Face

Neat and New to Me: MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone

July 21st, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

mac coppertone blush — MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone ($22)

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

This peachy brown matte blush’s name reminds me of going to the beach back in the day, back when it seemed like every family had a bottle of good ol’ Coppertone sunscreen with them.

Oh, the way it smelled! — like long sunny days, sand in your toes, salt water in your hair, ham and cheese sandwiches… Or was that just in my family? LOL!

I can’t deny that I was hoping MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone ($22) would smell the same way, but alas, it doesn’t. It has the familiar non-fragrance of a regular blush.

Even so, this Coppertone is anything but regular. It’s similar (but not identical) to MAC Gingerly Blush — like the two of them could be sisters. Coppertone, with her deeper, richer red, would just be the bossier, more outgoing older beach babe sister.

When I wear it on my cheeks, I feel like I’ve just spent an entire day playing in the sand and riding the rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (I haven’t done that in YEARS).

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I’m Getting a Rush From This Coral Flush: It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Coral Flush

July 20th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Add this blush to your list of “Things of the Utmost Importance That Must Be Attended to ASAP,” because we all know that blush is of the utmost importance…and blushes that refuse to sit on top of your skin lookin’ like a heavy, caked-on mess are of the UTMOST utmost importance.

Yes, that’s a lot of utmosts. 🙂

It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Coral Flush takes that time you blushed when you saw your favorite dude from One Direction smile at you from across the street (yes, let’s assume this happened) and injects the essence of that into a reddish coral pan tinged with pink.

The color can also be described as “I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!” because it burnishes cheeks without shimmer or sparkle. It’s also an epically natural-looking beginner’s blush and a no-longer-hidden gem.

Swatch out for it next time you pounce upon Ulta with your favorite makeup-enabling friend. (Mine is my buddy Marisol… We go there and egg each other on, and it’s a hot, beautiful mess!).

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Neat and New to Me: For the Love of Ginger! MAC Sheertone Blush in Gingerly

July 17th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

Ginger!

I am surrounded by ginger…

I’ve been drinking a lot of ginger ale this week because my tummy’s been obnoxiously gurgly, and I’ve also been, at times, simultaneously wearing MAC Gingerly Blush ($22).

Maybe this is more than a coincidence…or maybe it isn’t, and I just have a need to find deep connections between totally unrelated things (story of my life).

My fridge has an entire shelf dedicated to ginger ale. THANKS TUMMY TROUBLES. — My fridge has an entire shelf dedicated to ginger ale…

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It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi Has That Special Something

July 16th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Oh! I’ve been meaning to talk to you about It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi ($24), but I haven’t been able to put my thoughts into words.

There’s just something…indescribable about it. I wish there was a phrase to describe things like that…

Sorry, I know, that was bad! 🙂 But I couldn’t resist. It’s called Je Ne Sais Quoi, for crying out loud! What did they expect!?

The marvelous mix of ombre neutral pinks in this blush range from light to dark, and they create a lovely glowing sheen on cheeks that me and mah pores like. Je Ne Sais Quoi absolutely lives up to its name.

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Flowers Will Bloom, Birds Will Sing and Cheeks Will Glow When You Wear the New BECCA Mineral Blushes in Hyacinth, Lantana and Nightingale

July 15th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

becca lantana hyacinth nightingale — New Mineral Blushes by BECCA, $32 each

Flowers, birds, brights and BECCA — four of my favorite things. 🙂

GURL, there’s so much to like about these new BECCA Mineral Blushes that I don’t even know where to start. Bright poppy pink Hyacinth, reddish poppy Lantana and deep mulberry Nightingale are the latest additions to the brand’s bodacious Mineral Blush line, and if you have medium-toned or darker skin (or, if you just dig blushes with cray-cray intense pigment), you’re gonna freakin’ flip your hair when you see these new powder blushes.

becca hyacinth — BECCA Mineral Blush in Hyacinth

becca lantana — BECCA Mineral Blush in Lantana

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Prep + Prime Fix+

July 14th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

mac fix plus — From the left: MAC Fix+ Lavender, Real Techniques Contour Brush, Fix+ Yuzu, Fix+ Coconut and Fix+ Rose

I am totally fixated on MAC Fix+, and the obsession is so real that I can’t even figure out how many bottles I’ve gone through in my life.

Ten? Twenty??

No, it’s gotta be more than that… I usually get a new bottle about every two or three months.

I know that I talk about Fix+ a lot, but I use it every single day (I even bring a small bottle on trips).

Also known as MAC Prep + Prime Fix+, it’s a refreshing $22 mist in the MAC skincare line that you spray on bare skin or other products to moisturize and set your makeup to help it last longer. It contains water packed with vitamins and minerals and infused with a blend of green tea, chamomile and cucumber. Just spray it directly on your face for a subtle sheen.

I usually use it right when I start applying my makeup to moisturize my skin, and then again when I finish to help my face products last longer.

Starting when I’m bare-faced, before I’ve put anything else on, I spray Fix+ all over my face, where it adds a light layer of moisture and creates a wet surface upon which to more easily blend foundations, tinted moisturizers and BB creams. The end result just looks more natural and “lived in” (particularly if you tend to be heavy-handed with your product application).

After finishing my makeup, when I’m all done with my eyes, face and lips, I spray another misty layer all over my face to mellow out the powdery texture.

And there are also some other things you can do with Fix+, like using it to wet your eye brushes (it intensifies the shimmer and color of powder eyeshadows), to amplify highlights on your cheekbones and to blend foundation.

Yup!

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Does Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting 16-Hour Blush Hit All the Right Notes?

July 13th, 2015 by Karen 39 Comments

too faced love flush blush — ♥ Love is in the air ♥ with the new $26 Too Faced Love Flush Blushes in Baby Love, How Deep Is Your Love, I Will Always Love You, Justify My Love, Love Hangover, and Your Love Is King

The new $26 Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting 16-Hour Blushes are named after famous love songs (aw!), and one of them is called I Will Always Love You.

So, of course, I’m wondering which version.

Of the song.

The one by Whitney Houston or the one by Dolly Parton?

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BECCA Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed: My Pores Would Like to Make a Toast to This Highlighter

July 1st, 2015 by Karen 49 Comments

One of my life goals is to someday open a bottle of champagne with a longsword or saber (honestly, I would not be surprised to be the only one of us here with that goal).

Another one of my life goals is to someday achieve perfectly dewy skin.

I never expected these two life goals to collide…

Well, technically they don’t, because there weren’t any medieval weapons involved in the crafting of this post, but metaphorically they do, because just like a freshly opened bottle o’ bubbly, BECCA Champagne Pop, the brand’s latest limited edition Shimmering Skin Perfector, will make your cheekbones POP and your skin glow. 🙂

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop ($38) — A woefully sad, crushed pan of BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop ($38, and I’ll explain the story behind the broken pan in a minute)

I made this face the first time I swept BECCA Champagne Pop on my cheeks.

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