Makeup

Product Spotlight: The MAC Shiny Pretty Shadows From the Get Blazed Collection

April 16th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

mac glitz please closeup — Lids: MAC Shiny Pretty Shadow in Glitz Please with a little bit of MAC Soft Brown blended in the crease. Lips: MAC Mehr and Whirl Matte Lipsticks mixed together. Cheeks: Clinique Cupid Blush

“It’s classy. Not trashy!”

You may recall these glistening gems from your last buried treasure discovery…or from the last MAC Holiday collection, but if you don’t, or if you missed out the last time around, grab ye one from the new MAC Get Blazed collection. The glittery, glistening eyeshadows have a metallic base…which may sound a bit frightening if sparkly makeup isn’t your thing, but the glitter doesn’t go overboard, so they’re shockingly chic, fun and wearable (and NOT excessively frosty or ’80s).

Yup, even for daytime.

mac glitz please — What I’m wearing to volunteer at Connor’s preschool today. I’ll be “the glitter mom,” ha ha ha!

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Spellbound by MAC Strip Down: Mehr Matte Lipstick

April 15th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

Meet some of my favorite MAC nude shades this week from the MAC Strip Down collection.

DUDE, the world is your oyster when it comes to nude lipsticks. I mean, there are so many out there, right? But you know, when I think about the old-school, original nude lip look, I think of MAC.

I started wearing MAC in the ’90s, and that’s when I became aware that nude lips were totally a thing.

MAC has created so many iconic colors — colors that everybody rips off. Hello, old-school Whirl? We all know that Kylie was “deeply inspired” by it (don’t worry, I won’t go off on a Kardashi-tangent!).

I think MAC has some of the best of the best nude lipsticks because they have so many matches for the multitude of subtly different shades of bare lips out there, and you can see this in their “new-ish” nude lip collection, Strip Down, which is on the MAC site right now.

I call it new-ish because the first time I saw the product list, I thought, “Oh, I know Whirl!” and “Check out Paramount!” The collection is all about re-promotes, and most of them are O.G. greats.

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Glittery Unicorn Kisses…and a Look With the New MAC Get Blazed Collection (COMING APRIL 11TH)

April 9th, 2019 by Karen 24 Comments

mac dazzlepink dazzlegold — Dazzle Highlighter in Dazzlepink (top) and Dazzlegold (bottom)

The coywolf and I entertain the fanciful notion that every time you find a piece of glitter on your face, your body or really anywhere — and for some reason, this happens often, big surprise! — you were just kissed by a unicorn.

Indeed, if that holds true, then wearing anything glittery from the new MAC Get Blazed collection is tantamount to being kissed by an entire unicorn herd.

SO MUCH GLITTER!

mac p for pink sweet gleams kisses — A kiss from a baby unicorn

I wore a couple things from Get Blazed today — the Shiny Pretty Shadow in P for Pink, and the Bling Thing Liquid Lip Top Coat in Sweet Gleams — and I can say that nothing I’ve seen from this collection goes halfway. I tried to going for subtle with P for Pink and Sweet Gleams (mind you, as subtle as you can go with glitter…), so my lids and lips look relatively subdued here, but TRUST! — if you wanna look like you’re going to swing from the chandelier on a Tuesday night, by all means, you can get there, and you can get there so f a s t.

Faster than a speeding unicorn even.

Because there’s *a lot* of shimmer and sparkle in these products, and they don’t hold back.

A few MAC Get Blazed first impressions…

Shiny Pretty Shadow — This one has small- and medium-sized flecks of glitter swimming in an intensely pigmented metallic base. It has a creamy texture and is long-lasting, and there’s a little fallout…but not much.
Bling Thing Liquid Lip Top Coat — This is like a liquid glitter lipstick “top coat” in a sheer base. The lightweight mousse-y texture dries down and “hugs” your lips. It’ll also last you through a meal and drinks. It’s surprisingly not drying, although I wouldn’t exactly characterize it as moisturizing, either.
Dazzle Highlighter — This one is sensationally soft and creamy. The glitter isn’t an overspray, either. It’s a pigmented metallic base with medium and large pieces of glitter. I wouldn’t wear it as a highlighter (way too crazy for me), but it’s fun, though, if you’re going for statement cheekbones.
Bling Thing Liquid Lipcolour — Same mousse-y texture and lip-hugging effect as the Lip Top Coats. This one is intensely pigmented and even more intensely metallic. How VERY ’80s in the best way possible.

mac bling thing liquid lip top coat liquid lipcolour — A few of the Bling Thing Liquid Lip Top Coats (light gray caps) and Bling Thing Liquid Lipclours (black tops). From the left: Deliciously Disruptive, Discobelle, Sweet Gleams, Purple for Daze Commotion Motion

mac glitz please p for pink — Shiny Pretty Shadow in Glitz Please (top) and P for Pink (bottom)

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Unsolicited Life (and Lipstick) Tip

April 9th, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

mac velvet teddy lipstick — So this just happened…

Unsolicited life tip: Do not keep your lipsticks in your pocket unless you want to sentence them to certain death.

I’m wondering if there’s such a thing as “makeup Mercury in retrograde?” Or am I just cursed to never have another tube of Velvet Teddy again? Because this is the second tube of MAC Velvet Teddy I’ve mangled in less than a week!

First there was the tube — which by the way, I’M NOT GOING TO USE — that fell in my toilet. I tossed it out and reordered a tube with the LE packaging from the MAC site. Side note: Breathing an internal sigh of relief *HERE*.

Anyway, yeah, that tube in the top pic was the backup I kept on hand for unforeseen Velvet Teddy emergencies (a legit fear), but it’s not in working order anymore because I put it in the pocket of my high-rise mom jeans last week and forgot about it, only to remember when I found it in the washer, completely soaked, after I’d just finished a load.

On the bright site, thank goodness it didn’t open while it was tumbling amidst the suds, or even worse, make its way into the dryer. And extra special thanks to the laundry goddesses for allowing me to find it, because I was washing, like, 100 pounds of laundry (seriously, #momlife), and I could have just as easily missed it.

Still, though, who destroys two tubes of the same exact lipstick shade in one week? This girl.

I’ve come to realize that the common denominator in both of these situations is that I’ve been putting lipstick in my pants pockets lately, which is something I almost never do.

I usually put lipstick tubes in my purse or my Kate Spade wristlet, but I guess I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off lately, so my pockets have been the (sadly unfortunate) receptacle of choice. Apparently, this has not been one of my greatest of ideas, because I CANNOT KEEP LIPSTICKS ALIVE WHEN I PUT THEM IN THERE.

So, that’s it… I’m no longer allowed to carry lipstick in my pocket. Not now, not ever.

I mean, you could stick them in your pocket if 1) you have a better memory than I do, and 2) have lightning reflexes that would allow you to catch a tube before it falls into the toilet, but I am no longer officially allowed to do that. No more!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Lots O’ Latte

April 8th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

I swear to you…I don’t just love the Clinique Lots O’ Latte ($18.50) cream shadow stick because it’s named after a coffee drink, although that might have a bit to do with it.

Mostly, I like wearing this semi-sheer neutral golden taupe because it makes my lids glow with a lovely luminous sheen.

If Fuller Fudge is my Clinique cream shadow for sultry and smoky lids, then Lots O’ Latte is the one I wear for polished and professional. Like with Fuller Fudge, when you swipe it directly on your lids, then quickly blend it with your finger or a fluffy domed brush like a 217, then add liner and mascara, your eye makeup is DONE.

I think it totally works well for big nights out, too. Just add false lashes and a bright lip. Side note: You can pretty much wear it with any warm or cool lipstick of your choice, which is another added bonus.

clinique lots o latte swatch — Swatch out for this NC42 arm!

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Current Makeup Inspiration

April 4th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

I’m always about *this* close to quitting my subscription to Allure, because every time a Kardashian or a Jenner pops on the cover, I’m just like, “I can’t. I can’t do this anymore.” But then, ya know, another issue will arrive, and I’ll start flipping through the pages, and it’s just makeup inspiration up the wazoo, so I keep subscribing.

In the April 2019 issue…AH! — so much color inspo from the beautiful actress Gemma Chan. She’s one of the stars of Crazy Rich Asians and the sci-fi drama Humans, where she plays a preternaturally beautiful robot who gains self-awareness.

There’s a lengthy piece on her with pictures of different looks, and what strikes me the most is all the color. There’s a lot of it, but so much of it is done in a way that looks totally doable and wearable. In fact, I think they could be turned into 10-minute versions, like her cover look… The lip? Oh, I love the red lip. The edges are perfect! I also love the soft flick in the outer corner and how it looks like she’s only wearing one or two eyeshadows on her lids (they don’t look cray complicated).

Also, may I point out her black nail polish?! Love it. ? From a practical standpoint, however, I know I’d only get a day or two out of it before seeing chips, but it looks so good in these pics, man. It’s an edgy counterpoint to the classic, timeless makeup.

Could this be the catalyst for me breaking out of my pastel polish phase? Maybe!

I’ve also got mad love for this second look here with the perfectly matching pink lids and the pink lips…

And see her lashes? I love how natural they look. Definitely not OTT. They just look like lashes with mascara on them, and same goes for her brows. They’re full, but yet still look like regular brows.

I’m also getting major inspiration from this Lancôme foundation ad on the back cover. This is my favorite type of makeup to wear — neutral shades with a low-key glam style. I love that all of the looks have one focal point (black kitten liner, a smudgy bronze lower lash line, and that gorgeous plum lip), and everything is “pulled back.”

It just goes to show that neutrals are anything but boring.

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Makeup Lovers…We’re All Artists! (And a Peek at the MAC eL Seed Collection in Action)

April 3rd, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

I’ve had painting on the brain lately for two reasons — one, because I’ve been spending practically every free moment at Home Depot because we’re planning some much-needed repairs and updates to the house this summer, including painting the place from top to bottom, because when El Hub and I purchased our place and moved in about a decade ago, we had no idea what we were doing. We were first-time homeowners, and the whole process was (and still is kinda) a mystery. We painted the interior with a flat finish, but flat finish is not your friend when you live with a toddler and/or a perpetually ravenous tabby who eats with reckless abandon and gets gravy splashes on the walls. Go with eggshell, homie. Eggshell is the way! It’s so much easier to clean.

The second reason I’ve had painting on the brain lately is because of the new MAC eL Seed collection, which is coming out in a few days. It’s one of those LE releases that just feels so artsy to me, which I guess makes sense since it’s a collaboration with an artist. eL Seed is a Tunisian graffiti artist who was raised in Paris, and he’s famous for combining Arabic script with graffiti.

It gave me the urge to paint! — and not just because of the gorgeous eye and face palette…

mac el seed cicero full face kit — The Cicero Full Face Kit, which is mostly eyeshadows and two blushes (the pink shades)

It’s the brushes.

Ooh, the brushes… They’re unusually long for makeup brushes.

They look like legit painter’s brushes to me.

I was doing makeup with them the other day and got to thinking about how I forget all the time that makeup really *is* painting. When you think about it, it’s so much like what painters do when they put brush to canvas. You’ve got your pigments and paint, and when you sit down to buff and blend everything on the blank canvas that is your face, you paint a temporary work of art. It’s so cool!

Funny thing is, I never really thought of myself as an “art person.” When I was in high school, I was in band and played every instrument under the sun, so I was a total music nerd, and I was also on the newspaper, but the last true art class I took was in eighth grade (which I got a B+ in, by the way!). That’s the extend of my art training.

mac el seed swatches final — Swatches of the Cicero Full Face Kit (the two pink shades are blushes) and three of the Lipsticks — Declaring Love (pink), Maya La Belle (red) and Une Caresse (plummy brown)

So I don’t think of myself as an artist, but makeup is art! For a few minutes (almost) every day, as I’m painting my lids and my lips and everything else, I get to be in touch with my inner eighth-grade artist, or rather, ahr-teest.

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Makeup Organizers at Marshalls

April 2nd, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

Don’t sleep on these finds at Marshalls…

Cute makeup organizers at Marshalls! From a practical standpoint, if any of these were to actually make a difference in my makeup collection, they’d have to be the size of wine barrels, ha ha ha! But they’re still cute nonetheless.

If you’re a hardcore makeup hoarder like I am, you could keep the jars on your desk or vanity, and swap out the items in them every week or two. That way you’d always have different makeup rotating through your collection. 😉

I have a tendency to put some things in a big bag and just grab out of that because it’s convenient, but I think if I had some cute jars like these I’d be more inclined to wear a wider variety of things from my collection…if they were easier to get to, ya know?

eyes glitz glam wake up make up — Sold separately, but would make a cute set

Maybe keep your favorite brushes in them? Or everything you need for 10-minute looks?

Of course, you can always get creative and use makeup-themed (or cat-themed) mugs to store your stuff!

cat mug marshalls front — Dear Cat Ladies, Marshalls has your back!

When you can’t escape cat butts, even on your mugs

I swear, my Marshalls obsession has been next-level lately! Ever since the roof collapsed on the HomeGoods by me, Marshalls has been like the siren song of the sea.

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