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

5 Things Currently on My Wish List

July 30th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

1. Troubadour Contrast Study Dress from Anthropologie

How cute is this dress!?

I love the open back, and I think the neutral colors would work for lots of different occasions (imagine it with a pair of bright pumps…maybe in hot pink?).

I wish I had a party or something to go to so I had a good excuse to get this cutie!

2. Molly Hatch Mugs from Anthropologie

Hello, inspiration! 🙂 Each of these mugs has a nice little saying on the front.

What a great way to start a morning.

3. Recycled Karma Tee from Nordstrom

but first brunch — Recycled Karma Tee ($22 at Nordstrom)

Shout-out to my favorite meal of the day, what-what! At brunch you can make everyone happy, because there’s sweet stuff for the sweet tooth-ed folk (like yours truly) and savory stuff for the savory lovers.
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Would You Wear This Polka-Dot Jumpsuit?

July 30th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

whit two polka dot jumpsuit k 3 — Whit Two Polka Domino Dot Jumpsuit ($168) from Anthropologie

My eyes got all anime-sized huge when I saw this polka-dot jumpsuit from across the room…

Oh, Anthropologie, I’ll never understand your mysterious powers. How did you make me think I could actually wear polka dots from head to toe and have it look totally legit? I think it has something to do with your music or the store’s lighting… I dunno. Or it’s some kind of weird fashion voodoo.

In theory I like this outfit by Whit Two ($168) a lot. It comes in petite and regular sizes, for one thing, so I wouldn’t have to hem the pant legs. Then there’s the polka dots, which to me are timeless, like stripes and leopard print.

And then there’s also the black and white angle (again, never goes out of style), and how the whole thing is a complete one-piece outfit, so you just throw it on and you’re freakin’ done.

I also get a ’40s screen siren vibe from it, which is a style I LOVE, and I was already making a mental list of all the matte red lipsticks I was gonna wear with it.

Then I tried it on…

When I zipped up the back in the dressing room and saw myself in the mirror, I actually said, “This is SO not happening,” before promptly cracking up, LOL!

You know how some outfits look totally fine from certain angles, but then when you face the mirror full on they just look wrong?

Yeah, instead of feeling like Bette Davis or Katherine Hepburn in it, I felt like I was about to emerge from a very small car with 12 very tiny clowns.

Hey, at least I can say I tried, right? 🙂 Because you never know when it comes to clothes. Sometimes the things you think you’ll never wear end up being super cute.

Aaand sometimes they don’t.

Would you wear this black and white polka-dot jumpsuit? Inquiring minds want to know…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Would You Wear These Vans Disney Princess Sneakers?

July 30th, 2015 by Karen 42 Comments

Vans Disney Princess Sneakers, $59.95 — Vans Disney Princess Sneakers ($59.95 at Nordstrom)

No, I did not find these Disney princess-bedecked Vans ($59.95) in the children’s shoe section. They’re for adults! 🙂

FOR REAL.

I spotted them at Nordies after lunch yesterday at the Cheesecake Factory (and between sightseeing venues) with mah fam.

I see a number of famous Disney princesses represented, except for Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (or maybe I’m just blind?). I love that movie…

Would you wear these shoes? I’m totally down for printed sneakers (I was actually wearing my ASPCA Cat Vans when I took this pic, haaaay!), but I probably wouldn’t wear these.

Probably. Maybe.

I love Disney and all, but I totally missed the Disney princess phase when I was a kid. I don’t know if I’m quite up to it now.

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Summer Sightseeing Essentials

July 29th, 2015 by Karen 29 Comments

Howdy, amiga (and amigos)! I have some family visiting today from out of town, both my parents from the East Bay and El Hub’s parents from Redding, California, so I’ve been on daughter/daughter-in-law duty, which has involved some sightseeing and, of course, some eating (which apparently is what my family does best!).

Here are five simple summer sightseeing essentials I like to have on hand…

1. A cross-body purse

kate spade cross body purse — Like this Kate Spade Cobble Hill Small Ella in Cherry Liqueur

Yay for keeping your hands free! 🙂

I like cross-body purses for handsfree sightseeing and other summer excursions because you never know when you’ll bump into a friendly kitty who needs a little loving, or shopping bags, cold drinks or ice cream cones that will need a little holding.

2. A cute hat

kate spade straw hat — The Kate Spade Packable Straw Hat (I don’t think this one’s still available…)

I’m a huge fan of wearing hats to go sightseeing because not only are they good sun protection for my face and hair, but I can also use them to hide under when I’m not in the mood to wear any makeup or do my hair!

3. A comfy pair of shoes

roxy leopard shoes — Roxy Ventura Cheetah Slip-On Sneakers

You know it’s true: comfy footwear. Even though the allure of strappy sandals or shoes with heels is sometimes overpowering, you can’t go wrong with shoes that can handle a variety of sightseeing terrains and situations, like city streets, grassy parks, sandy beaches, etc. — because you never know where adventure will take you. 🙂
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Let’s Glow Crazy! L’Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator Prime & Highlight in Ice

July 29th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

loreal true match lumi liquid glow illuminator

This is the kind of high-beam headlights liquid highlighter I can totally see Beyonce rocking with head-to-toe leather on stage. It’s L’Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator in Ice ($12.99, one of three shades), and it’s bold, brash and shines so brightly that you can see it from across a room.

My first thought when these came out earlier this summer was, “Hm! Looks like a drugstore dupe of BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors.” Because they are similar. Both are liquid highlighters for use under your foundation or tinted moisturizer (so the shimmer peeks through your base), or on top of your foundation or tinted moisturizer (so the shimmer’s more obvious), or mixed in with your foundation or other base, and then applied all over yo’ pretty face (for an all-over glow).

It’s available in three shades — Rose (for people with yellow, peach, pink or blue) Golden (for peachy or yellow undertones) and Ice (for pink and blue undertones).

My skin tone is warm (MAC NC42), and I chose to try Ice…partly because I just like the pink color. 🙂
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Get Cuteness and Incredible Curl Hold With Paul & Joe Smudgeproof Mascara

July 29th, 2015 by Karen 6 Comments

paul joe smudgeproof mascara — Paul & Joe Smudgeproof Mascara ($26, available in four shades — Noir, Brun, Blue Hibiscus and Pink Samba)

Generally speaking, I have a high bar when it comes to the cuteness of mascara wands. Like, I’ll gladly gush over cute compacts and cute lipsticks, but cute mascara tubes?

Not usually enough to get me to go batsh*t cray.

What I REALLY want are mascaras that work well, but if the packaging is also cute, like I think it is with the Paul & Joe Smudgeproof Mascara in Noir I’ve been wearing lately, then that’s an extra bonus. 🙂

Barring disasters and other uncontrollable events, I curl my stick-straight lashes daily, and championship-caliber curl hold is one of the things I really like about this mascara.

That…and the super cute tube.

Smudgeproof sets, lengthens, lifts and locks lashes like it’s making it freakin’ rain at the club, and lashes stay elongated and lifted well beyond 12 hours — even through numerous naps (which I saw firsthand last weekend in Napa).

For me the sweet spot is two coats, which also adds some volume, but not a ton. Volume-wise, I’d say the effect is about two snaps shy of drag queen runway show.

So, it’s a good amount. I’m into it.

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L’Oreal $12.99 True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator: For Highlights So Shiny That They Make Mirrors Quake in Their Shiny Boots

July 28th, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

loreal true match lumi powder glow illuminator

Sooner or later I’ll make through a day without saying the word “strobing” at least once, but today? — totally not that day.

Yes, sweets, these new $13 L’Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminators are all about that high-shine frosty life, and they’re just in time for strobing madness! — the latest craze sweeping the nation.

These three illuminating powders work a little like Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Bricks. Each pan is comprised of four different colors of varying levels of shimmer, glitter and opacity. You swirl ’em together and use the combined mix to highlight specific areas, or your entire face, although I’d be wary of doing the latter, unless your skin is smoother and more perfectly porcelain than a baby’s butt, because the frosty finish seeks out pores and fine lines like a tabby seeks out gravy.

I actually tried it once… I applied one of these all over just for kicks and ended up looking hella sweaty with, like, huge 3D horror movie-sized pores.

Basically, I’m not the biggest fan of frosty highlighters, and I kinda wish that the shimmery effect were subtler, but these could prove useful if you like dramatic frosty effects that shine like high-beam headlights, perhaps for spot highlights on your cheekbones and/or down the bridge of your nose.

They’re available now online and at drugstores, Walgreens and Ulta in Golden for warm skin tones, Ice for cool skin tones, and Rose for neutral skin tones.

Oh! — one last thing. Try not to drop these, because they’ll almost definitely shatter (see the sad pan of Rose?). 🙁

loreal true match lumi powder glow illuminator golden — L’Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Golden

loreal true match lumi powder glow illuminator ice — L’Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Ice

loreal true match lumi powder glow illuminator rose — L’Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Rose

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Neat and New to Me: MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me

July 28th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

mac pinch me blush — $22 MAC Pinch Me Blush

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

Is this real life?

Am I dreaming?

Somebody pinch me, please, because I can’t tell if MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me ($22 for a 0.21-oz. pan) really is as good as I think it might be.

It’s a medium-toned matte rosy brown coral in the MAC Blush family, and I wore it all weekend long on my trip to Napa with the girls. Not once did Jen or Cindy ask, “Are you ready yet?” or dramatically sigh/groan (code for “Karen, hurry up!”).

You see, they’re both very low-maintenance (their idea of putting on makeup for dinner involves lip balm), so I’m the odd duck, and they always give me crap about taking forever to get ready (the truth is, they’re totally right). Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to dilly-dally when getting ready on this trip, I packed products I knew I’d be able to use quickly — among them tinted moisturizer, under-eye concealer, mascara, brow filler, gloss and MAC Pinch Me Blush.

mac pinch me blush swatch — MAC Pinch Me swatched on my NC42 skin

What makes Pinch Me such a good get-ready-quick blush?
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