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Eyes

What’s the Oldest Piece of Makeup in Your Collection That You Still Use?

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Old school NARS

I know, kinda gross, but let’s be real. Some of us don’t always stick very closely to expiration dates!

Last year I did a major makeup purge, so most of the ancient pieces from MBB Ye Olden Days are gone. However, one of the handful of items I kept was a NARS palette of single shadows and blushes from — wait for it — 2015.

Yup, I still use it. Eight years is a long time to hold onto makeup, but since I’m the only person who uses this palette and the powders don’t look or smell gross, I figure I should be fine.

How about you? What’s the oldest piece of makeup in your collection that you still use?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Checking In: A Beauty Bakerie Palette, Hourglass Eyeliners and Enthusiastic Empties

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Warm tones and shimmer from the Do It For the Graham Palette by Beauty Bakerie
Warm tones and shimmer from the Do It For the Graham Palette by Beauty Bakerie

Ever wonder why Graham crackers are called “Graham” crackers? I was wondering this the other day while swatching the Do It for the Graham Eyeshadow Palette by Beauty Bakerie.

I'm an NC42 in MAC, by the way
I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way

Turns out the crackers have an interesting history, and that the word “Graham” is always capitalized because Graham crackers are named after a real person.

I know. So many fun facts!

Between all the trees blooming and the crazy winds lately my allergies are officially on fire. Runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing every two seconds… Spring’s around the corner, and just when I start thinking it might be my new favorite season, pollen changes that in a hot second, LOL!

Just looking at this makes me want to sneeze

On that note, I’ve been searching for waterproof eyeliners that don’t budge. I know, I know, I could just skip wearing eye makeup on those days, but I’ve been on a beauty roll for the past few months and want to keep it up! Wearing face paint definitely helps with my mood, and on the days when I feel more put together, I’m just that much happier, ya know?

Lil’ liner haul

Speaking of eye makeup, remember the Hourglass Solstice pencil from last month? It’s a beautiful golden bronze from the Hourglass Waterproof Gel Eyeliner line. I finished it – yay!

You know how it goes though. Instead of replacing it like a sane person (ha) I wanted to try something new, so I grabbed these two Hourglass liners last week at Sephora: the shimmery bronze 1.5 MM Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Bronze and the cool matte brown Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Cave.

Hourglass Bronze and Cave liners

Hourglass liners: Some initial thoughts

  • Bronze 1.5 MM Liner: The skinny tip in this is super cool. It’s so precise! If you have a hooded lid situation like I do and prefer your liner to take up minimal space, it’s absolutely lovely for a touch of definition on the lash and water lines. Long wearing, too. My only concern is that I’m going to go through it quickly! $
  • Cave Waterproof Gel Eyeliner: Hmm. Mixed feelings so far about this cool brown. On the positive side, I love the cool tone of the rich, brown color. It reminds me of well worn, wet smooth brown pebbles that you’d find in a stream. There’s very little red in it, which I think is especially great for adding depth to the lash line. On the not-so-great side, when I wear it on my water line, it transfers more compared to the Solstice shade. I think I’m going to keep wearing it until I finish it, then go back to Solstice.

Empties are my jam, man

RE: Solstice again. I was thrilled to finish a liner all the way through! What is it about emptying out and finishing a makeup that’s so satisfying? I’m at the point where it’s more exciting to finish something all the way down to the last bits and bobs instead of accumulating lots of things I only use on occasion.

biossance jar empty

Do you ever feel this way? Or is it just me?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Have a happy and sweet Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my beautiful friend.

I decided to say “I love you” to myself today by sitting down in front of the mirror to joyfully put on makeup! 🙂

Key items in this look

A few notes on the key items

The Do It For The Graham eyeshadow palette is from a new-to-me brand called Beauty Bakerie, and it includes 12 powder shadows in foil, matte and duo-chrome finishes.

I’m wearing the tan, beige and dark reddish brown matte shades on my lids. Even though I’m out of practice with blending, the soft, smooth powders made it easy to weave one color into the next. Very nice!

You might recognize the red lip, because it’s one of my MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour favorites, Quite the Standout, which is a bright orangey red. If you like warm-toned reds, this shade is gonna be your jam! It’s temporarily out of stock on the MAC website (boo), but check your local counter to see if they have it around.

Last but certainly not least, MAC Glow Play Blush in That’s Peachy. It’s a light peach blush that goes on sheer, which I like because then I can really control the color intensity on my cheeks. It pairs especially well with warm red and peachy-pink lip colors.

Valentine’s Day flowers for you, friend!

Sending you so much love. Treat yourself with extra kindness today, OK?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Oh, and let me know if you also did a red lip, too!

Layered Eye Looks: Forest Green Liner with Champagne Eyeshadow

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I jokingly texted a friend to tell her that I finally put on a full face of makeup because I no longer wanted to look like I just crawled out of a pit of doom! LOL. And even though I’m 100% comfortable now rollin’ around town bare faced with just sunscreen, there’s still something really nice about going to the grocery store to buy cara cara oranges and have the checker call me “miss” instead of “ma’am.”

I’ve been inspired by simple, layered eye makeup lately. In this one, I layered a glittery champagne cream shadow (Hourglass Ray) on top of a shimmery forest green liner (Urban Decay Mildew). It’s easy, peasy, lemon squeeze-y, and I feel like I get a lot of look for very little effort.

What I also really like about this look is how the glitter isn’t too flashy. It sparkles in the light, but it’s not, like, too much for a weekday midday run to Tar-ghay.

Key products worn in this look

Here’s what I used for eyes, cheeks and lips. If you want to know more about the base or brows, let me know in the comments. 🙂

Officially a dance mom!

Connor joined the junior dance team at her studio this year, and last weekend was her first official performance. I think she was more excited to wear the clip-on earrings, LOL!

I’ve had my ears pierced since the day I was born; no really, back in the day in the Philippines, you could get your baby’s ears pierced at the hospital!

Anywho, all this to say we found out that clip-on earrings are a whole different beast. Connor was so looking forward to wearing them, but when she tried them on for the first time, one of the earrings was too tight and hurt her little ear.

I did a little googling and found a trick to loosening them. All you have to do is move the part of the clip-on that looks like a “U” around. You need widen it to relieve the pressure on your ears! It really helps. Just goes to show you, you learn something new every day.

Have a peaceful and joyful Tuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Apples and Oranges! Seasonal Apple Treats from Trader Joe’s, and a bareMinerals Mascara Made with Orange Peel

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I’m wearing a mascara that has orange peel fibers in the formula!

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies is from “Good Will Hunting,” and it’s when Matt Damon’s character, Will, tells off a snotty university student by saying, “How you like them apples?” Ahhh! Classic.

Speaking of apples, I popped into TJ’s yesterday and it was all apple everything. I grabbed the Harvest Apple Salad Kit (the dressing is super yummy; I add chopped hard boiled eggs for extra protein), a jar of the Apple Cider Fruit Spread and a bottle of the Honey Crisp Apple Cider.

I came this close to buying a box of the Apple Hand Pies in the bakery section, but I told myself that I needed to chill because I’m making it my mission to finally bake an apple pie from scratch.

Pies are so intimidating to me! There’s so many steps, right? You’ve got to make the crust, and then the filling. Then you have to assemble it, and bake it, and then wait forever and a day for the pie to cool so you can actually cut it without it falling apart… I don’t know, it just seems so much harder compared to cakes, cupcakes or brownies.

Anyway, it’s time for me to embark upon a pie quest, so I’ve been researching various apple pie recipes. All this to say, if you have a solid apple pie recipe, please pass it along, and put me out of my misery. I really need to bake this pie and get it out of my system, LOL!

OK, from apples to oranges… I’m still on the hunt for a new favorite mascara, and I recently tried one by bareMinerals called Maximist which uses orange peel fibers to add volume. Interesting! The brush is crazy-town – way too big!

If you’re looking for big lashes, this mascara holds the curl, doesn’t flake or smudge, lengthens, removes easily… Basically, the whole shebang! The brush messes things up, though. It picks up way too much product, and unless I’m really good about removing the excess, the mascara ends up clumpy and messy. Too bad. It could’ve been great. The search continues.

Have a great rest of your Wednesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I Love About Liquid Eyeshadow

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ilia saie september 202 -k2
From the mascara wand: Saie Mascara 101, Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation, Ilia Clean Line Gel LIner in Dusk and Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco

1. The packaging’s cute.

Plus, if by some weird coincidence one needed to defend themselves using solely the contents of a makeup bag, I feel like chucking an Ilia Liquid Eyeshadow with all my might would do more damage than a pan of MAC Soft Brown, ya know? There’s some weight to those tubes!

rare beauty by selena gomez sephora
Rare Beauty Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Neutral

2. You have SO many options.

You can keep it simple and just wear a single liquid shadow shade as is on your lids, or you can make things deliciously complicated by layering other liquids, creams, pencils or powder shadows on top, aka, the story of my life. How many times have I said to myself, “K-Dawg, we’re just going to use this matte liquid taupe and call it a day,” only to have it turn into a whole thing with cat liner, three shades in the crease and a smudged lower lash line? TOO. MANY.

wander beauty exquisite eye liquid shadow swatches
I went through a phase when I was really into these liquid shadows by Wander Beauty

3. The liquid doe foot applicators.

Seriously, why is the sensation of a doe foot on my lid so soothing? It’s like having a tiny bunny paw lovingly caress my face. I’m also very grateful for the precision that doe foots offer now that my lids are getting more hooded seemingly by the second. I have to be very careful with where I place my color these days, and a doe foot from a liquid shadow offers more control than a brush loaded with powder shadow.

chanel desert wind black wood swatch
Love me some taupe! That’s Chanel Desert Wind liquid eyeshadow, by the way.

4. Eye primer? What even is that?

As someone who’s enthusiastically worn eye makeup for most of her life, I’ve gotta say, in the last 10 years, liquid eyeshadows have just gotten better and better in terms of wear time. I remember in the ’90s and early Aughts how it would just disappear from your lids into some mysterious makeup black hole. Now, there’s so many long-wearing liquids that last from morning ’til night. It’s glorious!

5. There are so many finishes and colors to choose from!

Matte, satin, shimmer, and oh, all of the brights, neutrals and everything in between. The possibilities are endless!

What do you love about liquid eyeshadow, and which ones are your favorites? My go-to shades as of late are Ilia Fresco (a satiny taupe) and Rare Beauty Nearly Neutral (a warm pinkish beige).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hey, friend! How’s it going? I’ve been deep in a project at work with a deadline that’s just around the corner (this Friday), so I’ve been glued to my chair. Things have been OK on this end, although I’m having major 2020 flashbacks right now because Omicron’s surging in our neck of the woods. We’re doing all the things we used to do ’round this time two years ago–anticipating school shutting down, ordering groceries online, avoiding busy places, desperately searching for paper towels… Same sh*t, different year. Sigh. We’re living in a unique time in history, that’s for sure!

Stay healthy, stay safe, stay fabulous.

MAC Unsung Heroes: Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow

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mac swiss chocolate eyeshadow
Got a sweet tooth?

I was at the gym last week when we started talking about desserts (These are the things you do when you hang out with a bunch of people who do HIIT together. You talk about desserts!), and the teacher, Nicol, said that if you put anything chocolaty in front of her, she’s basically toast.

I’m the same way with chocolate desserts AND eyeshadow, and especially MAC Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow.

mac swiss chocolate swatch
Chocolatey delicious

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Oh, my goodness, I’ve been wearing this shades for eons! — and I start busting it out more often in the fall because I love the way it looks with vampy fall berry, burgundy, purple and wine lip shades. A little MAC Swiss Chocolate added to your eyeshadow mix ties everything together in a DEEEEE-luscious chocolate bow.

mac swiss chocolate heroine 1
I’m wearing Swiss Chocolate in my crease and MAC Heroine Lipstick

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The Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa Snowman, a Sparkling Shadow by Hourglass and Nomad Cosmetics

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To whoever invented the hot cocoa snowman, thank you from bottom of my heart.❤️ I never knew how weirdly satisfying it is to stick a chocolate snowman into a mug filled with warm milk and watch it disintegrate until now.

The best part of this whole process is when the snowman’s tummy melts and chocolate chips and marshmallows come out of its booty. Trust me, it’s fun.

By the way, I got these guys from Trader Joe’s! If you see them, grab them. They’re super fun. If you find the drink a little too sweet (I did), then just thin it out with a splash of hot water. Works like a charm.

In other holiday news, I’m almost ready to join Team Done With Christmas Shopping. I finished most of my shopping last weekend at Sephora, and shockingly, I actually stuck to my game plan and bought gifts for other people and walked out with absolutely nothing for myself. Not to say I didn’t want to. It would’ve been a totally different story if this champagne colored cream glitter shadow from Hourglass called Ray was in stock.

I saw it, along with a slew of beautiful Hourglass lip and cheek products, in a reel on SpaceNK’s Instagram. The makeup artist, Jacinta Spencer, layers the shadow onto her lids with her fingers, and the result is a perfect mix of glitter and glam.

My heart broke a little when the sales associate told me Ray wasn’t available because I loved the shimmer — the glitter pieces weren’t too big or too small. Maybe I’ll order it online. Or maybe I’ll just put it on my wish list until my next beauty whim strikes, ha ha ha.

I think, for now, just to get the urge to wear glitter out of my system, I’m going to do something similar to Jacinta’s look with glitter in this palette by Nomad Cosmetics. They’re a vegan and cruelty-free brand that makes travel-themed products.

This palette is Venice-Simplon Express, which is a nod to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a private luxury train service that runs from London to Venice.

How about that red shade? WOW! I haven’t worn red eyeshadow in a minute, but I might just for fun to scare my coworkers on my next video call, ha ha ha!

Speaking of video calls, I’ve got a few lined up this morning, so I should go get ready. Are you working today, too? I hope things are mellow for you this week! Talk soon, ok?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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