Makeup

3 Things to Know About Physicians Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer

January 30th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

Physicians Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer ($14.95 and available at Rite Aid, CVS, Target and Ulta) is A-OK if you’re going for an extra dewy look…

1. Because I think it looks beautiful blended into foundation.

That’s when I really like this glittery champagne-colored liquid primer. Mixing it with foundation tones down the sparkle. A lot. Making it a little more wearable, and when I’m going for extra dewy, illuminated skin, like on rainy days when the muted light outside is more forgiving than it is on sunny days, it’s fun.

physicians formula spotlight closeup unblended — Unblended, it glistens in a borderline frosty way.

2. It is NOT a dupe for BECCA Backlight (sadly).

I hoped it would be. A drugstore version of $38 BECCA Backlight would have rocked, but Spotlight’s shimmer is bolder. Light softly beams off of my skin when I wear Backlight, but Spotlight has noticeably bigger glitter flecks and a harder, frostier pore-highlighting reflection, ESPECIALLY in full sunlight.

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Awesome for $8: Physicians Formula The Healthy Lip Velvet Liquid Lipstick

January 26th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

physicians formula bare with me — Bare With Me

Yeah, I’m still in my pajamas, but I’m in the comfort of my home, which leads me to two recent revelations…

1. Pajamas in public

It’s been ages since I’ve seen anyone, adult or teen, wearing pajamas in public, and to this I say HALLELUJAH.

2. I found a really lovely drugstore matte liquid lipstick

It’s an $8 one (technically, $7.95) by Physicians Formula called The Healthy Lip, and it’s… Honestly, I think it could rival the NARS liquid lipstick I love, love, LOVE to pieces.

physicians formula healthy lip — Bare With Me, Dose of Rose, Berry Health, Mangentle Formula, Tu-lip Treatment, Vitamin Beet

I mean, it isn’t an *exact* dupe, so don’t grab your car keys and run to the door yet. 🙂 But it’s very similar. The NARS one is, like, probably the smoothest, most comfortable liquid lipstick I’ve ever tried, and if you have vertical lip lines like I do, it’s also one of those rare liquid lipsticks that hugs your lips and just looks very, very smooth. Plus, it’s completely opaque. One layer does the trick, and it also doesn’t suck the moisture from your lips.

The Healthy Lip is all of that and more because it’s eight bucks!

physicians formula healthy lip dose of rose — Dose of Rose

physicians formula healthy lip vitamin beet — Vitamin Beet

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Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer Has Plenty of Chill

January 25th, 2018 by Karen 3 Comments

origins original skin primer — Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer ($32 for a 1.8-oz. can)

Could someone please explain why all of these chill-inducing skin care products are launching in the middle of winter? First Kate Somerville’s Cryogenic thingamabob, and now this — Origins Original Skin Pore-Prefecting Cooling Primer With Willowherb? Both of them feel freezing when you put them on your face, and that’s the last thing I need help with right now. Mother nature is taking care of that all by herself, thank you very much. (Side note: I’m wearing the thickest, most unsexy socks right now…but they’re so warm!)

I will say, though… This primer is kinda cool, both literally and figuratively. It’s a tinted, airy, mousse-y foam makeup primer, and like the Jelly Cleanser it just launched with, it has willowherb extract to help with hyper-pigmentation.

It does feel cool to the touch when it first comes out of the can — not painfully freezing cold or tingly or anything, but it is chilly enough to get your attention. I find it refreshing, like holding a chilled washcloth to your face, and the effect wears off in about 10-15 seconds.

You work a little on bare skin after washing your face and applying your skin care for the day, but before applying your makeup, and it helps everything you apply afterward (foundation, concealer, powder, etc.) look smoother and last longer.

On my 40-something combo skin, it works as a moderately potent smoothing primer (I can definitely see a difference in pore size when I use it), similar to BECCA Backlight (but without the shimmer), Hourglass Veil or MAC Prep+Prime Natural Radiance, but not as intensely smoothing as a silicone-heavy primer like Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer or Urban Decay Urban Defense, both of which fill pores like painter’s putty for your skin.

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A Rainy Day Minimalist Makeup Tutorial: Cheerful Pink Cheeks, Rosy Lips and Doe Eyes

January 25th, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

For the record, it’s hard to look cute in a raincoat. (In case you were wondering.)

It’s rainy and gloomy here in NorCal today, but I’m not complaining, because the rain makes me feel alive! The world around me is thirsty, and it’s taking a much-needed shower and a big gulp of refreshing H2O. And when it’s done, the oak trees and the grass on the hill and the sidewalks and my car (haha) are all going to look fresh and new. 🙂

Or…maybe that’s just California Karen romanticizing the rain, since we haven’t had much of it this winter. I’m sure that if I lived someplace where it’s been pouring 24/7, I’d be like FRICKIN’ RAIN RUINING EVERY MINUTE AND EVERY SECOND OF MAH LIFE!!!

Weather like this calls for a dose of cheerful pink cheeks and bright rosy lips (it couldn’t hurt). Thanks to an illuminating primer, the skin is ever-so-dewy, and the dark blue liner plays off the pink. It’s strategically placed on the middle of the lower lash line for a doe-eyed effect, so you can give strangers a come-hither stare while you sashay by them in your raincoat.

Side note: #teamraincoat ALL THE WAY. Raincoats are the way to go (even if they are hard to look cute in), because they let you keep your hands free, and if there’s a kitten huddling in an rainy alley and you need to save her, you can carry her and comfort her with both hands.

See? Always looking ahead. ?????

When it’s raining, I like to keep my makeup on the minimal side, because you never know if you and your raincoat will get caught in a downpour, and I figure that if my face gets drenched in the rain, better for it to happen while I’m wearing minimal makeup than a full face of war paint… You know, less to clean up when I get wherever I need to go. *shrugs shoulders*

Here’s a breakdown of this look…

TOOLS (products I used are in italic):

Whatever you like to blend your foundation and cream with — a blending brush, BeautyBlender or your fingers
Q-tips
A brow gel (I used Hourglass Arch Brow Gel in Warm Brunette)
A waterproof Mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof)
A long-wearing dark blue pencil liner (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Sabbath)
An under-eye concealer (I used MAC Studio Waterweight Concealer in a mix of NC20 and NW45)
A liquid foundation (Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation in DW2)
An illuminating liquid primer (I like Physicians Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer)
A creamy pink blush (Kosas Cosmetics Creme Blush in 8th Muse)
A matte rosy pink liquid lipstick (Physicians Formula The Healthy Lip Velvet Finish in Dose of Rose) — I chose a liquid matte lipstick because I didn’t want to wear anything that would stick to my hair

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The MAC Lunar New Year Collection for 2018: 5 Things You Need to Know

January 24th, 2018 by Karen 22 Comments

1. You’re gonna have to hunt for it

The collection just launched a few days ago, buuut it’s already sold out online (it’s only seven pieces total). If you see something you gotta have, well…I’m sorry, babe. Maybe call your friendly neighborhood MAC sales associate, and keep your fingers and toes crossed. They might still have something hidden behind the counter.

(Note: At last check, the five Lipsticks ($17.50 each), and the Luck and Fortune Eye Shadow Palette ($32) and Powder Blush Duo ($29) are all sold out online.)

2. Sadly (because they’re so hard to find), the lipsticks are a peach and/or pink lip lover’s dream come true

SO MUCH PEACH AND PINK! I spend 99% of my lipstick life wearing those colors (sorry, no corpse-y gray for this girl), so these are lipstick nirvana for me.

The two Satins — My favorite shades are muted peachy pink Good Health and soft peach Peachy New Year, which has golden pearl. Both of them are pigmented, apply smoothly, don’t dry out my lips and last a decently long amount of time (’bout four hours). I also ? them as cream blush.
The two Mattes — Dusty rose To Luck! is opaque and doesn’t catch my lip flakes, but it’s a little drying…and I think bright pinkish coral Prosperity is pretty, but it isn’t as intensely pigmented as To Luck! And it also latches onto every minuscule micro flake on my lips.
The Cremesheen — If you like pale blueish pinks, you might like creamy light pink Pure Happiness. It’s semi-sheer, which I’m fine with, but I’m not crazy about this one on me… I’m a MAC NC42, and I think it looks a little weird on me for some reason.

mac lunar new year 2018 swatches lipstick — Lipsticks ($17.50 each) in Good Health, Peachy New Year, To Luck!, Prosperity, Pure Happiness

3. Props to the Powder Blush Duo

I only need one light layer of warm pink Love Token for naturally flushed cheeks, and light pale peach Long Life & Happiness is also surprisingly pigmented. Both shades are a cinch to blend, too. They skate across skin and feather out almost as well as Melba, my favorite MAC matte blush of all time.

I really like this duo because most of the time I just want a little color on my cheeks, which is exactly what this duo delivers. That exact look.

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Fast and Flirty Valentine’s Day Makeup Tutorial: A Romantic Monochromatic Soft Peach Look for All Skill Levels

January 24th, 2018 by Karen 29 Comments

In the interest of fairness, seeing as how we have Valentine’s Day to celebrate lurve, and Galentine’s Day for your gal pals, shouldn’t there also be a holiday to commemorate V-Day for cat lovers and our cats? Like Feline-en-tine’s Day? Or Cat-en-tine’s Day?

Ooh! — I’ve got it. Meow-entine’s Day! ? ? Happy Meow-entine’s Day, fellow cat ladies, LOL!

Valentine’s Day is a few weeks away, a fact that occurred to me at 7:55 p.m. the other night at See’s Candy (5 minutes before closing), where I went on an emergency last-minute chocolate run.

They had their heart-shaped candy boxes on full display, and it was like a sudden cocoa-infused wake-up call that this is a perfect time for romantic, soft makeup looks. I think this monochromatic peach one would be great for a daytime date, or an evening date, or a date that goes from day to night, ooh-la-la!

Why I ? monochromatic makeup

Because it takes the aspect of color coordinating, and figuring out if this purple goes with that bronze, or if this pink goes with that teal, out of the picture and makes it easy to use multiple (but related) colors together (i.e., so you don’t have to think too hard).

But I really ? monochromatic makeup with a twist!

Instead of just being a peach-on-peach-on-peach party on the eyes, cheeks and lips, this look also relies on subtle transitions and different cream and powder textures, matte and satin finishes, and varying levels of coverage and intensity.

On the eyes, matte and satin powder eyeshadows are layered on top of a cream shadow, and the cheeks and lips are both sporting the same peach color and cream finish, except that the cheeks are sheer, and the lips are opaque. And the creaminess of the blush and lipstick also plays off the matte areas of the skin.

Sheer skin for balance

My foundation is purposefully sheer in this look because, with all of the drama happening on my eyes and the opaque lip, I feel like the face, cheeks and lips need to dial it back a bit to keep everything looking balanced.

A 15-minute look from start to finish

The choice to do sheer skin is also a timing thing, because I’m still really into makeup looks that I can finish in 15 minutes or less, and doing sheer skin saves lots of time and lets me spend most of it on my eyes.

What you’ll need

Here are the products I used…

FACE PRODUCTS

Face primer (Urban Decay Urban Defense Complexion Primer)
Sheer face tint, or a CC or BB cream (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint in Honey)
Makeup setting spray (MAC Fix+)
Powder foundation (Sweat Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in 200)
Concealer for your under eye area, if you want (MAC Matchmaster Concealer in 4)
Cream peach lipstick (MAC Lunar New Year Lipstick in Good Health, an LE shade available now online and at select MAC counters)

EYE MAKEUP

Brow gel, either clear or a color that matches your brows (Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Gel in Warm Brown)
Cream stick shadow similar to your skin tone (MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Colour Stick in Sand Bar)
Three powder eyeshadows: a matte peach eyeshadow, a matte taupe and satiny bronzy brown (MAC Lunar New Year Eye Shadow X9 in Luck and Fortune, an LE palette available now at select MAC counters)
Two pencil eyeliners: a black and a bronzy brown (Chanel 88 Noir Intense and MAC Costa Riche)
Mascara (Tarte Lights Camera Lashes)

Let’s get started

First, you’ll be bouncing back and forth between working on your face and working on your eyes, because when every minute/second counts, you gotta multitask. But it won’t be stressful or scary, I promise. 🙂

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The Urban Decay X Kristen Leanne Collection Vice Lipsticks in Bun Bun, Cloud9 and Spellbound

January 19th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

urban decay kristen leanne vice lipstick — From the left: Bun Bun, Cloud9 and Spellbound

One of the three Vice Lipsticks in the UD X Kristen Leanne collection is called Bun Bun (it’s the neutral one), named after Kristen’s bunny. ?

Isn’t that cute? Anyone who names a lipstick after their beloved fur-baby is A-OK in my book.

Kristen loves color, cruelty-free makeup and tattoos — all fab fits for UD — and there are three $17 matte lippies in her new UD collaboration (available meow). Bun Bun is the neutral, Cloud9 is the beautiful bright purple, and Spellbound is the deep burgundy.

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Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel

January 19th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

Oh, beauty gods, how fickle are ye! One minute you make skinny, barely-there brows en vogue, and the next minute it’s wall-to-wall wild, bushy brows.

Speaking for myself, I hope the wild, untamed feather brow stays in style a little longer…

OK, a lot longer.

’cause I love the look, and because then I can use this new Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel to its fullest potential.

Hourglass just added this new line of long-wearing (10+ hours for me) tinted brow fillers to their permanent line. They’re $28 and available in six shades — Blonde, Warm Blonde, Auburn, Soft Brunette, Warm Brunette and Dark Brunette.

I bounce back and forth between preferring the lighter Warm Brunette and darker Dark Brunette shades, depending on how intense I want my brows at any given moment, although realistically I know that $28 for a brow filler is redonkulously expensive. Still, these little cherubs save me so much time.

They’re also really easy to use — even easier than similar ones I’ve used from Tarte and MAC.

Homegirl got NO time for fussy brow gels! Give me all teh tools! Every minute saved is another minute I can sleep in. 🙂

hourglass arch brow volumizing fiber gel before after — Before and after Dark Brunette

I’m usually a brow pencil-clear brow gel combo girl, and that combo usually takes me 2-3 minutes to use (yes, I’ve timed it), but Hourglass Arch is a one-stop shop where I can fill and set my brows in 30 seconds or less. And they don’t end up looking cray when I’m done, LOL!

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