The new Topshop Princess Metallics Nail Trio Set, $28. Available now at Topshop.
For the Princess Who Loves Metallics
I Had a Hunch I’d Take a Shine to the New Cool-Toned Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition
You know, it’s funny. A lot of people don’t know this, but M. Night made a sequel to The Sixth Sense.
Yes, it was called The Seventh Sense, and it actually went straight to video, but don’t let that fool you — it’s surprisingly good.
It stars Bruce Willis, back again as the helper/mentor character, and that same little boy, except now the boy’s an aspiring 20-something makeup artist.
In one revealing scene at a dark Nordstrom counter in a locked shopping center after regular store hours, the young man, his face as white as a sheet, turns to Bruce Willis and says, “I see glittery Chanel quads…”
Yeah…it doesn’t really work as well the second time around, but maybe that’s why the movie went straight to video. 🙂
Still, between you and me, I prefer the young man’s preternatural power in the sequel. Forget the ability to see dead people. I’d rather see Chanel.
It could be a little freaky, though, especially when I slip into one of my spells, because that’s when I have the premonitions, like the one I had the first time I saw the new $58 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition.
Sometimes I even speak in tongues…
“Blurzzzzing murrrphhh gabbabababa boo…” which, roughly translated, means “The sheer and glittery cool-toned pink, gold, taupe and brown powder eyeshadows in this quad awaken eyes like an upbeat Hall & Oates song.”
“Fluurgig arrrghh shloooperbuer…” which is something else I might say, means “Your lids will glow like an apparition. Never mind the minor fallout from the tiny flecks of silver glitter.”
Easily Corral Crazy Hair and Long Layers Into Place With This Step-By-Step Faux Bob Hair Tutorial
No matter how many mystical chants and dances I do, no matter hard I will it to happen, there are some things I just cannot seem to control…
Like the weather, or Tabs (why do lurvies and lap time always have to be on his terms and never mine?), or the relentless drive to consume large quantities of Nutella, or the passing of time, or the mop of hair currently partying on my head like it’s 1999.
Yeah, my hair’s extra cray at the moment because I’m waaaaay overdue for a salon visit. My layers refuse to layer correctly, my roots are like, “OH, HAI, LADY!!” and the situation with my bangs? — let’s not even go there.
I’ve had to resort to hair trickery and disguise to get my mane looking semi-presentable, and one trick I’ve been loving lately is a little something I like to call, “The Faux Bob.”
I got the idea from a similar hairdo Taylor Swift wore a while back. I can’t remember exactly where or when, but I recall that her hair was long at the time, and it looked like she’d tucked it underneath, almost like a shoulder-length bob.
I’ve been wearing mine this way on the weekends because it’s just so easy to corral my hair into place.
If you have long, chin-length layers or side-swept bangs that frame your face, or if you just want the look of a shorter ‘do but don’t want to chop off all your hair, it’s easy and might be worth a try.
First, I start by gathering my hair into a loose, low pony and securing it with an elastic.
Share a Tip Tuesdays: Beauty Shortcuts for Busy Girls
Sometimes it seems like no matter what I do to manage my time better — keeping to-do lists with action items, reminding Siri to remind me to pay the PG&E bill tomorrow, using stopwatches and timers to stay on task, organizing and reorganizing my files (and reorganizing them again), avoiding Twitter and my email for a few hours, waking up at the butt crack of dawn to get a head start on the day — there’s never enough time.
I don’t know about you, but this whole 24-hour day thing just isn’t working for me. 🙂 How do I go about getting a longer day…?
There are some things that help, though. Definitely. Time-saving tips do make it easier to get more done in the day, and when I’m really feeling the crunch, like when I only have five minutes to get ready, I fall back to my most reliable makeup tricks like…
- Using a (kick-arse) tinted moisturizer. In my opinion, the best one out there now is NARS Pure Radiant. It’s lightweight, applies quick as a bunny (I just use my fingers), covers almost everything and doesn’t give me breakouts. My fussy dry/oily/acne-prone skin adores it.
- A bronzy blush. Bronzy blushes can also double as bronzers, and there’s always a few in my makeup bag, like right now, I’m carrying NARS Madly, Benefit Dallas, MAC Harmony, MAC Format and Sisly L’Orchidee.
- A superhero, one-coat mascara capable of doing it all. My new fave is Le Volume de Chanel in Noir. It’s a little expensive, but it lengthens, separates and thickens my nap-worthy lashes in a single swoop.
Separating my makeup into three different bags also helps me stay organized when I have to get out the door quickly.
I stash my makeup essentials in the first one (tinted moisturizer, concealer, powder, brow filler, blush and mascara), and my brushes in the second. In the third bag, I store cleansers and cleanup products — makeup wipes, Almay Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks and packets of Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes (for cleaning my fingers and removing gunk from dirty brushes) — just in case I have to fix a mistake while I’m out and about.
Welcome to another edition of Share a Tip Tuesdays! 🙂 Okay…you were awesome last week. You left so many fantastic tips in last week’s installment. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite, but here were some of the ones that perked up my tired eyes…
Use a peachy highlight in the inner corners of the eyes and brow bone to perk up tired eyes. Since I know that peach correctors work well for under-eye dark circles, I don’t know why it was such a huge surprise to me when I tried it with MAC Arena, but whoa! A shimmery peach works so much better than champagne, which used to be my go-to highlight shade.
–ARIANNEIf you mix a brown eyeshadow with the more dramatic colors in your eye look, you’ll get a softened version that usually translates into a more comfortable look. This tip is especially good for people who are just starting to add brighter/deeper colors to their eye looks. ie: If you’re worried about blue eyeshadow being too BLUE!, then throw some brown in there. Just make sure the brown you’re using complements the overall tone/darkness of the eyeshadow that you’re adding it to.
–MONIKAI use the ELF Lip Lock pencil to keep my lipstick from feathering — it’s a $3 wonder!
–NINAThe absolute best way to make tired eyes look perky is to skip liner on the lower lashes (even if it’s not black), and apply a flesh toned or white pencil to your waterline. Then apply a satin or shimmer eyeshadow to your eye’s inner corner. If you have large eyes, use a satin or matte eyeshadow, a shade lighter than your skin color.
–CHRIS25Liquid liner has been MY JAM since sophomore year in high school! My ultimate savior when it comes to cat eyes: the pointed q-tip. Take either a sharpened pencil or some dark shadow on an eyeliner brush and lightly sculpt out the shape you want. Getting the eyes symmetrical is as easy as just removing any mistakes with the pointed q-tip (I like to go by the angle my lower lash line makes — just run the q-tip up from that angle to get a perfectly sharp line). Then go over with liquid liner. A bit more time-consuming, but it beats having to mess around with smeary liquid liner in order to correct a mistake.
–MAI
Hvala! 🙂
So, let’s get to it. As usual, any and all of your makeup/beauty/hair/skin tips are welcome, but here are a few conversation starters…
- What are your top quickie beauty tricks for mornings when you don’t have a lot of time?
- You’re taking a one-week trip to the Bahamas. What’s in your travel makeup bag?
- What are your top three blushes, and why do you love them?
- What’s your 5-minute makeup routine?
- What’s been the most helpful makeup or beauty technique or tip you learned this year?
Leave your tips/tricks/suggestions here in the comments, or tweet ’em to me on Twitter @karenmbb using the hashtag #shareatiptuesday. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Morning Watch
Tabs watching the sunrise from the dining room.
Good morning!
Sweet Temptations
The LORAC Tease ME Truffles Plum Eyeshadow Palette from the $36 Sweet Temptations Eyeshadow Collection. Find it now at Ulta stores and ulta.com.
This Peachy Cream Eyeshadow Creates Real Beauty From Something Abstract: Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Eyeshadow in Abstraction
Yesterday I did an epically fast eye makeup look with the new Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Longwear Eyeshadow in Abstraction ($36) because I needed to rush outta the house for this:
These are fancy-schmancy, kinda hipster versions of char siu bao from a food truck called Chairman Bao at Off the Grid in Larkspur yesterday.
Bao, also known as manapua in Hawaiian pidgin English, are soft, hella good steamed dough buns (or sometimes wraps) filled with pork, beef, tofu and/or veggies.
They’re among the most delicious foods known to humankind…
Almost as delicious as Chanel’s Abstraction, the cream eyeshadow I wore all weekend long. 🙂 Mmm… Chanel. Delicious and, unlike bao, fat free.
Part of the new Les Expressions de Chanel collection, Abstraction is a peachy coral cream eyeshadow with purple flair and flecks of golden glitter. It’s very unique, and unlike anything else in my cream shadow stash.
I think it’s fab for soft washes of color and/or a sheer, shimmery glow. If you like wearing eyeshadow but prefer quiet, laid back looks, or if you have mature skin (because Abstraction kindly steers clear of my fine lines), Abstraction’s worthy of OM-NOM-NOM!
Oh, but no matter how loudly your hubby grumbles about how hungry he is, and how you’re gonna miss the food trucks if you don’t hurry up and get ready…don’t skip the primer with this bad boy.
Girl Meets Curl: The New Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara Incites Eyelash Excitement in This Mascara Enthusiast
Who says makeup can’t influence the weather?
Chanel’s latest mascara does exactly that. When I wave it over my head outdoors, the clouds part, beams of sunlight rain down, and distant trumpets start playing.
LOL! Seriously, I’m not kidding. 🙂
To put it another way, I’m in the process of stuffing that new Sterilite 4-Drawer tote I told you about. I’m filling it with makeup and beauty products I intend to use often — my standbys — so that I have a nice, organized set of essentials in one place.
Well, I just replaced six other tubes of mascara in the tote with this new one from Chanel.
Now that’s 
love.
It’s the new $30 Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara, and it’s available in a single shade called Noir.
Next time I have to get up and get out the door before dawn to catch an early flight, this will be in my makeup bag. No doubt about it.
Jet black and built for bold, yet elegant, lash looks from a single coat, Le Volume de Chanel thickens, lengthens and separates.
So it’s one of those makeup triple threats…
Carbon black pigments hug lashes in black cat color, while the formula, rich in camelia oil, nourishes and moisturizes those little lash hairs.
The buxom brush bristles with short, nubby stubs. It’s a new design for Chanel, one they call their “snowflake wand,” and it’s supposed to build bigger lashes by thoroughly, quickly coating each lash from root to tip.
I wore the dickens out of it last weekend, and in a word, “BAM!” One layer delivers the lush lashes I love, without clumping, smudging or flaking, and the formula holds a curl sky high all day long.
It reminds me of YSL Faux Cils, except with a little better length. And where Faux Cils tends to concentrate more volume at the roots, Le Volume distributes it more evenly along the lash.
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