Lightweight, Sheer MAC Prep + Prime Beauty Balm SPF 35 Now Available in Nine Gotta Wear Shades

How was your weekend, babe? Mine was…educational.

It featured many fascinating factoids and interesting moments (not really), like last night I re-learned a lesson I’ve learned many times before — that it is not a good idea to watch horror/thriller/alien abduction movies immediately before going to bed.

And then on Saturday, I learned that Sam Edelman makes some killer comfy flats (I brought home a pair from the Nordstrom shoe sale).

Makeup-wise, I had a huge “Eureka!” moment while wearing MAC’s Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm SPF 35 ($30, available in a range of shades), MAC’s BB cream from their permanent line.

I wore it both days over the weekend, along with a couple of lippies from the new MAC Retro Mattes collection, and discovered that it looks super cool with matte lips.

Like opposites, they attract. On the one hand, you’ve got the slightly dewy, sheer luminosity of the BB Beauty Balm. On the other, the opaque, flat matte finish of a Retro Matte (or any matte lipstick, really). Put them together and BAM! — a really lovely contrast between uber-casual skin and formal matte lips.

I love experimenting with different finishes and levels of coverage, and pairings like this one are for me like wearing a motorcycle jacket with a sequined cocktail dress — unexpectedly great, unusual and a lil’ bit quirky.

Of course, you could use any BB cream, sheer foundation or tinted moisturizer for something like this, but MAC’s Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm is a good candidate.

MAC’s Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm SPF 35

Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm has been a part of MAC’s permanent line for a while, but it had only been available in a handful of shades. Now, thanks to MAC extending the range, it’s up to nine, spanning all the way from Extra Light to Dark Deep.

Seeing as I’ve got a bit of a tan right now, I’m at about an NC44, so I’m wearing the deep caramel shade called Dark.

Shades in the MAC Prep + Prime Beauty Balm SPF 35 line…

• Extra Light: a pale alabaster
• Light: a pale ivory
• Light Plus: a light beige
• Medium: a warm beige
• Medium Plus: a tan beige
• Medium Dark: a caramel beige
• Dark: a deep caramel
• Dark Plus: a neutral tan beige
• Dark Deep: a rich golden bronze

Being as lightweight as these are, I don’t feel like I’m wearing the kitchen sink on my skin, and because they’re sheer, they don’t look like a mask.

I like the subtlety. Dark makes my skin overall appear less patchy, yet still allows my freckles to peek through (yep, I’ve got a few of ’em). It reminds me of NARS Tinted Moisturizer, but provides slightly more coverage and considerably less shimmer. It also lasts all day long for me and looks really, really natural.

As much as I like this, it’s not enough to topple MAC Face & Body from atop its perch as my No. 1 current MAC foundation crush, but it’s just such a cinch to use that it’s still worthy of a spot on my shelf. All I do is squirt a smidgen on my fingers and work a layer wherever I need/want the coverage. That’s it. Done in less than 60 seconds.

Alien abduction movies: probably best to avoid before bed…

Yeah…I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to watch Dark Skies last night before bed. It’s a pretty darned good alien abduction movie, but aliens invading your home and tearing your life and family apart do not usually make for relaxing pre-bedtime fare (note to self).

The movie came out last February and was critically panned (a depressing 37% on rottentomatoes.com), but shoot, I just don’t agree with that at all. It seemed interesting enough from the trailer, so I ordered it on Amazon Instant anyway, and I’m glad I did (although not the part about watching it right before bed).

The premise, as you can probably guess: a suburban family of four starts experiencing strange phenomena, like alarms going off in the middle of the night, huge flocks of birds flying into their windows, weird noises, electronic gadgets not working, and that’s all weird enough, but then the sh*t hits the fan!

I didn’t expect much from it because of the low rottentomatoes score, but what a surprise! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was scary and compelling. Good acting and reasonably original, too. And Keri Russell, when she wasn’t banging her head against sliding glass doors (OMG!), looked great.

It’s not one of those movies that isn’t going to change your life or anything…but it’s good for a scare. Just don’t watch it before bed! Please! You’ve been warned… 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen