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

Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick: Urban Decay Goes Back to the Beauty Future!

July 2nd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

urban decay matte lipstick — The Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipsticks

“Ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class of 1993!

[APPLAUSE]

Wear lipstick!

[LOUDER APPLAUSE]

Specifically, matte lipstick!!

[INTENSE APPLAUSE]

Because if there’s one piece of unsolicited makeup advice I can give to you on this, the beginning of your bold beauty journey into adulthood, it is to wear matte lipstick. Often. Starting right now. Because then, not only will you be partaking of what was one of the hottest fashion trends of the ’90s, but you’ll also be embracing its triumphant return as a trend again now and in the future!

[LONG APPLAUSE]

My second piece of advice for you is this: put down the damn tweezers, because unlike matte lipstick, those full, bushy brows of yours will not return if you whittle them all the way down into pencil thin lines.”

— Anonymous graduation speech

Yes, kids, matte lipsticks, like The New Kids on the Block, are staging a comeback! They’ve returned from the ’90s glam graveyard, and they’ve brought with them some of the era’s most iconic dark brown and taupe shades, like 1993, one of Urban Decay’s upcoming new $22 Matte Revolution Lipsticks.

urban decay matte lipstick 1993 — Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in 1993 (the year I graduated!)

Dude!! That’s when I graduated from high school. Back then, when I wasn’t wearing my band uniform (BAND GEEK 4 LIFE), you probably would have found me in a plaid shirt, jeans (or Z. Cavarrici pants), a thick black headband, hoop earrings and really, REALLY dark brown matte lipstick. 🙂

urban decay 1993 — Wearing Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in 1993 and daydreaming about high school…

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Get Better, More Natural-Looking Under-Eye Coverage With These Quick Concealer Tips

July 2nd, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

trish mcevoy instant eye lift — Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift in Shade 2 ($38)

I’m pretty happy with my current under-eye concealer routine of moisturizing first with an eye cream, then usually using a blend of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and another concealer like Maybelline Fit Me Concealer or YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch, and then setting with powder, but I’m always looking for ways to improve it, i.e. “make my under-eye sitch look more natural.”

At Nordstrom the other day, I got to chatting with a 10th-level makeup magician/Trish McEvoy makeup artist/sorceress about this seemingly never-ending makeup quest, and she had some great ideas that I actually tried right there in the store, and they worked! Now I’m starting to incorporate them into my regular routine.

Things like…

Look for emollient (smoothing) formulas

“Moisturizing” in a concealer’s description is usually a good sign. Specifically, look for concealers with smoothing or hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate (or hyaluronic acid), because plump, moisturized skin has a smoother, more skin-like appearance that looks more natural…and less like a glob of concealer right under your eyes — something like Trish McEvoy’s Instant Eye Lift, which is $38 and available in two shades.

Grab a flat concealer brush

If you’re interested in getting the fullest of full coverages (which I totally am), try patting your concealer on and around your dark circles using a flat concealer brush, instead of swiping with something else like a different brush, a sponge or your fingers, to keep more of the product where you want it (as opposed to swiping it away).
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Tan, Blue or Black?

July 2nd, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

The Halogen Clarette Suede Wedge Sandal, $99.95 at Nordstrom — The Halogen “Clarette” Suede Wedge Sandal, $99.95 at Nordstrom

I spotted these suede wedges by Halogen at Nordies yesterday and fell in love (just to look, not to get), but I like all of the colors!

Which one do you like best — the tan, blue or black?

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I’d probably go for the blue, just for that pop o’ color, but the other two would be more versatile (the tan pair would make my legs look longer, which is a high priority when you’re a shorty! — and the black ones I know I’d be able to wear with everything).

Fashion dilemmas… 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. On the subject of shoes, what was the last pair you got?

BECCA Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed: My Pores Would Like to Make a Toast to This Highlighter

July 1st, 2015 by Karen 49 Comments

One of my life goals is to someday open a bottle of champagne with a longsword or saber (honestly, I would not be surprised to be the only one of us here with that goal).

Another one of my life goals is to someday achieve perfectly dewy skin.

I never expected these two life goals to collide…

Well, technically they don’t, because there weren’t any medieval weapons involved in the crafting of this post, but metaphorically they do, because just like a freshly opened bottle o’ bubbly, BECCA Champagne Pop, the brand’s latest limited edition Shimmering Skin Perfector, will make your cheekbones POP and your skin glow. 🙂

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop ($38) — A woefully sad, crushed pan of BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop ($38, and I’ll explain the story behind the broken pan in a minute)

I made this face the first time I swept BECCA Champagne Pop on my cheeks.

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1-Minute Makeup Morsel: If Hot Weather Is Melting Your Concealer Mojo, Add NARS Pro Prime to Your Under-Eye Routine

July 1st, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

I’ve been adding NARS Pro Prime to my under-eye routine before I apply concealer (I also whack it into my brows before brow products), in addition to using it to prime my lids, because it’s been so. Damn. Hot.

Plus, we don’t have AC in our condo, so sometimes when it’s REALLY hot, and I’m literally dripping in sweat, my makeup melts off my face.

So I tried it one day — Pro Prime under my concealer — and it made a big difference. My concealer definitely lasts longer with NARS Pro Prime’s help.

So just an FYI. Give it a try sometime if it’s hella hot where you are. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. It’s actually been a bit cooler here this week. Today we only hit 82! Huzzah!

Unsung Makeup Heroes: NARS Yu Satin Lip Pencil

July 1st, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

Hey, Yu!

Yeah, Yu, homie. Right there. No, not that dude behind you… I’m talking to Yu.

I have to tell you something and it’s…well, important? And awkward. But you see, this — you and I? Well, basically, I’m absolutely, positively madly in love with Yu.

YES, YU! I’m ride-or-die for life!

OK, enough of that, LOL! Let’s talk about Yu… 🙂

Yu. Oh, NARS Yu. It’s another one of my perennial summertime NARS Satin Lip Pencil jams. A bright hot pink lipstick with a satin finish, I love it for many of the same reasons I also love NARS Lodhi — the smooth, creamy formula, opaque coverage and 4-5 hour wear time. It’s another example of perfection in a pencil.

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Have You Been to Ann Taylor Lately?

June 30th, 2015 by Karen Monterichard 16 Comments

I used to think that Ann Taylor was too stuffy for me, and I still think it’s kind of stuffy, but they’ve got some really cute clothes. I’ve purchased a few things from them over the past couple months, like I’ve gotten some accessories, a couple necklaces, a scarf, a linen tank top and a jacket (I wore it last week).

They always seem to have some kind of sale, too, and some of them are HUGE, like the 50% off ones, some for in-store and some are just online.

So check out Ann Taylor next time you pass by the store at the mall. I also think that the fit is better, and the fabric and the sizing are more consistent, than LOFT, their sister store.

I got a couple of linen tees from LOFT last spring, and also a linen tank at Ann Taylor, and the tank is definitely softer than the tees.

Have you done any shopping at Ann Taylor lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner and They’re Real Mascara, Now Available in More Shades

June 30th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

benefit theyre real push up liner k1 — Wearing the new Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liners in Beyond Purple, Beyond Blue and Beyond Green on my upper lash line, and two coats of They’re Real Mascara in Beyond Blue on my lashes

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? Please tell me that I’m not hallucinating and that these colorful new gel liners and mascaras by Benefit are not mere makeup figments of my imagination.

Are they fake…? Did I dream up this whole blue/green/purple situation? Please pinch me because I need to know if They’re Real.

OUCH!

OK…you did not have to pinch me that hard. 🙂

Benefit has some new liners and mascaras, and they aren’t figments of my imagination or yours, nor are you currently floating on pink cotton candy clouds.

These are very, very real, and they’re available on counters and online right now.

benefit theyre real — From the left: Benefit They’re Real Mascaras in Beyond Blue and Beyond Brown; They’re Real Push-Up Liners in Beyond Brown, Beyond Purple, Beyond Green and Beyond Blue

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Look for emollient (smoothing) formulas

Grab a flat concealer brush

Tan, blue or black?