Eyes

MAC Unsung Heroes: Era Eye Shadow

July 23rd, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

It’s always the era of Era around here. Flexible, because it flatters both warm and cool skin tones, MAC Era Eye Shadow is a fantastic workhorse neutral to have in your collection, especially if you love taupe.

Officially, MAC describes it as a soft golden beige, and yeah, I can see that, but on my NC42 skin, I’d characterize it as a golden taupe. Color temperature-wise, it’s like a perfect porridge — just right. Neither too warm, nor too cool.

I don’t know…but there’s just something earthy and natural about it. I see it and picture smooth river rocks baking in the hot desert sun…

And the finish? Satin. One of my favorite finishes from MAC.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Bronze Eye Shadow

July 19th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

So, weird fun fact, but if you look really closely at my dark brown eyes, you’ll see a navy blue ring around the iris, and I think it’s one of the reasons I like MAC Bronze Eye Shadow so much.

A shimmery golden bronze with orange undertones, it’s one of those shadows that really flatters blue eyes (even, if I do say so myself, ones with a subtle blue ring like mine).

Bronze has some great things for it, like MAC’s super soft, pigmented Veluxe Pearl finish, arguably one of the best finishes in the entire line. And it blends easy like Sunday morning, so it’s a cinch to apply. In fact, I’ve done it half awake on Sunday mornings many times, and it usually turns out pretty fly!

It’s just one of those shadows, ya know? You almost can’t go wrong.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Honey Lust Eye Shadow

July 18th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Honey Lust is my glitzy go-to glitter shadow when I want to shimmer like Tinker Bell but don’t want to deal with the drama of a pigment.

A glittery bronzed peach in MAC’s Lustre finish, it’s best described like this: glitter, glitter, glitter. 🙂

It delivers the glittery shimmer fix of a MAC loose Pigment without (necessarily) making a mess.

Now, because Honey Lust isn’t chintzy with the glitter, it does tend to be grittier than many of MAC’s other shadows, so fallout can be an issue, especially if you’re using it with a fluffy brush like the MAC 217. I try to always use it with a brush that has a flat, firm brush head like the MAC 239, with which I can really pack the powder on my lids, and keep it from flying all over the place.

This Honey brings the bling! — and I think it looks particularly fetching on warm skin tones and tans, especially paired with looks featuring summery bronzes, warm browns, golds and teals.

MAC Honey Lust Eye Shadow Swatch — Honey Lust Eye Shadow on my NC42 skin

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New Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: For Lashes So Glossy, Full and Pitch Black You’ll Be Able To See Them in a Mirror From Across the Room

July 17th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

If you and I were cubicle buddies on break and only had five minutes to catch up, grab Starbucks (soy chai latte for me, no foam, please) AND talk makeup shop, I would probably 1) ask you what you were wearing on your lips, because I’m always looking for cool new combos to try, and 2) mention how much I’m digging the new $24 Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant Mascara, because whenever I wear it, my lashes enter a room before I do.

Two coats of this volume-growing, curl-maximizing mascara make my naturally uninspiring lashes so glossy, full and pitch black that I can see them in a mirror from across the room.

Yeah, me and Smoky Extravagant? We coo’.

All about performance and precision, it launched earlier this month with a lofty gaol at Sephora stores and Make Up For Ever Boutiques.

According to MUFE, Make Up For Ever Creator and Artistic Director Dany Sanz was trying to create the darkest, most dramatic black mascara she could for stage, backstage and real life.

What sets Smoky Extravagant Mascara apart?

MUFE used the darkest pigments they could find. They formulating them to envelop each eyelash in an opaque cocoon of light-absorbing product, making the inky blackness even more intense.
They used a smooth base of wax and Abyssinian Oil (often used in hair products) to help the formula glide on and off lashes, making it a snap to remove and apply.
They included a cone-shaped brush head with 580 bristles (!). The tapered tip latches onto even the daintiest lashes while the fuller end pumps up the volume.

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The New Urban Decay Brow Box and an Open Letter to Raul

July 11th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar — Wearing Urban Decay’s Brow Box in Brown Sugar

Raul. You @sshole. You just don’t get it, do you? This isn’t working out.

I mean, what else is there to say? I’ve been putting up with your nonsense for six years. The taunting in the mirror every morning — “Ooh, look at me!” — the following me to work.

I kept telling myself, “Come on, Karen, he’s just a bald spot in the arch of your left eyebrow. Give him another chance.”

But that’s just it. You’re always IN MY FACE!

And I’m sick of it.

You need to move on. Go find someone else’s eyebrows to torment.

I don’t want to see you anymore when I look in the mirror. I don’t want to see that bald spot there in my left brow.

Just leave. I’ve taken care of everything. You won’t even have to lift a brow.

I’ve actually been seeing someone new…Urban Decay’s recently revamped $29 Brow Box (available in two shades, Brown Sugar and Honey Pot), and he takes care of my brows.

He’s a two-tiered box containing everything I need to fill in sparse spots like you and fatten skinny brows — two powder shadows (which can be mixed to customize a color); a soft, colorless wax to herd stray hairs and set them in place; as well as two brushes and a tiny tweezers.

Urban Decay Honey Pot Brow Box — Honey Pot Brow Box

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Two New Fall Liners From NARS, and Getting Sidetracked by a Broken Heart

July 10th, 2013 by Karen 142 Comments

shauna puppy love — Rest in peace, my sweet, sweet pup

This was supposed to be a post about the two new NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliners in Las Ramblas and Via De’ Martelli, and it still is…kind of.

What began as a regular review took a sharp detour before noon.

I planned to mention that reddish brown Via De Martelli pulls red on my warm skin tone and makes me look like I’ve been crying… I thought it deserved a respectable B.

And then I planned to talk about how yellow gold Las Ramblas, a solid B+ in my book, reflects light like the surface of a glassy pond, making it perfect for brightening up the eyes.

Both it and Martelli last about eight hours on my lash lines and four on my water lines, and neither one seems very adept at smudging. Both cost $24 and arrive on counters, in stores and online with the rest of the NARS Fall 2013 collection July 15.

NARS Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24) — Via De Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a chocolate ($24)

NARS Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition) — Las Ramblas Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, a yellow gold ($24, limited edition)

NARS Fall 2013 Swatches from the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De'Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner — From the left: Kamchatka Eyeshadow, Namibia Eyeshadow, Yamal Eyeshadow, Bavaria Eyeshadow, Las Ramblas Larger Than life Long-Wear Eyeliner, Via De’Martelli Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner

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With Its Glitter All Grown Up, Navy Blue NARS Kamchatka Eyeshadow Ships Out This Fall Carrying a Smokey, Shimmery Surprise

July 9th, 2013 by Karen 10 Comments

Can I get a “hells, yeah” for bomb-@ss smokey shadows you can wear along your lash lines?

I realize that’s a very specific shout-out, but duuuude, you know how many times I’ve tried to smoke out a shadow along my lash lines only to end up looking like a reject from the Thunderdome? — with my lids all dark, contrasty and totally and completely unblended, even though I practically broke my wrist trying to smooth out the edges?

Picture the most questionable makeup look you’ve ever seen on Toddlers and Tiaras, but applied in the dark, upside down, without any brushes.

Now, push that disturbing image out of your mind, because there’s none of that nonsense with new navy blue NARS Kamchatka ($24). This bad boy totally gets it right! 🙂

(Well, at least along lash lines.)

NARS Kamchatka Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24) — Kamchatka Single Eyeshadow, a navy smoke ($24)

Yes, NARS had some fun with this color. It’s one of those secretly shimmery shadows — a Clark Kent Kamchatka, perhaps? — that looks like a run-of-the-mill matte navy in the pan, but it turns into a Kryptonian superhero when it touches skin, as flecks of silver glitter within the formula flex their tiny makeup muscles.

I think it’s a gorgeous, grownup take on the sparkly stuff.

NARS Kamchatka Swatch — See the super tiny silver sparkles? You have to look pretty closely…

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2-Minute Review: NARS Yamal Single Eyeshadow

July 9th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

Got 120 seconds for FranÃ§ois?

WHAT IT IS: NARS Yamal Single Eyeshadow. A sheer, cool brown matte single shadow that looks like a fawn’s delicate fur. It’s one of four shadow singles in the new NARS fall 2013 collection, and the only one that’s limited edition.

NARS Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition) — Yamal Single Eyeshadow, a maple sugar ($24, limited edition)

WHAT IT DOES:

This soft, silky matte blends without misbehaving
Like a lighter version of Urban Decay’s Buck Eyeshadow, or MAC Era with a cooler color temp, a tad more taupe and zero shimmer
It’s a smooth operator, especially for a matte, never looks chalky and refrains from chilling out in my fine lines
Worn with NARS Pro Prime, it lasts all day on my combination skin without creasing or fading
Elegant worn alone on lids with a black liner along the water lines and a smidgen of NARS Kamatcha (also from the fall 2013 collection) eyeshadow smudged along the lower lash lines
The only limited edition NARS Eyeshadow Single in the fall 2013 collection

NARS Yamal on the left and Urban Decay Buck on the right — NARS Yamal on the left and, for comparison, Urban Decay Buck on the right

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