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Yet Another Reason to Love Lisa Eldridge

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lisa eldridge final
She’s like the British makeup nanny I never knew I needed.

How do I love Lisa Eldridge? Let me count the ways…

  1. First, I’ve learned so, so much from her about makeup. Plus, she always does her own thing, and I’m so glad to see someone out there who brings it without doing makeup that isn’t your typical Instagram/YouTube/beat-to-the-gods look…not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just SO MANY PEOPLE do it, and at a certain point, everyone starts to look the same.

    Sorry, tangent.

  2. Second, she’s a total cat lady! I love it when her kitty cats ? show up in her videos.
  3. Third, and I know this is gonna sound so weird, buuuuut when I can’t sleep because I have insomnia in the wee hours of the morning (like I did last night!), I’ll fire up a Lisa Eldridge video on my phone, put on my headphones, and listen to her soothing voice talk about makeup. POOF! — I fall right back to sleep…

Last night I spent a couple hours awake in bed obsessing about relatives coming to stay for two weeks and how I haven’t had enough time to clean the house before their arrival, and at some point between trying to work out when I’ll be able to scrub the guest toilet, and finding a space for the Ninja Blender Box that’s been sitting on the dining room table for months, I turned on Lisa’s video about under-eye concealer, and sure enough, I’d drifted off to dreamland within a couple minutes.

Her voice is so soothing, and I adore her British accent and the fact that she’s talking about a subject I love. It feels like I have this magical British makeup nanny sitting next to me, and she’s stroking my hair ever so gently and talking to me about eyeshadow and skincare in a soothing, sweet voice until I fall asleep…


I’ve also fallen asleep to this one.

Lisa Eldridge…YOU DA BEST. You really are. You put me to sleep, but I mean that in a complimentary way. ? You send me off to the Land of Good Makeup Dreams when I can’t sleep at night, and it’s much appreciated!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Put a Cat on It!

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chanel holiday 2018 eyeshadows top final
CHANEL
‘Cause if you liked it then you should have put a cat on it.

If you liked it, then you shoulda put a cat in it.

Don’t be mad once you see the tabby’s paw on it.

‘Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a cat on it.

Oh, oh, oh (oh, oh, oh) oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

Oh, oh, oh (oh, oh, oh) oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

When you and I finally discover the mythical doorway to the alternate universe ruled by cat ladies and cross the threshold together, you’ll see. There will be cats on everything. Every piece of makeup. EVERYTHING! Because cats on makeup is the key to life!

Well, maybe not the key to life…but it makes things better. ?

Paul and Joe does it, Chantecaille did it with big cats, and now Chanel went there with ? lions. They put leonine heads on their holiday eyeshadows and holiday highlighter.

I’ve been wanting to use these shadows, but I couldn’t bring myself to sully the kitty cat designs on them. I’ve been surgically removing tiny amounts of the shadows from the sides of the pan (right next to the lion’s bushy mane) with the diminutive NARS 45 smudge brush, so as to protect the meow-velous design.

chanel holiday 2018
Wearing Chanel Cuivre Lamé and Noir Lamé eyeshadows on my lids
chanel holiday 2018
Just a few things from the Chanel Holiday 2018 Collection (available now)

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#BECCAxChrissy Holiday 2018 Collection Glow Kitchen and Lip Icing Glow Gloss Kits

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becca chrissy holiday 2018 2
New #BECCAxChrissy holiday makeup

Chrissy Teigan gets me, man. She really does — and not just because she made one of my favorite face/eye palettes of all time.

Um, have I mentioned in the last 5 minutes how much I adore the BECCA X Chrissy palette? Yeah, you do not have to twist my arm to get me to wear bronze eyeshadow. LOL.

Well, Chrissy is back with another BECCA holiday collab, and it’s also gorgeous, especially if you have warm undertones and medium brown skin.

We’re talking bronze lids, rose gold highlighter, rosy nude lipstick and a whole lotta nude gloss, a.k.a Karen’s Makeup Dreams Come True, or K.M.D.C.T.

There’s two LE holiday kits, and both of them are available now at Sephora.

BECCA Glow Kitchen Kit ($44)

This kit contains three items, and errrrthang is new. These are never-seen-before formulas, which is very exciting to makeup weirdos ? like yours truly. There’s a loose rose gold highlighter, a matte nude rose liquid lipstick, and a pot called Glow Souffle Eye Shadow & Face Highlighter in Cinnamon Churro with a bronze eyeshadow in the flip-cap top and a creamy golden mousse highlighter in the jar. (Side note: The packaging looks a LOT like these old Tom Ford duos.)

becca chrissy holiday 2018

I couldn’t wait to try Cinnamon Churro. The soft bronze eyeshadow feels almost creamy, so it’s crazy sexy blend-able, but the frosty finish and big flecks of glitter make it…problematic for 40-something lids. If I take it up too high into my crease — which is easy to do because of how gracefully the powder glides across the skin, and you know I like to go HAM on that @ss when it comes to blending — I look much older than I am because of mah fine lines.

Beautiful bronze color, though… Le sigh. If I were 22, I’d be on it like fried chicken on waffles.

becca chrissy holiday 2018 swatches

Fun fact: The mousse highlighter in the duo smells like cinnamon buns, which are one of Chrissy’s favorite sweet treats… And now I’m craving cinnamon buns with extra icing, ha ha.

Um…where was I?

To put the formula in context, the mousse is denser than a Tom Ford cream shadow but less dense than a Chanel cream or a MAC Paint Pot.

So, basically, it feels like a makeup marshmallow (which is great), but, like the eyeshadow, the mousse is full of bling, so it gets a hard pass from me thanks to my experience lines.

becca chrissy holiday 2018
BECCA Chrissy Holiday 2018

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Hanging With “Makeup People,” and Thoughts on Looking Like You’re Trying With Your Makeup Even Though You Really Haven’t Tried at All

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Last weekend at a children’s birthday party, which was held inside an art studio, I got to make pinch bowls with ceramic clay (I asked El Hub if he wanted to recreate that scene with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore from Ghost but he said no). At the party, I bumped into a fellow makeup person (hey, Shakun!), and as our kids devoured birthday cake and buzzed around the room, naturally, the conversation drifted to the makeup we were wearing, because that’s what you do when you are a “makeup person,” as opposed to a standard “makeup civilian” (yes, I’m officially coining that term right now).

Big surprise! — I was wearing neutrals on my lids and lips, but because it was a party and I felt like I needed to try a little bit, I also drew some shimmery blue winged liner at the last minute using two colors for an ombre effect. I used a light teal in the inner part of the lash line (Urban Decay Deep End) and a darker sapphire for the outer third and wing (LSD, also by UD).

Not one at that party — not even El Hub, who was the person who probably spent the most time looking directly at my eyes that afternoon — noticed that I was wearing two shades of blue liner, except for Shakun.

BAM! Right off the bat, she pointed out the ombre effect and asked what I used. Funny how it’s like that when you’re hanging with a makeup person, right?! They notice the details right away.

I complimented Shakun on her bright red matte lipstick, and she said that she was wearing red lips because she didn’t have a lot of time to get ready, but she still wanted to look like she tried because it was a party. LOL!

That got me thinking bout the things we do as “makeup people” when we want to look like we tried, but we’re still pressed for time.

I definitely have a go-to bag of tricks for these occasions, like colorful liner, of course, which is so easy, and it’s even easier if you leave out the winged part of it. Anything jewel-toned and shimmery, I like, but purples are what I reach for the most. And GLITTER! A glittery liquid liner, or a glittery eyeshadow top coat (Urban Decay Diamond Dog!), always works wonders and doesn’t take a lot of effort. And, of course, a bright hot pink or red lip. All of these things pop with hardly any effort.

False lashes also up the ante, but at this point in my life I reserve them for special events and holidays like Halloween.

Thanks for being a fellow makeup person. 🙂 Because sometimes I really need someone more interactive to talk to about these things than Tabs…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Thoughts on “The Voice” and Kelly Clarkson’s Makeup

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kelly clarkson red eyeshadow
Red eyeshadow!

Do you ever watch The Voice? Dude, I’ve been watching The Voice a lot lately, 1) it seems like they have a new season every 15 minutes, and 2) because I’m a sucker for any combination of the following: joking banter between Adam and Blake, Jennifer Hudson throwing shoes, and Kelly Clarkson talking a mile a minute about something and all of the judges teasing her for it.

Even though (grumble, grumble…) the show usually, as of late, culminates in America voting for a young, pretty pop female singer in the finale, it’s my favorite current guilty TV pleasure (that and Midsomer Murders).

Occasionally I yell things like “I would die. I would JUST DIE if I met Mariah Carey in person” at the television, or “I would bet money Kelly Clarkson’s wearing Urban Decay Naked Heat.”

Speaking of that, THE MAKEUP. It’s good. Especially Kelly’s. I’m always surprised by the stuff she wears because she really seems to love color and taking risks.

Mariah Carey has also been a guest coach in the last few knockout round episodes, and her style and Kelly’s are so different from each other.

I mean, Mariah’s makeup always looks damn good, too (Kristopher Buckle is her go-to artist), but I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see her in anything other than some sort of bronze lid or a subtle smoky eye with the same exact eyeshadow placement paired with either a pink or nude lip.


Her makeup never really changes, but she always looks b-o-m-b.

While I totally get sticking to something that works, I gotta say, Kelly’s makeup is so fun, and she always tries something different. In this season so far, she’s worn red eye eyeshadow in one show, then a purple eyeshadow in another. I also LOVE that she’ll wear different eyeshadow shapes and placements. I tracked down who I think does her makeup for the show, and I think it’s Gloria Elias-Foeillet, who does makeup for a bunch of celebs (including Missy Elliot!).

Hmm… I just realized something. See the edge of Kelly’s lips in the pics with the nude lips? She’s wearing dark un-blended lip liner. How very 1997! I wonder if there’s a stage makeup reason for that (perhaps to define the edge so the lips look fuller?), because the liner is relatively subtle and not something you see right off the bat unless you’re looking closely.

Or maybe she just likes late ’90s-style lip looks?

(Now those are some deep thoughts, ha ha!)

Maybe I should just ask, since I’ve been low-key stalking Gloria’s Instagram lately. I really dig how she balances between classically beautiful makeup and artsy looks. She’s a new person to follow if you love makeup inspiration like I do. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Best Glue for False Lashes

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urban decay lash glue the best
The best!

It had been a minute since the last time I wore false lashes, but I went there on Halloween. Thankfully, I remembered an absolutely game-changing tip when it comes to falsies. If you’ve every had trouble applying them (and who hasn’t?), what you need to do is hunt down a set of UD Urban Lash False Eyelashes.

They’ll make your life easier.

Doesn’t really matter which style… Seriously, it’s not about the lashes themselves, although they’re pretty good too.

But I’m all about that lash glue. I think it’s the best out there. I stockpile Urban Decay falsies just to get more of the glue!

I think it’s even better than Duo lash glue, which you can find everywhere and almost everyone (except me) seems to like… I think it’s 1) stinky and 2) almost too sticky, and unless I place it perfectly that first time, it’s darned near impossible to lift the lashes off to re-position them.

Urban Decay’s glue, on the other paw, doesn’t stink (YAY!), and it has some “leeway” to it, meaning that I can lift off the lashes and put them back on a few times (which always happens because I never get it perfect on the first try) before committing to the final positioning.

It’s just so easy! Plus, once it’s dry, it doesn’t move at all.

The viscosity of the UD glue is perfect, too. It isn’t too runny or too thick, which are other issues I have with Duo. The consistency of the formula varies wildly, whereas I’m consistently able to apply the exact amount of UD’s glue I need on the lash band.

Oh, and when you open the tube, there’s also the teeny, very skinny applicator, and it’s easy to get just the littlest amount of glue on your false lashes with it, which is crucial because you want to use the least amount of glue you can get away with (bonus: one tube will last a while).

halloween 50s girl
Is it weird that I have a favorite lash glue?

Did I mention the style I’m wearing in this pic? It’s called HBIC.

I mean…by no means is it a natural lash look, but it’s great for ? parties and cutting-loose days.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

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hourglass ambient lighting palette vib sale
One of my greatest Hourglass loves (and one of the things I use the most from the entire line)

Even MOAR ideas!! On the off chance that you haven’t already heard, there’s a Sephora VIB sale this month! To give you some ideas, I’m highlighting some of my favorite makeup that you can find at Sephora this week.

I’ve been the proud, happy owner of this highlighting palette ever since the first time it came out in 2013, and I lurve it just as much today as I did five years ago.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is $62 at full price, a.k.a. HELLA EXPENSIVE, but the Sephora VIB discount kicks it down to $49.60, which is a teensy bit easier on the wallet.

Whenever someone near or above 30 asks me for a highlighter recommendation, this palette, along with MAC Hush, are the first two things that come to mind.

Why?

Well, each of the three face powders in the Ambient Lighting Palette has a lovely opalescent glow…

Hmm, let me rephrase that, because I don’t know if “opalescent” is quite the right term. Basically, I think the finish is unlike anything else out there. Opal, or pearl, would indicate some obvious shine, and the Ambient powders aren’t even close to shiny. They’re a velvety pearl, if that makes any sense, because while you can can definitely see light bouncing off your skin when you wear them on your upper cheekbones or down the bridge of your nose, they’re nowhere close to shimmery or frosty or shiny.

It’s the subtlest of glows (here are some swatches). You might not even be able to tell at first that there’s something there, but when you look closely…there is!

From sephora.com…

What it is:
A palette featuring three shades of Ambient Lighting Powder, the high-tech, soft-focus finishing powder that recreates the most exquisitely flattering types of light.

What it does:
Ambient Lighting Powder is a groundbreaking collection of finishing powders that capture, diffuse, and soften the way light reflects on skin. Unlike traditional powders, which merely cloak imperfections, Ambient Lighting Powder utilizes photoluminescent technology to filter out harsh light and refine the appearance of the complexion. The powders deliver a multidimensional luminescence to every skin tone, making it appear softer and lit from within. The finishing powders enhance skin in any type of light, including flash photography. With three universal shades available in the Ambient palette, you can create any desired effect.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens

What else you need to know:
This palette includes Incandescent Light, a shade exclusive to this palette, and two existing shades, Dim Light and Radiant Light. This product is free of talc, gluten, fragrance, and nano particles.

“I learned early on how different types of light can truly flatter the complexion. Growing up, my mother had pink light bulbs in all of the lamps throughout the house. She loved pink light because it was the softest and most flattering, and she always wanted to look good. I used this concept of lighting in Ambient Lighting Powder.”

— Carisa Janes, Hourglass Founder

Hourglass products are 100 percent cruelty-free.

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Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

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tarte lights camera lashes

IMPORTANT (not really, but you know what I mean): There’s a Sephora VIB sale in November, so this week I’m highlighting some of my favorite makeup workhorses that I think are worthy of your wish list.

If you have stick-straight, skinny lashes like mine, you’ll totally understand the magic behind this product. Like the fabulous feline and the feisty toddler who boss me around, my lashes do not listen to me… Every morning, I go through the same routine. I crimp my lashes with my curler and say a prayer to the beauty goddesses. “Please, please hold this curl!”

Then, my lashes straighten out.

I spent decades looking for a mascara that would hold a curl while boosting my roots so my lashes could soar high up to the heavens above — and yes, I wanted these things without having to deal with a trail of flakes on my cheeks or blackened smears smudging my lower lash line.

Well, love, this is it. ?

I’ve mentioned Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara a few times before, but I haven’t given it the love it deserves.

tarte lights camera lashes

It’s been around for-everrrrrr, and I always return to it because it hoists every last lash (even the ones on the outer corner, which are the droopiest of the droopy ones for me), and then stretches them out so the tips extend way beyond their natural length.

Plus, the volume? Dialed up! Like YSL Faux Cils, but a tinge less intense at the roots.

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