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

A Teal Maxi for a Mini Gal: The LOFT Paradise Halter Dress

May 1st, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

Let me tell you, it is NOT easy to find a maxi dress that doesn’t drag along the floor like a train when you’re pint-sized, and up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t have a maxi dress in my closet because every. single. one. I’ve ever tried on has made me look like a kid playing dress-up in her mom’s work clothes.

Normally, I would’ve walked right by this Petite Paradise Halter Maxi Dress by LOFT because — hello! — maxi dress trauma, but I liked the print so much that I decided to give it a try.

And I’m so glad I did, because I freaking love this dress. It feels fantastic, for one. It’s made of a very comfy, lightweight, breathable linen blend.

Ah… Perfect for hot days like the ones we’ve been having (it’s been in the 80s in Novato lately, YOWZA!).

Then there’s the print, with the flowers and leaves. When I look down, I almost forget I’m not on a tropical vacation. I like that the whole design is bold but not too bright…if that makes any sense, LOL!

Fun fact about LOFT and prints: the nice sales associate at LOFT who helped me while I was there said that when LOFT makes printed clothes, they scale down the prints for petite sizes, and scale them up for their taller sizes, so the prints maintain the intended proportions and layout.

Maybe that’s the secret sauce behind this dress! I really do feel like the print was designed for someone of…unimpressive height (I’m 5’1″). Most of the time when I try on dresses like this one, I feel like I’m swimming through an infinity pool of fabric.

You may or may not have noticed that I’m not wearing shoes in the top pic… I’m just keepin’ it real, dawg. 🙂 But seriously, it’s the dress. I feel like I should be running barefoot through the sand or something when I wear it.

Outfit breakdown…

Dress — LOFT (I’m wearing the petite size; it’s also available in regular and tall sizes, too)

Earrings — Alexis Bittar

Bracelet — Nordstrom (no longer available; here’s something similar by Charming Charlie)

Lipstick — MAC Satin Lipstick in Steam Heat (from the new Wash and Dry collection)

Nails — Chanel Le Vernis in Méditerranée

P.S. The dress is machine washable, which for me is a major selling point because I never end up wearing clothes that I have to take to the dry cleaners; it’s such a pain.

P.P.S. It’s also currently on sale ~~for 50%~~ 40% off…

I’m just sayin’!

P.P.P.S. (!) tgif 🙂

MAC Wash and Dry Collection High-Light Powder in Freshen Up: Before and After

April 30th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

In less time than it takes to throw a load of delicates in the wash (read: very little time; i.e. super fast), you can “freshen up” your cheekbones with MAC Freshen Up, the brand’s newest highlighting powder, coming soon as part of the Wash and Dry collection.

So, what’s the 411 on Freshen Up?

It’s a limited edition warm-toned highlighter housing three satiny shades in one pan — a deep pinkish coral, a peachy coral and a yellow gold. Bust it out to add shimmer and shine to your skin. Interestingly, the shimmery golden overspray that coats the entire pan sticks around for a surprisingly long time — this, compared to other oversprays that seem to vanish into thin air after a couple swipes. The shimmer dust here settles into the little holes and crevices in the pan’s design, so even after it looks like it’s all gone, my brush continues to pick up some of the shimmer.

How do you use it?

I sweep the powder on the high points of my face — my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, on my Cupid’s bow and just above my brow bone — where I want to catch the light. Wear the shades individually, like by loading a small tapered eye brush (like the MAC 266), and then applying, or use a fluffier blush or a highlighting brush to swirl all three colors together. In this pic, I’m wearing all of them swirled together.

(Note: if you’re a lighter lovely, you’ll probably also be able to use Freshen Up as a blush, too.)

How well does it work?

Here’s the deal: with more of a satiny sheen than the high-shine finish that many traditional highlighters have, these powders remind me of the Hourglass Ambients. It takes a second to realize, “Oh! Homegirl is wearing highlighter,” so they don’t reach out and slap ya silly, in other words.

It’s more like a gentle tap. LOL!
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The MAC Wash and Dry Collection Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Trios Promise to Make Laundry Days and Lids Lovelier

April 30th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

Hey, bubbles. 🙂 Just in case you were looking for makeup to wear to the laundromat…

BOOM! MAC Wash and Dry.

Yes, domestic divas, a freaking laundromat serves as the backdrop for MAC’s new summer collection, Wash and Dry.

As a woman who has probably spent approximately one third of her adult life hanging out in laundromats (I didn’t have a washer/dryer until I moved into this condo), I feel qualified to say that this is by far the schmexy-est laundromat of them all.

First, you don’t have worry about running out of quarters, or about somebody stealing your cat t-shirts and stretchy pants out of the dryer, or about that creepy dude lurking in the corner who you suspect intends to flash you. None of those are issues at this facility. In fact, the odds of that man offering to touch up your eye makeup are far greater than the odds of him exposing his manly bits.

This collection is so much more fun than washing and folding clothes. 🙂

It’s a pretty substantial one, too, with four steamy lipsticks (one word: BRIGHTS), four glosses, a couple of blushes, two nail polishes and a bad-@ss highlighting powder (stay tuned for that review) — oh, and bronzers, of course, because it’s not a legitimate MAC summer launch without a guest appearance by Refined Golden, obvs.

For eyes, there are a massive number of brow products, a few liners, a waterproof mascara and three eyeshadow trios, which leads me to this…

I’m wearing Permanent Press, one of the $27.50 Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Trios from the collection, in this toasty brown, smokey cat eye today, and I had absolutely no trouble blending it, thanks to the silky — almost creamy — Veluxe Pearlfusion formula. It’s super lightweight, so melding the colors into each other doesn’t require a lot of effort with a blending brush.

You can wear them dry, like I’ve done here, for a dreamy metallic shine, or apply them with a wet brush for more of a goddess-emerging-from-the-surf (or the laundry soap suds, in this case) foil-like shine. Either way, they last from 7-8 hours on my combination lids when applied atop primer.
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Products Launching at The Makeup Show NYC This Weekend

April 30th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

Good morning, glory, and hey, hey, New York, gals! Anyone headed to The Makeup Show NYC this weekend? If you are, lucky! Also, here’s a quick look at some of the products making their debuts at the show.

These items were made exclusively for The Makeup Show’s 10-year anniversary (hence the special packaging for some of them, like the INGLOT lipsticks), and they won’t readily be available anywhere else.

For more info on The Makeup Show (which I wish I could attend this weekend), check them out online. I haven’t been to one yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for someday.

Crown Brush Form and Fuse 10-Year Anniversary Brush Set

London Brush Company Limited Edition 5-Piece Set

Mehron Cream Celebre Professional Pressed Powder Blush and Cheek Creme Set

Make Up For Ever Artist Eye Shadow Palette

P.S. My bright pink behemoth shelves arrived yesterday. Sadly, while unpacking it and getting everything ready to put everything, I realized — DOH! — there aren’t any bolts/screws. They’re straight-up MIA. I’m guessing that they might’ve fallen out of the box during shipping because it arrived with a couple of dinged corners.

So the giant frames are sitting in the middle of my office floor for now, but I’m not worried. I’ve still been making a lot of headway in the overall office reorganizing process. This is just a minor pink bump in the road…

But I can’t wait to put this dang thing together! It’s that combo of girly and tough/industrial at the same time. Totally my style, and I’m in love with the color, even though I think it looks more orchid than pink in person, doesn’t it?

Happy Wednesday to you! Have a spectacular, hopefully sunny day. It’s supposed to hit the ’80s out here in Novato.

P.P.S. I’m having problems, yo! 🙂 I just realized that I wrote Wednesday when I first published this post (thanks, Agata). Whoops! On the plus side, we’re one day closer to the weekend! Homegirl needs some help…

Chanel Summer 2015 Collection Méditerranée: Red Lips Via Rose Paradis, Allegria and Arthur

April 29th, 2015 by Karen 19 Comments

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Red.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing but love for sheer lips, but sometimes red really hits the spot. Especially on a Wednesday, ya know? I can’t think of a better day to wear red lips. 🙂

These reds are from the new Chanel Summer 2015 Collection and are available now at Chanel counters and online.

A quick break-break-down…

Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Lip Colour in Arthur ($36) — A re-promote in the permanent line, Arthur is a warm, full-coverage, slightly orangey red with a creamy finish that feels a little thick on my lips, but it’s still very comfortable, smooove, non-streaky and pretty moisturizing. It also has Chanel’s lovely light rose flavor and scent.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Rose Paradis ($30) — Also a re-promote from the permanent line, Rose Paradis is a rosy pink with subtle shimmer and a medium-weight, non-sticky formula with coverage just shy of full. And yup, that signature light rose flavor and scent.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Allegria ($30) — Limited edition Allegria is a warm, intense full-coverage creamy red with the same Glossimer texture/flavor/scent as Rose Paradis.

Chanel. Summer. Ah… 🙂

Speaking of summer and good things, your nephew and I just had a wonderful dinner outside on the deck. I nibbled on a zucchini noodle dish with lemon pepper shrimp (SO easy to make! Let me know if you want the recipe.) and sipped a yummy white wine (TJ’s Santa Barbara Landing 2013 Riesling. $4.99! So good!) while his tabby royal highness tried to jump up on the table.

Now I’m back inside, but he’s still out on patrol in the Tabby Command Center.

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you’re having a nice night.

A Chanel Summer 2015 Collection Méditerranée Face of the Day With Smokey Brown Eyes and Purple Liner, and Red Lips and Tips

April 29th, 2015 by Karen 41 Comments

Bonjour, Chanel!

Honestly, I have no idea why I look so serious in all of these pictures, because while I took them I was thinking about…

KITTENS! 🙂

One of the many perks of decluttering your office is finding gems like this copy of a Japanese magazine devoted entirely to cats.

Can I read Japanese? No. But since cats are the international language of love, things like this find their way into my life (I actually got it from this amazing bookstore in Japantown). I’m keeping it forever, obviously. It’s staying far, far away from the purge pile.

My makeup here was inspired by the visuals for Chanel Summer 2015 Collection Méditerranée Collection, which is available now at Chanel counters and online.

Gah! — I love this look. Now, if I could only figure out how to pose with my hands by face in a way that doesn’t make me look like I have E.T. fingers.

How do models do it? I have no idea.

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Chanel Summer 2015: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Coquelicot and a Fun Color Combination to Try

April 29th, 2015 by Karen 36 Comments

I know, there’s a LOT of color up in this mix, AND I LURVES IT!

That’s two coats of the new $27 limited edition Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Coquelicot (which I think means “poppy”) on my paws. It’s a warm, creamy bright red from Chanel’s Summer 2015 Collection Méditerranée, available right meow.

I’m wearing it with reddish coral shorts and a pinkish coral top, and why it has taken me so long to figure out that red goes with coral, I have no idea.

Maybe it’s because I usually think to wear just one bold statement color instead of two? I dunno… At any rate, apparently, red and coral together are the business, and they totally work. Try it sometime!

I’m also wearing…

Shorts — Loft

Top — I know you can’t really see it in these pics…but I got it from Loft, also known as my new favorite store that isn’t HomeGoods

Purse — Charming Charlie

Nails — Chanel

P.S. Happy hump day, by the way. How’s it going today?

Veggie Taco Wraps With Lentil Walnut Taco “Meat”

April 28th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

These freaking tacos, man!

Honestly, I have no idea where good taco pictures come from because it’s really, really hard to take a good taco pic. This is something I realized last night while trying to stage and photograph these lentil walnut taco wraps so they’d look remotely cute in pics.

Um, fail! It took me forever to take these because the veggies kept falling out of the romaine leaves… It was a hot mess.

These might not look like the neatest taco wraps ever, but taste-wise, they were beyond good. I got the recipe from ohsheglows.com but tweaked it with cheese and sour cream.

I wish I could’ve thought of a better way to photograph the lentil-taco “meat” (there’s no meat in them; they’re totally veg) more clearly, because really, that stuff was the star of the show. Next time I give this a whirl I’ll photograph the lentil mash better. It even kinda looks like beef.

Someday, I will conquer you, you dastardly taco! You haven’t defeated me yet!