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

What’s One Type of Makeup Look You Don’t Wear Often (or Ever)?

December 5th, 2013 by Karen 39 Comments

MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 Lipstick — Wearing Viva Glam Nicki 2 Lipstick

Hmm…

How ’bout opaque, pastel pink lips? I hardly ever wear ’em. Actually…I never wear them, but that’s not because I don’t want to. They can look very striking and beautiful, especially on darker skin tones.

Buuuut,, I just can’t pull it off. Maybe I’m not high fashion enough.

A lot of the gals I see wearing pastel pink lips look like they just stepped off the pages of a magazine, but I feel like they make me look too cartoony, you know? Like a little girl who snuck into her my mother’s makeup bag and smeared pale pink lipstick all over her face, doh!

Plus, this one time when I was wearing MAC’s Viva Glam Nicki 2 Lipstick (an opaque cool-toned pinkish violet) and answered the door, the UPS guy said I looked like Lil’ Kim…and I’m pretty sure he was referring to the Kim way, way after the Crush on You era.

But heck, who knows? Maybe opaque pastel pink lips will be the next big thing to have a moment, like rose gold is having now, and everyone will be wearing them. I’ll just have to climb aboard the bandwagon and go with the flow.

You never know. 🙂

Your turn, buddy. What’s one type of makeup look you don’t wear often (or ever)? Spill those beans in the comments!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Help me out here, babe. I’m trying to think of more video ideas. What kinds of videos would you like to see?

Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color Is So Flawless That It’s Almost Criminal

December 4th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal — Wearing Tom Ford’s Rouge Fatal Lipstick on my lips

There’s something very villainess about Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color…

It’s almost criminally hot in a naughty, awesome way — like something you’d see on a bad-@ss Bond girl wearing a floor-length sequined cocktail dress in an exclusive underground casino as she blows a slo-mo kiss across a crowded room to her handsome nemesis shortly before she hands a beat-down to some numb-nuts who tries to prevent her from entering a secure area.

BOOM! And then you see that flash of red again right as she smiles before delivering the fatal blow — a kick from her three-inch spiked heels directly in the poor guy’s groin.

Ouch.

Not gonna lie, I totally want to be that chick. 🙂 Mostly because the bad gals get to have more fun with their makeup. They get to go bold, just like this lipstick.

Creamy crimson Rouge Fatal hails from Tom Ford’s new four-piece Jasmin Rouge 2013 color collection of powerful red lips and nails, and wearing it makes me feel like a decadently daring (crazy cat lady) glamorous gangster.

While the $49 price Tom asks for his lipsticks makes me go, “blergh!” I have to say that despite this not being the most unique red in the criminal universe, it does make red lips really, really easy.

I was so excited to try it on that I skipped the usual prep work I do before putting on a powerful red lip like this (exfoliating with an olive oil and sugar scrub, moisturizing with a rich lip balm and lining with a coordinating lip liner). I just threw it on, and hello! — it looked really, really good. 🙂

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal swatch — Swatch o’ Rouge Fatal

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Holiday Makeup Hacks: Single Products To Show Your Holiday Spirit

December 4th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

Happy holidays, my friend! Let’s see… I’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room (Still waiting for Tabs to knock it down; it’s an annual ritual.), half a box of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Stars in the cupboard and holiday music playing in the background. I’m feeling festive, to say the least. 🙂

The other day I was thinking about easy ways to add that holiday feeling into my makeup looks without going all out — or, as I like to call them, holiday makeup hacks.

Whether you’re going to get your tree, hitting the mall to do some holiday shopping or just spending time at home with friends or family, adding any one (or combination) of these products into your regular makeup routine is an easy way to show your festive flair.

And what’s really great is these are all long-wearing, so you can pop one on and not have to worry about touching up for hours.

The products in the video…

NARS Eye Paint in Tatar ($25)
MAC RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Lipstick in Pleasure Bomb ($16.50; launches tomorrow on maccosmetics.com)
L’Oreal Le Matte Lipsticks ($8; these are a little hard to find online, but check your favorite drugstore because they’re great)
Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Midnight Cowboy ($19)

Uh…I’m still getting used to being in front of the camera and figuring out little technical things about lighting and what to do with my hands when I’m talking and that I should have used another hair clip…

Please pardon my nervousness. I dunno… It’s like I see that little red record light go on, and a switch goes off in my brain that instantly turns me into a complete and total nut, but whatevs! I’ll just keep working on it, and hopefully, eventually, I’ll feel less like of a freak show, haha.

Thank you again for watching!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s One Makeup Technique You Struggle With (or Have Struggled With) That Seems To Be Easy for Everyone Else?

December 4th, 2013 by Karen 51 Comments

Here it is: it took me forever to figure out how to put eyeshadow in my crease.

I know! — but I think it’s because of my eye shape. My crease isn’t very deep, so I had to experiment a lot with different brushes and the placement of products to come up with something that didn’t always look weird.

On that note, I must say, the new MAC Oval 3 Masterclass Brush has totally changed everything for me when it comes to crease color.

Ever since that trip to the MAC Pro Store last week, I’ve been rockin’ it daily. The brush is nothing short of AH-MAY-ZING! Really. The oval shape perfectly fits in my crease area and places shadow precisely where it needs to be.

It also hits the product Goldilocks zone by placing just the right amount of product on my skin. I used to spend forever and a day building up color in the crease, but now with the Oval 3 it takes me about half that time (so, half of forever?).

The brush has truly changed my crease color life! If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go next time you stop by a MAC store.

A’ight, for today’s question, what’s one makeup technique you struggle with (or have struggled with) that seems to be easy for everyone else? Please share in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have you been watching The Voice this season? Did you happen to notice Tessanne Chin’s eye makeup last night? Wasn’t that glittery gold smokey eye so pretty!?

Perfect Paws

December 3rd, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Do not disturb. Kitty modeling in progress. 🙂

Please note the perfectly placed paws and dreamy eyes… This is the work of a seasoned professional, I’ll have you know. A true master of the craft.

In other news, I am so disappointed! When I saw this adorable red sequined bow tie at Petco, of course my first thought was, “Tabs is going to rock this. HARD!”

But then I realized that there’s absolutely no way it’ll fit around his neck. It’s way, way too small! And it’s “One size fits all,” which apparently is Petco code for “Not even remotely appropriate for plus-size kitties in the 18-20 pound range.”

Just an FYI…in the event your feline employer requests one for the big office party.

Take the Leap With Dive In, One of Sally Hansen’s New Triple Shine Nail Polishes

December 3rd, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

I felt like I needed a break from the mostly dark, moody colors I’ve been wearing so much on my nails lately (my last mani was Urban Decay’s glittery dark green stunner, Zodiac), so this morning I painted my paws with a bright greenish blue from the new Triple Shine line by Sally Hansen.

The Triple Shines are billed as uber-glossy, and that’s definitely the vibe I’m getting from Dive In, one of 29 shades in the line.

It’s probably more of a summery color than winter (wintry?), but I couldn’t resist. I’ll just call it Christmas peppermint. 🙂

The brush it comes with is nice and wide, so it covers a lot of surface area on my nails. I also how relatively quickly it dries. By no means is it quick-dry, but it was in pretty good shape after about 30 minutes. Not bad.

With Dive In, I need three coats to get a nice, solid block of color because it’s a touch streakier than I would’ve liked. Still, it’s pretty darned cute for five bucks!

If you, too, want to take the leap and Dive In, it’s available now with the rest of the Triple Shine Line for $4.59 at drugstores, grocery stores, Target and online.

Three coats of Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Polish in Dive In

Sun-Kissed Peach, Gold and Cocoa Colors Bask on the Beach That Is the New Limited Edition NARS Loves Miami Set

December 3rd, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

Wearing the new NARS Love Miami set on my eyes, cheeks and lips

Even though I’m feeling like this because it’s hella cold here today…

Wearing the new NARS Loves Miami set makes me feel like this…

It’s one of those sets that makes you (me) wish you (I) lived someplace tropical during the winter — someplace where its golden shimmer and glitter and peach and brown shades (with a shot of violet) would play well with your perpetual tan, which, of course, you earned through regular after-work surf sessions…le sigh!

Um, did I mention that it’s cold here today?! Well…cold by Northern California standards (the high was 54 and the low was 30, and yes, I can hear you laughing from here).

I think the lack of warmth in my extremities right now might directly correlate with my sudden interest in makeup with a warm-weather theme.

NARS Love Miami: A three-piece set — Clockwise from the left: Eye & Cheek Palette, Orgasm Nail Polish and Orgasm lip Gloss

The three-piece limited edition holiday set contains some of Miami’s bestselling shades, like peachy pink Orgasm Nail Polish and Lip Gloss, and an Eye & Cheek Palette with glittery pink Fathom Eyeshadow, shimmery sugared cocoa Kalahari Eyeshadow, matte deep violet Daphne Eyeshadow, shimmery dark brown Cordura Eyeshadow, peachy pink Orgasm Blush and golden brown Laguna Bronzing Powder.

NARS Love Miami: Eye & Cheek Palette — Eye & Cheek Palette

NARS Love Miami: Orgasm Nail Polish — Orgasm Nail Polish

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Long Live Length, Lift and the Good Fight Against Zombies! Noir Couture Waterproof Mascara by Givenchy

December 3rd, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Hello, lifted lash curl! This is me wearing two coats of Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof Mascara (a permanent product in Givenchy’s line) on my upper lashes…

This was the mascara I was wearing when I was watched The Walking Dead mid-season finale last Sunday, and by the time the show finished, I’d already been wearing it, oh, 8-9 hours.

By that point, I knew I liked how tightly it held and lifted my curled lashes and how well it separated and defined (I did want a little more volumizing/thickness, though), but honestly, I was not expecting to also test it for waterproof-ness that day.

Enter The Walking Dead mid-season finale…

If two coats of this stuff can withstand an unexpected 15-minute fit of crying without any smearing, running or flaking whatsoever, then it’s alright by me, even if the three-sphere brush takes some getting used to.

Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof Mascara brush head — Check out that brush head… Kinda crazy, right?!

Let me put it this way: the first time I took Noir Couture to my lash lines, I ended up leaving big-honkin’ flecks of mascara on my lids and beneath my eyes.

I think it was partly due to how accustomed I’ve become to haphazardly throwing on a couple coats of Be Long Mascara by Clarins, which I’ve been wearing a lot lately, without having to really think about it.

Muscle memory — you know how it is.

Eventually, I figured out that I had to hold Noir’s sphere-studded brush at a funky angle to avoid bumping my skin. Given a couple weeks…it would probably become second nature.

And for the lazy-pants among us, removing this stuff requires some effort since it really clings to lashes. I have to bust out the big guns (an oil-based eye makeup remover) in addition to my regular cleanser, which is kind of a pain, but I guess that’s the tradeoff for this kind of resilience.

I bet this mascara could be a good fit for you if you like higher-end mascaras with a glossy finish, good length, separation and lift; and a tough-as-nails wherewithal to withstand water and tears.

Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof Mascara before and after — Bare lashes on the left and two coats of Noir Couture on the right

I do like it…but it’s not the end-all, be-all solution to my waterproof mascara woes because I do crave more thickness. I’ll still reach for it every once in a while and be happy with the results, especially when I want a really lifted curl, which is one way it’s ca-ray-zaaaay good!

Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof Mascara ingredients — Ingredients

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