Product Reviews

Copper Wings on a Wednesday With Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky From the Beached Collection

May 9th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

urban decay lucky — Red Bull isn’t the only that gives you wings!

I can’t remember the last time I wore colorful winged liner like this on a Wednesday, and you know what I did with it on? I wore it to baby story time with Connor. 🙂 Yup, and ya know how that felt? I tell you how it felt. It felt really good to wear something jazzier than usual.

I’m still committed to pushing myself out of my comfort zone, because let’s get real — I’VE BEEN STUCK, and I’ve been stuck for a while.

I’m not trying to go ham or full-on Instafabulous, but I’m sorry — I still like makeup, and I still like getting dressed up, but I’m also constrained, you know? Time is undeniably of the essence at this point in my life, so 1) I don’t have loads of time or patience, and 2) I don’t really like the way my skin feels when I’m wearing a sh*t ton of makeup.

This is the journey, and I’m up for the challenge! 🙂

On that note, here’s what happened this morning: I did this winged liner thinking that it looked massive — like big-@ss predatory hawk wings spanning across the sky and blocking the sun! — and then I took a selfie (which is easiest way to see if your wings are even, BTW) and saw that my flicks had disappeared into nothingness.

What the!? Where’d they go…?

I looked at the copper wings in the mirror (that’s Lucky, one of the new eyeliners from the Urban Decay Beached collection), and they looked pretty substantial, but they look minuscule in these pics.

Such a weird makeup mystery!

I’m still feeling the liner, though, and yes, I probably know what you’re thinking. How many times has UD done a warm metallic bronze/red/copper eyeliner?

SO MANY TIMES.

But this one has the cutest, tiniest pieces of silver micro-glitter, so you get a mixed metals vibe. It’s an out-of-the-box move, IMO, because most brands would’ve picked gold glitter to complement the copper’s warmth. So go on with your bad self, UD!

urban decay lucky swatch — Lovin’ the little flecks

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Try This Skin-Like Base Combo ASAP: MAC Face and Body Foundation Set With Mineralize Foundation/Loose

May 9th, 2018 by Karen 20 Comments

mac face body mineralize skinfinish loose — These two together are pretty epic!

Shout-out to my fellow Bay Area gal pal Kelly (Say hi to her in the comments!) for the 4-1-1 on this awesome base combination. She said it was the BEST combo for skin-like results and said that it had just enough coverage for her to be able to skip concealer.

She. Was. Right! I wholeheartedly agree. I started wearing it last weekend, and I don’t plan to stop.

I’m wearing a mix of Face and Body in C4 and C5 in these pics with a dollop of the new Light Pearl from Mirage Noir. And I set it with Mineralize Foundation/Loose in Medium Dark.

mac face body mineralize skinfinish loose 2 — The face of a happy girl who just found her new favorite face base combo… 🙂

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MAC Mirage Noir Collection Extra Dimension Bronzing Powder in Delphic and Face and Body Foundation in Light Pearl

May 7th, 2018 by Karen 4 Comments

I’m wearing a few items makeup from the new @maccosmetics Mirage Noir summer collection. The two pearly Face & Body foundations are super pretty. #maccosmetics #macmiragenoir #igmakeup #instamakeup #makeupcollection

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on May 7, 2018 at 2:17pm PDT

Mission “Ketchup Run to Target” was a smashing success this afternoon, and Delphic Bronzer from MAC Mirage Noir looks just as swoon-worthy as it looked when I put it on a few hours ago. Also, just as swoon-worthy as it looked the first time I saw it back in — HOLY CRAP! — the MAC Alluring Aquatic collection in 2014.

Has it really been that long??

Incidentally, I think this is the best bronzer MAC has ever done. Yes, even better than Give Me Sun MSF. Seriously, it’s that creamy, dreamy, buttery, silky Extra Dimension formula, man. It’s amazeballs. It’s like applying pure color to your skin without a trace of powdery residue.

I don’t think there’s anything else quite like it. I’ve been rationing my one from Alluring Aquatic (yes, I don’t care how old it is) for years… Glad I don’t have to do that anymore.

That’s also MAC Eye Shadow in Sun Speck on my lids, which ended up being frostier than I expected, and MAC Face & Body Foundation in Light Pearl, which I mixed with Face & Body C4 and C5… I wouldn’t wear Light Pearl all by itself, except for maybe on my arms and legs, because it’s pearly, but I love it mixed with another Face & Body shade.

Oh, and haha! Yes, that’s the Coywolf saying “hello” in the background of the video. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I put pics and swatches of the collection in this post here.

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint

May 4th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

ANNOYING FACTOID OF THE DAY: Ya know…I bought a $50 YSL face tint at the Sephora VIB sale, and I don’t like it anywhere near as much as Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint.

Grrr…

Hydro Boost is so, SO good. I started using it when it came out about a year ago, and I’ve been wearing it off and on ever since.

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned (a zillion times), I have combo skin. Some parts are dry, others are oily, and even though I’m a little irked that Neutrogena raised the price from $14.99 to $16.99 in that time, whenever I wear this stuff I remember why it’s one of the best drugstore foundations out there (right up there with L’Oreal True Match Lumi).

It feels like nothing at all, keeps your skin looking like actual, you know, human skin, and it looks just as amazing in pics as it does in real life, even outside on a sunny day!

As a tint, it starts off sheer, but you can build it up to medium. You can’t really push it further than that, though, unless you mix in a concealer (and, if you do that, I recommend Make Up For Ever Ultra HD because they blend very well together).

Hydro Tint has a natural demi-matte finish, so it reflects light ever so slightly, and it also has a slight pore-blurring effect. Very similar to the awesome (and more expensive) NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tints, but with a touch less coverage and a more moisturizing formula.

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The Neutrogena Kerry Washington Essential Eye Palette Is on the Cusp of Greatness

May 3rd, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

neutrogena kerry washington essential eye palette k2 — Lids by Neutrogena and Kerry Washington. I’m wearing the new Essential Eye Palette, which is only $12.99!

It’s not exactly a scandal… Get it? Haha… But I’m definitely getting Olivia Pope vibes from the poised, polished browns in Kerry’s chic new Neutrogena eye palette.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only seen a few episodes from the first season of Scandal (tried but didn’t really get into it), but I remember loving the clothes, like the all-white ensembles! The stiletto pumps! The bags!

Oh, THE BAGS. Olivia Pope’s character dresses like she eats nails for breakfast, and I LIKE IT. No matter what she wears, though, her makeup always looks sophisticated, so yeah, definitely see her wearing this palette.

It has five powder eyeshadows, all in surprisingly cool neutral tones, which is so refreshing betwixt all of the orange and reddish neutral palettes all over the place these days.

neutrogena kerry washington essential eye palette swatches — Swatches of the Neutrogena Kerry Washington Essential Eye Palette

I mean, I like fun warm tones, too, but when you have a slightly hooded lid situation like I do, cool-toned browns are just so handy. They’re perfect for contouring a crease that isn’t very deep, but that really only works with shadows that have a semi-matte or matte finish, because when you’re using them this way, you don’t want them to reflect a lot of light.

I thought Kerry’s palette would focus on semi-matte or satin finishes, but it does not. On my skin, the shadows are shiny… Actually, borderline frosty, even. And they seem to get progressively shinier as I blend.

All of them are moderately pigmented, which I like because I’m not apt to over-apply, and they’re relatively easy to blend (compared to intensely pigmented shadows), but once I get a brush up in the mix and start buffing away, the color diffuses pretty quickly, leaving behind a shiny opalescent finish that highlights every mother-lovin’ line on my lids…

The only one that doesn’t do this is the dark bronzed brown on the far right, and that one is EPIC.

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Neutrogena Essential Cheek Palette by Kerry Washington

April 30th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette — Blush, bronzer and highlighter for the price of lunch!

As a font enthusiast/typography aficionado, I would like to point out that the “K” in Kerry Washington’s signature on the front of her new Neutrogena cheek palette merits my stamp of approval. I spent an inordinate amount of time — weeks, perhaps even years — perfecting the “K” in my signature, and IMHO, this is a good “K!”

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette packaging — That’s a good K!

You probably know Kerry Washington from her role in Scandal, but did you also know that she was in one of my favorite movies from the ’90s, Save the Last Dance? And that she’s an ambassador for Neutrogena? And that her LE collection also has an eye palette? And a body wash?

I’ve watched this movie at least 50 times.

The cheek palette caught my eye because it looks a little like BECCA’s epic Chrissy palette (minus a highlighter), and in one way it’s similar — the pigmented peachy coral blush. It’s not nearly as shimmery as the BECCA blush, but the color’s almost a dead-on dupe.

Kerry’s blush is the most pigmented thing in the palette, by the way. It’s much more pigmented than both the bronzer and highlighter, so you’ll want to take it easy the first time you dab it on your sweet cherub cheeks.

neutrogena kerry washington essential cheek palette swatches — I wear Honey 85 in Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Skin Tint, for reference.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Mineralize Foundation/Loose

April 23rd, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

mac mineralize foundation loose medium dark before after — Seriously, what a difference 10-minute makeup can make!

This powder is So. Dang. Good.

I don’t think it’s as overall epic as MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, because that’s just… Well, it ticks off all the boxes, and I’m not gonna go there again because I know I talk about it all the time, so I won’t put you through that again. 🙂 But Mineralize Foundation/Loose provides more coverage than MAC Next to Nothing and MAC Blot, but less than MAC Studio Fix Loose. Basically, it has the same magical “your skin but better” mana that Mineralize Skinfinish Natural has, but with a tad more coverage.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

mac mineralize foundation loose — —–> Fantastic for when you need a quick base

Never cake-y, never heavy, never overly shiny or overly matte, it’s phenomenal at controlling oil (although, if you have an oil slick situation, by mid-morning you’ll probably do better if you use something like MAC Blot instead). The main difference between Mineralize Foundation/Loose and MSF Natural is the level of coverage, as the loose version is straight-up medium coverage, and the pressed version is sheerer, but still build-able up to medium.

Technically, it’s a foundation, and you can wear it by itself, which is really handy for quick makeup looks, but I also think it looks lovely on top of a sheer tint or a BB or CC cream.

I would love Mineralize Foundation/Loose even more if it wasn’t only available in seven bizarrely staggered shades. It’s just so wonky… MSF Natural comes in 17 shades, so what’s the deal with only seven shades of Mineralize Foundation/Loose? And the steps between the the shades make absolutely no sense to me. I’m a MAC NC42 and wear Medium Deep, but the next darker shade, Medium Dark, is like three shades darker than that and super orange.

I don’t get it, but I hope you find a match, because if you do, I think you’ll fall in love.

mac mineralize foundation loose medium dark — Wearing the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyehadow Palette, MAC Coffee liner, MAC Gingerly blush, MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Burnt Spice, and MAC Dazzleglass in Tangerine Tropica

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The NARS Erdem Strange Flowers Collection, and Familiar Flowers in My Neighborhood

April 19th, 2018 by Karen 38 Comments

The new NARS Erdem Strange Flowers summer collection is out now (side note: Erdem is a women’s fashion designer, if you’re not in the know… I had to look him up, so you aren’t alone if you had no clue!), so, of course, being the frustrated botanist that I am, I walked all over my neighborhood looking for strange flowers, and that’s when I realized that there aren’t any strange flowers in my neighborhood…

LIKE, NONE.

I don’t think it’s too much to expect to see a Venus Flytrap while you’re taking your cat for a walk.

But I digress…

The NARS Erdem Strange Flowers Collection

Wanna-Be Botanist Karen is like YAAASSS because every piece in this LE release is covered with ??? flowers.

The eyeshadows palettes — Super potent. Just a little dip with the tip of eye brush lays down loads o’ pigment. If I get in there and blend with a fierce purpose, I’m fine. Fun for smoky looks. 🙂

The blushes — Frostier in the arm swatches than they are on cheeks, yay! Good news for those of us with, like, pores.

The lipsticks — Such a twist! They look dark and intimidating, but five of the six are sheer. The only opaque one is red Blood Flower, which I think is OK, but the sheer ones, I LOVE. They’re like super intense lip tints, and I’m all about the pink and purples because they could almost pass for nudes.

The blotting papers — OK.

The stick highlighter — Opalescent purple dewy gorgeousness. Also doubles as an eyeshadow base (I used it in these pics underneath the blue and charcoal from the Night Garden Palette, and it tinted the smoky look with a hint of purple)

The lip palette — I like layering the lip powders on top of the cream lipstick, but they make my lips look and feel a little dry…

Instead of strange flowers, I saw a bunch of familiar ? flowers, and even though I’m bummed about my neighborhood’s lack of exotic horticulture, the familiar flowers always bring me so much joy and fill me with happy memories. 🙂

nars night garden eyeshadow palette — Strange flowers with familiar flowers

Like these white and purple daisies. Oh, my goodness! When my my parents first moved into the house I grew up in, which is the house my parents still live in today, it had this big patch of daisies just underneath the living room window, and when you’d walk in and out of the house, they were the first things you saw in the yard.

nars fleur fatale eyeshadow palette — Fleur Fatale Eyeshadow Palette

My friend Karrie, who lived next door to my childhood home in the East Bay, would hop over the fence, knock on the door, and ask if I could go outside and play. At some point whenever we’d be playing, a few of these daisies would be picked, and they’d end up either in our hair, around our wrists as bracelets, or squashed underneath bicycle tires.

And these California poppies… OH! They take me back, too.

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