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

Purr-Fect Cat Eyeliner Flicks Are Easy With This Quick Makeup Tip Using MAC Fast Response Eye Cream and a Q-Tip

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Throughout the long, hallowed (not really) history of Karen’s Cat Eyeliner Life, Volume I, I’ve drawn a lot of cat eyeliner looks on my cat lady lids, and over all those years, I can count on one paw the number of times I’ve drawn two perfectly angled flicks. That’s how rarely it occurs!

Most of the time, it’s my left flick. The right will be OK, but the left will turn out wonky, angled either too low or too high, or too short or too long.

It’s pretty much guaranteed that one or both flicks will need an adjustment.

One quick way to fix your flicks is with an eye cream and a Q-tip. What I’ll do is soak a Q-tip with a little bit of the cream, then run that along the edges of the flick to instantly sharpen them and/or fix any mistakes, all while adding some extra moisture around my eye area (something I need anyway).
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The New MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets in Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

It’s Christmas morning.

You tear open an oddly shaped present with shiny reindeer wrapping paper and find a plastic banana holder.

You consider this for a moment…

Do you jump up and down with enthusiasm, so happy to finally have a place to store a banana?

No, you do not, and I can say this with certainty because I actually did receive a plastic banana holder last year as a gift, and I did not jump up and down with enthusiasm.

Now, had I opened the same present and found one of the three new MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets instead ($35 each, $42 CAD), things would have been different. I would have leaped and kicked and danced in my flannel pajamas because unlike MAC’s regular holiday eyeshadow palettes and brush sets, which can be hit or miss, their gloss sets tend to consistently delight me.

In my experience, the glosses in their holiday sets are right up their with the glosses in MAC’s permanent line in terms of quality, making them good bets for gift giving.

I’ve gifted past MAC holiday gloss sets to beauty gals of all ages over the years, from my teenage cousins to my 80-something-year-old glam granny, and they’ve always been hits. Even my BFF Cindy, who’s aggressively anti-makeup, hasn’t groaned when I’ve given her one of them. That has to tell you something.

This year, there are three lip gloss sets in the MAC holiday collection — Nude and Red, Pink and Plum, and Nude and Coral. Each one comes with three mini Cremesheen Glasses and a mini Dazzleglass.

I love these two formulas, especially during the cooler months. Unlike the Lipglasses, they aren’t sticky, so my hair doesn’t get stuck to my lips when it’s windy. They’re also moisturizing and shiny, to boot.

I don’t mind having to reapply them every two to three hours because of how good they feel on my lips, like Zella hoodies in gloss form.

The three MAC Objects of Affection Lip Gloss Sets: Overview

If you’re looking for variety, grab the Nude and Coral set. It has a good mix of sheer and fully pigmented shades.
If you want glosses for layering, go for Pink and Plum. Its three sheerest shades really come into their own when layered on top of lipsticks. There’s also a more intensely pigmented bright blue pink in the set for a fun pop of color.
If you go gaga for classic makeup looks, don’t miss Nude and Red. Its three neutral nudes and bright raspberry red go well with makeup standards like cat eyeliner and smokey eyes.

The Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer — Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer

MAC Fashion Whim Cremesheen Glass — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Whim

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun — Cremesheen Glass in Rising Sun

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Courtley Coral — Dazzleglass in Courtley Coral

MAC Objects of Affection Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral — Nude and Coral Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Stately Shimmer, Fashion Whim, Rising Sun and Courtly Coral

The Pink and Plum Lip Gloss Set

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop — Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Scoop

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda — Cremesheen Glass in Pagoda

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Tom Ford’s Bad@ss, Budget-Busting $44 Brow Sculptor

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 43 Comments

Smizing and wearing Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso

People of the world…y’all just don’t understand! In the morning, right after I wake up, I can barely make it the eight feet from my bed to the bathroom without falling down. “Not a morning person” isn’t just a catchy phrase with me. It’s an official descriptor, like female, 39, 5’1″, Gemini, not a morning person.

Before I’ve splashed some water on my face and had my coffee, delicate makeup maneuvers like the filling in of brows are normally impossible, but Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor gives me a fighting chance.

I’ve successfully used it to fill in my eyebrows and create perfectly drawn arches at jacked-up times without a drop of coffee in my system (so we’re talking about worse muscle control than a zombie). This $44 makeup miracle delivers flawless, full, natural-looking brows, and I could not live without it.

Well…I could, but you know. Life would be rougher, man. 🙂

Of course, here’s the thing about Tom Ford Beauty: it’s So. Freaking. Expensive. I feel that unless his products are completely on point, I can’t justify their price.

I mean, what sane person drops $44 on a brow pencil??

Answer: someone who’s tried some of Tom’s products before, because when he gets it right, boy gets it really, really right (case in point).

Most brow pencils for me are slightly less exciting than a John Philip Sousa march, but I think Tom’s Brow Sculptor is epic.

EPIC.

So epic that I had an out-of-body experience once when I put two of them into my online cart (the shade I wear is called Espresso) and realized that the subtotal was $88 before tax. I swear, I floated out of my body and watched myself slowly click the “buy” button while my inner monologue said, “Holy effing crap.”
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Where Do All the Bobby Pins Go? (And a Mini Target Haul)

October 21st, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

So…where do all the bobby pins go?

Million-dollar question, right?

Over the course of my 39 years, I bet I’ve purchased hundreds — no, thousands — of bobby pins.

Thousands.

And yet right now I can only find three of them.

Why is that? Where do they go? It’s like I live with an invisible bobby pin monster that only comes out at night.

Sometimes I really wish Tabs could talk… He’d probably totally freak out. “YES! FINALLY! I’ve been trying to tell you FOR YEARS! There IS a monster, and it takes all of the bobby pins and my food and my toys and then it goes into the closet!”

LOL!

I actually just bought this pack of 50 Goody Bobby Pins last weekend from Target, and a quarter of them have already disappeared. I seriously doubt anyone will ever see any of them again. It was fun while it lasted, y’all!

(NO, SERIOUSLY, WHERE DO THEY GO!?)

In what will probably turn out to be just another sorry attempt to break my scrunchie habit (hey, I’m trying), I also picked up a sock bun kit by Mia Beauty, a six-pack of Medium Goody Claw Clips…

…and this Sonia Kashuk Lash & Brow Comb, because it looked great for travel, and you just never know when you’ll face an emergency brow or lash situation that needs urgent attention (a lesson I learned the hard way).

Gold and Brown Cat Eyes With a Pop of Pink Eyeshadow: My Face of the Day With the New Shupette By Karl Lagerfeld Shu Uemura Holiday Collection

October 21st, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

Hey, man, if you’re going to hobble around your condo at or near the speed of molasses, you may as well do it in style, and by style, I mean wearing a brown cat eye with a berry lip. 🙂

A funny thing happened in the half marathon the other day. Going up and down those San Francisco hills, my quads went completely ham.

Now I can’t go down the stairs!

Well, I can…but it takes me forever, and I almost fall every time. I can go up the stairs just fine, which is weird, but going down is a struggle.

So when the FedEx guy, who on an unrelated note is a dead-ringer for Paul Giamatti, rang the doorbell earlier today and I tried to make it downstairs, I almost didn’t.

All I could think as I desperately clung to the railing was, “Please! If I fall right now, let Paul Giamatti hear my cries and come to my aid, and if he does, please don’t have him judge me because I have chocolate in my teeth and I’m not wearing any makeup.”

Thankfully, I didn’t tumble (knocks on wood!), and I’ve figured out that if I slowly descend the stairs going backwards, I can make it to the bottom in one piece.

So, yeah. If you need me, I’ll probably be on the stairs walking backwards hella slowly. 🙂

After Paul left I actually did finish my makeup for the day… I’m wearing products from the new Shupette (SHU-PETTE!) collection in a brown cat eye liner look with gold and pink eyeshadow on my lids, pink cheeks and berry lips.

Now, I know that pink eyeshadow can be a little scary if you’re not used to it, because it can make you look like you’ve been crying and/or have just been bitten by something supernatural (vampire, werewolf, zombie, take your pick), but it can be very flattering and almost function like a neutral if you pick a middle-of-the-road pink that isn’t too pastel or bright, like the shimmery, mid-toned pink I’m wearing here, and you “frame it” (a term I just made up in my head) with neutrals.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Topshop’s Terrific $12 Cream Blush in Afternoon Tea

October 21st, 2014 by Karen 38 Comments

Topshop Afternoon Tea Blush — Topshop Cream Blush in Afternoon Tea, $12

Do you have to be simultaneously sipping tea out of a dainty teacup while wearing Topshop’s $12 Cream Blush in Afternoon Tea to fully appreciate the nuances of either product?

No, you do not.

It does, however, help. 🙂

And it also helps to appreciate a great deal.

(Incidentally, if you decide to brew a pot of Earl Grey, I’ll take mine with cream and two lumps of sugar, please.)

I almost can’t believe this pretty pink cream-to-powder blush is only $12. It’s a total unsung hero in my book. On my unpredictably combination oily, and sometimes dry, cheeks, I swear it looks exactly like the $38 Le Blush Creme blushes by Chanel, and it lasts just as long. I get from eight to nine hours if I do a minor touchup around hour six.

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Nike Women’s Half Marathon Post Run Shenanigans at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts

October 20th, 2014 by Karen 47 Comments

Fun fact about the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts: it’s where the “Come, let us dance like children of the night!” scene from So I Married an Axe Murderer (one of my favorite SF movies of all time) takes place.

The city was packed for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon yesterday, so El Hub, who was my one-man cheering section/ride home, ended up parking at the palace about five blocks away from the finish line at the Marina Green, which is this big park right next to the water where people often picnic and play on sunny days.

On the way back to the car, I really wanted to prance, jump and twirl through the palace’s central foyer like Mike Myers does in the movie, but my body had other plans. After running 13.1 miles, my legs were like, “Oh, hell no, hookah!” The best I could manage was an enthusiastic hobble. 🙂

I did take a few snapshots of the palace though. It was too beautiful to resist.

It’s one of my favorite places in all of San Francisco. I love the columns and the prehistoric-looking plants and the little trail around the pond. It’s a great place for pics, if you ever make it out this way. Sometimes I’ll see bridal parties there with professional videographers and photographers snapping pics.

Before I forget, the race was a blast! One of the most enjoyable runs I’ve ever done, despite my now aching legs and back.

Just crossed the finish line… Now lemme take a selfie!

The hills on the route were hard for me, not gonna lie, especially the ones near the beginning before I’d really warmed up, but the course was scenic and pretty, and I got to run through some of my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods.

Unlike the only other half marathon I’ve run, which was about a decade ago, I felt stronger and more focused this time. I didn’t feel like crying at any point, and nothing was chafed when I crossed the finish line with my NARS lipstick and Cle de Peau mascara still intact, huzzah!

Seriously, despite my aches and pains today (I’ll be doing an epsom salt bath tonight), this 39-year-old cat lady felt like she crushed it, which made opening the little blue Tiffany box they gave each of the competitors at the finish line that much sweeter. 🙂

Thank you, Team Neutrogena, for talking me into doing the race!

The Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Holiday Collection: First Look and Giveaway!

October 20th, 2014 by Karen 164 Comments

There’s no doubt about it. Choupette Lagerfeld (as in Karl Lagerfeld’s fashionable feline) has the whole cute kitty thing down. Even Tabs, as much as he would like to, can’t deny it. Those bright blue eyes, that plush, snowy white coat, and those killer ear tufts…

THOSE EAR TUFTS, THO.

Every time I see a Choupette pic, I want to reach into my computer screen and eat that delicious belly meat! Or, en lieu of that, I want to accessorize her.

(I’m thinking a diamond tiara or bejeweled bib necklace…but please don’t tell my boss!)

Now, if my cat lady barometer is correct, which it often is when it comes to pressing matters involving makeup and felines, then tails will be a-twitching when the new Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura holiday collection sashays onto Shu Uemura counters this month (however, it’s available online right meow!).

To receive an exclusive Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld Tote bag and free shipping on any purchase of $25 or more on shuuemura-usa.com, use the promo code SHUBLOG.

How freakin’ cute is this collection!? When I see Choupette’s sweet face on the packaging, I’m compelled to squeal, “SHU-PETTE!” much to my kitty overlord’s chagrin.

The collection purrs with pieces for eyes, cheeks, face, lips and nails, as well as a smattering of other Choupette-themed beauty accessories, like flirty false lashes, a lash curler, a brush set and a luxe makeup trunk (not shown in these pics).

It’s catnip for cat ladies!

To my cat-loving eye, the star of the collection is the Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip Palette, with its mix of cool-toned blue, gray, pink and berry on the left, and its warm gold, bronze, pink, orange and coral on the right. I feel like there’s something for everyone in this palette, and to top it off, you also get a fuzzy white makeup bag.

I’m actually wearing the Has-It-All Palette in the pics below. 🙂 For a shimmering, smokey blue cat eye, I blended the blue, gray and black shades on my lids, then lined my lash lines with Eye-Need-Shu Liner in Midnight Black (a deep black with blue pearl), before adding a dash of glitter from the My Precious Glitter Set in the inner corners.

To finish the look, I dabbed the Silk Cushion Cheek Palette in Orange on my cheeks and brushed the Has-It-All Palette’s bright pink lipstick on my lips.

A look behind the scenes…

Oh, hai, Karl! A behind-the-scenes video of the Shupette collection

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter to win a Shupette Has-It-All Palette (an $89 value)

Would you like a Shupette Palette of your very own? Let’s make that happen! 🙂 Tabs and I have teamed up with Shu Uemura this week to give one away. Enter using the widget below. Giveaway open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only (please see the widget for complete rules).

But wait, there’s more! A SECOND giveaway. Enter to win the entire Shupette collection…

Meow-za! You can also enter to win the entire collection (a $1,500 value). Just hop, skip or jump on over to the Shu Uemura Facebook page to enter: Enter to win the entire Shupette collection!

Shu Uemura Shupette by Karl Lagerfeld collection — MEOW!

Shupette Has-It-All Eye Lip Palette — Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip Palette

From the Shupette collection, Clockwise from the left: Eye-Need-Shu Trio in Tokyo Kawaii, Parisienne Chic and Rouge Bonbon Fantasy Trio in Parisienne Chic — Clockwise from the left: Eye-Need-Shu Trio in 02 Tokyo Kawaii, 01 Parisienne Chic and Rouge Bonbon Fantasy Trio in 01 Parisienne Chic

Shupette Eye-Need-Shu Liners in Gala Brown (left) and Midnight Black (right) — Eye-Need-Shu Liners in Gala Brown (left) and Midnight Black (right)

Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek Pink (left) and Orange (right) — Silk Cushion Cheek Pink (left) and Orange (right)

Shupette My Precious Glitter Set — My Precious Glitter Set

Shupette My Precious Glitter Set open — My Precious Glitter Set

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