

Now that I think about it, when I said that makeup packaging is very important to me, I should’ve actually said that it’s very important for certain product categories.

Like, if they’re in my budget, I’ll usually buy beautifully packaged lipsticks, eyeshadows, bronzers, blushes and palettes, while, most of the time, I’m happy with drugstore mascaras and eyeliners (provided the quality is good, obviously).

With the latter, even when they’re high end, I don’t really get that luxe feeling that I get from those other products (especially lipsticks). Do you know what I mean?

Carolina Braina

Hey, ladies (and gents), it’s Carolina here, reporting live from Bologna, Italy, to bring you the latest and greatest in beauty from the good ol’ continent! For an extra dose of that timeless Italian glam with a touch of humor and self-irony (because, you know, laughter is the best makeup), come say hi at carolinapage.eu and Instagram.

4 Months Old

July 14th, 2016 by Karen 54 Comments

I wonder if there’s a built-in feature with baby biology that erases the memories of all of the hard parts about pregnancy and the difficulty of labor and delivery, and just leaves behind all of the good stuff, because all I feel are good things whenever I see Connor.

Our little coywolf is four months old now, and she’s kicked it into high gear! Her arms and legs are always moving, and she recently figured out how to roll onto her belly and hold her head up to look around.

She loves that point of view!

She’s constantly trying to crawl and gets frustrated when she can’t. She has, though, figured out a modified form of locomotion on her tum where she lifts her booty up and kind of scoots along.

I wonder how much time I have left before she’s off and running and I’m chasing her around…

Right now, Connor Claire loves…

Rolling over. And over. And over. And over. And over.
Skyping her grandparents (seriously, technology is AMAZING).
When mommy dances with her. We listen to music when she’s lying down, and I’ll take her legs and move them to the beat. She smiles and laughs! 🙂
Waking up early. Oh, boy. I think this child is a morning person, and she’s a HAPPY morning person. She’ll wake up at 5 or 6 and lay there babbling to herself for a good half an hour. It’s really funny, but now I’m starting to wonder who she’s talking to… Is my house haunted? I hope not! And when I walk over to see her first thing in the morning, she grins from ear to ear.
Being outdoors. She really enjoys picnics and going for walks to see and hear the sights and sounds.
Exploring the world with her hands. She has this activity mat with hanging toys, and she’s figured out how to grab things and hold onto them. Her favorite toy is a purple toucan named “Sam.” She talks to Sam, strokes his feathers and tries to bite his beak!
Sucking her thumb. Another new discovery. She’s obsessed with that thing…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Thank you, Auntie Stephanie, for this pretty purple outfit!

Be a Blue Belle With the MAC Good Luck Trolls Collection

July 14th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

Preeeetty sure these little trolls came alive last night and were walking around my condo. I thought I heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet going up and down the stairs…

Wait — I guess that could have been Tabs. 🙂

Who knows? Right now, though, it’s time to relive one of my greatest childhood fears.

THE TROLL DOLLS.

Did anyone else find them terrifying back in the day? There’s just something…eery about those big eyes and that crazy hair, or the fact that they were always butt neked.

I dunno…

But enough about that! Let’s take a look at the MAC Good Luck Trolls collection.

Arriving July 28 to the MAC website and coming to stores and counters August 4 through September 15, it might seem a little out of character for MAC to collaborate with these mythical, cave-dwelling beings of Scandinavian folklore…or it might not! The brand does have a reputation for doing crazy sh*t.

Aaand there’s also a Trolls movie coming out in November.

It’s a 22-piece collection with five Eye Shadows ($17 each), two Beauty Powders ($27 each), four Lipsticks ($18 each), four Lipglasses ($16 each), one pigment ($23), three glitters ($23 each), a Duo Fibre Face Brush ($32) and these two crazy temporary hairspray color thing-a-ma-bobbers called the Chroma Crazes ($20 each).

I feel like MAC misses opportunties sometimes with some of their limited edition collaborative collections, like the MAC Miss Piggy one (it could have been so much more!), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this one accurately captures the trolls in all their whimsical cheekiness.

So, um, with these colors…first of all, I think it’s important to remember that this is a collection about colorful trolls with gemstones in their bellies. So it’s not a collection about conservative, traditionally pretty, pretty makeup.

I think the pieces are pretty in their own way, but many are also outrageous and playful. If you remember the MAC Playland collection from a couple years ago, it had some CRAZY colors and pastels. Well, Good Luck Trolls is very much along those same lines. We have corals, chartreuses, hot pinks and blues.

There’s a blue lipstick, a blue eyeshadow, a blue lipgloss, a blue temporary hair coloring spray… I’m usually more drawn to neutrals, but for some reason I’m drawn to these blues. They’re BEAUTIFUL.

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Urban Decay Fall 2016: Glitter, Sparkle, Shine and an Epic Full-Coverage Matte Foundation

July 13th, 2016 by Karen 34 Comments

Oh, my gawd! It’s so easy to get sucked into the glittery, shimmery, shiny vortex that is the Urban Decay Fall 2016 collection.

My eyes turned into emoji hearts ? the first time I opened the Moondust Eyeshadow Palette ($49), but to my surprise the thing that made me go “WHHHAAAAA!” the loudest was the All Nighter Liquid Foundation ($40).

urban decay all nighter foundation-6 — Three shades of Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation for comparison

I’m not a full-coverage matte gal right now. Right now I’m more into dewy finishes and light-to-medium coverage. So I’m fine with my freckles peeking through, but this new foundation could convert me to Team Full-Coverage Matte.

Like, seriously, I used half a pump of shade 7.0, which pretty much a dead ringer for my MAC NC42 skin tone — half a pump, dude! — and I put it on with my fingers, thinking, “Whatever, let’s just see where this goes.”

Somehow, that small amount pretty much covers my entire face. My skin looks even toned, and my pores look smaller, but the finish still looks natural, and not heavy or masky, which is a frequent issues I have with a lot of the full-coverage matte foundations out there (ugh).

If there’s anything in this release worthy of grabby hands, I think it’s Urban Decay All Night Liquid Foundation.

urban decay razor sharp — The Urban Decay Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners ($22 each)

I mean, there’s also some other cool stuff in the collection, like a new line of liquid eyeliners called the Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners ($22 each).

They have a brush applicator, which usually spells “wonky-@ss line” for me, but not with these, even when I quickly sloosh a small amount of Snakebite (the metallic coppery bronze) on my upper lash lines. The brush is actually very smooth and easy to use!

urban decay razor sharp swatches-1 — 11 of the 20 Urban Decay Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliners

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An Ode to NARS

July 13th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 29 Comments

NARS Best Makeup Products — Wearing NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Corder on top of NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base on my eyes, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl on my lips, and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard, NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna, and NARS Blush in Amour on my complexion

Yesterday I played the lottery for the first time in my life.

And just like I think everyone does when playing the lottery, I started fantasizing about what I would buy if I won €100,000,000…

You know what the first thing that popped into my head was?

Nope, it wasn’t a big house in the hills or a round-the-world getaway (although those would be nice).

It was the entire NARS makeup collection!

Can you imagine that? Hundreds and hundreds of those sleek, rubberized cases and tubes (side note: you can easily clean them up with duo-phase makeup remover).

AHHHH!

But anyways, I didn’t win…

And since they say that to be happy in life you should focus on the good things you have rather than the things you don’t have, today I decided to focus on the products in my NARS stash that bring me happiness on a daily basis!

Wanna see what they are?

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde ($35)

In the event of a fire, you’re supposed to leave all of your belongings where they are and get to the nearest exit.

Well, I really hope we never, ever have a fire in our building, because I’d have a really, really hard time leaving the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde behind (should I grab it or not?).

I know I might sound like I need to re-evaluate my priorities, but if you’ve ever tried Isolde, I think you’ll understand.

I can’t imagine my life without it.

The shadows have the most gorgeous metallic finish (no chunky glitters in sight!), and they’re so pigmented, creamy, and smooth that I can’t think of many other shadows that compare (I’m thinking of the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense in 5 Gold Blitz and Pure Ganache from the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette).

And if that’s not enough, they practically blend themselves and last longer than probably anyone could need.

NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna ($39)

NARS Bronzing Powder Laguna — If you look at a pan of NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna or swatch it with your finger, you can see teeny, tiny sparkles running through it, but I’ve never really noticed them once applied…

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Teal Liner Gives Me Wings! A MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Face of the Day

July 12th, 2016 by Karen 30 Comments

mac bangin brilliant fotd — Wearing some MAC Bangin’ Brilliant today!

Can I just say, it took all of my strength to NOT wear nude lips with this look today, but I dug deep and busted out a glossy, orangey red instead. Thank you, babe, for giving me strength!

You know, it’s funny…but this is basically the same look I’ve been rocking for the last five months or so — winged liner, lashes and lipstick — but with slight adjustments, and it’s kind of amazing (and I forget this sometimes) how a few simple tweaks can turn something routine and basic into something new and different.

mac bangin brilliant fotd k1 — Hey, girl, haaaay!

When I did my winged liner this morning, instead of doing a teeny, tiny kitten flick in basic black, I used a teal eyeshadow (worn as an eyeliner) and exaggerated the flick a little more than usual.

Then for my lashes, instead of using mascara, I grabbed my good ol’ trusty Ardell Demi-Wispies (which I’m able to put on in my sleep now, for reals).

And for my lips, instead of going the nude route, I reached for a glossy reddish orange gloss.

mac bangin brilliant fotd swatches — Summery teals and oranges, yum!

Most of the key products I used for the look are from MAC, with a couple of items from the new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection.

Remember Teal Appeal, that teal I was drooling over yesterday?

Yeah! I managed to get it on my lids sooner than later (small victories!), and that’s what I’m wearing on my lash lines. I’m also wearing MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Blush in Bright Response on my cheeks.

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Lombard Street, Painted Ladies and Adventures in San Francisco

July 12th, 2016 by Karen 33 Comments

El Hub and I played hooky to spend the day in San Francisco and celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (10!) last Thursday.

We didn’t go having any plans. We just kind of wanted to wing it and hang out with each other doing something fun, since we haven’t done much of that over the past few months since Connor arrived.

So, um…yeah, we went exploring. 🙂

I wanted to do things that I’d never done in the city before, and I’d never seen the crooked part of Lombard Street with all of the switchbacks and hydrangeas.

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