Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
The holidays are a great time to go glam with vivid colors like MAC Ruby Woo ($14.50).
Heck, even the trees get all dolled up this time of year! It’s the perfect opportunity to push the envelope with your look, and nothing says “holiday party” like a pigmented red lip. 🙂
Coral red Ruby Woo is wearing warmer attire than my other go-to crimson cutie, MAC Russian Red. It has a warmer tone that I like to pair with shimmery gold shadows and looks with thick cat liner.
These days, getting the family together for the holidays is like planning a trip to the moon. There are so many machinations involved in getting everyone under one roof that I’ve considered getting NASA involved.
Things sure were easier when I was a kid… On Thanksgivings, all my brother and I had to do was open our eyes, most of the time around noon, and lumber down the hall toward the kitchen and the aroma of great food.
The hallway outside my old room in my parents’ house that leads to the kitchen
This year we couldn’t get the whole family together for the day tomorrow, and it makes me a little sad. With El Hub’s parents having just moved here to California earlier this month, we’ll be driving out to see them. It’s about a four-hour drive to a town close to the Oregon border called Redding, and I’m a little nervous because I’ll be meeting a group of the family there that I’ve never met before, some of El Hub’s cousins, aunts and uncles. I’m sure everyone will be very nice, but I’m really going to miss spending the day with my brother and parents.
You know how it is… These are the kinds of things that people deal with over the holidays when family members live far apart.
Whatev, Shauna the Wonderdog still thinks it sucks…
Since we’ll be hitting the road early tomorrow, I’ve drawn upon my vast experience as a makeup nerd/control freak to lay out a beauty plan, because the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is scare the relatives, BOO! 🙂
The plan involves today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro Palette Refill at the top of this post).
Like MAC Phloof!, Restrospeck is one of my favorite get-out-the-door products. It brightens eyes in just a few quick swipes.
MAC describes it as a bleached blonde, but on my skin I see a warm and shimmery mix of silver and gold — a surefire way to look wide-eyed and bright.
MACaholics, just a quick heads up. If you missed Black Knight Lipstick from 2009’s Style Black collection, this Friday, November 25 (aka Black Friday for shoppers here in the US), MAC’s bringing the s*xy back for one day only on maccosmetics.com.
Creamy, dramatic Black Knight (here’s a swatch) probably isn’t something I’d wear to pick up gravy for Tabs at Petco, but ya know…I might reach for it when I’m feeling particularly sassy. It’s got an edge and a style to it that’s sure to stand out in a crowd.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. One more thing: the new Gareth Pugh for MAC collection is available now online. Happy shopping!
Officially, MAC’s moniker for today’s Unsung Hero is “Phloof!” ($15, exclamation mark included), but because of this eyeshadow’s uncanny ability to brighten tired eyes, I think it looks more like a “POOF!” instead.
As for how we met, credit for that goes to my pal, Amara (thanks, girl!).
It was an early morning last spring after Amara and I had gone out to a late dinner the night before. While I looked like a zombie extra on the set of The Walking Dead, she, on the other hand, looked wide awake, glowing and totally refreshed. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
But as tired as I was that day, at least I had the good sense to ask Amara what she was wearing.
Her answer: “PHLOOF! And it’s magic.”
Swatch of Phloof! with MAC Shroom (center) and MAC Vex eyeshadows (far right) for comparison
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They say she’s hard to work with…
Miss Piggy, that is. They say she’s a diva, and sure, I can see that — the tantrums on the set, the king-size dressing room, personal trainers and catered food flown in from Paris. I can’t help but wonder if Miss P’s penchant for drama played a role in the new Miss Piggy for MAC collection. Could that be why it only contains three little pieces?
In the comments at the bottom of yesterday’s post with swatches, a few gals said they felt that the release represented a missed opportunity. After playing with the eyeshadow, false lashes and liquid liner today, I’m apt to agree.
The entire Miss Piggy for MAC collection; for more product pics and swatches, click here
The Lash in 36 ($15)
Probably the piece that stands out the most for me, even if they took a while to apply. The thin, comfy lash band doesn’t feel like it’s merely resting on top of my lids, which I like, and the long, wispy lashes feel as light as butterfly kisses. Of course, they weren’t the easiest falsies to apply (it took me two tries), but I’m glad I stuck it out, because I think they’re surprisingly comfortable, as far as dramatic lashes go. Great for a night on the town with the girls.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: AEyeshadow in Miss Piggy Pink ($15)
The texture of this hella sheer blueish pink feels like hard-packed clay to me, and I have to swirl my brush inside the pan about 15 times to pick up enough color for a single layer (for the three three layers I’m wearing for this look, I must have swirled about 45 times). On the plus side, though, I like how lightweight the product looks and feels, even when I really pack it on. I wouldn’t say that I’m in love with the color, as I think it’s a tad too sheer for me (probably a better match for lighter lovelies).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: BPenultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack ($17.50)
A repromote, and my least favorite piece in the release. At least in my hands, the short, stiff tip isn’t conducive to smooth lines. Mine all have jagged edges, so I think I’ll be sticking to LORAC’s Front of the Line Pro.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: C
When I was four, my favorite thing on television was The Muppet Show. I remember sitting in front of our set and praying I wouldn’t have to get up to fix the bunny ears on top of the TV, because I didn’t want to miss a single second.
I especially loved the two old dudes in the balcony who made fun of everyone, the adorable Fozzy bear, the Swedish Chef (“Bork! Bork! Bork!”) and of course, the diva of all divas, Miss Piggy.
How could you not love a glamorous pig in high heels, pearls and opera-length gloves? 🙂
It’s been a while since Miss P. and the Muppets were in the spotlight, but they’ll be back on the big screen once again, this November 23, in their new Disney flick, simply called, The Muppets.
To coincide with the movie’s release, MAC’s releasing the minuscule Miss Piggy for MAC collection, a three-piece release for eyes, exclusively online in North America and select countries on November 14.
Take a look at the pics and swatches below, and let me know if anything strikes your fancy.
Clockwise from the lower left: Lash in 36 ($15), Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapid Black ($17.50) and Eye Shadow in Miss Piggy Pink ($15)
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Shoot, I wasn’t even planning to dress up at all this year, but Tabs insisted that I throw something on, because he didn’t want to be the only kitty on the block without a dressed up assistant/trick-or-treating companion.
I couldn’t bear the thought of hitting up the costume store, since I knew it was gonna be crazy busy, so I busted a Tim Gunn and tried to “make it work” with what I had around the house.
As far as last-minute Halloween getups go, this MAC artist costume was super easy. I slipped on a black dress, fashioned a homemade tag out of a MAC logo I found online and stuck some brushes behind my ear. I also really, REALLY wanted to sling a black brush belt around my waist (like the ones that MAC artists wear at the counter), but I kinda ran out of time. I wore a gold brush belt from the MAC Wonder Woman collection instead.
SIDE NOTE: If you plan to recreate this costume and have a brush belt sitting around the house, use it! It’ll totally take it to the next level.
Exhausted from the day, I stopped by the mall last night before the Project Runway finale to pick up a few pieces of “comfort chocolate,” and I figured that since I was already there, I might as well pay a quick visit to the MAC store.
I wasn’t there for long, but I spent every minute of the visit with the MAC Holiday collection.
We’re — how shall I put this? — still getting to know each other. It’s that awkward stage, ya know, where I’m attracted to the packaging but haven’t quite figured out how I feel about the products yet, in particular the frosty, cool colors in the sub-collection called Glitter & Ice.
I told myself, “Don’t be scurrred,” but I couldn’t help it. Frosty, cool-toned shades like the ones in Glitter & Ice don’t always play well with my warm undertones. Often they’ll look ashy on my NC42 skin.
But today, not wanting to give up without a fight, I decided to channel Tim Gunn and “make it work,” so I used one of my all-time favorite makeup tricks — pairing a cooler eyeshadow with a warm matte brown in the crease.
The brown’s warmer tones tend to balance out cool, frosty colors, and the trick has one more very cool side effect: whenever I blink or close my eyes, it reveals a quick flash of shimmer (fun!).
How do you know if you have warm or cool undertones?
If your skin has a lot of yellow in it, you probably have warm undertones (think Jennifer Anniston or Beyonce), but if it contains more red than yellow, you may lean cool (a la Courtney Cox or Oprah).
Here’s another way to tell: take a look at the veins on your inner wrist. If they appear green, then you’re probably warm toned; if they look blue, then you’re probably cool. For a more detailed explanation, check out this helpful post by my friend Jen over at BSB.
