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

For a Light Coral Flush You’ll Adore, Try MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Adored

June 28th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Abso-friggin’-lutely gorgeous. That’s how I feel about the way MAC Adored Mineralize Skinfinish looks as a highlighter or as an all-over face powder, but if you’re going to try wearing it either of those ways, steer clear of flash photography. The pearl in this makes my skin look crazy shiny when I use a direct flash in pics (I turned the flash off for the pic up top).

It’s also a good-looking blush (try buffing one or two layers on the apples of your cheeks), but no matter how you wear it, layering coaxes out more of the coral, so you get a natural-looking flush — not too bright — with a soft-focus effect from the luminous beige pearl.

You’ll look like an angel with it on, or like you got all creative and mixed Benefit’s Coralista Blush with MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow, liked what you saw, and put the mixture on your cheeks before you left the house.

Yesterday Adored stayed on my cheeks for a full nine hours… NINE HOURS! Think of all the candy you could eat in that time, or the neighborhood kitties you could pet (it’s a lot).

Charlize, the tabby who lives down the street, sends her regards and best wishes for a good weekend…

Pale princesses and light-skinned gents, Adored should look divine on you! I love it on my NC42 skin, but I get the feeling I’ll be wearing it more often as a highlighter than a blush as I tan over the summer.

[Continue reading…]

A Magical Potion of Pink, Bronze, Pizza, Shimmer, Matte and a Highlighter/Blush: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Rio

June 28th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

MAC Rio Mineralize Skinfinish — Cheeks, meet MAC’s Rio Mineralize Skinfinish ($30)

LET THIS PROCLAMATION SHOW THAT MAC RIO MINERALIZE SKINFINISH SHALL HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS THE OFFICIAL CHEEK POWDER OF PIZZA AND WINE WEDNESDAYS FOR THE REMAINDER OF SUMMER, SO HELP ME GAWD!

Oh, snap! Please pardon my overuse of caps. My pinky got stuck on the CAPS LOCK button (no, it didn’t), so I decided to just roll with it, since it pretty much also summarizes how I really feel about MAC Rio.

We fell in love! — when I wore it a couple days ago out to dinner with El Hub. That day it got hot in hurrr. I mean, it was like over 90 degrees, and I didn’t want to cook, so we went to this Italian place nearby called Tavola for dinner.

Who knew that mixing wine, pizza and MAC Rio on a hot summer night could add up to something so cool?

Pizza from Tavola restaurant in Novato, CA — The Neopolitana pizza from Tavola restaurant in Novato

I don’t know what laws of physics were involved, but there was something magical about biting into a hot slice, washing it down with a sip of chilled white wine and wearing MAC Rio… It electrified all of the pleasure pathways in my brain. Perhaps it was just a convergence of so many awesome things at once — carbs, cheese, wine and a bright, opalescent bronzed pink highlighter/blush. 🙂

Yeah, blush! You could wear Rio as a highlighter (tops of your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, your Cupid’s bow and chin), but my favorite way to wear it’s as a blush.

Say we bumped into each other at a MAC counter today and you said, “But, K-Dawg, all I want from a blush is that it’s easy like Sunday morning,” I’d steer you away from Tropical Taboo’s blushes, and point you in Rio’s direction. “Let’s do this, babes,” I’d tell you. “Trust.”

[Continue reading…]

How Do You Usually Wear Your Makeup on the Weekends?

June 28th, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

Barely 9 a.m. here on the West Coast, and already I’m thinking about the weekend! 😀

In a parallel universe, I would apply false lashes first thing every Saturday morning before I did anything else. And cat liner. And glitter. And a robotic hovering wind machine would follow me around everywhere, blowing my hair back so that I looked like this all day long…

There may even be a feather boa and/or tiara in the mix.

It all depends on my schedule for the day… One thing’s for sure — I’d be all glam, all weekend, every weekend. For reals.

But in this universe, because I like to take it easy on the weekends, my weekend makeup’s super chill, or at least it has been lately.

My usual weekend wear (not necessarily all at the same time)

Foundation: MAC Face & Body, which I’m obsessed with, again. Let me know if you need me to talk you into it, holla!
Concealer: Bobbi Brown Peach Color Corrector
Mascara: Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Mascara Waterproof, a CHAMPION OF pools and beaches
Brow Pencil: MAC Veluxe Brow Liner
Waterproof eye liner: (Chanel Santal and Beryl
Blush: Lately, Dolce & Gabbana Peach or Too Faced Who’s Your Poppy
Bronzer: (Guerlain Terra Nerolia
Powder: MAC Blot or Careblends Pressed
Nude lip liner: MAC Subculture
Nude gloss: Clarins Instant Light, MAC Big Baby, Chanel Candy Glow

And when I have plans to go out to a special dinner or do something with El Hub, then I might do more with my eye makeup, or apply a bright lip like MAC Impassioned or NARS Yu.

So, babe, tell me about your weekend makeup. What do you usually wear? Do you try to keep it minimalist and mellow? Or do you like to break free from your oppressive weekday routine by going all-out glam? Spill the legumes! Let me know how you usually wear your makeup on the weekends. If you feel like it, list the items you use. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

DAILY PHOTO: Inglot’s New O2M Breathable Nail Enamel in 683, 684, 685, 686, 687 and 688

June 28th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Le sigh… I wish these had word names instead of numbers, but aren’t they pretty?

These are six of the 16 new O2M Breathable Nail Enamels from Inglot ($14 each). Inglot claims that the formula allows oxygen and water to pass through the enamel to the surface of the nail.

Interesting. And they look like Skittles. 🙂

They’re available now at Inglot boutiques and also online.

Inglot O2M Nail Lacquer swatches from the left: 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688 — From the left: 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688

Available Now, the New Senna Cosmetics Sunglow Collection for Summer 2013

June 27th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments

It’s a Sunglow summer. The new 11-piece Sunglow summer collection from Senna Cosmetics mixes sparkling bronzes with orange, green and pink for eyes, face, lips and cheeks.

I’ve only used a few Senna products before, and I like ’em, but I’m still pretty new to the brand. Pics and Sunglow swatches down below. Let me know if you see anything you like. 🙂

Senna Dawn Brilliant Bronze from the Sungold Color Collection — Dawn Brilliant Bronze Baked Mineral Bronzer & Highlighter, a light bronze and a seashell pink highlighter ($42)

Senna Sunset Brilliant Bronze from the Sungold Color Collection — Sunset Brilliant Bronze Baked Mineral Bronzer & Highlighter, a deep bronze and golden highlighter, $42

Senna Emerald Eye Color from the Sungold Color Collection — Emerald Eye Color, a jeweled green ($18)

Senna Rose Gold Eye Color from the Sungold Color Collection — Senna Rose Gold Eye Color, a golden pink ($18)

Senna Down to Earth Cream Lipstick from the Sungold Color Collection — Down to Earth Cream Lipstick, a warm golden chocolate ($20)

[Continue reading…]

I Dare You to Look Less Tired With MAC’s Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow

June 27th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

MAC Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow from the Tropical Taboo collection — That’s MAC Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow on my eyes ($21, from the Tropical Taboo collection)

If you were wondering why I love pale, shimmery golden shadows like MAC’s Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow (and I don’t know why you would), lemme break it down for you.

They never make me feel bloated or sausage-y (unlike my skinny jeans). They never bite me (unlike my moody tabby cat). They never show up unannounced, seemingly out of nowhere (unlike those annoyingly stiff chin hairs that always crop up when I’m driving).

All they want to do is love. 🙂 My favorite ones, like Dare to Bare, get my day started right, because they’re potent fatigue fighters, meaning that they help me look less tired.

And I sure needed the help today. My noisy new neighbors (the Finch Family) are early risers (you know, tryin’ to get that worm), and boy! — they’re loud.

I mean, I get it. Every new day is a reason to celebrate, but can’t we wait until 6:30-ish or 7? Come on, guys, cut a girl some slack.

Thankfully, I Dared to Bare this morning. It’s from the MAC Tropical Taboo collection, which landed on counters today. There are six Mineralize Eye Shadows in the release, but this one’s gorgeous mix of cream, violet and gold caught my eye first.

MAC Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow — Dare to Bare Mineralize Eye Shadow, $21

I want to decorate my bedroom in these colors… I think that’d be so soothing and conducive to good sleep.

When you mix Dare to Bare’s colors together with a wet brush (I use a 217 spritzed with Fix+) and buff that on lids, the colors melt together in a cool way. On my lids, I get a shimmery, peachy pale gold with violet accents that I can see sometimes out of the corner of my eye when I turn my head or blink.

MAC Dare to Bare applied with a 217 wet with Fix+… kinda hard to see the subtle purple flash in pics, I tried though!

Really, really pretty, and I think that it’s that subtle violet that distinguishes it from similar MAC standards like Ricepaper.

[Continue reading…]

DAILY BEAUTY: The New MAC Illustrated Bags by Illustrator Anja Kroencke and Graffiti Artist Indie 184

June 27th, 2013 by Karen 6 Comments

MAC Illustrated Bag by Indie 184 890X764

MAC Illustrated Bag by Indie 184 610X520 — Illustrated Bag by Indie 184

Girrrl, you know I love me some accessories. 🙂 And these limited edition $36 MAC Illustrated makeup bags look like works of art.

The black and white line drawings are the work of illustrator Anja Kroencke, and the colorful bags are by graffiti artist Indie 184.

MAC Illustrated Bag by Indie 184 — Illustrated Bag by Indie 184

MAC Illustrated Bag Indie 184, inside lining — A peek inside the Illustrated Bag by Indie 184…

MAC Illustrated Bag by Anja Kroencke — Another Anja Kroencke…

MAC Illustrated Bag by Anja Kroencke, inside lining — Inside the Anja Kroencke bag…

I really like the Anja Kroencke one with the wavy hair and tears (not gonna lie, I kinda look like that sometimes!).

You can find all four bags exclusively at North American MAC stores for $36 each.

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME! 7 Ways to Get More MAC Makeup in Your Life ($258 Value)

June 27th, 2013 by Karen 2,385 Comments

You can thank Tabs.

I was just sitting at my desk and taking advantage of the free overnight shipping on maccosmetics.com to stock up on some essentials — a bottle of Face & Body, a pan of Careblends Pressed (I hit the pan months ago but hadn’t gotten around to replacing it), a few eyeshadows (Era, Honesty and Twinks) — when I looked over at Tabs, who was sitting in a patch of sunlight on my office floor.

I swear to gawd, he nodded at me as if to say, “I bet it would really make someone’s day to win a sh*tload of MAC.”

I mean, can you imagine? It would be like bumping into Ryan Gosling at the mall, and then immediately winning the lottery while eating your cheat meal for the week (make mine a veggie burger, extra large order of fries and a vanilla shake, please).

And BAM! Just like that, MAC appears out of nowhere…

From my very first post on Makeup and Beauty Blog back in 2007, MAC’s been one of my favorite brands. I love it, wear it and have been following them for a looooong time.

Today’s giveaway, well, it’s what I’d like to win if I were entering a MAC giveaway. I would freak-the-eff-out if I won these 16 permanent collection products.

I spent a lot of time picking each one, choosing neutrals to go with the brights (because that’s how I roll, yo!) and included my favorite MAC bestsellers and change-my-life colors, like Impassioned Lipstick, which I’m wearing in the top pic, and Woodwinked Eye Shadow, a shade I never leave home without.

I hope this giveaway makes a lucky MBB reader feel extraordinary!

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. You can read the full terms and conditions there, but here’s the gist of it: the giveaway is open to international and local readers 18 or older (you must be an adult according to your local laws). Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on July 31, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Since you’re already here and in giveaway mode, don’t leave before entering my other ongoing giveaway for a $50 e-gift card to Sephora. Don’t delay. That giveaway closes tonight, Sunday, July 28 at midnight. Good luck!