Makeup

The $46 Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette: For Cheeks So Sharp They Could Slice Pizza

February 5th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

Because, clearly, the most logical thing to do when you’re fighting a cold is to flick out your eyeliner and contour your cheeks.

Clearly. 🙂

Sniffle-upagus says what now?!

Sorry, I think the cold meds are getting to me… I feel cuckoo for cocoa puffs right now, but at least my cheekbones could slice pizza, thanks to the Kat V D Shade + Light Contour Palette.

Admittedly, I didn’t think I was going to like this palette because of that font on the cover…and yes, that did sound crazier than I thought it would.

I’m not a fan of that lower case “h.”

But regarding the palette, first, I should say that I’m not really big on mega-contouring, and that’s mostly because of the amount of blending. It usually takes a lot of it, and blending seems to be one of those things with very little room for error. When I half-@ss it, I end up looking like I drew all over my face with a Magic Marker.

Not cute.

I’d say that most of the time I’m a “light dusting of golden bronzer” girl, but this palette could change that.

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette Swatches

I expected Kat Von D’s Shade + Light Contour Palette ($46) to be difficult to use, and I thought I’d need a few tries. But it only took one.

The fluffy, soft powders turned out to be easy to blend. My forearms did NOT get a workout, which in this case was good. 🙂

Note the range of marvelous matte (YES!) colors, including lighter mattes that you can use as highlighting powders (a pinkish nude, a yellowy beige and a soft peach) and three darker mattes good for contouring (a cool-toned taupe, a soft neutral brown and a cool-toned grayish brown).

The matte shades can be used to quickly shape shadows and curves into the skin, and because they aren’t excessively cool (color temp-wise), they don’t appear ashy on my warm-toned skin (and they’re very pore-forgiving).
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The New Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Glow Winter Collection: A Perfect Fit for Your Favorite Suit of Fancy Armor

January 30th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Wearing the new Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Glow the Winter Palette collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips — Wearing the new Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Glow winter collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips

Chain mail chic.

Picture ScarJo riding a white warhorse while hoisting Dolce & Gabbana’s banner and rocking a custom-tailored suit of chain mail.

LOL! And looking hot, because I can’t imagine her ever looking awkward in armor, but anyways! That’s the feeling I get from the seven-piece Shimmer Glow winter collection, which was, fittingly, inspired by armor (or armour, depending on your POV).

Cool-toned chain mail grays and gunmetals feature prominently, as do varying levels of shimmer and shine, but because this is Dolce & Gabbana, the total package still seems seductive, sultry and gloriously wearable.

The collection’s crazy gray lipstick (Moon 69) perfectly embodies the idea.

I mean just look at it — there are 50 shades of cray in that tube! Expect advanced future human-robot babe hybrids to be carrying something like it to da club in the year 2115.

Interestingly, even though it looks cool and cold and tough in the tube, it’s shockingly wearable. Yes, it starts a little gray and nuts, obviously, but because it is quite sheer (it’s mostly sparkle, actually, with very little gray pigment), it mellows out on your lips, eventually becoming something you could comfortably wear to your grandma’s house without her looking at you disapprovingly and muttering, “Kids today!”

Similarly, the Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Smokey Eyes Dust 103 ($60) also exudes chain mail (it houses a light shimmery, silvery bluish gray; a medium matte gray; a dark blackish gray; and a single cool-toned shimmery, lemony beige). The two shimmers bring high-fashion glow and shine, while the mattes keep the quad grounded.

The seven-piece Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Glow the Winter Palette collection — The seven-piece Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Glow winter collection

Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Smokey Eyes Dust 103 — Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Smokey Eyes Dust 103

Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer Powder — Shimmer Powder

I usually prefer warm color temps to cool, but I don’t shy away from grays (see: the Hourglass Visionnaire Duo in Prism).

These particular shades, though, I feel are a tad too cool for my skin… I think they’ll work better on Knights of the Cool-Toned Table.

That said, the powders themselves are lovely. Dolce & Gabbana’s eyeshadows blend so well that they’re almost too easy to blend. If you, like me, tend to over-blend sometimes, I feel ya dawg. Refrain; otherwise, you’ll end up with muddy lids.

As for the new Shimmer Powder, it’s almost exactly like Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Fantasme. Same spongy texture, same fine flecks of glitter, same raison d’être (use it as a highlighter, or like a glittery topcoat for your eyeshadow). Just pat it directly on your skin with fingers.

In the pot, the two look almost identical, but on skin, Dolce & Gabbana’s Shimmer Powder conveys more of its straight-up silvery white glitter than Fantasme, which also has pieces of pink and green micro glitter.

I like both…but I think I prefer Fantasme. It just looks a tad warmer (due to the pink) and works a bit better for me.

Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Moon 69 — Shine Lipstick in Moon 69

Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Angel Rose 167 — Shine Lipstick in Angel Rose 167

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Get Gorgeous Gradients In No Time With New Giorgio Armani Liquid Eye Tint

January 26th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

Wearing Giorgio Armani Eye Tints in 06 Green Iron (lids) and 01 Obsidian (lash lines) on my eyes, Milani Powder Blush in Coral Cove on my cheeks and Chanel Rouge Allure in Insaisissable on my lips — Eyes, courtesy of the new Giorgio Armani Eye Tints in 06 Green Iron (my lids) and 01 Obsidian (lash lines)

There is not a tough row to hoe when it comes to ramping up and using these new Giorgio Armani Eye Tints to create hazy, smoked-out eye looks.

They’re perfect for beginners, and/or lazy people (like moi!), and/or anyone hell bent on rocking a “smoky eye ’til I die” lifestyle. You can get a beautifully buffed cloud of hazy fog around your eyes without having to use a zillion eyeshadows.

Of course, feel free to use a zillion eyeshadows on your lids whenever you want (lord knows I do), but sometimes it’s just nice to know you don’t have to. With these, you can do simplified versions of your favorite foggy eye looks with gorgeous gradients in less time than it takes to get to the front of the line at Starbucks, order a delicious drink covered in caramel and whipped cream, and wink at the barista. 😉

Five of the 12 Giorgio Armani Eye Tints, from the left: 01 Obsidian, 02 Minuit, 05 Onyx, 06 Green Iron and 10 Senso ($38 each) — Five of the 12 Giorgio Armani Eye Tints, from the left in 01 Obsidian, 02 Minuit, 05 Onyx, 06 Green Iron and 10 Senso ($38 each)

Despite the way these look in their tubes, they are not lipglosses (although I can totally see myself pulling one out of my purse at the movies in the dark). They’re actually a brand new line of water-based liquid eyeshadows that can also be used as liners. Interestingly, the formula feels like a cream (they’re thicker than Josie Maran’s Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadows) but dries to a powder finish.

The lightweight, non-sticky formula is supposed to last 16 hours without smudging…

Truth be told, I do not want to be wearing these or any eyeshadows for 16 hours, because that would mean I’m having a very, very long day. I have worn them for stretches of eight hours, though, and yes, they stayed put without scooting around or settling into the crease…but I had to be very careful. The slightest touch lifts them right off your lids.

As for the coverage, it’s quite versatile. For instance, you can easily do a solid block of opaque color using one as a liner, or sheer one out and do a smokey eye.

A few ways to use the new Giorgio Armani Eye Tints…

As eyeliners! Just trace your lash line with the tip of the applicator, and then smudge out the edges with an angled brush.
As straight-up eyeshadows. Smear a bit on your lids, then smoke out the edges with a blending brush.
As a base, upon which you can layer other schtuff.

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NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation Is a Lightweight, Long-Lasting Jill-of-All-Trades

January 22nd, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation costs $48, and with a $48 foundation, you basically want that scene from When Harry Met Sally. Like, you want to feel that way when you use a $48 foundation, and then you want the lady next to you to say, “I’ll have the foundation she’s having.”

I mean, I wouldn’t actually pretend to have a big O in the middle of Sephora or anything, because hello! — we live in a digital age of smartphones and video, and knowing my luck, I’d blurt out “It feels like I’m hardly wearing anything at all! Yes, yes, YES!!! It’s so natural looking on my skin!” inevitably, some pervert would be filming me, and it would get around on the Interwebz, and my mother would see it…

The way NARS describes this foundation, you’d think you’re reading about the invention of time travel in Scientific American. With new “Even Tone Technology,” one drop/pump is supposed to deliver 16 hours of weightless, oil-free full coverage, and with long term use, it’s also supposed to make skin tone appear more even.

It’s an all-encompassing Jill-of-All-Trades foundation without SPF (meaning that it shouldn’t produce a white cast in pictures with a flash), and it’s available in 20 shades.

So, how well does it really work?

Pretty well. It’s not the CERN of foundations or anything, and the claim to offer full coverage from a single pump seems like a stretch to me, but you can build it up for more coverage (with a caveat, which I’ll get to in a minute).

I’d say it has one foot in the medium-coverage pool, and the other foot in the full-coverage pool. Of course, “full coverage” is open to interpretation, and one person’s full coverage is another person’s medium. My definition might be skewed by Laura Mercier’s Flawless Fluide, one drop of which covers every. Single. Thing on my face.

One pump of NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation gets rid of any redness around my nose, cheeks and forehead while unifying the skin tone all over my face, but I still have to do some spot concealing on the freckles around my eyes, and I can still see the patch of skin above my upper lip that appears gray on camera unless it’s fully covered.

You can build the foundation up for fuller coverage by using more product, but then that interferes with its natural-looking mojo…

Being a curious kitty with an inquisitive nature, I’ve tested this in a number of ways — atop one primer, atop two primers (which is what I usually do with Laura’a Flawless Fluide), by itself, with a powder on top, applied with my fingers, applied with a Beautyblender, applied with a foundation brush, and at the end of the day, the simplest way works best. Just the product all by itself applied with fingers on bare skin (well, bare skin prepped with my skin care). That’s it.

Before NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Stromboli…

Before applying NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Stromboli

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MAC Unsung Heroes: The Studio Chromagraphic Pencils

January 21st, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

MAC Chromagraphic Pencil — The MAC Studio Chromagraphic Pencils ($16 each)

Chances are good that if you’ve rolled up to your favorite MAC counter lately (shout-out to the Corte Madera counter at Nordies, woo-hoo!), you probably passed the Studio Chromagraphic Pencils without bringing one home.

MAC Studio Finish Chromagraphic Pencils from the left: NC15/NW20, NW25/NC30, NC42/NW35 — The MAC Studio Finish Chromagraphic Pencils (they aren’t duos) from the left in NC15/NW20, NW25/NC30, NC42/NW35

Honestly, I don’t blame you, because if I didn’t know about them, I’d probably skip ’em too. On paper, they appear quite boring.

Only they’re not. At all. They’re actually really handy. In a nutshell, they’re creamy, flesh-colored eyeliners…which does sound pretty lame, right?

But I keep one of these $16 wonders in my makeup bag at all times and always bring one with me on trips. I use them all the time, really, in so many different ways.

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Ulta Adventures! One Girl’s Ongoing Quest to Find Bad$ss Beauty Bargains

January 15th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

Because, obviously, the most logical thing to do with that new Real Techniques Contour Brush you just picked up on sale on Ulta is use it to pretend you’re contouring your cat’s cheekbones.

Tabs contouring with his new Real Techniques Contour Brush…

Obviously!

Yeah, um, my brush stash is looking a little more robust these days — robust like my tabby! — because I went to Ulta last weekend and the Real Techniques brushes and brush kits were on sale.

They still are, too (buy one get the second one 50% off), and you know me and the word, “sale.”

I’m definitely my mother’s daughter. 🙂

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10 Things I Love About January

January 12th, 2015 by Karen 33 Comments

1. Early springs

On my walk today I saw — get this — early cherry blossom blooms!
We get that out here in Northern California some years, and I guess it’s happening now.

It’s been sunny for a week or so since the heavy rains, and everything is growing like crazy now. This tree here is right down the hill behind my house where Else the Tortie hangs out. I looked for her today, but she was nowhere to be found (sad face).

On the bright side, I did see…

2. This neighborhood kitty

He’s very skittish and never lets me get too close, but he’s just unaware of how this little game of ours is going to play out.

Soon… Soon we will be BFFs.

The Long Haired Tabby Neighbor — What up, playa?!

3. Scarves

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to have Tabs draped across your neck, just wrap yourself up in your coziest scarf. 🙂

I wear scarves pretty much 24/7 throughout January because dude! — they feel so wonderful. I like it when the back of my neck and the bottoms of my ears are all cozy and warm.

Wearing Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Ether — Scarf action all day, every day!

4. Moisturizing face masks

I’ve been putting one on every night after I wash my face.

So not kidding! My skin gets dreadfully dry this time of year, so I give my favorite moisturizing face masks a mega workout. Current faves in rotation include Glamglow Thirsty Mud, Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask and Fresh Creme Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask.

Side note: I’m looking for a HELLA moisturizing drugstore mask, so if you have any recs, let me know in the comments. 🙂

5. These Walkers Scottie Dog Shortbread Cookies

Totally a January thing for me because I always seem to get them for Christmas.

I have a very specific method to eating them, too. First, I line all of them up on a plate. Then I bite their heads off.

I let the guilt course through my veins…

And then I wash everything down with a big gulp of tea or coffee.

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For Light or Medium Coverage, Try Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation

January 7th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundations from the top to the bottom: Medium Neutral, Medium Warm and Medium Dark Golden — From top to bottom, 3 of 14 shades in the new Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder line: Medium Neutral, Medium Warm and Medium Dark Golden

Naked. Let’s get naked. So here’s today’s naked truth…

Some days, I really feel “it,” and when I do, it’s Wonderful with a capital W. 🙂

I look out my window up into the sky, and the sun seems higher and brighter, and it’s like the birds are singing songs just for me. Everything falls into place, like my hair and makeup, and even my muffin top doesn’t bug me as much as it usually does.

I walk with a spring in my step! — and my fingers practically fly. Things seem almost effortless.

Buuut, then there are those other days (like today), and sometimes weeks, when I just don’t feel “it” at all.

Those are the days when even my stretchy pants give me grief (and you know how much I love my stretchy pants). Instead of them hugging my bum and making it look all perky and cute, I just see that annoying bunch of fabric that sags in the butt.

When I look out my window, all I see are the barren branches on the oak trees, and instead of admiring their angles and strong lines, I’m sad because they have no leaves. The gnarled branches seem menacing against the darkening sky…

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation Swatches from the left: Medium Neutral, Medium War and Medium Dark Golden — From the left: Medium Neutral, Medium War and Medium Dark Golden

On those days, when simply lifting a lash curler feels like a monumental task, I just keep trying. I apply a bit of makeup, perhaps something like Urban Decay’s new Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation, along with a slick of gloss and a few swipes of brow gel.

Then I place my fingers gently on the keyboard and take a few deep breaths…

Before Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation…

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation Before — The before shot: wearing just a little bit of brow filler, mascara and lipstick, and without anything on my skin at all

And after Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation…

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation After — And after: I applied a single layer of Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in Medium Neutral with a fluffy powder brush

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