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

MAC Mia Moretti Collection: First Impressions [VIDEO]

March 20th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Here’s the dealio: MAC and a DJ named Mia Moretti got together to spin some sweet tunes!

Yeah, I don’t know if that makes any sense. 🙂 But they did get together to create the new MAC Mia Moretti collection.

I don’t know a lot about DJ-ing, but I do know a little about this launch. Lots of lovely creams, some warm summery colors and a slightly out-of-the-box lip palette. Three words: mint green lipstick.

If it was a little warmer, I would be next to the pool right now in Ray-Ban Aviators, a swimsuit, my beach towel, some magazines and this collection, because it makes me feel summery, casual and fun, like a poolside babe. 🙂

I’m still getting to know the pieces, but here are some initial first impressions/thoughts.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Let This Pearl Blossom on Your Cheeks: MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom From the MAC Is Beauty Collection

March 20th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Magic in a pan.

And I’m not just saying that because of my strong emotional ties to this Beauty Powder.

Barbie Loves MAC! — also known as “my gateway MAC collection.” I remember that Pearl Blossom was one of the pieces I bought in my little MAC Barbie haul (this was back in 2007), and even though it’s a re-promote in the new MAC Is Beauty collection, I still get fired up about it.

Because it’s just so versatile. There are so many things you can do with MAC’s Beauty Powders (which are basically like the Hourglass Ambient Powders, from before the time there were Hourglass Ambient Powders), especially light pink Pearl Blossom, which also has silvery pearl. You can wear it as a blush, or a highlighter, or if you have lighter, cool-toned skin, lightly dusted all over your face as a brightening powder.

I love Pearl Blossom’s finish because it isn’t overly frosty. I use it mostly as a highlighter, targeting the soft, subtle iridescent sheen on the tops of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, in the inner corners of my eyes, and above and just below the arch in my brows.

MAC Pearl Blossom Beauty Powder — MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom

MAC Pearl Blossom Beauty Powder Swatch — For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC

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Update Your Wardrobe With Fun, Flirty Florals From Macy’s INC International Concepts

March 20th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

It started with a pair of shoes… A pair of high-heeled caged shoes in a blush color to be exact. I spotted these high heels by INC International Concepts at Macy’s last week and was overcome with that special tingly shoe feeling — you know, the one where you know you have to get a particular pair of shoes in your life.

INC International Concepts Rammee High Heel Sandal (2) — INC International Concepts Rammee High Heel Sandal, $109

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself… This story actually starts a month ago.

I woke up one morning, opened my closet doors to pick out my clothes for the day, and realized that everything I own is gray or black.

Not that there’s anything wrong with those colors. Black is always chic, and gray effectively hides the tabby cat fur. But I came to the realization that I just don’t want to be clad in black and gray from head to toe right now.

Spring is coming, and I feel like bright colors! — like a blooming garden with flowers all over the place and rainbows and a teal pegasus soaring across the sky. 🙂 It’s time to update my clothing garden/game, and I’ve been looking for floral pieces that both match these shoes and also work with things I already have in my closet.

What do you think of this floral peplum jacket?

Macy's INC International Concepts Floral-Print Peplum Scuba Jacket — Macy’s INC International Concepts Floral-Print Peplum Scuba Jacket, $99.50

I love the different shades of pink and how they vary from soft blush to intense hot pink. I think the peplum also gives it a very ladylike sweetness, while the zipper gives it a bit of an edge.

It’s also pretty versatile. I dressed it down here with a pair of ripped boyfriend jeans and a white tee, but I think it would also look super cute with a gray pencil skirt, or perhaps on top of a white flowing dress… Or maybe with a pair of mint green skinnies, because there is a little mint green in the pattern.

I’m affectionately referring to these tapered printed soft pants as my Blanche Devereaux pants because, hello! — Blanche would have totally rocked these in the Golden Girls era, and they still look good. They’re like an updated version. They’ve got that draping, hugs-your-curves-in-all-the-right-ways vibe to ‘em.

Macy's INC International Concepts Tapered Printed Soft Pants — Macy’s INC International Concepts Tapered Printed Soft Pants, $69.50

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The Ikea Stockholm Sofa in Sandbaka Green… I Can Haz?

March 19th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

I feel like I can’t/should never buy zee nice zings because of teh kitteh, but I want this green couch from Ikea so badly!

Unfortunately, it would take Tabs less than 2.5 seconds to put snags in the cushions with his claws. I can already hear the fabric ripping and feel the sweet, sweet pain…

This bright jewel green sofa is in the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Yes, I read Better Homes and Gardens! 🙂 My mom gets me a subscription every year as a gift, and I love it.

Anyway, this sofa is featured in an article about BHG’s color palette of the year (similar idea to Pantone’s Color of the Year, but for an entire palette of coordinating colors), where they talk about a vibrant palette of leafy jungle green, deep ocean blue, berry, gray and coral, and I’m totally feelin’ it.

I’m currently campaigning at home to paint our living room walls coral (and to get the green Ikea couch). Let’s see how long it takes for El Hub to get on board, haha!

I dunno… I guess I’m just tired of living that beige life, ya know? When we first moved into our condo five years ago, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with the place, so I picked neutral colors for the walls and curtains, thinking that I’d switch out the beige when the inspiration struck.

Well, that time has finally come.

Get outta my dreams, and get into my living room, you green Ikea couch!

Better Homes and Gardens March 2015, A Bold Adventure! — Totally feelin’ this color palette…

Better Homes and Gardens March 2015 — Better Homes and Gardens, March 2015

MAC Dives Into the Deepest Blue With New Pro Longwear Fluidline in Siahi From the MAC Is Beauty Collection

March 19th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

Siahi…

It’s like diving into the deepest, bluest, most secluded stretch of ocean in the world. So of course I would like it, right? 🙂

Even though I don’t dive.

I totally don’t dive! I’m claustrophobic, but I do love the ocean, and I do love this color.

Siahi…

You might remember it from back in the day because it’s a re-promote. It also appeared in the Mickey Contractor collection a few years ago, and I loved it then, as I love it now.

It looks like a National Geographic photo of a secret ocean… You know when you see those pictures of untouched places that man hasn’t come along yet to pervert? That’s Siahi. It’s a deep, complex, intense teal ocean blue, and what makes it special isn’t just the richness of the color, but the finish as well. It’s ever-so-slightly metallic.

Other products I’m wearing in this look…

MAC Eye Shadow in Bouffant
MAC Eye Shadow in Soft Brown (permanent)
MAC Eye Shadow in Saddle (permanent)
MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline in Lowlights
MAC False Lashes mascara (permanent)
MAC Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl
MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom
MAC Lipstick in Make Me Gorgeous

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New Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick and Ultra HD™ Lip Lacquer, Available at CVS/Pharmacy Meow

March 19th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

As a participant in this program with Revlon and CVS/pharmacy, I’ve received product samples and/or compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m sitting here with my lips in high definition! — just for you. 🙂

So…what does HD even mean anyway?

Maybe it refers to back in the day (seven years ago), when HD filming took off on TV, and everybody was like, “Oh! Let’s do makeup for HD,” which was completely different than regular makeup (but really, a lot of it was marketing).

Hey, whatever. I’m a sucker for it.

In Revlon’s new Ultra HD™ Lipstick and Ultra HD™ Lip Lacquer lines ($9.99 each and available now in a wide range at CVS/pharmacy stores), the HD is more or less code for “Gel Technology,” which is what they say these have. Basically, you’ve got a gel base, rather than a wax, and it’s designed to deliver purer pigments that are truer to what you see in the tube. They also feel softer and bouncier on the lips.

I really get the sense that both of these are hugging my lips, and when I say “hugging,” I don’t mean like a bear hug, or one of those “Hey, girl!” hugs with the two hands, where you pat somebody’s back. I mean, like a good hug, where you feel the product caress your lips and hold them tightly.

It’s kind of a pervy hug…like if someone comes up to you and hugs you a little too tightly, and you’re like, “Oh!”

But it’s not that gross! It’s actually very nice.

Wear time depends on whether we’re talking about the lipsticks or the lacquers, with the lacquers lasting 3-4 hours, and the lipsticks lasting about half as long.

With the lipsticks — they’re super smooth, and you get a lot of color from a single swipe. I think they’re closer to really intensely pigmented lip balms than straight-up lipsticks, and even the brighter colors still have some sheerness to them.

Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks — Six of 20 available Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipsticks

Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick
$9.99, available now at CVS/pharmacy in 20 shades

Smooth, lightweight, non-sticky formula, brief 2-hour wear time, and a caramel and raspberry flavor and scent (officially, it’s whipped vanilla and cream mango?). Medium coverage. And they’re all named after flowers. 🙂

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Azalea — Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick in Azalea

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Sweet Pea — Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick in Sweet Pea

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Rose — Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick in Rose

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Hibiscus — Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick in Hibiscus

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This Will Sink In: Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Sheer Hydration Lotion

March 19th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion Sheer Hydration — The new Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Sheer Hydration Lotion, $6.99 for an 18-oz. bottle

Ooh, gurl, YES! Oatmeal. And not just the kind you eat in the morning or in those Flourless Thumbprint Breakfast Cookies, which I’m totally craving right now.

Yes, Aveeno is known for their oatmeal-based lotions, and this is the latest one in their line.

The whole gist of it is this: absorption. It’s supposed to absorb within seconds and leave a powdery feeling behind.

Um…the whole “absorbs in seconds thing,” I think, is a bit of a stretch, but for me — and maybe this is just because I’m all about the lotion, and I’m not shy with it; I’m like, “put it on me!” — it takes a few minutes.

Still, that’s much better than usual for a lotion. Most of the time when I put on lotion or oil after I shower, it’ll take a good 10 minutes for it to completely sink into my skin.

I like this stuff. It’s also fragrance-free, so it doesn’t mix with any perfumes you might be wearing, and it’s pretty hydrating. Great for normal, non-alligator skin. When I use it, my skin doesn’t feel tight.

It’s also a sweet deal. $6.99 for a huge 18-ounce bottle is quite a bargain.

PRICE: $6.99 for an 18-oz. bottle
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores, Walgreens, Walmart, Target and online at target.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I Can’t Get Enough of Molton Brown’s Body Washes in Gingerlily and Orange & Bergamot: It’s Like I’ve Opened a Spa in My Bathroom Upstairs

March 18th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot Body Wash

Leave it to Molton Brown to turn the act of scrubbing away all of the schtuff that gets stuck to your skin throughout the day (tabby fur, glitter, Nutella…) into a full-on spa experience.

A shower is more than merely a shower when you lather up with one of their luxurious body washes. They turn shower time into a mini spa session, and they’re hundreds of dollars cheaper than a five-star Tahitian resort (although at $30 a bottle they aren’t exactly cheap).

I’ve been bouncing back and forth between their Gingerlily gel (fragrance family: floriental; has notes of ginger oil, tuberose, cedar and white lily) and the Orange & Bergamot (fragrance family: citrus; a zesty scent with notes of bergamot, neroli, musk and Seville orange). Both build into a luscious, sudsy lather, and when I’m done using one, my bathroom smells like a garden.

If you’re a sucker for fancy body washes, give ’em a sniff one of these days. For me, they hit the spot. A 10-oz. bottle goes for $30 (the bottles pictured here in this post are the smaller 3-oz. samples; the regular bottles are much larger).

Gingerlily and Orange & Bergamot are available now at Neiman Marcus stores, Molton Brown counters and moltonbrown.com.

P.S. On my walk this morning with Tabs, guess who stalked a mouse (or perhaps another rodent)?

No, it wasn’t me. 🙂

We were walking behind the house on the hill under some tall trees where the ground is covered by a thick layer of leaves, when Tabs saw something moving under the leaves and pounced! He dug both paws into the pile and darted around, and then his entire head plunged into the leaves like he was diving under water. I freaked out!

I tugged on his leash a little because I didn’t know if it was a snake, and we do have rattlesnakes around here. Whatever it was must have gotten away because Tabs came out empty-handed/pawed, but it was close.

Just another exciting episode in the life of an acclaimed kitty supermodel/hunter…

P.P.S. Happy hump day, my friend! Did you do anything fun for St. Patrick’s Day night? El Hub and I made tacos (yes, I know they aren’t Irish), but we did go to our favorite Irish pub earlier for lunch.