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

The MAC Wash & Dry Collection Powder Blushes in Crisp Whites and Hipness

May 4th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

I’m keepin’ it quick this time with a brief breakdown of both Powder Blushes in the soon-to-arrive MAC Wash and Dry collection (May 14 online, May 21 in stores and counters).

First, let’s say “Hi!” to Hipness (then we’ll look at Crisp Whites).

MAC Hipness Powder Blush

The succinct two-sentence summary? Hipness is a warm, peachy coral-ish powder blush with a barely-there satin finish that could almost pass for matte. In fact, it fooled me at first glance, but then I took a closer look at it and saw petite pearlescent particles.

The tech specs? I’m fine with one layer of this highly pigmented powder, which lasts seven or eight hours on my sometimes/places dry, sometimes/places oily combination cheeks. Great on its own, it’s hot dayum! — phenomenal blended with a bronzer (and more on that in a sec).

Have we met before? Why, yes, we have. 🙂 Double-check your MAC collection, because Hipness has performed at this venue before. You may recall it from (2008’s Fafi or 2010’s MAC to the Beach.

For whom would it work well? Bronzed beauties (and barons) are in extra luck. Hipness looks bright, but not excessively bold, on my NC42 skin. If you’re a lighter lass, however, you can still have fun with Hipness. Try mixing a little with bronzer, and then applying that powder potion to your cheeks. The bronzer will tone down the brightness a bit and, bonus! — could save you a little time, because then you wouldn’t have to apply blush and bronzer separately (assuming you would).

This is one of my all-time favorite gotta-get-out-the-door-now tricks, and I actually think that it takes this particular blush to the next level of effortless-ness, no matter what your skin tone.

How do I feel about Hipness? I feel good. I feel good about Hipness. 🙂 I think it’s very flattering and natural-looking, especially when layered or mixed with bronzer. I’m happy to see it making an encore performance in MAC Wash and Dry.

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The MAC Wash and Dry Collection Technakohl Liners: This Time Around, Practice Made a Perfect Blue

May 4th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

So. Much. Yes!

Rarely does a liner sweep me off my feet.

I think the last one was MAC Costa Riche. Or was it was BECCA Cabrera…? I’m pretty sure it was one of those two.

Whenever it happens, since it doesn’t happen very often, I almost immediately panic a little. One of my first thoughts is usually along the lines of, “How am I going to function when I wear this down to a nub, which I’ll most certainly do?” Or, how much am I going to freak-the-eff out when I can’t find one of my backups? Because let’s be real — if it’s that good, I’m probably getting a backup. Or two. OK, three.

Seriously, though, I think MAC’s new Technakohl Liner in Practice Makes Perfect is…well, perfect. They should have just called it Perfect and cut out any confusion. I think it’s just about perfect in every single way.

It’s a deep, rich, intensely pigmented bluish green pencil liner with a twist-up tip. Fab for lash lines, of course, but I love, love, LOVE it on my water lines (especially the lower water lines). I think it does wonders for browns eyes, in particular, and I swear mine look more milk chocolatey when I wear it.

It’s fairly no-fuss, too. Compared to some blue liners, where I feel like I have to apply four or five layers to ramp up the intensity to a decent level, I just use two layers of this and I’m good.

On top of that, it’s incredibly smooth and doesn’t migrate or make my sensitive eyes water. I usually reapply after about five hours to freshen it up, which isn’t bad, and even then I’m only adding a little.

Ooh! — the color goes really well with blue, green and khaki clothing (and accessories), and I bet it would also complement gold shadows and golden brown shadows nicely, too.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 371

May 4th, 2015 by Karen 69 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 seven 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.

On a scale of 1-10, how skilled are you with your hair (with 10 being salon-caliber fancy updos and intricate braids)?
Well, based on the stylish way I’ve been wearing my hair lately, otherwise known as “The Mop,” I should probably say a negative 10, but no, no, I think I’m a little better than that when I put in the effort… So maybe a six or seven? If I’m trying.

I can do a few different updos and braids, like the messy reverse French braid I was wearing a couple months ago.

Flower crowns: do or don’t?
It seems like they get a lot of flak sometimes, but they’re a do for me. I think they’re fun and playful, and even though they sort of dominate the music festival circuit, I wish they would also dominate regular life, because I would not mind it if women walked around everywhere with flower crowns. I think it would be kind of pretty.

What’s something you do at least once a day?
- Feed Tabs some wet food, because if he doesn’t get at least a taste of gravy, he gets very vocal and crabby.
- Brush my teeth
- Drink water
- Check my emails
- Go online
- Put on lotion
- Go outside to breathe some fresh air
- Open a window
- A little cleaning, believe it or not
- Fill in my brows
- Have a cup of tea (usually green tea in the morning and afternoon and Sleepy Time Tea at night)
- Clean off my desk
- I also go through phases (and I’m in one now) where I change some element of my outfit at least once a day, which I want to do at this very moment because I’m currently uncomfortable.
What were you like as a child?
Very shy and quiet and happy. 🙂 And artistic, too, which wasn’t highly valued in my family…but let’s not even go there now right meow.

What’s a kind of music you just don’t get?
’70s rock, but I think that’s partly because I haven’t been exposed to a lot of it. What I have heard, though, hasn’t really connected with me yet.

Sometimes when El Hub and I go on our road trips up to Redding, California, we’ll listen to classic rock stations (which they have a lot of up there), and I’ll hear a song and say, “I’ve never heard this song before,” and it’ll be by Pink Floyd or something, and El Hub will turn his head to me with a look of complete shock. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard this song before!”

Nope. And I’m sorry, but it’s not doing anything for me either.

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

1. On a scale of 1-10, how skilled are you with your hair (with 10 being salon-caliber fancy updos and intricate braids)?
2. Flower crowns: do or don’t?
3. What’s something you do at least once a day?
4. What were you like as a child?
5. What’s a kind of music you just don’t get?

Hello, friend. Here’s a hug, one from me and one from Tabs. He asks that you pet him for a bit, but please don’t mind when he starts to look slightly annoyed. That’s just how he looks on Monday mornings.

I hope you had a nice weekend. I have to admit I’m still in weekend mode… I haven’t quite gotten into gear yet. I think I’ll definitely need a second, and probably also a third, cup of green tea.

The weekend went by way too fast… On Saturday night we watched the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight with some friends. I’m kind of bummed about how it turned out, but it was still fun to get together. And then yesterday I just did a lot of high-intensity relaxing around the house.

I started watching this cool BBC documentary series on Netflix called Egypt. It’s part documentary, part, sort of, Lifetime Channel historical movie. 🙂 Anyway, I’ve been totally sucked in.

I hope you’re having an easy, calm Monday so far. I’ll be right back… Can I bring you a cup of tea? Something with caffeine, perhaps?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 345

May 3rd, 2015 by Karen 5 Comments

Dear Diary,

Wow, it’s been a while! I’ve missed you so much, diary. Things have been craaay on this end. I’ve still been writing — don’t you worry about that — but admittedly not enough here.

I’ll explain in a bit, but first… Gosh, where do I start?

Well, I guess I’ll start at the beginning of my day! My new trainer had me doing wind sprints up and down the stairs as part of my daily workout.

It’s all about getting fit for summer, and I’ve been working out like a fiend, diary. I mean, it’s already May! Can you believe that? And that means that bikini season is right around the corner, and that means that I have to get freaking fit NOW. As you know, I have a reputation to uphold in the cat modeling world, and I’m already fully booked through summer.

Plus, I have this beefcake calendar coming out… Don’t judge.

Getting bikini ready

Thank goodness for my trainer! He’s actually the guy who created Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s agility training program, and he’s got me on an intense regimen of kitty squats, crinkly ball chasing, air pawing and circuit training, where I run circles around the office and then leap from the floor up to the top of my cat tower to tone my haunches.

I really feel it in my back paws…

It’s great stuff, but exercise is definitely not one of my favorite things to do, so I’ve started bribing myself with accessories to stay motivated, and it really works! I got the idea from my assistant who does it all the time. All I do is tell myself that I can get one of those new lightweight linen cat collars from Burberry (I can’t wait to post about it on my new website, but wait! — I’m getting ahead of myself) if I exercise every day this week.

Summer season accessories

It’s a form of meow-based mental trickery.

I’m also… Well, my ninth birthday is coming up, and I’ve been thinking a lot about… I don’t know, I guess, my legacy? I’m getting older, and I’m not a kitten anymore.

Along those lines, earlier this year I started my scholarship for young kitty models who want to make a change in their life, and I’m also trying to give back to the kitty modeling community by writing my memoirs.
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Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

May 2nd, 2015 by Karen 400 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **
This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, MICHAELA!!!), but check back next Saturday for another Sephora giveaway.

Good morning. 🙂 Hello there, sweet friend.

I’m just sittin’ here at my breakfast table listening to the thundering of little tabby feet running around upstairs. I have no idea what he’s doing up there, but it sounds like a competitive decathlon.

I’ve got a stack of magazines here, a hot cup of green tea and my Pink Power Smoothie, and I’m just gonna sit here for a while and read.

Ah… I love Saturdays. I love the quiet time for breakfast and to be able to sort of ease slowly into the day. The rest of the week, it’s go, go, go from the moment I open my eyes, but Saturday mornings are about high-intensity relaxing. 🙂

In other news, I’m going to tackle another section of the house today and tomorrow as part of Operation Get My Sh*t Together, and I’m also going to go to Target to see if I can find some of those photo shelves, so I can finally put my stuff up on the walls.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday and a fantastic weekend. Tonight I’m heading to my pal Bernadette’s house (she’s an AMAZING cook!) to watch the Pacquiao v. Mayweather fight (go Pac!). Honestly, I’m going mostly for the food and the company…but El Hub will provide sports commentary as the resident boxing enthusiast.

You don’t even know how many conversations I’ve had to listen to over the past week on the fine points of Pacquiao v. Mayweather.

What are you up to? Doing anything fun?

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter by leaving a comment below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- What are your five favorite makeup brands right now?
- Something in your makeup bag that you never (or almost never) use?
- When was the last time you cleaned your eyelash curler?
- Something that makes you weirdly emotional?
- What lip formula do you wear the most (balm, gloss, stain, lipstick, etc.)?
- What’s the fastest you can do your makeup? 5? 10? 15? 20 minutes?
One entry per person.
You must use a valid email address to win.
The giveaway ends on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel Summer 2015: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Méditerranée and Another Fun Color Combination to Try

May 1st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Teal and yellow, babe. Teal and yellow.

I originally envisioned only taking pics of this teal Chanel Summer 2015 Le Vernis Nail Colour in Méditerranée with this beige bag (from the pamelabarskyshop on Etsy), because for some reason, in my mind, I thought that the teal in the dress plus the teal on my nails would be more than enough color.

But then I looked a little closer at the colors in my dress, and I kept noticing the yellow there in the flowers winking at me, like, “Hello! Look at me, Karen! Don’t I look cute with teal?” and that was that. The beige was no longer doing it for me, LOL!

One bright yellow Kate Spade wallet later…

I love this combo! I think it works here because both the teal and yellow are similarly intense, like having two divas do a well-balanced duet on stage.

Or something like that. Honestly, I just saw the two together and got that tingly feeling that happens when I know something’s probably gonna work. 🙂

I’m wearing two coats of the polish — a creamy, intense bright teal that reminds me of large bodies of deep water. It’s a limited edition shade in Chanel’s new Collection Méditerranée, available now at Chanel counters and online.

I found it really easy to work with, too. Seriously, I painted my nails practically in the dark before going to bed the other night, and they turned out quite well, considering that I could barely see anything.

No streaks, no drama, just smooth sailing all the way.

I bet you could even get away with one coat.

P.S. To paraphrase R. Kelly…it’s the freakin’ weekend, baby. I’m about to have me some fun. 🙂 Except without the Cristal. But I think will have a glass of TJ’s Santa Barbara Landing Riesling.

I hope you’re having a great night, whatever you’re up to. Talk to you soon.

Lustrous Lips Are a Lipglass Away With the MAC Wash and Dry Collection

May 1st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Boy howdy! These new MAC Wash and Dry Lipglasses will make you tumble dry into some seriously high heat!

Honestly…what does that even mean? I think I might be scraping the bottom of the barrel for new laundromat references. I mean, one can only make so many before they’re tapped.

Laundromats and makeup — leave it to MAC to come up with something crazy like that.

mac wash and dry collection lipglass — The four MAC Wash and Dry Lipglasses from the left: Girl on Board, Laundry List, Hot/Cold and Domestic Diva

There are four $16.50 Lipglasses in the new MAC Wash and Dry collection, and all I have to say about them is this: “Hello, brights!” I would happily roll in the haaay with the three vivid shades. Bronzed beauties, in particular, will probably like bright creamy orange Laundry List (like a glossy version MAC Morange Lipstick), creamy true red Hot/Cold and shimmery pink Domestic Diva. Spreadable like butter, they apply easily and evenly on my lips, but I do feel like the red and orange shades benefit from the help of a lip brush, because they’re hella pigmented.

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The MAC Wash and Dry Collection Lipsticks: Helping Lips Look Lovely While Cleaning Up Their Act

May 1st, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Oh, yeah, it’s about to get sudsy in here!!

Wait — what do you mean you don’t have any quarters?

None?? Not even one quarter…?

Who shows up to a laundromat without any quarters?

LOL! I’m just kidding. 🙂 That’s alright. I brought enough quarters for both of us. Have a seat here next to me, and we’ll contemplate the four lipsticks from the new MAC Wash and Dry collection while we wait for our laundry to finish.

Steam Heat: This vivid yellowish red hangs tough from the moment you put it on until the end of the final rinse cycle. And shoot, it doesn’t stop there. In other words, it lasts a really long time — like six, or maybe even seven hours, but that’s only if you can manage to resist that bag of Trader Joe’s cheese puffs in the closet, which is to say that it doesn’t last through meals.

I swear…whenever I open one of those bags of cheese puffs, it is physically impossible to NOT eat at least half the bag in one sitting.

But I digress…

Tumble Dry: Almost better than that moment when you realize that your last load of laundry is done, hurray! This warm-toned light peachy coral nude with soft shimmer is very easy to wear and moisturizing. Sheer enough to allow my natural lip color to peek through, it still packs enough pigment to make an impression.

It’s a perfect summery shade.

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