Karen

Smile! These Too Faced Selfie Powders Are Instagram-Worthy

March 13th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Too Faced Selfie Powders ($36) in Sunrise and Totally Toasted

Finally! Now I know what I was missing in my life… Pictures of a chihuahua wearing a beret in front of the Eiffel Tower! (see below)

Now, this isn’t just some random chihuahua wearing a jaunty cap in front of an iconic structure.

No, this pup has a job. He’s here to demonstrate what the three face powders in the new Too Faced Selfie Powders Palette ($36) are supposed to do for your skin.

Or, you know, fur. 🙂

They’re supposed to work like Instagram filters for your face, with each one producing a different effect.

Sunrise brightens and warms (ooh! — kinda like the Valencia filter), Totally Toasted creates a bronzy glow, and lavender Moon River casts a cool, ethereal light.

Too Faced Selfie Powders swatches from the left: Sunrise, Totally Toasted and Moon River — Too Faced Selfie Powder swatches from the left in Sunrise, Totally Toasted and Moon River

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New From NYX, and It’s Intense! New $6 Intense Butter Gloss

March 13th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Wearing NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Funnel Delight ($6, one of 12 shades)

Yesterday I wore one of NYX’s new $6 Intense Butter Glosses while eating a piece of intensely buttered brown bread at The Cheesecake Factory.

(You know their brown bread, right? Man, I LOVE that stuff.)

I usually go easy on the butter because, you know, I figure I’ll just have to run it off eventually, but they brought out two hot loaves, and I thought, “Gee…I’m eating intensely buttered bread while wearing Intense Butter Gloss.”

So I ate a lot. 🙂

Color me weird, but things like that bring me great joy. It’s all about the little things, you know? You gotta get your kicks where you can.

NYX Intense Butter Glosses from the left: Apple Crisp, Tres Leches and Funnel Delight — Three of the 12 new NYX Intense Butter Glosses ($6 each) from the left: Apple Crisp, Tres Leches and Funnel Delight

Anywho, these really do feel like butter on my lips — like I spread a thick, creamy layer of fresh churned butter (made by happy cows, of course) on my kisser.

I keep thinking that I’m going to have to do some cardio if I keep wearing them, badum tish!

They’re a brand new line, and NYX rolled out 12 intensely pigmented shades for spring.

So far I’ve tried three of the shades — a red called Apple Crisp, a hot pink called Funnel Delight and a nude called Tres Leches — and I think the red one and the hot pink are hella impressive. Vivid (so intense that your natural lip color will be buried under an avalanche of pigment), opaque, full-coverage, and they apply smoothly, too.

But for me, the nude was the real test, because I have naturally pigmented lips, and a lot of the time I have to jump through hoops to get nude shades to show up, but not this time. No concealer on my lips, no lip liner beforehand — nothing. Just my lips and the gloss. That’s it.

NYX Intense Butter Gloss Swatches from the left: Funnel Delight, Tres Leches and Apple Crisp — Swatches from the left of Funnel Delight, Tres Leches and Apple Crisp

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Eyeliner: With or Without Wings?

March 13th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

A big ol’ wing! Here I’m wearing the MAC Maleficent collection

Hmm… That’s a good question.

Well, I usually like my liner with a little baby wing, but sometimes for more dramatic looks I’ll “go there” and do those crazy bat wings that look like they could take off into outer space, like in a Red Bull commercial. “Eyeliner gives you wings!”

Most of the time, though, I like a teeny kitten flick. One, because I feel like if I’m not doing big ol’ false lashes and BAM! eyes and BAM! lips, it won’t overtake my face. And two, because it’s technically easier for me, because with big liner you’re dealing with, you know, more product and longer lines, and you gotta get the wings correct, and there’s always something that goes wrong (for me at least). Something always goes wrong. So I like a tiny little kitty flick.

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And I usually prefer it in black, and I’ll vary what I have on my lower lash line. Sometimes it’s black, sometimes it’s MAC Powersurge, sometimes it’s a beige eyeliner on the water line to open up the eyes.

It depends on how I’m feeling that day.

So I guess in terms of my overall eyeliner philosophy, you could say, “It takes all kinds.” I go through phases, where sometimes I’ll be loving on a particular formula, like gel or kohl or…

Eyeliner: With or Without Wings? — Oh, hai, eyeliner!

Right meow my thing is a black kohl liner smudged tightly along the upper lash line and inner water line, and you gotta really get it down around the base/roots. Either the kohl liner drawn out to a little wing, or with a gel liner on top, and then with black powder eyeshadow smudged along the edges of that liner to keep it from looking too crisp. Lately I’ve been loving the idea of softer, sort of hazy liner.

How about you? Do you usually take your liner with or without wings, and what’s your overall eyeliner philosophy?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Latest Shoe Love! The INC International Concepts Rammee High Heel Sandal in Blush

March 12th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

INC International Concepts Rammee High Heel Sandal (1)

When I locked eyes on these caged high-heel sandals from across the room, it was like instant shoe missile lock.

You know how they show that targeting circle thingamabobber in movies with submarines and fighter jets?

That’s how it went down in my mind. Beep-boop-beep! ** TARGET ACQUIRED! **

It even got better when I actually tried on these INC International Concepts Rammee High Heel Sandals in Blush at Macy’s today ($109, on sale now online for $98!).

For a 4-inch heel, it’s relatively comfortable and feels very stable, although I wouldn’t go playing basketball in them or anything. But for date night, they’d totally work.

I think I’ll be able to dress them up with a pencil skirt, or dress them down with jeans. Yay for versatility!

Another Look at the Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Nudes Collection

March 12th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

I call upon thee, Zeus and Hera, to worship at the altar of the Bronze Goddesses! Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Nudes collection is coming, and here’s another look at a few of the pieces, this time in 3d, and video.

OK, no 3d. Just video. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Squeeze Every Last Drop Out of Those Free Makeup and Skin Care Sample Packets With This Little Tip

March 12th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

Just a really quick tip to eke out every last drop from those free cream and liquid sample packets you get from beauty counters.

I wish I’d discovered this sooner, but better late than never.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. So…I played a little hooky today. Sort of. I just had to get out of the office because Tabs was driving me absolutely crazy, so I went to the mall, had a late lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, got a pair of shoes, watched some dogs and people…and ran into a friend who was also playing hooky. 🙂 (What’s up, Bernadette!?)

What’s Your Current Face Makeup Routine? (Here’s Mine)

March 12th, 2015 by Karen 40 Comments

MAC Julia Petit Lipstick in Boca — Wearing my current face makeup routine…

Do you have 2 hours?

No! Just kidding. It doesn’t take me 2 hours, but it is a process. I mean, one thing I’ve learned along the way is that you can’t just slap a sh*t-ton of product on your face and expect it to look “natural.”

There’s definitely an art to getting the skin to look smooth and not so fussy, and I’m always tweaking my steps and products, but here are the broad strokes for my current routine…

For me, the first part has to be primer. I’m a big believer in primer. Bobbi Brown’s Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm and Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Foundation Primer Pore Minimizing — those are the two I’ve been keeping in my bag and using daily.

After primer I go in with some combination of lightweight medium to full-coverage foundations, which I mix because it’s difficult for me to find one color that matches my skin. Plus, you know, your skin is always changing (Bobbi Brown’s videos emphasize this). I may have gotten a little more sun yesterday, so I might have less noticeable yellow tones in my skin today and more pink or red. Or maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night (happens often), so I look super tired.

Lately I’ve been mixing two or more (usually two) of these three together: NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, L’Oreal True Match Lumi, or the new Diorskin Nude Air Serum SPF 20.

MAC Bao Bao Wan Lipstick in Forbidden Sunrise — Another look with a similar foundation/concealer routine

And I don’t go heavy with this combo. I use as little foundation as I can — just the faintest amount — because it’s the next step that really helps get that more “flawless” look, or as close to it as I ever get. I take a small amount of that same foundation mix and add a full-coverage concealer, which I then use on my cheeks, around my mouth and around my nose.

Under-eye circles are a totally different story, though, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

I set the foundation combo with a powder, and one I’ve been loving lately is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. But I don’t just slap it on there willy-nilly. I take time to blend and buff it in so it doesn’t look like it’s sitting on top.

And that’s basically it for foundation.

I handle my under-eye situation separately, and I know it sounds involved, but I try to use as little of each product as possible to keep the area from looking cakey.

This time again, I start with a primer, and I’ve been using one called Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer.

It’s bomb!
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