Makeup

Get Gorgeous Doughnut Lips with NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tint

July 3rd, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

When your lips gleam like a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, you’re doing it right! ?

The new NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tints blaze bright neon in their tubes, but they look almost clear on lips. There’s just a wink of coy color, and thanks to the bevy of fruity moisturizing factors they contain, my dry lip flake situation is currently MIA.

The formula feels like a cross between a gloss and a balm, and these somehow manage to not glide around the outline of my lips, which, as a chronic lip-rubber, I appreciate.

One swipe across my lower lip, and another swipe across my upper lip, and then a quick smack-smack-smack, and my lips have that healthy, shiny sheen normally reserved for teenagers just getting outta bed.

I particularly like how sheer the brights are (the rose is a little too shy on my pigmented lips), and I think their delicateness makes them work well with a wider array of looks than a full-tilt, high-pigment gloss.

INGREDIENTS:
HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE · DIISOSTEARYL MALATE · BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER · ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER · SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE · SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL · RUBUSIDAEUS (RASPBERRY) SEED OIL · PUNICA GRANATUM FLOWER EXTRACT · GLYCERIN · TOCOPHEROL · HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL · ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT · POLYETHYLENE · MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX/CERA MICROCRISTALLINA/CIRE MICROCRISTALLINE · POLYGLYCERYL-10 PENTAOLEATE · BUTYLENE/ETHYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER · FLAVOR (AROMA) · SILICA · GLYCERYL DIISOSTEARATE · TRIISOSTEARIN · TRIMETHYLOLPROPANE TRIETHYLHEXANOATE · TIN OXIDE · ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE · POLYSILICONE-2 · BHT · PHENOXYETHANOL · [+/- (MAY CONTAIN): MICA · TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891) · IRON OXIDES (CI 77491) · RED 27 (CI 45410) · RED 33 (CI 17200) · RED 28 (CI 45410) · CARMINE (CI 75470)]

They’re $26 each, limited edition, and you can find ’em at Sephora.

nars disco infernal — Disco Infernal (by the way, I’m wearing the NARS Wanted Mini Eyeshadow Palette on my eyes).

What’s bumping in my headphones at the moment?

Sometimes when I get home from the gym I like to sit in my car in the garage for a few minutes and listen to music, because, I dunno…I’m alone, nobody’s asking me any questions, and I can just ~~chair dance in complete and total privacy~~ simmer with my thoughts.

Last night, I was listening to a local hip-hop station (106.1 KMEL, which I’ve been listening to since I was in middle school, OMG!) when this song started playing.

I had a moment, man! For approximately four minutes, my Mazda temporarily transformed into Club Karen, complete with booty shaking and arm waving — the whole kit and caboodle.

Of course, this song played in the middle of a mix, so I had to reverse engineer it to find the artist (Ari Lennox). I found her by Googling a phrase from the song: “break me off gitchy gitchy ya ya.”

Seriously, the Internets are amazing!

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Bigs and Littles

July 2nd, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

biolage matrix equisite oil — Big things and little things

Sometimes you need a little…and sometimes you need a lot, which is why I grabbed two liter-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner last weekend, along with a gaggle of cute skin care minis.

Ulta is having a liter-sized sale right now on select brands of big shampoos and conditioners. I popped over there yesterday and grabbed these GINORMOUS bottles of Matrix Biolage ExquisiteOil Micro-Oil Shampoo and Conditioner…

The shampoo usually sells for $28, and the conditioner for $33, but I got them for $15.99 apiece.

What a steal!

I’ve never tried them before, so I realize that this could have been risky, but Ulta has a generous return policy. Both the shampoo and conditioner are silicone-free, which my hair usually likes. Plus, back in college I used Biolage all the time.

I took both for a spin last night, and this morning I woke up to soft, bouncy hair! Paws up! ?

The Drunk Elephant face cleanser and moisturizer came in a Sephora VIB birthday gift set. I actually went in last Friday to restock a bottle of Kate Somerville Anti-Bac for the gazillionth time, and the MAC minis are limited edition scented versions of the classic Fix+.

mac fix plus setting spray cucumber — Tiny!

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Neon Lights: 3 Colorful Looks

July 1st, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

The three colorful looks in this post have a couple things in common.

I wore them all to preschool drop-off in the last few days (the pink look at the top was from this morning!).
I did all of them using the $29 LORAC Neon Lights palette.

In the Neon Lights palette, that yellow is more of a goldenrod, which I’m kind of disappointed by because I wish the palette had a lemon yellow… The goldenrood just isn’t yellow enough for me.

Wow, that’s something I never thought I’d ever say!

Say “what,” Karen? You’re not wearing a sh*t-ton of browns for once? LOL. Neutrals are normally my wheelhouse, it’s true. I usually default to them because they fit my my lowest energy state, ha ha ha! Plus, you can’t really muck up neutrals.

Still, I’ve been itching to wear more color. I’ve just been trying to think of ways to feel comfortable doing it, because as fun as bright, intense glittery looks are, I feel a little crazy wearing that kind of makeup when all I’m doing is bringing coywolf to school or toddler ballet class.

The colorful looks here are my speed because, even though there’s a bright focal point in every one, there are still subtle-ish elements, like the foundation.

Something Sam said in that ’90s makeup video I mentioned the other day resonated with me. To paraphrase, she said that it’s not the things you pile on that make a look look cool. It’s what you leave out, so I basically went super minimal on the base in all of these colorful looks.

I’ve also been VERY inspired by Katie Jane Hughes lately. She’s a makeup artist I follow on Instagram, and she is JUST SO DAMN GOOD. She’ll paint a delicate swish of sparkly green shadow or sketch a skinny slice of neon yellow liner, so you can tell she loves wearing color, but she also likes to go minimal with the base.

I’m a little obsessed with her at the moment!

LOOK 1: PINK SUMMER SUNSET

Eyes: Bolt, Girls and Atomic eyeshadow from the LORAC Neon Brights Palette, Chanel Dimensions de Chanel Mascara, Maybelline Bold Brown Tattoo Studio Liner, IT Cosmetics Brow Power Micro in Universal Taupe, Urban Decay Yeyo liner (as a base)

Base: MAC Next to Nothing Foundation in Medium Deep (all over, applied with fingers) and Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Honey Bronze (patted with fingers on cheeks, nose, around the lips, and under the eyes)

Lips: MAC Stripdown Lip Pencil and MAC Open Presence Lipstick

LOOK 2: BLUE NOTE

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7 Makeup Tips and Techniques I Learned From Nerding Out to This ’90s Makeup Tutorial By Sam of Pixiwoo

June 28th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

Nerd alert!

(Of course I mean that in the best possible way because makeup nerds ROCK.)

I nerded out big time to this ’90s makeup how-to video by Sam of Pixiwoo, and after watching it, all I wanted to do was grab my brushes (they’re clean, hallelujah!), sit down with a pile o’ makeup and a mirror, blast some Prince, and just play for hours.

Sam shows step-by-step how to do a classic, full-on ’90s matte eye similar to what Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston (two of my favorite ’90s divas) wore back in the day. Then she pairs it with a ’90s-style Pamela Anderson lip (complete with the overdrawn, un-blended lip liner…BUT DAMN IT LOOKS HELLA GOOD!).

Sam updates the look though, so it’s not straight outta the ’90s, and she does this by pairing the dramatic eyes and lips with a sheer, barely-there base. I think the final result is totally wearable but not boring, not too difficult to do, and modern looking. I would totally do this look for a dinner, or drinks with the girls, or to Trader Joe’s to buy some whole wheat bread… HA HA HA!

The tips are moderate-advanced, which I appreciate — because how many times do we have to hear the phrase “move in a windshield wiper motion” on YouTube? — and almost all of them are techniques I’ve never heard before.

1. Use a domed blending brush and a thin tapered brush to precisely apply crease color.

For detailed crease work, Sam recommends keeping these two brushes on hand so you can place your darkest crease color exactly where you want it. She starts with a domed brush to place the darkest brown shade on the outer corner, then swaps it for for a thin, tapered brush.

She loads eyeshadow only on the very tip of the brush, then removes most of it before carefully sketching a thin line in her inner crease. This allows her to place the color exactly where she wants with maximum control. GENIUS!

2. Pay close attention to where you put your fingers on your brush relative to the ferrule.

Where you wrap your fingers around the brush determines how much control you’ll have over it. If you want more control, like when you’re drawing a pinpoint thin line in your inner crease, then hold closer to the ferrule, but if you’re going for a more blended, diffused look, hold your fingers father away from the ferrule.

3. Brace your hand against your cheek so you can steady your body before drawing fine lines.

To draw fine, perfect lines, Sam likes to steady her hand by anchoring it against her cheek; then, when it’s time to sketch out the line, she uses her fingers to move the brush. Moving just your fingers minimize any jerky movements.

She does this whenever she uses liquid liner or lip liner or anything that requires precision.
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Weird Things I Like to Do

June 27th, 2019 by Karen 21 Comments

nars wanted mini eyeshadow palette closed — Teeny, tiny!

1. Terrifically tiny

You’d think that most people would find miniature versions of makeup products mildly aggravating, because why have less when you can have MOAR? But the daintiness of diminutive perfume bottles, lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes like the NARS Wanted Mini Eyeshadow Palette have me hoarding all teh tiny treasures.

nars wanted mini eyeshadow palette hand — Fits in the palm of your hand

So what if they aren’t always practical? — especially the tiny tubes of mascara. (My hands suddenly seem Shrek-sized when I’m holding one of those tiny wands.) They’re just so darned cute.

nars wanted mini eyeshadow palette open — Warm and (mostly) sparkly shadows

nars wanted mini eyeshadow palette swatches — I’m an NC42 skin tone in MAC.

I was looking at some of Connor’s tiny toys the other day and remembered how I used to love small doll-sized things when I was a kid. Apparently, I still like tiny treasures.

2. I like to torture myself with terrible movies.

If the dialogue sounds like it was written by a stoner eating Twinkies and Doritos at 3 a.m., I’m so there. Also, count me in if it involves an ex-reality TV star playing a zombie who, against all odds, saves the earth from alien invasion. But, duuuuuuude, key point: It’s not like I actually enjoy any of it! I’ll start up the movie, then see how long I can bear it before I can’t take it anymore and either need to change the channel or run out the front door screaming.

I dunno… For some reason this makes me feel stronger — like it’s the equivalent of mental weightlifting?

Tabs the Cat starring in American Shorthair Hustle — This was NOT a terrible movie, in case you were wondering.

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Liquid Lipstick Love

June 26th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

chanel rouge allure ink — These are fabulous!

I’m tempting fate whenever I wear lipstick with white clothes, but I like to live on the edge, mwahahahaha!

chanel luxuriant — A rebel (not really) in Chanel Luxuriant

I’ve been all about the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink liquid lipsticks ($38 each), man. They came out a few years back, and they’re still a fixture in the permanent collection. Thank goodness for that, too, because there’s really nothing else quite like them. They’re like a shy first kiss…and you can crack as many cheesy smiles with them as you want, because the creamy, pigmented formula stays smooth for hours.

PRODUCT
A long-lasting liquid lipstick with a smooth texture that glides on like a gloss and sets with a luminous, velvet-like finish.

COMPOSITION
Polymers, waxes and plant oils smooth and nourish lips, while Jojoba Oil and a unique anti-oxidant complex offer hydration and protective benefits. The applicator tip allows for comfortable and easy application. In a provocative range of red-tint shades, from tart pink to deep brown-noir.

HOW TO APPLY
Define lip contours then fill in with colour.

Source: chanel.com

The soft velvet matte finish is also softer and less “aggro” than your typical liquid lippie, which I think makes them perfect for casual summer makeup. Lately, I’ve been bouncing between warm pink Amoureaux and two bright reds — berry red Luxuriant and bluish red Choquant. There are 20 colors to choose from, and I want all of ’em.

Hey, Mr. D.J.!

Science really needs to figure out how to tap into the part of the brain that can remember song lyrics from 20 years ago with startling clarity, because when Connor and I were at DSW the other day, Hey Mr. DJ started playing over the store speakers, and I was singing along without skipping a beat.

Remember when the first few bars of this song would play in the club and everyone would lose their damn mind?? In the alternate reality that is the musical version of my life, everyone in the DSW would have dropped whatever shoes they were trying on and danced in the aisles, ha ha ha!

Speaking of blasts from the past…

I spotted ube ice cream in the frozen section at TJ’s last week!

Ube, also known as taro root, is a purple yam (Hawaiians make poi out of it), and when I was growing up, my parents would buy ube ice cream for us at the small Filipino grocery store in our town… I think it tastes like a combination of vanilla and cashews. The taste of my childhood!

Some ube ice creams are sweeter than others, and the Trader Joe’s one isn’t as sweet as some, which I like. I paced myself and ate the pint over the course of three days, but I could’ve easily finished it in one sitting with a spoon and a Reese Witherspoon movie.
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Easy Everyday Makeup Look: Summer Breeze

June 25th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

Today I wore this summery look to run a couple errands and drop off Coywolf at her first day of summer fun/school. I used lots of Chanel, with a mix of new and old faves, because I love the way they handle color. They use juuuust enough, so you don’t go from zero to rodeo clown in a hummingbird heartbeat.

Swatches and details on the key products down below.

Key items

Base: All I’m wearing is a 50/50 mix of It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination and Oil-Free Matte Tinted Moisturizers (the shade I wear is Tan), which I applied with my fingers on top of Aveeno Baby Sunscreen. No setting powder, no concealer.

I like the way this base looks and feels, especially when it’s hot out, because I get medium coverage with minimal product. My pores feel like they can still breathe, and the makeup stays put no matter how much I sweat. Of course, you could go for either Illumination (which works wonders as an under-eye concealer, by the way) or Matte, but I like to mix the two because HI, MY NAME IS KAREN, AND I LIKE TO COMPLICATE THINGS.

If mixing doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I recommend going for the Matte, but still adding one or two drops of your favorite liquid highlighter (MAC’s Strobe cream is the best for mixing into foundations, IMHO).

Eyeshadow: The Chanel Les Beiges Natural Eyes palette is SO GOOD. The eyeshadows have the smooth glide of gel-powder hybrids, and you can blend any combo of the colors with just few windshield wiper swipes. If you love the Chantecaille cream shadows in pots (which are fantastic but very $$$), these Chanel shadows have a similarly creamy consistency and light-as-air appearance. You won’t find any of them, even the shimmers, settling into fine lines.

Brows: Speedy brows! This was my first time trying It Cosmetics Brow Power Micro Universal Defining Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe, and I’m LOVING it. There’s a super skinny twist-up pencil on one end to draw precise lines, and a stiff brow spoolie on the other. I did these brows in a minute, and it was completely non-stressful because the pencil deposits a good amount of color, but yet it’s mellow enough to not look harsh or blocky.

Cheeks and Lips: I love how Chanel’s cream blushes blend right into your foundation without lifting it up or moving it around. I also like how they never look obvious. The blush I’m wearing here is an older one that looks like it isn’t around anymore (No. 25), but there are many other creams available on the Chanel site.

The lip combo is Rouge Allure Ink (Chanel’s lightweight liquid lipstick) in Amoreux, topped with Rouge Coco Gloss in 172 (semi-sticky but long-lasting).

More pics!

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A Summer Solstice Look: Hot Summer Nights

June 21st, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

Welcome to summer! (It officially starts today for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, in case you didn’t notice.) Although I’m not a fan of sweltering hot days (especially since we don’t have an air conditioner in our place at the moment), one thing I’ve always loved about summer is when the sun sets and everything cools down juuuuuuust enough so you can walk around comfortably in the evening wearing shorts and a tank top or a dress.

This look was inspired by hot summer nights, and by one of my favorite crimson lipstick colors to wear when the weather heats up: matte coral red. This particular shade is MAC Relentlessly Red, which is available in the permanent line.

I usually apply matte coral reds like this one straight from the tube, but this time I decided to try something a little different by lining my lip line with a slightly darker red lip pencil and leaving the edges mostly unblended.

I’ve been into the unblended lip liner Kelly Clarkson usually wears on The Voice, so I wanted to dip a toe into the look! I haven’t worn unblended liner since 1998, so it was fun to try it again, even if the red-on-red combo is subtler than the stark dark plum liner-frosty pale beige lipstick combo I used to wear in college.

Oh, and did ya notice the cooler-toned olive taupe smudged on my lower lash line? I went for a foil to the warm shades on my eyes, cheeks and lips… I like those unexpected contrasts in makeup looks, don’t you?

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