Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Where the heck are you!?
Um…I mean, are you traveling this weekend? Did you fly anywhere for Thanksgiving, or do you plan to go anywhere for Christmas? Because if you did or do, this new holiday 2015 travel exclusive kit from Clinique has not one, but TWO of my favorite Chubby Sticks for Eyes. It comes with Bountiful Beige and Fuller Fudge. So, to the creator of this fantabulous five-piece set, haaay! — you’re officially awesome. 🙂
The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of my all-time favorite permanent collection products.
‘Tis the season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!
But there isn’t just one season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!
Every season is a good season for smoky eyes, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!
OK now I’m gonna stop singing this dumb song, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-laaaa!
Seriously, though, fall and winter are the BEST seasons for wearing smoky eyes. That’s when they feel extra super duper *right* to me, along with wearing boots and sweaters and chunky knit scarves.
Even just generally, because of the cooler weather and no risk of sweating everything off, this is my favorite time to wear a little more makeup.
Good times, peeps. Good times. 🙂
And you know what can take your smoky eyes to the next level? — or, at least help you look more awake?
Blush. You gotta get some blush up in there, too.
At least I do; otherwise, I feel like I look asleep, which may be due to the fact that I’m really, really pregnant at the moment, and when it comes to sleep I’m like, “Huh? What’s that?”
Today, it’s all about MAC Fleur Power Blush ($22), homie. Wear it with smoky eyes — any smoky eyes — and you’ll be set. It’s a mid-temp pink with a kiss of coral, so it goes great with warm- or cool-toned smoky eye looks.
If you love a natural-looking pink cheek flush, like where you look like you just came in from the cold and your cheeks look all cherub-y, Fleur Power kicks butt.
It’s an excellent everyday blush with all-day staying power, and I’d even go so far as to call it universally flattering.
And since it’s part of the MAC permanent line, you can always get your paws on it. No need to worry about it disappearing into limited edition makeup oblivion.
Technically a MAC Satin Blush, Fleur Power looks more like a matte on my cheeks. I hardly see anything satin or shimmery about it, but that also makes it treat my pores and fine lines well.
I usually wear Fleur Power with either brown or gray smoky eyes, by the way, because I like how the pink injects some color into the look without taking over. Then I couple that with either a pale or bright pink lip.
You could also rock it with a brighter eye look, like a purple or blue smoky eye, but in that case, I’d probably go with a nude lip instead of pink, lest you end up with a whole lotta color on your face… Unless that’s what you want, and if you do, hey, that’s cool too.
Eyeko is one of those brands I think of whenever I picture hip British girls wearing winged liner, ripped jeans, leather jackets and ankle boots with, like, purposefully messy, yet fabulous, hair.
Yeah…I’m nowhere near hip enough to pull off that look, LOL! But that doesn’t stop me from wearing their makeup from time to time. 🙂
Here are a few of their things I’ve been wearing lately (all of which are available now at Eyeko counters and online), and some of these are still new-ish for fall…
The skinny tip is a little on the stiff side, which I don’t usually like, but I don’t mind this one. It works, and I can draw nice, smooth lines with it.
Both are semi-sheer; shimmery but not too shimmery; easy to blend, whether with the brush on the back end or with fingers; and they fully set in about five minutes.
Good for the makeup minimalists among us.
Layers well, too. I believe it’s been in the Eyeko permanent line a while, but it’s still new to me.
It’s dark and opaque though.
Even though a small storm blew in this afternoon, my today got off to a great start! The sun was shining, the birds were singing, Baby Girl was kicking like a kung fu rockstar in my tummy, and I finally managed to fill my small NARS Pro Palette with blushes. 🙂
You might remember when I first mentioned this same palette back in September. At the time there were only two lonely blushes in one corner…
But the order I placed came in, and now it’s filled to the brim with blushes. I’m ready to rumble. The pans will never look this pristine again, LOL!
I’m not cuckoo for contouring. On myself. I feel like it looks a little harsh on me, and whenever I do it, my cheeks and my nose end up looking sharper and more chiseled than I’d like, which makes me look more, I dunno…villainous?
Call me crazy, but I’d rather have chubby cherub cheeks any day of the week.
Still, every once in a while (it’s a rare occasion), I will “go there” and do some contouring, and when I do, I like creams more than powders, just because I think it’s a softer, less obvious look, which is the effect I get with these $39.50 Cameo Contour Dual-Ended Contour Sticks by PUR Cosmetics.
Tabs and I both agree that the whole “Keep Calm and Carry On” meme/slogan thing feels pretty played out, but he has a suggestion to revitalize it…
Ha! I don’t even care if it’s overdone. I’m a sucker for colorful packaging and sans-serif fonts, so I’m all about these almost unbelievably affordable $2.50 (!) Rimmel Keep Calm Balms.
All ahead, cute factor 12. 🙂
When Baby Girl is in elementary school, if she asks for a lipstick to call her own and keep in her My Little Pony backpack, I’d get her one of these…and then I’d borrow it all the time, LOL!
They cost less than a Starbucks latte — just $2.50 each — which makes them prime targets for drugstore stress shopping, so when an obnoxious stranger at Target offers you unsolicited, highly personal advice (FYI, it happens a lot when you’re pregnant), and you desperately need something to calm your nerves, you can add one of these to your basket without throwing your monthly makeup allowance out of whack.
I can haz Smith & Cult paw polishes…? Because I’d like a wall of shelves filled with them.
It’s the bottles, man! I could spend hours starting at the bottles…
It’s as if whoever designed the bottle plumbed the depths of my makeup-loving soul for things that make my heart flutter, like the cursive typography, the hefty glass, the oval curves and the Dali-like cap (it looks like it’s melting!).
I love it when beauty products are actually, like, beautiful…and I friggin’ LOVE these bottles.
These three fun shades are part of the new $54 Smith & Cult Red and Glitter Holiday Trio available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online. The trio comes with three full-size bottles of Smith & Cult Nailed Lacquer from the brand’s permanent line in poppy red Kundalini Hustle, creamy eggplant Dark Like Me and golden glittery Shattered Souls.
Kundalini Hustle and Dark Like Me are both fully opaque, while Shattered Souls is glitter in a clear base.
As far as bargains go…this isn’t one of those sets. Smith & Cult nail polishes usually sell for $18 each, so $54 for three doesn’t constitute a price break, but I still think you get a nice combination of complementary colors (there’s also another trio available with pastels).
You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”
Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
Christmases are more complicated. El Hub’s parents live in a town called Redding, which is about 200 miles north, just south of the Oregon border, and my parents live in the East Bay, so we usually split the holiday between the two sides of the families, which means A LOT of driving on our part.
We’ll spend Christmas Eve at my parents’ house, which is when we’ve always celebrated, and then, at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, we drive up to Redding, which gets us there around noon, where we celebrate the day with El Hub’s side of the fam.
Things will change after Baby Girl arrives, ’cause you know how that goes. When you have the babies, people come to you (I hope), and all I have to say about that is THANK GOODNESS.
I’m looking forward to hosting the holidays at our house, to be honest, and starting some traditions of our own at home with our daughter. 🙂
And my blueberry peach cobbler isn’t half bad, either, and it’s really easy to make. (Here are both recipes if you’re interested!)
Also, at least for the time being, until I embrace some other technique, my brow filling workflow is a little unorthodox, because I start with the brow gel, before going in with the brow pencil…which sounds backward, I know, but it works for me.
Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!
1. Where do you usually spend the holidays?
2. What’s your Thanksgiving specialty dish?
3. What’s your preferred method of filling in your brows? Gel, powder, pencil, a combination of a few things etc.?
4. Rimming your water lines: a do or a don’t?
5. Do you have freckles?
T-minus three days till turkey day, aah!
As you can probably tell, I’m very excited about that. My parents are on a trip, and El Hub’s parents have other plans up north, so it’s just going to be me, El Hub, Baby Girl, Tabs and maybe my younger brother, who’s one of those people who may or may not show up at the last minute with a tub of macaroni salad…but you just never know.
I hope you’re having a good Monday so far, and I hope it’s the start to a great week. Thank you for being here with me on this Thanksgiving week. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
