Makeup

My MAC Antiquitease love just keeps growing and growing. Here’s the Queen’s Sin look, which features red lips and gold eyes.

Where to work it?

The red lip look is strong, but at the same time versatile. You get lots of mileage out of this look because you can work it in many different settings.

A classic look for work. I’ve been wearing the Queen’s Sin look to work a lot lately. Yes, the colors are bold, but the overall feel is conservative because you’re not sporting bright jewel tones or lots of glitter. The look would suit lots of different work environments – a buttoned-up law firm, a creative advertising company, or even a laid back office.

A gala night. If you need to dress to impress, you can’t go wrong with red lips, gold eyes and a great formal black dress. Don’t forget to throw in some pretty gold accessories and a dainty clutch.

Rober Palmer (RIP) back up singer. Remember the girls from the “Addicted to Love” video?
When I was a kid I got in so much trouble when my friend and I dressed up as the backup band! My mom was not happy about us “borrowing” her expensive red Clinique lipstick!

Get the look!

Beginners, don’t be intimidated by this look. It might seem complicated but it’s really easy to do!

I had most of the products featured on the Queen’s Sin face chart but had to do just a few replacements.

MAC face chart: Brown Down eye shadow in crease (teddy bear brown)
Replaced it with: Soft Brown Matte eye shadow (soft golden peachy brown)

MAC face chart: Plum Foolery blush (faintly plum)
Replaced it with: Fab blush

MAC face chart: Burgandy lip pencil (brownish burgandy)
Replaced it with: Rimmel Indian Pink lip pencil

To turn the look up a notch, I’ve also topped these fab red lips with a layer of Chanel Myriade Glossimer lipgloss.

And if red lips are too vavoom for you, you can always do a toned down version by doing a light stain and leaving out the gloss.

One more face of the day

I like to call this the MISERY GRIN. It comes out when people (El Hub, family members, random annoying people) ask me to do something when I’d rather just be sitting on the couch in a state of vegetation.

The key to the MISERY GRIN is moving that bottom lip directly downward to expose all of your bottom teeth! That way the misery can’t be missed from a mile away.

The MISERY GRIN is especially effective when you are wearing lipstick that draws attention to one’s pout, like in the can’t-miss red lips from the Queen’s Sin look! 🙂

YES! Wednesday. I’m happy that the week is almost over. Got anything exciting happening today? I’m going to dance class tonight for the first time in a month so I’m really looking forward to it.

I hope you’re having a good day so far!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Oh, boy. I’m in trouble now, because Chanel Glossimer lipgloss has got me feining.

Save me, holy ghost.

Myriade is my fave of the three. I paired it with MAC lipstick in Dubonnet.

Mad Crazy Big Hearts for:

Color. The sparkle factor is high on these glosses. It’s very grown-up glitter though! I love looking at the color and seeing the different flecks of gold, silver, pink and green.
Texture. Glossimers are thick but aren’t as sticky as MAC Lipglass. You can still feel them on your lip, unlike other thin lipglosses.
Packaging. I love looking at the cap and seeing those gold interlocking C’s. It feels very luxurious.

Little Itty-Bitty Hearts for:

Price. Yeah, it’s an arm and a leg: $25.00 for each. I know, I know.
Limited edition-ness. I really wanted to get the shade that Paris raved about, Astral #104, but unfortunately it’s a limited edition and the counter was out! I almost cried. My wallet sighed in relief.

Are you a Chanel addict? Can you remember your first hit? What should I get next?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Golden Girls

You know your girl loves the brushes! If you’re going to spend any money on brushes this holiday season then bring your bad self to the MAC counter because they’ve got some really pretty — and surprisingly practical — gilded goodies. Ohh, la luxe!

For holiday 2007, MAC has a collection called Heirlooms, which features cute clutch bags and several different brush sets. By far my favorites are Heirlooms: 4 Face Brushes and Heirlooms 5: Basic Brushes. I love these sets because of the gold handles! And not only are they pretty to look at, but they’re surprisingly useful too.

What’s the deal with the “SE”?

The “SE” sets are different than the regular, full-price brushes you buy individually at MAC. SE handles are shorter and lighter. Although the SE brush heads are great, they aren’t as soft as my regular MAC brushes. I prefer longer-handled brushes that have weight to them, but I do like SE brushes for travel or for touch-ups, like after a gym workout. I think of them as my “occasional” brushes, rather than everyday “workhorse” brushes.

If you plan to buy these brushes, I’d recommend that you either be:

– a brush newbie who plans on building a collection of brushes, but needs a good starting off point
– a lovely lady on a strict brush budget
– a brush junkie who need a set of small handled brushes that will only be used for travel and on-the-go touchups, and not everyday use

The brush breakdown

With brushes, I really don’t believe in limiting a brush to a specific use – i.e., this brush is for the crease only, or this brush is for concealer only. I really like to mix and match my brushes according to the products that I’m using and how I’m feeling that day. Here’s a general breakdown of how I’d use the brushes in these sets.

Heirlooms: 4 Face Brushes ($48.00)

This set comes with the a cutie-pie clutch purse made from Chanel-esque gold tweed! To peep the brushes that come with this set, check the picture above and start from the left-hand side:

168 – Large angle contour brush. I’d use this for applying blush to the hollows of the cheek, to contour, or for specific placement of highlighting powder. In a pinch I’d wet this and use it as a foundation brush.
187 – Duo fibre brush. This is the famous MAC “skunk” brush, made from a blend of soft goat and synthetic fibers. The MAC Web site says that this is used for lightweight application and blending of face powder or pigments. I’d use this as a foundation brush, as a blush brush, as a highlight brush and as a blending brush.
194 – Concealer brush. I’d use this for undereye concealer and for layering powder shadow on top of soft kohl liners, like MAC Technakohl.
190 – Foundation brush. If you’ve used this brush before as a foundation brush and it works for you then I give you big props. I have this brush in the full-sized version, but can’t seem to get this to work on me. I always end up with patchy application. For foundations I actually like the 182 buffer brush! The price is an arm and a leg but it’s well worth it. The 190 is still a useful brush though, and would be good for getting foundation into places the 182 doesn’t go easily, like the corners of the nose. I’d also use this for creme blush.

The cold, hard math: If you purchased the full-sized version of these 4 brushes it would cost you $124.50.

Heirlooms: 5 Basic Brush Set ($45.00)

Check the cute, gold fake-snakeskin container this comes in. I love it ’cause it looks expensive. Plus, the brushes are useful, too! The five brushes that come with this set are in the pic above starting from the right hand side:

219 – Eye detail brush. This brush has a small brush head with fibers that are gathered into a pencil-shaped tip. I use it for shadow application right at the lash line, or precise application of color to the outer-v. I’ve tried to use it in the crease but have had just so-so results.
316 – Lip brush. In a pinch I’d also use this for fine spot concealing, or for applying gel liners like Fluidline.
266 – Brow brush. WOOT! You know you’re girl can’t live without her 266. I use this every day to apply Concrete shadow to my brows. I know some folks like to use the 266 to line the eyes with Fluidline, too.
129 – Powder/blush brush. In a pinch I’d also use this as a foundation brush.
239 – Eye shader brush. I love this brush. It’s great for both powder and emollient products (MAC Paint, concealers) and has so many uses. You can use it to apply shadow all over the lid, or in the crease, or to blend out harsh lines. Oh, and it can also teach you how to speak French! Okay, totally kidding about that last one. But still, it’s a fantastical, multi-use brush that I’m sure you’ll fall in love with.

The cold, hard math: If you purchased the full-sized version of these 5 brushes it would cost you $119.50.

Both sets give you brushes with a wide range of possibilities. But if you’re watching your budget and can only purchase one set I’d recommend:

– buying the 4 Basic Brush Set if you have a good working set of everyday go-to brushes
– buying the 5 Basic Brush Set if you’re new to brushes and need a good starting point

The OG Original Gangsta Golden Girls

Before there was Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte there was Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose.

Did you ever watch this show? All my gay guy friends love it, and so do I. It seems to be on Lifetime (television for women!) every other hour and it *always* cracks me up.

I think I’m mostly Sophia with a touch of Rose, ha! How about you?

I hope your morning was a relaxing one. I’m still recovering from the P. Hilt interview (this whole weekend was REALLY STRESSFUL) but am now looking forward to hitting the Chanel counter for a lil’ relaxation and reward.

Two days ’till turkey — are you ready?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen