Lips

Origins Lip Swatches (LOTS of Them), Post-Thanksgiving Doldrums, and Michael B. Jordan (BABE!)

November 27th, 2018 by Karen 29 Comments

Seriously, what was I thinking?? Yesterday I thought I’d just get back in the saddle, sit at my desk, and resume my pre-Thanksgiving work groove…

Nope! Apparently, I must have lost my damn mind, because why is it SO HARD to get back into the swing of things after a big holiday? Especially Thanksgiving? I don’t know… (Maybe it’s all the food.)

Yesterday was a tough one. I love my routines, and the holiday broke ’em.

Anyway, it’s always hard for me to get back into my routines after a holiday, and I know it’s hard for other people, too. It’s vexing. I’m vexed… Ha ha ha! Yesterday morning I sat at my desk for three hours trying to describe Fresh Seaberry Skin Nutrition Cleansing Oil while everything and the kitchen sink crossed my mind.

I simply could NOT concentrate, so, on that note, here’s a picture of Michael B. Jordan…

He is SO adorable. I saw him in Creed II the other night, and El Hub was like, “Hey, I wanna watch Creed II,” and I was like, “Boxing? Meh… But Michael B. Jordan? ALRIGHT!”

And it’s not just that he’s good-looking (he is though!). He’s also a good actor, and I’ve seen him in interviews and other things, and he seems like he as a good head on his shoulders, but who knows, right? The media portrays people in a certain light, and the light that bathes Michael B. Jordan is GOOD, ha ha!

Anyway, he seems like a nice guy. And polite.

Don’t ask me why, but polite does it for me. I mean, the handsomeness and the muscles do it for me too, but good manners and good grammar go a long way, which is why I married my husband.

Anyway!

It’s a good movie if you’re looking for something to watch on date night (Side note: It was co-written by Sylvester Stallone. Who would’ve thunk it?).

Now, just so I don’t leave you without anything makeup-related whatsoever, here are a whole lotta lip swatches from Origins…

origins lipsticks — New lipsticks and balms by Origins ($20 each)

Origins just relaunched a line of really, REALLY good lipsticks and lip balms. They’re super moisturizing, smooth, and they don’t settle into lip lines.

The lipsticks are similar to the MAC Amplified Cremes (hella pigmented!), but the balms are sheer and moisturizing like the NARS Orgasm Lip Balm that came out last spring. I have one in every pocket of every coat.

They’re addictive that way.

From the PR:

What It Is:
Kissed by nature. Made with 12 flowers, this long-wear lipstick provides bold, rich, full-coverage color that hydrates & conditions, stays color-true & lasts all day. Available in 24 fresh-picked shades.

What It Does:
The power of nature meets the proof of science. Infused with Crushed Petals, repurposed Buttery Flower Waxes, Flower Honeys & Essential Oils, this full-coverage lipstick packs a punch of color without skimping on what’s important. It keeps lips, hydrated, conditioned & smooth for hours & stays brilliantly bold from morning to night.

We Formulate Without:
Parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, mineral oil, DEA, petrolatum, paraffin, polyethylene beads, formaldehyde & animal ingredients*
*except cruelty-free honey & beeswax

Ingredients:
12 FLOWERS
From Lavender to Rose, we infused a dozen Flowers into our lip-loving colors. Crushed Petals, repurposed Buttery Flower Waxes from perfumeries & Wildflower Honey help condition & protect your pout from dryness while helping give our lipstick its petal-soft texture. Essential Oils scent the shades. Inspired by nature & made with nature, Blooming Bold™ brings out your bold beauty.

origins merlot moon 12 — Blooming Bold Lipstick in Merlot Moon

origins wild flower 11 — Blooming Bold Lipstick in Wild Flower

origins va va violet 10 — Blooming Bold Lipstick in Va Va Violet

origins dusky rose — Blooming Bold Lipstick in Dusky Rose

origins sweeter than honey 8 — Blooming Bold Lipstick in Sweeter Than Honey

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

November 12th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

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.)

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.

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

November 9th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

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!

Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations: Wander Beauty Lipsetter Dual Lipstick and Liner

October 31st, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

wander lip setter — Worthy of your Sephora wish list, for sure.

Guess what…? 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.

What crazy person carries the same ol’ lipstick around with them all the time? OH, WAIT! THAT’S MY LIFE NOW.

Since discovering the $28 Wander Beauty Lipsetter Dual Lipstick and Liners, I suspect that I could go days — no, weeks! — before feeling the need to swap out the lip products in my purse. (And this coming from a serial lipstick swapper is kind of a miraculous statement!)

Cruelty-free makeup line Wander Beauty preaches the power of portable, easy-to-use makeup to enhance what you’ve already got. It’s very Trish McEvoy-esque but hipper. They aren’t a huge brand yet, and they’re still flying under the radar at Sephora for now, but they make so many good things IMO, like these lip liner/lipstick combos, which are totally worthy of your VIB lust list.

First of all, they figured out that the secret to actually getting people to use lip liner is to attach it to a lipstick. They deserve a gold star and a slow clap for that because it’s the only way I’ll actually take a lip liner with me (otherwise, I’ll just line once in the morning and leave the pencil at home).

wander on the mauve — I’m wearing On the Mauve on my lips.

The liner itself is smooth, luscious velvet, and it’s loaded with pigment, and once you draw that line along the edge of your lips, your lipstick won’t go beyond it. “Ye shall not pass!”

Oh, and the lipstick? SO GOOD. It starts out shiny when you first swipe it on but eventually dries down to a velvet matte finish, and it feels so light that I sometimes completely forget I’m wearing lipstick. It’s also non-drying and budge-proof. I can even kiss babies (kittens, too), drink coffee and snack my heart out without it lifting off.

Lastly, it’s unscented, and there aren’t any weird flavors to get up in your grill.

I’ve been living for Bold in Beijing, a blue-based red, and having the liner attached completely removes the stress related to applying and wearing red lipstick. I also love On the Mauve, a plummy pink, which is an everyday color for me. With the VIB sale coming up, I also have my sights on Bahama Breeze, a nude pink, and bright pink Fucshia Class.

Full price, the Lipsetters are $28 each, which I think is still a good deal, but with the 20% VIB discount, they come to $22.40. With the 15% Beauty Insider discount, they’re $23.80.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Kiss ‘n’ Telling on the New MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks

October 2nd, 2018 by Karen 28 Comments

I just want your extra time and your mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah, KISS!

New Powder Kiss Lipsticks from MAC! These mattes feel just like the luscious Chanel Rouge Allure Velvets — lightweight, so more like a lip balm than a lipstick — but even creamier. So there’s little-to-no chance of cat butt lips. (I can hear you sighing from relief.) And, dare I say it, they’re kinda moisturizing? Just a little.

Must apply on dry lips (NON NEGOTIABLE!); otherwise, patchy
Taste and smell like vanilla, so classic MAC
Will move outside your natural lip line if you rub your lips together a lot
Special matte packaging (did you catch that?)
Pigment levels — between medium and just shy of full, depending on color
Less pigmented than MAC Matte lipsticks
Fade after a meal or a cup of coffee
Wear time is about an hour — two, tops
Watch out for vertical lip lines with the paler beige colors and pinks (they will highlight them if you apply too much).
Stand-outs: Mull It Over (a dirty peach) for everyday wear, and Fall in Love (a bright creamy fuchsia) for special occasions
~~I’m still tracking down prices, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be priced similar to regular MAC lipsticks, so about $18.50.~~ Each lippie is $19, and they’re all permanent

Final take? These are a’ight… They feel really smooth and lightweight, and the hazy matte finish is trés “I’m rock ‘n’ roll and too cool to care,” but the formula scoots around a lot and doesn’t last long on my lips. If you’re going for this type of soft matte look, the Chanel Velvets look very similar, and while they’re more expensive at $37, I think they’re user-friendlier because they don’t move around as much. Plus, they last longer.

If you’re curious, you can smooch the 16 MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks starting October 11th, which is when they arrive at select MAC counters and the MAC website. 🙂

mac powder kiss lipstick swatches — I’m an NC 42, in case you’re wondering.

Well this FINALLY happened

I broke my personal vow to only read books I can check out out from the library (don’t ask me why I do these things; I just do!) and bought Crazy Rich Asians because I still couldn’t find the book at the library for like the 20th time. I just couldn’t take it anymore, LOL!

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The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow! Another Starbucks #PSL Look With Reviews of the New MAC Studio Fix 24-HR Concealer, Patrick Starrr Boy About Town Kit, and More

September 25th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

mat patrick starrr boy about town k — Pumpkin Spice ERRRTHANG

I’m wearing another pumpkin spice latte look today! (More reviews on the key makeup products, all the new things from MAC that are out right now, in just a sec.) But first, my latest Starbucks adventure…

Like I mentioned yesterday, for years I thought the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte was limited to the standard-issue #PSL, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you look around, you can find TONS of different versions of the PSL (even healthy-ish ones)! If you’re not into the super sweet OG latte (which, I admit, can be a little much, even for my sweet tooth sometimes), you’ve gotta try this other version from The Macrobarista, which I got earlier today.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte???‍♀️ ~~~~~Approximate Macros~~~~~ Protein: 1.5g/ Carbs: 13g/ Fat: 3g ‼️90 Calories‼️ *with no whip* SUGAR: 10g Fiber: 1g Caffeine: 160mg • Here it is! The oh so awaited HOT pumpkin spice latte! • Don’t be afraid when looking at the ordering instructions! If the store isn’t slammed and you’re polite when ordering, the barista should have no problem fixing up your macro friendly drink! My best advice, show them the picture of the order screen I provide and briefly say why you’re ordering it that way. Or, just use the mobile order screen I’ve provided. • OR, if you’re too intimidated by the instructions.. use my modifications but order this as a latte, keep in mind you’ll double the calories from almond milk. • ◾️◼️The breakdown◼️◾️ Pumpkin Sauce: .5g P/ 10g C Almond Milk: 1g P/ 4g C/ 3g F SF Vanilla: <1g C ( this comes from maltodextrin which the body treats like glucose, so keep that in mind) • ✅HOW TO ORDER✅ 1️⃣Ask for a TALL BLONDE Americano 2️⃣Ask for it in a GRANDE CUP 3️⃣Ask for ONE (1)pump of pumpkin sauce 4️⃣Ask for THREE (3)pumps of sugar free vanilla 5️⃣Ask for STEAMED ALMOND MILK 7️⃣Ask for EXXXXTRA pumpkin spice topping PS.. I only included the whip for the picture! • The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the second best time to plant a tree is today. -Alex☕️

A post shared by Alex Moe (@themacrobarista) on Sep 4, 2018 at 9:42pm PDT

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Pumpkin Spice Everything! A Warm Red, Pink and Bronze Eye Look Using the Urban Decay Elements Palette, MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape, MAC The Blonds Lipstick in Davidblond and The Blonds Magic Dust Powder

September 24th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

urban decay elements palette k front — Shout-out to Pumpkin Spice!

How do I feel about Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Hmm… Well, you know how much I like pink drinks, right? They’re delish! — but I don’t pump my fist in the air and say YAAASSS when I get one.

But I do when I get a PSL.

Also, even though I went through an intense green tea latte phase last year, ultimately, I could take or leave ’em. But the Pumpkin Spice Latte. THE PSL! It’s my most favorite drink at Starbucks, and it always has been, from even before I started wearing this tank top 24/7.

urban decay elements palette k side 1 — So Karen, tell me how you REALLY feel.

Despite the forecast calling for 80-degree temps here, I’m bubbling over with PSL excitement! I got the fever bad, so I channeled it into this PSL-inspired makeup look. ? Then, I went to Starbucks and ordered a special version of the PSL based on this recipe from The Macrobarista on Instagram.

He’s a Starbucks barista who makes healthy-ish versions of Starbucks drinks.

He calls this refreshing version the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte, and it has all the spicy sweetness of the standard PSL, but (according to The Macrobarista) it’s only 90 calories with about 11 grams of sugar.

To make my life easier, I took a screenshot of his “recipe” on my phone and held it up to the cashier at Starbucks so he could type it in. ?

Now, about the makeup, my friend, this was the first “LEWK” I’ve done in a minute (been doing a lot of one shade of taupe on my lids with mascara, NARS Orgasm lip balm, and nothing on my skin). Needless to say, I felt like I was wearing everything and the kitchen sink.

But it was fun, and in the process I found some new things to love.

urban decay elements palette k looking down — When you feel overdone but then you just go with it…

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Lipglossing Like It’s 1999

September 7th, 2018 by Karen 4 Comments

It’s funny to me when all ’90s makeup gets lumped together into a single category. Like, for lips it’s the ’90s matte lip look, and trust your homegirl when she says that everyone did not wear matte lips throughout the entire decade of the ’90s.

(Well, a lot of people did, but not everyone.)

You also had different sub-eras, like the late ’90s — circa 1997-1998 — when everybody (at least everybody I knew who wore makeup) wore dark, unblended lip liner, frosty silver lipstick and clear lipgloss.

Then you had 1999, 2000 and 2001, when it was all about glossy, frosty lips, which reminds me…remember when everyone and their mother was carrying a tube MAC Oystergirl?

Yeah, you know what’s up. 😉

I’m getting that ’99 vibe so hard from these non-sticky MAC Grand Illusion Glossy Liquid Lip Colour lipglosses, which are $21 each and hella pigmented.

mac goldieloxxed — Goldieloxxed (this shade reminds me an amped up MAC Nymphette)

Ah, they’re taking me back…especially It’s Just Candy! It reminds me of my early 20s when I rocked MAC Lychee Luxe to da club.

Da club… Oh, my gosh, I feel so ridiculous saying that. Like, when do you get to that point where you just sound silly using slang? It doesn’t happen overnight… It’s a slow burn kinda thing, ha ha ha.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen