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

Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner Says, Come On, Baby, Let’s Do the Twist!

May 22nd, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

Benefit They're Real Push Liner — Wearing the new Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner on my lash lines with MAC Kelly Yum-Yum Lipstick on my lips

Well. Now I know what eyeliner I’ll be wearing when I find out that Ryan Gosling has finally gotten hitched and consequently start sobbing into my Cheetos — tears of pain, clearly, but I’ll try to pass them off as tears of joy (“I’m just so happy for him!”).

Benefit’s new They’re Real Push-Up Liner ($24) will be able to handle the waterworks, fo’ sho’.

The new waterproof matte black gel liner heads to the Benefit permanent line this July, and it has an interesting twist (literally).

Instead of coming in a pot, it comes in a pen. Think YSL Touche Eclat (which I talk about in this video), but with a flexible calligraphy-like nib instead of a brush. Twist the bottom, and the gel emits from the nib.

It’s the first ever lash-hugging gel liner pen! The custom AccuFlex tip hugs your lash line for bigger-looking eyes in seconds. The closer the liner, the bigger the eye!
—From the back of the box of Benefit’s new They’re Real Push-Up Liner

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What Do You Think of the New MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Packaging?

May 22nd, 2014 by Karen 49 Comments

New threads for the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes ($32 each, available now at counters and online)

Saw these cuties at ~~my home away from home~~ the MAC counter yesterday.

I went because — well, you know, do I really need a reason? 🙂 — but I was also running low on Bulk Wipes and Cleanse-Off Oil.

What do you think of the new packaging for the Mineralize Skinfinishes?

From the left, that’s Global Glow, Cheeky Bronze, Soft and Gentle, and Gold Deposit

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Sweet! It’s the Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar Collection for Summer 2014

May 21st, 2014 by Karen 8 Comments

Raw Sugar.

I like the sound of that. 🙂 Sweet but tough. Plus, hello, sugar.

It’s the name of Bobbi Brown’s summer collection, which reminds me, I just finished a huge Rice Krispie treat for dessert, and it was hella good, but I digress…

It’s summer makeup for Bobbi Brown minimalists, with bronzers, lip tints, nail polishes, a Beach perfume and body oil, and a shimmer brick of neutral eyeshadows.

I’m most excited about the perfume, truth be told. Bobbi Brown Beach symbolizes summer to me, and I never get tired of it.

As for the rest of the collection, well… The colors in the eyeshadow shimmer brick are so similar that I’m pretty sure they’ll look more or less the same on me, and the bronzers and lip balms don’t particularly excite me, either.

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Some of the Softest Summer Sandals to Ever Caress Yo’ Feet! The Sam Edelman Dana Sandal (On Sale Now at Nordstrom)

May 21st, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

I think I need to get out more because I’ve been forgetting to turn on my verbal censor lately, perhaps due to the fact that my coworker of the past seven years is a cat.

At Nordstrom earlier today for that sale I mentioned I tried on a pair of Sam Edelman Dana sandals (originally $99.95, marked down to $59.90), and when I took them out of the box and slipped them onto my feet, I said, “Sooo soft!” much too loudly, and to no one in particular.

There was a lady next to me trying on shoes who looked over and started laughing.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I think I must be overcome with shoe ecstasy or something. HAHA!”

I usually stay away from shoes like these because the straps dig into my feet, but these are super soft suede, and the low heel makes them easy to walk in.

I wish they had a bit more arch support, though, and I’m slightly concerned about my pinky toe getting all squished up in the strap, but it’s not like I’m going to be running a marathon in them or anything.

Should be alright.

I love the little details, like the sweet zipper in the back and the geometric cutouts around the ankle.

For years, I was strictly a high heels girl, and I still am to a degree, but truth be told, I am utterly over shoes that hurt my feet. Now I’m trying to embrace flats, even though they make me feel hella tiny.

I like flats with some personality, too, and these say, “Yeah, I’m a tough girl who goes to the farmers’ market!” to me.

I think they’d look cute with shorts or a summer dress. 🙂

In addition to the black shade, they also come in tan and coral (CUTE). You can find them now at Nordstrom stores and online at nordrstrom.com.

Have you found any good shoes lately? High heels or flats?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fashion Tip: When Deciding on a New Pair of Sunglasses…

May 21st, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Yup, don’t mind me. I’m just chillin’ here by the discounted designer sunglasses — you know, taking selfies, mugging for the camera, the usual. 🙂

It happened purely by accident this afternoon. I was walking around Nordies (it’s their Half-Yearly Sale) and came up with what I think is a pretty handy fashion tip.

You see, I’m my mother’s daughter (the woman hasn’t paid full price for anything, like, EVER), and a bunch of the sunglasses were on sale.

So here’s the tip: it’s kind of hard to see what you actually look like when you’re trying on sunglasses in a store, am I right? Even with the mirrors. First, the glasses are tinted, and then there’s the overhead lighting, which is the opposite of flattering and almost never color accurate.

So. I started snapping selfies and realized — dang! It’s a pretty good way to see if a style of glasses is working.

Of course, you know that I had to share this newfound knowledge with the ladies next to me in the store, and pretty soon all of us were trying on sunglasses and taking selfies with our phones, haha!

I think I may have accidentally triggered a sunglasses selfie shopping movement. 🙂

Those Aviators by Ray Ban in the top pic were the first ones that caught my eye (very punny!).

I felt like Carrie Bradshaw at a baseball park circa the SATC early years.

That pair was also very comfortable, but I nixed them because I think you have to be extremely stylish or starring in an old episode of CHiPs (remember that show?) to pull them off successfully.

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Hey, Honey, Can You Help Me With My Allergies?

May 21st, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Have you ever heard of honey to treat bad allergies? Like seasonal sniffles, sneezes and itchy eyes? I had an interesting conversation with Chelsea, a longtime MBB reader, crazy cat lady/bunny lady and all-around cool gal (hey, Chels!), in the comments the other day about eating local honey to help with allergies.

Mine have been pretty bad this year, but I’m always trying to avoid taking too many real-deal allergy meds because, you know, I just don’t want to take them too often, and the ones that work for me also make me sleepy, so, I’m open to other alternatives…

With the honey, as I understand it, the idea is that when you eat local honey — that is, honey from bees that live in your area — it exposes you to some of your local allergens and can help immunize you against big-time allergic reactions.

I like the sound of that. 🙂 So I went to a farmers’ market on my lunch break today.

Got some white peaches (with the leaves still on) and a small jar of locally sourced honey.

The guy running the stand even said that about a third of all of his customers are people looking for help with their allergies.

He had a whole bunch of different honey brews and flavors. The one I got, and the one he recommended, is called Honey So Fresh, which is local honey harvested very recently, because he said that the most important thing is that the bees were exposed to the same allergens that are bothering you right now.

He suggested not adding it to anything hot, either, so no coffee or tea, and said that the amount you have doesn’t matter as much as how fresh it is. Maybe a teaspoon twice a day. Of course it doesn’t hurt that I absolutely love honey.

So that’s what I’m going to do for the next couple weeks, and I’ll report back to let you know if it helped. Hopefully my allergies chill the eff out, man!

Maybe I’ll cut up this white peach and drizzle a little honey on it, yum!

Have you ever tried local honey to treat your allergies? Do you think it helped?

The MAC Pedro Lourenco Collection for Summer 2014: Classic Cosmetics for a Far-Future Catwalk

May 21st, 2014 by Karen 43 Comments

What struck me first was the packaging. The black against the gold. It pulled me in like a tractor beam. Classic and edgy at the same time, a la Blade Runner, which is a style I aspire to achieve, on occasion.

The black cases are different than usual for MAC and have this rubbery texture, so they’re kind of NARS-y, and that coupled with the makeup — the nude eyes, cheeks and bright red lips — add up to a recipe for instant makeup lust.

There are definitely things here I’ll wear, and actually, a lot of them are pieces I already wear. The new quad has two of my long-time favorite MAC eyeshadows, Sable and All That Glitters, and the Cream Colour Base is a re-promoted shade called Hush, which I absolutely love.

The new MAC Pedro Lourenco collection (not shown: the Nail Lacquers in Skin and Rlaming Rose)

A couple of the lipsticks also look like classic MAC shades I wear all the time, like True Red, which looks a little like Lady Danger but has an Amplified finish instead of a Matte, so it has that shine. And Ruby is kind of like Russian Red, but with the Amplified finish instead of the Matte.

So, I don’t really think the release shatters new ground. The edgiest pieces here are probably the Lipglasses, which are these sort of weird metallic colors like Gold Mirror, a neutral gold, and Mirror, a neutral silver, both of which, I think, seem very indicative of Pedro’s sometimes sci-fi style, from what I’ve seen of his work.

I tell you what, though — if I were a robot, I’d be all over those Lipglasses in two ticks of an animatronic heartbeat, beep-beep!

MAC Pedro Lourenco Collection Amplified Lipsticks — Pedro Lourenco Amplified Lipsticks, $17.50 each

MAC Pedro Lourenco Amplified Lipstick in Peach Beige — Amplified Lipstick in Peach Beige, a light pinkish nude

MAC Pedro Lourenco Amplified Lipstick in Ruby — Amplified Lipstick in Ruby, a mid-tone blueish red

MAC Pedro Lourenco in Amplified Lipstick in Roxo — Amplified Lipstick in Roxo, a deep red

MAC Pedro Lourenco Amplified Lipstick in True Red — Amplified Lipstick in True Red, a vivid bright coral

MAC Pedro Lourenco Lipglass in Mirror (top) and Gold Mirror (bottom) — Lipglass in Mirror (top, a neutral silver) and Gold Mirror (bottom, neutral gold), $16.50 each

I was so stoked about the Corol Blush Duo before seeing it in person. It’s the big compact with the black matte packaging and Pedro’s name across the front. But then I tried it on, and it really wasn’t working for me. The powder’s extremely hard and difficult to pick up with a brush or finger. When I did these swatches, I actually had to chip away at the powder with a fingernail to free up some product.

But other than the Duo, I like the collection. I think there’s something cooly futuristic and classic about it at the same time, like something you’d see in a sci-fi movie starring Milla Jovovich as the main character, and her eyes would be shining with the sparkling nude and bronze and rosy tones.

I can see it now… She’s walking down a dusty, decaying urban alley between tall, grimy buildings holding an oversized plasma gun. Her cheeks are highlighted and glowing, and her lips are bright red. 🙂

Beautiful and accessible, with an edge — that’s how I see this collection. If you have a friend you’ve wanted to convert into a MAC fan, this is the collection where you hold her hand and guide her into the light.

Let me know what you think.