MAC Makeup

Neat and New to Me: MAC Crème D’Nude Cremesheen Lipstick

October 28th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

mac creme d nude — MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Crème D’ Nude ($17)

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.

Makeup rules are meant to be broken, but I still got mad love for the makeup law-abiding classics, like looks with bold smoky eyes and nude lips, which I blame, in part, on $17 MAC Crème D’Nude Cremsheen Lipstick.

Some makeup looks are like zombies, ya know? (Because it always comes back to zombies…) But I mean that figuratively this time. 🙂 Basically, they never stay out of style for long.

So while I’ll always love my fellow makeup rule-breakers, especially when you do that smoky eye-bold lip thing (keep workin’ that emerald green smoky eye with those glossy, opaque hot pink lips, hunty!), I still gotta have my classics.

Pale muted peachy beige Crème D’Nude totally understands that. It’ll make you want to strip down to your skivvies and run around the office screaming in ecstasy.

OK, maybe not…but it does flat-out rock. It’s full coverage, smooth, moisturizing, and its warm peachy tones keep me looking like I’m actually running a healthy 98.6°F temperature. By comparison, I can’t stand it when pale beige lippies make me look like I just crawled out of the ground like an extra in MJ’s Thriller video.

Hell no! That’s sooo not happening with Crème D’Nude.

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A Fall-Tastic Face of the Day With Gold, Olive, Burgundy and “JSS”

October 20th, 2015 by Karen 36 Comments

Random zombie-related transition…

I don’t know if you watch The Walking Dead, but oh, boy! — I hope you do, because it’s one of the best shows on television.

I think so. I mean…yeah, there’s zombies. But depending on how you feel about that. 🙂

It’s not just about the zombies, though. It’s also about people trying to survive after an apocalypse…but yeah, it’s definitely not a bright and polite British cooking show.

But it is great sci-fi/horror, and I like that. As well as British cooking shows. And Instagram cat videos.

The characters in The Walking Dead are faced with much more than zombies (like desperate, and very bad people). The zombies are just the backdrop to the struggle to survive after we’ve lost our modern conveniences. We watch them struggle with questions of morality and humanity, and I think it’s fascinating and frightening at the same time.

Anywho! The new season just started, along with a new season of The Talking Dead, which is the after show. They bring on actors who star in the show, people who work behind the scenes and celebrity super-fans who all just chat and wax philosophic about the last episode.

It’s a lot of fun! The last The Talking Dead episode starred TWD newcomer Katelyn Nacon, who plays Enid, a young teenage survivor, and Katelyn’s makeup on the after show was on friggin’ point!

She looked absolutely beautiful and very fall. I couldn’t stop staring at her eyes and lips the whole time! She was wearing a gorgeous warm brown matte color in her crease with golds and khakis on her lids and a glossy burgundy lip.

I couldn’t find a good picture of it online, but I still felt inspired to wear something similar today.

I turned to a few old-school faves like MAC Soft Brown and MAC Texture, which I used in the crease, then used MAC Shroom to highlight my brow bone and the inner corners, along with the ever-reliable MAC Powersurge along my lower lash line.

I also incorporated a couple of newer products, like the naughty-sounding BECCA Afterglow holiday palette ($39.50), which has three powder highlighters and Wild Honey and Flowerchild, two of my favorite BECCA blushes.

So I’m wearing Afterglow products on my cheeks and to highlight my skin.

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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

October 19th, 2015 by Karen 52 Comments

1. La Croix Blackberry Cucumber Sparkling Water

Ah, the elusive La Croix Blackberry Cucumber flavor…

FINALLY! My latest expedition to Target was a success. It’s never been in stock when I’ve checked before, but this last time, miracle of all miracles, it was! I spotted four boxes on the shelf at the Novato Target yesterday, but actually, by the time I’d left, there were only two, because right after I rolled up, a hipster-looking dude grabbed one.

If you ever come across a case, grab it. They’re in high demand, and they’re so, SO good. They aren’t really sweet at all. Just refreshing and light with nice notes of blackberry and cucumber.

2. NARS Madly Blush

When in doubt, NARS Madly Blush.

Yes, you can quote me on that, and it’s 100% true. I’ve been wearing this peachy beige blush all week long because the dang thing goes with everything. Seriously! Doesn’t matter what I’m doing with eye shadow or lip color; whatever it is, NARS Madly Blush works.

3. Try this clever lip combo (with Clever): MAC Patentpolish in Clever with MAC In Control Pro Longwear Lip Pencil

This was one of those happy accidents I accidentally stumbled upon. MAC In Control Pro Longwear Lip Pencil + MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Clever = a deep rosy coral combo that looks faboo with neutral eyes and winged liner (it’s what I’m wearing in the pics in this post).
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5 Awesome Face Makeup Brushes I Use Every Day

October 15th, 2015 by Karen 7 Comments

Survey says that I WILL use most, if not all, of these five face brushes every. Single. Day. They’re my brushes with destiny! — my makeup main squeezes, and my main workhorse tools.

1. NARS Mie Kabuki Brush ($55)

LBD, baby! Little black dress. The NARS Mie Kabuki is the little black dress of my face brush collection because of all the many things it can do. Sometimes I’ll use it to apply face powder, other times I’ll use it as a bronzing brush, and sometimes I’ll use it to highlight or apply blush.

Unfortunately, the price. It’s $55… Buuuut, it can do so much, and above all, it blends like a mofo! I can really see a difference between when I use Mie to blend bronzer or blush, and when I use something else, and I think it’s because of that point in the tip (see the pic below) and how the tip slopes. It makes it easy to buff out edges and get smooth gradients. If you like the sound of that, Mie is available now at NARS counters, boutiques and online.

2. MAC 138 Tapered Face Brush ($53)

Another pointy tip! I mostly use the MAC 138 to apply face powder to specific spots, like the center of my forehead, on and around my nose and mouth, just below my cheeks and on my chin, and while big, fluffy face brushes are fun to use with face powder (and feel great on my skin), I still prefer this smaller brush.

Why?

Well, because when I apply too much powder, my face makeup looks heavy and très obvious, and with the 138, I can really target where I’m placing my powder, which means that I can generally get away with using less. It’s available now at MAC counters, stores and online.

3. MAC 109 Small Contour Brush ($35)

The MAC 109 face brush has a small, rounded head that fits just perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks; that makes it a bronzing/contouring champ.

I’m a big bronzer gal, so I rarely use this one for contouring, but I think it’s an absolutely awesome bronzing brush.

I always have to resist the urge to go heavy with bronzer, and I’m tempted put it everywhere (NO, SERIOUSLY), but this brush basically saves me from myself, LOL! It’s available now at MAC counters, stores and online.
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5 Lavish, Lovely Berry Lipsticks to Fall for This Fall

October 15th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

Fall.

They say it’s fall, and it did feel like fall here about a week ago. It was cloudy and chilly, and there were leaves falling everywhere outside, but then summer struck back and said, “CUT! Hold your horses! I’m not ready to go…” We had another string of 80- and 90-degree days.

Sooner or later, though, it’ll get cooler and stay that way. It’s a guarantee. 🙁 And when it happens, I’ll be ready for it with these five fall-friendly berry lipsticks.

1. NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park ($26)

nars hyde park — NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park

I really like Reddish berry Hyde Park with bronze, burgundy and brown looks. And even cranberry smoky eyes (Ooh! — give it try sometime with a warm and shimmery cranberry on your lids and a matte orangey brown in the crease). The pencil shape makes it easy to line and fill in my lips without needing a lip liner, so yay for skipping steps! Hyde Park is available now at NARS counters, stores and online.

2. Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Plum Lush ($52)

tom ford plum lush — Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Plum Lush

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MAC Holiday 2015 | Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Coral Lipstick

October 15th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

mac enchanted eve lips coral — The MAC Holiday 2015 Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Coral Lipstick ($25; coming Oct. 18 to the MAC website and Oct. 22 to MAC counters and stores), one of two Lip Compacts in the new holiday collection

When you and I finally get around to starting our secret society of makeup lovers who meet and train to become international super spies, I call dibs on codename “Lady Danger!”

The place will be like Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, except there won’t be an upper age limit…and you won’t need mutant powers.

The coursework will couple intensive training in makeup blending with more practical subterfuge skills like ninja acrobatics. I tell you right now, it’ll be amaze-balls. 🙂

I called dibs on Lady Danger because it’s one of my favorite MAC lipsticks of all time, and it just so happens to be one of the three lippies in the new MAC Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Coral Lipstick ($25), one of two Lip Compacts in the new MAC holiday collection (the other one is Pink Lipstick).

mac enchanted eve coral lady danger — Matte Lipstick in Lady Danger

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MAC Holiday 2015 | Enchanted Eve Eyes/Warm Eye Shadow X 6 Palette

October 14th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

mac enchanted eve eyes warm k — Wearing the MAC Enchanted Eve Eyes/Warm Eye Shadow X 6 Palette ($39.50) on my eyes

Have you ever heard the sound of makeup heartbreak? It sounds like broken pieces of eyeshadow sliding around in a MAC holiday palette… 🙁

mac enchanted eve eyes warm — MAC Enhanted Eve Eyes/Warm Eye Shadow X 6 ($39.50)

Yes, this happened.

But I didn’t let it stop me! To paraphrase the great Celine Dion, “My heart will go on…using these shadows with my makeup brushes.”

I finally took the new MAC Enchanted Eve Eyes/Warm Eye Shadow X 6 Palette ($39.50) from the MAC holiday 2015 collection (coming to the MAC website Oct. 18 and MAC counters and stores Oct. 22) out for a spin this week in the hopes that it would perform a better than the Navy version, and the verdit?
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MAC Holiday 2015 | Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Pink Lipstick

October 14th, 2015 by Karen 7 Comments

mac enchanted eve pink lipstick — The MAC Holiday 2015 Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Pink Lipstick ($25; coming Oct. 18 to the MAC website and Oct. 22 to MAC counters and stores), one of two Lip Compacts in the new holiday collection

Ooh! All three of the pinks in the MAC Enchanted Eve Lip Compact in Pink Lipstick look like good “going out” colors, but if you do go out and bring this compact along, don’t forget to also bring a lip brush — that is, unless you don’t mind applying lipstick with your fingers in the bathroom at the club, and can you ever remember seeing a “clean” bathroom at da club??

Yeah, I didn’t think so…

One of two lip palettes in the new MAC holiday collection (the other one has corals), Pink Lipstick arrives with the rest of the collection Oct. 18 to the MAC website and at counters and stores Oct. 22, and it comes packed with three party-ready pinks — a light pastel pink called Saint Germain, a dark fuchsia called Let’s Rendezvous and a deep pinkish purple called Wined + Dined.

mac enchanted eve pink lipstick st germain — MAC Amplified Cream Lipstick in Saint Germain

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