MAC Makeup

MAC Unsung Heroes: Reflects Antique Gold Glitter

March 6th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

So let’s talk glitter — specifically MAC Reflects Antique Gold Glitter.

Oooh, girl!

Wait — before you put that palm up and say, “No, Karen [INSERT SASSY JENNY-FROM-THE-BLOCK HEAD TWITCH HERE]. I don’t do glitter,” let me just say that this glitter is one of the best afternoon pick-me-ups.

Better than green tea or coffee even. Scout’s honor. 🙂

Like, this afternoon, I was feeling really run down and kind of blah. I took this shimmery loose glitter out around 2 and patted a little on top of my lids. Yup, directly on top of the smokey brown eye makeup I was already wearing.

BOOM! I go from “meh” to “Vegas, b*tches!” in 2.5 seconds, thanks to this turbo-charged jar of sparkling happiness.

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One Pan of Eyeshadow, A Trio of Looks! A Smokey Plum Eye Makeup Tutorial Trifecta

March 3rd, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

Are you ready for three ways to work a smokey (or smoky, depending on your preference) plum eye?

Here are THREE different ways to rock the new Clarins Smoky Plum Ombre Minérale Mono Eye Shadow ($21)…or any other eyeshadow you like.

(Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

The first look is the most casual one, good for daytime. The second is slightly turned up, like for grabbing drinks after work, and the third is a full-on smokey look with lashes, drama and the whole nine yards.

Definitely one for a big night out…or perhaps just to run errands around town, if you’re a diva like that. 😀

I’m using a shimmery purplish taupe shadow in the video, but you could definitely swap that out for another purple or taupe from your collection.

OOH! I think something like MAC Satin Taupe or Shale would look really pretty.

Or, you could skip the purple entirely and go with something like a shimmery bronze, brown, green, gold or blue. Seriously — whatever your heart desires at this moment! The most important thing is that you like it. Whatever it is, you’ll do great. 🙂

Clarins Smoky Plum Eye Shadow — Lashes, BAM! (Yup, this is the third look…)

A smokey plum eye makeup tutorial — A better look at my lids from the final look…

Products mentioned in the video…

Clarins Ombre Mineral Mono Eye Shadow in Smoky Plum ($21)
MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder ($16)
MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush ($25)
MAC 217 Blending Brush ($24)
Katy Perry Lashes in Punk Princess ($6.99)

Thank you for watching! If you give it a try, snap a quick pic and tweet it to me @karenmbb, or tag me at hashtag #makeupandbeautyblog on Instagram. Please!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: Style Blush

February 26th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Wearing a single layer of MAC Powder Blush in Style ($21) on my cheeks

I’ve had to do rapid-fire makeup to get out the door and catch appointments two days this week. From start to finish, I’m talkin’ 10, 15 minutes tops.

This pressure cooker of time has led me to MAC Style, a shimmery golden coral Powder Blush in the MAC permanent line.

I picked it up a while back during a stress shopping session (girl, you do it too!) but set it aside when I became totally infatuated with MAC Cantaloupe.

I guess I was just feeling more like matte cheeks and full-on wintery makeup looks for a while there, and Cantaloupe fit the bill. I had a blast layering different highlighters and shimmer products with it, too, but that was when I had enough time to play…

When my schedule doesn’t allow for that and I have to leave the house in a hurry, extra little makeup touches like highlighter usually get cut.

Which is where MAC Style comes in…

A lovely soft coral powder blush with a delicate golden sheen, I think it’s great for getting out the door in a flash. Its moderately pigmented coral base has just enough color to give a nice flush to my cheeks.

It’s not so intense that I have to spend precious breakfast time buffing and blending everything out if I inadvertently over-apply, and it’s easy to control. No exaggeration, but I can get it on my cheeks and be done with blush in less than a minute.

MAC Style Blush Swatch on NC42 Skin — Style Blush on my NC42 skin

But that’s not my favorite thing about Style. That distinction goes to its fine golden sheen.

Swoon!

While delicate and subtle, it totally takes this blush to the next level for me, transforming it into a hybrid blush/highlighting butterfly, and I smile every time I see a flash of its pearly golden glow.

Not only is Style dynamic, it also shaves a couple steps off my makeup routine.

MAC Style Blush Swatch on NW25 Skin — Style Blush on a good samaritan’s NW25 skin

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How To Do a Basic Brown Smokey Eye

February 24th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

Please ignore the Christmas decorations behind my shoulder, LOL! I filmed this back in December before Christmas but then got too carried away with the holidays to prepare it.

I still wanted to finish it, though, because it’s a staple look of mine that I wear all year round, perfect for just about any occasion from work things to movie dates to running errands around town.

I make little tweaks to it all the time, but this time I paired the eyes with nude cheeks and lips. You could always opt for more dramatic colors to brighten it up.

Here’s the final look…

Brown smokey eyes with nude peachy coral cheeks and lips

There are some steps and layering involved, but I’m sure you can do it. If you haven’t tried something like this before, it just takes a little practice.

Full list of products mentioned in the video…

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A Face of the Day With Warm Peachy Brown, Bronze and Copper: MAC Amber Lights Eye Shadow and NARS Fez

February 18th, 2014 by Karen 36 Comments

Day five of no central heating and natural gas-heated water.

Today I cried…

Well, almost. I almost cried, but then I saw the sun coming out and realized it was going to be a pretty warm day, so I wasn’t going to freeze. Yet.

As of now, the ETA for getting the gas line repaired is first thing tomorrow, and I’m keeping all of my fingers crossed.

In related news, I’m getting pretty good at what I call the hot water shuffle, which is when we heat up pots of water on the stove and dump them into a big tote in the bathtub.

It’s not as fun as a shower, but it gets the job done.

As for the temperature in the house, it’s been a little chilly, even with my space heater going 24/7 and bundled up in layers, and I desperately needed to feel warm today, so I pretended with this summery-ish look with bronzy brown.

I built it around my current MAC permanent eyeshadow crush, Amber Lights, a shimmery warm peachy brown.

MAC Amber Lights Eye Shadow Swatch — Amber Lights Eye Shadow on NC42 skin

Wearing mostly MAC and NARS here with a bit of Tom Ford and Hourglass thrown in for good luck.

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Currently on My (Latest) MAC Wish List…

February 18th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Rise and shine, you marvelous Tuesday morning makeup warrior! 🙂

I neglected to mention my MAC mall adventures at Nordie’s yesterday, and you’re the only person I know who would appreciate them.

So, when I stopped by the MAC counter yesterday I had the best intentions, I swear. All I meant to do was pick up a bulk pack of MAC Wipes and leave. Zip in, zip out.

LOL! Yeah, right though. When has that ever happened?

I expected to only be there for a minute or two, but the Nordie’s in Corte Madera rearranged their entire beauty department into these long aisles, like in a Sephora, instead of the regular department store layout, where the different brands have their own circular islands.

In other words, I got distracted. I started swatching on the back of my hand and snapping pics on my phone, lost track of time, and before you know it, I’m typing a new MAC wish list on my phone.

This is only about the ten thousandth time this has happened…

I’m saving this list for the next time I need to do some serious stress shopping.

My Feb. 2014 MAC Stress Shopping Wish List

MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul ($25): I wish the swatch below of this mid-toned beige with gorgeous golden pearl conveyed the shimmer better because it looks deceptively flat in the pic. In person, I think it’s breathtaking… Reminds me a little of the Hourglass Ambient Powders. I bet it would look incredible on cheeks as a subtle blush/highlighter and partner well with the bolder smokey eye looks I love.
MAC Pro Longwear Lipglasses in Whoops and Forever Rose ($20 each): I always get so distracted by the regular Lipglasses and Plushglasses that I usually forget about the Pro Longwear Lipglasses, which is terribly unfortunate and silly of me because I also think they’re great. 🙂 These two — bright coral Whoops and mid-toned neutral Forever Rose — really stood out to me yesterday. Both look perfect for spring and summer. Gloss lust! I haz it.
Eye Shadows in Coppering, Antiqued, Twinks and Mythology ($15 each): I’ve been on a MAC permanent eyeshadow kick for…I dunno. I was gonna type “weeks,” but it’s almost certainly been longer than that. I’ve also been mining my makeup bag for old favorites, like last weekend, I spent some time with Amber Lights, a warm and shimmery peachy brown I’ve loved for years. I started looking for shades to wear it with at the counter yesterday and found this combo of warm colors, which I think should complement Amber Lights nicely, along with Costa Riche Eye Khol (my current liner jam!).

MAC Pro Longwear Lipglasses in Whoops (left) and Forever Rose (right) — Pro Longwear Lipglasses in Whoops (left) and Forever Rose (right)

MAC Swatches, clockwise from the upper left: Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul, Pro Longwear Lipglass in Whoops, Pro Longwear Lipglass in Forever Rose, and Eye Shadows in Mythology, Twinks, Antiqued and Coppering

There you have it — the three latest things on my latest MAC wish list. How about you? Is there anything new on yours?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. No heat in the house yet, but my love for makeup is keeping me warm (that and a space heater). 🙂 You have a great day, ‘k? Talk to you soon.

How To Use the New MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct Line: Tips From MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin

February 14th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

The new MAC Prep Prime CC Colour Correct collection — The new MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct line, available now

GUUUURL, don’t even get me started about brighting products ’cause we’ll be here for days.

DAYS, I tell ya. Possibly even years.

I’m actually never not looking for something — anything — to give me an extra brightening lift. It’s one of my ongoing personal makeup missions. 🙂

When MAC’s new Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct line came out last week, I was intrigued! — but admittedly confused.

I wasn’t sure where to start… I mean, lavender powder? Yellow face lotion?

What gives? And what are they for?

I asked MAC Senior Artist Victor Cembellin, who I’ve known for a few years, about the new products, what they do, and the best ways to use ’em.

Hi, Victor! What can you tell me about these new Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct products? Should I be intrigued?

OK, so, essentially, what’s kind of awesome about these is that products like this have been on the market for many years, but what I like is that we’ve sort of re-worked them into something entirely new.

MAC Prep + Prime Colour Correcting SPF 30 — Prep + Prime Colour Correcting SPF 30, $30 each

Obviously, these are for adjusting skin tones. The CC is for “color correct,” but what’s exciting about them is that whereas in the past, there was this sort of mentality from the consumer of, like, if I grab this green cream and put it on top my red cheeks, everything’s going to be gone and Photoshopped and all that.

MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Products in Adjust — Adjust, a sheer apricot

I think what’s exciting about these particular products is how delicately we used the technology to our advantage to make them really workable, user friendly, and into something that actually does what it claims to do, which is to color correct the actual tones and the idiosyncrasies of the skin.

MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Products in Recharge — Recharge, a sheer apricot

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Getting Back to My Roots (Hair and Makeup) With MAC Sable, Saddle, Shroom and Club Eye Shadows

February 10th, 2014 by Karen 40 Comments

Maybe it’s ’cause I just got my hair dyed, and I haven’t been this close to my natural hair color in years, but I got the sudden urge this morning to also get back to my makeup roots, so I busted out a few of my nearest and dearest MAC friends.

The shades I’m wearing on my eyes today are some of the first MAC colors I picked up way back when I started collecting, and all of them are in the permanent line.

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