Chanel

Chanel La Base Ombre À Paupière Longwear Eyeshadow Primer Is the Ace of Base

September 12th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

chanel longwear eyeshadow primer — Before, and after eight hours, wearing Chanel Longwear Eyeshadow Primer as a base. (BTW, that’s the PYT Beauty “No BS” palette on my lids.)

Let me begin this by saying that I’ve been skipping eyeshadow primer for months.

I just haven’t been using it.

It was just another step, ya know? And I felt like I could forgo it because it was incompatible with my quest for extreme makeup minimalism (as defined by a person who carries at least five nude lipsticks in her purse at all times).

Basically, it wasn’t like I needed my eye makeup to impress anyone for hella hours anyway. It’s not like Tabs and Connor point out when my crease color is fading into oblivion (thankfully), but with the Coywolf in preschool now, I want to start doing different things with my makeup again.

Mostly, I wanna wear brown smoky eyes and red lips again. 🙂 But I refuse to subject you to patchy lids, so I’d like an eye primer, but I want one that has all the bells and whistles.

Like this one from Chanel.

$32 Chanel La Base Ombre À Paupière Longwear Eyeshadow Primer

This untinted eyeshadow primer swept me off my ~~feet~~ cat Vans!

Granted, it’s not like applying eye primer is difficult, but it’s definitely easier than usual with this one because of its smooth consistency.

La Base is “wetter” than primers from NARS and Urban Decay, but it lasts just as long. Using it is like applying an eye cream, and I think it’s just easier and faster for me to use than other primers from the big dawgs.

[Continue reading…]

Another Way to Work Your Favorite Nude Lipstick

August 28th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

Even when you regularly roll with eight nude lippies at any given moment, sometimes you want to shake things up, which is when a sheer berry gloss comes in handy.

“Sheer” is the key here, i.e. something to add a tantalizing touch of berry tint that will tease and tempt without taking over.

Start with a layer of your nude lippie du jour.
Blot (if you want), but I usually skip it because…laziness, TBH. But it’s helpful if you’ll be taking pics because it keeps your lip color from looking thick and gooey.
Apply a layer of gloss directly on top, but WAIT! — don’t stick that wand back in the tube quite yet. Wipe off any lipstick with a tissue first so the lipstick doesn’t mix with your gloss and change the color. Alternatively, instead of using the doe foot directly on your lips, you can swipe it on the back of your hand, then pick up the gloss from there and apply it to your lips with a finger.

chanel jumbo matte lip crayon 257 — Chanel Jumbo Matte Lip Crayon in 257 Discretion

chanel rouge coco gloss 764 — Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in 764 Confusion

chanel jumbo matte lip crayon 257 chanel rouge coco gloss 764 — Just a hint of berry

You can also do this trick with reds, purples, browns — any sheer gloss you like.

Good morning, BTW. Happy Tuesday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chanel Fall-Winter Collection 2018 Le Mat de Chanel: A First Look

July 27th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

chanel le mat de chanel collection — MATTES!

As a beauty addict who spent her formative years in the golden era of matte makeup — THE ’90s! — I can attest that finding impeccable matte makeup is a freakin’ game-changer, because ye olde days of blending chalky chocolate eyeshadows and tending to parched pouts are ovah if the new all-matte makeup by Chanel has anything to say about it.

Can I just say…not one, but *two* ALL MATTE QUADS. And jumbo twist-up crayons and cream shadows! I believe this all-matte moment is a Chanel first, and if that is the case, please bring out the defibrillator ASAP because I’m dying.

It’s called the Fall-Winter Collection 2018 Le Mat de Chanel, and it’s out right now. Here’s a quickie look at swatches of some of the products, including the brown matte quad, because your homegirl had to go there!

The Chanel Fall-Winter Collection 2018 Le Mat De Chanel includes…

Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 308 Clair-Obscur and 312 Quiet Revolution ($61 each)

Joues Contraste Powder Blush in 330 Quintessence ($45)

Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Jumbo Longwear Mat Lip Crayon in 257 Discretion, 259 Provocation, 265 Subversion, 261 Excess, 267 Impulsion, 269 Impact ($37 each)

Le Vernis Velvet Nail Colour in 636 Ultime, 638 Profondeur ($28 each)

Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour in 168 Serenity, 170 Euphorie, 172 Expression, 174 Melancholia ($37 each)

Stylo Ombre Et Contour Eyeshadow Liner Khol in 06 Nude Eclat, 12 Contour Clair, 04 Electric Brown, 08 Rouge Noir, 02 Bleu Nuit, 14 Contour Graphique, 10 Contour Sombre ($34 each)

Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue Ultra Wear Lip Colour in 43 Sensual Rose, 112 Chic Rosewood, 48 Soft Rose, 43 Sensual Rose, 43 Strawberry Red, 122 Soft Coral, 124 Soft Candy, 126 Radiant Pink, 59 Shocking Pink, 104 Bright Raspberry, 27 Daring Red, 49 Ever Red, 102 Milky Blueberry, 142 Sweet Berry ($37 each)

chanel le rouge crayon de couleur — Jumbo Longwear Matte Lip Crayons from the left: 257 Discretion, 261 Excess, 265 Subversion, 267 Impulsion, and 269 Impact

chanel les 4 ombres clair obscur — Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 308 Clair-Obscur

chanel rouge allure ink fall 2018 — Clockwise from the lower left: Le Vernis Velvet Nail Colour in 638 Profondeur, Rouge Allure Ink in 174 Melancholia and 170 Euphorie, Velvet Nail Colour in 636 Ultime

[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Créatif

July 16th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

chanel creatif swatch — Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Créatif

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

I’m always down for a summery coral lippie, and Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Créatif ($37) is THE ONE.

Well…the one for this week, ha ha ha! ? Hello, have we met? My name is Karen, and I have a new coral crush every other day.

But that’s neither here nor there.

This one’s a matte liquid lipstick, but it’s unlike your typical dry and heavy/hello horizontal lip lines/cat butt liquid lippie sitch. It’s on the thinner side, like the NARS Powermattes, so you can’t feel it sitting on your lips, and it lasts about the same amount of time (~5 hours), but it’s much, much easier to control as it glides across your lips.

chanel creatif — I’m hoping that wearing Créatif will spark some creativity…

[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Mat Taupe Is Dope! Chanel STYLO YEUX WATERPROOF Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Mat Taupe

June 27th, 2018 by Karen 24 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Who am I? What have you done with Karen? What’s happening to me? I don’t know why — whether some otherworldly entity has commandeered my body — but I’m having a majorly transformational moment with eyeliner right now, specifically brown eyeliner.

Actually, I do know why… Lately, whenever I look in a mirror, I feel like my eyes look even more exhausted than usual, and black liner makes it worse. Ironically, I used to almost exclusively wear black liner, and I LOVED it.

Then I discovered dark brown MAC Coffee.

MIND BLOWN.

It filled the same need that black liners filled — creating a thicker lash base, bigger-looking lids, defining the shape of my eyes — but didn’t look as harsh.

So…I just figured out that even lighter shades than brown, like taupe, can work like this too. And taupe. Is. Dope.

I’m super in love with this $33 liner from the Chanel Le Stylo Yeux line called Mat Taupe, which is — surprise! — a matte taupe. Like MAC Coffee, it doesn’t have red undertones, but it’s slightly lighter and less gray.

When I wear it to tight line and along my lash lines, it does ALL THE GOOD STUFF — defines my eyes, makes my lashes look thicker, etc. — but it’s even less harsh than dark brown.

For years, I pooh-poohed the idea of wearing brown liner because I thought it was boring (“Why wear brown when you could wear black?”), but now I get it. Now I know.

[Continue reading…]

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette in Deep (Take One)

May 14th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

And now for something completely different (not), if I had a nickel for every time I watched a YouTube makeup video and thought, “Oh, I can handle that. That’s gonna be easy.” And then I tried it and was like, “What the hell just happened?” — I’d be a rich girl.

Yeesh, I’m so out of practice with eyeshadow… It is definitely a perishable skill, at least for me. It’s not like riding a bike, where you can take years off, then hop back on and be like, “Lalala! So easy! This is great!”

As you know, I’ve been wanting to do a little more with my makeup lately — not necessarily to put more makeup on, but to, ya know, do something more ambitious than one or two lid shades and some tightlining, so I’ve been watching a lot of videos, like this one by Sephora for hooded lids, which was actually VERY helpful for explaining proper placement (a.k.a “where to put the lighter and darker colors”).

If you have a hooded lid situation, definitely check it out.

Thing is…it assumes you have rudimentary blending skills down pat, which I thought I had, but I guess they were tucked away somewhere because… Well, it’s not that I’m unhappy with how this eye look turned out, but I can see a few things I could have done better.

I like it from straight on, and from the side, with my eyes open. I think it’s pretty decently blended in the crease, and I like the way the gradient is feathering, but when I look at the pics of myself with my eyes closed…WHOA.

And this could just be me being hyper-critical of myself, because I do that, but I can see that one eye is darker than the other, and they aren’t perfectly symmetrical, and I know that I do these things because I’ve made these same mistakes 1,342,521 times before.

I also know that my eyes aren’t identical. They’re naturally asymmetrical. One is slightly larger than the other, and my smaller eye is set a little deeper the the other. Also, I’m right-handed, and I tend to press harder when I’m applying shadow on my right lid than I do on my left, making that eye’s makeup look darker if I don’t pay close attention.

Basically, these are just lessons I have to re-learn from time to time… While not rocket science, makeup is definitely a perishable skill. If you don’t use it, you freakin’ lose it.

Anywho, today’s makeup gave me a chance to get to know the new Chanel Les Beiges Deep eyeshadow palette, and girl, the browns are beautiful! They are SO pretty.

Like the wide buttery golden pan at the top? No, it isn’t MAC Soba, but it is Chanel’s version. If I just stopped trying new makeup and wore this satiny mid-toned brown daily for the rest of my life, I’d be a happy camper.

[Continue reading…]

More From the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection: 824 Verderame, 66 L’Indomabile, 794 Poppea, 792 Aphrodite and 50 Nero Metallo

March 2nd, 2018 by Karen 20 Comments

chanel spring summer 2018 k — More from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 collection

Viva l’Italia! Anybody wanna go to Naples? This afternoon…? We can tell our families that Lucia Pica and Chanel made us do it. I can pack a bag and be ready to go in an hour…

YEAH, RIGHT! Who am I kidding? You know it would take me at least a half a day to pack my makeup.

OK, maybe a full day. ?

Lucia is shaking things up at Chanel with all kinds of color, and her latest collection, Spring-Summer 2018, is a shout-out to her hometown of Naples, Italy.

If Naples looks anything like the blues, greens, reds and yellows in this launch, I could easily fall in love with it. So let’s go, yeah? If you know a good travel agent, call her and get the hookup! Girls trip, April 2018! ?✈️?

chanel l indomabile — Red and green! That’s Rouge Allure Velvet in 66 L’Indomabile on my lips and Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame on my lids.

OK, back to reality…

Spring-Summer 2018 is a pretty big launch, and so far I know I like the eyeshadow palette and the green liner.

Here are some quick thoughts on the other pieces I’ve tried (some which I like more than others).

chanel spring summer 2018 swatches — 824 Verderame, 66 L’Indomabile, 794 Poppea, 792 Aphrodite, 50 Nero Metallo

Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame ($36, limited edition)

824 Verderame reminds me of a metallic cream version of MAC Club eyeshadow, but without the brown, and I love it with a matte brown in the crease, and either a charcoal or dark green liner on the water lines. It’s pigmented and GORGEOUS. It also dries in less than 30 seconds, so don’t dilly-dally! — or you’ll end up with harsh edges (a lesson I learned the hard way). Keep the small white brush that comes with the pot, too, because it’s surprisingly great and easy to use. The bristles deposit lots of color.

chanel 824 verderame — Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame

[Continue reading…]

From the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection: Mare-Chiaro Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner, or “When Green Is Good”

March 1st, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

chanel mare chiaro — Mare-Chiaro, a gorgeous bright yellowish green from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection

So, I collect a lot of things. Like, right now I’m collecting broken ballpoint pens, apparently. LOL! I have six of them on my desk, and NONE OF THEM WORK. I just need to throw them away…

I don’t know what my problem is. I think I might be a hoarder in training…

Actually, I know I am, and I have to fight the urge to hoard daily, but that’s another story for another time! AHEM.

I also collect pencils… Chanel eyeliner pencils, that is. And if you don’t know about the Stylo Yeux line, allow me to rock your world. I believe they are, dare I say it, the best high-end liners around.

Stylo Yeux is Chanel’s line of skinny twist-up waterproof pencils, and the basic black shade from the permanent line, 88 Noir Intense, is my go-to black liner and all-time fave.

Seriously, I could write a book of sonnets about it, and some of the LE shades are also epic, like Noir Petrole and Legendary Green.

The Spring-Summer 2018 Collection introduces a gorgeous $33 LE green called Mare-Chiaro, which is a borough in Naples, Italy (thanks, Interwebz!), Chanel Global Creative Makeup and Color Designer Lucia Pica’s hometown.

chanel mare chiaro swatch k — Green kitten wings, meow!

chanel mare chiaro swatch eye 2 — Lovin’ this on lash and water lines

[Continue reading…]