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

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Pink Explosion

December 18th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

10 reasons why Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Pink Explosion will blow your mind…

It’s an explosion! Of Pink! Seriously — Pink Explosion — how could you not love that name?
Looks so lovely with Hourglass Fever lipstick. (I’m just saying…)
Also goes great with NARS Angelika Lip Gloss, which is what I’m wearing in these pics.
Actually…now that I think about it, it goes great with errrthing. I’ve been wearing it regularly for the past month in a bunch of different eye/lip combos, and I can’t remember ever thinking that it didn’t work well with a look.
The secret squirrel micro-glitter (you can only see it if you get up really close) will make you feel like you’re getting an extra large scoop of Chanel special sauce.
If you’re feeling extra crabby with a side of cranky, Pink Explosion will make you look like you don’t have a care in the world, so maybe then somebody nice and cute will walk up to you and start a conversation about something light and fun, and then you’ll temporarily forget your crabbiness. 🙂
It smells like roses! — so you’ll be reminded of the last time someone surprised you with a huge bouquet of flowers (hopefully it wasn’t too long ago).
It’s so powerfully pretty that it can even cancel out the memory of needing the Jaws of Life to get into your skinny jeans this morning.
And not having to spend a ton of time carefully blending out any edges means you’ll have time left over to look for a purr-fect faux leopard-print Christmas coat.
Did I mention it’s Chanel?

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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

December 18th, 2014 by Karen 34 Comments

Creamy, pale lavender MAC Modern Movement. Two coats.

It’s quite a break from the dark, moody colors I started this season wearing, but who le cares, right? 🙂

It’s from the new MAC Lightness of Being collection, which is filled with pastel shades and shimmery Mineralize Skinfinishes.

Kind of uncharacteristic for winter, but maybe that’s why I like it.

That name — Modern Movement — makes me think of the dance classes I used to take.

Not modern dance, but hip-hop. There was a place I went to down in Mill Valley a couple times a week, and I miss it terribly.

I actually did also try taking a few modern dance classes, but my mind and body had a hard time processing the concept of flexed feet, LOL!

Anyways! Modern Movement is one of two Studio Nail Lacquers in the 29-piece Lightness of Being collection arriving online December 23, 2014, and coming to stores and counters December 26 (through February 6, 2015).

Hakuna frittata!

Have you ever made frittata? They’re SO GOOD!

They’re kind of like a crustless quiche that you can fill with whatever you have/want — vegetables, cheese, etc.

(NOTE: Great way to feed a lot of people and/or use up extra veggies in your fridge.)

I was craving one last night, so I riffed on the recipe in this how-to article on thekitchn.com.

It looks like it would be hard, but it’s not at all. I only used a single pan, and with frittatas, you can totally tweak them along the way.

Yeah, frittatas are the sh*t. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m Over the Moon About the Roomy Europa Shoulder Bag by Kipling

December 17th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Like my husky tabby, my beloved Kipling Europa Shoulder Bag is large and in charge.

With multiple pockets and a roomy interior, it comes in very handy if you, like me, often find yourself compelled to carry around everything and the kitchen sink.

Sometimes that includes five nude lipsticks and glosses that are all more or less the same shade…

Right now the bag holds two wallets, a large makeup bag, an umbrella, a knit yarn hat, my phone, keys and a pouch of cat treats. And it still has room to spare!

I could probably free up even more space in it if I emptied some of the pockets, but it has so many that sometimes I forget what’s in where.

Like, I opened one of the pockets this afternoon and found a secret stash of vitamins and hair pins…

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A Quick Makeup Tip: For Fiery Red Lips, Set Boundaries

December 17th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

Red lips, like fire, are hard to contain. They’re also hard to resist. Every gal I’ve ever known has wanted to wear red lips at one time or another. Even my staunchly anti-makeup BFF Cindy, who will get in her car and drive 50 miles away from me if I approach her with a lip brush, craves crimson sometimes.

One trick to controlling the fiery power that is red is containing it within a boundary, like by lining the edges of your lips with lip liner. For a defined, distinct boundary around your red, use a liner shade slightly darker than the red lipstick you plan to apply, then fill your lips with the same liner, except for the middle of your top and bottom lips (to create subtle variations between the color in that middle area and the other parts of your lips for extra dimension).

Now, soften any harsh edges with a lip brush, while keeping that open area in the middle of your lips clear for the next step: your lipstick.
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Shoe Haul: The Sam Edelman Johanna Over-the-Knee Suede Boot

December 17th, 2014 by Karen 36 Comments

These boots were made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do.

Seriously! These boots were REALLY made for walking. The heel is an entirely manageable 1 1/2″, which is perfectly acceptable should you need to run away from zombies (never know).

At least that’s what I told myself when I got them as a Christmas present. To Me, From Me. Merry Christmas! 🙂

They’re the Johanna Over-the-Knee Suede Boot by Sam Edelman, normally $299.95, but they’re on sale now for $149.98 (50% off) at Nordstrom stores and online.

The Current Makeup Storage Situation…

December 16th, 2014 by Karen 39 Comments

I’m hoping that these pics of my main office closet someday serve as the “before” photos in a “before and after” makeup storage situation with a happy ending.

The clear bins all stacked up here are from The Container Store and purchased piecemeal over the past few years.

At least the bins are all stacked up now because they used to be literally strewn about, which was not the best use of space.

I finally consolidated them in the closet a couple weekends ago, but they’re still not totally organized.

They used to be though, sort of, when they were strewn about, before I stacked them in the closet. The improv Post-It labels used to correspond to the products in the drawers, but I got progressively more sloppy and moved some stuff around, so now I have to redo everything.

Thankfully, Post-Its are removable! (I like these Post-it Super Sticky Removable Label Pads.)

Now I just have to reorganize what’s in the drawers, and I’ll be set. The current system is sorted by brand first, then type of product, but that may change.

I’m thinking about sorting by color or formula, but I don’t know if that’ll work better. I haven’t figured it out yet…

DIY Makeup Storage Hacks: 3 Ways to Repurpose Your Packaging

December 16th, 2014 by Karen 39 Comments

“I have way too much makeup!” said no woman, EVER.

If your figurative makeup storage cup currently runneth over, take a look at what you have around your apartment/house/condo/igloo/yacht. There’s a good chance you have at least one of the three items below, which you can repurpose for more makeup storage.

1. Shopping bag gets a haircut

Trim the top section from a shopping bag (I like using MAC bags for this), and then you can stash makeup in the bottom part.

One other nice thing about this hack is that you can trim the bags down to whatever height you need. 🙂

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A Winter Skin Care Tip: This Small Switch to Your Shower Game Could Turn You Into a Big Softie

December 16th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

When the bathroom floor is cold, and you’re literally freezing your butt off, bring your body moisturizer or body oil with you into the shower.

Stick it on a shelf, and do your shower thing. Then, when you’re done, towel off and moisturize before you even step out of the shower.

Then shake your fist at the horrible hobgoblin who decided not to install central heating in your apartment! 🙂

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