Karen

Crazy Brow Days! (We All Have ‘Em)

January 20th, 2022 by Karen 11 Comments

Hey, friend! Happy Thursday. Is it just me, or has this felt like the longest short week ever?

Anyway, I’m officially having a crazy brow day. It started this morning as I was getting ready for a video call. I drew in my arches with my usual Chanel Boy Brow Pencil, but then, when I looked in the mirror, I swear my brows looked like I had barely filled them in at all. So I put a little bit more product in, then a little more and a little more.

Next thing I know, my brows look super dark and crazy!

Of course I had to make it more complicated by running a brow brush through so I could try again, this time instead with an eyeshadow (good ol’ MAC Brun). That, too, still looked kinda funky.

This was the best I could do. Some days you win the brow game, and some days, you gotta take what you can get. Hey, at least I tried, right?

Are you having a crazy brow day, too? Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Try Pairing Liquid Eyeshadow With Liquid Eyeliner for Lots of Bang For Your Makeup Buck, and More Chat About Hobbies!

January 19th, 2022 by Karen 12 Comments

rare beauty stay vulnerable nearly neutral — Hi there!

Good morning, friend! I’m still on my liquid eyeshadow kick. I’m wearing Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Neutral and Clinique Pretty Easy Liner in Brown. This is my new favorite way of getting of lots of bang for my makeup buck — a liquid eyeshadow and liquid liner combo. It’s not too fussy and at the end of it, I feel very put together, especially when I do a monochromatic makeup look like the one pictured above.

Makeup worn in this look

Eyes: Rare Beauty Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Natural, Clinique Pretty Easy Liner in Brown, Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (side note: I’m not loving this as much as I used to), Chanel Boy Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown

Base: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Wheat, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden, Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Sand and Rare Beauty Blush in Nearly Apricot

Lip: MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in A Little Tamed

Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about hobbies? I’ve been thinking a lot about the conversations we had in the comments, and I’ve decided to start slow and take it easy. My natural inclination is to jump into a challenging hobby, like rock climbing or learning a new language, but since this is the year I’m going to treat myself with extra gentleness and TLC (that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!), I’ve decided to do something different.

All the hobbies I explore have to be simple, easy and fun. Here’s what I got so far:

Reading fiction purely for pleasure.

I’ve always loved to read, but then somehow along the way I got the idea that if I read a book, I had to review it here on MBB or on social media to make it worth my time. I’m going to let that go. If I really love something and want to talk about, sure, I’ll do that. No pressure, though.

coycoy reading in lady sanctuary — Fun, fun, fun

Listening to podcasts.

I mean, is this even considered a hobby? I don’t know, but I like doing it, and I can listen while I’m walking, doing my hair or washing dishes. My current favorite podcast is NPR Life Kit. I like that the shows are 20 minutes or less and how I always learn something interesting or new. I recently just listened to one on what to do if your car ever gets caught in a flash flood!

Walking.

Sometimes I listen to a podcast, sometimes I just enjoy the sounds around me outside.

I’ve also recently bought an adult coloring book! I set an alarm to remind myself to do it every couple days, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.

I think eventually I’ll have more time and more energy to open myself up to hobbies that push me more. For now, I think this is a good start.

Have you picked up any new hobbies recently? Or would you like to talk about a hobby that you do and love? Please let me know in the comments. I think it’s interesting and also very important that we do things solely just for us, and I’m going to make that a priority this year.

I hope you’re having a super Wednesday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Reasons to Love Bright Lipstick

January 18th, 2022 by Karen 5 Comments

1. It does so much makeup heavy lifting.

I swear, I can get away with wearing so much less makeup when I’m wearing a bright lip. I can feel completely put together with just a bright lipstick, mascara and concealer.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — Honest Beauty Happiness Lipstick

2. Bright lipstick shouts however you’re feeling out loud to the world.

A smile is that much bigger and brighter with a bright lip.

mac billion dollar smile makeup uniform — MAC Billion Dollar Smile

3. It’s a classic.

Red lipstick never goes out of style!

chanel rouge allure rebelle — Rouge Allure in 172 Rouge Rebelle

4. The long-wearing matte formulas have improved so much.

They last through water, coffee, cat kisses…

mac quite the standout feels so grand mac smash — Time for some red!

5. They’re just so fun to collect!

You can never have enough. 🙂

mac lipsticks at union square store — Is there even such a thing as too many brights?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 712

January 17th, 2022 by Karen 23 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. How are your drawing and/or painting skills?

Passable if I need to convey an idea to someone, but otherwise pretty basic. Both are at the level of eighth grade art class, which was when I peaked artistically, LOL!

2. Have you ever taken or wanted to take a ballet class?

I took a few beginner classes in my 20s when I lived in San Francisco but never quite got into it. I preferred the high energy of hip-hop dance classes. Although, the people in my ballet class were so interesting! There were several high-level football players in the beginner class, and I was always so in awe of their body control.

3. Vegas or Hawaii?

Assuming this decision could be made during non-pandemic times, then Hawaii in a heartbeat, but I wouldn’t say no to Vegas if I only had to be there for 48 hours to eat delicious food and watch live shows.

4. Lotion in a jar: your thoughts?

Ya know, I don’t mind it if it’s body lotion because it’s that much faster for me to scoop it out of a jar than to use a tube or a pump.

5. Backpack or fanny pack?

Although I don’t own one, I wouldn’t mind a fanny pack.

6. Carrots or celery?

Baby carrots all the way!

7. Is it weird for you to wear bright lipstick?

Nah, not at all. I love bright reds, pinks and corals.

8. Yoga or spinning?

Spinning, because I need to sweat today.

9. Last book you finished?

“Klara and the Sun.” Loved it, although I have so many mixed feelings about the ending.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. How are your drawing and/or painting skills?
2. Have you ever taken or wanted to take a ballet class?
3. Vegas or Hawaii?
4. Lotion in a jar: your thoughts?
5. Backpack or fanny pack?
6. Carrots or celery?
7. Is it weird for you to wear bright lipstick?
8. Yoga or spinning?
9. Last book you finished

P.P.S. Hello there, sweet girl! I hope you treat yourself with kindness and sweetness this week. Please enjoy this beautiful Monday! 🤗

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 693

January 16th, 2022 by Karen 6 Comments

Divas have a reputation for being difficult to work with. You know, in my experience, the divas I’ve crossed paths with have actually been pretty cool. Team players even.

Tabs, for example, loved to feed the gossip machine with stories of him being notoriously hard to work with. I think once he was even referred to as the Naomi Campbell of the cat modeling world, which thrilled him. But if you asked any of the top tier kitty models he worked with, or any of his business partners, they would tell you that he was 100% supportive, giving and the most easy-to-work-with cat you’d ever meet.

OK, sure, occasionally he was rude to me, and I’d be asked to do ridiculous things like, I don’t know, plan a party for 100 people at a Tuscan villa with only 24 hours to do so, but for the most part Tabs was a good employer to work for. He always had my back, and he always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

“Keep writing,” he said, “and when you finally pen that blockbuster, don’t forget who encouraged you.”

Rosie

Rosie-Pose has a penchant for withdrawing into solitude whenever she’s deep in scientific thought, and although she isn’t as socially active as Tabs was, she still gets along famously well with all the cats she runs into (except Harris). She also occasionally lets her maternal side surface when she sees cute tiny stuffed cats, like, she’s taken Stripey here under her wing. He’s one of Connor’s stuffies, and Rosie has big plans for him to be the next scientific cat mastermind. She’s identified that he has an aptitude for robotics and has taken him in as one of her interns. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, Jan. 15, 2022

January 15th, 2022 by Karen 7 Comments

Good morning and hello, Caturday! Today’s clothing-related question for you — have you ever gone to a store, tried something on and loved it so much that you didn’t want to take it off? And then, because you loved it so much, you bought it right then and there before walking out of the store actually wearing it?

That’s only happened to me once, and it was recently with this sherpa jacket from Athleta.

I’ve been desperately needing some warm sweaters and tops, so I made myself shop for stuff I don’t actually hate. 👍

Normally, I find reasons to be annoyed by most items of apparel, but this is so warm and so soft, and just the right weight to keep me toasty both indoors and outdoors. It’s neither too loose nor too formfitting, either, and not only do the pockets easily fit my phone, but they also have zippers (!), so my crap doesn’t fall out.

Good news, it’s on sale now!

If you’re on the market for something warm, snuggly and cozy, I highly recommend it. It’s made my world so much better, and whenever I wear it, I almost like getting dressed.

This week’s reading

Favorite story of the week —> How makeup and hairstylists worked on transforming leading actors in recent films like “Dune,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Being the Ricardos” and more.
Allegedly, these are the budget-friendly makeup products even beauty snobs love.
All about the humectant urea and what it can do for your dry skin.
Do skincare products that supposedly “boost circulation” actually do anything?
Hey, insomniacs! Soon you might be able to buy a perfume to help you catch some z’s.
Does your skin really need all those skin care products?
Outdoor cats are using $500 Starlink Satellite Dishes as heated beds.
The FDA approves first-ever arthritis pain management drug for cats.
Oh, great, now I want this carpet rake…

New skin habits to try in 2022

How to adopt a commanding presence

Drop that knowledge, please.

How to survive a no-buy or low-buy

So satisfying…

More moisture, please.

It’s gonna be a bright, sunshiny day.

How’s your weekend going so far? Miss you. I hope you get some time to relax! 🤗

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Hacks on the Fly to Tame Frizzy Hair

January 14th, 2022 by Karen 2 Comments

Did I really just tame my crazy mane with deodorant spray and hand cream?

Ahh, the weird and wonderful things we discover when we’re pushed to do beauty improv on the fly!

This morning I was asked to jump on an unexpected video call for work at the last minute, and so of course, I’d just finished exercising and hadn’t showered or combed my hair. (Isn’t that always the case, though?)

I didn’t have much time to get ready, so I wiped my face and body with a damp washcloth, changed out of my sweaty workout clothes, sat down at my computer and then turned on the video camera. That’s when I realized just how crazy my hair looked, LOL! Leave it to the camera to always reveal the brutal truth.

Anyway, no one was on the call yet, and I figured I had a minute or two at the most. So, I took down my ponytail, raked my fingers through my hair and looked at what products I had on my desk. Then, I grabbed an organic spray deodorant and hand cream to do some improv hair stying.

First, I sprayed my hair all over with the deodorant spray to take down the overall frizz a notch (this particular deodorant is packed with essential oils, which I guessed would help with that). Then, I used a tiny bit of hand cream as an improv styler my bangs, baby hairs and ends to tame the flyaways.

And you know what? It actually worked out!

Was it the smoothest and most sophisticated hairstyle? Hell, no. But at least I looked somewhat presentable.

It’s so funny how a time crunch can lead you to discover the most random beauty hacks, hahah!

Can you remember the last time you had to do beauty improv on the fly? This was by far one of my most creative attempts.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! I hope your Friday was smooth sailing.

5 Things I Love About Liquid Eyeshadow

January 13th, 2022 by Karen 5 Comments

ilia saie september 202 -k2 — From the mascara wand: Saie Mascara 101, Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation, Ilia Clean Line Gel LIner in Dusk and Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco

1. The packaging’s cute.

Plus, if by some weird coincidence one needed to defend themselves using solely the contents of a makeup bag, I feel like chucking an Ilia Liquid Eyeshadow with all my might would do more damage than a pan of MAC Soft Brown, ya know? There’s some weight to those tubes!

rare beauty by selena gomez sephora — Rare Beauty Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Neutral

2. You have SO many options.

You can keep it simple and just wear a single liquid shadow shade as is on your lids, or you can make things deliciously complicated by layering other liquids, creams, pencils or powder shadows on top, aka, the story of my life. How many times have I said to myself, “K-Dawg, we’re just going to use this matte liquid taupe and call it a day,” only to have it turn into a whole thing with cat liner, three shades in the crease and a smudged lower lash line? TOO. MANY.

wander beauty exquisite eye liquid shadow swatches — I went through a phase when I was really into these liquid shadows by Wander Beauty

3. The liquid doe foot applicators.

Seriously, why is the sensation of a doe foot on my lid so soothing? It’s like having a tiny bunny paw lovingly caress my face. I’m also very grateful for the precision that doe foots offer now that my lids are getting more hooded seemingly by the second. I have to be very careful with where I place my color these days, and a doe foot from a liquid shadow offers more control than a brush loaded with powder shadow.

chanel desert wind black wood swatch — Love me some taupe! That’s Chanel Desert Wind liquid eyeshadow, by the way.

4. Eye primer? What even is that?

As someone who’s enthusiastically worn eye makeup for most of her life, I’ve gotta say, in the last 10 years, liquid eyeshadows have just gotten better and better in terms of wear time. I remember in the ’90s and early Aughts how it would just disappear from your lids into some mysterious makeup black hole. Now, there’s so many long-wearing liquids that last from morning ’til night. It’s glorious!

5. There are so many finishes and colors to choose from!

Matte, satin, shimmer, and oh, all of the brights, neutrals and everything in between. The possibilities are endless!

What do you love about liquid eyeshadow, and which ones are your favorites? My go-to shades as of late are Ilia Fresco (a satiny taupe) and Rare Beauty Nearly Neutral (a warm pinkish beige).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hey, friend! How’s it going? I’ve been deep in a project at work with a deadline that’s just around the corner (this Friday), so I’ve been glued to my chair. Things have been OK on this end, although I’m having major 2020 flashbacks right now because Omicron’s surging in our neck of the woods. We’re doing all the things we used to do ’round this time two years ago–anticipating school shutting down, ordering groceries online, avoiding busy places, desperately searching for paper towels… Same sh*t, different year. Sigh. We’re living in a unique time in history, that’s for sure!

Stay healthy, stay safe, stay fabulous.